#to which she vehemently went GASP NO

[luv4freddie]

Coward - S.B

Sirius Black hated being a coward, but something about your presence always turned him into one. Everyone has had enough and you refuse to let him get away with it again.

Sirius x fem!reader, non house specific, mostly fluff and comedy, a spicy kiss but that’s as suggestive as it gets, yn is a bad b, drinking, 1128 words

Sirius Black was many things, depending on who you asked— a gryffindor, a “bad boy”, a blood traitor, a marauder— the list went on. But one thing Sirius vehemently denied was being a coward.

“That’s literally the opposite of being in Gryffindor. Of course I’m not!” He would argue.

And maybe he was right, in most situations.

But when it came to you— Sirius Black was as cowardly as they get, a fact his friends had not failed to notice.

“Mate, are you just gonna stare all night?” James questions, following his friends gaze to the same place it’s been since you entered the common room.

“What? I don’t know what you mean,” he says defensively, turning his head and tipping back the rest of his fire whiskey.

“He means you’re being a little coward,” Remus chimed helpfully from where he leaned against one of the walls.

“I’m not a coward!”

“Why’s Siri being a coward now?”

Your voice rings sweetly in his ears, and Sirius’s face lights up despite the fact that you’d just insulted him.

“Hi.”

You look at him in confusion, “hi?”

He says nothing else, just refilling his cup, and you look at his friends in confusion, only to see the same look reflected on James and Remus.

They teased him a lot about you, but they knew Sirius was good with girls; they figured he just hadn’t had the chance to woo you.

But seeing the painful interaction between the two of you they now realized they were wrong.

Your mere presence turned notorious ladies man Sirius Black into a full fledged loser in love.

“Refill?” Sirius asked, gesturing to the cup in your hand.

“Sure.”

He sets his drink down on the table and refills your cup, turning around to return the alcohol to its spot on the table before stopping and looking at the two plastic cups.

“Uh,” he looks around, hoping no one has noticed, but you’re already smirking at him.

“Forget which one was which?”

“Maybe.” He sounds dejected, and you grin, grabbing the drink you know is yours. “Are you sure that’s the right one?”

You laugh, “why, are you scared of cooties?”

“We’ll no but I-”

“Relax, Sirius, if we’re swapping spit it’s not gonna be like this.”

He blanches at your comment, but the wink you throw him as you disappear back into the crowd immediately restores color to his face.

James laughs hysterically, watching his friend gasp like a fish out of water, and even Sirius’s glare can’t make him stop.

“Dude. You’re such a loser.”

“Shut it, Prongs.”

Two hours later and Sirius has finally recovered, the liquid courage flowing through his veins as he winks to intimidated third years standing in the corner or Hufflepuffs who have made their way into the party.

“Truth or dare time!!” James bellows, and the huge crowd quickly forms into a circle.

“Lily flower, truth or dare,” he starts.

She chooses truth, knowing better than to get dared to go on a date with him.

She ends up answering that no, she does not have an unexplainable hatred for people with curly hair, just him.

She asks Marlene next, who ends up trading shirts with Peter, and Peter chooses Sirius.

“Dare. I’m no coward.” He drawls confidently, and a few of the third years look like they might just faint.

All three of his friends smirk at this, having been expecting it after riling him up about it for so long.

“Fine. Kiss the prettiest person in the room.”

‘Ooooo’s ring out from everyone in the circle, and Sirius steels his face as he crosses the circle.

The third years frown, but you grin as Sirius approaches you.

“Yn?”

“Yes Siri?” You look up at him through your eyelashes.

“Can you scoot over please?”

You try to cover your shock, moving a step to the left as he swaggers past you and straight up to— a mirror.

The boys’ groans echo throughout the room as he places a smooch on the glass and strides back to his place in the circle.

“Coward,” comes a cough from his right, and Sirius’ eyes shoot daggers at James.

“Coward,” your cough echoes his best mates.

“Coward,” Remus and Peter let out suspicious sounding coughs at the same time.

When Lily joins in, not knowing why but just liking to rile the Marauders up at any given chance, he finally breaks.

“Merlin’s bloody ballsack,” he huffs, grabbing your forearm and marching you out of the portrait hole.

He lets go of you once you’re in the silent hallway, and you look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“Why did you do that?”

You laugh.

“I didn’t even start it! Why didn’t you drag James out here? Or one of your other best friends?”

He glared at you.

“Because you’re different!”

“And why’s that?” You challenge, stepping closer to him and looking defiantly in his eyes. “Why am I different?”

You knew Sirius acted different around you. You recognized the way he would blunder over his words or drop his quill when you approached him.

It was the same way you’d acted around him in fourth year, when you’d had a helpless crush on him and he was too busy enjoying his newfound charisma to “settle down” with just one girl.

Since then, you’d grown up. You grew in confidence (and a few other areas) and now you were sure Sirius was interested in you, even if he was too much of a coward to do something about it.

“You don’t even know!” He shouts, although you both know that’s not what he meant to say.

But you weren’t going to let him off that easy.

“Oh I know plenty, Siri.” Your face is getting closer now, and his breath catches in is throat. “If you weren’t a coward, nothing would have stopped you from kissing me in there.”

You know you’ve won before he moves, but soon his hands are on each side of your face and his lips are pressed into yours.

You let him push you against the wall, tangling your hands in his hair as you kiss him back.

He looks pained when he has to pull away to gasp out a breath, but he grins when he sees you smiling up at him.

“Now that wasn’t so hard was it?”

Your teases are shushed as he kisses you again, before dragging you back into the common room.

“Call me a coward again, pricks,” he yells as he stands on a table and dips you low to kiss you like a bride on her wedding day.

His friends cheer, and you can’t help but laugh once you’re fully upright again.

Sirius was many things— your boyfriend now one of them.

#sirius black x reader #sirius black x fem!reader #sirius black scenario #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black one shot #sirius black fluff #marauders fanfiction #marauders oneshot #marauders fluff #harry potter boys #marauders x reader #marauders x y/n

[woso-fan13]

Rough Day

Today has been a rough day. There wasn’t any one big thing, rather a whole slew of somewhat minor things. 

You should have known it was going to be a bad day when your alarm went off. You could have sworn that you had hit the snooze button, but you must have hit the off button, because the next thing you notice is the sun coming in the room while someone’s pounding at the door. 

Because of your impromptu lie in, you had missed breakfast. Thankfully, Tobin had slipped you a granola bar when you got on the bus. You took one bite of it before realizing that this granola bar must have been older than you and disgusting even in its prime. It quickly found its way into a garbage can. 

And, because nothing was going your way, it of course had to be fitness testing day. It’s part of your job and it’s a privilege to be able to play amongst these girls- but you still absolutely hated the beep test. You spent your morning doing sprints and drills on any empty stomach. 

Finally, there was a break for lunch. And with all of the love and respect in the world for the nutrition staff, it was not good. You managed a few bites of it before sliding it away and grabbing a bottled smoothie and a piece of fruit. You would have done all of the fitness tests again for a peanut butter sandwich, but you knew you would have been told off for not following the team diet. 

Then came afternoon practice, which was actually pretty great, until the end. In the last half hour, you got to scrimmage and you almost scored a beautiful goal. Except Kelley took you out before you managed to and clipped your ankle. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it still hurt. 

Dinner was fine- it was definitely better than lunch. Nothing really special happened, which was probably a good thing at this point. You just had to make it through dinner and team movie night before you could go to bed. Hopefully, everything will be better tomorrow. 

But, because you were living in a nightmare day, of course movie night had to go wrong. Some of the youngsters kept insisting on a horror movie, which you were vehemently against. You hadn’t said anything before, not wanting your teammates to think you were a baby. Well, more of a baby. They already made fun of you for the fact that you were just barely old enough to drive, you didn’t need them thinking you weren’t old enough to watch a scary movie. 

But, today, enough was enough. You couldn’t handle one more thing not going your way, so you stood up for yourself. 

“No,” you whispered before saying loudly, “no.”

Your teammates all looked at you in shock, surprised by the fact that you had raised your voice. 

“Aww, c’mon, Y/N,” Sam said, “please? It’s not even that scary.”

You shake your head, “no.”

“Don’t be such a baby, it’s just a movie,” Sam responded. 

And then you broke. 

“N- no. I said no. No, I don’t- I don’t want it. No no no.” You’re crying at this point, a rushed mess of refusals. You’re sobbing, gasping for breath as your words become unintelligible. 

Your teammates are stunned, unaware of your bad day that had led to this point. Over 20 pairs of eyes are staring at you, unsure as to what to do. 

Finally, Tobin comes up behind you, wrapping her arms around you. You freak out, fighting to get out of her arms. She simply holds on tighter, picking you up from the bed. It’s not a comfortable position for either of you, but she wanted to get you away from the crowd who was watching your breakdown like it was a movie. 

Tobin looks at Christen before nodding her head at the door, the other woman getting up and holding the door open for Tobin to wrangle your uncooperative, fighting, breathless body out into the hallway. Christen pulls the door shut and Tobin puts her back to it, sliding down with you still in her arms. On the other side of the door, Kristie is laying into her sister. 

You’re sitting between Tobin’s legs, your back to her chest. One of her arms is wrapped over your arms and torso, keeping them locked down. Her other hand is on your forehead, holding your thrashing head still and pressing it into her shoulder. She’s cooing softly into your ear, coaching you through your breathing and murmuring sweet things. 

“Big breath in, good, hold it, okay, big breath out. You’re doing so well, kiddo, another big breath in and hold. Good, good, and let it out. You’re okay, you’re safe. Breathe in, hold. I’m so proud of you- let it out- so, so proud of you. Just keep breathing, I’m not going anywhere.”

As Tobin coaches you through your breathing, Christen sits on the floor across the hall. She’s not quite close enough to touch you, giving you space. She’s sitting cross-legged, calmly breathing and watching. She watches as your fighting slowly lessens, eventually becoming limp in Tobin’s arms. You’re breathing evens out, and- a few minutes later- your tears stop. 

You’re so tired, but you’re finally calm. Tobin relaxes her grip slightly, no longer containing you but keeping the reassuring pressure. You turn slightly, burying your head into her neck as you hiccup. It’s quiet, it’s calm, it’s warm, it’s dark. It’s okay. 

You’re unaware how much time passes before you feel a gentle hand settle on your head, running gently through your hair. You knew it couldn’t be Tobin, both of her arms still firmly wrapped around you. 

You take your head out of your safe place, still resting it heavily on Tobin’s shoulder. Christen is crouched in front of you, a soft frown on her face. You had been so wrapped up in your head that you hadn’t realized that she was there. You hadn’t even realized that you were no longer in the room with everyone else, but you can bet that you have Tobin to thank for that. 

Christen gives you a small smile, moving her hands to rest on the sides of your face. Her thumbs rub gently, brushing away the tear tracks. She doesn’t release her grip when she’s finished, just keeping your head in her hands for a minute and staring at your tired face. Your eyes were red and puffy, giant bags under your eyes. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says softly, “I think you’ve had a hard day.”

You stay quiet, only nodding slightly. You feel Tobin press a kiss to the top of your head, reassuring you. 

Christen nods in response, standing up. Once on her feet, she reaches down for you. You reach up for her, allowing her to hook her hands under your armpits and pull you off of the floor and into her arms. Your arms and legs wrap around her, your tired head resting on her shoulder. 

Tobin scrambles up from the floor and heads toward their room. You don’t pay attention as they walk past your room, Tobin opening their door and holding it as Christen carries you in. You were beyond exhausted at this point, and when Christen tries to set you on the bed, your grip tightens. She chuckles, sitting in the bed as you cling to her. She keeps one arm wrapped around you, the other rubbing your back. 

Tobin comes over a minute later, holding a pair of pajamas. The two women quickly help you into them, the clothes swamping your body. You’re still sitting on Christen’s lap, leaning heavily against her. Tobin has settled next to the two of you, the three of you quiet. 

You’re almost asleep when Christen makes a move to shift you to lay on the bed. You whine, and she instantly readjusts you into her lap. Your breathing slows down, your body completely relaxed for the first time in a long time. 

Christen looks over to where Tobin is watching you closely, as if something’s going to happen to you. 

“She’s okay,” Christen whispers, reassuring her. “She’s going to be okay, we’ve got her.”

#uswnt woso #uswnt x reader #womens soccer #uswnt imagine #woso imagines #reader insert #uswnt players #woso x reader #woso imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt reader #woso fanfics #woso #woso soccer #uswntsoccer #uswnt fanfic

[halfmoonshines]

soft spot

damon salvatore x reader

summary; you're injured in a fight with a rogue vampire who breezed into town, and Damon is being weird about it

hurt/comfort

----

You tried to stay hidden in the shadows outside of the streetlight, but your rapid heartbeat probably would've given you away either way.

"Who the hell is this guy?" You heard Damon mutter from the spot he was tossed just a few feet away from you, dusting the dirt from the trash cans he'd squished like cardboard. His ice blue eyes spared you a quick glance but didn't say a word, trying not to draw any attention your way.

Damon intervened as Caroline was struggling to grapple with the stranger. In the span of a moment, she was on the ground groaning with a broken arm and he had launched the assailant to give them a chance to regroup - right toward you.

You couldn't help the little gasp that you emitted, no matter how much time you spent around these creatures this was a vampire. One in particular who would have no hang ups about snapping your neck.

Per their supernatural hearing, it didn't take long for the mans vicious senses to find you, and took half as long for him to have a bruising hand around your neck.

The sound of Damon yelling your name was distant in the background, you were focused on the threat literally snarling in your face.

"Don't you smell good?"

That was as far as the stranger managed to get before Damon had the broken handle of a broom protruding from his back. His grip slipped off your throat as his body slid sideways and you toppled to the ground, heading bouncing off the pavement hard enough for you to see stars.

Damon's voice was faint to you again, but you could hear him begging for your attention. Caroline was in the background too, in panicked discussion with someone over the phone. You couldn't get your eyes to focus though, hair becoming wet and warm.

The eldest Salvatore's touch on you was feather light, his mouth still moving with words he wanted you to latch onto but you had already lost the dance with consciousness.

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The first thing you were aware of when you woke up in a bed was that it was decidedly not yours. The next thing you noticed was that you weren't in any pain, just a bit stiff when you went to sit up from the bed. Someone had definitely given you blood, which was against every rule her and her friends had discussed, but from the smell of the sheets behind you - Damon wouldn't have cared either way.

