#wanting to stay forever and wanting to escape immediately...of course it could never end well. Get me to the ending! And please don't let

[random-autie-fangirl]

Chara: I'm wanting everything to end instantly

Asriel: And I'm wanting to go on unchanging forever

🔥🔥🔥THE BEEF WITH LINEAR TIME SIBLINGS🔥🔥🔥

[julesinsummer]

I loved your fic about Theo getting upset because the readers' parents said they couldn't go to Italy for the summer. I was wondering if you could do something similar. The reader says she's not allowed to stay with him for the summer, but theo trys to convince readers mom to let them go to Italy, but he finds out that her parents said she could go. And Theo confronts the reader.

I don't know. I thought it could be a cute angst/fluff fic I've never requested before, but I love your writing, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Thanks:)

Little Lies (Theodore Nott x Reader)

angst&fluff, happy ending | requested!

"Theo, they said no, I really can't argue with that," y/n sighed as she closed the book she was reading.

Theo groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Let me talk to them, then," he tried, "they love me! They'll listen to me, won't they?"

Panic surged through y/n's body at the mention of Theo talking to her parents. "It'll just make them mad at me! It's just not happening, I'm sorry my love."

The truth lay beneath her panic-stricken words: she hadn't even asked her parents. Truth be told, they'd say yes immediately if she had asked. It was no secret that y/n's parents adored Theo and would do anything if it meant that the two would stay together long enough to breach the topic of marriage.

y/n hadn't mentioned going to Italy for the summer with Theodore for one simple reason: Theodore Nott Sr.

Nott Sr. was an imposing man with strict ideals and rules and little to no morality. He scared everyone that he came in contact with, especially his only son and heir's girlfriend. He was often controlling and angry, with yelling and cursing being his most used vocabulary. Theo loved to hate his father and hated to love him, but by way of only having a father his teenage life, he'd come to respect him for what he could do.

y/n was not so lucky. She was a stranger to the violence that unfolded in Nott Manor, to the hurt that a father could cause his only son. It was impossible to watch when Theo would appear perfectly groomed and poised, all the while hiding the bruises and scars that lay just below his collar. It broke y/n's heart to pieces, and she refused to house herself under that roof for an entire summer's break.

But she couldn't tell Theo that. Perfect, poised, handsome, loving Theo who only wanted her, his source of comfort, to be with him in a picturesque setting.

So instead, she lied. And as everyone says, lies cannot be kept forever.

y/n's parents had invited Theo for dinner the next night at their manor, reveling in the laughter that ensued from his witty jokes and ignoring his blatant hand on their daughter's thigh.

"I did want to ask you something, Mr. l/n," Theo said softly as dinner winded down. A sick feeling invaded y/n's stomach, with its only visible traces being the red color that latched itself onto her neck.

The older man nodded, "Anything, my boy. What is it?"

Theo shot Mr. l/n a smile, one that he'd learned almost exclusively from the business dealings of his father. "My father and I would be overjoyed if y/n could join us this summer at our home in Italy. It's in Rome, near the city center. He wanted me to extend the invitation to her. Would that be alright?"

Time seemed to slow to a grinding halt. y/n was sweating, her hands shaking as she clasped her glass and avoided the eyes of her parents.

"Of course, of course!" Mrs. l/n replied for her husband, grinning widely at Theo. "I'm sure she'd love to as well, wouldn't you dear? And that just means that we can have a child-free summer of our own!"

Theo's eyes dropped onto y/n with such sadness and frustration that it made her skin crawl. She saw the disappointment under his features, trying desperately to escape his gaze. She only managed a nod.

With a few more pleasantries, dinner concluded and y/n and Theo were free to escape to her bedroom. Once the door had closed, Theo scoffed loudly.

"What was that all about?" he asked angrily, his face turning a pinker hue than normal. He was angry, that much was clear.

"I... I'm sorry," y/n managed, dropping her head low. She fidgeted with the rings on her hand, half of which Theo had gifted her.

Theo scoffed again. "You're sorry? I didn't ask for an apology, I asked for an explanation! You told me they said no!"

y/n sighed loudly, dropping to sit on her bed with her head in her hands. "I never asked," she admitted softly.

"You never asked?" Theo had begun to yell, quickly casting a muffliato charm on the room. "y/n, I asked you about this months ago and you said they told you no! Why did you lie to me?"

"I had a good reason, Theo! Okay?" y/n shouted back, tears springing from her eyes. She and Theo never argued, but when they did, it was awful and hurtful.

"Oh good, I'd love to hear what a good fucking reason you have for making me look like an idiot with your parents! Or for lying straight to my face for months!" He was screaming now, fisting at his hair and coming closer to y/n.

She flinched a little at the action, staring up at Theo intensely. "You'll just get mad at me again if I tell you, so what's the point? I'll go, okay! I'll spend the whole summer with you and your asshole father and be uncomfortable for months!"

Theo paused at that, the room going deathly silent. "Uncomfortable? You're uncomfortable spending your summer with your boyfriend who has told you so many times that he wants to fucking marry you? What, are you going to be so uncomfortable at the thought of spending time with me that you'll tell me no?" His tone got angrier with every word.

"I'm not uncomfortable because of you, you asshole!" y/n shouted, standing up suddenly. She and Theo were close and the anger radiating off of them was palpable. "I'm uncomfortable because your dad is a fucking sadist and wants everyone around him to hurt! I don't want to watch you get beaten for existing for months, Teddy! I can't do that! And if you don't understand that or if you don't think it's a good reason to say no, then I don't know what planet you live on."

They were close, close enough to make one wrong move and end up completely engulfed with one another. Theo was the first to speak.

"And you couldn't have told me that in the first place instead of lying to my face, y/n/n?" he asked softly, his anger dissipating by the second. "You don't think you can talk to me about that?"

y/n let the tears fall freely down her cheeks. "You wouldn't have listened to me, just like you're not listening now! I'm sorry I lied to you, honey, I am. But you never listen when I tell you that I hate your father."

Theo stayed silent for a while, his eyes indicating that he was lost inside his own head. He finally moved after what seemed like an eternity, wiping the tears off of y/n's cheeks with a soft brush of his thumbs.

"I'm sorry, amore mio," he apologized softly, moving his hands to tangle in her hair. "I... I didn't think about it."

y/n sobbed a little, nuzzling into his touch. "You never do."

Theo nodded sadly, resting his forehead on hers. "You don't have to come," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "I should've thought of you first."

y/n shook her head slightly, sniffling. "I just don't want to see you hurt or getting hurt or anything but happy. He makes you miserable."

"I'll figure it out," Theo replied softly, kissing y/n's head. "I'll figure it out."

"He sucks, you know that?" y/n asked with a small, humorless laugh. "If he wasn't there, I'd go. If he wasn't involved, I'd go anywhere you asked me to."

Theo nodded, looking into her eyes. "I love you," he whispered, meeting their lips into a passionate, emotional kiss. "I'll figure it out, I promise. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

y/n pulled him into a tight embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's okay. I shouldn't have lied to you."

"If I can convince him to not go... would you come?" Theo asked, hugging her tighter. "I can figure it out."

y/n nodded, pulling back just enough to see his face. He had that determined look that he sported on occasion, like when he played quidditch, or when he was working on an assignment. "I'd go anywhere with you and only you."

Theo nodded silently, kissing y/n again, this time as a promise. "It'll be done. And no more little lies."

"No more little lies," y/n agreed, pulling them both down on her bed.

-

i hope you liked it!! as always, requests are open!

[sequincult]

Return of the Floyd AU

(Floyd returns to join his brothers but only finds a teenage grey Branch, who is not too happy to see him.)

The years since Floyd left have not been easy on him. His solo career tanked, his boyfriend left after Floyd’s Brozone money dried up, and now he has nowhere to go. He spent years living in the woods, searching for wherever the Trolls ended up once they’d escaped the Bergens. After a very long time, he finally finds them. But not everything is how he’d imagined. He makes his way into the village, and asks for help from a very pink troll.

Floyd coyly walks up to her. “Hi, excuse me? Could you help me find someone?” 

“Oh hi there! I don’t think I’ve seen you around before?? Luckily for you I know just about everyone in this village!! Who are you looking for?”

Floyd’s eyes dart around, overwhelmed at her energy. “I’m uh looking for my brothers! They’re-”

 Suddenly a voice beckons from behind the trees.

“They’re not here.” A figure emerges. It’s Branch. Stood next to Poppy he may as well be in black and white. The only colour on his body being his jacket, a jacket Floyd immediately recognises as his own.

Poppy raises an eyebrow. “Oh just ignore him, he doesn-“

But before she can even finish, Floyd’s eyes light up. “Baby Branch!!”

He runs towards him, arms wide open for a hug, but stops in his tracks after noticing Branch’s appearance.

 “Wait, what happened to you? You look so dull, and your eyes are so…”

“So what? Wrinkled? Ugly? Grey? Hey, nice to see you too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sensing a moment of tension, Poppy interrupts. 

“Wait wait wait, branch! you have a brother?”

Branch frowns and shakes his head. “Hey can you stay out of this? It has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh ok. Right… I’ll go.”

Poppy sighs and leaves with her head held low.

After a deep breath, Branch continues.

“So Floyd, if you’re wondering why I look like this, maybe it’s because all of my brothers abandoned me. Maybe it’s because none of the other trolls understand. Not a single one of them know how it’s feels to be totally alone.”

“But, what about Grandma? I thought she’d take care of you. W-where is she?”

Branch shakes and grits his teeth.

“SHE DIED FLOYD”

His eyes shoot to the ground. His hands squeezed tightly.

“She died, and I was the only one who could have saved her… a-and I failed.”

Floyd takes a step back. He can struggles to breathe as he feels the weight of his mistakes filling his chest like lead.

“So you. Were alone.” 

Branch loses his temper, screaming as his tears poured down his face.

“OF COURSE I’D END UP ALONE. WHAT DID YOU THINK? SHE’D LIVE FOREVER?”

“I.. I…thought…”

Branch interrupts: “Whatever it is you thought was wrong. Why did you even come back anyway.”

 “I just wanted to see my brothers again and-”

“Well bad news. None of the others came back. It’s just me. And right now I’m really wishing you’d leave.”

“Branch please, I’m sorry just listen to me”

“Nope. I’m leaving you this time, and I’m going home. Don’t follow me unless you wanna die in a bear trap. Bye.” Branch turns his back and hastily stomps away.

Floyd curls up on the ground, alone. Thousands of thoughts are racing through his mind. How could this have happened? He’d never seen a troll look so desaturated. That’s when he notices. Out of the corner of his eye. His hand is turning grey.

He starts panicking, his breathing accelerates. 

“No, no, no. What’s happening.”

His anxiety is only stopped by a sudden scream.

“HEY FLOYD!!!!!” A head appears from the bushes. It’s… Poppy?

“FLOYD are you OK? Your name is Floyd right?” She looks down and screams. “OHMYGOSHYOURHAND!. What do I do what do I do??? Uh, try and think about like, flowers and rainbows and stuff?

Even through the pain Floyd can’t help but roll his eyes. “I’m sorry, but that’s not really helping right now. And were you… listening to us in the bushes? That’s kinda creepy.”

Poppy smiles. “Well, it is my duty as princess to help every trolls problem. Even if it involves being kinda creepy”

Floyd seems a little surprised. “Oh, you’re the princess here?”

Poppy immediately realises she hasn’t actually introduced herself yet. “Oh my goodness how RUDE of me! I’m Poppy, princess of Troll village and your new best friend! I’ll take you to my Dad, he might know what to do. Let me help you up.”

She holds out her hand. (part 2)

[pocket-lad]

CH 1- A Few Important Details

She faced down Human Beans. She faced down dinosaurs. What crazy thing could the world possibly throw at Adelaide next? Try another borrower and an adventure far beyond the walls.

A sequel to Only a Couple Days & Growing Pains. This work is going to be quite a bit different than previous stories, mostly because it's not directly based on a movie. I hope you enjoy!!

Masterpost ● Next

“Oh my God,” Adelaide breathed. She was really staring at a real-life borrower. She hadn’t seen anyone her size in over a decade!

Years seemed to pass in the silence between them, but the new person broke it first. “Come on!” she whispered urgently. “Are you crazy? There’s three whole Beans in that room!”

Adelaide sputtered. Where could she even start?

“What were you doing in there?”

“I, uh…I thought I saw…a mouse,” Adelaide half-lied.

The woman was pretty. She had wildly curly black hair and dark skin. Her big eyes were the color of chocolate, and she stood only slightly taller than Adelaide. “Well, they won’t be asleep forever,” she said. “What’s your name?”

“Adelaide.”

“Adelaide, I’m Ollie.”

“Do you live here?” Duh. Of course she lives here.

“Yeah, and I’ve never seen you around before. Where’d you even come from?” Ollie’s tone of voice wasn’t exactly suspicious. Hesitant, maybe.

“I just got here today.” It wasn’t technically a lie.

“I assume you plan on staying, then?”

“I’m not sure,” Adelaide admitted. It didn’t escape her mind that Ian and Sarah were getting serious. She always assumed it would either end badly or Sarah would move to Texas. She never considered that Ian would want to move here, but now that she was forced to think about it, she wasn’t so sure.

“Well, we have a place for you if you do.”

“Oh, thanks!” God, Adelaide forgot what it was like to be a borrower around other borrowers. They always helped those in need and always welcomed others with open doors, no questions asked. They had to stick together in such a large world.

“We should hurry while they’re still asleep. I’ll show you where the best food is, but really, you can find stuff pretty much anywhere. This Bean is super messy.” 

Adelaide laughed, remembering the way she pointed out the cluttered apartment straight to Sarah’s face. “Let’s go.” Ollie said, and she roughly guided Adelaide toward her thread that hung from the kitchen counter.

Adelaide blinked as all of the information sunk in. Ollie was a borrower. She lived in Sarah’s house. She was in the middle of borrowing. She didn’t know that the humans were friendly and she didn’t know that Adelaide regularly interacted with them. Adelaide decided she wanted to keep it that way for the time being, because honestly, she missed this. She missed the camaraderie, she even missed the thrill a little bit. Maybe it was selfish, but she played along anyway.

