#its gonna STAY a sketch too

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

#hello to anyone who happens to b interested in the saga of my life... also maybe the irl person i gave my url to... hopefully my blog #didnt freak her out too much lol. anyway so its been a busy week? 2 weeks? month? year? life? its been a lot. my parents helped me move #across the country from the desert to somewhere that's beautiful and green. my dad is so jealous of me lol its so so so pretty and theres s #so much to do. will i do any of it? that remains to be seen but im gonna try to be better about that sort of thing. try to get some help #with the thoughts in my head that keep me from doing and enjoying most things. its weird like im decorating my new room which i love. the #location and living situation seem ideal and i really hope i can stay here all 5 years of my program but i was picking a lot of bright #colors and now it feel uncomfortable. like if i wear things that r too bright or my room is too bright without dark contrast it feel weird #like if im wearing it it kinda makes me feel sick. idk what thats abt. anyway. ill try to heal my brain and im just so happy to b out of the #southwest. i was so so so excited when we were leaving thr city and even more so when we left the state. i cant believe im here. in December #it felt like a million years away and i really truely could not fathom how i was gonna survive that long. my thoughts were so distorted. but #i did and here i am. and in like a month i should b starting my phd program and my parents were telling me how excited ppl r for me and #jealous of where im living and im glad. im glad they're excited. i think i am too but its under a layer of: if i get excited it wont happen #im not allowed to b excited or it wont happen. which is irrational but ya kno. anyway so that's yeah. im so happy to have a fresh start and #the town seems super cool. a liberal blip in a sea of... not that so theyre very visibly pride forward haha and i think itll b way easier #for me to get around without driving. and im gonna try to make friends. i need someone to tell me where to get tattoos haha. so yea im happy #but exhausted and i dont wanna go back to work and so so greatful to my parents for being wonderful ppl idk how bc both of them had fucked #up childhoods. like my mum will say the saddest shit and im like bro this is y i don't wanna talk to my grandma fuck her and my dads parents #r so fucked. like my nana is the reason im so fucking control freaked out but i kno i have issues and she has no insight and thinks shes #better than everyone. anyway hopefully i can get back to drawing a posting more now. ive been drawing it its been in a sketch book #like an actual sketch book for sketching big ideas thst r gonna take fucking forever to draw 😭 #so that's all. just uprooted my whole life. thats all. but in a good way :-] #unrelated

[finniigan]

Mr. Rover

plus the initial face sketch cos i ended up liking it more than the rest lol

#kai #exo #rover #kim jongin #jongin #exo art #exo fanart #whats everyones fave bsides off the album 👀 so far mine are slidin and black mirror #im so braindead from work today and im only gonna get 6 hours sleep cos i stayed up drawing skdhfj #i just had to sketch something out for his comeback its simply too good #id love to do a proper piece later but i wanna finish my comms off first #only got a couple left now then im freee #my art #mine #finn.txt

[grimsdeadb0nes]

oh who’s this? a badass lady ready for battle? you bet it is babbeyy This is (young!) Zyllis, younger sister to Zellir ... current age / old Zyllis literally looks the same, just greyed hair and probably alittle squintier in the eyes, some more scars, ya know, aging things ...I hate drawing armor Zyllis - Female - A Master of Chivalry       Selective of when she speaks, she prefers keeping her tongue unless spoken to; when she does talk though, many have quoted it as being quite … siren-like. Lovely, to say the least. Otherwise she has a habit of hand motions / a vague sign language (morse code is also an option).      Strong on her own but more powerful with a partner, no one can hide from her or her sword; her tracking abilities are top notch and she has an eye for behavior, always seeming to know when someone is lying. She’s a lot more serious than her brother, Zellir; she has a very cold exterior despite being of a fiery family, but that wall easily melts away with those she’s close to.      Unlike her brother, her own fire abilities are quite weak no matter how much she’s tried, so she focuses on other things she’s capable of- being quite a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her swordsmanship.      Very elegant and Knight-esque, she wears snug armor she’s had commissioned from her brother, along with a weapon or two and her leg prosthetic.

That makes FIVE of SEVEN-

#now i SWEAR the last two (Zyre and Zinu) are only gonna get sketches unless absolutely needed bc im sure ya'll #are tired of seeing this slowly update and im too impatient im SORRY #Zyre and Zinu are only gonna get sketches bc they're actually gonna stay dead #>:( there #its just that nowadays since the group is retired they all sorta went their separate ways #they meet up sometimes and do seek eachother out every now and again but overall they're very separated now #old peeps got things to do #they were a pack and very good friends- can't just throw that away bc u retire/separate #my art #my ocs #zeti ocs #its not every day you see a zeti suited tf up in armor but here were are and she looks GREAT #wonder who got their armor first- zyllis or zik- #ANYWAY TIME FOR SLEEP

[vampyrgoff]

Hewos! How would the Sinclair Brothers act when they give their s/o her first kiss?

First kiss W/ The Sinclairs HC's!

sinclair brothers x fem!reader

contains— fluufffffff, minor violence in Bo's other than that its cute and its late while i write this so apologies for bad writing

requests— open!!! ill write for any slasher atp

vampyr's note— school is bustin' my girl balls fr, Sorry if the guys are a lil ooc, im delusional so I be just writing how I feel the situation would go frrrr, also its not gonna be good lol i just wanted to write something b4 bed because this is like my hobby

word count— 756 words and 3.8k characters

gifs aren't mine! credit for the dividers :D: @mmadeinheavenn thank you for your service 🤍

Bo Sinclair:

Your first kiss with Bo is rather.... gruesome :D (if you are a bo girly you gotta at least be a lil violent js)

He gives you your first kiss in his shop.

He has you talking it up with some visitors and keeping them distracted so he can strike a good kill with them

As you're talking with the visitors you notice one of the girls getting a lil too handsy with Bo. Shes touching his chest, biting her lips, and he's entertaining her too (cause he just would)

So while the other visitors leave, you ask the girl to stay back and to chit chat with you.

Once she turns her head, you blackout...

All of a sudden she's on the floor and you have a wrench in your hand thats bloody.

As she screams for help on the floor, Bo rushes up and this lil fucker has the biggest smile on his face.

"I knew you'd do somethin' about it" he coos at you.

"I-I dont know what came over me.." you say dropping the wrench on the floor with a loud bang.

"Darlin' its fine. Didn't think you'd go all out for your man like that." he'd say playfully.

He grabs you and smashes his lips against yours, dominating the kiss in seconds, while the girl basically watches and is bleeding out.

He has his hands on your cheeks and is kissing you like you just did something so amazing and wonderful.

"That's my girl." he says low and husky in your ear.

"Make sure she's the first one Vinnie does." You say as you pull away, completely flustered.

Lester Sinclair:

Your first kiss with Les is really sweet and rather innocent.

He kisses you in the forest (no not by the roadkill pile lol)

I feel like you and him just go exploring ALL the time

If you're not a nature person, he will beg you with PUPPY DOG EYES to go out with him constantly (you better give in, he deserves the world)

but I feel like he'd have a little area in the forest for you that has a fairy lights and a pretty stone path to a swinging bench that he built, just for you and him to have convos and talks.

I feel like you'd guys have this deep convo thst has to do with trauma and childhood trauma.

While you're pouring your heart out to him, he very lovingly places a small kiss on your lips as tears fall from your eyes while you remember your past and remember the things youve pushed past.

The kiss is soft, and quick.

He pulls away and is a bit starstruck at the random boost of confidence he just gained,

""m sorry. I- should've asked..." he says with the rosiest cheeks everrrr

he'll hold your hand and bow his head in shame, thinking hes gone too far.

but his heart starts to flutter once he feels your head rest on his shoulder as you guys talk some more.

Vincent Sinclair:

Your first kiss with Vinnie is adorable

It's in his basement ofc

You were in his bed, watching him work on some new sketches

Your eyes felt heavy and your breath was slowly starting to even out

Vincent hears your steady breaths after a while and rolls his chair over to you quietly, sketchbook and pencil in hand already.

This cutie straight up starts sketching your closed eyes, your nose, and your messy hair that's sprawled all over his pillow

as he adds more detail to his drawing he finally gets to the part of your face that leads to your lips.

he looks up from his sketch book and truly stares at your lips for awhile, really eyeing the depth of them and the softness of them.

he tilts his head to get a better view of them and he finally takes his mask off.

(he tends to wait for you to be asleep to finally take it off in the first few months of you guys dating)

he gets into bed with you and looks at your sleeping face and just simply admires it. the sound of your soft snores coming from your parted lips relaxes him.

eventually he very timidly places his lips onto yours, careful not to wake you up.

he places a few more pecks on your lips before pulling the duvet over your body.

after that night, it becomes a routine of his to watch you sleep and to sneak in some maskless pecks to your sleeping figure

#im so tired #wrote this at 2 am lol #i have to get up at 4am lol #vincent sinclair #slashers #house of wax #slashers x reader #bo sinclair x reader #vincent sinclair imagine #vincent sinclair x reader #lester sinclair #lester sinclair x reader #lester sinclair x reader imagine #bo sinclair x reader imagine

[smashwolfen]

Destiny

I had thoughts at work while half asleep the other morning, and this was the result.Turns out I hyperfocused so hard i finished it today so yay!

I subscribe to the theory Giratina eeby deebied Ingo to hisui on accident when Volo was first beginning to mess with Giratinas power ripping space time distortions to get Arceus’ attention, Ingo was just at the wrong place at the wrong time ;u;

And Akari/Dawn being given no clear answer about them going home after everything’s said and done is very unfair, but sometimes destiny is fickle like that...

Poem under the cut if folks cant read it and some bonus stuff!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Destiny chooses who it will take,

It does not matter if it had been a mistake

In the light of all or by the shadow of none,

You are here now, O chosen one

To choose the tracks that you must lead,

Follow the line you now heed

Divert the path, change its fate,

Finish thy task before it’s too late

Destroy it all to make it right?

It is not written in black and white

Understand, learn, follow through,

To remember what’s lost or begin anew

It matters not if you leave or stay,,,

...For it was never your choice anyway.

I am not one to write poems and it might not all fit perfectly, but I was running around work when verses were coming to mind and I kept hiding in the back or in the freezer to jot down everything that came to mind, but I’m happy how it turned out in the end XD

I’m stupid proud with how Giratina came out, he just looks really nice, Arceus I’m not entirely happy with but I can’t figure out how to fix him the way I want to have him, so he’s just gonna be as is and I can move on!

And this weren't done completely digitally, the end result yes but almost every big project I start I always do with pencil sketches first, my digital sketching I feel is way too messy and I can be more consistent with my pencil and paper, so I just redo the lines afterwards, so here are the sketches to see how messy they can get with my dumb little notes and things~!

And a bonus close up, how I originally was going to draw Ingos face before settling on the finished version, man’s was gonna go through it XD

#pokemon legends arceus #legends arceus #arceus #PLA #akari pokemon #akari #dawn #dawn pokemon #pokemon #warden ingo #subway boss ingo #subway master ingo #ingo #nobori #subway master nobori #giratina #origin form giratina #legends #smashwolfen #smish pokemon #you will notice the lack of most basic drawing guidelines #I am stubborn and usually dont use them aside from a circle for the head and very VERY few skeletal lines #free hand babeyyyyy #most i used for referencing was just the pokemon home app on the phone to see the game models from the pokedex to see different angles

[13thdoodle]

[ ECTOBERHAUNT 2023 BANNER ]

I'm doing the banner for this year's @ectoberhaunt event~ The theme is Science vs Magic

I had so much fun making this~ Sam get the fantasy AU fit while Tucker gets Cyber/futuristic style

Sketch Progress

I like the idea of Sam being a druid bc nature connection tm

And Tucker would vibe very well with fancy future stuffs. i was gonna draw him with a bigger puffer but I couldn't figured it out. I like the one we got here too so yay

Okay so I was a bit pressed on time while working on this so I couldn't do as much research and references as I should.

On Sam's part, the somewhat floating book was inspired on how genshin impact's catalysts have their books/weapon just floats and it looks fancy n magical n Sam deserve that honestly

Her glowing tattoo are highkey inspired of this beautiful Sam with tattoos art by @the-stove-is-on-fire Mine is nowhere close to that but that's my main inspiration for this

I was gonna give Tucker his usual orange sweater but I noticed a lot of neon or cyberpunk outfit relies on dark backdrop to pop.

And since the background color is gonna be bright yellow, I gotta put the dark color somewhere else. And his sweater would be the perfect spot to balance out all the brightness with a bit of darkness

And it matches with Sam too so it works out great uwu

The magic circles on their back were mostly there to balance out the composition bc it looks too empty as is, gotta spice it up a lil bit uwu But a direct halo would look.. too out there? I mean I can but like.. Sam is magic/fantasy based, why not lean on that n go for magic circles :D

Tucker's random bits on the background took the most out of me bc like.. its hard qwq I literally try to look up aesthetic bg to figure out how to work with his?? Eventually I just settle on less is more and added shadow under the bits to make em pops out against the orange

source

And for the color choices, I wanted the two of them to have purple, yellow, and green on them. The green color on to symbolize Danny bc I'm an Everlasting Trio shipper lmao

I wanted Sam to have some yellow and green on her magic, which kinda.. got covered with the whites honestly. But the greens stays with the vines so we'll go with that Tucker was harder to figure out, so I settle with him with blue and greens instead of purple qwq

In the end, only the green end up staying lmao It ends up unifying both sides so hell yea it all works out lol

#13thcat art #danny phantom #ectoberhaunt2023 #sam manson #tucker foley

[brisquad-unit-4402]

rating luxiem and noctyx by how good they would be at taking care of bugs

my name is unit 4402 and i’m typing this on my phone. autocorrect’s suggested emojis are going to go crazy wish me luck

tags: ambiguous relationship, can be read as platonic or romantic, gender neutral reader, fluff, humor, bugs and spiders

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

🖋 Ike Eveland: 4/10

he’s neutral about most bugs. he’ll pick up critters like beetles and caterpillars with his hands and set them outside

gets grossed out by the nastier bugs though. won’t touch ‘em himself, they’re lucky if he can gather himself enough to get a paper and cup. otherwise it’s swatter time with gritted teeth and barely mustered courage

SPIDERS. HOWEVER.

certified spider hater. absolutely terrified of them get out of here!!!

he'll use a swatter, pesticides, everything. but he’s so afraid of how they disappear when he’s not looking

you’ll have to keep an eye on it while he finds the pesticide or vice versa

if he’s unfortunate enough to be the one to kill it you’ll have to hype him up, calm his nerves, and then tell him it’s okay once the deed is done

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🦁 Luca Kaneshiro -100/10

this guy… easily the worst of both units at bug duty. you might just have to take the bullet

he gets sketched out by even the cute ones like butterflies and ladybugs if he looks at them for too long. there’s no way he could even take a moth with a level head

he even reacts to all of them the same. “AAAAH! T-t-there’s a [BUG NAME] in [room name]!”

even so he tries to be nice to them with a cup and paper, or some other method to get them out of his space

unfortunately australian wildlife has prepared him so smaller bugs are still scary but he’ll be a big scared scary mafia boss and take action

and everyone says they’ll leave the house as a joke if they can’t find the spider but it’s luca. there is a solid chance that he will invite you to stay with him in one of the kaneshiro vacation homes for about three days. that’s enough time for the bugs to leave, right?

