#i just balance them next to my face while im reading

[soggypotatoes]

I'm so obsessed with candles I'm gonna be that tweet of the guy spending thousands on candles in a minute

#before hospitals i was lighting them constantly #with breaks and ventilation dw #theres one brand i like that does fantasy inspired candles #and the wick crackles like a fireplace #i specifically picked scents that would go with the books im reading #almost done with this trilogy so i just ordered more that will go with the next one #spent a long time selecting them #i cant even light them here lol #i havent lit these ones at all #i just balance them next to my face while im reading #its so good tho so good #and i play ambient noise that goes with the vibe of what the characters are doing #yes im plunging myself into escapism so i dont have to think abt shit #its better than drugs!!!!! #ed mumbles #...i am abusing drugs to get this focus tho lmao #ONLY A BIT #i am prescribed them #i just take a bit extra after the ones im dispensed wear off #cause otherwise i cant focus and i get upset #drug use ////

[jerefishvr]

ajax smut pls

ajax going down on reader while xavier’s in the same room, sleeping.😩😩 maybe they’re fucking afterwards & in the morning xavier says „i need to buy soundproof headphones“

— on display ☆

— ajax petropolus x fem!reader

warnings : oral ( f receiving ) , biting kink , hair pulling, scratching

— summary : in which , you have to keep your mouth shut in order to get your needs satisfied.

a/n : guys you should read my a/ns at the end of my smuts cuz im telling y'all my FEELS smh, i always have the best drama

your mouth hung open, yet nothing coming out of it, nothing but a small string of gasps and whines as you couldn't risk moaning in the position you were currently in.

Ajax was devouring you like you were his last meal. sucking and licking on your clit while looking you in your doe-like eyes. He swore you never looked prettier. Your flushed and tear stained cheeks, your pretty orbs looking into his own while your pretty thighs locked around his head and grinded on his beautifully sculpted god like face.

You forgot about Xavier being in the same room as you guys as your pleasure was taking all over your senses. Your eyes scanned the room quickly and there was Xavier ,s leeping peacefully on the other side of the room on his, quite comforting mattress without having any idea what was unwrapping in front of him.

your hands grasped the bedsheets, clenching your eyes shut while biting your lip to keep your moans from escaping your red lips. Ajax wouldn't stop until he had you shaking under his hold.

you came with a cry of his name while trying to catch your breath, but before you could even do that, Ajax was once again spreading your legs open.

"Are you ready angel?" he asked. Voice filled with concern, he didn't want to hurt you or do anything without your permission. You smiled at that and nodded but your smile was quickly replaced into an "O" as he entered you.

The warmth of your walls relaxing him,his eyes rolling back and your pussy pulsing against him. He regained his control and slowly started building up the pace.

Soon enough, he was fucking you into the mattress. Driving you by your hips closer to him, you couldn't not moan at that. He felt like heaven, and he knew that.

Your nails scratching his back as to keep a hold of something so you can balance your self as he stretched your insides. The groan he let at that had you clenching around him, making him go faster and harder.

Neither of you stopped chanting each other's name as he suddenly bit down at your neck as a way to shush himself from his embarrassing loud whines. You gasped and cried out, wanting more.

He pulled your hair and forced you to look at him as he ruined you and your innocence. "Look at me when i fuck you" he moaned and felt your walls getting tighter, driving his cock even deeper into you.

"M' close, m' so close, fuc-" was all you could say before cumming embarrassingly loud on his cock as he fucked you through your high while he came inside of you.

He flopped down to the bed next to you and looked at you before you guys started laughing, thinking you were slick and succeeded at not waking Xavier up.

The next morning, you went to meet your friends and as you came, you heard Xavier talking about how bad he slept last night cause of you and Ajax.

"Shit, dude, i barely slept. I need to buy soundproof headphones immediately if they continue jumping each other's bones everytime they see each other" Xavier said in an annoyed whine as he complained while the others just laughed as Ajax slapped his shoulder.

"oh my god shut up Thorpe, you're just mad you don't get any bitches" Ajax said before running away from him, making the whole group laugh at his antics.

"I GET BITCHES! OKAY?" Xavier screamed at the boy before chasing the other boy all around the academy.

You walked up to the rest of the group, acting like you just got there and asked them what was all this fuss about. Yoko smirked and playfully placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Oh my, my, poor Y/n, really?? Ajax??.." Yoko said in a teasing tone while laughing.

"Oh shut up!" You blushed and crossed your arms.

a/n : ew wtf was this,, anyways. My crush stopped liking me back and we fought lowkey but we made up and went to a christmas luna park thingie and she gave me a ring of hers and told me she made me one and she'd give it to me if she wasn't running late. And she also kept hugging me and holding my hand cause she saw i wasn't hugging her or anything cuz i didn't wanna make her uncomfortable. ALSO SHE PUT HER LEG OVER MINE AS TO PREVENT ME FROM SLIDING FROM A RIDE?? But yeah today she went out with a boy whom i met her to like 2 days ago and they didn't even invite me lol she also ignores me to text him gonna scream, SUFFOCATE, RIP OUT MY HAIR, SOB, BANG MY HEAD VIOLENTLY AGAINST A WALL.

#wednesday #wednesday x reader #xavier thorpe smut #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe x you #xavier smut #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe fluff #xavier thorpe imagine #i want him #xavier thorpe fic #ajax petropolus smut #ajax petropolus x reader #ajax petropolus

[sungbeam]

𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐒 — part one (i – vii)

nonidol!ji changmin x f!reader

your sister's dead, but apparently that's not the most shocking news. maybe she wasn't killed on accident, maybe ji changmin isn't really human, and maybe the monsters were never under the bed but all around you...

▷ genre, warnings. strangers 2 reluctant allies/friends 2 lovers, slow burn, demon/supernatural creatures au, angst, action, murder mystery-ish au, forced proximity trope, suspense, gore, depictions of violence and blood, themes of death and grief, use/description of weaponry, swearing, a slightly unreliable narrator bc she has no idea what's happening, reader's sister is dead, mentions of stalking, humor bc coping mechanisms, reader has hair long enough to braid sorry, blood drinking, the barest of proofreading and editing done...

▷ part word count. 22.3k words / 47.4k - read part two here

▷ associated songs. teeth (5sos), wet nightmare (bibi)

a/n: i tried to make it scary I SWEAR but changmin brings the clown out of me 🤥 anyways i ripped a chunk of my heart out and im serving it to you bloodied on a gold platter, i hope u love her :') read the warnings ofc and lmk your thoughts <3 also i completely gave up on wrestling w blr so im dropping it in two parts, but both of them at once 🤣 pray for me.

#1—NEXT OF KIN.

THEY TOLD YOU YOUR SISTER'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT, they being the authorities who had shown up at the front door of your apartment with their caps in hand, solemn faces pressed into lines that you could not read between. The world had fallen out from beneath your feet like someone had just yanked the carpet out, and you hadn't yet stopped falling.

The funeral was set on the rolling green hills of Elysium Memorial Park, the cemetery where your parents were buried, where your grandparents were buried, and now, where your sister joined them six feet under. Generations ago, your grandparents had purchased plots for themselves and their future family members while the land was cheap. When it came for your time to leave this mortal coil behind, you too would join them in the dirt of Elysium. It almost seemed right that the sky had opened up to reveal a blindingly hot sun, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. Perhaps the sky would not weep for your sister, but celebrate her life instead.

But while the heavens above would shed nary a tear, you could make up for that loss yourself. Having little to no living relatives left, you had been expected to take responsibility for all the arrangements, all while grieving, all while studying, all while trying to not fall apart some more. You were holding it together by the zipper of your dress pants and the caffeine from your coffee. You couldn't stop crying for the entire service, the forced silence of your cries balanced by the violent tremors in your shoulders.

Your sister Sena's patch in the land was now marked by a heaping pile of dirt. She had a lot of friends—most of whom gathered behind you and had thrown their flowers upon the dirt hill. You had a few distant relatives as well who you'd managed to remember (somehow) amongst all the madness. A couple of them were able to fly out for the event, but most had to decline.

When you heard your name being called, you drew your blazer sleeve over your eyes in a futile attempt to dry them.

Walking towards you now was a couple, middle-aged, dressed in black from head to toe, not far from how you looked right now. You knew them from about a week ago when they had sought you out after the news of your sister's death spread.

You hadn't the heart to sue them when they confessed who they were. It's our fault, they told you in the quiet of the hallway outside your apartment, we're so sorry. We understand if you'd like to press charges.

Sena was a victim of an automobile accident. You didn't know the entire story—was too tired for the whole story—just shocked she was even in the country. She was supposed to be across the world for a study abroad program, but why was she discovered on the side of the road, a few towns over, inebriated and dead? She became nothing more than roadkill and a statistic in death, and maybe that was why you were so bitter.

"Yn, it was a beautiful ceremony," said the woman—Julia, she had introduced herself as that week ago. Her nose was reddened from the friction of tissue paper, her eyes damp and glittering in the sunlight. "I'm sorry you—that you have to deal with all the pomp and circumstance."

"We know you deserve your time alone," joined her husband, Carter. He tucked his hands into his pockets, mustering up a smile for your sake, but you could still see the guilt flooding his eyes with water. "We just wanted to say thank you for letting us come and pay our respects."

And for not pressing charges. But you dashed that thought away. That was the bitterness talking, but these were good people. They had come forward and been honest, and it wasn't their fault Sena was drunk. (Why in the world was she drunk and here and why didn't she tell you the truth—?)

"Thank you for coming," you replied, "I wasn't sure if you would take me up on the offer, to be honest."

You wrapped up conversation with the couple and watched them depart across the grassy hills toward their car. Your eyes surveyed the last bits of the lingering crowd for familiar faces—anyone at all. But all you found were strangers.

These were all Sena's friends, after all. She had always been the more adventurous of the two of you.

You sighed and resigned yourself to start looking for the funeral coordinator to discuss payment and the like. Though the event was over the worst was just beginning. There was so much to do, and so little energy left to perform them.

But as you began trudging through the plush grass toward the far end of the plot, you noticed a man standing beneath the shade of a nearby oak tree. He wore typical funeral attire—the black dress shirt, pants, shoes, and even a pair of rectangular shades to cover his eyes. Like many of the others, you didn't recognize him—at first.

And then he shifted, lenses of his glasses reflecting sunlight and you could just barely put together the puzzle of his face and his identity. Ji Changmin.

What was he doing here?

They were friends, too, Yn, you reminded yourself. Yet, you weren't sure why you were so surprised he was here. Maybe it was because you never remembered extending the invitation to him (but someone could have spread the news by word of mouth). Maybe it was because several months had passed since you last saw him. Maybe it was because you always thought there was something… strange about him (but that could have been your bias; there was always this thing about him that irked you). Either way, you never had anything to say to him before, and that had yet to change even in light of your sister's death.

The two of you stared each other down, and for a moment, you believed he was going to walk over to you.

But instead, he pushed off the tree trunk and made his way toward the trickle of funeral goers up the hill, leaving you to wonder after him.

The next time you saw Ji Changmin was a week after the will reading.

Because you were Sena's next of kin, you were contacted by your shared attorney about Sena's will. Apparently, she had a will. After all these years, you couldn't even fathom the idea of needing one so early, but for some reason, she had. (Maybe that worried you a little more.)

The strangest thing was that your attorney had delivered to you a flat lockbox made of steel and secured with an old fashioned lock and key. Along with the stash of money in her savings account (where the Hell had all of that come from anyway?), Sena also gave you that. Whatever it was.

You had yet to open it when you bumped into Changmin on your way out of your college's academic counseling center. With recent events, your departmental advisor called you in to discuss your academic plans for the foreseeable future.

You can take as long as you like, Yn, she'd said to you. You're already ahead of schedule to graduate anyways. But that wasn't the point was it?—

"Oh." You stopped short as you rounded the corner and nearly crashed into something. "Sorry," you said before you even recognized him.

A pair of dark, feline eyes looked you up and down. "Yn, right?" Changmin drawled. A pair of white wired earbuds hung from his ears and his shoulders were fitted with a dark colored bomber jacket that was familiar to you. You'd seen it draped over the back of one of your kitchen chairs once when Sena had him over for a project.

Your eyes shuttered. "Yeah. Changmin?"

His nod was barely there. He cocked his head to the side in a way that felt like he was trying to gaze into your soul. "I'm—I'm sorry for your loss," he said, grappling for the right words. "Sena was a good friend."

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close," you told him. This was probably the most he'd ever said to your face, and you to him.

Changmin gave a small shrug. "We worked closely together, so it was kind of inevitable. How are you doing?"

You didn't think the conversation would last this long. "Oh, uhm, I'm fine." You inwardly knocked yourself over the head. He's probably just trying to be nice, Yn. "I mean—" you amended, "—I'm doing as well as you can imagine, I guess. Just lots of legal stuff and…" Her room. Cleaning out her room. Opening the lockbox. Reading her last will and testament for the fiftieth time.

When you didn't finish your sentence right away, he nodded again, shuffling on the balls of his feet. Was he feeling as awkward as you were? "I get that. Hey, if you—y'know, like, need anything—"

"You don't have to do that."

"What about coffee? Just… to talk."

Coffee? You considered him for a second. Before, you nor he had ever given any indication to the other that you acknowledged the other's presence. In fact, you confessed to Sena once that he intimidated you, even if he was just sitting there in your shared living room while pouring over JSTOR academic essays.

He was patient, you realized. Then you relented. "Okay. When's good for you?"

You thought you saw a glimmer of relief in his eyes, but that could have just been the afternoon sunlight. "Now?"

Your eyes widened a smidge, and you coughed. "Uhm now? I—I have class…?" You didn't, but the curve ball that was an impromptu coffee session with Ji Changmin wasn't something you needed right now.

His eyebrow lifted as if he didn't believe you. "Okay," he dragged out. "Tomorrow morning?" He offered as a counter.

Your brain did cartwheels in an attempt to figure out if you would have the willpower to do that. "Okay," you said. Better to get this out of the way, right?

"Do you know that one place on Magnolia?"

"The one across from the Eight Ball?" You perked up in recognition. You and Sena used to go all the time. The two of you liked to say that Magnolia was her street because it housed all her favorite places; just the thought of taking a stroll down it made your eyes water. "Yeah, Sena and I used to go all the time."

Changmin paused, his mouth opening, then closing.

You guessed what he was thinking. "It's fine if we go. I'm not gonna like, burst into tears or anything," you chuckled awkwardly, clearing your throat when excess tear fluid made you congested.

His lips pursed, impressing a dimple into his cheek. "Okay, only if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." It seemed that everything you said to people was something like a lie nowadays.

It was late when you finally faced the lockbox.

The box was an unassuming hunk of metal, flat and slim and no bigger than a standard piece of paper. You warmed the key in your palm until it was hot to the touch and made your skin redden. The sky outside your apartment window had darkened to a blot of ink, the white shutters drawn shut to create a white paneled shield. You just finished up a very lazy dinner, washed up, and decided to confront the last thing on Sena's will.

The lockbox in the bank under my name goes to my sister, Yn Ln. She is the only one allowed access to it until she opens it; what she decides to do with the contents is her choice.

There must have been something important inside it, you reasoned, otherwise it wouldn't have been a part of the will and it wouldn't be under lock and a single key.

"What is this, Sena?" You asked aloud, venturing to twist the lock open with the key. The locking mechanism gave way, and you set the lock and key aside. The shorter end could slide open like a hidden door, and you peered into the dark depths, almost afraid of what you might find between its jaws.

You could make out the silhouettes of shapes at the bottom, the soft-cornered texture of a wad of bills. You reached in.

One of the things she had left for you in her will was all of the money in her savings account. It had shocked you to see the number—you always thought her only job was at the library, but clearly, she was not just on a librarian's salary.

Pulling out a stack of cash from the box was yet another thing that helped solidify in your mind that something was off. The confusion settled first, and then the betrayal. Had she not trusted you with this knowledge while she was alive? You were the one going into accounting and finance, and yet, she hid all of this money from you? Was she afraid of something? Afraid of judgment, of the law?

You tossed the twenties onto the table. The note slipped between the rubber band and the first piece read something along the lines of 'in case of emergency.'

You made a plunge into the box again. This time, you pulled out the last two things at the bottom, a standard white index card and a small, fabric pouch. The card displayed Sena's familiar scrawl:

You're probably wondering what any of this is, but if you're reading this, it means that something's gone wrong—like really wrong. The necklace in the pouch is super important. DON'T TAKE IT OFF. Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't trust anyone. This is really important to me, Yn. Please be safe; I love you.

x, sena.

Please be safe? Safe from who or what?

You held the note in your hand for a moment and couldn't believe this would be the last thing you received from her. It would be a tangible legacy, in a way, and you weren't sure how to feel about that. You moved the note to the table and turned your attention to the pouch.

You carefully tugged it open. She said it was a necklace, right?

"Oh," you voiced aloud while fishing out a thin, silver chain.

There was a pendant attached to the end with some heft to it. It was a deep, bloody red in the loose shape of a teardrop. There wasn't a sharp peak, but a slightly flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other. You would guess it was some kind of precious stone, but when you stared at it long enough, it looked like the color pulsed… like a heartbeat.

Your breath hitched.

Eyes narrowed, you held it up to the light by the chain. The vibrant red remained stagnant—perhaps you were just tired.

Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't take it off. Don't trust anyone.

Strange request about a necklace. For a moment, you wondered if your sister had indulged in some unsavory acts to achieve the numbers in her bank account and the previous stone in your hands. If you put this on, would you be counted as an accomplice to robbery?

"God, you just need to go to sleep, Yn," you muttered, swiftly clicking the chain into place around your neck. There was no way your sister would have anything to do with—

You froze.

From the other side of your shutters, you swore you heard the sound of shuffling. It wasn't unheard-of that the leaves and tree branches knocked against your second-floor window once in a while, but there hadn't been much wind as of late.

A chill spider-crawled up your spine as you strained your ears to hear more.

When you came up with nothing, you shoved the pendant under your shirt and cleaned up the lockbox. You had an early day tomorrow, after all; sleep was dire to face Changmin.

But as you crept into bed, you couldn't help but feel as if the stone on your sternum did have a heartbeat, and that something in the dark was watching you.

#2—GHOSTS ONLY HAUNT.

YOU STEPPED FOOT ON MAGNOLIA STREET looking for signs of your sister.

The morning air was a little cooler as spring filtered into town, and it also meant that this street in particular would begin to swirl with baby pink petals from the trees of the street's namesake flowers. There weren't many people around on a Thursday morning, but the sun peered between the buildings to say hello, at least.

You were in good company.

"Hey."

"Holy shit—" you whipped around to find Changmin almost right behind you. Your heart stuttered against your ribcage, your hand flying to your sternum where the necklace was. You were still getting used to its presence.

He gave nothing away with his facial expression. Damn him.

"I didn't realize you'd be early," you breathed as you tried to get a grip on yourself. Did this guy just materialize out of thin air everywhere?

Tongue in cheek, he said, "Well, I couldn't really sleep, so I figured the morning air might freshen me up a bit. Shall we?" He gestured with his elbow and chin to the establishment to your right.

There sat the quaint, little coffee shop you'd both agreed on yesterday. This one was one of Sena's favorites. She always claimed that their blueberry scones were the best in the world.

When you didn't say anything for a little, he cleared his throat. "We don't have to, if you can't or don't want to."

You hadn't even realized you were being quiet. Thoughts had been muddled as of late. You cleared your throat and stumbled for the door. "No, we can go in."

Two cups of coffee arrived at your table seven minutes later in compostable cups and a pile of artificial sweetener packets and creamer. You straightened in your seat across from Changmin and began ripping open sweetener packets and wondering if you should have gotten something of substance to eat. (You had stared at the blueberry scones for a long minute before deciding that today was not the day you wanted to cry in front of someone, especially this someone in particular.)

Changmin moved his cup toward his side of the table but made no move to add sugar or cream, or to even drink it.

This place was so familiar to you that you knew exactly how many packets of cream and sweetener to mix in, and you gently blew a breath over the steam floating off the surface. When the liquid hit your tongue and your throat, its warmth enveloped your nerves in a warm embrace, assuring you everything was going to be okay. The emotion hit you like a freight train.

You pressed your thumb against the rear gland in your right eye and willed it away. "So uhm," you said, fanning your eyes gently as you attempted to pull yourself together in front of him, "what… what did you wanna talk about? If there was anything?"

He folded his arms over his chest while leaning back in his chair, and you thought you saw his gaze soften. "Why don't you take another sip?" His eyes went to the coffee. "It'll help."

You couldn't deny that suggestion, and you reached for your cup to take another small gulp. The breath you let out rattled.

This was a bad idea.

"Are you gonna be okay if I talk about Sena?"

You nursed the coffee cup in your hands and nodded slowly.

He eyed you for a moment, then relented. "Did she happen to leave anything that was marked for me? Before the—the accident, she said there was something she needed to tell me."

Something she needed to tell him? You racked your brain, eyes drilling into the wood grain of the coffee table between you two. The will hadn't mentioned anyone else but you. And all of the letters or notes from Sena that were given to you were all for you; the attorney would have handled the rest and mailed them off to anyone else she'd written something for.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "No, I can't think of anything. You say you were expecting something?"

The resolve in his eyes steeled over, and that little bit of softness you'd seen before disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. You couldn't read him anymore. "Yes, I have her texts."

He fished out his phone from his pocket and you pursed your lips as he maneuvered to a screen of his and your sister's last messages to each other:

sena: i think i'm going back home soon, so i'll c u then changmin: okay that's fine changmin: wait ur still over there?? i thought u left already? sena: had to talk to someone abt the thing, but it was a dead end sena: just remind me that i have something to tell u changmin: what? sena: it'll be better if i said this in person

That was all Changmin let you see.

You leaned away from his phone, head reeling more from the fact that he knew she had been out of town and knew where she was and why she was there. Never mind the fact that apparently, Sena was holding onto important information for Changmin. You couldn't care less about that.

You supposed the texts were for him to prove to you he was telling you the truth. It wasn't like you weren't telling the truth either.

"Why was Sena out of town?" You asked him. "Did she ever go on any of those study abroad trips?"

Changmin paused, then something flickered in his eyes. "I think I showed you too much."

"I think you showed me too little."

"Yn, did she tell you anything about what she needed to tell me?"

You were going to push against him for your own agenda again, but the slight pressure in his tone made you think twice. There was something urgent in his words, his expression, his body language. You couldn't tell what it was, but something about this had to have been important.

Absentmindedly, your hand rubbed the area where the pendant sat on your chest beneath the collar of your shirt, and his eyes followed for a moment before flickering back up to your eyes. "No," you told him quietly. "She didn't tell me anything."

He must have believed you, because defeat shuddered across his face, and he said goodbye to leave. He didn't even take his coffee with him. Asshole.

You told yourself it would be months before you could bring yourself to go through Sena's things, but after this morning's run-in with Changmin (because it wasn't even a session; you could hardly call it anything but a run-in because it lasted maybe ten minutes), you were determined to unlock her door and do some digging. Clearly, she was hiding more than her money and jewelry(?) from you.

Changmin… he completely ignored your questions confronting him about Sena's whereabouts and her purpose for traveling. You were getting more and more suspicious as to what your sister had been up to lately. Changmin had to be in on it, too, then. He had to be.

Sena's door took up your entire vision as you stood before it with the key in your hand.

You weren't entirely sure what you were expecting when you opened it, but it was as if she had never left. Everything was where she left it—plum-purple covers tucked beneath the mattress, vintage national park postcards hanging from fairy lights by wooden clothespins, jackets layered over the back of her desk chair. There was an empty mug on her desk with the remnants of a red lip tint on the edge, and you knew you weren't going to remember to take it out to the sink later.

The small shelf-nightstand hybrid next to her bed was filled to the brim with books and notebooks and magazines. You settled gingerly upon the edge of her bed, palms pressing against the comforter.

The room still smelled like your sister.

You took the small bottle of perfume on the nightstand and spritzed a little onto your wrist. You pressed it to your nose, letting the scent make your senses woozy. It wouldn't bring her back; it didn't smell exactly the same when it was on your skin.

You set the bottle back onto the nightstand, then lowered yourself to your knees to pull all of the books off the top shelf. You stuck your head into the empty cupboard—you weren't really sure what you were looking for.

All of the titles here were the normal things you remembered seeing her read: assorted mythologies, books on the occult and supernatural, her textbooks for anthropology and archeology. There were about a dozen and a half National Geographic magazines that you flipped through within the next two hours, as well, all of which turned up nothing of curiosity.

None of the bound books were notebooks of any kind.

You crawled over to her desk—rifled through those. Nothing. They were all school related and completely, utterly ordinary.

Disappointment weighed you down into her desk chair as you hit another dead end.

Was there nothing she could give you?

No, she's dead, you thought to yourself. You'd never known Sena to be a secretive person, especially with you—in fact, you were the quieter of the pair, and she always managed to coax the right things out of you.

Sometimes you had felt like the older sister because you handled so many of the logistics and practical things, but when the world became too scary, you could always count on running to her to feel safe again…

Safe.

Sena, were you ever safe? You were beginning to think not so much.

"Do I need to file for a restraining order?"

It was getting ridiculous how many times you ran into Changmin in the past two weeks. It was outside the advising office, on your way to the store, in the hallway outside your finance lecture. And now, he loitered in the lobby of your apartment complex with a wired earbud in one ear and the other dangling freely.

He seemed to be unfazed by your remark as he peered over at you from beneath the brim of his cap. "What if I just live here?"

"But you don't," you huffed, coming to stop right in front of him. You had a feeling you would have definitely known if he moved into this building. "What do you want from me, Changmin? I'm not going to magically lead you to my sister's secret stash of whatever. I just want to get to class."

"Then go to class," he said simply. He gestured with the phone in his hand toward the door. "I'm not here for you."

You narrowed your eyes at him. Perhaps you were being a little silly, and this was just some weird trick your brain was playing on you to make you notice him more. "Answer me something."

"Only if you answer something for me."

"This isn't a negotiation."

"Worth a shot," he said with a sigh. "What shall I answer for you?"

"You and my sister weren't dating, were you?"

He must have choked on his own spit because he coughed, furiously thumping his chest. You would have laughed if this was any other circumstance, and if you and Changmin were friends (but you weren't). He shook his head at you. "No. Your sister wasn't interested in me like that and neither was I. We were strictly colleagues."

You cocked your head to the side. Colleagues… you let that marinate. "Okay, so did she have anyone she was seeing then? Just out of curiosity." A former lover you didn't know about would make sense, something like a Bonnie and Clyde situation maybe. Or perhaps you were chasing after ghosts to get a glimpse into the past.

"Someone I suspect, but I don't have their contact," he replied, mimicking your head tilt and narrowed eyes. "If you had her phone—"

"I don't."

"Ah, a shame then."

"Do you?"

"And why would I withhold such an important item from the next of kin?" He drawled.

Changmin suddenly jolted upright from the relaxed position he stood in. It was so abrupt, it gave your heart a start. "That's my cue."

You followed after him out the front doors. "What cue? Did you hear your microwave go off or something?"

You swore to God you saw his mouth curl up in amusement. But it might have been just your imagination. He yanked his other earbud out and lifted a hand in goodbye. "Something like that! See you around."

He disappeared around the corner before you could follow after him. Plus, you really did have a lecture to get to. (Wait, did he say that she was seeing someone—?)

You sighed, wondering if you should follow him… something in the back of your mind told you it would be safer not to.

#3—MONSTERS AMONG MEN.

YOU SWORE JI CHANGMIN HAD TO BE a psychic with the amount of times he predicted your whereabouts. Every time you saw him in your vicinity, you and he shared either a verbal sparring match or stared one another down. He seemed amused by it; you were growing increasingly concerned, even if it was all just coincidence.

(There was this one time, on a Wednesday this past week, where you were the one who appeared at the anthropology department to see one of Sena's old professors. Changmin was there, as it was his major's headquarters, and shot you a curious glance. The meeting was innocent and an accident. No, you definitely weren't stalking him. Absolutely not.)

(It was interesting to consider whether both of you thought the other would lead you to something of Sena's. You were certain he knew more than he let on, and perhaps he thought the same of you… Shit, maybe you should invest in a taser.)

Additionally, the weird sounds around your apartment had increased. Sometimes when you walked around in the evenings, the hair on the back of your neck and your arms stood at attention, as if you could feel the gaze of someone or… something watching you. However, every time you turned to look, the crazier you were convinced you'd become.

It didn't help that the necklace Sena left for you kept mimicking your heart beat when you weren't paying attention. If you willed it to repeat the steady beat in the light so you could observe it up close, it would cease.