“You go up first,” Ollie said.

“I’m probably gonna be pretty slow,” Adelaide admitted, holding up her mess of a hand.

“Holy shit, what happened?!”

“I fell on it when Ia- when a Bean…” She closed her mouth. Less is more .

“Oh my God, that must have been terrible. I’m so sorry…” Ollie looked pitifully at Adelaide’s hand. Morbid curiosity nearly made her ask for details, but she respected her privacy, and now was not the time. “You should still go first. I don’t want to leave you stranded on the floor. Better to stick together.”

Guilt crept up on Adelaide. She wasn’t exactly lying, but whatever she was doing, it didn’t feel good. She felt like she was betraying Ollie’s trust. Ollie didn’t know her, and yet she was risking her life for her.

“Okay,” she said. She prepared herself to start climbing, but the sound of something massive shifting around stopped her in her tracks. Somebody was awake. This was about to go downhill very fast.

Ollie heard it too. “Change of plans,” she said, immediately dislodging her hook and coiling it around her arm.

Footsteps rumbled in the distance, but they were rapidly approaching. It may have been a vast distance for the borrowers to traverse, but they both knew it would take a Bean mere seconds to cross from the couch to the kitchen. They had no time. Adelaide would be surprised if they made it out of this one without being noticed.

Ollie took off, but looked back to see Adelaide rooted in place. She assumed the new borrower was in shock, or was simply too scared to move. She couldn’t imagine what happened to make a Bean crush her hand, but it couldn’t have been anything good. Regardless, they had to keep moving. Ollie sprinted back to grab Adelaide’s good hand and dragged her along.

***

Ian’s eyes cracked open at the sound of voices…Voices? Plural?

Shaking the grogginess off, he stretched and slowly inched toward the kitchen. He would have heard somebody come in, right? And the voice sounded too quiet to be human, which meant…

***

They weren’t going to make it. Ollie stopped and pulled out her knife. “Go without me. Just around the corner, there’s a hole that leads into the wall. Wait for me there, and if I don’t make it back…well, I’ll make it back.” She gave Adelaide a cocky smile, but her nervous eyes betrayed her.

Adelaide still didn’t move. She couldn’t leave Ollie to deal with this on her own, especially when it was almost definitely Ian headed their way.

“Go, stupid!” Ollie yelled, shoving Adelaide as hard as she could.

Adelaide, unprepared, fell to the ground.

***

Ian had just looked over the edge of the table in time to see two people, both around three inches tall, standing down on the floor. One was Adelaide. The other had just shoved Adelaide - hard - and brandished a knife.

Ian quickly bent down and snatched this new borrower up. With his other hand, he gently scooped Adelaide off the floor.

***

“Nonononononono,” Adelaide mumbled. This was going so wrong so fast. What sealed the deal was Ian’s inexplicable and frankly idiotic decision to reach for them both.

She braced herself like she usually did, but had no time to warn Ollie. She couldn’t even see what he was doing to Ollie from her vantage point, but she felt her own body slide into his warm palm and could only hope he was being as gentle with her.

Adelaide fought against Ian on principle. Obviously it was useless. She flew through the air and could only focus on keeping her hand from getting hurt worse.

When the movement ended, she found herself on the kitchen table. Looking around, no sign of Ollie. Then she looked up. Her jaw dropped.

Ollie was stuck in Ian’s fist, fighting for her life. Ian had taken her knife and set it down on the table beside Adelaide, and he knew to keep the new borrower angled away so she couldn’t bite him.

Adelaide didn’t think about how, if for some reason, Ian wanted to hurt another borrower, he knew exactly how to do so because of his experience with her. She thought back to all the times she explicitly told him what not to do, told him all the things that made her uncomfortable, not thinking for even a second that Ian would use this information to take advantage of a smaller being. This was her fault.

“Put her down!” Adelaide yelled, running up to Ian’s other hand that rested on the table. She kicked at it repeatedly to knock some sense into him.

“What’s going on?” he asked defensively. 

“Ian, she’s scared! Put her down! Now!”

“She pushed you!”

“She was saving me from you!”

Ian realized his mistake. In his attempt to protect his friend, he may have just scarred another borrower for life. Slowly, he set the girl down.

As soon as Ian’s hand opened, Ollie leapt away, scooping up her knife and pointing it up at him. “Adelaide, get behind me.” It sounded like she heard none of their conversation, too occupied with escaping.

Adelaide blinked but did as she was told. Ian regarded them both with utter confusion plastered across his giant face. He wasn’t often confused, and he certainly didn’t like it.

“Let us go,” Ollie demanded. The confidence in her voice was impressive. Only Adelaide could hear the slight falter in it.

“Um…okay,” Ian said, but he didn’t move. Adelaide knew this meant he was going to stay hands off and just observe, let them do whatever they wanted, but since he still sat there, it looked like he was still holding them captive. For all Ollie knew, he would just grab them when they attempted to escape.

“Yeah, let us go!” Adelaide echoed in support. She guessed she was keeping up the charade, then. She just hoped Ian would play along.

He didn’t say anything, but his brow furrowed. Adelaide sent him a look that said to just go with it and that she’d explain later. She knew her face was small and distant to him and therefore hard to read, but she was pretty sure he got the point.

Ollie didn’t take her eyes off Ian, but she whispered to Adelaide. “He doesn’t live here. I think he’s partnered with the Bean who does live here, which means we’ve probably got more incoming. Watch your back.”

Adelaide checked behind her, but as far as she could tell, Sarah and Kelly were still fast asleep.

It also turned out that Ian did not get her point. In fact, he interpreted it all wrong.

“Ahh, I’m uh…I’m going to get you!” he said half-heartedly, wiggling his fingers and smirking at how ridiculous his attempt at being the evil Bean sounded.

Ollie was more than confused. Was this some kind of game? His words indicated mal intent, but he didn’t sound very sincere.

Adelaide closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked Ian in the eye and shook her head, hoping that maybe he would get it this time.

Ian corrected himself. “Oh, um…what’s your name?” he asked the new borrower, but his tone was asking Adelaide if that was the right thing to say.

Ollie flinched when he looked at her. “I’m warning you,” she said, ignoring his question and raising her knife a little higher.

“That’s a - that’s a weird name…Warning me? For what?” This new borrower was obviously sacred, but she obviously wasn't in any danger, either. It was hard not to tease her, and it was even harder to keep a straight face.

“I’ll stab you.” Ollie said seriously. Her hand started to shake. Adelaide felt horrible.

“I see why you guys get along,” Ian chuckled. They were both so unnecessarily violent.

“No!” Adelaide blurted.

Ollie whipped her head back to Adelaide, a sudden spark of betrayal piling on top of her confusion, but she didn’t want to keep her attention off the Bean too long.

“What’d you want me to do?” Ian asked Adelaide, too impatient to play this game. He wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to know who this new person was. He hated being in the dark.

Ollie continued to look back and forth between them. She was suddenly very suspicious of Adelaide, so she repeatedly moved her knife from Ian to Adelaide and back. She wasn’t taking any chances.

“Do not point that at her,” Ian warned. He sat up a bit straighter, ready to protect his friend.

Ollie's knife dipped.

“Ian, don’t,” Adelaide said harshly. He was not going to threaten Ollie. She was just defending herself.

“I’m serious,” he said.

“So am I!”

“What’s going on?” Ollie yelled. The quick rise and fall of her chest indicated that a panic attack was fast approaching.

“Okay,” Adelaide held out her hands placatingly and slowly approached the trembling borrower. “Ollie, you’re safe. This is Ian. He’s my friend.”

“Bullshit,” Ollie spat.

“He is. I know you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t believe myself, either, if I hadn’t spent the past couple years with him.”

As Adelaide approached, Ollie backed up. Her eyes darted around, trying to find some sense of reality to latch onto. A borrower and a Bean? Friends? She backed toward the edge of the table, and Ian instinctively held his hand out behind her, just in case she fell.

Ollie sensed the massive presence and turned around. She screamed at the sight of a towering, enormous hand looming above and stumbled backwards towards Adelaide. That hand was going to grab her. It was going to take her away. Or it would crush her. She’d never see her family again.

Adelaide grabbed the woman’s shoulders, which made her jump. Ollie turned around again , feeling backed into a corner. There was nowhere to go.

“What? You’re - you’re his pet or something? You lure people out of the walls so Beans can snatch them up? Is that it?”

“God, no!” Adelaide said, sick even at the idea of such a thing. She realized that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Ian hovering. “Ian, can you go literally anywhere else right now?”

Ian looked like he wanted to protest, but just shrugged and pushed his chair out from the table.

Ollie jumped and gripped her knife tighter at the sound of the chair scraping against the floor.

Ian sauntered over to the corner of the kitchen and leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed, watching the interaction from afar. Adelaide rolled her eyes. This wasn’t what she wanted, but it was as good as she was going to get.

Ollie watched with wide eyes. Adelaide just told the Bean what to do! And he listened!

Adelaide set her knife down on the table and kicked it away, showing she meant no harm. She hoped that wouldn’t backfire.

“Ollie, I never lied to you. I just…I left out some pretty important details,” she laughed. Ollie did not reciprocate. “I’m not his pet. We’re friends. His name is Ian-” (Ian waved) “-and he would never hurt you-”

“Then let me go,” Ollie interrupted. It seemed as though none of Adelaide’s words made it through to her. Hell, she could barely look at her, too distracted by the looming Bean.

“Okay,” Adelaide sighed. She wasn’t going to stop the borrower from leaving, but she was severely disappointed.

Ollie secured her hook on the table and turned to climb down, eyes never leaving Ian. If Adelaide was telling the truth, then the Bean wouldn’t stop her. Hopefully.

Adelaide dug her hook out as well. “Let me walk you to-”

“No,” Ollie said forcefully. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She needed time to think. And she certainly wasn’t going to let this borrower know where her home was, where her family was. Not when said borrower was allied with a Bean.

Adelaide froze in her tracks as her heart sank. She blew it. The first time she’d seen a borrower in over a decade and she blew it. All she could do was stand there and watch Ollie’s progress. She didn’t move even after the woman disappeared into the walls, using the entrance Adelaide happened upon earlier.

Small quakes on the surface of the table and the sound of shifting fabric signaled Ian’s approach. Only when he laid a finger on her shoulder did she move, shrugging him off and turning toward him. “Back off!” she shouted.

Ian was taken aback by the outburst. “Della-”

Adelaide ignored him, marching toward the edge of the table. She collected her knife, readied her hook, and started to climb down.

“Hey, maybe you shouldn’t-” Ian started, but was cut off by a very angry look from Adelaide, daring him to finish that sentence. Maybe you shouldn’t climb with your broken hand. He sighed. Both of them knew this was a bad idea, she knew this was a bad idea, which was what irritated him so much. She was going to hurt herself because she didn’t want him telling her what to do.

Adelaide tried to take deep breaths as she lowered herself down. She squeezed the thread with her legs and used her right hand to stabilize herself. Then, very slowly, eased the pressure of her legs, letting herself slide in a semi-controlled manner to the ground.

Silently, she coiled up her hook and shoved it back in her bag. She stomped over to the hole she watched Ollie disappear into. Adelaide’s intentions weren’t super clear even to herself, but she justified it as wanting cover. Or wanting a sense of familiarity. Something like that. Definitely not following Ollie.

“Della,” Ian called after her again. “Della!”

“What?!” Adelaide exploded, whipping around. She wavered a little when she had to look up at a skyscraper of a person, but she held her ground. Why were Bean’s heads always just a little higher than she thought? It was as if they grew a foot on purpose each time, just to intimidate her.

“Calm down, let’s talk about this… Uh, forgive me for being curious but there’s a whole - a whole new person on the floor sticking a, um, a knife at you. Perhaps maybe-”

Adelaide cut him off. “I want to be alone.”

Ian paused. “What?”

Oh. That wasn’t a clarifying ‘what’. He legitimately did not hear her, which felt like a real kick in the head. As if she didn’t already feel small, standing on the ground no taller than his ankles. “I said I want to be alone.”

Ian bit his tongue. “Okay.”

Adelaide took off toward the walls, running as fast as she could. Ian didn’t move the whole time, but she could feel his eyes tracking her. As soon as she made it inside, she collapsed into a seated position, catching her breath. God, Ian could be so thick sometimes!

Adelaide sat there for an indeterminate amount of time. She was right - she really did need the comfort of the walls. It had only been a couple days, but it felt like years had passed since she was in the walls back home. While these ones were not the same, they would suffice. As long as she had cover over her head and darkness to conceal herself, she would be fine. And there was the added bonus of cleanliness, thanks to the borrower(s?) who already lived there.

Adelaide said she wanted to wander the walls. Well, there was no time like the present. She hoisted herself up, dusted herself off, and began her journey into the unknown.

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[psychedelicstardust-gvf]

Hazy Confessions - Sam x Reader One Shot

reposting this as a one shot because i started writing the fic, but i don't wanna finish it! so here's everything i had written. let's just say it's a one shot with no clear resolution

Word Count: 2.9k

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Your first year of college has not gone at all how you expected it would so far. Before you moved across the country to Michigan for school, you never would have expected to be where you are. You expected to move out here and keep to yourself, maybe make a few surface-level friends to help in your classes, and overall, just stay on the down low until the end of the year.

In your first class of the fall semester, you found yourself sitting next to this eccentric boy about your age. He struck up a conversation with you immediately, telling you it was his first day as well, and asked if you wanted to hang out sometime. At first, you were hesitant, wanting to stick to your plan of not getting too attached, but after spending a few hours with him after class, you found yourself gravitating toward this boy you met. He even gave you a nickname, Flower, on the day you met because you had embroidered flowers all over your backpack.

Four months later, you consider Sam your best friend, and you two are rarely apart. You spend most of your free time with him, hanging out in your dorm after classes since it’s so close to campus, hanging at his apartment on the weekends, and occasionally sleeping over at each other’s places.

