#i moved them to what i thought would be a safer spot but i guess I Am A Menace

[evanesdust]

more than a maybe

written for- @sterekfests prompt: "Kiss me at midnight." @sterekweekly word: present @sterekbingo Christmas square: new years eve

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale Additional Tags: POV Stiles Stilinski, Childhood Friends, Secret Crush, Gay Stiles Stilinski, Coming Out, Bisexual Derek Hale, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, First Kiss, Getting Together

Summary:

…the one where Stiles thought his crush on Derek was unrequited. Spoiler: it wasn't.

"Have you seen Derek?" Cora asked, handing Stiles a glass of champagne. "There's only a few more minutes until midnight…"

Stiles rolled his eyes, ignoring her teasing grin as he took the glass.

"No, I haven't." Which was weird since they were usually attached at the hip, but Stiles was definitely going to look for him now.

Cora smirked and moved away to join the rest of the Hales gathered in the living room for the New Year's Eve celebration. Stiles had a sneaking suspicion that she knew about his crush on Derek. Hell, Derek probably knew, too, because sometimes Stiles caught Derek studying him—as if he were trying to guess what Stiles was thinking.

His scrutiny certainly never helped keep the blood from rushing to all the wrong places on Stiles's body, including his cheeks. That damned blush had been the bane of his existence ever since he realized that his feelings for Derek were far from platonic.

Because they were friends. Best friends.

And that was what made this whole situation a giant cliché. Stiles couldn't risk their friendship over an unrequited crush on his straight best friend, even if every fiber of his being was screaming at him just to tell Derek how he felt. It was safer to keep those feelings buried deep down, where they couldn't cause any damage.

Stiles figured Derek was probably hiding away from the noise and the crowd, staring at the stars. So he made his way through the party to where he was sure Derek would be, and sure enough, as he passed the large picture window facing the backyard, he spotted a familiar silhouette sitting on the deck, looking up at the night sky.

Derek.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Stiles stepped outside and quietly shut the door behind him. The crisp night air bit at his cheeks as he walked toward Derek, trying to think of something to say that didn't involve confessing his undying love.

"Hey. You okay?" Stiles asked as he drew closer, his footsteps echoing on the deck's wooden slats.

They'd practically grown up together, friends since elementary school, and Stiles could usually tell if Derek was broodier than normal. From the stiff way Derek was sitting, something was definitely bothering him. There was only a two-year age difference between them, even though Derek seemed more mature at times—like he was an old soul who'd seen it all and had the cynicism to prove it. But also like a protector since Derek always seemed to be looking out for Stiles, even when it wasn't necessary.

Derek glanced briefly over his shoulder. "Yeah, just"—he sighed—"got some things on my mind."

Stiles sank down beside him and dangled his feet over the edge of the deck, mimicking Derek's posture.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Derek sighed again. "I know about your crush on me."

It was said so suddenly that Stiles tensed beside him, barely breathing. Fuck. His heart hammered in his chest, and he couldn't look Derek in the eye. This was it; this was the moment that would change everything. Stiles had imagined a hundred different scenarios, but he never expected Derek to bring it up first.

"I…I…" Stiles cleared his throat. "I'm sorry…if that makes you uncomfortable, I mean."

That was the last thing Stiles ever wanted. Derek was his best friend, one of the most important people in his life. The fear of ruining that was paralyzing.

"It doesn't," Derek said, turning to face Stiles with an intensity in his gaze that Stiles had never seen directed at him before. "It's just...I didn't know how to bring it up. Or what to do about it. I've been trying to figure out my own feelings. And they're not as straightforward as I thought."

Stiles was sure his heart skipped a beat, or maybe it stopped altogether. "W-What do you mean?"

Because there was no way Derek meant—

"I'm…I think I'm bi." Derek's confession came out in a rush, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it seemed to resonate with the importance of a shout in the quiet of the night.

Stiles felt like his entire world had just shifted on its axis. "You think or you know?"

"I know. I know I'm bi," Derek answered with more conviction this time.

Stiles's mind was racing, his previous worries suddenly replaced by a burgeoning hope that was probably reckless to entertain. Just because Derek was bi didn't mean he had feelings for Stiles.

"Well, that's—you know you can talk to me about anything, right? Like if you have questions or…" God, Stiles had no idea what he was saying. He just wanted to be there for his friend. To support him, regardless of how this might turn out because that was what friends did for each other. So, instead, he blew out a breath. "So, how did you—"

"Know?" Derek finished. "It was you."

Stiles's eyes went wide, his head snapping back to look at Derek.

Me? he wanted to ask, but it was as if speaking were a foreign concept. His mind couldn't wrap around a single word to utter out loud. All of this time, he'd been so wrapped up in his own feelings and fears that it had never occurred to him that Derek might be grappling with concerns just as considerable, perhaps even more profound. That Derek could be struggling with the same revelation about his sexuality, in part because of him. That maybe, just maybe, his feelings weren't unrequited after all.

"If I'm being honest, I've had… I've had feelings for you for a while," Derek admitted, looking away from him. His throat bobbed as his confession hung between them, tangible and heavy in the cool night air. Stiles could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was as if Derek had just presented him with the key to a door he'd been certain was locked forever.

"You…you have? For me?" Stiles stammered, his voice a mix of disbelief and cautious optimism. Derek nodded, finally turning to meet Stiles's wide-eyed gaze.

"Yeah. For you, Stiles. I just didn't know how to say it, and I was scared it would mess up our friendship." Derek's voice cracked slightly with the vulnerability of his admission.

"But…" Stiles frowned, confusion mingling with the sudden burst of elation that was threatening to overwhelm him. "You just said that you knew I had a crush on you."

Derek let out a humorless chuckle. "I thought you might, but I wasn't sure. Not until now. And I was worried about how it would affect everything. Our friendship, the group dynamics, our families..." Silence hung in the air for a moment before he continued, "You mean too much to me to risk it all on a maybe. I love you, Stiles."

Was Stiles dreaming? The possibility of Derek returning his feelings was something he had never let himself hope for; it was too painful to even contemplate. But he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that when Derek said he loved him, it wasn't just as a friend. There was something deeper in his words, a resonance that couldn't be faked. Stiles's breath caught in his throat, and for a second, he couldn't find his voice. When he finally spoke, every word was laced with emotion.

"It's more than a maybe, Derek. It always has been," Stiles said earnestly, his voice thick with the weight of his own confession. With shaky fingers, he was brave enough to reach out and cup Derek's face. "I love you, too. I always have, and I always will."

Derek shivered and angled closer. Stiles's pulse blotted out the sounds of the nearby party and people counting down.

"Stiles," Derek breathed out, his breath hitching as their foreheads touched. "Kiss me."

So Stiles did.

Derek made a sound in the back of his throat—part groan, part sigh—as Stiles's heart galloped wildly. He was so afraid Derek would change his mind and pull away that Stiles reached out, tangling his hand in Derek's shirt and holding him steady. When Derek's tongue flicked against his, Stiles's entire body came alive, and he understood what this kissing thing was all about. It was breathy and heart-stopping and amazing.

They kissed for a long time, Derek's warm fingers gripping his neck and Stiles's twisted in his shirt, only breaking apart to catch their breath before going back for more. His lips were firm, his tongue was soft, and Stiles wanted to live in this moment and never come up for air.

But eventually, he did, panting softly against Derek's mouth, their foreheads still pressed together, eyes still closed.

Derek's hand, still on Stiles's neck, slid up into his hair, a gesture so tender that it made Stiles's heart swell even more. They stayed like that for a while, just breathing each other in, until the chill of the night reminded him they were still outdoors.

"Let's go inside before you freeze," Derek murmured, his breath warming Stiles's face.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed, voice hoarse from their intense kiss. "But, uh, what do we—"

"Tell everyone?"

Stiles nodded, wondering how the others would take the news. If Derek even wanted everyone to know yet because he wouldn't just be announcing that they were dating, he'd be coming out, and that was huge.

"Well, first I'll probably tell them that I'm bi. After that…" Derek took Stiles's hand, lifting it and kissing his knuckles. "We'll tell them we're…boyfriends?"

It came out more as a question than a statement, and Stiles's heart beat even faster—if that was possible.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting Derek to feel pressured into putting a label on things too quickly. "We don't have to—"

"I've never been more sure about anything." Derek met his eyes, his gaze clear and steady. "I want to call you my boyfriend and have the world know that I'm yours and you're mine."

It was a yes—a resounding yes that seemed to echo in the quiet that followed, and a wave of relief crashed over him, mingling with excitement and a touch of nerves.

"Okay then, boyfriend," Stiles said with a grin that lit up his entire face. "Let's go inside and figure out the rest together."

Hand in hand, they walked back into the house, their future unwritten but promising. This was the start of something new, something real, and Stiles couldn't wait to see where it would lead.

#sterek #sterekfestsmidnight #sterekfestswinter2023 #sterekfests #sterekweekly #sterekweeklypresent #sterekbingo #holy shit i wrote something

[junhanndee]

rainy guitar lessons - junhan 🌧️

rain wasn’t really ever something you were fond of. thankfully, junhan was there for you.

warnings : fluffy, reader is scared of thunder, gender neutral!

junhan x gn! reader <3

- if you liked this! don’t forget to send me something in my inbox! i love writing new things <3

“its dark outside, and raining. my arms are much safer.” junhan whined out after at least thirty minutes of your protesting.

“but that cafe is just right down the street! plus it’s not even raining that bad! you know? that’s what they make umbrellas for!” you let out with a slightly defeated sigh. knowing junhan was far from letting you go anywhere even if it was just a slight drizzle.

for months now, you had been anticipating the opening of a new cafe. just right down the street from your apartment and right along the way to junhans studio. which you often ended up at anyways. the cafe was simple, really. nothing out of the ordinary, just somewhere you thought would be a new nice spot to meet junhan at. but of course of all days, it just had to rain today which resulted in a whiney junhan and never-ending complaints from you.

“have you finally given up?’ junhan says while going to grab his glass of water sitting on your nightstand.

“guess so….. and now its showing we are under a flash flood warning…. great” you said with a sigh of defeat.

“okay, how about this? For today I can teach you something on my guitar to take your mind off of everything, and tomorrow we can start new!” junhan says while leaning over to look at your now pouted face

sighing in defeat you give him a little nod and soon enough he’s already running back into your room with his guitar. as he sits down you cant help but notice how lovely he is. you love moments like this. when he wears hoodies and sweatpants, the way his orange fluffy hair frames his face so perfectly, and his glasses. his white framed glassed that sit atop his beautifully framed face so well. nothing could compare to the way you felt about junhan. the way you always felt so safe around him and even his bandmates. junhan may be shy but he never would be shy of showing his love for you. the little moments of eye contact or the subtle head pats he would give you even in his busiest moments are what all made it worth it.

“y/n, here!” junhan says as he moves behind you while he places his guitar in your lap snapping you out of your thoughts.

oh how you loved this. junhan resting so nicely behind you while you sit between his legs. the way the lighting in your bedroom never failed to illuminate his hands almost perfectly. his hands were beautiful, almost like they came straight from a painting. the way his veins ran down his index finger every time he would move the guitar around. sometimes you would catch yourself staring at them, admiring them.

as junhan moves in closer, he’s now encaged you in his arms with his beautiful surf green guitar right in your lap. once he begins to teach you something you can’t help but giggle.

“junhan….” You said with a pause. “you’re so cute when you teach me about things you love.” And you were right. junhan was a sight as he began to explain where your hands needed to be and what kind of sound would come out if you pressed onto the guitar string. junhan loves nothing more than being in the moment with his guitar and if that means with you then he is in a seventh heaven.

as the night grows dark and the storm continues to grow, so does the fright building up in your body. with every thunder crack your mind begins to wander and junhan begins to notice when you accidentally play a sour note on the song you been working on for a few hours now.

“i think it’s time we try to lay down hmm?” junhan says while gets up and begins remove the guitar from your lap.

“don’t go, please stay.” you said as seeing junhan was going to put his guitar up.

“love,” he said with a sigh, “i’m just going to put this up, i’ll be right back. i promise.” junhan says as soon as a loud crack of thunder could be heard bouncing from each wall in your apartment.

with that, you shutter. you’ve never really enjoyed storms. rain you can handle but for some reason thunder isn’t something you’re so fond of. you look over at junhan and he decides to just set his guitar down on your guitar stand that you had in your room as your guitar was sitting on your couch from your last playing session the night before.

“come here” junhan says in a light tone after shutting your door and crawling into your bed.

nothing could have helped your fear of storms unless it was junhan. the way he would hold you in his arms even if you cried. when he would rub your back and lure you into a light slumber when the rain was just a tad bit too loud for your own liking.

wrapping around him felt like all your worries had suddenly exited your body. taking in his scent and how warm he was. to you, this was your safe space, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

as you drift off to sleep, all you can feel is a little kiss to your head and a whisper of “I love you.” In this moment, this was home. your home.

#xdinary heroes fluff #xdinary heroes imagine #xdinary heroes imagines #xdh imagine #xdh imagines #xdh fluff #junhan x reader #junhan fluff #xdinary heroes smut #xdinary heroes x reader #xdh x reader

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hello!! I wrote you a really long ask and then accidentally deleted it, so I'll ask you the...not much shorter tl;dr version 😅

I really want to get a ball python (probably male) at some point in the future (once I've done a lot more research, set aside a budget for it, and prepared better), and my extended family seems absolutely convinced that this will be a problem because I have two cats (they think the snake would pose a danger to the cats). Considering ball pythons' everything, I would assume this would be relatively safe for all involved, provided I'm careful that they don't interact (closed door if I'm handling the snake, etc), but also having never in fact owned a snake before, and the fact that ball pythons do get to be pretty large snakes, I wanted to ask what you thought. I feel like I always hear about snakes managing to escape their enclosures somehow, and I guess that's more what I'd be worried about (if you have any tips about that also I'm all ears).