It was as if distance from your skin or touch left it without a heart to echo.

You were half certain you were losing your mind. It had to be all this stress and emotion overwhelming you.

Saturday morning, you decided to pick yourself up and go see your sister. The funeral home had called you earlier this week to say that her headstone was complete, so this would also serve as a trip to ensure everything was engraved correctly before it was placed over her grave. You dressed yourself up in a dark top and comfortable jeans, something you might be able to sit in on the grass as you lingered in her presence, even if she was dead.

Ever since you went through her things, you hadn't ventured into her room again. You thought it might preserve the way it looked, smelled, felt… preserve something of her.

Once you'd gone to the funeral parlor and management center at Elysium Memorial Park to confirm the engraving, you took a brisk walk up the hill to where you remembered Sena's plot to be. The sun peered out between clouds this morning, giving the sky a dual-toned appearance, one half a dark gray, and the other a gossamer yellow.

You started down the hill, head ducked to watch for any graves or hills so you didn't trample over other people's bodies. A bundle of flowers from the grocery store sat cradled in the crook of your arm—a bundle of pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and dark crimson roses (mourning). You didn't often pay attention to the meaning of flowers, but you thought if you weren't able to choke anything out today, then at least they could speak for you.

Just as you neared the grave between oaks, you lifted your head, your footsteps slowing at the person who stood over your sister's grave. "You have got to be shitting me."

"Isn't it a sin to curse over someone's grave?" Changmin asked as you stopped short of where he was. There was a single stem of sunflower (adoration) seated at his feet on the bundle of earth that was Sena's resting place. "Well, I wouldn't know. That's not my expertise."

"What are you doing here?"

He gave a loose gesture with a flourished hand. "Visiting a friend. Don't leave on my account. She's your sister."

It was as if he could read your mind. You didn't count on anyone being here when you saw her, but he had a right to visit her, too. The bitterness seeping into your bones would have to be squandered for today; the universe just needed to stop making the two of you bump into each other.

You ignored the quickening pitter-patter of your heart and the necklace, and trudged over the grass to where he was.

You gently placed your bundle of flowers next to his, then straightened to stand beside him. The two of you stared at the patch in the ground in silence.

A frown etched itself onto his face, along with a crease between his brows. He seemed almost angry—at what, you couldn't tell. Not you, you hoped.

Quietly, you lowered yourself to the grass to sit down and be closer to her.

I miss you, you voiced into your head, as if you could transmit these thoughts to the dead body in the ground. I'm so… it's too much, Sena. I can't do this. I don't know what you want from me, I don't know what Changmin wants from me. The apartment is cold. Why didn't you tell me you were home all this time?

For the moment, you let your vision blur with tears.

You covered your mouth with your palm to dam the emotion inside, especially with someone else right next to you, but dignity be so fucking damned. Your body trembled with the weight of everything and beyond—you were Atlas carrying the world upon his shoulders. Pressure mounted in your cranium from how hard and freely you sobbed, your fingers pressed to your face to support your head as your tears wet the earth beneath you.

A presence lowered itself to the ground beside you, and Changmin remained politely quiet. He breathed in deeply, but you heard the slight tremble of his breath when he exhaled.

Maybe you were crying for the both of you.

After what seemed like eons, you sniffled, pawing at your puffy and reddened eyes with the sleeves of your shirt. You hadn't brought along any tissues or anything, an oversight.

You gathered your wits about you and clambered to your feet, your knees knocking together like a baby deer. Changmin still had his eyes pinned to the ground.

"Whatever the Hell you want from me," you told him hoarsely, "I don't care. Just leave me alone."

You watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Without another word, you walked away to head back to the bus stop.

Your skin prickled when you returned home. The air was oddly… off, and a strange smell lingered in the air. It was subtle, only becoming apparent to you with deep, focused inhales. The identity of the smell eluded you and it wasn't something you were familiar with.

You kicked the front door shut behind you, and noticed that the window was ajar. Had you accidentally left that open before you left?

Strange.

You padded across the room to peer out at the street below. There sat the usual tree that occupied the space in front of your window, the one that you assumed (hoped) was the thing making all of the noises outside the past few weeks. (Because if it wasn't that, you didn't want to know what it really was.)

The thought occurred to you that you might have opened the window before you left to air out whatever smell had crept through the air vents. Yes, that made a whole lot of sense.

Settling with that explanation, you cranked the window closed slightly, only leaving a sliver so you could muffle as much of the sounds outside as possible. This part of town wasn't the noisiest, luckily, but when there were vehicles that drove by, they tended to be loud for no reason.

You sighed, settling down onto your couch with your bag. The whole rest of your day was open, and the only thing you had thought of was to go see Sena.

The feeling of eyes on you loitered on your skin like an invisible ant crawling over your body somewhere. You swiped at your neck, rubbed your arm… you couldn't identify it when you swung around to observe your own home.

This was your home, wasn't it? Why did it feel like you weren't alone in it?

You were going to go close the window—

A shadow appeared on the ledge of your window sill and you let out a scream.

The mass gnarled its teeth at the sound, pouncing at you with claws and fangs that glinted in the daylight.

You scrambled backward on the couch, toward the opposite end, your heart throwing itself up against your ribcage. "What the fuck?" You breathed, trying to figure out what in the world it was.

Bad idea. Oh, baaaad. Bad. Bad. Bad idea.

You shouldn't have stared so long; then you wouldn't have realized it had multiple rows of teeth, a face pale as a full moon, and two beady eyes narrowed into slits. Saliva dripped from its maw and down its chin as it crawled on its haunches and arms to you.

It made a guttural noise, then lunged.

You swore and fell over the arm of the couch, dragging along the lamp on the side table. You tried to move your right leg off the arm—it didn't budge. Oh god, it had its claws in your pant leg—

"Mine," it snarled, surprisingly sentient. "Master wills it so."

You kicked it in its face and managed to scramble away, clutching the lamp in front of your body as a weapon.

It ran after you, and your body leapt into instinct.

You nearly slipped as you fumbled to your feet and tipped the coffee table over the creature. "What the fuck are you—SHIT."

Wood splinters exploded as the creature smashed clear through one of the legs and went careening for you.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE," you begged, running for the kitchen and the block of knives in your sight.

Your knees hit the wood floor with a vengeance, and you had no time to mourn over bruised knees. You twisted around and just barely shoved the lamp between its jaws before it could enclose them around your neck—

Somebody pounded on your front door. "YN? YN!"

Familiar—that was all that went through your head. "HELP ME," you screeched, your hands growing slippery from the slobber. Desperation filled your veins and you gave a violent shove.

Your front door bursted open, the handle banging against the opposite wall and leaving a dent.

Changmin charged into the room with a dark look in his eyes, a swear on his tongue. "You're the little weasel who's been fucking with me."

The creature shifted his attention to Changmin. "Your Disgrace," it gave a mocking bow.

That seemed to be his ticker.

You couldn't comprehend what happened—only an exchange of blows, a blur of body mass—Changmin brawled with the creature on your floor and you dragged yourself behind the kitchen counter to hide. You reached for a knife from the knife block up above and pulled your knees to your chest, the sounds of snarling and wood breaking and bones cracking—then—complete silence.

You slapped a palm over your mouth, eyes going toward the ceiling to pray to anyone who could hear you.

This was when you died. The creature had killed Changmin and now it was coming back to finish what it started.

You held your breath with your eyes wide open. You strained your ears. The sound of a sigh met your ears, one that was oh-so familiar to you.

"Shit," came Changmin's voice. "Yn. Yn? Yn, where…?"

He rounded the counter, his hair sticking up in different directions and a large tear at the top of his shirt, but other than that, he seemed no worse for wear. He eyed the knife pointed outward at him, and he showed you his palms as if placating a rattlesnake. "Woah, hey, it's okay. It's gone now."

Your body trembled from head to toe with all of the pent up fear and adrenaline. You shook your head, your hand still clapped over your mouth to keep your screams or cries in.

Changmin lowered himself to your level slowly. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise, it's gone and you're okay now. Let's put the knife down."

You slowly, slowly brought your extended hand down, letting the blade point toward the ground and away from the man in front of you. "What—" you choked, "—what was—who are—"

His facial features arranged into something short of stress. "It's a long story…" He roughed a hand through his bangs. "That thing back there? Yn, that was a demon."

You blinked.

He exhaled sharply. "I'm a demon."

"Don't fuck with me."

"You think I'm fucking with you?"

Your free hand clutched at the pendant around your neck. "You—you don't look like that thing though."

He gave a nod. "Right, I don't. I'm… a different kind of demon." When you remained quiet, he prodded, "You're not going to fight back? You're not gonna tell me you're going crazy?"

"Oh, I know I'm going crazy," you nodded vigorously, wiping away the snot that dribbled down your nose inelegantly. He reached over the counter to grab the roll of paper towels and slide it over to you in an act of (rare) kindness. Your head made contact with the cabinet behind you. "Is the carcass lying on my living room floor, Changmin? Tell me it is not lying on my living room floor."

"It's not."

"Then where the fuck is it?"

He licked his lips, closing his eyes. "It escaped."

"Out the window?"

"No, through a portal—"

You wheezed, and you were sure you looked half mad to him. "Oh my god, I really am off my rocker." A portal. A portal! Of course it was a portal.

He pinned you with a look. "Yn. Yn, listen to me. You're not safe here."

"No shit. I almost died two minutes ago." You saw his unimpressed expression and forced an apology out of your mouth. "Sorry. Humor is a coping mechanism. You can't just tell me demons exist without me thinking we've both gone absolutely insane."

Changmin settled into a more comfortable position on the floor, gripping onto the edge of the counter behind his head. "Yeah, your sister reacted similarly when she found out."

Everything came to a screeching halt.

"What?"

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Supernatural creatures exist. The ones that you read about in books and in myths and legends, and watch in silly movies and TV shows?" He gestured wide with both his arms. "They exist—we exist."

You could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears. You swallowed. "And she… she knew this?"

A nod. "Yes. We've all been walking among you this whole time."

"What does this have to do with Sena?" What did any of this have to do with your sister? Was this even worse than you imagined it was?

He pursed his lips, exposing the little mole beneath his bottom lip for a moment. "Sena and I were… business partners. We were in the bounty hunting business, essentially."

There were words coming out of his mouth, but it was too much. All of it hit your head and fell straight to the floor, and none of it truly sank into your sense of reality.

Sena was a supernatural bounty hunter? And she died while on a case. A personal one, he said—?

"—I was coming over to show you something when I felt my trap get triggered."

"Wait, wait, wait," you cut in. "Trap?"

"I've been hunting that demon for weeks now," he explained to you, but the words were coming out slowly like he was reluctant to let them go. "It's been… avoiding me, and I tracked it to your apartment and realized what, or who, it was after." His teeth ran over his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed on you. "You're wearing it, aren't you? The pendant?"

On instinct, your hand shot up to your sternum. "How the Hell—"

"That's what Sena and I were looking for." His sharp, feline gaze remained pinned on you as you slowly lifted the chain to take the pendant out. It glistened like a fat, red ruby in the daylight. "What did she tell you about it?"

"Absolutely nothing," you said plainly. You set the knife on the ground beside you and adjusted your sitting position with a shaky exhale. "Except that I shouldn't let anyone touch it before me, that I shouldn't take it off, and to not—trust anyone."

You stiffened when Changmin reached for something in his back pocket.

"Relax, this is what I wanted to show you." He held his hands up after retrieving a cream-colored envelope from his back pocket, majorly bent and crumpled in some portions, but intact for the most part. He slid the envelope across the kitchen floor to you, and you immediately recognized your sister's handwriting.

You gingerly picked it up off the ground and inspected it. It couldn't have been forged—the way she wrote her R's were too distinct. She was so weird about always writing capital R's even if it was supposed to be lowercase.

You opened the flap and tugged out the letter inside. As you made your way down the note, it came to you that this was his evidence. This was his evidence that Sena knew him personally and that, according to past-Sena, you could trust him.

Your fingers shook as you pushed the letter back into the fold, and you shoved the envelope back over to him. "Okay," you muttered. "What now?"

Something akin to relief washed over his face. "She didn't tell you anything about the pendant? Nothing?"

You shook your head, fondling the stone between your fingers. "No. I found it in the lockbox she left for me with cash and a small note."

"Lockbox?" He perked up. "Are you certain there wasn't anything else in there? Not a second stone or a second necklace? Nothing?"

Your eyebrows furrowed in thought, and you pressed your thumb and forefinger to your closed eyes when they began to sting from dehydration. "No. It was just those three things I mentioned earlier. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," you said. "I am absolutely sure. You don't think I turned that thing upside down?"

Changmin stood up and began to pace around his side of the kitchen, his head buried in his two palms. "Oh fuck," you heard his muttered swear.

"What is it?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, and it reset him to that careful blankness from before. "Do you trust me?"

"No," came your automatic answer.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Your sister was after something important before she died. She—she was supposed to update me about it when she got back, but she never did." He carded a hand through his hair again. "It could reveal to us more about what happened. Didn't she mention anything about how important this was?"

He wasn't wrong, unfortunately. Sena wrote it plainly in her final note to you about how important this necklace was, and keeping it with you. You supposed you could dash out any thought that she stole this from a bank or jewelry store… a mortal one, at least.

What the fuck was this thing made of?

You enclosed your fist around the stone. "So what are you saying?"

"We need to finish what she started." He considered something for a moment, then added, "And you're not safe here."

Something panged in your chest. "I'm not teaming up with you."

Changmin took a couple steps toward you and from this distance, there was an unmistakable ferocity in his gaze. "I would agree with you, but unfortunately, if I want answers and the pendant, then I'm stuck with you."

Your blood pressure spiked. "You're such an ass."

"Ass or not," he drawled, "you can stay here and risk that cretin coming back for you, or you can come with me, and we can figure out what the Hell happened to your sister."

Your bones, your joints—everything ached as you clambered to your feet. God, you were tired. A grave sort of determination trickled into your mind, though, at the thought of getting away from this. It didn't seem like there was much other choice anyway.

#4—SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

IT WAS LATE WHEN THE CAR pulled into the motel parking lot. Your ass was on fire from the long drive, and your mind hazy from sleep deprivation. Fear kept you awake for the entirety of the eight hour trek between home and nowhere. You would have worried about Changmin in the driver's seat, but considering you found out he was a supernatural being literally eight hours ago, your worries consoled themselves.

"This was the best out of the selection," he murmured, barely audibly, as he put the car in park. The glow from the motel lights was the only light for miles, and the red-violet from the neon sign washed over Changmin's sharp side profile like a grungy teen thriller show.

A yawn stretched out of you and you reached for your seatbelt. "Wasn't complaining."

He sent you a pointed look. It was a silent "Really?" You pointedly ignored it.

The two of you clambered out of the car and you massaged your back and butt with reprieve. Your hand reached for the red ruby settled beneath the fabric of your T-shirt, the warm stone solid and present between your fingers. Changmin slammed his side of the car closed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and you were swift to follow his lead.

Your fingers drummed against the side of your pants just as the main office came into view. There was someone seated behind the front desk with her head buried in her phone and Candy Crush on the screen. You and Changmin walked up to the counter and her head flicked upward.

Her eyes darted between you two and something or other clicked in her head. "Room for two?" She droned, already clacking away on her computer screen.

"Yes please," you sighed. You knew there was no way you were getting around her assumptions.

She smacked the gum in the side of her cheek, twirling around in her chair to reach for a key on the wall behind her. "It'll be thirty bucks," she said, sliding the key across the counter, "and we don't have condoms."

You and Changmin both coughed, heat rushing to your face. "None needed," he muttered as he slid a twenty and ten dollar bill over to her.

You collected the key and checked for the room number. Sleep crept into the corners of your eyes again and they were starting to sting from dehydration.

Changmin eyed you from his peripheral vision and nodded his silent thanks to the girl. He swept an arm loosely around your shoulders to guide you back out to the night beyond the main office. The room you were assigned was on the second floor of a building just a little ways down the complex. It was outfitted with a single queen-sized bed and bathroom, and the lights fortunately worked well enough. You couldn't decide if it was a good thing that you were too tired to assess the cleanliness of this room, but you made a beeline for the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower," you announced, already closing the door.

The last thing you heard was his grunt from the other side.

You dumped your backpack on the lid of the toilet then braced your forearms on the sink counter. The lights in here were a dull gray and made you look sickly in the mirror. Dark bags hung beneath your pinkened eyes—the receptionist probably thought you were drunk or high. Exhaustion hit you like a bus, your limbs sluggish and heavy.

So much had happened in the past 48 hours.

You ripped the shower curtain back and fiddled around with the shower until cold water spouted from the top.

Changmin was a demon. He was Hellspawn. You'd messed around with the idea of him being a pain in the ass before, but you never expected his demon-ness to be true.

When the water warmed as much as it could, you stepped beneath its drizzle. The ruby pendant from your sister sat on your sternum, safe and warm, and you watched it pulse with a glowing scarlet beneath the stream of water.

Your sister.

A few weeks ago, you watched her body lowered into a ditch in the ground. A little before that, you were told her death had been an accident. Now, you were on the run.

From who or what? You weren't completely sure. That was what Changmin was here for. Well, technically he was here for the necklace your sister left with you, but after what happened at your apartment that caused the two of you to go on the run, here you and the necklace were. Plus, the note your sister left explicitly instructed that the necklace be kept with you—on you. (You still weren't too certain of anything.)

When your fingers began to prune, you reluctantly stepped out of the shower to slip on a new set of clothes from your backpack. You went through the motions of getting ready to sleep, too, mind fuzzy and unable to make sense of anything.

You wrestled down a sigh and desire to cry. You were tired, for fuck's sake, you were so tired.

But when you opened the bathroom door, flicking the light off, you paused. The room was dark.

Your breath hitched in your throat and the hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. Heart pounding, you took a step into the main room.

"Chang—" A palm closed around your mouth, another cupping the back of your head.

Panicpanicpanic—

A warm breath by your ear. "Calm down. It's just me." Changmin.

Fucking Hell.

You found his eyes as yours grew more accustomed to the dark. His head twisted over his shoulder to the window by the door where you could see silhouettes walking past, silent and stalking.

"Someone's here," he exhaled as he slowly removed his hand from over your mouth. His dark bangs hung in his eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. "They can sense the pendant, I think."

Your heart thundered against your ribcage—ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom—

Changmin's head whipped back toward you and he fished something out of his pocket. He reached for your hand, closing your fingers around something cold and metal. "Slowly put your backpack down and barricade yourself in the closet over there," he instructed quietly, finger pointing in the direction of the sliding doors just to your left. "If it comes to it, use the knife, Yn."

You bit your tongue to keep your breathing as steady as possible. Your hands shook around the switchblade he'd passed to you, and under his sharp eyes, you carefully lowered your bag to the ground without making as much noise as you could. Then, with his go-ahead, you crept as quietly as possible toward the closet.

Just as you reached for the slot in the door, all Hell broke loose.

The window shattered open, the door kicked off its hinges. Your entire body tensed as you dropped to the floor behind the bed, clutching the knife in front of you.

Changmin swore, nice and loud.

Shadows pummeled him to the ground until he was tangled in darkness, like nightmares brought to life. You saw a flash of claws in your view, your scream caught in your throat.

"You."

A blur of shadow whisked across your vision and your eyes went wide.

The creature crawled over the bed and pounced toward you—you rolled away from him, blade held out in front of your body. Oh, there was an awful wave of déjà vu coming over you.

"You are a difficult being to find, pet," the creature hissed. You were beginning to make out its features now—dagger-like eyes, claws that could easily rip flesh apart like cloth, and a maw of knives for teeth. Shit straight out of nightmares.

It cocked its head at you, crouching on the floor a few feet away. Why hadn't it attacked you yet?

"Curious," its scratchy voice croaked. "The master will be pleased when the asset is brought home to her."

The asset? It must have meant the necklace.

You heard a snarl from your right, and in horror, noted the thick, dark liquid splattered all over Changmin's clothes and body. When he snarled at the demons holding him down, you spotted the gleam of fangs.

"What do you want from me?" Your voice trembled, returning back to your main problem. The necklace sat warm and present, the pulses matching your racing heartbeat.

The creature released a sound like grating metal, something akin to a laugh. "Your guardian is more dangerous than he appears," he said instead while tilting its head to the side. "Clever being, that one. Master will be pleased when we bring his rotted corpse home."

You didn't anticipate how quickly it would move. You screamed as the creature dove for you and you swung out of the way. Its claws dug into the meat of your thigh, clinging to the flesh there with all of its might.

Fear struck painfully through your chest and you desperately twisted around to stab the blade into the side of the creature's neck.

It screeched. You drew the knife out to impale it in the back area, messily splattering an arc of its black blood everywhere.

You sucked in a sob as you scrambled backward. Its body dragged along the ground from its claws still sunken into your leg. The body was limp, but your nose wrinkled from the acrid, hot smell reeking from the corpse. It smelled burnt.

You peered at the blade in your fist with new eyes. The silver glowed gold in the darkened room; you shouldn't have expected anything less. Why did you think a mortal weapon could defend you from demonic creatures?

"YN!"

Too late.

Claws sunk into the sides of your throat and trapped your voice there. You thrashed around; panic stabbed your chest. Pathetically, desperately, you reached your arm back to try and drill the blade of your knife into the creature behind you.

Hot blood squelched down your throat—you were losing feeling there. Numb numb numb—it hurt, oh fuck, you were going to die—

All at once, the pressure subsided.

Breath could only flood into your lungs as quickly as blood spilled from your throat. You were choking, eyes wide up at the ceiling.

This was it, this was it. Maybe you'd see your sister in Hell.

A face appeared above you, sweaty but familiar. Your blurry vision couldn't make out the emotions on his face, but you could hear him… boy, could you hear him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed, rustling around and adjusting his position above your body.

His rough palms cupped your face. You could hear your heartbeat slowing in your ears. Ba-boom… ba-boom… ba… boom.

"Stay with me," he panted. His left hand pressed against that side of your neck to staunch the blood flow. He sucked in a breath and he ducked out of your view.

You felt a different wet sensation over your open wound. His tongue was rough, yet soothing as he lapped and sucked on the gouge in your throat. Feeling sparked in that area; you could feel your skin physically stitching itself together. If you could squirm, you would have.

He was swift to switch to your other side and copy those actions there. He groaned low against your skin, one hand cupping the side of your head to hold you in place.

Oxygen rushed through your lungs and you gasped. You tore your neck away from his mouth to dry retch. Blood dripped from the side of your lips to the dusty carpet. You had been asphyxiating on your own life force.

You flopped back onto your back, tears rolling down your cheeks as you gestured wildly at the steaming demon carcass still attached to your thigh. "Ple-please," you whimpered. "Please, get it off."

Changmin crawled onto his arms, sliding down toward your leg. "Yeah, sweetheart. I got it."

He looked up at you as he dug his fingers into the creature's skull, ready to pry the thing's claws from you. Something dark was smudged over his face—his nose, cheeks, across his eye. "It's gonna hurt," he warned, voice hoarse.

You moved your head in a microscopic nod.

Tears pricked at your vision, and your leg screamed. Blood filled your mouth even more from the force you used to clamp down on your tongue. Changmin was swift, but gentle as he removed each claw from your thigh, then tossed the body somewhere behind him. He lowered his face to your leg to carefully lap at your wounds like he'd done before.

When he was done, he flopped onto the floor with you, his sigh filling the awful silence.

You could feel everything. It was pulsing all over your body. Your skin, threading together, tingled and ached and throbbed. Your cheeks were damp with tear tracks and your fingers finally loosened their grip on the switchblade. Your mouth was coated in the metallic iron taste of blood.

The only familiar feeling was the pendant on your sternum. The bane of your existence.

"So you have magic spit?" You croaked, your voice scratchy from your sore and bruised throat.

You heard his huff, the closest thing you'd ever heard to a laugh from him. "It's regenerative," he exhaled deeply.

You snorted, then winced when it hurt.

If you could look up, you would've seen the corner of his lips twitch.

"Are you sure you're not a vampire?"

You heard a soft shuffling sound as he clambered upright to lean against the wall. His head thumped against it, eyes fluttered closed. "I don't drink blood, sweetheart."

"I didn't say you drank it."

You grimaced as you struggled to swallow. Reality was swooping in on you like a vulture above a carcass. Doom swirled in your stomach—you almost died just now. You choked on a sob, and you reached up to your face to brush away your tears.

Oh god, everything hurt.

"I want to go home," you whispered. It wasn't even to Changmin, just to whoever could hear you. Homehomehome, but where was home? They could find you anywhere.

A beat passed.

"I'm sorry." Changmin's head hung, either out of exhaustion or genuine regret. "I promised your sister I wouldn't get you involved."

You still couldn't move your head much, so you kept your gaze on the speckled ceiling. "What?"

"I have… had sisters."

You didn't hide your surprise. You didn't think you would ever get anything personal out of this guy, let alone the fact he had family. But his confession planted a seed of sympathy in you… maybe he was human before, or maybe he wasn't at all, but he had family. That had to count for something.

He released another haggard sigh. "So that was one of the few things we could agree on—keeping you out of this unless necessary."

Necessary. You should have never put on the necklace, should have never touched the cursed thing. Now, you were literally chained to it and its fate.

He went quiet again and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. You thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he rose to his feet. Taking slow, careful steps, he made his way over to your body.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he murmured as he tucked his hands under your armpits to haul you upright.

You cursed under your breath at the ache and the blood rushing to your head. Your left leg was pretty much useless, and he had to cup the nape of your neck to his shoulder so you could lean on him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, his breath by your ear again.

You shook your head, pressing your mouth against the muscle of his shoulder. He smelled like demon blood, and you shifted to lean your cheek on him instead, holding in a gag at the wretched stench.

"Okay. Hold on a second."

He helped you sit down on the ledge of the bed, before going around the room to collect things. He plucked up your backpack from the floor, then his own bag, hoisting them both over his shoulders before returning to you. From your vantage, you could see all the limp demon corpses lying on the ground, unmoving. You wrestled down the bile creeping up your throat and looked away.

Changmin scooped you up in his arms with a grunt, and you looped yours around his upper body, tucking yourself into him. "We have to get out of here before someone comes to check this shit out," he said to you as he exited the room.

You gave a nod. "Aren't you tired? Hurt?" You asked, guilt and fear twisting something horrid in your chest.

"Don't worry about me."

"How could I not?"

His lips twitched. "Oh, so you care about me now?"

You closed your eyes against his shoulder. "Don't be an asshole."

"Sure, sweetheart." He made it to the car and instructed you to reach around his back to get the car key hanging from his bag strap. Changmin managed to get the car door open and deposited you in your seat. Your body molded into the material, exhaustion settling once more into your bones and joints.

In a blink, the two of you were back on the road.

Changmin carded a hand through his damp hair as he pulled out onto the barren street. You rolled your head to the side, eyes drinking him in. There were scratches over his exposed skin, barely there, but still present as if they had healed over already. His clothes were splotched and stained, as well as ripped in other places. And of course, there was the blood smeared all over his face, his neck. The bastard didn't even look fazed.

Right, demon. What did that even entail?

Your eyelids were beginning to droop, yanked down by the force of gravity and the human necessity to sleep. You didn't want to sleep though; you didn't want to be attacked a third time. Though most of the adrenaline had dissipated, your shoulders were still tense, your senses alert and unable to relax just yet.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "You should sleep."

You moved your head. "Can't," you rasped.

He reached over then, his palm warm against your head, as he gently brushed his thumb over your eyelids to coax them closed. "You're safe with me, Yn," he promised. You were reluctant to believe him, but after what just happened, at least you knew he could take care of himself and you.

Sleep was already coaxing you into its jaws to devour you, and the pendant under your shirt pulsed to a steady beat to encourage your descent. "Morning will come soon."

All you could do now was trust him.

#5—THE ANGEL BLADE.

THE DINER OFF THE INTERSTATE was like the ones from the movies: red, vinyl seats that squelched when you scooted over them; blind fluorescent lights that flickered every time a fly died against them; people minding their own business as they hunched over grainy coffee and burgers that looked a little too good to be true. You sat across from Changmin, hands laced over the white table surface while he had his arms braided over his chest.

Another eight hours had passed since the motel. You'd found a rest stop to clean up and change clothes on the way, but when you could no longer deny your need for food, Changmin made the executive decision to feed the monster that was your stomach. Executive decision meant he was driving you somewhere to eat something so you wouldn't pass out from stubborn, self-induced hunger.

You're not gonna die if you want fries and chicken tenders, Yn, he'd said with a roll of his eyes.

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the target of every other supernatural being within a fifty mile radius. Perhaps by association, but still.