One thing in particular you love about your friendship with Sam is the weekly ritual you two started a month after meeting each other. Every Friday night, you show up at Sam’s door with a bag of snacks, dressed in comfy clothes, and an overnight bag in tow. You started sleeping over at Sam’s on the weekends because his apartment is surrounded by nature, and you like to escape the busy atmosphere of your on-campus dorm whenever possible.

So, like clockwork, Friday night rolls around and you are standing outside Sam’s door with all the supplies you gathered. Slinging your overnight bag and snack tote over your shoulder, you knock on the door. It only takes a few seconds for it to swing open, Sam bringing you into a hug as soon as you walk through the doorway. “Flower!” He squeezes you by the shoulders, “It’s been so long!”

You roll your eyes at his exclamation, having seen him earlier in the day on campus. “It’s literally been 4 hours, dumbass, now take these bags.”

“Of course, my lady,” he says, taking the bags and bowing exaggeratedly at you.

You giggle at him, then walk across the room to the corner his bed is pushed against and make yourself at home. You loved Sam’s apartment. It was a studio on the first floor of his building, nestled in a back corner with a view of the woods. It was a refreshing escape from the view at your apartment, which was mostly other concrete buildings and bustling students.

Sam placed your bags on his desk chair before picking up his laptop and opening a random streaming service. “Any requests?” he asks as he starts connecting the laptop to the small TV mounted on the wall above his desk.

“Nope, whatever you want Sammy boy, I’m not picky.” He gave you a small smile, which you return, and then he turns around to begin browsing for something to watch. In truth, you never really care what you all watch together, you just enjoying the time you spend together. There’s no doubt about the feelings you're harboring towards Sam, but there was no reason to make anything of them. You’ve been through this same situation before, where you catch feelings for a close friend, and they see you as nothing more than that. A friend. The friendship you have with Sam is so perfect, so easy, there’s no way you could let a fleeting crush ruin that.

“Okay,” Sam speaks up from his place at the desk, “how does Finding Nemo sound?” he asks, turning to face you with a little smirk adorning his lips.

“Sure, sounds good to me, I haven’t watched it in forever.” Smiling at you, he displays the movie on the TV rather than the small computer screen. You maneuver yourself around his bed, trying to find a comfortable position to watch the movie while also leaving room for him. When you finally settle into a comfy spot, you notice a small bag of weed sitting by his pillow before he can press play on the movie. “Ooh, Sammy, what’s this?” you ask, moving to pick up the bag.

He turns around to look at you, shrugging. “Oh, um, it’s just something I’ve been trying. Jake gave me some.” You notice him fiddling with his fingers in front of him, a slightly nervous demeanor now overtaking the relaxed one from a few moments ago. “I meant to put it away before you got here if I’m being honest.”

You feel confused by his statement. “Why is that?” you ask, feeling a tinge of sadness that he didn’t want to share this with you.

He moves across the small room, sitting next to you on the edge of his bed. “I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t know how you’d feel about it.” He gently takes the baggie from your hands, holding it in his lap.

You felt a wave of sympathy wash over you. “Sammy, I wish you didn’t feel like that, but I promise I’m fine with it.”

He finally looks up at you, a small smile on his lips. “Really?”

You put your hand on his knee and gave it a few pats, “Yes, really, why wouldn't I be?" You pause for a moment, trying to think of something to say. “How long have you been doing it?”

He didn’t answer for a few seconds, like he was trying to recall when he started. “Maybe a few weeks? I’m not really sure. Jake brought it up a while ago, but I was never really interested until recently.”

This time, you don’t respond for a while. The silence was far from awkward though. The two of you are very comfortable in each other’s presence. You finally speak up, “Will you show me how?”

He snaps his head to look at you, not expecting you to say that. “Um, yeah,” the nervous energy returned ever so slightly. “Are you sure? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to, and I wouldn’t say anything if you didn’t, no pressure-”

“Sammyyy,” you cut him off, “Stop overthinking so much. Relax, it’s just me.” You grab one of his shoulders, squeezing it reassuringly and give him a small smile.

He smiles back at you, then gets up off the bed to kneel in front of his nightstand. “Okay then let me just get some stuff ready.” He shuffled miscellaneous items around in the drawer before pulling out a pack of rolling papers, a grinder, a rolling tray, and his lighter. “I really only have this if that’s okay.” He moved to sit next to you again, crossing his legs under him and laying the items out between you two. You folded your own legs underneath yourself, now sitting facing Sam.

You had smoked weed before, but the last time you tried it was months back home with some friends from high school, and it wasn't exactly a smooth and efficient sesh. You barely remembered how to roll a joint, but you figure you could give it your best try if Sam was willing to share this experience with you. You pull the tray into your lap, pull a rolling paper out of the package, and reach for the baggie of weed Sam was holding between his fingers.

You could feel his hesitation, his body tense and unmoving. You could barely see him breathing. “Hey,” you put your hands on the bed in front of you and lean forward to meet his eyes, “It’s just me. Everything is fine, relax.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. I’ve never done this with anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it’s with you but I can’t help it.”

You felt a pang in your chest. This was a side of Sam you didn’t see very often. Sam is very confident and outgoing most of the time, knowing how to keep a conversation moving and scatter light jokes where they are appropriate. This Sam, anxious and insecure, was one that came out very rarely, and you felt lucky that he was comfortable letting this side of himself show around you.

In an attempt to calm his nerves, you moved over to lean against the wall his bed was pushed up against. You pat the space next to you and look at him with a gentle expression. “Come on, sit next to me. We’ll do this together.”

He seemed to relax at your gesture, crawling across the bed and plopping down next to you. You pulled the tray back into your lap and start to roll a joint.

-------

“I mean it’ll definitely probably work,” Sam joked as you held up the newly rolled joint in your fingers. You shot a playful glare in his direction, then turned your attention back to the rolled-up paper between your fingers. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t really matter to either of you.

“Do you want to go first?” he asked you, his nervous energy gone for the most part.

You were starting to feel a little nervous yourself. What if you don’t do it right? What if you have a coughing fit? What if you drop the joint on his sheets and light his bedroom on fire? Realistically, you know everything will be fine because you were with Sam, but you couldn’t help catastrophizing a little (a lot). “I haven’t done this in a long time,” you confessed, “I think I want to see how you do it first.”

“Yeah, sure.” He shuffled in his spot, scooting closer to you on the bed. He took the joint from your hand and brought it to his lips, his free hand bringing the lighter to the twisted end of the joint. You studied his face as he flicked the lighter, his eyebrows knit together in concentration, lips pursed tightly to hold the piece of paper in place.

A puff of smoke left his mouth as the joint finally lit, and he took a long drag, holding the smoke in his lungs for a few seconds before slowly exhaling into the air. You watched in awe, replaying the image of Sam blowing out smoke repeatedly in your head. Suddenly enraptured by the man sitting next to you, you didn’t notice Sam saying your name until you felt a gentle touch on your knee.

Snapping back into reality, you looked up at Sam. He was already looking at you, the remnants of his anxiety peeking through his expression. “Hey, you okay?”

You nodded your head and took a breath, trying to ground yourself. “Yeah, I’m okay.” You reached between you and Sam to grab the joint from his fingers. You started to bring it up to your face but stopped a few centimeters from your lips. “Um,” you uttered nervously, “how exactly do I…” Your voice trailed off as you tried to figure out your words.

Sam scooted even closer to you on the bed, abandoning all space so your thighs were now touching. “Here, I’ll try to do my best to explain.” Hoping to calm you down, he gently rested his hand on your knee. “When you have the joint between your lips, think about filling your lungs rather than inhaling, if that makes sense. Then try to hold it for as long as you can before you let it out.”

You listened to his instructions and tried to remember them as clearly as you could as you brought the joint up to your lips. You try to do as he said, thinking about filling your lungs and holding it in, but when you went to let out the smoke you started coughing.

When you finally came out of your coughing fit you looked at Sam just to see him giggling at you. “What?” you say, “I’m a little out of practice, Sammy,” you joked in an attempt to play off the terrible hit you just took.

Sam takes the joint from you, “I’m not saying anything about it,” he puts the joint between his lips once again and takes another long drag, this time blowing the smoke directly at your face. You swat his leg and glare at him playfully, and he is smiling goofily at you when the smoke clears. “Here,” he says, passing you the joint once more, “Try again, but this time try not to inhale SO much, don’t overestimate how much smoke can fit in your lungs.”

You take the joint from him, “Okay Mr. Professional,” you joke, causing him to laugh that stoner laugh of his you love so much. His hand is still resting on your knee, calming you down enough to be comfortable attempting a second hit. You bring the joint up to your lips and take Sam’s advice, imagining filling your lungs with smoke, but not too much that you start coughing. This time when you exhale, there are no coughs making their way up your throat, just the cloud of smoke disappearing into the room.

“See,” Sam squeezes your knee, “Now you got it Ms. Professional.”

You and Sam make quick work of finishing the joint, the movie long forgotten by the time Sam is putting out the roach in the ashtray on his nightstand. At this point, you are beginning to slump more and more into the wall, a satisfying buzz clouding your mind. Sam leaves the bed for a moment to put music on his computer instead of the abandoned movie, returning to his previous spot right next to you.

You look over at him just to find him already looking at you. “Hi.” You smile at him, your faces only inches apart, but no intentions of anything more than just being close to one another.

“Hi,” Sam responds with a gentle smile.

“I’m so glad I met you,” you say with a goofy smile on your face, suddenly finding yourself speaking with no filter. “Oop, sorry,” you giggled and covered your face with your hand.

“Sappy, are we?” Sam joked before grabbing your hand and gently pulling your hand away from your face and into his lap where he held it in his own. “I’m just kidding, Flower, I’m glad I met you too.”

A comfortable atmosphere settled over the room, you and Sam sitting on his bed pleasantly buzzed, and nothing except the sound of each other’s breathing and the soft ambient music Sam had playing on his computer. You wished things could be like this all the time, just you and Sam and nothing outside of these walls.

But unfortunately, reality has a way of ruining your fantasies. With Sam holding your hand so delicately in his, you are confronted with the romantic feelings for him you have been holding back in favor of protecting the friendship. The way he is mindlessly caressing your knuckles with his thumb is reason for pause though. Is he holding your hand as an innocent display of affection between friends, or is there some deeper meaning to it?

Either way, you can't deal with the stress of the question right now, so you try to enjoy the feeling while you can.

“Your hands are so soft,” you hear him say after a few minutes of him holding your hand. He drags his fingers across the back of your hand, gently grabbing your wrist and flipping your hand to have your palm facing up. He brings his other hand over and matches it to yours, observing the difference in size. His eyes are locked on the place where your hands meet. “And they’re so tiny, how have I never realized this?” he says as he intertwines his fingers in yours.

Butterflies. That’s what you’re feeling in your belly as he says this to you. “I have no idea Sammy, maybe because we don’t make a habit of holding each other’s hands.”

When you look up from where your hand is in his, you find him already looking you in the eyes. He studies your face for a second before he says, “Maybe we should make it a habit.”

Seriously? Is he implying what you think he is? He couldn’t possibly. But then why is he saying that and looking at you like that? No, no, this can’t happen, Sam is your best friend, you can’t let this be ruined. You have to do something.

“Yeah,” you sigh, still holding eye contact, “Maybe we should.”

PANIC. That did not help. That was almost definitely the opposite of what you wanted to say.

PANIC. Is he starting to lean in? He flicks his eyes to your lips, then back up to your eyes.

PANIC? His face is so close to yours now, only a little closer and he would be close enough to-

 “Want a break from the ads?”

The moment is abruptly cut off by Sam’s stupid refusal to pay for music streaming services. His eyes immediately drop from yours and snap to the laptop where the music had been playing. “Fucking seriously,” he mutters as he backs away from you and reluctantly lets go of your hand to make his way over to the laptop.

[bound-up-feelings]

Hello dear,I’m in love with time,yeah the movie came out in 2016 (attlg) so what lol I LOVE how funny he is,but like there’s barely anything with him,even with Sacha,so if u could maybe write something about him,like reader got invited by alice but when reader went inside alice house they saw a mirror in maybe the bedroom and Alice nowhere in sight so they got in because they are curious and got teleported in under land,and as they walked they saw time castle and idk they got friends or even better enemies to lovers,anyway this is very long sorry,have a good day :D (reader can be a she or a they !)

Well first off, he thinks your exactly like Alice to all trust or any form of it is out of the window so say goodbye to that

Don't expect him to even be remotely nice to you from the moment he meets you

Ever since Alice came along all she has done is waste him and he despises her for that

It's the same with you

Even though you tried to reason with her that she's hurting the one thing that keeps this world turning she doesn't even listen to you

You agree with her all the way, but she's harming others to do so

Anytime you saw each other he'd get so pissed and frustrated at you

Yelling and trying to catch up before you and Alice could make yet another escape

Of course, he was always just so close but never exactly fast enough

And of course, in the end she realizes the truth, and everyone is happy when she finally returns what's been taken

After she's apologized you actually apologized as well

When time heard Alices apology he accepted it with a curt nod and a few wise words to warn her of future attempts to not listen to wiser beings

When hears you apologize, he is also apologizing for some odd reason

He cannot maintain eye contact with you for more than two seconds

The gears in the back of his neck are turning to hard he fears they may burst

He tries to calm himself by telling himself that what he feels is useless because you will be leaving for forever

Of course, you make a promise to come back the moment you have the chance

He nods his head in hope but also, he has a feeling that that promise may never be fulfilled

About a week later you actually came back

When you entered the castle, the seconds were super ecstatic to see you

They led you to Time and sure enough he was bent over working on something when he heard the seconds making commotion

"Will you be silent. I am trying to fix what you have broken and i cannot do so with all the chatter."

He says standing tall and turning to look in your direction

When he makes eye contact with you, he wastes none of himself to immediately cross the room and envelop you in a bone crushing hug

He sighs out as buries his head in your shoulder

"My dear, I was beginning you had forgotten your promise." 