I also wanted to ask what size enclosure you'd recommend for a ball python. My gut says bigger is better (at least to a point--and obviously with a number of appropriate hides) but my research has largely been telling me the opposite, at least until I found your blog. Should I get a smaller enclosure if I get the snake youngish and then move it up to bigger when it grows? Can I just fill a really big one with a lot of enrichment-type things so it's not a big empty space? Is this more of a "keeping the humidity appropriate" problem?

And also I think you'll simply enjoy knowing that a few years ago there was a garter snake hibernaculum near the plant nursery where I work. We never did figure out exactly where they were overwintering but we were kind of working in a river of garter snakes there for a bit, which was honestly pretty delightful. Some of them really didn't want to go around us and just kind of scooted past underfoot instead. We also have a huge and rather cranky black racer that's basically a coworker at this point, she lays eggs in the mulch pile nearly every year and last year I spotted her finishing her shed so I kept the shed skin and it's nearly four feet long. She's about the same color as the hose we use for watering so at least once per year we startle the crap out of each other because she's easy to overlook when she's sunning, but it's fun to have her around. Just keeps us sort of on our toes.

Hello hello!

Re: ball pythons and cats - if anyone's in danger there, it's the snake. Ball pythons don't get anywhere near big enough to hurt even small cats, but a cat could easily seriously injure a snake even if they're just trying to play, so cats and snakes should never interact. It's possible to have cats and snakes in the same house (I have a cat!), but it's important to make sure the cat never has access to the snake. Most of preventing snake escapes comes down to prevention - it's crucial to take time when you're setting up your enclosure to make sure there's no openings big enough for the snake's nose, and invest in a good pair of screen clips if your enclosure has a screen lid.

My minimum recommended enclosure size for adult ball pythons is a 4x2x2 enclosure (120 gallon equivalent), and bigger is always better. It's easier to start baby snakes in smaller enclosures - it'll be much easier to clutter it up so the snake feels safer. I usually start my bps in a 20 gallon, upgrade to a 40 gallon at a year old, and then move to their adult enclosure once they've outgrown that. You could absolutely jump right in with the 4x2x2, though - you'd just have to be very intentional about adding lots of clutter and hiding places! I also find it's generally much easier to keep humidity levels right in bigger enclosures because your heat element doesn't dry out the entire enclosure when it's bigger.

I love the black racer who lives near your work! She sounds like a delight.

#not a rating #snake husbandry #ball pythons #snakes and other pets #snake enclosures

[rokurodokuro]

Monkshood and Rose

Street Fighter, OC interacting with Vega

cw: general horror vibes

1232 words, or about 4.5 pages

There’s a monster in this city.

He came over on a shipping tanker the night before Winter started, his minions pouring out of it like fire ants from a disturbed nest. Something about him wasn’t right-- I could feel it.

It’s like I was staring at Death. Maybe even something even worse.

Without so much as a word, he ordered his men to spread out. What are they looking for? Who is he? Why is he in Metro City to begin with?

Maybe it’s time for me to get a move on and head to safer pastures.

That’s the hope, anyway.

I gotta get out of here before they catch me…

---

Even for Winter’s Eve, Judas felt a grim chill in the air. He did his best to stay hidden, ducking out of view from the cerulean-clad soldiers at every opportunity as he wove through the alleyways and streets. He knew Metro City like the back of his hand, but this? This made him reconsider his knowledge.

The clattering of hard rubber on concrete made his ears twitch and swivel back, his breath catching in his throat.

Shit.

Avenues for escape were slim in this part of town, but there were plenty of hiding spots-- lots of little nooks and crannies he could cram himself into. Judas knew that they would be looking for him in buildings and certain dead-ends, as well as more obvious spots. He also knew, though, no one would thoroughly check a garbage pile or the dumpster at the end of the alley.

The dumpster’s gonna have to work, as much as I hate the smell.

Working quickly but quietly, Judas climbed into the dumpster from the side. The trash-men may have been around recently-- at least within the last day or so-- but trash has a tendency to build quickly in urban areas. There was at least enough bags of trash to cover himself, and the smell was nowhere near as bad as he had anticipated.

Even through the steel walls of the dumpster, and even through all of the garbage, Judas could hear the foot soldiers chattering and walking.

“…remind me. Why are we boots on the ground for one guy?”

“Target is Subject α-2. We were briefed on this.”

“Yeah, but… why us? Couldn’t His Lordship have had, I don’t know, Vega do it?”

A beat of silence.

“I want you to think about what you just asked me, and then ask that again with a straight face.”

Another beat of silence.

“I guess we want α-2 alive, huh.”

“No shit. You know Vega would fuck Subject α-2 up and make this whole situation FUBAR.”

“Right.”

The dumpster opened from the top. Judas held his breath.

“Besides that, we have records as to α-1’s behavior towards even just Medical. You really think α-2 is gonna be that much different?”

α-1? Is that… is that Dad?

“You never know! We also have records as to α-2’s… erm, history. That shit changes you.”

Silence.

The lid of the dumpster closed.

They knew? Judas’ blood pounded in his ears as he let out a soft exhale. They knew and didn’t do anything??

“I can’t help but feel bad for her, y’know.” The voice of the younger faded, both sets of boots pacing away. “If we weren’t supposed to keep our heads down, fuck, I would have done something…”

Judas felt tears bite at his eyes before he squeezed them shut. Knowing that someone knew­-- that someone wanted to help-- made him feel a strange sense of grief for who he once was.

Not now, he thought. I gotta focus on getting outta here.

He waited for what felt like an eternity to uncover himself and peek out of the dumpster to ensure there was no one around, before carefully lowering himself to the ground.

At least before that dog is set on me.

---

“Vega.”

With silent steps, a masked man steps before his lord.

“This is about the mongrel, I assume?”

“This is about Subject α-2, yes.” In the dim light of the hold, a pair of glowing eyes look up at Vega before a large hand slides a folder towards him. “It would appear as though my men are failing such a simple task as finding a lost dog.”

“I would expect nothing less of them, Lord Bison.” Vega was deeply unamused, picking up the folder and skimming through its contents. The photos in it were a touch blurry, but surveillance cameras can only pick up so many details. “α-2 seems rather good at keeping a low profile. Perro de monte, correct?”

Bison scoffed. “Yes, much as its father was.”

“Then this will be a rather easy hunt.” Vega’s eyes behind his mask indicated a smile. “For all their tricks, coyotes have definitive ways of being caught.”

“Remember, Vega. I want it alive.”

---

Judas awoke with the sunrise the next morning, chilled to the bone. He wished, more than anything at the moment, he had access to amenities that most have-- a hot meal, a warm shower, a big bed with thick blankets, even just electric heating in general.

Now’s not the time for wishes, Judas. He curled up in his old blanket, looking around the alleyway for any indication of the foot soldiers’ presence.

He didn’t bother looking up, however.

Judas slowly rose to his feet, blanket wrapped around his body as he sniffled and slunk around a corner to a narrow section of backstreets. His ears immediately swiveled at the sound of light feet landing on the pavement.

Don’t look.

Judas turned to look anyways. Everything about the man behind him screamed “danger,” from the barn owl-like mask on his face, to the snake tattoo that seemed to wrap around his form, to the razor-sharp claws on his left hand. The eyes behind the mask radiated killing intent, barely obscured by golden hair. Ears pinned against his head, Judas turned to fully face his hunter.

“Ssh.” The hunter put a finger to his mask, taking a near-silent step closer. “We can do this the easy way, or—”

Judas wasn’t listening.

He turned after a couple of steps, and ran like his life depended on it.

“Then I suppose we’re going to do this my way,” Vega muttered, taking off after Subject α-2.

There was no time for rationality as Judas fled his pursuer, heart pounding and lungs burning as he sprinted through the early-morning streets of Metro City. The pattern of each direction he went was deliberately random to try to shake Vega’s trail, but to no avail. Vega was catching up, and quickly, at that.

Shit…! This guy’s a lot faster than I gave him credit for…!

Before long, the bay came into view. Soldiers, out of uniform, were resting against the wall as they ate their breakfast.

Fuck it, I’d rather fucking drown than deal with this anymore! Judas jumped between the group of soldiers, hopping off the barrier between the land and the water--

Only to feel himself get caught by the hem of his pants and pulled back.

“No tan rápido, perro.”

“Oh, fuck, it’s Vega!” “Wait, he’s got Subject α-2! Assist!” “Holy shit, Vega caught it!”

Like flies on a corpse, Judas was descended upon by the soldiery of Shadaloo, his feral screams of fear echoing far into the city.

None would pay them any heed.

#street fighter #street fighter oc #oc: judas savage #vega #claw #HOOOOOOO I'M SO FUCKING BACK BAYBEEEEEE

[sergeantsporks]

Yay! Writing requests are open! I've been waiting for so long for more of your writing. THIS MAMAS READY FOR TRAUMA.

Can i request hunter (+ king maybe) swimming? or doing boiling-rain/water resistant stuff? idk. please?

The ocean was calm today. Hunter could see boats out in the distance, probably fishing. Or maybe some of them were bounty hunter boats, out to catch a demon.

Probably not the second, though. The best time to catch a sea beast was when it was raining, when they thought it was safe, because surely no creature would be out in a boiling storm, right?

Hunter kicked a bunch of sand into the water. The water spit and hissed.

Just as hot as ever.

Hunter flopped backwards into it. Warmth seeped into his bones, the kind of warmth he’d never been able to get from regularly warm water, or even from the sun (except for particularly hot days). The tide pushed waves over his face in a gentle lull. Water over. Water recede. Breathe. Water over. Repeat.

A shadow fell over him, and he opened his eyes to see King standing over him, blocking the light. “Luz sent me over to see if you were okay.”

“Mmm.” Hunter accidentally inhaled at the wrong time and sat up, sputtering and trying to hack the water out of his nose and lungs. “Well—I—was—” he choked, retching one last time and snorting to get the last of the salt out.

“Sorry.” King kicked at the water. “So. You can swim in it, too?”

Hunter nodded. “Selkidomus scales. Crazy, huh? Guess it doesn’t seem that way to you, though. Titan and everything.”

King shrugged. “No one else can do it.” He kicked at the water. “Do you know how to swim?”

“A bit. Ocean isn’t the best place for beginners, though. Currents, riptides… it’s just better not to. I used to use my staff to propel myself through the water, it was safer and faster.”

King side-eyed him. “I remember.”

Hunter winced. “Sorry about that.” He waded further out into the ocean, spotting a bubbling spot in the sand. He swooped down and plunged his hands into the sand, pulling out a crab. “Look!”

King splashed over, the water up to his neck. He bobbed gently up and down with the waves, and Hunter bent down to show him.

“They live in the sand.”

“A pinchface!” King exclaimed, “Beast type demon, scavenger and bottomfeeder. Watch out for the—”

Hunter moved his fingers away as the crab opened its mouth and a third pincer reached out, snapping for his finger. “Ha! Nice try.”

“…mouth pincer,” King finished, “Its final defense mechanism.”

Hunter tossed the crab back into the water. “How do you know so much about crabs?”

“I used to do a lot of research on demons. So… you know… I could figure out what I was.”

“Ah. Yeah, me TOO,” Hunter yelped, yanking his foot out of the water. The pinchface had fastened onto his big toe, glaring at him. Hunter hopped around on one foot, splashing water everywhere as he struggled to shake the crab off, or grab it with his hands. “Get it off, get it off, get it—”

“I’ve got it!” King yelled, “I’ve—got—IT!” A soundwave blasted out of his mouth.

It did, in fact, successfully dislodge the pinchface!

It also sent Hunter flying backwards, skidding across the surface of the ocean like a stone on a smooth pond. Hunter sputtered, righting himself and treading water, bobbing up and down in the waves.

King splashed towards him. “Sorry! That worked a lot better in my head! Are you okaaaaahhhhhhhh!”

A wave swept the little titan off his feet, sending him circling and tumbling in the water. Hunter cut through the water towards him, scooping him out of the water and putting him up on his shoulder.

“Hey! You good?”

King coughed. “Yep. Yep. I’m fine.”

“You can’t swim,” Hunter scolded, stroking towards shore. King clung to his back, so light he was barely even noticeable.

“I know, but I sort of blasted you into the ocean. I wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you.”

Luz ran across the beach towards them. “King! Hunter!”

She held out her hands for King, but Hunter held onto him, staying back far enough in the surf where she couldn’t reach. “Nuh-uh, he’ll be boiling hot to the touch right now, you’ll burn yourself.”

She hopped from one foot to the other. “Mrrrrrgh.”

Hunter gently set King down. “You could have drowned!”

“I wouldn’t have if someone would teach me how to swim.”

Hunter opened his mouth, then closed it. Fine. That was true.

“Swim-ing less-ons, swim-ing less-ons!” Luz started chanting.

Hunter jabbed one finger at her. “Last I checked, you were not boiling water proof, Luz. Plus, I know you already know how to swim!”

“Swim-ing less-ons!” King joined in, “Swim-ing less-ons!”

“Fine! Fine, I will teach you how to swim in the ocean, happy?!”

“Yeaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” Luz and King cheered in unison.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose, flopping backwards into the ocean again.

Titan hel—wait. No.

Literally, anything else help me.

#toh #the owl house #asks #toh fanfiction #writing requests #toh hunter #king clawthorne

[raindancer2004]

The Other Swan

Word Count: 5,347. Demetri x OC Swan. Part Three. Warning: Fluff

The following day after breakfast they got comfortable and Danni put on The Vampire Diaries and they began watching them. Demetri was slightly envious that these vampires could go out in the sun without sparkling and without bursting into flames as long as they had a special ring, thinking how much simpler it would be if he could go out with Danni without having to worry about exposing his world to the humans. “You know there’s a flaw to having a daylight ring, if it is lost or stolen then the vampire can’t go out during the day without getting burnt” She turned to look at him and smiled “How did you…?” “I didn’t, I just kind of guessed. I mean we can’t go out during the day unless it’s overcast with no chance of you sparkling or we’re inside the castle gardens. Not that I mind” She said cutting him off “I know but I do feel bad for you though” He said sounding a bit sad “Don’t, I sit on the balcony or go to the gardens. It’s fine really. I think of it as practice” She smiled at him and he smiled back “Practice?” He asked curious “Yes practice for when I’m immortal and can’t go out in the sun” ‘Funny little human’ he thought to himself smiling.