You made your way out of the room and down the stairs, vaguely knowing the layout of the boarding house from your handful of times actually coming inside. Over the last few months you had become dangerously intertwined in Elena's grapple with the supernatural, despite Bonnie's vehement advice to go as far as possible. You were emancipated, you could switch schools and move to Pennsylvania.

No, you couldn't. Once your conscious had been opened to everything around you, once you were aware of the dangers of the dark - you could never ignore that. Better the evil you know.

Speaking of.

You came upon Damon in his favorite spot, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand while he leaned up against the fireplace. The suit jacket he had been wearing earlier that night was discarded on the couch behind him, a small amount of blood on the collar of his shirt still.

"You always look so broody." Poking fun at him might not be in your best interest, but you figured you'd give it a go. Over the last few months, your and Damon's relationship had morphed into something you couldn't quite understand, but moments like these had seemed to become more comfortable between you.

"I believe you're confusing me with my much broodier younger brother." Damon's words were laced with sarcasm, but his tone didn't have a hint of amusement.

You felt suddenly awkward, in his space and home. Just because you had gotten kind of comfortable lately didn't mean he wanted to be around you.

"Well, thanks for the whole life saving thing." You began to babble nervously, a faint pink glow to your cheeks. "I'll get out of your hair. Sorry for taking your bed, I don't even know what time it is-" You had begun turning toward the door, making to just leave and find a way home. How you could this age and still flustered in front of attractive men, especially murderous ones was beyond you.

Damon appearing in front of you almost made your heart stop, hair stirring at his incredibly fast movements. He was barely a foot away, his piercing gaze holding your confused one. From this close you could smell just how much he had probably drank.

"Are you... okay, Damon?" Your voice wavered a bit under the heat of his stare and you saw the muscle in his jaw working overtime while he looked like he was debating whether or not he wanted to actually say anything to you.

"You don't have to thank me for saving you when you were in danger because of me." His eyes had drifted from your eyes to your neck, voice whisper quiet.

Vulnerability was the last thing you expected from the man standing over you. "What do you mean? It wasn't your fault. Just wrong place, wrong time and I so happen to be the weakest link." You hoped your voice conveyed even a bit of humor.

His eyes snapped back up to yours, head tilting slightly while he assessed you. Damon's hand rose to grab a lock of your hair, twirling it around his finger in thought. Your breath caught in your throat, feeling like you were on the precipice of something.

"My weakest link, maybe. Have I told you how much I like your hair?" His voice was still quiet, an innocent lilt.

Your mind was reeling, half drunk on his closeness and hazed by confusion. Where was this coming from? Had he drank a small liquor store and now he was confusing her for her much more appealing best friend?

"Damon, I'm not sure how much you've had to drink, but I'm happy to brew you a pot of coffee. Does that even work for vampires?"

You had started to pull away, making to turn toward the kitchen but Damon was infinitely faster than you. His drink was discarded, one hand going to your upper arm and the other to your waist, tugging you back into his vicinity.

"On the contrary, I don't think I've ever been so sure minded, sparrow. I'm sorry for not protecting you tonight." His voice was tight now, the warmth of his hands tingling down your body.

"It's not your fault, or job, Damon." Your voice had quieted to match his, all humor leaving. You didn't know where this guilt had come from, but it was misplaced. Since you'd met Damon he'd made some bad decisions, but you had also seen his sacrifice so much for the sake of the team. Even if others didn't acknowledge it, he didn't need to add anymore to his plate.

"I'd like it to be. My job." His reply was lightning quick, eyes pinning yours in place.

Were you dreaming?

Damon's signature smirk was visible for a split second, telling you that your confusion was written all over your face. "I think that I'm asking you, in the most coming of age movie way, if you'd like to go steady?"

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send any fic requests here!! all comments/criticisms/requests welcome

#damon salvatore #tvd #vampire diaries #tvd fic #self insert #damon salvatore x reader #damon salvatore fic #my work #my works

[blorbologist]

Just wanted to be brave like you

Gen | 1.7k | Perc’ahlia and little Vesper | Modern AU | Just fuckin sad

Cross-posted to AO3

--

She’d warned him.

Vex had taken her husband aside when it became clear this film was on the agenda for the day. “Percy, darling,” she’d said, all filed edges and feather soft, “you don’t have to-”

“I do,” he’d insisted just as gently. “I’m not missing out on time with the women of my life because of a movie. Not an obligation, but a pleasure.” Then, wry: “Besides, we’ve both seen worse. Been through worse. The reviews are great, Keyleth has recommended it for as long as I can remember. Now is as good a time as any.”

“Are you sure?” And she’d pulled back to scrutinize him. Vex’ahlia is and always has been very good at that. There are no lies in him for her to find, though he suspected that’s not what she was looking for. “Percy, it made Vax sob the first time we watched it after our mother-”

She fell short of words, so he went the extra mile to find some for her: “I know, I know, dear. But it’s Vax. He’s like that. It’s a silly movie, and I have you both to protect me. It’ll be fine. Please?”

“Alright, darling. If you’re sure.”

She’d warned him, and he hadn’t listened.

Percy buries his face in Vex’s shoulder, waits for the music to pick up a little louder, and uses all this to cover a pathetic, wet sniffle.

Peeking through his lashes, it does not seem like Vesper noticed, too enraptured by the television screen. 

She clutches her stuffie to her chest with a gasp. The dusty scene glides slowly over the still golden form of a magnificent beast.

“Dad?”

Vesper mouths no - he thinks, because his eyes are burning and he really can’t look a second longer. Percival de Rolo has another embarrassing, probably snotty sniffle in his wife’s (his, but she’s stolen it) sweater. 

Why the fuck is he, a grown man, getting weepy over animated lions?!

Bless his wife - no I told you so, just a calloused hand running through his hair, over and over.

“Dad, c’mon,” begs Simba - he thinks it’s named Simba, “you gotta get up. We’ve got to go home.” 

And fool that he is he looks up just in time to see the cub tug at his father’s ear - oh gods, just like at the beginning of the movie when he woke him up for the patrol - and the horror, the realization -

Percival does not say fuck because he is the father of a five-year-old. He comes close, though, because even a vehement “Fudge,” is wholly incapable of conveying how truly wretched he feels. 

He knew the stupid lion was going to die. The film is just about as old as he is, and Vex had warned him repeatedly. For all that he never watched these movies growing up, Percy was not found under a rock either - everyone knows Mufasa dies.

It’s just something else, to be presented with the desperate loneliness again. This can’t be happening. He can’t be gone, they can’t be gone. Help - somebody, anybody, help. (And no one did.)

“Percy?” Vex murmurs, and he can hardly hear her beyond the raspy breathing. His raspy breathing. Oh dear. 

“‘m coping,” he gets out.

They both freeze when Vesper starts whimpering. Percy just has time to see her cheeks become tantrum-red before she bubbles into hiccups.

“Vesper, sweetheart - what’s wrong?” 

The words are a trigger - springloaded, she spins around to bury her face in Percy’s chest with a sob that breaks his darned heart. “I don’t want you to go-” she sobs, and that heart crumbles to dust in tiny hands when she takes fistfulls of his shirt. 

“Dear,” and he’s so watery, he doesn’t want his baby to see him like this, surely it’ll make it worse, “I’m not going anywhere-”

“He promised! Papa, he promised!” He gets a shaking hand to the nape of her neck, rubbing soothing circles that do little to make him feel better. They don’t seem to help Vesper, either, who clings tighter. She also makes a very obvious smear of snot, which, really, is enough to get a choked laugh from him. 

Vex might have paused the television - Percy can’t be sure, when she shuffles around to hug them both. “Vesper - little Whisper,” Vex whispers, barely beyond tears herself, “what do you want, sweetheart?”

“I want Daddy,” she sobs, “and - and you, and me, and - and-”

Vex’s free hand takes up running through as much of Vesper’s hair as she can. It usually works on her just as well as it does Percy - instead their little girl jerks back, almost offended her mother thinks she can soothe this new pain. 

“He’s alone! His - his Papa’s dead and he’s alone and he promised-”

“It’s just a movie,” Percy warbles. Takes a moment to sound less devastated than his child. She needs him. “Vesper, darling, it’s okay. There are no stampedes here, no evil lions. We’re not going anywhere - I promise, I give you my word.”

He can’t promise that. 

He knows better than anyone, anyone at all. There’s worse than wildebeest, worse than evil uncles. Long live the king, death to the de Rolos, there’s little difference. 

But he’s a father, now, he’s Vesper’s father, and if this is her reaction to the understanding that he could die - that he could be gone - he will build every bulwark, every defense against her ever experiencing this heartbreak as he has. Fuck tragedy, age, accidents - he won’t leave his family. He won’t. Death will have to face him, and he’s got good odds that death will lose.

Death had won back then, though, which makes him clutch Vesper tighter.

One day. But he will fight for each one he has with them. And knows well Vex will do the same.

It goes around like that - the DVD player faintly whirring in protest, here and there, as Vesper keeps repeating the tragedy in her mind, as Vex and Percy keep trying to soothe her of it. 

Vex shoulders most of it. Percy is still in much of a state himself, to his shame. Bouts of comfort before he needs to take some for himself: Vesper’s hazel eyes made dark grey by the film of tears, or his grief-rough voice sounding like his father’s to his ears. 

It’s not fair to Vex, to be juggling the both of them. He hates this, badly, but struggling to keep his breathing even just makes it buck his control and throw him into more crying.

He has a family, now. Vex and Vesper and Cass and Vax and Keyleth and Velora and those bound to him by no law but forces greater than them. No one here is alone, and never will be again.

“Daddy, you’re sad.”

Well, so much for hiding it. Percy cannot exactly wipe away the tears regardless - hands full and all, and unlike his progeny he is not going to wipe snot on his shirt. “I guess I am,” he admits. 

“You -” Vesper has to pause to work through the words - stuck somewhere in her throat, he thinks, maybe wiggling in her mouth like a frog, he knows the feeling. “You don’t-”

He leans into Vex’s touch. An anchor for the wave he knows is coming. He takes the time he can to measure his breathing before Vesper says, “I - Daddy, you don’t have a daddy.”

“No - no, sweetheart, I don’t.”

(He doesn’t include the list, the tombstone-script of names. He’s lost so much more than his father, but he supposes that’s a good place to start. Let alone Vex’s mother. One at a time, or he’ll break again and break worse and Vesper doesn’t need that.)

Vesper looks up at him with streaming eyes. “I’m sorry, Papa.” She squeezes him with all her might - which is considerable, to him. So much love to give and with no remorse. Those perfect little brows - more Vex’s than his - furrow something fierce, and she struggles just free enough of his hold to offer her stuffy. Who is also covered in snot. “’m sorry. Will - will Bauble make it better?”

And oh, fuck, he isn’t ready for that. 

“Thank you, dear,” he says solemnly. “Yes - yes, Bauble makes it better.”

He lets Vesper press the owlbear (it was supposed to be a bear, but - Velora, dear, that’s a beak) to his chest, where his heart struggles to pet it. 

“I love you, Papa.”

She says it often. More than daily, more times than he can count - and he has tried, diligently, to count and treasure each one.

This one makes his face melt into something awful, and Vesper looks so worried, so scared, and it’s because of the stupid animated lions - 

He must have made a gods-awful sound, this time, because there’s a racket of tags and claws on the hardwood as a brown blur bounds over from the kitchen and launches himself at the couch. 

Which he’s not supposed to be on, strictly speaking, but who could keep Vax from encouraging the habit? And who would dare fault him now when all the de Rolos shriek. 

“Trinket,” Vex scolds, hardly scolding at all. “Down, buddy!” 

He just wuffles and noses Vesper’s ear until she wails with giggles, shoving her open palms at their dog. Those get licked too.

It’s very hard to cry when a huge fluffy dog is whining at you for every whimper and licking at your mouth until they turn into laughs.

Percy will be sure to sneak him a little ham, later. 

“Tell you what,” says Vex, in his ear. Vesper wiggles to look up at her, too. What must their daughter see? Vex is too close and his eyes too damp to make out much of her beyond redder than normal and shaky. What a portrait, what a distressing sight. “You remember what the daddy lion -”

Sniffle. “Mufasa, Mama.”

She smiles. “- what Mufasa said earlier? About the great kings of the past?” Trinket’s collar rustles when Vex ruffles his soft ears. “Later tonight, after supper, we can go look at the stars, and… talk to them. Would you like that, darling?”

Percy is fairly sure she means Vesper. But when their daughter pinches her eyes shut - overwhelmed? To think? - she’s looking at him with eyes he’d surrender his fears to. 

Would he like that?

“Yes, Mummy,” Vesper burbles, with a final rub of her fist to her nose. She then pats Percy’s arm, snot and all. “Can - can we keep watching the movie, Papa?”

“It gets scary,” Vex warns gently. A glance at the screen confirms that Scar looms, some shadows in the dust behind him. “If it’s too much, just tell us and we can stop, alright darling?”

“Trinket will protect you,” Percy adds quietly. The thump of a stubby tail seconds that.

Vesper nods so bravely. “Alright.”

Dutifully, Vex - the only one with a free arm to reach the remote, and with the least gross hands - presses play, and soon enough the thrilling music and fast-paced chase have Vesper distracted again. Even Trinket watches, with his old eyes, laying his head on her little lap.

Percy brands a kiss to Vex’s brow. As hard as he dares.

She hugs him a touch too tight. It’s a promise.

#im Fine im totally Fine im so Fine im So okay I dont have Issues regarding dads dying i swear #critical role #cr fanfic #critical role fanfiction #perc'ahlia #percahlia #percival de rolo #percy de rolo #vesper de rolo #de rolo family #vex'ahlia #modern au #my writing #just a lil ficlet to get over some writer's block

[justawriterofthings]

Home Safe

Requested: Can I request a Frank Castle Fanfic? Maybe something where they're together (they also live together) and one night Frank comes home brutally beaten up and the reader treats his wounds as usual but then starts crying because she's worried?

