#she has every right to be angry at him and to feel abandoned. her feelings are completely valid. she spent what ... a decade

[roosterforme]

The Younger Kind Part 25 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley doesn't know how he will be able to function if Meredith wins custody. As Noah cries in the courtroom, he whishes he would have done more to ensure this never happened. But when he watches you, terrified but supporting him anyway, he knows what he really needed this whole time was you. 

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff, and age gap (18+)

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

The courtroom was freezing cold. Your blazer was scratchy against your arms, and Noah was already crying. As soon as Bradley had to hand his son over to the court appointed counselor, Noah's tears started flowing. And now you were seated in the front row, right behind Bradley, but you couldn't slide down the bench to get to Noah. You couldn't even look at the back of Bradley's head for too long without feeling like it was suspicious. 

So you sat there and listened to Noah softly ask for his dad over and over again while Judge Greene listed everyone who was present today. When your name was called, Meredith and her lawyer both turned back to look at you with identical sneers.

Stay strong. Stay strong. You kept telling yourself you would handle this, but you didn't even have to do anything yet, and you already felt ready to fold. But the soft sobbing from Noah and the fact that Meredith hadn't looked at her son once kept you motivated. 

Both lawyers gave statements which were largely identical, each one claiming their client would be the better option to raise Noah. But you noticed that while Bradley was fighting for zero visitation rights for Meredith, she was doing the opposite. She seemed willing to have Bradley visit with Noah if she won today. And that made you nervous, because even to your untrained ears, it sounded like she was more flexible than him. She also made it clear she was going to fight for financial support. 

"Lieutenant Bradshaw, please stand and give your statement," Judge Greene commanded. You had listened last night at Bradley's kitchen table while he read over his personal statement with Tracy, but hearing his deep, raspy voice shake now had you squeezing your hands to keep calm. 

"My son turned four on April twelfth. For every single one of his birthdays, I have been the only parent involved in his life. If something needs to be done for him, I do it. I pay for everything. I care for him in every way. He only knows me," Bradley said, taking a deep breath. "His mother abandoned us. Both of us. And I know he's sitting right behind me and listening to everything I'm saying. And I can hear him crying, which is making it really hard to stand here right now. But I also know he has no idea who his biological mom is. I do not think it would be in his best interest to remove him from his home and the parent who loves him."

When Meredith stood to give her statement, you could tell she felt defensive. It was rolling off of her in waves. Her voice was harsh as she tried to make claims that you just couldn't believe. "Bradley has kept my son from me. For years I've tried reaching out to him, and I'm lucky to even get a response. So the idea that I could have abandoned them is preposterous. He never asked me for money, so I never gave it. Had he asked, I would have been more than happy to help provide. But along with that, changes in my lifestyle have meant that I'm ready to take full control of my son's custody. As his mother. And I'm more than willing to work with a court appointed counselor to ensure that visitation rights would be granted. I'm being more than fair. A mother is better equipped to care for her child than a father."

You were shivering in the cold room now, and while Bradley's posture had only incrementally changed, you could tell he was angry. But Tracy looked completely relaxed. How could that be? Meredith was a fucking liar! And Noah was whining for his dad! And nothing that was going on in this room was fair or just. 

The lawyers were going back and forth like a verbal wrestling match now. It was impressive. Mesmerizing. When one of them seemed to have the upper hand, the other made a swift comeback. The only problem was, Meredith was being made to sound like a saint. You couldn't understand why Tracy wasn't going for the kill right now. The sooner this was over, the sooner you and Bradley could take Noah back to his house and let things go back to normal. The three of you eating dinner together would help Noah forget about his tears. You wanted your boys to pretend today never happened.

You watched Meredith's profile as she sat there, completely aloof when Judge Greene called the counselor and Noah up toward the bench. Noah pulled his hand away and ran right for Bradley, tears in his eyes again. 

"It's okay, Bub," he soothed, dropping down from his chair to kneel in front of his son. "It's okay to go with them. It won't even take long."

"I want to go home," Noah hiccupped, looking between you and Bradley, knowing the comfort that one or both of you usually provided him. But none of that came right now. Bradley picked him up and handed him over with a soft kiss on the cheek. Noah wailed as he was carried off to the judge's chambers for some one on one questions with Judge Greene. 

And Meredith sat there like she hadn't a care in the world while Bradley cradled his head in his hands on the table in front of him. Tracy tried to get him to drink some water from her bag, but he wouldn't. You reminded yourself not to look at him too much, and that's when Meredith caught your eye again. She was fighting to try to keep the smirk from her face as she tried to appear serious. You knew what she was probably going to have her lawyer ask you. You knew it was going to be ridiculous. But you didn't like the way she was looking at you like you were the only thing between her and what she wanted. 

When Judge Greene returned empty handed, Bradley scrambled to his feet. "Where's Noah?" he asked, and Tracy was immediately trying to get him to sit down.

"In my chambers, coloring. He's just fine. Now, I'd like to call up some character witnesses."

You waited while three separate people spoke about Meredith like she was sunshine incarnate instead of a woman who left her son behind like he was nothing to her. Then your name was called. You made your way up to the seat near the front, and Meredith's lawyer wasted no time in trying to break you. 

"You're a character witness for Bradley Bradshaw?"

"Yes," you replied, mortified by the way your voice shook. "I am."

"And how do you know him?"

You swallowed hard. "I babysit Noah on occasion." It was the truth, but it felt like a lie. Saying you were just Noah's occasional babysitter was a wholly inadequate representation of what the two of them meant to you. Of how much you loved them. You had to swallow against the sick feeling in your throat.

"Is that all you do when you're watching Noah? Or do you stay? Earn some money by doing things for Lieutenant Bradshaw?"

Cold sweat broke out along your neck and chest, and your eyes shifted to Bradley without warning. He looked irate and red in the face, and you were already embarrassed after less than a minute of questioning. 

"I object!" Tracy called out, waving her hand in the air. "That's hearsay. And irrelevant." 

"Sustained," Judge Greene said calmly, as if there was no reason for you to feel like you were going to vomit right now. "Any further questions?"

But of course Meredith's lawyer had more questions for you. And they were all designed to make you look bad. 

"How did you pay for nursing school? Did Lieutenant Bradshaw offer to give you an outlandish salary to spend time with him? Do you actually have any experience watching a child that age? How are you qualified to spend time with him? What sorts of questionable things did you find in that house?"

You tried to answer each question with calm composure, but soon you felt like you couldn't breathe. Your eyes were burning. You turned to the judge, but she gave you a bland look. You were on your own. So you took a deep breath, determined to finish this even if your voice was shaking again.

"As a nursing student, you must have access to prescription drugs. Do you use them?"

"No!" you said, having had just about enough of this. Bradley was rubbing his hand along his face, barely keeping it together. Tracy was looking at you, eyes pleading with you to hold it together. "I do not steal or use prescription drugs. I'm studying pediatric nursing. I'm more than qualified to take care of Noah."

"Would you be willing to be drug tested?" the other lawyer asked. 

"Absolutely. You want blood? Urine? Hair? Depending on the lab, you could have results by the end of the day." Your jaw was clenched tight. 

"One last question," he said with a smile. "Is it true that you seduced Lieutenant Bradshaw? And that you're pregnant with his child?"

The audible gasp that came from you mirrored Tracy's. Bradley was now gripping the edge of the table in front of him. You were shaking as you said, "I'll take a pregnancy test, too."

You would do it if they made you. But it didn't seem fair. Your relationship with Bradley didn't have anything to do with how he cared for Noah. It didn't have anything to do with how qualified you were to babysit. Tears filled your eyes, but you had promised Tracy you wouldn't cry. You watched through blurry vision as she jumped to her feet and approached your seat. 

"He's badgering the witness with irrelevant questions!" she said, and Judge Greene told the other lawyer to sit down. 

Tracy must have been able to tell you were shaken up, because she asked, "Can we take a short recess?"

"No," Judge Green replied with a sharp shake of her head. "Let's carry on with your questioning."

Tracy took her time walking back to the table and gathering her notes, giving you a moment to catch your breath. Your hands were still shaking when Tracy asked you, "Did Lieutenant Bradshaw ever make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No. Never." 

"Did he ever criticize the way you cared for his son?"

"No," you said, your voice sounding stronger now. 

Tracy shuffled her papers and asked, "Does Lieutenant Bradshaw seem to be a loving and caring parent to Noah?"

"Yes," you replied with conviction. 

"Now, can you tell me a little bit about how you injured your arm in the parking lot at Meyer Park?"

You watched the color drain from Meredith's face as you recounted the way she had scared you, forcing you to run to safety with Noah.

"And was that the only time you saw her prior to this morning?" Tracy asked. 

"I saw her yesterday," you replied. "At the grocery store. I thought she was following me."

"Objection!" shouted the other lawyer. 

"Sustained," responded Judge Greene. Your head was swimming with what you were supposed to say and what you were supposed to stay away from. You couldn't remember. And you could barely focus on Tracy. But she wanted you to get to the point. You could tell.

So you blurted out, "Meredith asked me if I was sleeping with Bradley to get to his money. She mentioned a life insurance payout and his expensive car."

"It's actually a Bronco," Bradley muttered, raking his fingers through his hair as Meredith slammed her hand down on the notebook in front of her and started whispering to her lawyer. 

Tracy asked another question quickly while everyone else was distracted. "And what did you do when you left the grocery store?"

She was giving you an encouraging look, so you said. "I looked some things up online. About how her business filed for bankruptcy. And her home went into foreclosure. And she said in an interview after Noah was born that she doesn't have any kids."

"Objection!" the other lawyer shouted again. 

"Overruled," said Judge Greene, and Tracy looked like just won the lottery. "Please continue," she said, brow creased in concern now.

You felt like an idiot as you told Tracy that you used Google to search for information about Meredith, but you just kept going. 

"I found articles that suggest that her business went into bankruptcy because of mismanaged funds. And insider trading with her business partner. They were married, but it appears that he left her."

Every single time the other lawyer tried to object to what you were saying, the judge overruled it. And then Tracy urged you to continue. But you were shaking from a combination of anxiety and fear. 

"It sounds like she has no money," you said, voice quivering again as you met Bradley's eyes. You'd never seen him look so distraught or so hopeful before. He was silently cheering you on, like he knew how strong you could be. So you kept going.

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

Bradley was practically ready to crawl out of his own skin. He couldn't stand the way Meredith's lawyer kept yelling at you. He hated that he had to sit here in this horribly uncomfortable seat and just listen as your character got ripped to shreds. He wanted to take you and Noah home, order a pizza and watch a movie. You looked like you wanted to cry, but you didn't. And Bradley was so proud of how strong you were.

When Tracy started asking you questions, you sat up a little taller. You sounded a little bolder. And then Meredith was the one in a state of panic. 

"It sounds like she has no money," you said, as you met Bradley's eyes. "That doesn't sound like the right reason to fight for custody of a child."

The room went silent for a second after that. And then Meredith stood up and said, "I've lost everything, okay? Everything! But Noah is my blood, and I have a right to him, too!"

Then chaos broke out. When Bradley stood and said, "Why do you want him now that you're broke, huh?" he felt Tracy's hands on his arm, pulling him back to his chair. 

"Let her sink her own ship," she whispered, keeping a firm hand on his forearm. You were still sitting up in the front, perched on the edge of the seat like you wanted to run. He wanted to scoop you up like he always did, for your own comfort, but for his as well. 

He listened to Meredith rant and try to blame him for everything as her lawyer begged her to sit. He listened to her call you a slut and claim once again that you were pregnant. She said she knows you bought pregnancy tests at the grocery store. So what if you were pregnant? It didn't have anything to do with Noah or Bradley's ability to take care of him. It didn't have anything to do with that fact that Bradley would never abandon a child like she had. 

He watched Judge Greene remain completely calm as Meredith's lawyer finally got her to sit down. Then she stood and said, "Please bring me all written evidence. I'll have my decision shortly." Both lawyers handed her folders before she disappeared into her chambers. 

"Where's Noah?" Bradley asked Tracy immediately, accepting a bottle of water from her. 

"He's with the counselor. He's fine. And you did great."

"I barely did anything!" he growled, worried he hadn't done enough today. He'd done nothing compared to you. As you stood and made your way to the rows of benches behind him, you never met his eyes. He loved you. All he ever wanted to do was protect you from all of this. You shouldn't be here right now. If he lost Noah today, he didn't know how he was going to continue to exist. And you should have had no part in this nightmare. 

He'd forced this on you in a way. Every step he took since he met you led you here. Bradley had tried so hard to cut you out, end things with you, but he was so fucking weak. He should have been more focused on Noah. But he had been. He'd been trying to find someone to date who would make him and Noah complete, or at least better. And despite his initial reservations, that was you.

When he turned to face you, your eyes snapped up to meet his. He'd never be able to thank you enough for everything you'd done for both of them. But he wanted to have the chance. He wanted you to know what you meant to him and to Noah. 

"How long is this going to take?" he asked Tracy, wiping his sweaty palms on his suit pants. He could hear Meredith talking, but he kept himself focused on his lawyer.

"Hard to say," she told him calmly. "Just keep breathing. Focus on your breathing." 

So he did, and when he started to feel sick again, Tracy talked to him. And then Judge Greene was coming back out, and Bradley could see Noah through the door before it closed. Dread rose inside him as the judge had everyone in the room stand. He felt like his limbs weighed a million pounds as he faced the front of the room. 

Every second of silence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He almost had to reach for Tracy when Judge Greene said, "In light of today's testimonies and evidence plus the collection of evidence I reviewed leading up to the trial, I have reached a decision regarding the custody of Noah Bradshaw."

Bradley had to close his eyes. All of his senses were overwhelmed, and he was afraid he was going to breakdown. 

"The following decision is a reflection of what is in the best interest of the child. Full custody is to be awarded to Bradley Bradshaw. There will be no visitation privileges. There will be no child support owed. The child's biological father is to be his sole guardian."

Bradley collapsed back down onto the chair as he cried. "Oh my god," he groaned, cradling his face in his hands. He was gasping for air as he felt Tracy's hand on his shoulder. He could see Meredith storm out of the room. He could hear you laughing and crying at the same time behind him as the counselor walked back out of the judge's chambers with Noah. 

And then he was out of his chair again, rushing toward his son and scooping him up. "I colored you a monkey," Noah told him as Bradley smothered his whole face in kisses. 

"I love it," Bradley promised him without even looking at the coloring sheet. "It's perfect, and I love it so much." He buried his face against Noah's neck and inhaled. 

"And I colored a unicorn for Princess."

"Yeah?" Bradley asked, holding him tight. "She's gonna love it, too."

"I know," Noah replied confidently. "I told them about how she brings me coloring books and cooks food like spaghetti. And how she plays blocks and reads and can sing good."

"You told them about Princess?" Bradley asked, turning to the back of the room. You were waiting patiently for them, a huge smile on your face as you bounced a little bit on your feet.

"Yep. I told them that she loves me and that you do too. Can we go home yet?"

As much as Bradley wanted to keep you separate from all of this, he needed you the whole time. And so did Noah. He rushed toward you and took you by the hand. "Now we can go home."

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

You unlocked the front door with your key, and Bradley kissed you again. A huge smile was still plastered all over your face as you watched how much he loved his son. He ended up on his back on the living room floor while Noah sat on top of him and laughed. Bradley's suit was a wrinkly mess now as you knelt down next to them. 

"You want spaghetti for dinner, Noah?" Your appetite was back, and you were ravenous. There was no doubt in your mind that Bradley could do with a good meal as well.

"Yeah! And ants on logs!" 

You kissed his chubby cheek and said, "Let me check on the raisin situation." Then you leaned down to kiss Bradley's lips, and he pulled you back for a second and a third. 