There was a knock on the door and it opened before either of them could say anything “How’s my favourite vampire/human couple doing?” Felix asked smiling as he entered the room. “Danni and I are watching one of her favourite shows on her laptop and I am feeling better, thanks for asking mate” Demetri answered. Danni tried not to laugh at his sassy remark. “Glad you’re feeling better. What you watching?” Felix responded. “The Vampire Diaries. Here take a seat” Danni said patting the spot beside her on the bed and she moved closer to Demetri. “Don’t mind if I do” Felix smirked as Demetri growled low at his friend. “Stop that” Danni put her hand on Demetri’s chest and tapped it lightly. This caused Felix to smirk again whilst Demetri just held her closer to him. “These are better watched on a TV but I think my laptop’s a good substitute and it gives Demetri and I something else do but read of an evening and during his time off” “It does” Demetri agreed with her, pleased to hear she liked spending time with him. Felix smiled “Glad you’re settling in well Danni.”

The following morning Alec knocked on the door “You are both needed in the throne room in five minutes” “Ok, we’ll be right behind you” Demetri responded. Danni took hold of Demetri’s hand as they made their way to the throne room “Do you think everything is ok?” She asked him “I don’t know amore as I’ve been off duty for a week, but I’m sure it’s fine” “Ok” He felt her grip tighten on his hand and gave her hand a gentle squeeze to try and reassure her.

“Ahh, Demetri and Danni. So glad you could join us” Aro greeted with a smile. “Danni if you wouldn’t mind, please come and stand by Caius?” “Of course Aro” She nodded her head respectfully. She looked at Demetri and he smiled at her as they made their way up the steps, Danni to stand beside Caius’ throne and Demetri took his place behind Marcus’ as usual. “Don’t worry my boy, she’ll be safer up here with us” Aro said to Demetri “Yes master.”

Danni noticed Jane and Alec standing behind Aro’s throne and Felix behind Caius’. Just then the throne room doors opened and the room quickly filled with vampires. ‘So many vampires’ Danni thought to herself, feeling a little nervous. “You’re safe up here, I promise” Felix said low enough only for her to hear. Once the throne room doors closed Aro spoke “Thank you for attending this castle meeting. We have gathered you all here as we have some important things to discuss with you” The vampires looked a bit surprised at this but stayed quiet all the same. Danni figured that there were not many castle meetings judging by the reaction of the room.

Aro sat back down on this throne and Caius stood up and made his way to the front of the steps taking Danni with him “Firstly, I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of our family Daniella Swan. Although some of you may know her as Danni.” He said looking down at her smiling. “Secondly, yes, she is human and no she is not a new secretary. Danni is in fact Demetri’s mate and will be treated just as any other mate of the guard would be, with respect and bearing in mind she is fragile compared to us, if anyone harms her in any way or even thinks of harming her, I will personally rip you apart, have you put back together and ripped apart again by Demetri. IS THAT CLEAR?!” He shouted the last part. “Yes master” Came the reply from the room full of vampires “Dismissed. Back to your duties” Caius added and the throne room emptied very quickly.

Demetri couldn’t help but smile at this announcement, feeling happy that Danni was seen as one of them by the Kings, especially Caius as he was known for his dislike of humans. Danni was surprised but happy with this announcement seeing as she has been introduced as one of the family.

Marcus looked up at Demetri and waved him forward “You should know that there is a bond forming between Danni and Caius” Demetri looked shocked, worry flashed through his eyes and he looked over to them and then back to Marcus “Master, what kind of bond?” He asked quietly “Do not worry my boy, it is not a romantic bond” Demetri relaxed upon hearing this “Caius has become protective of her, in a fatherly manner. I first noticed it when we were in your room after you were injured and I noticed the interaction between them. He offered her comfort and informed her he had personally dealt with the rogue that harmed you” Demetri nodded “I remember hearing that conversation. She had asked him if the rogue would be punished” “Exactly my boy. This has prompted him to make the announcement today as he wants to ensure her safety. After all, we cannot have our best tracker lose his mate. The wives have also requested to meet her, they are very pleased to hear their beloved Demetri has finally found his one” Marcus said smiling. Demetri smiled back “Thank you for telling me master” “You’re welcome. You are her mate and I thought it only right that you knew of this bond especially as Caius doesn’t usually like humans. This way you can be assured she is safe around all three of us” Marcus added and Demetri nodded.

“That was quite the announcement brother” Aro stated looking at Caius. “Well, it needed to be said. Danni has been here for weeks now and this is her new home, I want her to feel safe and welcome” “Quite” Aro responded “I have also noticed she has made some friends within the castle and I want to ensure her safety especially when Demetri is away on missions” Caius continued “Thank you master” Demetri replied “Yes, thank you Caius” Danni said nodding her head “You’re both very welcome” He responded with a smile.

Later that evening Demetri and Danni were sitting together on the sofa facing the fireplace discussing what to watch on her laptop. “Can we come in?” Felix asked, Jane and Alec standing beside him “Of course” Danni responded, Demetri growled low and Danni tapped his chest lightly smiling “Stop that” She said quietly although all four vampires heard her. Felix smirked “I like it when she does that D” “What are we watching?” Alec asked “We were just deciding that” Demetri replied and Danni rolled her eyes at him “Be nice. They’re our friends Demetri” Danni said “Yes Demetri be nice. We’re your friends” Jane said smirking at him ‘I miss the days when I only saw her when we were on missions or feeding’ Demetri thought to himself. “How about we watch the Hunger Games?” Danni suggested “I think you’ll like it.”

Demetri lifted Danni onto his lap as Felix sat beside him in the middle of the sofa, whilst Jane sat the other side of Felix and Alec sat on the floor between Jane and Felix. “Why is it called the Hunger Games, if no one gets eaten?” Felix asked “Just watch” Danni replied “It’s about hunting people and survival of the fittest” “I like it” Demetri said “I thought you might Tracker Vamp” Danni said smiling, Jane giggled shocking the other vampires in the room. “What? Tracker Vamp. It’s funny” Jane said. “There are four movies in total and they’re based on a trilogy of books. I had the books back home and they’re a good read as they have more stuff in them than the films” Danni said “I think we should watch one movie a night then” Alec replied “Agreed” Felix added “Sounds Great” Demetri replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Once Danni fell asleep Demetri put her in bed, tucked her in and kissed her forehead “Goodnight mi amore” He whispered. Felix smiled, happy that his best friend had finally found his one, hoping however that he meets his own mate soon. “Demetri, show the twins Danni’s favourite TV show The Vampire Diaries” Alec looks up confused “There are veggie vamps in the show, as Danni calls them” Felix continued, laughing “Sounds interesting” Jane said “Fine” Demetri responded and put on the first episode. “I’m thinking of getting a TV for Danni and I, she’s right it would be better than her laptop” “That’s a nice idea and it’ll make her happy” Alec said “It’ll also make movie night better too” Felix added.

Good thing about being vampires, they could turn the volume down low so they didn’t disturb Danni but were still able to hear it.

“What did you think about Caius’ announcement then?” Alec asked “I was shocked, I thought Aro would’ve been the one to do it” Felix said “Caius made the announcement as there is a father/daughter bond forming between him and Danni” Demetri said quietly, the other three vampires looked confused, surprised even ���Marcus told me after the announcement this afternoon. He noticed the bond forming when they were in here after I was hurt. Caius comforted her and advised that he’d already dealt with the rogue who tried to kill me” “I remember that conversation, she was crying” Jane said, looking at Danni’s sleeping form “At least you know he accepts her, that she’s safe here, after all he’s not known for liking humans” She continued “That’s true” Alec agreed, Felix and Demetri nodded. “The wives have asked the masters if they can meet her” Demetri said “Wow. She really is one of the family now” Jane smiled “I’m just glad I’m not being rushed to turn her, that she gets to stay a human a while longer” Demetri said “It helps that she’s here with us and that the masters like her” Alec said “She hasn’t tried to run away either and she’s respectful to the masters” Felix added “It all goes in her favour Demetri, as does you being one of the elite” Jane says with a smile “I think you like her” Felix says and gently nudges her arm “It’s nice to have someone else around my age to talk to other than Alec” She responds “Wow. Never thought I’d see the day Jane admits to liking a human” Demetri said smirking “Danni isn’t just any human, she’s family” Jane replies with a smile.

The following morning Danni wakes up to see Demetri, Felix and the twins watching Netflix and smiles walking over to the sofa “Good morning, you four been up all night?” They smile at her “Morning Danni” The twins and Felix reply “Good morning amore” Demetri says as he gently sits her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her “We’ve been watching The Vampire Diaries” Alec says “It’s one of my favourite shows” Danni replies “I like it. We haven’t gone past where you and Demetri got to though” Jane says “He wants to watch it with you” Felix adds “Aww that’s sweet Demi” Danni says smiling at him and he smiles back kissing her cheek “It gives us something to watch together and there are like 8 seasons” “True” She replies.

“What are you four up to today?” Danni asks “Alec and I have the morning off. Felix is on night duty and Demetri is still off recovering” “Great. We can watch a film together. I think I’ll show you Hotel Transylvania. There are 3 films in total” Danni puts the first film on and can’t help giggling “What’s funny?” Demetri asks “Oh, you’ll see.”

“I’m beginning to think your little human is making fun of us Demetri” Felix says trying not to laugh as Dracula whisks the human boy Jonathan into the broom closet before the monsters see him. “Agreed” Demetri replies resting his head on Danni’s shoulder and smelling her hair “And to think I was kind enough to share my room with you and not put in you in a broom closet…” He says as he brushes his fingers up and down her sides, gently tickling her “…Maybe I’m being too nice…” He continues as he brushes her hair aside and lets his teeth graze her neck gently, pretending to bite her “…What do you think, little human?” He asks and he places a chaste kiss to the spot he just pretended to bite and feels her pulse rise slightly at his actions and smiles into her neck “I think you’re being a very hospitable vampire and this little human appreciates that very much” She smiles and looks at him over her shoulder “I must say you’re very well-mannered for a bad boy vamp” She adds winking at him and turns back to the film still smiling. “Bad boy vamp” Jane repeats as she giggles and shakes her head “You’re very funny sweetie” “Thank you Jane” The boys just look at each other, confused at the girls’ exchange. Alec pauses the film “Bad boy vamp? Please explain” “Well Dem is one of the four elite Volturi guards and well the Volturi aren’t exactly known for being all warm and fuzzy now, are you?” She looked at the four vampires, who just seemed a bit surprised by her answer “I mean you’re like the mafia of the vampire world, vampires break your laws and you tear them apart and burn them” “Huh” Alec said “Personally, I think you guys are great. You serve a purpose. You keep the stupid or reckless vampires from exposing your kind to the humans. My dad is the Chief of Police in Forks and always said the law is there for a reason, to protect you and if you break it, there are consequences. Granted in the vampire world however, the consequences are much more brutal” Demetri just stared at her “What?” She asks “I can’t believe you understand the purpose of the Volturi and think it’s great. Not all vampires outside of the castle think that way” He answered “Well that is why they end up in pieces isn’t it?” Danni says and the four vampires nod. “So Demi is a bad boy vamp because he’s one of the Volturi and you’re seen as the ‘bad guys’ from an outside perspective” She continued and Demetri smiled at her “You are amazing cara” He kissed her temple and pulled her closer so her back was resting against his chest wrapping his arms around her “I’m your bad boy vamp” He whispered playfully in her ear so only she could hear, she turned her head to look at him smiling “Don’t you forget it” She whispered in reply and tapped his nose with her finger. Alec pressed play and they finished watching the movie. Demetri was happy to know that Danni accepted him for what and who he is as well as what he did, he felt truly lucky that she was his.

The following day Demetri takes Danni to the kitchen for breakfast and sees Chelsea, Heidi, Afton and Gianna sitting at one of the tables. “Morning all” He says “Morning Demetri, Danni” Comes the response. “Take a seat amore I’ll make you breakfast.” Danni sits next to Heidi and watches Demetri prepare her breakfast “You know how to cook?” Danni asks “I can make toast and warm stuff up in the microwave but that’s due to the human secretaries being in castle. However, since you have been here I’ve asked Gianna to teach me a few things so I can make you stuff other than toast” He smiles at her “That’s really nice of you thank you” She responds “No need to thank me. I like taking care of you” He sets a plate of scrambled egg on toast in front her and sits beside her. She smiles at him and places her hand on top of his “Thank you Dem, this is really nice” “You’re welcome” He places kiss to her temple. “You big softie” Chelsea says smiling and Demetri ignored her as he continued to look at Danni smiling.

“Heidi I’m meeting the wives later today, any advice on what I should wear? I want to make a good impression” Danni asks “Oh, sweetie, they will love you regardless but if you are worried, I can come by and help you pick something out?” Heidi replies “That would be great thank you” Danni put her arms round Heidi for a quick hug and Heidi returned the gesture smiling “No worries, I’ll come by your room in a bit and I’ll bring a couple of dresses for you to look at too” Danni nods and watches as Heidi and Chelsea leave the kitchen.

Demetri and Danni go back to their room and sit on the sofa together reading. There is a knock at the door “Only us” Heidi and Chelsea come into the room “Come with us hunny” Chelsea says and Demetri smiles watching his friends help his mate get ready to meet the Queens. Chelsea sat Danni down and gently begun to pull Danni’s hair up into a half up/half down style. Heidi applied some light make-up before helping Danni into a dark green knee length dress with elbow length sleeves and a pair of black low-heeled shoes. “You look amazing cara” Demetri complimented Danni as she walked out of the closet, Heidi and Chelsea following behind her. Danni couldn’t help the blush that coloured her cheeks.

Caius made his way to Demetri and Danni’s room and knocked on the door “Hello master” Demetri greeted “Hello Demetri, I’ve come to collect Danni and escort her to the Queen’s tower. I will ensure she is bought back later” “Thank you master” Demetri replied with a small bow of his head. “Good afternoon Caius” Danni greeted bowing her head slightly “Good afternoon Danni. You look lovely today” “Thank you” She blushed a little at the compliment.

