#((i kept rolling suggestive prompts into this and when i got this i said. fine. ok dm. this can be normal))

[hopetune]

🎲 [PLATONIC] hi miss robin?

kiss roulette (not accepting!) || a bloody kiss

"...There. How does that feel?"

Robin's hands tenderly cup Sedene's bruised paw, securing the freshly-wrapped, freshly-reddened bandages with a firm tug. The cut was a result of a terrible accident, some malfunction with some Meka that she had not personally witnessed. But she was fortunate to arrived in the aftermath. Else little Sedene would have borne her wounds all alone.

The Halovian presses a soft kiss onto the area, like she might when treating a child's scraped elbow or aching head.

"I hope it heals well," Robin says, sighing slightly as she watches blood continue to bloom through the linen, "and I hope another accident doesn't find you. If it's bad enough, even a kiss won't make it feel better."

[dumpywrites]

Facade - Jeon Jungkook

Prompt: Your friend arranged you on a date with a BTS member. The catch is, you have to pretend like you’re not a fan. 

Prompt request: HERE

Genre/tags: Fluff, strangers (?) to lovers, idol Jungkook, fan/army reader

Pairing: Jungkook x she/her reader

Word count: 4k

a/n: I obviously don't know how real idol life works, let's just pretend this is how it looks like ok lol

“You did not just set me on a date with Jeon Jungkook.”

Folding your arms, you stood with your eyebrows knitted together, looking straight at your friend who in contrast had a big grin plastered on his lips. You bit into your sandwich, looking left and right, all skeptical about people overhearing your conversation. The guy in front of you then repeated his sentence again just to humor you. 

Undoubtedly, you did not hear your friend wrong. Man really just set you up with the one and only Jungkook from BTS. Being a set stylist in Big Hit and all, it came as no surprise that he knew the boys, but you did not know that he was that close to the point that he could introduce them to you personally. In fact, you were never aware of how close your friend was with them until now.

While it was true that you had told your friend, although mostly jokingly, about how you wanted him to introduce him to someone, you did not mean this. You did not mean introducing to the guy whose songs you literally had in your Spotify wrapped. 

“Felix, you can’t be serious, how??? I don't think I have anything to wear???“

“Here’s the catch.” The guy said sternly, putting down his chilled drink. “You have to pretend like you don’t know him.”

You looked at your friend as if he just turned into a fish. The sentence he blurted out just sounded ridiculous. 

“Okay, okay, I’m aware of how unbelievable that sounds. Obviously, everyone knows who he is. All I’m asking is for you to at least pretend to not be a creepy fan.”

“I’m not a creepy fan.” You looked at your friend, pretending to feel insulted. 

“You took a picture of his Calvin Klein poster at the mall last week.” He argued.

“That doesn’t count, I was asking about the location.”

“You mentioned something about rock-hard abs…”

“Okay, fair.” You rolled your eyes. “But I’m not one of those sasaeng if that’s what you mean.”

“Duh, I wouldn’t have suggested this if you are.” He rolled his eyes back at you. “The other's been teasing him about relationship stuff and your face popped up in my head." He sneered. "When I showed him your picture, he seemed to be interested.”

Your eyes widened. “Which picture of me did you show to him?!“

“Doesn’t matter.” He dismissed you. “But you’re somewhat of a fan, so you must know that he’s mentioned that he doesn’t date fans.”

“I’m aware.” You sighed. 

“I think that’s bullshit to be honest, he’s just saying that for safety purposes. So army wouldn’t fight over him and stuff?” He chuckled. “But just so he won’t get put off on the first meeting…”

“Yeah, I get it.” 

“You sound discouraged.” 

“No, I’m beyond ecstatic, it’s just that…” You stopped to sip your drink. “I don’t know, the idea of lying to his face just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You can tell him later if the date goes well! It’s just so he won’t run away on the first meeting…”

You frowned, contemplating for a good moment. “Alright fine, but you have to help me with the outfit.” 

“I got you covered, girl.” 

**

That was how you ended up waiting in a private room, at restaurant way too fancy for you, sitting down awkwardly at a table that has a paper written “Reserved for Mr. Jeon” on it. Out of nervousness, you kept fixing the non-existent crease on your blouse, the one Felix helped you choose just the day before. 

Felix was the one who drove you there, since he knew the place and both of you basically talked with him as a bridge in between. Your friend did mention the possibility of your date being late, due to the fact that he could not just enter the place from the front door like normal costumer would.

Just around six minutes of fidgeting your fingers, you heard a light click from the door handle and you quickly straightened yourself up. Honestly, you wished he came even later, cause you were nervous as heck. Thank heavens for the good air conditioner or you'd be wetting your outfit with sweat.

And so there he was, walking in full slow motion before your eyes. He was walking in casually, so effortlessly. Running his fingers through his black, slightly permed locks, he closed the door behind him and you swore his black blazer was swaying in an animated way. There was a shine in both his eyes and lips. You were definitely wearing a pink tinted glasses and you were fully aware of it.

“Hi, you must be Y/N.” He flashed a bright smile and took a seat. “Sorry I’m late, had to make sure no one saw me and all…”

“Don’t sweat it.” You said, trying not to sound breathless. 

“You’re very pretty by the way.” He grinned. “Like, actually better than the picture Felix showed me.”

“Thanks…” It was impressive how you manage to not stutter while your heart was doing a backflip. “You look great too… I mean I’m sure you get it all the time.”

“Don’t even.” He laughed. “I look great cause we have a team of professional makeup artists on stage. Today though, I’m just Jeon Jeongguk in the flesh.” 

You wanted so badly to hit him because there was no way this man really just said that his no makeup face was anything but gorgeous. 

“Anyways!” The guy exclaimed enthusiastically. “Let’s order? I’m starving!”

“What do you recommend here? I’ve never been here before…” 

“Oh, I’ve never been here either. I just asked Jimin-hyung to recommend me a good place for a date…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I figured it would make a good first impression.”

“You could just ask me out for a tteokbokki and I would’ve said yes.” 

Wait, you didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Jungkook’s laughter filled the room suddenly, which taken you by surprise. “That sounds awesome, we should totally get some after this!” 

You couldn’t help but to smile as well. 

“Felix told me you’re a copywriter?”

“Ah yeah, I am. I mostly work for social media stuff.” You explained as you flipped through the menu. “I kinda want to indulge in writing music but I don’t know where to start…”

“You should definitely try it!” He said in excitement. “I didn’t get to actually write my last album since the company decided to go full English, but I’d like to, maybe for my future releases.” 

“I’m looking forward to it.” 

“I can introduce you to my writers and producers if you want?” He looked at the ceiling for a second, pondering. “Have you listened to my song “Seven”?”

As a matter of fact, you had memorized the song lyric by lyric, but you couldn’t just tell him that. 

“O-Of course.” You cursed secretly for stuttering. “It’s everywhere, don’t act like that song didn’t top the charts.”

“Right…” He said, grinning while looking away from your eyes. “I mean, I could introduce you to the writers if you want.”

“There’s no need, I’m sure I can learn a thing or two from you.” You looked at him, testing the waters. 

“Or that! I prefer that, honestly.” He laughed. 

Dinner went extremely well. You were surprised at how at ease you were with him. He was fun and easy to talk to. He was talking about every dish in a very passionate way, which you found endearing. You share the same movie taste as him, which did not really come as a surprise to you, but it absolutely did to him. His eyes were practically glowing talking about the upcoming Deadpool movie. 

The guilt of pretending still lingered in you and you couldn’t just simply ignore it. No matter how comfortable he made you feel, you kept feeling on edge, scared of the possibility of spilling something you’d rather him not to hear. 

“So, are you still up for the tteokbokki?” He asked after giving his card to pay. “I mean, we can’t just eat them on the street like normal people cause you know…” He sighed, raising his eyebrows. 

“Oh yeah, I totally forgot you can’t just…” 

“I’m sorry, it sucks.” He smiled sadly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job but… I guess it’s just a small price to pay.” 

There was a very clear hint of disappointment in his voice, and you felt awful. “I’m so sorry.”

“Wait, I can just tell my driver to drop by so we can get some and I don’t know, eat in my car? Unless you wanna eat in my place which sounds bad, I don’t think you’ll be comfortable knowing we just met—“

“Jungkook, it’s alright.” You assured him. “We can just get them next time.”

“There’s a next time then?” He said with an eager smile. 

You blushed. “Of course. I had fun…”

“Okay… phew!” He exhaled comically and you laughed. “You know, I’m glad I came today.”

“Me too.” You smiled. 

“Can I have your number?” He said with puffed cheeks as he bit the inner side of his mouth. “It’s not exactly convenient to talk via Felix.” He chuckled. 

After exchanging phone number he offered to take you home with him having a driver as the argument. You refused, but mostly because you didn’t know if you could handle being in a close distance and such small space with him yet. Your heart could barely take his boyish grins and cringey jokes. You certainly needed more getting used to. 

Your friend was so gonna get an earful about this. 

Maybe you’d treat him food too as a thanks. 

**

“So?” 

“I’m in trouble, you don’t get it.”

Your friend laughed out loud while you sighed and palmed your face. 

“Aren’t you happy that it went well?” He snickered, eyeing the unopened notifications from Jungkook popping up in your phone. “He even texts you daily, don’t you know how busy he is?”

“He still doesn’t know that I basically have his album at home.” You groaned, slumping into the table. “Albums! And his posters… his light stick…” You ruffled your hair in frustration. 

“Relax, he clearly likes you! Look at those puppy eyes emojis he sent you.”

“How am I suppose to tell him now?!” You looked at your friend in disbelief. 

“I’m sure he’ll understand, you just gotta find the right timing.” 

“That’s easy for you to say cause you’re not the one dealing with it.” 

“Shut up, look…” Felix took your phone and shoved it in front of your face. 

“Are you free this Saturday? Let’s watch a movie!”

“Oh my god???” You snatched your phone instantly, eyes fully open.

And so here you were again, somewhat dolling yourself up for a mere cinema date. You did not step out before video calling your friend and sending the view casual outfit option you had. 

This time Jungkook insisted on sending you a driver to pick you up, mentioning how it was safer and more convenient for you that way. You felt a bit weirded out by the treatment but you guessed it was only right given his status. He even said that he wanted to pick you up himself if he could. 

The first thing you noticed after stepping into the cinema was how empty it was. Sure it was quite late at night, around eleven, but it was not that late to the point where nobody would be there. You had been to the cinema at the same hour before and you were sure it wasn’t this empty. Although you were feeling suspicious, you showed the staff your booking code anyway and she led you to the auditorium. 

How terrified you were to found the auditorium to be empty also, only the huge screen playing the commercials before the movie. You began to look around, terrified. Was this some sort of prank? You were not sure. Out of the blue a finger tapped your back and you yelped in horror.

“I’m sorry! Did I scare you? I was in the restroom.” It was Jungkook. 

You stood up for a few seconds, still processing the whole situation. Your eyes were glassy due to the fear and your heart was beating rapidly. Jungkook just stood there, wearing an oversized grey hoodie and a baggy jeans, looking handsome as usual, just staring at you with two cups of soda in his hands. He had a beanie over his head, making his face look rounder and pinch-able. 

“Hey… are you okay?” 

You cleared your throat, scratching your eyes. “I was scared I thought I got pranked or something.” You chuckled, vision still quite blurry. 

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve told you that I rented the whole place… I just don’t want people to see me and make a fuss about it…” 

“It’s okay. I’m here now, let’s just sit down?”

Jungkook followed you as you picked a random seat in the middle of the room. 

He was being awfully quiet as the movie started playing. You noticed how suddenly tensed he was and you saw his hands trembled for a quick second before he shoved it down his pants pockets. 

“Uh, Y/N?” He called. 

You were startled. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry I can’t take you on a normal date.”

Your heart melted at the statement. While it was true that you were a fan, but seeing him being a considerate and gentle guy in real life completely swept you away. 

You smiled, looking at his direction. “I mean, as long as we’re spending time together I don’t care where or how.” 

He flashed you a smile, one that could turn you into a puddle instantly. Your eyes darted to a staff that suddenly came to your seats, with two cups of what seemed to be snacks. Your eyes beamed with excitement at the realization of what was served to you. You gasped, covering your lips. You barely mouthed a “thank you” to the staff and they bowed before walking out. 

“I didn’t know they serve tteokbokki here.” 

“They don’t… I just told my driver to get us some.” He said timidly. “I hope that’s okay?”

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been just to eat a tteokbokki.” 

Jungkook breathed out a sigh before smiling brightly. “You know, I don’t even remember the last time I went out on a normal date… I’m sorry if it’s weird to you.” 

“I haven’t been in one in a while either, it’s okay.” You smiled back, poking the tteokbokki and took a bite.

He started stuffing some in his mouth as well. “No, it’s different… I think I will never get the chance to actually date normally, you know? Not in the near future at least. I just wish people respect my privacy more, that’s not much to ask, right?”

“I’m sorry you have to go through this.” 

“Well, at the end of the day, I love what I do and I don’t regret anything.” 

He shrugged and continued to stuff more food in his mouth, making you giggle at the sight. You had seen him eat multiple times on his weverse live but seeing him actually eat with such enthusiast right in front of you just felt different. God was he cute. 

“I’m glad you’re not like those people.” He looked at you, smiling with his mouth full.

You froze. Am I though? You thought to yourself. Immediately the eye contact was broken and you straightened yourself on the seat to watch the movie, the one with plot you never really got to know at this point. You did not realize how you never really responded to his sentence. 

He did not press over it again and you were glad. Instead of opening his mouth to ask for more, he put his hand over yours instead. A bold move, which surprised you, but his touch was oddly calming and in no time you found yourselves intertwining your fingers together. 

After the credits rolled, both of you stood up to exit but Jungkook quickly caught your right hand again, refusing to let go of it yet. You found it really adorable so you let him be. 

“Let me take you home, yeah?”

“But aren’t you worried? What if someone snoops around seeing the same car drops a random girl and then you later?” You reasoned. 

“You’re not some random girl.” 

You were both mad and smitten that he chose to focus on that. “That’s not the point.” 

“I know… it’s just,” He puffed his cheeks. “I wanna spend time with you more, I don’t really get breaks that often so…”

You almost let out an “aww”. You sighed, fighting the urge to just hug him right there on the spot. “Alright.”

“Yes!” He celebrated, throwing his left fist in the air. “Don't worry, I have a driver trailing from behind in case I get followed. I won't drop you in your specific apartment tower too, if that helps."

“You drove by yourself?”

“Kinda wanna chat just the two of us.”

Okay, you were now holding every fiber of yourself not to just jump and kiss him.

“Is that alright though?” You worried. 