He murmured, "I love you," before briefly swiping your tongue with his. You ran your fingers back through his hair and let your forehead rest on his. 

"I love both of you." Then you kissed his nose and went to the kitchen, letting them have a little more time alone as they laughed on the floor. 

As you set a pot on the stove to boil some water, your eyes filled with tears. It felt like a combination of stress and relief and happiness. You sank to the floor with your back to the cabinet and cried. When you left the courthouse with Bradley, Meredith was nowhere to be found. Bradley had hugged Tracy with tears in his eyes, and she promised to be in touch with him soon to take some final actions. And then she told you that you had done a great job of staying calm and presenting evidence against Meredith while acting as a character witness. "I wish everyone was as professional as you."

Her words echoed in your head as you remembered that you didn't live here with Bradley and Noah. Not really. You were still going to need to finish writing your final papers for school and start looking for a job to support yourself. Because contrary to what Meredith thought, you hadn't been fucking Bradley to get him to pay your tuition. You had a mountain of loans to pay off now. And really, it would be better if you left after dinner tonight and went home. You'd have to get used to a routine where Bradley was your boyfriend with his own space. 

Noah came running in a minute later as you wiped your eyes. "I'm hungry," he informed you, sitting down on your lap. Bradley walked in without his suit coat on. His shirt sleeves were rolled up. His tie was loose, and his top few buttons were undone.

"How about I make dinner and you just supervise?" he asked, pulling you to your feet. "You had a long day, too."

So you nodded at him, and he picked you up and set you on the counter. And then he set Noah on your lap and started the playlist you made. You showed him how to brown the meat and add the sauce. You showed him how to keep the spaghetti noodles from sticking together.

And as he was plating the food, he paused and looked at you. "I forgot. I picked something up at the store the other day for us to celebrate with. Wait here." He dashed out of the room, and you slipped down off of the counter with Noah in your arms. You finished getting the spaghetti onto plates and pulled out the carrots to make him some ants, and then Bradley was back in the kitchen with the biggest bag of Skittles you had ever seen.

Laughter bubbled out of you along with another sob. "I'm happy, but I can't stop crying."

He tossed the Skittles aside and grabbed you by the hips. "That's because you really care about us. You always have. And you saved us today."

The prickle of his mustache against your skin had you parting your lips for him. He held you close, his thumbs stroking you through your pants as you worked your fingers through his hair. "I love you," he rasped, releasing your lips in favor of whispering the sexiest, loveliest things in your ear while Noah made a huge mess of spaghetti at the table. 

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Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Hope you enjoy your fic, @beyondthesefourwalls And thank you @mak-32 !

PART 26

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#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster fanfic #rooster x you #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #rooster bradshaw fic #rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster x reader #top gun imagine #top gun maverick imagine #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfiction #roosterforme #the younger kind

[sanakimohara]

“GAME OVER” [Stalker/Ghostface] K.S. + Y.J.

PREQUEL ATTRIBUTES

[ MDNI ] { NOT PROOFREAD…yet }

WARNINGS: Blood, gore, stalking, cnc, drugging, and primal play (later on in pt.2)…?

Stalker/Ghostface Seungmin isn’t friendly to at first. You’re the new girl, from a smaller town, and stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the girls he’s around. Not in a bad way. No, you’re prettier than most in his opinion, soft spoken, but headstrong. That’s what makes you different from the rest. He doesn’t easily understand you and your aura the first time you meet him in the hallway during free period. It throws him off a bit when you smile and joke about how you’re new and haven’t found you’re footing yet. New. So shiny. So guidable. Manipulating you is all he can think about from that day forward, mind running scenario after scenario on how he’d get to you, or what you’d sound like screaming your lungs out for him to stop. Stop what? He doesn’t know or care, but it’s rotting his brain with desire. All. The. Time.

Stalker/Ghostface Jeongin is the first friendly face you meet at your university. He’s energetic and kind. Very aware and confident in himself as well. All the things any girl feels attracted to -most already do- but unlike the rest Jeongin takes a liking to you first. You’re so down to earth, curious about things you shouldn’t be, and unknowingly reining him in with your witty humor that’s always followed up by a shy smile. It’s so obvious he’s into you, always teasing, and lingering. Sometimes he’s right by your side, arm over your shoulder as he walks you back to your dorm. Other times you don’t even realize he’s trailing your every move. He’s constantly fighting the urge to drag you into the nearest dark alley or seminar room just so he can do whatever he pleases to you. Oh, the fantasies Jeongin has are indeed sinful. They worsen over time, turning from innocent day dreams about taking you on picnic dates to locking you in an abandoned classroom for the sole purpose of defiling you at any given time. It’s all he wants. It’s all he needs. There’s nothing wrong with that in his mind… nothing at all.

Stalker/Ghostface Seungmin refuses to admit his growing crush on you when Jeongin brings you up in a conversation. The younger presses his roommate for an opinion, considering the idea of dating you, but Seungmin derails it with an eye roll, “We have other things to worry about. Liking some random girl will fuck our plans up.” Jeongin knows he has a point but can’t let you go that easily. He bugs Seungmin constantly, referring to you any chance he gets, and one night while sharpening their knives Seungmin snaps at him as he once again brings you up. “Would you shut the fuck up about Y/n?! Every goddam minute she’s on your mind! Fuck! We have a load of shit to worry about…a pile of assholes to kill, and here you are crushing on the new girl! Get a fucking grip Jeongin…” and for once the younger is speechless, it’s only a few seconds, but it’s long enough for him to put two and two together. He starts to laugh hysterically, realizing all too quickly Seungmin’s outburst stems from his own attraction to you. “Jesus fucking Christ…you like her too don’t you hyung?! That’s rich!” The older is burdened with listening to Jeongin’s gloating for the rest of the night, angry at himself for giving way to his emotions, and a little jealous his partner in crime shares the same feelings for you.

Stalker/Ghostface Jeongin invites you over to his dorm after only getting to know you for a month. You don’t think anything of his offer, all smiley as you accept it, and excited at the prospect of getting to know more about his personal life. Jeongin is kind to you, but never reveals much about himself. He’ll redirect any question you ask to a compliment or an inquiry about your life instead. Pure flattery. He uses it well, subconsciously molding you to accept his diversions as innocent interest, which leads to your curiosity about him heightening. Why not spend the evening with him and his roommate and quell that curiosity. Why not take the chance? What could possibly go wrong…?

Stalker/Ghostface Seungmin lets his anger shift into envy rather quickly. He’s determined to beat Jeongin to the punch. Researching everything about you, inspecting your social media, learning your class schedule, and even breaking into your dorm room once or twice. The fact that you were new, a mid year transfer, and involved with many extracurricular classes made it easier for him to lurk there unbothered. You had no roommate to bypass which left Seungmin with a lot of time to invest himself in your private space. You don’t realize how many pairs of panties you’re missing, the occasional displacement of your plushie collection, or the random makeup products that mysteriously disappear from your vanity. Seungmin collects the items like sentimental trophies. Leaving the items strewn around his dorm to agitate Jeongin. The gesture has the exact effect he’s hoping for, creating a somewhat friendly competition between the two men, and amping the stakes of their shared affection to a dangerous level. “Really, her lipgloss too? You’re a sick fuck Seungmin,” Jeongin glares at him, tossing the expensive tube of gloss on their kitchen island, and the older smirks as he picks it up to admire. “I’m sick? You’re the one wanting to know what….cherry chocolate…tastes like on her lips. I’m just one step ahead of you..” he smugly replies.

Stalker/Ghostface Jeongin is elated later that same evening when you knock on the door. Seungmin doesn’t pay his roommates’ newfound energy any mind, typing away at his laptop with AirPods on full blast, but when he catches the sight of you from the corner of his eye he freezes immediately. Jeongin leads you straight to him, engaged in conversation with you already, and inwardly cackling at the upper hand he has on Seungmin. “Y/n, this is my roommate -and best friend- Kim Seungmin. I think you met him once before, right?” he beams a smile as he needlessly introduces you to Seungmin -who is gritting his teeth to keep from punching the younger straight in the jaw. You nod your head, oblivious to the tension between them as you hold out your hand to shake Seungmin’s. His eyes flicker from your outstretched hand to your hopeful smile, ears tingling as you speak to him softly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…again.” You laugh nervously, unsure of why his stare makes you blush, but hoping he doesn’t notice. Unfortunately, both men see it and as Seungmin takes your hand in his Jeongin can’t hide his glare while the older places a kiss on the back of it. You arrogant son of a bitch, he thinks to himself as Seungmin achieves his goal of flustering you. “Glad to have you over Y/n. The pleasure is all mine..”

Stalker/Ghostface Seungmin sheds his anti-social shell entirely the first night you visit, inserting himself into your time with Jeongin, and slowly changing your first impression of him. He’s charming, possessing a sharp sense of humor too, but calmer than Jeongin. You joke about how much they contrast each other, five shots of tequila deep into a drinking game they suggested, and unaware you’re spilling your guts to the two men who are unnervingly obsessed with you. Seungmin can’t hide the cocky smirk on his face when you gaze lustfully at him and Jeongin, unable to hide your emotions under the influence of the spiked drinks he’s been serving you all night. He’s careful with the dosage of drugs he puts into your alcohol, tallying the amount you can take before you pass out sitting in Jeongin’s lap. “75 milligrams of ketamine will work on her,” he tells his roommate later that night as they tuck you into his bed. Jeongin nods, biting his lip as he stares down at you, trying to stick to their agreement of keeping their hands off you until the timing is right.

Stalker/Ghostface Jeongin fills in the gaps of the previous night for you when morning rolls around. He reassures you nothing sketchy happened and you believe him. He’s never lied to you before, they both were sweet to you the whole night too, and nothing feels out of place on your body…..so he must be telling the truth. Right?…plus it felt good to relax with them. So, when Jeongin invites you over more regularly you don’t refuse him once, unknowingly conditioning yourself to his and Seungmin’s mind games. You don’t think to reconsider staying with or near them more often when the news of gruesome murders taking place on campus start. If anything you draw closer to Jeongin, sticking to his side with each new body that turns up, and inevitably getting attached to Seungmin as well.

Stalker/Ghostface Seungmin upholds the pact to not lay hands on you for as long as possible. Taking his sexual frustration out on his victims, frequenting your dorm more often, and jerking off with your panties works for a while. He bores of those outlets soon after you begin hanging around in their dorm on a daily basis. You’re comfortable there, lounging around in their shirts that are way too big for you while rummaging through the kitchen for snacks, and spending the night asleep in one of their beds after a long movie marathons. Sometimes he doses you. Other times your exhaustion come naturally. Either way Seungmin watches you sleep when Jeongin isn’t doing so himself. Seeing you so peaceful, under the impression they’re the safest people to be with while a string of murders happen turns him on. A twisted type of lust he’s keenly aware of…It would be so easy to reach out and drag you underneath him at any time. Use you for all your worth with no one there to stop him. Jeongin surely wouldn’t try -he’d join in. However, outright aggression wasn’t Seungmins taste…no, he wanted you fully committed to their “friendship” first. That way you’d break easier, beg more, and fight for your innocence a little longer. A prized victim, in his opinion. One he could be patient for…

Stalker/Ghostface Jeongin has a shameless erection more often than you realize. His victims suffer a blood rage as a result. He starts to kill more often than Seungmin, blood thirst surpassing his partner’s the longer he buries his urges, and the frustration starts surface when he interacts with you. He can’t focus, dazing off as he watches your lips move while you talk, and struggling to keep his eyes focused on your own. His skin goes cold when you place a gentle hand on his arm or leg, wide eyes full of concern as you stare at him. “Everything okay?,” you ask him politely and Jeongin stifles a groan as his cock twitches hearing your sweet tone. Why hasn’t he tied you up already? Why hasn’t Seungmin agreed to taking you yet? Why couldn’t he just kiss you now?! All those questions racked his mind as he swallowed thickly, forcing his usual smile to adorn his face, “I’m fine. Finals week is just kicking my ass. That’s all.” You study his face, not believing him, but assuming he’ll tell you what’s actually bothering him eventually…”Okay…just checking…”

Stalker Jeongin/Ghostface Seungmin come to the conclusion that you’re a liability for them both. An unknown wrench in their grand scheme that needs to be..eliminated swiftly. In one way or another. The two discuss their options while you’re in the bathroom during one of your weekly movies nights with them. Voices barely above a whisper as they plot your fate and plan the rest of the night out in intricate detail. “We won’t kill her, hyung..” Jeongin states matter of factly, eyes glued to the credits rolling on the TV in front of them and Seungmin blinks thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. “No…we won’t. We’ll keep her for a while. I’d like a pet anyway….” His response brings a smile to Jeongins face, both men smirking as the sound of you washing your hands echos from the bathroom. Seungmin rises to his feet first, leisurely walking into the kitchen, and pouring you another ‘drink’. Jeongin waits, observing him for a moment, then opens the bottom drawer of the coffee table to retrieve the knife hidden there. He stands up hearing the bathroom door open, slipping the blade behind his back between his belt and pants’ loop, intently listening to your voice carry through the hall as you make your way back to the living area. “So, what movie should we watch next, guys?” You smile at them both as your gaze shifts from Seungmin to Jeongin. The older hands you the drink in he’s made, watching you take a sip before answering your question. “I was thinking we should do something a little more exciting for the rest of the night, hun..” His suggestion makes you perk up, “Mm, okay, what’d you have in mind?” You take another sip, still not unsettled as he shifts to hug you from behind while Jeongin approaches you with that familiar charming grin. “You’ll love it, Y/n. Me and hyung planned a surprise just for you…”

Stalker Jeongin/Ghostface Seungmin share a knowing look, one you don’t understand, and can’t attempt to comprehend as the room starts to spin. The glass in your hand slips, shattering on the floor with a loud “crack” , and your breaths slow rapidly as Seungmin trails a hand up to your mouth, muffling the panicked cry you let out from the alarming loss of body control. Jeongin’s voice is the last things you hear before everything goes dark and the distinct chill of a blade is pressed to your neck. “75 milligrams worked perfect, hyung…”

+++++++

…uhm so I really enjoyed writing this…. Idk I’m partial to darker themed stories and fanfics. I know a lot of people may not like this but it’s been on my mind lately. If you’d like a part 2 please lmk… 🖤

[ BONUS CONTENT + ]

….”oh please don’t kill me mr. Ghostfaces I wanna be on the sequel!…” 🥺🖤 I know I need help lol…but like…LOOK AT THEM THEY’D BE GORGEOUS AS SLAHER MOVIE KILLERS RIGHT?!? 🖤 credits to creator 🖤

#skz #stray kids #skz smut #stray kids x reader #skz imagines #skz x reader #scream #scream movie #ghostface #ghostface kink #yang jeongin #jeongin x y/n #jeongin hard hours #jeongin x you #jeongin skz #jeongin smut #jeongin x reader #jeongin imagines #jeongin #seungmin stray kids #kim seungmin skz #kim seungmin smut #kim seungmim #kim seungmin scenarios #kim seungmin stray kids #kim seungmin #seungmin x reader #seungmin skz #seungmin imagines #seungmin smut

[joelsgreys]

we need you

Post Outbreak! Joel Miller x Female Reader

summary: Afraid of failing the two of the people he cares about more than anything, Joel decides you and Ellie are better off without him.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. SET IN JACKSON. takes place during Kin. arguing, angst. helpful to know reader was not present when Joel and Tommy talked in the garage. NO mentions of age, reader has no physical description.

word count: 1.6k

a/n: welllllp i don't know about you guys, but i am DEAD inside after tonight so to cope i am going to write a little drabble. already put it in the warning/tags section, but once again, just to be on the safe side of things: potential spoilers, proceed with caution if you do not want the newest episode spoiled!

