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#i just. dont want more nightmares. i wish sleep was kind to me. more dreams about being publically set on fire pls
catboymitosis · 7 months
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I have strained my eyes so much the past two days my eyes burn and water and my vision is constantly a bit blurry, I cant move my eyes in certain directions without it hurting me, I cant look at screens without wearing sunglasses or it hurts also. I have not gotten anything particularly substaintial done while inflicting this upon myself. I'm still on my phone about it.
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dnfao3tags · 11 months
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Monthly Fic Roundup - May 2023
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ok look man this is the third fucking time i've had to redo this entire post i dont give a shit anymore i hate tumblr i hope it and i die a very painful death does anybody have any idea how hard it is to edit these things with the shittiest site and shittiest laptop in the world
anyways. nobody reminded me i forgot about mays roundup. betrayal. leave all the writers here a warm kudos and comment :]
— find me here by womanhunt (mat. | comp. | 9k)
Dream and George through various phone calls across time.
— All paths lead to you by Simplysmitten (teen | comp. | 28k)
When George is stressed, he has nightmares, and when George has nightmares, he sleepwalks. In a subconscious search for relief, George sleepwalks to the safest place he can find- Dream's room. Dream finds out more than he bargained for when trying to decode George's nonsensical sleep-talking, but he struggles to make conscious-George as comforted by his presence as unconscious-George.
— i want you, and that’s the way it is by pondsofkoi (gen | comp. | 4k)
Sometimes George combs his hair with enough force Dream thinks he’s trying to yank his scalp out. “Dude.”
— a wish, a child by heartinhands (teen | comp. | 3k)
George wants a child. If he and Dream wish hard enough, there's a chance.
— every sunset by indigoh (mat. | comp. | 10k)
when George goes to sleep, it’s June 2020. When he wakes up, it’s 8 years into the future.
Part 2 of the past, the future, and everything in between
— what a childish thing by tippysleeps (teen | comp. | 7k)
“What year is it,” George repeats. “Um,” Dream frowns. “It’s 2020?” George just stares at him. “It’s 2027,” he says, finally. “2027.”
Part 1 of not afraid of living on a faultline
— Some Other Beginning's End by Scoops (consciousness_streaming) (expl. | comp. | 5k)
George's family takes a holiday to Orlando to visit Disney. Just before George is set to meet Dream, disaster strikes in the form of a werewolf pack taking over Florida, and maybe more of America. While George struggles to survive, scavenging for food and materials for the few survivors, and at the end of his rope--a miracle happens. He might get to meet Dream after all.
— falling in love in the cruelest way by twostorms (teen | comp. | 7k)
Dream can't remember a time where he wasn't at least a little obsessed with George.
— Maw by shrewtz (expl. | comp. | 1k)
To combine their two selves in one way or another, to blur the line between hunger and arousal, to consume a piece of his lover— would it not be the most romantic gesture possible?
— when you kiss my lips, you'll make it stick by demonstars (mat. | comp. | 6k)
Dream's hero's (MUA) journey.
— Can you make it feel like home (if I tell you you're mine?) by JanetBaby99 (expl. | comp. | 19k)
Dream and George go on a road trip together and the tension between them becomes too much. Eventually, it snaps, and they can’t keep their hands to themselves any longer.
— unbreakable heaven by furculaed (teen | comp. | 5k)
“I didn’t mean for it to get so messy,” she breathes, “I thought we could, I don’t know, just do whatever and we’d be okay. I can live with just this, I promise. I can do with nothing, even. I don’t know. Just don’t ask me to stop.” Dream’s breath stops right at her chest. “Stop what, George?” “You know,” she whispers. George looks at Dream, beautiful and breaking at the seams. “Don’t make me say it, Dream. You know,” George begs.
— fall into me by havocrat (teen | comp. | 7k)
Handing the tube back, Georgina smacks her lips together, and they make a little pop sound. It’s a weird feeling, a little sticky, but she kind of likes it. She wonders if it’s anything like kissing Dream for real. “Nice chapstick,” she says, and her voice comes out a little hoarse. Dream’s throat bobs, and she wets her lips again. “Yeah?” “Yeah. Tastes good, too.” She’s aware she sounds like an idiot, but this is the only coherent thought in her head right now, the only thought that isn’t about Dream’s lips and Dream’s mouth and indirect kisses and direct kisses and– God. She needs to get out of there, before she does something they both regret.
— right through your bones by dizzy (teen | comp. | 3k)
George tries to kiss Dream, and it doesn't go as planned.
— tall man’s burden by alreadyhateyou (expl. | comp. | 4k)
Clearly Dream is tall, clearly Dream is taller and bigger than George, in a lot of ways. Clearly, George is really into this. First it’s Dream’s hands, then his shoulders and chest and thighs. Soon it’s everything. Soon George finds out Dream is big everywhere.
— what a fucked up reality show by brokenlikeastitch (teen | comp. | 13k)
“Have you started studying for the map quizzes?” George asks, shoving some of her stuff over to clear the table in front of the chair next to her like she’s making room for Dream. It’s bizarre, and Dream is caught off guard at the sudden conversation. She’s not sure what exactly she was going to say to George, but now she’s even more unsure what to say. “Not yet, I don’t really like thinking about that class.” George giggles, pushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear as she does. “Me neither, but I don’t want to fail them because I think I’ll jump off a cliff if I have to take this class again, so.” The giggle makes Dream feel a little faint, and she sits down in the offered seat just to make sure she doesn’t accidentally actually fall out in the library in front of everyone.
— This Ambiguous Edge by Amoxil (expl. | comp. | 21k)
Dream and George don’t care about the label. For months, they do everything that couples do. Everything but sex. George is patient, but Dream’s beginning to skirt the line. George wants to see how far he can push him.
— it isn't new (but it's still you) by mocharex (teen | comp. | 15k)
The slow shift from friends to fiancés to having a family together may take years, but, luckily enough, Dream and George have all the time in the world.
— Reasons Not To Be An Idiot by VicIsWriting (expl. | comp. | 30k)
Dream and George– they used to be friends. Sandbox besties, cradle to grave, ride-or-die kind of friends. Now they’re nothing, just strangers on a college campus who barely look in each other’s direction as they pass by, neutral recognition in both their eyes. When their friendship is revived, something new develops too.
— get busy waiting by alreadyhateyou (expl. | comp. | 17k)
Dream claims he wants to wait until marriage, and while George does his best to respect his wishes, it seems like all Dream does is make them both so, so horny.
if you want a rec of your own on next month's roundup, send it in!
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barnesbabee · 2 years
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I leave tumblr for a while and i instantly think "wtf is trixie up to now" as in like what argument or cult have you started this time and im right. There is always something. You are so fun thanks for being on tumblr 🧡
Anywayss few days ago, i was asleep in my room during maghrib (4th daily prayer for muslims). Normally, we dont sleep or be outside during this time. So my dad called my name but i thought i was just hearing things and ignored it. After a while of no response from me, he comes inside my room to wake me up. Besides me is my laptop with my earphones plugged in .... and it was playing " (spicy) BF ASMR" 💀💀 idk if he saw that or not but imagine if he brought it up i would pass out ....
The asmr title is very spicy but the actual audio is just wholesome video game playing. Moral of the story is i am getting way to comfortable in my own home ... but then so tf what?? If i wanna be comfy sexually or not, imma be it! Im not hurting no one. Im just doing me things ....
I wish i had more fun stories to talk to you about but my life is pretty boring. 99.9999% times I am by myself bc I don't really have friends so rarely anything interesting happens. Which is fine but i must admit, it does get lonely sometimes and i find myself getting sad. Not always but there have been times. Maybe the problem is me? But what? I dont think im bad person. Havent hung out with a friend so long i dont think i have much of a personality anymore (likely i dont have one to begin with). Idk how to genuinely feel things besides when it comes to food or kpop bc ... yunho 🧡 and hj 🧡 and jongho 🧡 ppl like you just up to the most absolute shit arguments make my day. Even if i can disagree with you sometimes
Im the type of person who has really intense dreams and remembers a lot of them. But lately I havent been dreaming or if i did, i dont remember. It does worry me ... could something be wrong with me? Who knows.
My mom esp has started to be the "pls stop staying at home and go out with a bf" mom, i would if i had a bf.
Anyways .... i made apple pie. Really delicious i love apple pie. There is also a traditional dessert that is made from coconut & red sugar called koci. Many makers that sell, dont do it properly anymore. But my mom makes THE best kuih koci. I would LOVE to share the recipe to everyone but ..... im kinda selfish 👀
It's been pretty chill recently, I believe everyone who doesn't like me has me blocked cause it's chill out here
first of all, Im judging you for that video, second, where tf else are you supposed to be comfortable my guy
well a lot of people like to be alone, and idk if I would have many friends nowadays cause it's hard to keep up with everyone, but we've been friends for around 17 years now so it's those kinds of friendships that aren't going anywhere you know? So it's a great thing cause even though I have a lot going on I can always still go back to my friends, but it's fine to be alone. I like to be alone sometimes, but if you want to keep friends I suggest you make a little sacrifice from time to time to hang out with friends cause not everyone is ok with having friends they don't see for a long time. It's completely fine to not have many friends but if you feel lonely try to join tinder, there's many girls there who are just looking for friends, idk how else to make friends at my big age lmao when I came to uni I simply joined a group
I do dream a lot, but mostly nightmares which is annoying cause the other day I woke up 3 times in the middle of the night
and apple pie is MY thing. I AM the apple pie maker and I am gatekeeping it
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slyshyfoxy · 4 months
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28 December 2023
Hello its me , lately i have been feeling very overwhelmed, about work and my sleeping and almost every little single stuffs happening in my life, i think i am scared and taken a back by the nightmare that i have where i keep waking up over and over again in my dream when i thought that i have already woken up already. Think i am affected by things like what happened recently because i have gotten covid and i wasnt able to go to work, kind of disappointed with myself as i am only earning 1k this month and it sucks. Ngl it fking sucks, because i want to have 300k in my bank by this month and i am unable to do so. And i think most of it, what is affecting me right now is probably i feel abit poorer after going on holidays and the amount of money i am wasting right now, even though i know that in the future i'll have a job and i shouldn't let it affect me so much , i'll probably get 300k by maybe 30? So i dont have to worry so much, i believe my revenue will eventually come in some way and i will be fine. 2024 Year is coming and i wish to get my driving license and i want to get to work everyday without fail and i need to take care of my physical and mental health more cause it will affect myself, and i think those fk up mistakes u did previously u dont have to worry so much, as u can only continue to move forward , u only can plan for ur own future. Like just keep looking forward dont have to worry. Take it easy and not so seriously. Be nice to yourself dont stress urself out so much.
Stay present and be happy
U are much happier now as i would always remind u , stay happy dont worry so much u are doing fine. Remember to go for ur lessons on sunday so u wont miss it .
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my-lunaberg · 1 year
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OKAYYYYYYYY okay, Im about to watch Tommys The Last Stream vod after I go for another quick walk, after that its just Tubbos stream which is probably just the same thing but from a different pov anyway, then its just the Syndicate End vod and then its just a two minute video of Ranboos end and then Im finally free. I really wish I could do this properly on my blog instead of having to do this in my notes app but I simply cannot wait another day. Im so hopped up on adrenaline rn i dont think I can sleep tonight, especially if I dont finally finish this. Also I have therapy tomorrow when Im writing this and I need to calm tf down before I show up at the therapists office all shaky n shit because of some minecraft roleplay. Its almost 6 pm rn and I shall be free of this nightmare before the clock strikes midnight. Amen.
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Tubbitch boi
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I dont even have anything to say man
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This is so upsetting dude
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I made it through these first 15 minutes with basically no pausing and I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate that bc I just know the second that joker starts talking to Dream I'll be pausing every 5 seconds
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Why the fuck does the prison look like it was under water for like a decade and now theres just barnacles n shit growing on everythinh
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YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND BABEY RIGHT ROUND
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DREAM
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Alright I took two minutes to mentally prepare myself now Im ready for this
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Wait why the fuck was he just hangin out in the main cell if he wasnt even expecting Tommy. weirdo behaviour
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PUNZ IS THERE AS WELL??? WERE THEY HAVING A DATE IN THE TORTURE BOX
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"IM READY TO FUCKING KILL THE BOTH OF YOU"
*long uncomfortable pause*
"Uhm... okay"
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It looks like Tommy is doing a good job stalling them so far so Im very curious how it goes from this to the stuff Ive read spoilers about
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Ouhhhhhh I wonder how hes gonna react to that dig at Spirittttttt.........
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Okay, no like verbal ouward reaction but that is what got him to start attacking Tommy
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I dont think Punz will care that Tommy tried to kill himself bc of Dream, I think hed find that kinda hot
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"The world doesnt fucking revolve around you"??? Bro Punz Boomer arc??? "Those darn zoomers wanting compassion and kindness after almost killing themselves
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"Youre insane to think everything revolves around you" hello?? says the guy who fancies himself a god and also thinks everyone but him and his boytoy deserve to die because theyre "simple-minded"
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OH NO i completely forgot, the nuke is not gonna hit them. this is allpretty much pointless
DAMN YOU JACK MANIFOLD
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Okay listen, Im a huge c!Dream sympathetizer and I know this is gonna end with him being presented in a sympathetic and pitiable light and Im gonna fall for it no matter what because of course I am but like, he has been so comically awful throughout this entire finale I am not expecting this to end in an actually satisfying way at all
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Oh that sly dog got him monologuing
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Girl help I dont remember pre-rp dsmp well enough to tell if Dream is embellishing shit and victimizing himself or not
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OKAY dream smp from Dreams pov lets gooooooo
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??? what.
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Bro Dream is not in his right mind hes so far away from his right mind he might as well be chillin in lmoonberg that guy is so mentally ill (source: I have like atleast 90% of his mentall illnesses for sure)
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what do you MEAN "know more"???
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Maybe Im just a simple minded nihilist but why does that matter man. Why die so you can "know more" when you can live and have like, a party with your buddies
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Honestly, I feel like Dreams motivations are so stupid at this point, like literally just make him someone who worships XD and is favoured by him or whatever and then also have him have this morbid curiosity about the stuff beyond the server and have him try and become god while appeasing his actual god in the hopes that he'll reveal his otherworldly knowledge to him or whatever idk man
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Hows Dream gonna grow old with the people he loves when he doesnt have fucking friends HAH got im
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No offense but why has most of this finale been Tommy philosophically waxing about how you should accept death even though all thats waiting for you on the other side is eternal torment with Dream responding by being like "but why though?? :(" when that has like, literally nothing to do with any of the Dream SMPs themes? Like, okay, theres been a ton of storylines obviously but the two main ones are definitely Tommy vs Dream (its essentially the throughline to all this bullshit) and Wilbur, Lmanberg and every single attempt at a country after that. Because of this I would say that the dsmps themes are Cycles of Violence and Legacy and when they intersect you occasionally get glimmers of this idea of History Repeating Itself.
The Legacy theme is insanely well executed, no notes, Im in love
The Cycles of Violence theme.... less so. I'll probably make a more detailed post about this in the future since I dont wanna waste too much time with this liveblog. But I personally think that if they wanted to pull this theme off while also making Dream sympathetic, he absolutely needed to be affected by the violence he inadvertently caused and the audience needs to actually see it in atleast one (1) scene that would be impossible to twist into something unsympathetic unless you were looking at it in bad faith. Dream being thrown in jail and subsequently physically tortured wouldve been a great opportunity for this kind of stuff like, I remember lurking in the fandom around this time, this was the point where plenty of people were starting to sympathize simply because of how inhumane the prison was. Like, if they werent gonna show him break a little in front of others for their perspectives, the least they couldve done was make like, a few short videos of Dream being alone, doing whatever, you wouldnt even need dialogue and then pepper those throughout the post-prison arcs. You could have one like two or three minute video right after Tommys visit where he maybe tries writing those stupid essays out of boredom before burning them and then some potatoes plop into the pool and you really get a sense for the emptyness and isolation of it. Another good one would be one showing how Quackity tortures him, or maybe one taking place right after one of the torture seassions with him starving and shaking and maybe trying to write a log or something but failing because everything hurts. Him being in the prison after hes escaped and made it his base again, watching it slowly decay and fall apart with him in it. They really dont have to be long, again, two or three minute videos wouldve done a lot of good here imo. And then you could also sprinkle in some monologues because as much as I like to make fun of the snake monologue in my head, it did give some much needed insight into Dreams perspective on all of this while making him a bit more sympathetic.
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Honestly, Dream is making some pretty reasonable points here (if you completely disregard all the context of the entire dsmp but still) but like dude, you cannot go around calling your teenage nemesis a pest that such obvious villain behaviour dude
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Im not gonna lie, i thought the very last final scene between Dream and Tommy would take place in a more, idk, intimate? place. Thats not the right word but whatever I cant think of anything else that fits. But like, they absolutely do not have a reason to leave so I guess this is just gonna continue with Tommy and Dream talking in this fucked up room of this fucked up prison while Punz is also right there
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Okay, I just got to the bit where Tommy says 'Im sorry' to Dream and I know a lot of people were upset by that bc they took it as him apologizing to his abusers for being 'abuse-worthy' if you wanna phrase it like that and thats not what I got from that at all. Like, its technically part of a very earnest emotional statement so his tone was kinda soft and apologetic but it really came across as an 'Im sorry you feel that way' kind of apology to me
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BRUH HE JUST KILLED HIM??? WHAT
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What the fuck is happening now
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Is this hell.
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NO ITS THE EARLY DREAM TEAM STREAMS THIS TRULY IS HELL
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Oh my god please tell me this wont go on for much longer I already watched like 30 hours of these boring ass guys dicking around back in late 2020 i cannot take a second more
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Bro why did they pick the part of the stream thats just Dream trying to figure out his fucking minecraft settings for this this isnt doing anything
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Please bring me back I dont wanna watch this boring shit
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What is ahppening
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Okay they revived him, are they gonna explain why his afterlife hell is just him watching the most boring minecraft streams on planet earth
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"It doesnt matter if I get horrifically traumatized because I'll just live forever :)"
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Okay I think Im starting to understand Dreams motivations here a bit more and they make more sense but its like, if you care so much about eliminating suffering why did you go out of your way to torment Tommy like that in exile. Like, i know its because you did want him to be your friend at some point and maybe you still do but you didnt like how he would never listen to you so you figured itd be better to just break him down mentally but like, I dont think that would be necessary for the long term goal of eliminating all death and suffering at all so, what
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Dude, he was not happy he was adjusting his minecraft settings
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What if he just started sobbed. Hes all smug like "well, im happy now :)" and then the dam jist breaks. wouldnt that be grand
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Hes fucking psychoanalyzing the green bitch this rules
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Im sorry man I was not envisioning this emotional final scene to be accompanied by Punz occasionally saying some bullshit in the background
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"George and Sapnap are still here" uh no, George literally isnt and last time we saw Sapnap he was making a deal with God to sacrifice his own life and afterlife to ensure that Dream would die and stay dead forever
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Oughhhhhhh this is great I can practically smell the insecurity coming off of him rn
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Oh god why is Tommy being like "you just wanted things to be simple [like they were in the past]" giving me a more complete understanding of myself as well this sucks I dont wanna be a c!Dream kinnie anymore >:(
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I dont think Tommy is wrong about what hes saying abt Dream at all here and I think this is a smart angle to focus on for making Dream seem more sympathetic but right now I definitely feel like its missing the crucial element of "yes, Dream just wants friends, friends who will do what he wants with minimal resistance because hes a control freak" yknow? Like, his need for absolute control all the time is one of his most prominent traits and him wanting to gain some understanding and control of death and other things beyond his comprehension actually lines up quite nicely with that, its just kinda getting muddled with Dreams statements about wanting to make everything better. Granted, he probably wouldnt want to admit that his version of "making everything better" is just making everyone listen to him bc hes god basically but still, I think his control freakiness needs to get addressed more explicitly and maybe it will be, weve still hot a few minutes but ehhhhh. I doubt it
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Honestly, ive grown to like Punz quite a bit eventhough he really hasnt done much but like, why the fuck is he here
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I realize that the dialogue in dsmp is always overwhelmingly improv but its just so odd and kinda bad in this conversation. I think its because out of context, the way both Dream and Tommy are phrasing things makes it seem like they were on more equal footing and both suffered equally during their conflict when thats just not the case and Im not a fan
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I think Ill tentatively take back all the stuff I said about how Dream shouldve been a worshipper of XD but i still think its a neat concept so I'll probably do something with that later
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Oh god why did they do that crown, Dreams skin already looks bad and silly enough. Oh well I take solace in knowing that all the fanart of this scene probably slaps
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OH I FORGOR ABOUT THE NUKES
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Punz is still there is he gonna say anything about the nuke thats about to hit
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Lookat these guys, never heard a nuke about to hit before
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Ohhhhhhh I thought that previous 'sorry' was the one Ive seen people upset about, but Im pretty sure its actually this one
Honestly, I still dont see why you would be upset about it outside of the fact that it is an abuse victim apologizing to his abuser but its like, idk man. I dont think a piece of media featuring a scene where that happens within a very specific context is doing abuse apologism, although I guess a lot of people would argue that the fact that Tommy is even reaching out to Dream after everything he did is abuse apologism and. Im not even gonna try to argue with them. I'll just say that I disagree and try to explain my perspective in some amount of detail, this will get pretty personal though, so watch out:
I was recently semi-diagnosed with a personality disorder and i probably have a bunch of other bullshit going on as well and not to armchair diagnose a fictional character but c!Dream definitely has that personality disorder and whatever other shit thats hiding inside my weird brain. His irrational, defensive thought processes, his contradictionary wants, his persistent need for control, his detached nature, his manipulation, the way he uses actual emotional pain as a tool for manipulation while keeping that pain at an arms length, even his weird monotone way of speaking, I relate to all of it. I have seen and related to a lot of mentally ill and neurodivergent and neurodivergent-coded characters and I have never felt as seen as now. He embodies my worst qualities turned up a few notches to make them even worse and then he has a weird god complex on top of all of that and yet, he still ends up being given sympathy, someone tries to understand him and offers him help. And idk, that just means a lot to me so I look at this whole thing a bit differently.
Also, while I get why some people are upset and I get peoples desire to critize this from a Doylist perspective because real people came up with this story in real life and that still has implications, even when the line between fiction and reality is thick enough to be considered a wall, from a Watsonian in-universe perspective its like, Dream is not a bad person for accepting help (or trying to accept help) when its being freely offered to him
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Okay wait but if the nuke still hit the prison and blew everything to shit what the hell did Jack do when he rewired the redstone at the launch thingy. Is the prison that close to the main smp I dont remember
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Oh man this is gonna take a hot second huh
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Okay we're back in Minecraft, Tommys punching a tree
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I hate the fact that Tommy doesnt atleast punch the entire tree down before making a crafting table
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OKAY IT IS DONE
I was gonna finish the whole series today but its almost 11pm and I a sleepy gal so i'll watch Tubbos pov tomorrow and the Syndicate vod and all that and also I'll probably give my thoughts on the ending in more detail after that. Right now I dont think I cant bare to write any more man, I just wrote like three or four decently detailed (for me) analyses about fucking bullshit basically in a row, my head literally hurts
So yeah, goodnight I'll be hopefully posting all of these posts tomorrow and I'll hopefully be peoperly liveblogging everything again
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why couldnt u love me :-( i hate u n want u to hurt only so ull be like in a bad enough spot where i am like suddenly on the same level as u again. i want u to be worse so that way im good enough for u again. i wish i was enough i wish we couldve made it work i miss u n i just wish u couldve loved me back we couldve had somethin.. i wish i didnt fuck it up n run u off, but like it wouldnt have worked out anyways u like hated or thot everything i did for fun was cringe. whch sucks cause i always loved hearing abt what u got up to but anytime i told u something abt mee u would be so upset and like offensive. wish i was good enough. i dream abt u still i have nightmares aht u still and i wish i could just get over you already but anytime i am not busy ur there in my head n u can never leave. i dont think ill ever get over u, i hope u didnt block my number but u probably did, i hope ur soin okay i hope u find like love or happiness or somethin man because i just like i wish i was as good as u n im jealous of how like everything u are. u hve friens ur in school ur funnier than me ur smarter than me ur cooler than me ur cuter than me ur funner to hang out with than me ii wish i couldve been with u just so i could see aomeone so much better than me all thw time like exist, why did i have to fuxk it up. i hope u didnt block my number i wanna msg u in a year just so u can block me then n twll me u hate me n twll me ur better than me still and then ill be sad but atleast ill get to talk to u. i wonder if u still stalk my socials any. u peobably dont ur like better than me u probably like have already forgotten abt me. i wish i was dead i wish u could bury me i wish u would do me that one kind favor of killing me off finally, i am a weed in ur garden and i just need to be picked, please talk to me. please think abt me like how i am always thinkin abt u, i want to believe ull remember me but ulllll be better than me again and forget everything one day. i miss when u made me cry, because atleast u were talking to me, i miss when i made myself get no sleep for weeks at a time just to talk to u more even if it was ruining my brain it was nice. please kill me misha. show me that u hate me show me anything i am so starved. i wish i was dead 👋🥰♥️
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kittydeany77 · 2 years
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Alright here we go again! Chapter 8 is here! So heres the deal and its a SLIGHT spoiler. This is going to have a OPTIONAL chapter 9 following this chapter. If you DO NOT want to read chapter 9, please skip to chapter 10. The reason is (smut) and i mean hardcore. That way if tumblr has a melt down and trues to delete it, we dont lose the whole story. Also i have an AO3 so you can find the story there. You dont need an account to read it there but having an account lets you leave Kudos and comments and subscribe FOR free to my work. Thanks everyone, please enjoy!