“The staffs here already signed NDAs and stuff, so I hope so.” He shrugged. 

Nodding, you followed him to the parking basement, where he parked his car. He did not let go of your hand until he reached his car. Not minutes after starting his engine, he already was asking for your hand. His eyebrows wiggling playfully at you, while he whined about how he could comfortably drive with one hand. 

You were in no position to complain though, your hand felt too comfortable resting against his. It almost felt like it belonged there but saying that about Jungkook made you feel delusional. Despite actually going on a date with the man himself, it was still surreal for you, the idea of going out with your idol. 

“Do you think I’m going too fast?” 

“Your driving? I guess it’s alright.” You raised one of your eyebrow, looking at him. 

“You know what I mean.” He chuckled. “About this whole thing…”

Before you answered, he spoke again. 

“I get way too excited over these things, I don’t have that much experience and not to mention how I don’t really get that much time to do so.” He nervously laughed. “I’m a fucking twenty-six year old guy who gets way too excited over holding hands…” He shook his head. The curse word rolling out from his tongue actually sounded natural, somewhat sexy.

“I think you’re fine the way you are.” You squeezed his hand, patting the top of it with your other one. “Everyone experience life differently, and so what if you get excited over holding hands? You think I don’t?” You chuckled. 

“You do?!” He said cheerfully. “We’re such a great match already.” He joked. 

You rolled your eyes but your lips were curled into a shy smile. 

“I like you, like a lot.” Jungkook suddenly confessed, as if it was nothing. 

You almost jumped in your seat, looking to his direction. His eyes were on the road but he was smiling from ear to ear. 

This was it right? This was the moment of your dreams. You were literally dreaming about this.  The idol who you admired, confessing his feelings to you. But a small part of you thought about how wrong it was. You were putting a facade in front of him. While you did not lie or put up an act just to impress him, he still didn’t know that you were one of his fans. Will he get mad if he finds out? You’d rather not find out. 

“Jungkook, it’s…” 

“You don’t have to answer right now. We’ll see each other again, right?” This time he squeezed your hand, dragging it near his chest. You felt his heart beating rapidly. 

You kept quiet, only nodding silently. Looking at his direction suddenly felt stuffy so you looked at the window instead, the road and traffic lights kept you busy. 

It was not long after and he finally stopped at your destination. 

“I’ll see you again?” He said, voice sounding a little bit like a beg. 

“I… I can’t.”

Jungkook’s jaw dropped slightly, he looked at you with furrowed brows. “Why?”

“I’m not who you think I am…” You looked away, backing off so your body hits the car door. 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” He leaned towards your direction, making you nervous. 

Panicking, you finally spilled the beans. “Jungkook, I’m actually your fan.” You breathed out. “I’m an army…”

You were so ready to get yelled and thrown out. This was gonna be the moment you wished you had never met—

“I know.”

“Wait, what???” You replied, voice almost a little too loud.

“I saw your little Koya charm in your bag when we first met, I was waiting for you to bring it up but you never say anything.”

Shit, guess you forgot to take that off. 

“But you said you were glad I’m not like those people…”

“And I don’t mean my fans? I was talking about those crazy stalkers and dispatch.” He looked at you in disbelief, almost as if he felt betrayed. 

“I… I don’t know what to say…” You blushed, the sudden realization hit you that Jungkook in fact had known about your secret since day one. 

“That was it right? That’s the only thing that I supposedly don’t know about you? You didn’t lie about anything else?”

“N-No, of course not…”

“Then my offer still stands, I’ll let you know when I’m free next.” He grinned. “If you want to?” 

“I want to…” You managed to say, in which seconds later the huge built guy launched towards you for a hug. 

“Hey!” You whined, but you were aware of how hot your face felt. Your whole body probably had turned red. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked impatiently, eyes big like a puppy asking for food. “I mean… it’s okay if you don’t want to?” He giggled. 

“I swear you're gonna be the death of me…" You groaned. "You don’t have to ask!” You pouted with your cheeks burning like crazy. 

He showed you his tooth-aching smile, one that turned his eyes into crescents, before he quickly dipped and met your lips. It was a short and soft peck. He did left it lingering for a few seconds before pulling back. You couldn’t lie to yourself, you were lowkey expecting more. 

“Good night.” He giggled. 

“Good night to you too, silly.” You laughed as well, hugging him close and pecked his cheek. 

He finally let you go so you could grab your bag. It was kinda awkward after all hugging in the car seat but oh well. You clicked open the car door, slowly stepping out. 

“Drive safe.” You said, looking back to him. 

He nodded before waving you goodbye. 

That night you went to bed with your eyes wide open. How could you even sleep? The whole scenario felt like you just receive something only someone who had won a war in their past life would get. You took your phone, wanting to text the guy who you totally did not have as your wallpaper now. 

There were already two bubbles of notification from him, but your eyes almost popped out reading the second one. 

“I have arrived safely! No one followed me! Hehe”

“Any chance you want a signed album from Namjoon-hyung? I can give you for a very low price of a single kiss! 💜”

Thank you for reading! 🍷

[tsukisangel]

stranded

characters ꕤ iwaizumi hajime, f!reader, tooru oikawa, mentioned mattsun, mentioned makki

cw/tags ꕤ suggestive 17+ to read, car makeout, hickeys, stranded on the side of the road, iwa muscles, angry iwa

wc ꕤ 2885

note ⋆ this is my fic for @delirious-donna, written for the summer fic exchange!!! i had sm fun i loved your prompts i wanted to write all of them... but then i eventually wrote this one and i really love it im so obsessed with him he's so fine thank you for putting these thoughts of him into my brain <3 i hope you enjoy and i hope all the questions i asked didn't bother you SKEUHG also if you wanna see the other draft (unfinished) i wrote which was for kuroo my discord dms are open

oikawa was finally visiting japan for the summer after his long time spent in argentina. however, you and iwaizumi were in miyagi, and oikawa was all the way in tokyo. it was a whole five hour drive. you and iwaizumi had originally planned the trip to be you two, matsukawa, and hanamaki, but matsukawa started to get caught up in his work, and hanamaki had just gotten another new job, so he needed to make a good first impression. 

you were disappointed of course. your old friend group reconnected? who didn’t want that? but, maybe you were also sorta okay with it. actually, matsukawa and hanamaki teased you a little bit, and told you they were really doing it for you.

you had the tiniest crush on iwaizumi.

super small!

you definitely hadn’t been in love with him since you graduated high school or anything. that wouldn’t make sense! you definitely weren’t excited to have some time alone with him after who knew how many years? oikawa was always around or on the phone, and then when he wasn’t, either matsukawa or hanamaki were. you hardly got a minute alone with iwaizumi. you treasured the ones you did. they always felt… different. you never really understood why. you just chalked it up to being excited about being alone with him.

so, you were more giddy than normal when you got in his car. five or more whole hours alone with the man you were in love with. what more could a girl wish for? he grinned wide at you, dressed in his usual workout clothes. he could definitely clean up well, but he was always wearing workout clothes. what could you expect from an athletic trainer? working out was his job! plus, you weren’t seeing anyone important, so you were happy to see iwaizumi in a t-shirt that was a bit tighter on him since the last time he’d worn it due to constantly growing muscle, and sweat shorts that were the perfect length to show off his built thighs. 

“you look happy.” he said, raising his brows. “especially so early in the morning.” he teased.

you rolled your eyes, but kept your giddy grin on. “i’m just excited about our road trip! you aren’t? five hours with me doesn’t sound appealing to you?” you teased.

he shook his head. “not at all.” you scoffed, and he laughed. “you put your bags in the trunk?” he asked.

“oh, i just put them in the backseat.” you shrugged. “nobody’s gonna be back there.”

“you-” he shot you a playful glare, getting out of his seat. “if it was too heavy for you, just tell me.” you watched him move and grab your bags, biceps flexing so beautifully you almost thought he was doing it on purpose.

you quickly got out of your seat, going over and opening the trunk for him. “seems like you need my help.” you teased. no, this was not an excuse to look at his muscles again.

he rolled his eyes. “i was just fine.” he said, setting your bags down gently. “let’s go. can’t be late!” 

the both of you sat back down in your seats, and you rushed to grab the aux cord from him, smiling innocently when you saw him shake his head. 

“seriously? we’re not in high school.” he said, finally starting to drive.

“and my music taste is still better than yours.” you laughed softly.

“you like kpop!” he exclaimed. 

“yeah! i do!” you exclaimed back. “you like edm!”

“have you been to a rave?!” he exclaimed. “that shit changed my life!”

you laughed. “you mean you got super high at one you went to with tooru five years ago? and he had to practically drag you back to the airbnb?” you raised a brow.

he blushed a bit. “that has nothing to do with the insane, life-changing experience i had there.” he grumbled. “keep bullying me and you’ll get kicked out of this car.”

“aww, you miss tooru so much you’re starting to act like him.” you teased, giving him a fake pout and scrunching your nose.

“y/n.” he spoke with a deep, warning tone, glare on his face directed at you. it was the same voice he used when oikawa was really pushing his buttons, just like you were. it sort of worked, in the way that oikawa just laughed at it and moved on from teasing iwaizumi.

unfortunately for you, it had a different effect. he sounded so hot saying your name like that your brain short-circuited a bit upon hearing it. you had to completely distract yourself so you wouldn’t go crazy over it. you rolled your eyes at him and smacked his arm lightly. “what's so bad about kpop?” you huffed, still scrolling through your playlists.

he chuckled. “you know the only reason you listen to it is for the hot guys.” he teased.

“you asshole!” you exclaimed, smacking his arm harder. he laughed. you finally just decided on rock music, an equal ground. but later on, just to spite him, you were for sure going to put on some kpop.

( •̀ω •́ )

it’d been about two and a half hours since the trip started. one hour in, you stopped to grab snacks and some water, as that was something crucial the both of you forgot. 

and, while you didn't realize just how crucial it would be, you were now very glad you decided to make iwaizumi stop.

he had pulled the car over when the carplay screen started acting up, pausing and playing your music when you weren’t touching it or your phone. normally you would’ve thought it was just the bluetooth connection failing, but you were on aux. then, the windows wouldn’t roll up and down properly. a few lights on the dashboard had turned on, so he quickly pulled over. he turned off the car, trying to turn it back on. it made a horrible sound that nobody ever wanted to hear their car make. you could already see just how upset he was getting. he got out of the car without saying anything, popping the hood open and checking on the engine. you were standing behind him, watching as he worked. he was getting more and more frustrated by the minute, and he kept just checking the same spot over and over again.  

obviously, something was wrong, he didn’t say what yet, but it was not good.

but there were positives! there were! 

you had plenty of food and water, so if you needed to call for help, you at least wouldn't starve waiting for it.

iwaizumi knew a little about cars, so there was a possibility that you didn't have to call for help. he didn't seem very happy from where you were standing, but maybe he just didn’t want to deal with working on his car in this heat?

finally, he had his short sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, and his tanned, now sweaty, skin was glistening in the sun. you could see his muscles flexing as he worked, and it was just a sight for sore eyes. his brows were furrowed together, and he had this angry pout on his face. you were lucky it was hot, or you wouldn't have anything to blame the flush of your cheeks on.

“shit!” he exclaimed, stepping away from the hood with a very frustrated look on his face.

you quickly reached into the back seat and grabbed a water bottle for him, holding it out. “what happened? is it bad?” you asked, brows stitched in worry.

he walked over to you, taking in a deep breath. then he took the water bottle, chugging half of it. finally, he looked right at you, still angry. “we’re stranded.” he grumbled. “we’ll have to call for help, the alternator is fucked up, and i mean- fuck, there’s probably some other shit wrong with the car.” he shrugged, sighing. he got back in the car after slamming the hood, and you followed. he got on his phone. “at least we have service.” he grumbled, and you saw him hold it up to his ear, as he called a mechanic to get the job done. he explained the situation, then blinked. his stare went blank, and he had on a fake grin. “no, that's alright! no worries, man, thanks. see you then.” he hung up, the grin dropping. before he got too angry, he looked over at you. “call oikawa. tell him we’ll be late. by four hours.” he spoke through gritted teeth, and then let his head fall against the steering wheel.

you widened your eyes. four hours was a very long time without any cold air. no wonder he was so mad. you pulled your phone out, calling oikawa. 

“hey!” oikawa exclaimed. “you guys almost here?” he sounded so excited. you felt bad about breaking the news to him, but you knew if iwaizumi did it… you looked over at the man in question, his head still against the steering wheel. it wouldn’t be pretty.

“well, uh,” you looked back to the road ahead of you, watching cars pass by, some passengers looking over, but most not saying anything, “we’re stranded.” you sighed. “the car broke down, we had to pull over.  hajime called for help already, and we have food and water. we’re fine, but we’ll be four or so hours late.” you spoke quietly, trying to assure oikawa you’d be okay and then breaking the bad news to him.

“you're okay?” oikawa asked.

“we’re fine.” you smiled. “we have food, it’s just really hot.”

“okay.” oikawa sighed, sounding like he was pouting. “i’ll see you later i guess.”

you laughed softly. “we’ll still be there today!”

“if we’re lucky.” iwaizumi grumbled.

you looked over at him. “pessimist.” you flicked his arm. “we’ll talk soon, tooru! i don't want my phone to die.”

oikawa groaned on the other end of the phone. “whatever.” he whined. “be safe.”

“oh, don't you worry about our safety, we have big strong hajime with us.” you teased, nudging iwaizumi. he grunted. 

oikawa groaned. “you’re so whipped.” he spoke quietly, probably so iwaizumi couldn't hear. 

you blushed a bit. “bye, tooru!” you exclaimed with a huff, hanging up as you heard him laughing. you looked over at iwaizumi. “come on, grumpy!” you drummed his back. he didn’t respond. 

you sighed. “at least be a little positive! someone's coming to fix it!” 

he sat up. “the car’s fucked! there’s nothing positive right now!” he exclaimed.

“the positive is that it’s going to-”

“the person coming to fix it will be here in four hours! and who knows how long it'll take for them to fix it! we’re stranded, y/n! we’re stranded, it’s hot, and i’m sweating so much i look like i just took a fucking swim! we have two and a half water bottles that will get hot before we finish even one, and the only food we have is junk! what the fuck is positive about that?!”

you furrowed your brows, anger rising. “i’m just trying to help!”

“i don't need help!” he exclaimed.

“why are you always so stubborn?!” you exclaimed.

“why do you care so much?!” 