“Just what in the motherfucking hell was that, Joel?” You nearly growled, bursting through the door of the bedroom that he’d chosen to occupy for the night. Having heard the way he’d spoken to Ellie—not to mention, all that he had said to her even after her heartbreaking confession to him, her unspoken cry for him not to abandon her, all you could see in your mind was the color red. Sure, you and Joel had been through your fair share of bullshit over the years, disagreements that caused friction between the two of you weren’t all that uncommon seeing as the two of you shared similar personality traits to each other, stubbornness being one of them. But you could not, for the life of you, remember an occasion where you’d been this angry with him, this fucking livid. As you watched him sink down onto the bed without a word, your hands curled into fists at your sides. You knew it would only make matters worse, losing your temper, but you weren’t all too sure that you could contain it this time around.

The blood in your veins was bubbling, boiling hot underneath your skin.

“Are you going to fucking answer me or what?” You prompted, a cool edge to your tone despite the heat radiating throughout your body. “You’re really trying to hand her off to Tommy?”

Joel sighed, shaking his head. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”

“Find what out, Joel? That you went off and made a decision, and a really fucking dumb one at that, without even talking to me about it first?” You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at him. Despite how incredibly furious you were, the sadness was heavy inside of your chest. Tt was as if Joel had forgotten the fact that for the last few months, Ellie had been under your care too, and you had every right to be a part of any decision that he made regarding her and her well-being. It hurt you to your very core that he’d done this without talking to you first, and it hurt you even deeper to know that Ellie had known about this and she’d kept it all to herself all evening.

She’d come home from the movies and when you offered her dinner, she refused to eat and stomped upstairs, locking herself in the bedroom. You’d chalked it up to nothing more than a typical teenaged girl simply having a mood swing. After all, it hadn’t exactly been the best day for Ellie. She’d arrived in Jackson and the first thing she noticed was how everyone in the colony looked at her, especially the children. She was different. She didn’t fit in, she stuck out like a sore thumb and you knew that had to have been hard for her. Not wanting to push her, you’d figured that she would come out of the room eventually and talk you about it when she was good and ready. But now that you knew the real reason why she had come home so upset, you couldn’t help but to feel guilty.

For hours, Ellie had been upstairs in that room knowing that Joel planned on dumping her on Tommy and you didn’t have the slightest fucking clue about what was going on until you’d overheard Joel and Ellie’s shouting match just moments ago.

“Joel.” You said his name in a tone neither of you recognized.

Low, venomous, borderline dangerous.

You were like a ticking bomb, seconds away from going off.

Joel narrowed his eyes at you. “She’s better off with Tommy, alright? And we both fuckin’ know that,” he said. “It’s the best thing to do for her. I’m doin’ it because I know damn good and well that if she stays with me, all I’m gonna do is have her fall into the wrong fuckin’ hands or killed.”

“You’re wrong!” You countered, dropping your arms away from your chest and back down to your sides. “Joel, don’t you dare fucking do this. Ellie doesn’t want Tommy, she wants you. She all but fucking said it right to your face just a minute ago!” You cried, pointing a finger towards the door of the room as if pointing to Ellie herself. “She admitted to you that she wouldn’t feel safe with anyone else, Joel. So don’t you fucking do this to her.”

He gripped the edge of the bed, his knuckles going ghost white. “She’ll be better off with Tommy,” he repeated himself. He paused for a brief moment, just long enough to avert his tortured gaze from yours as he said, “And so would you.”

Your mouth parted slightly in shock. “Fucking excuse me?”

“I can’t keep her safe. Hell, I can barely keep you safe! How many fuckin’ times have I almost lost you? ‘Cause I don’t move fast enough? ‘Cause I’ve made the wrong decisions? ‘Cause I’ve asked you to do somethin’ for me and turns out that I unknowingly sent you into the fuckin’ lion’s den?” He inhaled a sharp breath, and you could hear his voice breaking with each and every word that fell from his lips. “I’ve almost cost you your life how many fuckin’ times now?”

“Joel—”

“Tess died ‘cause of me.” He saw you open your mouth to protest and he quickly added, “You can sit there and tell me over and over that it wasn’t my fault ‘til you’re blue in the face, but let’s just fuckin’ be honest and tell it how it is, alright? I couldn’t get to her quick enough and now she’s dead. I won’t let you meet the same fate.” Joel reached up, raking a hand tiredly through his hair, mentally bracing himself for your reaction to what he was about to say next. “I think you should go with Tommy and get Ellie to where she needs to be. After that, you should—you should think about stayin’ here with him in Jackson. I probably don’t belong here, but you do.”

You let out a small, shaky breath of air.

“Who the hell are you to make that kind of decision for me?” You asked, willing yourself to keep yourself from crumbling into tears. “I’m sorry Joel, but you can’t make that kind of a choice for me. And do you want to know what else?” You didn’t even wait for him to respond. “You can’t make it for Ellie, either.”

“She’s fuckin’ fourteen years old—”

You took a step forward as you challenged him. “Do you really think that girl isn’t smart enough to know deep down inside what’s best for her? Tell me, do you really think that Ellie pulled everything she said out of her ass? Do you honestly think that she could ever trust Tommy the way that she trusts you?” You felt a warm tear slide down your cheek and quickly wiped it away before he could see it. “Ellie is young, but she’s not a baby, Joel. I get that sometimes we need to guide her through shit, but let’s be real. She is old enough to make decisions for herself. Maybe not all of them, but the decision that you’re trying to make for her right here, right now—it isn’t yours to make.” Another tear made its way down the side of your face as you whispered, “And the one you’re trying to make for me isn’t either.”

Joel hung his head, seemingly defeated. “Why can’t you see it’s for the best? Why are you makin’ this so hard?”

Willing your trembling legs to move, you slowly walked over to him and sank to your knees in front of him; although you tried to meet his eyes, he refused. “You care about Ellie. I know it, I can see it and I can feel it. For as much shit as you give her all the time, I know that she’s become so important to you.”

“‘Course she is,” he mumbled. “You’re both important to me.”

You reached for his hands, pulling them forward onto his lap. You placed your own hands on top of his, lacing your fingers together. “Then don’t fucking do this to us, Joel. Please. I’m already down on my knees and I will fucking beg and plead if that’s what it’s going to take.” You crouched down a little further, enough so that you could look up into his dark brown eyes. “Ellie wants to be with you, Joel. And I do too.”

Joel’s gaze glistened with tears that he tried, but failed, to keep from falling in front of you. “I’ll fail you, just like I’ve fuckin’ failed everybody else.”

“Joel, please listen to me. Hear what I am saying, for the love of Christ. We have come so far,” You said, firmly squeezing his hands in yours as if somehow that would snap him out of it. “Whether you choose to believe or not, we’ve only come this far because of you. You have done so much for us. It’s why we trust you, why we feel safe with you. Me and Ellie, we belong with you, Joel—not with Tommy, not with anyone else. We need you, okay? We fucking need you. Do you understand me, Joel?”

Joel exhaled the breath he’d been holding shakily, leaning down to be closer to you. Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against yours as he tried to even out his breathing.

Rubbing the back of his hands with your thumbs in soothing circles, you lifted your head and lightly pressed your lips against his forehead.

“We’re going to finish what we started,” You murmured quietly against his skin, feeling a slight shudder rack his body as a single whimper escaped him. You squeezed his hands again. “Together, Joel.”

#joel miller x you #joel miller #joel miller imagine #joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x f!reader #tlou fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller pedro pascal

[ysljoon]

Love Maze-Chapter 1

pairing: single dad!simon 'ghost' riley x live-nanny!reader wc: 1.8k warnings: slow burn-ish, unexpected pregnancy, abandonement, swearing, afab!reader a/n: trying to do a chaptered fic after so long my god pray for me yall but im really excited i hope yall enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it MINORS DNI (have your age in your bio or you're getting blocked) >next chpt.

Simon stared down at his baby girl with unreadable emotions swimming around his pupils. He loves his daughter with every fiber of his being and would do anything for her. Although she came into this world unexpectedly at a time when Simon was unprepared to be a dad and the mother left as soon as he was born into this world he stepped up for her. All Simon wanted that night was a night to relieve some tension after a particularly hard mission with any broad that was willing to look past the mask and just make him feel good. He didn’t expect her to be at his doorstep two months later with mascara-tinted tears rolling down her cheeks with a pregnancy test in her hands. She was blubbering about a missed period, not being ready for a baby, and cursing her birth control for not being more reliable, but Simon’s ears were ringing and his chest felt tight just from the sight of the pregnancy test. He had to brace himself against the frame of the door to keep himself steady. He needed to stay composed for this poor girl.

He invited her in and they sat over a cup of tea to devise a game plan on how to go about this pregnancy. Simon had half a mind to just tell her to get rid of it and as those words almost rolled off his tongue he heard her utter the words of wanting to keep it as she was already attached, Simon scoffed at that notion, but at the end of the day, he couldn’t tell her what she can and cannot do with her body. Simon’s heart was racing when she started to get ahead of herself talking about the color of the nursery how they should go about the gender reveal and if it should be a big party or a private affair. Simon felt like that was enough for one day and politely ushered her out gave her his phone number and told her they would be in contact.

Simon did try to keep in contact, but two weeks after that meeting he got called on a mission that would send him abroad for over three months. He had a strict rule that he left his phone behind while he went on operations to not be tracked. He knew it was shitty to do after being aware of the knowledge that he has a child on the way, but he favored the thought that the girl would just leave him alone and he would be free of all responsibility for the child.

That was not the case when he came back, to say the least. When he turned his phone back on after his arrival back home he saw 50 missed calls and hundreds of texts from his fling. At first, they started with concern as to why he was not answering and the texts slowly descended into angry texts filled with swears about how awful he is for abandoning a pregnant woman and the child. The last text made his blood run cold.

Since you want to abandon me I can do the same to you.

He stared at it trying to figure out the full meaning behind the cryptic sentence and there were many ways it could be spun. He frantically called her and bounced his leg trying to steel his nerves as the call rang out. On the second to last ring, she finally picked up.

“Nice of you to finally get around to answering my calls.” Simon gritted his teeth.

“I need to know what that last text meant.” She scoffed hearing his words. “It meant exactly what it meant Simon,” The venom in her voice seeped through the speaker of the phone and it was palpable. “Once I have this baby it’s all yours I’m not dealing with an absent baby daddy. I’ve done all the hard work anyways while you were out fucking off to go do whatever it is. Oh right, I don’t even know what it is you do because it’s all classified.” Simon had to roll her eyes at the tantrum she was expressing over his absence. “Can you be fuckin’ rational? We’re not doing that shit.” He was losing his patience as the call went on, but the girl just laughed at his response. “You don’t get to decide when you pick and choose to be a father so I’m deciding for you. I’m done with all of it! You’ve left me here with no support and I’m not going to live like that for the rest of the kid’s life. Oh, and it’s a girl by the way.” And with that, the call ended without Simon being able to get a final word in. In a fit of anger, he threw his phone down on his hardwood floor causing the glass screen to crack, but it was still usable.

The day he was there at the hospital for her baby girl’s birth was a day that will forever be ingrained into his memory. The feeling of holding such a fragile and small human overwhelmed him to no end. When signing the birth certificate he decided to name her Ella. He felt like it matched her perfectly. When he got home and placed her sleeping form into her crib he sat on the couch and took in everything that had taken place. It was now just Simon and Ella and he wasn’t mad about that, but he also realized he couldn’t do this alone and that’s what terrified him. He wasn’t ready to let the task force know about his daughter.

Simon spent the whole night occupied with making a job listing for a live-in nanny. He felt like that was the best option for him to go about his life as normal without worrying about his child at all hours of the day. Once it was posted he rolled on his side and just stared at Ella sleeping peacefully in her crib. He rolled it closer to the bed and closed his eyes hoping to get an hour or two of rest.

You were up late at night straining your eyes against the bright screen of your laptop busy searching for a new job. You had been out of a job for almost three weeks now and your savings were depleting faster than you expected. You had loved being in childcare, but the last daycare center you had worked at was just not the right fit for you. The coworkers were toxic and you could tell management wasn’t in the best interest of the children, but to ensure that administration had their pockets lined with cash. It had burnt you out to be in an environment and you needed a change of scenery. You refreshed the job listing website you browsed hoping a new job listing would miraculously pop up. Your prayers were answered when you saw the new listing pop up of being a live-in nanny for a newborn. You fervently submitted your resume and went to bed wishing you would get a fast response because this job sounded like everything you needed such as a great wage and a place to live. After all, the rent at your current was unsustainable for the salary you were receiving for your past job, and living paycheck to paycheck was draining.

You woke up at noon and were delighted to see a notification from the poster of the job listing wanting to arrange an interview for the position. He gave you his availability and you realized he was available today for an interview. You hastily agreed to meet with him at 3 p.m. to discuss. You frantically searched your closet for your best professional attire and you printed out a copy of your resume just in case. As you got ready nerves started to build up in your stomach. You needed this position and you didn’t need any unfavorable first impressions to ruin this opportunity for you.

The GPS leads you to quite a large and cozy home. You triple-checked the address to make sure you were at the right home before knocking on the door. You rapped your hand thrice against the door and occupied observing your surroundings so as to not look too nervous. The door creaked on its hinges as it opened and you were greeted by a burly man that towered over your frame and had half of his face covered by a mask. You didn’t expect it but still greeted him with a bright smile and a handshake. He stood to the side to allow you in and you followed him into his living room which had a large black leather couch, a fireplace, and a wall-mounted TV. The home was very minimally decorated, but you could still tell that this man was in a different tax bracket from you. He grunted as he sat down and you tried not to make too intense eye contact as you waited for him to begin the interview.

“To preface, my name is Simon and my daughter’s name is Ella. I work in the military and the line of work that I’m in specifically requires me to be gone for weeks to months at a time and that’s why I need a live-in nanny. I already looked over your resume and you seem to be very experienced in childcare which is a great sign. You would be given the wage that was listed in the job description as well as a weekly grocery allowance. You are allowed to pretty much do whatever you want around here to make yourself feel at home. The one thing I will not allow is strangers to be over. I prioritize my daughter’s safety over anything in this world and if you do anything to jeopardize that I will deal with that and that’s one thing you don’t want me to do.”

You took in all his words and this wasn’t even an interview it had already sounded like you had the job. “Do you understand? If you agree to this position we can get to signing your employment contract and you can start Monday so you have the weekend to pack up your belongings.”. “I understand fully sir.” “Drop the sir, we're not doing that here. You can call me Simon or Mr. Riley.” You nodded at that and he stood up from the couch and went over to the dining table where a thin stack of papers was. He brought them over a pen and slid them across the coffee table for you to look over. They essentially reiterated all the rules and expectations of the job and you signed and initialed wherever it was necessary. You handed him back the papers and he gave them a quick glance to ensure it was completed. He nodded and then stood up to help escort you out of his home. You gave him a quick handshake as your goodbye and went along your way. You could practically be skipping to your car with how excited you are to be starting this new chapter in your life and career.

#simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #ghost call of duty #ghost cod #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley x you #call of duty x reader #call of duty fanfiction #call of duty modern warfare #ghost x you #cod mw2 #cod mw2 fanfic

[one-vivid-judgment]

You know what I love about the Ichigang? That they were all alone and at rock bottom at some point, with no one to rely on for support:

- Nanba wanted to be like Nightingale, but then got fired because he took the fall for someone else, who ended up having lied to him for her own benefits. His brother was being watched by the Geomijul and then disappeared; Nanba spent a long ass time homeless and not knowing if his brother was alive or not. 

- Adachi lived with the Kusumi incident in his conscience for years, hating Horinouchi's guts and hoping to find something to take the guy down. First he's demoted to the license center, then he's straight up fired. No job, no retirement, man never got married or had a family. The Barkeep even says he's "not usually a happy drunk" and that "it's the first time in a long time I see him smile like that".