Authors note: please ignore the giant spaces in between some paragraphs. I cant fix it for some reason UGH
Alone Again
Chapter 8
Dean Winchester x Y/N
Dean was looking out the window and thoughtfully rubbing his hand along with jaw. His demeanor was changing, you noticed a more permanent furrowed brow and frown on his face now. You reached a hand over onto his thigh and rubbed your thumb back and forth. All you needed was for him to remember you were there together and bring him out of his thoughts. It must have worked because Dean looked over and pulled you in against him. This gave you a chance to snuggle in against him and watch out the window at the passing scenery. His arm was around you as you rested your back against his side and you held onto him. You didn’t know when you fell asleep but you wish it didnt happen. The nightmares still hadn’t gone away from before and now they had more fuel. They were getting worse and the thought of sleeping made you anxious. Dean woke you up when your arms started to thrash around and you started yelling at something you saw in the nightmare.
“Y/N, hey, you gotta wake up sweetheart. It’s just a dream, come on now.” Dean lightly shook you, in fear he could make things worse by waking you up. You shot up when you woke and couldn’t catch your breathe. Everyone in the car turned to look at you and Rick must have been eyeing you in the rearview mirror for a while. Suddenly you felt embarrassed and just wanted to sink into a hole and cover up with a blanket, to get away from all the watching eyes.
“Sorry…” the tension in the air was too much for you and you faced the back of your seat now. Who cares about seatbelts in an apocalypse right? There was no way you could fall asleep again. It’s becoming too scary, too painful and you hate feeling out of control. Dean was watching you carefully but with all the concern in the world. You had no idea how he could carry so much emotion in those big green eyes of his.
“I dont want to talk about it.”
“And you dont have to, ever. Just know that when you’re ready to talk I’m here for you. Any time or place because I will never be away from you again. We are a package deal now right?” He knew how to make you feel better and listening to his gravelly voice helped. Why was everything about him so damn comforting? You leaned against his shoulder and took a deep breath. “We can do this, you know. We will survive and find a safe place. I know it.”
“Yes we will. And we will kill all those sons of bitches on the way. Whoever came up with releasing zombies can go to hell. I would drag them there myself.”
You giggled as you turned to face the front now. Carl fell asleep in the seat ahead of you and Lori was quietly sitting next to him. T-Dog was up front with Rick and helping him keep an eye out for a place to stop.
“I wish i had a book… long driving hours make me sleepy and i dont want to sleep.”
“We should find one for you and then when you finish it, switch it out for a new one if we’re still on the run. Always keep a book on us no matter what. Sound like a deal?” This man was going to be the death of you. He was so kind and thoughtful in every sense.
Rick eventually found a place to rest for the night. It was in this crumbled concrete building. It really couldn’t pass as a building though. Just a couple walls of concrete and the other two walls were partial to the point of no repair in the before world. ‘Before world’ is how you wanted to refer to life before the apocalypse of the dead walking the earth. Was it the whole world at this point? Hopefully there was somewhere safe to live one day. And not worry about the dangers. Why can't you just sleep in the cars tonight? Sure it would be cramped and uncomfortable but at least you'd have shelter, kind of.
Everyone was on edge tonight. There was a small crackling fire in the middle and everyone spaced out. We had all just been witness to Rick having a spat with Lori and now the tension hung over the group like a wet blanket. He killed Shane… you were thankful. You didnt even feel bad for anyone who knew Shane before. He deserved what happened to him because he was a monster. You normally wouldnt wish harm, let alone death, upon anyone, but Shane was different. He reminded you too much of your past. Lori and Carl were mourning Shane and it disgusted you, except you did feel bad for Carl. He was just a kid who didn’t understand the politics of being an adult. Then there’s Rick who now stands with that fact of killing his best friend in self defense, but now is losing his wife when it comes to connection and relationship. If it was the before world, these two would’ve seperated by now. We all knew the baby was Shanes and not Ricks. When Lori confirmed the pregnancy, you couldn’t believe it. Who would do that with Shane unless it was non consensual? Lori was such a nice woman you thought and now shes turning. You even heard Carol whispering to Daryl about not trusting Rick. Daryl stood his ground though and made his choice, he followed Rick and trusted him.
“Dean? What do you think about all this?” He hadn’t been saying much while you both sat there. You told him to help T-Dog and Rick keep watch but he refused. Dean was sitting against the wall with his arms resting on top of his knees. The stars were out tonight and he’d been staring up at them this whole time. Finally he took a deeo breath, “Ricks a good man. We should follow him, he does the hard stuff no one else wants to. I respect that about him. Do you trust him?”
“I trust you. But yes, i trust him too.” You leaned over onto his shoulder and looked up at the stars with him. The slightest noise in the woods that surrounded you put everyone on edge. Some wanted to leave and didn’t feel safe. Rick told them no ones leaving, that it wasnt a democracy anymore. The poor man just needed a break and he was trying hard. This wasnt the time to break apart as a group. Dale was right in that the group was broken and when Rick mentioned it, you hoped they would think about it overnight and after some sleep. Maybe this is what the group needed to stay safe. After that kid was brought to the group back at the farm, it tore us apart trying to decide on killing him or not. Now you wanted nothing to do with strangers. Nothing to do with anything that could tear apart the group.
A few weeks had passed and it was getting colder out. Luckily you had found a house to stay in after a couple nights in the car. You had to wonder though, how long would it last? Dean grew quieter every day but he never strayed far from you. You were certain he had a permanent crease between his brows now, and his facial hair was starting to grow in. He was clean shaven when you met and the prickles from stubble admittedly turned you on a little. A little rash when making out wouldnt be the worst thing right now, especially if it kept you occupied and distracted.
Distraction.
It could kill you if not careful enough. Thoughts of intimacy just werent allowed in a world like this anymore. Well maybe the thoughts could be…
“Y/N, do you want to play cards?” Carl walked over to your makeshift bed in the main room of the house, and he was holding a pack of playing cards. The thoughts of Deans stubble would have to wait.
“Sure, do you know how to play War?”
“Yeah!”
“Alright you shuffle and deal.” Carl shuffles the cards and starts dealing. Little did you know that Dean was watching you from across the room. He had perched himself by the window and was cleaning his gun all afternoon. This morning he refused to go hunt with Daryl simply because he would have to be away from you. This bothered you a little honestly, because you did want some space apart. You knew it was healthy and there had to be that type of trust built up again. Later tonight you may have to go through with this uncomfortable discussion with Dean.
“Y/N? You okay?” Carl was looking at you with his dad’s sheriff hat on. He was waiting for you to start the game with him. “Absolutely, but i bet you’ll win.”
Everyone was settling in for the night and you convinced Rick to let you climb out on the roof with Dean for a private discussion. There was access through a second story bedroom window and on the opposite side of the house from the others. Sometimes Dean can get a little heated and protective and the others didn’t need to hear it tonight.
“Dean, come on, follow me.” You ushered him upstairs and he eyed you cautiously.
“What are we doing? The groups gonna get ideas y’know.”
“Come on, I know a little spot just for us.” The bedroom they walked through was untouched since the beginning of the end. Books on their shelves, bed neatly made, clock on the wall no longer ticking, and no messes anywhere.
“Y/N seriously, what are we doing up here?” He was standing by the window looking at you already outside on the roof. He licked his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets. You did the most cliche thing and just held your hand out for him. Dean rolled his eyes playfully but still went along with it. His hand was in yours and you pulled him up through the window. The sky was lit up by stars and some faint clouds. Trees were rustling from a soft breeze and crickets chirping gave a nice background. The two of you sat there in silence a few minutes before either of you spoke up.
“So, you gonna tell me why we’re up here? I know its not just to get in my pants Y/N. Something is wrong and i want you to tell me, please.” At least he still tried to lighten the mood and the man you fell for wasn’t completely gone.
“Why wouldn’t you go hunting with Daryl this morning?” You didnt look at him when you asked, just kept staring up at the sky. Whatever emotion he had on his face you would’ve missed and you weren’t sure that was a good or bad thing.
“I made a promise Y/N and you know that. There’s nothing that will take me away from you.”
“Okay but we need food and what if Daryl had gotten into trouble and you could’ve helped him? I was safe in this house and you could’ve left for a couple hours. The others can protect me and honestly i can protect my goddamn self.”
“Seriously youre blaming me? Youd rather i go out and protect others than you? Where is this even coming from?” He started to get a little defensive towards you but you also knew it came from a place of love.
“I need space Dean. And i think it would be good for you to get out. When we officially met at the farm you were out hunting by yourself. Come on, you know it’s peaceful for you and you need something to take your mind off everything. Did you even pay attention to the room we just walked through? It has books. I can come up here and close the door to read. You said i would always have a book and i do. You’re doing what you promised Dean, and I’m not going anywhere.” Your voice was starting to tremble from fear. Why? It’s not unlike you to talk to Dean and you knew you weren’t going to lose him just by sitting up here. Standing up to a man though, that was unlike you. In the past… you would’ve been beaten for standing up like this. Even just simply speaking your mind or raising an eyebrow would get you smacked.
Then there was Dean. He just sat there and didnt lay a hand on you, even though his voice raised and he was breathing heavily which avowed his frustration. The anticipation of waiting for him to answer was starting to feel heavy and you wanted to curl into a ball. He finally slammed a fist down on the roof and released a huge breath he’d been holding. The sound surprised you and made you jump a bit, and your heart started racing. You reminded yourself it was just you and Dean here, no one else and you weren’t being hurt.
“I'm sorry sweetheart… I know you mean well, but damnit i just want you safe and I can’t know that unless I’m with you.”
“Dean, i know, but i can protect myself. You have been working with me on hand to hand combat and self defense. We both know i can shoot my gun now. Please… just try to take a step back tomorrow and trust that i can be safe with you away from me. Im not asking for much, just stepping back enough to protect the whole group. We need food right now and if hunting during the early mornings with Daryl can help feed us, then i need you to do that.” The space between you was getting smaller as you inched towards him. Dean looked at you with tears in his eyes and a trembling lip that he nervously kept licking.
“I cant bear the thought of losing you Y/N.”
“You won’t, I’m here for the long haul, besides who would talk rock music with me? And classic cars? Who’s going to play I Spy with me out there?” Slowly you held your hand out to rest on his cheek, and he nuzzled into it. Your thumb rubbed along his cheek and he turned enough to kiss your palm.
“Come here sweetheart.” Dean reached out for you and your crawled up against him, into his warm embrace. Dean kissed the top of your head and rubbed up and down your back. “I will try, i promise. Daryl and i will go out tomorrow. You’re right about the food, we cant go hungry because i selfishly want to protect you. Do you even realize how stubborn you are girl?” A chuckle rumbled from deep within him and you smiled at that. His love surrounded you right then and you couldn’t help but look up at his face. Dean looked down at you, tears no longer present, and leaned in for a deep kiss. His lips were soft on yours and it made a warmth pool within you. You moaned against his lips and then released to get a breath. Just mere millimeters away though, because you didnt want to stop this moment. Your mouth quickly went back to his and both your lips moved with one another as you reached up to hold onto his neck. The hair on your neck stood up at the excitement of making out like a teenager and suddenly it was just the two of you in the world. No one could interrupt you up here. His tongue lightly met your lips, as if asking permission to enter, and you smiled into the kiss. One tongue met the other and the temperature in the air felt as if it rose ten degrees. Dean pulled away eventually and neither of you said anything for a minute while catching your breath. When the chill of the air started to settle in you spoke up, “it’s starting to get cold, want to head in?”
“If I could promise not to advance on you tonight, we could sleep in that unused bed right there.” He nodded towards the bed in the room you sat outside of. A sly grin crept onto your face. “What if I asked you not to keep that promise?” That warmth in you still hadnt left and the ache between your legs was enough to form your thoughts into actual speaking words. You heard Dean loudly gulp and his voice cracked a little. “Oh fuck me.”
“I plan on it.” You got up and ran to the bed as quietly as possible. Trying not to forget the others were downstairs, even if the house was huge and this bedroom was on the backside of the house. Most everyone slept in the living room which was located at the front of the house, but it was so quiet you didn’t want anyone to hear you. Only morning would tell if anyone heard, let alone suspect anything, which they would.
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the-lonelybarricade · 3 years
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Loved your latest chapter and Im so excited to see what happens under the mountain!
I was wondering if I could request a one-shot?(up to you how long and you can do it in your own time)something along the lines of:
Feyre( from either ACOWAR, ACOFAS or ACOSF) time travels back to ACOTAR, but instead of finding herself back in her human body i the spring court, she's still in her fae body and ends up trapped in velaris, having to explain to the rest of IC who she is and why she cant go free their highlord(add some mistrust from the IC)
🙈🙈Id its very similar to what youre doing rn with your other fic but, if you find the inspiration sometime could you please do this? Ive wanted to read a fic for ages were feyre rime travels and meets pre-acomaf inner circle who dont know/trust her, but Ive never found a fic like that
Thank youuu
Hi lovely anon! It makes me so happy you enjoyed my latest chapter! I’m supposed to be working on a project for uni, but I couldn’t resist gratifying my lovely friends (because you're anon and won't be notified I was getting sad at the idea of you checking my blog and not seeing me respond) <3 I’ll admit I’m a bit scatterbrained at the moment, so I hope it’s okay!
I was having trouble brainstorming a reason for Feyre getting sent back in time because I didn't want to borrow the reasoning from ACoFD. So I was vague and twisted the pre-existing rules around the Ouroboros, and ended up getting quite carried away with the story since I don’t like not giving things a happy ending (even though it’s a little cheesy, sorry)
Anyway, I hope this is what you were looking for! I know you wanted the angst of not being able to save Rhys but... I couldn't just leave my poor bat-boy behind, you know? ;)
Also if this didn't quite scratch that itch, I'm always happy to take more requests
Word count: 4,446
The Ouroboros.
It was a massive, round disc—as tall as Feyre was. Taller. And the metal around it had been fashioned after a massive serpent, the mirror held within its coils as it devoured its own tail.
Ending and beginning.
From across the room, Feyre could not see it. What lay within.
She forced herself to take a step forward. Another.
The mirror itself was black as night—yet… wholly clear.
She watched herself approach. Watched the arm she had upraised against the wind and snow, the pinched expression on her face. The exhaustion.
She stopped three feet away. She did not dare touch it.
It only showed Feyre herself. Nothing.
Feyre scanned the mirror for any signs of… something to push or touch with her magic. But there was only the devouring head of the serpent, its maw open wide, frost sparkling on its fangs.
Feyre stared and stared, but all she saw was herself. There was nothing else. Then—
Feyre woke with a gasp, sitting up in bed to shake away the cobwebs of sleep and the strange, foreboding feeling that felt draped around her shoulders like a weighted cape, pulling her down. It hadn’t been a particularly horrifying nightmare. In fact, it was perhaps of the tamer dreams she’d had in the last year.
Yet something about it clung to her, perhaps a lingering agitation that she’d yet to retrieve the mirror the Bone Carver had requested. That must be it.
The bed space beside her was cold. The sun peaking through the window was not high, it couldn’t be long past dawn. However worrisome her own dream, her mate’s must have been worse to draw him from sleep so early. Worse still for him to sneak away.
Feyre rose from the bed, reaching absently for Rhysand’s dressing robe to wrap around herself. She always loved to steal her mate’s clothes, to be wrapped in his scent.
With gentle steps, she made her way to the study, where she could only assume Rhys had sequestered himself in the lone hours of the night. She’d noticed the weary draw to his shoulders, the dark circles under his eyes. This war was weighing on him heavily, and he was nervous. Feyre wished he didn’t insist on shouldering the burden alone.
“Rhys?” Feyre called softly as she got to the study, knocking on the door before she cracked it open.
Peeking her head around the door, she was met with the sight of Rhysand’s abandoned study. The scattered papers and war maps that had become characteristic of his desk space were surprisingly missing. In fact, the whole space had been cleared away and there was a thick layer of dust on every surface as if no one had been in here in years.
Feyre frowned at the sight, and how different it had been just the day before. Where had all the dust come from? And more importantly, where was Rhys? Perhaps he’d taken a morning flight to clear his head.
Where are you, love? She called to him through the mating bond, but was met with silence.
“Who are you?”
The voice was cold and venomous. Feyre turned, coming face to face with Mor, whose face was twisted into a threatening scowl.
“Mor?” Feyre asked, confused by her friend’s cold demeanor. “What do you mean? Have you seen Rhys?”
Mor’s face turned deadly, a look Feyre had only ever seen from Mor in the Court of Nightmares. “Is that some kind of joke?” she snarled.
Then, before Feyre could process what was happening, Mor had gripped onto Feyre’s wrist and they were enveloped in darkness. They stepped into the House of Wind, into the dining room where Cassian and Azriel abruptly stood up.
“Mor?” Feyre questioned when the blonde didn’t release her steel grip. She looked to Cassian and Azriel quizzically. “Guys? What’s going on?”
Cassian crossed his arms, assessing Feyre with a hostility that put her on edge. “Who’s this, Mor?” he asked gruffly.
Feyre frowned as she watched Azriel reach for Truth-Teller.
“Is this a joke?” she asked, flitting her eyes to each of her friends. Where she sought that friendly warmth in each of their gazes she was met with hard stares, filled with distrust, ready for a brawl. She couldn’t make sense of it. Was this an act Rhys had put them up to?
“I found her in the townhouse,” Mor said. “I don’t know how she got in there. She was in Rhysand’s study.”
“And she’s wearing his dressing gown,” Azriel noted dryly. Cassian did a double glance, his eyes going wide, then narrowing with a rage Feyre had never seen from the male. Certainly never directed at her.
There was a whisper of shadow, then suddenly Azriel was behind her, Truth-Teller poised at her throat.
Feyre startled. “Azriel!” she said sharply. Even if it was a joke, Feyre couldn’t imagine Rhysand would sanction this kind of threat. And the energy in the room was off, the tension too thick. “Stand down.”
“And who are you,” he breathed in her ear, his voice coated in shadow and nightmare, “to command the Shadowsinger of the Night Court?”
“I’m your High Lady,” Feyre answered steadily, not letting Azriel’s shadows, nor cunning voice, shake her resolve. “Now, I don’t know what is going on with the three of you, or what strange joke you’re trying to pull, but you will listen to what I say. Put. Your. Knife. Down.”
“High Lady?” Cassian repeated with a snort of disbelief. “You’ve got balls, little girl.”
Truth-Teller danced across the skin of her neck, pressing lightly enough to intimidate without breaking skin. “Do you even know to whom you speak? You should be bowing before the acting Queen of the Night Court.”
Too stunned to properly resist, Azriel kicked his feet out to knock Feyre to her knees in front of Mor. His fingers slid into her hair, gripping it tightly to pull her head back as Truth-Teller resumed its threatening position at her throat.
“Breaking into the High Lord’s personal residence, impersonating a high position within the Night Court, lying to the Morrigan’s face,” Azriel listed, increasing the pressure of the blade with each transgression. “You throw our High Lord’s generosity and protection in his face, something we as his acting Court do not take lightly.”
“Acting court? Acting Queen?” Feyre repeated, feeling as if she’d woken to a different reality. “What are you talking about? Where’s Rhysand!?”
“We’re the ones asking the questions here,” Cassian growled.
Feyre looked to each of her friends, studying their faces. Beyond their militant expression, she could see their grief. Could smell it. She repeated, “where is Rhysand?”
She felt the snarl that rumbled through Azriel’s chest behind her, vibrating against her back. When the question was once again unanswered, Feyre abandoned all sense of patience.
Darkness exploded through the room. She heard Mor gasp as the walls of the House shook from the might of her power. Feyre folded into the shadows, winnowing out of Azriel’s grasp so she stood in the center of the three of them.
“Az, Cass, Mor, you are my friends and I do not want to hurt you. But I am also your High Lady and you will answer me this instant, where is Rhys? Where is my mate!?”
Siphons gleamed red and blue through the thick tendrils of night, illuminating the Illyrian males’ faces. Cassian’s jaw had fallen open, while Azriel was studying her through narrowed eyes, wisps of shadow surrounding him. Feyre wondered what they were whispering to him.
“Mate?” Cassian echoed, the first to break the heavy silence.
Mor took a cautious step forward, her countenance completely changed. Her pupils were blown wide, twin brown depths churning with sorrow and gentle astonishment. Azriel went rigid at Mor’s approach, but no one moved to stop her as she came face to face with Feyre.
“Where did you get this?” she whispered, taking Feyre’s left hand, eye fixed on her mating band. On the sapphire-star ring that once belonged to Rhysand’s mother.
All eyes befell the subject of Mor’s attention. Cassian swore softly in recognition.
“It’s my mating band,” Feyre answered measuredly, still puzzled that the inner circle, her family, didn’t seem to have any memory of it. Nor of her. “I won it from the Weaver, as was the task set by Rhysand’s mother. But you were all there for that. I don’t understand what’s going on. Where. Is. Rhys?”
“Under the Mountain,” Mor whispered, her voice soft and pained.
The darkness ebbed away like a receding tide. Feyre felt her heart sink as she tried to process this information. “He—What?”
“He’s been Under the Mountain for the last 50 years,” Mor said, firmer this time. “And if you were his so-called mate, you would know that.”
“No,” Feyre said, shaking her head vehemently. “No, that’s impossible. We got out. We—”
This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare, and she just hadn’t woken up from it.
“Amarantha’s dead,” Feyre insisted, mostly in an attempt to console the unparalleled grief and panic that were raging inside her. “She’s dead, and Rhys and I got out.”
The grim faces of her friends said otherwise. They stared at her, in unbearable mixtures of pity and horror.
“I think she’s having a mental break,” Cassian said, not unkindly. “Should we get a healer?”
“Let me show you,” Feyre said meekly, casting her magic out to tap on their mental shields.
They all tensed, clearly not aware they’d been in the presence of a daemati. Trained well by Rhys, they all cracked their shields just enough for Feyre to send her conjured memories through. She showed them going Under the Mountain as a human, winning the trials and being resurrected, falling in love with Rhys, and eventually becoming High Lady of the Night Court. In turn, the three of them pushed back their own memories, of the current state of the world. Of Rhysand sacrificing himself so that his Court and Velaris would be safe.
A sob broke out of Feyre. “How is this possible? How am I here?”
It was Azriel who immediately went for the jugular. “More importantly, if you’re here as a High Fae, how is Rhys going to get out? How do we stop Amarantha?”
Feyre fell to her knees, grief-stricken by this realization. She was no longer human. She couldn’t stride in as Tamlin’s human lover and undergo the trials. Feyre had her powers, but they were untested. Would she be able to take on the whole of Amarantha’s court?
“What do I do? How do I save him?” she whimpered, staring in mute horror at her mating band.
Mor tentatively reached forward, laying a comforting hand on Feyre’s shoulder. “Rhys sacrificed himself to keep the people he loves safe. He wouldn’t want you getting yourself killed trying to save him.”