“because i love-” you cut yourself off immediately. his brows were still furrowed, but now he looked confused. you turned red. “i-” you breathed out. “um, not-”

you kept stuttering and stammering, still trying to process that you really did just say that, at the same time as he was processing what that could have possibly meant.

apparently he finished before you because all of a sudden, in the midst of the silence, he reached over the center console, large, calloused hands grabbed your cheeks, and gentle lips crashed against yours. you froze, so he pulled away, moving his hands. “sorry, i thou-”

you shut him up by kissing him again, arms wrapping around his neck. he kissed back, no questions asked. he groaned into your lips. you moved a hand up to his cheek, and he leaned into your touch. 

you held the kiss as long as you could, but you were both officially out of breath and pulled away. you grinned at him. “that’s all the reassurance i needed.” you laughed.

he chuckled, then frowned, sighing and leaning against your shoulder. those strong arms of his that you loved so much moved down to wrap around your waist. you slid a bit closer to him so he could be comfortable in this semi-awkward position. “fuck.” he grumbled. “i’m sorry, y/n.” he shook his head. you hummed. “i’m sorry for yelling at you. i was an ass. you were trying to make me feel better.” he looked up at you, eyes soft and searching yours. 

you nodded, and then smiled. “grump.” you teased.

he rolled his eyes a bit. “come on. i’m trying to be serious! do you accept my apology or not?” he asked.

“not with that attitude!” you scoffed.

“oh yeah?” he smirked, pressing a kiss to your lips. “how about now?” you smiled a bit, shaking your head. he kissed you again, and you held him there as long as possible. he pulled away when you were out of breath again, grinning dangerously. “now?” he asked.

“i guess.” you shrugged, looking away from him.

“oh, come on, what happened to ms. positivity?” he asked.

you pushed his face away. “don't call me that!” you laughed. 

“accept my apology then!” 

“nope!” you said mischievously. “you're gonna need more than a couple kisses to earn my forgiveness.” 

“oh really?” he asked, kissing you again, but ending it quickly and dragging kisses down to your neck. “how about something down here?” you shuddered at the brush of his lips against your neck. “a little mark to prove just how sorry i am?”

you took a breath in as he pressed small kisses. “y-you know tooru will see, right?” you asked nervously, the kisses starting to slowly melt your brain.

iwaizumi lifted his head, getting closer to you by moving to sit a bit over the center console. he was lucky it was flat. he lifted you up, taking your spot and somehow comfortably sitting you on top of his lap. “what? you nervous all of a sudden?” he teased, slowly dragging his hand from your waist to your thigh. “let him see. let him ask. you can tell him what happened, can't you?” he smirked. the soft way he spoke was driving you insane. 

“why me?” you shook your head quickly, voice getting quieter and quieter each time you spoke. you wanted him, obviously, you just weren’t expecting all this.

he chuckled. “you’re the one who wants it.” he teased.

“you want to give it to me.” he shook his head with a smirk, leaning down and biting a random spot on your neck. you gasped. “hajime!” you whimpered.

he laughed against you, starting to suck and bite gently in one spot. “you've been so obvious. i see you every time you stare at me. i feel your eyes on me.” his voice was still soft, but now it was almost condescending. you squirmed, a small whine escaping your mouth. “i just thought you found my muscles hot or something, so i kept showing off for you.” you remembered every time he took his shirt off or flexed his muscles around you, getting red at the thought of him doing it for you, doing it so he could feel you watching him. he smirked against your neck. “now that i know you were in love with me this whole time, i can remember every time you’ve done the same.” he bit down again, and your back arched a bit as you gasped. his arms held you close. “every time you’ve bent down to pick something up in a little skirt,” another bite, “every outfit you wore that hugged your body just right,” another bite, “and every time,” he moved his kisses up, biting down on your ear, “that you’ve looked at me with those beautiful eyes of yours, and asked me for help moving something i knew you didn't need help moving.” his final words were spoken in a low whisper.

you sucked in a breath as he moved back up, examining his work. “you’re an ass.” you whispered, covering your face.

“i’m your ass if that hickey’s got anything to say about it.” you uncovered just your eyes, to see the stupid expression you knew was on his face. 

just as you thought, it was a dumb, cocky, grin, that made your heart pound in your chest more than it already was.  “guess you’re in a better mood then.” you moved your arms around his neck again, pulling him in a hug and making sure his face was buried in your chest so he wouldn’t see how red your face was.

clearly, he didn’t mind. “much better.” he said. “thank you, baby.” he said softly, using your assets as pillows. 

“you’re welcome.” you whispered. after just a moment of comfortable silence, his stomach growled. you laughed. “you hungry?” you teased.

“fuck off!” he exclaimed, hiding his head deeper in your chest. you laughed even harder, and little did you know it just made him fall in love with you more.

m.list

previous work (lip gloss and endless kisses) | next work

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles.

It's the Stripes, Man

Prompt Day 7: Candy Cane | Word Count: 909 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Mild Sexual Innuendo | Tags: Post S4, Eddie Munson Lives, Bantering Their Way Into Each Other's Hearts, Dinguses²

"You look like a candy cane."

Steve turns his head, looking over at Eddie.

"I look like - a what?" Steve asks, even if he heard Eddie just fine the first time. He just wants to hear him say it again to his face.

"A candy cane," Eddie repeats, and Steve shouldn't have expected anything else. "Or Where's Waldo."

"Waldo, who?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, throwing up his hands.

"It's a book, Harrington. Henderson had it. You find the guy…nevermind," Eddie says, "It's the stripes, man."

Steve looks down at the chunky, red and white striped sweater that he stole from Robin's closet. It doesn't look like a candy cane, but it might be a women's sweater. That he isn't exactly sure about.

Doesn't matter.

It's warm, he looks good in it, and he likes it. That's all that counts.

Eddie's just being annoying.

"Fine, I'm a candy cane. Give me a lick," Steve banters, and turns back to the tree that he's trying to string with lights.

Eddie makes a spluttering, coughing, hacking noise that makes Steve turn back around, "You dying again, or what?"

"Nope. Nope, I'm good," Eddie says, his cheeks tinged with pink, like the coughing really took it out of him.

"Good. I don't have time to save you again today. Help me string these lights," Steve demands and Eddie does move towards the tree to help him.

They can work together in unison now. Their uneasy alliance in the Upside Down has turned into a very easy friendship topside. Steve never could have predicted it, but he truly likes having Eddie Munson around.

They got the tree decorated, right down to the candy canes that Eddie kept fidgeting with, and now Steve's standing at the sink, doing dishes, when he hears Eddie stomp into the room. Eddie's never walked quietly a day that Steve's known him, which means he can't sneak up on anyone.

Especially not Steve.

Steve's bent over, scrubbing a plate, and he's about to say, "Yes?" in a mocking tone, but instead he drops the slick dish from his wet hands, sending it skittering all around the sink, when he feels Eddie's tongue swipe across the back of his neck.

It takes him a second to process, and another to confirm that's what actually happened.

"Jesus Christ! Did you lick me?"

"You told me to!" Eddie accuses, "And then I just had to do it. You put it in my brain! This is on you, Harrington!"

Steve is absolutely certain he didn't suggest Eddie lick the back of his neck like a big weirdo.

"When on earth did I tell you to do that?" Steve asks, hands finding his hips as he looks at Eddie, annoyed.

"You said, lick me then," Eddie stresses, and Steve tries to play back the information that he has rattling around in his brain to see if he actually said that or not. He's sure it's possible, it does sound like him, even if he doesn't remember saying it.

If he did, it was nothing. Definitely not an invitation for Eddie to actually lick him.

"Are you sure I said that?" Steve asks, staring him down.

Eddie wilts, just a little, and Steve softens the bitchy out of his face. He doesn't actually care that Eddie licked him. Whatever. He's a weird dude. And they've kind of got a weirdly almost sexually charged friendship going on, even Steve can feel it. They've never acted on it, but it's there, just under the surface.

And maybe this was an impulse built off that, one that Eddie just couldn't shake.

So, fine.

He licked him.

It doesn't have to mean anything.

Steve picks back up the plate he had been washing before it rudely slipped from his grasp and bounced all around the sink.

"Well, is it out of your system now?" Steve asks and Eddie tilts his head back and laughs.

"Fuck you, Harrington," Eddie answers, picking up the hand towel to dry the dish that Steve has in his hands. 

"Now, now. Don't be sarcastic. You never know when someone will take what you say seriously," Steve banters back. 

Eddie stops, and then throws his head back, laughing.

"Well, I mean, if you wanna hold me to it," Eddie says.

Steve giggles, "You're too much."

He hands the now clean plate to Eddie, and they keep washing and drying together until the sink is totally empty.

And now, just like Eddie had, Steve has a one-track mind over a joke.

A throwaway bit of ribbing.

But, he definitely gets it now. 

Steve turns and leans against the counter, crossing his legs at the ankle, catching Eddie's eyes, then asking, "So. About the fucking. We gonna?"

Eddie's eyes go wide, rounder and bigger than they usually are, and Steve laughs. He's serious, or not. Whatever Eddie wants, he's game. 

Eddie takes a step closer, grazing the shoulder of Steve's stolen sweater with his fingertips, and Steve smiles. Eddie's so fucking weird, but in the best way possible. He's glad their paths crossed. It's been fun. Well. Spring Break wasn't fun. But the time after that sure has been. Eddie's interesting, and never predictable.

"You ever fucked a man, Harrington?" Eddie asks, those big eyes holding Steve's stare and not letting go.

Steve shakes his head, "No. First time for everything, I guess."

Eddie laughs, and presses closer, "And you say I'm the one that's too much."

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun! 🍬

Fun fact: Where's Waldo seems to have first came out in September of 1987. I'm not 100% sure it was released at the same time as Where's Wally? in the UK, but I didn't see anything that contradicted that. So, I'm saying this was probably Christmas of '87.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

20 for the tav/astarion ask😊

A/N: Reminder that this is based off the Ace!Tav from "I Want It All" and therefor also a bard. I'm picturing this after they get together.

Also, small note. Obviously, I’m still happy to do the prompt, but in the future when making a request, remember to at least say please. I’m not a machine neither is any other writer on this platform.

Prompt: bandaging/stitching up an injury

Astarion x AsexaulBard!Tav Masterlist

Your hand was throbbing; a steady reminder of why you usually kept to the back in most fights. Your strength lie in talking, not throwing punches. Still, there were times it couldn’t be helped. Luckily for you, Astarion was there to give you as much grief about it as your body already was.

“You really ought to have Shadowheart take a look at this,” he said, carefully dabbing away the blood on your knuckles with a damp rag.

You shrugged. “It’s not that bad. Besides, she’s got her hands full with Wyll and Karlach.”

He hummed in obvious annoyance. He knew you were right, but he didn’t have to like it.

“It may have escaped your notice, but you have spells,” he pointed out. “Next time, I’d suggest using them.”

“Maybe,” you allowed, “but you have to give me points for efficiency.”

He let out an exasperated sigh as he grabbed a fresh bandage and began to wrap your hand.

“Have you always been so quarrelsome or am I just lucky?”

“I prefer the term scrappy. Has a certain charm to it.”

He scoffed. “What like a mutt?”

“A really cute one,” you elaborated. “One of those you just want to clean up and take home. Such as…”

Your eyes went to your joined hands and the very gentle way he was attending to your injuries.

His eyes narrowed before pulling the bandage just a little too tightly.

“Ow,“ you said, dryly.

He raised an eyebrow, daring you to argue.

You rolled your eyes. “Fine. If I get into a tavern brawl again, I promise to hide under the table and let somebody else do the fighting.”

He gave a low chuckle. “Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep, darling.”

He tied off the bandage, allowing you the chance to test the feel. Your hand still stung, but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about further straining it.

“Tell me doctor, will I ever play the violin again?” you asked, dramatically.

“It’s impossible to say,” he said, matching your performance. “But if there is any hope of recovery, I suggest you spend the remainder of the evening in the arms of the most beautiful man you can find.”

You nodded solemnly. "If I must, I must. Where is Gale?”

Astarion frowned and the next moment you were being pulled into his lap, as his arms wrapped tightly around you.

“Bold words for an injured mutt,” he growled into your ear.

“Woof.”

He didn’t have anything smart to say to that, deciding to silence you with a kiss. You conceded, happy to stay right where you were for as long as he’d have you.

You really needed to try punching things more often.

[fili-urzudel]

Hii! Congrats on 50 followers!!! 💜 for the prompts list thing, could you do like. Any of them with Pippin? also the forehead touch prompt is so cute please I can’t 😭

I don't often have ideas for Pippin, so this was a treat to write! Just for everyone to know, I'm not answering requests in order. This just happened to be the quickest one to write. Since I had my pick of prompts, I decided to do one I didn't think would get much attention. I hope you like it!

10. Piggyback Rides

Warnings: Very brief insecurity

Word Count: 0.7k

Burden - Peregrin Took

Boromir had been your friend ever since he had helped you become a member of the King's—or the Steward's, you supposed—Guard. His perseverance paid off, as you were now one of the most capable guards and most loyal to him. You were honored to be asked to accompany him to the meeting in Rivendell.

That was where you first met the Hobbits. Your first impression was that, well, they were awfully small. You could tell that Boromir shared your concern for their safety. It was difficult to not view them as children, and you wondered how on earth you were going to keep the poor little lads safe when so many things threatened you all. So you resolved to do anything you could to keep them up on their strength and their fighting prowess.

You had an especially soft spot for Peregrin, or Pippin, as he called himself. He was the youngest of the group, and you couldn't help but be especially fond of him and his antics. Gandalf always rolled his eyes when you shot him looks for his poor treatment of the kid, but he always eased up afterward. You supposed that was part of the reason he kept quiet on this particular occasion.

The others, however, did not.

"It's unwise to expend your energy in such a way, mellon nin," Legolas pointed out as you once again readjusted Pippin as he rode on your back.

"Aye, he's right," Gimli agreed. "He's got his own legs, y'know."

"He's tired," you argued. "We've been sword training. Not to mention, his legs are much shorter than ours, you can't expect him to keep up without a little extra help."

"The others seem to be getting on just fine," Aragorn pointed out, but his smile betrayed his thoughts on the matter.

"Well, I'll carry the others as well, if they want," you said stubbornly.

"I'll carry two and you carry two," Boromir said, chuckling but clearly serious.

"That's alright," Frodo interjected.

"I wouldn't be opposed," Merry commented, and Sam bumped him with his elbow. "It's not necessary, though."

You thought it was strange how quiet Pip was on the matter. He was quite the chatterbox, most of the time. Perhaps he was just embarrassed.

"He's fallen asleep," Boromir leaned over to whisper to you, a smile clear in his voice.

"Aw," you cooed, now extra careful to avoid jostling him more than necessary.

"You cannae do that forever, lass," Gimli warned you.

"Ah, but each time I do, I get a little stronger, so perhaps one day I can," you suggested brightly.

