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pvrkacciosan · 1 year ago

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Kicks and Kisses

Summary: After the readers run-in with Xaden's training methods, Bodhi isn't in any rush to let her back on them defenseless so takes it upon himself to teach her a few things.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Pairing: Bodhi Durran X Marked Fem! Reader

Word Count: uncounted

Warnings: Suggestive, swearing, fighting training, Mature language content

☽⋆❈⋆☾

With the valiant help from a group of young healers you were released from the prescribed rest, and were able to get yourself back up and moving within a week.

You were still tender but your breathing wouldn't cut out on you and the blinding pain was no longer erupting behind your eyes rendering you useless in ever sense.

But still Bodhi had refused to let you return back to your own dorm in that time. Even when you had a perfectly good bed there.

Those beds are un-comfy and you know it.

You rolled your eyes at Asra, whether she could sense your attitude, you were hopeful she couldn't,

I don't understand why he won't let me go back to my own bed. That chair can't be very comfortable. You stared at the chair positioned on the far side of the room, the one Bodhi had been sleeping in whilst you took his bed. You didn't understand why you were entertaining such topics of conversation with her. Talking with Asra had always come naturally, like a sister you could confine in, and the subject of Bodhi Durran left your chest feeling warm in a rather pleasant way.

So Invite him into the bed with you.

It wasn't difficult for you to sense every dripping pulse of Asra's amusement, you gawked at her words in your head.

I can't do that. Won't it be awkward You couldn't help but contemplate the outcome.

Don't be foolish girl. You're a dragon rider, start acting like it. If you want something you might just start acting like that Riorson boy, heys taken the silver one to bed.

You didn't want to know where she had got that piece of information. But the notion of what she was speaking... There was a difference between asking Bodhi to share his bed and committing to taking him in his bed.

When Asra laughed in your head, you clamped your knees together, trying to ignore the heat that was building there. As you ripped the covers of Bodhi's bed from atop your body, you could't stop the swirling of those blood igniting thoughts. Couldn't decide what you would want more, to have him sleeping in the bed with you, or having him take you in the bed you had come to love.

The quilt scented of him. A deep smell that you hadn't noticed the first night you slept, it lingered on everything in this room.

His scent has been all over you. Asra's voice in your head, you only assumed she was referring to when you had gone flying yesterday, trying to ease yourself back into training once you got the all clear from the healers.

Bodhi and Cuir had flown with you both yesterday, positioning himself slightly below you, to catch you should you fall off Asra's back.

I would have caught you. Asra's voice was dripping with some tone you couldn't place, Laughing lightly in your own head you shot it down the bond. She didn't respond beyond that of a gentle huff.

Closing up the wall between you. Moving to begin gathering ouself from the room. Bodhi was supposed to meet you down at the mats for an initial round of training, trying to strengthen the muscles and reconditioning them to get back to what they had once been.

And as usual, you were running late. At least you could use the excuse of your lingering injuries. They weren't as painful, just uncomfotable. Especially your shoulder, a mender had reattached many of the tendsons and ligaments in your shoulder, but you still have only light movement in the joint.

Moving down through the halls, you rounded into the training room. The mats laid out as per usual, there were a couple cadets scattered around each pair training away from one another in private lessons.

Strolling in softly you glanced around and spotted two famiar bodies. Sauntering closer you watched them, matching hit for powerful hit on one another.

Bodhi and Xaden often never sparred with each other. Garrick was the usual go-to. The third boy was on the side of the mat, arms folded as he watched the cousins spar. You moved to stand beside the giant.

"Hey Y/n" He offered you a small smile.

At the sound of your names, Bodhi glanced up, un-focusing the fight at hand. It landed him a stiff jaw from the next punch Xaden landed. Blinking to look you over once, Bodhi dodged out the way of his cousins next hit.

You watched from the side returning Garrick's smile with one of your own before turning back unaware of the excited glances Garrick was switching between you and Bodhi.

"Garrick.," Bodhi warned as he dodged a swing from Xaden before getting a punch in at the Wingleader's ribs.

You glance questioningly up at the boy beside you, Garrick coughed, covering his smirk with a hand.

"They are sparring to burn off...Pent up...emotions"

You frowned at him, that definitely was not what Garrick was entertaining in his thoughts. You squinted at him before glancing to watch Bodhi swing hard and fast for Xaden. What Bodi lacked in size against his cousin and Garrick he surely made up for in speed. His exposed muscles rippling with each movement. Your gaze zones in on the sweat gleaming, coating every inch of his skin.

What it would be like to have his body pressed against you own on that bed, having him above or below you, At each others mercy.

You're drooling

You went to snip back at Asra but she hid behind your mental shield straight after her own words.

Paranoia took hold, Twisting away from Garrick slightly you wiped at your lower lip and chin with the back of your hand. You weren't but you still sense Asra's lingering amusement at your sudden panic.

Turning back to watch, Xaden and Bodhi panting hard as they finally parted from one another on the mat. Bodhi gave Xaden's shoulder a rough shoves but they were both smiling as they stepped back.

Xaden initially avoided your gaze. You hadn't seen the Wingleader since the day of your injury. Besides once when he had tried to come see you. Bodhi had refused to let him in then and you could still recall the sound of them arguing outside the bedroom door.

He tried now to get out of the way, Slipping from the room. Bodhi folded his arms across his chest clearing his throat, Xaden froze. Pivoting to meet your stare.

"Y/n I'm sorry for putting you on that mat" His tone was so awkward even you didn't know what exactly to say. Bodhi rose his eyebrows when Xaden cast him a sidelong glance.

The Wingleader sighed, "It was clear you didn't want to fight, I shouldn't have made you and it won't happen again"

Bodhi was grinning like an idiot in your direction when Xaden finally rose back to his full height. Bodhi watching you intently, waiting for you to acknowledge his efforts in making his cousin apologize. Something about the way he smiled at you made the strings in your heart cinch. Asra slide into your mind, her presence alone snapping you from watching Bodhi.

Glancing to Xaden, "I'm fine Xaden. I'm alive am I not?" The Wingleader waited. Attention flicking to Bodhi, You warily followed his stare. A muscle beneath Bodhi's eyes twitched, Garrick caught it after seeing the expression on your own face. Spinning himself into the middle of the two and clasped Xaden roughly on one shoulder.

"Right we're off to find your opponent from that day. Try and make sure Imogen hasn't gutted the girl for her slander against you" Garrick's usually stoic face was set in a grin, you had a feeling he might sooner set Imogen on the girl first before saving her hide.

Garrick and Xaden stalked from the mats, leaving the room entirely within a few long strides,

When you turned back to obverse Bodhi, heat bloomed in your cheeks to find him already watching you.

"Right" He shook his head, these dark curls shaking to cover his brow bone. "Let's get started."

After running through a quick warm up with him your skin had already formed up quite a sweat. Many of the other cadets had vacated the training room, probably to attend to other daily duties.

Bodhi had been wary of your shoulder joint and coached you through each movement, sometimes he would place a hand against your body to steady the off balance the injuries had given you and It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus.

Moving off the mat to grab a quick drink of water you tried to organise the shambling thoughts which flushed your flesh to the core.

"We will move onto some evasion techniques and manoeuvrers to get yourself out of someone's grip."

You nodded, taking a quick final gulp of the water, evasion and defensive practise that would be fine. You had done this before.

You turned to move back onto the mat when your thoughts finally processed what you were getting yourself into. There was only a few ways to actively practise these sorts of manoeuvrers . Ones that involved lots of bodily contact.

You blinked as Bodhi shook his muscles, rolling each of his joints, The silence prompted him to look up

"I won't bite" there was a boyish smirk gracing his lips, it was an expression you had seen on him for years since knowing each other, often when causing mischief. The only form of consistency it offered you now was that it caused your heart to hammer harder against your ribs.

Pull yourself together. You were reducing yourself to no better than a teenage boy seeing a women naked for the first time in his life. Sighing deeply you moved onto the mat.

Bodhi stilled hands clasping together, allowing you to come closer, he watched carefully, assessing you.

"How is your shoulder feeling?"

Prompted by his question you rolled the ball and socket joint, easing deeper into the muscle there. They ached slightly but nothing more beyond overexerting the shoulder.

"All good" smiling softly you ignored the joint focusing now as Bodhi began to prepare himself.

"We are going to start with something simple. If someone tries to grab you from the front."

He waited for you to nod before continuing, "I'm going to grab for you and all you have to do is get me off you. We will critique everything once we've gone through every scenario "

He didn't wait for your acknowledgement now, unprepared you stepped back when both of Bodhi's hands came up towards you. As his body followed through your own muscle memory kicked in, grabbing his right wrist you jammed a thumb into the pulse point there and twisted— hard.

Bodhi let loose a grunt as he moved with the twisting limb, following so you wouldn't break his arm entirely. You only let go once his limb was flush unnaturally against his back.

"Good." He turned shaking his wrist lightly "That was perfect. Could be a little quicker with your reaction time, but we will work on that in our next session"

You nodded, worriedly glancing at his wrist perhaps you had been too forceful.

"This time we are going to run with the scenario that I actually got a hold on you"

Bodhi closed the gap separating you both, slowly raises his hands, hesitating with them hovering your body, noting their destined locations you gave Bodhi the go ahead. He rests his hand on your left shoulder the other at the base of your neck.

"Right.." Bodhi cleared his throat, "I'm going to pretend to be trying to push you back as if to get you.. against a wall. Get out of my grip."

Nervous, you glance at him, he offers an encouraging smile, nodding softly you tried desperately to ignore as his grip squeezes lightly against you body, try to ignore the pander of heartbeats that flutter in you.

When Bodhi began to push back you resisted, planting a foot behind to stabilise the weight of you. The muscles in the back of the leg stretching with the pressure. The result of Bodhi pushing you however; his hand pushing into your windpipe, slowing the flow of air to you with dizzying affect and not from the lack of oxygen.

Relaxing the breaths you took, You made quick work of trying to lessen his grip. Pressing your finger into his wrist's pulse point.

"Find somethinng new. That's not going to work a second time"

Frustration grew like a building short circuit. You knew strength wasn't your biggest fighting factor, it was instinct at this point born and bred as a female to go for a man's weakest point and it was taking everything within your resolve to not kick between his legs.

Pressure point began quizzing through your mind. Bodhi watches as your eyes flicked across his body ravaging at the sight of your attention on him. Felt the heat of it across every inch of his aching skin, tensioned for the need of touch, your touch. You were simply looking for his weaknesses, ones you could reach from the position you were currently in.

Shifting your weight into the side he held a hand to your throat, you rammed your thumb under his arm, nail digging into the soft flesh there.

Bodhi loosens his grip enough for you to duck under the other arm and release yourself. Bouncing back on the balls of your feet, you teetered towards the edges of the mat.

Bodhi rounded with a smirk, shooting a quick wink your way, "Atta Girl." The genuine pride and excitement in his tone made your cheeks flush.

Any focus you had fought to obtain since the beginning of this session slipped entirely away from you in that second. Shallow breathing, you shook yourself off the rising tension with it.

"Again." Bodhi gestured you back for the middle of the mat, "This time I'm coming at you from behind"

The air hauled in your throat, gulping quickly and moving back to the centre. Bodhi stepped up behind you.

He gave you even less warning. Albeit you could have used one this time unexpecting of his arms to latch themselves around your torso.

You needed to focus, focus on getting yourself out of his hold, but the only thing swirling in your mind was how close his body now was to yours, you could feel the rippling warm muscles on his chest against your back.

His arms tightened and you gasped lightly when you felt the sensation of his palm brush up the side of your breast, the material of your clothing ruffling as he righted his grip

A pulse of fresh warmth coursed through you, blooming from your core. It was almost painful as the material brushed the peak of your nipple.

If this was how your body reacted to his unintentional intimate touches you could only imagine what he might do to you intentionally.

"You seem distracted." the heat of his breath fanned your neck when he whispered the words against the shell of your ear, close enough you swore on your life that was his lips brush the curve.

Nerves rippled against him. You needed to get your shit together, but. . .

There was a smugness in his tone. That bastard, was he potentially... teasing on purpose to distract you? You swallowed a scoff. Two could definitely play at this game.

Grabbing his elbow you made an attempt to lift his arm up over your head, the well tones limb didn't move, but you couldn't resist the smile, for it was a cover up.

Rolling your hips and pushing you ass back against him. With the shared closeness he had created you heard his breath stuttered behind your ear and felt his pulse skyrocket.

Who was the distracted one now, driving the heel of your foot into the top of his, you heard the oxygen whoosh into his lungs as he hissed. Elevating the foot ever so slightly.

You wouldn't have the strength to throw him over your shoulder but if he was off balance as he was now. Gripping both hands as far up his arm as you could reach you twisted sharply into his unbalanced side.

Feeling his weight falling against you own you planted both legs to limit the chance of you falling too.

When Bodhi hit the ground you were diligent, moving quickly while he stunned to recall his senses.

Swinging one leg you planted yourself above him to pin him below you.

There was a second were you hadn't thought, just did. Hadn't realised what you were doing until you did it. Hadn't realised you now straddled his waist, hadn't realised you might have miscalculated the extent of your teasing until you felt the growth hardening beneath your ass.

Bodhi blinked at you in wild surprise as though he too now realised what had been done.

Had he not been thinking just as you hadn't? Simply following movements and feelings that felt so inheritable right until there was an irreversible shift between you both. Bodies welded together from where you sat atop him.

Every nerve in you was jackhammering in your heart, blood thrumming against your hearing. An unmistakable ache was growing between your legs, one which could and would lead to decisions you knew were irreversible.

Perhaps Bodhi had been teasing you simply to district, there was nothing attached to that. No emotion or feeling.

Foolish girl. You hadn't realised Asra had been listening into your thoughts, Had failed to notice she had lowered her shield. Is that how distracted Bodhi had made you?

You went to move from his lap, but Bodhi groaned, the sound low and guttural from deep at the back of his throat, head falling back with his eyes squeezing shut. Without looking his hand found your thigh, squeezing to hold you in place,

"Don't move." The guttural throaty sound in his voice blinded your every sense, glancing to his veined hand you couldn't rip your attention away until Bodhi blinked at you startled, a muscle in his jaw twitched as his eyes darkened.

Within the next second you attempted to lift yourself back off him, in one swift movement, Bodhi pushed himself up with a hand behind him. Using the grip on your leg to keep you on top of him, the positions now pushing you to sit further onto his growing erection.

It wasn't until he rightened himself that Bodhi released his grip only to move it across your body, you felt it clasp the back of your neck as he leaned closer pulling you with him and wasted no more time of colliding his lips with yours.

You stilled, stunned as his lips moved against your own, Asra's presence stroking against your mind prompting you from the stupor, her rebuilding her shield was enough of a hint and approval.

Softening your tense muscles you wrapped both arms to encircle around his shoulders, pulling your chest closer to his. Letting one hand slip to cup the back of his head. Fingers threading his dark curls.

Bodhi continued denying himself breath as he smiled, feeling you finally give in. Letting yourself match him. Giving and receiving the hot kisses, fast and swift.

They continued, hungry for more. Starved for the touch of one another. It was a sensation you didn't know you wanted — needed.

The heat encased between your bodies made your heart hammer into overdrive, Lifting your weight and then lowering it with a roll of your hips, causing friction against the now obvious erection beneath you.

Bodhi exhaled sharp and hot against your mouth, pulling from your lips. Once more his eyes squinted shut, brow furrowed.

You couldn't pry your attention away. The expression on his face alone set you emotions spiralling. It was the perfect mix of pain and pleasure rolled into one.

Wiggling your ass down, Bodhi groaned louder this time. His eyes snapped open to level with your own, within that hungry fire that was beginning to demand more of you: a desire you would happily indulge.