- Saeko's family life is a DISASTER. Her mom died, her sister wants nothing to do with her (to the point where they were both working for the same guy and Nanoha EXPLICITLY told Nonomiya not to tell her sister about it, even when things were tough and she could've used Saeko's help), her dad is old and dying. She is on her own and basically only has her girls and Nonomiya—until Nonomoya dies, and she's conflicted cause sure, he wasn't the best guy around, but he was still there for her when she needed, and now he's gone. 

- Yeonsu's life, man. Yeonsu's fucking life. His dad was a drunkard who abused his son and cared about him so little that he had no qualms basically giving Yeonsu up as tribute to the Jingweon mafia to turn him into their leader's double—mind you, this means he could've been killed at any point. He basically lived as the shadow of someone else for years, never being seen for himself but for Joongi Han. 

- Zhao's Liumang leader status was passed down from his dad. He was doing a good job although he's clearly more passionate about cooking and having his restaurant—that he doesn't mind a simpler life and even EMBRACES it and gets angry when anyone suggests he's "just some chef". He still lead the Liumang though. And then his men and right hand turn on him and try to get him killed and what do you know, suddenly there is nothing anymore. 

- Seonhee was a kid when the whole Jingweon mafia shit show happened and then it all came crashing down. Her people who managed to escape alive were left on their own and abandoned until the Geomijul was created. 

- Even Eri, the optional party member, was in a similar situation. She was tricked by Hosho and her company was at the verge of shutting down, and when she thought she had a chance to get back on her feet thanks to Nonomiya's help, she finds out he died, and basically, as far as she knows, all hope is lost. 

And then, Chitose and Tomizawa. I feel they are the perfect example of how easy it is to stray and go down the wrong path when you are in that type of situation, and how even the tiniest kind gesture can do wonders to you:

- Chitose was a sheltered rich girl whose whole life was dictated by her parents. She craved the independence and the freedom and she wanted CONNECTION—which is how she ended up falling in Eiji's trap and being blackmailed for years and manipulated into using people who actually cared about her and with whom she was finally developing that connection she always yearned for. As far as she knows, said people will push her to the side as soon as they find out about her betrayal, and then she'll be alone again. 

- Tomizawa was living the live with his girlfriend, a nice job and a kid on the way—until Dwight and the Barracuda pinned their crimes on him. He went to jail, Marie lost the baby and then disappeared, he's blacklisted from every bank and had to go to Yamai for help with his debts, and after that, he basically became a puppet who did everythint Yamai asked him to out of fear. He hates himself for being a coward who's not able to pull the trigger even when it's necessary, and he blames himself for everything that happened. He is a horrible person in his own eyes, and as far as he knows, there is no getting out of this situation. 

And then there is Ichi, who has seen nothing but rock bottom for so fucking long but still manages to see the bright side of things. He is a good person, sometimes borderline stupid and his choices end up making his superiors (aka Sawashiro) mad. But it doesn't matter how much life beats him down, he always gets back up because he has that "once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up" philosophy. And, although some of his friends have used him for their benefit or straight up assaulted him, Ichi never turns his back on them. Because he KNOWS how it feels to be alone and to not have anyone there for you, anyone that you can rely on, and if he can be that someone, then he WILL be. If he can change a single person's life, he WILL. 

Anyway, I love the Ichigang so much and these are the kind of thoughts I have about them at 1 a.m

#ryu ga gotoku #yakuza like a dragon #like a dragon infinite wealth #lad infinite wealth #yakuza 8 #ichiban kasuga #yu nanba #koichi adachi #saeko mukoda #joongi han #tianyou zhao #seonhee #chitose fujinomiya #eric tomizawa #man i love the ichigang so much #something so endearing about a bunch of middle aged weirdos finding a family in esch other

[liminal-space-lesbian]

Bg3 Ladies needing comfort after a bad day

Request: So for the BG3 headcanon or blurb requests what about a little thingy where the Lady’s of the game have a bad day and need lots of comfort from their Tav. 🥺

A/n

Honestly idgaf if Lae’zel is ooc, my baby is secretly going soft. Sorry guys!! I believe she actually has feelings deep down <3 Also mild spoilers if you haven’t finished the Crèche questline

Also Karlach is so babygirl omg if someone doesn’t give her a hug rn I SWEARRRR

Karlach:

Karlach had spent the entire day fighting off various enemies, who were unfortunately harder to defeat than expected. And right as she’s settling down for the night, finally getting a reprieve from the day, Raphael shows up.

He’s yammering on about how he wants to strike up a deal with you, but you cannot send him away fast enough. Seeing a devil only dredges up bad memories for your lover, and you do not want her to have to relieve the memories of her torture in Avernus.

“Come here baby, it’s alright just try to relax.” You coax, seeing the tension in her body once Raphael leaves. You coo, gently taking her into your arms. Her head buried in your chest, strong arms wrapping around you tightly as you rub her shoulders and the back of her neck. You ease the tension out of her muscles, kissing the crown of her head.

She finally lets the tension leave her body as she breaks down into tears, quietly crying into the fabric of your shirt. Small sobs wrack her shoulders, sending an aching pain lancing through your heart. You can’t stand seeing her so upset.

“I fuckin’ hate demons. No good ever comes of ‘em. Promise me you’ll never even consider Raphael’s deal.” She pleads, and you’re quick to reassure her. “I promise, I’ll never make a deal with a devil. I love you too much to risk it.” You whisper into her hair as you place a gentle kiss on her temple.

You cuddle her to sleep, allowing her to wrap herself around you entirely. Lord knows a decade of not being able to touch anyone without scorching their skin off leaves a girl touch starved. You tuck her in as cozy as she can get, and pepper her face with gentle kisses as she drifts off. Your heart aches for the suffering your lover has endured, but all you can do is be here now to support her.

Shadowheart:

Shadowhearts wound on her hand had been flaring rather badly all day, and unfortunately you had to travel past an abandoned temple of Shar. All the memories- or lack thereof- cause Shadowheart’s mood to sour. She seems snappy and short tempered, but when you visit her tent later you see her curled into a ball and cradling her hand.

“Oh sweetheart.” You murmur, getting on your knees beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. She sniffles, obviously trying to hide her tears. You shush her, gently lying behind her and wrapping your arms around her. She rolls over and cuddles into your chest, crying more freely now.

“Why did they have to take my memories? Sometimes I don’t even feel like I know myself.” She whimpers, and your heart shatters. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry.” You whisper, kissing her forehead and wiping away her tears. “I know you, and I love you.” You murmur, rubbing your hand soothingly up and down her back as she tucks her head into your neck. You spend the evening wiping away her tears and soothing her as best as you can.

Lae’zel:

Lae’zel doesn’t get upset, she gets angry. It’s how she was raised, channel every feeling into anger. Anger fuels strength, and only created a stronger more tenacious fighter. So when Lae’zel finds out the truth about Vlaakith, she’s angry. Enraged. Furious. Not hurt.

Lae’zel definitely doesn’t cry when she’s alone in her tent that night. She also definitely doesn’t crawl into your arms and bury her face in your shoulder. Your touch is the only balm to the aching in her chest.

“Tsk’va, look at me. So weakened by the betrayal of a false god.” Lae’zel grits out between tears, fists clenched firmly in your shirt. Her anger is directed at herself, as if it’s her fault she was fooled along with every other Gith.

“Darling, it’s not your fault. Vlaakith tricked everyone. I know her betrayal hurts, and you have a right to be upset. Im so sorry you have to deal with something like this.” You coo, kissing her forehead and wiping her tears. She scowls and pulls away from your touch, but only to roll over so she can be little spoon.

She doesn’t speak for the rest of the night, but you feel a bit of tension melt away from her muscles. The next morning she’ll wake as if nothing happened, but for now she burrows farther into your warmth, seeking your comfort.

Dame Aylin:

Aylin’s mood took a turn for the worse when she heard Raphael had proposed a deal to you at Sharess Caress. She had already spent the day overstimulated from the noise of Baldurs Gate, a stark contrast to a century in shadowfell, where the only sound was the wind and rumbling in the distance. Now that you told her this? She was pissed.

She stomped off to be alone, saying she just needed time to think. You could tell by the stiffness of her posture she was upset, more than just angry. You gave her some space, but when she finally returned to your tent to go to sleep, you confronted her.

“What’s wrong darling?” You coax, your expression soft as you open your arms for her. She hesitates, her pride and stoicism holding her back for a moment. Her hesitation is short lived however, as she heaves a sigh and flops into your arms.

“I’m just thinking of my time spent in shadowfell. Raphael is a devil, simply a reminder of the evils in this world.” She pauses, heaving an irritated sigh. “After being trapped in that soul cage for so long… sometimes it feels as though I’m still there. Not physically but… in my mind that place haunts me.” She admits quietly, and you think you hear her voice quiver.

“I’m sorry Aylin. You didn’t deserve that. If I could take away all your pain I would.” You murmur, hugging her a bit tighter as you look in her eyes. You see tears clinging to her lashes as she swallows thickly.

“I know you would. And I love you for it.” She whispers brokenly, nuzzling her head into your shoulder as she clings to you. She pulls away to place a deep kiss on your lips, reveling in the comfort of you.

“Try and rest Aylin, you need sleep.” You coax, easing her to lie back. She complies, allowing herself to get comfortable as she slips off to sleep. For the first time in weeks she doesn’t have a single nightmare.

Isobel Thorm:

Isobel was drained after narrowly escaping being kidnapped by Marcus. She pumped all of her magical abilities into the shield around the Last Light Inn, as well as blessing you and your companions to ward off the shadow curse.

You could see her bottom lip quiver as she climbed into bed, and she instantly cuddled into your side. You turned towards her, gently cupping her face in your hands.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You ask gently, and she simply shakes her head, blinking heavily as tears flow freely down her face. You brush the tears away with your thumbs, nodding as you kiss her forehead. You take her into your arms and let her cry it out.

You rub up and down her arms soothingly, allowing her the space to let out her feelings. Eventually her cries taper out, and soon enough she’s drifting off to sleep. You carefully make sure she’s tucked in perfectly before resuming your spot, cuddled up to her for the night.

A/n

If this is bad it’s bc I’ve been awake for 17 hours, sorry peeps ��

#bg3 requests #bg3 #bg3 karlach #bg3 shadowheart #bg3 lae'zel #bg3 dame aylin #bg3 isobel #dame aylin x reader #isobel thorm x reader #isobel x reader #karlach x reader #shadowheart x reader #lae’zel x reader #fem reader #hurt/comfort #angst with a happy ending

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Can I have a interaction separately with Crewel daughter who graduated and accepted to be the bride of the guys ( Maulles, Leona, Vil, Idia, Silver, and Jamil ) saying liked

" Even if the world will or might hate you, I will not as you are my love, so please let me carry your burdens as well as you carry mine we are equal in this marriage "

Giving a soft smile at them and holding their hand softly in her much smaller ones, as here eyes she truly loved them, even more she even carrying their child in her large belly

Okay one milestone at a time 

Crewel’s daughter isn’t doing anything with anyone without preventative measures

“Because dogs who aren’t neutered don’t deserve to play in the pen!”

^^^Crewels words not mine

But let's say after graduation

Everyone’s going their separate ways and for whatever reason you’ve decided you can’t stand to let them leave

And those words kind of sound like the declaration of someone proposing after a heap load of an event 

More specifically a reputation shattering one:

Malleus Draconia

Imagine his overblot just being that bad or just someone outwardly announcing how much of a monster they think he is for simply existing Rollo 

He’s feeling disheartened and wondering if he even deserves you since he’s such a monster

And when you finally climb up on his perch on top of the school you keep your balance

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“...I cannot help but worry I truly am as they say…a monster…perhaps that is all I am.”

You sigh tapping on his shoulder and beckoning him to stand

And like your good dragon he does 

“I wanted to do this when we planned to go to the Briar Valley Ball but here goes.” 

You try to kneel down but he stops you simply because he’s just worried you’re falling

But you shake him off to continue your kneel

 popping the question with a large obsidian and emerald encrusted ring

He’s blushing, his eyes are glowing, his tails out and waving in excitement, and his wings are fluttering about as well

He’s happily accepting you’re official engagement

He might have not really understood why you started kneeling but he knew what rings meant and the words “Marry me” meant

He’s scooping you up and your not going to be able to go home without a claiming mark or two

Your father was probably well-aware this was something you had been preparing for

And really really reluctantly encouraging you as you detailed your custom ring for Malleus

“At least if I’m giving my sweet pup away it’ll be to the most powerful magic caster in Twisted Wonderland.”

Leona Kingscholar

Either the media has gotten a hold of his overblot situation or a really public squabble with Falena

He’s retreated from the castle or hiding away in a nearby abandoned building

He really just wanted to be alone

He was so angry because it was always like this 

And at this rate some other obstacle was going to come in between you and him 

How was he supposed to mow that down when everyone’s so busy whispering about every little thing about him

So you’re cautious making plenty of identifying noise that its you coming by so that he isn’t startled

He doesn’t bother holding back his frustration maybe even telling you about his worries that even he is unworthy of you

“Leona.”

“And I bet you just want to leave now, right?”

“Leona.”

“Don’t even try to lie, you might as well think I’m the level of dirt aren’t I!?”

“Leona.”

“And even worse he’s just going to pretend–”

“Leona shut up and let me propose!”

“...What?!” 

It takes him a while to register when you shove the box into his toned chest

But he wouldn’t have it any other way

Declaring your love for him he’s so pleased

He might even cry

But he was happy that for certain you’d be his 

Now it probably be pretty counter productive if he tried to stage an assassination plot, right?

Crewel’s probably chugging away at some pixie rum as he wonders where he went wrong

“Of all the motley curs it had to be him…maybe its the muscles…what in the Great Seven’s does she see in him of all people?!”

Vil Schoenheit

Any major smear campaign really that might have turned a good chunk of fans away or really rooted out the people he decided to keep close

Either hits hard and it hurts

In an established relationship he has no doubt you won’t leave him

Right?

You’ll most definitely stay by his side while he gets through this rough patch

Right?

He isn’t too much right?

Too much to deal with right?

Right?! 

Right?!

He needs you to tell him how much you love him more than anytime ever

He’ll need you to keep repeating it to him as he falls asleep when he wakes up

Heck, send him a recording not that he doesn’t already have a library full

He’ll smile and confidently defend his name to the end but he needs you more than ever

He’s not above locking you up if your unwilling

Its that bad

“Vil come to the gazebo, I have something to tell you.”

He fears the worst 

Are you really trying to leave him now of all times

He has the potion in his pocket as he steels himself not to start begging you right now

But he’s even more caught off guard when your grabbing his hand and holding it to your lips as you look into his eyes

“Marry me Vil Schoenheit.”

He’s going to cry as he says yes and you put that giant diamond and amethyst ring on his finger

“You know we’ll have to wait until this scandal dies down?”

“Why should we? This doesn’t concern them, your married to me aren’t you?”

He’s probably fallen ten times harder now

Crewel is resigned, he kind of thought this would happen 

“What can I say? She has her father’s eye for talent and theatrics.” 

Idia Shroud

He’s revealed to have overblotted or outed as the major gamer behind some of the top rankings 

He feels betrayed most of all

Gaming was his out and thanks to some vengeful fans of another gamer they almost ruined to for him

Or bringing more shame to the STYX corporation then he meant

First Ortho, then his overblot, now this

Let him be the little spoon 

And kiss him all over

And don’t leave the bed without him

This is a hard one, his hair makes it hard for him to go anywhere without someone recognizing him

“I’ll just never go outside again! Yup that's it!”