It was fascinating what a few hours of rest and magical demon saliva could do to help the human body. All of your wounds had pretty much closed up—albeit a tad sore, but nothing as awful as the pain you were in when being clawed in the moment. It was even more fascinating how alive Changmin looked despite literally not being alive. And the fact he hadn't slept a wink within the past day at least.

You, on the other hand, looked like a dumpster fire. Your hair was a bird's nest, eye bags more expensive than Louis Vuitton. Your stomach gave another whining growl; you'd ordered not five minutes ago with a middle-aged woman in too-bright red lipstick and a blue collared dress uniform.

"Are you sure you're not like, a vampire?"

His face dropped into a deadpan you'd seen before. "Oh my God."

"You can say His name?"

Your lips curled into a self-indulgent smile at the way he rolled his eyes so hard, he could probably see his brain back there. (If he had one.) "Sorry."

"You're not sorry," he said, eyebrow arching. "Do you have any real questions?"

Your hands shifted to your lap as your gaze moved to the window next to you. The sky was an ugly, sickly shade of gray-green. It reminded you of the lighting from the first Twilight movie, and you gagged at the thought. The bright red and neon of the diner clashed horridly with the sky, too. All of it was a little disconcerting.

Back in the car, when Changmin was first introducing you to the real world, he'd given you the short version of the supernatural who lived amongst oblivious humans. He hadn't gotten down to the nitty-gritty, just the shit he needed you to know so he could justify hauling you across the state, and to understand all the supernatural creatures after the little pendant resting beneath your shirt collar.

Two mugs of coffee were set onto your table, the dark liquid sloshing over the sides to stain the white below it.

You reached for your mug first, gently cooling it down with a breath. When you took a sip, gingerly, you grimaced. You somehow managed to wrestle the liquid down, but the searing bitterness was enough to make you push the cup away and reach for the sugar packets at the end of the table.

Changmin watched you in amusement, tongue poking the inside of his mouth.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you ripped a Stevia packet open. "What're you laughing at?"

"M'not laughing," he shrugged. He picked up his cup of coffee, clinked it against yours for good measure, then chugged the cup of shit in one sitting.

You watched in ill-concealed disgust, horror, and… maybe you were a little impressed.

When he set the drained cup on the table, he wiped his smug mouth with a napkin from the aluminum dispenser.

It was your turn to deadpan. "Show off," you muttered, stirring your artificial sweetener into the dark brown brew.

He shrugged again. "What? Like it's hard?"

"Oh my god, you can be funny."

Your chicken tenders arrived. Steam wafted from them and you closed your eyes to inhale the beautiful smell. Happiness on a plate, you liked to think.

Changmin thanked the waitress who had also delivered him a plate of blueberry pancakes. He eyed you quietly as you inhaled the food on your plate, despite the dull throbbing in your throat.

You caught his gaze, stopping mid-tender. "Want some?" You asked after swallowing the bite, gesturing to your fries.

He shook his head and began buttering up his hotcakes. "Nah. Have at it."

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence as you ate your separate meals. Changmin had told you before that demons didn't need all the typical things humans needed to "survive" or "live." Technically, since he was undead, there were only a handful of ways he could die. Eating and sleeping were necessary for human life, but they were more so preferences for him. If he wanted to eat, he could eat. If he wanted to close his eyes and dream, he could try.

The thought had you waving a fry at him. "The switchblade," you began, drawing his attention and pancake-stuffed cheeks, "what was it? It definitely wasn't something human-made."

Changmin swallowed his bite. "It was an angel blade."

"You're kidding," you drawled in disbelief.

He challenged your stare. "Believe it or not, it was. Forged up there." He lifted the prongs of his fork up toward the ceiling, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

Your jaw dropped. "So the Big Man Upstairs does exist?"

"I mean, I don't really know. I've never met him if he does. I just know the angels are ruled by the Seraphim," he told you. "Lots of hierarchical bullshit I didn't care to pay attention to."

He impaled another piece of pancake. "Angel blades are one of the few things that can kill a creature like that."

"A demon?" You asked.

"Yes. Lower level demons are easier to kill, especially with a blade like the one I gave you." He shoved the bite into his cheek to continue, "That's why I was able to take on multiple at once."

You made a noise of indignation. "So you're telling me you're a higher level demon?"

His shoulders fell in a half-hearted shrug.

"Helpful," you muttered as you washed your meal down with bittersweet coffee. You paused for a moment, cleaning your fingers off with a napkin. "The… the licking thing."

Changmin's eyes could not meet yours. "Mhm."

"Do you… do you do that often?"

"No," he said curtly. "That party trick only works on humans and I don't really enjoy the taste of blood."

You pursed your lips at his rather clipped response. "Oh." You recalled the sound he'd made as he cleaned your blood up with his tongue at the motel… maybe it was something out of disgust. You suddenly felt out of place, like you had made his shoulders tense up and the air crackle. You racked your brain. "I—thanks, by the way."

With a cough, he murmured, "Welcome. Couldn't have you dying on me."

You nursed your coffee cup, reaching up to absentmindedly fondle the pendant under your shirt. "Yeah."

"Have you ever met an angel?"

The car was quiet as Changmin peered over his shoulder to switch lanes, the blinker tick-tocking away until it was turned off. "Yeah."

You stared out the front windshield to count the white colored cars on the highway amongst you. "What're they like?"

"They're like every other species," he said, unenthused. "Some are more asshole-ish than others. You'll find good ones and bad ones." A sigh. "The ones I've met have largely been the latter though."

"Oh." You weren't sure if you were disappointed by that answer.

The diner had been less than half an hour ago and you were back on the road again. Yours and Changmin's ETA to your sister's safehouse was supposedly another five or so hours. You couldn't believe she owned safehouses. For fuck's sake, she lived with you for majority of the time before she went to study abroad… she probably wasn't even abroad all those times, you realized anxiously.

It was like he could sense your change in mood from bored curiosity to tense overthinking. He dug around in the pocket of his pants and handed you the pommel of the switchblade from the motel. Angel blade, he'd called it.

You glanced at him in question, but he only pushed it into your palms.

"Get comfortable with it," he said. "It's a decent size as far as angel blades goes, since those fuckers don't really like to give them up. It's good for self defense."

The blade looked like something one could buy at a gift shop, slim with some heft, painted a shiny white color. There was no logo on it, but if you looked at it from the right angle, it shimmered. You unlocked it and let the blade whip out of the slot. The blade was shaped like any other box cutter you've seen before, but the underside had a serrated edge for extra ease in slicing through tougher materials. Your finger ghosted over the glowing metal, silver warming to a yellow-orange, but only if you didn't blink in the daylight.

You killed a demon with this. The blade burned the creature.

"How'd you get this if they don't like giving these up?" You asked as you figured out how to put the blade back into its sheath.

His fingers drummed against the wheel. "Won it in a poker game," he said.

Your eyebrows lifted. "Seriously?"

You swore there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Seriously."

With nothing better to do, you flicked the blade in and out, in and out. You'd only ever really held blades in the kitchen and when opening packages. "Do you have a name for it?"

"A name?"

"Yeah," you said, shifting slightly in your seat as an ache crept into your spinal cord, "y'know like the fantasy books where they name their blades." You inspected the switchblade again, rotating it in your hands. "Looks like a Clyde."

Changmin let out a huff from his nose. "Clyde?"

"What? Got any better ideas?"

"How about we don't name dangerous utilities for murder," he drawled.

"I can't believe you didn't just say 'weapons.'" When he didn't answer you, you made an indignant little noise you hoped annoyed him and admired the angel blade in your hand in a new light. Clyde. Hi, Clyde. You're pretty.

"Don't tell me you're communicating with it," he said to you.

You ran your finger over the flat side again with a fond smile—just to annoy him. "It doesn't give me lip."

A sigh. He tended to do that a lot. "How's your neck?"

Your hand lifted to your throat and massaged it lightly. "It's doing alright. Does it still look bruised?"

You tilted your neck so he could take a good look at it. He eyed the span of flesh there, his dark irises taking on a strange tint. The corner of his mouth curled downward as he turned his focus back to the road. "Yeah."

"It doesn't hurt as bad anymore, if that's any better."

"I guess," he grumbled. "Humans are so fragile."

"Hey man," you huffed, "is it my fault that I don't have magic spit or my skin doesn't heal fast—"

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not magic spit. That's just how human biology reacts to demon saliva." Changmin tapped the back of his hand on the steering wheel as a vague gesture.

You shifted in your seat to look at him and so that you could take pressure off one side of your back. "I have a question. Why does demon saliva have healing properties when usually lore says that you guys are opposite in nature? Actually, that kind of sounds prejudicial," you thought aloud.

"It is prejudicial," he replied. "Well, mostly. It depends on the demon, but we're just like any other species. It's just that most pop culture depicts us as evil. Demons and vampires are derivations of each other in that—"

"So you are a vampire!"

He didn't even try to counter you this time. "Both species have saliva that can heal wounds, not large wounds, but you can probably imagine that vampires use it to seal puncture marks post-meal."

That made sense to you. "But why do demons need it?"

"Human blood…" he trailed off for a moment as he narrowly missed a car zooming past, his glaring eyes trailing after them, "...is like our saliva. It regenerates us. It's kind of like an energy drink, so it's not a necessity, but more so like a luxury or privilege."

You swallowed and you could've sworn you heard a soft huff from his mouth like a laugh. The thought of your blood being like an energy drink for him—and he'd literally licked your wounds clean at the motel that night. Was that how he was able to heal so quickly? It was a marvel he hadn't drunk you dry. But then again, he'd also said blood wasn't his taste…?

"Are you sure you don't like human blood?" You asked, sounding like a broken record, but more apprehensively this time.

"Sweetheart, you really think you'd still be here if I did?"

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Changmin stiffen. His hands tightened the slightest amount around the steering wheel, his eyes darting from the front windshield to the rearview mirror.

"What?" You asked, taking a look through the side mirror on your side. "What's wrong?"

Changmin's face washed over in a careful blankness. "We're being followed."

Your whole body tensed and you had to physically restrain yourself from twisting around in your seat. "What?"

"Hey, stay calm." He flicked his turn signal on casually as he exited off the freeway.

"Why are you telling them where we're going?!" He was literally signaling to whoever was following you exactly your next move.

"Just because we're on the run, doesn't mean we shouldn't follow basic driving safety."

You sent him a very emboldened stink eye. "Out of all the times, you choose now to have a sense of humor and to be an upstanding citizen?" Where was this during the entire road trip thus far?

Changmin made no other comments as he turned right onto the street leading further away from the freeway. You sat quietly for a moment, monitoring the cars behind you from your side mirror. Your knee started bouncing as you took note of the white sedan following behind, not tailgating, but its intentions were clear enough where even you could pick it out.

"What're we gonna do?" You murmured.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "We're gonna be fine. We just have to lose them."

"No shit."

"And you say I give you lip?"

Without any forewarning, Changmin jerked the car to the left, practically zooming across the intersection to catch the yellow light. Your whole body sailed across the center console, and before you could give him a piece of your mind, he was sending you crashing into your doorway from another sharp turn. You glared daggers at him, but turned to peer out your window.

The white car was still following after you. They must have run the red light then.

Changmin's sharp eyes sliced across the rearview mirror, and his foot lowered on the gas pedal like a challenge. His eyes whipped back and forth for somewhere he could go next, brain working double the speed. "Hold onto something, sweetheart."

"I don't think that would—HELPPP!" You sputtered and yanked on the handle above the door, hugging yourself to that side of the car.

You could hear the tires of Changmin's car burn rubber and squeal as he zigzagged through streets. You were pretty sure half of this was residential, you thought as the landscape blurred past.

"Do you even know where—" You swore as your body flailed around from another one of his god awful swerves, "—we are?"

He shook his head and floored the gas. "Nope."

Great.

It was about fifteen minutes of this supposed drag racing before his driving finally began to even out. You were seconds from hurling up diner food when you realized…

"Where the fuck did the trees come from?" You asked, lowering your tense form from the door handle.

You pressed your nose against the window to gawk up at the towering trees on your side of the vehicle, all dark green and beautiful. A light fog clung to some of the leaves, making the sunlight streaming through them look like golden strands of gossamer. The road you drove on held to the side of the mountain, but from what you could tell, Changmin had officially lost the white sedan.

Changmin visibly relaxed. "You might wanna pull up a GPS."

You reached over to your phone in the cupholder. But you pretty much tossed it right back. "No bars. Where did you take us?" You didn't even realize there was so much forest in this area. How come you hadn't seen it from the highway?

He gave a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Shit."

The car sunk into silence. Changmin could do nothing else but follow the road until you hit civilization or some kind of sign as to where you two were. You hadn't been in this part of the state before, so it wasn't like you could point out any landmarks. But as you both continued along, you settled into a sort of calm—the trees here were beautiful, untouched by man. Even from inside the car, you could feel the serenity.

Your finger pressed down on the button on your door to lower the window. You stuck your head out, hair flowing behind you. With a great inhale, your mouth broke into a smile. It smelled just as gorgeous as it looked. Fresh and clean and—

"You've got to be shitting me."

You pulled yourself back into the car and raised the window back up. "What?"

Changmin's mouth was set in a firm line, a dimple pressing deep into his cheek. "Wolves."

Your brows knitted together. "Huh?"

"We're in wolf shifter territory."

Just as he said this to you, the car rounded the side of the bend and revealed a large green sign that read: WELCOME TO MOONSTONE CREAK! Population 276.

The sign following it did not make you feel any better: CAMPERS! BEWARE OF WOLVES.

#6—BEWARE OF WOLVES.

AT THE FIRST SIGN OF WOLVES, you sunk low in your seat. You'd made eye contact with one of the furry creatures hidden in the brush, their sharp predator eyes narrowing at the sight of a foreign entity in their woods.

"By wolf shifters," you said quietly, holding onto Clyde in your lap, "you mean like… werewolves?"

Changmin's eyes stayed on the road ahead, but every once in a while, you would catch him scanning the forest, too. "Those aren't the same things. Werewolves are the things you read about in lore, half-man and half-wolf. Wolf shifters can change completely from man to wolf and vice versa."

"Oh." Well, that cleared some things up. "I'm guessing they don't take kindly to trespassers?"

He bit his lip. "I mean, it depends on the pack. If my hunch is right about where we are though, we shouldn't have to worry."

You gulped. "And if you aren't?"

"Well, I told you to get used to that angel blade, right?"

The trek further into the forest and mountains continued. The scenery around you was still as stunning as it was before, and you thought to yourself how dangerous a beautiful thing could be. Every time you peeked out of the car window, you saw a flash of something in the woods beyond the road. There had to be a reason why they hadn't attacked the car yet, right? If this was a pack of wolves who didn't like trespassers, then why were you and Changmin still alive?

Maybe they wanted you in a place where there was no chance of outsiders hearing you scream…

Your intrusive thoughts were getting to you.

There was a dead end, a near broken road sign and fence directing all passers-by that this was the end. Changmin was forced to take the off-road path, beaten into the dirt as it wound through the forest. If you didn't have signal up on the main road, you definitely would not have any here.

It was a few more minutes of traveling down the path that two wolves appeared before the car. Changmin brought the vehicle to a slow halt. The wolves were relatively large, spanning about six feet and about as tall as the bottom rim of the car door window. One of the wolves had black hair like a raven, and the other had hair like a field of grain.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as the wolves stared right at you. "Changmin…?"

He met their staring contest with little intimidation. "It's… it's fine. I think they recognize me."

After a moment, the two wolves broke their strange staring contest and trotted off to the side of the road. They were back so quickly, you almost didn't realize what had happened. Like magic, they had transformed into two toned young men, both nicely built with their lean upper body on display. They must have had a strategic stash of shorts hidden behind a tree for after they shifted to their human forms. One had cropped black hair, the other blond. Well, at least that made sense.

Changmin slumped in his chair, relieved. The corners of his mouth curled upward in an almost-smile, as the two wolf shifters came over to greet him at his window.

The brunette bent his head down to the window with a broad smile, the kind that made your stomach fill with butterflies. (Not to mention the eyeful of abs you and Changmin were getting…) He leaned his arms over the top of the car window, eyes flickering from the demon to you. "Long time no see, Changmin. Who's your friend?"

"That's Yn," your demon guardian said, clasping one of the man's hands in greeting. He reached for the second wolf shifter. "Haknyeon, nice to see you, too."

"Good to see you, Changmin" said the blond.

Oh, so he knew them.

Changmin gestured to the two men. "Yn, this is Kevin and Haknyeon. They're with the pack."

"Not that we're unhappy to see you," Kevin drawled, "but how did you find us?"

Okay, wait. If Changmin knew them, then why wouldn't he know the location of their pack? You sat quiet, waiting for someone to explain it to you… or just explain everything to you.

"Someone was following us and I lost them," Changmin told them, "but I managed to get us lost, too. Coincidence that we ended up here. I'm glad it's you guys and not another pack."

Kevin's eyebrows flew up. "Yeah, for sure. Well—" he turned his head up toward the treetops and scanned the skies. They were beginning to bruise like your skin as the sun sank somewhere amongst the trees and into the horizon. You hadn't even realized how dark it was starting to get. "—sun's already pretty low right now. Why don't you guys shack up with us tonight and then we'll help you out in the morning?"

"That would be great actually." Wow, really? You kept your surprise at bay. "Lead the way."

With no further discussion needed, Kevin and Haknyeon disappeared behind the same large tree trunk from before, then re-emerged as the wolves from before. Kevin, the one with black colored fur, pointed with his snout in the direction the path would take you. The two wolves began to trot down the path, and Changmin waited for them to get somewhat ahead before he flicked his headlights on and followed.

It was a curious act of consideration, you thought.

You watched as the wolves began to pick up speed, your eyes flickering to the speedometer. "So…" you drawled, "what the fuck just happened?"

A sharp huff, his version of a laugh. "They're old friends," he said.

"How'd you not know this was where their pack was if they're old friends?"

"I met them out of the pack," he explained. "It was somewhere in the New England area, and we just happened to be hunting the same thing."

Hunting? Oh, bounty hunter. Right. "And the—the shifting thing."

"What about it?"

You made a face of frustration. He always made you pull teeth when you wanted background information. "Everything."

He glanced at you. "I think it'd be better if one of them explained it to you. Better to have one of their own say it right than risk me getting something wrong."

That was, unfortunately, a very fair answer.

Instead of pushing on the wolf topic, you had more questions that he could answer. "So what now? Are we just gonna stay the night? Is it safe?" What if that white car found a way in here? Neither of you could see who the driver was, and so how could either of you be sure they weren't trying to perhaps get you both here? And if they also had the means to come in here without being marked as trespassers?

"It's safe," he said with such confidence that you arched your brows. He saw your expression, making a soft turn along the road as the wolves had, the pads of his fingers lifting off the steering wheel for a second in gesture. "I know what you're probably thinking, but it's safer than sleeping out in a motel off the highway, alright? Packs usually don't drive cars, and they have maybe one or two for convenience sake. They can smell trespassers from miles away, and they usually have people on watch all the time, which is how they found us so quickly."

You supposed that made sense. The forest here seemed denser, and with the quickly fading light, it made it all the more unnavigable. If you were to try to run… good fucking luck.

You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. As the car rounded the bend, yours and Changmin's faces illuminated with the glow of light.

The town was laid out flat before you, not over a ridge, not over a mountain, but a path that led into a central meeting place with wooden buildings all around it. The lights were all from candle-lit lanterns rather than the LEDs and fluorescents of the human world. There were a mixture of both wolves and people milling about, an air of warm cheeriness that you could feel even from the car. You felt a fuzziness manifest in your chest at the sight.

Kevin and Haknyeon directed Changmin toward a back road to the right behind a row of buildings. It was most likely to avoid getting in the way of the pack members, you guessed. You kept silent as you averted your eyes from the void-like darkness of the forest beyond to your right.

Up ahead, you saw the two wolves trot into a small paved area with one other car parked along the walkway. It seemed to be like a makeshift alleyway of sorts between two blocks of buildings. With some maneuvering, Changmin managed to parallel park into the space that was just big enough for his vehicle.

When he parked, he gestures for you to follow his lead and get out of the car. "You should be safe to come out with me. We'll probably meet the pack alpha and get everything settled—" His head tilted to the side, "—hopefully."

Your eyes shuttered. "Hopefully?" You echoed. Pack alpha? What the fuck did that entail? From what you remember in the books and shows, you thought to yourself as you clambered out of the car and stretched your sore limbs, wolf packs had an alpha that would lead everyone. You weren't sure if you would have to go through some kind of cult initiation or something to be granted permission to stay the night.

The angel blade sat tucked into the pocket of your pants along with your phone, and you slammed your car door shut. From here, you could peer down the alley and see out into the glowing atmosphere of the town center. It sounded like fun, actually—all of the chatter and laughter. You hadn't been anywhere so lively-sounding in awhile.

"Yn right?"

You startled a little, whirling around to find the brunette—Kevin was his name—smiling at you sheepishly. He was back in human form with a pair of shorts and a plain white T-shirt on. "Sorry I snuck up on you," he said.

"Oh, it's totally fine!" You laughed bashfully, smoothing a hand down your hair. "And yes, I'm Yn. You're Kevin, right?"

Man, he was so much prettier up close…

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Changmin says this is all pretty new to you." He gestured loosely to the world around him, an all encompassing notion to the entire world you had just unearthed beneath your nose.

Your eyes darted behind Kevin where Changmin and Haknyeon were gathered on the other side of the car, pulling yours and Changmin's bags out the backseat. Changmin caught your eyes, lifted his eyebrows, then returned to his conversation.

So he was just gonna leave you in the hands of the very handsome wolf shifter? Cool.

"Yeah, it's kind of a crazy story," you mused. Understatement of the century. "Thanks for taking us in, by the way.

"It's no worries," he chirped. "Changmin and us? We go back pretty far, I'd like to think."

"Oh, cool! He mentioned something about that… and something about meeting the pack alpha?"

Kevin's eyes flickered to something behind you, and you turned around to see what or who it was on instinct. "It's nothing to stress about—he's coming this way, actually."

You felt his hand, warm and large, gently settle between your shoulder blades to guide you toward the two men making their way down the alley toward you both.

One of them… well you could feel the subtle shift in the air. It was as if molecules in the air moved for him. He boasted a powerful sort of stature, with dark hair parted neatly to frame a carved face. For a moment, you didn't know if you were supposed to bow or something, but then he smiled, and you nearly fell over from that alone. He wasn't so scary once he smiled.

The man next to him was a lighter brunette with a cheery expression engraved onto his face as if that were his default setting. There was something about him, however—you thought he glowed a little in the dim light. The angel blade in your pocket seemed to warm slightly at the sight of him.

(So was everyone just super attractive in the supernatural world?)

"Changmin-ah," greeted the man with darker colored hair. He clasped his hand with Changmin's in greeting. "It's been awhile."

"It has," your demon counterpart agreed. "Thanks for taking us in on such short notice. I wouldn't have intruded had I known."

The man brushed the thought away. "It's okay, really. Nice to have a couple new faces around."

"Speaking of new faces," drawled the second man. He beamed a pretty smile your way, waving. "Hi, little one."

Something warm blossomed in your chest. "Hi," you said softly. You weren't certain of etiquette—if you were expected to speak for yourself, to bow…

But it seemed Kevin had your back. He clasped his warm hand on your shoulder. "This is Yn. She came in with Changmin."

"Nice to meet you, Yn. I'm Sangyeon." This was the man with black hair, who felt like the tangible version of power. He must have been the pack alpha. He had to be.

The other man placed a hand on his chest. "And I'm Jacob!"

"We're just looking for a place to stay for the night," Changmin piped up. He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyes shifting over to yours.

"Well, why don't we head over to the pack house and we can talk about all the details of a plan," said Sangyeon. He inclined his chin in the direction of where you assumed the pack house was. Then his eyes, you watched their keen movements, latched onto Kevin's as if they were communicating silently. "Yn," you nearly jolted when you realized he was addressing you. "Kevin's gonna take you to the small inn we have here. It'll give you a little more privacy, and I'm sure you've felt pretty overwhelmed."

It didn't sound like he was asking you, but there was a warmth to his smile. You couldn't help but feel inclined to agree.

Changmin's head went on a swivel. "Wait, she's not coming with us?"

Haknyeon and Jacob were already rounding on either side of him to guide him in the opposite direction Kevin was leading you. Something in the back of your head made you turn over your shoulder to look at him. Was being separated such a bad thing?

Haknyeon suddenly tossed Kevin your backpack, the latter shouldering it.

"Come on, Yn," Kevin chirped, angling his body as he nudged you along so you could no longer see Changmin. "There's a lovely hearth in the main lobby, and the auntie who runs the place makes the best cookies ever."

You nodded slowly as your brain struggled to think of any reason why they would separate you from Changmin. And why did he sound so surprised? Your hand drifted toward the pocket that hid your angel blade. "Oh, really? That sounds nice."

They didn't drug them, did they? Your shoulders tensed at the idea.

Why did they separate you and Changmin—

The inn was the building right outside the alley with a porch that spanned the front facade. The architecture reminded you of an upscale cabin with large oak logs piled atop each other to make up the structure. A warm light emitted from the front windows and glass doors, and you swore you could smell the cookies from here.

When you and Kevin entered the building, he called out a greeting to an older woman stationed behind a reception desk in the back corner. She greeted the both of you with a cordial smile, wiggling her fingers in a wave. Her head tilted curiously at you, however, her eyes zeroing in on…

Your attention was drawn away and you were directed toward the seating area on the other side of the lobby.

"Can I get you any water or anything?" Kevin asked you as he motioned for you to take a seat in the armchair adjacent to him. He set your backpack at your feet for you.

You lowered yourself onto the edge of the seat, hand reaching for the pendant beneath your shirt—you stopped short. Could he sense the power of the pendant? Was that why they separated you from your demon bodyguard? Oh fuck—

"Hey, hey," Kevin suddenly said softly, face morphing into an expression of concern. "No need to get panicked, okay? You're safe now."

Wait. What? You wrung your hands in your lap, heart still throwing itself up against your ribcage. "Safe? What do you mean safe? Safe from what?"

Kevin considered you for a moment, but the gentleness from his voice and body language never left. "You're safe from Changmin."

"Safe from Changmin?"

"Yes," he affirmed patiently. "The bruises on your neck—"

Your hand went to cover the side of your throat where it had been pierced by the maw of a demon, but not Changmin.

"—does he feed from you? They look fresh—"

You immediately put your hands up to gesticulate in wild opposition. "Oh, no, no, no. He—he didn't feed from me; he saved my life, actually. We were attacked by other demons and I was bleeding out, and he just closed the wounds. He… he isn't, uhm… yeah."

Kevin's posture changed, and his smile became relieved—sheepish even. "Well, shit. I'm sorry for assuming, Yn; it's just that a lot of people end up here because they're in unhealthy relationships, and I saw the marks on your neck and just assumed the worst." He cupped the back of his neck. "This must have been really confusing for you. Sorry about that."

Okay, now that made a lot more sense. Your adrenaline was slowly teetering out and the tension left your shoulders. "No, please, that's honestly really nice that you would help victims like this. It did give me a little scare, but… yeah no, this wasn't Changmin's doing."

"That eases my mind a lot," he chuckled. Then he turned and nodded to the auntie behind the reception desk. You watched as she disappeared out the doors of the inn. "She's just gonna let Sangyeon know that everything's good."

"I thought you said you and Changmin go way back…?" Did they not trust him?

Kevin leaned back in his armchair. "We do. It's just protocol, you know? Whether or not we know them, it doesn't matter."

That was good for victims, you thought. Though, you couldn't imagine what they were really discussing with Changmin then… "So Changmin…"

"Sangyeon, Jacob, and Haknyeon would have taken care of him if I told them he was harming you," he replied, lips pressed together. "They really are talking about how you both ended up here though—that, and plans for the morning."

It was like he could read your mind.

A lot had happened just now, and you were still reeling from the fact that you didn't need to prepare to run. Though, you were still hyperaware of Clyde's warmth in your pocket.

Kevin noticed your far-off expression. He leaned forward onto his knees, that kind smile of his curling onto his face and making you feel some sort of woozy. "I know it's probably been a lot for you. Do you have any questions for me?"

He was so different from Changmin. While with the demon getting information was like pulling teeth, here was Kevin offering you information. They were polar opposites, really. You wondered what it might have been like if Kevin had been the one to take you on this quest instead—your mind shuttered. What a strange thought. Changmin might have been a pain in your ass in the beginning (and still now), but… it wasn't like he hadn't protected you. You didn't know.