"It's a good thing I've practiced for this," you said with glee, teeth chattering as the fellowship traversed the treacherous mountain pass. You and Boromir had stayed true to your word, and Aragorn had joined your little pact. You carried Pippin still, Aragorn carrying Sam and Frodo, one on each arm, and Boromir holding onto Merry.

"You can put me down as soon as you're able," Pippin said suddenly. "You must be getting tired, and I—I can make it on my own."

"Nonsense, little one," you said, the cold making it hard to hold a smile, however much you wanted to. "I could carry you to the ends of the earth under one arm."

"I just don't want to burden you."

You tilted your head down, finding a temporary respite from the wind by setting your forehead against his. "You could never burden me, Pippin.

"I'm just trying to help you do the great things I know you can do." You weren't quite sure what those things were yet, but if there was one thing you learned growing up, it was that a little encouragement never hurt anyone. "But if you want to walk by yourself, I'll set you down as soon as the snow is shallow enough. Unless you have the elven secret to floating atop it?"

Pippin laughed, his wind-bitten cheeks a frosty red. "Not yet, but I'll try to figure it out."

[kam1863]

Hey, hi. I just want to say I love your writting. Idk if you're busy, but I'd like to request a oneshot. Some su!c!d4l Voight after Al's dead getting a servicios dog maybe?? I understand if you can't write it, thank you.

where you're coming from

Hey! I'm sorry it took so long, I've been doing a monthly prompt challenge so I've been a bit busy, but I loved this request! This is one of my favorite requests I've been given and I was so happy when I got this (my friends can attest to that, lol). I hope you enjoy this!

Trudy walked through the bullpen towards Hank’s office. It was late at night and everyone else had already left, except for Hank that was. Trudy had been on the way out herself, when she saw Hank’s car still in the parking lot and knew she had to check on him. 

She felt like that’s all she did these days. 

Ever since Al’s death nearly two years ago. Ever since Hank tried to kill himself eight months before. 

They didn’t talk about it often, but it was one of those things that you couldn’t forget if you tried. Especially since Trudy had been the one to find him that night. Hank had said, had protested for days, that he wasn’t trying to kill himself, that if he was going to do that he would’ve just shot himself in the head. 

Part of Trudy had wanted to believe him as she knew that was true. But the other part of her saw what the doctors saw. Which was a man who had been through unimaginable loss including losing his best friend a year earlier. They saw a man who had been found in his office laying on his couch, an empty bottle of alcohol on the floor beside an empty painkiller bottle. 

It had kept Trudy awake for weeks after, still did some days. If it had truly been an accident. 

Hank never told her, of course he didn’t. She’d been playing this game with him and Al for years. Knew just how much they could tell without getting themselves thrown into the psych ward. 

So when Hank had been discharged three days later after a psych consult, Trudy vowed to keep a better eye on him. She’d already lost one of her brothers and she’d be damned if she buried both. 

“Hank?” Trudy asked, opening the office door. Hank looked up from where he’d been hunched over his desk working on paperwork. 

“Hey, Dee,” Hank replied, sitting up and setting his pen down. 

“You’ve been staying late every day this week. You should go home, get some rest,” Trudy suggested, sitting down on the chair across from Hank’s desk. 

“I’m fine.”

Trudy rolled her eyes, leaning back in the chair. That’s the same response she got every time she asked, the same response she’d been getting for years. Even with thirty years of friendship, Hank still gave her the same old bullshit like she didn’t know better. 

“Have you thought about what we talked about in the hospital?” Trudy asked suddenly, that conversation coming to mind again. 

“About the service dog?” 

“Yeah.” 

Hank sighed. He had. He’d thought about it more than he wanted to admit. Trudy had brought that up after the psych consult, right before his discharge. Hank knew Trudy had spent most of the night doing research when she suggested him getting a service dog for the first time. 

“Hank,” Trudy said when she didn’t get an answer, her expression softening. 

“I don’t need a service dog. I can do my job just fine, Trudy.” 

“Nobody’s saying you can’t. I’m saying that you can’t keep pretending everything is fine, that you're fine. I’m saying that what happened eight months ago, can’t happen again, Hank. I can’t do this with you over and over.” 

Hank looked away, clenching his fists. Trudy had a point, he knew she did. But admitting it was something Hank didn’t do. He just pushed through, woke up everyday and kept going even if it killed him in the process. 

Death seemed like a mercy at this point. 

“It would be a psychiatric service dog, a PSD, that you would qualify for. You already have an official diagnosis of PTSD, so you’d definitely get a dog,” Trudy stated, taking Hank’s silence as an invitation to continue. 

Hank gave a wry smile. “I only have a diagnosis because Camille made me get diagnosed.” 

“She was a smart woman.” 

“Yeah. She was,” Hank agreed. 

“She’d want you to get the help you need, you know she would. And if that’s a service dog, then what are you so against it? Nobody’s going to take your job away from you, I just want you to get help, Hank. Somebody to help you when I can’t be there.” 

And maybe it was that. The mix of knowing his wife would want him to get help, and knowing how much this was affecting his sister too. Hank knew as soon as Trudy found him that night, that this had become her fight too. 

“I’ll think about it,” Hank finally said, making eye contact with Trudy again. 

Trudy nodded, letting out a sigh of relief as she stood up, heading to the door. “I’m glad. I think it could really help you.” 

Trudy smiled, turning to leave. She got half way through the bullpen, before Hank’s voice stopped him. She turned around, raising an eyebrow. 

“Dee?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.” 

“Of course,” Trudy replied, hesitating for a moment before leaving. As her footsteps faded away, Hank sighed, feeling ten years older. 

He opened a new tab on his computer, paperwork fully forgotten. He had some research to do. 

—

The weeks came and went after their conversation. Trudy still kept a close eye on Hank like she’d already been doing, Hank never saying anything about it. 

The nights become longer for Hank. Most nights ended with him in his living room, a glass of alcohol in his hand and pictures and memories surrounding him at every turn. He started leaving his gun locked in his desk more often than not, unable to trust himself with it. 

He didn’t tell Trudy this, but he still kept doing it. The only thing that kept him here anymore was the memory of waking up in the hospital nearly a year ago, Trudy near him, her eyes red and hands shaking. It was the fear in her eyes, the relief when he opened his eyes that was the only thing that kept Hank from eating his gun. 

He couldn’t do that to her. 

And during those long nights, Hank had started thinking about the service dog thing more and more. He’d done in depth researched on the whole process, the cost, everything he could. He and Trudy hadn’t talked about it since that night in his office, but Hank had soon made his decision. 

He started the process before he told Trudy. He had decided to go the route of getting a partially trained dog then finishing the training himself. That seemed like the quickest way and made sure he could train the dog to be more attuned with his needs. 

It only took six months to get the dog. 

Loki was a Boxer who was a year old when Hank got him. Hank had taken the day off, leaving Jay in charge of Intelligence for the day. He didn’t give an explanation and nobody asked. Honestly they were just glad Hank was taking a break. Even if that was only for a day. 

When they got to Hank’s place he took Loki inside, leading the dog to the living room. “Alright Loki. This is your new home.” 

Loki stared at him, starting to walk around the place when Hank said that. Hank let him, taking a quick picture of Loki before sitting down on his couch. He sent the photo to Trudy, smirking slightly as he sent it and a message right away. 

This is Loki. He’s my psychiatric service dog. I guess you were right about something, Dee

Hank chuckled when his phone rang two minutes later. 

[totally-not-ascher-morgan]

Prompt - Tear

word count - 973 - July 11 - prompt list from rosekillermicrofics.

I have not written in AAAAGESS. This felt good to get out.

Lily Evans. Head girl, amazing friend, one of the smartest girls in their year. One of the toughest, too. Never broke the rules, if she could help it.

So when Barty found her a short ways into the Forbidden Forest one night, well past curfew, when he was just exploring to let off some steam, he was shocked.

Even more so when he realized the tear that rolled down her cheek. Followed by another, followed by another. He stayed away, for a moment. He didn’t want to upset her, or frighten her. But then he remembered, hell, she’s already crying. It can’t possibly get worse.

So he called her name quietly, announcing his presence. He wasn’t surprised, when she wiped her face hastily, fixing her hair and greeting him with a smile. It was almost tooconvincing. He wondered if she did that often. Hid away her negative emotions from those around her, to the point it became natural.

“Don’t bother. I already know something’s wrong.”

The boy’s voice was wry, but far from unkind, and he tipped his head slightly, silently asking if he could sit. Lily looked away, but she nodded, so he did. He kept his distance, but stayed close enough to be present.

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. But I will ask what’s happened.” Again, Barty’s voice was quiet and gentle. More so than Lily had ever heard of the usually rowdy teen. She glanced over, and her shining peridot eyes were gleaming with obvious surprise.

“It’s nothing, really.” She denied, but it was a whisper, and her voice broke. Barty tilted his head to the side, disbelief on his face, written in plain handwriting, even in the dark of the forest.

“Evans, you’re hiding in the Forbidden Forest. I’ve never even seen you near here. You don’t have to tell me why you’re upset, but don’t lie to me about it.” His tone was curt, and shocked her out of her act. She scoffed quietly, and the sound rang loud, in the silent clearing.

“Fine.” She turned away again, and Barty feared he’d misstepped. Angered her farther. But then he heard a soft sniff. A poorly muffled sob, and he sighed softly, shifting closer to pull one of her hands into his own, the touch soothing. Barely there. Lily inhaled sharply, but Barty pretended not to notice.

“It’s just been a bad week.” Lily acknowledged after a couple minutes. The admission caught the Ravenclaw by her side off guard, but he ingested the information silently, nodding. “Petunia sent word, this last Monday.” Barty thought on that. It was Sunday. It must have been a particularly distressing letter.

“She said I wasn’t to write her anymore, while at school.” Barty stiffened, but Lily hasn’t stopped. Her usually silky voice was coarse, from attempting to stay silent so long, and Barty found himself wishing she wouldn’t have.

“I suppose you’d have heard about Severus?” Barty blinked. He heard plenty about the greasy Slytherin, but he wasn’t sure what Lily was asking. He shook his head, and she exhaled through her teeth, gathering her thoughts.

“He said…well, we got in a fight, you know. He called me….”

She trailed off. A sudden sniff and turn of the head suggested she wouldn’t finish the sentence. She wouldn’t need to. Barty’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, but in a comforting manner, rather than an angry one, and when she looked back his way after a moment, he raised a hand to brush a stray hair from her face.

“You’re a mess, head girl.” He teased, and Lily was so surprised she laughed, though it was watery and faint. When Barty spoke again, it was less playful. More serious.

“I will say, though, and I mean this in the worst way possible. Severus Snape is the biggest dumbfuck in our year. Don’t listen to him.” Lily gasped, and he shrugged unapologetically. She shook her head stubbornly.

“Don’t say that.” She implored in a whisper, but there was hesitant reverence in her eyes. Like she needed to hear more. So Barty said more.

“I’m not kidding! Nobody else speaks to him. You’ve adored him for years. Merlin knows how many. If he’s so ready to use something like that against you, he isn’t worthy of your friendship.” Lily couldn’t meet his eye, anymore. She was staring at the ground. 

“You’re wrong.” She breathed, and it was Barty’s turn to shake his head, more emphatically than she had. He was determined, now. “He doesn’t deserve you, Evans. He never has.” Lily didn’t reply for a long time, after that.

“Who does?” 

She broke the silence, after nearly a half an hour. Barty raised an eyebrow. Her fingers traced across his palm slowly, and he tried not to think about it. “Who does what?” He clarified, and Lily met his eye reluctantly. She looked like she wanted to flee. She wouldn’t.

“Deserves my friendship. Deserves me.” Barty snorted softly, and shrugged half-heartedly. He certainly didn’t know the answer to that. Nobody he knew could earn the right to befriend such a girl as Lily Evans. Maybe nobody did at all.

“You’ll have to find that out yourself.” Lily considered this, and nodded slowly, as if to herself, but her gaze stayed on Barty. On his face. On their interlocked hands. On his now distinctly kind eyes, that she’d always found wild and frenzied in the past.

“Maybe I have.” Her response was clearly intentional. She meant the connotations behind it, when she eyed him so appraisingly as she spoke. Barty knew that. He understood what she meant, when her fingers tightened around his hand. He didn’t believe she was right.

He didn’t deserve Lily Evans, even if he was kind. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to, some day.

[aquadestinyswriting]

Help Not Wanted

Summary: Chrackle and Selene have a... discussion about the latter refusing any and all help being offered to her

Words: 868

Tags: @flashfictionfridayofficial, @druidx, @lexiklecksi, @asher-writes, @philosophika

Warnings: None.

Notes: Written for the Flash Fiction Friday prompt of the same name.

Mad cackling and muffled, frustrated shouts emanated from behind the sturdy, oak door of the Grand Magus’ office. Such noises weren’t an uncommon occurrence; the somewhat adversarial relationship between Selene and her familiar was a well-known quantity to the staff that ran the day-to-day affairs of the Wizard’s Tower. Today, however, the noise was far more… animated than usual, leading the cleaning staff to give the area a wide berth until things calmed down.

The door flew open and a red-faced, bearded man wearing green robes stormed through. He briefly stopped at the lip of the landing, turned around and bowed,

“I’ll be in my office back in the Church if you change your mind, Grand Magus.” Edwin stated cooly, before turning on his heel and storming down the spiral staircase.

Selene, her hair loose around her shoulders, glared at the now empty space beyond the door. She grimaced and waved her hand. A gust of wind blew through from nowhere and slammed the heavy oak door closed with a satisfying Bang! 

Chrackle cackled at her, his feathers fluffed up as he glowered at his mistress,

~Was that really necessary?!~ he snapped, ~It was bad enough with the shouting!~

Selene glowered at her familiar, sweeping behind her desk and promptly collapsing into her chair,

“Oh I’m sorry, but shouting tends to happen when people insist on patronising me and treating me like a child!” She snapped back.

~Would help if you didn’t act like one!~

“Don’t even start, Chrackle.”

~Or what? You prepped at least half a dozen Dispells that I can use if needed. Besides, you are being extremely childish. All Edwin wants to do is help!~

Selene snorted, turning to look out of the expansive window,

“I am getting sick of repeating myself. I do not require, nor want, any help with this!”

Chrackle clacked his beak in exasperation,

~You are being so ridiculously stubborn! Why do you feel the need to carry the weight of the world’s problems alone?~ he lowered the volume of his mental voice, ~Edwin at least cares enough to see that you’re struggling. Ok, sure, the way he worded it was a bit patronising –~

“A bit?” Selene growled, “Chrackle, he all but said that I was too hysterical to manage!”