Warnings:  swearing, descriptions of injuries

Word Count: 800~

Author’s Note: Ya’ll I’m the worst and I know it.  But here’s a requested fic.  Don’t hate me too much

Frank had been gone for hours without checking in.  You watched him leave the bed with groggy eyes before the sun was even up.  Now the sun had set and there was still no word from him.  The pit in your stomach had grown exponentially bigger as the day went on, but now that the day was over and Frank still wasn’t home you were beyond worried.  “He normally says something by now.”  You whispered to yourself, pacing in the living room. The cellphone in your hand was getting warm and sweaty from the iron grip you had on it. you hadn't noticed your fingers turning white from the straining.

There was nothing you could find to relax.  Every possible scenario you came up in your head of why he hadn’t contacted you was worse than the last.  Most of them ended with him being dead, and with the way Frank operated it was entirely possible.  He never told you about his work, but you knew it wasn’t good or safe.  All you knew for sure was that he would come home beat to shit sometimes and you would have to patch, disinfect, or stich him up.  Most of the time his injuries weren’t too bad, but sometimes you thought it would be better if the hospital saw him.  Frank was vehemently against hospitals, which made you worry more. 

You decided to make a cup of tea to calm your nerves a little, since it was now four in the morning and there was still no word from Frank.  When the kettle started to whistle was when you heard the front door open.  Abandoning it completely, the pot still screaming, you rushed to the door.  There was Frank, looking like hell, using the doorway to prop himself up. 

“Jesus, Frank.”  Your voice barely came through the rush of air escaping your lungs at the sight of him. Doing a quick once over, you saw he was dripping blood from somewhere and it was starting to slowly pool at his feet.

“Shut that fucking thing off, Y/N.”  Frank’s voice was weak, but you could hear the agitation in his tone.  So, you quickly shuffled back into the kitchen and shut the burner off and removed the kettle from the heat.  Then just as quickly retreated back to Frank.  You grabbed the first aid kit you kept by the front door for situations like this one as he slowly made his way to the couch.  You could see he was in pain, and for Frank it must have been bad.  You tried to hold back the emotions that came flooding forward at the sight of him this way.  You had to be calm to stitch him up. 

“You know the drill.”  You couldn’t help but choke the words out and this got his attention.  Frank stared up at you, aggravated and tired, but you could see some concern behind his hard eyes.  He didn’t address it though.  Instead, he lifted his shirt off, struggling with his left shoulder.  You looked over at it and gasped.  “You got stabbed.”  It wasn’t a question.

“The other guy got it worse.”  His words seemed cold and that’s what sent you over the edge.  Tears flowing freely now, you tried to wipe them away but there was no use.  “Y/N…” He stated but you just placed a finger on his lips.  Nothing he said could make you feel better, not when he was sitting in front of you with god knows how many stab wounds.. or worse. What if something was punctured? How far did he have to walk? Why didn't he call?

You tried to push all the questions down and sit in silence while you patched him up. The tears slowed but your eyes stung and your vision was too blurry to be of any real help.  Sighing out a huff in frustration, you got up from your seat and headed to the bathroom, wiping the sorrow from your eyes as you padded down the hall. Once there you turned the shower and called to Frank. Silence.

“You need to clean them.”   You called, your voice annoyed he hadn’t answered you.  Frank didn’t say a word, you only heard his shuffles to the bathroom to tell you he heard you.  it was a little more silence until you finally couldn’t take it. “I want you to stop this.” Silent tears rolled down your hot cheeks.  Frank looked up at you with only sadness.  “i know.”  Was all he had said the rest of the night.  You threw different alternatives for work at him and he just shot them down with a disapproving nod. 

But you knew, knew deep down this was his life and now it was yours.  You had to play nurse on the bad nights. But after the very short conversation and all your tears, he made it up to you in the following days.  He promised he would be more careful, he started checking in with you while he was on jobs, even brought you gifts all the nights he was away for longer than a few hours.  Anything to ease your worried mind a little he tried to do; because to see you cry over him like that broke his heart and he would do anything in his power to never see you cry like that over him again. He vowed he would make it home safe to you after that night.     

#frank/reader #frank castle #frank castle/reader #frank castle imagine #writing #fanfic #fanfiction blog #reader insert #fanfiction #reader insert fics #one shot #requested #reader #the punisher reader insert #the punisher #the punisher imagine

[biasedwriting]

the finest gossamer [VIXX, Leo] M

Characters : VIXX's Leo / OC

Regency! AU

Rating : M for smut

Plot summary - Taekwoon spends an afternoon with his wife in the sunroom.

It was a relatively peaceful afternoon, Taekwoon mused, watching Minah patter about the sunroom, sealing a letter to Haneul, who was now touring the highlands with Wonshik. The room was a little one with a teak writing desk overflowing with papers - letters, he assumed, knowing his wife’s propensity for words both written and spoken (which both vexed and delighted him no end). He eyed his wife blowing out the candle on her desk before stacking the carefully sealed letters into the pigeon-hole cubby above the table. He smiled, amused by her ink-stained fingers and the grumbling that followed as she dabbed at her fingertips with an equally stained handkerchief.

Leaning against the door frame, the man crossed his arms. Despite how busy his viscountcy made him, he tried not to miss out on the domesticity of these moments. To him, Minah was a wonder to be beheld in her natural habitat, in complete comfort with her surroundings. Which was exactly why he found himself hurrying home after a session at the parliament to gaze at his wife. He bit his lip to hold back the laughter that bubbled up his throat when she began humming, floating over to the window to fix the sunflowers held in a pale blue porcelain vase before gently unlatching the windows to allow some air in.

Taekwoon took a silent step into the little sunroom of his house in the capital. Decorated to the tastes of the lady so lost in her thoughts by the window, he couldn’t help but feel surrounded by her presence in the room. From the bookshelf in the corner overflowing with titles she enjoyed (and he enjoyed gifting her with) to the little portrait of the two of them perched on the mantle, or the small turtle-shaped paperweights she had bought on a whim and vehemently placed on the table by the deep green high backed chair he was standing by, the sunroom was secretly Taekwoon’s favourite place in the house because it just was, Minah.

The summer sun streamed through the translucent curtains illuminating his wife’s body draped in the finest muslin he could adorn her in. The rays caressed her face illuminating the lighter shades of brown in the soft ringlets of her hair kissing the tops of her collarbones. Her deep lashes threw shadows on her rounded cheeks that he loved pressing his lips against. Her countenance was blank and blissful in the sunlight as the summer breeze wound its way into the room. The man's eyes roved over her face with delight before his throat went dry at the sight of the thin muslin barely concealing the pebbled buds of her …

“Taekwoon!” A gasp broke his reverie as she spun around, finally aware of his gaze “How long have you been waiting there?” She asked, crossing her arms, immediately obscuring his vision while she hurried to the lace shawl thrown on over the back of her chair to wrap it around her shoulders.

“Not too long,” her husband mused, frowning at the offending piece of cloth as she rang the bell to call for tea before ushering him to the high-backed chair.

“I know you said you'd be back for tea, but Haneul had written such an exciting letter I just couldn't wait to write back and then I completely lost track of time! ” She began pacing around the room, ears red as her husband watched with an amused smile. “She said I'd love the cattle in the highlands, darling large coos! Oh, where is Jeffery?” Minah wondered out loud only to have the stately servant hurry in with the tea service. “Fantastic! Dearest, Haneul sent us shortbread along with her letter, I made sure Jeffery would bring some with tea” Minah continued while Jeffery set the service on the little table before Taekwoon raised his hand to wave the man away.

“That will be all, Jeffery, ensure we're not disturbed,” he said before turning back to his wife who frowned in confusion. The servant left the room, closing the door behind him and Minah reached for the kettle to pour out the tea cautiously.

“Is everything alright?” 

Taekwoon received the cup and saucer from her, eyeing her struggle to keep the shawl on her shoulders. Taking a deep sip, secretly scalding himself, he turned to set down the cup and reach across and yank the foolish fabric out of her grasp. 

“Yes, everything is fine,” he hummed as she tried to reach for the shawl again only to have it held far away from her. The more she leaned forward, the greater Taekwoon's delight grew as he stared unabashedly at his wife's unadorned skin which he knew from experience would feel like cream in his palms.

“Give it back!” She huffed, now getting to her feet and stepping closer to him, unaware of the trap her husband was setting for her. “You're vexing me Lord Jung Taekwoon!”

“Oh? Is that so?” He chuckled, holding the shawl behind his back and quickly grabbing her wrist as she reached for it, tugging her onto his lap. Her foot hit the little table between the two high-backed chairs making the tea service rattle.

“I honestly thought something had happened during the parliamentary session, now I see Viscount Jung Taekwoon wants to play games,” Minah grumbled, still trying to reach for her shawl “Now unhand my shawl or the tea will get cold.”

“What if I say no?” Taekwoon replied, tucking the silly fabric firmly behind his back while his other hand went to support his wife's derriere, giving it a quick squeeze.

“You're being naughty,” she glared at the taller man, tugging at his deep brown coat. 

“That I am,” he said, eyes fixed on her flushed skin, beaded buds now taught against the thin muslin, all he had to do was lean forward and…

Teeth sunk into his right earlobe gently as Minah gave it a quick nibble, sending blood rushing to his breeches. Minah quickly tried to retrieve her shawl which was firmly wedged between the back of the chair and her husband's broad back only to have him grasp at her jaw and fix his eyes on hers. She shivered, noticing his dilated pupils as he leaned up to join their lips. Remembering her initial mission, she turned her head away to look for the shawl only to feel his long fingers slip up to cup the back of her neck and guide her lips to his for a gentle kiss. 

“Open your mouth, darling,” he whispered against her lips, pulling her firmly over his lap by the derriere making her gasp, feeling his need for her. Sliding his tongue past her parted lips he savoured her like a delicacy, now feeling her ink-stained fingers sliding into the strands of his hair making him grunt as he chased after her lips before breathlessly trailing kisses down her throat as soft whimpered breaths gurgled past her swollen lips. 

Minah grasped firmly onto her husband's broad shoulders, the lace shawl long forgotten in his onslaught. Taekwoon's long graceful fingers slid the thin gown up her calves, pausing to fiddle with the garters holding her whisper-thin stockings to her body. She giggled at how ticklish it felt at first but threw her head back with a hiss when his lips surrounded her clothed nipple. 

“Ah, Taekwoon,” she whimpered into his hair as his fingers pianoed across her thighs caressing the skin 

“You're so soft, my love,” he mumbled against the now wet fabric before turning to the other achingly painful nipple awaiting his attention. His fingers played a wicked tune on the wet thatch of hair between her thighs as she gasped at the sensation of his index finger sliding over a throbbing bud of nerves over and over again till she gazed at him pleadingly with her mouth open and no words.

“What's that?” He hummed, speeding up his pace as his middle finger joined in to thoroughly stimulate her. 

She finally let out a moan of his name, gripping at the shirt under his coat, nearly ripping it wide open. Slumping forward, she leaned on his shoulders and breathed out his name, pressing open-mouthed kisses beneath it in a way that had the little string of sanity holding him together snap. 

Then he sank two of his fingers into her and set a quick rhythm that had her jolting pawing at the cravat and undoing his buttons to splay her fingers across his chest feeling his heart thud beneath her palm. Every touch had her hips moving frantically on his two fingers, pressing against the swelling bulge in her husband's breeches. She reached down to undo his bottoms grabbing at the now erect, throbbing organ with both hands making him rest his forehead against her chest with a groan.

“Minah,” he exhaled, curving his fingers within her making her squeeze around them as her hands came to a halt. She fixed her glazed-over eyes on her handsome husband, before reaching to tug his wrist away from her sopping core. There was a fire in her eyes that made Taekwoon feel like a man parched as he leaned up to tangle his tongue with hers. Her grip returned to his erection, firmly stroking till he moaned into her hungry lips.. Gently positioning her hips over his desire, she carefully lowered herself onto him and he scrambled to grasp her buttocks to support her ever-tightening descent. 

“Minah, please,” he whispered groaning when she rolled her hips.

“You started this Taekwoon,” she hissed, gripping at the lapels of his very crumpled shirt.  He eyed her as she lifted her hips and dropped them, tightening on her way down. Her gown was now clinging to her body with the sweat of her exertion as she frowned, scrabbling to rip the offending garment over the head and tossing it to the ground before moving in earnest while Taekwoon could only watch the majesty of his wife's form in the summer sunshine. Groaning, he gripped her hips thrusting up and watching her head fall back in pleasure. When his wife whined, rocking her hips to take him in deeper, he couldn’t help but oblige by picking up the pace till she shook above him, scrabbling at his chest, leaving streaks of red with her blunt nails. Panting at how impossibly tight she was getting around him, Taekwoon laced his fingers with hers thrusting up powerfully, emptying into her and keeping the pace till she spasmed along with him.

Pulling her towards his chest, he held his wife’s naked form, caressing her side as she took deep gasping breaths. 

“You’re a wicked wicked man,” she mumbled against his now sweaty chest. Taekwoon looked down and tipped her head up to capture her lips in another chaste kiss.

#leo #kpop #vixx #kpopfanfic #kpop fanfiction #jungtaekwoon #jungleo #jung taekwoon #vixx smut #kpop smut #kpop fanfic #kpop x reader #kpop fic #vixx scenarios #vixx leo #taekwoon

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Welcome to Lon Lon Ranch (LU in Healthcare)

(@hermitdrabbles56) Plot chapter! :D Time breaks the ice a little with Twilight.

(Click here to read on AO3)

Twilight shifted awkwardly in the back seat of the car. He’d already told the pair that he had no ride and usually took the bus to work, so they’d offered to give him a ride to their home and back to his residence. Twilight had vehemently argued that he could just get a ride on the bus from the hospital if they’d be so kind as to take him back there.

The whole thing made Time even more suspicious.

Either way, the drive itself was fairly uneventful. Malon threw out the occasional kind remark or gentle question, and Twilight would always give a soft, polite reply. He seemed fairly shy of the entire situation, and Time supposed, given the circumstances, that was understandable.

He still didn’t like how cagey he was, though.

When they arrived at the ranch, the most they’d learned was that Twilight liked his new job and was settling into Castle Town fairly well. Malon headed inside first and went straight for the kitchen, where she had some food prepped from the night before that just needed to be cooked.

Which left Time and Twilight to settle in the living room.

Well, from what little he had spoken in the drive over, Time knew that Twilight had moved into town four days ago, and he liked his job. He supposed he could work with that much to make conversation. The surgeon himself was a quiet man, but sitting here beside the boy as he fidgeted nervously was nearly unbearable.

“What made you choose pediatrics?” Time asked curiously. “You could have been a tech anywhere.”