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

👟 Shu Yamino: 10/10

oh! a bug!

is rather delighted at bug!

honestly if it’s a cool bug he might just take a video of it doing its thing and give it a personality!

he has a out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy with bugs. he’s fine with just about anything as long as they aren't annoying

harmful pests will get swatted tho ofc

everything else, he’s fine with bringing outside himself without much fanfare

some of them are a little creepy but he tries to rationalize it. they’re just tiny animals and he’s a big strong sorcerer, it’s fine. what are they gonna do, infest him to death?

…he’s going to spray the house down later just to be sure.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

👹 Vox Akuma: 9/10

a wild card. and also VERY emotionally invested in any bugs that come his way whether that’s good or bad

if they manage to sneak up on him he’ll probably yell “WOAH” or curse out of surprise, then figure out whether he should be scared or not

surprisingly fine with the nastiest of them. he actually loves worms, centipedes and similar critters, and he’ll even admire them if they stumble into his territory

“look reader this is me if i were a worm. would you still love me if i was a worm 🥺” “vox please just get that thing outside”

spiders have a 50-50 survival chance. he’ll kill small spiders but bring the big ones outside because the big ones are like full Animals to him and slaughtering animals is not something he can bring himself to do (tiny ones don’t count)

are scorpions bugs? do they count? either way that’s his one objection. he wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole if he had the choice, but if you’re really that scared, then he’ll put on a brave face and hide his fear

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🎭 Alban Knox: 2/10

if he’s going to take care of a bug you need to make peace with the fact that he will whine the entire time

not a cute fun whine either. he’ll complain the entire time that it’s gross and nasty and ewww yuck ugh!

and that’s just for beetles and caterpillars

show him a spider or something else just as creepy and he will actually scream

and yell as he fumbles around to take care of it

and yell as he eventually grabs it with his hands (he’s panicking a little too hard to get a tool)

and yell as he tries to open the door and throw it outside

this is assuming he doesn’t find a slipper nearby. if he has a tissue or something he’ll smash the bug over and over until it’s pulverized

and he’ll STILL be yelling while he does that

the job gets done but at what cost

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🐑 Fulgur Ovid: 6/10

he’s not a 6/10 because he dislikes bugs. he’s neutral towards them, not really creeped out by them but not a fan either

he’s a 6/10 because he’s a dick about taking care of them for you

here’s how it usually goes: you summon him to save you from a creepy crawly. he’ll inspect it and go “really, you’re scared of that little thing? look at it closer, it’s just a bug”

and once he quits fooling around he just swipes it up. his fingers are solid steel which allows for Precise Bug Snatching

but he’ll act unsure and go “i think i got it. here, reader, look inside my hand and tell me if you see it”

or even the dreaded move where he pretends he’s bringing the bug closer to you so you have to see it

and THEN once he’s outside he’ll open his hands and go “wait i think i lost it” just to get a rise out of you until he confirms yes, it’s safe and out of the house

if you’re legitimately terrified then he doesn’t even bother with the jokes. just point out the bug and close your eyes, and he’ll be washing his hands while you stare back at a smudge on the wall before you can even get out a sentence

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🔗 Sonny Brisko: 8/10

somehow both a gentle soul and a complete menace

he's very matter-of-fact when you point them out. "it's just a little jumping spider, no big deal ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

in fact he's almost adorable with how he quietly talks to the bugs and coaxes them to crawl on his hand so he can get them out of your way

and then he prods and begs you to take a picture of the bug bc it's a cool little guy

surprisingly knowledgeable and can identify bugs easily, so once he's got one in his hands he'll show it to you and tell you some facts about it

which is very sweet except for the fact that it's still a nasty bug and you want it out of your face!

he'll lightly tease you over being so scared of a little bug while he takes them outside. and if it's a pest-eater like a spider he'll hide it in a dark corner out of your sight

overall very kind to bugs and thinks they're friendly

which is why it throws you so hard that sometimes after he coos over them he just FUCKING SMASHES THEM IN HIS PALM?

NO HESITATION AT ALL??

WHAT IS HIS PROBLEM???

also when the bug is taken care of he'll sneak behind you and lightly tap his fingers up your arm like a creepy-crawly and then laugh when you get scared. what a shithead

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🔮 Uki Violeta: 15/10

the very essence of "i'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with ME"

it's like watching a cat hunt an unaware mouse. he's so quick about it

and he's so good at it too?? he'll find the bug, swat it, and throw the remains away in less than a minute on a good day

doesn't even act like it's a big deal either, he just goes back to what he was doing before you asked for help

he uses tissues or shoes on the big ones like roaches, but anything small, he's surprisingly good at crushing them with his bare hands. this is especially funny when he has acrylics on bc those nails never get dirty nor in the way

spiders get the relocation pass, and he'll insist they stay inside, just out of sight

non-zero chance if you complain about it, he'll go on a lecture about how spiders are how you prevent other pests from invading the house

honestly you only see this side of uki once. the bugs are too scared to show their faces after this stint

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

#ike eveland x reader #ike eveland #luca kaneshiro #luca kaneshiro x reader #shu yamino #shu yamino x reader #vox akuma #vox akuma x reader #alban knox #alban knox x reader #fulgur ovid x reader #sonny brisko #sonny brisko x reader #uki violeta #uki violeta x reader #noctyx x reader #luxiem x reader #nijisanji en #nijisanji x reader #4402 writes #fulgur ovid #spot the kamioshi is easy af today. had to cut some thoughts from sani's entry to keep it even and it's still the longest

[cowboydisaster]

The Fire In Your Eyes

part XIII: Clemens Point ii

pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!reader word count: 10.1k summary: Arthur patches you up and makes good on his promise *wink wink*. Dutch insists you work with the Gray family, which leads you to a job gone wrong. a/n: long time no see. I'm excited to be back and to get this chapter out. love you guys so much and I'm still astounded by how many follow this series. ignore any typos, margo is sleeping hehe. lastly, i write most of this in may, but as for the rest, its been awhile since i wrote arthur so forgiive me if im a little rickety around the edges. warnings: nsfw, 18+, smut, minors dni, graphic violence, sexual themes. series masterpost │ masterlist

The sunlight filters through the cracks of your tent, casting the room in orange shadows. It's a surprisingly peaceful morning, and you awaken on your own instead of by a yelling Miss Grimshaw or some other camp ruckus. Your eyes flutter open slowly, landing on Arthur. You stay still so as not to alert him as you watch his form.

He's still dressed in his unbuttoned union suit, sitting in a chair with his ankle crossed over his knee. He faces you, but his face is scrunched up in concentration as he fixates on the journal in his lap. His hand works diligently, wrapped around a piece of charcoal as he details something on the worn pages. You smile, catching his eyes when he glances up to your cuddled up body. 

"Didn't mean to wake ya." Arthur mumbles, folding his journal over his charcoal. It's a rarity that you get to sleep in, and Arthur had wanted to let you rest as long as possible.

"You didn't." You hum, smiling up at him as you prop your head up on your elbow, "Can I see?" You ask. 

Arthur hesitates for only a fraction of a second before standing and sitting down on the bed beside you. It dips under his weight, and you lean into his shoulder as he passes the leather bound journal over to you. 

Your fingers sift through the pages until you find the charcoal, and carefully, you open the little book. A smile tugs at your lips as you run your fingers over the drawing. It takes up two pages, a perfect sketch of you sleeping. Your hair is messy, with little wisps framing your face in an effortlessly beautiful crown. Your lips are plump from sleep as you cling to the thick blankets, you had hoped they were Arthur in your unconscious state. Your eyelashes are thick as your eyes lay closed, your body frozen in time in the little journal. 

"Beautiful." You hum, eyes never leaving the pages. There's a few words written at the bottom of the page, and your eyes flicker to them.

'I reckon I'll be counting my lucky stars until the end of my days.'

"And I'll be countin' mine." You hum, looking up at him. The journal meets your lap as your hand cups his cheek. Arthur's hand covers your own, his warmth encasing you.

"You're too good for me." Arthur says, his. green eyes searching the depths of your own. Even after the time you've spent together, he struggles to comprehend why you've chosen him. 

"I'm not." You counter as Arthur pulls your hand away from his face. He takes your smaller hand in his, looking down at your bruised and bloodied knuckles from when you'd beat the outlaw Anders Anderson. 

"I was supposed to patch these up last night." Arthur raises an eyebrow at you as if it's your fault that you both forgot. You can't help it that you fell asleep, he was just too comfortable.

"They're fine, just a few scratches." You say as Arthur inspects the damage. Bruises blossom along your knuckles in purple and red splotches, and you wince as Arthur gently runs his thumb across them. 

"This'll only take me a minute." He hums, reaching to his satchel to pull out a few items. He brings some cotton balls and a bottle of alcohol out. You watch on as Arthur kneels on the ground before you, pouring some of the alcohol onto the little swab. He puts the alcohol down before taking your hand in his own to examine your knuckles. 

"This is gonna sting like hell." He warns, and you nod, letting him know to continue. 

You groan through clamped teeth when the alcohol soaked cotton reaches the scrapes on your knuckles. It seeps through the cuts, burning you with a stinging blaze as it cleans your wounds. Arthur pulls the cotton away, eyes flickering up to you to make sure it doesn't hurt too bad. 

"I'm okay." You reassure him. Arthur's eyes flicker down to your stomach before he continues cleaning up your hands. He remembers seeing Anders punch you in the gut, and he makes a note to check there too. You get used to the burning sensation when Arthur wipes away the blood from your other hand. He takes his time, working diligently with his eyebrows pulled together in focus. 

When he deems your hands clean, he stands, extending his hand out to you. You take it, standing chest to chest as Arthur's hands silently find the hem of your chemise. You raise your arms as he pulls it over your head and tosses it to the ground. The silence is loud as Arthur runs his fingers between the valley of your breasts until they land on the bruised skin of your stomach. You shudder under his touch, hands sheepishly covering your breasts as he traces the pattern of forming bruises. His touch is so soft that you barely feel it, just a feather light trail along your exposed skin.

"He got you pretty good." Arthur mumbles.

"You got him a lot worse."

Arthur's fingers cause goosebumps to ripple across your skin, and he's not lost on the way your breathing quickens. His hands find purchase on your waist once he's checked you over, and you lean up to whisper in his ear. 

"You broke your promise." You murmur into his ear. Your hands press against his chest, snaking under his union suit. Arthur's lips find your neck as his hands pull you closer to his body. He'd promised to spend the night with you last night, but you were both too tired. It seems like a perfect moment to call the favor in. 

"Did I?" He teases, mumbling against your neck as he lightly nips the skin there. He knows exactly what he owes you. His hand slides up your ribs, thumb teasing your nipple in small circles. The feelings he gives you– god, wiping away your cuts and bruises one moment and sucking on your neck in the next. He fills you with butterflies, he fills you with need. 

"Mhm." You moan as he kisses your pulsepoint. He can feel how your heart quickens under his touch, and he smirks at the realization. 

"My apologies, miss." Arthur grumbles as your hands grip onto his union suit, sliding the cloth down over his shoulders. It hits the floor, wrapped around his ankles before he steps out of the material. 

His hand runs down your hip to your entrance, and he runs his fingers over your folds through your underwear. It's only seconds before his lips meet yours, and his fingers hook under your waistband, pulling the rest of the clothing down. It meets the floor silently as Arthur's lips move against yours, and butterflies rise in your stomach at his touch. You moan into his mouth as he runs his tongue over your bottom lip, gently pulling away with a nip. 

He nudges you back so softly, until the backs of your knees hit the bed with a gentle thud. You glance up to him as he cups your cheek, thumb running over the soft flesh on your cheekbone. 

You love him. Looking up at him, you know it. You choke on emotion as he looks down at you with those sparkling green eyes. There's so much warmth in them, so much softness. You've never been cared for like he cares for you.

You lay back on the bed, extending your hand out for Arthur to take. His warm hand wraps around yours as he meets you on the bed, body lining overtop of you. 

"Do we have a lot of time?" You whisper, hands gripping Arthur's hair as he kisses the trail between your breasts. You arch your back, looking for more of his lips. 

"All the time in the world." He hums against your skin, teasing your nipple with his tongue. It's a new sensation, and you gasp as it sends a ripple of pleasure straight through your core. His hand kneads your other breast before his kisses trail back up to your neck. 

"So perfect," He growls against your skin, gripping your waist tightly between his big hands, "My Star." 

Your heart soars underneath him, and you catch his lips in one last sweet kiss before he pulls back to touch you. A few strands of Arthur's hair fall into his face, his lips are plump from your kisses and his eyes are shining. His muscles tighten beautifully as he adjusts, spreading your knees so gently that your heart skips a beat. You're still new at this, and Arthur plans on talking you through it to make sure you're comfortable. Even without him saying it, you know he will. He always does. 

Arthur's fingers run along your folds, and you buck your hips to speed up his process. You should try to be quick, anyone could come along at any point and find you two, but Arthur can't bring himself to rush. It's been too long since he's had you, and he plans on taking his time. 

You're soaking with need for him as Arthur slips his fingers into you. You moan, and your head tosses back as Arthur curls them slowly, tickling that sweet spot deep in you. Your hand searches for something to grip onto, settling on his less busy hand. You grip it tightly, and he interlocks your fingers together.

"How's this feel?" Arthur asks, glancing up to your face. There's a look of ecstasy there, pure bliss as your features relax and you bite your lip. 

"Good." You hum, keeping your voice quiet to not alert anyone. Arthur chuckles as your hand tightens around his own, and his fingers keep a steady pace as his thumb meets the bud of nerves at your core. 

He leans down to catch your lips, steadying himself on your interlocked hand. You moan into his mouth as he kisses you blind. You’ll never get used to letting yourself have this. His warmth wraps around your body, making you feel safe and loved. His fingers keep their slow pace, bringing you closer and closer to the brink of satisfaction as he holds you tightly underneath him. Your skin blazes with warmth at his touch, muscles tightening as he gives you everything you could have dreamed of. 

“Still okay?” Arthur asks, pulling away from your lips for a second to speak in a low tone. You nod your head, pulling him down to you with your free hand. Your other hand lays interlocked with his beside your head, gripping him tightly in fear that if you let go he’ll disappear. It’s foolish, a bad habit. 

“Yes–!” You gasp, stomach coiling before his hands finally send you over the edge. You squeeze his hand as you moan, coming undone. Arthur quickly kisses you, muffling your moans with his mouth so as not to alert anyone of the display you're making. His lips are gentle against your own, lovingly making yours bruised with kisses. Waves crash over you, stronger than the ocean's as you mewl and moan against Arthur's lips. Your legs tremble, toes curling as you pull away to gasp for breath. Arthur's fingers slip out of you, and his hand finds purchase on the mattress beside your head. With a smile on his lips, Arthur places a kiss to your forehead. 

"I could do this all day." He hums deeply against your hair. There's nothing quite like watching you unfold, and it's a sight Arthur won't ever get enough of. 

"Yes, but we can't." You counter, letting go of his hand to wrap both of yours around the back of his neck, pulling him down to you, "So hurry up. Y’know, it's rude to leave a lady waitin." 

Arthur chuckles, and he leans down to press a quick kiss to your lips. 

"Yes ma'am." He chuckles again, always astounded by your tongue. You wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him down to you. Never in your life have you let yourself be so vulnerable with someone, it's a shocking realization. You're not afraid of it anymore, you don't fight it. You'll happily trust fall into this relationship if he's the one catching you– which he always will be.