“I have to try,” Feyre answered desperately. “Amarantha she’s…” Feyre couldn’t bring herself to say the word, rape. Not to his family, who wear his sacrifice for them like an open wound. “She’s doing unspeakable things to him. He’s suffering so much. I can’t leave him to that fate. I have to try.”
With renewed conviction, Feyre accepted Mor’s outstretched hand and picked herself to her feet. “Rhys said it himself once. Amarantha’s biggest weapon is that she keeps the High Lord’s power contained. She can’t access them herself. But I… I have access to all the High Lords’ powers. And that bitch has my mate. My wrath will be plenty to take her down.” She faced her friends, who watched her warily. “You have my word as your High Lady,” she swore to them. “The High Queen of Prythian is going to fall by the night’s end.”
⟡⟡⟡
Winter had not yet fallen in the Mortal Lands. Feyre wondered if across the world, there was a version of herself curled in a bed with her sisters, clinging to any shred of warmth and survival.
That version of Feyre was very different from the version who strode up the sloping hills of the Spring Court with Azriel by her side. Rhys would be furious that Feyre had allowed him to accompany her. Should anything go wrong, it would destroy her mate to know his family had been put in harm's way after everything he’d done to protect them. Which was why it was only Azriel who came with, the only compromise she could reach with his Inner Circle, who insisted on coming with.
Who better to sneak into the Mountain with than the very soldier who taught Feyre the art of stealth. He was the obvious choice, since Mor needed to stay to rule the Night Court and Cassian was too heavy-handed to handle such a delicate task.
Their footfall was silent. Feyre wrapped them in the shadow of Night as they winnowed through the cave network. Her heart hammered in her chest, panicked to be back in the source of so many nightmares.
But Rhysand was more important than her fear. For him, she would not falter.
With the Shadowsinger by her side, Feyre snuck through the winding tunnels until she came to a familiar passageway. They slid into a massive, dark bedroom, lit only by a few candles.
To attack Amarantha in the throne room would be too messy. Too many variables to contend with, should Amarantha have enough wit about her to use any faeries as a shield. Especially Rhysand.
After several hours of waiting, the lock on the door clicked and swung open. Darkness swirled around the room as Rhysand took in the sight of Feyre and Azriel on the bed.
Immediately, the door slammed shut.
“No,” he whispered, voice dripping with horror. “No.”
“Rhys—” Feyre started, but her mate wasn’t paying any attention to her. He was looking at Azriel as if his whole world had shattered.
“Leave,” he said, his voice cold and commanding. This was no happy reunion between brothers. This was Rhysand’s worst nightmare. “Leave this instant, you stupid fool. That is, if you’re lucky enough to have avoided detection when you passed under her wards.”
“I took down the wards,” Feyre said. They weren’t particularly strong, either. Amarantha had gotten lazy, perhaps thinking herself secure with the only spell-cleaver under her control. Or so she believed.
Rhys turned that quiet fury towards her. “And who are you?”
“Your mate,” Feyre answered steadily, tipping her chin up.
Rhysand laughed. A desperate, humorless sound. “Then you are just as foolish as my idiot brother. And you have both sealed your deaths by being here. Do you understand that?”
Feyre scratched along those familiar adamantite shields. Rhys’s eyes flickered in surprise, but otherwise he looked unruffled as he cracked a sliver open for her.
It would be unwise to underestimate me, mate.
I wouldn’t be going around boasting about such a thing, if what you claim is even true, came his icy response. And I wouldn’t count on a few party tricks to save you, either.
And what if I told you, she purred, that I possess the power of all seven High Lords?
That, at least, garnered a reaction from the stoic male. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, studying Feyre carefully. His gaze caught on her hands, at the lace tattoos that flowed to her fingers. And the mating band she still wore.
Feyre watched those violet eyes go wide, the silver constellations dancing in astonishment at the sight of his mother’s ring.
Where did you get that?
It’s a long story, love, but you’re going to have to trust me. She lowered her mental shields completely. Have a look for yourself. I’m telling you no lies. I am your High Lady, and I am here to free my husband.
She felt those familiar talons wrap around her mind. A foolish thing to do, to give a daemati unrestricted access to her mind. And if it were anyone but Rhys, it would have been. But his touch was gentle, and he took only the information he needed.
“I don’t understand how this is possible,” he whispered, breaking the silence of the room. Azriel had been waiting patiently, but looked relieved to be included in the conversation once more. “And I hate that you’ve put yourselves in danger for this, but it could work.”
Rhys considered for a long moment, then he looked between Feyre and Azriel and said, “do it when she’s sleeping. That bitch has been playing dirty for 50 years, you might as well level the playing field to give yourselves the best chance. Let’s do it tonight. I’ll leave the door unlocked, wear her out, and signal you once she’s asleep. Her spell prevents me from harming her, but I’ll make sure she’s restrained. All you have to do is drive the ash dagger through her heart, but have your magic ready for damage control.”
⟡⟡⟡
Feyre and Azriel waited in Rhysand’s bedchambers for his signal. There was a revelry tonight, as there was every night Under the Mountain, and Rhys was expected to be in attendance. Afterwards, he’d join Amarantha in her bed and make sure she was, in his words, “thoroughly exhausted”.
It was torturous for Feyre. To know exactly what the implication in those words were, to have to use her mate’s body in such a way. She wanted to roar at the Mountain, at the Cauldron, at anything that would listen, but instead she was next to the quiet, brooding Shadowsinger, and lamented in silence.
She’d begged Rhys to reconsider, to perhaps help them stage a more physical encounter that didn’t rely on his own suffering. But he’d denied any plan but the one he’d proposed, insisting it would cause him more anguish to but Feyre and Azriel in harm's way.
So they waited the long, agonizing hours until she felt a delicate pull at her chest. She’s asleep, Rhys called. Be on your guard.
He sent her directions to Amarantha’s bedchambers. There were guards outside, but Feyre and Azriel winnowed past them, cloaked in night and shadow.
Amarantha’s bedchambers were huge. Feyre had never been inside them before, but she was unsurprised to see they provided any luxury a High Queen could wish for.
Atop a large bed of red, silken sheets, lay her mate and Amarantha, both stark naked. The smell of sex clung to the air, Rhysand and Amarantha’s scents intertwined. Feyre thought she might be sick.
Even more sickening was the sight before her, of Amarantha’s arms restrained to the headboard in cloth. A clever way for Rhys to restrain her under the guise of sex, but horrifying nonetheless, to see the proof of what they’d been up to. The female was fast asleep, so convinced of her authority that she could fall asleep tied-up and not feel vulnerable doing so. How satisfying, Feyre thought, that such arrogance would be her downfall.
Feyre warded the room, putting up a shield of darkness so that no sound would break through to alert the guards. Rhys watched their approach warily from where he perched beside Amarantha, so still Feyre was convinced he held his breath.
He wouldn’t risk moving to wake her up, which terrified Feyre. Should something go wrong, her mate would be susceptible to Amarantha’s wrath. Naked, vulnerable, and completely under her control. It was such a dangerous game they were playing.
The room was as quiet and still as the bewitching hours of the night, their footsteps silent as they picked across the room. Azriel held the ash dagger. If Rhys could not kill Amarantha, his brother wanted to do it on his behalf. Meanwhile, Feyre summoned tendrils of night that carefully wrapped around Amarantha’s legs, slithering up her body like a snake, ready to constrict and restrain.
The female stirred in her sleep, perhaps feeling the ghostlike touch of Feyre’s magic. But she did not wake. Not as Azriel raised the dagger over her chest, and not as he plunged it down.
Amarantha’s eyes shot open as the dagger pierced her chest. She let out a shriek of agony and ire, moving to claw at her attacker. She raged against the restraints, spewing obscenities until they died at her lips as the blade sunk into her heart.
Rhysand’s chest was heaving as he watched the female still, then slump. He looked from her dead body, to Azriel and Feyre.
Feyre’s heart sank as she watched her mate process that it was truly over. There wasn’t a trace of elation in his eyes at being liberated, but she understood why. Rhys would finally be returning home, but as a much different man than the one he had been. He’d survived, but not unscathed, and he’d need time to process this.
Feyre came to him, reached towards her mate with the hand that bore his mother’s ring. Rhys looked to it, then up to her. His eyes were clouded with sorrow, with a melancholy she could only hope to chip away at in time. But she could see stirring beneath it was a breath of hope, perhaps the first he’d allowed himself in a long time.
“Let’s go home, Rhys,” she said gently.
Slowly, Rhysand nodded, moving to grasp her hand. She felt him jolt at the touch and, as she glanced at him questioningly, she saw his lips part in wonder.
I suppose you weren’t lying about being my mate, he whispered, the words a sensual brush in her mind. Thank you for coming to rescue me, High Lady.
Feyre grasped onto Azriel, and together the three of them stepped into darkness.
Then, they were above the House of Wind, tumbling through the night sky. Feyre unfurled her wings before Rhys could move to catch them, worried that her mate would struggle after 50 years without flight.
Both males stared in astonishment at the sight. Rhysand’s eyes danced in awe as Feyre, albeit clumsily, carried them to the training ring on the roof.
Rhys snapped his own wings open as they landed. Feyre watched him tilt his head back in rapture as he felt the wind against his wings for the first time in decades. Then he opened his eyes, his expression shifting to reverence as he beheld the night sky.
“I was beginning to think I’d never see it again,” he whispered, his voice a heartbreaking blend of exaltation and disbelief. “And for this gift… for my salvation to be courtesy of my mate and of my brother… I’m a bit overwhelmed,” he admitted sheepishly.
Feyre hesitated. If this was the Rhysand from before, the one to which she was mated and married, she would come to comfort him. But this version of Rhys had only just been freed from enslavement, and she didn’t know what he needed.
As though sensing her hesitation, Rhys cast his eyes back to the sky. “I know they’re all waiting for me downstairs, but I’d like a little bit of time with the stars. Will you let them know, Az?”
Azriel nodded, though he seemed conflicted. His reunion with his brother was perhaps not as merry as the male had expected. But right now, she knew the Inner Circle would hardly deny Rhys anything. Perhaps for a long while yet. So Azriel headed downstairs to inform their friends, who were sure to be anxiously awaiting their arrival.
Rhysand regarded Feyre carefully once the two of them were alone. “Mate and High Lady,” he mused. “You seem to wear many hats.”
“You forgot ‘wife’,” Feyre said lightly.
“Yes, and ‘Salvation’, ‘Queen Killer’, ‘Most Beautiful Female in Prythian’, it seems there’s many things I could call you. Could we start with your name, perchance?”
Feyre was shocked. She’d assumed he’d taken such information out of her mind earlier, but it seems he’d been even more respectful than she’d expected.
“Feyre,” she answered. “My name is Feyre.”
He looked wonderstruck. “Feyre,” he repeated, testing the name on his lips. A gentle smile curled at the corners of his mouth, the first she’d seen from him yet. He extended his hand towards her. “Would you like to watch the stars with me, Feyre?”
It was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Her hand found his with all the casual grace of a dancer, as if it were a routine they’d been perfecting their whole lives. Their fingers interlocked and as one, they stared up at the dazzling night sky.
This reality wasn’t perfect, Feyre thought. This Rhys was different from her own, and he still had a lot of healing to do. But if she could be there for him, to help him in a ways she hadn’t before, then she would be grateful to the strange eddies of the Cauldron for bringing her here. For allowing her to end his torment early. For giving them this extra time.
She watched a shooting star dart across the sky and smiled as it passed. There was nothing she could wish for except that her mate find peace in all that he’d endured the last half century.
His deep, velvety voice cut through the silence. “Do you often wish on stars, Feyre?”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her with a heart-wrenching wistfulness.
“Only when I have a wish worthy of the stars.”
“And do you?”
Feyre looked to the northernmost star, which shined brightest in the sky. “I wished for a light in the darkness,” she told him. “I don’t think the stars would ever begrudge such a wish.”
Rhysand nodded solemnly. “It’s true that they would be begrudging themselves in doing so. But I see no need for you to wish for such a thing.”
Feyre looked to him. He was still watching her, but something in him had shifted. He was smiling at her gently, that lingering sadness already receding. “Why’s that?” she asked cautiously.
That gentle smile widened, showing off his brilliant teeth. “Why, Feyre, to find such a thing, all you’d need to do is look in a mirror.”
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SICKFIC TROPES THAT MAKE ME GUSH
so we all know i love sickfics, they’re my favorite type of fanfictions (hmu if u have recs im desperate). so, in order to make a sickfic catered to my tastes, here is what i want (and tw for mentioned vomiting!) :
first of all, i REALLY love it when a character denies they’re sick and the other character(s) are kind of like but you are though. bonus pts if person a accidentally snaps at b but b is relentless
oh and when i say sickfic, the ones i prefer are LONG oneshots about like a high fever or horrible flu, the more pain the better (is that a bad thing to say)
there is something so tender about a placing a gentle hand on b’s forehead and saying something like “ur burning up”, my personal favorite. bonus pts if b leans into the “cool touch” LIKE UGH
an alternative to the previous one is a kissing b’s forehead and realizing how warm they are
the more detailed a description about a character’s ghastly appearance, the better. i’m talking pale as fuck, feverish blush, sheens of sweat, the works
for some reason, in het ships, i like it better when the man is being taken care of because it shows a weakness they typically wouldn’t show if it goes against their character (thats why how lily stole christmas is my favorite episode of himym)
if we’re being honest, i adore sickfics where its like a father/son relationship (TALKING ABOUT IRONDAD SPECIFICALLY) the dad person taking care of the son person is so sweet
FAINTING. if a character faints, you have me hooked. bonus pts if they get FOUND like hours later and dont faint in front of their caretaker (but thats okay too)
vomiting is permitted. personally, ive only thrown up three times in my life and i dont have emetophobia so it doesnt bother me and tbh i think it makes the fic better
NIGHTMARES. OMG WHEN A IS SHAKING AND CRYING FROM A FEVER DREAM AND B IS LIKE ITS OKAY IM HERE YOURE GONNA BE OKAY JUST *chefs kiss*
this doesnt happen often in sickfics i see, but b watching a sleep? its actually v sweet and romantic
CUDDLING. when a is laying on b’s lap and b is running their fingers through a’s hair UGH
i like when sickfics start in the middle of the night and a is being taken care of in the dead of night
singing of lullabies or sweet songs, very comforting and heartwarming
when a is delirious out of their mind. bonus pts if u get a confession out of it or some sad shit a has been keeping to themselves slips out I THRIVE ON THEIR ANGST AND PAIN
when b finds out that a is sick and carries them to bed bc they cant walk right—something about it just hits different
BREAKFAST OR ANY SORT OF MEAL IN BED— bonus pts if b feeds a jfc im spiraling
if the sickfic ends with a getting better, ALWAYS say something along the lines of “the fever broke” bc for some reason i like that way of describing a fever being gone
appendicitis fics are awesome even though that SHIT HURTS (ive never had it but ive seen that episode of the cartoon madeleine where she got it)
i dont like sickfics where the character is terminally ill because I MAY WANT THEM TO SUFFER BUT NOT ETERNALLY
when b drapes a blanket over a sleepy/cold a like that shit is so fucking adorable—if they give a jacket, thats cool too
when b has to take home a from a date or something cause they’re sick and being a stubborn lil bitch
any sort of touchy-feely stuff in fics will earn a 10
BE DESCRIPTIVE AS POSSIBLE. DESCRIBE A’S CONDITION. DESCRIBE B’S DESPERATE ATTEMPTS TO NURSE THEIR TRUE LOVE TO HEALTH DAMMIT
also make sure a drinks hot tea with honey at some point cause tea is delicious (and better than coffee. no, i will not take that back)
sore throats?? um yes thank you
stomach flu? yes pls
a rough cough?? okay yes i need
descriptions of the eyes are something i usually dont mind not having in sickfics but if they’re there, you get bonus pts. its stuff like “fever bright eyes” or “glassy eyes” or “bloodshot eyes” that i LOVE
make sure a gets a cold icepack or a cold washcloth on their forehead like its tender the way it’ll be placed on a sleeping a’s forehead
a’s refusal to eat bc they are either whiny asf or just cant keep shit down
bonus pts if the reason a is sick is because they were wounded previously and the wound is infected in some way
MAKE THEM DIZZY, i always get dizzy when im sick
i said this already but it needs its own bullet point—make it a long oneshot—like i want a to be sick for like a week or so
the tucking of a into bed or helping a change into comfy clothes
okay i think im done for now, but SICKFICS UGH I LOVE THEM I WISH PEOPLE APPRECIATED THEM MORE. also its the only type of fic i know how to write without sounding horrible. but pls write or recommend sickfics they’re my weakness.
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heyitsjay03 · 3 years
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Fighting For Tomorrow: Chapter Six
Disclaimer: Still haven’t bought AOT but I’m working on it! 
AN: this. is a doozy of a chapter- i know. lots. and lots. and lots of words. but DAMN if i didnt love every part of it. however! if you guys prefer smaller chapters please please please dont hesitate to say something. seriously. id love to write you guys more frequent, smaller chapters but if you guys like the longass, slightly infrequent chapters then they shall continue. just say the word bby. also i felt kinda poetic in some of these sections so if you see reader gettin fancy with her verbage, don’t trip. that was my bad. 
Reiner x Fem!Reader, eventual Captain Levi x Fem!Reader, Sasha x Sister!Reader
Word Count: 10k (i finished this at 2 am today before class and nearly passed out at the sight ‘10,008 words’ when i pulled up my word counter. CH-YOW this a big boy)
TW: gore/blood/violence/death, adult language/swearing, slight PTSD, mental anguish, self-harm, grief, nightmares, insomnia, hysterics, horse accident
You can read parts one, two, three, four, and five just by tapping the lovely numbers!
   The flames crackle and rage before us, engulfing our comrades’ bodies in scarlet and gold waves. 
   Engulfing Marco’s body. 
   Jean had found him. Just… laying there. Up against a building. No one had seen him die, no one knew how he died, just that he did. Marco- our comrade, our friend... my friend- just gone. Taken from us. There was no valiant deed. There was no heroism. There was no triumphant story. Nothing. He just… died. 
   And that’s the worst part. 
   He was taken from us and no one knows how. No one knows why. 
   Marco was one of the first comrades I got close to. We were competitive- always fighting to outdo each other. I’d train two hours, he’d train three. He’d pass the ODM test after four tries, I’d pass it in three. Back and forth, back and forth. 
   But if we faced something bigger than us- if there was an exercise we couldn’t quite pin down, if there was another Cadet giving us problems, if one of our squad members were injured- we’d always come together to beat it. It was always like that. 
   He was like my little brother. 
   I scoff at myself. They all are like my younger siblings. Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, even Annie and Bertholdt. They’re all family and losing Marco… it was like losing a brother. 
   I did lose a brother. 
   My brother is among the flames- being turned to ash before my eyes. Marco is gone. Taken from me. Robbed from me. From everyone. His intellect, his kindness, his leadership. All of it gone. Taken from humanity. 
   We’re just kids. 
   Marco was just a kid. 
   All of us- bright-eyed kids wanting to do our best for humanity. To take back what was stolen from us. To serve humanity. We didn’t know how much hate, how much horror was waiting for us. To watch our comrades- our family and friends- be torn apart in front of us. To lose the ones closest to us in unspeakable carnage. 
   All we wanted was to do something for humanity. 
   All Marco wanted was to do something for humanity.
   He was just a kid.
   Tears are streaming down my face as we all watch the flames consume the bodies of fallen soldiers. I can hear the crackling of wood, feel the heat on my skin. But the crackling is distant and the heat is faint. My chest feels empty and cold. 
   I lost Marco. I lost Hannah. I lost Franz. 
   And I’ll never get them back.
   But I’ll be damned if I allow anyone else to be taken from me. 
   The Commander roars and rages before us, engulfing us in his words. They burn and singe like fire as they cross the Cadets’ ears. I can hear them whispering among themselves- asking if he’s serious or if he’s crazy or already resigning themselves to the Garrison. 
   It doesn’t matter what they say. 
   I’m joining the Scouts. Commander Erwin’s words are a comfort, a pleasant yet caveat warmth. Like a candle sitting beside a curtain. I know what I’m signing up for. I’ve always known. But it doesn’t mean I’ll be giving it all up now. 
   “I’ve made my decision.”
   My eyes turn away from the Commander, landing on Reiner’s form beside me. His gaze is still stuck on the Commander, back straight and shoulders squared. I turn my gaze back to the Commander- not wanting to be chewed out by a commanding officer for not paying attention. “...really?” I ask quietly, “Where are you-?”
   “The Scouts.”
   My eyes are back on him. “What?” I hiss, “Reiner, you can’t... throw away your shot at the Military Police- you worked so hard, why would you-?”
   “Eren was right,” he says quietly. I can feel his chest fill with breath before he chuckles. “They don’t need our skills so far away from the walls. They need us where we’re at use- where the people are.”
   “Rei, please, please,” I whisper, “Please don’t do this.”
   “Why not?” Reiner chuckles again, “You want me gone?”
   “It’s not like that,” I shoot back, “I just…”
   “You just what?”
   “...I don’t wanna lose anyone else.”
   “...you won’t.”
   “You can’t know that… I’m already worried about Eren and Armin and Mikasa- if I have to worry about anyone else-”
   “You don’t need to worry about me, darling… Because we’re going to get through this,” I can feel his finger graze the side of my hand before his hand takes mine. “Together.”
   A shaky exhale leaves my mouth as I close my eyes. “...together,” I whisper as shivers run down my spine.
   “That’s right, darling.”
   “...those who wish to join other divisions are dismissed.”
   Shuffles of feet scurry past me as I remain. I can feel their gazes, their judging glares and confused looks. They mumble to themselves. ‘Insane’, ‘crackpots’, ‘suicidal’, ‘deathwish’. Nervously, I swallow and grip Reiner’s hand tighter. 
   I can feel his smile. Proud and bright like the sun. Warming like the sun. Relaxation smoothes out over my skin as I soak it in. 
   I’ve done it. Finally. After years of fighting and hoping and wishing and dreaming about this very moment, I’m here. 
   The crowd clears out and a scattering of us remains. My eyes dart to each of the figures in the hopes of identifying my fellow crackpots.
   Reiner. Armin. Mikasa. Bertholdt. Ymir. Christa. Sas-
   My heart stops. 
   Sasha. Connie. Jean. 
   What the Hell are they doing here?! They were supposed to join the Military Police. They were going to, weren’t they?! Why are they still here?! Why aren’t they walking away? 
   At the very base of my stomach, something churns. Quickly and violently. 
   I think I’m gonna be sick. 
   I’m already going to be looking out for Armin, Eren, and Mikasa- I came to accept that long ago- but now Sasha? And Reiner? Connie and Jean, too?
   Most of everyone I’ve ever loved has just signed their hearts and bodies away to the Scouts- to nearly certain death. 
   There has to be a way to change their minds, right? There has to be. 
   ...but there isn’t, is there?
   They heard the statistics. They know how many have died in the Scouts. They know all the facts, all the dirtiest of details. 
   And they stayed.
   Gods, why did they stay?
   I’ll drag each of them out of here by their ears, kicking and screaming, if I have to. I already lost Marco and Hanna and Franz. I don’t think I could take losing them, too. 
   But if they truly want to- if they know the risk and want to dedicate their hearts just like I am… why would I stop them?
   I should be proud. 
   They’re- we all are- dedicating ourselves to the better future humanity deserves. To the eradication of Titans. To the freedom we all hunger for. 
   “Very well!” Commander Erwin’s voice booms out over us. “I welcome you- the newest recruits of the Scout Regiment!” His fist slams against his chest in a tight salute, “This is my real salute! Dedicate your hearts to the cause!”
   The group moves as one as we all strike our fists to our chests. 
   My eyes glide from the Commander to Sasha once more. 
   She’s shaking. I can hear her stifled sobs from here. 
   But she remains firm in her spot. 
   She’s made her decision. 
   And I can accept that. 
   I lay awake. Moonlight flickers through the window- inching towards the other side of the room. It’s late and I’m exhausted but even when I am, I can’t sleep. There’s too much screaming in my head. Too much gore. Too much carnage that I can only barely remember. The only things that do remember are my heart and lungs- hammering and pounding and stretching to the fullest in the wake of whatever nightmare slinked back into the recesses of my mind. 