For the first time, Twilight gave a small, genuine smile. “I like working with kids.”

Time was going to comment when he saw Twilight’s eyes start to wander around the room, catching sight of different decorations and pictures. His face lit up, and suddenly the quiet, shy, cagey, skin-and-bones young man was filled with life. “You—do you have animals here?”

Time followed his gaze and saw the picture of Malon beside Epona, as well as horse shoes hanging on the wall. He smiled in return. “This is a ranch, Twilight. We have all kinds of animals. Do you want to meet them?”

Twilight whipped his head around to look at Time. He seemed completely at a loss for words and instead nodded vigorously, his face glowing. The display made him look like a child, and Time had to laugh at it. “All right, then, let’s go.”

The pair exited the house and took a left, heading farther into the property where the fields for the horses and cows were. Twilight practically gasped with delight upon catching sight of the animals and quickened his pace. When he reached the fence, the horses watched him curiously. Twilight whistled out a tune that made Time freeze in his steps, and some of the horses nickered excitedly, strolling towards him.

“You know that song?” Time questioned.

Twilight turned sightly, and Epona approached and nibbled his hair, making him laugh before he had a chance to answer.

Time watched the scene and felt his heart warm. It was good to see the kid smile. Instead of pursuing the question, he went to the house and grabbed his ocarina, coming back outside to play the same tune, exciting the horses and attracting all of them to him.

Twilight looked at him in wonder. “Wait… how do you…?”

“Malon taught me,” Time answered with a smile. “Must be a family song.”

“It is,” Twilight remarked quietly, his gaze distant as his face softened.

Time reached out and pet Epona as she nuzzled between the two. “You miss home?”

Twilight sighed, his polite veneer attempting to return before the tiredness in his eyes won out. “A little.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Time felt it prudent to leave the subject alone for now. Malon called that dinner was ready, and the pair headed indoors, though not before Epona played with Twilight’s hair one last time, making him giggle.

Later that evening, Twilight hopped off at the bus stop two blocks from his motel, his belly and heart full of warmth. He made it to his room and smiled cheerily at Wild as he entered.

“Looks like things went pretty well,” Wild noted.

“Yeah,” Twilight answered simply, lying down in bed and staring off into space with a dreamy smile. “Yeah, it did.”

#lu in healthcare #writing #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu twilight #lu time #lu malon #short but I couldn't come up with too much conversation tbh #writing this was like pulling teeth #Epona saved the chapter honestly if it weren't for Twi going crazy over animals this would still be in my WIP pile #Twi had so much fun he forgot to bring leftovers for Wild oops #Merry Christmas!

[littlechaosgremlin]

At Another Place In Time, You Were Infinitely Mine

In which Buck’s coma dream bleeds into his regular dreams, he wishes that it was his reality, and Eddie can’t forget the feeling of Buck’s ribs breaking beneath his hands. *Canon divergent after the lightning strike*

Buck/Eddie. Alternating POV. Currently rated M

Here's a segment from chapter 9 :) which, thank GOD is almost finished askjbfskbkgb

Buck’s eyes flew open as Eddie’s pinky fingers dipped below his waistline. He quickly glanced to the left, landing on a photo of what looked like maybe him, Eddie, and Christopher. But it was fuzzy around the edges, a slight wobble to the image. The fuzzy edges of the photo began to bleed into the rest of the room, blurring Buck’s surroundings while Eddie’s fingers hooked more insistently into his waistband. A gasp escaped Buck as he tried to scramble backwards, only ending up pressed further into the couch. "This isn't - you're not - this isn't real," he finally managed to sob. In front of him, Eddie blurred, melting into the room around him and Buck watched everything else fade away in smoky wisps of color. For a moment, it felt ethereal, and Buck's skin buzzed and burned where Eddie had been touching him. Buck closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the image of Eddie on his knees, and when he opened them again, he was tangled in the throw blanket that he used every time he spent the night at the Diaz house. The wail that clawed its way up Buck's throat was animalistic, every bit of pain loud and ricocheting off of the walls and back to him. He could feel his heart splitting into two, the pain of it unbearable and all-consuming. Vaguely, he registered the sound of Eddie's door slamming open, footsteps getting closer to the living room. A hand clasped over Buck's and he peeled his eyes open, hoping, hoping - and flinching backwards when Eddie's worried face swam into vision. Another sob escaped Buck as he snatched his hand back, using it to press into his eyes, to catch the never-ending stream of tears. Eventually, he realized that Eddie was talking to him, his voice low and soothing, save for the occasional shake every few words. Buck peeked through his fingers to see Eddie slowly reaching for him again and it took what felt like all his strength to drag his knees up to his chest, barricading himself on the couch, twisting away from Eddie's reach. Eddie made a hurt noise and Buck couldn't focus on it, shuffling to the side until he could yank his notebook from underneath the pillow he'd slept on. With shaking hands, he flipped to the last page he'd written on. Cleaned the loft and paid my bills. Went to Eddie's and played video games. Ordered burritos. Sleeping on the couch. Alone.  Feeling like his limbs weren't his own anymore, Buck flung the notebook across the room, the thunk loud in between his sobs. He buried his head into his knees, feeling the tears begin to roll down his legs. He wasn't breathing well, he knew that in the back of his mind. And he knew that if he didn't get it under control, he'd pass out and that'd be even worse and he couldn't take Eddie's pity or worry. Buck tried to focus on his breath, tried to rid himself of the image of Eddie on his knees in front of him. He thought about his last session with Dr. Copeland, and the gentle way that she explained to him that telling Eddie could be what is needed to stop the lucid dreaming, to firmly secure himself back in reality. She offered to collaborate with his prescriber to maybe explore a medication for nightmares but Buck vehemently denied that, well aware that his refusal had to do with medication stigma that he still hadn’t shaken himself of. Now, though - now he might take her up on that offer. It felt like an eon for Buck to get control of his breathing again. His head was throbbing with an oncoming headache and his inhales were still shaky and staccato, but it was better than whatever noises he’d been making when he woke up. When he opened his eyes and blinked against the brightness, Eddie came into focus. He was sitting in front of Buck, eyeing him warily and picking at his thumb. “Buck, what -” Buck jolted off of the couch, stumbling for a moment as he kicked the blanket off of his feet. “I need to go home,” he gasped out.

Read here! (forgot to add the link at first, my bad lol)

#911 fox #buddie #911 wip #911 fic rec #buddie fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #aapitywim

[memethebum]

Got a pretty short update for It Takes 4 Idiots To Confess

This one is mostly SoMa sharing a brain cell and then Soul about to make a fool of himself lol

—— ——————————————————————-

“You going to Star’s place to get ready?” Soul questioned while Maka slipped on her shoes.

“Ye-yea, we wanted to get ready together,” Maka explained as her eyes began to gravitate towards the multicolored tiles which they stood upon.

I would have never agreed to this plan if I knew just how…awkward it’d make things between us Maka thought before looking up and meeting the dulled crimson sheen of Soul’s eyes.

“I can drop ya’ off on my way to Gallows…if you want,” Soul offered while grabbing his motorcycle keys from their kitchen table, leaving Maka to stand still in perturbed silence.

“You’d…do that?” the meister questioned, only to regret voicing the statement out loud after noticing how uneasy Soul’s demeanor immediately became afterwards.

“Of course. What, you thought I was just gonna leave you stranded now that I got a boyfriend?” Soul questioned, eliciting Maka to let out a choked hum.

“Huhhhh, of course not! I just…” Maka tried to rebuttal, although the she wasn’t sure why she’d even asked the question in the first place.

I thought this whole thing would be ridiculous enough to give me enough courage to finally confess, but everything just feels so…wrong she noted before filling the silence with a small shrug, only for Soul to slowly nod his head at her and unlock the front door in response.

————————————————————-

“Kid, we need to talk,” Soul whispered as they walked towards the main party hall within Shibusen.

“Can’t it wait until after we’re inside” Kid replied in the middle of fidgeting with his tie.

Soul had expected them to wear matching tuxedos since they were going to prom as a couple, but Liz had been vehement on the fact that matching outfits were considered lame now and a standard jet black suit was more his style while a light gray suit would compliment Kid a lot more.

“Oh, don’t you two look dapper today!” a voice sang from the end of the hall, causing both men to notice Marie and Stein standing right in front of the doorway leading into the party hall.

“Dapper and late as usual,” Stein then added before letting out a low chuckle.

“Hm, well better late than never. Here’s a few party favors before you walk in, food is on the left and activities are on the right, and if you kids need anything Sid and Nygus should be walking around inside ,” the woman then added while handing both Soul and Kid a small box of condoms and a map of the nearest Deathgreens for other sexual necessities .

“You-you think we’re gonna have sex!?” they both wheezed out, forcing Marie to let out a startled gasp at their accusation.

“Oh no no no , I wasn’t thinking about you two specifically or anything. I’m giving out a small pack in case things do get a bit rowdy in there for anyone and they need it. I’m really sorry if it came across-“

“MISS MARIE DO YOU HAVE ANY PLASTIC BAGS? LIZ DRANK TOO MUCH AND CAN’T MAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE BATHROOM IN TIME” a voice shouted above the woman’s apology, causing Soul and Kid to pinpoint it as belonging to Black*Star and gape at what they saw afterwards.

“So this is why Liz was so adamant about helping us,” Kid hissed while Soul moved his eyes between the reaper and Black*Star, only to snort at how they were both wearing gray tuxedos that were completely identical down to the smallest studs and pockets.

“It’s ok Black*Star, Kim has it under-“ the group then heard Maka exclaim before she too went silent and allowed Soul a moment to notice how identical their formal wear also was to one another.

The Deathscythe had almost mistaken the dress Maka was wearing to be the one she adorned in the black room.

However, his eyes soon took in the way it was patterned with black sequins that shimmered against the neon flashes from within the party hall and how the garment’s off shoulder neckline seemed to show off just a bit more of her smooth skin.

“HAAH-“ Black*Star attempted to shout as Maka grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the party hall.

The action stirred both Soul and Kid back into reality as well, which probed them into giving each other a brief passing glance before walking into the hall themselves and finding Liz hunched up in a corner with Kim and Patty by her side.

“I’m so sorry if my partner ruined your fun Kim. We’ll take it from here,” Kid hummed while Soul took a few hesitant steps backwards due to the sheer bloodlust that had been seeping out of the reaper’s voice.

“No prob. Hope you guys are able to have some fun at least,” Kim added before giving Liz a small pat on the back and walking off towards the dance floor.

“Hm yes, I suppose we’ll see how many of us have fun tonight,” the reaper absentmindedly responded while inching closer towards Liz’s lanky frame.

“ Elizabeth Allen Thompson you have some explaining to do-“

“Pretty funny idea right?” Liz then sang over Kid in a drunken stupor.

“Tsu was the other mastermind here so don’t forgot to give her some credit too,” Patty then chirped before pointing towards the catering table, causing Soul and Kid to turn back and notice the way Maka and Black*Star seemed to be chewing Tsubaki out for their outfits as well.

“Ah, to hell with all that crap! I told you guys to be here by 7:08 not 7:48 . If Sid and Nygus show up now after I worked my ass off to shoo them away, it’ll ruin our whole plan,” Liz added while latching a hand onto Soul’s wrist and pulling him towards a large crowd which surrounded the pole dancers Liz had hired for the night.

It was then that the Deathscythe began to realize just how ridiculous their plan truly was, with his anxiety only heightening to an unbearable degree once he glanced back at Maka in a phantasmic hope that she’d be able to catch onto their plan and stop it from coming into fruition.

Is this really gonna make her want to confess to me? Would-would it even be worth it if this all is just a game to see who can put on a better act? Can we even talk stuff out at this point! Soul noted before feeling Liz loosen his tie.

“Remember to breathe up there and not worry about the steps too much since the point is just to catch Maka’s attention and mhummmm Soul-“ Liz then garbled out while tapping her hand on the slither of tanned skin she’d exposed in order to amp up his sexiness.

“What’s going on in that mind of yours bestie? Ya’ look like I’m telling you to go kick Maka in the kneecaps or something. If-if you really don’t want to do this then-then that’s your decision and your decision only. No pressure,” the woman added before unceremoniously slapping her hand onto his shoulder.

“Well, I-I dunno know Liz, it’s just-“ Soul attempted to relay as he slid one of his sweaty palms against the back of his neck.

No. No I have to do it! I’ve made my bed and I’m sure as hell not aboutta just let things go back to the way they used to be, especially not after gettin’ a chance to see if Maka feels the same way about me the Deathscythe then decided while gently guiding Liz out of his way, tapped a firm hand onto her shoulder, and began to march towards the stage.

#was thinking about how they expected us to buy a $200 *senior activity* thing just for a prom ticket #the whole time while writing this #which I didn’t end up buying bc where tf was I gonna get that kinda money and was pretty bummed about it #that was until covid hit and they didn’t refund the money to anyone so ahahahaha yikes #but anywho I love bullying soma lol #soul eater #soul evans #maka albarn #soul x maka #maka x soul #deathstar #soul eater fic #ao3 fic #marie mjolnir #stein soul eater #tsubaki nakatsukasa #liz thompson #patty thompson #kim diehl #sid barrett #mira naigus #meme attempts to write

[ladypearl-7]

You Came Back

Summary:

Ino and Shisui fell in love. Then he went missing only to resurface 5 years later, but she was already dating his best friend.What is she to do?

Art by:

Left: @seoz-seoz

Right: @mayskalih

Snippet:

Obito and Itachi were speechless with dumbfounded expressions evident on their faces. “Why are you two looking at me like that?” Shisui asked in a doubting tone, uncomprehending as to why his cousins looked at him as they had, but Obito soon let him know the thought behind their confusion, “What are you asking us for?” to which he retorted, “What do you mean? I always come to my cousins for advice” matter-of-factly.

“Not with this, dating is more your forte” Itachi stated, and Obito interjected with a scoff and, “Yeah, we couldn’t even help you if we wanted to! I mean between the both of us; I still hadn’t figured out how to ask out the one woman I’ve been in love with for the past 30 years, and Itachi has never, well… he’s never even liked a woman let alone dated one!” to which upon hearing, Itachi swallowed a lump in his throat, and Shisui gave him a knowing look.