Of course, he takes your hand in his and begins to lead you around just talking about anything and everything

At one point you stop and begin talk about random things

"You know I thought you didn't want to ever see me again. Since I was with Alice and all." 

He scoffs

"My dear. I have loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you. Though it did frustrate me that you helped your friend conspire against me. I couldn't help but fall even deeper in love with you."

Those words shocked you, but you couldn't help but immediately hug him

"I couldn't agree more with you. I too fell for you too." 

And like that you found yourself going to him more and more often till you finally just said screw it and almost ended up staying there

Every now and then, instead of just visiting time like usual you were visiting your friends and family instead and found yourself staying with Time

So, you could definitely say that life was beginning to become a dream come true

(So sorry for such the long wait. Thing have been crazy. I have a better explanation on my pinned post, so please go check that out so your and everyone else is up to date.)

[loveneversleepss]

pairing- Devil. x Traitor. female reader

genre- hell vs heaven, angel and devil au, use of dark magic, slow burn, forbidden lovers,

warnings: different povs, depression, family issues, death, blood, suicide, rebirth,

Inspired by girl from nowhere and American horror story-apocalypse.

UNFINISHED

~~~~

Angel but turned bad. locked up for years. abandoned by heaven. disfigured. Daughter of the devil. God gave her a chance to live in the real world. Falls in love and decides to run away with him. Suicide. Rebirth. ~was laying out draft

There is never a thing as pure evil or good. Everyone and everything has a little good or bad in them. It's how the world works, how it is. In the constant battle of heaven and hell, you could get mixed up. But would it be fair to be called a traitor, if you were simply surviving?

The drips from constant storms hit the cold stone, a warmth that will never be. The screams of torture haunt your head every minute. The pain of being stuck and nowhere to escape. Being watched and tortured with no breaks, your hell. Will you ever escape your hell?

~

You think back on the memories you had back on earth, you were blessed to be in change of a man. A man who was on his last life. You were assigned to protect him from all harm as an guardian Angel.

"You're mission is to protect him, make sure no harm comes to him as it is his last life."

Changbin, was his name. It didn’t end well.

~

You lay on the wet floor as you've lost your strength, from little food and almost no water. Hair tangled and full of blood. Face disfigured from demons beating and cutting you. Body full of bruises and wounds. 'Please god, answer my prayers.' You beg in your head loudly, tears fall down and sting your cuts. You curl up into a ball as you cry silently.

"Y/n," this voice. This gut wrenching voice that you know all too well. Michael, son of Lucifer. The reason you're here. "You're thinking too loud, it's disgusting." You hear his footsteps approach but don't get up. He never comes inside your cell, just stands outside and watches. "Pitiful, so weak." You sit up slowly, "what do you want?" He laughs softly, "I'm here to offer you freedom." The door swings open with the flick of his fingers. "After all, you are Satan's daughter. You can't be locked up forever."

He leans down to your level and grips your face, "Isn't that right, Zeldee." He presses on your forehead and within seconds, you black out. You hate that name, it's not yours, not the one you choose to go by. When you were born, you were abandoned. Satan, your father, named you Zeldee and ordered to be rid of you. That's when you were left at the gates of heaven, raised to be an angel. But you never forgot your roots, and the people around you never forgot either.

~

You wake up on the floor, in a dimly lit room filled with red. 'Where am I?' you think and are immediately answered. “Welcome, Zeldee.” You look and see a man sitting on a throne. Many demons surround all of you. You quickly stumble on your knees and bow, “greetings, my king.” He chuckles, “no need for that, my little devil.” Although Michael, his son, has a grudge against you. His father treats you decent, for the king of the hell..

You don’t dare to look up. You have to remain in his good graces, it’s the only way you could escape. “I want you to go to the real world.” You freeze, this is your chance, your escape. “I need more souls, and you are the perfect candidate.” You stand up slowly and keep your head low, “why me, my king?” He smiles, "You will be my new anti-christ." Of course, his son failed his duties as being one. This is your chance.

"You have experience with the real world but you won't be going alone," you feel a silhouette creep up behind you. "Don't get too excited, y/n." You hold yourself back from rolling your eyes, you have to stay calm. You look back as Michael walks by your side, a smirk plastered on his face. "You will have him to help and fix his past failures. You will bring havoc to the real world." You smile, "I won't fail you, my king." He leans back on his throne as he analyzes you. "But you won't go like that." His eyes command Micheal as they communicate through them.

"Might as well make her decent to look at," with a swipe of his hand. His son obeys quickly, he steps towards you. You stay still and focus on the floor, not daring to look him into his eyes. With a slight touch of his hand across your cheek, you feel a slight tingle. Not the one that hurts, but heals. You open your eyes as you dare to look up at him. His eyes look at you confused. "One more thing," Lucifer sends a gush of wind to you as darkness surrounds you. It causes your vision to fog up and a headache pound deeply.

Then a screeching starts, feeling like it could make you bleed. It causes you to crouch down and cover your ears in panic. You scream loudly as it gets worse. Then something hits you, something entering your body. Memories of a life you don’t recognize flood your mind. Till this memory looks into a mirror, Michael. It’s his life on earth, when he was the anti-Christ. All of a sudden, everything stops. You open your eyes and look around. The fog's gone, eyes admire you from around the room. A loud chuckle pulls your attention. Then before your eyes, Lucifer is standing mere inches from you. "Pure perfection." His finger grazes along your cheek and swoops your hair.

"You will not fail, that's an order." You nod, "Of course." He walks away and sits back down. "Get on with it," Michael grabs your arm and you don't pull him away. He leads you into a room and he clenches harshly onto your arm. "I will be the one in control, you follow my orders." You smirk in his face, mockingly. "You seem to forget your place. You're no longer the anti-christ," you shove your arm away from his grasp. "You serve me," you notice a mirror in the corner and approach it.

You stand shocked with your appearance, they’ve altered it. You wear a school girl uniform, a white headband decorating your fresh hair. Your hair is a raven black, bangs resting just above your eyebrows. Lips red as an apple, plump and soft. Eyes the color of pale green that seem to stare right into souls, you can’t recognize them. Staring into your eyes you notice a slight glimmer in them, white. Pure white, as if you no longer had pupils. Then it slowly fades and all you see is white in them. The look of a devil.

“Are you finished?” Michael voice brings your attention back to the task at hand. “Let’s start what you couldn’t finish.” You grab his hand and place it on your heart. He looks at you confused, “how do you know to do this?” You glare at him and begin to transfer to the real world.

(Ideas for later in draft) idk wth this is

You step back and blink quickly as they recover and your eyes go back to normal.

"I can save him," a voice startles you as you look around for the culprit. A shadow emerges from the darkness, it comes forward.

"That thing growing in your belly," you freeze. Eyes widen in fear as you shake your head no, god no. "That's my price,"

[demontonic]

Ethan Landry - Perverted 2

I know it took me forever to finish this but its finally here! Read part 1 if have you havent already! This is it though i dont think ill be making a part three but heres my masterlist if you want more from me

word count: 3990

tw: blood, fighting, knife play, alcohol, dacryphilia, ethan is plowing through you idk what else to say

A month, one whole month and you had yet to tell anyone of what you saw. It was nearing halloween, more people started buying ghostface costumes unbeknownst- or rather in their own ignorance- the victims of woodsboro were amongst them. The uprising of the ghoulish mask had the group on edge, that being the original five as the others didn’t even flinch at the sight. Ethan had been getting closer and closer to you, going so far as sneaking into your room while you were awake, asleep, studying, showering. In a way you were flattered, amused by his boyish antics but there were times you had realizations that he was- no is a killer. At first the noise of your window sliding open followed by footsteps had you reaching for your knife, or any object you could defend yourself with. Now when you hear it, sometimes you don’t even acknowledge him until he speaks, questioning your behavior, lack of honesty, or even your mood.

At some point you convinced yourself he was trying to collect more information on you. Typically you could gather a lot from social media, or just being friends but you had avoided him so much, now was his time to get to know you. He told himself every time you crossed his mind it was purely for the end goal, but he knew you were twisted. He could tell by the way you never told anyone, or how you would react to him creeping through your window. There were times where he would leave, and wait on the fire escape until you fell asleep to go back in and just lay next to you, imagining a domestic life where he didn’t have a bloodlust. A life where he didn’t meet you the way he did, a sweet fairytale story to tell your future kids. He’d make sure he was a better father, never picking favorites and raising them right. You being his stay at home wife, going out everyday to provide for his family that he would love. Coming home at night and sleeping next to this beautiful being that he felt so normal around, but he would always have to leave and dream of waking up next to you.

Today was no different, you’d wake up, go to your classes, have lunch with the group, and then go home- or so you thought. Today had been slightly different, the entire university buzzing with comments about a halloween party. Like normal you had assumed you were going to stay home as you did for most parties and events. In your Literature course Ethan had decided to sit next to you, whispering a little too close to your ear about the party. He wanted you to go with him, and the group of course but he talked about you dressing as a princess as he would be a makeshift knight. Your face burned at the suggestion of corresponding outfits but you declined saying you most likely wouldn’t show. You noticed the immediate change in his demeanor, something that you had seen multiple times. He could be sweet, quiet, soft, well spoken, or he could be harsh, sharp tongued, quick witted, and stern. It was a real Jekyll and Hyde situation, at first it was frightening but now it was just a matter of knowing how to combat his remarks.

“You will look best in a burgundy dress, the color against your skin will be absolutely stunning” his breath fanned against your ear, voice dropping to the one you assumed he used when he made the calls. Ethan’s voice was as strong as the gaze he held, you felt it linger as the warmth of his body left yours. It almost made you shiver, almost refusing to meet his dark eyes knowing you’d be met with the void that accompanied this version of him. “Look at me when I’m talking to you,” you dropped your pen on the dark wooden desk before averting your eyes to his. First they held that dark void that came with the demeanor, but a few seconds after they went back to warm doe eyes you had first become infatuated with. The ones that stared at you from the floor of your room when you were half asleep finishing schoolwork. A sigh left his chest, almost unnoticeable if you hadn’t known his body language inside and out.

“It’s rude not to… please come to the party tonight it’s gonna be fun,” a crooked smile found its way onto his lips, his teeth peeking out slightly. You looked back towards the professor trying to fill the blanks from where you had stopped taking notes. “I’ll think about it Ethan, I wouldn’t even be able to get a dress such short notice- I don’t even like frat parties to begin with-“

“Stop whining and try to have fun, I don’t like crowds but it’s gonna be a one time thing,” he assured you as he stared at your hand scribble on the paper. Ethan always found himself tuning out to the sound of your pen writing on paper, the smell of your perfume, shampoo, chapstick. He even became accustomed to the tinge of weed under the coconut and vanilla body spray you favored, it was your scent, every product you used. The candles you lit, the oils you put in your diffuser, even your favorite drinks like vanilla frappuccino with coconut milk, or coconut water, vanilla milkshakes- he almost had a whole journal just for you.

“I said I’ll think abou-“

“Please”

Pleading? Asking? Begging? No, it was a demand disguised as a question to make it seem like you had a choice. Did you? Of course, you were a grown woman who could make her own decisions. No matter how he looked at you with those pretty brown eyes you stood your ground.

“I will think about it”. Alarms buzzed around the room signaling the end of this afternoon class, luckily it was your last class today. You quickly shoved your materials into your bag before weaving through the crowd of students, surely losing Ethan in the process. He was a stubborn little shit sometimes as you’ve come to notice, it made you feel special. With others he was a pushover, too scared to say no and always just doing what he was told. With you he felt comfortable voicing his opinions, speaking his mind, you were far past him whispering empty threats into your ear late at night. Now you talked about what he would be doing if he wasn’t doing the whole ghostface shitshow, if he hadn’t followed the ways of his father whom he’d yet to reveal. Some nights he asked about you, your childhood, aspirations, fantasies and then sometimes you would try to talk him out of following through. He’d always laugh and tease you about trying to be his savior, and falling in love with him but maybe it was he who’d fallen for you. Through the fog and the rain, you’d sparked a lantern within him, if he’d follow was still a decision he’d yet to make.

Arriving at your shared apartment the girls sat in the kitchen talking about the party. Sam had been long gone as she went to work, Quinn helped Tara figure out the pirate-esque outfit she was to wear. It was odd however, the redhead pulled a tight lipped smile with a slight tilt of the head before Tara fully turned to you. The smaller girl ran to capture your abdomen in a hug and then jumped in front of you excitedly.

“You didn’t tell us you and Ethan had gotten somewhere!” She practically vibrated in place, waiting for you to spill some details with eager eyes. Quinn had sat down, watching the exchange with her head resting in the palm of her hand.

“That dork actually had the balls to ask for some help,” she said in a gruff voice, you assumed she was tired from her classes although it felt entirely wrong. Jealousy couldn’t be it. She had plenty of guys basically at their knees for a chance with her. “Help? With what exactly I don’t under-“

“The par- Oh my gosh! Did he not ask you yet? Were we supposed to wait?”

“He asked me to the party Tara don’t worry, I just said I’d think about it- BESIDES I don’t have anything close to what he wants me to wear… Where are you going?” You placed a hand on your hip, eyes following the small brunette as she pulled a bag up from the couch.

“Oh no”

“Oh yes”

“No”

“Ohhh yes!”

It was 6pm, time had blurred together as Tara was busying herself with getting you ready. You both decided it would be the easier route to straighten your hair, and to go with a simple eyeliner and mascara than a full caked face. On the daily you made the effort to apply mascara and eyeliner but Tara suggested a pop of color to which you reluctantly agreed. You knew once you got there you’d be splurging in the variety of alcohol they undoubtedly had so opted for a matte red lipstick. Within that time you had discovered Ethan had been in cahoots with Tara and Quinn for the past two weeks in order to have your ‘costume’ ready. The whole thing made you feel wrong, like you were being pampered for him, after all this was his money you were wearing. A part of you however felt like a high school girl getting ready for her first date, maybe over time you had grown a deeper passion for him. You spent more time together than you had even stopped to realize before. Besides that you hadn’t minded him sneaking into your room almost every night like some forbidden love. It was forbidden in all reality, it was wrong, sick, insane, but the sweet boy had weaseled his way into your heart. So as you sat here sitting in front of your mirror, spraying some perfume and patting down your hair, a smile made its way onto your face.