   Reiner stirs in his sleep and wraps his arms around my waist. Tucking me into him, he sighs and buries his head into my neck. “...can’t sleep?” he mumbles. His voice is deep. Deeper than usual, with a gentle rumble to it. 
   “No,” I whisper back, shrinking into him.
   “Wanna talk about it?”
   I stay silent. No. No, I really, really, really, really don’t want to. Talking about whatever bothers me is like pulling teeth. It feels like a burden that I’m casting onto someone else. And with Reiner… he’s burdened enough already. He’s everyone’s big brother. Everyone’s confidant. He shoulders responsibilities and punishments for others- never once thinking about himself. 
   But he’s exhausted. All the time, exhausted. And he’s so good at hiding it. Even around me. But I can see it. The way his golden eyes go hazy at times, the way his shoulders sag and the way things slip his mind. The way he can become an entirely different person with terrifying speed. 
   It scares me how much I think he carries. Because when he breaks… it’ll be cataclysmic. 
   Reiner’s lips slide up my shoulder and neck, pressing gentle kisses against my skin. “...well?”
   But maybe he’ll open up to me if I take the step first. Maybe I’ll show him that there’s nothing to worry about- that I’m not going anywhere and that he can talk to me about anything. Everything. 
   “...I’ve… I’ve been having nightmares.” 
   His kisses stop where they are, lips still pressed to my skin for a moment before pulling away. His grip on me gets tighter as he pulls me closer. Reiner lets his head rest in the crook of my neck and sighs. “...what about?”
   I laugh quietly, letting my fingers trail against his forearm. “...I don’t remember most of them but… there is one that comes back… every now and then.”
   “I’m listening, darling.”
  Slowly, I take a breath. My eyes close as I remember the details of the dream. “...it always starts off the same… I’m in a throne room and there’s a person at my feet. Sometimes… it’s a woman and other times it’s a man and other times, I can’t tell which, but… there’s always someone at my feet,”
   “And they’re always crying,” I whisper, eyebrows drawing together and I grip his forearm. “Sobbing and pleading for mercy. A-...And I…” My voice quivers as tears start to flow from my eyes. “I… just… I don’t even know, I just… I see this… light- red light- come from their eyes and they just… they convulse and thrash around for a moment- screaming and crying and begging- before… before they…,”
   “...before they die at my feet,” I whisper brokenly, eyes open and staring out into the distance as the scene replays. “And when they finally die… I look up… and there’s… corpses. Thousands upon thousands of corpses, Rei… All piled up on top of each other and in writhing rigidity. As far as I could see- there were bodies- and… and somehow I know that… that I… I had… somehow I know that I was the one that killed them all.”
   “I’m your squad leader, Ness,” the man before us states before clapping a hand onto the horse towering beside him. “And this! Is my horse, Chalet…” 
   My eyes drift away from him, blankly settling on the various horses in their stalls behind me. I’ve tuned him out… I should probably listen to whatever he has to say. But… I’m so tired. Another night of staring at the ceiling while listening to Reiner snore and watching Bertholdt contort himself into a coil across the room. 
   I don’t know how many sleepless nights I have left. 
   My body lurches forward slightly as someone nudges me from behind. I turn to face whoever it was. Jean is towering over me with a smirk on his face as he pretends to be watching Squad Leader Ness. “...what the hell was that for?” I mutter, facing forward.
   “You were falling asleep again,” he chuckles quietly, “Another… late night?”
   I scoff and shake my head, “You’re a child.”
   “You didn’t say ‘no’.”
   “No, Jean,” I hiss, “I just… couldn’t sleep.”
   I can feel him deflate slightly behind me. “...oh…”
   “Yeah.”
   “...I get them, too.”
   “I really hope you don’t.”
   Connie, standing beside me, scoots closer. “What’re we talkin’ about?”
   Jean answers at the same time as I do. “Sex.”
   “Food.”
   Connie’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he risks a glance at me. “...huh?”
   I sigh and roll my eyes, “We were talking about-”
   “Did someone say ‘food’?” Sasha whispers excitedly behind me. 
   I sigh and roll my eyes again. “You three are-”
   “Hilarious.”
   “Your favorites.”
   “Really hungry.”
   Groaning softly, I shake my head at their responses. “Gods… I thought Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were a lot… then I had to get you knuckleheads thrown in, too.”
   “Now!” Ness states, looking significantly more disheveled than he did a few minutes ago. Adjusting the bandana around his head, he huffs and stands up straight. “Follow me and I’ll show you to your dorms- and then you’ll be introduced to your horses.”
   He walks off, leading us between the stables and the looming walls of the castle. My eyes trail up the crumbling stone- plants and vines and flowers managing their way through the cracks- and over the rolling hills dotted with trees. Sunlight floods the stone courtyard, basking us all in its warmth.
   It reminds me of home. 
   Not Shiganshina- but of the modest cottage in the forest. I smile to myself, watching Sasha bother Jean with Connie’s help just in front of me. I remember playing with her in the trees. We made and marked that forest. There isn’t a tree in that entire forest we haven’t carved up with arrows and knives or with the undersides of our shoes as we climbed their roots and limbs. Sasha would be afraid at first- of foxes or wolves or falling or tripping. But as soon as I took her hand and led her to the sunlight, to the tops of the trees, to the very breath of the sky… she’d always hunger for more. To go to the brightest spot in the forest, to climb the highest tree, to scale the steepest cliff. 
   My smile starts to fade slightly. 
   She’s even more afraid than she used to be… did I cause that? Does she even remember? She was young when I left… Does she remember when she scraped her knee and told her that she was now one with the forest- that its blood was in her and her blood in it? Does she remember that first tree we climbed together? Does she remember the nights we would run barefoot around the dew-covered clearings in the heart of the woods with no light to guide us except that of the moon? Does she remember what it was like to not be afraid?
   Will we ever get to go back…?
   The group stops. Ness smiles at us and points down the hallway to our left. “Down this hallway are the boys’ rooms,” he points to the hallway to our right. “And down this one is the girls’.” He chuckles and turns back to us. “There is… one other thing.”
   Uh oh. 
   “There’s only one bathroom.”
   I stifle a groan. It’s a goddamn castle. How in the walls is that even possible- one bathroom, my ass.
   “Well… only one that’s in good enough shape to be used, anyway. ‘sides the officers’ bathroom...” Ness admits, a sheepish smile growing on his lips as he rubs the back of his head. “You’re welcome to fix up the other ones, though! ...although, I think you’d need help…” Ness continues muttering more to himself than anyone else. 
   One bathroom. Unbelievable. I growl under my breath as Ness marches us back out into the courtyard. You’d think Captain Shortstack would be all over the renovations of this place- bathrooms included. 
   Whatever. It’s not like I shower when everyone else does, anyway. There’s always a possibility I could sneak into the officers’ bathroom like when we were in training… And there was that river...
   “I can see you already coming up with a plan,” Sasha appears next to me, lowering her voice. “What’re ya thinkin’?”
   I laugh softly, nudging her arm with my elbow. “Nothing regarding food.”
   Sasha pouts slightly, “Fine… then what’re ya thinkin’ about?”
   “Just plannin’ my way into the officers’ bathroom.”
   “Oooh,” Sasha laughs maliciously. “Do you think they’ll have hot water?”
   I sigh, closing my eyes and imagining the steam and feel of hot water cascading down my body. Hot water was a privilege in the Cadet Corps. ...one that was constantly being robbed from me. I’d mostly show up after everyone had already showered, praying that maybe I’d have even a moment to myself to unwind- and to not be stared at. And nearly every time, I bathed in freezing cold water. But there were a few times where I’d be wrapped in steam, delicate streams of hot water warming my frigid body. 
   ...now that I think about it, those ‘few times’ were whenever Reiner would wake me up early to get in the shower before everyone else.
   “Gods,” I mumble, looking at Reiner as he walks with Bertholdt and Annie. “I really hope so, ‘tato-muncher.”
   As if he felt my gaze on him, Reiner turns around and smiles. I return the smile with a scrunch of my nose. Reiner’s eyes glide behind me for a second, returning to me before darting back behind me. I turn around to follow his gaze. 
   Eren. 
   Eren runs straight for us, green cape flaring out behind him as he charges towards the group. Our eyes meet and his pace increases. My hand latches onto Sasha’s sleeve and tugs, “‘Tato! ‘Tato, look!” I laugh, slapping Connie’s shoulder. “Look who it is!”
   Connie and Sasha turn around and I can hear the others turn along with them. Armin and Mikasa greet him first, taking him into their arms and speaking quietly amongst themselves for a moment. When they break away, Eren’s smile widens as he looks over us. 
   “...you’re all here?” he asks quietly, smile slightly fading. “You all joined the Scouts?”
   “Well, yeah,” I laugh, “Why else would we be here- shits ‘nd giggles?”
   Eren rolls his eyes before scanning over us again. “Wait… if you’re all here… That means Jean, Marco, and Annie all joined the Military Police.”
   My heart plummets like a rock into my stomach. That’s right. He wasn’t there for the funeral. He doesn’t know. 
   The remaining section of our group walks up behind Eren- Jean leading them all. Eren turns around and groans. “Not you, too.”
   Jean doesn’t react. His face unreadable and voice flat, he rips the bandage off. “Marco’s dead.”
   “...what?” Eren mumbles, “What did you just… What’d you just say? Did you say Marco died?”
   Jean’s voice stays still as he continues.
   “Seems like not everyone can die a dramatic death.”
   “You don’t think it’s weird?” I laugh, picking up a section of hay and starting back towards the stable. “We know everyone, every thing’s position in the formation except Eren’s- arguably the most volatile and important piece of information to have. That isn’t the least bit confusing to you?”
   Reiner shrugs, taking the hay from my hands. “Dunno… I haven’t really thought about it.”
   I huff and shake my head, stepping in front of him and taking the hay back. “I can carry it,” I mutter, looking at the ridges growing in his face. “And by the look on your face, you have been thinking about it.” I turn around, lifting the hay over the stable door and onto the growing pile just beside my horse. 
   My horse nudges me with his nose, huffing. I smile and rub my hand up and down his nose, “...needy, aren’t we?” I whisper softly. 
   “Ya gonna give him a name?” Reiner asks, patting his hand against the horse’s neck. 
   Peeking down under the horse’s neck, I squint up at him. “You didn’t answer me.”
   Reiner rolls his eyes and walks away, sighing. “You didn’t ask anything.”
   “I asked if you were thinking about why we weren’t being filled in on Eren’s location in the formation.”
   “Technically, you didn’t ask,” he shoots back. 
   My eyes lock with his in an intense stare. “...we really gonna do this right now?” I ask quietly, still petting my horse.
   Reiner sighs and looks away, running a hand through his hair. I turn back to my horse, letting my forehead rest against his cheek. Reiner sighs again. The three of us stand in silence- only my horse breaking the silence with occasional huffs and flicks of his tail.
   “...I have been thinking about it,” Reiner finally mumbles. “But… not like you have.”
   Here we go again with him being all cryptic and skittish and avoidant. I am so sick of this game. 
   “Then how have you been thinking about it, Reiner?” I hiss, lifting my head off my horse and looking into his large grey eye. “All the time- just when I think you’re gonna open up to me about what’s going on in that…” I sigh frustratedly, “That… that… stupid, thick, adorable, blond head’a yours you just… you shut me back out again. And it’s so goddamn irritating, Rei,” I admit with a slight squeak in my voice. 
   Slowly, I turn to face him, gaze dropping down to the ground. “...I’ve been… I’ve been so open with you. More open than I have with anyone in my whole life- except, I dunno... Sasha- but I just… It’d be nice to have some’a that returned.”
   I can hear him get closer to me. Gently, his arms wrap around me and tuck me into his chest. I’m swallowed in his embrace as he runs his fingers up and down my back. “...okay,” he whispers, “okay, darling… I’ll… I’ll try and open up to you, okay? I’ll…” he trails off and sighs, tightening his hold on me as he places his chin on the top of my head. 
   “I know how hard it is, and… I… I’m not trying to force it out of you or anything… I just… I want to help you,” I whisper quietly. “And I promise you, Rei...I’m not going anywhere.”
   There’s a coldness in his laugh. It leaves his lips like ice and falls to the floor like daggers. “Thank you, darling. Just…,” Reiner takes my shoulders, pushing us apart. His gold eyes have slightly lost their luster as they peer deep into me. I squirm slightly in his stare, eyebrows furrowing. “You have to understand that there is a lot happening- something... bigger, darling.”
   I blink and tilt my head slightly to the side.  “Did you… did you get another assignment?” I ask quietly, “Something under the table?”
   Reiner is quiet for a moment, eyes flicking between mine. “...yes. Something under the table- from people higher than the Captain.”
   My eyes widen slightly. Is this what’s been weighing on him for so long? That’s why he’s been missing at times? What he’s been trying to tell me? Another assignment that he can’t talk about, even with me-
   Oh gods. 
   I feel like a total ass.
   “Who…?” I ask quietly, taking note of the way he straightens up to scan around us before shrinking back down. 
   Reiner scoots us back, tucking me up against the stable door. “I… I can’t tell you but… you understand that, right, darling?” He asks hopefully, a small lilt to his voice. Gently, his fingers trail my face and a small smile crosses my face. His lips mirror mine. 
   “I understand that, love,” I hum, leaning into his touch. “I do… I do have another question.”
   Reiner smiles wider, lovingly staring down at me. “What is it, darling?”
   Nervous claws at my stomach. 
   I shouldn’t ask this.
   Why? He’s finally being open with me- willing to at least tell me what’s wrong. Shouldn’t I-
   No. There’s something bigger here. Don’t. Ask. 
   “__________?” 
   I swallow my fear and meet his gaze. “...I heard you the night after the first clean-up operation,” I admit quietly, “with Annie and Bertholdt.”
   Reiner’s eyes darken, dropping down and avoiding my gaze. “...how much did you...?”
   “Not much,” I laugh nervously, “Just you guys arguing about telling me… and Annie saying to only tell me when you’re sure of how I’d feel.”
   With a sigh of relief, he closes his eyes and smiles. He quickly presses his lips to my forehead. “Okay, okay… Okay… Sorry, I just… I don’t need t’get... chewed out for that.”   I chuckle softly, “So… that big’a deal, huh?”
   Reiner laughs, “Yes. That big of’a deal.”
   “...so… it’s you, Annie, and Bertholdt,” I mumble, picking at the leather strap running down his chest. “Anyone else that I know?”
   “No, just us three.”
   “Am… am I in danger?” I ask jokingly, “All this secrecy- it makes me wonder.”
   Reiner doesn’t laugh with me. 
   “Rei?” I call, looking up at him. “...am I?”
   His eyes slide down to me, a small smile on his lips. “...stick with me, darling- I’ll keep ya safe.”
   “...what?”
   “There’s a lot at work here, __________,” Reiner sighs, his eyes going hazy for a second as he relives whatever is ‘at work’. Blinking, he focuses back on me. “But I can keep you safe. I’ve been keeping you safe.”
   What does this even mean? Are there people I can’t trust? If that’s true, then what? What am I supposed to do? Be some tiny little doll cowering in fear behind him? I hate being treated like some weak, fragile, defenseless thing. And what if he gets hurt protecting me? What then? What if something goes wrong and he ends up being blamed for something he didn’t do? 
   And what about Sasha? 
   “...what about my sister? What about her? Who’s gonna keep her safe?” I ask, clutching the fabric covering his chest, “If anything happens to Sasha, I…”
   “Nothing’s gonna happen to Sasha,” Reiner hums quietly, “We’re gonna keep her safe.”
   “And Eren? Mikasa? Armin? What about the boys? If any of them get hurt, Rei, I just… I don’t think I could…”
   “__________,” he says firmly, catching my attention. Slowly, my eyes slide up to meet his again. They’re gentle and glowing in the fading sunlight. His hand trails down my face again, leaving a buzzing wake behind it. 
   “You need to trust me.”
   I swallow and nod quickly. “Okay, yes, okay… Okay, you’re right. We… We are all gonna be okay.”
   Reiner chuckles and lets his chin rest on the top of my head as he tucks me into his chest again. 
   “That’s my girl.”
   “Oiii!” I yell, waving a hand over my head. “Ponytail!”
   Eld’s head starts swiveling around, looking for whoever called him. With a gentle kick of my horse, he trots closer. “Eld!” I call again, sliding off the side of my horse. My feet hit the dirt just in front of him as I straighten up, shaking a few stray hairs out of my eyes. “It’s good to see ya again.”
   Eld smiles and chuckles, gesturing down to the emerald green cape around my shoulders. “So you made it.”
  I look down and rub the fabric between my fingers. A smile crosses my face as I look back up to him. “Just like I dreamed I would.”
   “You’re in pretty high spirits,” Oluo scoffs as he walks by with a supply box. Setting it down into a wagon, he huffs and turns to face us. “Considering we’ll all be facing death in a few hours.”
   “Always the charmer, huh?” I mutter quietly, earning a small laugh from Eld. “And if you have t’know, I’m just happy we’re one step closer to going outside the walls…” I smile to myself, imagining the places Armin used to talk about. Fire water, ice hills, saltwater that goes on for so long even the merchants couldn’t drain all the salt from it. 
   I think that’ll be my favorite. ‘Sea’.
   Oluo scoffs again. “Bright-eyed, suicidal recruit… Just don’t get someone else killed, will ya?”
   “What the hell’s that supposed t’mean?” I snap back. 
   Oluo smiles crookedly, realisation splitting his face like a piece of china. “Struck a nerve, huh?,” he laughs, “Better get rid of those if you wanna make it.”
   “Bold talk for someone that’s too insecure to keep his own personality,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I turn my attention back to Eld- who’s gone awfully quiet as the two of us went at it. A blush is back on his cheeks and I can see him fidgeting with his gaze in an effort to mind his own business. 
   “...uhm…” He mumbles as his eyes catch someone walking behind me. “This is Petra!” Eld blurts, tugging a woman by the arm. “The one that checked on you when you were, uh… asleep.”
   “In a coma, more like,” I laugh, dipping my head to the woman. She has ginger hair cut just above her shoulders and soft, kind eyes. There’s something about her that reminds me so much of a deer for some reason. 
   Petra’s eyes suddenly light up as she looks over me again. “I remember you- you’re __________! I didn’t know you had your heart set on the Scouts. Which is surprising… considering how much Eld talks about you.”
   Eld’s face goes even redder. He stands rigidly, eyes fixated on the horizon. 
   ...I think he just went into shock. 
   “Well, thank you,” I hum, giving Petra another smile. “For checking in on me.”
   Petra shakes her head, “It wasn’t any issue at all.”
   I dip my head again and lightly punch Eld’s shoulder. “Hopefully you told her the story of how I kicked your and Oluo’s asses.”
   Petra tilts her head slightly to the side before a wicked smile crosses her lips. “...I don’t think I’ve heard that one, __________. Please, tell me.”
   “Well, I was walking down an alleyway when-”
  “That’s good!” Eld suddenly yelps, “Thank you so much, __________, for stopping by, but the Captain’s calling us!”
   Petra giggles as Eld walks behind her, pushing her by the shoulders. Captain Shortstack Jackass is watching them with his arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows furrowed. He very obviously didn’t call either of them. “You’ll have to tell me when we get back!” Petra calls. 
   “Of course!” I laugh, watching as Eld goes even redder. Petra waves over his shoulder and I do the same before mounting my horse. I give his neck a gentle pat and urge him forward- back towards the stable. 
  “You... need a name, Horse,” I mutter as we trot past the various wagons and other Scouts getting their horses and gear ready. “All horses have names… I guess.”
   Horse huffs at me. 
   “Well… you’re…” I look down at his coat as we start to pick up speed. It shimmers in the sunlight, revealing the faint speckles of black and grey under his cream-colored coat. “You’re cream and you’ve got freckles. And last I checked, you have grey-” Horse looks over slightly at me, light-brown eyes glistening. “Sorry… brown eyes. And black mane and tail.”
   My eyes flick up, locking onto the figure standing just a few feet in front of my horse. Gripping the reins, I tug back to stop Horse from trampling whoever is in front of me. Instead, I feel myself being shot forward and colliding with the ground. Pain shoots out from my arm, branching out in heated flashes. 
   I roll onto my back and stare up at the clouds as they lazily float by. “Gods…” I mutter to myself, “That sucked.”
   “Told you I’m better at handling horses than you.”
   I sit straight up. My head on a swivel, I look around for the voice. It sounded just like… It couldn’t have been- no. No, I’m just-
   My eyes land on him. Standing just a couple feet away, with a green Scouts cape on over his shoulders and ODM gear strapped on. He laughs, walking closer and shaking his head. “Jeez, __________, you’ll really get yourself killed if you keep trying to keep up with me.”
   “Freckles?” I whisper.
   Marco smiles and laughs again, “Really hit your head hard, didn’t you?”
   “Freckles?” I whisper again, reaching out to touch him.
   This isn’t real. It can’t be real. He’s dead. Bit in half. Died alone. Left in the sun to rot for days. He’s dead. 
   “Ah, jeez, you really did hit your head hard,” Marco mumbles, crouching down beside me. “We gotta get you to Sasha. She’s got some experience with injuries, doesn’t she…? And I won’t even tell Reiner! It’ll just be between us, okay?” He asks, worriedly scanning my face. 
   “Freckles, you… You… You aren’t here.”
   “What are ya talkin’ about? I’m right here, remember? We were practicing horseback riding and maneuvering. Don’t you remember the bet we had?”
   Wait a moment.
   This was real.
   This… this happened already, why am I…?
   “...it was my haul from the Commandant’s office,” I whisper, “The… the fountain pen. You’d… you’d take it if I couldn’t pull off a sharp turn and activate my ODM gear while jumping off my horse.”
   Tears start to cloud my vision as I stare up at him. “You aren’t really here,” I croak, “Are you?”
   Marco shakes his head.
   “...I miss you, Freckles,” I smile, tears slipping down my face as I look up at him. My hand brushes through his cheek- like he was a colored mist- but his smile remains. “Gods, I miss you.”
   “You’ll see us again.”
   I nod, feeling my tears start down the sides of my face. “...tell Franz and Hanna I said ‘hi’.”
  “I will.”
   “And you… you stay outta trouble, you hear me?” I laugh, tears choking me at the base of my chest. 
   “You’re the one that needs to stay outta trouble.”
   I nod and laugh again, shaking my head.
   “...take… take care’a the others for me, will you?” I nod silently. Marco looks up as Horse trots closer. “It’s time for me to go. Just… close your eyes, okay?”
   My eyes slide closed before voices start to swarm around me. Bleeding into one another, it makes it so damned hard to hear what anyone is actually saying. All I can do is feel. 
   And someone’s got me by the shoulders, shaking me pretty damned hard. 
   I open my eyes to see familiar faces. “...I’ve got to stop waking up to you guys looking down at me like I’ve died.”
   The four of them sigh. 
   “If you die because of a stupid horse incident, I’ll never forgive you,” Jean mutters, getting to his feet and walking away. I can hear him muttering about ‘how stupid’ of a funeral that would be. 
   “What?” I laugh, wincing at the pain shooting from above my left eye. My fingers graze the spot- only to pull away with a scarlet coloring. 
   Ah, shit. 
   “So,” Reiner grumbles, scooping me off the ground effortlessly. “You and your horse have a bit of an issue?”
   I scoff, curling into myself as my head starts to pound. 
   “No?” He asks as we walk towards the castle. “Then what the Hell kind of stunt were you tryin’a pull?”
   “I-,” I stop and groan, clutching my temples as they begin to sear. “I… I thought… I thought I saw someone.”
   Reiner looks down at me as he pushes the castle door open with his back. Eyebrows furrowed, eyes flicking over every inch of me. It’s the same damn look as every other time I’ve gotten hurt. Which… arguably… is a lot of times. 
   The ODM incident where I almost cracked my skull open on a tree branch. 
   The time I slipped and fell in the bathroom. 
   The sparring training where I cracked three of my ribs. And my arm. And dislocated my shoulder. All because I wouldn’t yield.
   The rooftop. 
   The grocery store. 
   Various little minor accidents scattered throughout.  
   And now this.
   We round the corner and he places me onto a bed. I watch as he runs a hand down my face and sticks his head out the hallway to look around before returning to my side. Reiner sighs. “What am I gonna do with you?”