Obito noticed the exchange and asked with an inquisitive brow, “What was that?” causing Shisui to hastily meet his gaze and retort cheekily, “What was what?”, “That look you gave Itachi, what was that?” Obito repeated his question again more assertively. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, anyway, are you going to help me figure out what to do on this first date or not?” Shisui diverted the subject to avoid ratting out on Itachi’s one time affair. “Didn’t you hear what I said, we suck at that stuff, besides, haven’t you gone out with several women before Ino?” Obito responded, and Shisui retorted smugly, “Yeah… but those dates are different than this one” a self-assured smirk was beaming on his face, “And how is this different, exactly? Just recreate a date that you or one of your dates had enjoyed in the past” Obito said as if he was stating the obvious.

Itachi arched his own eyebrow too, but for a different reason. He knew Shisui had been infatuated with Ino for a while, but he had seen him infatuated over others before and would eventually always grow bored. Could it be that this Ino Yamanaka had succeeded in capturing his cousin’s heart?

“I want this to go well, and I doubt taking her back to my place immediately to get her down on all fours will give that impression!” Shisui jibed. “That’s what you do on first dates?!” The eldest Uchiha barked in amazement and then turned to Itachi to discern if he knew about this, but Itachi avoided meeting his gaze which had informed him that he did in fact know about Shisui’s conquests. A dumbfounded expression returned onto his face, as he realized Shisui wasn’t the traditional type as he and Itachi had been. He let out a sigh and asked, “Just out of curiosity, how many women had you been on these “first dates” with?”

Shisui started counting the women in his head and used his fingers as an abacus to keep track. When he had passed the tenth, lapping another finger count, Obito’s eyes widened in astonishment. Soon Shisui was done counting, and Obito’s look of astonishment morphed into vehement shock as he gasped, “forget Uchiha standards, even by the village’s standards, you’re practically a manwhore!”

Shisui’s smirk turned into a grin as he claimed, “Getting jealous, Obito? Bet you can’t wait to do that with Rin”, to which a flustered Obito started to incoherently mumble objections. “Hah! Thought so!” Shisui called him out. Obito’s face was turning red, and so he diverted the attention away from himself by asking, “Anyway, how do you end up moving so fast on a first date?” to which Shisui smugly replied, “wouldn’t you like to know” as a cheeky smirk evidently formed on his face. “Do you want our help or not!” Obito barked, and Shisui responded, “Yeah, yeah” with an eye roll.

“Perhaps a public setting would be in your favour, one where you could talk and get to know one another. That way you would be forced to behave.” Obito supplied. “Hah! You know, all my dates started out like that. I’m not the one who initiated the misbehaving” Shisui supplied, and Itachi’s lips slightly curled at the corners. He heard all about Shisui’s first dates. Obito was looking dumbfounded once more. “I got nothing” he gave up and raised his palms up to register his resignation.

“Why don’t you ask Ino what she would like to do on your date?” Itachi asked, and Shisui cupped his chin into the tub of his thumb and index finger, and replied pensively aloud “Huh, I never considered that. Thanks Itachi! At least one of my cousins is actually helpful” he snubbed Obito, who scowled at him in return. “You want some helpful advice? Put on a chastity belt fucker!” he howled at Shisui who had already left to make his way to see Ino. He then turned to Itachi, who met his gaze.

“So… are you going to tell me what that look between you two was about?” Obito asked, he had decided to relegate his prying to when Shisui had left, knowing that it would be easier to corner Itachi without his excessively quip-equipped counterpart. Itachi felt a lump forming in his throat, but his expressions remained indifferent as he responded, “To what do you refer?”

“So, you don’t want to tell me either?” Obito tried once more, but Itachi remained silent with the same indifferent expression. “Fine, you can choose to play dumb too, but I’m only letting this go because I’m getting the sense that I don’t really want to know the answer” Obito resigned, and Itachi was relieved that his cousin had the good sense not to pester him anymore about it.

#ao3 #fanfic #uchiha #ino #ino yamanaka #naruto fics #inoshi #itachi #obito uchiha #shisui #itaino #obito

[rafor]

Chapter 36 - You can't go - The Glitch

“Who is the father of your son?” I asked Freya, hoping to learn more about her past. She shook her head and said, “I’d rather not talk about that.” I persisted, saying, “Please, you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone. I just want to help you feel better.” She sighed and said, “It’s not a secret, really. Many know about it. But I don’t want to change how you see me.” I frowned and said, “What do you mean? Do you think I would judge you for that? You’re still a queen in my eyes, no matter what.” She gave me a sad smile and said, “I know, you’re too kind. Even after I told you to stop calling me that, you still disobey my orders.” I shrugged and said, “Maybe it’s a habit by now. I’m sorry.”

She seemed to relax a bit and open up to me, like she did on the first day of training when we were on our way to the arena. She told me her story in a soft voice. “I lost him shortly after Vesper was born. He left one day and never came back. I sent everyone to look for him, but they only found some charred bones that they said belonged to a dragon. I couldn’t even recognize him. Since then, I’ve been alone.” I felt a pang of sympathy and said, “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry for your loss. How did your son cope with it?” She shrugged and said, “He never cared. He never asked about his father or showed any interest in him. Even when he found out the truth. That he was dead and not just missing. He didn’t react at all. He just told me calmly and went on with his life. He’s such a screw-up, just like his mother.” I shook my head and said, “Don’t say that. You’re both fine. You’re strong, brave, and smart. And I’m here for you until they come for me and take me away. Until then, I’ll do anything to help you. Don’t worry.”

She suddenly changed her expression and looked at me with alarm. “Oh no, how long have you been here already?” she asked. I blinked and said, “Uh, I think a couple of weeks." She gasped and said, “They should have been here by now!” I felt a surge of fear and said, “Don’t worry, maybe they got delayed. The weather has been bad in the south lately.” She shook her head and said, “No, that’s not an excuse. They should have made it anyway, or at least sent a message back. Or we should have heard from Aura herself directly in the palace.” I asked, “What do you mean by that?” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the palace, which was a labyrinth of corridors and rooms. She ran so fast that I had to fly sometimes to keep up with her. She seemed to glide through the air with her wind powers. She finally stopped at a room that looked like an office full of papers and started rummaging through them frantically. I asked her, “What are you looking for?” She said, “A message from Aura. She must have sent one.” I asked, “How do you know that?” She explained, “She always does when she receives one of our messengers. There has to be one here somewhere.” I said, “Okay, I’ll help you find it. How can we tell it apart from these other papers?” She said, “It’s usually written on paper with red and pink borders. It’s easy to spot. Like this one.” She showed me an example of a letter that said something about “confirmation of the peace treaty between the cities”. I was curious about it, but she snapped at me, “Stop wasting time! Search!” I nodded and said, “Right, sorry. Let’s look for it.”

I had spent an hour rummaging through the room, looking for the elusive message. I tried to tidy up as I went along, not wanting to create more chaos in the midst of confusion. Finally, I gave up and said, “We’ve checked everything. There’s nothing here. Please, let it go.” She ignored me and continued to sift through the same pile of messages again, as if hoping to find something new. Then she stopped and said, “The messenger never arrived.” I knew that was not true because Akira had told me otherwise. “I’m sure he did. Maybe Aura just didn’t write anything this time?” I suggested. She shook her head vehemently. “She always writes something. She never misses a chance.” She picked up the most recent message from Aura and handed it to me. “Look at this. When did you send the last messenger to the Kingdom of Aura? And when did he come back? This is over a month old. How often do you usually exchange messages?” She said, “Every couple of weeks or so. Whenever a messenger returns, we send him back after a few days.” I said, “Then there should be a newer message than this one, right? This is just a reiteration of your old plan.” She snatched it back from me and scanned it quickly. “Oh, I remember this one. The messenger delivered it to me personally.” I said, trying to sound hopeful, “Then maybe she’s changed her way of communicating, don’t you think?” She said sarcastically, still clinging to her side of the argument, “The messenger should have been back by now anyway. It’s taking too long.” The discussion was going nowhere, so I said, “You told me it takes about a week to get to the city. And another week to come back. Maybe they had some delays or complications along the way.” She looked at the papers again, searching for something else. She found a report and handed it to me. “Look at this! You’ve been here longer than you think.” I took it and read it. It had the date of my arrival written on it, and indeed, I had lost track of time. I had been here for a month already, and that was not normal. I felt a surge of worry too. It had been a while since I heard Akira’s voice in my head, calling me or telling me anything. I wondered if something was wrong on the other side. But I also knew that Sol and Cyrus should have made it by now. I said, “Damn, I didn’t realize how much time had passed.” She yelled back at me, “You think?! Neither did I!” I tried to calm her down while hiding my own anxiety. I said, “Okay, listen, there must be an explanation for this. Don’t panic. Maybe we can send another messenger, or I can go back myself.” She replied instantly, “We don’t have another one who knows the way to the Kingdom of Aura!” Surprised by her answer, I said, “Don’t you have a map or something? I can read maps.” She said, “The maps that show the kingdom are inaccurate and outdated. You wouldn’t be able to follow them. And I’m not going to send you on a suicide mission. I don’t want you to get lost forever in this vast world.” I said, “Fine, then what do you suggest we do?” She was silent. She didn’t know either. I said, “I have another idea. What if I look for someone here in the city who might know the way there? There has to be someone. I’ve seen merchants coming and going sometimes, claiming they have goods from the Kingdom of Aura.” She said, “Merchants are not trustworthy, and I wouldn’t rely on anyone here for such a journey.” I said, “Maybe they could just tell me the direction, and I could take notes and follow them.” She said, “That’s impossible. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get to a place you’ve never been before with just some vague instructions? It’s impossible.” I gave up. She was right. It was too risky and uncertain. I thought there was nothing wrong with asking for some help from someone who knew the area better than us, maybe even offering a reward for their guidance, but no, she wouldn’t agree to that either. She wanted me there, safe with her.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

[tillinghastcorporatemedia]

Totally not a coffee shop.

Along the city street there is miles of sidewalk and asphalt that lead into curves and turns that are alien in both degree and curve. Among the hurried pedestrians that stretch outward, almost beyond what a human eye would believe is possible, is Letitia. She's stuck between two large individuals that are walking way too slow, and she is absolutely running hours behind. Rushing to the building around the corner about 9 city blocks ahead she makes her way around the two lunking meatheads. She gets to a faster, more comfortable pace. Her mind begins to wander if she actually set the alarm or not. The sound of a vehicle speeding past reminds her that she is almost there. As she rounds the corner, she sees a large group of managers leave the building. Sighing exasperatedly, she begins to trudge to a visdrink shop knowing that she pretty much missed an entire days' work. She sits down after retrieving her order. She normally only gets it well roasted, but today she went for an exotic toasting.

After gazing out the window, staring at the architectural wonders that lay before her there is a disturbance at the counter. “Give me your money! Take it out of the register NOW!” Letitia gasps before falling to the floor in fear. This is a rare occurrence in this district. Normally crime barely even exists in Romulan life to begin with, but the fervor that this individual was shouting at the cashier, it would be a hair raising experience for anyone. Letitia crawls underneath tables, making her way around the store to get close to the register. “Give. Me. The. Money!” the man continues to yell at the poor cashier, who is begging for him to wait to even open the register. Letitia knows if she doesn't get him down quickly, he'll time to retaliate. Slinking around the register, she makes her way to the front where the person is standing. Luckily for her, the vehement manner in which the hold up was happening, no one was paying attention to her presence as she sidles up behind the robber. Slamming her heeled foot into the back of the calf of the unsuspecting intruder, she kicks forward, throwing the perpetrators' balance off. He hits the ground forcefully, the ground almost reverberating the force in which he hit it, before Letitia is on top of him, slamming the bony, calloused portion of the bottom of her hand into this man's nose. Almost ink black blood sprays out the unconscious man's nose as he lays there groaning in pure agony. No words were being uttered, just undulations of pain which seemed to be coming from an autonomous source behind his brains control. She ties the man's hands behind his back using the belt that is holding her looser fitting cardigan across her waist. Wiping her knuckles off, she manages to advise the cashier to call the security commission to the location before rushing out of the building without her visdrink.

After running several blocks Letitia's adrenaline starts to wear off, her hands beginning to shake. She ducks down an alley, sitting on the dirty, oil stained concrete behind a trash can as she begins to cry. Her brain is screaming at her for injuring someone like that, even though it was a robbery. She could've gotten attacked, maybe even killed she thinks, before the thought starts repeating through her head like an echo chamber placed into an old grain silo, like those located on Teras many millennia before her existence. She wished she could've just made it to work on time like she normally does, instead of having to be forced into this overbearing situation. She continues to sit there and cry for about 3 fengs before getting up and slowly marching her way back home, sniffling and trying to wipe her eyes. Giving out dirty looks every time someone looks at her in judgment, she arrives to her domicile, passing through the door exhausted and just glad to be somewhere safe. She lays down and proceeds to fall asleep on the couch. Fast asleep her mind creates dreams to comfort the highly anxious sleep that she would be experiencing for several days afterwards.

Several hours later her roommate, Cerys, walks in the door with her friend Hugo, who often times can be a bit loud and brash, wakes her from her slumber. She groggily moves up from the couch to stare at Cerys intensely as her body was not prepared for interruption at this hour. “Damn you look like you were in a fight, what's the other person look like?” Cerys asks almost sarcastically, unaware of Letitia's intense experience just hours prior. “Let's let her wake up first before you get too sarcastic, Cerys. You've been a bit of a turd since we took that last round of spirits.” Hugo slips out really quick before laughing, knowing full well Cerys was punch him in the arm almost immediately. “Dammit Hugo can you be less of a dick for a fuckin' second?'' Cerys slightly slurs out, popping Hugo in the arm again, to which he grabs his arm this time. “remind me to not let Mira pour your shots so heavy next time. Geez, you need to be a fighter for the damn Deadliest Citizen ams.” Letitia finally pipes in, as she finally received a chance to interject into the two friends' little conversation. “ By the way, I did actually get in a fight. Was there not anything on the news about it. I figured a robbery would be front page news almost immediately. I figured there was vidcom feed of the whole thing so I ran out before they could figure who I was.” Cerys's eyes immediately explodes to almost gigantic orbs of light, realizing Letitia isn't being sarcastic.