Even within that burning, there was still a softness to Bodhi, he was still the same man you grew up with, a comfort you had come to depend on.

He grinned as he watched you, eyes flicking to scan every inch of your face. You shivered as Bodhi dragged a hand across you collar bone, up your neck to cup the line of your jaw. Thumb rubbing into your now swollen lower lip.

He leaned so close once more that you now shared a combined airspace.

"We shouldn't continue" the smirk growing on his lips said more. The growing heat within you was answer enough, rubbing a hand into his jaw, for the thrill of it you shook you head leaning closer still. "We shouldn't"

Tightening your grip at the back of his head, fingers twisting into a strand of hair, Bodhi dipped his head to yours, lips a whisper apart.

"Kiss me again" His voice turned throaty, the blood in you warming at his touch, "Please" the shift in his tone was astonishing.

Giving yourself over, leaning to rejoin him, a coil of tension grew in the core of your chest. You kissed him fully, Pulling Bodhi into you.

Bodhi broke the connection after a second, "Atta girl" he was already smirking by the time he kissed you again.

That coil continued to tighten. This was an irreversible decision, this pairing. It could easily cleave you in two.

But this moment as Bodhi began to lower his kisses flowing down the column of your throat, you couldn't bring yourself to give a flying fuck.

#fourth wing imagine #fourth wing #fanfiction #bodhi durran x reader #bodhi durran #xaden riorson #fourth wing by rebecca yarros #fanfiction writing #booktok #iron flame #garrick tavis #rebecca yarros #iron flame by rebecca yarros #books #book tumblr #fourth wing fanfic

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thegnomelord · 1 year ago

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Thinking about John Price taking care of you while you're sick(totally self indulgent)

CW: NSFW

And you're a stubborn idiot, you don't think you're that sick to stay in bed even if you can barely stand on your feet. He takes one look at you and before you know it he's corralling you back to your room, hands on your sides to keep you walking and answering all of your complaints with "Zip it. You're sick you bloody Muppet."

Price who scowls and flicks your forehead and calls you 'bad boy' when you attempt to get out of bed when he's not looking. Price who fluffs your pillow and pulls several different layers of sheets and quilts over you. Who makes you hot tea with lemon and ginger just like his nan used to make it and holds the steaming cup to your lips so you don't spill it. Who checks your temperature by pressing the back of his hand and his lips to your forehead because he knows that'll get you from squirming.

Price who lays down behind you when you're still shivering under all those layers, thick arms securely wrapping around your middle to pull you against his chest, your legs intertwining and his strong belly pressing against your back to leave not even an inch of space between you two, his breath fanning over the back of your neck, his beard scratching your skin as he kisses you there. His hands are warm as he gently rubs your aching muscles, raising one hand to instead card his fingers through your hair. "Get some sleep, I'll be here when you wake up." He says, voice low and calming and so safe you don't notice when you nod off.

But also Price smiling at you when you get hard but are too exhausted to have sex or rub one out. Price who settles between your thighs, rough hands shimmying your pajama bottoms and boxers down enough for your cock to spring up. Murmuring a soft "Stay down," against your stomach, pinning your hips down to keep you from bucking up when he pecks the tip of your cock and trails kisses down your shaft to the base, "That's a good lad," he humms against yours sensitive skin, "just relax 'n be good for me."

You can do nothing but groan, eyes rolling into the back of your skull amd eyelids closing as Price takes you into his hot mouth, lazily suckling on your shaft. He's not racing to finish you off, tongue moving slowly and methodically across the veins of your cock up to swirl around your sensitive head before going back down. He lets you float in the same mindless pleasure you like to give him after a rough week, all the tenseness in your body melting away bit by bit every time he swallows around you, pulling off to lick around the cumslit before taking you to the root, savouring the salty taste of your precum.

And you're so out of it you can't tell apart if you're dreaming or awake, pleasure simmering beneath the surface of your skin like a kettle until it boils over, a weak noise escaping the back of your throat and your hips giving small little bucks as you cum down his throat without even noticing. Your eyes only open when your frayed nerves register the slight sting of overstimulation, Price's clever tongue cleaning your cock and swallowing every last drop before he tucks you back into your boxers.

You try to say something, offer to get him off in return, but he just shushes you, "no need lad." He climbs up your body to spoon you from behind once again, his body like your personal heater. "You'll get that chance when you're better," he trails kisses from your jaw to the back of your neck, nuzzling his nose into your skin. "Now be a good lad and go to sleep, yeah?"

#gnome's tea break #trinckets of the hoard #cod mw2 #captain john price x male reader #captain john price x reader #x top male reader #dom male reader #x male reader #cod modern warfare #x reader #captain john price #cod x male reader

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makereadgrow · 3 months ago

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The Why of Sewing 1: Fabric Anatomy (Woven)

This is the first in a series I am starting that is going to talk about concepts in sewing and fiber arts and try and explain some of the whys behind the hows.

The first thing anyone should learn about sewing is the basic building block of what fabric IS. There are two basic categories for fabric: Woven and Knit. Today I am writing about woven fabric.

When you buy fabric you typically get a big rectangle of fabric - there will be two edges that ether have a clean edge, or a soft fringy edge that does not fray. These are the selvedge edges. Perpendicular to that will be two cut edges, which will almost certainly fray easily. Below is a collage showing a few types of selvedges.

Woven fabric is made with threads running in two directions at a 90 degree angle to one another. Below I have linked to an episode of How It's Made which shows fabric being woven in a factory.

youtube

The threads that runs parallel to the selvedge edge is the warp, these run the entire length of the piece of the fabric as it is manufactured on a loom. When fabric is cut on grain it is cut with the grain line on your pattern piece parallel to the selvedge edge and these warp threads. This direction is typically the most stable way to cut a woven fabric.

The threads that run perpendicular to the selvedge are the weft threads. The weft threads traditionally are held on shuttles and passed back and forth from right to left on the loom. Modern looms have changed the method for passing the weft from left to right drastically (usually air jets are used) but the position of the threads have not changed. Cutting in this direction is called cutting on the cross grain. It has more stretch than cutting on grain but in certain situations it might be a good idea to cut on the cross grain (and other situations where it is a poor choice).

If you cut at at 45 degree angle from the selvedge you are cutting on the bias. Bias can make fabric do really interesting things. It stretches, and for the most part does not fray. It is very useful in strips for binding and bias cut dresses drape and cling to the body beautifully. Because cuts on an angle (any angle, but 45 degrees will do this the most) stretch it is important to stay stitch curves and angles and handle them carefully.

As an experiment take some woven fabric, a quilting cotton would be ideal for this, and carefully cut a small square with two sides running parallel to the grain. Tug on it on grain and cross grain and see if you can feel a difference, then tug on it from corner to corner. Pull some threads from the straight edges and see how the fraying looks. Then cut from corner to corner and try and fray it along that edge.

Below is fabric being stretched on grain. It stretches very little.

On the cross grain you get a tiny bit more stretch.

And on the bias...

As a sewist you can use all of these properties to your advantage.

But friend! What if my fabric doesn't have an intact selvedge edge?

If you have a woven in stripe to your fabric your job is easy. Just follow the lines (a printed stripe will not always match the grain). If you don't have that what you need to do is look closely at your fabric, use a magnifier if you need to. If it is a loosely woven fabric take a pin and pull out a thread. You will see a line you can follow. You might end up on the cross grain by accident, but usually the warp is easier to pull a thread from and you might be able to feel the differences in stretch as well.

Ultimately for MOST sewing practices just following the general grain *pretty* well is good enough. You do not need to spend hours determining perfection, but learning to identify the grain and use it to your advantage is a huge part of learning to sew.

Please feel free to share, let me know if this was helpful, and ask any questions if something is unclear.

#quilting #sewing #sewing tutorial #fabric #textile art #sewing tips #sewing techniques #the why of sewing #fabric grain #Youtube

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theshipsong · 2 months ago

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suit of cups | iv

basil hawkins x f!reader. childhood friends/crewmates canon au. selfship; reader is an astrologer and explicitly racialized while he isn't. wc 1.6k | est. 6 min read

{ last card } { next card }

Of course you'd grow apart. You spent more time on your family's fishing rigs, sailing without him, and Hawkins found a friend in a tan cat Mink. Faust was sixteen, like him, and Hawkins took the role of newcomers' guide that you once did. When you joined them, you and Faust pored over books the cat's parents collected while living in one of the North Blue's larger, more developed cities. Faust called them grimoires and good-naturedly defended against your questions about their origins and methods. Hawkins couldn't tell if you liked each other at all, but together you made an odd trio of teenagers with no choice for company but each other.

Or so he thought.

You stayed ashore more often as salmon season turned to halibut. As soon as Faust came over one especially foggy morning, the pair of boys started uphill to fetch you for a day of spellcasting and divination only to hear the familiar shriek of your laughter float up behind them—something they knew not to expect if you were only with your family. Hawkins followed Faust's gaze to the sight of you joined at the elbow with a girl.

That didn't make any sense. You didn't get along with girls just like Hawkins didn't get along with boys. Except for Faust. You were too rough and smelled too much like fish and no one had the patience for your stargazing and lectures that he did. Yet here you were.

He recognized the girl and the particular dirty blond of her hair from around the docks, so she must also come from seafaring stock. She noticed Hawkins and Faust before you did, and stopped in her tracks. You looked up, surprised. "Oh! I didn't know you were coming."

"I didn't know you needed warning," Hawkins said stiffly.

"Um." You seemed to hesitate, then unlinked your arm. "I can go from here. Thank you for inviting me."

The girl looked between him and Faust. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

To your credit, or in Hawkins' hopes, you said it coolly, with a knife's edge. You were fourteen and vibrant and tolerated offense no less than he did. As soon as the girl disappeared over the horizon, you smacked Hawkins in the funny bone. "Ow!"

"Sorry. I thought that was lower." You didn't sound sorry at all. "Can't you be a little friendly?"

"I barely said anything."

"Exactly. People think that's rude."

"Since when do you care what people think?"

"This is why my family doesn't like you."

"But you don't like your family."

You huffed, arms crossed. "Hi, Faust."

"Hi…" the Mink returned awkwardly. That's when Hawkins noticed, in your hand opposite the one you'd hooked into that girl's, the handles of a large straw basket out of which peeked the edge of the quilt he recognized from your room.

"Did you spend the night?"

"Yes, it's called a sleepover."

"What's so special about that?"

"I've never been before."

"Yes, you have."

"That's not a sleepover. That's… we're too tired to move."

"So you slept over." Why call it something? You used to do so all the time, but something changed in the last year or two. Your parents went to church in town now while your grandparents refrained. They'd always been warmer toward him, anyway, and even as their memory and vision went Hawkins remembered their fantastical tales from the Grand Line of crocodilian sea kings and Devil Fruit users with great fondness.

"This is a planned thing, for girls. I've never braided another girl's hair before."

"What's wrong with braiding mine? That's how you learned, anyway." It was past his shoulders now. He liked that it kept his neck warm and how you played with it, or used to.

"You don't notice anything different about me?" you said dangerously.

Hawkins blinked, and inspected your face, tilted up toward his. He was almost a head taller than you now. Apparently, his father stood over two meters in height and towered far above his mother. All he saw when he looked at you was the familiar flush of anger in your cheeks and neck, your brows drawn downward and your teeth biting into your lower lip the way they did when you tested him, usually over planetary rulerships.

"You look tired," he offered. "Not much of a sleepover."

You tossed your hair over your shoulder with such force it whipped him in the face. "Girls want to hear their hair is pretty, Hawkins. It's in Dutch braids, you moron."

So that's why it landed like a two-inch rope, and flew behind your head like two hissing snakes as you ran uphill away from him.

Faust amused himself with the knitting basket in Hawkins' living room while Hawkins stared, annoyed, at the spread in front of him. It was full of court cards, but most glaringly what he'd come to think of as one of your cards, The Star.

Hawkins didn't think he needed to say your hair was the prettiest thing in the world to him. Black like a crow's wing, he thought when he saw it lately, and the scarecrows he made seemed more of an omen than any card. Black like the night sky, and on and near the full moon he could see the stars reflected in your eyes when you told him about constellations and named stars and their legends, Algorab in Corvus representing a sun god. Your hair curled like ocean currents with humidity and stayed straight in the winter, and as much as he liked Faust, he missed being younger and alone with you.

He thought saying so would embarrass you like you blushed after telling him his hair was pretty, like you always had. But the Ace of Swords at the top of the Celtic cross's tree told him what was missing between you two was words.

That, and Faust saying, "Instead of the cards, you could talk to her."

So Hawkins leaned against the stone fence surrounding your family's yard, keeping one eye on your bedroom window for light and another on refining his current iteration of straw dolls. He read in one of Faust's books about figural proxies for enemies made out of clay, and the dolls he'd idly made his whole life took on new purpose. They needed to be simple but still recognizably humanoid, and small enough to hide in his arm, though he could make any part of his body into straw. He knew his powers unsettled your mother and father, but there was precious little else he could do since they hated tarot more.

"Natulog siya," one of the many elders milling in and out said to him, and he understood despite not being able to respond.

Eventually, the shutters on your window opened and you called down to him, "Stay there." It was almost twilight then, and he was getting hungry. You emerged with your hair damp and loose from a bath, a steamer basket, and two spoons. "Well?"

"I'm sorry," Hawkins said quickly.

"For?"

Damn it. "I don't know, but your feelings are hurt, and I don't want to be the reason." The Queen and King of Cups were both in the spread, more sage and articulate in this realm than either of you.

You set the bamboo basket down on the fence, and the smell of sticky rice and sweet sausage wafted into his face as you took off the lid and stabbed a spoon into it like a knife for him to grab. "You're so full of yourself," you chided. He stuck a spoonful of rice in his mouth and waited for you to elaborate. You met his eye and relented. "It's not only you."

He swallowed. "Did she do something?"

You shook your head. "It's the others. And you didn't help."

Others. Come to think of it, he didn't ask you any more about the night you had or whether you had any fun at all, who was there besides the girl who accompanied you home, why you didn't tell him beforehand, why you even went.

"Tell me."

Ultimately, the townspeople treated you and Faust the same, nevermind your family's not insignificant history on the island. Your mother had a new obsession with correcting this, likely prompted by your friendship with the Mink, and pushed for you to befriend churchgoing children even as you stayed home or avoided the ordeal at sea or at his house. It only made sense for you to attach to the only other girl from a fishing family.

"They suck, Hawkins, and they kept asking about you and—" Your face went red, and he couldn't imagine why. He knew he had a reputation as a heretic and something of a brawler, how he fared in fights now since his growth spurt. "I didn't like them braiding my hair."

Now he was really confused. You were so prissy and proud of those braids, but even with the fragrant spices of the meal you shared, he smelled your shampoo, stronger than usual, like you'd scrubbed your scalp raw.

Despite his uncertainty, he braced his hands on the stone fence and swung himself over.

"What—"

Hawkins pulled you into his arms, awkwardly, still unused to the size of the hand that nearly dwarfed the back of your head, and your spoon fell onto the gravel.

"Is this okay?" he asked quietly.

After a moment, you nodded against his collar.

"No one's going to touch you without you wanting it ever again," he said firmly.

"…You don't know that." It was a mumble, but he understood.

"Let me try."

You uncurled your arms from against his shirt and slid them under his elbows, holding him in turn. "Okay."

#kawkins #suit of cups #basil hawkins x reader #one piece x reader #basil hawkins #i wanted to post like three short chapters at once again but this got too long so #more to come #♃ fic

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factual-fantasy · 12 days ago

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28 Asks! Thank you!😊🪻

Tbh I been feeling very low these past few days/weeks. Been asking myself "what's the point" and "why would I care about that" to a lot of things. Its prevented me from working on projects for fun and from doing things that might help improve this health crisis I've been battling for over a year.