   “Love me,” I hum, closing my eyes slightly as the pain throbs and squirms beneath my skin. “Unconditionally.”
   “Gods,” he mutters, scooting closer. “I probably will.”
  “Probably?” I ask quietly. “Not ‘most definitely’?”
   A deep sigh passes his lips. It rumbles in his chest like thunder. Calming, soothing, gentle thunder. Memories of the forest running to find shelter as another storm took us by surprise. Bare feet padding the grass. Clothes sticking to our skins. Hair plastered to our faces- much like our smiles. Wiping her face as she ducks behind my arm. Telling her that the forest was telling the sky a joke, that the thunder was the sky’s laughter. Watching her peek out to watch the forest and sky talk, laughing as she swears she heard the punchline. 
   Does she remember what it was like to not be afraid?
   “Hey,” Rei mutters, shaking my arm slightly. “Don’t go to sleep on me yet.”
   “...sorry,” I mumble, opening my eyes and letting them glide to his spot beside me. “Where is she-”
  The door slams open. Sasha- with eyes wide and clutching medical supplies to her chest- pants in the doorway. “Did I make it?” She asks wearily. 
   “Did…,” I trail off, sitting up to look at her. “Did you think I died?”
   Sasha shakes her head, kicking the door closed just as Connie and Jean try to walk in behind her. “No,” she mutters. Plopping down beside me, she looks over me. “Just thought maybe you’d passed out.”
   “Check my eyes,” I remind her. Sasha nods and leans in, forcing open my eyes with her fingers. 
   “...your eye-holes seem to be fine.”
   “...my pupils?”
   “Eye-holes. Same thing.”
   I know Sasha’s joking but by the look on Reiner’s face, he does not.
   “She’s only kidding, love,” I whisper as I take his hand. “She knows the basics.”
   “Yep,” Sasha agrees, digging through the pile of medical supplies she brought in. “And you don’t have a concussion- and that thing on your head doesn’t need stitches- it should heal in a week or so... so you’re good to go after I clean it… ha!” She snatches a bottle of saline and a bandage. “You’ll be all good in no time, __________. Trust me.”
   I’m the one that taught her. Why don’t I trust her?
   “You awake?”
   I focus back in on the now. The present. My surroundings. 
   Scattered trees and hills to the right. Denser trees on my left. Two horses trailing behind me. No flares from either direction. Reiner just in front of me. 
   “Always am.”
   “Good.” He starts to pull back on his horse, levelling off with me. “How’s your head?”
   Instinctively, I reach up and graze the bandage. “I don’t feel anything.”
   “Good.”
   “...are you okay?” I ask, looking over at him. His skin is pale and flushed pink with a slight tinge to his ears. “Here. Drink some.” Unbuckling my flask, I hand it to him. 
   ...and he downs the entire thing before handing it back to me. 
   “Rei, are you sick?”
   “No, I just-”
   “Well, love, you look like you’re either about to shit yourself or vomit,” I laugh worriedly, “Are you sure?”
   “__________, listen, I…,” he sighs and looks away. He’s even more red now. 
   I nudge him with my elbow. “I’m listening.” I smirk, stirrupping Horse again. My eyes turn to the horizon, scanning for any flares or anything that approaches us.
   Reiner returns my smile and sighs shakily. “I wanna-”
   Something appears in the distance. “What is that?” I mumble, staring at the thing. “Do you see it?” I point. “That.”
    Reiner looks at the thing, squinting. “I… I can’t tell.”
   “Should we fire a flare off?” I ask, reaching to my saddlebag. “Just in case?”
   “Just… hang on-”
   He stops just as the thing changes form, moving closer towards us and faster. 
   It takes shape as it grows. Fourteen meters, blonde hair. 
   Female body type.
   My hands move on their own- throwing the canister into the gun, lifting it straight up, and firing. Red smoke fires out from the gun into the clouds. “Rei, we have to move!” I yell, turning the horses in towards the center of the formation. 
   I look over my shoulder, watching the two horses trail after Reiner. He stays going forward, heading right for it with glazed eyes. “Reiner!”
   My eyes follow his gaze as I bring Horse to a stop. They land on the Female Titan, who snatches something from mid-air and dropkicks it. Blood trails after the broken body and I watch ODM wires disconnect from the Female Titan’s body- following the body. 
   It’s… is it like Eren? A person inside it?
   “Reiner!” I scream again. 
   It gets his attention. Snapping out of his daze, Reiner makes a sharp turn. 
   As he gets closer, I press my heels into Horse’s sides. “Ha!”
   Footsteps follow after us, thundering and quivering the very organs inside of me. My breath catches in my lungs as I feel it- her- getting closer. Gods. Gods, please. Not like this. Not like this. Not like this. Not like this.
   Something flashes at my side. With trembling force, a foot lands beside me- crushing one of the horses before it could even make a sound. 
   We’re going to die. Right now, we are going to die. 
   I wince, waiting for her to reach down and crush me in her hand. Reiner yells something but it’s lost in the frantic whinnies of our horses, the pounding of my heart, the panting of my lungs. When it reaches me, it’s blurred together like the colors in my eyes.
   ‘I’ve gotten hurt’ is what it sounds like. 
   Gods, please. Spare us.
   My fists clutch the reins as I look up. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fourteen meters. This is what will kill me. 
   The Female Titan’s other foot collides with the earth beside me. All at once, sounds and colors and shapes retract into their determined forms. Everything flushes back into focus as the Female Titan takes another step away from us. I watch as she continues sprinting towards the center- leaving us in her wake. Her head turns to look over her shoulder before she presses forward. 
   Right to Armin.
   “Rei!” I yell, sticking Horse again. “She’s gonna hit Armin! She’s headed right for him!” 
   “C’mon!” He yells back, appearing at my side.
   “This is the job we chose, right?” Jean snaps, “So lend me a hand!” 
   The rest of us are silent. Only hoofbeats and footsteps resound around us. Silently, Armin pulls his hood up over his head. “...pull your hoods up. Over your heads- far down enough so she can’t see your face.”
   “You’re thinking she won’t kill anyone that could be Eren,” Reiner mutters, tugging his hood up over his head. “...that’s a nice, but small, consolation… Let’s hope she has bad eyes, too.”
   Jean shakes his head, laughing. “I was always creeped out the way you used to hang around Eren so much,” he mutters as he pulls his hood up. “But I always knew you were capable.”
  “...‘creeped out’ is a little harsh but thanks,” Armin mumbles.
   Feeling the three pairs of eyes on me, I tug my hood up as well. “...I always knew I’d die next to you three bastards.”
  “Well. If we don’t,” Reiner chuckles, “We’ll throw a big party ‘nd get married.”
  “Oh yeah,” I scoff, pulling my swords out from their holsters. “We’ll have a big ol’ buffet ‘nd everything. I’ll even have a live band play for us.”
   “You two lovebirds over there still squawking?” Jean barks, leaning forward to glare at us. 
   “Will you shut up for a minute?” Reiner shoots back, “I’m… Kinda doin’ something.”
   “You can ‘kinda do something’ after this!” Jean yells, “We’re not dying today.”
   “Fine!” I snap, “I’m not spending my last moments fighting with you two morons! Let’s just do this. Delay her as long as we can- by any means necessary. Got it?!”
   The three grunt in agreement. “Jean, go to her left,” Reiner starts, “Armin, you go to her right. __________, you-”
   “I’m going with Armin!” I whip my reins and follow after Armin as he heads to the Female Titan’s right hand side. 
   We level off just behind her. “She’s much slower than when she attacked me!” Armin comments, “If we’re going to do this, it has to be now!”
   “Wait for Jean!” I yell, “He’s the best out of us with ODM gear. If he can get a good angle on her, it’ll be us being his support!” 
   A flash shoots out, launching into the Female Titan’s leg. Jean flies in behind it with his swords readied. The Titan crouches down and spins- flinging Jean. Armin and I get to our feet and stand on our horses’ backs. As my wires stick into the Female Titan’s leg, I give Horse a tap of my heel that sends him running away from the Titan. 
   Something swipes just under my legs. Everything around me slows as I watch the Titan’s hand bat Armin’s horse out from underneath him. His name leaves my lips the same way it did when Shiganshina fell. Breathless. Screeching. Desperate. “Armin!”
   “__________!” Reiner’s voice carries out over my own. 
   Before I can do anything, I feel something crack against my back. I’m pushed forward- colliding with the earth and rolling for a few feet. Landing on my back, I stare up in a daze at the clouds. 
   Aching pain crawls through my veins- igniting my muscles in throbbing, squeezing pain. My back arches as I take long, hard breaths to stop my heart from pounding in my ears. It does nothing but amplify the sound as I feel my lungs burn and the cages around them scream in agony. 
   Broken ribs. At least a few on each side. 
   Certain slices and patches of my skin burn from the contact with the ground. Minor scratches, bruises, friction burns.
   I’ll live. If she doesn’t finish me off. 
   Time begins to speed up again- her footsteps not taking so long to hit the ground as they get closer. Clouds seem to flurry past and my heartbeat begins to race once more. 
   The fight isn’t done yet. 
   I push myself to my feet, feeling every ache, every pain, every burn a million times over. 
   The fight isn’t done yet. 
   I’m not done yet. 
   The Female Titan tightens her fist, preparing to swing backwards at Jean. Breaking out into a sprint, I click my triggers and shoot my wires into the ground, allowing me to run faster. A blur of gold and green starts towards the Titan as I do- catching me attention so I stutter and stop. 
   Reiner. 
   Teeth gritted, eyes blazing, blades glinting.   He’s going for her nape.
   Armin’s yelling something. The Titan stays completely still as he continues screaming. 
   And then she snaps. 
   She catches Reiner’s body in her hand. 
   My heart stops. Blood stops. Lungs stop. 
   Everything. 
   Stops.
   “...no.” 
   Chills run down my spine- dull and weak. Nothing like adrenaline. 
   Fear.
   “No… no.”
   I shake my head, watching as Reiner’s body disappears in her grasp. 
   Someone grabs my waist, tugs me away. “No!” I scream, thrashing around as everything starts to move again. “No!” 
   “__________!” Jean yells, pulling me away. “We have to go!” 
   A blur of metal spins out from her grip, severing her fingers off from the base of her palm. Reiner pushes out and around her back. Grabbing Armin, he sprints away from her and towards us. 
   The four of us break out into a sprint as she stares down at her palm. She gets to her feet and runs away from us- her hand still steaming. 
   Something breaks inside of me. Tears start running down my face as Reiner sidles up next to me. Armin- bleeding from his forehead- is in his arms. Titan blood evaporates off of Reiner’s hair and shoulders as he looks down at me. “We’ll be okay! She won’t eat us unless she’s a cannibal! We-”
   I cut him off, punching his shoulder as hard as I can. “Don’t you ever pull that shit again, Reiner Braun!” I snap, furiously wiping the tears rolling down my face. “I swear on the walls, I… I will kill you myself if you do, do you hear me?! You scared the shit outta me! I… I thought I lost you.”
   Reiner laughs breathlessly. “I told you, darling. We haven’t gotten married, yet. I can’t die until that happens.”
   “We aren’t leaving anyone behind,” I snap, tightening Armin’s bandages. “None of that, you hear me?”
   “We might not have a choice,” Armin mutters, “If we all stay behind, we might all-”
   “I said no!” 
   The three of us go silent as Jean continues whistling for his horse. 
   But the question still hangs in the air. 
   Who’s going to stay behind?
   There’s only one horse- there’s four of us. If somehow one of us gets our horse back, we’ll be able to get out of here but until then… We’re stranded in Titan country without a means of escape. 
   “We have to talk about it,” Reiner says quietly. 
   “No,” I get to my feet and shake my head. “No. We don’t.”
   “__________-”
  I hold up a hand to stop him, “Don’t.” Turning to Jean, I gesture to his bag. “You have an emergency flare, yeah?”
   Jean nods and gets it out, loading it into his gun. Shooting it into the sky, purple smoke trails up from our location. 
   It’s a long shot, but they might get the message. 
   “We can wait three more minutes,” Reiner says firmly. “During then, we’ll decide who’s gonna-”
  “I’ll stay.” My head snaps to Armin. “Just get a message to the command section- to Commander Erwin, if you can.”
   “I’m staying, too, then.”
   “__________, no-” Reiner starts. 
   “I don’t want to hear it, Rei,” I mumble, “Please. I don’t… I don’t want to hear it but look. We’re both injured. Armin’s got a possible concussion and he’s bleeding. I’ve broken half a dozen ribs and I’ve got more bruises than I know what to do with. If anyone’s staying it’s-”
   “Neither of you,” Jean laughs, “Someone’s coming this way with three horses.” The three of us look over to him as he shades his face from the sun. “I think it’s… It looks like… Christa!”
   “Guys!” Christa’s dainty voice rings out as she approaches, “Are you okay?!”
   I huff a laugh, “Define ‘okay’, blondie!” 
   “If __________’s still cracking jokes, she’s still alive, right?” Christa laughs, coming to a stop just in front of us. The three horses surrounding her skid to a stop. 
   Horse trots up to me, nudging me with his nose. “Hey there, Horse,” I mutter, pressing my head against his. “Ya miss me?”
   “What happened to you guys?” Christa asks as she looks over me. “You look awful.”
  “Aw, gee, thanks, blondie,” I giggle, “I feel awful.”
   Christa’s soft face tightens slightly in concern. “...you’re sure you’ll be okay riding alone? Your horse… I dunno his name… but he seems to run alongside me pretty well- even without a harness.”
   “Yeah, that’s him, alright,” I mumble, rubbing Horse’s nose. “But I think I’ll be alright.”
   “...I’m with Christa,” Jean says warily, “You broke six ribs.”
   “What?!” Christa screeches. “Six?! No, ma’am! You’re riding with me or with Jean! Six ribs- what were you thinking?!”
   I shrug. “I’ve done worse.”
   “Worse?!” 
   Oops. Shouldn’t have said that.
   Christa sighs, pinching her eyes closed. “Fine. The past is the past. I can’t change it. But you- right now- are going to ride with Jean or me. Pick one.”
   “Yes, Your Majesty,” I mumble with a smirk. “I’ll ride with you. Give the boys a little show, how ‘bout that?”
   Christa turns a light shade of pink as Reiner helps me sit on top of Christa’s horse. “You behave,” Reiner mutters with a stern look. 
   But I can see it. 
   A little mischievous smirk plays his lips as he pulls away. 
   “Yes sir,” I coo, “I’ll be on my best behaviour.”
   The four of us start off towards the center. “What’s your horse’s name?” Christa asks. “He really seems to like you. Before, I couldn’t get him to hold still- then, when I said your name, he calmed down and followed us perfectly fine.”
   “...I just call him Horse.”
   “...oh…”
   I sigh and turn around to watch as Horse gallops. Cream-colored coat hiding thick muscles that twitch and writhe. Dots- freckles- that spatter his coat. His black mane whips about in the wind. 
   “Freckles,” I say quietly. 
   “What?”
   “Freckles. That’s his name.”
   I groan, letting my head fall back as my legs swing off the tree branch. “Rei, we’ve been sitting here for hours and you haven’t said a word to me,” my lip juts out in a pout, “Please talk to me.”
   Reiner grumbles under his breath. His arms cross over his chest as he sits on the farest end of the tree branch away from me. 
   “Baby,” I whine, “you aren’t still mad at me for-”
   “Yes, I’m still mad at you for being a tease. And we’ve been out here an hour. Hour and a half, tops.”
   “Tch,” I groan again, “Baby, it was just a joke. I didn’t mean to drop my ring.” I hold my hand out in the sun to look at my moonstone ring as it glistens. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
   “...you dropped it three times before we got up here.”
  “I would never do anything to tease you.” Reiner raises an eyebrow and I roll my eyes. “On a mission.”
   Rei’s shoulders lose some of their tension. “...you really didn’t mean to?”
   “Of course not, baby,” I coo softly. “Not on a mission.”
   Reiner sighs and rolls his eyes before getting to his feet. Wordlessly, he plops down beside me and lays his hand over mine on the branch. “You only call me ‘baby’ when you’re guilty,” he murmurs into the shell of my ear. “...so I forgive you.”
   “Oh good, you caught on,” I tease, nudging him with my elbow.
   “Easy, there, girl,” he huffs, “you’re still on thin ice.”
  “You can’t stay mad at me,” I turn to face him and flash him a face-splitting smile. “I’m your darling.”
   “...you’re right,” Rei laughs softly. “I could never.”
   The two of us fall into a comfortable- buzzing with adrenaline but still comfortable- silence. I lean forward to look at the Titans gathered at the base of our tree, clawing and gripping the bark in an attempt to get to us. Hungrily, they salivate and stare up at us with glazed eyes.
   The Female Titan. Why is she doing what she was? If she’s human, wouldn’t she want the walls to remain? They keep us safe for the time being. The outside world isn’t ready for us to break down our walls. And if she does want the walls gone, why? 
   And who is she?
   “...are you listening?”
   “Hm?” I ask, leaning back. “No, I’m sorry, I was just…,” my eyes flick down to the Titans, “...lost in thought.”
   “I was just asking how your sides are.”
   My fingers rub against my sides. They aren’t sore, they don’t hurt. I’ve always healed fast but knowing how long it’s supposed to take to heal sometimes, it’s… a little disconcerting. “I don’t feel anything.”
   “...you’re better already?”
   I shrug, “It could just be adrenaline. Or maybe they weren’t as badly broken as we thought they were. Bruising and breaks are really similar…”
   Reiner hums in acknowledgment. “As long as you feel okay. When we get back, I’m still getting you checked out.”
   “Yes sir.”
   I lean over the side of the branch to see the Titans again. “It’s strange that we weren’t directed around the forest.” I comment quietly, leaning over more before my ODM wire locks into place.
   “...Iyeah,” Reiner mutters, “Why wouldn’t we just go around?”
   “I dunno,” I strain, slightly jiggling the wire a bit. “But do you think it was on purpose?”
   “It’s Commander Erwin,” Rei chuckles, “Of course it was.”
   “That’s true… I just… It’s so hard for us to see threats coming in,” I grip the wire and tug harder. “So why send them in?”
   “Assuming he knows of the right flank casualties, we should’ve retreated a long time ago,” he mutters, “But we’re here and the center flank is somewhere in the trees.”
   “Which is also weird, right?” I ask, yanking on the wire even harder. “I mean, if we are gonna go in, why not-”
   The wire snaps out of the branch. The force of me pulling sends me over the edge of the branch. I watch as the wire extends rapidly- reeling me down towards the Titans’ grasps. Reiner runs to the end, reaching out to grab my hand. 
   But it’s too late. 
   A hand wraps around my body and pulls, unlatching my ODM wire from the tree. It starts to tighten as it turns me around to face it. My eyes lock onto it and I scream, thrashing around wildly. My arms are pinned in its hold- trapped against the steel of my ODM blade holsters and the clammy flesh wrapped around me. 
   Another Titan stares at me hungrily. As I look at it, red light starts to pour from its eyes like fog. Without warning, it lunges. I wince and duck away- waiting to be engulfed in moist darkness. 
   It doesn’t come. It’s replaced with an unearthly howl of pain and the sound of tearing flesh. 
   The grip around me falls away and as I’m spun in a free-fall, I catch glimpses of the scene above me. Red fog pours from the Titans’ eyes as they all latch onto the Titan that grabbed me. Bite by bite, they tear into the searing flesh of the Titan and devour the steaming chunks of bleeding meat. 
   They’re… eating it. 
   The red fog. 
   It was real. 
   My body stops, swinging up before I hit the forest floor. As we land on another branch, Reiner hugs me to his body tightly. “You scared the shit out of me,” he says raggedly. I feel tears drip onto my shoulder. But I don’t look at him- even as he pulls away, gripping my shoulders. 
   My eyes are focused on the fog swirling through the bodies of the Titans.
   What the Hell is it? 
   Why does it keep following me?
   Why does it keep saving me?
   “...__________!”
   I’m pulled back into my body- away from the grasping hands of the Titans that force muscles and tendons and organs down their throats. Blankly, I stare at Reiner. “What happened?” he asks quietly, looking over his shoulder at the Titans. “Are you-”
   A scream rips out of my throat as I look down at my hands. My fingers start to rake through my skin, clawing for the source of the red fog. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get it out. 
   Get. It. Out. 
   Reiner’s hands fumble with mine as they try to stop me from continuing the hurried slicing of my skin. “Darling, darling,” he says calmly as he grabs my wrists, “Darling, hey, look at me. Look at me.”
   Wildly, my eyes fly around my surroundings. 
   Get it out. Red fog. Red fog. I have to get it out. I have to find it.
   Red fog. I have to get it out. 
   Red fog. 
   “__________!” Reiner snaps, shaking me by my wrists, “Look at me!”
   My gaze settles on him but I can feel myself twitching and writhing in place. 
   Red fog. 
   Get it out. I have to get it out. 
   “...you’re okay,” he mumurs, “You’re okay now, okay, darling? You’re safe.”
   Tears burst from my eyes, leaking down my face as I roll my hands around from my wrists. Trembling violently, my body falls to the floor. Reiner catches me before I fall, scooping me up under my arms and holding me to him. 
   “There’s something... inside of me,” I strain, keeping down the screams wanting to claw their way out. My nails rake his back- threatening to rip through the fabric. “There is... something inside of me, Rei. I don’t know what it is. And I’m so scared, Rei. I just… I don’t… I don’t understand it. I… I don’t know... what it is. There’s… There’s something inside of me, Reiner, please! Please, Rei! Take it out! Get it out of me!”
WHEW 
a doozy like i said. if you made it this far, i am so proud of you. my short attention span could literally never. as always thank you so much for reading and i hope to hear your thoughts and comments! 
34 notes · View notes
chemicallady · 3 years
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Science and Vision
Part I
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A/N: let's start something completely new! Hope you'll like the idea. I dont know how many parts I'll write. Let's see what happens togheter.
Once, Greg said that he has to choice between science or 'something else'. And he chose science. What it someone we is going to bump into is thinking otherwise.
I'm also using the characters of Frank Diners, introduced in episode 13x02! A couple of years before those (terrible) event.
Important: this parts are dreams
Couple: Greg Sanders/Female!Reader
Category: Romantic, Supernatural, Phychic, a little of angst of course.
Content Warning: mention to cases in which is involved a kidnap and a murder. Csi classical stuff.
Summary:  Reader is a powerful psychic, as her grandmother. Unfortunately, this gift doesn't help her in paying the rent, but as his mom always says 'anything happen without a reason'.
Reader starts to believe that when a series of drammatic nightmares start to keep you company during the night. And the subject is always the same, like a video, replied over and over again....
*****
Las Vegas, December 5th 2010
《Sorry Vincent! I'm late!》
You make your entrance at your work place - Frank's Diner- and you notice both officers Akers and Mitchell laught softly at you from their position at the bench.
《Traffic is tremendous tonight》, you try to explain yourself, keeping your apron and put it on. Your boss is in the kitchen, so he doesn't notice your delay. Owen, his brother, grinns from the front desk, like he doesn't mind at all. Picking a pen and your notebook, you look at the two officers with a charming smile. 《What can I serve to you, gentlemen?》
Andy orders the usual coffee with bacon and eggs, even if is like three in the morning. The bell on the door rings again and four people are now coming into. The last one, the guy who is talking with Owen, is the one who always caught your attention. Greg Sanders, CSI, hot material. He is also funny and interesting.
A total match.
But probably too smart to notice a waitress. Little does he know that you have a master degree. You are the new one in here and most of the clients are cops. Cops never ask too much and if the do, well.... it's an interview.