Chrackle preened at his wing,

~He didn’t say that.~ the magpie retorted calmly, ~All Edwin said was that it was clear that the stress was getting too much and he suggested that you share some of the load. Stop putting words in his mouth that were never there to begin with.~

“Alright, fine, I’ll concede that point. The fact remains, however, that I. Do. Not. Need. Help.”

She felt Chrackle roll his eyes at her. She didn’t bother rising to the bait and continued staring out of the window. Why was everyone so insistent on telling her to accept assistance that wasn’t needed these days? Yes, her job was a stressful one, and yes, matters had recently occurred that had added to said stress, but she was more than capable of handling it. Besides, if Edwin got himself involved, that was only going to cause Schreiber to start outwardly implying some things that were best kept to himself. She huffed and turned back to her familiar, who was cocking his head at her dubiously,

~I get it,~ he said, ~I don’t want Mr ‘I-know-best’ voicing those opinions to the Council either. Would be a stupid thing to say though, given how easily you could Disintegrate him if you really wanted to. Doesn’t stop you from being too stubborn for your own good.~ 

Selene shook her head, her temper finally starting to cool,

“I’ll manage, Chrackle.” She retorted wearily, “The longer I can keep anyone else out of this mess, the better.”

Chrackle gave a defeated croak,

~Well, if this discussion is over, I’ll leave you to it. I have other things to be getting on with.~ he said, shaking out his feathers. Selene nodded,

“Just don’t go getting into trouble. The last thing I want is to get another call from Watch House 2 asking where you might have stashed some jewellery that’s gone mysteriously missing.”

~Well if people weren’t so careless about it, it wouldn’t be on the floor for me to find, would it?~

Selene pinched her nose and groaned,

“That’s not the point.” She moaned. She glanced at the timekeeper on her desk and flapped a hand at her familiar, “I’ll need to have this argument with you later. I’ve got 3 minutes to get to this Triumverate meeting, and Schreiber’s already been on my case about being late the last two months.” 

Chrackle watched as his mistress grabbed her staff of office, threw on a cloak and immediately Teleported out of the office. As soon as the wizard was gone, the magpie rolled his eyes and flew out of a nearby open hatch. He angled his flight towards the south of the city. Just because his mistress was being more stubborn than an ancient wyrm, that didn’t mean he was going to stop trying to help in the only way he knew. Hopefully Edwin had calmed down a bit and would be willing to keep trying too.

[zmwrites]

if you were looking to use some of the prompts from the fantasy prompt list; number 7!

hello so i was completely planning on just hoarding the prompts and not doing anything with them other than scroll through them for inspiration BUT

i wrote you something :3

prompt: "Hold hands. It’ll calm you down and keep him from wandering off."

ft. Dutch, Sera, and Aleksander from Poppet WIP

Dutch surveyed the crowded ballroom uneasily from the balcony above. She didn’t mind crowds, and actually enjoyed the anonymity they offered, but the lack of clear escape routes was worrying. Too many people had tried to kill her recently for her to believe that she’d be safe while surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces.

“You look like you’re regretting your choice,” Sera said. She was half hidden behind a curtain that separated the ballroom from a narrow passage into the depths of the castle, dressed in her normal clothes as she was too young to attend the party.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Dutch replied sourly. “When the king personally invites you to a party and says he looks forward to seeing you there, you go to the party.”

Sera snorted. “Is that more life advice?”

“If you want to take it as such.” She adjusted her dress again. As someone who spent most of her time in a saddle, and the rest of the time fighting and killing, the layers of skirts were a new challenge.

“Where’s Aleksander?” Sera asked.

“He wandered off and got trapped in a conversation with some titled ass.”

“They should give titles to donkeys. It would make politics worth following.”

Dutch shot her a weary look. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?”

Sera grinned but didn’t respond. They both knew she wouldn’t sleep alone in case she had a night terror. If they ever found somewhere to settle down safely, Dutch would have to get the kid a dog or something.

“Are you trying to escape already?”

She turned to Aleksander as he approached and mustered a smile. “Just taking a break.”

“You picked an excellent vantage point,” he said, leaning against the railing next to her. “You can see the whole ballroom from here.”

“I’m not the only one who’s made that discovery.” She nodded towards the curtain Sera was hidden behind.

He shook his head fondly. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Because I told you earlier I was going to sneak into the party to see the dresses,” Sera said.

“Don’t tell Dutch I knew you were going to break the rules! She’ll think I had something to do with your crimes,” Aleksander replied, affecting a scandalized tone.

She giggled. Dutch rolled her eyes.

He focused on Dutch again. “I came up here to tell you that my father is looking for you.”

“Ah, shit. Why?”

He shrugged. “I assume he wants to hear about all the times you’ve kept me from dying.”

She scowled. She hated dealing with gods the most, but royalty and titled nobility were a close second.

“It’ll be fine. I won’t abandon you with him.”

“You better not.”

“Hold hands. It’ll calm you down and keep Aleksander from wandering off again,” Sera suggested with a cheeky smile.

Dutch glared at her, but before she could tell her it was a stupid idea, Aleksander had taken her hand and was pulling her back towards the stairs. She would never tell Sera—hells, she had enough trouble admitting it to herself—but she was right: the light pressure and warmth from his hand in hers did calm her down.

She pushed the implications of this new knowledge from her mind. There wasn’t time to deal with her emotions when she had to navigate a conversation with the king.

[riddle-me-ri]

Omg I LOVED your recent Jervis fic!

If it’s ok, can I have the same prompt but with BTAS John and a gn reader pls?

A/N: sure thing anon! for context of the request, this is based on my BTAS Jervis fic; Cover Up, in which Jervis is trying to hide his blushing and growing boner...so here's that set-up with BTAS Jon! Also for added context, reader and Jon are still professors at Gotham University. And apologies again for the awkward ending. I didn't know how to make it end lol

Content Warning: mildly suggestive material (boners and physical closeness) but nothing explicit

Word Count: 854

BTAS Scarecrow x Reader - Accidental Contact

Sharing may be caring, but sometimes it is kind of awkward. 

Especially sharing a laboratory with another professor. Especially if said professor was one you may or may not have a crush on. 

Which was the exact issue Jonathan was experiencing. 

If it were any other professor or faculty he didn't mind asking them to leave if he deemed it necessary. Jon didn't particularly mind if he came off rude or crass to others but he did when it came to you. 

Jonathan didn't mind sharing the space, not just because of any sort of affection, mind you…you were respectful, quiet, and kept to yourself. Never pestering him, disturbing him…but you were quite the distraction. 

"Umm, Professor Crane?" 

Despite how soft and sweet your voice is it still jumped him out of his reverie. 

He was hunched over the desk diagonal from you, tinkering away with chemicals in his own chemistry set he often brought with him. 

"Y-yes what, what is it?" He asked after gulping some air. 

"I hate to bother you but, would you mind helping me look over this formula? I'm…afraid I'm getting sort of cross eyed." You chuckle nervously as you rubbed your arm. 

Anybody else he would have said no. 

Anybody else he would leave with his eyes rolling, scoffing at them. 

Nobody was worth his time…

"O-Of course–I mean I wouldn't mind at all." 

He should have said no had he known what was to come. 

Jonathan got up from his seat and rounded the desks and walked up behind you. He didn't mean to get right behind you, but he wasn't thinking all that clearly. 

Also at the time the idea of getting closer to you was…exhilarating. 

"Oh thank you, Professor! So I'm working on this new assignment for the students but I'm trying to get to…" 

As you explained your objective, Jon tried desperately to pay attention. 

He saw your equations and directions written in your notebook. He noticed the simple little error. 

He could feel your warmth radiating from your skin. 

Your fresh and light body wash softly filled his nostrils as his head loomed past your shoulder to look down closer to the paper he could already see. 

Your soft rhythmic breathing that he tried to match his own to.

Jonathan could feel heat rise to his cheeks and his blood coursing lower causing something else to rise. 

"Umm…Professor Crane? Are you okay?" You turned your head over your shoulder and noticed the professor growing red in the face. 

Jonathan shook his head, once again trying to clear the lovestruck haze that fell over him. Yet his flushed cheeks and bulge remained. 

"Um…erm…yes I'm–I'm fine.." He quickly stood back a step. 

"Are you sure? Your face is red.." You mentioned your voice heightened in concern. 

You were so considerate and oblivious…if you only knew that you were the cause of his flustered state. 

"I assure you. I'm fine.." Jonathan deftly clipped the sides of his lab coat to hopefully deter any attention from his growing erection. 

He cleared his throat before snatching the pen on the desk. "Um…you weren't entirely far off. These few numbers are off.." 

The light bulb went off in your head when he saw him write out the proper formula on another sheet of paper. 

Jonathan sighed to himself in relief. He got your attention off of him–

Until you abruptly wrapped your arms around his neck in a small grateful victory hug. 

"You're brilliant Professor Crane! Thank you so much!" 

After you said that you gasped and retracted your arms. "I-Uh-I am so sorry..I got excited." 

That's not the only thing. 

"Erm…I-I understand." Jonathan waved it off. He grabbed the seat at the desk next to yours to sit down as he felt himself get light headed. 

You took a glance at the watch above the laboratory door. 

"Oh wow! Look at how late it's gotten. I'm so sorry to keep you Professor and to take up your lab time…is there any way I can repay you?" 

"No, no that won't be necessary…" He waved his hand nonchalantly. "I'm just...eh…glad to help." 

"Well, if you change your mind I wouldn't be opposed to a coffee date one weekend." You offered with a soft smile. 

"Have a good evening Prof-" 

"Jonathan…y-you can call me Jonathan." He interjected. Jonathan wasn't sure where that came from, but he did long to hear you say his name and not just his title. 

You nod with a noticeably wider smile. "Jonathan…have a good evening…I'll see you tomorrow. And please reconsider my offer…goodbye." You waved before walking out the door, your shoes echoing down the hallway.

Jonathan waved slowly back before swiping his face up and down his face once you were gone. 

He wasn't sure whether he was exhausted from trying to prevent you from discovering his disheveled state or excited from the close proximity you shared earlier and the prospect of something more in the future. 

Jonathan sighed as he got up and began retrieving his own things.

Lab time is over, he has other…issues to attend to at the moment. 

[the-knightmare]

Rudy's Trick (Louise's Treat)

Happy Halloween! Here is my fic for the @roudiseshipweek Halloween warm up prompt cult classic/picking out costumes. I mixed the two together, and hope you enjoy:

AO3

“Come on, Rudy, the popcorns going to get cold, and I’ve listened to the Halloween theme at least five times already,” Louise called.

She had popped the bag of kernels, drizzled a liberal dose of butter and nacho cheese seasoning over the final product, and set up the DVD minutes ago. All the while Rudy was, as he has told her before disappearing down the hall, putting the ‘final touches’ on his costume for tomorrow’s party.

He had not told her what it was, even after she had pestered him all week. Not even after Louise had promised to tell him her what her, Tina, and Gene were dressing up as before they showed up to Zeke’s Halloween party. And so, Louise resorted to guessing. Each time Rudy just smiled and even if she guessed correctly, he wouldn’t tell.

“If you don’t hurry up, I’m playing the movie without you.”

“Okay, okay,” Rudy said, suddenly behind her and making her jump, “careful, you almost dropped the popcorn.”

Dramatically clutching her chest to hide just how much he had scared her in the growing dark of the evening, Louise twisted around to look up her boyfriend.

Rudy hadn’t been regular-sized since grade nine, which happened to be when Louise had stopped growing. She was the shortest Belcher, which she could live with if she weren’t also the shortest in her friend group.

“Geez, Rudy, way to sneak up on a girl. Is your costume Michael Myers or something?”

Laughing, Rudy shook his head as he sat on the couch next to her.

“I’ve never seen Halloween, or any other slashers, you know that.”

She did. Which is why they were correcting that now. Movie nights had been a staple long before they had started dating halfway through grade twelve. This being their first Halloween as a couple, Louise was determined to start Rudy’s education on classic horror movies.

“And honestly, that’s a shame.”

Neither mentioned how that was technically untrue, as Rudy had been one of the kids traumatized by a certain deli zombie flick back in fourth grade. It was something they didn’t talk about.

Hitting play. Louise settled into the couch. The bowl of popcorn was emptied before Laurie spies Michael Myers watching her from behind drying sheets, leaving an empty space between them. Louise looked at it from the corner of her eye.

“You know,” she started, “if you get scared, I’ll protect you.”

Rudy glanced up from the screen and flashed her a smile, and only said:

“I’ll remember that.

And didn’t move an inch.

Louise turned back to the movie. Watching as Annie got strangled in the garage. She wasn’t scared, she’d seen plenty of scarier movies, but Rudy seemed far away in the dark.

Without making a sound, she moved a hair closer. She kept doing this, shifting just enough to not be noticed. Her plan at getting closer without him nothing was working. Until:

“Oh man.”

Rudy had been silent most of the movie, but Laurie stabbing Michael with knitting needles got a reaction. Which would have been fine, funny even as his uneven reaction to someone being stabbed in the eye, except for Lousie’s position. She had managed to get so close that his mumble sounded much louder in her ear.

Jumping across the couch, Louise felt her face flush. Twice. That was twice tonight that she had been startled by Rudy. A guy so unscary that birds didn’t even fly away when he approached.

Laughing, Rudy turned a lamp on.

The rest of the movie passed with Louise and Rudy on the opposite sides of the couch. Occasionally, Rudy would look at her and giggle. She would respond by scowling with her tongue out in mock indignation.

When the credits finally rolled and the eerie Halloween theme filled the silence, Louise was left to think of what to say next. She was just about to suggest another scary movie when Rudy beat her to the punch.

“My mom won’t be home for another few hours. If you’re interested, we can watch Hocus Pocus next?”

“That’s not even scary,” Louise argued.

“But it’s a Halloween cult classic,” Rudy said, “and we can cuddle, I was missing it a little during the last movie.”

Louise smiled, then quickly turned it into a smirk. Even though they had been dating for almost a year now, and had been friends for much longer, she refused to acknowledge how soft she had gotten when it came to Rudy.

“Well, in that case, sure. Why not? I’ve never actually seen it anyway.”

Rudy clutched his chest dramatically, “you’ve been trying to educate me, when it seems it’s you who’s been deprived of true Halloween must-watches.”

Rolling her eyes, Louise scooted towards him on the couch.

“If you count baby movies as a must-watch, then sure, educate me.”

He assured her it was not a baby movie as he changed the discs. Settling back onto the couch, Rudy didn’t even give her a chance to move before he pulled her into his arms. Louise felt the warmth of his chest against her back and relaxed without a fight. She only squirmed a little, and that was more to settle herself better than defiance.