You held open the door for Tara, Quinn opting to stay home with her latest catch, you two started walking to the frat house. The cool air against your body helped as your heart was beating so fast you thought you’d pass out. All dolled up for a man that was burdened with sins you didn’t even remember at this point because all you could think about was not making a fool of yourself. Walking into the party was a hard task, you were already irritated from the pushing and shoving you made a beeline for the hard liquor. Tara had gone for something lighter and assured you it was okay to split up since Mindy and Anika would be with her. Chad had texted you once Tara told him you had made it, so after you had a cup of malibu with a drop of pineapple juice you started to make your way to the boys. By the time you got there half your cup was empty, in all honesty without it you’d be a shaking mess. Chad had grabbed you before you could confront the bitch you had jabbed her heel onto your foot. He always knew you were hotheaded, never scared to scrap with a random chick for fucking with you so he had to be your voice of reason.

“You just got here, try not to get kicked out so soon,” he joked as he walked you over to the doorway they’d stationed at. “Besides, lover boy has been waiting so patiently for you,” he whispered in your ear, playing it off like he was looking behind you. Ethan stood there in his nerdy cardboard costume, a bucket shaped ‘helmet’ on his head paired with a crooked smile. His eyes however held something mischievous, you hadn’t noticed until Ethan put a hand firmly on your waist that Chad left you two alone.

“I was starting to worry that you stood me up, especially after I bought this for you. I hope you can forgive me for taking things into my own hands, I wanted to spend at least one normal night with you.” Ethan spoke next to your ear over the loud music, it was almost too intimidating for you. One hand was on your waist, and the other loosely holding your wrist like he was scared you’d leave him. You laughed nervously before downing what was left in your cup, setting it down on the nearest table.

“It would’ve been rude to reject your gifts, besides it wouldn’t hurt to go out every now and then.” You placed your hands on his forearms, trying to hold your composure as everything felt so overwhelming. His eyes were sharp, like he was trying to read your expressions as if they were hard to decipher. Both of you were still in each other's presence like you were basking in the meld of your auras. For a moment it felt comforting like there would be no consequences and maybe it was the full cup of alcohol or the scenery but you want nothing more than to feel his plump lips against your skin. It would’ve been sweet if it weren’t for a red headed bitch completely inserting herself into your short conversation.

“Oh my god Ethan Landry with the basket case, what a match made in hell. Two losers made for each other, how disgusting!” Audrey, you knew her name purely because she had been a lowlife that thought too highly of herself. She had tried to get Ethan to be her lap dog in a few classes, always batting her eyes trying to get him to do her essays. He never went for it, he wasn’t some stupid jerk off dying to hump her leg like most of the male population on campus. You had been itching to ring her by that orange hair of hers, especially now.

“Oh get over yourself, you’re just a ran through whore clinging to whoever you think you can push around. Honestly it’s a bit sad how all you have now is some fake tits your daddy bought and loose pussy.” To say you shocked yourself would be an overstatement, but you didn’t expect all of it to come out so easily. Hell even Ethan looked at you as you practically ended her college reputation. The surrounding people catching on slightly to the tension turned the music down so they could tune in.

“I think you’re just mad because you’re a sad pothead with no future.”

“I think you’re just mad because you couldn’t get Ethan to do your work because the fumes from your hair dye killed your brain cells.”

“I’m a natural redhead!”

“Okay fire crotch watch how you talk to me before I check your attitude.”

“You won’t do shit you suicidal bi-“

The whole room gasped, the air felt too hot for you, you almost didn’t feel the impact on your knuckles. Ethan tried to hold onto you but you tore away from his grasp too quickly and before he knew it you had punched Audrey. For a moment you thought you drew blood, but you quickly realized it was the fake blood from her half assed vampire costume. She tried to get back at you but she tripped over her hooker heels and practically fell onto you. Of course you shoved her back onto the floor, everyone laughed at her pathetic attempt at a comeback.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink, you should take a nap baby.” You laughed as you watched her slowly rise from the wood flooring. Tears streamed down her face as her head hung down, too embarrassed to face the crowd.

“You’ll pay for this you bitch.”

“Oh boo, you whore!” She walked out of the room, the music quickly returning to its eardrum shattering volume. Ethan was leaning against the door frame by the time you made your way back to him. He had his bottom lip in between his teeth as he watched you walk back, his hands quickly resting on your hips.

“I’m not saying you didn’t scare me a little but… that was kinda hot.” Thank the higher beings for the colorful lights, your face was so red from both the heat and Ethan. Your chest swelled with pride as the serial killer applauded you for taking a swing at that stuck up bitch.

“Someone had to do it eventually, so will you come downstairs with me for a drink?” You pulled on his ‘chest plate’ as he nodded, following closely behind you. After a few shots and strong drinks Ethan had convinced you it was time to leave before you ‘got into any more trouble’. You weren’t hammered but not sober either, so of course he walked you to your apartment.

“How fun I get to walk through your front door this time,” alluding to all the times he’d climb through your window.

“No one ever said you couldn’t, I think the girls would’ve actually gotten a kick out of it.” You smiled as you walked through the door, already going towards your room. However before you opened it you realized Ethan had stopped following you. Instead he leaned onto the wall before your door, looking at you expectantly.

“Don’t act shy now Eth, you’ve been here how many times?”

“I told you I wanted one normal night.”

“Well if you ask me I think I preferred you just coming in through my window, no invitation required.” Again, his demeanor changed as his tall frame straightened and walked towards you. A small tilt of his head and then suddenly he was kissing you, it was rough, demanding, dominant. One of his arms wrapped around your waist before he reached behind you and opened your door. You stumbled back as he slammed it shut, locking it too before resuming the sloppy kiss. He walked you backwards towards your bed, lifting you easily by the hips and tossing you down softly. The diadem on your head was pulled off and placed on your side table, his helmet had been long gone, laying somewhere on your floor. He quickly pulled his chest piece off and threw it somewhere, shocking you in the process as his abs peeked from under the long sleeved shirt he wore under it.

“So you like the psycho killer version of me better than an econ geek?” His question sounded breathless, both of your faces flushed as he knelt between your legs. You dress barely stopping at your upper thighs, his hair messy and tangled from your hands.

“If I say yes, are you going to kill me mister ghostface?” You asked just as breathless as he was, a smirk plastered on your lips as you watched his expression mirror yours. You almost miss it, his god-like features distracting you as he pulls out a knife, pressing the tip to your throat.

“Of course not baby, I’d never hurt you, I’m just trying to figure out what you’re into.”

“Well this is kinda doing it for me if that helps.” He smiled before trailing the blade all the way down between your thighs, severing the straps of your panties. He didn’t pull the fabric off, not yet anyways, instead pulled his shirt off before leaving dark hickeys all over your neck and collar bones. Your fingers tangled in the mess of curls as he made his way across your exposed skin. Quiet sighs leave your chest as you wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to your body. His hips began to grind against you, the rough feel of his jeans caused you to shiver under his herculean body.

You don’t know how much time had passed, but the rest of your clothing had been tossed to the floor. Ethan's face was settled between your thighs as you neared your third orgasm. He was fucking you with his tongue as his thumb stayed on your clit, harshly overstimulating you. Your thighs couldn’t even squeeze around his head at this point, they rested on his strong shoulders, shaking and trembling. Tears were welling up in your eyes as your back arched off the bed again, crying out his name as you came on his face. He sat up, crawling closer to you as you trembled underneath him. All he did was smile softly, his canines poking against his lower lip. Your eyeliner had run down your cheeks, your hair tangled and frizzy.

“You look so pretty crying, shaking, and begging. I should’ve been fucking you like this every night for the past month.” As he spoke he traced your face lightly with the tip of his knife, his cock slick with precum as he rubbed it against your clit. Your legs shook with every move he made, you were far beyond overstimulated; this was insanity. You weren’t even sure if you were forming proper words as he began to slide his thick cock into your sensitive cunt. Your nails scratched at his v-line, no doubt drawing blood from his pale skin as he bottomed out. He hissed as he quickly drug his blade across the top of one of your hands. It was a small thin slice barely even bleeding, you would’ve missed it if you hadn’t watched him do it. Anyone would’ve pulled their hand away but it just made you dig your nails deep into his hips. He tossed the knife onto the floor and grabbed both of your wrists, pinning them against your chest as he began to rock slowly in and out of you. Your head dropped back on your pillow as your mouth opened in a silent whine. His lips held a smirk as his pace sped up, head dipping down to your neck as quiet whimpers left his throat. You started crying as you felt another orgasm building from his rough pace, you bit down on his shoulder since your dry throat could barely let your moans out. He groaned at your action and seemingly went faster, you pleaded against his hot skin but he only kept on. Once his hands left your wrists to hold your thighs apart, your nails clawed down his back. The moans coming from him sounded so heavenly, almost pathetic despite him having full control.

He pulled back from you, fully sitting up but his brutal rhythm was unforgiving. He held your hips off the bed as he plowed into your throbbing cunt. Finally a stutter in his pace as he neared his orgasm. He groaned, his head falling back as his thrusts became sporadic causing your body to move upwards on the bed. Your hands braced against the wall as he lost himself in the build of his climax. You cried out into the dim room, your pussy clenching around him as you came. He fucked you until you were squirming under him again, he pulled out and came onto your stomach moaning your name lowly. Ethan stilled for a moment, until finally his hands dropped your thighs and he laid next to you. He pulled your leg onto his waist, pulling you against him as you both tried to catch your breath. Your hand rested on his waist and your head on his chest, it was finally calm again.

The next morning when both of you woke up, you walked into the living room to find the entire group. When they noticed you two together it was like they snapped out of a daze. They joked about how it took way too long for either of you to make the first move. It didn’t take long however for the dread to settle back in as the news reporter spoke of two college students being murdered last night.

@hana-1235

@i-do-be-vibinn

@meh-karma

@cumbermovels

@acornacreacure

@c0untryclub

[cuckoo-on-a-string]

Younger Gods: III

Younger Gods Master List Dream x fem!reader

Chapter 2

Dangerous magic and old friends lay the foundation of a fate foretold, and Morpheus spends too much time in the library.

Warnings: language, briefly referenced suicidal ideation, self-neglect/harm, extreme sleep deprivation, Dream is still his own damn warning

A/N: First - THANK YOU ALL. Seriously. You're amazing, I love you, and I'm working on catching up on comments. Now for the bad news. Ya'll broke chapter 2. Like, literally. I went to edit the tags list and Tumblr said nope. Imagine a small, family car with dozens of people stacked inside and hanging off the roof. It just won't go. The chapter also didn't show up in the story tags, at least whenever I checked. So...

*The taglist is officially discontinued*

I am making that up with something special, though, so make sure to read the A/N at the end!

Chapter 3: Darker Fates

“Gracious, darling, you look dreadful.”

She collapsed into the rickety café chair. Across the laminate table sat her oldest friend. Her one friend. And she immediately wondered how much to tell him. Only two days stood between her and her involuntary trip down memory lane, between her and the Sandman. She’d seen dark birds from the corner of her eye once or twice, but they always turned out to be crows and magpies. That didn’t mean Matthew wasn’t following her, of course.

She hadn’t escaped the consequences of her actions yet, and she didn’t want to drag one of the precious few people she cared about into the muck.

“What happened to your courtly manners?”

“What happened to your face?” He shuddered delicately, burying the real concern she caught in his sharp grey eyes with dramatics. Signaling the waitress behind the counter, he added, “We’ll need another pot of tea, please.”

The woman blushed and hurried off to fill the order. Doubtless, he’d been flirting while he waited. Damn silver fox. Although he was over one thousand years old, he wore it well. His greying curls and tidy beard looked playful rather than unkempt.

“Do you have what I need?”

He nodded. “Tea’s on it’s way.”

“Not the damn tea, Taliesin.”

The twice-born bard sucked on his teeth, glancing from the front windows to the back counter. Only spilled coffee stains and a sticky smear of jam occupied the other tables. He acted like this kind of deal might draw attention, and he had good reason to think twice about handling magical items in public, but no one cared what two people meeting up at two in the afternoon in a cheap café shared over a cup of tea.

He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and retrieved a small, stoppered bottle. The liquid inside moved like tar, oozing up the side of the glass as Taliesin angled it in the light. Even caution couldn’t banish his instincts as a showman.

“Understand.” He looked her in the eye, his scintillating smile packed away for a stone glower. “This is a cruelty, not a blessing. Now, I won’t ask why you need it. I wouldn’t insult you like that. But it’s my responsibility to tell you this is a bad idea.”

She could think of worse.

Before she could explain herself, the waitress pranced over with the tea. She set the pot between them and provided a fresh cup and saucer. Taliesin grinned, winked, and sent her on her way again with a word of thanks.

“One day your philandering will get you into trouble, old man.”

He sniffed and poured the tea, adding the slightest splash of milk, just the way she liked it. “I never begin something from which I cannot safely extricate myself. And, besides, a little teasing will make her day.”

He slid the cup across the table, and she wrapped her hands around the porcelain to drink in the heat through her chilly palms. She couldn’t seem to stay warm these past few weeks. Anyway, tea wasn’t what she’d come to drink.

“Will it keep me awake forever?”

“Nothing is forever. Nothing you can taste, touch, or smell.” He sounded both chiding and nostalgic. “But this will last seven years and seven days.”

“Good enough. What do you want in exchange?”

Tutting, he tucked the potion back in his jacket, and she sagged in her seat. “Tea first. I have grand and patronizing cautions to give.”

She lifted the cup, maintaining eye contact as she took the biggest, loudest slurp she could manage. It tasted nice, and its warmth felt even better in her stomach and throat than it had on her skin. Why did the bastard have to be right about everything?