“Don’t be so dramatic! How am I supposed to marry you if you do that!?”

“Huh!”

You’ll do something officially for him of course but the ‘m’ word in general has him spiraling alone

so maybe prefacing your declaration with this will ease the blow

Go through a life altering crisis just to get the equivalent of a goddess to marry him?!

It was totally worth it

Now Ortho’s happy he just don’t know what you did to give his brother this sudden motivation to clean up his act

Crewel’s also getting the Pixie Rum for this one

“Maybe she’s fond of the lacking breeds of the bunch? I don’t understand it in the slightest.”

Silver Vanrouge

Fae community looking down on him probably

‘Why is a human even trying to protect our king? That’s quite the insult in and of itself’

He hates this

He hates it most of all 

Despite what many might think he knows they think he’s weak 

Same goes for other humans except that they know he’s…just out of touch

“Why…is it like this…?”

Lilia is there for him and Malleus comforts him but it doesn’t help

Where can he truly be someone that fits 

Someone worthy of you in the first place 

He’s not one to bottle his feelings but he doesn’t want everyone to hear

He’s also debating if he should finally take his father up on his advice to lock up who you love dearly

Anyway in blades of grass as your cushion he rests his head in your lap

“Am I truly worthy of you? Can I even prove that I am with all that I’m lacking? I went through Night Raven and have still found I’m so much lesser than you should have…”

He turns lying face flat into your thighs as he bows down to you

“Do you even still want me?!”

You lift his head declaring your love

“I’m going to marry you, Silver. ‘Want’ is an understatement.”

Crewel is holding the bridge of his nose as tightly as possible as he listens to your future father-in-law go on and on

“Ain’t that nice? We’re going to legally be a family!”

“Whatever. Don’t talk to me until the day of.”

“Don’t be like that Papa-in-law!”

“AGH Of all the picks of the litter it had to be him!?”

Jamil Viper

Al Asim family and his family finding out about his overblot and casting him out

He’s prepared for this 

Yup

He knew it would happen and it isn’t surprising

Not to mention he’s free now

…

What was he going to do now

He couldn’t demand to keep you and not know what he was doing with his life

He really dropped the ball on this one

He didn’t expect them to find out so soon

Or for his entire family to cut him off without a second word

He couldn’t believe he was saying it but he was almost happy Kalim was retaliating at them on his behalf

Relying on Kalim in his own debt felt even worse now

This would most certainly dent his plans to use snake charmer to travel with him 

You’re going to have to pull him out of his work

Which he most certainly has buried himself into 

Cook him some curry and take him on a date on the magic carpet under the moonlight

“I understand you might be trying to send me off with a nice date and my favorite food but—”

He has no intentions of letting you leave him 

“You think I’m trying to break this off? And I thought we established that you were smarter than Kalim?”

He’s stunned as you declare your love for him giving him a deep kiss right after for good measure

Crewel is actually pleased with this matchup on the surface but even the most loyal pups have their flaws

“Why must you pick the pups from Night Raven, darling daughter? They aren’t the worst of the litter…but they have their own…kinks.”

#yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twst x reader #yandere twst malleus #yandere malleus #yandere malleus draconia #yandere malleus x reader #yandere diasomnia #yandere twst #yandere silver x reader #yandere silver #yandere silver twisted wonderland #yandere jamil x reader #yandere jamil viper #yandere jamil #yandere x darling #yandere x reader #yandere vil x reader #yandere vil schoenheit #yandere vil twst #yandere x you #yanderexrea #lovelyyandereaddictionpoint #yandere #yanderes #yandere idia shroud #yandere leona x reader #yandere leona kingscholar x reader #yandere leona kingscholar #twisted wonderland malleus

[simplysparrow14]

Pikelan is probably the most complex CR ship and more people need to realize that instead of branding it as the "haha funny gnomes" ship.

because the entirely of Pikelan revolves around Scanlan, a very charismatic bard who flirts with literally everyone around him but is head-over-heels in love with his cleric friend but is tragically dogshit at expressing it so he resorts to doing crude bits and gags that ultimatly mask who he truly is.

And then you have Pike, a cleric brimming with self-confidence, who absolutely loves Scanlan for who he is, but is constantly getting mixed signals, because on one hand, he's constantly doing crude jokes and flirting with every person he sets his sights on (even so far as going after his unknown daughter) but on another, he tenderly holds her while she's bleeding and he's constantly at her side during battle and even tends to her emaciated brother for her and it's beautiful to watch, but the moment, the moment she brings it up, he reverts back to his crass personality and it just leaves her reeling about who he truly is.

And then we get to Bards Lament, and Scanlan, after tip-toeing around his true emotions for so long, finally snaps and lets everything he's been feeling (all the pain, and self-loathing manifested as anger towards everyone else, because even in his darkest moment, he's still so dogshit at expressing it for what it truly is) and Pike, who's been wrestling with these mixed signals, finally gets his true feelings on what he feels, calling her magic weird, hating that the same magic that has kept him alive and safe for so long brought him back to his sad existence, hating her for doing it. In the end, Scanlan leaves, just as Pike left the first time and the second time. And Pike stays behind, watching as he heads towards somewhere where she cant follow, abandoning the team and her and grog and everything they've built for themselves. She loves him, and him leaving brings her to that point.

The two are split apart, and despite the anger and hurt, the need for connection with each other is so strong. Scanlan reveals that he dident fully leave Taldorei at first, that he was only 20 miles away in another town entirely, listening to Pike's earing conversations. And eventually, when Scanlan is on another continent, he finds a temple of the Everlight (or just simply begins talking to Everlight) and prays, prays for guidance on finding forgiveness for what he said and did. He's deeply in love with pike, and still is, going to her god for answers to his problems, the quickest connection to Pike that he has between one giant ocean and a continent.

And Pike, despite holding a very rightful disdain for what he said to her, keeps him up to date, informs him of her happenings with the people of Whitestone. She should fucking hate his guts and yet the person she wants to speak to at the end of her day is a bard who (for all she knows) threw his earing away and traveled to some far off place, forever gone from Vox Machina, from her. Yet she keeps speaking.

They switch roles, with Scanlan becoming the quiet solitary one seeking forgiveness for his actions and Pike becoming the people oriented one.

When they reunite, it's tense and sad and angry. So many things said in anger and hurt and they don't really know where to step in the case that something, anything might send them back to that angry, angry place. And suddenly their back at the same place they were before, before the fight.

Pike is, again, trying so hard to sift through the mixed signals he's giving because he's being Scanlan again! Charming bard, essential party member, more confident than he's ever been! but now he's standing near the back and holding his hands and apologizing with a soft voice that she hasn't heard in over a year and a half and rebuilding the bridges he's burned and she doesn't know what to think!

And Scanlan is giving an honest effort at trying to fix what he's broken. He's working harder than ever, he's apologizing. He tries very hard to have conversations with people and fixing what he can. But, again, he's Scanlan, who is less dogshit at expressing what he feels, but still pretty dogshit none the less, and now he's a crime boss and still a beloved bard, but he's also surrounded by the friends, some of them he loves so dearly and he's trying, he's trying so hard

Eventually, everything is forgiven and in the end, Pike and Scanlan come to term with themselves and each other. Pike comes to terms with knowing that Scanlan is a complex person, a broken person just trying to figure his way through this world, just as she had done.

in the end, Pike becomes the person Scanlan feels the most free to be around, one where he doesn't have to put on the mask of a performer, where he can just be Scanlan the gnome instead of Scanlan, bard extraordinaire. and Pike comes to terms with knowing that Scanlan is a complex person, a broken person just trying to figure his way through this world, just as she had done before.

and together, they are beautiful reflection of each other.

#critical role #yes theyre haha funky gnomes but theyre more than that and more people need to see it #Pikelan is a good ship ya'll just lacked critical reading skills #between him seeking forgivness through reflection and her choosing to liver her best self through socialization #between Scanlan being the reason Pike's ressurection succeeded and Pike being the reason Scanlan's ressurection succeeded #to Scanlan watching pike walk away when she needed her time away to Pike watching Scanlan walk away when he needed to leave #Pike and Scanlan invented being parallel mirrors of each other #pike trickfoot #scanlan shorthalt #pikelan #critical role c1 #the legend of vox machina #critical role spoilers #tlovm #tlovm spoilers #pike and scanlan are romantic foils as well as character foils and its a beautiful back and forth that they have

[kiss-me-muchoo]

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞 || 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 ╰┈➤ 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥, 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.  𝐖𝐚𝐫��𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ╰┈➤𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊, 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤. 𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨 𝐁𝐄𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐄. 𝐒𝐀𝐃 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐱, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲/𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀/𝐍 ╰┈➤ 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭. NO PROOFREAD, upsi

✰ 𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙓 (𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚) (𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙢.𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤)

♪ ♫ 𝙋𝙀𝘿𝙍𝙊 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏 (𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩)

「 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐲: 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 」  𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 6

(𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚)

It feels eternal like he’s never going to be able to recover. Everything feels like slow motion, heavy and unreal. But Joel swears he hears some singing. 

Distant hums and pieces of songs he can’t identify are there. 

Only that you are actually singing. 

You are biting your lower lip as you hum a Connie Francis’s song. It’s uncomfortable to wait. Ellie has been gone for at least two hours. You were close to stopping her from going out. But you failed. And when you tried to go with her, she said you needed to be with Joel. 

You knew she wanted to do more. She tried to be helpful and do as much as she could. 

Your hand finds its way down to Joel’s hair. Giving him a massage on his scalp and feeling his soft and greasy hair.  Honestly, you were tired. Sleeping on the floor, checking on Joel every hour, fearing his increasing infection. You brought a rabbit some days ago. And it made you sick to see his lifeless eyes judging you all the way to the abandoned house. 

But you remained strong. Hoping that all your efforts and sacrifices were worth it. 

The bang on the basement door startled you, making you find your gun and point it at the stairs. But after seeing Ellie, you lowered the weapon.

“What happened?” You asked, seeing her very hyperactive. “Ellie?…”

“I got penicillin…” she mumbled, looking lost. She handed you intramuscular penicillin. You gasped, surprised, taking the little bottle and the syringe. 

“Where did you get this?” she was avoiding your look. But finally, she met your eyes nervously.

“I traded it for a deer I shot. But… the men that attacked us in the university, they… were followers of the man I traded with” panic floods you, making you stand up like a spring. “What? Ellie!”

“And they let you go so easily? They will come and-….” Ellie shushes you, pointing at Joel, who barely moves. You sigh, lowering your voice and crossing your arms.

“You know it’s dangerous. They must be angry. Did they tell you anything? Are they far, or..?” Ellie shrugged, looking at Joel. It was becoming harder without him. It wasn’t that you couldn’t make decisions, but Joel was right most of the time. So you were nervously trying to think of the most viable solution for everything since he got ill.

“Uh… the man was David. He’s a preacher, and he has his group of people. He said they were… like 3 kilometers away from when we encountered” Ellie feels guilty for making you worry. She can see you quietly thinking, looking at Joel every ten seconds. 

“They’re a cult. Fuck. Me….” standing up, you analyze the penicillin the girl brought you. In your head, you’re already making a small plan. “We’re securing the basement at night. And tomorrow’s morning, we quietly leave, okay?”

Ellie nods, trying to avoid your look. 

“Now, help me with Joel. Put him on his left side, and lift his shirt, please” the girl obeyed and quietly waited for you to take the syringe with the penicillin. 

After cleaning his hip area, you softly press the needle on his skin. Joel doesn’t react to the touch, and he remains unconscious.

“Do you think it’s gonna work?” you nod at Ellie’s question. It’s not expired. The penicillin is fine. “Yeah, but… Joel has to do the other part.”

That night, you barely slept. You hold your gun and bow tightly, scared of those men coming for you and your family.

—

Another dose of penicillin and a kiss on the lips for Joel, and you’re out, helping Ellie to feed the horse. Both of you are quiet, working together without exchanging words. Until you spot a crowd of birds flying away from the woods. Instantly, you think about the men coming. Ellie looks at you worried, and cautiously, she walks out to see if anyone is close enough, then she returns hurried.

“Shit, shit, shit…” she huffs, walking back to the garage and untying the horse.

“They’re here. You go and stay with Joel. I’ll distract them…” you shake your head violently, taking her hands.

“I’m not leaving you alone. I’ll alert Joel, but I’m not leaving you…” she sighs but nods, knowing there’s no time to discuss it. 

You run inside the house, making it in time to take a knife out and kneel beside your partner.

“Joel. You have to stay awake. Some men are coming. I can’t leave Ellie alone.” You talk a little fast and violently. You are getting desperate, and you pray that the man in front of you can hear what you’re saying. “JOEL!.”

“Stay fucking awake. Be strong, my love.” trying to accommodate the knife in his hands, you rapidly kiss his cheek and stand to run upstairs again, taking your backpack in the way.

“Hurry!” Ellie tells you, waiting for you on the horse.

-

You forgot your bow and arrow. You missed two shots. And probably you broke your nose. Joel must be dead. Ellie is missing. Everything is over.

That’s all you can think while you’re unconscious. Even in that state, your head is preoccupied. 

Until you start to blink weakly, some lights blind your eyes, making you scrunch your face and stretch a little.

Your calf hurts. It burns. But before you can turn down to see something, a voice distracts you.

“It must be hard to deal with a girl like Ellie every day….” A man is standing beside you. You’re in some white room, dirty and full of suspicious instruments. You aren’t tied or cuffed. You’re just lying on a wooden table.

“Who the fuck are you?” you ask tiredly. Analyzing all of his movements, alert of anything. And wondering how he knows Ellie’s name.

“I’m David. The man Ellie encountered yesterday. Did the penicillin work?” His politeness is evil. You don’t have to know it. It just feels that way. And you also wonder why he left you free of anything. “Don’t be shy. I just want to know you….”

“Even if it did work, I bet he’s dead now….” David nods, crossing his arms, maybe pretending he’s interested. You want to believe that if you say Joel is dead, the men will stop looking for him.

“He’s your father too? Or perhaps your boyfriend?" He wasn’t judging you, but he was prying about it.

“He saved my life some time ago.” You manage to say. Shifting to a seat slowly, David is also cautious of your movements. So you decided right there that you must gain his trust to leave.

“But he did kill some of my men days ago…” you sigh. “Your people attacked first. So he defended… Ellie”

You also killed one of them too. But he didn’t need to know that. 

“Fair. Still, one was a father, the other… a brother. How do you think it’s going?” you shrug politely. “Pretty bad, I guess. I’m sorry….”

You mean it. 

“Ah, there it is. I knew you were different from the little girl. You’re smart and quiet. You prefer to see the world burn from afar instead of living through it near, right?” he’s making you awkward. You don’t like him at all. It was like meeting the devil in person. 

“Maybe. However, what’s the deal with me? I prefer a quick death, please,” he giggles, and you think you are still in your clothes because David caressed your forearm, and it would’ve been disgusting if he touched your bare skin.

“No, dear. I’m going to save you again. I’m giving you another chance. I’m inviting you to make a good integration into my group. We’re all devoted and centralized.” you nod slowly, opting to make more time to run away and find Ellie. 

“Where’s Ellie?” David smiles, offering a hand to help you stand up. Awkwardly, you accept, and you confirm his touch is disgusting.

“She’s okay. She’ll meet with you for your initiation” goosebumps invaded you with the word initiation. It sounded like a ritual, and it scared you.

And as you follow David through the abandoned resort. You think of Joel and Ellie. They are not dead, and they are stronger and capable of sneaking out. However, you hope that they are finding a better way out.

__

The resort is mysteriously empty. Perfect for a horror movie. You quietly follow David through the large corridors. You can see from the big windows that you are on the second or third floor. 