They made their way to the tower talking about various things, about how she was settling in, how Demetri was a week after the incident and how she’s introduced Demetri, Felix and the twins to Netflix on her laptop.

They reached the tower and were greeted by Corin “Afternoon Master Caius, Danni” “Afternoon Corin” Caius replied, before leading Danni into the Queen’s room. “Afternoon my love” Caius greets his wife and kisses her lips. “Danni this is my wife Athenodora, Athenodora this Danni, Demetri’s mate” Danni smiles and bows her head “Hello Athenodora, it’s nice to meet you” “And you my child” Athenodora smiles at Danni. “Hello Danni, I’m Sulpicia Aro’s wife. It’s lovely to finally meet you” “Hello Sulpicia, it’s nice to meet you too.” “I will leave you ladies to get to know each other. I will come by later to escort you back to your room” Danni nodded “Thank you.” With that Caius left the tower “Corin make sure Danni stays safe” Caius says quietly as he passes her. “Of course master”

Athenodora takes Danni’s hand in hers and led her over to the sofa “Come child, we have much to discuss” “That dress suits you my dear” Sulpicia says as she joins them “Thank you. Heidi and Chelsea helped me get ready as I was nervous about meeting you and was unsure of what to wear” The wives smiled at her “We were very pleased to hear our beloved Demetri had finally found his mate after all this time” Sulpicia said “Yes, and such a beautiful girl too. I’m sure she’ll rival Heidi’s looks once she’s turned” Athenodora added “Thank you” Danni blushed looking to the floor. “So how are you settling in? I hope Demetri is treating you well” Athenodora asked “I’m settling in well thank you, everyone has made me feel very welcome. Demetri especially. He took me out to buy some clothes the day after I arrived as I had nothing with me. He picked out a beautiful blue dress and silver sandals for me to wear on our first date. He has good taste in fashion for a guy” Danni answered smiling. The wives looked each other knowingly and smiled “That’s good to hear. Now tell us about your first date” Sulpicia said “Heidi helped me get ready, Demetri bought me a bouquet of roses, and he had removed the thorns too. He took me to an Italian restaurant and even ordered dinner to eat so not to draw attention to us. I ordered a dessert to ‘share’ so he didn’t have deal with more food than necessary as vampires don’t eat. After dinner he took me dancing, not that I can dance that well, but he was so reassuring and was like I got you and led me through the dances. When we got back to our room and changed into our pyjamas, we sat on the sofa and he read to me until I fell asleep” “Aww that sounds like a great night” Sulpicia says “It was a great night. Can I tell you a secret?” Danni asked nervously “Of course child” Athenodora replied “That wasn’t just my first date with Demetri…it was my first date ever and he was a real gentleman throughout. In fact, he’s always a gentleman; he holds doors open for me, he moves me to the bed if I fall asleep on the sofa. He reads to me some nights and he’s also really attentive” “Oh my dear I’m so glad Demetri treats you so well. He really is a caring mate” Sulpicia said smiling “Did you expect anything else from our dear Demetri?” Athenodora asks as Sulpicia shakes her head in response.

“We heard about my husband’s speech to the entire castle, welcoming you into our family as Demetri’s mate” “Yes, I must be honest I was surprised by Caius’ speech. I got the impression he wasn’t a big fan of humans, but I’m glad he seems to like me enough to make me feel like part of the family. I am also very grateful to him for dealing with the rogue that tried to kill Demi” Danni said “Yes, well Caius loves to reinforce the Volturi’s laws and deal with the guilty swiftly. My husband tells me that Marcus has noticed a bond forming between you and Caius” Sulpicia says and Danni gasps “W-What? But he is m-married and I-I have Demetri” Danni says worry evident in her eyes “Oh my child. Do not worry, it is not that sort of bond” Athenodora says and wraps an arm around Danni “My apologies Danni, I thought you were aware” Sulpicia says “Let me explain. It’s a fatherly bond that is forming. He is becoming protective of you, hence the announcement and the punishment for any vampire that harms you. Marcus noticed the bond forming when they were in your room after the incident with Demetri and Caius was comforting you” “Oh ok” Danni relaxed hearing this “Thank you for telling me. I got a little worried then” “No need to worry, we’re family” Athenodora says smiling.

They spend the rest of the afternoon talking about what life is like in the castle for the wives, how the wives met the Kings and they asked Danni about her life before she came to the castle.

Caius returned in the evening to escort Danni back to her room. “Please come and visit again soon” Athenodora and Sulpicia said giving Danni a hug “I will thank you. I had a lovely time.”

“How was your afternoon Danni?” Caius asked as they walked “Good thank you. Athenodora and Sulpicia are very nice. How was your afternoon?” He smiled at her “It was quiet. I spent the afternoon in my personal study reading. You’ll have to come and spend an afternoon with me sometime; that way I can tell you more about us, our history and our laws” “I’d like that Caius, thank you” “You’re welcome child. Here we are. I bid you goodnight.” He smiled at her “Thank you for walking me back, goodnight.”

“Demi I’m back” Danni said as entered the room, closing the door behind her “In here” Demetri replies from the bathroom. Danni follows his voice to the bathroom; the door is open and he is standing there in just a towel, having just stepped out of the shower. Danni can’t help but look at him, his muscular arms, toned chest down to the v-line that went beneath the towel and the drops of water dripping from his wet hair onto his body; a low gasp leaves her lips and she takes her bottom lip between her teeth. Demetri notices her heart rate rise and hears the low gasp she lets out as she looks him over and he can’t help smiling, happy that she likes what she sees. “Have a nice afternoon?” He asks “Hmm…oh-oh yes- yes I did. The Queens are really nice” Danni replies a little flustered and looks down to the floor. “I-I’m going to get into my pyjamas” She makes her way quickly to the closet. ‘Oh my god. He’s so hot and he’s my mate’ she thinks to herself smiling. He chuckles at her being flustered by his current appearance and makes a mental note ‘I’ll have to remember to go shirtless more often.’

Once ready for bed Danni climbs into bed and notices that Demetri is already there smiling at her “What?” She asks “Can I not just look at my beautiful mate and smile at her?” She blushed “Dem” “I’m just being honest. Come on I’ll read to you” He says pulling her closer to him. “What are you going to read to me?” “I thought I’d read A Vampire for Christmas” He replied “I love that story, so yes but on one condition” She looks up at him and he nods at her to continue “If you start this as a book we read together, you cannot read it whilst I sleep” “Agreed mi amore. I will read another whilst you sleep” He smiled at her and kissed her forehead “Goodnight Demi” She kissed his cheek and got comfortable whilst he began reading aloud to her. Once she fell asleep he put the book on his nightstand and gently moved her over to her side of the bed “Goodnight mi amore” He kissed her cheek. He then went to the bookcase and chose a book to read whilst she slept beside him.

The following day the twins and Felix knocked on Demetri’s door “Demetri, the four of us are to leave on mission later tonight, so we thought we could watch the second Hunger Games film now” Alec said as they entered the room “Sounds like a plan, I’ll set the film up” Danni says and Demetri takes a seat on the sofa and gently pulls her onto his lap wrapping his arms around her waist holding her close. He knows he’s going to miss her a lot whilst he’s away, especially as they just spent an entire week together without work getting in the way.

Demetri returns from a meeting with Aro, Felix and the twins “How long will you be gone for?” Danni asks “About a week maybe longer, depending on the situation. Please remember do not leave the castle without either Heidi or Gianna. You may visit the gardens alone, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t go alone, just in case” He said softly “Don’t worry Dem, I know the rules and haven’t broken them yet” She leant up to kiss his cheek. “Be careful Demi” She said wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest “I will Danni” He replied, wrapping his arms around her, resting his head gently on hers and taking in her scent. He kissed her cheek and left the room wishing her a goodnight.

The next morning Danni got out of bed and took a shower. Once dressed she opened the bedroom door to find a guard dressed in light grey standing outside in the corridor. “Good morning Daniella, my name is Josh. I wanted to make sure you made it to the kitchen safely in Demetri’s absence” “Oh ok. Thank you Josh and please call me Danni” He nodded. Once they arrived at the kitchen Danni began making herself breakfast. “How long have you been with the Volturi?” “Three years. I was recruited about a year after I was turned” Josh replied “Do you know Demetri well?” Danni asked “Not really. I am one of the lower guards and he is one of the elite. Although Demetri and Felix train us as they are very experienced fighters. Some of the other higher-ranking guards train us too when Demetri and Felix are away.”  

Josh walked Danni back to her and Demetri’s shared room. “I have training for the next few hours but I will come and check on you this evening” “Thank you” Danni responded.

Josh came and checked on Danni that evening bringing her dinner with him. “Gianna made Chilli for you both. Hope it’s ok” “Thank you” Danni replied, noticing Josh’s eyes were more red than this morning. She didn’t need to ask why, she knew.

The following morning Danni was woken up by knocking at the door “Good morning Danni, sorry if I woke you but I have your breakfast” “Morning Josh, thank you” “I have the morning off and wondered if you wanted to spend it in the garden?” He asked “That sounds like a plan. I’ll grab a book too, just in case.” Once Danni finished her breakfast, they made their way out to the garden and sat down on the bench in front of the fountain. They discussed Josh’s human life as he could remember quite a bit having only been turned four years ago. They also spoke briefly about Danni’s life before she moved into the castle but she didn’t mention much about Bella or Charlie. Josh also had Danni laughing quite a bit as he was very funny.

After lunch Josh took Danni back to her room “I’ve got a double guard duty shift now so Gianna will bring you dinner. Have a lovely rest of the day” He smiled at her “I will and thank you for this morning, I like being in the garden” She replied smiling.

That evening Gianna bought hers and Danni’s dinner to Danni and Demetri’s room and they spent the evening chatting and watching Disney movies on Danni’s laptop.

Demetri had been away five days now and Danni was missing him, especially after spending the previous week with him. She also hoped he was ok and that nothing bad would happen on this trip.

#demetri volturi #felix volturi #jane volturi #alec volturi #aro volturi #caius volturi #marcus volturi #athenodora volturi #sulpicia volturi #heidi volturi #volturi #twilight #demetri x oc

[jojobee2256]

Meeting a Red Hot

Part 1 of (no title yet sooo)

Some sexual implications

You were a bit tipsy and couldn't help but stare even more at the red head who was loudly laughing over with his friends and your cousin in the adjoining room. Your cousin had invited you so you could get to know some of the people at the school you were transferring into a bit before the school year started. Transferring in your 2nd year of college wasn't ideal for you, but you rather hang out with your cousin and aunt than live in a dorm or travel with your parents on their '5th honeymoon' after winning the lottery. You were glad to have such loving and kind parents but you could only imagine the things you would see on that year long trip that no child should have to see their parents do. 

Killer brought you here, but he told you in advance that I shouldn't mingle with him recklessly. To help your aunt, he took on all kinds of part-time jobs and ended up with Kid's gang, whoever the hell Kid was. Ironically, ending up in a gang must have been in his genes since our parents were in one, too. Just from over hearing rumors at the party, you could see they had a bad rep. The thing was, you didn't really believe in them. Killer wouldn't do anything to make his mom sad, let alone risk going to jail and leaving her on her own. Granted, even then, she probably wouldn't be too upset. From what you saw and the jobs Killer tended to take, you figured they were a bunch of crass guys that had shit attitudes but worked hard in their jobs. Looking at the muscles on some of them, especially the sexy red hot, you could also guess the jobs were most likely manual labor jobs. 

Having enough of the chatter some girls were having around you after figuring out all your cousins friends' names, you move to the adjoining room and go to talk to some gothic girl with bright pink hair and the group of people she gathered. She had started a truth or dare game with some others, and you figured it was interesting enough. The rule was you had to put in a twenty to play and every dare you skipped added another twenty to rejoin, winner would be the person who lasted the longest with doing the least amount of skips and they got the pot. After a couple of rounds, you got an idea of who you were playing with. Zoro and Perona were adoptive siblings and had an odd but close relationship. Some of Zoro's friends Sanji, Nami, Franky, and Usopp were also playing along with two of Perona's friends, Cami and Lola. The dares were getting more and more interesting the more drunk everyone was, and the more you found yourself eyeing your new favorite piece of eye candy. Finally, it was your turn again, and Sanji was asking the question. If you got this last one, the round would be finished, and you would win.

"Truth or dare?" You had yet to get Sanji as the one to ask you before, but from his other ones, you could guess the truth and dare you would get from him. The truth would be something along the lines of if you liked him or if you thought he was hot. The dares for him got restricted after he dared Nami to take her top off, so you were probably safer going for the dare.

"I'll go with a dare." You saw Nami glare at him as if to remind him of the rule not allowing him to make anyone take their clothes off. Sanji just grinned, though. As if he had found a loophole that would ultimately lead to his satisfaction. You immediately regret sparing the guys feelings and take another sip from the red solo cup in your hand. 

"I dare you to kiss the hottest guy in the room." Your eyes go wide for a moment as you process the dare. You don't know if you got tired of side eyeing him or if you were really that drunk, but you stood up from your spot on the couch and walked right past Sanji who had his lips puckered and eyes closed in excitement. Walking right up to your cousin, you tap his shoulder. He looked shocked for a moment, and concern filled his eyes. You could read his eyes like an open book and thank god for that since he wore a dust mask and the rest of his face was covered. 

"I just wanted to apologize in advance to you and... Kid?" You look to the red head. " I am drunk and like hell am I gonna lose out on a stack of cash cause I won't do a dare!" You justify yourself. Before he can ask any questions, you walk right up to the man you had been ogling all night and wrap your arms around his neck and pull him to your height. "Sorry." You mutter under your breath as you kiss him deeply. He was stunned before you felt a grin form on his lips as you kissed him, and he started to kiss back. As the kiss got deeper you could feel the eyes on your back grow in number, but your drunk mind didn't care about anything except basking in the feeling of his hands as they wrapped around your torso and the heat from his breath as you would both briefly move away from each other to catch a breathe of air.