《Ei (y/n)》 , sayis a man, smiling at you with his usual kindness. 《Are you on shift tonight? Isn't this your day off?》
《What can I say, Nicky?》, is your answer, keeping a pitcher full of hot coffee. You fill a cup for him while you are still speaking. 《I need some extra money. I have some problems with my car, actually...》
《Again?》 Sara asks you, keeping the mug you're offering to her. 《Maybe is time to change that tin can.》
Akers captures your attentions with a joke. 《Maybe that's why you're always late!》
You start to pretend to be offended, putting and hand on your chest. Greg laughs and answers for you. 《It's a '69 Chevy Chevelle, Sara. (Y/n) cant just throw that piece of history away.》
《Thanks Sanders, you truly are a man of culture》 , you says, bright smile and a little wink, while Edie grinns next to you. 《That car is a part of me》
《The oldest one, I presume》 , Catherine tosses at you, 《Sorry to bother your discussion about ancient veichles but we are on a case and we need some fuel to work. Can we order now, (y/n)? You are in front 9f a group of hungry forensics. 》
《Of couse you can!》 Vincent appears somewhere next to you. 《Edie will keep your orders guys! (Y/n) has a big mouth ... hasn't she?》
Everyone laugh while you blush a little, biting your tongue to avoid a rude tense. Dahlia comes to the bench, asking for her usual milkshake that you are more than happy to prepare for her. Just to hide how much you are embarrassed. The CSI stay for almost 30 minutes and you cant help yourself but searching for Greg's gaze. He gives you some in return, but the two of you don't speak till it's time to say goodnight.
《Which one?》, Dahlia asks you, while you are still pointing the door with both your eyes, as you are waiting him to come back and ask you out one of those days.
《Don't know what are you talking about》, is you flat answer while the realisation that he is gone again without your number arrives.
《Stokes or Sanders?》, the blonde ask again. Edie smiles, clearly enjoyed by the situation. You know that she is only happy to have a co worker but also too shy to ask first. There is Dahlia for this.
You sigh, 《Am I so obvious?》
《You look so helpless, baby girl》, Dahlia continues, playing with her long amazing hair. 《You didn't answer sweety.》
You have your back on a corner. Once a Marines, always a Marine and Dahlia is proving this theory to you right now. So you decide to let it go. 《The cutest...》
Edie keeps the dirty mugs, smiling even brighter. 《So Sanders》
《We need to arrange a date》, is the last statement from Dahlia, before she goes on Owen to pay. She lefts 5 bucks as a tip, and a malicious smile. 《Because if we have to wait the both of you, guys.... nights in Vegas are long, but not that much!》
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The crowd is melting in front of your eyes. All that is matter right now is him.
His eyes on the road, is smile....
The sound of the music is far away from you and you can enjoy the sweet sound of his voice.
The place is dark and quiet and you feel safe with him.
He is your only hope.
Your courage....
No one have never understood you like he can. You two meant to each other.
So why is he so mad at you?
And then the pain arrives.
Is impossible to handle it.
Your hands are painted in crimson and you are loosing your balance...
....The room is so cold.
The silence is heavier than you think.
And the Emptiness is swallowing you all, piece to piece, slowly....
◇◇◇◇◇
Here we go again. Another shift, beyond the bench with an headache caused by lack of sleep. It's the same old story since.... you can recall.
You've started to have this nightmare almost two weeks ago, when you moved to Vegas. It's funny, you run away from ghosts just to bump into new ones.
But this time is different. Is more...
Powerful and you are helpless because you can't just go to the doctor and tell him 'hi, I'm a psychic and my visions are too strong while I try to sleep. Can you prescribe me Valium? A family storage please.'
Everyone will change their behavior towards you if they only know...
Same old story, again.
And you are so tired to move away every time you feel uncomfortable.
Is a lonely condition because you have to keep this secret for yourself.
You are the mad one, in the end. The crazy girl who can see the 'emotions' of dead people. Their last moments. And you grow tired of being the freak.
You want to be normal.
You want to be less lonely.
《Ei (y/n). You look so pale, what's going on?》
Your eyes meet Greg's ones when you hear him speak. A tiny smile appears on your lips, while you rise your hand to keep a mug full of coffee for the agent. 《 Have you ever sperimented how awful is being tired but incapable of fell asleep?》
《Please don't tell me》, is his answer, while he is smiling at you. You can't help yourself but think that is so cute. 《Thank you for the coffee.》
《Do you want to eat something?》
《No, I'm fine (y/n). I just want to review this case. I hope I won't bother you if I stay here at the bench for a bit.》
So charming.
He would never bother you.
Another smile and then you come back to work, serving coffee and keeping orders to the abitudinary clients. Greg stays much longer than 'a bit', by the way. An hour passed and he is still there. Is almost the dawn and you are going to end your shift. You are so tired...
You will probably walk home; you are too messy to drive.
You come back to Greg and you lean against the bar, yawning in your fist. 《May I ask you about this case?》
He sighs. 《An answer for and answer.》
《Then ask, Sanders.》
He looks at you with a small grinn. 《Why you can't sleep? Did you partied all night at the Mediterranean?》
A small laught abandon you month. 《 I wish. I just had a nightmare....》 He looks sorry for you, but it's fine. 《So? The case?》
He goes through his file before he shows you a picture. You barely hear what he says next. 《A girl disappeared a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Nina Foster, a university student. She was the head cheerleader of the college's football team and she went missed since the last.... (y/n), are you ok?》
You are barely breathing now. 《Oh my God.》
《What?》 , he asks without understand what's wrong. 《Do you know her?》
《I didn't. 》 you reply. 《.... I have dreamt about her. My nightmares....》 your hand traces slowly the line of the jaw in the pic, before speak again. 《I saw her being stabbed in the belly..... I think she is dead.》
....That probably wasn't a good idea.
~ continue ~
34 notes · View notes
wychive · 4 years
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𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨
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summary // you found your pile of ‘letters’ to hyunjin that contain thoughts that have never been said and decided to write to him one last time.
pairing(s) // hyunjin x gn!reader, hyunjin x oc, slight minho x reader
genre(s) // angst, letter fic 
warning(s) // mentions of food, themes of being forgotten, vulgar wording, humiliation, overthinking
word count // 2.0k
author's note // happy birthday @noya-sannnn​ !! im sorry this was so late hhh you know how i am irl,, but i hope you enjoy this! i love you so much, jane <3 i apologize for the many grammar mistakes gn. i recommend listening to iu’s ending scene while reading this! btw y/n/n means your nickname.
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[10/01/14, 3:55am]
dear jinnie,
hi there! it's y/n <3 i hope you're doing okay - i mean of course you are pfft anyways, just writing this short letter (more like paragraph)  sort of as a venting mechanism? for things i cant tell you about lol  im not so sure how you would call it, since you're so much better at words than i am. basically were like:
hyunjin: ow a brain freeze!
me: haha brain go brrrr
anyways haha yea <3 it's 4am so like,, ill see you at school!
signed,
your loser,
y/n/n
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[15/02/14, 12:34am]
yo heartthrob!
im back with this kinda stuff haha it's been a whole? week? since ive written one of these so like yes..hi! i just wanted to say thanks, for today. you really know how to cheer me up huh? you really outdid yourself by setting up that little picnic for us. congrats on making the strawberry cake so perfectly <3 this day will always stay as a core memory in the back of my brain. you're too caring sometimes,,, istg you'll pay for this [maybe hugs?] >:) 
signed,
your partner in crime,
y/n/n
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[30/02/15, 01:29am]
jinnie-senpai~~
LMAO you hate me calling you that, doesn't change a thing though. hehe,, nways i hope you enjoyed your birthday present :) i got you that really cool skateboard that you wanted. i worked my ass off for that in my mother's garden so like,, you gotta thank me for that a thousand times :D nah jk, its a sincere gift, from me to you. i rarely do this for ANYONE so consider yourself lucky to have a best friend like me -3- also, seungmin is like….kinda the cutest person ever. introduce me to him pls, thank!
signed,
<your bestest friend3,
y/n
(p.s. you're kinda cute too,,,, ig,,, still stinkee tho)
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[13/04/15, 9:04pm]
hey 'baby' (HAHAHA ihy for this)
i hope your day was okay! i didn't see much of you today (which was sort of a bummer but wtv) so like…. uh yea. you told me you were doing okay over text, which kinda surprised me because like?? we always video call lol this is kinda the first time,, but its okay, i trust you! (i really hope youre doing alright tho, i'll beat anyone up if they make you sad >:( ) you also called me 'sweetheart' today which was like…. omg wtf haha????????? that was so weird to me for some reason… a good kind of weird :D we haven't done those kinds of nicknames in a while so…. happy to know that they're back in session <3 i talked to the new girl today, she's really cool! like she knows the bean song on tiktok so like its a total win heh, ill introduce you to her tomorrow! you'll love her a lot
signed,
your 'lover',
y/n/n
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[08/06/16, 10:23pm]
hey howl (hehe go back to that movie night we had)
this spring break sucks so much,, esp because youre not here (you still couldve brought me along :'[ ) but wtv i hope youre enjoying yourself. ive been hanging out with yeonnie lately and i found out she likes conan grey too like pls i love her sm. can we adopt her?? please???? she told me you guys have been video calling too and that makes me so happy!! you two are getting along so well aaa my precious babies </3 
what if you developed a crush on her? haha…..jk unless?? (no jk dont shes all mine, stay away >:) ) anyways, i hope the three of us hang out soon. maybe go to that ice cream parlour where they serve the best cookies and cream?  
signed,
your daisy,
y/n/n
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[19/07/15, 01:23am]
peepee poopoo hello
heyheyhey!! (heh, haikyuu thingz) i hope youre doing okay! i mean sure you are, with everything going so well. also i feel like you're not telling me something. maybe it's just me? is it? i hope it is because you tell me everything,, we've been talking less these days but its okay! i know how busy you are, especially with your dad always bugging you,,
also, i think yeonbin likes you :0,, she keeps talking about you whenever we hang out. don't get me wrong, its not bad that she likes you but...something doesn't feel right. i feel like i'm being the third wheeler here and like ugh idk. haha laughs yea i think its just me.. im sorry, i didnt mean to do you like this,, anyways, ill see you soon + her too ofc- yall are inseparable lmao
signed,
your moonlight,
y/n/n
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[23/07/15, 01:56am]
greetings, kind sir
lol more like mean sir but like aight KSKSK,, anyways,, how have you been? we haven't really talked in a while,, our convos are always so short with it being one-sided :/ i wish you were online more. yeonnie is ignoring me,, do you know why? i think you do,,, but when i asked you just said you didnt know. did i do something wrong? pls tell me.. 
she blocked my contact the other day and she won't even smile at me when i pass her in the hallways. its,, sad and stressful especially because she was the only one that would genuinely talk to me. i hate to say this,, but i miss you. us, hanging out like the best trio we are, yknow? but i dont think you miss me the same way. sorry, im getting out of hand. i know im just overreacting. im just gonna sleep ig,, good night! sweet dreams,,
signed,
your pink lemonade,
y/n/n
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[25/07/15, 03:25am]
hi there
i heard you and her got together?? congrats, jinnie! im so proud of you,, especially because you never had even considered getting a girlfriend a few months earlier lmaO you really woo the ladies huh? anyways,, i hope you've been well since we last talked,, how many days has it been?? i would say nearly a week or so but honestly it feels like a hundred years,, considering you and i used to talk every day. but you have her now to keep you company.
keep this a secret but can you possibly tell me why it hurts when i see her? or when i mention her or even think of her?? is it because she's connected to you? but.. you're my best friend, so why? is it because i miss you? is it because im alone now? is it because you left me with a simple 'i have to go now,, bye y/n/n.'? im not sure either. im being silly, i apologize. ill figure it out sooner or later. sweet dreams, jinnie
signed,
your asswipe,
y/n
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[25/07/15, 04:30am]
jinnie
it's because i love you. 
signed,
your butterfly,
y/n
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[??/08/??, 05:??am]
you
i miss your lame jokes. i miss your smile. i miss your laughs. i miss your funny faces. i miss the way your eyes twinkle. i miss th way you would make me happy just by doing the bare minimum. i miss the disaster you made when cooking breakfast. i miss the night when you snuck me out just to go to that pretty lantern event. i miss when you would call out my name everytime we met. i miss when we would share earbuds in train rides. dont you get it, hyunjin? i miss you.
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[??/??/15, ??:??am]
asshole.
please tell me that isn't true, please. you're too kind to do these kinds of things, right? + i was your best friend,, then, why, why did you hurt me like this. i didnt do anything wrong.. you couldve just told me you didnt like me,,, why did she have to tell me? out of all people. 
youre so pathetic for this,, i thought you were brave, bold - but youre just a fucking coward. i loved you, i really did. and i realised too late… im sorry. she,, i shouldn't have talked to her in the first place, right? i bet you knew she humiliated me, in front of everyone. of course you did, you were the only one that knew. you told her. fuck, i hate you so much (yet why do i long for you on a night like this?). you know how much that'll affect me and yet, there you are, laughing about it with her.
signed,
fuck off,
you know who i am.
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[31/08/15, 03:41am]
ah, jinnie
please tell me this is just a nightmare. please, please. stop just reading my texts, please answer them. jinnie. i miss you so much. i dont care bout her, please just let me be in your arms. i dont care if you love me back, please just talk to me at least. tell me what i did wrong,, jinnie,, please,,, clear these tear stains on my cheek with kisses.
signed,
your fuck-up,
y/n
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[15/09/15, 04:59am]
jinnie
why do i keep crying because of you? its been a few weeks since everything has happened. please, nothing has changed. i still love you the same even with all the hatred i have pent up in this stupid brain of mine. i wish i could just walk back in time, to where it all began.
when i first met you in third grade and you pushed me while playing soccer or maybe when we took those ridiculous prom pictures, remember those? i hope you still have them,, because i do too. i hope the pictures of us on your wall still hang there,, it'll remind you of the happy times. hm,, maybe you don't need them. 
you already have millions of pictures with you and her,, i bet you printed some and replaced those with ours right? sly dog. 
signed,
friend,
y/n/n
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[04/02/16, 12:57am]
hey
i went to the park today and saw both of you being happy. it's nice to see your smile again. im sorry i didnt go up to you,, i just thought it would be awkward. when i heard that adorable laugh of yours, it made me realise that i lost something special. but it's okay isnt it? as your happiness matters more than mine. 
signed,
y/n
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[06/01/20, 08:00pm]
dear hyunjin,
im doing fine here. how about you? gosh,, how long has it been? years? since we last talked to each other. i havent heard from you since. i would just like to say i still think of you sometimes, when watering the plants or dancing while making pancakes. sometimes i think you're here with me too, just being the pals we were. 
sometimes i'd see you out, just reading a book in the park or buying pasta sauce at the grocery store. it's nice to see you having a stable life. im not sure if you're still with her or not, but its good to know that you still have that large friend group. also! you're never gonna guess who im dating--
it's minho! do you remember him? the one that i used to hate,, uh yeah. he asked me out the other day- you may wonder how tf,,, i too do not know how tf but he gives the best hugs ever. he gave me the love i wanted from you. he stitched my heart back together after it broke,, i love him so much, jinnie..
it's snowing,, do you remember when we would skate on the frozen lake in front of your house? are your parents well? i wonder if your mother still has those earrings i bought for her birthday. i never told you this but your laugh and hers sound so similar. 
i would just like to say thank you, for everything. you were a big part of my life, up until now. when we see each other after this, we would just be strangers. maybe flash a little smile or give a little wave whenever we greet each other but nothing more. some memories of us would flow in every now and then but it'll just be a short teaser. well, i'll be going now. smile for me, okay?
signed,
the one that loved you the most,
y/n.
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eagehaunting · 3 years
Text
Mystery March 2021 day 8: Home
I used today as an excuse to write out a little something on how Lewis took possession of the mansion! I hope you guys enjoy!
Lewis wasn’t sure how long he had been in this mansion. If he could focus enough to estimate, probably a few days, if worse came to worse, probably months.
And yet, he still hadn’t cleaned... Lewis turns a corner and takes in the long, dusty corridor. The many rickety doors stared back at him mockingly. The rugs hissed as they crunch under his shoes. The peeling wall paper threatened him with every step that he took.
“Lewis, what are you doing?” Comes a voice to his left, shocking Lewis out of his exhausted stupor and bringing him to look at the wall- more appropriately, the portrait. The woman with fine purple curls- Faust- stares back at him pointedly. “Well?”
“I... I wanted to get out of my room,” he admits, before his eyes wander to the mildew forming beside the portraits golden frame. “But now I remember why I didn’t want to come out.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. I know it seems difficult now, but it’ll become easier. I promise.”
His frown deepens, and Lewis sighs miserably while leaning against the wall across from her. “I know.. I just don’t think I’m ready.”
“Why’s that?”
“I haven’t gotten a hand on my powers. Not yet, ” Lewis admits, chewing on his lip. Faust rolls her eyes, but props her elbows on her frame. Even though she couldn’t poke her head out far enough, Lewis understood the sentiment.
“Lewis, look at me.” He drags his gaze to meet hers. Faust’s eyebrows soften, and she heaves a gentle sigh and leans out a bit more, letting her curls fall out and touch the dirtied ground. “Being dead is tough, trust me, I know. Being in your shoes is also hard, and I can’t imagine how much it’s hurting you to deal with what happened.” The almost condescending tone- something Lewis knew he was imagining - made him flinch, averting his gaze to the painted tree in Faust’s background. He almost regrets sharing all of his backstory with her, and if he knew she would have this tone most days, he would have kept his mouth shut.
“The house is ready to accept you, and so are all the occupants. We will stand behind you every step of the way.”
Lewis grimaces, but nods. There wasn’t a point in fighting her right now. He had a good feeling all of the other portrait ghosts would be on her side too. It only makes sense. Lewis did accept the role as the new owner... he just had to take control, let his power manifest.
Now if only it wasn’t so hard.
Clicking her tongue, Faust straightens up. “Worry not, Lewis. You don’t have to do it this instant, the moon is still out and clearly you aren’t in the right state of mind. Now...”
A distant familiar clacking of metal grew nearer. As two suits of armor step into the entrance of the hall, they cast Lewis a worried look. One that Lewis doesn’t return, instead opting to glare at the stained rug.
Faust continues, “I think it’s time for you to go back to sleep. We will figure your abilities out tomorrow.”
Lewis follows the guards up the steps, and then up another. The wall paper, bricks, and windows full of moonlight blurs together until it accumulates into one door. His door. Leading to the single highest room in the entire mansion.
The guards take their stand on either side of it, nodding to Lewis carefully and not waiting for him to nod back before stilling.
“Thank you, sir Clive, sir Ranveer.” Lewis murmurs, pushing open the door and stepping in.
The room is simple, despite the elegant state one may expect. An old, wooden bed frame, scratchy wool blankets and a silk top sheet. Light pink curtains that flutter in the open window. Lamps on either side of the bed that didn’t actually turn on.
His room, and yet far from it.
Pulling the blankets aside, Lewis crawls into the bed, nestling his face against the pillow and pretending like he couldn’t smell the light stench coming from it.
Tomorrow he will take hold of his power, and he will make this mansion his home.
His home, for him and all the spirits already residing within it.
Lewis’s eyes moisten as he falls into his ‘slumber’. Praying for no nightmares.
“Im going to take the lower path, why don’t you two take the other... don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine! I have Mystery.”
“Dont cling to Lewis too much Ar...”
The moss and slimy green walls reflected like a million eyes. All watching. All staring.
Even as Lewis peered up at his own hand, clutching his torch, knowing what was to happen... he wished more than anything that he could simply turn around.
His stomach drops, his blood runs cold. The sudden halt broke his fall, his spine bent oddly and digging behind his bellybutton.
Cold. Cold. Yet so hot.
Empty. Yet rushing. A river, but still. There was so much light at first, and then it was so dark. Growls, howls, screams of every kind...
Loneliness.
All he wanted... was for them to come back. Save him.
Of all the memories Lewis had to revisit, why did it always have to be this one?
There was still gaps, such as the moment when he hit the spike, and when he forced himself up. How he even did it, Lewis wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t focus on that when the gaping wounds in his chest filled with with and stung from the cold.
His legs still ached from the stillness and the fatigue, and from the exhaustion of being awake despite dying. He wobbled far, tracing his dead fingers along slimy walls and against currents of chittering laughs. Then the constant thought. A mantra. Over and over. Come back for me. Come back, please.
Wake him up from this bad dream.
If only he accepted that it wasn’t going to happen...
He didn’t know where he was going, nor how long he was going to walk, but Lewis didn’t stop until he was face to face with a tall metal gate that shined unlike the eyes in the walls.
The rusted lock doesn’t break, but Lewis pushes through like jelly.
The staircase was a nightmare. Transitioning from cave stone to proper granite the higher he ascended. All while the prickling sensation of being watched crept up his back and urged his weak and heavy body to move faster.
Lewis ‘wakes up’ up with a shallow gasp. Eyes wide, he pants. Slowly turning his head, a layer of sticky sweat clings to Lewis’s face. He wipes it away and peels back the blanket, crawling out of the bed as the lingers of his ‘dream’ fights to hold the forefront of his mind.
His friends... they still haven’t come back for him. The guards would have alerted him if they returned to the cave, and Lewis would have been rushing out the doors if he heard the familiar engine.
They weren’t here. Lewis isn’t sure why he kept expecting them to suddenly show up.
Pushing himself to move, Lewis hops into a float and drifts to the door. Figuring that he may as well show that he has a grasp on some of his new abilities, now he just needed to realize what his main skillset was.
The guards lead him down the flight of stairs, past the library, and the office, and to the largest room in the mansion.
The living room was filled with an air of elegance, even if covered in dust and mildew. Several portraits line the walls beside the mighty fireplace, and leading to it was two long couches and an even longer coffee table. Book cases sat in between the tall windows, and smaller spaces left unused seemed to act as their own mini lounge, with a smaller bookcase, chair, table, and lamp.
Lewis compared it to a community center before, but now it felt like a stage.
More guards file in behind Lewis, with Sir Clive and Ranveer taking their positions behind him. He could feel a heavy, although gentle pat on his back from Ranveer.
After that, the dozen or so smaller, formless and colorless ghosts fly in and take their seats on the cushions.
The fireplace before him seemed to smile at him. With its decorations acting as its wise and considering eyes.
A line of sweat slides down Lewis’s cheek. Now wasn’t the time for stage fright, but his legs lock up in their floating position. He inhaled slowly.
“Psst.”
Glancing over, Lewis catches the soft, affectionate smile on Faust’s face. She tilts her head. “You got this.”
Lewis balls his fists, ”Do I? I really didn’t expect everyone to gather for this...” he admits.
“We know.” The portrait of the priest, Father Zachariah, responds. He gives Lewis a stern look, reminding Lewis to stand straight. “We didn’t want this to be a private affair. If you are really taking over this mansion like you said you would, then we have to right to partake in your awakening.”
“Aw jeez, give the man a break, will ya?” Another portrait, Terri to wrestler reaches out and fists some of Zachariahs robe, glaring at him. “Can’t you see he’s nervous?” He then says, throwing out his hand in a grand gesture toward Lewis, who shrinks back slightly.
Tamaki, the attorney, rolls his eyes dramatically and pinches his brow. “Lewis, I can assure you this isn’t a judgment, quite the contrary. We knew that it would have been hard for you to do this on your own, so we are providing an ample amount of support throughout the activities. Do you understand?”
He nods, unsure how else to respond, although the exhaustion made Lewis want to join the spirits on the couch and take a long nap.
The two portraits of shadows, Haseeb and Ameena, also nod in tandem. “Yes, Lewis. Infact, since you enjoyed music, we wanted to bring out the excitement.... I hope you’re okay with that.”
“Speaking of which,” Faust pipes up, leaning out of her frame and narrowing her eyes at the spirits sat on the couch. “Weren’t you all supposed to grab your instruments? Where are they!”
The colorless ghosts jump and flash past Lewis in one synchronized movement, before rushing back just as quickly. Returning with old violins, cellos, flutes, clarinets, and trumpets. Two more lag behind, with a cymbals, and one final one dragging something heavy. He turns, eyes widening as a singular spirit drags a *piano* from a closet he didn’t remember being there.
”Hold on, I’ll help you.” he says before realizing he was moving, that is until he floats past to the other side of the piano and bracing itself underside. Only for the spirit to send him an anxious look.
Oh.. it’s probably too heavy for them to also lift. Lewis spots the mini orchestra and waves them over. ”We need more hands, come over here and help up.”
Abandoning their instruments, several more spirits rush and brace the other side, allowing the piano to be lifted and carried earlier.
“Yeah you deadbeats! Why do you need his command to get a move on?” Terri calls, anything but cruel however. Deadbeats... that’s an interesting term. Lewis faintly ponders as he sets the piano down, before going to retreat the stool.
At the same time, the living rooms doors open, and the puny skeletal gardener drags in the painter spirit.
“Rye! Thank you for fetching Elora.” Tamaki says.