“Wait you were in a robbery and you didn't immediately call me or anyone to let us know you were safe? What the hell Letitia, what if you had a concussion or something?” Cerys asks in a pleading manner. “He didn't touch me, I knocked him off balance and pummeled his face and tied his hands behind his back and left. I don't even know what I was thinking, he could've attacked me at any moment.” Letitia responds, staring off down the hallway, almost as if Cerys and Hugo weren't even there. Cerys rushes over and hugs her friend tightly, trying to not cry at the experience of here friend. Letitia decides to go to get ready for bed, which Hugo takes as his cue to leave, not before slightly ribbing a little bit at both of them, trying to lighten the mood. Cerys helps Letitia to her room, and turns out her light. Letitia then proceeds to sleep through her alarm. After a few hours of her alarm going off, she wakes up, checks her clock, and goes back to sleep. Can't be late to work if you're just not going in.

#tillinghastcorporatemedia #science fiction #scifi #scifiart #sci fi music #music #aliendancemusic #romance #writers #romulan #sci fi writing #scifiworld

[asameera]

Oddworld: Code 583 - Chapter 13: With me

Immersed in the dark humid blood-infested atmosphere, Lure was in a euphoric state, convinced that time had stopped. He had succeeded, although he could hardly believe it, despite the bloody substance dripping down his broken arm. The logic of the situation still escaped him. The Big Bro Sligs were undefeatable, invincible, which was why many young recruits saved up to undergo the dubious treatment of the Vykkers to become like this. They were the embodiment of true power.

And yet, Lure was the one who stood tall. Lure was the one who had survived. Lure, the small, insignificant, helpless, crippled insect, wounded beyond belief, with broken limbs. Lure had overcome this personified power. He was above this so-called power.

He loved that feeling. He wanted to enjoy it much longer.

“Ah ah ah ah! So?” he exulted, addressing the corpse. “How d'ya like that, loser? How does it feel to be crushed by a little shit?”

He wanted to give it a good kick, but his mechanical leg went in the wrong direction and threw him off balance. He toppled backwards, letting out a curse in his language as his aching back hit the ground.

“Ouch! Ah shit! Ah ah ah! Hey Sam! It's safe, you can come! Ah ah! And uh... I could use a hand actually!”

Since there was no answer, he rolled a little to find himself on his stomach, facing the dozens of doors presented to him by his cracked visor.

“Hey Sam? Ouch! Ah that bastard! Big girl! It's over, everything's fine!”

In the other room, all he heard was a groan mixed with heavy gasps. Lure felt his smile fall.

“Sam?”

Then he suddenly made the connection. What an idiot! She was hurt, how could he have forgotten? He ranted at himself vehemently.

“Oh fuck! I'm coming Sam!”

He swung his legs in the air, but the usual angle to straighten him out was no longer right. One leg stuck rigidly while the other flailed uselessly in every direction except the right one.

“Oh no, no no no no no no NO! Not now!”

He punched his right leg angrily and squealed as a sharp, familiar pain shot through his shoulder. In desperation, he crawled away on his tentacles, leaving the dead weight of his pants behind, fearing the worst.

“Big girl!” he called, overwhelmed with anguish when he saw her, broken on the ground. “Bloody hell, faster! Big girl!”

He saw her clench her teeth and squirm. She was alive, at least for the moment. When he finally reached her side, Lure felt his heart stop.

The bullet she had been shot with had lodged in her lower abdomen. He could not see the wound, but she desperately pressed her large hands over it in a vain attempt to stop the massive flow of blood.

“Oh fuck no... no!”

His panicked gaze went from her hands to her face, unable to know what to do. He saw her multiplied tears, and felt his own rising. He tried to breathe in, half choked, and managed to put his hand on her trembling shoulder.

“Sam I... I...I'm here. It-it's gonna be o-okay... right?”

If only saying beautiful sentences could force reality to follow. If only, then even he, with his own trembling desperate voice, which he struggled to control, even he could do something. His voice would give her all the support she needed, and he wouldn't have to do more. But you don't twist reality with helplessness, nor shame, nor even with sobs at the edge of your lips.

He noticed that she had opened her eyes. He saw the glow of absolute distress in them. This scared him more than anything else.

“Sam!”

She searched for his face in the dark, struggling to focus on what remained of his red shining visor.

“L-Lure?”

He tightened his grip on her shoulder.

“I'm here Sam! Oh fuck fuck fuck... b-breath!”

He tried to remember how she had managed to calm him down, how she had gotten him over the panic after he had his nightmares. She had made him breathe, or something. He tried to push back the panic that raged inside him, to think, not to give in to the urge to beg her to get better, to beg anyone. But before he could do anything, she grabbed his able-bodied hand and squeezed so hard he almost screamed.

“M-my babies...”

That was all she managed to articulate before she completely lost her mind in front of him.

“Help me! They-n-no! Th-they need...! Lure! You have to...! Oh please! Please help me!”

Her last words resonated within him as if he had become an empty, frozen shell. She was begging him. It was she who was begging him. But what could he do? He knew how to make holes with bullets, not how to fix them!

“Lure!” she screamed, completely appalled.

The Slig thought he was going to suffocate.

“I-I-I... what should I do? Tell me!”

She was no longer in any shape to answer. He had no answer. But she continued to cling to him, to beg him as if he were her only hope.

“Save them! SAVE THEM!”

“I can't!”

She let go of his hand to press it again on her wound and let out an abominable shriek. Lure felt his heart break in two. He hadn't wanted this. This wasn't what was supposed to happen! They were supposed to go away together, away from all this madness. She would have been happy, she would have given birth to her tadpoles without worry. And he would have stayed by her side, he would have protected her, against the whole Cartel if he had to. That was what he had said to himself in his locker before this disaster, half-serious, swollen with determination, impatience and boastfulness.

So why did this happen?

Why couldn't he do anything?!

...no.

There was one last thing to try. It would save her, no doubt. And it could save her children, maybe.

He crawled back to the front door, planting the end of his broken arm in the ground to go faster, trying to ignore Asameera's cries, her pleas, her begging. He remained deaf to her strong need to be with him. He concentrated solely on the voice identification detector, pulled himself up as high as he could in front of the transmitter. He shouted a Slig code, different from the usual one, and a secret compartment opened in the wall, revealing a button and a phone. Finally, despite the horrible sensation in the pit of his shoulder, he managed to reach out, pushed on his tail, grew as tall as he could to reach the button. He felt it under his fingertips and, teeth clenched, he pushed until it sank in.

At that moment, the general emergency alarm was turned on. Rhythmic with an aggressive flashy red light that pulsed intermittently, it began to echo through the entire factory and down his spine. Lure tried to plant the tip of his prosthesis into the wall to hold himself up, he didn't want to fall back down just yet. After all, there was no guarantee that he would be able to pull himself up high enough again. Only a tiny part sank into the wall, barely holding him in place. He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, trying to ignore the fact that his body would not hold much longer.

“C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Hurry up! Come on, hang in there!”

To his relief, what he had been waiting for happened before he gave in: a shrill ringing sounded nearby, almost covered by the unstoppable alarm. The wall vibrated with the sound and the metal arm shook, scratching the wall as it fell, but Lure had already grabbed the phone's receiver. He sprawled on the floor, panting from the effort he had just made, and pressed the device against his ear. A rather annoyed Slig voice, probably from being woken from his sleep, came to him with difficulty in the middle of crackling noises.

“Zulag 9, I record here an application of the GIZ915 protocol, namely the activation of the general alarm from your precise position. Do you confirm?”

Ordinarily, Lure wouldn't have even waited for his interlocutor to finish reading his pre-written tirade, but he was too exhausted for that. He gave himself a few more seconds to take deep breaths before answering.

“Affirmative. I... I request an emergency dispatch of medical assistance.”

“Yeah right, what else? An Expresso maybe? Fix your own boo-boo yourself, loser! Disturbing me for such bullshit in the middle of the night...”

“She's been shot! If Gottlieb... if she dies...! If she dies, Gottlieb will have us all flayed alive and you will be the first for having ignored a direct order!”

“What're you talkin about, sucker?”

At least he sounded hesitant and less likely to hang up on him.

“Look, I'm telling you it's fucking urgent! So either you send me a rescue team...”

“We don't have a fucking rescue team!”

“Just do something! Or transfer me to the line of this Gottlieb asshole!”

“Errrrrrrrrrrr...”

The guy on the other end of the line suddenly started stammering, which didn't help Lure's nerves.

“Hurry up, moron!” he fumed. “There's no ti...!”

“Ha, uh, ha, g-g-good evening boss? Nice evening isn't it? Ahah! Uh... this is... this is for you I think... maybe?”

For a second, Lure was stunned, then quickly did the math. He could picture the poor Slig with the armband in the communications room flailing uneasily in his seat at the furious silhouette of the Glukkon who had probably just entered, just in time to hear what Lure had called him. It was very strange, but for the first time in his life, the Slig was not afraid of the consequences at all. If the situation had been different, he would even have burst out laughing.

“What's going on here?” Gottlieb's icy, murderous voice rang through the receiver, a hair weaker than his lackey's from probably standing further away.

Lure wasted no time. He didn't have that luxury.

“The future Mudokon Queen has been shot. Medical assistance urgently required.”

He thought that would be enough. But as he heard only a sizzling silence, he repeated.

“Medical assistance urgently required! The future Mudokon Queen has been shot! Medical...”

“What... what are you talking about? There is no Mudokon Queen in my factory!”

… what?

Lure was speechless for a moment, taken aback by what he'd just heard. For a moment, he looked in Asameera's direction as if to verify that she was indeed there. Still lying on the ground, holding her stomach and looking up at him pleadingly, she was chanting silent prayers, but he could hear them as clearly as if she were speaking directly into his head.

Save them, save them...

He automatically brought the phone up to his mouth.

“Medical assistance requiered...”

“I'm telling you there's no Mudokon Queen here you moron! Hang up now!”

The command was probably directed to the other Slig. Lure felt a cold sweat come over him.

“Wai..!”

“A moment please.”

Another voice had just interfered, preventing the line from being cut off in extremis. Lure tightened his fingers around the handset in a silent prayer, but also with unease. His gut was sending him a warning signal that had nothing to do with the one that was assaulting his eardrums at the moment. Something in that high-pitched voice was terribly familiar to him and he hoped he was wrong. But he had no time to think.

“Good evening” he heard again through the receiver “You just mentioned a 'future Mudokon Queen' if I'm not mistaken?”

“My dearest friend, don't listen to that nonsense, that bungler is probably soaked in alcohol!”

Lure could hear the growing panic in Gottlieb's voice, and he would have given anything to be able to listen to him for hours. But certainly not at the cost of losing the only person who mattered to him now.

“She had been shot” he repeated, detaching each word. “It's an emergency! She might lose her kids! We need a doctor!”

He thought he heard a little laughter and suddenly he knew exactly who, no, what creature was at the end of the line.

“You are lucky, you are talking to one of them. Where are you right now?”

The Glukkon's stammering filled the background without the Slig really hearing it. He had only a high-pitched voice, small yellow eyes and a purple body in mind. He was probably making the worst mistake of his life. He looked at Asameera, who looked more vulnerable than ever.

“Save them...”

He spoke without even realizing it.

“Zulag 9. The comm guy can show you the exact location on his screen.”

“The flashing red dot?”

“Er...” the other Slig's voice echoed. “Y-Yes, it indicates the place where the alarm was triggered.”

“I'm telling you this idiot is talking nonsense and...!”

“I will be the only judge, if you please” the Vykkers retorted.. “If you have nothing to hide, I would have just wasted my time, wouldn't I? Well, my Interns would have wasted theirs anyway. Go on, then!”

The order snapped, implacable, and despite Gottlieb's vociferations something must have happened, because Lure finally heard:

“My team is on its way. I told you, you're lucky... code 583.”

His breath caught in his throat and his mind suddenly froze. He knew who he was. He knew he had escaped from the laboratories, leaving behind a destroyed room, ransacked equipment and an enraged Slig Queen. The Vykkers had certainly come to demand an accounting from his ex-employer, that was why he was here. And now he was going to find him. And then? Would he bring him back to this horrible place? Would he survive long enough? What would happen to him?

“M-make it quick” he managed to stutter.

He wondered if he should add something else, deny and lie, before realizing that the line had probably been disconnected for a while. He dropped the handset and it hung in the air, bumping against the wall intermittently. The slow 'knock...knock...knock...' it produced suddenly sounded like his own countdown.

“Lure...”

His mind was spinning dangerously, he had lost too much blood. He let himself slide against the wall in his turn, unable to join her again.

“Yeah Sam?”

He became acutely aware of his many wounds and the thick blood sticking to his palate. He could hardly breathe. The alarm continued to roar, covering Asameera's faint voice. In a shaky and painful gesture, the Slig managed to take off his mask and spat weakly to the side.

“Now... looks like... I'm in trouble, ahah! They'll probably shoot me on the spot... seeing my ugly face. Ahah jerks!”

He was only half joking, but bitterly regretted it when he realized she was sobbing further.

“Don't say that!”

Lure felt the world capsizing slightly around him.

“'scuse me, big girl... oh shit. Well, don't worry, right? They're coming with all their equipment or whatever. They... they don't... no wait... they better not lose your tadpoles, they're... ah... they're too precious... not like us... shit. It's going to be okay...”

“Lure wait! I! I! I'm going to...!”

Lure couldn't see much, but he thought he could hear wings flapping as the room lit up slightly. But then it faded away with a painful rattle, taking the birds with it.

“Stop it Sam. Save... yer strength. They need it... right?”

He was capsizing in turn, dangerously. Soon he would lose his balance. He barely heard her call out his name in terror. His voice was only a breath.

“Hey S-Sam? You... you would have come... with me... right? With me...”

She shouted something, something charged with this unknown power he hadn't had time to understand and that filled him like a soft light. Unable to resist, he finally gave in to the vertigo and fell into nothingness.

ooOoo

This one is a little shorter than usual, but after debating with myself for quite a time I decided to leave it as it is. I hope you enjoyed...

First: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/asameera/691287639162290176?source=share

Previous: https://at.tumblr.com/asameera/oddworld-code-583-chapter-12-scarlet-world/86wzml6bzlwv

Next: https://at.tumblr.com/asameera/oddworld-code-583-chapter-14-what-was-stolen/hbmewgtxgw9t

#oddworld #fanfiction #code 583 #chapter 13 #Slig #blood #sam #hope you enjoy it #even though it's a bit...dark?

[romanoffsbish]

Chapter 47: You’re Real?