Arthur's already hard pressed from just watching and hearing you as he lines up with your entrance. You grip his shoulders in anticipation before he slowly slides in the whole way. You gasp, shuddering at the feeling of being so damn full. 

"Y'okay?" Arthur asks as you wince from the stretch of it all. 

"Yes. Please, move." You beg, digging your heels into him. He starts to move, sliding out just to come back in, slow and hard. Your eyes fall closed and you bite your lip to stop the moans from falling out. Anyone could walk past and hear. Hell, even the bed creaking might alert someone. 

Your eyelashes flutter open, eyes locking onto his for a moment as your heart skips a beat. He's so perfect. His arms flex and strain beautifully as he holds himself above you. His green eyes flicker over your body, making sure you're comfortable and enjoying yourself, drinking your body in all the while. 

His tanned skin is covered with a thin sheen of sweat. You can't help the way you pull him down to you, pressing your lips to his neck. Arthur groans as you kiss the sensitive spot, and again as your lips part, nibbling on his earlobe. 

"You feel so damn good." You whimper as the bed rocks. Arthur grips the small headboard to silence it, and you watch as his muscles flex above your head. He uses the headboard for leverage, thrusting into you harder. You place your wrist over your mouth to silence your moans as he loves you with reckless abandon. 

A slow fluttering starts in your core, spreading out as Arthur's thrusts get harder. He's losing his composure, and you watch as his eyes occasionally squint shut, or his mouth falls open and closes again before he can make any noise. It's a shame, having to be so quiet. 

"You're–" Arthur purses his lips to stop from groaning, "Such a good girl." 

Good girl? It does something to you, ignites a fire under your skin as you grip onto him. 

"Say that again." You mewl, head tossing back. Arthur recounts what he's just said, putting two and two together as your nails scratch at his back and your hips buck to meet his. 

"That's my good girl."  Arthur smirks, happily uncovering this information. You snap, unfolding beneath him completely once his thumb starts to brush against your clit. You try not to think about Arthur's past partners, but you subconsciously thank them for teaching him what he knows because damn– he knows. 

"Oh, Arthur–" You begin.

Arthur's hand lets go of the head board and clamps over your mouth, muffling your noises. His hand is big, covering your entire mouth and forcing you to breathe through your nose. If anything, it only spurs you on further.

"Darlin', you know I love hearin' you say my name, but you gotta be quiet." Arthur shushes, but it's a moot point. Your eyes roll back, legs clamping around Arthur as stars fill your vision and pleasure rolls over you like the lapping shores of Flat Iron Lake. Arthur's hand muffles all the noises that he wishes he could hear while he thinks about how he'll need to get you both a hotel room soon. 

Contrary to what he's saying about keeping you quiet, he begins pounding into you hard. He's close. Watching you finish proves to be his undoing as he fights back groans, letting go of your mouth to replace his hand with his lips. Your tongues collide as your lips slot together, and both of your moans mix as you muffle each other's noises. You come down just as Arthur slips out, shooting his spend on your spread thighs. 

“Christ.” Arthur pants, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You squeeze his hand lightly before he stands from the bed to get you a towel. 

“What a way to start the morning.” You hum, propping your head on your hand. Your eyes run over his naked form, and you smirk as the planes of his back flex.

"You practically jumped me. Weren't my fault." Arthur chuckles, bringing the towel over to clean you up. 

"I did not!" You defend, smacking him lightly. Arthur chuckles, tossing the towel in his little hamper. 

"Whatever you say." Arthur jokes as your jaw falls playfully. You huff, not minding him as you stand up to get ready.

After getting dressed and cleaned up, you and Arthur head out of his tent together. It’s still early, but mostly everyone else is awake, save for Uncle and Reverend. 

“I’ll get you some coffee.” Arthur mumbles, hand on the small of your back before he leaves you to get the percolator from Pearson’s tent. 

“Thank you.” You smile, eyes scanning over camp to see where everyone is. Charles and John sit at the fire, and you make your way over as you place your black hat atop your head. John and Charles laugh over something as you walk towards them, taking a seat on the other side of the fire. 

“Boys.” You greet, digging your boot into the dirt. John has a cigarette between his lips and a cup of coffee in his hand, and Charles is sharpening his hunting knife by the fire. 

“Where you been all morning? We had to listen to Grimshaw’s nagging for the last half hour.” John asks and you blush, looking down at your hands. 

“Just slept in is all.” You lie, perking up as Arthur walks across camp with two steaming cups of joe. 

“There he is.” Charles hums as Arthur sits down beside you on the log. He hands you the metal cup of coffee, and you wrap your hands around the warm mug, cherishing the way its heat sinks into your bones. 

“What you boys been up to since we got down here?” Arthur asks before his lips meet the rim of his mug and he drinks down some of his coffee. You’re distracted from the conversation when a little hand tugs at the back of your shirt. The conversation continues on as you turn around with a smile on your face. 

“Hey Jack.” You greet as the young boy walks around the log to the front. Without warning, he crawls up into your lap, curling up. You place your coffee on the ground, brushing your fingers through the boy’s hair. 

“How you likin’ the new camp?” You ask, looking down at him. You feel bad for Jack. All he's done his whole life is move from place to place, no home besides a bedroll on the ground. His family, the gaggle of outlaws, is falling apart before him, and he has nothing but the clothes on his back to cling to. 

“It’s okay! I like the water. Momma lets me play in the lake, and she’s even teaching me how to swim!” Jack smiles, beaming with pride as he looks at the lake behind you. 

“Is she?” You smile warmly as Jack nods. 

“Yep! It’s so fun, but I think my Papa is afraid of the water… he never comes in.” Jack’s eyebrows furrow as he thinks about John and his fear of water, and you giggle. John’s attention falls on you both then, and his face scrunches up in something similar to offense mixed with humor. 

“Hey, I ain’t afraid of the water.” John huffs, shaking his head. Arthur laughs out loud, joining the conversation as well.

“Sure Y’ain’t! Remember that time back in New Austin you fell into that–” He looks to Charles, “What was it?” 

“Lake Don Julio.” Charles replies with a smirk. 

“Yeah, that's it. You fell into Lake Don Julio n’ everyone had to gather round to scoop your sorry ass out.” Arthur laughs, and Jack giggles in your lap. 

“I–” John tries to come up with some defense, “My horse bucked me, weren’t my fault, and that water was deep.” 

You all laugh as John’s cheeks burn red as the flames of the campfire, and he shakes his head. 

“It’s alright, John. We can have the boy teach you to swim.” Arthur chuckles, gesturing to Jack. Arthur’s eyes linger on you for a moment, taking in the sight of Jack in your arms. It comes so naturally to you, being around children. They love you. It makes his heart warm and ache just the same. 

“I hate to break up all the fun, but there’s work to be done.” A booming voice calls from across camp. Your eyes flicker up to Dutch, stomping forward through camp with some plan sparkling in his eyes. You sigh, placing Jack’s feet on the ground as he jogs off towards his tent. 

“We was just talkin.” John says, standing from his seat and dusting off his knees. Everyone looks to Dutch as he scans around the fire, taking in the four of you. His hands are on his belt as he eyes you and Arthur. 

“You two." Dutch points at you and then Arthur, "I want you poking around the Gray's today. Go down to the jail and pay our dear friend, the Sheriff, a visit. See what you can find." Dutch orders. You nod, grabbing your cup of coffee from the ground to swig down the last of it. 

"Hosea is already at the Braithwaite’s. He mentioned something about moonshine. I'll have you both workin' with him in no time. We're gonna play these folk like fiddles, hit them from both sides and they'll be none the wiser." Dutch says with his chest puffed. He's proud of his plan no doubt, foolish as it is. 

The names Gray and Braithwaite cause so much ruckus around here, and no one messes with those families for a reason. Leave it to Dutch to poke the bear. You're not so sure about playing both families, but Dutch is the leader, after all. You know when to keep your mouth shut, and now is certainly one of those times. You place your coffee cup into your satchel before standing from the log, stretching your knees as you do. 

"Alright, guess it wouldn't hurt to just talk to the feller. Maybe he'll even have some more work. Star, you up for more outlaw chasin'?" Arthur chuckles. 

"Still recoverin' from the last one, but sure!" You smirk, grabbing your satchel and swinging it over your shoulder. 

"Don't make any noise in town, just get on the Sheriff's good side." Dutch says as he backs away, turning to head back to his tent. 

"Sure." You remark quietly, turning to look at John and Charles, "I'll catch you boys later."

They nod as you wait for Arthur to grab his things, and then head off towards the hitching posts. Athena and Balius are there waiting for you, but surprisingly they aren't saddled like you'd expected them to be. Your eyebrows pull together as you look around for Kieran. 

A smile blossoms on your lips, and you grab Arthur's shirt to pull his attention to where you're looking. 

He turns, watching the scene play out with furrowed brows. 

Kieran and Marybeth sit side by side on the blanket under her canopy, smiling and chatting with each other. There's a book in Marybeth's hands, but it's folded closed over her thumb. Her attention is too focused on Kieran to worry about the silly story. Kieran is nervously rambling, shaking his head, and smiling like a schoolboy.

"You think they're sweet on one another?" You ask, looking up at Arthur. He huffs. 

"Marybeth and that damn O'Driscoll. Who woulda thought?" Arthur exclaims, shaking his head. You’re not sure that he approves of the apparent relationship between the two, but he did save Kieran, so that has to count for something. 

“He ain’t an O’Driscoll– at least not anymore. He’s not so bad, actually.” You hum, watching on for a moment longer before walking towards Athena. She’s near the posts, unhitched, munching on a bale of hay with Balius. The scarred shire horse nudges your mare’s nose affectionately as they share the foliage. It brings a sweet smile to your lips. 

“Look, even these two are courtin’ each other. What the hell’s in the water?” Arthur chuckles, placing his hand under Balius’s jaw to lead the horse to the post. He follows with little instruction, and you whistle for Athena to come to you. You grab her bridle from the post, sliding the bit in her mouth before fastening her chin strap. The mare looks good. You run your hand down her body, checking over her for anything out of sorts. She whinnies lightly, shaking her head as you scratch her croup. 

“Is there a stable in Rhodes?” You ask, leaning down to pick up Athena’s hoof. Her shoes have grown out a little further than you’d like, she's definitely due for a new pair.

Arthur runs a brush along Balius’s body, getting rid of any dirt as he coos to the stallion. He turns at your question, seeing the overgrown hooves that you’re looking at. 

“No, the nearest one is up by the stateline. We’ll get up there soon enough, Balius is fixin’ for a new set of shoes too.” Arthur explains, and you nod. 

You grab your saddle pad and saddle together, and carefully swing them over Athena’s back. You tie her saddle with a perfect texas t before checking all the straps. Arthur is still tacking Balius up, and you seize the moment to feed Athena an oatcake from your satchel. 

“Here girl.” You mumble to the mare, petting her nose as she munches on the treat. 

“You comin’?” Arthur asks, swinging himself into the saddle. You climb onto Athena, sticking your boot into your stirrup. 

“I guess.” You chuckle, thinking about going back to Rhodes. You’re not sure how Dutch thinks you’re going to become Sheriff Leigh Gray’s new best friend, but you’ll try nonetheless.

“Ladies first.” Arthur hums, and you roll your eyes as you pass him on the trail out of camp. Sean is on guard duty, and he makes sure to give you some hell as you pass by. Other than him, the ride goes smooth. No Lemoyne Raiders get in your way, which you’re thankful for. Athena is a bit more sensitive than usual on account of her shoes, but other than that the ride to Rhodes is good. 

You pull your mare up to the hitching post outside of the jail and hop down with a slight wince. You’ve barely recovered from your last wild goose chase, and here you are, back at the jail to pick up more work. Rhodes isn’t too busy on account of the time, which you’re thankful for. Arthur gives Balius a pat for his work before stepping towards you with a smile. 

“Ready?” He asks, hand settling on the small of your back as he leads you up the steps. 

“Sure am.” You chuckle. Arthur grabs the old brass door handle and pulls it open, holding it open for you. You walk through the threshold, squinting as your eyes adjust to the change in light. Leigh Gray, the sheriff, sits in his chair with his boots up on his desk. His hands are occupied with the day’s paper as he glances up to you two. 

“You’re back! Y’know I never did catch your names yesterday.” The sheriff points out, slapping his paper down on the desk. He swings his feet down to the ground, standing up to shake Arthur’s hand. 

Arthur quickly scans the room, finding a collection of posters on the wall. They’re all advertisements, and Arthur hones in on one for ‘Callahan’s Confectionery’. 

“Arthur Callahan,” Arthur introduces his newfound alias all the while shaking the hand of the sheriff, “and the missus.” Arthur introduces you as his wife, and a blush forms across your cheeks. Sheriff Gray tips his hat to you as you hide your hands behind your back to avoid any questions about the lack of a ring. 

“Well, Mr. Callahan, how can I help you on this fine morning?” The Sheriff asks. He seems nervous. Sweat clings to his brow and dark circles line under his eyes. You assume the Anderson boy has been giving him trouble, and there’s also the apparent problem with the Gray’s son and that Braithwaite girl. 

“That's actually what we came to ask you. We’re lookin’ to help out.” Arthur explains, taking a few steps forward. Arthur doesn’t mean to intimidate the man, but the sheriff takes a few steps back anyway. You wonder how he’s managed to remain in office for so long without getting killed or worse. He seems pretty yellow-bellied for the job. 

“You need work? Well I’m glad you came to me. It’s always better to work for a Gray than a stinkin’, degenerate Braithwaite.” 

Arthur’s tongue lines his cheek as he fights the urge to roll his eyes at the goddamn feud tearing these people apart.

“Of course.” Arthur replies. 

“Y’know… there’s this bastard I’ve been meaning to grab. He’s gone out of state, but I want him. He killed my second cousin Gertrude, you see.” The Sheriff begins. His eyes almost glaze over as he gets lost in his story, “She was lookin’ for medicine, but this man– he is a no good fellow. He sells poison as medicine. Y’know, my great grandfather was a doctor? When we was kids he used to–” Sheriff Gray rambles on before Arthur rolls his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and interrupting the annoying man. 

“Listen, mister, no disrespect, but just tell me who he is and where to find him.” Arthur grumbles, irritated with the fool. The Sheriff doesn’t look too hurt by Arthur’s interruption, and you assume his ramblings are frequently cut short. 

“His name is Benedict Allbright. He’s a peculiar looking fella, came from the city after pitching his miracle cure. He's been seen near Valentine, you know of it?” The Sheriff asks, to which you nod your head dejectedly. 

“Yeah, we know it.” You sigh, glancing up at Arthur.

“He’s near the Dakota River, camping out on the cliffs. I need him alive.” Sheriff Gray gives you the details before slumping back into his chair and picking the newspaper back up. You nod, turning to head out the door, but Sheriff Gray turns your attention back to him. 

"Oh! Almost forgot– there's a festival bein' held. Rhodes' 75th anniversary. Here. You're welcome to join, it's supposed to be a good time." The Sheriff says, grabbing a pamphlet from his desk drawer. Your eyebrows pull together as you accept the paper, running your eyes over the festivities. Games, food, candy, and shows, it seems like a good time, so long as the feud settles down enough for the town to get along. 

"Well, thank you. You can count on us bein' there." Arthur hums before tipping his hat. "And Allbright? Well, I reckon we'll have him back to you in no time." 

The Sheriff holds up a hand in a half attempt at a wave as you and Arthur exit the jail. As soon as you're out of earshot, you grip Arthur's arm, forcing him to turn around. 