“Here it is….” David knocks on a door, and some old woman answers, kindly smiling at the man. “Josephine. We have a new guest. She’s y/n and is willing to join us.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” she greets you. And it’s weird because she gives you the feeling that only David knows their reality.

“Give her a nice dress for a warm initiation. I’ll stop by the dining room after I finish some issues” David turns to leave, but Josephine interrupts. “Did they find the family, sir?”

“Just the girl and the woman. I’ll talk to them later, and I’ll bring you any news so we can discuss it” David sends you a smile like he’s implying he’s your accomplice. Which scares you twice. 

“Come in, dear.” The woman lets you in. And you assume the room was like a big clothing shelter. It was filled with clothes and apparel. David probably organized most of the rooms for everyday things like food, clothes, health stuff, etc. “How did you find David? There’s not a lot of people near us.”

“I-I came from Boston with my husband and daughter. But… I lost them,” you manage to say honestly, with a lie. It fits, but it also hurts. Maybe Joel wasn’t your husband, or Ellie, your daughter. But somehow, you lost them when David’s men shot at the noble horse you had been taking.

“I’m sorry to hear that. But now you’re here, and we are a big family that takes care of each other” her tone is too kind to be real, or honest. So you try to send her the most real smile you can offer. 

“And... What is this initiation thing?” Josephine moves across the room. Looking into the drawers, she took out a baby pink tulle dress. It’s old, and if you weren’t in the same situation, you would’ve said the dress was pretty. 

“It’s just like a baptism. We eat, sing, and you get a blessing, that’s all.” She pulls away some strings from the dress and hands it to you. “Women tend to wear dresses like this for their initiation. Hope you like it….”

“It’s pretty….” you say, accepting it. Suddenly, you remember Ellie again. You can’t ask this woman. She could suspect. So you decide to get worried quietly.

“You can change in there. I’ll be right here,” she explains, pointing at some aquamarine door beside a pair of shelves full of different fabric types. 

After thanking her, you walk inside, hoping to see a window. To your dismay, there are no windows, just sewing material. Rapidly you look for something that could work to defend yourself. 

“Are you okay, dear?” The woman asks you, probably because you threw a little box full of needles. “Yes, sorry. I just threw a box by accident.”

Josephine says it’s nothing, and after that, another female voice is present. Sounds younger, and they are talking about their lack of food. Meanwhile, you start undressing because there’s no other option. As you take your boots and pants off, you feel that burning feeling in your calf again. And when you look at it, a shocked gasp leaves your mouth.

“Fucking piece of shit….” you whisper, trailing the zone. There’s a perfect little cut on your skin. They took an actual cube of your flesh. That’s why they were desperate for the deer Ellie killed, why the woman outside the room complained about the food. David feeds them with human flesh. All those materials and the wooden bed…

Quickly, you put the dress on and start looking desperately for a self-defense weapon. Wandering through the room, you found a big seam ripper. “Darling, let me see the dress.” 

Quietly, you try to hide the ripper in your underwear. But Josephine is coming, and your fingers are clumsy because you’re nervous.

“There you are. You look gorgeous….” you smile at her, leaving the room. The person you hear talking with Josephine is a girl around Ellie’s age or 16. She looks at you quietly. “Beatrice, this is y/n. She’s joining us.”

“Hello…” you greet awkwardly. She only nods, with her lips pressed on a line. She’s not happy…

“Okay, I’ll go for some new shoes. Stay here. Beatrice will make you company…” Josephine leaves, and you stand in the middle of the room. Holding the ripper tightly in your hand because you didn’t have time to hide it elsewhere.

Wandering across the room, you notice a big bow hanging from a wall. It’s wooden and indigenous style, super pretty.

“Wow, this is super pretty. I wish I could take it….” you say softly, brushing the edges with your fingers.

“You know how to use it….” Beatrice says quietly. You turn to look at her blankly.

“You are the woman who traveled with a man and a girl.” oh, so Beatrice is a smart girl. You gulp quietly, holding the ripper like your life depended on it.

“One was my best friend’s father. And the one with an arrow in their throat was my brother. That’s why they found the girl, and David is protecting you….”

“Listen…” as you take a step forward, Beatrice stands up rapidly, her face changing and showing how mad she was.

“YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!” she screamed, pointing at you, and before you even blinked, she threw herself at you. 

The impact is inevitable. Your back meets the wooden floor, and you can only focus on the ripper. 

Beatrice slaps you, and the sudden sharp pain in your cheek enrages you. When she tries to suffocate you with her pale hands, you move a jar full of buttons toward you. But it’s effortless. The girl on top of you is trying to kill you. She curses you as she cries.

There’s evident panic in both of you. But somehow, you gasp and beg for air while attempting to fucking lift the jar. And once you do, you crash it on Beatrice’s skull, making her collapse beside you. All the buttons fall like rain above you. You know you’re not free yet. 

“Fucking, LET ME GO!” You yell when the girl holds your ankle. You push her, sobbing loudly, but somehow she can reincorporate and pull your hair, impeding you from going away. There are some silver scissors in her hand, which make you more anxious. There are high chances of getting out of the room alive, but you feel like you won’t succeed.

Everything is messy. The room is filled with horrendous screams. Beatrice acts as if some demon possessed her. You can’t see because she’s obstructing your face with your own hair. The sound of the scissors around your face is disturbing, and you wonder which is more powerful, your ripper or her scissors.

The ripper brushes her head, but you can’t see it. You’re scared and anxious, sweating from the desperation. 

What about Ellie? What if Joel is okay? You can’t simply give up. This is just a child, and you need to run. Even if you’re tired of being alive, you must keep going.

Finding some strength, you start a longer tussle. Where both of you scream and try to win. In an attack of rage, your hand slips from Beatrice's grasp.  And after shaking your hand around what you suppose is her face, you feel her crying in pain, finally letting you go.

Once you move your hair away, you look at what you've done. You destroyed her face with the ripper. She can’t open her eyes, and blood tears cover her cheeks. The traumatizing image makes you drop the ripper, gasping in horror and creating some nausea as you see the girl unconscious on the carpet. 

You’re not a killer. You are good, y/n.

Josephine suddenly enters the room, and after seeing the scene, she screams in horror. Dropping the box with some pair of shoes inside. Then she runs towards the girl and starts weeping loudly.

The doors lock from the outside. Run…

You don’t even think twice. You run outside and lock the door. Now you feel like you are in some horror movie. There are some emergency stairs at the end of the hallway, which you instantly decide to take. 

Even though nobody is behind you, you feel like something will start to follow you. Terror invades you, but calm hits you when you make it downstairs and open the door, and the only thing you can see is snow. 

Rare. Now shock greets you as you start to walk away from the resort.

Nothing can fit in your head, only that you’re not a killer. You’re innocent.

__

Joel can barely hold three backpacks, especially yours, since it’s heavy. He was relieved after finding Ellie, but you weren’t there.

So when he spotted you at the beginning of the woods, he screamed your name.

Ellie looked relieved, too, even when she was still in shock. 

As they walk closer, the man and the girl notice your messy braid, your face is slightly scratched, you have a dress stained with blood, you have no shoes, and you look very lost.

“Jesus…” Joel whispers, looking at you. And the first thing he does is pull you into a big hug. He thanks God you’re alive.

“We’re okay. It will be better, baby….” you feel him kissing your hair multiple times. “Now you’re safe. You’re with me.”

“I know…” you whisper back. When he lets you go, you turn to look at Ellie. She’s covered with Joel’s jacket, and she’s disheveled like you, with blood on her face. Both of you hold each other because you don’t need to speak to know you have done life-changing things. And Joel knows it, too, because that’s how he felt many years ago.

__

There’s a cozy red House. With a half-full kitchen, a clean living room, and two bodies in decomposition lying in the garden (which Joel had to drag away). And the bathroom has a nice apple shampoo. A shampoo that Joel was using to wash your hair.

There’s a towel under you, making the experience in the tub better. With your hands around your knees, you sigh delighted as Joel massages your scalp. 

“Your hair was… chopped up,” his statement alerts you. What? Your hands reach the wet hair, and you feel the disengaged strands. “What?” 

Joel hears your little whimper, and instantly Joel stops you, preventing you from feeling the unevenness of your hair. “Do you want me to cut it evenly?”

You nod, sinking your face between your knees. Joel starts cutting your hair. And it feels okay. He makes you feel safe. It’s intimate, but the sound of the scissors reminds you of Beatrice. Joel feels immense sympathy for you. He’s tired of watching you suffer. He feels guilty about not being able to protect you more.

“No…” you whisper. Rage invades you. All you do is keep losing something from your identity. But then, you think about Beatrice. “I left that girl blind, Joel. I don’t know if I killed her, but… her face. She was so mad. You should have seen it. The look in her eyes….”

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re not a killer, y/n.” His hands trail your shoulders and naked back. Joel’s sweet voice comforts you. “You’re the goodest woman I’ve ever met.”

The silence is satisfactory. The lights are off, only an old candle leaving a coconut scent. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met, repeatedly replaying in your head. Part of you believes it, but the other part doesn’t. You killed your family; you killed that man in the university, and now this girl.

“How is your wound?” You ask him, hoping to break the ice and make the negative thoughts disappear. Because you wanted to hear him, you wanted a little normal moment with him.

“Better. But that’s not important right now…” he watches you lay your head on your arms, curling yourself into a little ball. He was done with your hair. He washed the strands over your neck and back with a cup and the tub of water. “It is important, Joel. I hope the penicillin worked.”

“Where did you get penicillin?” you sigh, and he knows that sharing that with him would lead to more. But he focuses on the new length of your hair, brushing your shoulders. “Ellie. She traded it for a deer she caught.”

“What?. She used the sniper?” You nod slowly. You won’t lie. Besides, it’ll show Joel that Ellie is capable of more things than he thought. 

“And the man was the leader of this macabre cult. Avenging the men we encountered in the university,” Joel sighs once he finds the correlation between all the events. He wants to know why you ended up with the dress and no shoes. But he won’t push you, except for one thing.

“Did they…?” you know what he means. Instantly you shake your head. “No. Trust me, I would’ve known if there were some signs of it.”

Finally, he tells you to stand up. You do as he grabs a towel and starts wrapping you with it. Then he guides you to the mirror. He looks at your reflection, swiftly holding your arms.

“You look very pretty…” he tells you, making you chuckle briefly. “I’m sorry….”

“Why so?…” you ask curiously. Turning to face him. He looks tired. Even after showering, he put fresh bandages on his wound and decent food. His hair still looks messy, and he seems older than usual. However, you’re relieved he’s there, he’s alive, and he's okay. You still have him.

“For not being able to protect you as I wanted,” you sigh, your eyes watering at his look and words. Your hand brushes his beard, making him close his eyes. He’s also safe with you.

“Oh, Joel. All the shit we’ve been through is not your fault. Or mine or Ellie’s. It’s because life is a bitch” he nods, trying to convince himself.

“Once again, you saved my life. And you bathing me moments ago felt like the beginning. When I was sick, and I had no one to look after me,” his eyes were also teary. Both of you have come so far, and these experiences made you soulmates, as ridiculous as it sounded.

“I know you don’t like being emotional. But I admire you, love. I admire you a lot” he rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing to admire about me, y/n.”

“Joel, shut up and accept my words,” he smiles. He wants to say something, so he does.

“I love you so much,” in shock. You accept his hug and words. Nodding, you hold him tightly. “I love you so much too, Joel.”

“And thanks. For the haircut and the bath,” he smiles again. Making it impossible not to kiss him. You didn’t kiss very often, but once you had a little privacy, Joel was more than happy to accept your lips. 

“It’s nothing. You said it, like the old times….” He was getting used to love now; being at the edge of dying, losing you, and more made him appreciate the importance of love. Also, to accept Ellie was an essential part of your and his life. He had seen you being a mother figure for her since the beginning. But now it was like you were her best friend. So he wasn’t surprised when Ellie preferred to talk about what happened in the resort with you. Maybe the girl would tell him later, but for now, he was okay with her having the trust to say to you.

“She wants some time alone. She said she would be at dinner” you read his mind, so he just nods. “Let’s rest a little. I want you to hold me….”

“I can do that…” he states in his low voice. He just needed to hold you because you only were safe with him and no one else.

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Taglist: @aonungs-tsahik @buckysmainhxe @amethystwonders11 @kyuupidwrites @bookfrog242 @acornacreacure @enbywan @ipadkidsworld @my-obsession-spn @happycupcakeenthusiast @thesameoldboo @spideysimpossiblegirl @tubble-wubble @flightlexsbird @randomstory56 @memento-mora @royalty-cashinout @ayamenimthiriel @eddies-bat-tattoos @kassieesworld @damnzelsoul @floffytofu @rintheemolion @coldheartedmar @rhyanna6012 @floralsightings @pedro-pascal-3nthusiast

Season ending for this series= PLOT TWIST

#joel miller x reader #pedro pascal x reader #joel miller #pedro pascal

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

For me Catnap and Mommy Long Legs would have the WORST case of sibling rivalry ever from the moment Angel told the other toys Catnap was no longer a threat. Long Legs just stared at the feline and concluded that, no, Angel is too kind, that thing over there is MOST DEFINITELY going to betray everyone and leave them to die. She partially believes that because there's no way the Prototype won't use his protégé against them, right? Long Legs knows how adults work, there's no way-

And then the Prototype doesn't use his protégé against them. Nor tries to manipulate Catnap to leave the group. And then Long Legs's suspicions just becomes general annoyance, because she has a fear of being abandoned and she wants to be the favorite kid, but Catnap knows his way around things and is really smart, so what if Angel prefers him over her? And what if they abandon her?

And meanwhile Catnap also doesn't like her. First because of one particular incident from before the Hour of Joy - Long Legs forgot (she got into a fight with almost every single toy in the factory at one pont), but Catnap did not. And then Angel rescues him and he sees MLL and comes to the conclusion that she's way too incompetent/volatile to not do something that'll end up hurting Angel. I mean, she already lost an arm because she was too angry to notice what was ging on, what if the next thing she loses hurts Angel in the process? And that, combined with Catnap viewing the human as his savior and the first new person to be kind to him in a decade (the Smiling Critters and the Prototype were kind to him before. They aren't new), makes him very overly protective.

When everyone inevitably moves to an actual house with windows and sunlight, Long Legs believes herself to be "winning" the game she's playing against Catnap. She knows how to do housework, she even has been trying to learn how to cook! And Catnap knows he isn't the best at that, but also, Angel is his savior, what if they start to think he isn't useful to the house? So he starts doing housework as well, and MLL at first treats the situation like a kid trying to help around the house and not doing much, but then he starts getting better, and now her spot in the house is getting threatened, and wait, Catnap is patrolling the house to make sure no intruders come near them? Welp, time for HER to try doing that!

They both need therapy but are too distrustful of human adults to accept the offer. But if Dogday convinces Catnap, Angel KNOWS MLL would also accept in an attempt to prove that she can do it better and vice-versa. They just hope their rivalry calms down because they're tired of feeling the two staring at each other as they try to offer themselves to help them out.

#poppy playtime #catnap #mommy long legs #poppy playtime angel #poppy playtime headcanons #save everyone au #poppy worldwide

[rosemarydisaster]

I feel like Chani choosing to save Paul through the prophecy would make their reconciliation so much easier. I really dislike Jessica's use of the voice in general but especially at this moment.

It would have been such a great moment of tension with herself, completely devastated by the loss of her Usul. And then she remembers... the tears of the desert spring, a stupid prophecy. She isn't sure that's how it works. The desert spring is supposed to be a metaphor for the ecological change, right? But it is her name and she does feel like crying. She isn't convinced it will work because it's a silly prophecy, but she just has to try.