Chapter 46 | Masterlist | Chapter 48 | Words: 1,984

Y/N’s POV

My head is killing me, as is the remainder of my body to be quite honest. I slowly open my eyes, taking in my surroundings, and it's a packed house.

———

Vision's asleep, or I guess "shutdown", in the recliner. Thor's asleep in the fetal position on the floor, while cuddling with his axe, and suckling on his thumb—I truly hate that this isn't the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

Wanda's in bed beside me sleeping peacefully—literally, she must've already woken up and moved into my bed. Carol is asleep to the right of Wanda's empty bed. I look ahead to see Natasha is asleep sitting up, leaning against the wall, and Yelena's asleep with her head in her lap.

She looks so worn down, she definitely aged up while I was gone, but is just as beautiful as the day we met—if not more so.

"Hey Nugget..."

I all but jump out of my skin at the sound of Tony's voice, having been so focused on Nat I'd not even seen him enter, I quickly look up to see his broken smile as he stares down at me.

"Hey.. Are you okay?" I croak out, and he immediately moves to pour the water into a glass for me.

"Me? What about you? You're the one in the bed." He attempts to deflect.

"Tony." I say with an intense glare, and grip his hand in mine.

"I just... I gave up Y/N/N, and I'm so sorry... Nat and Wanda fought so hard to get you back, and I just coward away in my cabin."

"Hey, you were just surviving, it's okay. You stepped up when it counted..."

"Stop always excusing my shitty behavior.."

"If I don't excuse you sometimes, then that leaves Pepper with all the work."

His gaze remains sad, not even a hint of amusement behind his eyes...

"Seriously though, Tony, you couldn't do anything until Scott was back. You did what needed to be done—you raised your daughter. Morgan deserved to have normalcy, and you gave it to her. I'm more than okay with that."

"You really are mom's mini me..." He sighs, as tears fall down his cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, speaking of mom... I saw her."

"What?" He gasps with a quirked brow, as he looks at my morphine drip.

"I know, it sounds crazy, but it was right after I snapped. I felt her warm embrace, and as soon as her Chanel No.5 hit my nostrils I knew she wasn't a figment of my imagination. Tones, she's happy for us, and she forgives you for what happened, even though she did say she wanted to slap you upside the head... She also told me to kiss her grand baby, and to pass off her name to my future kids... Also, she loves Natty, which warms my heart...I'm just... It was nice is all, I wish you could've been there too..."

He sadly smiles at me, nodding along to all I rambled on about, then he leaned down to kiss my temple.

"Are you up for a visitor then?" He whispers, and pushes my hair out of my face.

I nod vehemently, smiling widely at the idea of seeing her after all this time.

He slightly leans my bed up for me, Wanda groans but remains asleep, then he instructs Pepper to enter the room with a sleeping Morgan.

"She's a heavy sleeper, so really we're bringing her here to sleep with you for the rest of the night." Tony whispers, as Pepper places Morgan atop of me.

I stare down at her, holding back the tears threatening to fall as I'm now seeing her for the first time in two years. What was merely the blink on an eye for me, was actually two years for everyone else. Wanda, and Natasha had to live without Yelena and I, returning to our apartment to be reminded daily that we were gone. There lives must've been incredibly boring. Morgan went through critical milestones, and I wasn't there to see them. She's practically doubled in size, and I basically missed all the snuggly years, if she's anything like Tony and I, she's probably massively independent...

"Hey, it's okay.. She's really missed you, prepare yourself for insanity." Tony whispers once more, wiping the tear threatening to fall, and ruffling my hair slightly before him and Pep slip out.

Morgan mindlessly readjusts, rolling around until she's seemingly comfortable, tugging the dilapidated dino plushy I got her even closer to her tiny body. Her body eventually settled in between Wanda's and mine, and her face was buried into the crook of my neck.

I was about to fall asleep, but then I felt someone nudge me awake…

Bucky’s POV

I’m returning the stones tomorrow, and subsequently returning myself as well.

Before I do, I want to say my goodbyes, so I sneak into Y/N’s room as Tony and Pepper leave.

“Hey there kiddo…”

“Barnes, how many times do I have to tell you, stop calling me kiddo.” She groans, as she opens her eyes to look at me.

“Y/N, I—.”

“You’re leaving…” She replies, with a sad smile.

“Yeah… I am tasked with returning the stones tomorrow, and I am not coming back.”

“I understand… I’m sorry about Steve, I know how much you meant to one another. I’m sure he was miserable the last two years without you. I’m going to miss you terribly old man..” She states, a devious smirk taking place upon her face.

“Hey… if I can’t call you kiddo, you can’t call me old man.” I groan, but smile at her anyways, and she returns the smile.

“Take care of yourself Barnes, go find that happiness you deserve.”

“You do the same doll, thank you for everything you’ve given me.” I sincerely state, sweetheart her shoulder gently, as she squeezes it in return.

Nat's POV

I woke up with a start as the sun seeped into the hospital room, settling down quickly in an attempt to not wake Yelena up; to my surprise, she'd already been awake, staring up at me.

"Good morning Nat, your legs are rather comfortable."

"Good morning Lena, glad to be of service." I reply with a playful smirk, then lean down to kiss her forehead.

"Disgusting... Do it again." She mumbles out, then I chuckle lightly before repeating the action.

"Are you okay?" She genuinely asks, her gaze softening ever so slightly.

"I am now." I sigh out, while running my fingers through her knotted hair, while looking up from Lena, to see that Wanda, Y/N and Morgan are all cuddled up together.

The sight makes my heart melt, but then within an instant I'm lowly burning with jealousy.

That should be me...and it will be!

As I'm concocting a plan for our escape, an assistant of Tony's walks in with a tray of breakfasts for everyone. Yelena jumps up from my lap to immediately collect a tray, and I move to start waking everyone else up.

"Auntie Nat?" Morgan groggily questions, as she rubs her eyes and tries to get a hold on where she is.

"Hey there little love." I coo, while pushing the hair out of her sleepy face.

"Where am I?" She hums, while simultaneously snuggling further into Wanda and Y/N's warmth.

"Open your eyes, and find out." I playfully whisper, so she peeks through with one eye and gasps.

"Auntie Y/N/N?!" She shouts, and moves up onto her knees, landing directly on Y/N's abdomen and Y/N instantly opens her eyes.

"You're a lot heavier than I remember." Y/N groans, then smiles up at her.

"I missed you so much." Morgan whisper shouts, as her lip begins to quiver, then she falls on top of Y/N, and sobs directly against her collarbone's.

"Oh, sweet girl, was your dad really that bad?" Y/N jokes, while rubbing her back, and Morgan giggles, and leans in closer to Y/N.

"I missed you too, pretty girl." Y/N whispers, then she looks up to me with teary eyes, and a pouty lip, clearly overwhelmed.

I lean in to place a kiss to her forehead, inhaling deep whiffs of her natural scent, instantly feeling as my nervous system calms. Then I move down to kiss her nose, and she lightly giggles. Finally, I land on her lips, sighing instantly as I relish in the missed feeling. Our lips move perfectly against each other, the kiss is slow and sweet, and throws my mind for a loop.

"Natty, it's okay..." Y/N mumbles against my lips, and that's when I realize I am crying.

"I missed you so much, detka..." I shakily mumble against her lips, then pull back slightly, resting my forehead against hers, as I work to regain my composure.

"I'm so sorry, I never wanted to leave you, I can't imagine how hard it was..."

"Auntie Y/N/N... Please don't leave again... Everyone was so sad… Auntie Natty and Wands were crying all the time.. They tried to hide it, but I knew they were sad, because I was too." Morgan interrupts her,

"Wow, my lil baby is just so smart.. Smarter than her daddy, that's for sure." Y/N beams, and kisses her forehead.

"Mama says that too, she says I can run circles around daddy... I'm happy you're back, can we have a sleepover, please?" She lifts her head, and pouts at us adorably.

"How about this weekend? I'll come pick you up, and then we'll buy all the junk food possible, and we'll all watch movies together." I suggest, honestly wanting a night or two alone with Y/N first…

"Is Auntie Lena back too?" Morgan suddenly bolts up, and I look back to see Yelena's face brighten up.

"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself, moye malen'koye solnyshko."

Morgan quickly scrambles to the end of the bed, and practically jumps off , as Yelena prepares to catch her, and grips her into a tight embrace.

I reach down, and go to remove Wanda's arm from Y/N, so I can slip her out of bed, but Wanda swats my hand away and physically growls...

"Listen up Tigress, relinquish MY girlfriend, so I can actually hug her and also so she can receive nourishment." I command, groaning at Wanda’s overly clingy nature.

"Best friend trumps girlfriend." Wanda mockingly mumbles, as she tightens her hold on her.

"I won't hesitate to rip you apart, little witch." I seethe, no longer having the patience.

"Ladies!!! Calm down, I'm not going anywhere. Now, Wands, go hug your deprogrammed robot and enjoy your breakfast. You had me all night, it's only fair that it's Natty's turn."

Wanda concedes as soon as Y/N says to, and begrudgingly mopes her way over to Vision's sleeping form.

Y/N stands up, wobbling slightly but I catch her, and pulls her closer by her hips, and wrap my arms around her lower back to steady her.

"I love you, so very much my beautiful girl."

Y/N beams, as she settles into my embrace, and leans her face against my chest, and sighs.

"I love you so very much too, moya krasivaya angel..." I coo while holding her body close, and kissing her temple.

I gently sway us side to side, holding her head against my chest, and using my other hand to hold her body firmly against mine. She wraps her around my waist even tighter than before, and I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking down.

“You’re real?” I whimper in question, as I all but suffocate her with my hold.

“I’m real…” She confirms, as she places a gentle kiss to my collarbone, and I finally let go, not even caring that the room’s full of people.

—————————————

Taglist

@simpforflorencepugh1 @ali-lie

#natasha romanoff #natasha x reader #natasha x y/n #natasha x fem!reader #natasha x you #natasha romanoff imagine #natasharomanoffpov #natasharomanoff #natasharomanoffxyn #natasha romanoff x female reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x yelena belova #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow x reader #black widow x y/n #black widow x female reader #black widow #black widow fluff #gxg #lgbtqia #wanda maximoff #yelena belova #avengers pov #stark reader #tony stark x sister!reader

[lovesanmotion]

Horizon - Kim Hongjoong

💌 This is: Requested

summary: in which a pirate!hongjoong falls in love with mermaid!reader after saving him

Taglist: @yunhobabygurl @atiny-chocolate-chip @minhyukmyluv

Hongjoong stared at the calm blue sea before him. Standing on the bow with his hands placed on the wood, he smelt of saltwater and gun powder. His eyes took in both ends of the vast horizon before darting his orbs on the orange sun setting.

This is his life. Hongjoong loves the waters, it calms him down and his feeling is different than when on land. Speaking of land, when was even the last time they docked in a sandy shore? But that would be too risky for him at the moment. He'd never know when an enemy would be docked on the other side as well, never know when they would be ambushed. He could not afford to lose his men. Ironically, Hongjoong thought of himself to be married to the seas and war.

"Captain!" Someone shouted a top from the crow's nest. Pulling him away from his thoughts, Hongjoong walked down and stood beside the pole.

"Well? What do you see? I don't have all day!" Hongjoong shouted. His first mate, Jongho, stretched his arm out and pointed his index finger towards south. As Hongjoong turned to look at where he was pointing, it was another ship that was following them. But it wasn't just any other ship. It was-

"Those bastards don't even know how to respect their elders." Hongjoong grits his teeth, pulling out his wooden pistol.

"What are your orders, captain?" San spoke, standing beside Hongjoong who brandished his rifle.

"Secure Aurora." Aurora. The name Hongjoong blessed the ship with. At first, he thought it was ridiculous to name a vehicle, but then later, he found it quite useful and thought that the name didn't sound bad. Rather, he liked it.

And the men scrambled. Seonghwa took out the bombs and louded them in, Mingi and San hiding between barrels with their rifles already aimed at the ship besides them, Yunho stirred the ship away before it could collide, but his attempt to stir it in a different direction failed and a group of pirates crawled a top of their ship. The one calm seas and skies turned vehement, the ship wobbling from left to right. Hongjoong kept shooting his pistol, taking steps backwards until on his last step did he lose his balance, knocking the back of his head before falling in the ocean.

Crash! He felt light and cold in the water. He felt his fingers loosening their grip on his gun, he tried to hold it tighter but it was no use. He could feel his eyelids slowly falling down on him. 'Is this really the end?' He thought to himself, but from afar, he noticed a rather large fish swimming towards him. And as it kept swimming to him, he realized that it wasn't a fish. It was too big to be called a fish. It was what they call, a mermaid. Black hair with a red tail, the mermaid swam towards him until he came face to face with the mermaid.

He didn't really believed it sea creatures when he started sailing the seven seas. He too, thought it was some old wives' tales to keep their children from doing foolish things but now that he came face to face with a mermaid. He finally believed in them now, and he found the mermaid really pretty. Too pretty that he closed his eyes as the mermaid leaned closer and placed her lips on his lips.

"Hongjoong!"

His eyes shot open and stared at the seven men that had their faces peering at him. Where was he? Immediately sitting up, he noticed that the ship was docked in an island, his hands feeling the sand and the gun just beside him.

"Where is she?" He asked, immediately standing on his feet and walking through the water.

"She?" Wooyoung asks, eyebrow raised.

"What are you talking about?" Seonghwa asks as he stood behind him, slowly placing a hand on his shoulder. However, Hongjoong turned around and faced them.

"A mermaid saved me." He said. But seven eyes continued to stare at him like he was going crazy. Until Yeosang shook his head. "There was no mermaid, captain. We found you laying here on this shore." Hongjoong's eyebrows furrowed. That couldn't be right, he knew what he saw and believed in it. The moment felt real, her lips felt real. It was all too real to be an imagination.

"C'mon, lets head back. I guess you swallowed too much seawater. I'll make tea for you to clear your head." Seonghwa said before going back to the ship.

Before Hongjoong could enter back in the ship, he took one last look and then getting in.

But the following day was no good. Hongjoong stayed in the bow and kept looking at the sea. He would never admit it, but he wanted to see her again. Be able to feel her, touch her-

"Captain!" Jongho ran down from the crow's nest and stood beside him. "A storm is coming. I suggest we stop by on a nearby island. Yunho and Seonghwa would be needing to get more supplies." Mindlessly, Hongjoong just nodded his head and continued to look at the ocean.