"'You can count on us bein' there'?  Are you sure goin' to this festival is a good idea?" You ask, holding the pamphlet out to Arthur. He takes the paper, running his tongue over his thumb before flipping the page. 

"It'll get us more information, and hell, it might be fun." Arthur replies, eyes running over the list of vendors. Your eyebrows pull together, and a hand on his bicep pulls his attention back to you. 

"We got an alias to keep up now. The Callahans? We gotta be careful with that, Arthur. And with Hosea playin' the other side like he is? I don't know if havin' a good time in the middle of town is the attention we need right now." You point out, tone hushed to avoid eavesdroppers. Arthur nods his head, eyes flickering up to yours. He sees the worry clouding your eyes, and his hand comes up to cup your cheek, thumb running over your cheekbone. 

"C'mon, where's that fire?" Arthur asks and your face falls, "We got this, it's just a festival. We get a little information, and we have a good time. An evenin' away from camp, havin' fun like decent folk do. It'll be good for us."

You lean into his touch, letting out a breath at his reassurance. 

"I'm just so afraid they're gonna find us again…" You admit, and Arthur's smile falters at the sight of your worries. You're talking about the Pinkertons of course. After Valentine, any noise is bad noise. 

"They won't. I won't let 'em hurt you, Star." Arthur mumbles, eyes searching the pain on your face and wishing that they could reassure you. He means every word of his promise. He will not let the Pinkertons lay a damned finger on you.

But it does sound like a good time. A day away, enjoying yourselves like a normal couple might, sharing fine treats and walking down the main street hand in hand. It's a simple pleasure, something an average couple might do, but you and Arthur are certainly not an average couple. 

"Fine, when is it?" You ask, peeking towards the pamphlet in his hands. He unfolds the paper flaps, locating the date in red, bold letters. 

"Next week." He states, tapping his finger against the paper. 

"It's a date. But c'mon, let's go get this bastard first." You say, nudging Arthur towards the horses. They’re waiting patiently, tails swatting away unwanted flies as they take turns drinking from the trough. You walk side by side with Arthur, chuckling at a pair of foxhounds playing in the rust colored dirt. 

“You ever bounty hunted before?” Arthur asks, taking his reins from the hitching post and swinging them over Balius’s neck. 

“No.” You huff. You’ve been on the wrong side of the law for a while now.  It never occurred to you to hunt down other outlaws. It’s also a two or more man job, you’d neve tackle a bounty alone. 

“We can make it there in a day. We misewell stop at the stables on the way too, get everyone new shoes.” Arthur hums. He slips his boot into his stirrup in time with you as you both swing up into the saddle. Athena paws at the ground impatiently until you squeeze her sides to walk down the main road. 

“Do we have everything we need?” You ask. Surely you’ll need something to tie Allbright up with, a lasso or bolas. You’re not sure what else bounty hunting entails, but you feel underprepared. 

“Yeah, I got everythin’ on me. We’ll spend the night up there, ride back in the mornin.” Arthur calls to you, his drawl thick. Being back in the south has made his accent a little stronger, and you smile for it. 

“How exactly does this help us with the Grays?” You ask. Going on a wild goose chase seems odd, especially considering that you’re supposed to be gathering intel on the Grays. Instead,  you’re heading back to Valentine, the town that almost got you all killed a handful of weeks ago.  

“Well, Dutch wants us on their good side, so we’ll do what the sheriff says n’ hope he gives us somethin.”

You bite your tongue. It seems above Arthur’s station to go out running around for Dutch. You’d think that after being his right hand man for twenty years, Dutch could send someone else out on these jobs. 

“You his errand boy now?” You bite. The words slip out, and your eyes fall shut as you cringe, awaiting his snap.  

“Excuse me?” Arthur’s eyes squint as he turns around in his saddle to look at you sternly. 

“Listen, I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, but couldn’t he have sent one of the other boys? I mean, shouldn’t you be in camp plannin’ with Dutch?” 

The words cut Arthur deep. He’s not upset with you, he’s upset because you’re right. Micah is probably back from Downes’ Ranch by now, whispering lies into Dutch’s ear. It should be Arthur by Dutch’s side. Arthur locks his jaw,  pushing the thoughts away.

“It ain’t like that, Star. We all gotta do our part.” He counters, still in denial about the whole thing. 

“Hey.” You call softly, trotting Athena up to Balius’s side. You reach over and grab Arthur’s hand, squeezing it encouragingly, “You’re right, we all gotta do our part… I’m sorry.” 

Arthur stops his horse and squeezes your hand back.  

“I’m just glad to be with ya, darlin’. Now c’mon, stable ain’t far.” Arthur whispers, nodding Northwest.  

— — — —

Balius and Athena each get new shoes, a proper grooming, and plenty of provisions for the road. They look incredible, and you tip the stable hand nicely for his work. After their pampering, you hit the road towards Valentine, though you'd rather be headed anywhere else. Arthur takes care to avoid the town, riding on the outskirts to evade any lingering law. 

He leads you in the direction of the cliffs, and the paths get more and more narrow the higher you descend. 

"I don't like this, Arthur. We should leave the horses here." You point out, heart pounding as you look at the water below the cliff's edge. Athena prances nervously, tossing her head and pawing at the ground. 

"Alright, we'll walk the rest. Shouldn't be far." Arthur agrees, dismounting before walking further up the slope.

A little fire comes into view, you can see the smoke rising above the cliff that you’re climbing up. You try not to look down and see the Dakota River below. It splashes and rages forward, waves crashing against rocks and splashing up in crystal-like pebbles of water. You swallow thickly, stomach churning as you follow Arthur. 

“Try not to look down.” Arthur grunts, and you nod. 

“Easier said than done.” You huff, keeping your footsteps calculated. Arthur uses two fingers to signal that Allbright is ahead, and you hunch down. 

You and Arthur see the bounty before he sees you. He's hunched over a small campfire on the rocks, poking at the flames with a stick. His movements cause embers and smoke to waft up to the dark sky in flecks. You focus on the embers to distract yourself from the turmoil below. 

He is an oddly dressed man, clearly from the city. Allbright is adorned in a blue suit with a matching top hat. A small pair of spectacles sit on the bridge of his large nose, giving sight to beady, dark eyes. You step closer to him, looking up at Arthur for instruction.

"Follow my lead." He whispers back to you and you nod. 

Arthur stands up tall then, pushing his shoulders back and you see as a new persona falls over him. You can understand why Hosea is always pushing Arthur to act more, he's a natural. Arthur strides forward until he's just near the edge of Allbright's camp. 

"You Benedict Allbright?" Arthur asks loudly, stepping forward. You follow, staying a step behind and to the side of Arthur.

Allbright's head snaps up in shock and he immediately stands from the fire, backing away from the two of you. He drops his poking stick to the ground, and it catches on fire, burning up against the rock trail. 

"N-no!" Allbright shakes his head. You can see the panic in his eyes, you can hear the tremble in his voice. 

"You look a lot like him." You say plainly, eyeing up and down his suit. The bright colors nearly give you a headache, and you wonder why anyone would spend such an amount of money on such odd clothes, "And we were told he'd be up here." You add. 

Benedict Allbright takes a step back, almost plastering himself against the rock wall. He shakes his head nervously. When you look up at Arthur for a game plan, your eyebrows draw together. He looks… sad, crestfallen even. 

"You see, we were hopin' to buy some medicine from him." Arthur sighs, dejected. His head falls lightly and he grips your hand. 

"My mother in law, she's real sick." Arthur says. 

Damn he's good. 

You copy his downtrodden look, teary eyes flickering up to Allbright in one final plea. 

"We'll pay in gold if you help us, mister." You beg, a faux tear slipping down your cheek. 

Allbright lights up like a damn Christmas tree. A smile forms across his lips as he points his index fingers to the sky.

"If it's for a sick woman, I'd be happy to help!" He chimes. You watch on as he shuffles towards his bedroll, rummaging through a bag there. He pulls out a shimmering, dark green bottle, looking like any other tonic. 

"This is the finest medicine in the state, ma'am. I'm a healer, you know, a medical man!" He smiles, sick and twisted as he hands you the poison. 

You take the glass from him with a smile, but it promptly falls as you drop the bottle and let it shatter all over the ground. A scowl etches onto your face as you nod for Arthur to grab the bastard. 

"It's over, mister." Arthur grumbles, leaning forward and grabbing Albright's revolver from its holster. He tosses the weapon over the cliff ledge, and it falls down into the violent waters. Arthur unholsters his own gun, pointing it at Allbright. The fear of God enters Albright's eyes as he realizes he's been duped. 

"What?!" Allbright hisses, backing away from Arthur. His back is almost on the rock wall, and he glances around for a way to escape. 

"Apparently that stuff you're sellin' is killin' folk. I don't know, ain't my business." Arthur grumbles. He leans forward to grab Allbright's wrist, but the older man jumps away. He skips around the fire until his back is at the cliff's edge. You take a step closer to him. 

"I'm a healer! I've got an aura, I speak to spirits!" Allbright yells, looking around for any escape route or a weapon, "I'm a–"

"a lunatic." You huff, rolling your eyes, "Give it up." 

He backs away, heel dangerously close to the edge. One wrong move and he'll be down in the dangerous waters. Your heart rate picks up as you take another step forward. 

"Careful, Star." Arthur warns, deeply. 

"I'm a scientist, this is a mistake!" Allbright yells just as you reach out to grab onto his coat. It backfires, and he grips tightly onto your hair. You yelp as he pulls you against him. Your back is pulled tightly against Allbright's chest and something cold and sharp presses against your neck. You gasp as it knicks you, realizing he pulled a knife.

"I'll– I'll go over the edge and take her with me!" Allbright stutters and yells. 

"Allbright!!" Arthur roars, stepping forward. the bounty steps back, and you whimper as rocks and gravel fall off the cliff's edge from his boots. Arthur steps back, hands up as his heart races. His eyes are locked onto yours. 

"Let me go!" You hiss, but he presses the knife tighter against your throat. You have to strain your neck back against his chest to avoid the sharp blade. 

"Goddammit, let her go, or I swear to god–" Arthur begins, panic thick in his voice. Allbright chuckles, realizing that he's in the position of power now. 

"We can deal with this like men, leave the lady out of it." Arthur pleads, turning the barrel of his gun up towards the sky. Your nails dig into Albright's arm as you attempt to pull it away from your throat. You gasp, terrified. The thought of going down over the cliff sends your body into a panicked state, and your eyes beg Arthur to find a way out of this. 

"I'm not going with you, bounty hunter!" Allbright hollers. His neck cranes around, looking down at the violent crash of waves below him. Arthur's eyes are wide as he extends a hand out to you. You try to grab it, but Allbright steps back, dragging you with him. 

"I'll take my chances jumping." Allbright states. 

"Arthur!" You yelp, right before Allbright drags you back once more. 

Suddenly the ground is gone from below your feet. You feel yourself falling, and you scream for Arthur once more. You're not sure if you're going to die, you don't have much time to think about it, but you hope it won't be too painful if you do. The rocks below you are almost as threatening as the dark water. Your hands extend toward the sky, gripping and searching for anything to hang onto. Of course, there is nothing. 

"Star!!" You hear Arthur roar from above, and your eyes slip shut in pain. You should've told him, should've said that you love him. 

You hear Allbright splash into the water, and you know that it'll only be seconds until you crash. You squeeze your eyes shut, bracing for the impact. 

An unimaginable pain courses through your body when you make contact with the water. It's like ice, causing your muscles to seize and contract painfully. The water's intensity causes you to flip and spin. You fight to swim to the top, but the river is carrying you downstream quickly and you're not sure which way is up. Your lungs burn in search of air, and you choke on water as you fight to breach the top. 

It's a fight, but just as your vision begins to fill with white stars from lack of oxygen, you breach the surface. Your arms work to keep you afloat as you gasp and choke on air. There's too much water in your lungs and you can't breathe. Your movements are sluggish and exhausted, but you fight nonetheless. 

The shore passes by quickly as the river carries you downstream. You try to scream for Arthur, but it comes out weak. The ice cold water makes your body rigid, and you struggle to keep yourself afloat. 

"Stay up, keep fightin'!" 

At the sound of Arthur's voice, you perk up. Your eyes scan the shore and lock onto Balius galloping down the rocky trail. 

"I'm comin!" He yells. You try to take his instruction, really you do, but the water is so cold and you feel it pulling you down. You can barely hang on, arms burning from keeping yourself afloat. 

"Grab on!" Arthur yells over the crashing water. Your wet eyelashes flutter open, and you see Arthur's lasso in the water ahead of you. 

"Star, c'mon! You gotta grab on, please!" Arthur pleads. You stick your hand through the loop, and it tightens around your wrist.  Water burns in your lungs as stars fill your vision and everything slowly fades to black. 

— — — — 

A rhythmic thumping pounds in your chest, wracking your entire body. Your eyes flutter open as you wake up, and you turn onto your side, retching up cold, salty water. You gasp for breath, coughing as Arthur's hands pull away from your chest to rub up and down your back. 

"Shit, Star. I thought I lost you." Arthur's voice radiates from beside you, and your wet eyelashes flutter as you look up at him. You're splayed uncomfortably in the grass, and you pull your knees up to your chin as you shiver, gasping for air. 

"Goddammit, I'm so sorry I brought ya up here." Arthur whispers, heart racing. 

"I'm s-so c-cold." You whisper, teeth chattering loudly. Arthur's thumb runs over your cheek as he worriedly looks over your too pale face. Your lips are nearly blue, and wet strands of hair stick to your freezing skin. 

"I know. I'll get you into town, but you gotta get out of these wet clothes lest you freeze on the way." 

Arthur takes your hands, helping you to your feet. Your bones ache from being so cold and overworked, and when you look down you notice the rope burn searing on your left wrist from Arthur pulling you in. It all comes back to you then, and you glance at the crashing waters while Arthur rummages in Balius's saddle bags. 

"Where's Allbright?" You whisper, and Arthur shakes his head. 

"I don't know, n' I don't give a damn. I gotta get you fixed up." Arthur says, bringing you over a pile of clothes. They’re his, but they're all he has to work with. 

"I'll take you into town n' get you a bath. If we stay out here, you'll freeze." Arthur grumbles, placing the clothes on the ground before coming up in front of you. His hands quickly work on the buttons of your shirt, and you lean into his touch, feeling the warmth of his hands against your frozen skin. You whimper, leaning against him to chase after his warmth. 

"Christ, Star. You're freezin'." 

He sounds worried. He is worried. You shake like a leaf as he pulls your shirt over your arms. The wet clothing hits the ground in a sop as he kneels on one knee to unbutton your jeans. He's not worried about modesty right now, Arthur is too panicked about your health. 

You wiggle your toes in your boots and shudder, realizing that you can barely feel the movements. Teeth clack together loudly as Arthur strips you of your jeans, eyebrows pulled together in concern. 

"I c-can't feel my t-toes." You whimper, worrying that you'll lose them or worse.

"You just hang on, just– I'll get you there. I will." It's a promise more to himself than to you. He pulls his oversized clothes over your trembling body, adding his thick blue coat to your shoulders before scooping you up wedding style. You yelp at the action as he helps you onto Balius's saddle. 

"Be good for me, boy. We gotta ride quick now." Arthur coos to his stallion before mounting up behind you. Your head lulls back against Arthur's chest as his arms wrap around you to grab the reins. At the mention of Balius, your eyes pop open wider and you search around for your mare. 