The twinkle in his eye suggested he knew what station the train of her thoughts had left, and he slurped from his own cup in merry retaliation.

“First,” he licked a drip from his mustache, “and foremost: this is vile magic. It doesn’t gift wakefulness – it steals rest. The fae designed it with little prisoners like you in mind, to be taken in spaces where time melts and enchanted food will cheat the body’s need for sleep. Since – I dare presume – you do not have those safeguards, this could kill you.”

He left the words to sink in, trying to scare her off the purchase. When she reached out to see if he knew someone willing to make this potion, he’d leapt at the opportunity himself. It was his way of protecting her, and it gave him a chance to interfere with what he clearly saw as self-harm.

Since she wasn’t sure she could survive another nightmare like the one Dream hauled her through, she’d take her chances with death by her own hand.

“Consider me warned, but it doesn’t change anything.”

Taliesin bowed his head over his teacup, groaning. Any fantasies that he could talk her off her current path finally cracked. “You really are stubborn, rain cloud.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Oh, no. That you found all your own.” His smile grew back, wan but alive. His hand settled on the table, palm up, and she abandoned her tea to settle her hand over his.

“Just promise,” he said with a gentle squeeze, “that if you feel anything going off, if you even suspect something’s wrong, you’ll call your old friend Taliesin. Okay?”

She squeezed back, trying to smile for him, but she was too tired to make the expression stick. “Okay.”

Nodding to himself, he echoed the agreement again, “Okay,” and reached into his pocket. He slipped the bottle between their joined hands, and she pulled away to put it in her sweater.

“What do you want in return?”

“Well!” He smacked the table with both hands, grinning in a way that promised trouble. “I thought long and hard about it, but rather than jewels, or secrets, or power, I think what I would most like from a lovely young storm god is…” He paused, glancing meaningfully out the window at the dreary, grey-yellow afternoon. “A walk in the rain with my favorite little cloud.”

He sounded so damn happy about it he infected her with the feeling. It was nice to be needed. Wanted. Even if she’d just lied to his face.

A friendly rain gathered and fell as Taliesin got up to pay the bill. He left the waitress looking pleased with herself – and probably a generous tip. Then he came to meet his rain cloud at the door. An umbrella appeared from some hidden pocket and he grinned, holding out his elbow for her to link arms with him.

“I always come prepared,” he bragged as they stepped out into the shower.

“You say that like you don’t live in Wales.”

“I never said you were the only thing I came prepared for.”

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

Given the mother’s name to track, Lucienne did eventually find the record of the little storm god’s dreams, but they were useless to Morpheus. He studied the handful of pages warped by the curse she wore around her neck with mounting frustration. Apart from reports of which nightmares feasted on her pain during her brief, forced rests, they gave him nothing.

Her mother’s dreams proved more illuminating. They, at least, gave him a line of inquiry to follow.

The woman dreamed about her child from the moment it was born, from the minute the father tore her away to trade. The mother wandered endless rooms, following a crying child’s voice while she slept. She dreamed of little coffins and wailing infants she couldn’t find in nurseries dripping with gore.

Arcane shapes and dead languages shadowed her sleeping hours as she learned magic. In the waking world, she became a capable witch. There, as in the Dreaming, every hope and wish bent to finding her baby.

She never gave up her pursuit.

But in the end, it was the daughter who found the mother.

Her favorite dream grew out of a memory. A rainy afternoon, a crack of lightning, and a knock on the door. A painfully thin teenager stood on the steps, dripping in a thunderstorm, looking up with wondering eyes. If Morpheus had any doubts as to the girl’s identity, the scars around her neck put them to rest. She still had blood in her hair, rusty smudges caught in the grooves of old scars, fresh hurts and healed wounds calling to the mother’s instinct to protect and care for.

Although she had plenty of nightmares about losing her daughter again – finding her bed empty, losing her in a crowd – the nature of her somnolescent musings shifted. Softened.

And a familiar face came to call. The Welsh bard, Taliesin, whom the demi-god child kept safe at the cost of her hands, brought little gifts to the old woman and her young daughter. His winks brought warm flushes to the mother’s dreams, and she rested easier at night knowing that her little girl would not be entirely alone in the end.

She had sacrificed ten years of her life to a fairy bargain that won her nothing but a hand-sized portrait of her baby girl during her long search. By the time the child returned, her mother had grown old. They only had twelve years together before the lost child lost her mother.

The woman died. The record ended. But Dream knew where to look next.

Abandoning his throne for the library, he wrestled against a growing sense that he was running out of time. Time for what? Time for whom?

He was still Dream of the Endless. He still had a realm and billions of dreamers to manage. The puzzle of the storm god who brought home his raven lingered like a toothache, but he could not abandon his responsibilities. Determined as he may be to remove the golden collar from both the Dreaming and the dreamer, the curse had lingered for decades without disturbing anything significant.

It had been months since he picked through her dreaming mind to discover more about her – more about the curse. Only now, as the things settled back into a comfortable kind of order, could he indulge his curiosity, his side-quest as Death mockingly called his interests. And he was more than interested. The longer the questions lingered, the more of his attention they consumed.

Perhaps it was the crossroads. The Fates said he’d already pushed the storm god towards a darker fate, but they never said it was too late to change that course, and the three often left the most important truths unsaid.

If only he knew what to look for. Perhaps that was why he spent so much time and energy researching the collar. It gave him a target. Without it, he felt like a dreamer caught in a pitch-black nightmare, groping blindly for anything with which to reclaim the light.

But he did not have to search alone.

“Lucienne.”

His librarian looked up from a stack of new, peering over the rim of her spectacles. “Did the mother’s dreams help you find what you needed, my lord?”

“In part. Though I need another volume.” He handed over the two records, the mother’s dreams and the storm god’s. Lucienne set down her tower of work and went to shelve the two immediately. They slotted beside each other, the mother’s name in curling script, the daughter’s blank.

“You know,” Lucienne said, “I only found the nameless one’s record because the mother’s kept reshelving itself with the daughter’s book. I fixed it twice before I realized. It’s rather sweet.” She sighed. “If vexing. What volume do you require, my lord?”

Morpheus spared the books another glance, wondering how much of the mother’s arcane studies had influenced her history of dreams. But she’d given him all she could, and now he must turn to the living for answers. “The bard Taliesin’s records, and anything else we have on his history.”

“That is more a section than a collection, lord.”

“Yes.” It wasn’t his first time encountering the bard. “I may need to speak with him, but he will be loathe to leave a story once he is introduced. I’d prefer to find answers in the records. Will you help me?”

“Of course. Give me a moment.” Lucienne paused. “Give me several moments, please, my lord.”

On Lucienne’s first trip, she retrieved the official record of Taliesin’s dreams. He’d lived a long life, and he dreamed vibrantly. The tome was several feet thick, and the library echoed when the librarian set it on the table.

“Thank you, Lucienne.”

“I’ll fetch the rest, sir.”

Taliesin’s early works, recorded on parchment and scrolls, sat between books published under a dozen nom de plumes in later centuries. When the librarian returned with a cart stacked high with history books referencing and theorizing over the man and his myth, Morpheus excused her.

“These should suffice, Lucienne. I will let you know if I do not find my answers here.”

“Of course, sir.” She brushed dust from her immaculate coat, checking the sleeves, before folding her hands neatly behind her back. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Already buried in the works of Taliesin’s unconscious mind, he shook his head. “Not at this time.”

She bowed and left. The library would be chaos without her. He could remember when it was. It was no mean feat, organizing a universe of stories. It made her wise in ways he had only just begun to appreciate.

The man whose dreams he searched enjoyed other kinds of wisdom. He’d gained a third of the world’s knowledge by accident, but he’d spent the better part of his life learning the other two thirds by choice. Advisor to kings, story-weaver, and a natural mage, he had the wisdom and craft to recognize some of the magic wrought into the storm god’s collar. He’d tried to take it off when they first met, and he studied for a means to free her after his escape.

Morpheus wanted to know what the bard found.

However, though his dreams in the past few decades often welcomed a shade of the storm god to play out adventures and tragedies as part of a colorful cast, Taliesin’s attention did not linger on the curse. It was little more than a bright shadow that pricked his conscience.

He sat back in the chair, glowering at the books that had failed him.

It seemed every whisper of progress led to more questions in this riddle, and not for the first time, he wished the library could offer more insight to the happenings of the waking world. He should not need to ask for help so often.

At least, unlike the storm god, the bard embraced his dreams. Like all great storytellers, he had explored his fantasies and fears ravenously. When he next slept, Morpheus would pry loose some answers. It shouldn’t be difficult. The bard dearly loved the sound of his own voice.

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

Taliesin presided over a court of housecats.

He was aware enough to know the royal courtiers of Edward II did not, originally, have literal claws, but it made perfect sense in the moment. Edward and Gaveston were in the corner, playfully wrestling – maybe – while Isabella stalked closer with murder in her vertical pupils.

“This is not the way,” he huffed, plucking a kitten from the mob joining ranks behind Isabella, a gorgeous tortoise-shell with no interest in his opinion. The kitten sprang spread-eagle back to the floor.

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

His favorite idiot, his little rain cloud, curled under the steps to the dais. She’d found herself, once again, where she did not belong, and if her eyes didn’t reflect the torches set around the room, he never would’ve known she was there. It was the wrong court altogether, but she had a talent for trouble and a gift for surprises.

Dropping to his knees, he reached under the wooden platform to coax her out. She’d become a fetching little half munchkin, half Norwegian forest cat caught in the lanky middle ground between kitten and grown cat. A menace, to be sure, but too cute to ignore.

“Come out and play with your friends,” he said as she wriggled even farther out of reach. “It isn’t good to hide all the time. You need to do some seeking, too, lovee.”

But she was very determined and his arms just weren’t long enough, so he manifested a trail of nibbles to catch her attention. He could be patient. He could be tricksy. Good friends, he firmly believed, should be both, because sometimes people were just too stupid or too stubborn to accept the help they obviously needed.

He sat up to kneel below the empty thrones and clapped his hands on his thighs.

Well. He’d done what he could for now. Across the room, poor Gaveston was learning the price of being a king’s favorite. The yowls and cries almost distracted him to the point he didn’t see the massive black Maine Coon stalk into the throne room. The cat’s eyes glowed, both literally and metaphorically. In his kneeling position, Taliesin actually had to look up to see those eyes, and he gulped, wondering if he was about to be eaten.

“I have questions for you, bard.” The cat spoke with authority in a voice like honeyed night.

Taliesin recognized it, though it hadn’t come from a cat before, and he dismissed all thought of stupid whot, why, what, how demands.

It may be his imagination at work, but it was not his realm.

“Dream King.” He bowed. Then he remembered he was dreaming and squinted at the cacophonous mess of the long-dead king’s feline transformation. “Ah. This makes so much more sense.”

The cats blinked out of existence, or at least out of his dream, and he sat back on his heels. The stone chamber grew quiet. A plaintive meow from beside the stops, however, proved not all the cats had gone. The junior cat approached and let him sweep her into his arms, even purring when he scratched under her chin.

Still aware of the Endless – no longer in cat-form  – Taliesin allowed himself a moment to enjoy this imagined pleasure. The little storm god made an adorable ball of fur. “You’d never make this so easy in the waking world, would you?”

She sized his finger with claws and teeth to prove she wasn’t easy in any world.

“There is unwelcome magic in the Dreaming.” The Nightmare King didn’t wait for Taliesin’s focus, confident as any monarch that his words would be heard, that the listener would take note and action. “You have studied it.”

Taliesin nodded, taking his word for it and stroking his friend the kitten as he picked through his long memory for anything of interest to the King of Dreams. “I have studied many shapes of magic, lord.”

“This one is close to you.”

Some darker note in the Dream King’s voice snagged Taliesin’s ear, and he looked away from the cat to study his face. Lips bent in a frown, brows pinched, the king had his starry eyes pinned to the creature in the bard’s arms. Taliesin looked back down to see a phantom of the collar growing around the kitten’s neck. She writhed against it, mewling in pain, staring up at him like he could do anything to help her.

He’d tried, and he’d tried again. He still hadn’t given up entirely.

Couldn’t the poor thing’s shade at least find relief in his dream?

She scratched him in her fit, and he bundled her closer, pinning her fast and safe as he’d failed to do when she was small and alone and willing to suffer in his stead. Even if he couldn’t free her, he’d never abandon her.

The truth of the matter struck him. He felt the cat shudder against his heart when she’d been so calm and accepting a moment ago, and he knew.

“So, you’ve met my favorite idiot.”

“Yes.”

The word betrayed nothing, not how they met, not how he felt. But he wanted to banish the collar once and for all, and Taliesin could get on board with that.

“It’s fairy-make,” he said. “Broken in the waking world, but still manifests in the Dreaming.”

“I know. What I do not know is why. What terms closed the circle around her neck? It appeared to suppress her godly half in life.”

Taliesin tried to cradle the cat even closer without suffocating her. “If you do not mind my asking, lord, how do you know even that much?”

“I saw it,” the king said, casually, like it wasn’t one of the worst things the bard had ever heard, “in her dreams, in her recollection of the past.”

Closing his eyes, the bard took a deep, deep breath in through his nose. He had to hold it for a minute, because it desperately wanted to leave his throat with a string of curses Dream of the Endless would not enjoy. When he was sure he could exhale without heaping abuse on the dolt’s head, he let the breath go. He did it all one more time, and then he said, “I think I understand why she wanted to stay awake.”

Eyes still shut, he murmured to himself, “Why didn’t she tell me? Self-destructive little –”

When he finally looked, the world had changed. Gone was the castle, the throne, and the sweet little cat from his arms. He’d imagined a cheap bedsit in Cardiff, the kind of place the little storm god may stay on the run – and she was definitely on the run, from nightmares if nothing else.

The young woman lay sprawled in a puddle of moonlight, half dead, and fading fast. Her skin clung to her bones, eyes sunken, old wounds open and bleeding from malnutrition and scurvy.

The empty potion bottle sat on the windowsill.