But I've taken note of it and am trying to take steps to fix it. So far the ball is still rolling so hey that's good. Here's to hoping we find the cure someday soon so I can feel like myself again.👍

Ohhh nononnono- I am HARDLY a professional on this stuff- I'm fresh off the show and can barely remember anything 😅

But Alpha Trion.. I thought what happened was Smokescreen was protecting this building and it was about to be stormed by Decepticons. Smokescreen was ready to throw hands but then he got knocked out by Alpha Trion. A.T. then put the key in Smokescreens chest and... somehow he ended up in the cons ship.. but anyways- I thought after A.T. somehow got Smokey to safety- I thought those cons finally broke through the barriers and came in and killed A.T. ... is that not what happened..?

I've had an unfortunate amount of spoilers, and I don't like that I'm seeing/hearing.. but I'm holding off on any opinions until I see Markiplier play it.

@kaiserdarken

Perhaps he would! :0

As long as he got to keep his quilt on XDD

oooo those are all good choices! :00

(Referencing this post)

The big cheeto puff store!

@virtualworldfp5

There is no part of this ask that I understand

Probably Jangles XDD

@celeglossata (Referencing this post)

<XD dw, there wasn't enough Mega bling to go around. But tbh Bonnie and Gloria should have played a bigger role considering the fact that can mega evolve too.

..ngl that's kind'a why I dropped the comic. I've sat on it long enough that looking back? I really don't like how I wrote it. And 237+ canvases is 1 too many to redraw. 💀

Suddenly you have 11 fingers

@i-only-created-this-to-read

I haven't thought about that actually.. but I CAN say that my Conkeldurr isn't supposed to be super old. He's about middle aged. Evolutions don't always relate to a Pokémon's age, as we have seen elderly first stage Pokémon before. :0 So that is to say there's a possibility that his parents are still alive. I just haven't really thought about it 😅

Will that get rid of my headache at least? 😔

(El Chip ask)

I imagined he would be shocked to hear about another Music Man from another restaurant. In my AU- as far as I can remember- none of the Pizzaplex bots are aware there were other restaurants before them. So knowing that there are other Music Men in other establishments would be wild.

@cal-the-imp-artist

WAJHG THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 😭😭💞💞💞💞

@bunpiry

AAAA That's so cool!! :DDD I wonder which Pokémon you'll pick? 👀👀👀

(ALSO-- I hope you have a wonderful day too! :DD )

I've seen that Game theory and its sister channels have been making loads of videos on it, so I know it exists. But I haven't watched any of those videos. Its just not the same without MatPat.

Woof, that would have been wild. Never was a huge fan of that guy based on what I've seen. I wonder if I would have liked him less than Smokescreen..🤔

@meendew

Very cool! :DD

Its the song of his soul

Those would be some MAJOR googily eyes XDD

@beryl-shade

They might not, they wouldn't need to do it for the reasons cats do :0

Thank you! And PLEASE re-read the ask button.

(Referring to this post)

<XD Thank youuu, and hey what ya gonna do. I'm always free to draw Octonauts in secret.

@glitchhayden418

XDD Thank youu, that means a lot! 😊

@badlyblurry

Oh yeah I've heard that theory floating around in one version or another- :00

I think for my AU tho, to save me having to research anything and to make it exactly the way I want, I'm just going to develop my own headcanons and method for how Cybertronians are made. I won't be doing the protoforms thing-

(Sent after makin this post)

Oooo I remember hearing about that. :00 Very metal. idk if this will be reason enough for me to keep her blue tho- I'd like to bring back her original color palette of pink/white. Even though TFP energon is blue--

@rainbowwatermelon7

AAAAA Thank you so much!! 🥰🥰🥰

#my response #transformers prime #fnaf security breach #fnaf secret of the mimic #factual fam #pokemon scarlet and violet #conkeldurr

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game-pizza-nerd · 2 months ago

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Being Into crafting can be annoying sometimes because I discovered a new quilting technique from youtube and now I wanna start a whole new quilt but I have NOT finished my previous one!?

(it's the quilt as you go method in case you were wondering, where you make full sections of the backing, wadding and front and then slowly accumulate already quilted sections)

#hitting my mental illness with a metal bat #hitting my autism with a squeaky toy hammer #quilting #I love fibre arts so fucking much

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shiny-kaibernyte · 1 year ago

Note

Hi hi!!! The last request you did for me was amazing!!! 🤩🤩

This time I’m asking for Kieran with a sweet trainer that trains fire types? Maybe their ace happens to be a Delphox? 👀 (Doesn’t have to be ofc 😅)

I freaking love this idea. I do hope you don't mind I used a Chandelure as the ace instead. Its my third favourite Pokémon plus I may or may not have a personal grudge against the fox... it has wronged me in many ways. This is no where near my best work and I must admit I wasn't to happy with it. But at the end of the day I do hope you at least tolerate it

A Sweet Ember | Kieran x Reader (Fire specialist)

Pokémon Scarlett and Violet Indigo Disk DLC Spoilers ahead!

After a bug type trainer got a little to aggressive with his words, Kieran almost got physical himself. But with your convincing, Kieran stood down and got to watch his little flame burn this trainer to a crisp.

Warnings: Small argument, Minor threats. Fluff

SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers for The Indigo Disk Ending

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

Ever since the journey to Area Zero, Kieran had been trying his best recently to undo the mistakes of his past. Many had been understanding of his passions, sharing the same drive to be stronger. Although there were the odd few who saw Kieran’s methods too brutal and unruly to forgive. He’d been able to sway many in his favour, using gifts and apologies when possible. Though you made it especially easy; having such a calming presence and welcoming smile, you were the main reason Kieran was even able to gain anyone's favour. And he was eternally grateful to call you his. Without you, he never would have gotten to this point. But even you couldn’t sway everyone. “Don’t take it to heart, Kieran! I'm sure they still need time to come around…” You pleaded, resting your hand on Kieran’s shoulder, feeling it sink down in defeat.

“What’s the point? No matter what I say, this kid won’t listen to a word! It's hopeless…” Kieran’s voice was laced with doubt and quilt. After listening to him argue back and forth with this bug type trainer, it would seem Kieran was especially harsh to him.

“Why not let me talk to him? Maybe I can convince him to listen to you.” With a gentle smile you move to stand in front of your boyfriend, resting your hand on his cheek so he’d look at you, a light peep coming from your bag, as your Litwick popped its adorable little face out to encourage Kieran.

His doubt washed away when he saw your smile, returning it in kind as he took the hand on his cheek into his. “You're right… you always were better with words than me. But I'm coming with you… with how he was talking to me, I will not stand for him treating you that way!”

“You’re adorable, you know that.” Kissing his cheek, your smile only brightens at the sight of his flushed face. “Alright, you can come, but please stand just out of sight. I don’t think Buggy would be too keen to talk with me if he saw you there…”

“Right! I’ll stay out of sight, but if he says anything hurtful to you, I'm stepping in!” His determination was hard to ignore, so with a sweet chuckle you took his hand, dragging him off in the direction that bug trainer had run off in, your Litwick waving its tiny arms in excitement.

It didn’t take long to find your Buggy friend, he’d run off towards the School entrance. You’d spotted him battling a Doduo just outside the gate; and Kieran had spotted the perfect hiding spot too. With a quick squeak, Kieran let go of your hand and sneaked his way over to his new hiding spot, his years of hiding behind Carmen paying off. As soon as he was out of direct line of sight, you quickly made your own way over to this trainer, a warm smile on your face.

“Excuse me, I'm really sorry to disturb you but, could you spare a moment? I wanted to ask you something!” You question, tapping the trainer's shoulder lightly, making sure the fight he was having with the Doduo was over.

Spinning on his heel, Buggy stared down at you for a moment, he was a bit taller than you, so his presence was slightly looming as he stood proud, his arms crossed expectantly. “Well, ask away. Must be important if you're bothering me during my training.”

“Again, I am sorry about this, but I just wanted to ask what you thought about the Kieran news? How he’s trying to amend his mistakes. I'm sure you must have heard what everyone's been saying.” trying to be as unsuspecting as possible, you clasp your hands in front of you, continuing on your point. “I happened to notice you turning Kieran down earlier, and I was curious as to what caused you to do so? The fight seemed pretty heated.”

Raising his eyebrow, the boy only stared harder into you. “Strange thing to ask someone, what's it to ya? Is he a friend of yours? If so, I would steer clear, don’t buy into these ‘he’s changed’ rumours. He is a, no good, pain in my behind and after how he treated me. I'm not giving him the kind of day!”

“No, no, he isn’t a friend per say… Anyway, that's not important. Why not just hear him out? After all, these are just rumours, and you can't prove anything until you hear his side?” With an almost begging look in your eyes, you try to reason with him again, but all you got was a scowl and a judgmental gaze.

“Arceus you’re annoyingly persistent. Take a hint will ya, I ain’t interested in what that no good brat of a champion has to say. Or you for that matter. So buzz off!” He waved his hand at you, almost smacking you in the face if you hadn’t stepped back, your Litwick now cowering inside your bag, before it had been intently watching the conversation, curiously waiting for every response.

Kieran suddenly appeared in front of you, startling the both of you. How he got to them from his hiding spot without being noticed; you’ll never know, but now wasn’t the time to think of that. Instead, your full attention was drawn to his face. Rage filled Kieran’s eyes, his Hydrapple's pokeball clutched in one of his hands, the other balled in a fist. Seems any hope he had of reasoning peacefully was gone the moment he got a bit too feisty with you. “Keep your hands away from them!”

“Kieran no!” You quickly scurry your way in front of him, placing both hands on his shoulders, trying to push him away. His glare never once leaves the trainer behind you.

“Hmph, shoulda figured you were his, the way you were questioning me and all… Shame the almighty champion has fallen so far from grace he has to call in his sweet little Litten to talk to me.” The boy mocked, poking your shoulder at the Litten part.

“Well, this ‘Litten’ has claws. So please don’t touch me unless you want to get burned!” You snap, wafting his hand away from you, still trying to hold back Kieran from out right punching him.

“ OOO seems little cupcake here's got a bite after all. Alright, tell you what! If you beat me in a 4v4 battle, I'll hear pretty boy out. Sounds fair?” He questioned, leaning back expectantly.

With a bright smile, you nod, clapping slightly as you speak. “Sounds like a fair deal! I’ll meet you at the arena then”

“Oh no, we're doing it right here, right now. Heal up and meet me by that rock over there. Hurry it up, will you? I'm not a patient guy.” Buggy stated. Taking a few steps away from you, leaning on the rock he had pointed out. You had no need to heal as you rarely engaged in battles, so you simply took a few paces away so there was plenty of room to battle.

“Destroy Him will you, love!?” Kieran demanded, placing his hand on his cheek, the burning fire in his eyes returned in yours. All you did was nod before Kieran placed a gentle kiss to your lips, moving behind you to watch you destroy this Insect of a trainer.

Your opponent started out with the best case scenario, a Scizor, a Pokémon with a four times weakness to fire. So without a second thought, you send out your most trusted Pokémon. Your Chandelure, a Pokémon you had raised since you were a little kid. Seems your Chandelure was feeling the same burning drive you were as its flames burned brighter than ever before. You could see this trainer visibly gulp once he had noticed your specialty, the red tones of your clothing and the very obvious Litwick in your bag, seemingly not enough of a hint, though your sweet personality and giving nature tended to accompany the burning passions most would see from a fire specialist.

You didn’t even need to bring the rest of your team out, as one by one, your Chandelure KO’d every single one of this trainer's team, you almost felt bad for the rest of your team missing out on this fiery display. Any sign of that cute persona you had was gone, replaced by a boiling hot drive. The flame in your eyes pushing your point across more with each attack you landed. And as soon as his final Pokémon fell, you claimed victory.

Refusing any money or BB points Buggy tried to give you, instead pushing him and Kieran closer together, demanding the pair talk this out and at least come to some form of mutual understanding. Good or bad, they were going to talk it out and your team was going to make sure that happens.

Chandelure floated behind you, eating a spicy berry you’d given it as a reward. Your Blazikin standing behind Kieran, and your Ninetales standing behind the Pest. Your little Litwick poking its eyes over the crease of your bag, watching the silent stare down unfold. Though the Pokémon swayed the pair from leaving, it didn’t exactly start them talking, the silence was burning your ears. This was going to be a long night.

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themochiverse · 1 year ago

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The Monster Under the Bed | KNJ

➳ Pairing: yan!nightmare!demon!nj x fem!reader

➳ Genre: Yandere, Horror, Monster Au

➳ Warnings: Swearing, consumption of alcohol, mentions of tera-phphobia (fear of monsters), childhood abuse and trauma, mention of an alcoholic parent, gore, violence, blood, injuries, asphyxiation, gagging, NON-CON kissing and touching (not sexually), Namjoon degrades the reader a bit, supernatural torment, physical harm to the reader, the reader goes a bit crazy, mentions of soul-eating?…. Anyways

➳ Synopsis: When a human falls asleep they face two realms: the dream and nightmare world— where one is controlled by the angels to kiss you goodnight, and the other controlled by unknown creatures that push behind your darkest fears. So when your constant fear of monsters hiding under your bed continues to grow in your life, one peculiar nightmarish friend becomes infatuated to keep it that way.

➳ Word Count: 6.7k+

➳ Disclaimer: This fanfic is purely from my imagination, I do not intend to harm any Idol or person in any way. Nor sexualising them. Please do not steal any ideas from here, this is all of my work and original work. I DO NOT CONDONE THIS BEHAVIOUR.

No part of the story can be copied, reproduced, redistributed or transformed into any other form. Meaning no photocopying, recording whether written or electrically. No methods are allowed that uses anything from this fic. This follows in the permitted Copyright Law. All images and/or gifs go to their rightful owners.

A/N: Fuck my lazy ass, I got it done, and I hope the story is good! I wasn’t bothered to add a banner cuz I was too excited to post, I’ll add one later one. Anyways, enjoy!

Taglist; @minshookie29 @6tslovr @proflyndo @pinkcherrybombs @papijiminfeed @justanotherstarlightmonger @kittykatfey @princess-sunshyn @jinniesjoon94 @trashlord-007

You're asleep.

Head tucked in gently in the crevice of your elbow, the soft quilt tangled by your ankles as you parted your dry lips open, swallowing the icy air. After a long day of work exhaustion crept up on you, and once your head hit the pillow— like a spell chanted on you, you fell asleep. Subtle chirps could be heard from outside your fogged-up window but you wouldn't notice it anyway. As your body was at rest, your mind was yoked within a dream.

The breeze howled in your ear and your legs dangling from the old wooden bridge you sat on. The moon hid behind the thick clouds, ultimately bringing darkness to surround you. The field behind you swayed in the wind, and the tall grass whispered as they shook together.

Snap

Your head spun around to the impulsive noise, and your heart dropped. From a good distance stood an old man. He was decorated with long boots and a hat that covered his face. Your eyes followed his arm, it was clenched on an object so tightly that you recognised it within a second. It was a liquor bottle.

You knew him, you knew who he was.

“Y/N,” his voice dropped and trembled, “have you seen daddy’s new bottle?”

He stomped his foot, walking over to you with rage building up inside him. Instinctively, you got up and ran straight to the empty field, your bare feet facing any prick that came along the way. You could hear his footsteps getting closer but you won’t turn your head. You will never turn your head to see him.

But you stopped in your tracks as the sight of the old man appeared in front of you again. He raised his bottle high in the air, and you cowered in fear, covering your face as he was about to strike. You shrieked waiting for the impact, but it never came. Instead, your mind felt dizzy when your eyes opened to the familiar surroundings.

Old drawings of animals were stuck on the wall, the vanity mirror was disguised with dust and there were the broken scars on a cupboard next to your old bed.