"Athena…" You whisper, just barely a breath. Arthur whistles sharply, and a whinny rings out alongside the sound of hooves. You relax at her call, knowing she'll follow Balius.

You can barely keep your eyes open as Arthur pushes Balius into a gallop. Arthur doesn't like it one bit, knowing that your best chance is to keep your eyes open. 

"Don't go fallin' asleep on me now. We'll be there soon." Arthur attempts a smile for your sake, but the worry in his voice is thick. 

You fight against every instinct to keep your eyes open. It would be so much easier to give in and let them fall shut. For Arthur's sake, you keep trying. 

"Look for Allbright…" You exhale quietly, "He c-could be on the shore." 

Arthur isn't surprised by your suggestion. Of course you haven't given up on the bounty. For you, he scans the shore, but it's your eyes that eventually lock on to the blue suited man. He's washed up on the shore, coughing and sputtering. 

"Goddamn you, bounty hunters!" Allbright yells at the sight of Arthur and you riding forward. Arthur's attention peaks to Allbright then, and a growl rumbles in his chest. 

"Get the bastard." You whisper, too weak to let out the hiss you want to. Arthur makes sure you're good and steady in the saddle before he dismounts. His hands rest on your thigh as he looks up to you. 

"Y'okay to sit without me? We can leave him here and get you to a–" Arthur begins before you interject. 

"I'm okay, just get him n' put him on Athena."

At your words, Arthur obliges, though he thinks it to be a damn stupid idea. He flips his gun out of his holster and swings it down over Allbright's head. The bastard is knocked out cold. His many layers and heavier stature seemed to have protected him mostly from the freezing water. Arthur doesn't give a damn about the man, only you. He whistles for Athena to step a little closer and hoists the bounty over her back behind the saddle. 

"Is Allbright gonna be okay?" You whisper, gripping onto Arthur tightly as he quickly climbs into Balius's saddle. 

"I ain't worried 'bout him." Arthur replies as he smacks the reins down over Balius's neck. He rides fast, galloping over the hills as fast as Balius can carry you both in the night. Your hands grow colder, stiffening around Arthur's jacket and making it harder to grip onto to. He notices this, of course, and his heart beats quicker. Your eyelids are heavy, the overwhelming, hardening cold creeping up your spine and down your bones. Everything stiffens and hurts, making the ride to Valentine a painful one. You yelp, wincing, and Arthur's arm tightens around you 

"Oh, baby, just hang on. We're almost there." Arthur whispers, despair thick in his voice. 

Arthur gets you there as quickly as he can manage, apologizing to you and Balius the whole way. You're both glad it's after dark once you arrive in town, as you still have a mighty price on your heads after the fiasco with Cornwall. Arthur ducks his head, keeping his eyes under his hat as he trots towards the hotel. Athena is right behind you both, still carrying Allbright. 

"How you feelin', darlin'?" Arthur whispers, pulling Balius up to the hitching post in front of the All Saints Hotel. You groan in response. The cold has seeped into your bones, tightening your muscles uncomfortably. Your muscles twitch and cramp under your frozen skin, and your toes and fingers are numb. 

"Tired." You admit, just over a whisper. Your eyes have fallen shut and you're leaning fully against Arthur's back at this point. You can hear his heart beating a few paces too fast with worry. He turns in the saddle and places a hand on your thigh to steady you before sliding down from his stallion. He hitches both horses, and turns to you. 

"C'mere." He calls up to you, hands up stretched to grab your waist. Arthur pulls you into his arms wedding style. You wince at every jolt as he carries you up the few stairs towards the hotel. You get a glance over Arthur's shoulder and see Allbright, still heaved over Athena's rump. Your eyebrows furrow as you look up at Arthur. 

"What about…" You take a deep breath, struggling to keep yourself awake, "Allbright?" 

Arthur readjusts you in his arms, turning around to push the door open with his back. 

"He ain't wakin' up anytime soon. I'll deal with him once I get you taken care of." Arthur replies, stepping backwards through the threshold before turning to the usual clerk. The man's eyes go wide as he takes in your state. 

"You got a bath drawn up?" Arthur asks, walking towards the hallway where the bathhouse is. He doesn't stop, carrying you down the hall as the clerk worriedly hollers 'Yes!' from behind you. 

Arthur pushes the door open with his back again, carrying you into the bathhouse. The bath is filled with steaming water, and you practically whimper at the sight of warmth. Arthur carefully places you on your feet, steadying you for a second with his hands on your shoulders. He eyes you up and down, making sure you're steady. 

"Y'okay to stand?" He asks as you sway slightly. You nod, and he steps away for a moment to grab a washcloth and a bar of soap from the little wooden table by the door. He places both on the small wooden slat overtop the bath as you attempt to pull Arthur's oversized clothes off of your body. Your numb fingers pull at the buttons, but they're too frozen to properly grasp the little articles. 

Arthur turns back to you, and in two long strides, he's in front of you again, brushing your hands away.  

"Let me." He murmurs, eyes downcast as he focuses on each button. He rids you of the shirt quickly, noticing the way your skin feels like ice. It only encourages his worry, and he works faster to unclothe you. 

Once you're bare before him, Arthur's hands find purchase on the small of your back and your arm, helping to steady you as you step into the tub. You grimace when your toe hits the water. The cold state of your skin makes the hot water feel boiling, it's downright painful. 

"I know, darlin', but it's the fastest way to warm you up." Arthur says, noticing your hesitation. You nod, stepping one leg into the hot water. It's painful, but bearable. Arthur lets you grip onto him as you lower yourself into the bath, groaning at the fiery sensation that ripples across your skin. 

"There you go." He whispers as you finally sit down fully. Your teeth chatter, and you pull your knees up to your chest in the sudsy water. Now it's just a waiting game. 

Arthur sits on the ground by your side, hand resting over yours on the lip of the tub. He watches you closely, taking note of your breathing and shivering. His thumb runs over your knuckles and you smile for it, but it's brief. You're still shivering, and goosebumps prick your skin all over. It's nothing short of miserable, and while the warm water has helped, you're too far gone for it to fully bring your temperature back to normal. 

Your eyes flutter open at the sound of clothes hitting the floor, and when you glance over,Arthur is pulling his jeans down over his legs.

"Arthur…?" You ask, brow furrowing lightly. 

"I can't just sit and do nothin' no more. It's killin' me seein' you like this." Arthur explains, "Scooch forward for me, sweetheart."

You grip the sides of the metal tub, pulling yourself forward, just enough for Arthur to slide into the bath behind you. The mass of his body entering the tub causes water to spill out over the edges, but he doesn’t mind. He’ll slip the working ladies a few extra bucks for the mess. A large forearm wraps around your middle, and Arthur pulls your back flush against his chest in the water. His legs line yours, bodies fitting together like perfect pieces of a puzzle. 

“Better?” Arthur whispers, eyes worried as he splashes water over your shoulders with your hands. Guilt is eating him alive– Should he have let you come along? Did he get you here fast enough? 

You nod, easing his worries some. After a few moments, his body heat begins to work, melting the ice that clings to your frozen skin.  Your shivers reduce to slight chills,  and your lips turn from a sickening shade of blue back to that familiar pink.

“Y’know,  if you wanted to see me naked again, you coulda just asked,” You shiver, “Didn’t need to have Allbright throw me in the river.” You smirk, wit never leaving you, not even in dire situations.

“I’ll keep that in mind, darlin.” Arthur whispers, resting his chin atop your head, “You just warm up now, you hear?” His hands run up and down your arms as you nod, leaning fully back against him. His chest radiates a warmth that the water never could, and you groan as your body temperature begins to raise. 

“You think Allbright’s okay out there?” You whisper,  remembering that he’s currently strapped to Balius’s croup. Arthur chuckles from behind you. 

“Hope not– the bastard can rot for all I care.” Arthur huffs. 

“Arthur.” You chastise lightly, hand intertwining with his under the murky water. The chuckle in his throat dies down, allowing the air to become thick with unsaid words. 

“Almost lost ya…”  Arthur whispers. His eyes are far away, there's a lump in his throat.  

You almost died.  

“I’m okay, Arthur.” You reassure, squeezing his hand for good measure. He brings your intertwined hands up to his lips, kissing your knuckles. He holds the kiss for a moment longer than he needs to. 

“Stay that way.” 

It’s a small plea, a few words, but a big admission. You’ve snuck your way into his heart, and he’ll be damned if the universe tries to pull you away now. He’ll do anything to keep you safe– a facet of information that’s beginning to haunt him. 

What will it take–?

What does that entail? 

It's something he’s been meaning to bring up for awhile. You’ve both had more near death experiences than any two people ever should.

Arthur presses a kiss to your wet hair,  humming lightly as he thinks over what the future may hold. He’ll bring it up. But first, you just need to rest.

taglist: @margofiore @mrsarthurmorgan7 @woman-with-no-name @tillith @luvliewriting @pine4pple-b0i @photo1030 @dudsparrow @holyratrimony

series taglist: @catnotbread @chxosangxl @globetrotter28 @justalittlerayofpitchblack @fruittiest-of-loops @randomidk-123 @heyworld-whatsup @btsiguess-kpop @how-the-heck-would-i-know @rratman @eyelovie @mykneeshurt @myhomethesea @onedaymyhappinesswillcome

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #rdr2 #rdr2 arthur #red dead redemption two #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 fanfic #arthur morgan x you #arthur morgan x female reader #rdr2 fandom #tfiye

[darling-i-read-it]

TA

Josh Lambert x fem!reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: age gap (legal ofc) 

Author’s Note: this is not my best work and i WILL do josh better justice soon i swear to him 

Summary: Josh comes for parents weekend and you, a TA for one of Dalton’s classes, take it upon yourself to flirt a bit. 

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You moved your hair out of your face. The canvas in front of you taunted you with its unfinished work. You took a deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth. You took a step back. The line work was shotty but you could probably fix it with more paint. You put your hand over your chin, lost in thought. 

The sound of the door opening broke you from your thoughts. You looked over your shoulder. The double doors of the classroom creaked open as Dalton peeked his head in. You raised an eyebrow, hand still over your mouth. 

“Good morning Dalton,” you said, a small smile on your face. “Class isn’t for another thirty minutes. You’ve been Armagan.” He looked aside, eyes scanning the room. It felt too large for just you. You thought the class could’ve been taught somewhere more intimate but it was up to the school where you would end up. 

“I know, I just thought I’d get a headstart. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

“No worries. I don't think I’m gonna get any further with this anyway.” You let out a defeated sigh and put down your paintbrush. You clapped your hands together, trying to get any wet paint off your hands. Dalton awkwardly shuffled in around you. He went to his spot in the corner and started to get ready. 

He had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on you. He tried not to show it on his face when he passed, a light blush on his cheeks. Your eyes followed him as he walked, putting his things down with a clatter. He winced at his own noise. 

“Relax Dalton. I’m not gonna hound you for being loud.” You started to put your own paints away. You typically didn’t paint alongside the class. Armagan had picked you as her TA because you had graduated and were floating around the job space. She admired your natural ability to give direction. You were ten years older than Dalton but he swore you didn’t look it. 

“I think it’s Armagan’s natural aura that makes me nervous,” he explained.

“She’s not even here,” you said, joking lightly. 

“She lingers.” He sat down on his stool. You worked separately, putting things away and putting them up. 

“Are you ready for parents weekend?” Dalton groaned, involuntarily. He had been actively blocking it out. 

“My parents are divorced. I haven’t been ready for a parents weekend since I was 7.” You nodded once. “They’ll drive up separately and go to separate classes. My mom is a real talker.” You smiled. The parents were supposed to go around to classes and mingle among teachers. It was real old school and only worked because the school was small, but some teachers swore by it. You liked to hang around some of the classes to see who had birthed some of your less desirable students. You had seen some sketches of Dalton’s mom. She seemed like a nice lady.

“I hope to meet her.” 

“I’m sure you will, if you’re within a five mile radius.”

-

Parents weekend approached steadily. Campus loved it. Everyone got to bring out their tents and sell things, make conversation about different parties and clubs. People handed out free food, there were a thousand people in the buildings, endless families sitting on blankets in the courtyard. You had decided to stay with Armagan after lunch and see who wandered in. They mostly wanted to talk with her, which you didn’t mind. You could people watch and eat snacks all day. 

“So you teach him to paint? He knows how to paint,” someone's dad was muttering. Armagan cleared her throat. 

“We teach them to hone their craft. Sometimes people don’t understand why they do things and we make an attempt to bring that out of them. Connect with their inner selves that aren’t able to make a public appearance.” The man snorted. 

The windows were pushed open to let in the cool fall air. It brushed past your shoulders as the door opened again. People were waiting in line to chat with Armagan, helping themselves to the treats she had put out on the teachers desk. You pushed yourself off the stool and walked through the crowd when you saw Dalton. Standing with him was a man, taller than him, with a similar looking gaze. 

Dalton smiled when he saw you. 

“Hey,” he said. The familiar red cheeks were back. His dad seemed to notice them. 

“Dalton! Nice of you to come.” You turned your head to Dalton’s dad. “You must be his brother.” Josh snorted, shaking his head. 

“I’m his dad.” 

“Please don’t flatter him,” Dalton mumbled, shaking his head. You outstretched your hand. He shook it. 

“Josh Lambert.” 

“Very nice to meet you Josh. I’m Y/N, I TA for Armagan’s class. I’m not the big guns but I promise, I’m easier on the eyes.” Dalton was staring at you, you could feel it. Your eyes stayed locked with Josh’s and suddenly you remembered what Dalton had said about his parents being divorced. Your collarbone felt hot. 

Josh’s smile grew and his hand slipped out of yours. 

“You don’t have to tell me that,” he promised. 

“Oh my God dad,” he muttered. Armagan ushered for Dalton and Josh to come forward. Josh walked first and you nudged Dalton. 

“You didn’t tell me your dad was hot,” you muttered. 

“Why would I tell you that?”

“Common courtesy!” 

-

Most parents were filling out on Sunday. Some stayed later, insisting on more time with their kids. You could only imagine what the hotel booking around the weekend looked like. On Sunday night you happened to be in class, setting up things for Monday. You were technically supposed to do it the same day of class but the rooms were completely empty until your class. And  it was easier to do it the night before than wake up any earlier than you had to. 

Dalton turned the corner. He was followed by both of his parents, who wanted a private tour of the area now that there were less people. Renai made up a fake story about wanting to see what she was paying for. She really just wanted a little bit more time with her son. 

“The library’s upstairs,” he explained, half bored. He was pretending not to like spending time with his parents. He missed them too. Sometimes. 

“Well I would like to see it,” Renai said, a smile on her face. “I didn’t get to see this building earlier. This has Armagan’s class right?” 

“Yeah, down the hall,” Dalton said, gesturing to his left. Josh’s head swiveled, a gentle thump in his chest at remembering it. 

“I wanna see the library first,” Renai said. 

“Which way is the bathroom?” Josh asked. Dalton pointed lazily. Josh nodded. “I’ll meet you guys back down here?” They were only half listening. Renai’s voice could be heard as they went up the stairs, talking gently back and forth. 

Josh turned the corner into the bathroom. His mind lingered on you, even as he washed his hands, staring at himself in the mirror. It was a brief interaction and he felt a small pit in his stomach at stealing Dalton’s thunder. Clearly he liked you, even if it was just a little. Josh thought the compliments might have been courtesy. Maybe you said that to every dad that walked through the door. Maybe you were just trying to make Dalton laugh. 