She springs into action she grabs the water of life and Jessica tries to stop her, probably thinking she's trying to join Paul. But Stilgar, who knows Chani's, name stops her. And Jessica sees her mix the tears with the water of life, she know another drop of it might either kill Paul or bring him back so she let's it happen, hoping for the best. We get some much needed nuance with her character, clearly worried about her son and asking Alia "what have we done?".

Chani, who doesn't believe in religious prophecies nor Bene Gesserit bullshit holds the two drops to Paul's mouth. A part of her simply wants to show everyone how stupid this is, how there's no prophecy, and how they're fanaticism has killed a great man. But then Paul wakes up.

The relief, the horror, the completely upending of her entire belief system... chef's kiss. She isn't sure if this is some Bene Gesserit thing, if Paul was pretending so he could get her to fulfill the prophecy. And then she hears Stilgar's voice "Tears of the desert spring".

Everyone around them drops to worship the Lisan Al-Gaib. Jessica is relieved, Stilgar is overjoyed and she's just confused. Paul tries to hold her, tk kiss her to thank her but she isn't ready. She feels tricked. She has spent her entire life believing one thing and now nothing makes sense.

So she keeps her distance, she tries to resist the prophecy that Paul himself called bullshit but she's confused. She isn't going to abandon her conviction that their savior must be Fremen. She remembers Paul asking in the tent if he's not Fremen enough after passing every test and she doubts.

She fights for the Fremen at the battle for Arrakeen, she does her part and she wonders if she had any choice at all. And then the thing with the princess happens, and she's distraught. Paul reassures her that he will love her as long as he breathes and it comforts her. At least until she remembers how he stopped breathing after the water of life. What's worst, he declares himself an emperor, forcing the old man to kiss his hand like a petulant child. And he threatens to destroy the spice if people don't accept him as their new ruler ...is too much.

She made a promise too, to love him as long as he remained himself. He changed and the most frightening thing is that she still loves him. She needs space, she needs the desert.

This would offer the possibility of Paul finding her and saying "You are angry at me for participating in the prophecy to save this planet but you used it to save me when you thought I was dying". He could try to convince her with that whole "when everything and everyone you love is at stake you'll take whatever chance you get" which is kinda how he locks himself in that specific future in the books.

I don't know they could have a conversation on how things would be different if he had died in Siege Tabur or after the water of life. He would explain to her (and the audience) the narrow golden path, and how the alternatives are so much worse.

I think it would be interesting if Chani comes to the conclusion that she has to end Paul's tyranny out of love, because her Usul would rather die than become a monster. But she pretends to accept Paul's argument (the audience unsure if she does buy it or not). That would set the stage for Dune Messiah much better and have a very interesting dynamic between the two (specially for that ending).

Jessica forcing her doesn't accomplish anything it only confirms for Chani that the Profe y is some Bene Gesserit bullshit (Jessica calls for her and forces her to do it). The reconciliation is going to be so much more difficult after that. Also, for a guy that wants to tell "a bene Gesserit story" the director is misusing Jessica. If they let her be more manipulative (talking to Alia about how the drop from the water of life will trigger the reaction for him to wake up) we could see how the prophecy is planted while allowing the Fremen to believe something magical happened. It would open Chani to her manipulation...but no, she had to scream.

I feel like, for all that they show us Jessica manipulating the religious people, that scene left a lot of people confused. I saw the people at the theater saying "wait so the prophecy is real" which is the last thing you want to do in a Dune adaptation.

What I described would only take two more minutes (and a lot of acting) but I think it would make the themes clearer and make Chani and Jessica a bit more interesting. I liked the movie but this is one of those moments I simply can't understand, specially from a fan of the Bene Gesserit.

#dune spoilers #dune part 2 #dune part two #dune 2 #dune movie #dune #chani kynes #paul atreides #lady jessica #bene gesserit

[mylittlegemlins]

Spy x family hurt/comfort ideas for destroy your soul:

-loid and yor are expecting a child, anya is jealous that they don't love her as much as their own child.

-Loid, speaking seriously with Sylvia: " fuck it, I'm going to keep them and if you want me to continue being your star spy, you're going to give me missions that don't involve falling in love with women or adopting children, one is enough for me. "

-Loid thinks about the joy his wife and daughter bring him: God, when was the last time I did something just for… fun? Why I didn't do it befo-... oh right... This is a mission

-Loid wonders how Yor had never dated anyone until she was 27, then Yor interprets something very literal and Loid thinks, oh that's why.

-Since Loid saw that Anya had too much stress after the sandbox test, he is very worried about her mental health. Anya stares into space because she's busy thinking about what he thought. But he thinks that the poor girl she is dissociating due to a trauma and he tries to repair her with kisses and hugs.

-The mission ends on the night of a full moon, so Anya has no idea if her father plans to get rid of them, or how, or when, she just stays close to her parents for as long as she can.

-Yor begins to question if she is going to be married to Loid until death do them part, since she barely knows Loid... Well, she knows him a little... For a year... But she is not sure of her feelings for him.

- -Loid finally decides to take Anya to the doctor because bleeding from the nose every time you get overwhelmed by loud noises might not be normal. Anya is just terrified that the doctors will open her brain and see that she has her powers, somehow. he also discovers that she is very low in weight and height for her age and worries even more.

-you love me? Direct question to destroy the heart of the best spy in the country, especially if it comes from a child, especially if it comes from an orphan, especially if it comes from his daughter who has never lived more than 4 months with an adoptive family because they did not get attached to her. Answer honestly, she will know if you lie.

-The Strix mission ended. Loid abandons Anya and breaks up with Yor without much explanation. only to regret it 15 minutes later and run to find them.

-Anya obtains 7 tonitrus having already 7 stellas. And she knows that expulsion is closer than the prize. So she runs away from home.

- Anya is finally ready to tell Loid a little about her birth mother and the orphanage, and it hurts.

-Anya never had a birthday party because there was no budget at the orphanage. Loid is able to hiring even the boys who cry if that makes his daughter happy

-Yor is hospitalized due to a fight and telling your husband that you have appendicitis is easier than explaining to him that some criminals shot you 3 times in the hip and who the hell you're still alive.

-Bond has to bite one Forger to save them from some imminent danger he predicted but the rest of the family panics and gets very angry with Bond.

-"If you keep getting close to dangerous guys you are going to get really hurt one day." Ergo, Anya gets hurt.

-Did you know that adoptable children in real life know that their chances of being adopted go down as they grow older because most only adopt babies? Anya knows it.

-Loid and Yor have no choice but to sleep together because their daughter is terribly ill in the hospital and her last wish is to sleep with them together. Or she actually has a common cold and they took her to the emergency room because they panicked when her fever went up 0.1 degrees.

- Damian wants to hang out with Anya but he would never let Emilie and Ewen find out.

-Loid comforting Anya during an anxiety attack because he thinks it's because of her past and only he knows.

-Instead of directly saying that he wants to keep his family or give up being a spy, he begins by extending the mission for 4 more months, and then another 4 more. And when he realizes 4 years have passed.

-Yor asks Loid about his dead ex-wife because they will never go to leave her flowers or he doesn't have old photos of her and baby Anya. Loid has many photos to fake.

T/W torture

-Anya biological father is a voluteer or one of the scientist because she was made by artificial insemination so that she was born, Anya's mother was kidnapped from a rural town where her language was almost extinct.

-The scientists remove Anya's mother's tongue so that she cannot communicate with her other than through her telepathy.

-The scientists being really mad the first time that her powers didn't work during the full moon.

-Still has nightmares about the electroshock in the laboratory every time she failed the tests. Her parents try to console her but she can't tell them anything, even if she wants. still hurts.

#spy x family #anya forger #sxf #spy x family headcanons #spyxfamily #loid forger #spy x family anya #yor forger

[howyouloveyourdragon]

Everybody Wants You

warnings: infidelity accusations, miscommunication, angst, eventual fluff, misogyny (first paragraph only) pronouns: she/her summary: You're tired of all the rumours; that your betrothed has found loyalties of the heart elsewhere in Winterfell. wordcount: 2,204 A/N: i don't write angst a lot so please let me know what you think

You sigh and press a palm to your forehead as another lord demands further gold for his allyship with Rhaenyra. "Our Queen has gifted you land already, my lord, what more do you want?" Your voice is firm, much like your Queen. Commanding but inquiring. The lord huffs like a child without his toy. "Well for starters I want promises from the prince not his sour-faced bitch." Gasps echo and your eyes are set ablaze but you take deep calm breaths like your future mother-in-law taught you. "He is in Winterfell, there is not much I can do about that. If you must speak with him then you may send letters though I doubt you will receive an answer. You are speaking with a future princess of the realm and I am certain my betrothed will not be much pleased to hear such vulgarity in reference to myself, remember yourself Lord Dullton." This time you are cold and authoritative though it only garners a sharp insincere laugh before you. "You are nothing but a whore that bores him." He sneers and instantly a sword is drawn by your closest guard. Again you inhale a now languid breath. "You are dismissed." You snap, clenching your fists. Another angry woman in power is not what the people need right now. They do not need more poor illustrations of what a powerful woman can be but you will not allow disrespect. Your cool gaze pans the room but you know as the guards edge him away from you that this is merely the first of many incidents made to disrespect your impending marriage.

In an attempt to dispel your boiling anger you play with the rings across your fingers until they rest on an all too familiar shape and your throat bobs. Your eyes drag down to it of their own volition even though another loyal Lord is standing in front of you. Your teeth dig deep to burrow into your plush lower lip but it's not the pain that mists over your eyes nor the prior humiliation you had been dealt–it's the length of time your husband-to-be had abandoned you in favour of the North. Your gleaming eyes stare down at the ruby strewn design of his house emblem wrapped in a sphere of gold. It had all been going so well, he had been arriving early to bring flowers to your chambers before you awoke, the ones you had missed so much in Highgarden where you were born. He insisted on dining together every night. He was opening up to you–all night you had spent with him as he finally told you how he found out about his younger brother's passing...how much he regretted asking his mother to send them both to gather support, how he thought it was his fault. Everything was finally starting to feel like home...And then that dreaded letter came. The one who's writing you couldn't recognise, the surprised giddiness that erupted in his stomach when he saw the Stark seal. You cast the memory from your mind like it were a ghost but that was before you had spoken with Mushroom. If you closed your eyes you could still feel the anxiety stealing the air from your lungs, the clawing at your raw throat, tearing the ruby necklace as though it were causing you to break out in hives and boils. It was too shiny to be real and you curse yourself for not realising that.

Now you sit in a large hall of narrowing eyes and harsh impressions. You swallow back any remaining discomfort and answer their sharp-tongued questions and remarks with as much eloquence as you can manage. Ser Landor is tense and straining at your side, a loyal knight that was sent to you from the Queen herself when you arrived in Dragonstone–back then it was still a time of war and she thought it safest to keep you within her close royal sphere. He's itching for a fight but you send a deliberate glance as another asks where the Prince of Dragonstone has gone and more importantly, why. Eventually, the meeting closes to an end and only once everyone is gone do you slump back in your chair with a sigh of relief. If you just let in the silence for a minute you could still hear his whispers. "I love you" Just for a minute. You swear that's all you need. One minute. Please. The loud doors rip you from your daydream and it sends a harsh jolt to tear your body back into reality. Where your eyes take in the remnants of where your heart used to venture eagerly. A breath as shaky as an autumn leaf clogs your throat at the sympathetic gaze Landor sends you. "Stop it." You manage to spit out as you stand to turn toward the doors too. He steps in front of it. "I swore to protect you." He reminds you, voice as soft as the gentle breeze. You can tell he hesitates seconds before his fingers come in contact with your arm. He takes the risk and forces your gaze to meet his piercing one. "Even from rude courtiers." His cheeky grin sends a bubbling laugh through your throat and you shake your head. "That will not be necessary." You sidestep him even though there's a lingering tension hanging over you which you both understand. A silent promise hanging over you. "and from negligent princes." He says and you're grateful the other guards have left for their assigned posts. You don't answer, simply brushing past him and into the suffocating air of the hallway. These few months were not how you planned them.

When you reach your chambers you freeze. A familiar set of flowers line your bed and instead of the excitement which should eat away at you, it's anxiety. Something has changed. Your skin crawls as painfully familiar hands creep up your waist and wrap around you. "My princess," utters in your ear, his warm breath connecting your minds in a stream across the shell of your ear. He doesn't seem to notice as you stiffen against him. You selfishly wish he hadn't returned so abruptly, that he didn't warn you. "I missed you." He utters quietly, dotting kisses along the edge of your right shoulder until he can spread them across your neck. You close your eyes, enjoying the moment one final minute longer. Giving yourself the minute you longed for so terribly only to realise it felt as stale as leftover bread. You cringe out of his arms and turn to find his eyes gazing warmly at you. It strikes as hard as a slap when you look upon his blissfully ignorant expression. His hands reach for your own, frowning when they jump away from him. His lips part and his brows pinch. "What's wrong?" Jacaerys asks. You can tell as his breath shallows. His eyes once so gentle now look sharp as they roam over your figure. "Are you hurt? Is something wrong."

You want to answer him but you can't force the words out as your cool façade that had been pushed onto your face long before even the meeting starts to crack. You were never good at pretending when it came to him. "So you have finally decided to come home?" You ask, your voice usually so soft and mellifluous through his ears now sounds cold and mechanical. It feels wrong. He blinks back in surprise and swallows, mouth suddenly dry like the tone of your words. "Yes." He answers quietly, afraid to say anything else. "Why." It comes out more like a demand and his face contorts uneasily. He takes a step back, trying to process your reaction. "What do you mean, my love?" His question is cut slightly short once he begins to utter the last word. You raise a defensive shaky hand in front of you. "Don't." You growl–much like you imagine the wolf he has been entertaining. "Don't call me that." Your tongue slightly stutters on 'call' and a pit heavies in Jacaerys's stomach. "Not anymore." There's silence as the gears in his mind twirls itself into a frenzy. A sick feeling nestles in his gut, threatening to spill. "What's wrong?" It's as if he's whimpering, pleading to understand but your eyes glaze over in a mix of anger and pain. "Please, whatever it is, let me fix it, I will, just...just please tell me." He steps forward again but you flinch back and his concern grows. "No, that's not fair." He says though his words are soft and caring. You take in a shaky inhale. "Did she finally tire of you like you tired of me?" You ask. "Or did you tire of her?" Confusion darts through his eyes, lips slanting downward. "Who?" The Prince asks. The Prince, you have to remind yourself, not your Prince anymore.

"You know who." You murmur. Every footstep from outside your chambers and through the hallway rings through your ears, reminding you of all the horrible "Your darling Stark girl." His heart drops to his feet with the same weight as a boulder. "Sara? No, no, I swear it, she–" "Do you love her?" "No, of course not!" Both your volumes have risen now. "So I truly mean so little to you?" This time when he surges forward, he grasps your hands tightly. "My love no, you mean everything to me." His eyes mist with unshed tears and he has to withhold blinking to keep them locked inside his gaze. He shakes his head softly. "I," He swallows. "It is true that I held affections for her a time ago," You scoff and turn your head away, preparing to flee. "But not anymore!" He blurts quickly, dropping to his knees in front of you. "I promise." He vows, searching the gates of your soul for any hidden key you might have left out for him. Any sense of familiar warmth. "I promise everything ended when I met you. I don't care what any court fool says and–" "I care." You snap. "Do you know how they look at me when you are absent? When they know where you are or rather who you are with?" His blinks quicken, desperate to bury them away. "You leave me among the foxes and the hunters, the only thing between two predators for the woman you are not betrothed to. The one everybody knows you long to be with." He shakes his head, desperation clawing at him.