It was only after feeling his hand roam a little further down from your waist that you actually realized where you were. The thing was that it wasn't even your mind realizing that you shouldn't be having a heavy make-out session with someone you don't know in a room full of more people you don't know. It was the uncomfortable cough from your cousin.

Your eyes shot open, and you wiggled out of your red hot's arms, instantly missing the feeling and warmth they gave you. The room was silent as you just as quickly sobered up. You knew people were staring, but you didn't know everyone was staring. You take a gulp and smile to hide your red face. You then proceeded to go back to the group that was playing truth or dare, once again ignoring a gaping Sanji and collecting your rightfully earned loot.

"Welp," You turn to Killer and his friends, trying your absolute best not to return the fiery gaze of the man you just kissed the heck out off. "I'm going home. Got plenty of cash to burn on an Uber, and I think I drank enough for the night. See you at home, Killer." And with that, you speed walk right out of the large house and start walking a good block down before calling for a ride.

You quickly throw your shoes into the shoe closet as you enter the house and wash up, ignoring all thoughts of the night and focusing on the bubbles the soap made. Once you felt you didn't reek completely of booze, you head to the basement where you and killer had rooms. It was remodeled so that you could easily access the bathroom from the stairway and the front door. Once downstairs, you go into your spare room and crash on the bed. You had officially turned off your brain and just knew you would remember nothing in the morning.

#one piece #kid x y/n #eustass x reader #kid x reader #eustass kid #eustass x y/n #real world au

[glitteringaglarond]

'So it seems,' said Faramir, slowly and very softly, with a strange smile. 'So that is the answer to all the riddles! The One Ring that was thought to have perished from the world. And Boromir tried to take it by force? And you escaped? And ran all the way – to me! And here in the wild I have you: two halflings, and a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality! Ha!' He stood up, very tall and stern, his grey eyes glinting.   Frodo and Sam sprang from their stools and set themselves side by side with their backs to the wall, fumbling for their sword-hilts. There was a silence. All the men in the cave stopped talking and looked towards them in wonder. But Faramir sat down again in his chair and began to laugh quietly, and then suddenly became grave again.   'Alas for Boromir! It was too sore a trial!' he said. 'How you have increased my sorrow, you two strange wanderers from a far country, bearing the peril of Men! But you are less judges of Men than I of Halflings. We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. Not if I found it on the highway would I take it I said. Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take those words as a vow, and be held by them.   'But I am not such a man. Or I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee. Sit at peace! And be comforted, Samwise. If you seem to have stumbled, think that it was fated to be so. Your heart is shrewd as well as faithful, and saw clearer than your eyes. For strange though it may seem, it was safe to declare this to me. It may even help the master that you love. It shall turn to his good, if it is in my power. So be comforted. But do not even name this thing again aloud. Once is enough.'

And this, right here, is the exact moment that Faramir because my favorite character when i read it as an eight year old child, and why he has never been bumped from that #1 spot in the 20+ years since.

i've talked about this before, but there can never be enough said about how good this moment is.

Ever since we were first introduced to Faramir, both we the readers and Frodo have been conflicted about whether or not to trust him. He reminds us all of Boromir, and while that's usually not a bad thing the last time Frodo and Boromir saw each other does make all of us second guess everything. And the fact that he Boromir's brother just makes that seem to be an even more likely eventuality that he will be tempted in the same way that Boromir was.

No... as much as we want to trust Faramir, as much as we are reminded of Aragorn and Elrond and Gandalf as well as of Boromir, it's probably a much safer course of action not to risk confiding in him.

But then Sam slips and he tells the secret that we all - Frodo, Sam, and the readers - are in agreement that we probably shouldn't be telling Faramir. And his response is terrifying, because he is described in almost the exact same words as Boromir was when he tried to take the Ring.

But then... he sits down again. He doesn't make a move towards the Hobbits, he doesn't fall into the same pitfall that took Boromir, and instead reaffirms the trust we wanted to put in him and comforts Sam so that he will not blame himself for what he would undoubtedly have considered a massive mistake.

And we realize that everything he was saying earlier that made us so badly want to trust him has now been backed by his actions.

it's not that Faramir wouldn't be tempted by the Ring. But while Boromir acted from his heart and did not allow wisdom to guide his actions, Faramir acts from a place of wisdom and allows the empathy and compassion of his heart to inform those actions.

#lotr newsletter #faramir #guys i've been trying through every one of these zillion posts i've made about him to express how much i love him #and i'm still falling short #but just... i love him so much #my op #newsletter march 7

[triplesilverstar]

Maybe the fifth time is the charm? Who are you kidding

Rating: PG

Pairing: Vash X F!Reader

CW: Shooting, no sense of direction, kidnapped, hostages, almost falling to your death

Word count: 3306

A/N: Chapter 5 of Bounty hunting 101: You should be good at this

As you and your guide rolled into town, you noticed things seemed rather chaotic to say the least. You’d been listening to the portable radio and heard a request for assistance, your guide leading you towards the town. And it looked like the two of you had arrived a little too late. 

The town was in shambles, a group of bandits had raided the bank but instead of just taking the money they could carry, they’d grabbed a few hostages. A few hostages that the town sheriff admitted based on the gang the bandits claimed they belonged to were going to end up being sold. 

That hadn’t sat right with you. Not at all. Your guide turning white when you offered to go with the deputies that wanted to try and rescue the hostages. You didn’t expect your guide to come with you, and told them as much, watching the relief wash across their face. 

The sheriff might not have been a fan, at least not until one of the parents of one of the hostages offered a rather hefty reward to have his daughter brought back. Money always made people react, which you did think was funny since you turned people in for cash. Something like this though? 

You’d turn in the bandits themselves for the cash, you wanted to rescue the hostages because it was just the right thing to do. If there was a kind of person that got under your skin, it was slavers. That would never change. It would always leave a sour taste in your mouth. 

Which led to you and two of the deputies taking Tomas at dusk out of town, the lead deputy following the tracks on the van that the bandits had left in. The moons provided enough of a glow for the three of you to see clearly, following the tracks to what seemed to be a ramshackled old building partially hanging off a cliff's edge. 

No. Ramshackled sounded too stable as you and the deputies watched. Dilapidated was better, as you watched a piece of metal siding fall with a wind gust. “How long has this building been here for?” You whispered to the deputies. 

“Based on how it looks I’d have to say a while, that or these guys threw it up for a temporary camp to rob the town.” 

“I think the safer bet might be to go with it being the first option” you whisper watching as a guard moves in the dim lighting. 

“Why does it even matter? Lets get a move on!” You roll your eyes, it’s good the deputy is eager but this could end badly. 

“It matters because if it’s old, we don’t know how stable the structure is. We could sink right through metal, something the bandits would have figured out when they took over. If they made it, it could fall apart at any second which throws in a time element.” At the look both of them send you all you can mutter is one word. “What?” 

“Nice to know the Ghost Sniper is even better than they say if you can think of that in less than five minutes of us being here.” Right, I guess if you wanted it too or not the rumors about you were growing, that or common sense wasn’t all that common. 

As the three of you made your way inside, this might have been easier than you thought, a lot of the bandits seemed to be busy drinking or passed out from the amount of booze they’d drunk already. 

Creeping around you realized it was in fact, an older building, checking as you went for any noises that might have alerted the few bandits that weren’t drinking to your presence. 

As you made a turn taking the stairs you froze at the top, slowly looking around, spotting a lone bandit taking a long drag on a cigarette at the top of the stairs. Rifle pointed down towards the ground, he’s not paying much attention at all to either the hallway or the room at the top of the old building. 

Your chance comes when he steps into the room, making a comment after he finished his smoke about how he was going to enjoy making someone ‘whimper on his cock’. A comment you might have cringed about. Steps light and quick you have your rifle slung, approaching the bandit and throwing your arm around his neck, placing pressure on his windpipe and watching as his eyes flutter close and his arms drop to the ground as he slumps. 

Releasing him, and leaning back out the door you wave towards the two deputies who move as quickly as possible while staying silent and join you. Moving into the room, and find five hostages. The deputies moving towards the first four, all young women while you move towards the fifth and frown. 

Greeted by a blond head of hair you’re sadly getting to familiar with seeing and clad in a red coat, a gag stick in his mouth. Lowering down so your eye level with him “if you don’t make a scene I’ll take that gag out of your mouth.” Whispering low enough while the deputies are working to untie the others and telling them to be quiet. 

A sharp nod, and you undo the gag in short order “we really need to stop meeting like this.” A cheeky response from a man still largely tied up. 

“So why are you here?”

“Well, I might have been minding my own business” that sounds like an outright lie to you, but you’re not going to call him out on it. “Then these guys broke into the bank and one of them recognized me. So with the girls in the bank I was grabbed as a hostage, and well, a bounty to turn in.” You snort, because sadly that part is believable. Too bad most outlaws seem to keep forgetting you can’t turn in someone for a bounty when they have one themselves. 

“Aw, well I guess it’s my lucky day” you whisper standing up and petting his head “they caught you for me. All they needed to do was put a big ribbon on your head and it’d have been perfect.” 

Heading back towards the two deputies you rub your eyes “I think it might be best if we try getting out of here in groups. Each of you take two of the young ladies, that way you can slip out easier. One of you go first, then the other in about ten minutes, I’ll go last with the last guy there.” You jab your thumb over your shoulder towards Vash. 

“Why is he still tied up?” Shit. 

“Don’t worry about that. Worry about getting out.” You pause for a moment thinking “and if something happens, keep these girls safe. If you’re already outside, start heading back towards town. They’re the priority right now.” Letting the command in your tone show both deputies just nod, though you can see them throwing curious glances back your way.

The first group on their way and you hear nothing from down below, glad they hopefully made it all the way outside the old building. A building you are getting confused about what it could have been used for because of the layout. It seems almost like it was designed to hang out over the cliff’s edge for some reason. Well maybe a thought for another day. Or never.

The second group on their way and you finally move Vash closer to the doorway, listening for any sign of trouble. “So why come to help these people?” 

It’s an honest question, and as much as you’d just rather listen, the truth is if they’re caught, there’s no way you won’t hear the racket it will cause. “It was the right thing to do.” 

“Don’t hear that every day.” Sending him an annoyed side eye you huff, where does he get off on making a comment like that?

“Fine. I don’t like people being sold into slavery. Is that a better answer Stampede?” It leaves your throat as a low growl, a sign you’re not happy about having to try and appease the man. Even if the voice at the back of your head is questioning why you’re saying anything at all to the wanted man. 

“Don’t like slavery, but you’re a bounty hunter?” What the hell is with this guy, he always seems to be a walking contradiction. 

“I’ve got my reasons. And last I checked, you agreed you deserve your bounty. By the way, how did you know I’d go back to the diner and give that woman most of the prize money?” It is something that had been nagging you since the incident, he’d admitted he joined to help out a struggling family. What hadn’t made sense was why he’d dropped out in the first place. 

“Well, I could tell by your eyes. You’re one of the good guys.” That has your shoulders shooting backwards, spine straight, and face blanching. A good guy. It’s such a naive thing to say, there isn’t good or bad in most cases, just people doing what they can to survive. You would never consider yourself to be a good person, no, you just know how to survive, even if there was a time when you’d done any and everything to try and not survive. 

“I think you need your head checked out Stampede.” It’s a biting response from the corner of your eye you can see him smile. 

“Maybe, it has been slammed around a lot.” What an answer, and you find yourself grinning despite yourself. 

“Does that mean I’m going to be turning in damaged goods?” You should have known such conversations with the man would lead to trouble. As before he can answer you hear a scream of “the merchandise is escaping” from down below. How nice to call people merchandise. 

“Fuck” it hisses from your mouth before you can stop it, unsling your rifle, and running for the stairs. 

“Untie me! I can help!” You glance back at him, and two parts of you are screaming in your head. You let the part that cares far more about those girls and deputies getting away win, darting back and pulling a knife from your boot to undo his bonds. 

“Have you got a weapon?”

“No, they took my pistol but doesn’t mean I won’t make for a good distraction.” No chance to question him as he runs for the stairs, leaping over the side and screaming “don’t kill anyone!” 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” You just scream back, what made him think just because you released him that he could order you around? Instead of the stairs you run for a boarded up window you can see. You won’t be able to get out, but you can see outside checking.

The bandits that had been serving as roaming guards and near the fence you had passed, shooting back towards the building. Rifle up to your eye you look out, one of the toma is gone, which means at least one of the deputies had made it out. Focusing your attention you start looking for the bursts of light from the bullets being fired by the bandits. Three. There are three of them. 

Reaching into your jacket inner pocket you grab the same bullets you use to knock out bounties. As low as you are, these men don’t deserve to die so you’ll send them to dream land. Left hand slamming on the magazine release you grab it and place it back into your coat, hitting the fire selector to repeater as the hand returns to it’s place on the forstock.

Right hand pulling the cocking handle back, sliding the first bullet into the chamber and hitting the handle release switch as your right hand returns to the pistol grip and you flick the safety off. Hearing the satisfying click on the round being locked in place, and lining up your first target. 

A headshot is not what you want, even this round would kill if it hit a body part like that, instead you aim for a shoulder. Deep breath in, a slow exhale as your lungs start to empty, freezing as your lungs empty just the right amount. Gently pulling the trigger, and watching the bandit slump to the ground before you finish exhaling. The sizzle of the round being ejected, the smell of burnt carbon filling your nose as you repeat the process twice more. 

All the while listening inside the building as the bandits inside in their drunken stupor seem to start to wake up. Hearing the sound of thrashing down below, now that the bandits outside have been dealt with you hit your hearing implant raising the ambient noise and blocking out the sound of gunfire. 

It sounds as through they have the deputy and his two charges pinned, racing across the floor back to the stairs in time to see a bandit climbing them. You run and slide, swinging the butt of your rifle up just after you pass under his open legs. The sound of the air leaving his lungs from the sudden pain reaches your ears as you turn on your leading leg and slam the butt of your rifle down across the back of his neck. He won’t be getting up for a while. 

At the bottom of the stairs you watch another bandit approach and start to run towards him, only to watch his eyes roll to the back of his head before he drops. Vash stood behind him, pistol in hand and held more like a blunt instrument then a gun. “Fancy running into you here.”