Your childhood room.

With haste, you trudged to the door to leave but it creaked shut, and darkness clouded your sight. Your hands fiddled with a butterfly lamp that was on the bedside table, and your fingers wriggled to find the switch.

The insects cried, the wind roared and something whispered. You froze at that, and your eyes followed the gap under the bed. You gulped, clenching your fist as your nails dug deep into your skin.

Nothing is there Y/N, nothing is there—

“Are you sure?” A hoarse voice rumbled and you flinched. Your heart pounded as you felt your body giving up on you. Your legs shook and they dropped to the floor as you felt yourself being dragged to the dreaded place that has practically haunted you for your whole life.

“No…” you mumbled, “Please no!”

Red eyes blinked at you, and they glinted in mischief. A snarl vibrates and a long black hand appears—claws lingering within the air before it grasps your chin, bringing your face closer to him.

“Aren't you a pretty little thing?”

You couldn't see the creature that spoke to you but you shivered at its touch. The energy was drained from your body and your mind went fuzzy. This creature’s touch left a numb feeling in your head. Void. Alone. But alone with him. Your eyes could only witness the darkness within and your hands weakly clutched onto the dirty bedsheets as you felt this creature pull you closer.

“Still scared? Didn't Daddy teach you enough to not be afraid of monsters?” The voice left hot words in your ear and your neck stiffened at the comment. How the fuck does it know?

With little courage, you spoke.

“What do you want from me?”

A deep chuckle erupted in the room, and the grip on your chin loosened a bit.

“My, my, this is the first question you wanted to ask me? Very well, I’ll answer honestly for you,” his other hand came to caress your cheek, “You see, I'm very picky when it comes to what type of humans I want to devour. There's just something in your soul that's very precious to me, and it would be very precious to any other creature too—“

Your hands grabbed onto the cold claws that held your face, and you tried to get out of his hold. Your breathing quickened. What did he just say? Devouring humans? You struggled futilely in his hold, your clammy palms soon gave up. The grip on your chin tensed this time, and they hushed you with ease.

“Shh, my darling. Let me continue before I let you go,” the creature hummed before proceeding, “In other words, I want you and your soul. I want to be with you forever.”

Your eyes widened at those proclamations and the claw that was settled against your cheek crawled up to your forehead.

“Now wake.”

You gasped as you jolted in your bed. Sweat stuck to the back of your shirt, your body was burning and you felt suffocated. It was just a nightmare Y/N, just a fucking nightmare. You slid off your bed and a fluffy brown tail tickled your legs. Your body hunched as you stared at your adorable cat.

“Morning Max, you need some breakfast?” The cat blinked its eyes slowly before calling out to you as it walked out of your room. You sighed, stretching as you went after your pet into the kitchen. The sun was covered by clouds and the day groaned dimly.

Max purred as you grabbed the packet of food and began to pour it into his favourite bowl. His head dived in, and tiny crunches escaped from his small mouth. You squeezed the packet in your hand, the slippery texture on your palms was still there. You tapped your foot impatiently as the remembrance of the sudden nightmare continued to dawn on you.

This didn't feel right, the nightmare felt way too realistic. And how would a monster know about your past? Maybe it was understandable, you had a traumatic childhood and your combined phobia was already monstrous. It was unsettling though, the way it grabbed your face and talked to you. Especially how you immediately felt weak by its presence..anyone would get chills from it.

Ding.

A chime vibrated from your phone as you checked it.

Rosewood Clinic: Scheduled Appointment at 9:45 am with Doctor Link. Please arrive 20 minutes earlier. If you wish to cancel or reschedule please call us at xxx-xxx-xx

Right, the appointment. You completely forgot about it, and now you have more to discuss with your doctor.

Didn't Daddy teach you enough to not be afraid of monsters?

“Daddy, can we please go to the fair today? Please?” You pouted at your father, begging him to go to the country fair.

“Alright, we’ll go. Call your mama for me?” He asked and you smiled happily as you went to get your mum.

“Mama! Mama! Guess what? Daddy said we’re going to the fair today.” You exclaimed proudly, giggling when your mother picked you up in her arms. Her hair shone in the sunlight, and she kissed your cheek softly.

“That’s great news sweetie, come on your father must be waiting.”

Your family arrived at the fair, and loud country music rang in your ears. There were multiple rides and food stalls, vibrant colours and the laughter of children brought merriment. The scent of fresh food and screams echoed in the background as you had the opportunity to roam free.

“Y/N, come here. Daddy here is gonna win a prize for you,” your father gleefully said before he resumed the challenge he had to face. You watched with big eyes as your father held small darts, his arm flexed before he threw them.

Pop

The small balloons popped and a medium teddy bear is given to your dad.

“Here ya go princess.” With a chaste kiss to your cheek you laugh, holding tight onto the teddy bear. The fun day went by fast, your father had you in his arms and you rested your head on his shoulder. The noises from the fair soon disappeared as your family inched closer to the parking lot.

“Hey there partner, it's been a while, hasn't it?”

A gruff voice spoke out from the shadows and your dad halted in his tracks. The streetlight dimmed the place an ugly yellow. You felt two arms pull you away from your dad’s grasp and you were with your mother now.

“What the hell do you want Rodrick?”

“Have you forgotten to pay your debt? Did ya get too carried away with our money?” The man named Rodrick gestured towards you and your mum, and his eyes travelled to the fair.

“Leave them out of this.”

“Give me the fucking money, I know you have it.”

“I don't have it—”

“Give me the fucking money or I’ll shoot them!”

Rodrick pulled out a gun, pointing it straight at you both. Your mother hugged you, turning your head to the side as goosebumps drove all over her.

“Hey…hey, lets talk about this okay? This is between you and me, leave my family alone,” your dad said calmly as he eyed the gun, “put the gun down Rodrick—”

“No! Do you know the shit I had to go through because of you? They beat me up and killed my brother, you think that ain't enough till they come for me? I need the money now, give me the money.”

Your dad took a step forward, his hands were in the air as he inched closer to Rodrick.

“The fuck you doing man? I said give me the money!” The gun swung to your father as he was close to grasping the object.

“Don’t come closer or I’ll shoot.” Rodrick’s hand shook and his lips trembled. He was going to die soon, he needed the money desperately.

You peeked your head to the side and saw your father lunge at the man as they both fell to the ground. They wrestle on the ground, your father trying to get the gun off of Rodrick.

“Get to the car!” Your father yelled and your mother ran with you. The sight of your father fighting gets smaller and smaller as you're close to approaching the car.

Bang

A gasp echoed in the background, like a silent serpent ready to strike before falling to its own downfall. Crows cawed and the birds flew away from nearby trees. Like a tower descending, your mother fell on top of you.

“Y/N? Y/N?”

Your head shook off the thoughts as you stared at your doctor. You had zoned out before you had realised it, and with a fake smile, you responded.

“Sorry, I—”

“It’s alright Y/N, sometimes we remember the things we don't want to see. Tell me how your week has been.”

A clock ticked in the room and you stared at the pale woman. Her black hair almost went grey as she tried to keep a straight posture.

“Um, nothing much. Just work keeping me busy, and I've been getting a couple of nightmares lately.”

The scritching of paper caught your ears as you watched Doctor Link write down the things you mentioned.

“Nightmares, I see. I assume it's still because of your father or?” A long pause was held in the air before you replied.

“Still because of my dad, which I don't know why because I stopped having them a while ago, so I thought it would stop.”

“Okay, we've discussed this before Y/N, due to the abuse and trauma you faced at a young age, the memories we've collected can sometimes—”

“Monsters too. My phobia of monsters made it worse.”

“Okay, tell me about the nightmare then.”

You squeezed your hands together, the sweat starting to form again.

“…and then I was back at that place, and there was this whispering coming from my bed. For some reason, my body just dropped and this claw grabbed onto my face. It spoke to me, saying that it wants to be with me forever..”

Scratch

A loud sigh poured out from the doctor’s mouth, “Y/N, the phobia you have is because it was transformed by your dad. Ultimately as this is a nightmare, the things you say about this monster, are not real. It isn't real, and it’s not going to harm you. I can guarantee you that.”

You rubbed your palms together, the voice inside you wanting to rip you apart for not speaking up.

It felt real, too real.

You’re back home, frustration building up inside you. Maybe the doctor was right, it was just a nightmare. With past events and your stupid phobia, it just made you a mess. You wondered what the monster looked like, all you could see was a black void and long black hands. But you should be glad you didn’t see its face, after all, only the devil disguises its impurity.

Max is asleep on the couch, the fluff ball in a vulnerable position. You grinned at the sight of him, taking a photo. The house felt quiet since you lived alone, and that nightmare, gosh that fucking nightmare keeps haunting you like a freak.

You decided to enter your bedroom, eyes automatically clinging to the gap underneath the wooden exterior. It’s fucking childish, why would you be scared of something like a ridiculous monster?

They’re not real, they’re not supposed to be real. Your stomach churned uncomfortably as you knelt, crouching and angling your head to the side to get a better glimpse of the number of things you put in there.

Just enough to block the gap, just enough to make you feel safe. It was like a shield to protect you, but little did you know that shield would come crumbling down because of you.

There were a couple of old boxes, empty perhaps, and decorative pieces to make it look messy. You kept staring at the very back endlessly, your room was dark, with the curtains drawn— you made a mistake.

Your breath hitched, fingers gripping onto your carpet thread as you swear you saw something blink at you. The house is dead, and the longer you stare at the dark end, the more you see the eyes. Though, they weren’t red this time but a dull white. Almost grey, but it blinked.

“Y/N…”

No… not now. What you heard can’t be real.

“Get the fuck out of my head,” you mumbled to yourself. A sudden urge grew deep within you, you needed something.

Wine

You needed some wine.

You jumped out of that position, drawing the curtains open to bring some light into the room. You gnawed on your thumbnail as you practically ran out of the room. You could hear your heart racing, the blood pumping faster and faster as you opened the wine cabinet.

Unscrewing the bottle, you poured a full glass, swallowing a tremendous amount of the crimson liquid as it trickled down your chin.

You sunk to the floor as you hugged your knees, your back rested against the cabinet. Fucking phobia, what Doctor Link had mentioned…. Was it true? Did this phobia happen because of your dad, or were you always just a fucking coward?

The grip on your wine glass tightened as you shut your eyes, hellish memories enveloping you like a greedy pig.

“This is all because of you!”

Slap

“Your Mother is dead because of you!”

Slap

“Get the fuck out of my sight, you keep reminding me of her. Get out before I fucking kill you.”

A bottle is thrown in your direction, and the glass stabbed into your skin makes you wobble. You felt numb, your body was bruised and battered at this point, and the blood that trickled from your forehead was damping your broken soul. When you fell with a thud, your father left, banging the doors shut.

Ironically unlike your mother, your father left you instead of running to you. Maybe there was no purpose to live anymore, you had no meaning, no goal or desire.

You should have died instead of your mother that night if you ever knew this would be the conclusion. Warm tears trailed down your face, they mixed with the blood as you stared at the ceiling.

It felt like staring at your mother, the same cold expression on her face as those tears continuously fell from her eyes before her final wheezes ceased.

Your father’s yell echoed in the background as your delicate hands cradled your mother’s soft cheeks. Except this time, there was no one to do that for you.

Your vision blurred, hoping that you would see your mother right now. It didn't matter if she appeared like a ghost, even if it sounded ridiculous.

Maybe she hated you for not taking her place. You're eyes scanned to a clock that ticked silently, and it was midnight. How much longer could you bear this?

You wanted to finally leave this hellhole. But you winced in pain, and the sound of the front doors opening made you freeze. Loud footsteps came closer as you saw your father’s dishevelled appearance.

“You’re still here?” He grunted as he plopped another box of vodka bottles onto a large table.

It was quick and painful as you felt your hair tugged upwards. Your hands weakly slapped your father’s rough wrists as he dragged you to your room upstairs.

“No, Daddy, please… I'm sorry.” Your eyes widened as he pushed you into your room, locking the doors shut. It was utterly dark, all the lights in your room were either torn apart by your father or destroyed by him.

You slid onto your bed, shielding yourself with the dirty covers as you shook. You always heard a voice whenever this happened, and one night you saw the thing that spoke to you.

It looked like a human and you caught the slightest glimpse of it before hell broke loose. Their skin glowed, and a white t-shirt was worn as they walked across your room. You remembered what he wore so well, yet you didn't remember him.

Your eyes opened as your butt began to feel sore. The glass was empty and only the stains of the red wine remained. Your body felt drained, the memories collapsed on you and you struggled to get up.

You trudged to your room quietly, closing the door shut as you crawled into your bed. Like a train coming to its last destination, your memories do the same, you don’t remember what happened after you were locked in your room.

It wasn't too long before you went back again to the realms, too bad they were interconnected.

When you trembled in your bed that night, the blood soaking the pillow, Namjoon grinned. Not because of what terrible consequence you had faced, but because he finally found a perfect person like you.

He spent years devouring the souls of many individuals but neither ever satisfied his hunger at all. He could keep as many humans as he would like, and he had the choice to not kill them. If he had you, he didn't need to waste more years to find another suitable victim.

He didn't know how he was entranced by you at first, maybe it was the way you'd brush your hair or how you tried to smile after suffering from your injuries. But you caught his eye, his heart would race whenever he saw you.

But rage took over him whenever he saw your father beat you, even though he had the power to do something, he already sensed that your father was going to be dead soon anyway.

He was really hungry that night, starving himself on purpose just so he could get a taste of your sweet soul, consume the euphoric feeling of your fear so he felt energised enough to convince you to stay with him.

But would you?

He didn’t mean to go overboard, he just really needed to have a bit of your soul. It wasn’t going to harm you any way and he wasn’t doing anything wrong, he needs to live too.

The sudden harsh whispers and calls of your name made you shiver and Namjoon watched in delight. He needed to transform and watch your beautiful expressions fall into place.

Oh, it was terrible, terribly good.

“Sweetie….my baby, Y/N?” You stiffened at the familiar feminine voice that came from underneath your bed. It couldn't be true, your mother was dead. But… did she listen to your prayers to God?

Hesitantly you replied, “Mama? Is that you?” Your voice shook as you waited for a response.

“My darling, why didn't you save me? Look at how miserable your father is.” Her voice wavered in the air and you swore you could feel her presence right beside you. Her words scarred into your mind, this didn’t sound like her at all.

Without hesitation, you pulled the covers off of you in a rush, and your heart dropped at the sight of darkness in front of you. Your mother was not here, then how the hell did you hear her voice?

“Y/N…?” You froze and your breaths started to become quick. You glanced down from the side of your bed, the voice was coming from there. Your knuckles were tense and white when you gripped your blanket, there’s no fucking way.

Silence clouded your sense of hearing as a long black claw stretched out from underneath the bed, its nails scratched the wooden floor before it rushed back.

Your breath hitched as you felt a cold exhale next to your ear. You bit your bottom lip harshly, chewing on the spot as you craned your neck slowly. Your pulse quickened when you saw the figure.

Their eyes glimmered in the dark and you gasped, an audible yell for help prepared to leave from your throat.

But he lunged at you, one inhuman hand pinning your wrists tightly above your head while the other was clamped over your mouth.

Your screams were muffled by his long black claws as you writhed underneath him. His demonic form took over, and red eyes blinked into yours as he watched your head snap upwards. His red eyes stared at you with adoration, God you were so cute. He shushed you softly as he wiped your tears.

“If I let go, promise you won't scream?”

You calmed yourself down a bit as he removed his hand away from your mouth. He delicately traced your quivering lips, grinning at the sight of your compliance.