Dream of the Endless studied the scene with clear interest, and Taliesin beat down his protective urges in the name of pragmatism. If she was running from Lord Morpheus, she wouldn’t turn to Taliesin for help when the potion dragged her to the brink of death. It wouldn’t be a life lesson she could grow through. It would be a life ended.

“She came to me a few months ago,” he said, hoping the Endless would care enough about the woman shackled to the curse to consider her in his grand schemes. “She wanted a potion to stave off sleep. I told her it was dangerous, and I thought she’d come to me for help soon, that I could teach her something, but –”

The body on the floor laid so still. How many months had it been? How close was this nightmare to reality?

“I said her dreams would be kinder when she next slept,” the king murmured.

He didn’t have to say he didn’t understand.

Taliesin crossed his arms and cleared his throat. Someone, at least, would learn something this night. “Well, she’s a storm, isn’t she? She isn’t capable of moderation. When she’s happy, she’s ecstatic. When she’s angry she’s electric. When she’s afraid she is very, very afraid. And she’s terrified of you.”

Dream looked over his shoulder at the bard, still looming beside the dying phantom.

“I neither wish nor intend her harm.”

“You don’t have to intend harm to hurt her.”

The Endless fully turned to him, and the bard spoke with all the confidence of being truly heard. Just as the king did upon entering this dream. “You, I presume, dug very deep in a very dark place. That hurt her. Frightened her. If you push her far enough she’ll chew off her own leg to get away, or didn’t you see the part where she nearly decapitated herself to escape the damn collar?”

Silence filled the room. An ugly, cheap place to die. Taliesin wondered how long it would take to find her if she really had gone to ground. He couldn’t trust the King of Dreams to care about anything beyond the Dreaming’s borders, and he wouldn’t trust her health with the one who pushed her to ruin in.

He had spells to find her, but he wasn’t sure he could hold her if she went into a panic.

In the stillness, they could hear her death rattle.

“What will your potion do to her?”

His potion. Yes, he supposed it was his fault. The girl really was like a stray cat, hiding under porches to die quietly rather than let someone help. He should’ve known.

“It keeps her awake. Eventually, she’ll feel too ill to eat. She may hallucinate. Her heart will fall out of rhythm and she’ll waste away until her body doesn’t remember how to function.” He smacked his head back into the wall, wanting punishment, hoping to jog some inspired idea free. “I warned her.”

Of all the Endless, and he’d met quite a few, Dream was the most inscrutable. Cold and detached, but prone to dangerous spikes of interest that spiraled into nearly obsessive passion. His vengeance came swiftly and his affection grew slow. But Dream was, usually, just. He didn’t enjoy undeserved suffering, and Taliesin had to hope that after walking through the little storm god’s dreams, he’d understand she’d earned none of her pain.

It wasn’t too late. He’d lost track of time, but a tableau this desperate wouldn’t come to pass for at least a year.

“If you are of a mind to assist, Dream Lord…” He pushed off the wall, suddenly and entirely desperate to move. “I have an idea.”

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

Her fear grew bitter as her strength waned. She could taste it when she struggled to eat, and when she gave up meals, it poisoned the water she drank. Terror tasted like blood from bitten lips and dust on her dry tongue. Her hands shook, and her throat burned from stomach acid, but it wasn’t bad enough to call on Taliesin again. She knew what he’d say.

Whatever happened, she would not fall asleep.

Besides, she wasn’t dying yet. She was only sick. If the Dream Lord pulled through her bloody history again, she wouldn’t survive. If she had a choice, she’d pick a death in the waking world, free of the collar and safe from the Dream Lord who dragged her through horrors so callously.

She wasn’t convinced he believed in her innocence, either. If he knew he’d threatened someone trying to rescue his damn raven, surely he would’ve apologized.

Better to stay awake and ignore the cramps in her belly.

The rain soothed her. Fitful storms plagued the town she’d chosen as a hiding place, and the old folks grumbled to each other at the grocery store about the weather. Maybe they’d gotten used to it in the past few months. She hadn’t been out in a while.

She didn’t sleep, but she still rested. Her eyelids didn’t grow heavy when she sat by the window and watched the drops racing down the pane. She remained awake, aware, and as close to peace as her racing thoughts allowed.

The window became her favorite pastime, and she spent days studying the changing clouds as angry squalls rolled up the coast, how the grey sky trapped the light during gentler showers.

And she grew weaker. Quietly flirting with the line between sick and deathly ill.

She saw impossible things beyond the glass. It took her a few days to realize they were hallucinations, not a fae spell or some petty apocalypse.

When his reflection appeared behind her in the window, she thought she was seeing things again. And then he spoke.

“You are killing yourself.”

She jerked around, stumbling on numb feet to face the monster. The Nightmare King. Her hand wandered her neck, looking for the collar to prove this was a dream, but she found her scarf instead.

“You are in the waking world,” he confirmed. “You hid yourself well.”

He took a step towards her, and she lunged back. The same game in the wrong realm.

“You still think I’m some kind of threat?”

Another step towards her, another step back – she nearly tripped on the leg of a chair, but she refused to look away for an instant, even to save the scraps of her dignity.

“No.”

He moved the way he spoke, aware of every nuance, every shift, slowly drawing closer. Sure and smooth as a stormfront.

What did he want? She abandoned her home, gave up the precious little sleep she could tolerate, and he still pressed her. He didn’t look angry and cold, like he did on the beach. Something sharp glittered in his eyes, though, a keen edge ready to cut her.

They passed through the living room, through the kitchen, and she only had a few more steps before this slow chase met an abrupt end.

“I’m running out of ground to give, Dream Lord.”

“Good.”

A final step, and her heel met the wall. He closed the distance, keeping the same predator’s pace as she pressed herself flat against the peeling wallpaper.

“Do you want me to fight?” Her growing storm raged. Lightning sheered over the sleepy town, turning the evening bright as noon. Thunder rattled the windows, but the Dream Lord didn’t so much as flinch. “Do you want an excuse to hurt me?”

He stood inches away, eating up her personal space until she felt his shadow had already swallowed her.

“No.”

“Then what do you want?” A whisper with the desperation of a scream.

His razor eyes cut deep, and she quaked in place, afraid to move but wishing she could shrink, become so small he wouldn’t notice her.

“To turn you from a darker fate.”

He raised a hand, and she cowered from the expected blow. When none fell, she peeped at him sidelong. His palm hovered between them, like he was holding up a gift.

“Sleep.”

Stooping ever so slightly, he blew over his hand, sending a gust of sand into her face. She bucked against him, flinging one arm up to cover her face, the other to shove at his chest. But it was no good. By the time he curled his fingers back, she could feel her grip on the world slipping away.

“Poor little storm god.”

Her knees buckled, and she slid down the wall, losing herself by inches to the inescapable lure of the Dreaming and its master.

She slept.

Chapter 4 A/N: I've never done prompt requests, but I've never had 500 FOLLOWERS EITHER (holy shit). I'm celebrating, and you're invited. The rules are a little convoluted, I won't be able to do ALL the things, but you'll all get a say in what makes the cut by voting. To join the fun and check out the rules, go here. Even if you don't join in, there will be one-shots aplenty for you to browse.

I'll be working on a chapter each for my other two active fics while I wait for replies, so you may not see another Younger Gods chapter til next week. For those clamoring for more interaction between the reader and Morpheus, it will be well worth the wait.

[maxislvt]

hi! can i request gip reader with wanda. something with reader groping wanda until wanda gets too needy and starts pushing herself back into reader? basically reader dry humping wanda. can be a drabble, blurb, whatever :)

warnings: smut, cum play, masterbation, dry humping, wanda being repressed and needy

im so sorry this took forever, I hope you like it!

When you and Wanda first started dating, one thing became clear almost immediately. You had an incredibly high libido and Wanda couldn't always keep up with it. It wasn't a serious issue. If you absolutely needed to cum, you could just handle it yourself. Wanda had certainly gifted you with enough material to make it work. A video wouldn't always cut it though. Sometimes the only thing that could get you up was the feeling of Wanda's soft body. Her delicate fingers wrapped around your length or even just the warmth of her thighs. You were addicted to Wanda's body and nothing could make you ashamed of that.

As much as she liked to tease you for it, she loved it. Not just the sex, but it made her feel good knowing you wanted her just about every hour of the day. Even in your most submissive headspace, you were careful with how you treated her body and played with her. Part of her hated it though. Forever unused to your boldness and how you were so confident in claiming her. The way you would grope and grab her knowing you'd almost never be denied. It was embarrassing. So, she tried putting up a fight.

The two of you knew how your private movie night was going to end, with Wanda bent over the edge of the bed and fucked absolutely senseless. Whatever movie you two had picked would be forgotten for the sake of satisfying each other's lust. She'd give everything to you, of course she would. That didn't mean she'd simply hand herself over. Wanda wanted you to work for it.

Unfortunately, you were determined to get off unless Wanda had shown signs of genuine opposition. Not even halfway through the movie, you began to push her hips up and tease her. You pretended not to notice your girlfriend's obvious attempts at hiding her arousal. If she wanted to play hard to get, you'd gladly tag along. "Y'know, I'm really glad you picked this. It was the first movie we'd ever watched together." That wasn't entirely true, but you had already begun groping Wanda and she was too flustered to check you.

A sharp exhale came through Wanda's nostrils as she tried focusing on the movie in front of her. "Yeah…it's sweet when you think about it." Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. All she cared about was the growing erection underneath her. The grip you had on her waist was bruising, but fuck did she love it. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip to keep quiet. She couldn't let you win no matter what happened.

You knew your lover was playing hard to get. That wasn't a game well played in the thinnest pair of sleep shorts you'd ever seen her in and no underwear. All of Wanda's slick had practically dripped onto your shorts. "You can stop playing tough. I can feel how wet you are." Your hips rolled forward and you let out an exaggerated moan. "Just say the word and I'll give it to you."

Wanda forced her hips to stay still but you continued to hump her. "I won't…I won't let your little hard on ruin our movie night." A shaky moan escaped her lips and she began fisting the sheets. She could feel you throbbing underneath her. Wanda wished you were bold enough to just push her over and claim her. You definitely were, but instead you decided to be a tease. "You must not really need it since you seem fine just humping me."

"Well, I'd hate to distract you from that movie you seem to like so much." Eventually, you let go of Wanda and decided to pleasure yourself instead. "Go ahead, watch the movie. I can handle myself." You freed your dick from the confines of your boxers and began stroking yourself. Grinding against Wanda had already brought you close to the edge, all you needed was a little push and you'd be cumming in no time. You held the hem of your tshirts between your teeth and continued to jerk yourself.

Wanda groaned when you stopped humping her. Simply being groped wasn't enough. She felt so empty and unused. Her pride wouldn't let her admit that. Wanda didn't have the courage to speak until she felt a familiar sticky covering her ass. "I- Did you cum on my ass!?"

You chuckled softly and began smearing your cum over the soft flesh of Wanda's ass. "Well, it's my ass now."

[captain-mj]

i know you haven't written anything for them in awhile but i still love kraken!price and sailor!graves... could you maybe write price's mating season ending but graves wanting to stay with him? angst with a happy ending maybe

It's been like six billion years since then but you know what?? Fuck it.

Link to the Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Also, I could've swore I put this on ao3?? I went through everything I've ever posted and apparently not??? This has been bothering for hours now but it's clearly not there??

It ended. Price knew rather quickly when it did. He woke up and his insides no longer ached. The raw need to be fucking someone, anything, now nothing more than a faint want.

Two months. On the dot.

Which meant he no longer needed Graves.

Graves no longer needed to stay.

Price's heart hurt so fast and so much it almost knocked him down. He didn't want to let go of him.

He peered from the water to watch his lover Graves fixing up the little hut he stayed in. It was pretty nice honestly, especially after two months of him working on it. He also had softened a little, not longer needing to do the hard labor of being a sailor. His figure also had just softened and he had tanned so much.

Price wanted to wrap his tentacles around him and kiss his face and lick all over him. Maybe put him in his mouth like a piece of candy.

Did Graves want to stay though? Yes, Price could force him. Could never let him escape. He spoiled him anyway.

Graves turned around and beamed when he saw him. He quickly got in the water and started to swim out to him. Price started to back away immediately and Graves paused, bouncing in the water.

"John?"

Even the way he said his name! He said it with so much love. So much care.

"John! Don't make me swim out to you." He called to him, sinking deeper into the water. So trusting. Even though Price could rip him to shreds, especially since he didn’t need him anymore, Graves still trusted him.

Price started to back up more, retreating. His cycle was over. He needed a clear head.

“Thank you, sailor, for your assistance. It was greatly appreciated.” Price rose up, towering over Graves.

“Oh.”

Why did Graves sound so… small? Is it because he’s nervous about Price’s height? Did he feel the tension? The need to claim?

“I suppose you’ll be bringing me back then?”

“Exactly as I promised. Whole. Unharmed.”

Graves shook his head slightly, as if disagreeing. Price felt his worry spike and he immediately dissolved back down into proper Human size as he grabbed Graves.

“Did I harm you?” He had considered himself so careful. That despite the size difference and how fragile humans could be, it was fine.

Graves smiled. “No, lover boy. I’m unharmed. I just do not think I’ll return whole.”

Price frowned and pulled him a little closer. Their bodies fit together well. No matter how much Price shifted and changed, Graves always fit perfectly like be changed as well. Or maybe, Price always changed with him in mind. Funny thoughts.

“Let me return you.”

Graves grabbed him hard. “Wait. Were you planning on swimming all the way to my home? It’s across the ocean. I’ll either drown from going under or die from the sun. Maybe it would be better we wait? I’m sure a boat will pass by eventually.” Unknown to Price, Graves was fishing for more time. He needed to find a way to convince Price to let him stay forever. Or at least the courage to ask so he could be respected and move on.

Price nodded immediately. “Of course! I wouldn’t want to kill you after everything. It wouldn’t be upholding my promise.”

“Exactly!” Graves smiled, something about it fake. “Can I hold on to you for a bit? I’ll miss floating like this. I know the sun is out so it’s fine if I have to wait.”

Price would never deny him. He wrapped around him tight. It wasn’t like he was a vampire, the sun just made him itchy after a while. Relaxing into the gentle waves, they lulled them both. Price was careful not to ever fall asleep before, but he did this time. He made sure Graves was secured to his chest, face in his neck, before doing so.

Huge mistake.