"I guess," you started, "what's gonna happen now?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, uhm, I think we're both gonna find out once Changmin gets back. See what they've all decided on. But for sure, you and he will be able to shack up here for the night."

You gave a slow nod. "Is Sangyeon the pack alpha? Kind of a stupid question—"

"It's not a stupid question at all," Kevin said. "But yes, he's the pack alpha. You can just consider him as a community leader, essentially."

"And you're all wolf shifters?"

A nod, then he paused, tilting his head. "Yes, but Jacob's not a wolf shifter; he's an angel."

Your eyebrows flew up. Everything was suddenly making a lot more sense. "An angel? So he and Changmin aren't, like, mortal enemies or anything?" You hadn't noticed any wings on him…

Kevin laughed. "Oh, you're cute. No, thankfully they are not mortal enemies. Jacob's too nice to have enemies."

"Even someone like Changmin?" You jested.

"Even someone like Changmin," he said, humoring you. "Speaking of the demon, you two aren't…?"

You sucked in a breath. "Definitely not. We're not together or anything. It's a long story, but our meeting and traveling together is just because of a common goal." You couldn't tell why the thought of you and Changmin being an item made your heart cartwheel. Perhaps it was simply the anxiety of being thought of as Changmin's significant other that made you want to jump to correct that assumption. Yes, that was it.

Kevin bit his bottom lip like he was trying to hide a smile. "Ah, I see. That's good to know."

"And why's that?" You asked.

You could have sworn if he was in wolf form, his ears would have been tucked against his head. "Nothing!" He insisted. "It would just be a shame to not take a chance when it's presented, you know?"

You weren't quite sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, you were eager to find out.

It was late still when Changmin knocked on your open door, lingering on the threshold. You had just stepped out of the shower in the private en suite your accommodations had, a towel settled upon your shoulders to act as a barrier between your wet hair and dry clothes. He didn't look any worse for wear—then again, he never did.

"Everything okay with Kevin?" He asked, clearing his throat. You felt his eyes on you, scanning your body as if searching for any signs out of the ordinary.

You were searching for your phone charger in your bag. "Yeah, it was good. What—what happened with you?" You asked and lifted your eyes to meet his as you fondled the cord between your fingers.

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Well," he drawled, "Sangyeon offered to send a small group out to scout for any signs of our pursuers from today. In the meantime, we're invited to stay here to recuperate for a couple days. If not, then they'll restock our supplies and help us out of here."

"I'm guessing you already made a decision." You paused when you realized there weren't any outlets in this room. Anywhere. A curse fell from your lips and you dumped your cord and dead cell phone into your bag.

"I figured you could use the rest," he said.

Your head whipped upward.

He arched a brow at you. "If that's alright with you."

Was he really asking you? No buts, no ifs, no snark? "Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Maybe a couple days here will be good for your frail, human body anyway."

There it is. You rolled your eyes so far back, you swore you saw your brain waving at you. "And maybe some fake demon sleep will make you less grouchy."

You thought he smiled. It could have been a trick of the light or sleep deprivation. "Whatever."

Just when it seemed like he was about to turn and leave, he stopped. "Kevin's taken a liking to you."

You stilled, attention piqued. "Really? How could you tell?"

Changmin gauged your reaction, and again, you couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. "You need to sleep."

"Wait, you're just gonna ignore my—and he's gone." You huffed and collapsed onto the bed. It was awfully comfortable.

Leave it up to Changmin to leave you high and dry like that.

You rolled over the surface of the bed to close your door. Quietly, you went around the room to close the knobs of the lanterns to put out the lights like Kevin had showed you earlier. The only light now came from outside the window, the campfire and lanterns in the pack center streaming through the shutters to create an elongated stripe pattern along the walls and floors.

You climbed into bed—it was a strange, but welcomed feeling.

Only a couple days without a bed, yet it felt like years had passed. You could only hope you didn't wake up to a demon at your throat this time.

#7—THE ONLY ONE.

WOLVES BEAT EVEN THE SUN from her slumber, you came to find out. The next morning, you rolled out of bed to hear the sound of muffled voices outside your window. Your body ached in places you didn't even think they could ache, and you stretched your arms up over your head as you opened the shutters.

Just a little off from your window stood a small gathering of creatures, both in human and wolf forms. You recognized Kevin as one of the human ones among them. It was the noise of your open shutter that had him turning his head up toward your window. He saw you there, and a smile blossomed on his face, bright and easy. He wasn't wearing a shirt again, as was the other man standing beside him. The other two in their group were wolves.

Kevin waved at you, catching the attention of the others with him. The man beside him beamed and waved, too.

You chuckled to yourself and returned the gesture.

Kevin beckoned you down with his hand.

You searched the window sill for the latch, muttering in triumph when you managed to notch it open.

He had walked over to stand directly below your window by the time you stuck your head out. "Good morning!" He chirped. "Good sleep?"

"Good morning, and so far I think so," you mused, unconsciously smoothing down your hair. You hadn't even checked the state of your bed head. Yikes.

"There's breakfast in the pack house if you'd like," he offered. "I can walk you over?"

You leaned your cheek against your fist. "Sounds great. Give me some time to get ready."

"Take your time!"

You locked the window back up, dropped the shutters, and hurried to get changed. It occurred to you, as you were getting yourself prepped and primed to face another day in a new world, that you hadn't felt so giddy in awhile. And about a boy nonetheless. The skip in your step was crazy to you, and—did you even have anything nice to wear?

You just managed to yank one of the nicer of your graphic tees over your head when you heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second!" You called, carding your fingers through your hair and separating into three so you could braid it out of your face.

You ripped the door open. "Hi."

Changmin stood on the other side looking slightly refreshed with his dark hair damp and plastered over his forehead. His eyes narrowed slightly at your lightened countenance, the way you actually cared about how you were doing your hair, the… everything. He sent you a look. "Breakfast is in the pack house, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

"Yeah, I was just headed down, actually." You stepped out into the hallway with him, closing your bedroom door behind you. Clyde sat in your pocket, replacing where your phone would have been stashed had it any use.

He cocked his head to the side. "You seem a lot more…" He made a gesture with one of his hands. "Alive."

"Well, considering I don't have magic regeneration—"

"Forget I said anything," he said, shaking his bangs from his eyes and beginning to walk down the corridor toward his room. "Go get sustenance, Yn."

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You watched him disappear into his room before you made your way to the stairs.

Kevin was waiting for you in the lobby, perking up when you appeared on the stairway landing and made your descent. He took a couple steps to meet you in the middle, and you noticed that he had found a shirt to put on. Damn. "Hope you like waffles," he said as the two of you fell into step beside each other to head out of the inn.

"Love 'em."

It seemed that the entirety of Moonstone Creak was awake, even at such an early hour. The sun had yet to even clamber up above the treetops, leaving the sky a soft mesh of purple and orange. The air was as fresh as it had been yesterday, cool and pure, washing your lungs and waking you up some more.

"Is everyone awake so early?" You asked him, inhaling as much of the peace as you could.

Kevin nodded. "Pretty much, unless you're just coming back from a night watch. We usually encourage the pups to come out and exercise with us."

"Us?"

"The pack's primary watch," he clarified. "You probably saw me talking to a few of them earlier."

"Ah," you hummed. "That's nice though. You're all such a lovely community… It's refreshing."

His eyes twinkled as he smiled at you. "Thank you. I like to think we're a really big family."

You could see as much. By the way Kevin greeted all of his fellow pack members, a part of you wondered what it might have been like to grow up somewhere like this instead of always chasing after safety and security.

You and your sister had always got by somehow, but it had never been like this. With your parents gone so early in both of your lives, you only really had each other to rely on, besides the occasional aunt and uncle who took turns caring for the both of you until your sister turned 18. And now with your sister gone?

For some reason, it felt like you were still taking care of her in death. But perhaps that was the cost of seeking closure.

You weren't sure what you were expecting when they said pack house, but what you saw was about what it sounded like it was going to be. It was similar to the inn and many of the buildings around the area with its log cabin likeness, but this one was much, much larger. You could hear the squeals of children from out here, and there were smaller wolves chasing each other's tails around the wraparound porch. A few stopped to sit and cock their heads at you as you passed, their tails tick-tocking behind them.

It was strange seeing wolves carry around infants and toddlers in their hulking jaws, too, and Kevin chuckled when you almost stopped in your tracks. "It's no harm to them, don't worry."

"Yeah," you laughed nervously, fingering the pendant at your sternum. "It'll take some getting used to. Are you born as a wolf or as a human?" You asked him as the two of you stepped up the front steps of the porch and walked through the entryway.

"Depends—woah, hey guys. Careful!" Kevin clicked his tongue as he caught and lifted one of the younger boys off his legs just before he accidentally knocked over a table holding a vase of flowers.

The kid and his friend giggled as Kevin put him down away from the table. "Sorry Kevin!" And they were gone, out the front door.

He shared a smile with you, cupping the back of his neck. "Where was I?" He gestured to your right down a hallway; you could smell the sweetness and buttery goodness of breakfast. "Oh, right. It depends: since wolves and humans are mammals, giving birth is a little easier than other non-mammal shifters."

"Non-mammal shifters?" Your eyebrows shot up. "What other shifters exist?"

"Any you can think of, to be honest," he said. "All pups learn about their own growth and development though, especially since learning to shift and stay in touch with both their animal and human sides is so integral. It would probably be better if I connected you with someone who identifies as female to talk about birth specifically though," he admitted.

The kitchen was painted a pale shade of yellow that reflected the golden rays of sun and made the whole room much warmer and brighter. There was a mishmash of wolves and humans milling about the central island where a buffet-style breakfast was being served. The variety of food before you was enough to make even—as you liked to think—Changmin's mouth water. (He didn't need to eat, your ass. You saw the blueberry pancakes on the far end and wondered if he had some yet.)

Kevin passed you one of the plates stacked at the end before grabbing one for himself. "Lily, thank you for breakfast!"

Lily, you identified, was the woman leaning against the sink with a pale blue apron tied around her waist and baby bump. "You're welcome! Haknyeonie helped out, too."

Haknyeon's blond head poked in from where he was partly hiding in the butler's pantry, his cheeks stuffed with food. "Hm?"

You laughed to yourself as you started off by transferring a waffle to your plate. "Yes, thank you so much for breakfast. It looks delicious."

"Oh, no need for that," Lily beamed as she came over to the island across from you and put more food onto your plate. "Take more, please. We have so much to go around."

"Oh," you blinked, watching Kevin start to pile things onto his own plate. "It's so much; I don't want to take more than I can finish—"

"I'll help you finish," Kevin offered, shoving a strawberry into his mouth. "I'm sorry if it seems like we're pressuring you, though. I guess we're all just used to making sure the other is fed around here."

You could melt like a slab of butter between two warm hotcakes. "Thank you—I appreciate the thought."

Kevin ruffled your hair as the two of you continued around your tour of the island. "Of course."

From the entryway you had just come in, Sangyeon arrived whistling an offhanded tune under his breath. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!" Chorused around the kitchen at differing intervals as everyone greeted their pack alpha.

Sangyeon beelined around the island and over to Lily, the two of them exchanging fond touches and a warm kiss in greeting. "Morning, love."

"Good morning," Lily said. "Eaten yet?"

The dots connected in your head and you nudged Kevin as the two of you finished up at the island. "Lily and Sangyeon—?"

"Yeah, she's our alpha female," Kevin confirmed. "Six months pregnant. They celebrated nuptials about a year ago."

"Ah." You didn't mean to stare, but they were such a beautiful couple. Though you thought Sangyeon's smile was warm, it was nothing compared to the one he saved just for his partner.

He must have felt your eyes on him, and he lifted his gaze to yours while he held one of Lily's hands. "Yn, sleep well?"

Your eyes widened. "Oh, uh, yes. Yes, thank you."

"All of your accommodations are to your satisfaction, I hope?"

"More than satisfied," you stammered with a sheepish smile; he was talking to you, right? Everything was way beyond what you had been living with for the past couple of days. A demon-infested motel or this? Well, no competition there. You could still feel the impression of Changmin's passenger seat in your back.

Sangyeon nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping to speak with you and Changmin after breakfast about your situation. It'll be with myself and my closest advisors, plus the two of you."

"Yes, of course," you said. "Does Changmin already know?"

"I'll have someone run and let him know."

You and Kevin were dismissed to go forth with breakfast. The two of you settled in a room next door to the kitchen fitted with a long dining table that reminded you of a cartoon rich people banquet table. You sat adjacent to each other, Kevin at the head, and you with the seat to his left.

You smeared butter over the slots of your waffle. "Do I have to worry about what Sangyeon's gonna talk about at the meeting?"

Kevin shoved his bite into his cheek. "To my knowledge, no, but if you're worried, Sangyeon's advisors are a pretty cool crowd."

"Oh yeah?" You asked.

His lips turned up as he chewed. "Mhm," he hummed before swallowing, "I should know since I'm one of them."

Sangyeon had an office deep within the first floor of the pack house. It was tucked away somewhere between the living room in the back and the door down to the wine cellar. (Kevin joked that the first pack alpha had planned the layout of the first floor deliberately.)

Following your hearty breakfast, you found yourself seated in one of the armchairs in the leader's office chambers, amongst Changmin (in the chair next to you) and the other members of the so-called inner circle. Kevin lingered nearby, leaning against the office's hearth with his arms and ankles crossed idly. It seemed that the advising board included not just Kevin, but also Jacob, Lily, and someone named Juyeon. You learned that he was out on night guard when you came in last night, so you weren't able to properly meet him until now.

Sangyeon stood next to the office chair seated behind the grand, mahogany desk; Lily was automatically given the chair because of her pregnancy, and because she'd been working all morning. "Concerning the white sedan you said was trailing after you two yesterday—" he said, "—none of our scouts could follow a solid scent past the freeway entrance. It was interesting, actually."

Changmin leaned forward onto his forearms. "How so?" He asked, eyebrows creasing.

Sangyeon nodded to Juyeon, who filled in, "Well, we couldn't figure out what their scent is."

"How is that even possible?"

You blinked, brain whirring into overdrive. There was something you were missing yet again. What was the context here?

Kevin stepped over to your side and murmured to you, "We can usually pick apart scents to identify the layers, so this is why it's… concerning."

"Ah," you nodded. "Thanks."

"It was distinct for sure," Juyeon supplied with a vague gesture of his hands, "but it was nearly impossible to tell what species they were. It was easy enough picking apart the entity from the car smells—" Exhaust fumes, metal, seats, you assumed, "—and we could follow the smell as far as the entrance to the highway you guys came from, but…" He shook his head. "No-go. In all my years, I've never come across anything like it."

The helplessness that settled into the grooves of the room made you squirm, and your fingers fondled the red pendant at your collar again. Here was a space of the all-powerful, and yet, something as simple as a scent was throwing them all for a loop. You couldn't begin to wrap your head around the implications, because, well—you didn't know the implications.

(Dark. You were always sitting in the dark.)

Changmin passed you a glance, and you couldn't tell what he was thinking, as usual. "There has to be a way to somehow analyze it. Could we consult a witch?"

"I've already called an old friend," said Lily. "They're on their way over presently."

"Could I see the pendant?" Jacob's voice carried out into the room. Though he himself was soft-spoken, one could not mistake his volume. Everyone's attention cut over to you, and you wanted to be swallowed up by the earth beneath your feet. "If that's okay," he added. "It feels familiar."

"Feels?" You echoed, gripping the stone in your hand. The chain dug into the flesh of your neck as you anxiously yanked on it.

Changmin's eyes darted from the stone to you. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" You were overwhelmed; that was what you thought. You fisted it in your hand, suddenly reluctant to part with the thing that had caused you so much trouble as of late. You felt… an uncanny urge to keep it in your possession. "Uhm… you can see it, but I won't take it off."

Your devilish counterpart narrowed his eyes slightly, cocked his head to the side, at your behavior. He didn't say anything though, as if this truly was just all your decision. Perhaps this was because he knew that you weren't exactly buddies with these people yet. In retrospect, they were still strangers, and thus, potential threats to you.

Jacob took easy strides over to you from where he was standing by the desk. He passed you a reassuring smile as he knelt in front of you, close enough that you could see the eyelashes brush his cheeks. There was something warm radiating from him, and you swore you saw a flash of gold in his eyes.

Angel, right.

He rose up on his knees, holding out his hand, but not touching you. "May I?"

You pinched the part of the pendant attached to the chain and stuck it out toward him.

Jacob's eyebrows knitted together as he touched the pendant with only the tips of his fingers. You held your breath throughout the entirety of his assessment. When he finally leaned back onto his haunches, you blinked away whatever angelic warmth still lingered. "Juyeon, come smell the pendant."

Your eyes widened. "Uhm—"

"Hold on, what?"

"Wait, Jacob."

The latter two responses came from Changmin and Kevin, respectively, the two startling at Jacob's request.

There was a swift exchange of glances between everyone else and the alpha wolves in the room.

Lily said, "Yn?"

"Why are we sniffing the pendant now?" You asked, finding your voice.

Jacob looked up innocently. "Sorry, I probably should have explained myself. I think it might smell like the scent Juyeon was trying to track."

Something in the room shifted. You glanced down at the pendant in your grip and the questions in your head accumulated and accumulated and accumulated. What in Hell did you get me into, Sena?

"Okay," you said, "you can… smell the pendant."

You weren't sure why he couldn't smell it from where he was, but he took a couple steps over to you and replaced Jacob's position. Changmin's hand appeared on the arm of your chair as he leaned forward slightly.

Juyeon took a cautionary sniff, and his eyes widened. "That's it. It's—it was slightly different, but similar enough where it has to be the same entity." He looked up at you. "Is this the only one of its kind?"

You met Changmin's eyes.

He looked away first. "No."

Your gaze became earnest in his direction, and if you could, you would burn twin holes in the side of his head like a snakebite. More shit he hadn't told you. Were you surprised?

No? What did he mean no?

"We need to talk," you forced out of gritted teeth, gripping onto the arm of his chair now.

He passed you a glance. Later.

"Well, we can only really assume that the person following you was most likely after the pendant," Jacob said plainly as he stood from the ground and dusted off his pants. "But now that we know the origin of the scent, per se, it'll make the hunt a little easier."

Sangyeon gave a bob of his head. "Kevin, you're leading the search party for the day."

Kevin's head perked up, hand on the back of your chair. "But—"

A single look from his leader made his mouth snap closed.

"Yes, sir," Kevin murmured with a shallow nod of acknowledgement. He gave the back of your chair a small pat, then departed without another word from the office. You thought you could feel his presence leave your side, from the room. All of this feeling… was this how the supernatural operated? Was this what a sixth sense entailed all along?

"Juyeon—" the man in question raised his head, "—go find where Haknyeon and Eric are." Sangyeon scratched his temple with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like exasperation. "Grab them and round up the pups."

Juyeon brightened. "Are we taking them down to the creak?"

Lily nodded her approval. "Ooh, nice idea. Yn and Changmin, you're both free to join us. It's lovely down there."

You forced your hand to fall away from the pendant, but not before tucking it back beneath the collar of your shirt. It felt too exposed out here, sitting on your sternum for all to see. You nodded though, trying for a small smile. "Sure, sounds nice."

Sangyeon patted the desktop. "Excellent! The two of you can continue to make yourselves at home."

Though this was a physical conclusion to the meeting, your stomach continued to sit uncomfortably. This conversation should not have been over so quickly… right? Was there not more to discuss? Perhaps not now then. Maybe it was better to take your time letting this all sink in.

"Ah, before the two of you go join the little ones," Jacob cut in. He shot Changmin a pointed look. "You owe me something."

Changmin roughed a hand through his bangs, but you could have sworn his lips curled up with a smile. "Aish… your memory."

"It never fails me when I need it."

You glanced between the two; Changmin did owe you yet another explanation, but if there was something these two planned to settle… "What? What is it this time?"

Jacob grinned, and you definitely hadn't been hallucinating when you saw flickers of gold in his irises. "He owes me a sparring match."

a/n: i am clasping my hands in prayer for a reblog, comment, or ask. take a moment to grab a snack, drink some water, and head over to the second part! thanks for reading

read part two here (if it's not linked yet, refresh and it'll be at the top)

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @kflixnet

#kflixnet #deoboyznet #bjnet #the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #q x reader #changmin x reader #the boyz oneshot #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #the boyz drabbles #the boyz fanfic #ji changmin imagines #ji changmin oneshots #ji changmin drabbles #ji changmin scenarios

[biibini]

Could you possibly write something for modern mizu with a gf that bakes alot during the odd hours at night due to insomnia to past the time :^ due to this, mizu gets gifted a bunch of sweets and pastries

modern!mizu x baker!reader (request)

a/n: this is such a cute idea omg,,, personally im more of a cook over baker (my roomie bakes more than me) but i do like a good pastry. time to add my fav gif of mizu … isn’t she just so dreamy 😻

the first few times u stayed over, u were able to sleep in peace with mizu

surprisingly, ur insomnia didn’t keep u fully awake while ur gf was sleeping

feeling her warm arms wrap around ur body made u feel more secure as u started to slumber

u weren’t fully knocking out every night but it became easier to fall asleep and stay asleep for a good duration of the night

it felt so satisfying to finally sleep through most nights

as midterms became closer & closer, the quality of ur sleep began to decrease dramatically

most nights spent with mizu ended up into some

and then some nights became few

at first, u attempted to hide ur insomnia with using homework and projects as an excuse

initally, they weren’t excuses but u had played the card so much that it started to become one

It was a week and a half before midterms week, aka hell on earth. You and Mizu had just finished dinner, now relaxing on her bed. While she was busy on her phone, you were preparing to find the best way to fall asleep successfully. Staring into your laptop in front of you, you felt her get up from the bed.

She walked over to the bathroom and getting ready to go slumber. You on the other hand, are still mentally stuck on how well you will sleep tonight.

Having insomnia meant having many off days and nights. During high-school, it was more difficult to manage your sleep schedule due to the amount of extra-curricular activities and schoolwork you had to balance while growing up. You’ve found a few ways and simple tricks to fight against it.

One way that helped you calm down during high school was baking. A messy task, yes, but the end result was worth it. It had been a few years since it’s gotten this bad. Junior year was a while ago, and the thought of college during that time sent your stress levels through the roof.

Maybe bringing back baking wouldn’t be so bad…

“Hey baby?”

You snapped out of your empty stare and look up at Mizu.

“Yes?”

“Are you going to wash up soon? It’s past midnight and you have a 9 AM tomorrow.” she reminded. Mizu knew how grumpy you could be the next day if you stayed up too long.

“Yeah, um” you glance at your computer only to find a title slide on a history presentation, “I’ll sleep soon, I just want to finish my part of this project.”

Mizu nodded as she turned off every light except for the night next to you. You look up to her, a small smile growing on your face.

“M’kay,” she placed a hand on your cheek and planted a soft kiss on your forehead, “Just not too late.”

She moved to your lips, giving them a good night kiss.

“I’ll try.” You say as you reach for her face to share another good night kiss. You lower the brightness of your laptop as Mizu tucks herself in next to you.

An hour later, you end up finish your part of the presentation. You check your phone to let your group know about your completion. Putting it down, you read the time. 1:30 AM.

Fuck, you should really get some sleep for tomorrow’s lecture.

You slowly get out of bed, checking to make sure Mizu hasn’t waken up from your movement. All you hear is a turn to the other side away from you.

Whew.

You plug in your laptop quickly on the desk, making sure that all the lights in the apartment were closed. You gently tugged at the sheets, tucking yourself in as quietly as you could. As you started to close your eyes, you took a deep breath.

In. Out.

In. Out.

In. Out.

A grumble could be heard from Mizu, turning back towards you. You feel her hands try to find you, slowly grabbing what she could find. As she pulled you closer, you continued to relax your body.

Eyes closed, mind empty.

Yet, your mind does reach a thought. An anxious thought.

What if I wake up tired, like before?

You try to shake away the thought, enveloping yourself with Mizu’s presence. Forcing your eyes shut, you continue to take slow & deep breaths.

2:30 rolls in and you’re still stuck trying to fall asleep. Technically, you should be in dreamland right now instead of being awake. Your eyes are heavy but they not too heavy to completely close. Your body is still yet your mind keeps racing.

You trusted your old tricks would help you fall asleep. Hoping that they would work, your mind finally begins to clear up and rest.

as the days went by, it got progressively worse and worse

it went to the point where u were just always up, maybe spare an hour or two for a nap, and then the nightly attempt to fall asleep next to mizu

ur aware of what was happening yet ur mind wouldn’t stop running at full speed

u wish ur mind would just shut off

and if it wasn’t ur mind staying awake for once, it was ur body keeping u awake

it was so tiring to think ab peace night after night after night, hoping for a good nights sleep but to end up feeling drained and half awake once the sun rose

on nights where ur mind or body wouldn’t shut down, u ended up succumbing to ur old habits and took out the baking pan & sheets

u thought u could stay quiet like a few years before

on the other hand, mizu began to notice the slight changes in the house

whenever she would wake up for morning workouts, ur laptop would open and on ur lap

or the baking pan and whisks and mixing bowls would be dripping wet on the drying rack

once she found a new loaf of bread in the pantry, something was up

she figured u were just up cleaning late at night as a break from the late night homework grind

but with the random loaf, it didn’t quite fit the story she had in mind

one early morning, she heard a metal noise mid toilet and tiktok session in

(a/n: i’m guilty of doing that too sorry)

concerned, she went go check in the bedroom to find an empty bed

“Y/N?” she quietly called into the hallway.

God damnit.

You had accidentally banged the baking pan on the oven’s metal rack. You quickly slid the pan into the oven, hoping the croissants u had just prepped wouldn’t be seen. You peeked over your shoulder to see Mizu’s eyes half awake, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

You quickly checked the time on the clock. No way it was already time for her workout.

5:30 AM.

“Morning, Mizu.” A weak smile spread on your face. You felt blood rushing to your cheeks, stemming from the embarrassment of getting caught in the act.

“I just went to the bathroom and heard a noise. What’s going on, Y/N?”

She looked down into the oven, spotting the croissants.

“Did you want a sweet treat that badly?” her voice questioning you and slightly concerned. She walked towards you and gently pressed your hand.

“No, it’s just that…”

“That?”

You took a deep breath as you glanced down at her hand grasping onto yours. You look up to her eyes, ready to tell the truth. Her blue eyes seemed more awake and ready to listen, almost glowing in the dark.

“I have insomnia.” You let the truth spill out. “It hasn’t been this bad since high school but coping with it has been a bit difficult these days. I’ve tried so many ways to shut my mind off but nothing’s working.”

“Aw, baby…”

“And the best way I managed it back when it was worse was baking. It helped me keep my mind off things and pass the time.” You took a step back to find your phone and put on a timer for 12 minutes.

“So here I am. Back to old habits.” You ended, sighing in relief. You weren’t sure of what Mizu’s reaction would be. A little part of you was frightened, anxiously waiting for her response.

You didn’t expect her next actions. She let go of your hand and headed toward the sink, calmly washing the bowls and other dishes that have collected over the night.

Stunned, you watched as she continued to wash up. You looked over to see her reaction only to find a calm face.

“Mizu?” you asked, still confused about her response.

She looked up, her hands still cleaning the mixing bowls you had used.

“Did you need help with anything else before I go to the gym? I know insomnia must be hard to cope with but if this is what helps you pass the time,” Mizu finishing the final bowl, placing it gently on the dishwasher rack. “I’d like to help out in any way I can.”

“No, I’m okay but thank you for cleaning up for me.” Coming up to her, you give her a kiss on the cheek. She smiles at you and nods.

“Anytime, hon.”

She takes a glance at the clock. 5:40 AM.

“I’m gonna get ready now. Let me know if you need anything or any ingredients.” She hurries into the bedroom, getting ready to change into gym clothes.

“Okayyy.” You say, checking your phone for the timer.

A thought comes to mind.

“Actually, there is one thing you can do.” You say, following her into the bedroom. Mizu, mid-tying her hair, paused and gave you her full attention. “You can be my little taste tester.”

She chuckled as she fixed her hair into a bun.

“I get first dibs? For lil ol’ me?”, she says playfully as she grabs one of her light zip-up jackets from the closet, completing her workout outfit.

You nod happily. “Mhm. You can even request a recipe or two.”