“I know you're scared sweetheart, but you need to be a good girl for me, yeah? I've been watching over you for a while now, and you're such a good person. But you need someone, a bit of healing and protection to make you feel less lonely. I've come to offer that, I'll heal you and protect you in exchange for a bit of your soul.”

This thing had been watching you? For how long?

The grip on your wrists loosened momentarily as he leaned closer to you. Your eyes scanned its features—if you removed the black claws and the red eyes, it almost looked human.

“But the thing is, you have no say in this anyway. I nearly killed myself because of you, starving to death to finally have you. Don't you feel guilty? Making a poor monster like me wait for a long time to taste your soul?”

Namjoon wanted you to feel bad, and miserable for him. He chuckled softly, you were a monster too for making him suffer like that.

You felt your body sink into the mattress further, wrists weakly wriggling in his iron-grip hold.

“I just need you to listen to me, and everything will be okay.”

He grabbed your cheeks, squeezing them harshly so you could open your lips.

“Come on baby, open wide for me,” he murmured and he pushed one claw deep inside your open mouth.

You gagged repeatedly as you felt it go down your throat, and your mind fogged with pain. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, your lungs restricting any oxygen to escape. It hurt for a split second like something was being removed from your body entirely. It was solid and rough with jagged edges, your throat started to burn as panic settled in.

You couldn’t breathe.

You watched the thing turn more demonic, and it hovered over you as you helplessly felt too tired and weak to even do anything at this point. Your eyes blurred as you felt suffocated, and your heart pumped wildly.

Your mouth was wide open as you exhaled a heavy breath and a clear cloud-like bubble came out. The claw was soon withdrawn and you gasped for air.

You thought it was over, heck no, you thought it was fake. But he was still here, right in front of you. Black hair covered its demonic look as it devoured the bubble in one go.

You froze in fear, tears falling from your face as it looked at you.

“Such a sweet soul,” he murmured before lowering his face, “would you mind if I had more?”

Before you could even protest or utter a scream, you felt his dangerous hands crawl up your thigh, his sharp claws piercing through your skin lightly. It burned with every stroke, and you whimpered. His touch was numbing your mind, but you could still feel the pain ripping through you.

“Shh, be a good girl for me,” his hand wrapped around your throat, “and don’t fucking scream.”

You felt his cold lips on yours, his claws continued with their marks as they neared your chest. You realised too late that not only was your mind numb, but your body was paralysed. You couldn’t fight him, you couldn’t do anything to escape from this hell.

Your fingertips twitched when he shoved his tongue inside your mouth, and his claws finally reached the centre of your stomach.

At first, it was like multiple thumbtacks were piercing your body that soon felt like large knives sinking inside of you. Your eyes widened when you saw his sharp claws press into your stomach, the blood escaping as almost half of his hand was inside. You felt your insides twisting as a muffled, hoarse scream erupted from your mouth and Namjoon swallowed it all, pressing even deeper.

He was sucking the life out of you, his claws finally grasping onto a bit of your soul. His kiss was a form of intimacy, but it was much easier to consume your fear like this.

Mind numb, body paralysed, all under his control as he shamelessly sucked more of your already broken soul. It almost felt like you were dying. Once he removed his bloody claws, your teary-eyed expression remained as he finally removed himself from you.

“Sweet dreams, my love.”

The soft breeze cooled your body as you sat on a rock, watching the waves crash into the shorelines. It felt peaceful, magical almost. The high view of the far distance between the sea, and the cliff was pretty high too.

He could sense you. He could feel the happiness radiating from you once he stepped into the dream realm. Namjoon successfully got to get rid of the angels that were guarding the entrance of their world.

He must admit that the bright colours of this place were oddly fascinating. Light pink hues dusted with white clouds and scenery? Wow, it was nothing compared to the nightmare world. Nothing.

Namjoon’s land was far more different and special. It was like an abandoned location with monsters lurking around in the shadows. Thunderstorms were constant and daily, the sky as grey as a rock.

Ever since the Lord of Demons was able to break the barrier between the two realms, it has made easier access for any creature to be able to snatch their victims while they were dreaming.

They were ruthless, and greedy and had unimaginable appearances that would make your heart stop. Even if there were Guardian Angels, protecting their realm— demons like Namjoon were always able to come through discretely.

He wondered if he were able to glitch into your world so that he could easily have you to himself. Those sleep paralysis demons were extremely lucky.

He reminisces about the first time he got to taste your soul. You wouldn't understand the emotions that rushed through his body, he felt so high around you that the moment he stepped away after decorating your body crimson—he could only think about you.

With the recent interaction of finally getting to you after a narrow escape from the Guardian Angels, Namjoon felt relieved.

It almost broke his heart when you tried to escape from his grasp that day, his claws menacingly trying to provoke a reaction out of you.

He thought you would have recalled instantly ever since the first night he devoured a bit of your soul and left you with deep gushed marks of his claim on you. He didn't want to show himself deliberately because he thought you would know. That you would recognise him.

Maybe your father hit your head a bit too hard with the metal bat in the barn after he saw the medical bills.

The next day he watched alongside you. He watched the way your father hung from a big tree, the noose around his neck was stout and it was perfectly wrapped around his neck like a present.

Namjoon noticed the dead look in your eyes and a deranged smile crept up on your face.

You and he were a match made in heaven.

Namjoon could see you from afar, the way your body relaxed in this realm… if you could only do the same in his one. He quietly approached you, silently sitting next to you as his fingertips brushed your hand.

You flinched at the subtle contact and you snapped your head, eyes scanning the unknown person.

He looked familiar, with black hair and a white shirt, you swear you've seen someone like that before.

“Who are you?” You stared at the gorgeous man in front of you, his dragon eyes alluring you.

“We met before.” His voice drifted silkily into your ears.

“We did? Uhm, what's your name?” You responded as you thought hard about where you last saw him.

“I'm Namjoon, and you're Y/N.” A pang hit your stomach, how did he know your name?

“How do you know my name?”

“Like I said, we met before.” His voice almost felt recognisable, did you actually meet this man before?

Namjoon sighed, his hand brushing your hair out of your face. “It’s such a shame you don't remember me, do I really have to remind you?”

Your lips almost twitched into a frown, you didn't like the way he was staring at you.

“Listen—”

“Didn’t Daddy teach you enough to not be afraid of monsters?”

Your eyes widened and your breath shook, “what did you just say?”

“I said didn't Daddy teach you enough to not be afraid of monsters?” Namjoon repeated the words deliberately and slowly as he smiled. Your mind went into a frenzy, and your pulse quickened. It was him, the creature that constantly grew your fear.

You get up quickly, and he does too, the next words making you sick in the stomach.

“Were the claws too much? You know I was sorry, I would never hurt you love, it's part of the process for me to live for your soul.”

You began to walk backwards, his words hammering you like a nail. After all these years, the monster that tormented you so badly that your phobia was initially created was here, right in front of you. You finally saw his face. Innocent like an angel, but a devil within the heart.

“Do you remember now? Do you remember the way I had your soul? Shit, your dad knocked you out so hard that after this many years, you finally remember me.”

You stopped in your tracks, your head turning to the side when you realised you were on the edge of a cliff. Out of nowhere, grabbing onto your shoulders, Namjoon’s voice echoed and rang in your ears.

“Don’t leave me, you can’t forget about me again.”

“I won’t leave you alone like your father did, isn’t it good riddance that he killed himself?” There’s no way he’s been with you this whole time.

He pushed you back gently, each wavering step making you sick in the stomach.

“I want to stay with you forever,” he rested his head on your shoulder and you flinched, “you're a precious person to me, you make me feel better that I can have you, in any way I want.” You jerked, trying to elude from his iron-tight grip.

“I love you Y/N, I'm hopelessly in love with you.”

His words come crashing down as you lose your step right at the end of the cliff. You screamed as you felt a hand snatch your wrist. You gripped onto Namjoon’s wrist, your life depending on it. You weren't sure why he wasn't pulling you up—

He chuckled deeply, “Stupid girl, did you forget that you're in a dream? If I let go of you right now, do you think you're going to wake up or drown?” He cruelly stared down at you as he held your wrist.

He kneeled so you were face to face, “But I think it'd be much better if we fell together, don't you think?”

Your eyes broadened at the statement, blood rushing to your head. You shook your head, you pleaded at him,

“Namjoon, wait don't do this—”

Ignoring your words, you felt him let go of you as he jumped off the cliff. You watched him fall as your back hit the icy ocean, the water already trying to engulf your throat.

You jolted awake, shuddering from the nightmare you had just faced. Your back was wet with sweat, and as you were sitting up…

Thud.

Someone grabbed your neck from behind, feeling invisible hands wrapped around your throat. Your head hit the pillow again as you struggled to get up. He was holding you down, there's no way he came like this without a dream.

You claw at your neck, shutting your eyes when you suddenly see yourself back in the ocean. You could feel the water getting into your lungs, and someone had gripped your ankle. You saw Namjoon pulling you deeper and deeper into the abyss as you cried for help, words muffled by the water.

You opened your eyes and they started to blur. Panic grew as your heart pumped, feeling the dreaded emotion you never wanted to experience again. You couldn't breathe, it was like your oxygen was being sucked away.

You wriggled your body to grab anything and your hands stretched to whatever was on the nightstand. You couldn't see but your hands tapped on the lamp that was facing your way, and a ray of light burst.

Within a second, the feeling of invisible hands disappeared and you rolled over, choking as you threw up… water. Lots of water.

You groaned weakly as you heaved your breaths. The door to your bedroom was wide open and the hallway was extremely dark. You needed to get out. You shakily looked through the drawers and found a small torch. Turning it on you left your room to look for your cat, calling his name.

“Max! Max, where are you—”

You came to a halt, and your knees almost buckled.

“Isn’t he adorable?” His voice made your bottom lip quiver. You shook your head, tears rushing to your eyes. You couldn't believe this, there he was, sitting on your couch next to your cat. Namjoon turned to look at you and his eyes were black, a murderous intent glinted from the look on his face.

“You can't run away from me, ever.”

In the blink of an eye, he’s gone and silence filled up the whole house. Max then hissed as his eyes darted behind your shoulder. Your heart sank when you realised who he was hissing at.

An external force threw you back to your room, causing you to shriek. Your back hit the wall, knocking the breath out of you. The door slammed shut and you staggered in pain and your eyes flickered to the lamp. A hushed whisper attained your ear as you heard a crack and the light died out.

It was too dark in your room, and you luckily had the torch in your hand. You tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. What about the windows? You rush over to the other side of the room, and your hands draw the curtain open only to come to a sight with no window. You almost drop your torch as you bite your lip.

It was just a solid wall.

“No—fuck, why—” Your voice croaked as you slammed your fist against the wall. Soon you realised why the house was so dark and why the lamp broke. Does he hate light? The thought lingered on your mind till you heard a shuffle from across the room. You swayed your torch to the side and held your breath as there was nothing there.

A low growl could be heard from under the bed as you shone the light there. All of the things you placed to block the gap were gone. Impossible, fuck your mind was going crazy. The light on your torch began to blink repeatedly, and you smacked the torch a couple of times.

“No, no no, don't die.” You breathed a sigh of relief as you managed to keep the light until it flickered one last time. Your breath affixed as there was complete darkness, and you gulped.

Screech.

Warm tears sprang free from the corner of your eyes and you quivered in place.

He was going to get you, he was going to get you, he was going to get you.

Maybe you should check the door again, just in case. Even before you could react, Namjoon’s lengthy, black claw snatched onto your ankle, yanking you in fast.

Your screams echoed as you disappeared the moment you were dragged underneath the bed. Your eyes opened to an unknown place, but it was still dark. Your body ached with every movement you tried to muster.

Namjoon appeared in front of you, his demeanour frightening you as he used his claws to turn your head to the side. A dim yellow light glinted in the dark ahead of you and you couldn't believe what you were witnessing.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Did you check the bed? I think I saw a boy my age last night.”

A small laugh vibrated from your father’s throat as he crouched down at your request. He got back up, caressing your cheek.

“Come on sweetie, didn't Daddy teach you enough to not be afraid of monsters?”

Click.

The lights turned off and the door closed shut. It was dark again.

Namjoon shifted around as you felt him lay down next to you, wrapping one arm around your waist tightly and the other still holding your face in place. He could feel your heart pounding furiously as his claw began to recreate the same process when he had you for the first time.

Your mind started to go fuzzy and your body went numb and his claw crawled closer to your mouth.

Namjoon whispered into your ear, and his heart grew at the sight of finally having you to himself, “You know, you shouldn’t fear the monsters that are under your bed, you should fear those that hide under your pillow and crawl into your head.”

#The Monster Under the Bed #namjoon smut #bts yandere #namjoon x reader #yandere x reader #yandere namjoon #namjoon x you #yandere nightmare demon x fem! reader #yandere writing #yandere imagines #yandere oneshot #bts smut

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hesterstarling · 8 months ago

Text

Doing some stupid crafting for my stupid mental health.

My current fiddle craft is making kawandi style blocks; quilt as you go, traditionally made from sari scraps but I'm using my general stash pile to do it, and I've adapted the method to work for what I need. I'm going to make a load, and then stitch them together to make a quilt. It's easy and will fit easily in a bag, and is super easy to pick up and then yeet to one side when someone asks you a question in a meeting and you need to look attentive.

#textile art #quilters of tumblr #quilting #kawandi

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sewellsheart · 3 months ago

Text

Merciless Haze - Part 4/4

Summary: He turned back to face her, and as soon as Sophie saw what he was holding she was unable to shift her gaze. She removed herself from her sheets to sit on top of the quilt, eyes not once wavering from the blood bag in Nate’s hands. Her top lip twitched at the feeling of her fangs descending.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, minor blood play that might actually count as food play depending on how you look at it

Word Count: 7.3k (🫣)

Pairing: Nate Sewell x f! Detective (Sophie MacNamara)

Note: Y’all this is my first time writing smut, and on top of that it’s M/F smut. I’m a lesbian with no experience with cis men. So all I can say is: I definitely tried! (lowkey a little proud of it)

Tags: @agentnatesewell @nat-seal-well @itsmistyeyedbi

Read on AO3

The glow of the presentation screen was the only light in the Facility conference room. Sophie was seated towards the front of the ovular meeting table, listening intently to the lecture Elidor had prepared for her. She hadn’t been particularly keen to provide even more of her blood to the Agency, especially considering how poorly that had gone before. Elidor, however, was someone she trusted as an individual. He was methodical, concise, and trustworthy. She had approached him, asking if he would be interested in researching something for her and, more importantly, if he would be willing to keep it off the books.

He had been hesitant, Sophie had certainly understood why — she wasn’t one for breaking the rules herself — but upon hearing just what she wanted looked into, he had agreed. With the promise of disposing of it as soon as he concluded his research, Elidor had drawn five sizable vials of Sophie’s blood, used his high security to access samples of concentrated vampire venom, and set to work.

“I could survive it, then?”

“You could,” The fae replied. “But the circumstance would have to be just right, as well as the dosage.”

Sophie leaned back in her chair, “How would we go about measuring that?”

Elidor let out a lighthearted chuff, “There’s no ‘we’ here, Agent. After we walk out of this room, it’s all you.” His gold eyes met hers. “All I can determine here is that you’ll be walking a very fine line between death and immortality.”

Sophie sighed then pursed her lips. “Well, tell me what you found.”

Elidor tapped on his computer, displaying three different images of her, now very recognizable, blood cells. Using a pointer, he brought her attention to the left-most image.

“This is your blood straight out of the vial, nothing has been done to it. As I’m sure you can see, there’s already abnormalities.” Sophie nods. Elidor shifts his pointer to the second image. “This is your blood’s reaction to a dose of Turned Vampire venom.”

Sophie squinted at the screen, “I don’t see a reaction.”