Your voice remained in his head as he turned the corner into the classroom he had met you in. He didn’t bother knocking, sure it was empty this time of night. He opened the door slowly, surprised to see a glow of light. 

You raised your head. You had only one overhead switch on, illuminating just the middle of the large room. When you turned with inquisitive eyes, you were met with just a shadow. You sat up completely. 

“Hello?”

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I thought there was no one here.” You stood up, recognizing the voice. You were organizing canvases on the ground. They were scattered all over, some in different sizes and colors. Your instructions were scrawled on a piece of notepaper that you could barely read.

 “Josh?” 

He opened the door a little more, bringing himself in the light. He gave you a thin lipped smile. 

“I’m just waiting for Dalton and his mom.” You nodded once. 

“I was getting ready for class tomorrow. I’m not an early bird,” you explained. 

“I understand,” he said, nodding. He knew the early teaching days. “I teach English back home.I used to stay late after class to set up the lesson plan, rather than getting up any earlier than necessary.” Your eyes went wide with a bright smile. 

“You teach English?” He nodded once, coming closer into the light. He had his hands in his pockets, trying not to be too affected by your gaze. “That’s so cool. That was one of my gazillion life ideas but I didn’t like arguing with other people’s opinions. I’m kidding. Kinda.” Josh laughed gently. He gestured towards what you were doing on the ground. 

“Busy night ahead then?” 

“Yes sir,” you mumbled, turning back to it. 

“You could probably bribe Dalton to help. I think he has a little crush on you.” Josh just kept speaking and he didn’t even hear what he was saying until it was gone. It took everything in him not to close his eyes in embarrassment. You raised an eyebrow, pursing your lips. “Don’t tell him I said that.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” you said, laughing gently. “Plus, Dalton’s a little young for my taste,” you admitted. 

Josh’s eyes almost popped out of his head. So he wasn’t imagining it. You were most definitely coming onto him. 

“How long are you staying in town?” you asked. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. You suddenly got a little bit worried you had been too aggressive. If he was anything like his son, he was a bit shy. “Sorry, I don’t mean that in a weird way. Unless you want it to be a weird way, I just wasn’t sure how to-”

“No, no,” he assured you. “I like the weird way.” This time he shut his eyes in surprise. “I’m sorry, I haven’t done this in a while.”

“We’re doing something?” 

“Are we not?” 

Your nerves settled into a small knowing smile. Josh looked at you expectantly. 

“We are,” you promised. “If you’re not busy, I should be done here in about an hour,” you offered. He nodded, releasing some of the stress that came with this conversation. 

“That would be great.” 

“Awesome. You don’t think Dalton would mind?”

“I don’t wanna step on his feet but you are a couple years older than him.” 

“You’re a couple years older than him Mr.Lambert.” 

“Something tells me that you don’t mind.” His voice had grown some confidence and edge to it. You leaned back, nodding. 

“You’re a smart cookie.” Voices came from the still open door. You both turned towards it. 

“So this is it?” Renai asked. Dalton pushed the door open. He came to a slow stop when he saw the two of you, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

“Hey Dalton.”

“This is my TA,” he explained to his mom. “What are you guys doing in here? Alone?”

“I was waiting for you guys,” Josh explained. 

“I’m setting up for tomorrow,” you said. Dalton looked between the two of you. His jaw set in suspicion. “We were just chatting.” 

#josh lambert x reader #josh lambert imagines #insidious imagines

[factual-fantasy]

28 asks! :DD Thank you as always!! 💖💖

@astaherussy

My FNAF AU has been sorted out. In the sense that the timeline has been re-written enough that I can go back to drawing it..

Now the next comic in the AU is a re-write/re-draw of my old FNAF comic, Moon Malfunction. A few months ago though there were several time sensitive projects that came up and I needed to shelf Moon Malfunction 2.0 until they were done. Well now they're all done.. but Moon Malfunction is gonna take me some time to get around to..

For the past few months I've been in a really bad spot mentally and physically. And taking on my FNAF Recap/Repair project is just not something I feel I have the mental energy to do at the moment.. All it feels like is a one big pile of work. And all I wanna do I just draw what ever comes easily to me and focus on recovering..

Soooo for the time being,, my main FNAF AU might not see any updates for a bit.. Though I haven't forgotten about it and I do want to get back to it at some point soon. But for now I want to cut any work out of my relaxing/drawing time and just draw what ever I want. Which atm is pirate cookies-- <XDD

They're also great for grabbing something across the room while I stay in bed 😎😎

Why haven't I drawn anything like that yet- what--

I might just have to at some point! :00

@ardent-38

AWWW THANK YOU SO MUCH!! THATS SO SWEET!! BUT ALSO LSKNAKJ XDDD

I never thought of it like that! Anyone who gets into the game through my characters is like a lactose intolerant person recommending an ice-cream joint- and they're very persuasive! XDD

But fr, thank you! And hey, even if my characters aren't in the game, they'll always be here on Tumblr waiting for you XDD

Actually, I wasn't! :00 I haven't seen that episode of the Cuphead show. But I'm assuming its about Cala Maria and Captain Brineybeard, yes? If so I can easily see the relation XD

(Post in question)

AAAA THANK YOU!! The comic was different than what I'm used to. But it was a nice change of pace. I'm glad you liked it! :}}}

@badlyblurry (Post in question)

FRRRRRR THO He's been holding that glow back for a while. Trying not to send the wrong messages to Blue and potentially damage their friendship 💔💔

XDDD ITS OK!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDD 💖💖✨

@mod-bubamon

I have! In this post you can see 3 of them floating behind Melvin! (The anthro donkey)

And in this post, you can see Melvin holding one while it passes away... :((((( Sad day for sure.

Well? What did she taste like? XDD

Oh wait you're dead my bad-

Unfortunately I cant think of any songs that would match each crew members theme.. Rn all my brain can think about is this 👇

@nunyabusiness459 (Comic in question)

🥰🥰THANK YOU!! :DDD

What is primordial dough? :0

@2006-stupid-thatsme

Thank you! :DD Though unfortunately my fwernnd, I am known for being very bad at explaining how I do art things. :(

If I tried to explain my thought/design process it would just be a lot of word spaghetti that boils down to "uhhh... I just drew it.,. aandd if it dont look good.. draw it differently.. until it looks good-"

My advice would be to look on YouTube for character design tutorials or ask some other artists that have artwork similar to mine and see if they can help. :( Again, so sorry! I wish I could articulate my thoughts better 💔💔

@beryl-shade

This actually makes me think- Google says that if you add too much sugar to a cookie they become brittle.

Huh,, makes me think. If one of the cookies was baked with too much sugar.. they'd break real easy.. hmm.. 👀👀

@whereismycupofcoffee

@artistiemi

Thank you so much!! :DD I wish the same for you!! ✨💖✨

@sunnys-bloog

I've thought about drawing them! :0 And I thiiink I drew Franny one time..? The Blue one. Although I don't think I'll be able to find the sketch unfortunately-

NOT THE GUMDROP BUTTONS!!

tbh though I think they'd see him as just a normal guy! :0 Right..?

@beryl-shade

I'm not sure.. considering what I know about the games.. I thiiink they'd be horrified?? <XDD If they understand that they're made of dough, it'd be the equivalent of a human walking into a giant meat factory where they chop up meat and make weird false humans..

Okay yeah, they'd be horrified for sure XDDD

@wdillustration

:DD THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :}}}

@neo-metalscottic (Cookie run post in question)

AAAAA thank you so much!! I'm glad you liked it!! :DD As for the power, I think you're right about it being a rare occasion. And the idea of her gaining better control over it over time? While her love grows as well?? Perfection. But man I'm also tempted to make it so she can change when ever she wants. :( I really like drawing her and Seafoam together like that.. 🥺

As for the Colossal squid episode,, I'd have to go back and re-watch it to decide if I'll keep it for my AU or not..

But thinking about all the stuff you described about a violent altercation and nightmares?? 👀👀 Its giving me ideas! XDD

Now if the crew did face a violent altercation like that, I imagine their #1 goal would to protect the Octopod. That's their home man! They would probably do what ever they could to get the octopod away from the situation. Like the Captain manually piloting it and some of the crew being sent out in gups to distract the squid. Stuff like that :0

@luna-purple454

AAA IT WAS ON THE 10TH BUT THANK YOU!! XDD :DD

@khoiazo

It was on the 10th actually- and hey thanks! Seam could probably use the calories <XD

@unpopularartist14 (referencing this ask post)

<XD oh boy, what a stark contrast between the sides--

@shaziztrazh

I didn't have them in mind while designing them,, though maybe I took some subconscious inspiration? I see the similarities! :0

#my response #fnaf security breach #octonauts #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #cookie run ocs #my ocs #welcome home #Youtube

[rdiowxdeaddove]

▶�� 00.01 - love him.

WARNINGS!: Rape/noncon, restraints, Gerard is a “little” unhinged, basement Gerard being gross (in more ways than one), forced relationship towards the end, manipulation, slapping, bleeding, crying, drugging, love-bombing, suffocation just a little and like once.

This aint proofread its 6am (i started this at 12am)

Summary: Gerard confesses to you but little does he know you’ve only been hanging out with him out of pity, but dont worry he’ll fix that.

Nah this the longest shit I’ve written.

AMAB!READER X BASEMENT!GERARD

You and your friend Gerard —if you could even call him your friend— were both sitting on his bed in the basement of his house, nobody else was here probably having something to do unlike Gerard whose only friend was you, he considered you his best friend. You were both watching some movie that you couldn’t focus on anymore once he started talking about a comic he was working on. “Well are you gonna show me or are you just gonna keep talking about it?” You cut him off, turning your head towards him taking your eyes off the tv. “Oh..Oh yea uh it’s over here.” He replied, getting up off the bed and walking to the other side of the room towards his cluttered desk. You followed after him, you figured he was probably expecting you to anyways. You were quickly proven wrong when he bumped into you, causing him to drop his sketch book and comic sketches.

“Gerard what the hell is that?” You asked, your eyes fixated on his now open sketchbook at both of your feet. You picked it up taking a closer look at it, it was multiple drawings of you in multiple different angles. “You’re just, easy to draw- im around you all the time..give it back!” He stumbled over his words before trying to grab the book out of your hands to which you successfully dodged. “No fucking way.” You were frankly disgusted at the next page, it was full of drawings of you, in sex positions, your face twisted in pleasure. “What the hell Gerard? What are you in love with me or something?” You inquired, shoving the book back towards his chest. You were hoping this was all just a joke that he would laugh in your face, but instead he stayed quiet and looked down at the drawings. “Dude! I only hang out with you because i feel sorry for you! I would never ever be with someone like you!” You pushed him, his back hitting the desk “But you-“ he tried to speak but you cut him off.

“No! no, you’re s’ fuckin..weird!” It didn’t take long for you to get dizzy, start slurring your words. You thought back to the coke he brought down to you before the movie started, he must’ve slipped something in it before giving it to you. Before you completely blacked out you saw Gerard smile before making sure you didnt hit your head when you fell. While you were out it didn’t take Gerard long to tie you down, he had this planned from the start. He knew you would never like him never mind love him the way he loved you, but that was okay he just had to make you. He just had to make you understand, even if that meant drugging you and fucking you so stupid you had no choice but to love him. He made sure that you wouldnt’t be out for too long but just long enough to get your shirt off and tied down to his bed.

You woke up to the feeling of Gerards lips on yours, your eyes widened as the memories from before you blacked out came back and you let out a muffled noise. Gerard pulled away from you, looking down at you with a lovesick stare. “Gerard? what the fuck are you doing?” You asked, your voice raspy from having just become conscious again. You tried to move your wrists only for you to find them stuck, same with your legs. “Wh- what- why am i tied up?” You squirmed under Gerard only for you to find out your shirt had been taken off and Gerards hard on was pressing against your stomach as he straddled your hips. His clothes were still on though he just took your shirt off so he wouldn’t have to deal with it later, he never took his eyes off of your face even as you started trying to get out of the bindings.

“Stop trying to get out, you don’t think that im that stupid do you? That i would just let you leave?” He took your face in his hand, squeezing your face so hard your teeth were pressed up against your inner cheeks painfully. Your eyes watered a little from the pain before he let go of you, pushing your head to the side. You squeezed your eyes shut before opening them speaking again, “fuck, let me go Gerard, i-“ you were cut off as Gerard hand made contact with your cheek, maybe a little too hard because looked at him shocked at the taste of blood filled your mouth. “Shh…shut up.” Gerard leaned down to whisper against your lips. “just shut up, you talk too fucking much.” You let out a cry as he leaned down to kiss you again, when he noticed you weren’t kissing him back he brought his hand that wasnt holding himself up to pinch your nose until you had no choice but to give in.

When he finally leaned out of the kiss and you could breathe properly he took you being distracted as his chance to get your pants down. “No! No- stop, stop please!” You pleaded once you gathered what he was doing, tears freely falling at this point. You tried to move your legs to deter his movements however it did nothing in the end as your pants ended up around your ankles as well as your boxers. “What..what are you gonna do?” You breathed out, barely able to get through your sentence. Gerard just ignored you moving his hips up closer to your mouth, you finally got the hint when he went to unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans before pulling his cock out. You went to shake your head in disagreement but Gerard made sure to grab your face and squeeze your cheeks so you had no choice but to open your mouth. “Y’ gonna suck me off okay?” He asked, obviously not giving you an option.

You had no choice but to nod in agreement, fearing the worst if you said no. Maybe he would make you bleed even worse, or drug you again just to use your body while you were unable to move and forced to just watch. You took his cock in your mouth, the taste of him mixed with the blood from your busted lip. “C’mon you can do better than that.” He spoke, not giving you a chance to prove you could do better before shoving the rest of his cock down your throat causing you to gag. “See? Isn’t that so much better?” He teased, now using your head to face fuck you as you struggled to breathe. He wasn’t completely cruel, pulling out of your mouth to let you breathe for a moment before fucking your mouth again. Your tears were starting to mix with your saliva as well as your blood, Gerard just smiled down at you as moans left him.

Soon he got bored of your mouth and you could finally breathe properly as he left your mouth and moved further down your body. “Im gonna untie your legs, if you so much as think about trying to kick me i will fucking kill you.” He glared at you from the end of the bed, you only nodded, unable to speak from the crying and face fucking from before. You didn’t wanna try to test him, you were the one who was tied to his bed and face fucked anyways. It didn’t take long for him to undo the ropes, rubbing your ankles as he got them off. He slid your pants and boxers all the way off after getting you free,leaning down to press his lips to your thighs. You were scared to move your legs, not wanting to piss Gerard off you kept still until he moved your legs himself. He made his way up the bed pushing your legs up by your thighs, your knees by your shoulders as you clenched your hands into fists.

“So pretty when you shut up and let me do what i want.” Gerard kissed your thighs “y’gonna get all hard for me yea?” He reached around to fist your cock, you whimpered and squirmed in Gerards hold before he used the forearm of his other arm and his chest to hold you down. He laughed under his breath as he felt you get hard in his hand and watched you turn into a mess under him his chest pressed against the back of your legs as he jerked you off. He let go of your cock causing you to whimper, shoving the middle fingers of the hand he was using to jerk you off into your mouth to lube them up. He didn’t have to tell you to suck for you to get the message, however it didnt last long as he took them out to stretch you out to get you ready for him. A sob ripped from your throat as he started at a fast pace, his fingers hitting everywhere they needed to make you feel good.