That night, Hongjoong couldn't sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would only see her again in front of him. He takes out his pocket watch and checked the time: 1:23 am. Great, it was past midnight already. Hongjoong looked out at the window of his cabin. Outside, his view was nothing but the dark skies, rocks in the shore and tall coconut and banana trees. Watching as the waves pull and crash on the sandy shores, he noticed a red tail perched on top of a rock. His heart leaped inside his chest, leaning his face more onto his window, he watched as her hair sway to the cold breeze of the night.

It was her. He has founder her again. Slipping on his boots, Hongjoong crept out of his cabin quietly, careful not to disturb the other boys and out of the ship he went. Slowly, he walked behind her, but the heel of his boot caught stuck in the sand and made a squeek sound. The mermaid turned her head and gasped at the sight of him, jumping back to the water.

"Hey! Come back!" Hongjoong said, lifting his leg up and following after you. "Don't go" He whispered. Shyly, you poked your head out behind the rock and looked up at him.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving me" He starts to say, scratching the back of his head as he has never felt this awkward and embarrassed before, let alone, on a girl.

"And, uh, what do they call you?" He asks, taking a seat on top of a rock and patting the space besides him. Cautiosly, you swam closer to him and sat beside him. Your cold body heating up as you have never been this close to a boy before, may it be human too.

"....y/n" you mumbled your name lowly.

"Y/N...I have a feeling that we'll be seeing each other more often" Hongjoong says, turning his head to smile at you. While talking to you, Hongjoong listened how the king forbade the mermaids and mermans from going up the shore and speaking to humans, that the kingdom of Atlantica really does exist and is situated in the very bottom of the ocean and how sea creatures are really able to talk.

"I have to go back now, they might wonder where I've gone" you said, slipping out of the rock and back into the water.

"Before you go" Hongjoong says, taking out the ring on his ring finger, a skull with red rubies as eyes. "I want you to have this" He says. Knowing that you didn't know what it was, he took your head and slipped it on your finger. "It's something to remember me by" He says. Watching that pink tint on your cheeks, he watches you emerge back in the water.

(gif is not mine! ciredits to the rightful owner!)

#ateez imagines #ateez san #ateez jongho #ateez fanfic #ateez au #ateez yunho #ateez seonghwa #ateez yeosang #ateez hongjoong #ateez scenarios #ateez wooyoung #ateez mingi #ateez oneshot #pirate!ateez #pirate!ateez x mermaid!reader #mermaid!reader #kim hongjoong #pirate!hongjoong x mermaid!y/n #kpop fluff #kpop oneshots #kpop fanfic

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Into The Unknown, Part 10

First

Previous

Grocery store trips were weird. Tim had never taken them before, and now here he was buying food for the three of them regularly. He’d thought it would be harder, for some reason. But, no, it was just boring.

Tim rolled his eyes as Damian pointed to the nearest brightly colored object -- a bag of Not Cheetos… holy shit they were called Fritos this wasn’t allowed he has never been so vehemently against anything in his life.

He sighed as the baby yelled at him for the bag. This was his fault. He shouldn’t have gone in the chip aisle.

He looked down at the kid in front of him with an apologetic smile.

“No, kiddo. See, I would love to get that for you but, unfortunately, Mari said I can’t buy you any more random sweets. Blame her, not me.”

Damian was, apparently, too smart for his tricks because he banged his fist on the front of the cart and babbled at him angrily.

Tim sighed and leaned forward until his forehead touched the cool metal of the cart, thinking.

And then he got back up and handed the kid the bag of chips. Damian didn't know that it was food, Tim was pretty sure, and he had nothing against… ‘Fritos’ (outside of their name, obviously). So, why not? He could eat them. It was better than dealing with a tantrum in the middle of a store, at least.

Damian lit up and hugged the bag to his chest as if it was a soft stuffed animal and not a plastic bag filled with air and maybe a few chips.

Tim smiled faintly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head and then continued on his way, scanning over the list idly.

Oh. Marinette had added something. He squinted down at her messy scrawl, bringing it close to his face as if he could will the words to make sense.

And it worked. Ha. Take that everyone who didn’t believe in him.

Okay. So, she needed ‘pads’.

Sure. No problem.

He walked over to the aisle.

Hm. Okay. There might be a tiny little problem.

Why were there so many different brands? And sizes?

He stared around at them all helplessly. Sure, he had glimpsed the box a few times but he certainly hadn’t paid it much mind -- it wasn’t for him, why would he?! But now he was standing in an entire aisle full of products and there were way too many of them. And why did they all look the same? Shit!

He looked at Damian, who was biting the edge of the chip bag and giggling about the crinkling noises it made. But, once Tim turned his gaze on him, he looked up at him with wide eyes, attentive.

“Any chance you know what type Mari uses?” Tim joked softly.

Damian popped off the chip bag so he could babble at him. It was very helpful.

He considered, very briefly, just standing there in the aisle with the same helpless expression until some kind-hearted person took pity on him and he could avoid the embarrassment of calling Marinette at work to ask what types of pads she used… but, no, the idea of asking some random person for help was way worse. He had to just suck it up and do it.

He pulled out his phone and called Marinette. He was pretty sure it was lunchtime for her, anyways.

She picked up within a few rings, voice slightly muffled as she answered with a simple: “Problem?”

Tim didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or amused that her first thought when he called her was that something was wrong.

But he quickly alleviated her fears: “No, everything’s fine.”

He could hear the phone shift slightly as she assumedly went back to eating. “Right, then what is it?”

“Nothing bad, really…” Tim started awkwardly. His face reddened without his permission. “Just wanted to know what brand you used for, um, hygiene products.”

“... hyg --? Oh.” He heard her laugh at him and his face only reddened further. “What, the world's greatest detective couldn’t figure it out?”

“That’s my dad!” He mumbled a little huffily.

She snickered a little longer before finally saying: “I think the brand is called ‘Forever’ here.”

“See! You don’t even know!” He said even as he pulled down a box with the word written across it in elegant script.

“That’s because the name changed when --...” She seemed to remember she was at work -- or, at least, that there were other people around -- because she cut herself off suddenly before she could admit to being a dimension hopper in a world that likely wouldn’t even believe in the multiverse. “When… I switched brands! Yeah. Heh.”

(Tim swore he heard her mumble ‘technically not even a lie’ but he wasn’t quite sure.)

He started to put it in the basket but then he paused.

“There’s a lot of sizes.”

“Um… I think a four?”

“Yeah, no, they have letters here.”

“Fuck, right, hate that, um… D, I guess.”

He switched out the Cs he had gotten and smiled as Damian reached for him. He clearly wanted out of the cart -- Tim wondered, vaguely, if it was uncomfortable -- but that wasn’t going to happen so he decided to distract him:

“Want to talk to Mari, kiddo?”

The kid blinked up at him a few times before lighting up. “Mar-ree!”

He pressed the phone to Damian’s ear with one hand until the kid took it himself and then motioned for him to go ahead. “Takalam maeaha.”

“... marhaba?” Damian said, giving Tim a look that seemed to scream ‘you’re weird for making me talk into a box’.

Marinette must have said something back, because the kid’s eyes went wide. Damian looked around wildly for a few moments, clearly trying to figure out where Marinette was, before he realized that her voice was coming from the box. He gasped a little and pressed the phone against his ear even harder and started to ‘talk’ to her. It was a weird mix of Arabic and a few English syllables thrown together haphazardly, Tim was just glad he was learning.

Tim started on his way through the store again, sure he wasn’t going to get his phone back anytime soon.

He’d gotten all the necessities and they had money left in the weekly budget...

He headed to the kid’s aisle, head tipping from side to side as he considered what to get. Maybe a new book? Damian had taken a liking to them, though Tim was pretty sure that was more because he thought the English language sounded kind of funny rather than any real passion for stories.

He picked up a book about letters and looked down at Damian. He sounded annoyed now.

He looked at Tim with an annoyed expression and shook Tim’s poor phones a few times. “Mar-ree!”

Ah. She must have hung up because her break was over.

How was he supposed to explain how phones worked to a baby? Especially since he knew phones so intimately thanks to his time working on the model he was using.

He gently pulled the phone from the kid’s hands. “Mari’s at work. You can see her later.”

“Bu…” Damian pouted.

Damn it. How dare the kid be cute? Tim was about five seconds away from walking to Marinette’s job so the kid would smile again.

He hesitated before reaching behind himself and grabbing the first soft thing his hands landed on. He pulled it out and squinted at the stuffed cat. It was cute, he supposed, but he didn’t know why it was rainbow-colored.

Whatever.

He offered the plush to Damian and the kid seemed to instantly forget about the phone.

(And the chips. But the kid had put it in his mouth so it looked like Tim was buying that anyway.)

He pressed a kid to the top of his head and then continued on his way.

… and that was when he heard it:

Haha, someone got called a DILF.

… wait a minute… he was the only person with a kid around here…

His head whipped around so fast he would have gotten whiplash if he was old -- which he wasn’t -- to see two girls in their mid teens. And they were definitely looking at him. They even tried to hide behind the next aisle in order to avoid his gaze once they realized he had heard them.

Tim didn’t know what to do about this. Someone had actually called him...

He was 19! He couldn’t be that yet! How?! No!

And, sure, the logical part of him knew they were technically right. He was attractive (he hoped) and, when it came to the ‘dad’ thing… if Damian never got his memories back, then Tim would pretty much be the only dad that he had ever known. He would be a dad.

But, again, he was 19-years-old, he didn’t want to think about this.

So, to ward off the impending crisis, he looked around the aisle he was in wildly for some kind of ‘kid’ thing.

He found some marshmallow guns and grabbed two. Then he got some marshmallows because those weren’t included for some reason. Whatever.

He looked down at the basket, aware that he was now over budget, and eventually decided to put back the book. Who needs to learn?

(Besides, if Damian really wanted to just hear people talk, Tim could totally do that. He had so many random facts in his head thanks to random rabbit holes he had gone down while sleep-deprived, he could just rant about those if the kid wanted.)

So, he checked out, loaded up with all the bags and the baby, and started walking home.

… he was totally going to learn to drive. Even if Gotham streets were safer -- especially when he had a baby on him -- it was a pain to carry all the groceries even the few blocks to their apartment. Literally. The bags dug into his skin. He swore he could taste blood.

But he had an end goal in sight, so he went faster than usual that day.

He set up the guns, leaving Marinette’s on the kitchen table and then took a seat on the couch with Damian. They spent the few remaining hours playing games (Tim was pretty sure, he had absolutely no clue what Damian was saying but the kid seemed to have fun and that was all that mattered) and watching TV.

Tim heard his door click and looked up.

He quickly reached for the marshmallow gun and turned to point it at the door.

Damian watched him in silence, perfectly still as if he understood that this was something that they needed to be quiet for.

Usually, this kind of worried Tim. They always gave Damian to Kaalki and Tikki when they sparred, but Damian had always been… shockingly well-behaved? Not in the good way, either, he was far too still and quiet. Tim was starting to suspect that, at the very least, the kid remembered the first year of his life in the League. He hoped that the trauma would fade away with time. Kids forget things that they experienced as babies when they grew older, Tim himself couldn’t remember anything from before he was three, so hopefully this would be the same.

… but he really wanted to get Marinette with a marshmallow gun. So, he swallowed down the slight bit of anxiety rising in his chest and looked through the scope as Marinette finally managed to open the finicky door.

Damian’s eyes widened and he made a quiet ‘ah!’ sound.

Tim jumped at the sudden sound and pulled the trigger. The marshmallow gun made a fmpf sound as it fired off the shot.

The marshmallow bounced off of Marinette’s forehead harmlessly. Because, y’know, it was a marshmallow.

She blinked a few times and then knelt down to pick up the fallen marshmallow. She scanned it over a few times, eyes narrowed.

Tim hardly paid attention to her, looking over at Damian. The kid looked very confused, eyes darting between the gun and Marinette and the marshmallow on the floor repeatedly as if he wasn’t sure what he was seeing.

And then he flopped back on the sofa with a quiet whimpering sound.

Marinette and Tim frowned at each other. He could see confusion and concern knitting her eyebrows together, meanwhile all he had was dread coiling itself in his gut. Because… what if Damian did remember his first year with the League? Or, even worse, what if he would slowly regain all his memories? No kid deserved that...

Tim felt something hit the side of his head, snapping him out of his daze. Oh. Marinette had grabbed the other gun and promptly gotten her revenge.

Damian didn’t see this, at least, just staring at the ceiling with wide eyes.

Marinette sat on Damian’s other side, gently picking him up and nuzzling her nose against his cheek. Then, she sat him back down between them, sidling close so the kid could curl into her side. Tim, after a few seconds, scooted closer as well.

“Want some marshmallows? They’re yummy,” she tried hesitantly.

She shot one into her hand and, after tearing it in half just in case, handed it to Damian.

The kid took a hesitant bite, still looking a little put out, but then he gasped a little. He happily chewed away at the marshmallow, the event easily wiped from his mind in favor of the yummy thing in his hand.

Tim sighed in relief, reaching behind himself for the marshmallow bag so they wouldn’t have to shoot any more. Just in case.

“Quick thinking,” he said, which was kind of a compliment if you squinted.

She smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “It’s what I’m known for.”

There was a few seconds before she sighed just a little, gently combing her fingers through Damian’s hair. The kid reached out and gripped Tim’s shirt in his hand, surely getting it messed up thanks to the marshmallow on his hands but whatever, and tried to tug him closer. He obliged. Marinette rested her head on his shoulder absently.

“What would I do without you?” He mused.

“Probably starve on the streets,” she said bluntly.

He scoffed a little. “The minute this kid goes to sleep I’m going to shoot another marshmallow at you.”

“You can try. Only reason you even got me last time was ‘cause I didn’t know you were going to do it.”

“The element of surprise is a totally valid tactic!” He pretended to whine.

She grinned at him. “But it won’t work again.”

He wrapped an arm around her lazily. “We’ll see.”

~~~~~

Next

@unoriginalmess @hammalammadamdam @astrynyx @laurcad123 @927roses-and-stuff

#pads..... of paper?? #nearly made tim go #do with this information what you will #into the unknown #maribat #tim drake #ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #red robin #timari #timmari #timinette #shutterbug