“Oh eff off,” Rye responds, plopping down on one of the chairs and sinking down. “I was busy trying to save up my energy for tonight’s show. You want there to be flowers, right?”
Flowers?
“Yep, thats why the windows are open. Let’s wait until Lewis is prepared however.”
”N-no need to wait, I’m ready now,” Lewis squeaks out, clearing his throat as he turns and takes in the grumpy strawberry looking gardener.
Rye bobs their skull and spins away from him, “Fantastic.”
She raises her arms, and in a swift motion, glows the same ripe red color as her dress. All at once, the windows are swarmed with vines. Green foliage spilling in, connecting across the ceiling, draping and tangling amongst the curtains, and wrapping around the stone busts on the bookcases. It happened so fast that Lewis couldn’t react. Instead he gaps up at the magnificent display, watching as floral arrangements burst, forming meticulously designed patterns along the entire room.
When he finally tears his gaze away from the display, Lewis is met with calm, expectant smiles.
“Ready whenever you are, bucko.” Rye pats his arm and reclaims her seat, leaving him in the center of his imaginary stage.
Now, his anchor beats twice as fast, almost overwhelmed by all of the effort, all the eyes sim directly at him.
Pressing his finger tips together, Lewis wets his lips. Several heads tilt as they wait.
Clearing his throat, Lewis lowers his head,”... I’m sorry. What am I supposed to do first?”
Faust gasps lightly, the first to realize their crucial mistake. Ignoring Terri’s chiding, she clears her throat.
“Of course, Lewis, the first thing we need you to do, is concentrate on your internal thoughts. As you do, try to figure out which emotion or feeling is more prominent.”
A single note plays from the deadbeat sat at the piano, followed by the violin, and a growing hum from the others who hadn’t begun to playing. Lewis’s heart skips a beat, and he bites his lip as he closes his eyes. The piano continues, the notes floating through his mind and striking chords that were far from forgotten.
A new set of voices fill in the emptiness between notes, running alone side the piano and dancing along with the violin. A flute begins, and Lewis sharply inhales.
He loves music, he always has, it always made him want to dance. Grab the first person in arms length and pull them close, whether it be the waltz or a swing, it filled him with warm laughs that always spread across his face in a smile. A familiar tingle fills his arms, and Lewis is sure that he can feel Vivi in front of him, swaying as they listened to the music. The warmth grows as she fills his minds eye. Her soft scarf tangled in between them, how her skirt swirled and swished as she spun and dance, leaving him warm in the face and his chest full of bubbling warmth.
Warmth. He felt warm.
That certain warmth fills his hands, tingling at his finger tips and running along his scalp.
The room smelt faintly of decay and staleness, but a memory envelopes him, and Lewis is in his families kitchen. Dancing in place and singing at the top of his lungs with his sisters twirling around him. Cinnamon, garlic, sugars and herb fills his nostrils. The lavender and sweet floral in the air elevating the smells of their garden which he pranced through many times during the warm summer nights. The bonfires, the flare of heat from the oven, the thick humidity in a late evening as Lewis arm wrestles with his much scrawnier friend.
The warm spreads up his elbow and all along his back. Before Lewis knew it, the singing, the music grew loud, amplifying as more instruments add to the mix, and as his own voice joins them. A crash of the cymbals becomes the splash of the beach, and the laughter chittering along with it.
His heart races, and the warmth becomes hot and exhilarating as he recalls the endless nights of fondness. Of redness in his cheeks from drinking alongside his friends, on his tongue as he taste tests his fathers latest recipe, and the swell of pride upon seeing Cayennes first ballet recital.
Pride, love, happiness.
Spastic notes become fireworks. Blasting, rocketing, exploding across the night sky. It becomes the crash and crackle of buildings as he and his friends rush from burning buildings, away from spirits whose voice booms too loud. The warmth spreads to his legs, in the ache of running, carrying his friends over his shoulders in a desperate need to escape. As his heart burns in the terror of thinking they were hurt. In wanting to slam his fist into the fiends face for daring to threaten his loved ones.
The guards dance with him, metal clacking and sparking. Lights spot the area as Lewis shoots out his arms and pulls one in against his chest to spin in tandem, before releasing them in a dramatic flourish.
Anger, fear, the need to protect.
His friends, his family.
The loves of his life-
Lewis opens his eyes, and the passion fueling his movements die in an instant.
His hand glows, his arm flaring. A line of fire burns away from him, pink and flaming and just as excited as he was. Gasping, Lewis tears himself away, slipping and hitting the ground. The music screeches to a halt all at once. Everyone freezing.
“Lewis, are you okay?” Faust calls out, gripping her frame as if she were going to rip herself out of it. Concern warping her face, along with the other portraits, the ghosts, everyone.
“You were doing good!” Terri says, “don’t tell me you got cold feet!”
Tamaki nods in agreement, “it’s truly delightful to see you smile for once. I was worried we would never see it.”
Shoulders tense, Lewis’s eyebrows furrow.
That... was him?
Baffled, Lewis holds his hand in front of him, and sure enough his palm was glowing. He tenses the muscles, and he jumps as a small flame puffs out at him.
”I- wait, seriously? I did it?”
“Yes, you did. Marvelous work, Lewis.” Zachariah hums approvingly. The warmth- embarrassment and concern- floods his chest, before Lewis is smothered by smiling deadbeats swarming him in a hug. Curling around him and nuzzling their formless heads against his.
His legs twitch as Lewis rises, floating naturally instead of jumping this time, and becoming upright.
Everyone is smiling at him, faces warm and bright with delight. Warm with the same sentiment, that it was time to make this his home...
He knew it, they knew it, that had to be the entire point of everyone gathering. Not to help him, but to watch him accept them as his new family... leaving his old.
Leaving his family, and his friends...
Faust is the first to speak, eyes crinkling. “Are you ready?”
What about Vivi? Arthur? How is he going to be there for his sisters? How can he keep his friends safe if he can’t be there for them. He can’t abandon them. Because they won’t abandon him. They wouldn’t. They’re coming back for him.
”No. I’m not.”
The disappoint was clear by the stilted air. But no one argued with him. The deadbeats had sunk, their instruments hitting the ground in shock, before being lifted up and taken back to their proper places. The vines retreat and retract, and quietly, the spirits all left the living space. Even the first place seemed to grow cold, if that was even possible.
Lewis didn’t say anything to the portraits when he left the room and raced upstairs to his tower of solitude. The same thought racing through his head again and again.
They’re coming. They will.
Soon. Soon...
Soon...?
Feeling trapped and terribly homesick, Lewis crawls under his blankets. His eyes sting from moisture that shouldn’t accumulate in the sockets, but he wipes them away anyway. Pulling the blanket over his head, Lewis curls into a ball.
Why did it hurt so much reject them? Why did it hurt so much to hold off for so long?
What was he expecting? For Arthur and Vivi to pull up in their bright Orange van and pull him out of the bed, pull him into an embrace, and into the van. Whisk him away so he can embrace his mami and papi, kiss his sisters and tell them how much he missed them.
Why was he even holding out hope? They arent coming back! Why would they...
Arthur killed him... Lewis’s arms shake and he grips the blankets. Arthur shoved him off that fucking cliff with a smile on his face. He should be grateful for anyone to accept him into their family.
He wanted to slam his fist into his gut, to direct the pain from his aching chest. Lewis wanted his eyes to stop stinging.
But he couldn’t. Home was where they were, and he has been thrown away.
Lewis fell into a half sleep, living through the same memory of his death again and again. Watching as his nightmare loops with his life being torn from his grasp with a single push.
That one moment of inaction, the one second of trust. And now?
Lewis is dead.
The memory looped for a fifth time, with Lewis desperately searching for an escape from the grip of reality, when the universe finally gives him one.
An engine. It’s not loud, and it rattles lightly. Lewis pops awake, disoriented from the jarring switch from the cave to his bed, but he disregards it.
Tearing the blankets, an adrenaline thrashes through him. Warmth, heat, rocketing through him. It burns his soles as the impossible dangles right in front of him.
It can’t be, is it really them?
Are they here for him?
Lewis’s anchor skips a beat as he almost falls down the first set of steps. Before he hits the steps face first, his body vanishes in a burst of flame and reappears with a running start at the bottom. The halls wake up with the pound of his feet and his heart, and Lewis forgets that others lived on this decrepit mansion as he races to the main stairway, leading to the front door.
He expects specks of blue, yellow, and white to meet him there. For smiles to spread across their face as they run to swallow him in a hug.
Lewis freezes. Heart going still. Heat draining as he takes it in...
There’s four people, who he hardly recognizes, except for the role they were trying to play as they whisper amongst themselves.
”This place wasn’t here a few days ago.” “do you think it’s a trap?” “Do you think anyone’s here?”
Paranormal investigators...
They start to wander, poking at the busts and pushing open doors, unaware of Lewis staring at them.
It’s not them, his friends aren’t coming.
Now strangers are in ... in this mansion, disturbing the people who have been nothing but kind to Lewis.
The need to protect returns, strong and lashing as his fists ball up, tears stinging his eyes.
Teeth grinding, heat pools into his hands, and fire spits out like sparks of electricity. Finally grabbing the investigators attention as he stomps on the first step. The fire crackles, leaving a singed footprint in its place, but Lewis doesn’t care. Focusing on the bug eyed look of the four intruders who back away in mounting terror as the flames rise.
Breath coming out in hisses, Lewis growls. ”Get out.”
It was enough to send the four scrambling for the door, the engine roaring again as they undoubtedly piled in. Just in time for the suits of armor to clamber behind him, looking around in shock until they see him.
The furious gaze didn’t die upon seeing them. No. Except Lewis turns away from them and floats to the bottom step, theres a strain on his body that extinguishes the fire in his hands, but that didn’t matter.
Lewis rounds the corner, leaving a trail of smoking fire pits in his wake.
Until he’s stood in front of the fireplace, the hearth that he was instructed to simply light it to accept his place as the homes new owner and protector.
His first family protected him, but his loved ones ended his life. Now it’s his turn to ensure the safety of the only family he may have left.
Lewis’s arm wavers as he lifts it up, a ball of fire burning his palm and spitting in every which direction as he glares at the fireplace, whose glass doors open wide.
The flame shoots out, and upon making contact with the bricks and wood, the entire mansion lights up in a magical blast. Transforming peeling wallpaper to freshly striped, strewing chandeliers in every room it could fit, burning away the rot and leaving the floors warm and spotless.
Everything around him changed in an instant, but Lewis doesn’t see it.
His anchor hits the ground with a soft clink, hot to the touch and wet with tears.
18 notes · View notes
shyrose57 · 3 years
Note
Part 2 with da angst
2: Young Ranbob did not understand at all what was going on, infact he refused to believe he ever had anything to do with the sabotages, it was only when Dream took over completely and gave Ranbob enough of his mind to know what he was doing, did he finally accept it. He tried and tried to break Dreams control and get control of his body back, but nothing he did ever really worked, and the more he tried Dream eventually began to punish him, forcing him to stop. He felt aboustely awful, like a failure, a murder, and just a shitty person during all of this. His journal shows basically all of his mental decline, it went from normal, him recording special things during the day, to semi-normal, him expression concern and fear over the sabotages and killings (with some out of place words or sentences here and there appearing half way through, showing Dreams presence), to recordings from someone with obvious mental distress (misspelled words, extreme fear, showing fear of himself, hasty writings and drawings, very obviously out of place sentences (their neater than the rest and written differently, written by Dream), and meaningless words and sentences, obviously trying to say something but not knowing how too), all they way to flipping entries of when Ranbob is in control (sadness, despair, hasitly done, regret, and just heavy sentences) to when Dream is in control (Neat writing, stating "facts", showing a level of glee). Ranbob does still have it, he actually still uses it to record what happens in the groups and how far he's come. To the Gladiators its more of a "Hey I found this thing, lets read this thing." "No let's not read the thing." "Im going to ignore you and read it anyway.". The pictures are from the current ruined state of the City of Mizu, and pictures showing Ranbob at the fishermens house, struggling to walk and even eat on his own, though a few are from before Dream ever got a hold of Ranbob. 
3: The way you just said "Causally drops some trauma on them, huh?" And "Traumatized gremlins" made me laugh so much. Its so accurate and made me just think of the brothers vibing toghere before I just pop in and drop tons of trauma on them before dipping. "Ah, damn, the opponent stared me in my chest." "WHY ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS!? YOUR BLEEDING OUT!" "Oh im used to this. Trust me I'll survive...probably." "RAN I SWEAR!". And "Ranbob when did you last eat?" "Uhhh, 2 days ago I think." "..." "D-did I eat too soon? I dont have to eat for another day or two max-" "Ranbob shut up and eat." "B-but-" "If you dont eat I'll tell Benjamin." "OK ok I'll eat."  Ran thinks its normal to get stabbed often, while Ranbob thinks its normal to only eat every 2 or 3 days, and to not sleep for a long time. There is one particular hunter that's been hunting him the longest, they go by Raq and are the most determined to get Ran, though they don't plan on killing him, but rather kidnapping him and exploting him for pearls. It was a bit hard at first, Ran kept having to leave to wander around the City for a bit, though he eventually successfully got accustomed to staying in one place, though he does sometimes wish he could travel again. 
4: A bit of everything, him getting violent and trying to run at first. But after that it fades more into what resembles a depressive state, with him refusing to move and crying while being lost in his head. He requires space to move around but be monitored in the first state, while for the second he needs constant comfort and physical contact. The aftermath was the fishermen and Jackie staying close to Ranbob for the next 2 days, while Grievous and Watson try to find Ran after he stormed off in anger and disbelief. Ran does know what a relapse means, but during the time he believes Ranbobs relapse might be something else (like his facade faulting maybe).
5: Not long at all, while Ran is carrying Jackie and Cletus makes fun of them as Ranbob is following him, Jackie quickly points out how Ranbob is like a lost puppy, and the same thing is basically happening to the two of them, but showed different ways. (The brothers making sure their family is safe by sticking close to them).
6: By the time they travel to Subbin, Ranbob has gained like 80 pounds and is a way more healthy weight and looks much more healthier than when the fishermen first found him. 
7: Their usually either getting materials, looking around the area/exploring, being taught things by someone, or sleeping. Charles was the one who revived the nickname! He called him that when trying different tactics to calm him down from a nightmare, Ranbob immediately froze and after a while started to cry, Charles panicked but Ranbob quickly comforted him, saying he just hasn't heard Bobby used in such a long time and brings back both incredibly happy and incredibly sad memories. And with permission, Charles starts using it more. Ran also freezes when hearing it, immediately going ridged and almost ripping a map he has in his hands, when asked by Grievous what was wrong, he just growled out nothing and moved on. Though he does mull over it later, conflicting emotions running all over him. 
8: Helping separate Ran and Ranbob was already big for the gladiators. As most people would just watch with glee. Then when they get time to talk and make the connection between Ran and Ranbob, they decide to make a exception and willingly put in effort to bond with the other group. Also them just naturally connecting made the bonding and trust easy between the groups. 
9: They do both! They keep some books, pictures, and other stuff, but sell others as relics. Ranbob mostly disapproves of them selling the items, but also knows it'll probably be best to sell them, and have them either spread the story of Mizu as a warning, or have the story of Mizu destroyed by assumptions and twisting of the story. 
10: I'm thinking maybe a Wilbur decendent is inhabiting a certain town, and when the groups stop in for a break, Wilbur decendant  houses them and listens to their story, and tries to help?
11: They mostly just find them, they either find them in book stores or ruined towns and cities (maybe I can put The Masquerade tale in here somewhere), a wide range of people, from scholars to plain history nerds, to books from during the time of the SMP itself to books written by seemingly no one. Ranbob finds some himself, mostly when exploring with the group. I think I misworded this! Dream is the one who compared Ranbobs journal to Ranboos memory book! Ranbob knows of Ranboos memory book but he himself doesn't see the connection. Ran feels all of the above. He is extremely ashamed and disappointed in himself for hurting his brother, he hugs him tightly and apologizes non-stop, promising to make it all up to him, and while he asks for forgiveness he also says he doesnt expect for his brother to forgive him. Once he finally sees Dream for real though he's the first one to blindly attack and try to kill em. Though he doesnt succeed. 
12: No one expect the brothers where outside in the rain when they fought. So no one knew of what was happening. Its only when Ran finally joined them, but alone, did they get scared and alarmed. And when Ran admits they got into a fight and Ranbob ran off, the fishermen immediately start yelling at Ran and run off to find Ranbob, screaming his name into the deafening thunder. Grievous follows them but Watson and Jackie hang back a bit, Jackie just looks at Ran with a heartbroken expression, tears in his eyes, and asks, with his voice shaking and laced with sadness, "Why can't you at least try to accept him, you dont have to like or forgive him, but why can't you just let him heal?" "Jackie..you dont know what's he done-" "I do know! And I'm willing to help him change and recover! You can't and your his brother! What kind of family member are you?" Ran tries to respond but Jackie just chokes and shakes his head at him, running off to follow the others. Watson then speaks up, simply saying "Mate, your doing more than hurting Ranbob at this point." Before running off to follow and join the others. Ran feels horrible, even before being confronted he so badly wanted to chase after Ranbob, but was to scared too and he constantly was trying to reassure himself that he did the right thing, but no matter what, he couldn't convince himself that was the truth. And after the confrontation, Ran is taking what was said to heart and also considering running away, leaving the group behind and sparing them of all the pain he believes he causes, believing that he's just as bad a family member as Ranbob was. But he doesnt, because he feels like he absolutely needs to talk to his brother and everyone else. 
2: Oh god. Poor Ranbob. He really went through it. It does make me wonder, did anyone notice something was up? His mentor? Parents? Friends? Speaking off, what was his relationship with them all? From what I know, he seemed to be under a lot of pressure, so how did that effect things, and how did Dream’s presence change that? And uh, gladiators reactions to reading the diary? Also, did they get caught reading it, or? And how did everyone in general react to the pictures? The fishermen may have taken the latter, but how did they feel about seeing Ranbob before Dream came into the picture?
3: I tell it like it is, glad to hear it’s made you laugh though. And uh, oh boy. On one hand, I definitely shouldn’t laugh at stabbing and possible starvation. One the other. Ran’s reaction. Ranbob being threatened with Benjamin. Is he often threatened with Benjamin? What exactly happens if Benjamin is told? Will Raq be causing future problems? Is Ran happy to be on the road again?
4: That sucks. Did the gladiators witness it first hand, or did the fishermen kind of realize what was happening and split off for a bit? Reactions to either seeing or hearing this happen?
5: Ranbob’s reaction to this? Heck, all of the fishermen’s reactions?
6: As he should. If he ever starts looking even slightly thin again, Benjamin needs to jump into immediate action! Also, give him a blanket and warm drink, please? Please, he needs it, they all do. 
7: So not too bad, that’s good. Charles was the one, huh? Interesting. Does Ranbob like having it back? And conflicting emotions, hmm? What would those emotions be? Does anyone ever notice the nickname makes him mad? 
8: So the gladiators consider that their big approval? Why’s that? Like obviously, they helped break it up, but was it something particular? Did they get between the two? Jump into the arena? What?
9: A warning of Mizu...there’s something awfully tragic about that. 
10: Sounds interesting! In what way would they be able to help? 
11: Scattered about, hm? So Ranbob knows about Ranboo’s memory book? Did Dream tell him, or did Mizu have a copy, or? And yay, Ranbob finally gets a hug! Most wonderful! Sad Ran doesn’t succeed in murder, but meh. Always next time, I suppose.
12: You...you were really going for my heart when you wrote this, weren’t you? Um, first of all, ouch. Second of all, also ouch. That’s all I’ve got for you right now. Just, ouch, Anon. Ouch.
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kaito-is-baby · 4 years
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DR2 cast with an S/O with sleep paralysis part 2
More of the S/O with sleep paralysis series
Part 1
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Sonia Nevermind
•When she found out she was even more in love
•Could you be more perfect?
•She has always been very interested in the sleep paralysis topic
•She is so interested in that kind of things
•You know dark themes and scary things
•She knows a lot about it
•She knows TOO much about it
•She has spent hours watching youtube videos about sleep paralysis
•And is really super interested
•She bury you on questions
•So you tell her all your experiences before
•And she is amazed
•Wow how can you be so amazing?
•She is sure that those thing you see on your paralysis are dark spirits who want to contact you
•And she is super excited at how friendly they are to you
•You really are something especial
•And you are sharing this with her, she is so happy!
•You try to explain her that those aren't real spirits but scary things your subconscient created
•But she doesn't listen, she wants to think those are spirits
•And you are so in touch with them! She loves it!
Gundham Tanaka
•Oh my godness you are for real his queen/king of darkness!
•You are so attracted to darkness that it haunts you on your sleeping
•You try to explain to him that that isn't how it work
•But he is sure it is
•Don't worry, if you don't like them he will keep you safe with his power
•He will keep all of your paralysis away
•Even if he does think it is amazing and keeps you on touch with the spirits
•If you dont want it then he will protect you
•He uses his powers in a ritual
•"Do not worry my dear, no spirit will haunt you on your sleep from now on"
•You are a little sceptical at first
•Not because you don't believe in your boyfriend's powers
•Is beacuse your sleep problems have nothing related to spirits
•Right?
•Well, maybe there is something because you do stop having them
•Maybe it is because he is always sleeping with you
•And sleeping with people helps to stop paralysis
•Yeah, sure it is the reason
•Or maybe it is really because of his powers...
•The point is that you finally get to sleep tigly thanks to your powerful and lovely boyfriend!
Hiyoko Saijonji
•You two usually sleep together
•Because she needs some help tying her kimono, cooking her dinner, bathing alone... you know how she is
•"Well, as a reward for being my very best servant you can sleep with me!"
•You two are dating, Hiyoko, S/O is not a servant
•But well, you kniw it is actually something cue what she is asking you to do
•Your sleep paralysis hadn't attacked you in so long
•Since you two started to share a bed
•But now you were abe to see the whole bedroom
•And you couldn't move
•A lot of shadows with bright eyes looked at you
•And Hiyoko's face was... different
•Like if she came up from the worst of the nightmares
•So when you woke up you couldn't look at her
•It made you shiver
•And she noticed sommethung was wrong
•And started to cry
•You wished it was one of her fake cryings, but it wasn't
•It was more real than ever
•"I was lying! You are not a servant! You are my S/O! Please look at me!"
•Aww Hiyoko does really love you, right?
•"S-Stop crying please, it's not that I don't love you anymore, I love you, stop!"
•"Then what it is?" Her face changed easily from a sad expression to an interested one but you could tell the tears were real, they were still in her eyes
•"I had an sleep paralysis, like a nightmare but much worse, and you were next to me with a terrifying face"
•"Are you calling me ugly?! Cause the ugliest here it's you y'know?!" And now the defensive bully Hiyoko
•"I'm not! I'm just a little scared still bit it will pass!"
•"Well, then let's go back to sleep. And hug me, servant!"
•Didn't she just said that you weren't her servant and she loved you...?
•Well, it's better to ignore her sometimes, at least you have received a beautiful confession from her
•Maybe that sleep paralysis was worth it
Mahiru Koizumi
•You couldn't sleep because last night you had a horrible paralysis and were a little afraid
•And she went all mom mode
•Claiming that you needed to sleep
•So you explained to her what happened and why you were so scared
•She assured you that the thing you were seeing weren't real
•And you knew it, is just that you didn't want to see them again, you didn't want to have another sleep paralysis
•But she wasn't going to accept, you needed to sleep
•So she spend all night hugging you and cuddling with you so you won't be scared
•And when you woke up from a paralysis she tried to comfort you until you were sleeping again
•She barely slept that night
•And the next night, just to make sure, she wanted to put some cameras and film
•If those monster weren't your imagination and were real then the camera would film them
•As expected, the camera didn't film anything
•And the next day you slept a lot better knowing that it, for sure wasn't real
•Well, for that and because your girlfriend was hugging you non stop all night
Nekomaru Nidai
Akane Owari
•You woke up screaming for you sleep paralysis
•And then she was in full fight mode
•You had seen that part of her before
•Long nails, scary face, ready to attack like an animal...
•"What it is? Who can I fight with, S/O?!"
•"No... no one, really, I just... had a bad dream"
•Once she calms down you actually explain her what you experienced, it was not a bad dream but it was similar
•"Oh, and you wanna go back to sleep?"