“Fuck!” You cursed, pushing your head back against the mattress, Gerard hummed in a teasing manner and smiled at you, “You’re a fucking freak, getting off on me raping you.” He removes his fingers deciding that you’ve been stretched out enough, at least enough for him to slide in without too much pain. You try to catch your breath before Gerard shoves his cock into you in one thrust causing you to cry out ,Gerard wipes your tears with his thumb before shoving it in your mouth successfully muffling you, the salty taste of tears mixing with the iron taste of your blood. All that can be heard in the basement are your muffled cries, Gerards moans and the sound of your bodies together. “You’re gonna be my boyfriend? You’re gonna come over every day and im gonna fuck you till you’re stupid and you have no other choice but to love me.” He tells you before taking his thumb out of your mouth so you can respond. You only manage to get a weak, “m’ your boyfriend.” Out before he speeds up his pace,

“cmon you can be louder.” He smiles at you before his face contorts into pleasure. “M’ your boyfriend! Just yours!” You manage to speak up, your throat not having recovered from the sobbing from before. “Mm, i love you, tell me you love me.” He took your face in his hand when you hesitated to answer and squeezed “love- love you! I love you, please-.” You cried when he plugged your nose again, even if you could still breathe out of your mouth you immediately went into panic mode from before. He let go of your nose and face before pulling you into a kiss. “M’ gonna cum, y’ gotta cum with me okay?” He huffed out before moving his hand to your cock once more. “‘Kay- okay!” You sobbed at the stimulation of his cock and his hand. It didnt take long for both of you to cum, him finishing inside of you and you finishing on your stomach and chest with a cry of relief.

Both you and Gerard caught your breath before Gerard moved to untie your hands. You were too tired to fight him off, opting to just bring them down to your sides. Gerard helped you up before picking you up to bring you to the bathroom connected to the basement. Running the bath he set you on the floor until it filled enough to get in with you, when it did he sat down behind you letting you lay on his chest. It didnt take long for tears to run down your face again as Gerard stroked your hair and pressed a kiss to your head. “So pretty…my boyfriend.”

#rdiofics ! #grd #mcrdeaddove #tw noncon #tw choking #tw drugging #tw manipulation

[dapper-lil-arts]

Do you have any top tier horse yuri fic recs?

Hmm, i got a couple, lemme think

This one is a very sweet slice of life EG Sunset x Scitwi one, its got a lovely interpretation of the characters; With the expected but very welcome pairing of cool punk girl and adorable nerd. and i plan on doing fanart of it! The writer knows her stuff nyeheh =v= This is the best "Rarity and Applejack get drunk together and mushy stuff happens" Fic i seen out there, a trope that is surprisingly recurring, ive seen others like this! But this one is the best, hands down. A mutual of mine wrote it and its just a wonderful time! This one is a super fun horror esque rarijack fic where rarity is haunted and applejack tries to help her. its got fantastic prose and its just damn lovely! I've done fanart of it before, its a sweet one, and its also just a really interesting direction to take Rarity's character that i'm almost sad to not see more of. Overpowered rarity whennnn Although i don't ship twilight and trixie, this fic of this pairing, that is still ongoing, is fucking hilarious. The comedy has wonderful timing, and the takes on the characters are endlessly entertaining

Stay tuned to this wonderful fic of Rarijack anthros (Inspired by the ones i designed, too!!) 'cause its gonna have a sex sequel that i've already gotten a sneak peek or two of, and i'm frotthing at the mouth about it. biting things even (i sketched the cover btw!)

This fic isn't rly horse yuri but its 1000 words of Sunset Shimmer being the utter insane badass i always wished she was; and I will continue writing her like so. I'm glad to see another writer also concidered the same

If you're like me, and think that sex is funny, this fic and it's two sequels are for you. Sunset Shimmer throws a party of deranged proportions that ends in debauchery and indulgence that nearly destroys the fabric of equestria; and it's consequences are hilarious. This is a rly cute short trans rarity fic, and it has a delightful amount of rarijack within. utterly adorbs. Almost sad to see it so short! Finaly, i'd be amiss to not recommend the fics i've written myself; Here are my two biggest and most awesomest i've done: The Return of Midnight Sparkle Is a take on MLP where there is no EG universe, and rather, Sunset Shimmer is brought to the mane 6 per twilight's request, and she absolutely does not feel like she belongs, and its a narrative about her desperate attempts of fitting in; and dealing with the fallout of her failings. I put an inordinate amount of effort on this one, even drawing covers for each chapter. I went DERRANGED with the idea of "what if sunset shimmer was on FIM and also it was gay as fuck." i basicaly wrote an entire season of the show and its finale. If you're a fan of Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle as a pairing, cannot recommend enough. Here's some of the art i made for it. Insanely sick chapter covers im super proud of The Princess and the Peasant is an all you can eat buffet for Rarijack enjoyers, I've taken the baseline of the story of "shrek 1" and i made it about Applejack and Rarity; And also expanded upon it and fixed some of the annoyances with the og story (No third act misunderstanding! On the contrary. Third act understanding. SEX.) The humble farmer Applejack has to rescue fair Princess Rarity from a dragon keep, and escort her across Equestria to ensure that her farm and family are safe. Of course, on the journey, those two grow a bit close... Too close. VEry very very veyr close. Here's a comic i've made of one of my fave scenes of it lmaooo Cannot express enough; If you're a fan of rarijack? This fic is EVERYTHING for you.

#writing stuff #ask #thanks for the ask. Please read my fanfics #I've been CHERISHING writing lately #its been an utter joy #fr fr

[aralezinspace]

Spoon Theory

Requested by anonymous: reader unexpectedly says they want to marry morpheus when they're together in the dreaming, and the statement takes him off guard? reader panics when he takes too long to respond and they jolt themself back to the waking world in embarrassment while morpheus metaphorically kicks himself in the shins for not saying yes when he shouldve. eventually they talk things out after reader finally returns to the dreaming

A/N: I tweaked it a liiiiiiittle bit, hope that's okay! Y'all do you have any idea how hard it was to find an ancient marriage/proposal/love declaration that could be turned into an accidental proposal ?? like I studied history in college and had to use all my rusty research skills xD Hope you enjoy it!

~~Requests for Morpheus and the Doctor (9-13) are open!~~

It came to you one rainy Saturday afternoon that you had decided to spend at the local antique shop. About half of the items on the shelves were junk, but they had meant something to someone at some point. Fingertips brushed gently over figurines and buttons, jewelry and old postcards. But then, something caught your eye, hidden behind some silverware and a small porcelain horse.

It was a carved wooden spoon, lovingly crafted over fifty years ago. The little attached tag said it was an old Welsh tradition, to carve a wooden spoon for the one you loved. The carvings all had different meanings as well. You took a photo of the tag for future reference- being rather crafty and good with your hands, you had wanted to make a gift for Morpheus, but had no idea what.

Until now.

~~

That night, while you dreamed, you made your way to Merv’s workshop to ask for the tools and materials to make your gift. It took you a while to find the place; you had only been seeing Morpheus for about a year, and the castle layout tended to change with the wind. Merv was more than happy to help, even giving you a wide pumpkin grin when you told him your plan. The two of you worked in a companionable silence on your respective projects: Merv worked on a new door for Abel’s house (Goldie had accidentally torn the old one off its hinges) and you carved away at your spoon.

A sketch of your design was pinned to the wall above the table where you worked, along with a page of notes on what each symbol meant. You worked with single-minded focus, tongue between your teeth as you carefully whittled away at the block of wood.

A twisted stem to show your intertwined lives. Three chain links for loyalty. A key for safety. And a heart for love.

A few nights later, you were rubbing the final coat of polish into the grain of the spoon. Merv whistled his appreciation as you threw the polish-soaked rag onto the work bench. “Looks real good kid, you should be proud.”

“You think he’ll like it?”

“Oh, definitely. He loves everything you do. And something you made with your own hands? He’s gonna go crazy.”

~~

The next night, you raced to your rooms the second you appeared in the Dreaming, knowing you didn’t have much time before Dream sought you out. There was no way he hadn’t noticed your arrival in his realm. The spoon was already wrapped in a silver box, hidden in the back corner of your wardrobe. Your heart pounded in your chest, pumping your nerves through your entire body. You hoped and prayed he’d like it.

Box held in trembling and slightly sweaty hands, you walked through the halls to the gardens. It was one of your favorite spots. Morpheus would be there before long. You sat on a stone bench, forcing yourself to breathe and stay calm.

You felt Dream’s power slide over your skin a few minutes later. You jumped to your feet and hid the box behind your back. “Hi Dream,” you chirped, smiling somewhat nervously. Of course he noticed, you were an open book to him.

“Something wrong, my love? You seem nervous.”

Slowly, you withdrew the box and mumbled, “I, umm… this is for you.” Whatever Dream was expecting, this wasn’t it; he thought something was wrong. He carefully took the box in long, pale fingers.

“For me?” You nodded. “Yea, I just wanted to make you something.” His gaze lowered to the box as he removed the lid, revealing the spoon.

The whole Dreaming seemed to stand still. Morpheus was fixated on the spoon, glacial eyes frantically darting over all the symbols carved into the wood. The silence was spine-chilling, unnerving. “D-do you like it? I made it myself.”

He looked back at you so fast you almost got whiplash. Before you could say anything else, he raised a hand, and with a gust of sand, you found yourself awake in your bed.

~~

Morpheus stood in the same spot, a slight imprint in the grass the only indication you had been there. The box holding the spoon you made was still tightly clenched in his hand. He could not deny that it was beautiful; he could see the love and care you had poured into every minute spent carving it. But then, surely you knew just what such a gift entailed?

He did not dare get his hopes up. You had not been courting for very long, and surely you would consider this a huge step in your relationship. Yet his thoughts ran away from him: he could not help the rose colored fantasies that skipped across his mind of the two of you, living together in bliss.

You had offered him everything he could have ever wanted with you in a silver box, and he had panicked, sent you away. That brought a whole new wave of worries: would you resent him? Would you even speak to him again? Were you hurt, crying?

Not to mention, Death would never let him live it down.

~~

The next night, when you found yourself in the Dreaming, it was outside the palace. Your stomach writhed and churned with nerves, the empty spaces filled with dread. How could you possibly face Morpheus after yesterday? Clearly he had interpreted your gift in a way you did not intend, and you two needed to talk, but it was sure to be awkward and uncomfortable, maybe even painful.

With a heavy sigh, you started walking towards the palace, but it felt more like walking to your execution. You couldn’t seek him out, not yet. Not when you didn’t understand a single thing about his reaction.

Your footsteps carried you to the library, where Lucienne was working diligently as usual, writing in a large ledger with a sleek black pen. She looked up when she heard your footsteps, the smile when she saw you immediately falling from her face when she saw the state you were in.

“Oh goodness, what happened?” she put her pen down and pulled a chair next to her, giving the seat a pat in invitation. You slumped into the chair and hid your face in your hands as you told her the story of the previous night. When you were done spilling your worries, you peeked through your fingers, watching as she took off her glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief before replacing them on her face.

“Y/N, my dear, I’m guessing Lord Morpheus did not explain himself, which is why you have come to me.” You nodded. Lucienne sighed again. “One moment.” She left the table and headed into the maze of shelves. When she returned a few anxious moments later, she was holding a small green book, turning the pages as she walked. By the time she reached the desk, she had found the spot she wanted.

Without a word, she handed you the open book and nodded for you to read the page. Your eyes darted over the text once, twice, three times, widening as you absorbed the words.

“MARRIAGE?!” you yelled, earning a glare from Lucienne as your voice echoed off the walls and ceiling. “Marriage?” you repeated in a mortified whisper, looking at the page again just to make sure you had read the words correctly. “But- it was just a spoon! D’you think- you think that’s how he took it?”

“I have no doubt in my mind. Perhaps he could have handled himself better, but I am sure that is how it was interpreted.” You groaned and let your head thump against the desk.

“Ugh, how am I supposed to talk to him about this?”

“Talk to me about what?” Morpheus’ gentle baritone came from over your shoulder. You were so absorbed in your thoughts you hadn’t even noticed him approach. Your face turned tomato red as you looked up, refusing to meet his eyes. Lucienne quickly murmured an excuse and took her leave. The tense, thick silence stretched between you for what seemed an eternity.

“So…” you began softly, apprehensive. “How’s your day going?”

“Well.” His response was an equally uncertain murmur. Silence again. Before you could break it with another awkward question, Morpheus cleared his throat.

“Y/N, I wanted to apologize for my poor reaction yesterday. It was ungracious of me.” His hands were jammed into his pockets, you could see his fingers clenching and releasing behind the soft black fabric. “Please do not think I am rejecting your gift, I was taken quite by surprise.”

“It’s okay,” you sputtered quickly. “I didn’t know that's what it meant, that I-“ you let out a short, barking laugh at how absurd it all sounded. “That I basically proposed to you.” A sigh. “I just saw a spoon like that one in an antique store, and the tag said they were made as gifts for the one you loved, and I thought it would be nice to give you something I made, like you’ve done for me.” The tomato red in your cheeks had faded to a bashful pink blush. “It’s okay, I would have been surprised too.”

The barest hint of a smile touched the Dream Lord’s face, his relief palpable in the air. Maybe it was his age showing, maybe he was old fashioned, but your understanding and forgiveness of his slight was more generous than he thought he deserved. “It is beautiful,” he assured you, his eyes dropping to the spoon. “And your desire to gift me the labor of your own hands is… touching, in a way I have not experienced for some time.”

He placed the box on Lucienne’s desk and took your hands in his. “And while I desire nothing more than to spend eternity with you as my partner, I am prepared to wait as long as you need to feel confident in that decision.” You sighed again and shifted your hands to press a loving kiss to his knuckles. The breath caught in his throat, little tingles spreading through his form from the spot where your lips met his skin. It was such an electrifying sensation, to be the one receiving a gesture he so often gave.

“Thank you,” you murmured against his skin, peering up at him through your lashes with a smile. “Trust me, when I propose for real, it’ll be a much bigger thing.” Morpheus chuckled, already pondering what schemes you’d come up with for that moment, whenever it came.

"Of that, I have no doubt.”

#The Sandman #The Sandman fanfic #Morpheus x reader #dream of the endless x reader #Morpheus fanfic #my stuff

[eijirousbestie]

“I know so.”

requested part two of Can I draw you?

nighttime drawing

sleepy bakugou

sincere appreciation

* * *

The sun had set hours ago but here you are, still seated behind your easel sketching away like you had all the time in the world. And he was sitting there with you, as patient as ever. No grumblings, no whining. He just simply let you do what you needed to do. You’d gotten a good chunk of your portrait of Bakugou in the works. You would need a little more time to clean it up, but it’s coming along smoothly. Hell, it damn near looks like an exact replica of his face.

Stretching your back, your spine cracks and tension built from your sitting position releases. You sigh in content and peek your head from behind your easel. It had been awhile since you last heard Bakugou speak and the sight before you was as amusing as ever. You almost laugh when you see him sound asleep in his spot on the couch. His palm still rests on the underside of his chin and his head is leaned against the backside of the couch. He refused to take breaks when you offered, claiming it would “screw up the angle” if he moved from his spot. So here he was. Completely knocked out in the living room. It warmed your heart really. It’s just something about being able to fall asleep in front of another person that felt so comforting. You don’t have it in you to wake him up.