How enticing, Mizu thought.

if u were up during her workout days, she would always find a fresh batch of pastries sitting on the dining table

on days that her or ringo had classes, u would leave a little bag or container of pastries that they go bring to school

u would always leave a little love note with a little heart and a “To my Mizu”

mizu loved the little gifts, especially if they were at her request

one night, she asked for a peach cobbler pie

woke up the next morning to find a slice in a container and a sticky note atop reading “a request for my love ♥︎”

she placed the sticky note by her desk

and brought the slice to school with her

after her class she shared with akemi, they decided to get some late morning tea by the coffee shop nearby

mizu’s eyes widen after the first bite settled in

it was bomb

peaches were practically bursting in her mouth

she continued to eat, trying to contain the deliciousness of the pie

she would text u later ab how good it was

in full detail

many paragraphs

many positive critiques

and end with a thank you for ur baking ♥︎

#mizu x y/n #bes mizu #mizu blue eye samurai #mizu headcanons #mizu x reader #mizu x you #mizu come home the kids miss you #anon ask #send anons #modern mizu

[kel-lance]

Team Bonding: JJK students x reader x sukuna Part 1

- TW: Dead dove dont read (DDDR) Minors do not interact (MDNI): SA, Physical Assault, DubCon, NonCon, Mindbreak, Public Humiliation, Multiple manipulation, RWORD, PTSD, a lot more.

- Premise: Characters are (18+) (Reader is 21) Jujutsu College au where things are the same but they found yuuji/He ate the finger at 18/+ the start of college.

- Yuuji “came back” after two months of “being dead” and you’re in charge of the training for today for the kyoto sister event.

- Sukuna switches with yuuji in this and chaos ensues :/

Edit: I reread this a month later and guys oh my god. i wrote these time patches of time, right after hitting the rig, and then blacking out after a few paragraphs im sorry ill actually write this time.

You were coming back from a mission that took about 2 weeks due to traveling and tracking down a spirit as the higher ups were testing your Light Manipulation. You know it was hard for everyone the death of one of the freshmen, now you look after Nobara with Megumi. 

You’re the only 3rd year and they all knew you loved your pride. Something about being the “oldest” (since the seniors are all granted weekly missions.), the authority that just made looking up at them, was just an excuse to point your nose up high, and only got depressed for a /day/ when you found out Kamo was 5 days older than you. 

You’re like an older sister or mom to them, with a few exceptions. The days were leading up to the Kyoto sisterhood school match, while everyone was meeting up to train, Gojo introduces Yuuji back to everyone. 

You’re all shocked to say the least. Gojo was acting normally the whole time, that bastard. “(Y/n)’s in charge of sparring today. I’ll come back later with Shoko in case Yuta’s too tired.” He teased at his baby cousin before he left. He was probably referencing to take it easy pn yuta, he probably beat his ass showing him a new technique.  

You ignored him yet again and started to pair everyone up. “Nobara and Yuta, Panda and Maki, Toge and Megumi,” leaving you with Yuuji. “We’ll take it slow zombie.” 

- Into the match you cursed, “Shit- he’s so durable.” But you loved that. You threw yourself back and used your fingers to catch and push yourself away from Yuuji’s next punch. “He’s a close range fighter, too.” You feel like you found your match in terms of adaptability. 

You fix your stance, both legs balances one in front of the other, knees bend, your body lowers and fingers and knees bent, ready at any time to change from offense to defense. You find his eyes again and don’t dare break contact as he’s fast. Faster than you, a blink could be worse than a misstep.

This was new as you always held yourself back from seriously harming your classmates. That pride doesn’t come from nowhere. Your favorite sparring partner is Todo, because he can get close and handle/not hold back punches. 

It felt like you were getting beaten with respect, not like what I want to do to my underclassmen. What good would they learn from losing a time from sitting in the infirmary so often? But this was different.

You felt like you were fighting Maki on drugs, or with cursed energy, and was face to face to Yuuji, as he pinned you down. He was almost like Todo, but you couldn’t read him since you just met.

“Where’s your pride now?” He had enough of your poking and prodding. No warm welcome, not even a nice reaction from his friends. But he knew it was serious to you, so out of respect, he’ll follow suite. He’ll show off what he learned in his training with Gojo. 

“Shut up Cannibal Corpse.” You teased back, smashing your forehead into the T of his face, hoping he’d be able to take it. 

He backs and stands up, hand covering his face. He stopped in a way to let you know he needed a second. Blood coming from his nose? Or his mouth?

“Oh shit, are you okay?” You stand up too, turning to yell for your medic. “Yuu-“ You’re thrown back by the scruff of your collar landing on your shoulder, butt and hands, scratching them. 

“Woah, dude, look I’m sorry,” You huff, rubbing your scraped skin as you slowly stood again. “I thought you could handle it.” You tried to ease the tension, coming close to him to see if he was alright.

He doesn’t look at you, but you feel an energy forming around him. You didn’t know what this could be, his cursed energy? Why does it feel so suffocating? 

“(Y/N)!” Megumi tries to get his shikigami to get you out of his proximity but they were slaughtered in a a blink of an eye. 

“What the hell was going on, where is the enemy?” You quickly looked up and down, about to grab Yuuji and run. 

But your face was cupped so hard your chin could’ve snapped. Pinkie was looking down at you with cold eyes. Why were you letting this happen? You were in charge, you’re the oldest. You don’t resist but give a look of what the fuck back to him. 

“Sukuna! Let her Go!” Megumi screamed. The other students semi surrounding you both.

“She’s so fun, though.” Yuuji cocks a smile, your brain still trying to make sense of what’s happening and who was really in danger here. You glare harder at him, knowing if you struggled, he would like it, and that it was cause you more pain. You couldn’t freak them out anymore, you’ve gotta get this under control. 

“Tell you what, since /I’m/ the oldest,” He gave your cheeks a squeeze. “I’ll take over this bonding sparring whatever ur stupid sensei said. Putting a woman in charge… ha! I’ll show you a type of bond you all can share.”

He tears off the front of your shirt, holding your body closer, but you still say nothing but feel hate for him. Trying to humiliate you in front of your classmates, like you’re not in your sports bra most of the time. It didn’t bother you that you were semi exposed, you knew you looked good, but what was the reason?

Everyone started to yell and tell him to stop, ignoring the embarrassing sight Sukuna tried to use. Of course they didn’t care about your body, they had to figure out a way to separate you both carefully. You turn to face your classmates.

“It’s okay guys, if he wanted me dead he would’ve killed me by now.” You shoot your eyes back and look glare into Sukuna’s eyes, not the same bright, round eyes you first saw before anything else. You look harder.

“Yuuji’s still in there somewhere.”

Sukuna laughs. “You guys misunderstand. I said I’m in charge,” His other arm that was holding your torso back starts to move down the curve of your body, stopping at your outer thigh and squeezing roughly. “Todays lesson is, endurance. This one here,” He holds you up by your neck, as you’re trying to use your upper body strength up get higher, to get some air but his wrists alone are strong enough for him to pick u up easily. “will stomach all I will give her.” 

He brings you back down, coughing for air as licks a tear from your cheek. He reverts his eyes back to your helpless friends. “Your part now is to endure, all the way til the end, then my game can start.” 

You honestly couldn’t care what he was talking about, you could take whatever ridiculous match he has set up but to involve your mates? it wasn’t a sense of pride anymore but of respect of your friends. You just met this prick, the only thing stopping you from beating his ass to hell is that you saw their reaction about his supposed death. You didn’t want to be the real reason this time, well could you?

If worse comes to worst, you should be fine. You could take a beating, you had no problem being fought by a special grade curses and even showing off before Gojo gets here. Once you get out of his grip you can get everyone to attack. You’re the only thing in the way though you wouldn’t mind being taken with him if it comes to it. how heroic would that date be.

“Interrupt at all, even think about it, and I will end them, you, then anyone else I can find after.” He says to no-one. The parasite everyone was so on edge about needed a moment to breathe?

He huffs for a second, you thought there was a light in his eyes as he tried to let you go. You soften your look when- “Ah ah ah.” Sukuna takes over again, pinning you back to him, his other hand clapping around your neck. “I said I’d end them, and then you all.” He repeats to Yuuji. “Just shut up, watch, and then I’ll go away. It’s so boring being cooped up in this brat all day.” In all this, Yuuji’s trying to fight back? He can see this? Was anyone going to tell you what the fuck was going on. “Id rather be in this one instead.” 

You felt the energies around you shrink down, though, agitated. It seems they knew about what was happening to Yuuji and seeing them scared like this wasn’t really a good sign for you. They can get scared of course, but all of them? Together like this? This was not how you wanted to traumatize them, what would they learn other than powerlessness?

“Let go already, you’ll leave a mark on my neck.” You choked out. 

“You don’t have the brains to worry about that after I’m done with you.”

You roll your eyes at him earning a slap. You fell the ground shake and your friends winced at the sound. “Fuck-“ You shot up from the ground holding your steering hot cheek, right before he kicks you back down, leaving you sprawled and confused at the assault. 

You haven’t been hit like that in years. Tears weld up in your eyes and you choke on a memory that’s created this boastful monster.

Sukuna frowned, “I thought you were tougher than that. Maybe this won’t be as fun as I thought. I knew I should’ve started with the short girl over there.” 

You spit at him. “Don’t touch her, I’ll fucking kill you.” You blink to clear your vision and suppress the overwhelming memory. You glare at him before finding Nobara’s eyes. If they were 2+ years younger than you, you’d joke that they’re just a kid, but Nobi, your new baby sister,Like hell you’d let anyone make her feel how you felt. She was tough like you, even tougher you thought, because of how different you were, but still ended up similar.

“Tell me have any of you tried her out yet?” 

You could only look out to see your friends gritting their teeth and weapons. Panda speaks up, “She’s our best fighter.” Hoping to lead away from this devious situation. You’ve already fought them all, and won. Is kuna trying to piss you off more? You ignore his assaults, the unfamiliar hands now controlling you. 

“That’s just perfect.” He pulls your hips to connect to his, and your heart stops. You can feel it.

You actually freeze this time. Is he actually going to do it? You’d rather be beaten half to death or even to death, but how hard he was behind you, it birthed a black hole in your stomach. 

Your body goes limp, unconsciously submitting to him, your eyes fall, not being able to look at anyone else. Will he be quick, will they fight for me? Is this what he really wants? Or is this just the start? 

He picks you up and drops you to your knees painfully, still holding onto your collar. “Don’t try to run unless u want all their heads stringed together.” He says to you. 

Everyone else watches, clutching each other or their weapons tighter, trying to think of a way, when they can go in, or if they even see when Gojo was coming back . 

Grabbing your chin and lifting it up, he looks down at you and smacks you again. Your ear is on fire. The strike of his finger felt like a whip onto the side of your face. He hits you again, then again, and again. 

You huff, picking yourself up slowly each time. If you didn’t, he’d step on your fingers, almost trying to grind the bones inside. 

Sukuna raises his hand as you stare down and with this one, he sends you to the feet of Toge, Yuta, and Panda. 

They look down at you, mixed feelings of guilt, anger, sorrow,. You speak to them through swelling cheeks, “Don’t worry you guys, I’ll be even stronger after this. Get ready cause next tim-”

Sukuna comes by and grabs you by the hair, dragging you to back to your original spot, tears and blood now messing up your face. 

“You look so stupid right now.” He sneers. “You should see yourself.”  At this point you were exhausted from holding yourself back from beating the shit out of him. 

“Everyone,” He raises his voice for an announcement. “take your phones out and take a picture from your favorite parts of the lesson, okay?” 

He tilts your head towards his, takes out Yuuji’’s phone from his pocket and snaps a picture of you both. *click*

#jjk #tw dark content jjk #tw dark content #jujutsu itadori #yuji itadori #jjk x reader #jjk smut #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #nobara kugisaki #megumi fushiguro #maki Zenin #Inumaki Toge #yuta okkotsu #sukuna #sukuna ryomen #tw #taaottw #taaotjjk

[automaticllamacycle]

May Jesus forgive me for what I’m about to say.

Making matty jealous at an industry party until he spanks you and fucks you so hard afterwards

I am going to be combining this ask with this one that I got because they will fit will together hehe : literally matty just fucking you RELENTLESSLY like that man is not stopping until your actually crying like tears are flowing down your face

Disclaimers: reader is quite drunk during the sex, but I'm acting like this is in the dom/sub au I (kinda) have going on so they are in a very committed relationship and have discussed situations like this before! Anyways now onto the horny thoughts (even though im writing this more like a traditional fic)

this ended up being like 1.5k words. It is now 2am so it is NOT proof read, like not even a once over I am SLEEPY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

industry parties are the worst. You despise them. Its all the same every time. You would show up with Matty, have a few drinks of alcohol, and hang by Matty's side while he talked with people from the label. It got old really fast in all honesty.

Tonight you just wanted his attention more than anything, and you are determined to have it by the end of the night. You arrive to the party on his arm and the same old pattern begins as he's dragged away by Jamie to go talk to someone. Without Matty at your side, you excuse yourself to the open bar. One drink turns into two, which turns into three before you even realize it.

You planned this out beforehand. You thought to yourself, maybe if you got a bit drunk and needy, you could convince Matty to take you home early. After drink number three you walk over to Matty, and lean to whisper in his ear. "Baby, can we go home? I'm tired of this."

Matty can tell you're a bit tipsy from your mumbled speech. "Sweetheart, this stuff is important I can't just leave because you want to leave."

"But Matty-" you start, putting on pleading doe eyes. He cuts you off before you can finish your sentence.

"I said no. Now, go on, it shouldn't be too much longer, anyway. You can be patient."

So, you found yourself back at the bar, with another drink. You've had too much, but you don't really care. Too pissed at Matty to really give a shit.

After another hour passes you stumble back over to Matty. The liquid courage must be working because you don't even care about the fact he's talking to people. You nearly crash into his side when you reach him. "Matty! Can we go now?" He shoots you a glare instantly before turning back towards the two men he was speaking with.

"Sorry guys, this is my girlfriend Y/N. Please, continue on with what you were saying!" Matty's hand is around your waist in a bruising grip. His lips quickly come up to your ear to speak in a dark tone. "Behave."

You do behave... for a total of five minutes, then you get needy again. You start small, leaning into his side and placing your arm on his chest. The alcohol dulls your rational thinking enough that you have no shame in your next actions, reaching up to kiss him on the neck. Matty laughs off the kiss, not so much as turning his gaze to you, continuing to listen to the men speaking to him. His grip on your waist tightens. He's starting to get mad.

You don't stop. Your hand paws at his chest while you balance on your tip toes to whisper in his ear. "Please, sir. I need you-"

Matty steps away fast, not letting you connect your lips to his neck again. "Haha- sorry lads I think it's time I take her back home. Jamie is right over there and would be happy to answer any other questions you two might have." And with that Matty's hand firmly grips your wrist and pulls your behind him, out the door, and to his car.

Once your on the road, he finally speaks after giving you the silent treatment. "What the fuck was that? Were you trying to embarrass me? You know it's important that I talk to people like that at these things."

"I'm sorry- I just wanted your attention."

"And you thought the best way to do that was to beg me to fuck you in front of those guys?"

"I whispered it!"

"Whispered? You call that a whisper? I'm almost certain they heard you. How much have you had to drink tonight."

"Uhm... I lost count."

"No shit."

The rest of the car ride was filled with silence. When you arrive at his place, he doesn't even go around to open your car door, instead heading straight to the front door of his house. Once your both inside, he sits down on the couch. He's angry. Really fucking angry.

"Bend over my knee. Right now." You don't dare disobey him. That would only increase your punishment. You lean your body over his legs, giving him access to your ass. Matty flips up your dress to reveal your lace underwear that is already soaked through.

"I'm sorry sir- I- I promise I didn't mean to embarrass you. Just wanted you so bad." You flinch when his hand strikes your ass.

"Fucking slut. Just because you didn't mean to doesn't mean you avoid getting punished." You gasp as his hand comes down again, just as hard as the first strike. "Besides." His hand spanks you again. "You knew what you were doing when you decided to order all those drinks didn't you?" His hand hits you again, showing no mercy. "Needed some courage before you could be such a whore in public, huh?"

"Yes- yes sir- I knew what I was doing. I'm sorry." Matty's satisfied with your answer, but that doesn't stop the onslaught of his hands. You'll be bruised for at least a week. He wants you to remember this every time you sit down. He wants you to remember and learn from the punishment.

By the end of it, you're sobbing. The strikes were becoming too much, and you needed him to touch you. "Matty- p-please I- I need you, please."

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes, sir. I'll never do it again. I promise." you say through choked sobs. Without warning Matty carries you to the bedroom and throws you onto the bed before he starts taking off his clothes. He's hard through his boxers, which are soaked with precum. You follow suit and take off your dress, wincing as you take the lace of your underwear off of your ass.

Matty's on top of you the next second, his cock at the entrance of where you need him most. "You know, I shouldn't even give you my cock. Only good girls deserved to get fucked."

"No! no no no! Please. I need you, I need you so bad." Tears flow down your cheeks.

Matty enters you suddenly, filling you to the hilt. He gives you no time to adjust to his size as he begins pounding into you. "Fine. I'll give you my cock." He groans out. "But I'm going at my fucking pace and you're going to take it."

His hips move rapidly, thrusting into you hard. All you can do is wrap your legs around his waist and dig your nails into his back. The moans that leave your mouth are desperate. Your cries fill the room, along with the sounds of skin meeting skin. Matty's pace is near animalistic.

Matty flips your over so you're on your stomach. You don't have the strength to hold yourself up, completely pliant on the bed. "Poor thing can't hold herself up? Thought you wanted me to fuck you?" he groans, continuing his fierce pace. The new position allows him to go even deeper into your cunt. It's all becoming too much.

"Matty-" you cry. "It's too much- I can't"

"Take it. Be my good girl and take my cock. You were fucking made for me." One of his arms wraps around your waist, pulling your up so your back is up against his chest. He uses his other hand to hold onto the headboard of the bed, steadying himself so he can thrust into you even faster.

"Matty- shit I can feel you in my stomach- fuck-" At your words, his hand shifts lower on your waist, pressing over where his cock bulges in your stomach.

"Yeah? You feel that?" He presses down harder, making a whine leave your throat. "Only I can do this to you. Your cunt is made for my cock." You moan out in agreement, drawing closer and closer to orgasm, and Matty is getting close too. "You gonna come for me? Gonna milk my cock?"

"Yes- yes sir- please."

"Go on then come for me." When he speeds up the pace of his hips, you're a goner, falling into the waves of an orgasm. The pleasure overwhelms you, pulsing through your veins. You cry out his name over and over again as he fucks you though it.

Matty is not far behind. It only takes a few more thrusts before he cums inside of you, filling you up deep inside. As soon as he's finished, he practically collapses on top of you. He takes the time to trail kisses on the back of your neck as you catch your breath and come back down to earth.

"You did good for me, baby. Did you learn your lesson?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's my girl. Let me take care of you now."

#matty healy smut #matty healy x reader #matty healy fanfic #matty healy #the 1975 fanfic #the 1975 smut #i am now going to bed i am so tired #part of me fears this is shit #thats what happens when i start writing at 12:30am #pancake anon youre next dw it should be out by sunday

[astermath]

sweet like you🍓pt. 2

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader

summary: carmen helps you out with perfecting your pastries to present them to your boss. you spend time getting to know each other in the place he knows best; the kitchen. things take a slight turn when you get back to your apartment.

word count: 3.1K

PART 1

notes: I really enjoy writing carmen tbh, I guess writing him is my way to giving his character some peace outside of his usually extremely stressful life. this got suuuper long im so sorry sdfgshj i got kinda carried away.  let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for further carmen berzatto related content!

warnings: mentions of suicide/death, addiction, use of alcohol, cursing

Carmen hated nights.

At least during the day, he was forced to do things, be productive, talk to people, keep his mind occupied. But at night, it was just him. Alone with his thoughts. The only thing keeping him company his cynical mind and deranged dreams.

That night was no different.

Carmen woke up in a cold sweat, hand clutching at his chest as he sat up. He nearly gasped for air, and upon noticing how shaky he was, got up to splash his face with cold water. That didn’t help much either, so he went to his balcony (if one could even call it that), and lit a cigarette. The sun was already coming up, and he knew he wasn’t getting much sleep again feeling like this.

He sighed, smoke emitting from his nose as he pulled out his phone. You’d replied already, even given a time. Reading your words made him feel slightly more at ease, slightly more... Real. A reminder of his obligations to the people around him, but also, and he’d never admit this, something to look forward to.

[carmen]: absolutely, see you then

Your next shift went by smoothly, as per usual. The French themed café you worked at had become such a big part of your life, not that you minded, you were in love with it. And as much as she’d deny it, you could tell the owner had taken a liking to you. You heard from the barista that most waitresses would get fired within a month or so, but you’d stuck around for three now. 

“She said you have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’... I think you remind her of her younger self.” Your colleague said while pouring out a cup of coffee. 

“Right,” you took a tray and readied another order. “You sure you didn’t imagine that? I don’t remember Odette ever saying something nice to me before.”

“Not to your face, no.” She grinned, putting the cup on your tray. “I’m sure you’ll get her to put some of your stuff on the menu, she just has to warm up to it.”

“Yeah, just,” you grabbed the tray, balancing it with ease. “Give me a few decades to work her through that.” You both chuckled as you walked off to continue your work.

Carmen stood across the street, looking through the window of the café. Shit, he was way too early, and that wasn’t even usually like him. He’d left the Beef over to Sydney while he was gone, telling her he had something important to take care of. And although that wasn’t entirely untrue, he wasn’t sure she’d agree if she found out he was hanging out at some café.

He slipped into the place rather sneakily, deciding that if he was gonna have to wait, he might as well do it in there. It had been a while since he’d been inside, usually just to get a quick coffee or something, and he’d never paid much attention to the décor before. He was kind of impressed, despite being smack dab in the middle of Chicago, the café had a true Parisian feel too it. Sure, he’d never been to Paris, but he could imagine this was pretty close.

He sat down at a booth near a window and stared outside. He felt a bit uneasy just... waiting. There were so many things he still had to do, so many debts to pay off, things to consider, to change--

“Carmen? Is that you?” 

Your voice snapped him out his train of thoughts, it almost felt like a ray of sunshine breaking through a dark cloud. He turned and saw you holding a menu, dressed in a cute dress and an apron. 

“Yeah, I uh... Got here a bit too early, my bad.” He gave an apologetic, halfhearted smile. 

“It’s no worries,” you handed him the menu. “You can just enjoy a coffee or something while you wait! What would you like?” You pulled out a notepad and a pen.

“Oh, uh... Christ...” His eyes squinted as he scanned the laminated menu. “Am I goin’ crazy or is this all in French?”

“Nope,” You chuckled. “It is. When I told you the menu hadn’t changed, I meant really, nothing has changed.”

“Fuck, alright, uhm... Just a regular coffee then.” He handed the menu back. “Please.”

“Comin’ right up!” You chirped, and he watched you make your merry way back into the kitchen. He could’ve sworn you damn near floated by how excited you seemed. He didn’t really understand it. You worked a waitress job where you weren’t allowed to change anything, you had to work early on Saturdays to help your family out and he could have guessed you probably still had time to maintain a healthy social life. It almost annoyed him how well balanced you seemed.

But someone as cute as you couldn’t possibly annoy him. 

He received his coffee not long after, thanking you and admiring the porcelain for a moment. The more he noticed about this place, the more... Uneasy he felt. He didn’t realize why, and he kept mulling it over until long after he’d finished his drink.

Ah.

Because the Beef looked like a garbage dump compared to this.

And he owned that garbage dump.

He hated himself a little for comparing the two, they weren’t comparable at all besides both serving food and drinks, but the fact that you were only two blocks away didn’t help. And he was about to be helping you too, his competition.

The crew would kill him if they knew where he was at.

You worked on closing up, cleaning a few last cups and arranging them neatly before walking back to Carmen’s table. “Hope you enjoyed your coffee my good sir, but I must request you to join me in the kitchen, for I have prepared a mighty array of desserts for thou.” You grinned.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” He got up, ready to follow. “Don’t I gotta pay for that coffee?”

“S’on the house. Come on, we’ve got pastries to try!”

The kitchen closely resembled the rest of the establishment, although much more homely. It was small, doable, but just a little cramped. 

You pulled out two stools for the two of you to sit on, before going to the fridge and taking out a tray. “Alright, so...” You put it down on the counter. “Here we’ve got classic cheesecake with a cinnamon cookie crust,” you pointed at each dessert, “a cream strawberry tart, and last but not least,” your fingers fluttered in a ‘jazz hands’ way, “tiramisu topped with fresh strawberries.”

Carmen scanned the tray before him. The presentation was immaculate, but he found that often with these types of desserts the looks were better than the taste. He hoped that wasn’t the case.

You sat across him, more nervous than you initially expected to be, as he tried each of the desserts. He had some notes about each one, as expected, you were just an amateur cook, but you could tell his eyes lit up a little when he tried the tiramisu. 

“Mm,” He hummed, putting his spoon back in for another bite. “Shit, that’s fire chef...”

“Chef?” You raised an eyebrow. No one had ever called you that before.

“Sorry,” He swallowed, “Freudian slip, my bad.”

You chuckled. “No, no, I don’t mind... The tiramisu is a family recipe, actually. My nana used to make it all the time.” A nostalgic smile graced your face. 

“Those are usually the best.” He thinks back at the food him and Mikey used to make when they were younger, and somehow, it makes the tiramisu taste even better. “So, anything else you wanna add?”

“Oh!” You were a little caught off guard by his question. “Uhm, well... Now that you mention it, I’d love to add macarons, to play into the French theme of the café. I’ve just never been able to get them right, and trust me, I’ve tried.”

Carmen puts away the empty glass cup. “Do you want me to teach you?”

“Huh?” You were sure you misunderstood at first, but the look he gave you was telling you he was at least expecting an answer. “Uh... Sure, yeah! I’d love to! I think we still have all the ingredients here from my last attempt too.”

“Great.” He got up, clasping his hands together. “Let’s get to bakin’, chef.”

The two of you stood next to each other at the counter. His jacket was off, now replaced with a baby pink frilly apron, supposedly the only one you had. You’d been relatively quiet, mostly focusing on taking his advice and following instructions. But as he was sifting almond powder, and you were beating egg whites, he had this strange urge to fill the silence. It was weird, usually he preferred working quietly, but it was almost strange to hear you not talking when you were there.

“So... You’re not from Chicago, are you?” He kept his eyes on the sifter.

You grinned, still whisking away. “What gave it away?”

“You smile a lot,” he took the bowl from you and held it upside down to check the consistency of the egg whites, “and I haven’t seen you light a single cigarette.” He put the bowl back and started weighing off some sugar. “So either you’re not from here, or I want whatever drugs you’re taking.”

You chuckled at his remark, finding his self deprecating humor quite amusing. “No, you’re right. I grew up on my parents’ farm, though it’s not too far from here, I never really came close to the city. Moved here about three months ago, so I haven’t explored much.” You took the sugar from him and gradually started adding it to the egg whites. “What about you? Born and raised?”

“What gave it away?” He joked back. “Born, raised, moved away for culinary school, worked in New York, now I’m back.” He sighed. Being back in Chicago was... Strange. Because after not having seen his brother for literal years, he was now constantly confronted with everything that reminded him of Mikey. Including his business.

“Interesting.” You started working together the mixture, sneaking glances at his face every now and then to gage his reaction. “So... What brought you back?”

A longer silence followed your question, and you could tell his hands even stopped moving for a moment. Suddenly he seemed tense, and you worried if your question had struck a cord. 

He swallowed, eyes fixated on the ingredients before him. “My brother.”

“Oh! Well, I’m sure he’s happy to see you back.” You offered a kind smile.

“Yeah, I uh... I’m not sure he would be.” He glanced at you, eyes quickly darting back to the vanilla extract he was measuring out, uncomfortable with eye contact when he talked about Mikey. “He died.” His eyebrow twitched slightly. “Suicide.”

You stop whisking for a moment to look at him, and you can tell his face had reddened. You feel awful for pressing him on such a sensitive subject, but you had no idea.

The two of you continue to prepare the batter in complete silence for a good minute. Both of you feel bad. Him, for dumping this information on you, and you, for even asking about it.

“I’m sorry,” you speak up, filling up a piping bag with batter, “I had no idea.”

“S’okay,” He runs his hand through his hair, a nervous tic, almost. “I’ve been trying to talk more about it. Especially since I kinda run his business now.”

“Well, if it counts for anything,” You give him another sweet smile, and this time, it does actually make him feel a little better. Silently, he wished they could put the feeling your smiles gave in pills, so he could take those instead. “I think he’d be proud of you.”

He doesn’t reply. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he doesn’t know if he agrees. He doesn’t know what Mikey would think, and from what he’s heard from Richie, he’s not even sure if he would recognize the person his brother had become through his addiction. But the possibility is there, and you reminding him of it was enough. For now, at least.

He noticed you struggling with the piping bag and got behind you, hands sneaking over yours to help you hold it correctly. “There we go.”