"I was there for Cregan and Cregan only, I swear it to you, I only leave you here because I trust your judgement and only yours. I will never leave you again if that is what it takes." You close your eyes, unable to hold back your tears for much longer. "I love you." He brings your hand against his lips and kisses it roughly. "You. I love you. I love you. I love you so much that given the choice I would let it devour me if you willed it to. I would let you rule me body and soul and I would smile because you are still by my side, forever a part of me I never wish to abandon." You don't open your eyes but oh how he wishes to capture your pretty gaze and keep it locked away for only him at that moment. "Please look at me, I can't bear this." He whispers and begrudgingly you do, your eyelids flutter apart and he can see your glassy irises sparkling. It feels wrong to think how beautiful you are even now but he can't help it. "Everybody wants you, Jacaerys. They want you, they don't care how they do it so long as they pull you away from me, and you let them! I cannot marry a man who strays for another." He shakes his head again and stands up so he can cup your face. "No," He breathes. "There is only you, I promise no one will take me from you, I belong to you and you only. I will run away with you if you only ask for it, I would mount Vermax and take you wherever your heart desires just please..." He shuts his eyes tight. "don't do this." His hands clutch at you like you're the oxygen of a dying man. "I don't want you to hurt me." "I won't." He replies instantaneously and opens his eyes as he threads his words. His index finger gently makes contact with your ring finger, gently coaxing you as he strokes along its edges. He brings it to his lips. "I made you a promise when I had this made and I do not intend to break it. If I ever hurt you again I will hurl myself into as many flames and oceans as you see fit just please do not do this." Jacaerys eyes search yours less like a quest and more as a comfort now as your shoulders soften. "I love you more than time itself." He vows, breath fanning across your lips. Your unruly dragon has tamed himself and once again he is your prince.

#jacaerys velaryon x you #jacaerys x you #jacaerys velaryon x reader #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys velaryon #hotd jacaerys #jacaerys velaryon x reader ff #jacaerys velaryon x reader fanfic #jacaerys velaryon fanfic #hotd x reader #house of the dragon x reader #hotd ff #house of the dragon ff

[naamahdarling]

Do you have a favorite musical?

If so, what are your favorite lyrics from it, and why?

ALW's CATS.

Is it a surreal mess? Yes! But I love it before everything else.

The lyrics are silly but very clever. Most are at least partly by TS Eliot, drawn from a wonderfully nonsensical book of poems.

I think my favorite song is the Invitation to the Jellicle Ball, neck and neck with Mr Mistoffelees.

My favorite cat is Mistoffelees by a lot, followed by the Rum Tum Tugger. They are in love.

But the part that makes me feel the most in my heart is Grizabella. The only cat I relate to is Grizabella.

Memory is the big number that everyone knows and I do absolutely love it, it's one of my favorite songs and probably the best in the musical as it was before CATS 2019 introduced a new song, but I feel that out of context it simply doesn't have punch. It gets trotted out to showcase a singer's skill, as a bit of a tearjerker if you're a sentimental person. It is so much more than that.

I didn't understand Grizabella properly until I was well and truly an adult and had taken in multiple cats off the street, and lived near a colony, and watched my own cats become frail, which are all painful things in many ways; AND until I had begun to really feel the weight of my marginalization as a disabled person and an ill person, which means confronting almost daily the fact that I am unlikely to come to the sort of end I would like.

Hold on because I'm going to be unhinged about this cat for a minute.

Grizabella is an aged stray, once welcomed, now abandoned and unloved, considered ugly even by others like her (who are shown to supposedly accept differences and value, or at least respect, most everyone...but not her).

She lives in a haunted, lonely state unacknowledged by anyone except to be driven away. She can no longer care for herself, she is filthy and matted and scarred and probably in a lot of pain, she is starving, and she has nothing but her memories of better times, and every single dawn is both a gift and a miserable curse. She gets to remember. She has to remember.

If you watch, Grizabella is onstage a LOT, she's just off in the background, usually poorly lit, where she tries to mirror the dances happening on the main part of the stage, dances she knows because that was once her, there in the spotlight, shining. But now she's in too much pain to dance and her body isn't working right anymore. I have no doubt Grizabella is dying. The question is whether she will get to do that well, comforted and with dignity, or do it badly and alone.

I cannot HANDLE Grizabella.

If you have even the tiniest inkling of love for cats, if you believe every cat's life is worth something, her story should destroy you.

The legendary Jennifer Hudson's performance in the movie brought a really angry and confrontational turn to her, and it was flat out amazing. A rebuke of a performance. It really hurts to watch but it's what the role has always needed. She isn't just weak and sad, she clings to the tatters of her dignity and is angry that the others don't see her as a whole person. Just a miserable shadow to be avoided. A cautionary tale. We are never told what terrible thing she did to deserve her fall, and given that most of the Jellicles are young, I don't know that any of them really remember.

I will physically fight anyone who says she should not have been selected to ascend to a new life. She was the only choice. Even Gus. Even him. He can have his turn next year. Grizabella does not have another year in her.

And I'm going to make some folks mad but I love the 2019 movie (it's bad) and the new song, Beautiful Ghosts, is amazing, and I DO prefer Taylor Swift's version as the movie version is a little more timid (fitting the role and musical way better) but TS fucking BELTS IT and I get chills every time.

The lyrics are incredible and the song is gorgeous, gorgeous. And strung together with Grizabella's song, it finishes the musical in a way that it was a bit unfinished before. It uses an actual full song to connect Grizabella to the Ball and the Choice more directly than any choreography ever did or could:

Victoria, the White Cat and viewpoint character, still almost a kitten, has been dumped in the street and into a terrifying and beautiful new life.

After being swept up into its wonder, she sees Grizabella, utterly rejected, hissed at, made fun of, despised, and aches with the injustice of it -- Victoria was snatched right up by the other cats the instant her paws hit the ground, but nobody will take in Grizabella. Not even her own kind.

Victoria sees how strangely similar they are and feels a kinship that has no pity in it at all, but wonder and respect.

So Victoria sings this new song expressing the first admiration Grizabella has heard in god alone knows how long, reminding her she has had an amazing life worth envy and renown, and she pulls this horrible decrepit old mess of a cat into the Jellicle Ball, where she is FINALLY relieved of her pain.

Like? I'm crying right now?

It isn't a serious musical, but Grizabella's story runs through it like a cold current, something real and terrible, surrounded by absolute ridiculousness. Her numbers are deadly serious, never played for laughs. And ultimately it is her story that turns out to be the most important one, the truest one, and it is dark, and it is hopeful but only in only the most painful and grief-stricken way. She isn't brought back into a comfortable life with other cats to be happy and surrounded by love. She essentially...dies and goes to cat heaven. She embodies hope itself to the others, and her ascension represents a deeply humbling lesson in humility and grace. Her suffering and her ascent represent the possible future of every one of them, and now they have to confront that, and their treatment of her. She was rewarded, and for all their beauty and charm they were not.

Anyway I'm not normal about it.

The lyrics from Beautiful Ghosts that I love are:

Perilous night, their voices calling. A flicker of light, before the dawning. Out here the wild ones are taming the fear within me. Scared to call them my friends and be broken again. Is this hope just a mystical dream?

and

And so maybe my home Isn't what I had known, what I thought it would be. But I feel so alive With these phantoms of night, and I know that this life isn't safe but it's wild and it's free!

Like, come on. It's a lovely song and it took my breath away in the theater.

Ugh this musical touched me as a feral cat girl of 10 and it touches me again as a sad catguy in their 40s. Truly a very stupid work of weirdly meaningful art and one for the ages.

There are much better musicals, but none of them are part of me.

#cats the musical #grizabella

[leviathanspain]

am i not what you wanted

marc spector x reader, jake lockley x reader, steven grant x reader

synopsis: even with three different alters, they all want the same woman and it isn’t you

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

with marc

“so that’s it?” your voice sounded unnecessarily loud, but to marc, it was barely above a whisper. you had barely moved, your body a still picture of what it was, when he told you that he had met another girl. he had accidentally been involved with the murder of her father, and he tried to apologize but ended up falling in love with her.

marc was your best friend before he was anything more. you would remain loyal, at his side, even when he kicked you down and kept kicking with every word he spoke.

“i think i love her.” marc echoed quietly. you stared at him and you seemed to laugh, comparable to a crow, your laughed squawked as you stared at marc incredulously, “you think you love her?”

marc pursed his lips, he was getting angry, but he tried to remain composed. “yeah, i think i do.”

you nodded, rapping your knuckles against the wooden table you stared at him, “are you sure it isn’t the guilt of having witnessed her father die? are you sure it’s not the emotions towards the grief that you felt bad for her?” marc shook his head, “this isn’t fair, i told you-“

“told me what, marc? told me how you were going to emotionally cheat on me with some girl and now you’re telling me that you’re leaving me so you can go consummate the relationship you had pulled completely out of your ass?” you stalked towards him, marc stood his ground but you were irrationally angry, “does she even know who you are? what,” the words were venomous, filled with poison as if they dropped off a knife, you tongue flayed him open like a dagger, “you are?”

marc kept his voice even, “you don’t think i didn’t think about that?” he asked and you shrugged, “truly didn’t think you had enough brain capacity to even take that into account. just how you took into account my feelings.”

marc scoffed, “i thought that i was unlovable. until i met you and you loved me-“

you held up a hand, “so because i fixed you, you think that gives her the right to take you away from me? that my hard work, that the years i endured your insufferable antics, and she could just take that away like a kid with candy?”

marc didn’t say anything, he just let his head sink low and you found that as answer enough.

“fuck you.”

with steven

you still got his voicemails from time to time. it was odd, after having separated yourself from the life marc had built, from the alters you had once called home, and from the familiarity that london was, you had abandoned marc spector and co. and left to mexico, a place where marc hadn’t bore his venomous touch to.

“hi darling. just finished up at the museum and headed home now. just wanted to check up on how you were. i miss you. i bought a stuffed taweret because i know that was your favorite goddess. please call me, or at least respond to the pictures of gus, he misses his mother.” stevens voice was soft, playful on the other end. you shut your phone off and deleted the voice message. you could barely stand to listen to it, let alone have it live in your phone constantly.

the messages stopped coming after a few months. it was confusing because you had started to look forward to the monthly debriefing that steven provided, a small insight to marc’s life after you. but you suspiciously gazed at your phone before shutting it off, shrugging off the ache that you felt in your belly.

“y/n! marc has met this amazing lady, her name is layla and she’s been helping us a lot recently with a few problems with khonshu and ammit. it’s a long story and i apologize for not filling you in, i know how busy life can be now when you’ve actually got one!” he chuckled on the other end, “anyway. layla is amazing, she’s marc’s wife which would technically make her mine, and i hope you don’t mind since you’re my girlfriend and bur she’s not technically married to steven with a v, so don’t get mad-“ he kept rambling but after hearing wife, your heartbeat seemed to roar in your ears, and all you could hear was the blood pulsing in your head as you sat in silence.

you blocked the phone number and decided to call it over. marc spector and steven grant were done in your life, you had nothing else to lose.

with jake

you could lie and say that you stayed clear of marc spector and co. but jake lockley always had his favorite things in life, and his pretty girl was one of his favorites. and you couldn’t help but miss him, miss his scent and smile.

he couldn’t stay away. day and night, he would stay up to drive around london, looking for you, hoping you’d come back. little did any of them know was that you were sun bathing in mexico, and not rushing through the stormy weather that was london, but jake still had hope. he masturbated to the thought of your hips, the way your body felt on his, but slowly those memories faded and he could no longer remember what your skin felt like under his touch. he couldn’t remember if you electrified with his touch, or if you danced with the moon.

he couldn’t remember. that’s what infuriated him above all. that anger fueled him, fueled his need to kill, murder and hurt those he believed were responsible for your disappearance. the other two nerds refused to say anything, and jake felt disgusted that they stopped pursuing you, and that they instead decided to occupy their time with her.

jake declared you’d never be her, and when she left running in tears, he was viciously proud of himself.

jake chastised the others in the mirror, curses and a string of insults later, jake would be so exhausted sometimes he’d op out of searching for you, even when he knew the entire thing was fruitless, he couldnt forget you.

but when you showed up on his doorstep, jake saw your face blur with her’s, and he internally cursed himself for forgetting your face, forgetting his pretty girl.

#marvel imagine #avengers x fem!reader #marvel x reader #avengers imagine #avengers x reader #jake lockley x reader #marc spector x reader #steven grant x y/n #steven grant x reader #moon knight angst #marc spector angst #steven grant angst #jake lockley angst #marc x layla #marvel angst #marc spector fluff #marc spector smut #steven grant imagine #steven grant fluff #steven grant smut #jake lockley smut #moon knight oneshot #avengers smut

[crystallizedtwilight]

Have there been emotional moments between LB? Or Lock or Barrel being sad? Is there possible to see more fluff with them? Love your art of Lock and Barrel together.

below the cut!

Aside from the general trauma bonding that took place whilst living in fear of Boogie, there fortunately haven’t been too many sad days after Boogie is gone. There is only one of major note, which wasn’t between Lock and Barrel, but rather Lock and Shock:

The biggest meltdown Lock ever had was when Shock started coven studies.

He had an extremely difficult time when Shock announced she was going to start spending a few days a month with the coven, learning from the more experienced witches in town and improving her magic. For Shock, this was a matter of bettering herself, a dream she needed to pursue to feel happy and fulfilled. However, Lock was mortified, feeling like she was abandoning them or breaking their trio in some way.

He hated the idea of “sharing” her with outsiders. He also couldn’t relate to Shock reaching out for help from others (something he finds incredibly difficult to do). He had a very firm Us vs. The World attitude that saw him through his younger days, and he couldn't fathom the idea that his friends might be open to letting others assist. He was angry with her, purposefully starting irrelevant arguments, and when she had to leave for a week to study a moon ritual they ended things on bad terms. Barrel could see how distressed he was and tried to comfort him: 

“She’s not ditching us, Lock. She just…has a dream she’s got to follow.”

“Yeah? Well if feels fucking shitty being second best to that dream.” 

“It’s not like that. She still cares about us. She just cares about this, too.” 

“I don’t get it! I always thought all we needed was each other! But I guess…”

Lock’s whole expression fell at his own realization, brow furrowed, gold eyes brimming with tears as he stared unseeingly at the floor,

“…I-I guess the only person who needed this was me.”

“Lock…” 

“Are you gonna leave, too?” Lock’s voice was small and hurt, strained with the struggle not to cry. Naturally, Barrel pulled him into a hug, holding him almost too tightly to steady Lock’s shaking as the tears started.

“No, I’m not leaving you. Never.” 

Lock sobbed a lot that week and every night he slept in Barrel’s room because he couldn’t be alone.

When Shock returned from her retreat, Barrel pulled her aside and let her know that Lock was really broken up about all of this and that is why he was being so irritable with her lately.

Completely surprised by this, Shock decided to take a gentler approach. She found Lock on the roof and sat beside him so they could have a heart-to-heart. 

“I’m not leaving for good, you know.”

“You can do whatever you want. I don’t care,” Lock said, knees pulled to his chest, arms crossed over them, avoiding eye contact.

Instead of initiating another fight, Shock understood the issue better now, seeing Lock’s insecurities on full display.

“You and Barrel are always gonna be my best friends, you know that, right?”

Lock was silent. 

“Having several dreams doesn’t mean choosing between them. I’m not leaving because I don’t like you guys, I’m leaving because I want to like me more. I want to be proud of myself, you know? Live up to my full potential. And you guys are a part of that, even if we’re not together every second.”

“So, you’ll still be around, right? You won’t decide you like them more than us one day and stop coming back to the treehouse?”

“Hey, someone’s gotta keep you in line. I’m the leader of the group, after all!” Shock said, brightly.

“I’m the leader.”

“Birds of a feather?” Shock offered.

“Now and forever.” Lock echoed with a small smile.