“That would be because your macrophages ate all the infected cells before it could do anything.” Sophie opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Elidor’s hand raising in a halt. “Let me continue, it makes more sense as we go,” His pointer shifted to the third image. “This is the reaction to Natural Vampire venom.”

Once again, Sophie’s well-trained eye was unable to stop a difference. “Am I immune to it, then?” She masked the disappointment in her voice, but it didn’t stop her heart from clenching in her chest.

“Not quite,” Elidor tapped his computer again, displaying a new slide with two more images. He once again indicated his pointer at the left image. “This is your blood when introduced to a double dose of Turned Vampire venom. Think of it as if you had been bitten by two Turned Vampires at the same time. Again, the same reaction, or rather a lack of one.”

He brought her attention to the second image in the lineup. This one, Sophie could see, was much different.

“This sample is where things change. I mixed one dose of Turned Vampire venom with one dose of Natural Vampire venom.” Elidor once again looked her in the eyes, a proud smirk on his face. “It worked.”

“It worked once.” Sophie replied blandly.

Elidor rolled his eyes. “Ever the pessimist, you. Have a little faith in me,” He clicked his computer once more, ten more images appeared. “I did eleven trials, there’s a ninety-point-nine percent success rate.”

“Elidor, I appreciate that you did more tests, but eleven is hardly a stable sample size, and there’s still a possibility that with this combination I wouldn’t turn.”

The fae stared at her, unimpressed. “Unless you plan on providing me with four more liters of your blood, this is the largest sample size I can provide,” he hesitates for a moment. “As for turning, I should rephrase. This venom mixture has a one-hundred percent success rate in turning you,” his pointer hit the eighth sample image, “this, though, is the problem.”

Sophie studied the image, it only took a glance to understand what had happened, but she wanted to know why it had. The image displayed the same altered red blood cells as the others, but this sample’s cells looked wilted and tired. The cells were dead.

“How long did it take?”

“For them to die? Four hours, but the signs were there by the two hour mark.”

Sophie nodded slowly, “Do you have a theory as to why?”

Elidor’s lips tightened, “My best guess is that the cells infected by the venom multiplied too quickly. In a turning, the cells infected by venom multiply exponentially. It essentially brute forces its way through the body,” He sat down in the chair across from Sophie, seeming a little lost in thought.

“You know well enough by now, turning is a painful process. I believe you’ve forgotten how dangerous it is though, Sophie. Plenty have died before reaching the ending stage,” Sophie looked back to the slide, willing it to reveal something more to her. There was nothing left to see though, just dead red blood cells, suffocated by the force of the venom that had contaminated it.

“I assume you didn’t bother with a double dose of Natural venom, then?” She prodded.

“I almost didn’t, but you’re as thorough as I am. I did one test,” the next slide appears on the screen, displaying a single image. The result didn’t shock her.

“How long did this one take?”

“It took significantly longer to actually kill all of the cells, the dying phase started earlier but was severely prolonged,” he grimaced, “I can only make the assumption that it would be a torturous death.”

“Turned Vampire venom effectively dilutes the Natural Venom, then?”

“In essence, yes. There’s a bit of a detachment between the two,” Elidor looked up at the ceiling in thought, “I’d have to get into the genetics of it, but to put it plainly, there’s just certain aspects of being a natural vampire that can’t be replicated in a human vessel. Turning changes a lot about a person, but it can’t change too much without killing the afflicted individual.”

“I suppose there’s not much of a point in having the ability to turn people into vampires if it will only ever kill them,” Sophie rubbed her fingers against her temple and squeezed her eyes shut.

There was a long silence in the room, broken only by Elidor’s voice, the gentlest Sophie had ever heard it, “Are you sure you want to do this, Sophie?”

Sophie opened her eyes and sat up, looking him dead in the eye as she gave a stern nod.

Elidor replied with a few small, slow nods. “Well, you know what you need, now. What’s your plan?”

Sophie pursed her lips, “I suppose I’ll arrange something with Farah, see if she’s open to being involved. I doubt that Nate would have any objections to being-”

“I would strongly advise that you do not utilize Agent Sewell’s venom.”

That took Sophie aback some, “And why is that?”

“I can’t disclose any more than that, I’m afraid. Confidentiality, and all. You’ll have to discuss it with him,” he stood up, “Is there anything else I can help you with, Agent?”

Sophie, still mulling over Elidor’s comment, shook her head.

Elidor gave her one final nod before he disconnected his computer and plunged the room into darkness.

—————

“Sophie.”

Nate felt breathless. There she was, standing on her own two feet, alive despite everything she’d been through. Next to him was Adam and Elidor, a case of blood bags at their feet, but as soon as he looked into her deep green eyes, it felt like they were the only two in the room.

She looked unlike she ever had before, her face appeared gaunt, and her hair was unkempt and tangled. She had, what Nate could only assume, was her own blood running down her chin. Her fangs had descended, and the expression she donned was something very familiar to him. Hunger.

She remained as beautiful as ever.

She also had to return to her room before something of severe consequence occurred.

Nate approached her swiftly before she could take advantage of their surprise, grabbing her by the waist.

“Nate—”

“I’ll help her, Adam, don’t work yourself into a fuss. Let the others know to stay away,” He gave a pointed look at Elidor. “Especially you.”

Elidor nodded. “I’ll be back to check on her when she’s less… instinctual.”

“We would recommend it,” Adam replied.

As Elidor strode away, Nate felt Sophie’s abdomen tensing, like she was checking just how strong his grip on her was. Before, Nate wouldn’t have been the slightest bit concerned about his ability to hold her back. Now, he had no idea what she was capable of.

Though perhaps he didn’t have much to be concerned about, as Sophie seemed to be content to remain near to him. Nate had never seen a newborn vampire so calm before, he was almost concerned that there was something wrong.

Adam looked back to him, “Are you sure about this?”

“Completely.”

“We do not know the extent of her strength now.”

“There’s nothing she could do to me that I couldn’t heal from.”

He nodded, eyeing Sophie cautiously. Clearly, Nate hadn’t been the only one to notice her odd behavior. Adam picked up the blood case from the floor, pressing the handle into Nate’s free hand. Sophie didn’t even spare Adam a glance as he entered her space.

“Take the case, make sure she gets enough, but not too much. You know the protocol. I’ll inform the others,” He hesitated a moment before following the same path Elidor had just taken.

As soon as Adam’s back was turned, Nate pulled Sophie back into her bedroom, closing the heavy wooden door and locking it. The second he did so, Sophie fell into him, letting out a distressed hum. The sound made Nate’s chest ache. He guided her back to her bed, placing the case at the foot of it.

“Ya rouhi, mo chuisle,” He climbed onto her bed, still holding onto her, and settled them in the center. He made a mental note to change her bedsheets for her.

Sophie seemed intent on keeping her face buried in his neck, apparently fixated for one reason or another. He allowed her to relax into him as she continued to release gentle hums, which grew softer as he began to pet down her hair. Then he felt the warmth of her breath and the blunt press of the front of her fangs.

Ah.

Well, that wasn’t how he’d intended for this to go, but it certainly explained why her focus had only been centered on him. Vampires didn’t tend to take note of each other's scents while their blood was still in their body. Even outside of it, the potency was more noticeable than any possibly desirable scent. Nate couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.

Adam may have emphasized protocol, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t perturb him. Instinct wasn’t always a bad thing, and if her instincts were telling her to bite, he wouldn’t stop her.

“It’s alright, my love. You can.” He felt her open her mouth, one of those fresh fangs testing against the skin of his neck. Nate mentally braced himself for what would undoubtedly be an unpleasant feeling. Sophie was wholly instinct right now, she wouldn’t be able to release the pheromones to—

Oh. How wrong he was.

Nate wasn’t able to contain the pleased groan that left him as she sunk her teeth in. With each pull she made, he fell further into the feeling. A first feeding was usually a messy affair; ripped open blood bags, numerous stains, animalistic behavior— but here was Sophie, clasped onto his neck, one hand firmly gripping onto his back, the other pressed on his hip. Only Sophie, floating in a cloud of delirium, would be in so much control she would put effort into being considerate.

She was perfect, absolutely perfect for him. He would never meet someone like her again, and his all-consuming fear of losing her was diminishing. Just as he was about to gently coax her off, she retracted on her own.

Sophie raised her head from his neck to look at him. Some color had returned to her cheeks, her bright red hair adding to the glow. His blood was smeared over her teeth and lips, her fangs still out and Nate just now noticed that they were larger than average. He couldn’t have stopped the burn of arousal that ran through him if he tried, nor the descent of his own fangs. Nate took a rare, necessary breath to center himself. That reaction is something that could be explored later, preferably when he wasn’t responsible for the first feeding of the love of his life.

A first feeding that would have to wait, apparently, as Sophie was beginning to look less coherent by the second. He had forgotten just how much rest was necessary for a newborn vampire. He looked behind him and was reminded of the state of her bedsheets, mottled with blood and sweat stains.

Nate frowned, that wouldn’t do. Sophie had done nothing but suffer in the past ten days, the least he could do is provide her some basic comfort. He turned back to face her, the fatigue was dragging her body down, but she remained awake.

“Let’s get you over to the couch, mo ghrá,” Nate stood, then picked Sophie up from her place on the bed. He set her down on the couch tucked into the corner next to her bookshelf, ensuring she was comfortable before he left through her bathroom door.

He turned the faucet of the bath on, letting it run while he returned to Sophie’s bedroom to change her sheets. He made quick work of it, quickly stripping the bed of its beige sheets and well-loved quilt with dark green silk sheets and a quilt of his own, before returning to Sophie’s side.

Her eyes were closed, her chest completely still. Nate pursed his lips before brushing a few stray hairs from her face. Her chest jumped and she blinked her eyes open, apparently he caught her on the edge of sleep.

“I have a bath ready for you, love.”

Sophie once again hummed in answer.

Nate helped her move into a sitting position, pulling the oversized Agency-provided white gown she wore over her head before once again picking her up and taking her to the bathroom.

He set her in the pleasantly warm, still shallow water, placing a folded towel under her head for support before grabbing a washcloth. Lathering soap onto the cloth, he set to work gently cleaning Sophie’s tattooed skin. He couldn’t help but admire the work as he went, even as familiar as he was with it. He rinsed over the angel on her thigh, the bat on her sternum, the skeletal lovers on her forearm.

That piece was the newest addition, only a few months old, but it was quick to become his favorite. She never said it outright, but he knew she had used a candid photo Farah had taken of them on the balcony of her apartment as a reference. The position was exactly the same, Nate had been pressed behind her back, his head settled on her shoulder, his hands over her abdomen, her arms crossed over her chest.

He smiled at the memory as he finished cleaning her, rinsing the remaining soap away before pulling the drain plug. As the bath emptied, Nate gathered Sophie’s long hair and quickly braided it. It was loose and sloppy, but out of her face.

Sophie’s eyes had once again closed at some point, but the habitual rise and fall of her chest told Nate that she was still awake. With the bath empty, Nate gently patted her down with a dry towel before doing his best to wrap her in it, picking her up one final time to return her to her bed.

After placing her down onto the clean silk, he went over to her dresser, pulling out one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of boyshorts. He quickly dressed her, surprised by the fact that she was still somewhat conscious and helping him do so. As soon as she was settled, Nate walked around the room, shutting off the lights, before undressing himself down to his boxers and joining her.

In the darkness, Nate watched as Sophie settled into a deep sleep. For the first time since her turning began, Nate felt tired, too.

—————

“No romantic life-altering decisions by the fireplace for you, then,” Farah sighed dejectedly. “Here I was, getting everything in order to create a trail of rose petals leading to Nate’s room and your immortal future.”

Sophie would’ve rolled her eyes if she had the energy for anything that wasn’t trying to figure all this out. She was lying on the long couch in the sitting area, her fingers ceaselessly tapping on the wooden frame.

“What time were they meant to be back?”

Farah looked over at the, rather regal looking, grandfather clock in the corner. “Twenty minutes ago,” She chirped.

Sophie let out a deep sigh, growing more impatient with every passing minute.

Farah gave her a quizzical look, “You don’t need to be worried about them, they’re just on patrol. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this anxious before.”

“It’s not anxiety.”

“You sure? ‘Cause it sure feels like it. It’s practically radiating into me.”

Sophie gave Farah a weary frown.

“Wow, you really are in a mood,” She chuckled, then looked towards the heavy wooden door of the living area. “They’re back now, I can hear them.”

Sophie pushed herself off of the couch and onto her feet, rushing out of the room and toward the warehouse entrance. Nate was mid-discussion with Adam and Morgan when Sophie approached them briskly, her full attention on Nate.

“Shit, what the hell did you do?” Morgan gave a deep chuckle, ignoring the disapproving look Adam gave her.

Before Nate could reply to the quip, Sophie grabbed his arm with urgency, but kept her voice soft. “I need to talk to you.”

Nate nodded at her, looking a little surprised by the gentleness of her tone, considering her approach. “Of course, lead the way.”

Sophie gave a quick nod of greeting to Adam and Morgan before leading Nate to his room. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Sophie turned towards Nate, and suddenly felt herself beginning to panic.

Farah had been right about the anxiety, then.

Nate’s brow creased in concern, his hands came up to rest on her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong?” His left hand came to caress her neck, his thumb gently brushing her jaw. “Did something happen?”

His touch brought Sophie back to herself, easing her pulse. The anxiety still buzzed, but the panic subsided. This was Nate. She could tell him anything.

“I had some blood tests done.”

Nate’s eyes widened at that. “What kind of tests?”

“I wanted to see how my blood would react to vampire venom. I had them run trials.”

“The Agency allowed a turning test? I’ve never heard of them giving that kind of approval,” he hesitated. “Especially not for someone they seem very keen on remaining human.”

“I didn’t give it to the Agency. I asked someone to do it for me, no documentation.”

“You what?” There was no anger in his voice, just surprise. He let out a gentle laugh, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you disregard the rules.”

Sophie fixed him with a determined look. “I’m allowed to make decisions in my own life, and I’m allowed to be educated in those decisions,” She replied stubbornly.

“Yes, you are, absolutely, you are. What did you find out?”

Sophie heaved a sigh, “It’s going to be complex,” She thought about her next words carefully, Nate’s head titled in curiosity. “I was… advised that I should not use your venom.”

Nate leaned back a bit, his hands falling to Sophie’s arms. “That doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately.”

“Why?”

Nate worked his jaw in thought, “It would likely be too… unpredictable, is the word, I suppose. There’s many aspects of my abilities that I’ve had to learn to manage and control. My venom is not one I’ve ever had a need to keep in check. It’s very rare that the agency would allow a vampire under its employ to turn a human.”

“We may have a problem, then. I’ll need two of you, and one of them has to be Farah.”

Nate gazes at her warily, “I’m afraid I’ll need you to walk me through this.”

She does.

—————

When Sophie woke up, she found herself warm, clean, and comfortable for the first time in days. She opened her eyes, her head was resting on Nate’s bare chest, their legs intertwined.

Sophie nuzzled into Nate’s chest, taking a deep breath to take in his scent and—

Had Nate always smelled this good? She was accustomed to his spiced, earthy cologne but this was something entirely different. Lifting her head, Sophie looked up to find Nate’s deep brown eyes already focused on her.

“Good evening, my love,” He said, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

“Evening?” She looked at her walk clock, 21:38. She couldn’t even remember the last time she was awake. Sophie looked back at Nate, who almost appeared startled with a wide-eyed expression. “Is… something wrong?” Her voice had certainly had better days.

Nate just gave a single stunned laugh. “I wasn’t expecting that you’d be able to respond, let alone be so coherent.”

Sophie cleared her throat, trying to rid it of the roughness as she turned to lie on her back. That was when the room started spinning. Sophie closed her eyes, pressing her hands over her eyes.