Carmen doesn’t seem to notice how close he is to you. Or how warm your face had gotten. Or how the way he smelled was distracting you from listening to what he was saying. Cigarettes, coffee and sandalwood... A strange, but not unappealing mix of scents. 

You turn your head just a slight bit and catch a glimpse of his blue eyes. They were so bright, piercing almost, but they held such a profound sadness behind them. You wondered what else they held, what other stories he struggled to talk about.

Carmen noticed you weren’t watching what you were doing and looked up, accidentally meeting your eyes now. And then he realized how close he was, cheeks growing flushed like a teenage boy as he let go of your hands and took a step back, clearing his throat. “Shit, uh... My bad.”

You chuckled nervously. “It’s fine, I appreciate the help.” You leaned down to preheat the oven.

“Yeah… Anytime.”

A while after, the two of you were presented with perfect, pink tinted macarons. You smile proudly, hands on your hips as you admire the final product in front of you. “Man, we really nailed those, huh?”

Carmen smiles, a little sleepily. It was starting to get dark outside and he hadn’t even had dinner yet, but he felt bad about having to interrupt your baking session. Usually when he was in the kitchen he was focused, collected, he was making a product that he had to be proud of. But he’d been open to you, he’d laughed, he almost felt… Relaxed. Maybe that’s why he was feeling sleepy.

That, or the insane lack of sleep was catching up to him once more.

You looked outside and noticed that the sun was going down. “Shit, how long have we been here?” You checked the time on your phone. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, I had no idea it already got this late... Uh, if you want I’ll drive you home?”

“Yeah, that would be--” His sentence got cut off by the sound of his stomach growling loudly. The two of you stayed quiet for a moment as Carmen put a hand over his abdomen, clearing his throat, a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I uh... I haven’t eaten anything today besides those desserts earlier.”

Now you really felt guilty. Not only had you kept him at the café for way longer than you should have, but you were nearly making the poor guy starve. “Tell ya what,” You handed him his jacket and took off your apron. “How ‘bout you come back to my apartment and I’ll make us both dinner. I’m no expert chef like you, but I can cook a mean pasta!”

He hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t been to someone else’s apartment in so long, let alone someone he was interested in. But he supposed it was better than being alone in his apartment again, probably heating up a shitty frozen meal because he was too tired to cook.

Your apartment was nice. Well, nicer than his at least, although that probably didn’t mean much. For only having lived there for three months, he could tell you’d really added your own touch to the place.

“Welcome to mi casa!” You playfully bowed, allowing him to enter and closing the door behind you two. You tossed your keys onto the counter and took off your coat, ready to get to cooking. “You can settle on the couch, put something on, I got Netflix if you want. I’ll have dinner made in just a sec!”

Carmen moved with caution. This was... Unknown territory. He knew you were probably just being friendly, but this was a pretty big step for him. He had his boundaries, his walls firmly set, and you were jumping over them like it was nothing. It was just... Easier with you, somehow. To open up, to talk.

Not long after he’d chosen something to watch, you arrived with two deep plates of pesto pasta with mozzarella and diced tomatoes. “There we go, I always make this when I don’t feel like cooking.” You handed him a plate and a fork, before settling down next to him. Your couch wasn’t that big, so your shoulders were touching the entire time.

The two of you were watching a cooking competition, something you didn’t realize would revitalize Carmen so much. Not because he liked it so much, but because he was so focused on the mistakes the contestants were making, and felt the need to point every single one of them out to you. Your two plates stood empty on the coffee table, along with a bottle of red wine and two, very empty glasses. 

“Now, see this,” he pointed at the TV, “can’t believe they’re even allowed to air this, this is a disgrace to cooking. The fuckin’ idiot hasn’t touched a single spice this entire episode!”

The both of you were both kind of tipsy, and you were leaning against him now, smiling to yourself as you tried to withhold laughter from every serious comment he made.

“And now--” He looked at you and realized you were hanging on for dear life not to break out in giggles. “What’s so funny?” He asked with a grin.

“N-Nothing, nothing!” You chuckled, leaning away from him so he wouldn’t see your expression.

“Ah, so now we’re shy!” He poked your side, the wine doing wonders for his confidence. “Come on, let’s hear those laughs then!” He continued poking you, and you couldn’t take it anymore, the ticklish sensation making you squirm. You grabbed his arm and pulled it away from your abdomen, making him fall forward onto the couch. He caught himself, hand resting on the armrest, now leaning over you.

You looked up at him, and god, maybe it was the alcohol speaking, but you swore he’d never looked hotter. Leaned over you, curls framing his face, strong arms surrounding you. His gorgeous blue eyes staring down into yours, tension growing between the two of you.

So you couldn’t help yourself.

You leaned up, capturing his lips in yours, a hand coming up to rest on the back of his head to pull him in further.

He froze, eyes only fluttering shut after a few seconds, melting into the kiss as his hand came down to rest on your waist. His mind ran blank, nothing plaguing his mind anymore, all besides one thought;

“Damn. She tastes even sweeter than those strawberries.”

tag list <3

@beebslebobs @thatone-brightstar   @spr3id   @deadandstill  

#aster writes the bear #carmenmath #carmen berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto #carmen berzatto fic #carmen berzatto imagine #carmen berzatto the bear #the bear #the bear fic #the bear imagine #jeremy allen white #jeremy allen white imagine

[windvexer]

what's your opinion on pop culture witchcraft? i think it seems really fun and cool im just not sure how exactly a fictional god will manifest in the "real" world? i was just curious on what you thought :p thank you for your time!

I think that pop culture witchcraft is beautiful and sacred and I think more people should get into it!

My views on the intersection of popular culture (aka, the dominant cultural beliefs and creations at this moment in time) and witchcraft originate from the fact that when I began doing a lot of energy work, I saw a lot of stuff as video game characters & assets.

If I would binge any video game, for the next little while, a lot of my energy readings would be output in the symbols and lore from that game.

E.g., a pokemon binge, seeing Gengar near the querent: "Yes, you're being haunted by a ghost."

A DAO binge, seeing a dryad writing a letter to the querent: "A tree wants to talk to you."

These experiences have deeply influenced my beliefs on the nature of psychism, communing with the spirit world, and divination as a whole. It has inspired my beliefs on how to work with divinatory tools, especially my concepts of choosing your own symbol sets to work with.

After all, an upright triangle is so abstract, but a charmander? For many of us, that is a deeply rooted symbol of fire indeed! And I can't imagine how a triangle might act if it needs to be revived and balanced in my life, but I can surely visualize a charmander feeling sick and cold, or desperately trying to stack and balance heavy boxes.

This inspired me to consider the intersection of popular culture and the experiential nature of witchcraft. After all, aren't so many of us deeply imprinted on and influenced by what culture has told us about magic and spirits? Where is the line in the sand between how culture makes us interact with magic (path), and how culture makes us interact with magic (practice)?

Let me tell you a story!!

There is some internet monster named Momo. Momo has a *very* scary face (to me at least) so be warned if you google.

But when this story starts, I had never heard of Momo. I had never seen a picture of Momo or heard her name. Yes? Yes.

Now one time, I was doing an energy reading for a person, and I saw a horrifying monster woman with huge eyes and a twisted smile like a V slashed across her face, and not only this, but the horrifying monster woman was standing over the querent's bed, watching them sleep.

As a reader with about an ounce of wisdom, I knew much better than to say, "hey, a horrifying monster is watching you while you sleep." Because that is a dick thing to say to anyone.

As I continued watching to try and gain more information, it struck me that this monster woman wasn't threatening at all. She didn't have bad vibes. In fact she seemed neutral, or perhaps even an ally. She was just watching the person sleep.

I couldn't help but notice, however, that I could see her face so clearly. So distinctly. So I googled something like, "big smile scary woman face."

And there she was: Momo! The exact monster I was seeing. It was a startling moment, made all the more strange by the fact that this wasn't some monster of mythical lore or legend. It was like, a TikTok trend or something.

Finally I had to tell the querent something. Now y'all this happened some years ago and I don't remember exactly how it went down, but it was like this:

"Hey, someone is watching you sleep. The form is scary looking but they don't seem threatening at all. I googled it and it looks exactly like an internet urban legend named Momo."

"What? My cat?"

"No, it's a woman, an urban legend named Momo."

"No, my cat Momo. My cat is named Momo. She watches me while I sleep."

So to answer your question, Anon:

I expect that a fictional god can manifest at least as bizarrely as a real cat, I believe that the simple phrase "real world" is an artifact that fits into few reliquaries of the occult, and I think that pop culture witchcraft is absolutely fabulous.

#answered #pop culture witchcraft

[ivanzplaid]

Could you please write Vance x reader (GN if that's alright) where reader is new in town and beats his high score in Pinball? Kinda like a enemies to lovers kinda thing?

✨Please and thank you ✨

this sounds so good omg, i really wanna make this a longer drabble bc writing for the enemies to lovers trope, esp for vance it seems more fitting, but tysm for this request!! i literally searched for vances record but damn i couldnt find it, so im gonna assume it was 1500, im sorry abt that💔

for some reason my writing has been feeling off for the past few days, so if this is unpleasant to read ill redo it🙏🙏 if it is good & ppl like it, i might do another part, or i may just keave it as it is, up to the imagination :)

requests r open! masterlist is up :)

Vance Hopper x Gn Reader!

Warnings: Slight fighting, Language

------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of chatter around you was drowned out, your mind too focused to pay attention to anything but your game. Hands gripping the machine infront of you with precision, a steady breath accommodating you while you watched your numbers rise, hitting 1,400 from your last move.

The world that existed outside of your game began to get even louder, some kids crowding around you, it was quite odd, but you assumed that the kids here were just very enthusiastic, supportive of their peers. You didn't catch much of their talk, as if you lost focus, you wouldn't be able to make the next shots, hoping to set a new record, maybe having a chance to meet new people, and become a somebody in the unfamiliar town, but the words that you did catch had a pattern, the loud voices were shadowed, but each time the name was spoken, it was clear as day, the unknown yet popular kid kept popping up,

Vance Hopper.

Whatever, whoever they were you were sure you'd meet them soon enough. Their name was never being brought up in a positive light, which admittedly made your hands sweat & heart speed up, but as of now, you were interested in the metal feel that immersed your fingers, and the thrilling 'Ding' noise that informed you of your score.

Going unheard from your deaf ears, the door to Grab N' Go rang, a boot stepped in harshly. The aura shifted in the store. Where as before the cashier was lenient, she soon became alert, standing by the phone, the kids talk was demoted to a whisper, and an opening where kids stood previously started to form. Yet your mind was trained on the game, you'd already gotten to 1,500 points, and if you were to make this shot, you'd get another 300 points. Once again, unbeknownst to you, the footsteps were clearing their way to you, squeaking harshly on the tiled floor, shouldering kids who happened to be in the way. Two things happened, a moment after one another.

Your eyes stared at the ball as it coursed through the bumpers, striking each one, easily placing you as the new record holder. But you found yourself still holding your breath, if it were to roll of the holder it was on, it would set your score as 1,900, giving you the clear, reliable pinball holder. The nerves in your body ran swiftly, breathing hitched as you followed the ball in its final moments.

The boots pushed their way through the diminishing crowd, which was left of anxious & anticipating watchers. It was pitiful of how unaware you were, this was his store, his legacy, his pride. The boots soon stood right behind you, examining your work from behind your shoulder. He saw the way you thought out each move, body bent just so you could balance your weight & keep a stable figure. His eyes were glued to the ball, even more intensely than yours. But as he saw the score that you'd put in, the room became colder, his clothes tightened, putting a pause onto his hatred. The new fucker in town beat his score, and then some.

You were dead before he saw your face.

The rush of aggression soon pranced in, instinctively balling up his fists, and taking a step toward you, going in to fuck up your score the best he could, needing the release of anger that you instilled to him. In his mind, if you were to mess up now, he'd have a chance to reclaim his title, the joy that he got from being above everybody else, and you were no exception.

The moment you didn't even know took place was slowed, it all was coming at you quickly. Your body reacted to winning your next move by getting even closer to the machine, watching as your score replaced the older one, conquering it. Your eyes widened, laughing to yourself as you turned around, expecting to see the group of kids that hovered over you like fruit flies. However, what met your intense joy was a buzz killer, the pesticide to your happiness. None other than the top boy, Vance Hopper.

He was exactly like what you imagined, down to the hair & choker that added to his intimidating glare, his hands eventually finding your shoulders, slamming you to the wall that chipped and cracked under your pressure. The crowd around you two flooded back easily, betting on what would happened. The boy didn't look it, but he had the strength to lift your body weight up, feet grazing the dusty floor. Taking in his looks, you noticed how the veins popped out from his arms, but you couldn't decipher if it was from anger, or from the hold he had you in.

"Listen man, what's your deal?"

Not your classiest moment, but he would deal you one lower.

"No you listen, fuckface. Don't mess with my game, do you think your better than me?"

The words he spat were like fire, angry and violent, but you picked up that that was his whole demeanor, troubled and difficult.

Soon, you found yourself being dropped to the ground, your legs being caught by surprise as you well on your ass, closing the space between you and the wall once again. Dust shot up, obscuring your vision, and at that time, the boot that sat threateningly next to you connected to the side of your lower chest, causing a sharp wheeze due to the blunt force of the kick. Your breaths were sporadic and uneven, leaving you dazed. When your eyes worked their way up to the figure above you, you saw him just standing there, looking over your pathetic self. He towered there for what felt like minutes before bending down and shoving you towards him, emphasizing his already proven point.

"I'm Vance fucking Hopper, remember it."

What a douche.

//

Your ribs certainly bruised, you were sure of it. Pushing open the schools doors made you wince, and an accidental elbow from a passing student made you lose your breath. It was a sticking reminder of that cuntbag, the memory of Vance standing over you was ingrained to your mind like a warning.

Hallways were filled, the students worked their ways to their rightful classes, some clearly drained from the new school year while others chatted to their peers. It was all irritating, as when you finally reached your homeroom & 1st period, it was 3 minutes after the bell rang, and most seats were already stolen, leaving you singled out by the teachers rude observe. You offered a sorry smile, and looked at what desks were available, soon seeing what would be your current demise.

"Well? Going to sit down or would you rather waste more of my time."

You would've given more of a shit, if the only empty seat wasn't next to the only kid you were acquainted with, the bastard as you remembered. Your feet moved nimbly, but your gaze was hardened, you could feel the shit eating grin that Vance had on, ad much as he loathed you, he would enjoy making your life a living hell, looking forward to the rest of class. Vance would let no time go unused as you sat next to him, visibly upset.

"Just the kid I wanted to see."

He spoke in a hushed tone, but that soon was ended as well when the teacher assigned ice breakers to the class, deciding it would be best if the class went in pairs & spoke with one another. With a stroke of luck that you didn't have, you were lazily paired with Vance, as he sat next to you. The class was handed a sheet of paper that had prompts to questions, and while other kids started right away, you put your energy into sitting in silence, eyes on your desk, admiring the cold wood that would be your most familiar feeling for the next year.

Your peace would never last long, as a hand snapping to catch your attention came into your view, taunting you.

"What, Vance."

"Well are you just gonna sit there like a dick, or are you gonna introduce yourself? Have some spirit."

Of course he was mocking you, but it was better than getting yourself beat up. You angled yourself to put him in your line of sight, peering on how he holds himself, them you spoke.

"You don't already know me? You know I'm new, you know that I'm more skilled than you at arcade games, I feel we've already done pretty well."

The response was seeping with smart-ass, but thats what he deserved, the fair treatment. You could see his fist tighten like it did before, his smile dropping st the ends ever so slightly, you struck a clear nerve. While the class went on happily, you were trapped in what seemed like your own world with the boy you found intolerable.

"Of course I know who you are, I'm not a dumbass, but tell me something I don't know, like the fucking assignment says to do."

His teeth, while oddly perfect for a kid with a reputation, bared at you, like an angry dog. Another warning to you. Treading lightly, you decided to just give the basics, something to scrape the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm 16, I just moved here, I enjoy going out and having fun. Is that enough?"

Sneering at him was meant to make him back off, but you saw his eyes slightly light up, and his body leaned forward, arms supporting his weight while he calmly looked at you.

"How charming, thanks for the biography Einstein. We have some things in common, how shocking is that?"

While you could tell his tone was laced with sarcasm, he didn't make another advance to terrorize you, and for a moment, he seemed like you piqued his interest.

//

Your first school week was over, a week of living through hell was stopped kindly, giving you the brief days of the weekend to recuperate. It was a Saturday afternoon when you set up a casual walk, coming to know your new town in the ways you loved most, a quiet, sunny day. The chipped sidewalk gave you a nice path around the neighborhood, accompanying the long yellow grass on the sides, the scenery wasn't half bad. Your shoes brought you a ways away from your house, trying to submerge yourself in a good time to prevent the foreboding feeling that latched onto your back. Turning the corner, you reached a street with delicately placed stores aligning it, a diverse selection it was. Seeing how busy the street was, cars flying by with unpleasant smells following, you made the executive decision to trudge behind the stores, making yourself known by the way your steps were the only noise apparent.

The foreboding feeling only became stronger as you ventured on, and while it was nearly 80”, the alley still had a certain chill to it, making your hair stand up.

"Shit dude, I have to ask, how are you scoping out all of my spots?"

The agonizingly familiar voice rang through the alley, and you sighed, turning your back to look in the direction where Vance spoke. He stood there harmlessly, hands in pockets with his his head cocked slightly, staring right through you, he once again proposed his frightening manner, like a lion puffing its chest out. The shoes he wore made light sounds as he strode over to you, eyebrows raised while his dull blue eyes kept the eye contact. A sigh emitted from you, just trying to savor your last bit of tranquility from your Saturday evening.

"Just taking a nice walk, peacefully. Something you've probably never heard of."

He chuckled, swiping his golden hair out of his eyes.

"I haven't even done anything yet, don't be a dick."

Silence came over you, annoyed at his casual aura, you knew he wanted something, the question was what.

"Vance, what do you need from me. Are you gonna beat me up or something? You aren't mandated to track me down and talk to me."

You broke the eye contact, which internally made Vance even more excited.

"I just found you here in my area, not my fault. But since you are here, why not?"

You couldn't tell if he was bluffing, he did seem like a pathological liar, but you weren't about to instigate a fight. Nodding your head, you signaled for him to go on, the summers heat beating off of you.

"We have a project we need to do, did you forget? The partner reading project?"

Shit. You may've forgotten about it, but it wasn't due till next week, and you had class with Vance every day. What was his rush? It's not like he's a star student.

"So? We have time, why do you care?"

Rolling his eyes like you were the weird one, he went on.

"What a shitty question, you'd know why I care if you followed the icebreakers the first day, but thats your damn problem. It'll be better if we do the project sooner, so we have extra time in class."

It came out mockingly, but you didn't care. He made a point, and he wasn't bullying you, so why not get it out of the way, make it so class is easier without his idiotic questions.

"Fine, where do you wanna start it?"

His exterior was smooth, but on the inside, Vance was heating up all over. You were playing right into his charm. He knows your still getting to know him, but this was just perfect. He wanted you to know he isn't just a dickhead, he wanted to show you how kind he can be, but his first impression he laid out wasn't exactly boyfriend material. While he did hate you then, wanting to beat the shit out of you, treat you like every other kid here, your mutual hatred appealed to him, he didn't admit it, but he studied your pinball techniques, and adored your persistence. It was fun to have someone snap back just as he did, he considered you an equal, to him, a rare title. Something about you enveloped him, and he wanted to spend all his time with you.

"Why not your house?"

------------------------------------------------------------

this was a cliff hanger ish, but i knew it was getting long and i just loved this idea sm🫶🫶 hopefully its alright to read :)

requests r open, masterlist is up!!

#black phone #the black phone #vance hopper x reader #vance hopper x you #vance hopper #enemies to lovers #the black phone x reader #the black phone 2022

[bingoboingobongo]

task force 141 + ice skating

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Warnings: none

A/N: screaming crying throwing up i have my two hardest finals tmmrw halp

guys we've finally got the gang back together

alright so let's be real for a minute

the 141 is definitely not the kind of group to coordinate an ice skating date outside of work

i mean can you imagine like six grown behemoth men at an ice skating rink with like some rando child whizzing around while half of them struggle to even get on the ice

yeah right

so when they do ice skate i see it happening while they're on duty

it's winter (duh) and they're up north so it's extra cold

the base they're staying is right next to a giant lake, which has finally frozen over

gaz was the first to notice

he was eating some breakfast (cocoa puffs) and he looked out the window and saw the lake all icy

and he pointed it out to price who was drinking some coffee and reading the newspaper on the couch

price got up to go check it out too (and u bet he did that thigh slap grunt combo men do)

and gaz was right, the lake was completely solid

and i like to think that the 141 usually has breakfast together/hangs out in the commons in the morning

so price asks if everyone wants to go skating

ofc most of them are happy to say yes

ghost needs some convincing but he gets there eventually

for some reason that base had a bunch of skates

but it worked out so no one's complaining

and don't ask how they had the right sizes or why they would be there in the first place (it's through the power of i have to sleep soon and i can't come up with an explanation rn)

so everyone starts making their way outside to the lake

alright time for some super speedy individual headcanons

simon "ghost" riley:

sorry but ghost definitely does not know how to skate

that's one of the reasons he was so apprehensive to join

it's hard to look intimidating when ur falling on ur butt

and it's not like he has a wall to hold onto

this is also his first time ice skating because he never got to do it as a kid

so yeah going into it he was pretty nervous

he doesn't even have the best balance to start out

but he's a fast learner and he was able to get the hang of it pretty quickly

definitely fell over a few times

much to the delight of soap who got to gloat as he helped him up

and ghost definitely said something like "watch your tone sergeant im still your commanding officer" to try and defend himself

it was not very effective

but once he gets the hang of it he can actually skate surprisingly well

he doesn't skate very long though until he goes back inside

much to the disappointment of everyone else

definitely skates with his hands at his side or in his pockets tho

except one time he almost face planted bc he couldn't use his hands to catch himself

so now he's extra paranoid about skating with his hands in his pockets (as he should don't skate with your hands in your pockets, it's dangerous)

john "soap" mactavish:

surprisingly good at ice skating

skated around a lot when he was a kid

roller skating and ice skating

so it comes pretty natural to him

he hadn't done it in a while but skating sorta like riding a bike in that you never really forget once you know how

he can do the like crossovers and stuff but not any super fancy tricks

def knows how to skate backwards tho

likes to skate super fast and then just go around in loops

laughs at ghost whenever he falls but ways helps him back up

he also had to teach ghost how to even skate

ghost was not very happy about that arrangement

but only because soap kept joking that ghost looked like bambi

ghost got his revenge though when after soap laughed at ghost for falling, he immediately faceplanted

and it was like a comical faceplant

his legs almost went over his head and everything

soap had to go inside after that because he got a bloody nose

in the end it was fine though and he went out and kept skating

soap's definitely the kinda guy to build up speed and then coast on the momentum with his arms out to his side

it makes him feel cool what can i say

kyle "gaz" garrick:

alright so gaz is a pretty decent skater

he's gone a few times recently with his younger siblings

so he knows the very basics

he's definitely a little more timid about it though

especially after watching everyone else keep falling over

for what it's worth he never fell over once tho

but he was also super duper paranoid about falling through the ice

he had to help out price a little bit too at the beginning

he wasn't very good at it though so soap ended up taking over

definitely is a more mild skater

he's just down to coast and do whatever

he gets cold pretty easily too so he's usually rubbing his arms or his hands together while he skates

also is really really really bad at stopping

especially since there's no wall

so he just kept continuously skating like the entire time

and then he had to coast until his momentum ran out when he wanted to go inside

john price:

alright so price skated a little when he was younger imo

he went on a lot of roller skating and ice skating dates back when he was a young adult

but it's been a long time since then and so it was kinda hard for him to get back into it

so he had gaz and soap help him at the beginning

after a while though he got back into the rhythm

and he started to get more and more gutsy

and started to try little tricks that he was able to do before

skating backwards, turning a little, those fancy stops where they like skid on the ice

at one point he messed up and fell though

and like a true old man he hurt his back

and lord was it a struggle to get off the ice

he had to get gaz and soap to come help him up

when he went back inside ghost was drinking some tea and asked him why he was holding his back like that

for fear of sounding like an old man, price told ghost it was nothing

the next morning though his back was super stiff though

but nothing he's never experienced before

alejandro vargas:

bro man's is actually cracked at skating

like price he definitely went on ice skating dates back when he was a young adult

but unlike price alejandro has actual moves

like he can skate backwards, forwards, on one leg, he can do turns, jumps

it's actually insane

like nobody knows how he got this good and he refuses to tell anyone anything except that he just went on a lot of ice skating dates

because the truth is that one year he had a crush on this girl who was super into figure skating

so he spent like the entire year watching figure skating clips from the winter olympics and stuff and practicing and his local skating rink so he could impress her

she ended up moving away before he could show her though

but he still kept on practicing because at that point he had just sorta fallen in love with ice skating

so yeah when he pulled up on that lake he shocked everyone

alejandro spent a lot of time helping rudy too

and yes they did that thing where alejandro held rudy's hands and skated backwards while rudy got pulled forward

i mean it's a skating staple it has to happen

rodolfo "rudy" parra:

alright so like ghost rudy's never skated before

he didn't realize they had a skating rink and he's also not really a fan of the cold

like i said before he tends to run cold so he needs a lot of jackets when he goes skating

alejandro had to teach him bc rudy truly had no idea how to do it

unlike ghost he was not successful quickly so alejandro spent most of the time holding his hand and guiding him

he definitely fell down a lot of times

wanted to give up at one point but alejandro made him keep going

and it was worth it because pretty soon after that he started to get the hang of it

he actually really enjoys ice skating

what can i say it makes him feel like elsa

definitely jokingly did elsa's hand movements and pretended he was controlling the ice or something

he had to start off skating super duper slow though because he was really nervous about falling

but by the end he was able to speed up and live his ice queen dreams

#bingoboingobongo.com #bingoboingobongo's christmas extravaganza #ghost x reader #soap x reader #gaz x reader #john price x reader #alejandro vargas x reader #rodolfo parra x reader #ghost fluff #soap fluff #gaz fluff #john price fluff #alejandro vargas fluff #rodolfo parra fluff #ghost cod #soap cod #gaz cod #john price cod #alejandro vargas cod #rodolfo parra cod #call of duty #cod #modern warfare 2 #mw2

[gay-for-victoria-de-angelis]

Exam Stress - DR3

Note : I am so sorry to the original requester but I somehow managed to delete the original request and lost your account so please comment if it was you who requested this so that I can tag you (I managed to save the request tho so I can still write it and put it on here). I also wanted to add that I am not glorifying anything, please take care of yourselves.

Request: Hey bestie, it’s exams and im literally dying so something with Daniel where the reader is attending races to support cause he just came back and she is tiring herself to death so Danny and other drivers (charles, george and Max) tries to calm her or something like that

Warnings: talk of overworking and burn out, ignoring mental and physical health, forgetting to eat and sleep, panic attack, Max/Charles/Lando being older concerned brothers.

Word count: 1608 words

!NOT PROOF READ!

I knew that I should tell Danny. I knew. But he was really stressed with racing and everything that I didn’t want to worry him. I thought I had been doing a good job of hiding the stress I was under and Acting like I wasn’t always on the verge of breaking down. I spent my time studying non-stop and then travelling to races from time to time to avoid suspicion. That soon became harder when Daniel and the other drivers started to beg me to come to more. The media had become suspicious as well but I had been muting notifications and ignoring the media. I eventually gave in and agreed to go to more races. Spending the two weeks leading up to my flight worrying about how I was going to balance studying and the races.

Two weeks later, I was on the flight out, quickly sending Danny a quick text saying that I was about to take off and that I loved him, turning my phone off before he responded. I needed to focus on studying as much as possible before the race. When I got off the plane, I turned my phone back on and responded to Danny, telling him I would be out in a couple minutes.

As I walked out of the gate, I saw Daniel looking around for me, frowning. His expression quickly changed when we locked eye contact and his beautiful smile formed on his face. The sight of his smile made me forget my worries, if only briefly. He rushed over to me and hugged me tight before kissing me hard. When he pulled away, I murmured a quiet ‘I love you’ to him before arguing with him over taking my bags, eventually letting him take them - despite my protests.