Looking at your piece one more time, you admire how well you’ve captured his features. Drawing him just felt so… easy. Sitting in silence doing what you love with him as your model just felt easy. No artistic restraints, no diversions, not even art block. Your hands moved fluidly to create this portrait of him like they were created to do just that. Quietly getting off your stool, you start to pack up your equipment, but the easel remains in its spot so the angle stays the same for your session tomorrow. Truth be told, you were so far along in your drawing, you really didn’t need him as a reference anymore. But it wouldn’t hurt to keep his face on standby right? Just in case you mess up certain details or something. Just as you are about to zip up your supply bag, a soft snore breaks the silence. You look over at Bakugou’s sleeping form. He’s absolutely slumped right now. You tiptoe towards the couch as stealthily as possible and pull out your phone. You make sure your flash and ringer are off before you take a few pictures of him snoozing. Some were cute and some were taken in 0.5x which ended up elongating his forehead and making it seem bigger than what it was. It’s so hard to hold back your laughs so you flee the scene and put your things away to gather yourself. Needless to say, you had a good two minute laugh in your room.

You walk back out to the living area and expect him to have woken up. To your astonishment, he’s still very much asleep. Bakugou is a relatively light sleeper so after all your shuffling and moving around, it’s a bit surprising to see him still in dream land. Looking at his neck, you cringe a little. He held that pose since you first came back from your classes. The sun has set now. There’s no way he’s comfortable like that. You’ve got to wake him up. If not, he’s just gonna be cranky tomorrow morning about his neck pains. You make a silent prayer to every god above that this won’t get you killed. You whisper at a discernible level but don’t get too close to respect his space.

“Bakugou… hey wake up.” No response.

“Ayo, wake up man.” This time you get a short snore. You think for a moment. It’d really suck to disturb him but his ear looks like it’s about touch his shoulder. So you gotta bring out the heavy artillery.

“Aye KB, hey you gotta wake up man.” Any other day, that nickname alone would’ve been enough. You lot were talking about potential nicknames for each other when everyone gathered after classes one day last semester. You spit out KB for Bakugou and the look on his face was hilarious. Disgust isn’t a big enough word to describe how he felt about the name. So now, you use it in dire circumstances. Roast battles, getting him to stop ignoring you and to simply annoy him. Respectfully. So him having no reaction to the nickname he finds cringey is also unusual. Seems as though you’re out of tricks so you plop yourself onto the other side of the couch he’s sitting on in defeat. If he gripes about a sore neck later he can’t say you didn’t try to help. You take your phone out and swipe through social media mindlessly. At least now you’ve got some sweet revenge pictures of him sleeping. He’s got way more embarrassing pictures of you in his phone too so you’re just leveling the playing field.

“What time is it?” You jolt slightly in surprise, not expecting him to speak suddenly. His sleep laden voice is hoarse and low in tone. You look at the top of your screen for the time.

“Uhh 8:47. Must’ve been out for a couple hours after we started huh?” A groan rumbles through his chest as he stretches his arms and legs out.

“Guess so. Neck’s killin me.” He tilts his head side to side to alleviate the ache. You side eye him before going back to scroll on your phone.

“Well I tried to wake you a while ago but you were out like a light. Since when do you sleep so heavily?” You laughed lightly at the end of your comment. It truly was a sudden change in his sleeping pattern. With eyes still heavy with sleep, he turns his head to gaze at you, the couch cushion still resting under his head.

He shrugs before speaking, eyes still on you. “Dunno. Sittin in silence relaxes me though. Might be why.” Your head just barely tilts to the side in wonder. That’s news to you.

“Wow really? I never knew that. Maybe we’ll have to do it more often if it gets you to close your mouth.”

“You got a death wish or somethin?” You smile brightly and chuckle. Even when he’s groggy he’s still as fiery as ever.

“Only on Mondays.”

“Hah, that art class still kicking your ass huh? You should drop.” Of course he knew you hated Mondays. After constantly hearing you bad mouth your art professor it’s hard to forget.

“Hell no man. It’s got my degree written all over it. I’d look stupid dropping it.”

“Knew ya had the balls to keep pushing. Kick its ass right back.” You nod, suddenly remembering why you were there with him in the first place. An excited smile graces your face.

“Speaking of which… wanna see your portrait?” All of the remaining drowsiness left his eyes.

“Who?”

“Bro the portrait of you.”

“No I mean who asked?” The smile on your face drops and your left eye twitches. The corner of Bakugou’s mouth quirks up like he’s trying to hold back a hearty laugh. This asshat.

“You think you’re so funny. I’m showing you anyways.” You get up and go to your easel, unclipping the drawing and holding it up backwards in front of you. Bakugou rolls his eyes but pays attention nonetheless.

“I know I’m funny. Now hurry up and show it. It’s gettin late.”

“I think I’ll take my sweet time actually.”

“For the love of god…” He drags one hand down his face in a dramatic motion, signifying his thinning patience.

“Aight aight fine. Look!” You turn the paper around quickly for the grand reveal. His eyes instantly soften. There’s no denying what you’d just seen. Even he couldn’t mask his emotions. The look he gave your drawing. It was unmatchable. Like seeing a childhood friend after so many years. His heart hammered in his chest, lips slightly parted as if he wanted to speak but didn’t know what exactly to say. You’d captured him beautifully. So beautifully, it was hard to register that it was him. Truly him. Is this how you saw him? Or are you just that great of an artist? Seeing how a person outside of himself viewed him. It was touching. Having stood there with the drawing in your hands in silence left you feeling nervous. Does he not like it? Should I tweak some things? It’s the nose isn’t it? Oh my god it’s the nose. However, nothing was wrong with it. In fact, everything about it was perfect. So perfect it left him speechless.

“Shit is it bad? If you don’t think it looks like you I can just change it. This isn’t the final design anyways so I-”

“No. No there’s nothing wrong with it at all. This is just… incredible.” The softest smile you’ve ever seen him put on stretches his lips. The ends curled up just high enough to display his utmost fondness for your piece. It’s not too exaggerated, but when you look close enough you can tell how much joy that grin holds. You go silent with gratitude and place the drawing back on the easel, turning it to face you both as you sit back down on the couch. As you both continue to gaze at the drawing, Bakugou’s expression never leaves his face.

“I know I give you shit for it a lot but you’re damn good at what you do. You were meant for this shit.”

Your eyes never leave your creation. “Think so?”

His cherry red eyes harden slightly with intention, his gravelly tone serious, yet soft.

“I know so.”

#bakugou headcanons #bakugou katsuki #mha headcanons #mha drabbles #mha x reader #bakugou x reader #mha bakugou #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou fluff #sfw #mha sfw

[labrdorite]

NEW OC F/O ALERT (hopefully this one sticks 💀)

(i forgot to colour in the band on his wrist thats supposed to be black but wtv) HI I HAVE SOME MESSY SKETCHES THAT I RUSHED SO HARD.

his name is Nico Ross :3 (i suck at making last names i hate it)

Age: 23+ (bro ages as I do)

He’s in college for game design & also works at a coffee shop to try to afford those wack ass material costs (his parents can 200% afford to pay for him, he just feels a little bad relying on them sm) ((he’s also supposed to be paired w my s/i who is an illustrator bc that works TOOOOOO well))

looks & acts really cool but is really just kind of a heartwarming loser (the scar on his face doesnt have a deep story he just took a BIG tumble on the playground as a kid & its stuck with him since)

he also has a few scars on his back that he has partially tattooed over

pronouns: he/him

other cool facts: he’s left handed and also has to wear a wrist brace sometimes bc his joints dislocate easy. only eats blue and pink candies & will only drink blue & pink juices. don’t ask him why, to him they’re just better 🤷. can and will program little assets and set pieces that remind him of his friends (and me obviously) bc he thinks that cool and why have these talents otherwise. ((i also didnt shade this drawing but he does have eyebags. bro is both anaemic + just doesnt sleep like he should. double homicide))

piercings: canine bites?? ig is what those are??? septum, bridge, & regular lobe piercings

he also laughs real loud & definitely SMACKS your back super hard to indicate enjoyment. might fracture a rib pls be careful

biggest animanga & video game enjoyer ever PLS don’t ask him abt one piece he’s not shutting tf up about it

also he has a necklace but i haven’t decided on a pendant for him yet so thats why its tucked into his shirt :3

i’m flipping back and forth between two meetings for him & my s/i but i’m gonna post more abt it soon (along w a new s/i design) so pls stay tuned ((really just depends on how much i can get done during break times BAHSHSH))

THIS IS A NOTHING POST BUT I HAD TO GET ALL THESE RANDOM IDEAS OUT BEFORE I LOST THEM.

TAGLIST: @kylars-princess @anemoflower (you too especially bc ik you guys have oc f/os i demand all of them to be friends /j /lh) @dmclr ((feel free to ask if you wanna be removed/added)

#— 🎨🩵 #🎮📘 #<- TAG FOR MY BOYYYY

[imaginingaustin]

nyc

summary: surprising austin in new york the night he’s hosting saturday night live.

“i know, i wish i was there too. but you're gonna do amazing, and i’ll be here watching at home and cheering you on.” you said with a smile.

you were on facetime with austin, as he was in new york prepping for saturday night live. you unfortunately couldn’t take the time off work to be with him, and you felt bad, considering how nervous he told you he’d been.

“i don’t doubt that. i just wish i could look out for your during the show.” he said, a small pout pulling on his lips. you talked for a little bit longer as he told you about some of the sketches they had planned for the show.

at the end of day thursday, you were gathering your things to leave the office. just as you were walking out, you ran into a coworker.

“headed to new york?” they asked you.

“no?” you questioned.

“id figure you’d be rushing out of here to get to see austin on snl.”

“its still thursday. we have work tomorrow.”

“please. you have this place functioning like a well oiled machine. you can take a day off to support your man.” they said. you separated in the parking garage going off to your cars. you grabbed your phone and text austin’s sister, ashley, since you knew she was there already.

“what are the odds you think i could pull this off?” you asked her, after explaining your thought of coming to surprise austin in new york.

“please try! austin’s been talking about you all week and how badly he wished you could be here.” she replied. you text back and forth for a bit, putting your plans in motion. she even offered you her frequent flyer miles to help you get a plane ticket.

you spent the night getting your accommodations in order. ashley offered to pick you up from the airport since you ended up finding a room at the same hotel she was staying at.

“okay, flight is good. hotel is booked. now its time to get packed.” you said to ashley over facetime.

“oh im so excited to see you! and i know austin will be too!” she said with a smile. you and ashley had grown quite close over the years youd been with austin. it meant a lot that she was helping you with this.

“im excited too! its been too long since we’ve all been together.” you said, and she nodded in agreement. you shared your goodbyes and you packed your bags for the weekend.

the next morning, you headed to the airport to catch your flight. everything went smoothly, and before you knew it, your flight was taking off.

you managed to take a decent nap during your flight, waking up just as the pilot came on to announce your descent. once inside, you hurried to baggage claim, grabbed all your bags and stepped outside to find ashley.

you spotted her immediately, frantically waving her arms. you ran over to her and embraced her in a tight hug.

“oh, its so good to see you.” you said softly as you swayed each other back and forth. you loaded your bags into her rental and made your way to the hotel. she helped you get checked in and into your room.

since it was friday evening, and you didn’t want austin to know you were here until the next night, you spent the night in your room. you ended up ordering a ton of room service and watching movies all night.

ashley was out with austin, both of them texting you throughout the night. austin about how bad he missed you, and how much he wanted to see you, and ashley about how much austin was talking about you at dinner.

“baby, i know you know how badly i wish you were here. i think i may have to leave early saturday night so i can be home to you by sunday.”

“no, you need to get the full experience. do the show and go to the afterparty. come back to me on monday like we planned. it’s okay.”

“fine. if i must.” he replied. you couldn’t see his face but you knew he was pouting. just then, as if she could read your mind, ashley sent you a photo she snuck of austin frowning down at his phone.

“with the way he always talks about always being in the moment, he sure does have himself glued to his phone.” she wrote along with the picture.

“i’m sorry to be taking his attention away from you.”

“haha, it’s nothing. he loves you, i know it. he just misses you, that’s all. i know he’ll be so excited to see you tomorrow.”

you let them get back to their dinner and felt yourself start to fall asleep.

the next day, you were hanging out with ashley while austin had final rehearsals for snl. as the night and show time rolled around, you and ashley got ready together, and made your way to the studio. you got austin’s publicist to get you a ticket for the show and you and ashley found your way to the seats. you checked your phone and sent some words of encouragement to austin, wishing him good luck and reminding him that he was bound to do well. he sent you back a quick “i love you,” and mentioned that he couldn't wait to hear how you liked the episode.

as the show started, you sat through the opening skit, and waited excitedly as austin was getting closer to come out on stage.

once he stepped through the door, your heart skipped a beat, having seen him in person for the first time in a week. he looked so handsome.

he made his way through his monologue, making jokes about his voice, and his shyness. he talked about his mom, and dedicate the show to her memory, which brought a tear to your eye. he also mentioned something about growing up in california with his sister when he looked up at her, blowing her a kiss. he caught glance of you and you watched as his smile grew wider. he shot you a wink and blew you a kiss as well.

they then began running through the sketches. austin performed flawlessly, and you laughed so hard the entire night. throughout the show, you noticed austin’s gaze keep flicking up to you and ashley in the audience.

as the show concluded, austin came out during the final sketch, and started singing blue christmas to cecily strong, during which would be her final appearance on the show. your felt your heart swell at the sight, as the audience began singing along, as well as the other cast members who had joined them on stage.

after the final goodbyes, and once everyone began to leave, making their way to the afterparty, you and ashley made your way out of the building. you both got a text at the same time, austin letting you know where the afterparty was being held. you and her made your way to the venue and were immediately engulfed in high energy as soon as you walked in. you glanced around the room until your found a familiar mop of hair making it’s way towards you.

“there he is!” you smiled as austin pulled you into his arms, hugging you tight. he peppered kisses all over your cheeks.

“i cannot believe you’re here.” he said, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

“surprise.” you smiled, kissing him again.

“i’ll give you two a moment.” ashley said before walking off to the bar.

“ashley and i actually conspired together to get me here to surprise you.” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“my girls.” he said with a smile, glancing over at ashley at the bar. “so, what did you think of the show?” he asked you.

“you did so well! i knew you were gonna be great, and i was laughing so hard all night. also, i got to see lizzo perform, which was amazing. she’s so good.” you said. “and getting to hear you sing at the end? perfection.”

“i’m glad you enjoyed, and i’m glad you got to watch it live live. seeing you and ashley up in the audience really helped calm my nerves.” he said, a redness rushing to his cheeks.

“im glad. we’re both so proud of you.” you said as he hugged you again.

throughout the party, you and austin were inseparable. he’d introduced you to lizzo, who he’d made quite good friends with over the week, as well as some of the other cast members. the party ended up being so much fun, and you were glad to be able to celebrate with austin in this capacity.

austin ended up coming back to your hotel to spend the rest of the night with you.

“i still am so surprised that you came all this way just to see me..” austin said as he slid into the bed with you.

“just to see you, please. you are more than worth it. and im so glad i was able to pull this off.” you said rolling over to face him. he wrapped his arms tight around your waist and kissed you softly.

“i love you so much.” he said quietly, his lips barely parting from yours.

“i love you so much.” you repeated. you snuggled tightly into austin’s embrace, his warmth slowly lulling you to sleep.

#austin butler #austin butler imagine #austin butler imagines #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fanfic #elvis 2022