She felt Nate turn onto his side to place his hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. “Are you alright?”

Sophie gave a placating hum. “Dizzy,” she said, moving her hands to lay on her stomach.

Nate clicked his tongue, as if he were chastising himself. “I waited too long, but I wanted you to get some real rest,” He brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, “You must be hungry, let’s get you something filling.”

As he moved off of the bed, Sophie’s eyes followed him curiously. He walked over to a case sitting at the end of her bed, unzipping it. He turned back to face her, and as soon as Sophie saw what he was holding she was unable to shift her gaze. She removed herself from her sheets to sit on top of her quilt, eyes not once wavering from the blood bag in Nate’s hands. Her top lip twitched at the feeling of her fangs descending.

That sensation would take a while to get used to.

He climbed back onto the bed, and Sophie winced a bit at the realization that this was a less than preferable place to be doing this. “Not the breakfast in bed you’re accustomed to, is it?” Nate chuckled.

He presented the bag to Sophie, “No, not quite.” She replied as she raised it up to her mouth, giving a shy glance to Nate, before opening her mouth and letting her teeth sink into the bag.

Her brow furrowed for a moment, unsure what to expect, before it finally hit her tongue and she was able to relax into the relief. Even she was surprised by how quickly she took to it, like it has always been in her nature to drink human blood from a small silicone sack.

The effect was immediate, she could feel herself satiating a hunger that had been silently taunting her for days. Still, she maintained her resolve, not allowing herself to fall into an animalistic haze, though she could feel the urge creeping up her spine.

She hadn’t even realized that her eyes had closed in her focus. She reopened them to see Nate, a strained look on his face, watching her throat move as she drank. If her observation of his reaction gave her an idea, she couldn’t be blamed.

She was, previously, only human.

—————

Nate was once again baffled by Sophie’s self-control. He could count on one hand the number of first feedings he’d been witness to, and not one of them had been this calm. Even after coming to know her so intimately, she still managed to surprise him.

Nate found himself having to continually reinforce his own self-control as his eyes clung to the bobbing of her throat. His gaze lifted to find her looking at him with as much intensity as he felt, but there was something playful there too.

“You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” Nate said with an amused smirk.

Sophie’s jaw loosened, allowing some of the contents of the bag to rush down her throat and slip out of her mouth. Nate’s hand rushed forward, catching the droplets before they could stain the quilt beneath them. His hand remained there as Sophie drank down the remainder of the bag. As Nate shifted to get her another, Sophie grabbed his hand and — before he could react — licked up his palm, gathering the small pool of blood into her mouth. She swallowed it down, her eyes unwavering in their attention on him.

“Nate,” Her voice still raspy from a lack of use. He couldn’t help but lean in and kiss her.

Sophie immediately began to run her fingers through his hair, it was down, just as she liked it to be. He hadn’t put it up once in these last ten days.

He moved to pull Sophie into his lap, desperate to be as close to her as possible. The taste of blood in her mouth alongside her familiar flavor had Nate’s head spinning and his own fangs dropping. He was struck with the realization that this was the first time he’d felt her mouth against his since that morning at the Facility. He hadn’t known then that that could have been the last time he kissed her.

Nate pulled back, kissing down her neck, tasting the blood that had dripped down her warm skin, “I could have lost you,” His voice broke, and he breathed in her scent to center himself, “I almost lost you.”

Sophie gently tugged his hair back, forcing him to look at her. As if he would be able to focus on anything that wasn’t her.

She kissed his forehead. “You didn’t.”

He felt his eyes sting as he pulled her back in, even closer, until they were chest to chest, their mouths working in sync. Sophie let out a soft, low moan, and that was the end of Nate’s patience for the day. He broke their kiss and shifted his hips, maneuvering Sophie onto her back so he was on top of her, his forearms framing her head, his body between her legs.

He looked down at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her green eyes bright and aware. She no longer looked starved, the sharp lines of her pretty face not harsh, just defined. Just Sophie. Nate opened his mouth but found himself lost for words.

She smiled at his awe of her, and Nate noticed that her once slightly crowded front teeth and incisors were now perfectly straight. The scar that once ran through her right eyebrow from an “incident” when she was a child was now gone, the only indication of its existence being the beginnings of new hair growth. He couldn’t stop himself from brushing his hands over the bushels of flowers she had tattooed over her collarbones— she had always complained that they had healed poorly, leaving them raised. As his thumb traced the weaving flora, he felt nothing but the softness of her skin.

“What is it?”

Her question pulled him out of his study of her. “Your scars are gone,” he answered, a gentle smile gracing his lips as a bittersweet feeling ran through him.

“Ah, I had forgotten about that part,” she reached her hand up to caress his cheek, then guided him back down to her.

The brief break in their heated moment came to a quick end as their lips met again. Nate had to have her, he had to hold her and know she was okay, and alive, and herself. Sophie’s nails raked down his back as his hands slipped under her shirt, pushing it up her torso. He broke their kiss for a moment, encouraging her to lift herself so he could pull it off completely.

With her upper half fully exposed, Nate kissed down her neck, leaning on his left forearm as he squeezed her breast with his free hand. Every gasp she let out was another sign of life, an additional reminder that despite everything, she had survived.

Nate’s kisses lead him further down, over her left collarbone and breast before his mouth latched over her nipple, teasing it with his tongue.

“Nate!” Sophie’s hand tugged on his hair, pulling a low groan from him.

His free hand came up to pinch her right nipple before wandering down to where the band of her panties was snug against her hips. He released her breast from his mouth, giving a quick kiss to the hanging bat on her sternum before he encouraged her hips upward to pull off her last barrier. As her panties slid down her long legs, Nate wondered if she were taller now. He’d been too occupied when last they stood together to notice.

Sophie leaned up to tug down the band of his boxers, which were doing absolutely nothing to hide the evidence of his arousal. He adjusted his position to push the fabric off, then it was just him and Sophie — naked, together, and alive.

He leaned forward to kiss down her stomach, leading to the trimmed, coarse hair of her sex. Normally, this was when Nate would take his time to tease by nipping at her inner thighs, kissing everywhere except the place she needed him most. There was a time and place for those games, and now they had so much time. The games could wait.

Instead, Nate immediately licked at the wetness of her core, his tongue trailing upwards to gently flick at her clit. The choked gasp Sophie gave in response would be replaying in his head for days.

“God, Nate!”

The way she said his name when they were together like this was addictive, another hit of dopamine every time he heard it. He redoubled his efforts, wrapping his strong arms under her equally strong thighs and gripping her hips to pull her wet cunt against his mouth.

He knew exactly how she liked it, this was a well-practiced dance between them, but was never any less thrilling than that first time on that picnic blanket in the sunshine. His tongue circled around her clit again and again until it was firm and sensitive, then he sucked—

“Ah, fuck, Nathaniel—”

There it was, that was how he knew he was doing well. He continued his ministrations, Sophie’s moans and gasps only growing louder, especially as he pressed one of his long fingers into the wet heat of her cunt. He felt his cock twitch in interest at the feelings of her walls squeezing at his intrusion, a feeling that was only exacerbated with his addition of a second finger. He flexed his fingers, seeking to press up against that soft spot he’d come to know very well. Sophie’s thighs tightened around his head and he knew he had found it.

“Right there, yeah—hah—don’t stop—”

As if he would ever consider such a thing. He looked up her body to meet her eyes, the rich brown of a forest floor meeting the green of the pines above it, and watched as she came undone on his fingers and tongue. He worked her through her orgasm, not pulling away until it was clear she was beginning to get overstimulated. As he raised himself up from her heated center, Sophie grabbed his hand, still wet from her orgasm, and licked what remained off his fingers.

He was impossibly hard at this point, something Sophie had taken note of as she used her free hand to grip his straining length. Nate let out a groan, the pressure of her hand offering a desperately needed relief. Sophie’s thumb ran over his tip, spreading the pre-come that had gathered there over the rest of his length. Nate looked down their bodies to watch her work, her long, dainty fingers contrasting beautifully with the dark lettering on her knuckles. FARE was working his cock, WELL was still holding his wrist, though Sophie had since finished licking his fingers clean.

Sooner than he would have liked, Nate felt the familiar burn of his peak coming. He reached down to grab Sophie’s wrist, bringing her to a stop.

“Not yet,” His voice was breathy and desperate.

Sophie nodded, bringing both of her hands to feel their way up his chest, before putting one behind his neck to pull his face down to hers. Their mouths met once again, this time slower, but no less passionate. Nate’s still hard cock was resting on her pubic bone, catching Sophie’s attention.

Breaking their kiss, she quietly murmured to him, “Want you, please.”

How could Nate ever say no to a request like that? He leaned back, gripping himself by the base, before guiding his tip into her tight heat.

He would never get tired of the feeling of this. There was something so special about it, only with Sophie. She was closed off and stubborn— a result of a difficult upbringing and a clear lack of positivity in her life —but here, in the privacy of their coupling, she opened herself up in the most intimate way, and did so with such genuine love it made Nate’s heart ache.

He pushed in slowly, wanting to feel and cherish every moment of this. His gaze moved from where their bodies met to Sophie’s face, her mouth was open, letting out only small gasps, and her brow was furrowed in want. Again, their eyes met, this time as Nate bottomed out and Sophie let out a satisfied moan.

He waited a moment for her to nod, the way he always did, before he finally let himself go.

He created a steady pace, ensuring each stroke was long and deep, hitting all of the right places for her. Sophie’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her, until he felt every inch of their bodies moving together in tandem. God, it had been quite some time since they’d taken it slow like this, not having had the opportunity since Sophie moved into the warehouse full time.

He was lucky they were able to be together like this, lucky that she wasn’t six feet under, lucky that instead of hearing her death rattle he was hearing her beg him for more, beg him to touch her.

Nate let one of his hands slither down their bodies, his thumb finding her clit, stroking it in pace with his thrusts. He groaned as he felt her tighten around him in response, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Luckily for him, she clearly wasn’t going to be able to either.

“Oh Christ, Nathaniel, I- close, so close—“ Sophie let out a broken keen as she reached her second peak, her ankles locking together behind him, pulling him in further.

“Sophie,” was all he could manage to say as he came in response to her walls spasming around his length. He worked them both through it as he spilled inside of her, giving a few more shallow thrusts before coming to a stop.

Sophie’s legs unlocked behind him, dropping to his sides. He shifted, letting his softening cock slip out of her. If he pulled back to appreciate the sight of his spend dripping out of her, well, that was between them. Sophie was well aware of his proclivities; this one in particular they shared.

Nate rolled to his side, Sophie moving with him so they were left in a mirrored position of how they woke up. Her arm came up to rest on his chest, her hand holding onto the strong muscle of his shoulder. He looked down at her, his gaze softening at the sight of her satisfied smile. He brushed a lock of her wavy red hair from her cheek, his hasty braid from the night prior proving to be less than useful.

Even now, Nate was still surprised by how taken he was by her beauty.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Sophie’s hand moved to caress his stubbled jaw. “I missed you too. So much,” she hesitated a moment, but said nothing.

A heavy feeling swept over both of them.

“I’m sorry,” Nate broke the silence, “For how this went. It wasn’t what I wanted for you.”

Sophie gave a small shake of her head, “You don’t have a single thing to apologize for,” she stopped him before he could disagree. “Nate, this was always going to be a difficult process. There was nothing you could have done.”

Nate looked up at the ceiling, “No, I suppose there wasn’t,” he let out a sigh, “but you deserved something peaceful.”

Sophie gave a small, rare chuckle at that. “Considering the life I lead, I would have been shocked if I was able to achieve something as impossible as a peaceful turning,” She tapped his jaw, encouraging him to return his gaze to her. “Don’t linger on this, love. It’s done now.”

Nate let out a breath, “For that, I’m grateful.” He brought his hand up to her lips, letting his thumb pull down her bottom lip slightly. He couldn’t help but smile, “They suit you.”

Sophie huffed a laugh, “The fangs do?”

He nodded, “They’re rather long, they make quite a statement.”

“Well, I’m glad you like them.”

“I think I more than like them, ya rouhi,” he gave her a quick kiss before moving to sit up. “The fact that they’re still down, though, tells me that you’re still hungry.”

Even Sophie couldn’t deny that, and she wasn’t going to complain about getting to see Nate bare from behind while he went to get her another bag.

—————

“Aw man, I was hoping you’d be, like, seven feet tall!” Farah exclaimed from where she was splayed out on the antique couch.

“Thank fuck she’s not, the stares we’d get would be even worse.” Morgan said from the table she was sitting on in the corner.

That was the greeting Sophie received upon entering the meeting room of the Warehouse after twelve days. She wouldn’t have wanted any other kind.

Nate entered the room just after her, “Farah, no shoes on the couch, please.”

Farah rolled her eyes before over-dramatically tossing her legs off of the couch and getting onto her feet. In a flash of motion, she was in front of Sophie, grinning, the glow of sunshine spilling through the windows creating a halo around her. “So? Let’s see ‘em, Soph!”

Sophie grimaced at the nickname, but decided she would humor her this one time. Giving her a less-than-enthusiastic smile, she showed Farah her fangs.

“Woah,” Farah’s eyes widened, and even Morgan looked over curiously at her reaction. “Guess we know where your height went, those things are impressive.”

“Have you figured out what else you have going on?” Morgan asked her.

Sophie looked back at Nate, “There’s a lot we still need to figure out, but we have a few ideas.”

Nate nodded in agreement, his arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders, “It will take awhile for her to settle into her abilities enough for us to run tests.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Adam opening the door. The sight of her close friend was a welcome one; the last time she recalled seeing him was when she was wracked with fever in bed. Now, she was met with one of his rare smiles. “It is good to see you well and on your feet, Sophie.”

“That’s an understatement, I thought you were a goner for a second there,” Farah’s chuckle was quickly silenced by sharp glares from Nate and Adam.

“Relax, both of you,” Sophie said to the men at her side. She looked back at Farah, “In all fairness, I did too.”

“It was seriously scary there for a second, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with talking about that! Processing trauma and all, ya-da, ya-da. Looking on the bright side, though, I’m not the youngest vampire in the unit anymore, and Nate got his scary dog privileges back!”

“My what?” Nate said, looking a little baffled.

Sophie stared at Farah, thoroughly unamused.

“See, you’re already back in practice!” Farah pointed out, earning a snicker from Morgan.

“That is enough of that for the time being, we have a meeting starting within the hour.”

Farah groaned, “You’re no fun.”

As she turned to walk towards the meeting table, Sophie realized that the glow she had seen around Farah before was, in fact, not from the sunlight.

“Why are you gold?”

That had all of the vampires turning to look at her. Sophie turned her head to look at Nate, still with his arm over her shoulder, only to find him smiling at her in awe. Farah was back in front of her when she looked forward again.

“Are you… seeing my aura?” She looked positively enthralled by the idea, “Where are you seeing it?”

Sophie gestured vaguely around Farah’s head and shoulders.

“You are! You can see my aura!” She bounced back and forth on her feet, “Oh this is going to be so fun, I’ve never gotten to see someone figure out their abilities.”

“It is not usually under such pleasant circumstances,” Adam commented from the table.

“I’m kind of surprised you ended up with something so…” Farah seemed to chew over the word she was thinking of, “personal, I guess. You’re not exactly known for your people skills.”

Sophie wished she could disagree, but Farah was right.

“She’s a detective, Farah. Auras reveal important information about a person’s personality and mood.” Nate explained, but only received Farah’s blank stare in return. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Motive. It would help her determine motive and reliability.”

Sophie’s chin tilted up at that thought, “Why can’t I see yours, then?”

“You’re still settling into your abilities, I’m sure you’ll be able to see it in time.”

“Yeah, we’re not all as easy to pick up on as Farah,” Morgan commented from her corner.