“Much better,” Rudy said, his voice a low vibration along her spine.

This time, the movie was watched with more of their usual chattering. Quips about the Sanderson Sister’s thinking a sprinkler system was going to kill them and how cool an immortal talking cat would be passed between them with ease.

The next day, she, Tina, and Gene showed up in their costumes, a medley of Studio Ghibli characters, to Zeke’s a little early. They had brought sliders their dad had made, and Tina had roped them into setting up. Louise had only agreed because she liked Zeke, and it seemed like a good idea to be nice to her future brother-in-law.

Zeke, dressed as Ashitaka to match Tina’s Mononoke, had promised her the ability to setup a haunted hallway equipped with all of the affects he and his cousins had put together.

She also got two full sized candy bars of their choice for the help. Which Louise wouldn’t say no to, especially when her Chihiro costume had so many pockets. Who knew working in a hot spring for spirits would have better pocket options than most regular clothes?

Gene, dressed as Howl, had been promised full control over the music. Something he was taking seriously, with a small DJ station that consisted of a laptop and speakers’ setup in a corner.

Alex and Courtney arrived soon after them. Courtney insisted on adding some songs to Gene’s playlist, which devolved into the old argument of her music major versus his natural talents and composition schooling.

“But you guys always come up with something great together, why not work together?”

Alex’s appeal was just another part in the typical argument that formed the trio’s friendship.

Louise only laughed as she passed them on her way to get Zeke’s approval on her hallway setup, only to groan when she turned the corner. Wrapped in Tina’s embrace, Zeke looked a little busy. Which meant that, with only ten minutes until more guests were supposed to arrive, that her handywork would have to do.

It also meant that she would be able to finally see Rudy’s costume.

Except he didn’t show up. At least, not in the first few minutes like he normally did for parties. Not ten minutes late, which he would smile and say made him fashionable late.  Jimmy Jr., Andy and Ollie, Kaylee, Susmita, Henry, Arnold, and the rest of the usual suspects filed through the door, but no sign of Rudy.

After twenty minutes, she found Millie and Jessica, dressed as Norman Bates and Mothman, in the corner chatting about horror movies, and joined them.

“Hey, if you wanna take a look at this, we got an illusionary visionary in the house tonight, the Amazing Rudy, and he’s kind enough to perform a trick as a treat!”

Zeke’s voice cut though the sound of conversation and music, catching Louise’s attention at the mention of her boyfriend.

“Tonight, I have one trick, a costume change from man to beast!”

Rudy’s voice had his customary magicians’ cadence, and Louise found herself smiling as she made her way towards the front of the crowd to see. It was almost like he was waiting for her to be in sight before he continued, but Louise knew that timing was a big part of an act, and it wasn’t for her benefit.

But her smile grew even more when she finally caught a glimpse of him. He looked a little silly in the green-black wig, but Rudy’s Haku costume was good. She wondered which of her siblings had told him about their costumes, since she hadn’t revealed it.

“I stand before you as a simple boy, but what you don’t know is,” Rudy raised his arms in a flourish, “my true identity is that of a river spirit!”

Shocked silence, followed by applause and cheers filled the room as Rudy dropped his arms and his costume suddenly changed into a green and white dragon, complete with a detailed mask and horns over his head.

Louise’s jaw dropped. She’d helped with some of his tricks over the years, but this was the best one yet.

“Wow, that was so cool…”

“How’d you do that?”

“…think I saw something like that on YouTube, do you follow…?”

Louise waited until the cluster of people who had swarmed around Rudy dissipated before she approached.

“Some trick, Rudes,” she said, catching his attention.

“Thanks, I made it all myself. I even got to build this cool dragon head hat to go in my collection.”

“Yeah, it is cool,” Louise agreed, “so how did you come up with the idea for your costume?”

Rudy flushed, rubbing his arm, and looking away. He stuttered out the start of an answer, but Louise just punched his arm with a laugh.

“Easy, Rudes, it’s fine. I know I said no couples’ costumes, but this makes me reconsider that. Especially when you can do cool transformations.”

After that, Jimmy Jr. pulled the attention to the dance floor with a dance-off that Gene’s sound effects only made better.

“Hey, you want climb on my back, and I can carry you like in the movie across the dance floor?” Rudy asked, after they watched the Pesto twins spin around.

“Hell yeah!”

Louise launched herself on Rudy’s back and cackled as he took off across the room. They burst into laughter after making their second crossing, Louise sliding off his back to lean against him.

The rest of the night was spent eating treats, dancing with their friends, and watching people get their pants scared off by Louise’s haunted hallway. In all, she would count it as one of the best Halloween party’s she’d gone too.

Later that night, after her shower, Louise returned to her room and saw that a photo was laying on her pillow and remembered someone had brought a polaroid camera. Picking it up, Louise smiled as she saw what it was: her, eyes closed, laughing, as Rudy carried her around on his back.

[violetjedisylveon]

Sewing Lessons And Blood Magic

Blue Guard AU chapter 14

Summary: Hunter and Argi get their sewing lesson from Darius.

Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: blood, mentions of blood, mentions of injury, child injury, referenced child abuse.

A/N: back with more of this! Forgot I've had this chapter done for a while😅

Blue Guard AU Masterpost

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Argi dropped her torn cloak onto her bed and pulled out her first aid kit from under her bed. She only had a few minor scrapes from her fight at Hexside. A bit of gauze and she'd be just fine.

Her cloak definitely needed more work than she did. She grabbed the small sewing kit that she kept in her first aid pack.

She patched herself up, then started to fix up her cloak. It was getting pretty beat up, covered in her quick patch up work, she probably needed a new one soon.

She settled into the near mindless task of stitching her cloak back together, then ended up zoning out and stabbing her finger with the needle.

"Shit!"

She pinched the wound, forcing the bright red blood to come out faster. She eyed the ruby red liquid curiously, it looked like her blood, but at the same time, it didn't. It looked slightly darker, almost more purple. She blamed it on a trick of the light.

Recalling her earlier accident, she made a small spell circle with her bleeding finger.

Like before, it wasn't her normal blue circle, it was bright, bold red.

Phoebe fluttered down from her nest and perched on her shoulder, the ancient Palisman eyed her new spell circle.

"What do you think Phoebe?" She prompted the old bird.

"I think it took you long enough." Phoebe chirped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

The bird just gave her a cheeky look.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"You're such a shit." Argi gently flicked the bird's beak with her tail.

Her ears twitched, someone was coming towards her room.

She extinguished the spell circle and smeared the blood on her cloak where it would be inconspicuous. She immediately relaxed when it was just Hunter.

"Hi Hunter, whatcha up to?" She asked.

"You got into a fight at hexside." He said in his serious older brother voice.

"And?" She leaned forwards slightly.

Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Did you get hurt?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Nope." She chirped.

"There's fresh blood on your cloak." He pointed out.

"Pricked my finger before you came in." She said, showing him the injured finger.

He sighed and leaned against her desk, absentmindedly fiddling with one of her carvings. She felt that tug towards his mind, something was troubling him and something in her was telling her to just jump on into his head and see what was bugging him.

She wasn't going to, the pesky instinct was only giving her a suggestion this time, not throwing her fully into someone else's head.

"Wanna talk?"

Hunter glanced up at her, then back down to the carving in his hands.

"I've been thinking about yesterday…" he admitted.

Does he wanna talk about Willow? Argi's ears perked and she shuffled a bit closer to him.

"I was wondering… do you think it would be a good idea to ask Darius about the previous Golden Guard?"

Oh. That's good too. She stifled her mild disappointment.

"Depends on his mood honestly." She said.

"That doesn't help."

"It also depends on what you ask, what do you want to know?" She said.

"Everything really. I wanna know what he was like, how he came to train Darius, what happened to him… everything." Hunter smiled softly as he spoke.

"I- do you think he knew my mom? They were around at the same time." Hunter said, a cautious hint of excitement in his voice.

"Uh yeah, he definitely knew your mom." Argi scoffed.

Honestly, how could her brother miss something so obvious.

"How do you know?" Hunter asked.

"Because they're siblings…?" Argi told him slowly.

Hunter stared at her like she'd just denounced Belos.

"Grab your cloak, we're going to Darius." He said.

"Wait what?"

XXX

Someone was knocking.

Darius sighed and begrudgingly opened his door.

The little prince was standing there with a determined expression, holding his irritated sister by her arm, said sister was grumbling and mumbling under her breath.

"What do you-"

"Was your mentor my uncle?!" The little prince blurted before he could finish.

Darius glanced at the annoyed Palisde.

"I thought he already knew." She said in defense of herself.

Darius rubbed his eyes, any plans of a calm night were out the window now.

"Yes, he was."

Darius raised his hand before the little prince could bombard him with questions.

"Before you say anything else, what is that?" He pointed to the tattered bunch of cloth Silver was holding in her free hand.

"My uniform?" Silver said uncertainly.

"No, it's an insult to my eyes." Darius scoffed.

The assassin scowled at him, the dark red tint to her eyes normally made for a threatening look but her fully revealed, scared face made it far less effective.

The uniform was covered in (ugly) surgical suture stitches. That was a stitch she could do very well, she did it on herself, by herself, more times than he was comfortable with. Regardless of how good she was at stitching skin together, sutures weren't that good for fabric, and they looked awful.

"Your mentor was my uncle?" The little prince asked.

Darius glanced down at him, the little prince looked annoyingly similar to his mother, and her brother, his big brother mentor. His eyes were like Pyrite's. Too much like Pyrite’s.

"You want that sewing lesson, don't you?" Darius guessed.

Hunter flushed and nodded shyly. Silver grumbled, trying to pull away from her brother again.

"I already know how to sew, Hunter, let me fix this and go to bed." She complained.

"You use sutures, they're for flesh, not fabric. You are coming too." Darius wrapped his abomination arm around both little guards and pulled them into his room.

He tossed a few cushions down by the fireplace near his sewing chair and grabbed the blanket he had been mending for Eberwolf. A blanket that was older than the two children sitting in front of him.

It was an odd sight, seeing a face that was so much like his brother's mentor's looking up to him for guidance.

The pair of guards watched him patiently, almost eagerly.

Two scrawny, messy, sleep deprived and battle hardened teenagers were a strangely adorable sight when they looked at him with the innocence of children.

He took Silver's uniform and examined the new tears. In all honesty she should just get a new one, but she'd never ask the Emperor herself. He could have Jayr get her a new one, they had been talking about how she might need one soon. This made for good practice fabric.

"This is a fairly easy tear for beginners like you two." He said.

"We'll start slow, first you thread the needle and…"

XXX

All in all, the two little guards were quick and eager learners. A quick pick up for a new skill was expected from Silver, Palisde were famous for their expert memories.

The only problem was Hunter's insistence that he wear his gloves. It made his fingers stiff.

Then the little prince had gotten so frustrated he threw his work to the ground and his glove came off with it anyway.

Sweet Titan!

The way the kid had panicked with his glove off, he reacted like he'd just spit on Belos. His sister wasn't too far behind him, going from mild to murderous at the flip of a switch.

Seeing Hunter's hand made it a little understandable, the hand was scarred and cracked with angry red patches of swollen skin. Eczema on top of the boy's bruises and scars had to be painful.

He really was his mother's son.

That matter had been settled shortly and now both guards were back to a calmer, significantly less murdery state. Darius was searching through his closet for something to help the boy. He finally found the box he hadn't touched in years. Inside and right on top was a healing coven prescribed ointment.

He chuckled internally at the slightly annoyed note that was attached to the tube. Jayr had to constantly be on Sunnie to use her medicine.

He sat back down and tossed the medicine to Hunter. He wasn't paying attention, Silver, as always, was. She caught it with one of her tails and gave him a dirty look. Darius rolled his eyes at the young assassin's behavior.

"It's medicine for your hands, your predecessor and mother both used it." He told Hunter.

That caught Hunter's attention and he looked up in surprised.

"y-You knew my m-mother?" He asked timidly.

That peeked Silver's interest as well. She was very alert and stared directly at him in that unsettling, distinctly Palisde way. Wide open eyes that were somehow scrutinizing and judgemental at the same time.

"Yes, I knew her. It was hard not to when she hung around my mentor all the time. Little sisters tend to be like that." Darius shrugged.

It wasn't that important. Nazik knew her, helped raise her actually, Eberwolf knew her, Jayr did too, basically anyone of note who worked in the covens for the last twenty or so years knew of Sunniva Sinoe.

"c-Can you... Uh, umm... w-what... what's her name?" Hunter's voice was very small and uncertain.

He… doesn't know his own mother's name?

Darius stared at the boy, so afraid of asking for basic information about his own mother.

"i-I, uh, don't remember… and she never used her real one… before I, well, you know…" was brought here.

There was a flicker of hope in his magenta eyes as he looked up.

Darius remembered Hunter's sudden arrival, the little prince was a half feral bastard towards everyone but Jayr. When Belos claimed the boy as his grand nephew, everyone who knew put the pieces together. Sunnie had been pregnant when she went missing, Hunter was about the right age and he only liked Jayr, Sunnie's partner. It was an easy enough conclusion to make.

"Sunniva. Sunniva Sinoe. That was her name." Darius told him.

Hunter's eyes shone and he scooted closer.

"c-Could... would you mind telling me about her?" Hunter asked timidly.

Not at all.

"That's a perfectly reasonable request, little prince." Darius said.

"Sunnie was raised by her mother in the early years of the Covens, she and your predecessor were siblings, the predominant theory is that they were half siblings and shared a parent related to Belos. Sunnie never gave anyone a straight answer when they asked her, she was absolutely infuriating." Darius said, catching the siblings sitting before him giggling.

"Why didn't she grow up around Belos like us?" Silver asked curiously.

"Her mother didn't like Belos, and she didn't trust the stability of the new government." Darius explained.

"How did she meet the previous Golden Guard?" Hunter asked eagerly.

"She kicked his ass when she was causing trouble as a six year old."

"What?!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Whoa! Your mom was awesome! She took down the Golden Guard when she was six!" Silver exclaimed, tails lashing around wildly.

"He was ten at the time." Darius added.

"Still cool, she was six." Silver argued.

Darius waited for the pair to settle down before he allowed any more questions.

"What was her Palisman?" Silver asked.

"Hers was a wolf, she carved it young from a living tree so it was a very unique Palisman, her staff was constantly budding." Darius said, shaking his head at the memory of her having to trim back the buds in her staff so she could use the damn thing.

"So that wolf was a Palisman!" Silver exclaimed.

"Wolf?"

"Hunter tells me about this wolf that his mom left to watch him when he was little, he didn't think it was a Palisman." Silver said proudly.

Darius answered the Guards questions for a good while, until he noticed Silver getting tired and decided to end the session. He wrapped up his supplies as the little guards shuffled out of his room.