“Yea, fancy that” you mutter at his exuberant tone “it’s a real party.” This level has a far better view of the floors down below you, and you nod towards Vash. It makes sense why he came up instead of down. “I see you got your pistol back. Can you hit your targets from this distance?” A nod. “You didn’t happen to see the deputy and the two girls with him did you?” 

“They’re pinned just to the left of a doorway. I came up to get a better view to try and clear the way for them.” This time it’s you nodding “can you do this without killing anyone?” 

“I didn’t kill the bandits outside” you hiss at him, yeah you are certainly annoyed he seems to think he’s the one calling the shots. 

“I have a plan” and you’re surprised how good of a plan it is, agreeing immediately and heading to the side opposite Vash so you can both shoot down into the area from cover. His plan is rather simple, with both of you firing from different locations you’ll be able to force the bandits to move, allowing the deputy and his charges to escape. 

It feels strange, to be working with someone as part of a team, even if you have plans to tie him up and hand him over to the sheriff as soon as this is all over with. In the interim, you’re enjoying this. You’re both working well together, each taking shots are different times before moving again, while the other takes their shot. 

Watching at the deputy moves you start to grin, this part will be over in no time. The explosion takes you off guard, but not as much as feeling the floor beneath you starting to tilt, watching in almost slow motion as you feel yourself falling backwards. Instincts taking over as you start to run, lunging for the stable section that isn’t falling away. Only to grasp the smooth edge of the metal floor plate hanging from the side. The edge of the still standing side is just out of reach. 

The fingers of both your hands are hooked into the lip of the plate, and you make the mistake of looking down. You won’t survive a fall like this, the section still part of the building that had overhung the cliff, and you’re far too distant from the edge of the cliff to swing yourself towards it and drop. 

Using every portion of strength you can muster in your forearms to pull yourself higher to try and reach for that jagged edge just above you. Heart pounding and sweat pouring down your face as you pull, removing one hand and reaching, stretching as far as you can, the tiniest sliver to skin on your middle finger touching the bottom. 

And the burn in the one arm becomes too much, dropping down and feeling your entire body shudder as all eight fingers hook onto the edge again. Tears are starting to fall from the pain your body is in, but you won’t give up, not yet. Breathing as deeply as you can through the pain, you try once more, lungs aching and your forearms screaming in agony. This three of your fingers touch the metal but only one the top, and you’re far too weak to use a single finger to pull yourself to safety. Arm falling once more as you look down, feeling the wetness drip from your chin, a mix of tears and sweat. 

Only to feel cool metal wrap around your wrist.

“Hold on!” Head snapping up, as Vash hangs over the side, his gloved hand reaching for the other one. 

Turning the wrist he’s holding so you can grasp a part of his own wrist in your sweaty hand before releasing your iron grip on the line edge you’d been clinging to and grabbing higher up on the offered limb. A better hold and you use your legs to help push yourself up while he pulls. 

It isn’t easy, but in moments he’s pulling you up over the edge and your both tumbling farther back on the platform away from the edge. Chest heaving as your heart and lungs work to try and relieve the strain your body had been under for who knows how long you’d hung there. It had felt like forever but it had probably just been mere minutes. 

Turning you watch as Vash begins to stand “I’m glad you’re alright.” Reaching down to dust himself off. “Maybe next time will be under better circumstances. Not a big fan of fighting so I’ll be on my way.” A short cheerful wave of his prosthetic and you swear he’s skipping off as he leaves. 

You don’t make a comment as he takes off, and not just because you’re still trying to catch your breath. Your mind is spinning, pressing the heels of your hands into your eyes, he could have left you to fall to your death but didn’t. What kind of enigma was Vash the Stampede, Humanoid Typhoon? 

When you finally feel like your arms aren’t going to fall off you make your way down below, just in time for the sheriff to arrive.

Later, after the dust settles, you learn that once the first deputy got back the sheriff and the rest came to provide support. As well, one of the bandits had decided to set off a few explosions that had been set at the base of the structure that hung over the cliff. For once, you didn’t hand of the portions of the bounty you’d been paid back to the town, having just refused to be paid for assistance in the return of some business man's daughter. 

You hadn’t left for the money, but because it was the right thing to do. One final thought as you left the town kept rolling around in your head. What the hell did Vash the Stampede see in you to say you were one of the good guys?

#vash the stampede x reader #vash the stampede #trigun #trigun stampede #twink writes #enimes to lovers #Bullets Bandits Ghosts & Typhoons

[robotstrategy]

Recalled • Part 7 • 49 - Registration

Previous • Series Masterlist • Part 7 Masterlist • Next

Roland enters the apartment after coming back home from Christmas break. He wears a nice crocheted shawl delivered from his grandmother in Spain. He walks over to Nero who sits at the table, she chews on the end of a pen whilst looking over paperwork.

She looks up at him, smiling. “That looks nice.” 

“Thanks, I got it from my abuela.”

“So you met her then?”

Roland shakes his head. “No, but her card to me was so heartfelt that I thought she was there,” He looked down at the paperwork. “What’s that?” 

“Oh, the doctor at the ward gave me these, they’re for Recall rehabilitation, it’s mostly chances to do voluntary work.” 

Roland sits down with her. “I see, so do you just go to their website to sign up for it.” 

“No, we'd have to go to the community hall to see what things are still open,” She looks up at him. “I was just wondering if you’d like to give it a chance since you don’t have the best self-image. No offence.” 

Roland shakes his head again. “None taken, I just think that right now isn’t the best time to be doing volunteer work.” He looks outside at all the snow. 

Nero waves him off. “None of them are for this time of the year. They’re mostly summer camps.”

Roland scratches the back of his head. “Well, I guess that could be fun.” 

Nero looks outside at the snow. “The snow is supposed to settle in the afternoon, would you like to go check things out then?” 

“Sure, why not?” 

Around twelve Nero and Roland walk into a city bus. They find spots in the back, Roland is squished in as Nero ingulphs him in shadow. 

“Why are you doing this?” He groans.

“Because Trevor uses this bus and I want you to be safe.” She responds.

“I’d be safer if I had some breathing room.”

Nero grunts moving to the side and putting her legs together to give him more room. “Y’know sometimes my legs will fly open ‘cause, y’know.” 

Roland smirks. “He still thinks he’s got balls?” 

“Yeah.” 

They arrive at the community hall, walking up to the door Roland opens it for Nero. 

“Oh, how nice of you.” 

“Well, a pretty lady like you should have the door opened for her.” Roland teases.

Nero laughs. “I have been leaning more into my feminine side lately.” She admits. 

Nero walks up to the counter with Roland following her. She clears her throat at the busy receptionist. 

“Just a moment,” She types a little more on the computer, then turns around. “What can I do for you today?” 

Nero slides the papers over to her. “I was given these by my guidance doctor. My friend and I were wondering if there were any spots left?” 

The receptionist takes the papers filing through them and sets some aside. She gives back a few to Nero. “I’ll have you head down to the office to the right. Wait for him to let you in.” 

Both Roland and Nero head down, they stand in front of a frosted glass door before a man with a friendly smile opens the door. His smile vanishes and he gasps in horror at the sight of Nero.

“It’s been a long time since someone’s done that,” Nero recalls. 

The man shakes it off, returning to his smile. “My apologies, I hope I didn’t offend you.” 

“No, you didn’t, I got used to it before I was even let outside.” 

The man shakes their hands before inviting them to sit down. “My name is Mr. Lamar, and yours?” 

“Roland McMary.”

“Nero A.” 

Mr. Lamar looks up from a paper. “How do you spell your last name Nero?” 

“Oh no A. stands for Aidoneus, it’s my middle name, I don’t have a last name.” 

“Ah, right, you’re a Rewind, I’ll just put down Ward for now.”

Nero seems a little uncomfortable about that, but she tells herself it will be fine for now. 

Mr. Lamar takes the papers from Nero and goes to his computer.

“So, are you two more interested in summer camps? A lot of them are available for pre-registry.”

Nero looks at Roland, and he shrugs, indicating that he’s fine with anything. Nero looks back at Mr. Lamar. “Summer camp is good, preferably something at the end of summer would be nice.” She suggests, it would be something to get Sam off her mind 24/7 once he goes off to Molokai. 

Mr Lamar nods. “Think we’ve got one open in Canada.” He turns to Roland. “You’re Modified, correct?” 

“Yes sir.” 

“Good, if you want to go overseas, we wouldn’t want you unwound. I hear there’s already been a few accidents.” 

Roland gulps, that’s unpleasant. 

“Here it is, Jack’s Canadian Camp! I’ve always wondered why it’s been called that.” He drifts off onto another monitor. “Hmm, oh they originated from America, and their original building was hit by a clapper attack, how sad.” 

Roland starts to worry, he hasn’t thought about clappers in a long time, he’d almost forgotten about them until they were brought up.

Mr. Lamar peeks at him. “Oh don’t worry, Canada is very good at cracking down on clappers, you’ll be safer there than over here.” 

He looks back at the website, “Now, they’re offering jobs as a lifeguard, counsellor, and nurse, does any of that interest you?” 

“I did lifeguarding as a summer job,” Roland says. “And don’t you already work as a nurse, Nero?” 

Nero tilts her head back and forth. “So-so.”

“That’s perfect then, I’ll set you up in their system, I’ll call you later to tell you if they’ve accepted or declined my request.” 

Nero gets up, she bows her head. “Thank you.”  

They both head to the door when Mr. Lamar speaks up again. “Nero, are you religious by any chance? It was just a question asked in the form I’m filling out.”

Nero turns to him. “No, not that I know of.” She tells him.

He gives her a funny look but accepts the answer anyway.

#unwind #unwind dystology #unwind fanfic #unwind series #sequel fic #roland taggart #unwind oc

[smartycvnt]

Just Say Yes

Pairing: El Phantasmo x Reader

Summary: El surprises you with a nice day out while the two of you are in California.

R

WC: 939

Japan was nice, but sometimes you got a little homesick. New Japan going to California for an event was just the thing that you needed. El had flown the two of you out a week early so that you could enjoy your time there before heading back. He had definitely been noticing your longing to be back in America, even if it was just for a little while. You hadn't even told him where you wanted to go, but it seemed like you didn't have to when he showed you the tickets and reservations he had booked. Your first day in America had been spent at Disney, which you had been surprised by. Every single day had been spent doing something that you had mentioned wanting to do, but hadn't done in years. Most of those things you hadn't even remembered mentioning to El, but he remembered them.

"Alright, this is a bit more lowkey, but we deserve a day of rest before the big show," he said as he walked you further into the park. You were grateful for this more lowkey day. Tourism could really take a lot out of you. "Alright, this looks like a good spot. Now, take off your clothes."

"Excuse me?" For a moment, you thought he was being serious, but then he started laughing at your reaction. "Asshole."

"I'm kidding. Here, sit down here and just enjoy this beautiful sandwich that a man at a deli made for us this morning," El said as he reached into his backpack. You took your half of the sandwich and stared out at the park. You could see a lot from the little spot on the hill he had found. The two of you were facing a little soccer field, where you could see a youth team practicing. "It's not the Sounders, but at least I found us a game to watch."

"Yeah, you did. Thank you for this, it's nice," you said as you laid your head against his shoulder. The two of you sat like that for what felt like hours after you were done eating. El was fidgeting a little, which was very unlike him. He was nervous, but you had no idea what it could be about. "You know I'm not pregnant, right?"

"Do you want to be?" El asked. He was trying to tread carefully. This conversation had been a big obstacle to get over and the two of you didn't even know what you really wanted anyways. You eventually did want kids, but El wasn't so sure that he would ever be ready. Just like he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready for marriage. You understood how hard wrestling could be on a marriage, having had your first one crumble before your move to Japan. You did want to marry El, but you'd wait until the two of you were retired to do so if that was what it took. Marriage didn't change anything in a relationship anyways, not really.

"I don't know. There's about to be a pretty interesting new champion that I want a crack at," you told him. El nodded as he slipped his hand into his pocket. You glanced up at him, which was when you finally saw the genuine fear in his eyes. "What's going on in there?"

"I need to ask you something, but I don't know if you even want it anymore," El sighed. You grabbed his hand and waited patiently for him to continue. "I know that one day you want the whole three kids and a dog in a big house with a white fence and a Subaru or whatever stupid looking safe car is the best. I also know that I'm not exactly anyone's first choice for that sort of thing, you should want someone safer, but you're here with me instead. I guess what I'm saying is that if you'll say yes, then I'm willing to give it my best shot to give you all of that. You've been my girlfriend for what feels like a long time, we already live together, and I think that within a year or so, we can come back and have all of our friends and family at a wedding here. Well, there would be two because I kind of also want one in Canada. Do you understand what I'm trying to say here?"

"El, will you marry me?" you asked him. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he pulled the ring out of his pocket. "Just say yes because after that, I know you do."

"Do I put the ring on myself?" El asked you. You shook your head as you stuck your left hand out for him to put the ring on your finger. "I said a lot back there, would you mind not repeating any of it to anyone?"

"I will tell everybody, starting with Jay. We have dinner with the club tonight, and we can't miss it or they'll ask questions," you told him. El groaned as he fell back onto the grass. You laid down next to him, tucking yourself under his arm and against his chest. "It's not like they don't know you love me."

"Jay helped me get the ring actually, and he asked if I'd do it before he left. I wanted to wait until we were back on your turf though, to make it special for you," El admitted. You smiled as you thought about how sweet he actually was, despite everything he did to try and convince you otherwise. You couldn't wait until you got to call him your husband officially.