“Oh, so I’m the easy one? News to me.” Farah playfully shot back.

Sophie, Nate, and Adam stood back as the other two began to bicker.

“There is much to learn about you yet again, Sophie,” Adam said, breaking their observation.

“Just when we thought we had it all figured out,” Nate chuckled, looking at her with no small amount of adoration. “What a journey this will be.”

Sophie gave a shy smile, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Nate kissed her forehead in response as Adam returned to his meeting preparations. Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into an embrace, tucking her head into the side of his neck. They stood there for a moment, just holding each other in the comfort of the warehouse, surrounded by family.

“Thank you,” She whispered into Nate’s neck.

“For what?” He asked, his voice light and gentle.

“For giving me this.”

#she’s hereeeeeee 🤭#thank you all again so much for the encouragement and comments #it means the world #re: merciless haze #the wayhaven chronicles #nate sewell #oc: sophie macnamara #my writing

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cosy-crafty-corner · 7 months ago

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Gift Bag Tutorial

In this tutorial, I will explain how to create cute fabric gift bags. I was shown this method several years ago by a quilter as a nice technique to work with jelly rolls (rolls of fabric strips) but I don't know what the actual origin of this technique is. These instructions are based on me figuring out how to do it from the vague memory of what I was shown once when I was first experimenting with quilting.

You will need:

Fabric

General purpose sewing thread

Needle

Pins

Thin ribbon

Step 1: pick your fabric

You will need 8 strips of fabric, 4 to make the outside and 4 to make the lining. You could do all 8 strips the same fabric, you could do all 8 different fabrics, or keep a few of them the same. I like doing pairs of strips, so for my demonstration, I will be showing it using 2 fabrics for the outside and 2 for the inside. Quilting cotton is great for this, but the key this is that you want the fabric to be non-stretch and you want all the fabrics you're using to be about the same weight. You could get away with having the lining pieces be of a lighter weight fabric than the outside fabrics, but aim for consistency in the outside pieces.

Step 2: measure and cut 8 strips

You want your strips to be approximately three times as long as they are wide. You can get away with a bit of variation and if you have longer strips, you'll end up with a taller gift bag. What really matters is that all your strips are the same size. For my demonstration, I cut out a piece of cardboard that was 2 inches by 6 inches and then drew round that as a template.

Make sure you leave yourself a seam allowance that you're comfortable with.

Step 3: Place your pieces to get the relative position correct

For each layer (outside and lining) you are going to want to position the four pieces that make it up so that the bottom of one strip is against one end of the long side of its neighbour. The end result is that you get a sort of spiral cross (if there is an actual name for this shape, I don't know it). All four pieces should meet in the middle.

You will want to do the same for the outside and lining layers, but you want their directions to be reversed. This is so that when you place the layers together in the final bag, they will spiral in the same direction. It's not the end of the world if you get this wrong, but the end result will be a lot neater if you get it right. This is the step I have to check repeatedly to make sure I'm getting it right.

Step 4: Pin pairs of strips

Once you're happy that they're placed correctly, pin the fabric strips in pairs so that the bottom of one strip is pinned to the end of the long side of its partner. Once it's done, your two lining pairs should be identical and your two outside pairs should be identical, but when you compare a lining and an outside pair, the placement should be mirror-images.

Once you've got them pinned, check one more time that you can get them back into the correct spiral cross shapes to make sure you haven't pinned the wrong side.

Step 5: Sew your pairs

Sew the short seams that you pinned in the previous step.

Step 6: Pin & sew your pairs together

Pin your two outside pairs together and your two inside pairs together to make the spiral cross shape and sew along these seams.

Step 7: Cut into the long side so it can turn

When we do the next bit of sewing, you're going to need to turn the long side of your strips at about a 90 degree angle but, as per step 1, we're not working with stretch fabric, so it's not going to want to turn like that. In order to make the next step work nicely, you're going to need to cut into your seam allowance on the long side at the point where your seam ends between the long side and the bottom edge of its neighbour.

I'm sure there's a technical name for this sort of cut. If you know it, please let me know what it is.

You're going to need to make this cut once on each of your eight strips of fabric, right at the point where that long side meets the short side. Cut as close as you dare to your seam without cutting into the seam itself.

Step 8: Pin and sew the long sides together

If you're doing this for the first time or you just want to play it safe, start with the lining as this will be less obvious if you make a mistake. Take one of your strips and find the long side that is joined to the short side of the neighbour. Fold this strip at the cut you just made so that the strip lies against the long side of the neighbouring strip and pin the front sides of the fabric together. You will find that the first strip stops partway up the length of the second strip. The difference in lengths will be the same as the width of the strips, because of the way the long and short sides are attached together at the bottom. This is what will create the triangular close flaps in the final gift bag.

Sew the two long sides together.

Repeat this process for the other three edges of the lining. Then repeat it for the four edges of the outside.

This will give your gift bags shape and you'll see the strips spiralling up the sides and ending in the triangular flaps.

Step 9: Cut your closure ribbons

You want a nice thin ribbon. I'm using 1cm wide ribbon. If you do bigger strips, you could get away with a thicker ribbon, but this width works nicely for the sizes I'm using. I cut 4 lengths each of approximately 5 inches, but I wasn't really measuring them precisely. As long as the 4 lengths of ribbon are pretty close to the same length and long enough to comfortably tie into bows, it should be fine.

Step 10: Assemble your bag - right side to right side

Turn your outside layer so that it is inside-out, with the nice side of the fabric to the inside of the bag. Turn your lining layer so that the nice side of the fabric it facing out, then place your lining layer inside your outside layer so that the good sides of the fabric are facing each other. Position the lining so that the triangle flaps line up with the flaps of the outside layer.

Take one of your ribbon pieces and put it between the two layers and pin one end of the ribbon at the point of the triangular flap where the outside and lining flaps meet. Do the same at the other three points. Make sure that the main length of each ribbon is tucked between the sides of the fabric that will be facing out when the bag is finished, and also take care that it's point straight down so that you won't end up sewing it on at an angle. While you're at it, make sure that the rest of the ribbon is well away from the seams so you don't accidentally sew any of it.

Use more pins at each V where two of the triangular flaps meet. Take your time over this stage to get the lining and the outside layer to line up nicely. The points and the dip of the V are the places that you need to take care with because the remaining edges should all be the same length, so if you get those positioned correctly, the rest of the edge should sort itself out.

Step 11: Sew most of the top

You want to sew a seam around most of the top of the bag to connect the lining to the outside. Note that I said "most" there because you need to leave yourself a gap so that you can turn it all the right way round. It's best if you leave this gap in one of the Vs rather than at a point, so you don't need to worry about the ribbon and so that it will be less noticeable when you sew the final bit closed.

Start about halfway up one of the flap sides and sew towards the point. When you reach the ribbon, sew straight across. If you sew to a point then the ribbon will be weird when you turn it the right way round because the point will be going the wrong direction. So straight across the ribbon and then down the other side of the flap. Keep going around the rest of the top until you're about halfway down the side next to where you started. At this point, the whole of the top should be secure apart from a small gap in the dip of the final V.

Step 12: Turn right side out and finish

Poke the entire thing inside-out through the small gap you have left. You may need to tug gently on the ribbons to get the points of the flaps to be nicely pointy. Once everything is the right way round, finish it off by sewing closed that little gap. Use small stitches in a thread that is a similar shade to your fabric if possible (this may be a challenge if you're using pieces in lots of different colours) to try and make these stitches unobtrusive. I used whip stitch to finish mine.

Step 13: Fill with chocolates

Fill your gift bag with chocolates and tie the ribbons closed. It is now ready to present.

#sewing #tutorial #sewing tutorial #Christmas crafts #gift bag tutorial

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cherr-22 · 2 years ago

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TNGDH 32

“Gasp…… Ugh. I’m dying…….”

After leaving the study, I ran like crazy. I ran like I’ve never ran before.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too far from my room. If I weren’t fast enough, the ‘Summon’ duration would end and I would’ve disappeared in the middle of the hallway, leaving behind nothing but my clothes.

After running at full speed, I went into the bed, covered myself with the blanket, and canceled the ‘Summon’. With that, I was summoned back to where I designated in advance, under the sawdust.

―Squeak. (Whew.)

At this rate, I might end up passing away young…….

I stumbled towards the middle of the hamster house and laid on my back with my arms and legs stretched out. The sky is yellow. So yellow.

“Did you exercise? You look tired.”

Kyle appeared suddenly and picked me up while I was still panting. He began to kiss all over me. With no strength to even lift up a paw, I helplessly received all his affectionate gestures.

―Squeak……. (Are you content now…….)

“I understand, I understand. I also like you a lot.”

―Squeak……. (This clueless bastard…….)

“Today, I will make you a present.”

Kyle, who put me down, put a handful of duck feathers into the handkerchief he laid out for me last night. Then, he carefully began to quilt it.

Although it looked a little awkward and had threads sticking out, it came out better than the dish scrub he made before. Have you been practicing these days?

I peered at his face with my barely open eyes. There was a warm smile that contrasted with the endless winter out the window.

What are you so happy about.

It’s just a demonic beast.

As I felt the handkerchief being carefully placed on my back, I slowly closed my eyes..

―Squeak……. (This diligent, tactless, warm-hearted bastard…….)

One day, this moment would become a memory to think back about after I return back to my world.

It would be a happy memory to remember.

―…….

“…….”

It was a suffocating silence..

I looked back and forth at Kyle and the magician, who were both watching me put up a guard.

It had been thirty minutes since the magician entered the study. They constantly observed me as if I were a lab rat. Stop staring please. It’s really burdensome.

Gulp.

A swallow was heard throughout the room.

The culprit was the nervous magician next to Kyle.

“T-then, I will start now.”

As if he had finally made up his mind, the magician, who looked to be middle-aged, lifted me up carefully.

The lift was uncomfortable. The palm I was sitting on was shaking hard as if an earthquake occurred.

―Squeak……. (Excuse me, sir…….)

Are you trying to play with me or what?

I sat on the shaking palms and gave him a wary look.

You must be nervous with Kyle glaring at you as if he were going to rip you to pieces, but it’s not like Kyle would actually shred you. He’s just worried. He’s just an ordinary demonic beast lover.

After wiping his sweat with the back of his hand, the magician began to inject blue mana into my body. I closed my eyes and hugged tight onto the cashew nut in my hands.

I didn’t know how my body would react to this and neither did the system, but I had no choice but to take a gamble. Kyle would’ve used all possible methods he could find to make me grow.

Right. It’s better to get this done and over with.

―……?

Bam.

My body was pushed slightly to the side along with the sound of something blunt hitting each other.

I held tighter onto the cashew nut I almost dropped and stretched out my neck to look around like a meerkat. Wh-what was that? Something just flew by?

“……Did you do it?”

“I did, however…….”

There was a crushing silence. The magician swallowed again nervously before placing his hand on my body once more.

“This…… this time I’ll try injecting harder.”

Despite saying that, he was still shaking incredibly.

Your life must also be a rough ride. I pat the magician’s hand with my front paw and took a short, deep breath. Come, I am ready.

“……Hmph!”

The magician made a weird grunting sound before drawing up a palm full of blue mana energy. Then, the moment the powerful mana shot out and made contact with my body…

Ting.

Bam.

My body rolled back twice before colliding with the wall. I was buried in Kyle’s knitted yarns.

“Cashew!”

Kyle quickly picked me up. I shook my head and felt some static electricity penetrating my whole body.

‘Just what exactly is happened?’

What happened? Is mana supposed to feel this shocking?

[The in□able power □s d□sp□.]

I blankly stared at the system window that appeared in front of my eyes. The letters were broken into pixels and were difficult to read, but I felt I knew what it was saying.

‘Is it saying that the mana of my body and this world are colliding? Is it the same for the unexpected appearance of the beast during the reconnaissance?’

As I was lost in my thoughts, Kyle checked my entire body for any wounds.

“……Your Highness. This, I don’t think this is your typical demonic beast.”

The magician said in a hushed voice as he formed a puddle below his feet from his sweat.

“If this little one isn’t a demonic beast, what could it possibly be!”

Kyle covered me with his palm as he shouted at the magician who stood far away from him and flinched.

Hey, hey. Don’t be like that. It isn’t his fault.

“H-however, it’s not only not accepting the mana, it’s even reflecting it back…….”

While the magician rambled, I picked up the cashew nut that had flown away. The end was slightly cracked from the impact earlier. It also looked like there was a bit of dust on it.

―…….

I threw the cashew nut in frustration. Forget it. I’m not eating this dirty thing. I should use ‘Summon’ and eat something nicer.

I sat back down and watched two people arguing- no, one person suffering from the rage of the other. It’s not like I could stop the fight with this body of mine. I would have to wait for them to finish on their own.

Thinking like that, I revisited the system window with the pixel letters.

“Your Highness!”

I turned my head at the sudden voice and the study door flinging open.

It was a face I knew. He was one of Kyle’s knights in the scouting party.

“What’s the matter. A guest is here, so quickly state your matter.”

“M-my apologies! However, a letter arrived saying that Prince Belial had been attacked……!”

“……attacked?”

……What? Attacked?

I jumped up.

Kyle chased off the magician and put me back into the hamster house. After closing the house, he approached the knight at the door.

Hey. Talk inside the room! Let me hear it too!

I pressed my ears against the transparent wall. Fortunately, the study door was not completely closed, so I was able to vaguely hear the conversation.

In summary, Belial, who was returning back to the imperial palace, was ambushed by an unknown group. It was a serious incident that caused the carriage to overturn, but because the location was closer to the imperial palace, it took time for the news to reach the Blake estate……

I crossed my arms and paced back and forth in the hamster house.

The early part of <The Winter’s Heart>. The only attack I knew at this point of the novel was the ambush on Kyle that resulted in him getting wounded on his right arm.

But that incident didn’t occur on Kyle due to my interference. So instead, Belial was attacked?

‘……Something’s not right.’

Does that mean the unknown force behind the ambush on Kyle in the original story wasn’t from Belial? I thought deeply while rocking on the swing.

The controlling power within the imperial palace was definitely the second prince, Belial. I’d hate to admit, but he had exceptional leadership skills and a captivating smile, making him popular among the people.

Then was it different within the palace? As far as I knew, some subjects already openly considered Belial to be the future emperor even though the 1st prince was still alive.

‘But, what was his name again?’

Suddenly, a system window appeared.

[Lorenz Serena Meinhardt was weak-minded and cowardly. He couldn’t compete with Kyle in force, nor could he beat Belial in intellect. All he had left was the pride of being the 1st prince.

‘Right. It was Lorenz.’

I disliked him so much I even forgot his name.

I recalled the description of him from the story. With a hair color lighter than Belial’s, he was said to have a sharp appearance that resembled his mother, Serena. His thick eyebrows and clear facial features were said to resemble the emperor.

[눈_눈]

### ‘눈’ means ‘eye’. The emote resembles a frowning face.

Yeah. Like that.

However, the imperial family valued tradition and legitimacy. No matter how much power Belial held, he would not be able to become the emperor.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Prince Lorenz had no support at all, and the emperor probably would want to entrust the country to his eldest son.

That was why I thought Lorenz wouldn’t interfere with Belial’s matters. He could become the emperor even if he stood still, so there was no need to make a mess.

―Squeak. (This is all so confusing.)

While I spun the hamster wheel with my hands habitually, Kyle returned to the study with a slightly depressed look on his face.

It seemed everything has settled down. How kind of you to worry about your enemy like that.

With a short sigh, I used ‘Summon’. He didn’t seem to have the spirit to look after the hamster, so this would be the perfect time to become Shu.

Above all, the small hamster body wouldn’t be able to give Kyle the comfort he needed. For now, I want to be be his side as a human being.

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

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#tngdh

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