When we got to the hotel, Daniel opened the door and placed my bags down, watching concerned as I went to grab my laptop and sit on the bed to do work. “Don’t you want to shower and take a nap?” He asked but I just shook my head and said I had work to do. Danny came and sat down next to me, softly taking my laptop from me, ignoring my protests. “You need to rest.” he stated, taking in the bags under my eyes and the weight I had lost from forgetting to eat. “Please?” he added when I didn’t respond. I just nodded and let him turn on the shower for me, eventually leaving me to shower - sensing I wasn’t in the mood for him to shower with me.

I knew I was in there a while but I just couldn’t bring myself to get out, standing under the water and staring at the wall. When I finally managed to gather the energy to get out, I heard Daniel on the phone talking to someone.

“I can tell there's something going on with her but I don’t know what.” I paused my movements. Crap. He could tell something was wrong. I couldn’t hear the other person on the phone but as I worried about him finding out, I blocked out the conversation until I heard him hang up. “Thanks Max, will do.” I quickly finished drying myself off and started to brush my teeth as he walked into the bathroom.

“Hey honey.” Danny said as he walked in. I spit out my toothpaste and said hi back, leaning into his touch as he hugged me. “How about we order in and watch a movie in bed?” he asked, looking down at me. I bit my lip, contemplating as I still have a lot of work to do. It seemed as if he could read my mind when he said that I should take a break from work so I agreed, to avoid suspicion. He seemed surprised by my lack of resistance and smiled before walking out to grab me my pyjamas. I said a quick thank you and moisturised before changing.

“What do you say about Italian?” Daniel asked, looking at his phone for places.

“Sure.” I responded, not feeling that hungry but wanting to make Danny happy. He looked up as I walked in but quickly shifted and moved the covers back to allow me to get in. I curled into his side as he wrapped his arm around me, grabbing the TV remote and choosing one of our favourite movies.

When I woke up the next day, Daniel was gone but he had left a message saying he was at the track and looked forward to seeing me there. After getting ready I decided to use the time I had left to do more work. The test was later in the day, my teacher was letting me do it online, and we would be getting results back the next day. I knew I had gotten distracted when I got a call from Max asking where I was. “Shit I got distracted, I’m on my way now.” I said as I grabbed my bag, pulling on my shoes and running down to my car.

As I pulled into a parking space and walked quickly towards the red bull paddock, I was surrounded by reporters and photographers asking questions and taking pictures. It was all overwhelming but I ignored them and continued to walk quickly into the paddock. When I reached the building, Daniel greeted me, hugging me tight before pulling away and scanning me to make sure I wasn’t hurt. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yep, just a little overwhelmed from reporters and all them.” He sighed and hugged me again before allowing me to find somewhere to sit to watch as the saturday practice session started. I spent most of the time revising and doing work so that I was prepared for my test.

When it ended, I quickly put away my laptop as to not alert Danny or Max. Daniel ran over to me, hugging me as it had gone well today. I hugged him back with a smile as he planted a kiss on the top of my head. “We’ll go home soon yeah?” he said and I nodded before he walked away.

The first thing I did when I woke up the next day was check for my exam results. They hadn’t been uploaded yet. Due to the fact that I had woken up earlier than usual, Danny was awake but still in bed. He took my phone from me gently and made me lie back down, pulling my body into his. “You did amazing okay? Let’s get something to eat and go to the paddock yeah?” I sighed and nodded, laying there for a couple more minutes before we both had to get up. We got ready and went to a small café for breakfast. I managed to eat the small amount I had ordered, Daniel asking if I was still hungry but I just shook my head no.

As we made our way into the paddock, Danny had a tight grip on my hand, reassuring me as he knew how the reporters and photographers that frequented made me anxious. The race went well for him and Max and after debrief I waited in his drivers room as he showered and changed. I wanted to check my exam results but Daniel, Max and Charles had forced me to promise that I wouldn’t. We met up with Max and Charles as we walked out, agreeing to go to dinner with them later.

When we got back to the hotel room, I could finally check my results. Daniel was in the bathroom when I checked them.

30%.

I couldn’t understand how I did so badly. I spent weeks revising non-stop, not eating or sleeping to make sure I covered everything. Which I did. I was so engulfed in my thoughts that I didn’t realise that Daniel had walked out and seen me panicking. He quickly rushed over, taking the phone from my hands before pulling me into a hug and sending a message to Charles, Lando and Max. He held me as I cried, comforting me. About five minutes later, Charles, Max and Lando showed up at the door, letting themselves in with the key Danny had given them.

I had calmed down enough by then to show them my results and they sat down, looking at my phone, giving me sympathetic looks. They asked if I wanted to talk about it but I just shook my head. I laid down on top of Danny as we all watched a show until Max paused it. I looked over, confused as he sat up.

“We need to talk about what’s been going on.” Everyone else sat up as they looked at me. I just looked down at my lap. “Y/n. You’ve stressed yourself out so much with this exam that you haven’t been eating or sleeping enough.” I continued to just look down until Daniel gently grabbed my chin to look at them. Lando then spoke up, “We’ve been talking and we know now that you’re going to have to retake the test and we think that you should be monitored for now. Not in a hypervigilant way…”

“But we want you to either eat with us or tell us what you’ve eaten and we know that Daniel will know if you’ve slept enough.” Charles finished.

“You also shouldn’t be doing more than a couple hours of revision a day okay?” Daniel said and I just nodded quietly. “I love you.” Danny said, planting a soft kiss on my lips.

“I love you too.” I responded as we laid back down again.

#f1 #formula one #f1 wags > f1 drivers #formula one fanfiction #f1 masterlist #f1 x reader #formula 1 #charles leclerc #carlos sainz #daniel ricciardo #DR3

[nephblrus]

some andy crenshaw lore paste dump

(andy is visually impaired, 19 and has a guidefish named snickers!)

andy’s vision got. progressively worse as he got older. he was always pretty blind but when he was younger he could see fine with glasses and a heavy prescription. always a little off balance but he managed. when he was 8 he started losing his peripheral vision, just slowly getting blurrier (even with glasses) and dimmer. around 14 his eyesight was to the point where glasses weren’t quite enough, he couldnt see 6 feet in front of him, and started learning to use a cane around school and going out with his mom or friends.

buttttt… for his 14th birthday his parents surprised him with the news that he was gonna be getting a guidefish (which andy had been talking a lot about) and he was SO excited. got to meet young snickers (who had already been training for a year already) and play with him, and over the next little while he’d go to the training place once a week to train with him! (since andy had never had a guide animal before)

when andy was 15 snickers was fully trained and ready to go home with him :) and he was SO happy. felt so independent and loved snickers to death. it was a bit of an adjustment at school, had a bit of issue at the start with people distracting snicks and asking to pet him, but no one bothered him too much. andy was a really nice dude and got along with everyone. respected him and snickers

at 15 his peripheral was pretty much gone, but with his glasses he could see decently as long as it was far enough away. close up was really blurry, he couldn’t read, relied fully on braille like he had been since he was younger.

started playing turf at 16. liked long range weapons. started with a hydra, since he could see much clearly from far away and playing as a backliner meant he didn’t really have to be in the heat of the game. eventually switched to chargers because someone pointed out how good his aim was. settled on elitre. got really good with it. like really good.

there was just one issue. not a lot of people wanted to play with him regularly. they’d play a few games after randomly matching with him, but then after realizing he’s visually impaired, they saw him as nothing but a disadvantage, despite praising him previously for his aim. they saw him as a weakness. didn’t want him on their team. it annoyed him a lot. he wasn’t even allowed to play competitively, the judges felt it was unfair for both him and other players for andy to compete with how severe his vision loss was. he thought it was bullshit, but learned to roll with it. make the best out of it. played a lot of soloq, was still his regular, friendly, happy self.

then he met these 2 octolings after a game. pretty thick octarian accent, introducing themselves as Cider and Azure. the latter being… where was that voice coming from?

“i’m down here jackass”

andy looked down a little more, trying to pinpoint his eyes on something without them shaking, settling on a blue blob. laughed it off, going “sorry, i’m blind, i’m andy”

andy doesn’t see it, but azure’s face drops immediately while cider starts laughing.

the voice coming from the blue blob (he’s pretty sure that one’s Azure) goes “oh my god this is a terrible first impression. im gonna restart. im azure. and short. and uh. not blind? you look really cool my buddy here wanted to say hi”

azure gets smacked in the back of the head by cider, who whispers “you wanted me to say hi”

“DUDE”

andy just laughs at them slightly, liking their vibes. azure grabs his hand and puts it on his head and goes “im down here! anyways. you play anarchy?”

“he just said he’s blind”

“HES HOLDING AN ELITRE”

andy chuckles a little more and goes “i play turf. i can kinda see, it’s just like… a scope. i can’t see up close at all, yknow”

“you should play anarchy with us!!!”

“uhhh…”

cider shuts azure up. “im sorry about him. what he’s trying to say is that he thinks you look fun and if you’re ever interested in playing anarchy with some people we’d be down. or even to like- go get lunch”

“oh! well, yknow sure why not”

azure jumps up and goes “like right now?”

“sure?”

“YEAHAHHAHA LETS GO you’re gonna be a fun guy i can tell”

andy laughs again, going goes “just uh, i have a guidefish, lemme go get him. i’m not actually sure how to get to the anarchy floor”

azure whispers “HES GOT A FUCKIN FISH this guy is so cool we made the right choice”

the three become really close from then on out. azure and cider have been best friends their whole lives, but it feels like they’ve known andy for years. they don’t treat him weirdly for being blind, respect his and snickers’ space when they’re walking, always offering help if it seems like he’s struggling, but never pushing.

cider and azure always defended andy when some rando would give him shit or tease him in any way. saying his eyes looked weird, or how his glasses made him look dumb, or calling him stupid for having to use the tip of his charger as a cane outside of games, and feeling around walls to pinpoint where he was during them.

neither of them minded that andy couldn’t play competitively. cider and azure did duo competitions and andy (and snickers) always came to cheer them on and celebrate with them after. played together casually as much as they could. hung out almost every weekend.

#splatoon oc andy #splatoon oc #nephyroc #splatoon #splatoon oc azure #splatoon oc cider #snickers the catfish

[aanylah-101]

A New Life / Quaritch x Reader

‼️I POSTED THIS STORY ON MY WATTPAD BUT I DON'T LIKE IT SO I WILL BE REMAKING IT‼️

‼️IM TOO LAZY TO LIST ALL THE WARNINGS SO READ AT YOYR OWN RISK!‼️

‼️THIS STORY CONTAINS ALL 5 PARTS OF THE STORY OF WATTPAD SO IT IS INCREDIBLY LONG‼️

You were enduring a soothing walk along the seaside, you were gathering up Banana fruit as a treat for later when all of a sudden you hear something loud in the distance. You look around frantically looking for the source but you can't quite see anything, next thing you know you see a big boat from a distance. You hustle and hide behind a tree that has bushes to support your concealment. 

After a while of watching the boat approach the shore, you see sky people with guns leave the ship. But they are disguised to look like you? You hiss at the confusion and lies. Once you are sure they're done evading the ship you quietly run to the ship, you don't know why you did it but you were sure you'd be in and out. 

You saw gadgets and tech stuff, a smile slowly spread across your face. You wanted to touch everything and anything that would satisfy you. You ended up finding a small gun on the table and hooked it to your waist, you also found many gadgets you find a gun the sky people were carrying with them. You pick it up almost losing your balance when you pick it up. 

Your fun was cut short once you feel a hand on your leg, you slowly turn to see who it is when you see your daughter. 

"Jesus baby you scared me," "Wait! baby, why are you here?"  

"I saw you mama, I picked some fruit!!" 

"That's wonderful honey but we have to hurry out of here."

Just as you were putting the gun back down as quietly as possible, you hear someone yelling, something pricks your arm and you stumble. 

"Mama!" 

"Sweetheart you have to get out of here baby"

"But mama-" 

"NOW!" 

You see your daughter tearing up as she runs off the ship and you lose sight of her into the forest, your eyes widen as you see a sky person run in the same direction as her. You hope she can make it to someone before she gets caught. 

You try to keep yourself together as you pull out whatever spiked you in your arm, you pull it out and take a good but blurry look at it. It had a strange shape to it and on the side, it was labeled "Midazolam injection" you didn't know what it was but you then felt someone approaching you, It was one of the sky people that looked like you.

You hiss showing your fangs trying to show domination and pull out your knife from your waist, he then gets into a fighting stance waiting for your next move. You charge at him with your knife and go to stab him wherever you can reach. He tries to push & hold you back but you end up stabbing his thigh and scraping his arm which results in him hissing in pain as he pushed you back harshly but you end up hitting your head & back against the table, he groans at the pain in his thigh

You try to stand up the table being the only thing that supported you before, you wobble from side to side until you fall onto your knees. He steps in front of you and glares looking down at you.

"Get away from me you mock!" you say as you try to make him collapse. which he almost does he has a grim face as he kicks you off. The throbbing in your head makes you wince and you lay down your head due to the pain. 

You get one last look at him, you see him sneering as you waft off to unconsciousness.

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You awake what seems like decades later in a completely white room, it has a large and wide window along with it, it has a table with 2 chairs. You stare blankly at the walls and you touch the one beside you, It's soft.. you thought. you try to think why you're here and remember being shot and too weak to fight back. You look and see your in a white slightly oversized shirt and some short pants. You abruptly feel something bump into you on the bed, you frantically look over and see your daughter who is in the same garments as you are.

You're overjoyed but also feel anxious that they might have hurt her. You brush it off and cuddle your daughter until she wakes up. You feel movement in your arms and smile as your daughter opens her eyes.

"Mama!" she says in a happy yet tired tone. 

"How did you get here? Did that man get you?"

"I tried to find someone but then a man came up and put something in my arm"

"Me too baby.." "I'll make sure we get out of here don't be scared".

She hugged onto me and wrapped her tail around my thigh, I then held onto her as well when I heard a beeping noise come from the other side of the room. You then saw the man that you pathetically fought earlier. 

He held his hands up to show he had nothing to harm you with, you hissed angrily and pushed your daughter back as she hid behind you. 

"What do you want from me!?" you say hurriedly 

"Communication could've been better if you talked in English". 

He walks closer to you and bends down to your level.

"Where is Jake Sully?" he asks

"I don't know of a Jake sully?" You try to sound and look confused as possible, thinking he might give up and leave.

"He's in your clan, isn't he?"

You were surprised he knew the clans, you thought for a second and decided if you should reveal information about the clans but you had to say something for him to keep his suspicion off you.

"He is in the Omatikaya clan, my and my daughter's clan is the Metkayina.."

After saying that he looks over your at your daughter and she slightly ducks down under you hiding her face.

"Are you hungry little one?"

Your daughter peers up and nods her head slowly.

"And mama is too!" she manages to say

He then gets up and leaves the room, you assume he is going to get you and your daughter something to eat, You look over at your daughter.

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After about 15 minutes of waiting the man comes back with a basket of fish, by the way it looks it's very fresh. He puts the basket of fish toward you.

"What are you're names?" he says slowly while kneeling down in front of you. 

You are at first impressed by his attempt to speak Navi. You are first skeptical of him but he seems to have gotten tolerable.

"My name is ___ and this is my daughter ___" 

"My name is M-"

He stopped for a minute, then he started again.

"Colonel, you can call me Colonel."

"When can we go home." you say sternly, not wanting to befriend the enemy.

He then grows stern, he turns his head away quickly and angrily. 

"You can go home once we've found Jake Sully"

"At least let my daughter go home!"

He then looks at your daughter and back at you, your hoping he says yes.

"Mama I don't wanna leave, let me stay with you! 

"I can't risk you getting hurt sweetheart..I'll be ok."

You & your daughter's sudden conversation makes the colonel turn back to you. 

"She's already here, what's the point of taking her home". 

"What do you mean what's the point?! It's so she can be safe!" "Guns!..Knives! all sorts of dangerous stuff here! She's only 6!" 

Your fussy ranting makes the colonel chuckle and smirk.

"I assure you, I will keep you and your daughter safe" he says messing up her hair.

You look back at him and you're slightly alarmed as he reached to touch your daughter. He stands up and leaves the room, the door beeping behind him you watch him as he walks off.

You are in intense thought when all of a sudden you see your daughter putting fish in front of your face.

"Say ahhh!" she says while giggling 

"Ahhh" you open your mouth and she lets you take a bite of the fish.

She then pushes the basket full of fish towards you for you to eat. 

After finishing the basket of fish you turn over to your daughter and embrace her as you both drift off to sleep. 

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As you woke up with your daughter in your arms, you let her sleep for a little while longer, you want to try making a quiet escape. You look around for any way to get out when you see a card with black lines on it, you pick it up and see if it's for anything. You see what the colonel used to get in and out of the room, you approach it and shove the card in front of it. It makes a beeping noise that slightly wakes your daughter. 

You smile in relief as you run to your daughter & carry her like a baby, her head rests on your shoulder 

"Hold on tight baby."

"Mmm.." she manages to say

You walk down a long hall and try your best to remember what the front area of the ship looked like. You see a tech room that looks identical to the one you saw before, and you see the door is already open. Suddenly you hear someone yell out, noting that they had seen you. You ran as fast as you could to anyone you could reach.

The yelling you heard followed you through the forest, you should have run towards the ocean to your clan. But you wanted to reach anyone as fast as possible. You almost gain hope in being saved but you hear & see bullets passing by you. Your heart drops as you don't want your daughter to get hit by one. You look up at her and you see her crying silently in fear by everything that's going on around her.

You then run in a different direction thinking it will buy you some time, you then start shouting for help thinking it will help you faster. You're stopped in your tracks as you fall dropping your daughter, you look to see what the source is. You look at your ankles to see a rope-like substance wrapped around them.

You want to tell your daughter to run again but if she got caught there would be no point, you wanted her in your sight. She crawls to you, in a panic tears falling down her face.

"Mama!" she screams as she tried to take the rope from around your ankles.

All of a sudden you see the colonel approach from behind you, and you are scared of what he will say and do to you. You couldn't imagine what you'd do if he hurt your daughter. You hiss and snarled at him in any way for him to back up. He only bends down and as he does so your daughter backs up hurridly from your ankles to beside you. With an aggravated sigh, he unties the rope from around your ankle, he then picks you up from your waist and throws you over his shoulder. His hand supporting your back.

As he holds you over his shoulder he turns to your daughter and holds his hand out to her for her to grab. She hesitates at first but then she slowly goes to him and grabs his hand with both of hers. 

He takes both of you to the ship, your view being you are taken further away from the forest and from help. 

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You soon end up in the same room as before, and the sky people will surely be more careful where they leave their things. Turns out the reason for that whole circumstance was because on the outside of the room, there's a hand scanner. The colonel comes back a few minutes later with a disappointed look on his face. 

"Your lucky y'know, my people could've killed you right then and there if I hadn't shown up."

You look away with nothing to say to him, you regret what you did slightly. You would've gotten away if only the rope hadn't caught you. He sighs again, bending down to your level. You thrash your tail at him so he'll back up but he only leans back ever so slightly until he grabs your tail in place which makes you slap his hand away.

He chuckles as he lets your tail go gently, then he grabbed your face with one hand while turning you back over with his other. He pulled you in which to you only made an enraged sneer at him.

"I'll be nice, once...then I won't" he said, letting go of your face. 

"I will make it out of here, one way or another.." 

"Good luck with that cupcake," he says while winking

He then gets up and leaves your room, leaving you and your daughter alone. He then blows a kiss at you as he walks past your window. You stick your tongue out as a response to his ridiculous gesture. 

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You are deep in thought trying to think of an escape plan when you remember your Ilu, you could try one more breakout and this time run towards the water. You have taught your daughter to hold her breath underwater for long enough, it should be just enough time for your Ilu to arrive and seek help from anyone nearby. You are delighted by your plan and you start to tell your daughter everything precisely.

Quartichs POV: 

I was bringing another basket of fish for ____ & that kid of hers, I was trying to get on her good side in hopes she'll give me the information I need to track down jake sully. She should be lucky I haven't gotten violent yet. When I saw her, she was back facing me through the window to her room. She was talking to her daughter it seemed like, I wanted to listen closely so I backed up from the window and listened to her talk. 

Your POV:

-When we get our next chance to leave this ship, we'll run towards the ocean this time. And I'll call our Ilu, we will have to swim for a while though before he will come, do you understand the plan? Your daughter nodded in nervous agreement.

Quartichs POV: 

The more she explained her plan the angrier I got, she was planning on trying to escape again? Hadn't she learnt her lesson..I wanted to confront her but I decided not to. I had been nice for too long, She'd get what was coming to her soon enough. I then continued carrying the basket to her. Trying to make it seem like I had just come.

Once I entered the room I saw her in a different position than what she was previously in, she then got up and walked towards me. Despite everything she asked to have a look around the whole ship, I knew what she was doing. I told her that she couldn't do it now since it was getting dark outside. 

She then gestured for me to hand her the basket, and as I did so she walked over and started feeding her daughter. I had to admit, she was diligent and determined. I watched her for a little bit until she gave me an annoyed glance. I then go to look at her daughter, her mouth full of fish and fruit she looked silly as she ate her food.

I then turnt away, about to leave when she started to say something.

"Thank you mister!" she says in a muffled tone.

I was hesitant for a second, I replied back to her with a nod as I walked out.

Your POV:

He finally left us alone again, I just wanted to get back home one way or another. I then turnt to look at my daughter who was finished eating, It felt like only the other day you and your daughter were doing the same activity you were doing now. 

You and your daughter were picking fruit from bushes, banana fruit exactly. You were excited to be doing an activity other than stressful hunting. You were more set on relaxing things like taking naps by the waterfall & spending time with what used to be your family.. You explicitly remember when your spouse was killed, it was only around a week ago you were flying on your Ikrans together. You wanted to give them a fun-filled day before you revealed the big news to them until Toruk came, you tried to save them, but you can't always save everyone.

You sobbed for what seemed like an eternity before you had the strength and knowledge to realize that you officially had to raise another baby on your own now. You love your firstborn nonetheless, she looks like a perfect mixture of you and your old spouse..A very beautiful specimen of creation.

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The next morning when you woke up you saw the colonel sitting in a chair not too far away from the corner, drinking something out of a cup. He was shirtless, with his green camouflage pants & heavy black boots, he also had something on the table beside him which looked like a mask. 

"You felt yourself getting hot by looking at him so you turned away and attempted to find something to occupy yourself with, anything that would avoid you looking at him.

He smirks and manages a "Good morning"

"How long have you been here.." you say urgently, pulling your daughter closer to you. 

"Not long," he says unbothered. "I know you said you wanted to get a better look around here, so why not spend the day outa ya cell, hm?" As he talks you let go of your daughter & slowly stand up not wanting to wake her. Starting to put your hair in a ponytail, you don't notice that he stopped talking as you were busy at the moment as you tied up your hair. He stares you down as you do so, your shirt pulled up ever so slightly. Only enough for your waist to show. losing himself In his tracks as you do so.

He looks you up and down before muttering "damn.." you then look at him, trying to put together what he said. He only looks the other way and pretends he was talking the whole time. Continuing what he was talking about before, he finally gets to the point of asking if you'd like to join him.

"Are you alright with that cupcake?" 

You roll your eyes and agree to stay with him for the day, you then look back at your daughter. Wanting her to be safe you ask him if there was anywhere you could keep her for the meantime. He then thinks for a minute and replies.

"She would be the safest with Spider"

"Spider?"

"Yes, he's my son." "He will watch over your daughter." 

You are at first reluctant as you don't know who this "Spider" is, but you thought it might be good for her to associate as you want her to be better at that, she doesn't have any friends back at the Metkayina clan. Except for a girl named Tuktirey, from how outgoing she is you hope she can bring your daughter out of her shell. 

You agree that she will be watched over by him and he walks over to the door before stopping at the exit. He walks back towards you, he takes the mask from the table to adjust onto you. With you confused he suddenly picks you up by your waist once again, hand supporting your back, You get annoyed as you remember this position from about a day ago. He walks back towards the exit and bends down to leave, him having to bend down slightly more due to you being on his shoulder. 

You are then carried to a room with computers, gadgets, and lots of weapons. The colonel grabs a wide sliver band with 3 buttons on it, along with the device it has what seems to be a remote with a large black pad on the front. He sets you down to put the contraption on your neck. You lean away as he does so, not liking the contraption on you.

"Do be scared, It's just a tracking device." he gestures 

He then explains what everything does to make sure you aren't bewildered when anything happens. He tells you to stay put as he walks to a different room, he comes back with his green t-shirt on, he reassures you that Spider is watching over your daughter. 

He lets you walk freely along the ship, you are examining everything until you feel something hit against your leg you look down to see the colonel's tail leaving from beside you. He then starts to explain what everything is, pointing out what things are and how to pronounce them.

He then picks up a tube with the words "Midazolam injection" you instantly make a quiet hissing sound backing up from it. The colonel then looks at you and remembers the first impression you had. He sat it back down and did a calming motion with his hands.

"Relax, I'm saving these for Jake Sully," he says with a grin

You remember him trying to get information about Toruk Makto, the leader of the Omaticaya clan. You also remember lying about having no information about him, you just hope that the colonel never finds out.

The colonel then starts talking to a human scientist, you are at first amazed by the comparison. You were around ___ft tall while he had to be 9ft.

You're quietly standing still waiting for him to continue with the tour until you start to feel queasy and sick, the feeling isn't strong so you brush it off thinking it's hunger you then try to walk it off only to realize your too weak for that. You start to lose your balance and stagger back n' forth until you bump into the colonel's back.

You rest your head onto him as he turns around confused, he sees you in your sick state and goes to adjusting the mask you have on. It did help slightly but you still had a sick feeling. The colonel then takes you to a pair of double doors and opens both of them.

He pulls your mask off of you letting it hang down your neck, you breathe in the air hoping it'll make you feel better. Which it does, He sighs in relief as it seems he thought he was losing you to something. 

After you two have been outside for a while he walks you back into the ship, At this point you see him grabbing his waist belt that carries his stuff. He starts to put his knives and pistols in his belt, he then orders a pilot.

"Are you comfortable in these clothes, or do you want your old ones back?" he asks sternly

You tell him you want your old clothing due to you had been slightly uncomfortable in human clothes the past few days. He heads into the same room as last time and comes back with your clothes.

"Where can I change?" you ask sourly 

"Right here," he says with a smirk

You have a grim look on your face which makes him realize you're not in the mood. He points to a room and suggests you get dressed in there. You walk over and enter the room shutting the door behind you, you finally get back to your comfortable clothes you had on before.

You do realize your stomach is starting to get bigger, you remember the baby you never got to tell your husband about which makes you sad & tearful again. You hurry to wipe away your tears as the colonel is waiting on you, you hurry out of the room with your old baggy shirt and shorts. The colonel takes them from you and hands them to another sky human to put away.

He then looks back at you, looking you up and down to see what you look like in Navi clothing.

"What are you looking at, skxawng" you say to him 

He then looks away, not saying anything.

A few moments later the same sky human from before tells the colonel that the aircraft is ready, you find yourself walking again and you go outside to see a sky craft and underneath it is a big yellow target. 

You find yourself walking towards the sky-craft and as you get closer the more wind that blows in your face, you get to the very front of it, and then the colonel motions you to go first with a wink. You roll your eyes and flick your tail as you climb into the craft. The colonel helps load everything in and when it was finally time to go he hits the crafts glass front signaling that they're ready.

He hurriedly jumps in the craft and takes a set in front of you, you look around to see 3 Navi soldiers around you. You analyze them carefully not wanting to draw attention by staring.

You then turn to look at the last soldier in the back who notices you looking at him, he smiles at you. You smile back seeing he doesn't seem intense like the others, he then starts talking to you and asking questions about you. 

The colonel then looks at him sharply staring at the soldier, you then notice the two and look at the colonel.

"Keep your eyes on your own stuff son,"

"Yes sir," the solider says turning away

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After a while of flying you decide to look out the window to see the outside a little bit, you walk beside the colonel to look out and you see glistening blue waters. The sunray letting the water to have its crystal effect, you smile loving the view.

You point to the door asking the colonel to open it, he sees you pointing to the door and motioning to open it. He then grabs your arm and pulls you closer to him, he pulls you up by your waist and sits you on his upper leg.

Your ears flatten in embarrassment at the position you were in, you hoped the other soldiers weren't secretly laughing at you. The colonel reaches to open the door and slides it open, you swung your tail in excitement as you got a clear view of the beautiful outside world.

You had been looking out the door for a while until the colonel rests his hand on your thigh, you look down quickly at the sudden movement. He then squeezes your thigh, you feel yourself getting flustered so you hit his leg with your tail as a way of saying stop, but he only slaps your thigh in response. 

You then get frustrated and grab n' squeeze his thigh as well, trying your best to dig your nails into his leg through his pants.