•"Well... I feel a little... scared right now"
•"Then, let's go get something to eat!"
•Eat? At 3 am?
•"Babe, you want some icecream?"
•You are already in the kitchen
•Well, eating at 3 am may be weird but is there anything better than a good icecream after something bad has happened?
•You two spend the night talking, laughing and sharing g some icecream until you just fall sleep happily
•Definetly, when you remember this night you don't even know what you saw on your paralysis, you can only remember you girlfriend's cute smile while eating icecream on your couch
•Okay, if you can't sleep then you should work out!
•How exactly does that work?
•"Look! You can't sleep because you are not tired enough! You gotta work out S/O!"
•You two have long training seasons now
•"And you gotta sleep with passion! If you don't put passion on it you can't do it well!"
•Ummm....
•"COME ON! LET'S GO TO SLEEP!"
•Maybe it's because even your sleep paralysis is a little afraid of him and his screams
•Or maybe his passion technique works
•Or because you are very tired of the work out session
•But the point is that you sleep like a little baby
Byakuya Twogami (impostor)
•He doesn't sleep very well either
•There no real reason to it, he just doesn't have the best sleep
•He wakes up easily and has a hard time falling sleep
•When he can actually sleep
•So he is awake almost every time you have a paralysis
•And he is more than ready to calm you down and cuddle with you
•He is pretty warm so it's easy to forget about anything scary you have seen and fall asleep with him
Teruteru Hananura
• "What if we try to... get you tired?"
•You know what he is hitting on
•And you can try of you want of course but if you don't there's no real need to
•I mean, he is mainly joking
•Altough he wouldnt mind getting some extra love
•But whether you do it or not it won't work
•Your sleep paralysis aren't caused because of your energy
•You are very tired usually because of those sleep paralysis
•And once he realizes that's not the problem he researches for some help
•And discovers that the most important hours are the 4 before going to sleep
•You need to be relaxed and have a timetable
•So, after making a healthy and lightweight dinner, he will try to always go to sleep with you at the same hour
•And take are of you when you wake up if you are scared
•Probably joking or flirting but he is trying his best
Well, since Koizumi this post really went 📉📉 I'm so so sorry but I tried, I'm actually kinda proud of Sonia, Gundham and Hiyoko so please try to enjoy them~
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seventhroses · 4 years
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☁️ Dreams
👩🏻 A/N: It's here! This is my first story! I just wrote it as I needed an outlet to get my mind off reality. Probably gonna write again? Idk 🤔Anyway I'm excited to share this! Not sure if it’s good BUT I hope anyone that gives it a go would enjoys it! 🥰
🌠 Geners: Fantasy, fluff, slight smut
📃 Word count: 4.9K
Since young, you always have a thing for dreams. You were told many stories of different people's dreams and you've always finds it fascinating on what goes on in there when your body shuts to recharged.
There was one in particular that had it imprinted in you till now. It was your grandparent's dreams. You can't believe that they actually met in their dreams and how their love unfolds into reality.
How can anyone dreamed of someone else when they've never cross path or see each other before? You always questioned.
You could never figure out no matter how many times they tell you their tales. But even so, it was the sweetest love story that you've heard and of course, seeing it through parts of their times, you were partially convinced that maybe dreams do come true.
As you get older, instead of popping colours of life, nightmares get the best of you. You eventually start sleeping lesser and lesser hours. Dreams were no longer the happy fluffy thing you did look forward to every night.
Today was the worst. It was one of those days, where you felt like everything was collapsing on you. This week have been so exhausting and you probably had less than 10hours of sleep in total. Having to deal with your sickening boss that always throws you with piles of urgent paper work that you end up OT till 1-2AM to finish, colleagues that act as if they're the only one that have a life outside of work and dumped their unfinished work on you.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worst, you sprained your ankle while chasing for your last bus home tonight.
"How great.." you sighed while limping up the bus with your now sore ankle.
"Well at least, I managed to catch the bus…" Trying hard to comfort your miserable self as you found a seat and sat down. 
You finally reached home after what seems like forever. Throwing your heels aside, you limped towards the kitchen to get some ice for your swollen ankle. Walking to the living room you plopped yourself onto the sofa, turning the TV on that you have no plans on watching. You find yourself staring into the ceiling, can't help but to question about your life.
Even though you're tired as hell, you can feel yourself fighting that tiredness, refusing to let another nightmare invade you tonight. But as the clock ticks away by the minutes, you know your fight is futile.
"If only.. I just wish for one good dream.. Just one, to end this miserable week" with that, you find your heavy lids closed as you fell asleep.
The next thing you know, upon opening your eye you saw the ray of morning sun shining into your room.
Checking the time on the clock, 
"It's 11AM?!" Now, widely awake. "Did I just sleep through the night?"
Not remembering when's the last time you slept through the night without waking up with cold sweat or hyperventilating from the nightmare you had. Though, you weren't complaining. You were in fact longing for a good sleep like this.
You got out of your bed, slipping into your bunny slippers, ready to kicked start your day. You just felt really good and recharged from the long sleep. After washing up and making yourself a cup of coffee, you walk to the sofa and sat down, finding a comfortable position to plan how you should go about your day before having your best friend over tonight for dinner and movie.
While you were making plans, a suddenly feeling strikes you. Something doesn't add up, but you can't seem to put it into words.
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It's 1PM. You're dressed in your ripped jeans and cute smiley sweater ready for some shopping therapy and groceries shopping for tonight's dinner. You grabbed a pair of your most comfortable heels and skipped out of your apartment. You were in a good mood, stress free and you know that's not normal but again you're not complaining. You're going to enjoy it while it last and so you thought.
As you were going down the long flight of stairs towards the bus stop, you were impressed at how you managed to go up these 'stairs of hell' with your swollen ankle last night. That's when you realised, they aren't painful anymore. You were pretty sure it was swollen before you fell asleep but they seem perfectly fine now. You also remember falling asleep on the sofa and not in the room.
So, how did I get to the room? When did I changed into the pj? Now, lots of thoughts are flying in and you couldn't much process or find an answer to them.  Are you that tired that you can't remember what you did?
 "Be careful!!" A loud voice snapped you back into reality and you can feel a strong hand holding on to your arm.
Facing the stairs down, you're pretty sure that you will get more than just swollen ankle if it's not for this person. You turned your head around wanting to thank your saviour but came to face with a white tee and strong veiny arms that is holding on to you. You tilted your head up trying to see who's this perfect fitting body belongs to and there, you saw a pair of small worrisome eyes looking at you.
 "Are you ok? Hurt anywhere?"  he asked worriedly.
At that moment, you couldn't seem to find a word as you were too focus on looking at this charming looking gentleman in front of you.
Let's be honest, ever since you start adulting, life has been a struggle of paying off bills and dealing with your work life. You hardly even have time for yourself, so let alone finding yourself a partner to add on the struggle with.
The only male presence in your life other than your dad, is your childhood best friend, Lee Minhyuk. Well, he's called your best friend for a reason. You have been in each other's life for more than a decade and you know each other all too well. Also, knowing that there will probably be no peaceful day ahead if you guys were to even try. You and Minhyuk can't even decide on a movie together for movie night without bricking for at least 30 minutes and ended up having to tossed a coin to decide. Which, you think it's probably going to happen tonight too. So, it has never really cross both of your mind about developing your relationship into anything else more than what you guys are.
You did met a few people, go for a few dates before but that was in collage when you had the privileged of time. All that just seems so long ago.
Right now, having come face to face with this charming guy, it is sure to activate your needs for a new male presence in your life. Not to mention, this gentlemen in front of you, his visual is… let's just say, he's totally your type. With your 'love struck' expression which you probably are showing now, he figured that you should be ok.
"Hi, I'm Hyunwoo." Waiting for your answer while holding on to you as you steady your feet. 
You noticed his expression changed to a shy and smiley eye, that would totally make anyone soft.
 "Hi" … "I'm y/n." Quite sure you sounded like a robot.
A red one to be exact because you can feel yourself blushing hard and the distant between the both of you and his perfume smell is not helping at all. You can hear him chuckled. His hand is still on your arms. His warm palm on your skin certainly have you feeling the butterfly flying wildly in your stomach.
 "Are you free for a coffee?" You blurted out of nowhere and a sudden realisation that you're thinking out loud, got you in panicked mode.
 "I mean… I mean you just saved me from the probability of cracking my head like an egg... so.. " pausing and cursing yourself for the lame joke. Now, you just want to dig a hole and hid.
He laughed. "I like that" not sure if he said that out of courtesy, just so your now red af face wouldn't burst. 
"and sure. I would love for a coffee with you, Y/n. "
You liked the way he calls your name. Like you never knew it could sound so sweet.
 After the awkward invitation, Hyunwoo slide his hand down from your arm. Holding on to your hand now, he casually walks down the stairs. Going one step ahead of you as he leads you down. He turned his head to looked at you and smiled,
"Now, you don't need to worry about getting your head cracked."
You're very sure at that moment, your face was in tomato red as Hyunwoo holds your hand and walk towards the nearby café.
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"Do you stay around here?" You asked as the both of you set down on the sofa seating in the café.
"Yes, I just moved here recently and was exploring the neighbourhood. You stay around the area?"
"Yup. Not far from the 'stairs of hell'." Almost rolling your eye.
Hyunwoo let out an airy laughed "I totally know what you mean."
Taking the first sipped of his drink, he started making some sound. "Mmmm! Mmm! This is so good!"
His reaction makes you adore him. How can someone be so charming, gentle and cute all at the same time.
"Oh, what did you ordered?" you asked out of curiosity.
"Honey grapefruit tea! It's on the drink's special menu. It's so refreshing!" You smiled at him as he sounded so proud of his order.
"Do you stay alone?"
 That question was definitely out of nowhere.
 There was a short pause as you were a little startled by the intruding question. Hyunwoo probably felt that he might have make you uncomfortable, so he explained.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. Since I moved here alone, I just thought it would be nice to know people in my neighbourhood. But its ok! You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry for the sudden question." Looking apologetic and not sure if he sounded weird.
But somehow his explanation makes you feel comfortable enough to tell him, so you looked at him,
"It's ok, dont be sorry. And yes, I kind of stays alone. But I have this best friend of mine, that would come crushing every so often to check if im still alive. So i'm not sure if that counts." Again, cursing yourself for the lame joke but it's kind of true too.
Well, atleast your reply showed Hyunwoo some relieved as you can see the smile back on his face.  
"It would be nice if we could have…"
 Before you manage to hear finished his sentence, the whole place start to shake violently. You could hear someone calling your name very loudly, somewhere but you couldn't find the source. Scared as hell, you closed your eyes shut.
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 When you opened your eye, you were in a dazed. Minhyuk is now on the sofa beside you and shaking you violently. You frowned, now back to your sense. You were quite sure if he were to continue shaking, you would have thrown up on him that instant.
 "Babe! Back on earth?! You scare the hell out of me!" "What happen to you?!" "I came into the apartment and the first thing I saw is your dead body on the sofa!" "I mean lifeless. I mean.." As Minhyuk went on with his chains of words, you rolled your eyes at him. You can totally see that small smirked on his face.
 You had given Minhyuk the password to your apartment on day one when you move in, as he was whining non-stop about it until you gave him the digits. Since the both of you are having movie night every other Saturday, so you though it did be more convenient to do so too. But Minhyuk always says, it's for your safety so he can come by to check on you and see if you're still alive and kicking. You just want to rolled your eye, knowing all too well it's for his own convenience, as he always comes over for free meals, if not when he wants to escape from his mom's nagging. But even so, you never really mind it because he would keep you accompany whenever nightmares start taunting you.
 "What time is it now?" you asked.
 "It's almost 7PM, y/n! And you are supposed to start cooking dinner at 6:30PM!" He shouted across the kitchen while getting you a glass of water.
 You took the glass from him while trying to figure out what just happened.
 "Are you having nightmares again?" Minhyuk asked with concern on his face.
 "No, it's not a nightmare. In fact, it was a good dream." You paused.
"Well, at least it is until someone starts shaking me so violently, I thought there was an earthquake." You said to him with a somewhat annoyed tone now. He pouted.
You stood up wanting to get a quick shower because you're still in your yesterday's work clothes but your ankle give way. Now you remembered that you had sprained your ankle and it's still swollen. You realised what was not adding up. You were dreaming, that's why it wasn't hurting earlier.
And that guy in your dream, Hyunwoo.
Who is he? Have you seen him before?
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 It’s been a month since you dreamt of Hyunwoo and you were hoping to dream of him again but instead, the whole nightmare routine starts bugging you instead.
 Today, was no different as you find yourself fighting the tiredness to sleep. But after sometime, you finally can’t hold much longer and you fell asleep on the sofa. When you opened your eye and to your delight, you were at the same cafe, same sofa seat where you and Hyunwoo were at before.
 "Hey, your coffee." Looking up, you saw that smiley eyes that you were missing so much, right in front of you.
 "Hey.." You replied, fighting the urge to ask if he he's real. Afraid that it would break the spell to whatever is causing this dream.
 You decided to throw the thought to the back of your head, as you have been waiting for this to happen ever since that day, you tell yourself to enjoy it well it last. So, you turned your focus back on him.
 "How have you been?" You smiled while sipping on the coffee he got for you.
 "I'm good. And I've been thinking about talking to you again" That sudden confession caught you off guard.
 Has he been thinking about me? This is a dream, right? He's probably a reflection of what I've been wanting to hear from a guy.
Now you're very much convinced by yourself that all this are probably just in your head.
 The both of you talked for a while, enjoying each other's company. It felt nice talking to Hyunwoo and you were hoping to talk for a little longer but a loud ringing sound woke you up.
Lazy hand searching for the source of the dreadful sound, you grabbed the alarm and turn it off. Looking at the time, it's now 5AM and you know you are back at the harsh reality of work week. A sigh leaves you as you drag your heavy body out of bed.
 On the way to work, you can't help but be hopeful about dreaming of Hyunwoo again since the second time did happened.
 Indeed, you found yourself seeing Hyunwoo in your dreams for the third, fourth and fifth time in a spent of 2 months. It always happens at the same cafe. The both of you would be seating at the same sofa seat, drinking the same drinks. Even though, there's no knowing to when you will be dreaming of Hyunwoo but when you did, he never fails to makes you happy and recharged. You start seeing yourself looking forward to sleeping and dreaming again. Something that you use to love before adulting. Not to mention, nightmare have been less frequent and you were feeling better every day. It was a good sign for you.
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 And today you're dream again, the sixth time. But you found yourself at a different setting. It wasn't the usual cafe or the sofa seat that you always sat on. It was a place you are not familiar with. It was someone's home.
 It was Hyunwoo's home to be exact. You can see his family picture framed up sitting on the kitchen's table. He was smiling so brightly in the picture and you can see where he probably gets his youthfulness from. You smiled because in front of you, stands a familiar back hovering over the stove.
 "Your mum look so young and pretty." you said while admiring his back view.
 He turned around sounded in agreement. Now turning towards you, you can't help but to admire this perfect looking guy, in his home clothes and combing his hair back with his hand. He wearing a white tee that hug his body perfectly, showing his chest muscles curve and broad shoulder and a pair of shorts that shows his long legs. Unaware of yourself checking him out so openly, he chuckled
 "Enjoying your view huh?" he says jokingly as he turns back to cook.
 You cough trying to hid your blushing face, "Ahem, are you cooking ramen?" "The legendary 'Hyunwoo's ramen'?" You giggled as you teased him.
 "Yes, I promised its the real deal."
 "Are you sure is that good?"
 "Oh yes, it's that good that you would want for more." feeling challenged as he places the ramen in front of you.
"Go on, have a taste"
 He leans in on the table, moving into your personal space as you took your first bite. You're trying to ignore his extremely close presence, not sure if it's the ramen or Hyunwoo that's making you all hot now.
 "How is it? Good?" Staring at you earnestly, waiting for your feedback.
 How am I supposed to concentrate and eating with him being so close?
 In all honesty, he looks so yummy you just want to eat him instead. You can't help but blush so hard at your own desirable thoughts.
 "Are you ok?" Hyunwoo asked as his hands feels your burning cheeks and his face just inches away from you.
 Your face now so close to his. You looked at his so kissable lips and a sudden impulse urged you to slid forward and kiss him. You retreat back and shut your eyes, hoping to wakes up so you don't have to face the embarrassment from your action. But you didn't. Before you know it, you felt Hyunwoo lips clashing back on yours causing you to open your eye in a shock. That impulse and innocent kiss had turned into a heated open mouth kisses as Hyunwoo move his hand behind your head keep you closer. You felt yourself heated up from the action. You want more. He pulls away after a while, only to carry you up onto the table as he parted your legs to stand between you. He latched his lips back on yours and you swear you're feel all sorts of sensational feeling with what he was doing. Hyunwoo slowly moves his hand with lazy fingers gliding all over your body leaving hot trials and tingling feelings to where ever he passes. You can feel the shiver up your body and the tight knot somewhere inside of you wanting more of him.  
He pulls you closer to him while moving down to your neck, giving you soft open kisses. You can feel his growing bulge pressing on your centre as he grinds up against you, cause you to make soft seductive moans that you never thought you're capable of making.
 "Hyunwoo.." You murmur as you arched your back.
 He tilted his head up to look at you, so done for him just from the kisses. You can see his pupils blown; eyes filled with lust. He wants you. Before you can think of anything, you shudder as you felt the sudden contact of his palm cupping your heated clothed centre. You moaned and that encouraged him to move further. He slipped his hand through the side of your shorts and pushing your panties aside. You hissed at him when he parts your folds and starts making circle at your swollen nub. You can't remember the last time someone had taken care of you like that and saying you were a moaning mess is an understatement. You moved your hand wrapping around his now fully grown budge, wanting to help him relief from the strain in his shorts. You can hear his low moaned when you start pumping him. He sounded so attractive, yet so sweet. Soon after, both of you were helping each other to chased your much needed high.
 "Baby.." the sudden pet name got you closer to your high " I can't…" you curled your toe and shut your eyes, preparing for the rush that was going to come through.
 But talk about bad timing.
 As you opened your eye as you found yourself lying on your own bed. You rolled over, face pressed down and you screamed into your pillow venting out your frustration. You need to settle your sexual frustration. Reaching down to your panties which is now soak with aroused. 
You sighed. "I want him." 
You find yourself craving for Hyunwoo. While thinking of him, you settle your needs with the fate of your own fingers.
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 2 weeks went by after that heated dream you had. The seventh didn't come.
  "Just go to that damn cafe! It won't hurt anyone…" Minhyuk retorted over at the other side of the phone. Clearly annoyed at you talking about the cafe for the nth number of times over the months.
 You had told Minhyuk about all your encounter with Hyunwoo in your dreams. Maybe not all, you did leave the sixth encounter out to save yourself some teasing that you would for sure get from him.
 "I dont know. I mean they're dreams. I shouldn't let it bothers me so much." turning and twisting your hair on your finger while you talked.
 You have been thinking of going to that cafe ever since the first dream but you couldn't find a reason to go. You make your own morning coffee so you won't willing to spend that extra money on coffee outside. Work also got the best of you, so you go only between your work place or home. Your life it's so exhausting, so during weekends you just wants to stay at home do your overdue laundry and spend the rest of the day sloth-ing.
 Today, Minhyuk finally convince you to get out of your den and you both were planning to meet for lunch.
 "How about you go there and get me a cup of coffee before we meet?" Minhyuk suggested. Clearly taking advantage of your dilemma but, it works. You were more convince to pop by the cafe for a reason.
"You're one smart ass." you can hear his sinister laugh, knowing that he succeeded in getting himself a free coffee.
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 "Hi, welcome!" The girl behind the cashier smile as you walk through the door. In reality, you have never noticed this cafe before, so let alone visit it, but it felt familiar. The interior and the seating were the same as what you could remember from your dreams. You look at the menu board for a while, even though you know you would probably get an ice coffee to satisfy your caffeine needs as you didn't have one in the morning. But you saw 'Honey grapefruit tea" on the drink’s special menu and without much thinking you ordered it along with Minhyuk's ice coffee. You set down at the same sofa seat that you and Hyunwoo had sat on in the dream, while waiting for your orders.
Your phone vibrates.
TheannoyingBFF: Hey babe! Please dont kill me!
TheannoyingBFF: Hyungwon car broke down and he needs me to find him
You: ...
TheannoyingBFF: I'll buy you dinner tomorrow
TheannoyingBFF: I PROMISE!
You: You better!
You: Be glad that I'm still at the cafe and not on my way
TheannoyingBFF: I'm sorry and I love you!
You: I would've killed you
You: along with hyungwon
TheannoyingBFF: Hope you will bump into him, so my sin can be off set *Praying emoji*
You: ...
You: Bye
 You grabbed your drinks when your order tag buzz and went back to the sofa seat. Having your plans cancelled and with no back up, you decided to stay in the cafe for a while. This cafe makes you smile. You were happy when you're there, so it naturally makes you feel good.
 You took a sip of the new drink and with an impressed look, you mumble to yourself “Waoh, it's indeed nice and refreshing."  Continue drinking, you stare at Minhyuk's ice coffee that is place in front of the empty seat, you thought to yourself how lonely this makes you look. Like you've been bumped or something and this makes you feel like cursing at Lee Minhyuk.
 'Ting Ting' the doorbell of the cafe rang. You didnt react to it as it has been sounding out quite a few times. While you continue to scroll through your feed, a familiar voice started talking.
 "Hi, is this seat taken?" Looking at you and gesturing at the empty seat in front of you.
 You looked up, couldn't believe by the person standing in front of you. You start looking around and find the cafe seat all packed, so you turned back to him "Erm.. No" while you kind of avoid looking at him as you try to calm your nerves and trying hard not to show that "love struck" expression.
 He smiled and thank you as he set down. You moved the cup of now showing two layered coffee away, so he can have his space.
After a minute or so, his order tag buzzed and he stood up to get his drink. Your eye followed him as he went over to the counter. When he got his drink, you notice the table at the far end were about to leave and you can feel a slight disappointment in you, thinking that he would move to that available seats. 
But to your surprise, you see him walking back towards you.
 "If you don't mind, I did love to seat here. Is that ok?" His requested makes you smile.
 "I don't mind. Please seat."
 Both of you were quiet for a while, looking at your individual phones when you decided to break the silence.
 "Do you stay around here?"
A sudden Goosebumps came to you as you asked the same question, at the same place, same spot.
 He looked at you and with a soft smile, not questioning or looking at you weirdly.
 "Yes, I just.."
before he finished his sentence, you were mumbling under your breathe, like you already know what he would probably say.
"..moved here recently and was exploring the neighbourhood."
 He now looked at you with wide eyes but somehow it doesn't look like he was spooked by you but rather a sense of realisation. Like you know his secret.
He grabbed your hand and rushed out of the cafe, bring you to the 'stairs of hell'. That very spot when he first met you.
 "Do you know this spot?" trying to search for an answer from you.
 "Yes" is all you say, as you're trying to process the situation here.
 He grins, showing his teeth and his eyes turned into a smiley eye that were so familiar with.
 "This is real right?" you couldn't help but asked.
Because at this moment, you were just confused and happy all at the same time. Hoping that this could be real and not wakes up to nothingness again.
 "It is." "Let's do this all over again." Not sure what he means by his words, you waited.
"Hi, I'm Hyunwoo. Nice to finally meet you." he stretched out his hand wanting for a handshake.
 You couldn't help but to smile and hug him instead. The guy that you have been thinking of, debating if he is real or just fantasy, is right in front of you.
 "Hi.. I'm y/n" you murmur as you can feel the tears that trapped in your eyes threatening to fall out.
 He hugs you back and you could hear him say "Thank you for finally going to that cafe."
You look up at him "Did you go to that cafe frequently, hoping that you could meet me?" You're certain your face is now showing that 'love stuck' expression as you ask that question.
 "Yes" is all he said as he held your arms and gave you a kiss on your forehead. 
That moment, knew you're the one that needs to buy Minhyuk a meal and you can't love him enough for giving you the reason to go to the cafe.
 "Shall we continue where we left off?" He whispered softly into your ears and turns to look at you with a goofy smile. 
You can feel your face burning as he reached down to kissed you on your lips.
 Having to experience ‘real dream’ yourself, you now truly believed your grandparents dreams and that some dreams really do come true.
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