"Uh, Darius?"

"Yes little prince?" Darius prompted without looking at the boy.

"Do you… do you have any idea who… if my mom ever… do you know if she uh… had any…" Hunter trailed off with a burning face, too embarrassed to finish his question.

"Are you asking if your mother ever had any romantic or sexual partners?"

The teen's face turned appleblood red and he shyly nodded.

"Well, seeing as you aren't an exact copy of your mother, she must have made you with someone." Darius said, teasing the boy just a bit.

His face burned brighter with the indignant scowl he gave him.

"She did have a partner."

"Who was it?" The hope in his voice was unbearable.

Jayr had always acted parently to their wife's son, even as it became increasingly clear that Hunter wasn't (genetically) their child as well. Darius knew better than most that Jayr did love Hunter like he was their own son.

They were just… persuaded from expressing that love and had to settle for a more professional relationship with him. Jayr cared for both guards as if they were their own children. They certainly had a more active (and positive) role in both children's lives than Belos.

Jayr had never told Hunter, for whatever reason, and since the Caprine had long since earned his respect and trust, Darius was going to honor that. Hunter could ask someone else.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." He admitted, avoiding the boy's crestfallen look.

"Oh."

"I'm certain you can find someone else who can.” He added.

“Now, off to bed with you, little prince.” Darius instructed, patting the boy's head.

XXX

Argi dropped her stitched up uniform into her laundry basket, changed into her pajamas and dropped her other clothes into the laundry too.

I'll have to do that tomorrow. If Uncle doesn't send me out again.

She flopped onto her bed and pulled out her scroll. She was bored, Enzo wasn't around, Phoebe was sleeping and she didn't want to go to sleep yet. Her body was tired, but her mind was wide awake.

A lot happened today. Scratch that, a lot happened these last two days that she was still not totally sure what she felt about or why she felt that way.

She checked her penstagram messages, maybe Skara had messaged or given her contact out? She didn't think it would get out to anyone outside of Willow's team, they understandably hadn't made any effort to contact her.

Someone had messaged her. It wasn't who she was hoping for.

It was Luz.

She was still online, having only recently sent the message half an hour ago.

A simple question had been sent.

L: You are adopted right?

You: Yeah…

The typing sign popped up almost immediately, was the human waiting for her response?

L: Do you know why?

Argi scowled at her screen, instantly regretting her decision to answer. The human had no right to poke around her personal life. She didn't know what motivated Belos to save and take her in anyway.

She should have stopped the conversation right there.

She did not.

You: Not entirely. I don't know what happened, Uncle says there was a really big accident, a lot of Palisde died, he found me and saved me. I don't really remember anything before that. The castle is all I've know.

You: It's hardly important anyway.

L: Do you think that or did Belos tell you it wasn't important?

Argi wanted to throw her hands up. This human was so confusing, the most confusing human she'd ever met, well she was the only one but still.

You: It isn't something we talk about.

L: Why is that? Don't you wanna know more about where you came from?

Talking to Belos about her origins was something she had quickly learned to stop asking about. He didn't like talking about Palisde. She didn't know the answer to that either-

Her head exploded into pain.

“-Demonic hellspawn!”

She flinched and dropped her scroll onto her pillow.

What the fuck was that? Why did it sound like Uncle?

She rubbed her forehead until the sudden headache subsided. She didn't remember any event where Belos had called her that, or any reason he would. She shook her head and pushed the odd memory to the back of her mind. Her head was just weird like that sometimes.

You: It would be nice to know, but it doesn't matter at the end of the day, everyone there died. Besides, Uncle doesn't want to talk about it.

L: And you don't find that weird?

You: Unlike you, I've learned not to ask questions!

She immediately regretted that last message. It was never good to reveal too much of herself and her work.

L: Bet that makes your job easier.

Argi felt her blood freeze.

She couldn't know, there wasn't any way she could know, right?

You: I protect Hunter and get rid of dangerous criminals. Why would I question any of that?

L: Sure you do.

Her blood boiled.

L: Do you ever question your orders?

You: Just shut up!

A spark of lightning flicked out of her tail and hit the wall.

L: Do you ever think for yourself or do you just do what you're told?

Argi’s eyes burned with rage.

You: Do you ever think for more than two seconds about trusting someone you've only known through some damn book!

…

L: … how do you know about that?

You: it doesn't fucking matter, unlike you, I think about the consequences of my actions. The emperor is not a forgiving man.

Argi shut her scroll off, tossed it off her bed and screamed into her pillow.

That stupid human has no right to ask her anything or even say anything about her, she didn't know the half of it! She was making the worst assumptions based on their few interactions with each other where she was just doing her Titan's damned job!

Because there was no way the human knew. No one really knew except Belos and the Coven Heads, and Belos made sure no word got out about it. It was an important, secret job she had to do.

There was no reason for him to let the information out and there was certainly no reason for him to lie to her about why she was given that job!

It was so she could help the Isles, get rid of the bad people that couldn't be removed any other way.

Today proved that her work was good, she had saved that student from the thugs, she did good work. It was just… a bloody sort of good. She didn't ask questions because she didn't need too, she didn't want to, couldn't without harm-

She stubbornly shut her mind off and tried to sleep.

Her back pain immediately exploded, she felt nauseous from the wave of pain. Her mouth hurt, her legs hurt, her arms hurt, her tails hurt, her ears hurt, her horns hurt, Titan! her entire fucking body was hurting.

She rolled off her bed and let herself flop onto the floor.

Enzo wasn't anywhere near, she doubted she would get a visit from them tonight, it was just her, alone with her thoughts and pain all night long.

She didn't want to be alone.

She grabbed a blanket and pillow, walked through the halls to Hunter's room and knocked on the door.

She heard Hunter stumble around a bit before he opened the door, looking the slightest bit pissed.

“Argi? What're you-”

“I can't sleep, can I stay with you?” She asked.

Hunter's expression softened with understanding, she hated being alone and unable to sleep. He stepped aside and pulled out the trundle from under his bed. It was almost always ready for her.

She had one for him too, but he hadn't used it once in the month they had been reintroduced, he rarely used it before.

“Do you want me to stay up with you?” He asked once she got settled in.

“I just need you here.” she mumbled.

“Okay.” Hunter shrugged and turned out the light.

She stared up at Hunter's bare ceiling, just laying there and listening to Hunter's heart beat. The sound of his heart had always been more soothing than others, it had a special quality she couldn't name.

It made his heart very easy to track.

She laid there, listening to her brother's soothing heartbeat until she managed to fall into a restless sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Lil fun fact, I intentionally designed Argi and Palisde to be very demonic and devilish in appearance. Big horns, pointed tails, fangs, long tongue and not humanly colored.

They come in lots of colors but I specifically gave Argi a yellow to red gradient with her limbs and horns being the most red. I literally wanted her to look like the devil in old paintings when I first made her in like, October 2021, she's almost three years old.

I thought it would be kinda funny/telling of how twisted and delusional Belos is, that he is a witch hunter who stole a very classically demonic looking child and is using that child as an assassin. To his eyes she probably looks like the devil, the real devil here isn't the one who looks the part.

The name “Palisde” is shortened from “Palistrom demons”, which is what they are. Palisde is singular and plural.

I hope you all have a good day whatever that is for you!

VJS Out!

[lennsart]

This Is Starting To Feel Like Bullying please

Fjfkkdkfidi ok so a little context :

- The title isn't referring to anything in the wip, it's just that I kept writing whump, and since Legend is my favourite character it was CONSISTENTLY him getting in troubles, and it was starting to feel like bullying.

I didn't put a lot of my old whumps in this wips list, but I thought this one was surprisingly well written and earned its place here ! (when I say old it's like the end of last year, I was just starting to write for the fandom)

- When I read short fics, especially during events like whumptober, I often crave for the aftermath. I know the authors often didn't even plan what would happen next, but especially with whumps, I want to know how the characters would recover from the terrible things that happened to them ! How the others would react ! And sometimes, when I read whump and I really really want an aftermath, well, I write something.

ALL THAT TO SAY, I am sorry if you expected something silly, but "This is starting to feel like bullying" is a wip that is about a torture aftermath 😬

There is nothing happening on screen, only the result, but still, it is kind of grim.

I don't know how much I should tell about it... I have to admit I've stopped working on it a while ago, but I'm mostly keeping it as a wip because I feel like I could rework it for a Whumptober prompt !

If you'd like me to go into more details you can ask ! It's the first time I'm talking about my wips so I'm not sure how much I should share gfnjgnjfgfjjn

I'm going to put a snippet under the cut, but be warned, it stops right before the good part lmao (it's the very beginning, I just like how it started) !

“ - Don't think we haven't noticed, ” The traveler hissed, bitter.

His arms were crossed, his brows frowned, and he looked like he was barely stopping himself to just walk away.

“ - What ? ” Twilight asked, genuinely lost.

Hyrule clicked his tongue in annoyance, and scowled at him.

“ - That you're on babysitting duty. ”

The affirmation made Wind roll his eyes and Four turn to him, indignant.

“ - What, you don't think I'm right ? ” Hyrule said to the two younger heroes. “ They think Lege is in the other spot ! They sent us here because we don't know in what state we're going to find him ! Time looked like he had swallowed vinegar when he swapped Wild with Twilight, and it was just because he had the slate. ”

They decided to check the two simultaneously, because they wanted to get their friend back as soon as possible, but one place clearly made more sense than the other.

Unfortunately, Twilight was pretty sure the traveler had a point, there. They had two leads concerning where their veteran was trapped.

One would be practical and discreet, and was closer to where Legend had last been seen.

The other had one witness, who hadn't been convinced himself that what he saw was important.

And Warriors and Time had not so subtly suggested to send all the younger heroes on the probable red herring.

Wild had argued that they'd probably need to stay in contact, and Wind and him had to be in two different teams.

Then, Twilight had felt burning and emphatic looks thrown his way, and he nicely suggested to go with the younger team.

They were supposed to check quickly, call the others when they were done, and go directly to them after. 

Wind was fine with the plan : he just wanted to find Legend as soon as possible, and the lead was worth being checked.

Hyrule and Four... Weren't as thrilled.

Twilight felt just the tiniest spark of relief upon seeing he had one ally in this.

“ - What does it matter ? ” Four shrugged, irritated. “ Let's just do this quickly, and then we'll get to the others. 

  - I don't understand what's with you two, ” Wind declared, staring at his friends. “ We need to check there anyway, right ? If it's empty, well, the others probably got him out ! How is that a problem ? ”

“ - The problem isn't whether we find Legend or not, ” Hyrule explained. “ The problem is that the captain and the old man sent us on the less probable lead because we're younger. ”

He threw a pointed look at Twilight.

“ Tell me I'm wrong. ”

The rancher sighed. He hated this debate, and currently resented Warriors for putting him in this situation.

Twilight rolled his eyes (but not without a smile).

“ - If I'm being honest, I think you're right, ” he admitted. “ But like Wind said, we need to check what's going on here anyway. What's dumb is that Wars really made it sound like the vet was in the other spot, and promptly sent y'all here with me. 

  - So you agree that you're babysitting us, ” Four commented with a smirk.

“ - Both of you have to remember we're not doing a useless job just to keep you occupied, ” he declared, putting a hand on the two boys' shoulders. “ We're going to find him no matter what, but  we need to check that house. ”

At that, Hyrule's shoulders shrunk just a bit. He looked less angry, and more... Miserable, frankly.

“ - I'm so worried, ” he admitted, and rubbed his face with both his hands.

Twilight pat his shoulder twice.

“ - Me too. But we're here for him, alright ? ”

[ffxiv-swarm]

prompt 28: blunt

If anyone asked him, he would quite proudly insist he was a pirate. A courier, if pressed. Maybe, in the right circles, a revolutionary. If they didn’t seem like assholes or knew nothing of the more annoying Malaguld stereotypes, he’d even admit he was a merchant. All of it was even true.

Oh, what did he sell? Well, this and that. Anything that fit in the hold and didn’t need to be fed, really. He had thriving lines in alchemical concoctions all the way from Thavnair, if they were so inclined...?

Sometimes, they were so inclined. Sometimes, they asked if he had anything else for sale. Anything special.

He’d been affronted at first, but it was amazing how much a pile of gil soothed most of his moral qualms. And from then on...well, he had a market, apparently, and it was best to keep them supplied. So he hid somnus under sacks of wheat, rare mushrooms and milkroot in between rolls of Nagxian silks. He greased guards’ palms and made frantic midnight exits when the bribes weren’t enough. He kept flying, buoyed now by a reputation for speedy delivery and never, ever skimming anything off the top.

(Alright, there were times he was tempted. But it was just him flying the ship, and he couldn’t steer if he was high. Besides, any drugs he used meant there would be less to sell, and fuel was expensive.)

There were moments, though, when his desire for profit fought his moral code and lost. This was one of them.

A dark Thavnairian alley where the Radiant Guard didn’t often patrol. One of his more regular customers, a rather weedy redheaded Hyur who only ever gave his name as Rasi. This time, the commission was private, not for resale.

If he made the sale at all, Jaiyu thought, frowning down at the man whose bloodshot eyes suggested he was already on something even before he’d started trying to talk Jaiyu out of three grams of blackleaf rose.

Rasi was pouting. It wasn’t a good look. “Aww, mate, c’mon, you know I’m good for it.”

Right. He would not yell. Instead he folded his arms, tail lashing behind him in what—for Au Ra—was a silent and pointed threat. “I don’t care if you’re good for it,” he said evenly. “I’m not selling you more than half a gram.”

“Why not?” Ugh, now he was whining.

Jaiyu took a deep breath. No yelling. No grabbing this little prick by the collar and giving him a good shake. No tossing him out of the alley on his arse. That was the kind of behavior that lost you customers, and when he wasn’t high and jonesing for a fix Rasi was a cheery bloke and a good customer with a better network of contacts. Besides, Jaiyu had easily a fulm of height and seventy-five ponzes of muscle on him and didn’t want to break anything by accident. “Because if you take more than that it’ll make your fuckin’ heart explode, dumbass.”

Rasi blinked at him. “You’re havin’ me on.”

“My hand to the gods,” he said firmly. “I’ve seen it happen with my own two eyes.” Well no, he hadn’t, but Rasi didn’t need to know that. “You wanna be the kind of stupid motherfucker who got himself killed lookin’ for a fun time? ‘S worse than dropping dead in a brothel, where at least you might’ve gotten your rocks off first. Blackleaf overdoses feel like getting’ struck by lightnin’ that hates you personally. Half a gram, three hundred gil. Take it or leave it.”