"Gettin' handsy now aren't we missy?" he whispers flirtatiously 

you urgently lift your hand up and cross them against your torso having an attitude, the colonel only chuckles. 

You then look down in the craft to see a bag not too far from you. You see a tag on the bag with the name; Miles. You see it and wonder if its the colonels, 

"Miles," you say expecting a response from somebody in the ship

"Hm?" the colonel says leaning out to look at you, you see he has a smirk on his face.

He turns your face to his to make it where your faces aren't too far apart, then leans closer towards you to whisper something to you.

"You sound real good sayin' my name cupcake"

You then look down feeling yourself getting hot. You were also feeling something you had never felt before, you kinda liked it when he teased you. 

He smiled at your responsive face and repositions you on his lap. It was almost like he knew how to control you or at least get to you.

As the craft is about to land somewhere, the colonel is standing behind you making sure you didn't do anything stupid. You're ready to jump into the water as soon as possible. Your leaning on the wall of the craft, However, you were supposedly leaning too far and you almost slip into the water when 'Miles' caught you by your waist and pulled you back up. your rear touching his waist area he tried not to touch your stomach too much, he knew already. 

"Be careful" he says alarmed

You nod slowly in response and back up not wanting to slip again.

The craft finally lands on a patch of land. The colonel hands you a knife and allows you to go hunting for yourself, you take the knife slowly out of his hands due to you making sure it was alright.

You hop out of the craft and go running for the glistening water, you jump in and swim happily. As much as you'd love to escape and swim away, you can't leave your daughter it wouldn't be right. You then focus on hunting for food, you see a school of fish in the water but it seems far away. You then come out from the water and walk up to 'Miles' and tell him what you want.

"School," you say pointing to the water

"It doesn't matter how far you go, just come back alright?"

You nod in agreement as you walk back to the water to start your hunting. You hurriedly swim back to the school of fish and go to pentrailze them one by one, although your not the most organized when gathering up food. That's why back at your clan your only job while hunting is to kill and let the others put up the food.

You stab the knife deep into the fish before throwing it up onto the land which ends up scaring a couple of fish but there's plenty enough fish for you to get.

You repeated this cycle until you needed to come up for air, you walk back up to shore to see all your fish scattered in different places. You quickly run to organize the fish all in one pile, once you're done you go back into the water to enjoy it once more before you have to leave again.

After about 10 minutes of enjoying the ocean waters, the colonel calls you to come back onto the ship. 

You hurry back to the craft and point to all the fish you've gathered, 'Miles' nods and motions you to put them all in the basket he's provided for you. You finish your task and as you're carrying your basket up the craft the colonel grabs a towel and starts to dry you off before entering.

He then starts to wipe your hair dry and then the rest of your body. he then gets down to your neck 

"Well aren't you a mess," he says unbothered

you stick your tongue out at him, what did he expect? you were clearly in the water.

He finally finishes drying you off & lets you onto the craft. 

Before you know it you're in the air again and on the way back to your cell, you then remember your daughter who probably has no idea where you are and realize she's most likely scared.

You wish for the ride to go faster as you wanting to get back to the only other piece of family you have. little do you know the more thinking you do the faster you are to getting home.

The craft finally lands on the same yellow target as before, and you hustle to find the room you and your daughter are in. The colonel, carrying the bucket of fish you managed to leave behind walks behind you to your room. 

Although you don't know where you're going, you get confused between the two halls in front of you. The colonel walks beside you to the correct hall clicking his tongue as a sign to follow him.

He leads you back into your room, only for you to see your daughter and who you assume spider having a hissing contest. You haven't really taught your daughter to hiss nor sneer so you suggest she might learn something from him. When you walk in you hiss interrupting their silly contest with a playful smile on your face you hold your arms out to your daughter. 

"Mama, your back!" she says while running towards you and falling into your arms. 

The colonel drops the basket of fish on a nearby table & leans on the midway doorframe watching you interact with your daughter. He then signals Spider that he's free to go, spider walks out of the room only leaving you three.

You turn to him thanking him for an eventful day, he nods off his tail swaying as the door shut behind him. You turn to your daughter with a cheerful hiss and she gestures back with a miner hiss. 

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It had been at least 4-6 weeks since you had been on this ship,  You miss your home with every passing second.

You had requested your baggy shirt back due to your belly being out, it at least made you feel more comfortable. Since you had that sliver tracking device on your neck though you got to be out of your cell whenever. You were happy about that.

You and Miles have created a strong bond together, maybe even catching feelings for each other. Whatever It was, It made you feel alive and thrive. Sure he could be annoying sometimes, and you would remember how he sorta kidnapped you and Is a threat to your clan and others, but you were sure you could change him. 

You and him had your moments where It was obvious you liked each other. You were also happy about this.

You were playing hide and go seek with your daughter & Spider on the ship. You found them after a minute of searching, they ran away and as you chased after them they ran into a separate hallway the colonel and some other sky people were.

You had to stop to catch your breath for a minute when you saw 'Miles' leaving the ship with a couple of their soldiers. You watched as they walked off the ship, later following them. You then saw other Navi?

They didn't look like you, they were the Omatikaya clan. You felt your heart drop to your stomach at the sight you saw.

They had different families tied up and were frantically harassing them for information about "Jake Sully". You wished he would have let It go, why go this far?

The screams of children filled your ears, your ears perked up once you heard the cries of a baby nearby. You lean out more to see a woman holding a child in her arms, tears streaming down her face trying to calm down her baby.

You felt tears forming in your eyes as well, watching all this unravel, you thought about confronting him but you were becoming fearsome of him. Your ears flattened along with you flicking your tail in rage mixed with despair. 

You didn't know what to feel or what to think, just then the colonel shouted

"Light it up! Let's go!" 

A soldier then had a gun in his hand, you thought they were going to kill the Navi but instead, they set aflame to their homes. You then watched the chaos unfold, grief building up more and more.

"Make it snappy! We do not have all day"

You snarled hearing his voice, you hurried back inside the ship calling your daughter's name. She eventually came out of her hiding spot along with Spider

Oh, how unaware they were...

Spider filled with glee, implying other games for your daughter to play with him. You picked up your daughter hissing at him as you walked back to your room. Just as you were passing by a table you saw the knife you initially had on you and swiped it.

When you made it back to the room you put the knife under the pillow, you turned to your daughter, her ears were bent sideways, she had the standard pouty look on her face any toddler would have.

You instantly turn to her, grabbing ahold of her hands,

"Did he do something wrong mama..?" she asks, you can hear her on the verge of tears.

Your ears bend back in anger again, you developed a hatred to anyone the colonel is associated with, including his son. 

"Not exactly baby..It's hard for you to understand but you will once your older"

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When the colonel came back to your cell you turned away from him, still in disbelief of what you had witnessed. 

"What's wrong? was I gone too long?" you can tell he had a smirk while saying It 

That's just how he was

When you looked over your shoulder and glanced at him, he did. 

You turn back to facing your daughter against the wall, he then started to walk up to you and you felt him sit down on the bed beside you. 

He then grabbed your arm

"Hey-"

You jerked away from him which made him flinch back slightly. 

"Whats gotten' into you?" 

You could hear his country accent that came out of him sometimes, you would have laughed or said something cute about it If only you hadn't seen him commit harassment moments earlier.

"Don't touch me skxqwng" you say with a bitter tone 

He's silent for a minute, acting like he doesn't know what he did wrong. 

"I'm sorry If I-"

"SORRY WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH" you snap, turning to face him

He gets up backing up, his ears were down then they flattened

"What Is wrong with you ___?!" 

"I saw what you did!" 

His face went from confused to stern, within only a moment It was like he changed completely.

"Why did you do it.." you felt tears forming in your eyes again

"I don't have to explain a damn thing to you "

He was getting louder, your ears becoming flat In dread, but you were determined and wanted answers. 

"That doesn't answer my question," you say flailing your tail

He starts to walk closer to you and you back up, afraid of what he might do. 

You ran out of space to back up and he grabbed your wrist, forcing you to lean in closer while tightly grabbing your face.

"I'll be nice, once...then I won't" 

Your eyes widened remembering when he first said this to you. You hissed at him but he only flung you to the floor causing you to black out.

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You wake In another room, not wanting to move due to the throbbing In your head. It seems to hurt more when you try to remember what happened. Your body gains consciousness and you feel someone's presence, you close your eyes again not wanting them to know you are awake until you suddenly hear a voice.

"I know you're awake" 

Not being eligible enough to recognize the voice, you ignore it until you feel somebody pull you up by your arm.

"Don't Ignore me" he says with a snarle 

It was Miles

You saw him and felt a rush of remembrance hit you hard, you remembered your mix of emotions all while the throbbing in your head caused you pain.

Everything had happened so fast you couldn't get a grip on anything, not even to try and fool yourself into thinking none of it was real.

The fact that you can comprehend everything makes you frustrated and you start to cry, you were tired of acting like you could be strong through everything.

Miles suddenly draws you In for you to face his chest and hugs you while patting and rubbing your back. 

You tried to hit him off but you ended up just crying In his arms anyway, 

"I called off the mission," 

You look up at him shocked, not knowing what to say or do. You only wrap your arms around him and swung your tail.

You looked back up at him and he had a guilty look In his eyes, your smile faded and then gently shook him.

"Listen," you say while making him turn to face you

"I can and will not forgive you for what you did, but I can move past It" 

He nods and you peck him on his lips

"Nga yawne lu oer" you say,

"I love you"

He smiles at you and he lifts your face gently, moving slowly towards your face. He gestured if it was ok if he kissed you. Your eyes softened at his request and you both leaned In for a kiss. 

This Is the Miles you loved, right here.

______________________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER‼️: READER HAS TELEKINESIS ONLY FOR THIS CHAPTER (prob), ONCE YOU READ IT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND I HOPE. This story is also rushed but only In time skips. I have no ideas.

‼️ATTENTION‼️: The timeline is rushed due to me not knowing what else to do with the scene

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️: I HATE TO DO THIS BUT ; S/N = SON'S NAME | D/N = DAUGHTERS NAME

Also, this story Is going to be cringe to some, but it's ok I think It's cringe too.

Enjoy Angels 🕊

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You woke up once the sun hit your eyes, not being able to examine the room from last time It left you confused. Your confusion was cut short once you felt steady breathing behind you, you then feel a hand cupping your stomach.

You look up to see your daughter only a few inches away from you, thankfully she was alright.

Your head wasn't throbbing anymore, Nor did you feel pain. You look over to see Miles sound asleep while holding you, feeling his chest rise & fall against you while his steady breathing filled your ears made you feel safe. 

You turn over to face him, adoring how peaceful he looked you did a soft peck on his lips. 

You then waited for him to wake up but he didn't seem to be waking up any time soon, 

"Miles.." you say calmly

You hear him mutter a response

"It's time to get up" 

He opens his eyes which fall onto you, 

He only pulls you in closer to his chest.

"No, It's not" he says tiredly 

You then smile, allowing yourself to drift off into sleep again.

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"-Or I won't hesitate to kill you."

Quaritch was giving all his soldiers and a couple of sky people a speech about If they went anywhere near your baby he would make sure they wouldn't even look In your direction.

It had been about 5 months since you and miles had officially been mates for life, you remember telling your daughter that she would become a big sister soon. She was a little confused at first but when you properly explained she was beyond filled with excitement.

You then went to tell spider as well, but you apologized first for how you acted toward him. He forgave you and was happy when you told him the news as well.

Ultimately, you and Miles moved to the top floor of the ship to get more privacy, you loved how everything was going. It almost seemed to good to be true at first.

Miles gave you the right to roam or be anywhere, he even let you out to the ocean without your tracking device. 

You were looking out the window and saw how beautiful It was, you then got the motive to go and hunt. You grabbed your knife and some baskets, nets and headed out for your hunting spree. 

Your daughter was with spider, at the time. You loved how they bonded. 

...

Once you set your stuff down you went straight for the water, swimming happily and going for your hunt. Miles taught you how to capture multiple fish at once so you decided to use that technique. 

You tied the net to 2 nearby rocks and waited for a minute until hurridly raising the fish & net from the water. You were excited that It worked, you had been practicing your telekinesis for the longest. 

You dropped your fish a longs way from the shore and looked at all the different kinds of fish you had collected when you saw something that looked like a shell, you picked it up and gasped as soon as you made out what It was.

A clam-shell!

You open it to try and see if it has any pearls in store for you, and you open it up to see almost a dozen pearls inside. You make sure to grab every single pearl from inside.

You notice bushes of banana fruit not too far from you, you grab another basket and walk over to the bushes, collecting some of the fruit.

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You had finished collecting all the banana fruit you needed and started making your way back to where all your fish and wonderful collection of pearls were.

You then put the net of fish around your shoulder and with the basket of fish in your hands you began to make your way back to the ship.

You look at your surroundings and see it's starting to get dark, it was around 12:00PM when you headed out. You walk faster knowing you never told Miles you were leaving.

After making it back up to the room, Miles was In the bedroom,  You take a breath and make your way into the room sitting everything down, Miles hears you In the room and walks up to you. You prepare for the worst the closer and closer he gets.

He puts his hand across your stomach,

"Welcome back cupcake" 

"Hey love.." you think if you can distract him, maybe he won't ask you where you had been.

"Oh, what are these?" he reaches for the pearls you had collected

He was talking about the pearls, and while he did your dreadfulness of him asking where you were faded away. 

You then felt him put his arm around your waist 

"Ok?" he said reassuringly

"W-what?"

"I was asking If for the next time, you go out tell me, I thought one of my crew had got ahold of you" 

"Mhm, I will..but-.. you're not mad?" 

He shook his head,

"Not In the slightest" 

You smiled knowing that you had the freedom you dreaded to have, Miles once asked you why you didn't leave a long time ago.

You told him about how you have no family or friends and that you had grown to him, and that If you left there would be nothing to go to. 

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"I don't wanna eat that"

"Just try It," he said laughing "It tastes a thousand times better like this." 

Miles was trying to get you to eat 'cooked salmon', but you had been eating raw fish all your life, And raw is how you tolerated It.

"Alright look, If you try it cooked, I'll try It raw."

You pondered on his proposal for a minute before agreeing, 

"Fine.."

He stepped closer to you, he put one hand on your stomach while feeding you the fish. You expected It to taste awful but your ears perked up in amazement, It tasted different and you usually never ate hot food. 

You kept eating It and Miles was surprised to see you actually enjoying It,

"See? tastes good right?"

You nodded your head motioning for more, you gave some to your daughter and since she saw you liked It she didn't hesitate to try It, mother like daughter.

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"Just let me In there!" he hissed

"Sir please you have to wait out here"

"She's screaming for me are you deaf?!"

"Sir-"

"Forget It, move out of my way"

"Boss why can't you just wait outside!"

Is what you heard from outside of your room when you weren't wailing In pain,

The day was finally here, you were finally delivering the baby you and Miles had been waiting for ever since he figured out you were expectant.

From what you gathered Miles was fighting to get Into the medical room while Lyle, Mansk, and the nurses were holding him back. You thought since you were calling his name they would have let him In by now.

One of Miles's recruits Zidnarsk was allowed In and was squeezing your hand, trying her best to comfort you but only continued to scream any other time you pushed, It was truly a chaotic scene.

Zidnarsk cheered you on scarcely, in between heavy breaths you managed to get a couple of sentences out.

"Where...where Is ___..?"

"She's with Spider, don't worry about It."

...

"It's a boy" 

The nurses were finally handing you your newborn baby, you felt tears stream from your eyes as his soft weight fell into your arms.

Zidnarsk had a smile on her face congratulating you, your joy with your baby didn't last too long because the doctors and scientists took him to run tests.

"Hey! I didn't give you consent to take him from me!" 

"Sorry Miss, but It's mandatory" 

"Don't make me get my boss," Zdinarsk said standing up

They Instantly put your son In the Incubator and only did minor checkups.

"Thank you, Z.."

"Any friend of Quaritchs Is a friend of mine, It's no worries," she said walking to the door

"C'mon Miles," she stepped to the side letting him in.

You saw Miles walk into the room slightly nervous, you smiled at him happy he was finally with you. You soon saw Spider quickly run into the room behind Miles.

He sat down beside you looking at S/N In awe,

"Isn't he beautiful.."

"Very..looks just like you," he said while grinning

Spider and D/N were basically hovering over the Incubator,

"Woah...cool!" he said In disbelief 

"Can I hold him mama?" 

"Later sweetheart, I promise"

Miles grabbed your hand while gazing off,

"You to Miles..you can hold your son"

Miles looked at you and gave you a bright smile, he lifted your hand and kissed it gently. 

You all were a complete family, you saw your entire life right In front of you. 

It looked beautiful...

________________________________________________________

I know yall forgot she (you) were pregnant lmao. But I sure didn't be crucial If I did.

I hope you enjoyed it, I might make one more (more) about the future family of yours.

Bye Angels! 🕊🤍 

#quaritch x reader #Lyle #Mansk #Zdinarsk #Prager #Fike #Walker #Recon squad #Na'vi reader #Na'vi #Avatar #AWOTW #miles x reader

[happy-tori-friends]

Foe prompts,can I ask for one between Lifty and Shifty,with the platonic sentence starter-'You're important to me,you little shit' please?

you got it!

this ended up a lil longer, and i went into some of my Curse Lore ideas (bc i like to cause pain). im not sure how happy i am with it. but it is existing. (tradition to reblog some more prompts after clearing the inbox is starting now. i'm gonna find some heatwave prompts *dances*)

The clock read 12:00 am when Lifty opened his eyes, jolting up and gasping for breath. Physically, any injuries that he'd gotten due to the curse had healed, but for the next twenty four hours, he would still be feeling pain and sensations. Because repeatedly dying gruesome deaths and then being revived was just too tame of a curse.

One minute he was running behind Shifty in a thunderstorm, carrying the spoils of their latest heist, the next he was waking up nearly a whole day later, jittering and struggling to breathe. His chest hurt, too. The cons of going out just after midnight and in a storm, he supposed.

Lifty glanced over at his brother's bed, but Shifty wasn't there. He got to his feet with a sigh, letting out a groan as his legs threatened to not cooperate, and then blew the hair out of his eyes. With slow, unsteady steps, he made his way to the door, only for it to open suddenly as he reached to grab the doorknob. Startled, he tried to step backwards, but lost his balance and fell.

Shifty let out a snort, covering his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter. Lifty could only sigh again - he was losing count of how many times he'd done so since waking up. Disgruntled, he decided that maybe laying on the floor was better than trying to pull himself up. It was uncomfortable, sure, but laying there for the day did mean the tingling and shaking might not be too big of a problem.

Finally, Shifty stopped snickering, clearing his throat. “How're you feeling?” he asked, kneeling down and extending a hand to his brother.

Lifty took the offered hand and let himself be pulled up. “Fine, I guess. My body feels all tingly, kind of like with electrocution. My chest hurts and I feel kind of breathless too but… It could be worse, I guess.” Letting go of his brother's hand, he went to sit on his bed once more, his right hand pushing his bangs out of his eyes once more. “I'm more surprised you survived, honestly.”

“Lightning never strikes in the same place twice,” Shifty rolled his eyes, making his way to his own bed and flopping onto it.

Rolling his eyes, Lifty let out a small laugh. “That doesn't make sense. You were ahead of me. I just got unlucky.”

Neither of them spoke for a little while, but Lifty could hear Shifty moving, softly grumbling as he did so. Sleep often evaded them, which they did take advantage of with nighttime heists, but it did get incredibly annoying, especially after repeated struggles of attempting to sleep, waking up too early, or just not sleeping well. Dying didn't even make them feel any more rested - it probably just made them feel the opposite. No benefits even with all the bullshit the curse put them through.

Finally, after groaning and likely accepting he would remain uncomfortable, Shifty spoke. “It was really fucking boring yesterday,” he muttered, “kind of lonely too.”

Lifty turned his head towards his brother, blinking. He didn't say anything at first, somewhat surprised that Shifty would even admit that. “You probably could have done a lot of things without me,” he replied, not really sure how to react. “I mean… it was probably nice for you to not have to deal with me for a while.”

Shifty took a breath, rolling over to face him. “It's that I didn't get a choice in the matter,” he mumbled, “Yeah, we do our own things sometimes. We got to choose to do it, and if we needed each other, we could call or text. And if I survived and you didn't, it was never… the whole entire day.”

Lifty smiled slightly, glancing over at Shifty. “You missed me,” he stated, a teasing edge to his voice. “You didn't know what to do because me being gone threw you off.” His smile turned into a grin, the pain and jittering ignored in favor of messing with Shifty.

Shifty responded with a chuckle and an eye roll. “Of course I missed you. You're my brother. You're important to me, you little shit.”

There were times Shifty left him behind to save his own skin. There were times they barely reacted to the others’ death. There were times they fought, but Lifty cared about Shifty, and Shifty cared back, though he didn't often show it all too visibly. They were family, the only family they had left. Sometimes, a good reminder of how much they cared about each other did good, though. The chest pain still remained, but Lifty's heart felt full of warm and fuzzy feelings.

“You're important to me too, but I don't think ‘little shit’ is correct. We're the same height,” Lifty teased, grin growing wider. He could see Shifty narrow his eyes, even in the darkness, and he laughed in response.

“Fuck you, I take it back,” Shifty huffed, flopping over onto his other side. There was still a fond playfulness in his voice, however, even as he began to insult his brother. “You're the worst ever and I'm gonna fucking strangle you when you sleep one of these days.”

With one final eye roll, Lifty forced his laughter to die down. “Just shut up and try to go to sleep yourself,” he retorted, grabbing one of his spare pillows and laying his head against it.

The fact that Shifty was willing to admit he cared tonight made him feel safer and relaxed, for some reason. Feeling safer made him feel a little more willing to let drowsiness take him. Lifty let out a soft, content sigh as he let slumber take him, grateful to be able to sleep, no matter how long.

#tori talks #prompt fill #lifty 💰 #shifty 💵 #asks

[sunnyisinsane]

HI IGNORE THIS GOOGLE DOCS KEEPS CRASHING ON ME SO IM USING THIS TO TAKE NOTES OF A THING I HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WONT MAKE SENSE TO ANYONE BUT ME

ALSO KINDA SPOILERS FOR MY SPIRIT FIC . NOT REALLY THIS CHAPTER IS FOR A LOOOTTTT LATER

Being here after what happened feels wrong, what happened was wrong. I should've left after that but I had the bright idea of sticking around.

"Oh Spirit, here." I look up at Stein, he's walking around the couch I'm sitting on and sets down a stack of books on the coffee table.

"Hey wait, are those?" I mumble out and lean over the table.

"yep, it's only a few of them, the rest are in some boxes. I figured these will keep you from going bored. You forgot to grab them after you left me, I didn't have the gaul to return them." The man awkwardly sits next to me from a distance he breaths out heavily and continues on.

"i even tried reading them, I missed you that much. I couldn't finish even one though, not my kind of genre." I feel my face flush with embarrassment when Stein says that.

I pick up the first book. It's the first twilight book. I had the entire fucking series of books.

"promise me you didn't read this one." I look up at him and he looks uncomfortable.

"not my genre,"

Looking back at the book I start remember old moments here sitting on this couch reading books. Oh my god I remember putting myself in the place of the main character is genuinely getting giddy when anything romantic happened.

"I'm going to grade some papers, you sit here, I can't concentrate with you near me."

Stein goes to stand up but I grab his arm.

"spirit,"

"stein, I'm still worried about you, could we....just so I can feel that you're breathing, you're safe."

I can't say what I want to say, I'm just hoping he understands what I'm asking.

"...fine, I don't mind. It'll be nice...yeah?" Nodding, I let go of his arm, happy with his answer.

I feel his soul and mine spark it doesn't take much concentration for us to balance and get on the same wavelength. He leaves to the next room, I can still feel it, the beating of his soul, his heart and his mind. It's nice.

Picking up the book I cringe a small bit. This is probably going to still hold up with how much I liked this book or make me hate myself more for ever reading it.

-

We didn't talk much while resonating, just the occasional "what chapter now?" And "did maka get a good grade?" But when I finished the book I immediately ran into the room Stein was in and cut him out of his focus.

"spirit?"

"stein it was BAD."

He raises an eyebrow, then looks down at the book I was holding.

I raise the book up, distraught and embarrassed. "Why didn't I just look at porn magazines like normal teenagers?!"

"you did." He interrupts and I wave him off.

"not my point,"

"It couldn't have been that bad, you still enjoyed it as a kid." He swivels around in his chair, attention fully on me.

"Well kid me was stupid! He didn't have good opinions like he does now!" All Stein does is smirk at my complaints. He stands up and takes the book from my hand.

"I remember opening this and reading some of it, I didn't see the appeal but it was so *you*"

I suddenly feel offended.

"What the hell does that mean?!" His smile is still there and he looks down at me.

"I can't explain it, you're full of surprises. It just, felt like you. You'd read books, you'd get excited about it and I'd just watch you not understanding why you like something so abnormal!" I feel hot again and Stein looks up from the book, his glasses tilting down from his nose.

"you have problems."

He then waves the book to make a point, "we both have problems."

#for later #sunny notes #my SHIT #AAAUGG #AAAUGGHHHH #AAAAAAUAHGGHHH #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #oh btw you can read if you want idc lol if i did i would've sent this to my friend to store for later dw

[techiebrots]

Hello so I’m going to be word vomiting in your ask box due to the beloved archive being down and I have thoughts tm about B team that weee caused by your drawings + others and also because you artist need to get an ask that is just a mega laser kung pow penis beam of love for what you create and I’m here to do that

B team look so friend-shaped! The way you draw them, with softer corners but keeping lines straight and the flat muted colors that are still bright and draws the eyes’ attention/greys which are layered in such a nice way

I also see the checkered orange-yellow blanket

ham is such a soft shade of pink which is easy on the eyes but is more vibrant than Peni and Noir (Morse obvious in noir and the contrasts between noir and ham is sooo good, opposite spectrums of color)

he’s more humanoid but he’s still cartoony and the way you draw him just fits so well with B team. A wonderful balance

Him and Peni together are just great, they’re probably incredibly chatty and Ham would get Peni more since he’s more in tuned with technology unlike noir’s old man soul

Peni having a round face in the artwork of B team napping together resonates with me, she looks so comfortable napping with her dads

also the doodles of ham and her brushing their teeth (or in ham’s case his eyes), her drinking out of her #1 daughter mug, and noir ruffling her hair :D the daughter and her two dads <3

noir! Dad and friend-shaped. Your rendition of him unmasked makes him so handsome and pretty, like he reminds me of the dad from my neighbors Totoro- except more worn out lol

The drawing you did of that fanfic where B team are chilling with Hobie and Noir listens to some of his music- that has been keeping me GOING through the blackout

he’s holding his hat next to his face and is one sentence away from hiding his face while ham is one moment looking at noir’s face from having his eyes turning into hearts

Im not really a writer that can put how much I adore the drawings into words that perfectly articulate every last thought I have but I hope I did pretty well and sound vaguely comprehensivable and that tumblr didn’t say something was wrong with send- god I had to rewrite this thing once already-

HOLY FUCKING SHIT- UH THANKS! At first I thought this ask was just headcanons of team b and I was so ready to hear you out

While reading through this I got just a small idea of team b and decided to draw it out, which will be posted soon after this so thanks for the brief idea

Now here’s where I say my OWN incomprehensible ramblings so yay more text!

I have NEVER had someone inspect my art or at least told me they have so thanks! I am currently freaking the fuck out and going crazy actually, I have like five messages to my friend freaking out about this ask, and I WILL be rereading this every minute of the day

I have a lot of drawings of them all that will never see the light of day, mostly since they’re warmup drawings and I’m still figuring out how to draw them all consistently but I’m having fun. I mostly based ham off of how he looks in in comics since I love how silly he looks in them and also taking inspiration off of other artists who draw him.

Now here’s the fun part about that exact napping post you’re talking about, that post almost never got made. Like I completely abandoned the idea at first since I didn’t like the first sketch I made of it and almost discarded the idea a couple more times during the process of making it since I had a different idea in my head of what it was supposed to be. Even when i was done with it I was thinking of just not posting it since I didn’t completely like it myself, but now here we are with it being my most popular post. I like the drawing now since I pretty sure I was just staring at it for too long

AND THAT FIC DRAWING- WIZARD MAKES GREAT FICS! I keep rereading them and I will probably go back and read them AGAIN once archive is up and running, I have ideas for some of their fics to draw out but nothing concrete yet

Anyways in short i fucking appreciate this so much thanks! I am currently vomiting everywhere

#tec ask #my ego is inflated #knock me down a peg #I’ll never get over this #don’t compliment me I will go insane actually