#el phantasmo #el phantasmo x reader #njpw x reader #njpw #my writing

[im-houstons-problem]

would you be okay with doing a platonic gn!cade!reader fanfic w/ the curtis brothers (maybe a ponyboy x reader if you want) where reader has past self harm scars? they’ve been clean for over a year but they still have visible scars and just the reaction to the boys seeing them?

it’s okay if you’re not comfy w/ writing this! i totally understand

Things Are Rough All Over

Pairing ;; sodapop x cade!reader Pronouns ;; they/them (gender neutral) Warnings ;; sh mentions/refrences

A/N ;; if this is possibly triggering, please don't read this for your safety. and to anyone who is struggling with self harm, i strongly urge that you seek out help. there's plenty of hotlines, resources, and safer outlets, it does not make you a burdern to ask for help.

on another note- i do plan on doing two other parts of this, should i do seperate parts or all of them a story piece that go with each other in the end?

and ONE FINAL THING- thank you for the incredible patience. i've settled a bit more, so now i should have a more consistent schedule :>

it's pretty easy to spot the cade twins

namely because you both wore jean jackets

so when soda was working the pump at the dx and spotted a small, denim clad figure in the near distance

he had a 50/50 shot at guessing who it was

but man, seeing you wearing sleeves in this heat?

You walked up the road holding a steering wheel. With nothing better to do, you had nabbed some car parts to bring to Soda and Steve. You saulted the middle Curtis, wheel in hand. "Hey, Soda."

The blonde beamed back at you, wiping gasoline off his hands. "Hey- what's up Shortcake?"

You scoffed at the nickname. Johnny had Johnnycake for obvious reasons- The group had struggled coming up with one for you, seeing not a lot of names rang with 'cake' as well as your brother's. It was only when you came back to the house, small carton of strawberry shortcakes in your arms that they'd decided on Shortcake.

"Oh, y'know. Was jus' walkin' and saw some spare parts on the ground." You offered the car piece with a sly grin. Sodapop chuckled, none the less taking it. "Yer brother was actually just here with Dal' and Pony with a windsheild wiper. Guess the DX owes the Cade twins, then, huh?"

"Guess so, speakin' of, where's Steve?

"Awe, he's in the shop. Bastard left me to man the pumps in the heat."

"Yeah, 's pretty hot ain't it?"

"You can't say it's hot when yer wearin' a jacket in this weather, Y/N," he teased.

Despite the light tone, you were still stricken with a chord of paranoia. You knew why Johnny always wore his jacket. It was a gift from their parents before they turned to whiskey and bruised knuckles. You weren't as sentimental, the jacket enacting as denim armour instead.

It'd been a over a year since you last touched a blade like that- but the scars still lingered. The only people who knew were yourself, Johnny, and Ponyboy. It was never brought up unless you did, which was a scarce occasion. And Johnny had only caught a glimpse of the pale lines along your forearms once. You forgot to bring a towel with you to the shower so you had called your brother. Admist the moment where you blindly groped for the fabric behind the shower curtain, Johnny had seen the healing skin- which was how he found out in the first place.

"-rtcake? Y/N/"

Sodapop's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You ran a hand through your greasy hair, a sheepish smile on your face. "Sorry, what were you sayin'?"

"Nothin' important. You alright? I mean I was just teasin' before but maybe you oughta take that jacket off, Y/N."

"I'm fine, as is, Soda," you insisted. Still, the middle Curtis didn't look too convinced. He sighed, and you thought he was gonna drop the subject and move on. But of course, Sodapop proved he wasn't as dumb as he said he was- taking the moment of relief to tug at your shoulders of denim.

As you struggled between the material and his grasp you told him to lay off.

"Awe- c'mon, Shortcake! It's what? Ninety somethin' degrees out-"

You cursed the lean muscle that was Sodapop Curtis as he managed to take hold of your sleeve, taking the jacket with. He was laughing, clutching the jacket tight as he did. You knew to the blonde this was all some silly game over a denim coat, but it didn't make you any less pissed at him.

Defensively you crossed your arms, waiting for him to cut the cackling. You looked off with a scowl, hearing Soda come to a stop. "Don't be like that, Y/N," you could hear the grin on his face, "You'll thank me when your brother passes out of heatstroke. They left before I could wiggle him out of his." Sodapop went on about something, but you weren't really listening.

The lines along your arms burned with shame and regret, tucking them further against your chest. "Can I at least have it back? I don't need yer dirty hands soiling my jacket. And as careful as you were trying to be- you made a mistake. You extended your arm, reaching for the fabric.

The blonde had chuckled, going to hand it to you when his eyes landed on the now exposed scars along your arms. He would ask what they were from, automatically assuming maybe it was from a rumble or a tussle with some Socs. Maybe some risky game with Curly Shepard. But the pink scores were too neat for something like that. It was methodical, something really meant to hurt.

He dropped the denim onto the concrete, reaching for your other wrist as well, "Who did it? Was it your parents?"

Soda was launching question after question and it took you a second to process. He had your arms in hold, gawking at the scars, a look of worry- wait, gawking at the scars?

You retracted your arms, holding them against your chest once more. "No one. It ain't important," you said sternly

Dull anger burned in his brown eyes, "Y/N, please- who did it? Ain't no one can hurt my family like that and expect to get off."

There was a beat of silence and you knew it couldn't be prolonged. Soda would probably worry his head off to Steve, who in turn would go to Two-Bit, who'd go to Ponyboy, who'd go to Darry, who'd go to Dallas, who'd go to Johnny and well; something about it coming to a full circle.

"Me," you whispered, "It was me."

sodapop didn't really understand at first

but then you explained to him the dark times you had gone through

he'd tear up, pulling you into a tight hug

he'd tell you how much you meant to him and the gang

he asks if anyone else knew and you tell him just johnny and ponyboy

you tell him how you swore them both to secrecy, that'd you'd go to them if you started thinking like that again

soda asked to be notified too

#sodapop curtis x reader #tw self harm #cw self harm #sodapop x reader #the outsiders fanfiction #[📜] !! jd writes

[novastorm223]

Kai's information!^^

Name: Kai.

Species: Large Cameraman.

Gender: Male.

Age: unknown.

Height: 7’2.

Weight: 228.

Appearance: Kai wears a black coat, dark grey vest and darker grey undershirt. He also wears white pants, shoes and gloves. And no tie.

Personality: Extremely stoic, kind, reserved, strict, easily flustered.

Backstory: Kai was one of the few cameramen left behind not on purpose but he didn’t blame them. As he tries to make his way back to base, he ends up being surrounded by an entire pack of Camera mimics. Preparing to fight even if he was going to lose he stood his ground. A few minutes goes by with no movement. They all stood there staring waiting for the other to make the first move. Why are they attacking me? I wouldn’t provide any form of sustenance or am I merely in their territory and are not taking it lightly. He thought to himself. Finally the alpha makes the move lunging at him and as he prepares for the blow, the mimics goes from growling to whimpering and yipping fearfully. Kai watched as a large mimic held the Alpha with ease. He held them high but didn’t do anything that would further harm them but was firm and it said something but he didn’t understand. After this he lowered the alpha down and shoved them away. It yowled as if he’d bitten them and the rest ran after him. Kai having low energy and having a sparking arm he ends up losing consciousness the larger mimic carefully caught him and then he slowly lifted him up and over his shoulder. Some time later Kai woke up in a nest and found that he had been repaired, roughly but still fixed up. As he looked around he spotted a shadow on the wall showing a human and another figure. Curiosity getting the better of him he gets up, stumbles and falls with a small thud and the voices in the next room go silent. “I think he’s awake.” a deep voice says. “I’ll go check on him and then we can help him back to the Alliance.” another voice spoke up. “He may try to make you go with him… I’ll take him to a safe spot and guard him until the other agents take him.” the Deep voice spoke. “Are you sure? What if he freaks out?” the second voice spoke. There was a sound that sounded like an ‘I donno’ Kai got up and poked his head out the doorway and spotted a small human and three more with them along with a TV mimic, a peon camera mimic and a speaker and then the large mimic. “Good morning.” the first human said cheerfully, the humans and mimics looked at him and he couldn’t tell what they were thinking. ((Good morning… Thank you for helping me, could I stay with you all? I have no qualms against the Alliance, I just want to do something different.)) Kai asked. This seemed to shock the mimics the most. The other mimics turned towards the first human and the large mimic.  “I don’t see anything wrong with that.” the human said. “What do you all think,” they continued looking at everyone. “I guess, as long as we don’t have any skibidis come after us and stuff.” said a second human. The mimics merely shrugged and turned towards the larger one. “If you are okay with it and your mother is too then that’s fine with me, just behave yourself and don’t cause trouble.” the larger mimic said calmly. ((Thank you, I will behave, and won’t give you all any trouble.)) Kai signed. “Alright then! Welcome to the pack!” the first human said happily. ((Thank you.)) Kai said. After this Kai stayed with the pack and would warn them when they were out on supply runs. Kai would accompany the Large mimic and the first human  later learning the name of the different mimics and humans. After this he just does his thing feeling like he belongs and he did miss the Alliance and would visit any on patrol leading them to safer areas and away from the pack. Eventually the pack joins the Alliance and things are good.

And that’s it the backstory is done.^^

#skibidi oc #writing #large cameraman oc #ocs #Information #Kai! #skibidi toilet #oc info #my ocs

[thecustomcosplayed]

When The Sun Sets

Part 4! Finally.. I kinda forget this was a wip? Like I knew it was there but I forgot I had to add more parts. Aaanyways! Shelby and Sausage go to the deep dark!! What will happen?

*linebreak*linebreak*linebreak*linebreak*linebreak*linebreak* Shelby hummed softly as she followed Sausage into the cave, mostly rearranging her hot bar, before the witch realized they were entering the Deep Dark. “Oh geez, that didn’t take that long, did it?” She mumbled, looking up towards Sausage (seriously, why did he have to be so tall? She was tall, so he must be a giant). “Well, might have been that you were focusing on your inventory for more than half the time, but other then that, yeah!” He said this casually, and he didn’t look mad, but the witch couldn’t help but flinch slightly, a quiet ‘sorry’ escaping her lips, which caused the adventurer to raise an eyebrow slightly. “Why are you apologizing? I’m not mad, I’m nervous too.”

“Uhm, it’s, uh.. well, it’s nothing! Just a habit I guess. The apologizing and, uh, inventory sorting. It’s something to keep me busy.”

The adventurer nodded, glancing toward the cave, before back to the witch. “So, how is your hot bar organized? I’m kinda following your judgement,” he chuckled awkwardly, though he was being genuine. Or, at least, trying to be. Shelby laughed a bit, thought it didn’t really help the nerves. She took out the shulker box, putting it down. She quickly split the potions in half, in order of how she would have them in her hot bar. “Well, it’ll be better for us if we take a speed and a regen potion before we summon the Warden or at least before we go in, and have those ready. We’ll need the bow in our first thought, and food might be helpful to have in our last slot. The first 4 can be with the other potions. Probably regen and the health, then the speed, the other slots can have the splash potions, but one of us will probably have to throw the weakness and slowness onto the Warden.” She spoke quickly, moving things around. She made sure to have Sausage in her peripheral vision. She doubted he’d run away, but you could never be too sure, right? The adventurer nodded, before he looked up to the witch. “It might be safer i I do the splash potions, I’ve never been too good with bows. Also, I have the sneaky feet enchantment, so I’ll be faster.” She nodded, subconsciously glancing down at her netherite armor, before back up. “Oh wait, do you have arrows for the bow? Even thought it’s infinity, you know, you need something to set it off,” Shelby rambled slightly, fumbling in her inventory. She had brought some arrows, a stack to be exact (could never be too careful, right?).

Sausage nodded, chuckling slightly. “I’m not that forgetful, Shelby.” A slightly awkward silence stared up, the witch shuffling as she put the shulker box up, and the adventurer fixing his hot bar. “Alright I’m ready. Well, ready as I’ll ever be.” Sausage spoke, finally, after what felt like forever to the younger brunette. She nodded, inhaling as she strapped her broom to her back and tightened her grip on the bow. “Let’s do this, Sausage. We’ll go down in history!” They both walked in together, and Shelby could feel the shift in atmosphere, how the temperature dropped, the way the air felt like it folded into itself. She shivered, not sure if it was from the cold or the goosebumps. Her sharp eyes (magic made them a bit too good, she could basically see in the dark) let her see the City in the distance. The witch felt her grip on the bow tighten even more, if that was possible. To say the atmosphere was unsettling was an understatement. The soft squishing of both the brunettes armored feet, even as they snuck, off put the witch from the difference of stone or even the mud at the Evermoore. The lights casted eerie shadows that seemed to dance along the walls, jeering at the two, almost. The dark cyanish-blue skulk matter covered the walls and floor, seeming to swallow the cave with its darkness.

And then Shelby spotted the sensor. Well, she triggered it, to be exact. The adventurer and witch both tensed. “Well.. that’s one down, we need three to have the Warden spawn, right?” The witch muttered, barely audible, as she turned towards the blue-eyed adventurer, whom nodded numbly.

“C’mon, I see another...” the witch continued carefully, though she could feel Sausage’s eyes on her, probably doubting her plan right now. The sensor they’d been approaching went off, and Shelby flinched subconsciously. As the wave of light went off the block, she could’ve sworn there were a pair of eyes watching them.. Sausage broke the yellow-eyed brunettes thoughts, speaking up. “I’ll set off the last one, so he goes for me first, not you,” “Are you serious?!” The witch responded quickly, whisper-yelling. “I couldn’t ask you to do that, this was my plan, it’s my fault if you get hurt I-” She was cut off by the adventurer raising a hand, shaking his head. “This was part of the plan, wasn’t it? And, don’t worry, I’m pretty quick when I’m running from danger, and with the speed, we’ll be fine, right?” The smaller brunette paused, shaking. “O-okay.. but take the speed right now, and the regenerative potion right after.” Sausage nodded, a small grin appearing on his face. “Don’t worry, Shelby. We’ve got this, right? We’ll be a-okay.” He then waked off (the current equivalent of running away, apparently) while drinking the speed potion, leaving the shaky Shelby to herself. She glanced behind her, trying to see the pair of eyes she had seen before, but she didn’t see anything. She shook her head. It was just the nerves, probably. Right? And then, she heard the shriek of a sensor followed by the deep roar of an irritated monster. And that’s when she knew. The Warden had spawned. --------------------------------------------------------- Haha, whoops. Cliffhanger! Sorry, I had to do one, okay? It’s been a few months since I worked on this, so I’m definitely behind, and this probably isn’t the best piece. It’s a bit shorter then I like, but oh well. I already have part 5 and I’m working on part 6. Would you guys like part 5 to come out tomorrow or later? Part 5 has a lot of action and it less based on Minecraft basis (like this one is) and more kinda real life.