Rasi growled, muttered something indistinct, and finally bit out, “Fine,” turning to stomp off with a parting growl of, “Be that way. Stubborn scaly arse.”

Jaiyu shrugged, watching him go. He’d probably be back. But in the meantime he’d be grumpy, and Jaiyu couldn’t blame him.

In his defense, he was a pretty shitty Malaguld. Nobody had ever accused him of tact.

[oneforthemunny]

shot through the heart |bouncer!eddie munson x bartender!reader|

prompt: eddie and you make a bet playing darts one night at the hideout. loser gives the other head.

contains: sexual themes 18+ MINORS DNI. oral male rec, a little fem rec at the end. overall filth.

Eddie sat at the bar, still in black but not in his usual work attire. Joey had agreed to let Corroded Coffin play tonight, a Thursday night slot, but the crowd was bigger than the usual Tuesday. Drunk teenagers with their fakes screaming and dancing over pitchers of beer, to drunk middle aged couples dancing on the sticky dance floor- Eddie wasn't quite sure why they were two stepping to his metal music, but he was fine with it. At least they were engaged and having fun, no pity claps or eye rolls like the Tuesday crowd gave him.

And the best part? There behind the wooden half circle bar, slinging beers, peanuts, collecting tips and taking orders, stood you. In your hair pulled back to he could see your pretty face. He could see you blush when he pointed at you, singing a vulgar, suggestive lyric into the mic. He'd be lying if he said his song writing skills hadn't gotten better since being with you, you were the main inspiration for the crowd favorite original song 'Super Soaker'.

Joey had given them the stage until midnight, when all the shows ended and the bar started to settle until last call. Eddie finished twenty minutes after, an encore from the middle aged woman who kept shoveling tips in jar and screaming out more requests. How could Eddie deny her?

He packed his things in the van, joining his band mates at the bar, where you had pulled up high chairs to the end, just for them. "VIP section, right this way, rockstar." You purred, a dazzling smile that had Eddie weak at his knees, when you pointed to the end.

You brought them rounds of beers and celebratory shots, talent was always on the house. "You guys did so good!" You cheered, setting down the shots of Jameson in front of them.

"Thanks, baby," Eddie grinned. "Couldn't have done it without my main muse." He winked, the guys snickering around him.

You rolled your eyes despite the blush that heated your cheeks. "Well, let me know if I can get you anything, ok? I'll make sure my service is up to your superstar standards." You quipped, brow raising teasingly,

Eddie's eyes trailed on the sway of your hips, dick jumping at the thought. He felt electrified, buzzing and jittery with post show adrenaline. The last time he'd played, he'd told you to go on your break, fucking you outside on the back wall, leaving you to go back to work on shaky legs, panties filled with his release for the rest of your shift.

The boys recounted their night, desperate girls crowding them, eyes wide and sugary sweet compliments that had Jeff nervous laughing, flustered and melting at the attention.

Not Eddie, he was too busy watching you, thinking about all the ways he'd have you when you got off. "For song inspiration, of course, baby." He'd always say, like he had to convince you anyways. You'd do anything he wanted.

The bar died down before last call around two, everyone drunk and tired, fumbling out to hook up or pass out. Eddie looked over, Gareth and Jeff had moved into the corner booth with two girls, desperately trying to woo them. Eddie scoffed, shaking his head, pressing the bottle to his lips.

You wiped down the bar, smiling and thanking a leaving customer with your perfect, polite tone. No wonder the Hideout thought you were their golden girl, you were. You were Eddie's too, the closest he'd get to a garden of Eden he was sure.

"Can I get you anything else, rockstar?" You grinned, elbows pressing against the bar, leaning across the sticky wood towards him. His eyes trailed down to your low cut Hideout shirt, a t-shirt you'd cut to make sexier- better for tips.

Eddie snorted, shaking his head. "Hey, Ellen," He called to the manager behind the bar, picking up receipts. "Can I borrow this one for a sec?"

Ellen shrugged, looking at Valerie, the other bartender. Valerie smiled at you, waving her hand. "I got it," She reassured, motioning to the two stragglers at the bar, hunched over their booze and dazing off.

You thanked her, pushing through the low side door of the bar. "Just call for me if you need anything, Val." You said, looking at Eddie expectantly. "How can I be of service?" You asked playfully, low, batting your eyes up at him.

Eddie's cock lurched, tight and uncomfortable against his ripped jeans. He smirked, tongue rolling over the inside of his cheek.

Eddie nodded over to the dart board. "You played before?" He asked, but he knew the answer.

Of course you'd played before, you and him rotated from the pool tables to the dart boards on slow nights when it was just the two of you.

You rolled your eyes, scoffing. "No, never," You said sarcastically, bumping your hip to his. "Will you show me?" You flirted.

Eddie grit his teeth, salacious grin looking down at you. "C'mon," He slipped his hand in the back pocket of your jeans, smirking at your squeal. "Let's play a few rounds."

The two of you took turns throwing the arrows towards the worn and battered bullseye. You extended your arm, lining it up down the top fin, just like Eddie taught you. His chest swelled with pride when he watched you, nose scrunched in concentration, one eye shut before sending it sailing, flying towards the center.

Eddie clapped, smiling at you. "Good throw," He said, picking up his own darts. He was red, you were green; always.

"Wanna make this more interesting?" Eddie asked, looking around carefully, his voice dropping as he lined up his own shot.

You smirked, leaning against the table with already stacked chairs. "Yeah?"

"Let's make a little wager, how's that sound?" Eddie asked smugly, sending his own dart sailing and sticking against the black outer ring of the bullseye. "You up for a little challenge?"

You scoffed, air blowing out your nose with a shake of your head. "What're you thinking? Gonna bet all my tips or something?" You teased.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Like I would ever." He muttered, sending another dart sailing, then eyes locking with you. "Just a little bet to make things interesting, hm?"

You lifted a brow, waiting for his proposition. Eddie took a step closer to you, crowding you. "Three rounds. Loser gives the other head." His eyes were dark, shining in a way that had a cold tingle spilling up your spine, thighs clenching.

Your lips twisted, biting back a grin, but you knew he saw it anyways. "Hm, I guess I could afford to bet that much." You matched his playful banter. You picked up your green darts, the tips brown and rusted. "You first?"

Eddie shook his head, bowing dramatically in front of the worn and faded black duct tape 'x' on the ground. "Never. Ladies first."

You stepped on the mark, right foot forward, shifting your weight from your back leg to your front as you lined up your shot, sending it flying, landing on the cushiony material of the target on the second ring, the black slice under the 'twelve'.

You grinned smugly, spinning and stepping out of the way to record your score on the napkin while Eddie lined up his own. Round after round went by, you won the first one with ease- Eddie blamed the shots you'd given him. Eddie won the second by just a few points, grinning smugly.

Ellen and Valerie had gathered by you two, leaning over the rail and watching you intently play. The bar had cleared out before last call, just the sound of the buzzing equipment and the soft playing of the jukebox.

"Oh!" Valerie and Ellen cheered when you landed on the outer ring of the bullseye, dangerously close to the center.

"Wow, not looking good Munson." Ellen joked with a grin. "Hope you didn't wager anything too big."

Eddie's eyes flashed to your knowingly, your skin blistering under his gaze. "Nah, nothing too bad." He smirked, lining up his own shot, heavy boots on the mark.

You drooled as his shirt rode up, showing his inked tummy, hips, the outline of his boxers. He'd discarded his leather jacket, torn and covered in badges, earlier into the game. He knew you liked watching his muscles flex, veins protruding in his forearms under the sketched skin

His tongue poked out in concentration, looking down the slope of his nose before the dart went sailing, landing on the board with a solid 'thud!' and sinking into the worn foam. Eddie turned, smug smile on his face that he was trying to hide, twisting his lips to the side, but you saw how his eyes lit up. Your eyes flickering from his back to the board, red marked dart right in the middle; bullseye.

"Motherfucker..." You muttered, hands on your hips as Valerie and Ellen howled in laughter, clapping and cheering.

"Oh! That was too good!" Valerie cackled. "Time to pay up, girl. Hope it wasn't all your tips from tonight." She winked at Eddie.

You pouted playfully, exaggeratedly to Eddie. "I don't know how but you cheated." You pointed a finger at him.

Eddie laughed. "How?" He shook his head, curly tendrils bouncing with the movement. "Don't be a sore-loser, baby. You lost." He grabbed your waist, making you whine and squirm against his fingers, desperate to hide your smile and keep up your pouty facade.

"Don't you know you're supposed to let the pretty girls beat you, Munson?" Ellen shook her head playfully.

Eddie scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?" He grinned, smacking a kiss to the side of your head. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I won't count my winnings here. We can settle up back at home." He winked at you, leaving you throbbing and dizzy with what's to come.

Eddie stayed to walk the three of you out, opening the door to his van, smacking your ass playfully when you passed him to climb in. Eddie ducked in, kissing you hard, sloppy and needy. You could taste the whiskey on his breath still.

Eddie started the van, hand on your headrest when he pulled out, snaking his hand down to squeeze your cheeks together. "You ready to pay up when we get home?" Eddie smirked.

You blushed, turning your head to hide how flustered he made you, but he didn't miss the way your thighs squeezed shut at his words. "I still think you cheated." You jested, eyes rolling over to him.

Eddie scoffed, hand on your thigh, running his hand up the soft denim of your jeans, pinky trailing dangerously close to your core, leaving you shivering. "Psh, I won fair and square, sweetheart." He looked at you knowingly.

Twenty minutes later you were on your knees at Eddie's trailer, scratchy, green carpet rubbing uncomfortably against your knees. Eddie stripped you the second you walked in, clothes scattered and thrown in all directions, until you were naked, bare in front of him.

He sat on the couch, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, thick thighs spread with his cock angry and flushed against his belly, tip leaking and smearing onto his happy trail.

"Pay up, baby." Eddie grinned, taking a rather long exhale, embers crackling and falling from his cigarette, his eyes never leaving yours, stroking himself lazily.

He reached out for your hand, spitting a fat glob onto your palm, before leaning back, nodding towards his throbbing cock. You pumped him slow at first, squeezing his shaft with just the right amount of pressure, spreading his spit all over his cock. Thumb spreading and rubbing small circles over his head, gathering the leaking release to spread down his cock with every flick of your wrist.

Eddie watched you through heavy, half lidded eyes, flicking his ash into the tray, free hand reaching to wrap around your ponytail, falling and messy from your shift. You looked at him when you shimmied forward, eyes locking with him while you licked a strip on the underside of his cock, swirling your little tongue around his head.

Eddie swallowed hard, trapped moan in his throat, clenching his thighs and hips to keep from bucking at the sensation, especially when you cupped his sac, squeezing it just right, his cock throbbing and lurching when you swallowed him.

Your eyes stayed on him, trained to his face- just like he taught you. How he liked it. Eddie wanted to kiss you, cover you in sweet kisses and praises, and he would've if you weren't making him feel so good. He would later, when he worked you open with his tongue until you cried, pathetic and whiny at his mercy.

"Fuck, baby, yes, just like that," Eddie rasped, bumming the cigarette into the tray. His free hand cupped your hollowed cheek, eyes lust blown and meeting yours. "Good girl. Such a good girl f'me, aren't you?"

You moaned at his praise, vibrations sending electricity through his cock straight to his tummy where the pleasure had been building. Eddie sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth, jaw gritting to keep from thrusting into the back of your throat.

"Go a little further. Yeah, sit up just a little higher, and- oh!" Eddie groaned, loud and head falling back. The kind of moans that you only heard in the X-rated films he'd rent and the two of you would watch together. Exaggerated, deep, and encouraging, leaving you blushing and determined. You wanted to hear that again, and again, and again for the rest of your life; make him feel good for the rest of your life.

You could feel your slick spreading between your thighs, achy and desperate for relief, to be touched. You clenched, shifting the heel of your foot as best as you could towards your throbbing center, rubbing and rocking on it for some relief.

Normally, Eddie would reprimand you for such a thing, but he was too wrapped up in the way your mouth felt around him. Your free hand squeezing and flicking your wrist up his shaft, tongue swirling and giving kitten licks to his head, other hand squeezing his balls.

You rocked lightly, eye lids fluttering when your heel brushed against your clit, Eddie's hand wrapping around your ponytail while you bobbed up and down, drool dribbling down the corners of your mouth and leaving strings attached to his cock.

You could feel his abs clench, finger tightening around your hair, scalp tingling and burning with the pull. You felt his balls tighten, pulling up, cock twitching in your mouth. You looked back up at him, eyes round, awaiting his instructions.

Eddie's eyes were fluttered close, head tilted back, hips raising while his broken, breathy moans filled the room. Your jaw ached but you continued to suck him, squeezing his shaft harder and suckling against the head until hot spurts fell onto your tongue, gathering and filling with every shuddering breath he took.

Eddie's chest heaved, looking down at you through glazed eyes, shadowed by his thick, dark lashes. "Fuck, baby, s'good. Was s'good." He rasped, hands tightening out of your hair, feather light touch traveling down to your jaw, tilting your chin up to him.

"You didn't swallow did you?" You shook your head obediently, and Eddie beamed. "Good girl. Open up, show me."

You opened slowly, filling his thick, creamy release slide back your throat, lifting your tongue to stop it. Eddie grinned, mouth full of him, slobbering and dribbling down your chin. He nodded. "Swallow. Good girl. Very good." He purred, watching your gulp him down before his lips were on yours.

You shifted up into his kiss, hands on his hair thigh, pressed do closely to him as you could, dizzy with his praises and the way his mouth was exploring yours. He could tase himself, salty and bitter on your tongue. It made his limp cock lurch, hot pleasure still pulsating in his lower belly.

Eddie pulled you up gently by the back of your neck, his lips still on yours, hands on your waist, walking you in a clumsy sort of waltz back to his room. You fell on the bed with a small sigh, Eddie's hands strong and gripping your thighs, pulling you closer to the edge of the bed.

He kept his eyes on yours, pushing his hair behind his ear before kneeling down onto the mattress, your knees by his ears over his shoulders, body raised off the bed steadied by his hands that gripped your hips and held you in place.

Eddie was salivating, licking his lips as he looked at your puffy lips, glistening and already coating the inside of your thighs with your arousal. Eddie placed a kiss to your mound, right above your clit. You shimmied your hips closer, whining and mewling for more, uncomfortable with the angle he had you in, but you wouldn't dare complain. Not when he was about to use his tongue on you.

"I think it's only fair that I show good sportsmanship, don't you?" Eddie teased wickedly, his breath tickling your sopping folds, sending shivers down your spine.

"Your turn, baby." He grinned salaciously, eyes narrowed and dark on you before his tongue was working you open, sucking and licking you until you were screaming, crying, and begging for more.