#empires smp s2 #empires smp #esmp2 #esmp s2 #empires smp season 2 #empires2 #empires smp2 #esmp #When The Sun Sets #shubbleyt #shelby grace #mythical sausage #great witch shelby #geminitay #the warden #its time for a fight >:) #time to watch ppl get annoyed at me leaving it on a cliffhanger lol

[breath-of-eternity]

LAST: Chapter 19

The plains stretched all the way to the horizon, empty and flat and never changing. The grass was coming in longer clumps that could generously be called digestible, but most of the time Amaia was picking insects off the ground and the occasional lizard that was too slow to escape.

She filled up her skins in creeks of silty water, and whenever she took a swig from her water skin she pursed her mouth to hold back as much of the dirt as possible while the water trickled down her throat. Once, she spotted a hill curving in the distance and debated whether or not it would be safe. Then she realized it was moving closer to her, not a land formation but a dark gray cloud ready to swallow her whole. It brought a downpour she had no choice but to walk through.

Five days of walking, siphoning water from the dwindling puddles, five nights of huddling by whatever spiky bush gave her the most cover. No monsters bothered her, and she could not tell if she was disappointed or not.

On the sixth day, the rain left her but now wind slammed into her from the west, and each breath was choked with the fine soil of the badlands. It roared all day, but by sunset the ground sucked to her feet, a darker brown than the land around it. She scooped up a handful and squeezed it in her palm. When she opened it, the grains of dirt spilled out, no moisture to hold them together.

She hunted up grubs for a meal and settled in for the night, but her stomach twisted and panged, refusing to let her rest. All she could taste was dirt, like it had coated the inside of her mouth, and she’d never be able to wash it away with the few sips of water she had left. Her head pounded. She scrunched into a ball to try and ease the pain in her midsection. Monsters hardly seemed like a concern anymore. If she heard a growl, she might not run even if she was able to.

“Great job, little wart,” Dash said, and it could have been coming from right next to her.

“Don’t call me that…” Her voice couldn’t make it above a whisper.

“It’s pathetic. How could you give up and die like this? You know how to survive.”

“I got lost.”

“Whose stupid fault was that? You could have at least followed the river you were familiar with.”

Amaia pushed herself up, glaring at the darkness around her. “It was too shallow. The boat wouldn’t have made it!”

“It didn’t make it anyway.”

“But I didn’t know that!” She swallowed another mouthful of dust, faintly metallic. “I thought I knew where the river would go. I thought it was safer than trying to go through the marshes. I thought—”

“Wrong, little wart. You thought wrong. Mistakes mean your death when you’re alone.”

The wind sent particles showering in her face, covering her with dust. She lay back down, wrapping the skins around her.

Dash was alone when he disappeared. Dash… made a mistake. Whispers were swapped back and forth—whispers that dried up when her presence was detected—that he left on purpose, that he got sick of their miserable lives and went to find a place to die. They were wrong. Dash would leave Father, maybe, but not her. Never her.

“Were you unhappy?” she asked the Dash haunting her.

“I don’t know. No more than anyone, I guess.”

“You didn’t finish checking your traps that morning. After you crossed the river, it was like you vanished.”

She pulled out a water skin and sipped on the gritty water.

“It wasn’t a small river,” he said. “The current was swift. I would have had to work to keep my balance. Plus I was carrying a string of animals. You’ve imagined this before. Me stepping on a rock, my foot sliding off, then I fall to my knees. The animals slip out of my hands and I reach for them, and the water slams into me. I fall over. I’m dragged down the river. Smack into rocks. Maybe even get knocked unconscious. Could have been that. Could have been a thousand things. This isn’t a safe life. I don’t even know what safe is.”

Dash’s voice cracked. No. It was her voice, a rasp in the dark.

Water poured down on her. She was in the river with Dash, all this was her the dream before she drowned. She reached out for him, needing to take his hand until death claimed her. Father would be devastated. He would blame himself for sending his children together.

Amaia gasped and pulled the furs around her as rain cascaded down. The world was bathed in dark gray, not far from dawn, and the storm blocking out what light was coming. She tilted her head up and let the water wash over her, moistening the withered husk she called a tongue. She scrambled across the ground, feeling around until her hand brushed the weathered skin of her bag. She pulled out her water skin and held it out, and then the downpour vanished.

At least she knew why the depressions in the dirt were soft. All the water probably vaporized before midday.

She started walking, and as the sun rose, the gray quality of the day dissipated and left only the haze that turned the sky the same tawny color as the ground. Her progress was slow, one hand pressed into her stomach. She pulled up the grass she came across, long fronds, greener than yesterday. The end of the badlands. If not, it would be the end of her.

“Death could be worse,” she muttered. She sopped up as much liquid as she could into the water skin, but it was still little better than crawling on the ground and sucking it up herself.

“You’re not getting pulled into a cave by a monster,” Zara said.

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

“You wouldn’t want to experience it either. Then what do you want to talk about?”

So, it was her friend’s turn. Amaia had known Zara for as long as she could remember. The girl was less than two years older than her, and there were times Amaia wondered if they were only best friends because of that.

Together they made figures out of sticks and hid them for each other to find, the winner the one who got them all the fastest. They were about even in their win-loss ratio, but Zara was faster in foot races, while Amaia better at climbing trees.

“It doesn’t matter,” Zara had said once. “Trees are stupid. You never need to climb them.”

“We climb them all the time,” Amaia replied admonishingly. “To get fruit, nuts, all kinds of stuff. We just got some apples two days ago.”

Zara snorted. “Shut up.”

“I’m just saying—”

Too late. Zara walked away. She’d be back. Everyone else around was either too old and not interested in her, or too young and boring to be around.

“I’m sorry about that,” Amaia said.

“Eh, whatever,” Zara said.

“I was a lousy friend.”

“Don’t go being a martyr. I could be pretty shitty to you too. Remember the time you called me your best friend and I said Tanga was my best friend?”

Now some of the sourness in Amaia’s stomach wasn’t only from it digesting itself.

“I was wrong,” she said. “You were an asshole.”

Zara laughed. “That’s my girl. How is she, though? Tanga?”

Amaia fixed her eyes on the ground, each step making a soft whump.

“She died early last spring,” she said. “She was going to have a baby. They… didn’t make it.”

“Oh no… Not her…”

Zara’s voice was watery—or the voice Amaia was giving her. She could even imagine the girl, tall and thin, but covered in ropy muscle, her skin a warm bronze, eyes the faded brown of the badlands.

“How did it happen?” Zara asked.

“You know. You know because I know.”

“Then there must be a reason you asked yourself.”

The corners of Amaia’s mouth pulled down. She couldn’t decide if that was true or not. She had already grieved for Tanga, just as she had already grieved for Zara, and Dash, and Mother… and Father. And everyone else she had ever known. What good would it do her to go over it all again?

“Well?” Zara prompted.

“She got pregnant,” Amaia said. “What do you think happened? Same thing that happens to most people. The midwife said her hips wouldn’t open enough for the baby to get out. They cut her open and took the baby out, but he was already dead, then Tanga died from all the blood she lost. And then… then we had to leave her there. It was getting late. The blood would have brought the monsters.”

 She felt Zara’s revulsion. She felt her own revulsion. It had been high noon when Tanga’s grunts turn into screams, and most of the band moved along, because they no longer believed the birth would turn out well, and they couldn’t stick around for the aftermath. Father wanted her to go with them, but Amaia refused. She grew up toddling after Tanga, sulked when Tanga and Zara went off together and left her out again, carried Tanga’s bags when she was pregnant and slowed her pace so the older girl wouldn’t be far from her things. She could not stand to look at the blood, but she could bring fresh water and clean animal skins.

She stayed until the screams stopped. She stayed as the Gherin, the midwife, tried to revive the blue-tinted baby. She stayed as they hastily dug a hole for mother and child, then chopped down a tree in an attempt to shield their grave from the monsters. A vain hope, one they didn’t have time for, but one they could not refuse either.

“No wonder you feel so guilty,” Zara said. “She didn’t deserve that. But it wasn’t like you could stay to take care of her. Wherever she is, if there’s something else after this life or not, she would understand.”

“I know,” Amaia said. “I don’t feel guilty about it. I feel guilty I don’t feel guilty. After the monsters killed everyone, I grabbed what I could and never looked back.”

“Only forward. Your father used to say that. Looking back gets you killed. He’s right, you know. If you hung around, the monsters would have nabbed you when they went looking for more food.”

“Yeah, and now I’m here, all alone, talking to myself. Before long, I won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s a hallucination.”

“Then you’ll die. Isn’t that what you want?”

“It’s better than surviving here by myself.”

Her feet padded softly across the ground. That was what it always came back to. She would not have children, she promised herself years ago, before Zara disappeared. Even if she didn’t have the problem so many people did where they couldn’t push the baby out, pregnancy brought too much misery to the world. Her own mother had in pain for as long as Amaia could remember, and it wasn’t until after her naming ceremony that she found out it all started with Amaia’s birth.

“It doesn’t matter anymore anyway,” she said. “It takes two people to make a baby. I’m the only one left.”

Maybe she should be relieved. There was enough pain, enough death. There didn’t need to be any more children to suffer. Even if it meant she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.

The wind picked up and the skins billowed around her. The sun was in front of her, pale yellow when she squinted, the sky around it faded. In the stories the grandparents told her, the sky was an illusion of color that wrapped around Earth, and you could only see the real sky at night, when the sun was hidden on the other side of the planet. The universe, they said, was black. The only white came from stars, mere specks in the overwhelming sea of nothing. According to the stories, it was cold enough to kill if you touched it.

She reached to the sky, then put her hand back down. Not much use during the daytime.

The wind calmed. Amaia jerked, and hunched over, a scream choking her. She sat down, hugging her legs, waiting for the worst of the flare to die out. If she couldn’t crawl, she’d lay down here and wait for death. It was as good a place as any.

Pain wormed its way through her body. She lay flat, face pressed to the dirt, listening to the quiet of the earth, the rush of the air…

And under that, the lapping of water against a rocky shore.

#original fiction #post apocalyptic fiction #LAST novel #post apocalyptic #fiction

[voidselfshipp]

Goodbye old bad memories, hello New good memories

Cw: swearing, mentions of an orphanage, alusions to being an orphan

Only mutuals allowed to reblog, nice comments are appreciated.

Summary:Ashton Broods in silence over bad memories that came back since now he was back to the city of Bassarus, the place where he was raised,but his lovely s/o reminds them that theres always the possibility to replace those bad memories with New, better ones.

Taglist: @malewifepatrickbateman @tex-treasures @80sboyfriends @mercuryships

--Ash? You okay?-- Jerico called as they entered their shared room at the inn the were staying.

--Oh, babe, hi-- Ashton said sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand scratching the back of his neck.

They close the door behind them and sit besides their partner-- whats up?

The earth genasi leans on their significant other's shoulder-- guess that bein' here again brings some memories..

--Good or bad ones?-- jeri asked.

--Bit of both..-- ash answered-- I dont think im ready to see The Nobodies again...

Jerico nodded and hugged them tightly-- ash, baby, whatever comes of it, ill be there to support you...-- they press a kiss to his temple-- youve grown so much since I met you, you know?, youre nothing like your past self..

Ashton looked at them with glassy eyes, they dont usually cry, but tonight things were different-- we won the race, you and me togheter in a skirmisher, how cool is that?you did great baby...

--You looked so fucking hot too-- Ashton quipped-- what would I do without you...-- he hugs them tighter, being mindful not to crush them-- when I get The Nobodies back togheter, I know you Will be there for me

--If they try to give you any crap im going to jump in to defend you, I know you are the one that usually defends other people but its time you get some support too-- jerico lifted his head up by the chin and kissed him.

Ash kissed back,pulling them into their lap, letting their foreheads press togheter.

-- hey, how about I pack up some snacks and you take me somewhere where you used to hang out, your favorite spot

--That sounds great...-- Ashton said.

Soon they were out on the streets, walking through darkened alleys and other safer parts of town, to then go up to a seemingly abandoned building, sitting on the rooftop of it.

--I came here when I needed a break from the orphanage-- ash commented sitting on the thick rock handrail, jerico following suit.

He pulls them closer and rests his chin on the top of their head.

--This is a great sight...-- jeri said-- but the prettiest by far is you...

He snorted kissing the top of their head-- fuckin' cheesy, I like it-- he muttered.

Jerico caressed their bicep-- you know...theres no reason to not make New memories here...-- they opened up the basket and pulled out a blanket and some hot cocoa.

-- yeah..guess youre right-- ash took the porcelain mug with gem motifs full of hot chocolate-- I think this is a good place to start...

--I think so too-- jeri agreed.

And so cuddling up under the blanket they huddle closer as Ashton starts talking about the Shenanigans him and the nobodies got into in his younger years.

By sunrise both were absolutely tired, they made their way back to the inn and then to their room.

As Ashton laid ontop of jerico, with his face on their tummy and their legs around his torso, he felt safe, comforted, something he wasnt used to.

Jeris hand, though they were fast asleep, rested gentil on the back of his neck, their hand sometimes moving in their sleep, providing Him with scratches.

He sighed, a smile appearing on their lips. Their significant other was right, there was no reason for them to not make New, better memories, and just that night/early morning he realized he made two New good memories.

He won the deathwish race (sometimes he always wanted to participate since he was a kid) with the love of his life (something he thought he would never find), and he shared a night alone with them, telling them stories he never told anyone.

He had a life full of hardships, and though being back to where all began, Ashton realized he wasnt alone anymore, and now started to see bassarus less as the shithole it was, still shitty, but also as a New chance of sharing a piece of themself with their s/o. And that, gave them some needed peace of mind.

He fell asleep with that genuine smile in his face, feeling safe in the embrace of his beloved.

#cw swearing #tw swearing #cw mentions of an orphanage #cw alusion to being an orphan #tw alusion to being an orphan #🔨💎the most precious gem💎🔨