Graves was fine of course but the itchy painful sensation was everywhere. It hurt and even though a boat came by, Graves insisted he stay to help him because he was a pain to take care of himself. When night came, he’d gently rub some kind of leaf that brought great relief to the worst of the places and kiss his cheeks.

“It’s called a sunburn.”

“Sunburn.” Price repeated.

“Exactly! It’s awful but we humans have plenty of remedies.” Graves gave him another kiss.

Price huffed. “Is the kissing part of it?”

“No. I just know I’ll miss kissing you.”

His heart hurt again.

They were stargazing. Between the two of them, they had a name for every star and constellation. Stories woven by friends and ancestors alike.

“That’s the Big Dipper. I’ve also heard it’s a bear with a long tail.”

“I’ve heard it’s a stingray that’s carrying the universe on its back.”

Graves loved that version. Price was rewarded with those giant blue eyes staring at him. Smiling. Soft.

It hurt.

A boat was coming, but Price needed more time. Maybe he could convince Graves to stay. So when Graves was asleep, he forced the boat to change her path and go else where. No where near his human.

And then he wrapped himself around Graves, ignoring his sleepy protests about the cold water. He kissed him until Graves was awake and took him on the soft sands of the beach. Didn’t stop until Graves was sobbing as the sun came up. Body spent and over sensitive and broken.

Graves made sure he kissed him before Price sank back into the depths of their little sanctuary. He didn’t go inside immediately. His legs shaking too much. Instead he made designs in the sand until he could stand up and limp back in.

Price watched him silently. Watched the quiet smile even as his body clearly hurt. Graves couldn’t properly mate him. They’d never be right. He didn’t even know how long humans live.

Still, he was perfect.

The third ship was undeniable. It sailed right to them and Graves spotted it immediately.

There was a quiet between the two.

“How should I handle this? I could bring you there and then put you on deck?”

“I’d be accused of devilry and killed.” Graves bluntly spoke.

“I put you near the ship and you pretend to be shipwrecked?”

“No other survivors? Suspicious.”

Price frowned. “You’re being… combative.”

Graves glared at him for a moment before sighing. “It’s nothing. I’m just being… i loathe to say it. I’m being sensitive. I knew this was two months. I just wished it was longer.”

“Oh?” Price glanced at him.

“Don’t worry. I know the deal. I won’t ask for more. But yeah, I wish I had more time with you.”

Price reacted fast. His tentacles wrapped around the incoming boat fast, crushing it. He crushed their lips together next and Graves kissed back just as roughly.

“Even though you weren’t in heat and therefore didn’t need it, I let you wreck me and it never occurred to you maybe I wanted to stay around??” Graves muttered into him.

“Never occurred to you that I fucked you outside of my mating season?”

Graves paused and recalibrated before biting Price’s lip. “Bastard. I hope they have those candies I like.”

“I’m going to spoil you.”

[yandere-daze]

Okay so I normally don't write for genshin but I've been playing it more again recently and can I just say how much I loved that albedo event?? It's probably been said before but the yandere potential with that imposter is unreal. Just. Everything. Frothing at the mouth

So I had a thought. Imposter Albedo is called Rubedo in this as I've seen other writers on here call him!

Yandere Albedo x gn! reader x Yandere! Rubedo/ Imposter Albedo

tw yandere, stalking, obsession, possessiveness

You feel like you're freezing as you run through the snowy mountains of dragonspine. Your feet have long since grown numb and yet everything hurts all the same. But still, you can't allow yourself to rest for even a second.

You're already at a disadvantage, you don't know your way around these areas while Albedo spends most of his time here conducting experiments and doing research.

Yes, Albedo. The very person you were trying to flee from right this moment. Many times had you visited the alchemist at his little campsite to keep him company. He didn't seem bothered by it and you thought it was mesmerizing to see him go about his work.

It had started off so innocent too and you remember feeling happy when he started opening up to you. The way a small smile appeared on his face whenever you visited him and the fond look in his eyes, it almost made you nostalgic to think about.

The very first time Albedo asked if he could draw you, you felt so honored and immediately agreed. His talent was very palpable when you looked at the end result. Him blushing lightly when you complimented his abilities with a great smile on your face. You thought nothing of it when he asked if he could continue to draw you, which is why you agreed without any hesitantion.

You never expected to stumble onto a collection of well over 200 paintings of you when you next visited the head alchemist. A lot of them were innocent enough, just simple portraits of you, though you did have to remark that they were scarily detailed. Did Albedo look at your face so often that he had committed every little detail of yours to memory? You shuddered to think about it.

Then you slowly noticed how a lot of the paintings were based on your daily life. The time you went to the marketplace, when you went out to collect ingredients for a new recipe or even your sleeping face. The way he managed to draw the exact way your room looked like, every little detail and even the pajama you wore last night. Had he been following you around? Stalking you without you ever noticing? How else could he have known how all of these things looked? You had never invited him to your home before and you certainly had no sleepover together where he could have seen you sleeping. It was way too unsettling to think about.

You needed to get away immediately.

But then of course, Albedo came back. Realizing that you had found out about his paintings he started confessing his undying love for you. That he just had to see you and capture your overwhelming beauty. How he longed for your presence the second you left his side, that your rare visits weren't enough for him anymore.

He craved your love and affection, he wanted you to stay with him forever. He could take care of you! So please, don't leave him again!

But all you could feel was dread. Albedo had completely lost his mind and wanted to keep you with him. You had no intention of staying there, knowing just how obsessed he had gotten with you.

So you made a run for it, Albedo shouting after you, begging you to stay.

"Please, don't leave me! I need you!"

You heard his begging voice and there was a slight feeling of guilt inside of you but this was for the best. You had to get away immediately! You were certain Albedo wouldn't be standing still for much longer and you needed to gain some distance before he started chasing after you. You knew that once he got to you, he would ensure that you wouldn't be able to escape him again. This was your only chance!

Which is where we get back to the present. You feel cold all over but keep pushing forward, it couldn't be that long until you would escape dragonspine and then you could start looking for help somewhere else.

You just had to hold on a little longer and hope that Albedo wouldn't find you before you can make it out of here. You tremble when you think about what might happen then. He would never let you leave him again and overwhelm you with his twisted love.

You didn't want to think about it anymore, you would start to feel sick otherwise and you truly didn't need that to happen right now.

You made your way through the snow when suddenly, you heard the crunch of someone stepping on a branch right behind you. Immediately, you froze up, halting your movement. This could easily just be a hilichurl but you knew deep down that that wasn't true.

You had been found.

Bracing yourself you slowly turned around to face the person standing behind you, trying to drag out the moment as much as possible, wanting to treasure that last moment of freedom you have.

When you finally came to face the person, you felt your heart sink. The hair, the eyes, the clothes, it was all unmistakably Albedo. And his voice just confirmed your suspicions further.

"Y/n, I've finally found you"

That calm voice, the way he said your name so devotedly, it was all the same.

There was only a single thing that caught your attention : his neck. With a start you realized that something was wrong. That unique star shaped mark Albedo always had, it was missing!

"Albedo" took a step in your direction, fully intending to reach out to touch you. After all this time of having to watch you interact with Albedo, he could finally be with you himself. He doesn't understand why you ran away but he certainly doesn't mind. He had watched on in jealousy for so long, wanted your attention. Why was he not worthy? Why did Albedo get to have someone he can love and he cannot? It was all so unfair! He wanted you just as much, if not even more so!

He was so close to touching your cheek when suddenly-

"You're not Albedo", you said with a serious face.

Rubedo felt himself stop short, immediately halting his movements. The smile on his face was strained.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm -"

"You're not Albedo", you interrupted him with a stern expression. The tone of your voice left no room for arguments, somehow you had found out about his identity and now you were going to leave him behind. Posing as the real Albedo was the only way for him to be with you but now that you have figured out the truth so easily it was all for nothing.

He didn't know what to say, all he could feel at the moment was overwhelming despair. He wanted you so badly, longed for you every day, and now the second he gets to be in your presence he immediately loses you again? It was not fair, the voice in his head was screaming. Not fair. Why did Albedo get to have you?

Rubedo was prepared for you to scream at him, to call him names or a monster even. He was just an imposter, he could never compare to the real deal.

But what happened next surprised him as it was something he could only have dreamed of.

You ran towards him.

And wrapped your arms around his waist, warmth spreading through his entire being, something he had never felt before. It was an amazing feeling and all at once Rubedo felt whole. Like a missing part of himself had just returned. But he was so so confused.

Logically speaking your actions made no sense. Why would you ever hug a stranger that tried to mislead you into thinking they were a friend? It was way too dangerous! But he didn't dare voice his doubts incase him uttering a single word would break the spell placed on you and this moment would come to an end.

Above all else, he didn't want that. He wanted to enjoy this moment for however long he could. He had longed for your love for so long and now he felt it was hard to ever imagine letting go of you.

You on the other hand felt nothing but relief at the realization that the person standing before you was not Albedo, that the head alchemist hadn't found you yet. When you saw him step closer to you you had feared that you had been found out, that your escape had failed and that he would drag you back to his camp site, never to be seen again.

And truly, the stranger before you looked like an exact copy of the Albedo you knew, the only thing missing being the strange star mark on his neck. It was an unexplainable difference, something that told you he was an impostor.

It's a situation that anyone else would find terrifying yet to you it was like all of your worries and fears disappeared in a flash. Albedo was the last person you wanted to see right now and in your relief, you couldn't help but embrace the stranger.

Truly, wandering around dragonspine for so long and always having to stay on guard while hiding from any possible danger made you miss human contact a lot. You felt touch-starved and you wanted nothing more than someone to outstretch a helping hand to you, someone that could share the burden with you. You truly didn't want to be alone anymore. You wanted to be safe, you wanted to escape so badly. You could use any help you can get, you knew that.

Maybe it was just a part of you trying to rationalize the impulse decision you had just made but you wanted to trust this fake Albedo.

If it meant getting away from the real Albedo's twisted love then you would place your trust in this fake on. It was mostly desperation speaking but after such a long time of having to survive the biting cold of dragonspine all alone you would literally take any company.

And Rubedo was overjoyed that you would choose him out of free will even after finding out that he was not the Albedo you knew. It nearly made him mad with excitement that you even prefer him.

They way you feel against him and the radiant smile you shoot his way. It's all for him. He would protect you from his other self no matter what. He wouldn't allow you to fall back into his grasp now that he finally had you for himself.

Fate had led you two together this snowy night and now Rubedo would stop at nothing to keep it that way.

He's yours to use and yours to claim. All he wants in return is your love and affection

[dragonbma]

Switching something up in the Possession AU: (Romeo’s first encounter with Vos)

[I originally had Romeo immediately lose interest in Vos as a choice of champion since he didn’t finish the challenge. However, I figured a brief encounter would fit into the story better and give reason as to why Romeo is so quick to abandon him…]

Since the first champion trial ended with no winner, Romeo had been secretly checking in on Jack hoping he would return to the Sea Temple. After roughly a year of watching and waiting, Romeo realized Jack had no interest in ever returning. (In that year, Jack had discarded the gauntlet, burned the map, reunited with Nurm, etc.) While trying to think of alternative champions, he remembered that one of the trio became locked in one of the challenge’s traps. Upon teleporting back to the temple, he is surprised to find the adventurer still alive. “Huh, I may have underestimated this one-”

Romeo decides to offer Vos the opportunity so he opens the cage and snaps the elder guardians away. He begins to explain that he has been looking for a new friend/champion for a long while and the position can be Vos’ if he accepts. “…the adventure of a lifetime! Deadly challenge rooms, monsters no human has ever seen before… everything an adventurer like you could ever want!” Vos is mostly confused, but also glad to be free and talking to someone after what feels like forever. All seems to be going well until Vos questions when the trials would be over and he can return home. Romeo is shocked that anyone would even want to go back home after being given such an opportunity- “Go home? You do understand what I’m offering you, right?” Vos tries to explain that he’s terribly homesick and misses his friend Jack, but Romeo takes it as an insult to his gift.

Time for a new approach. Trying to stay calm, Romeo offers Vos the ultimatum: either be his champion, or be left in the temple to rot. He then hands Vos an atlas and to show him that Jack has moved on. [I like to think the Admins are responsible for the creation of the atlas and each has their own personalized one.] “The one person who knows where you are thinks you’re dead. No one is coming to rescue you.” Seeing his friend alive and well brings a smile to his face, but Vos can’t dismiss the sinking feeling that he is truly alone. “He thinks you perished after your friend over there…” Confused, Vos turns around to see Sammy’s inventory pile strewn across the ground in the spot he watched her die. A chill runs down his spine and Romeo has to forcefully stop Vos from walking over to his friend’s belongings.

“So… what’ll it be then?”

From Vos’ perspective…

he can either accept the offer and escape the Sea Temple, but lose all hope of seeing Jack again

Or

decline the offer, stay in the temple, and try to survive long enough on the off-chance someone rescues him

(He of course chooses the option that gives him a chance to reunite with his friend again much to Romeo’s dismay.)

From Romeo’s perspective, Vos literally has no other option but to join him or starve to death. And hearing Vos decline his offer is enough to set him off and commit to abandoning him there. Even Vos is taken aback at how poorly received his answer is and defensively backs up. With a wave of the hand, Romeo resets the room to how it was when he arrived, teleporting Vos back up into the obsidian cage and warping the guardians back to their places. No matter. Another champion will present themself in time. It’s just a matter of waiting.

Some extras for this snippet because idk where to add them in:

Vos does not blame Jack for not trying to save him. He knows that if Jack knew he was still alive, he’d do anything in his power to rescue him.

Romeo figured that if he tried to lie to Vos about why Jack hadn’t come back for him, Vos would never have believed it. So he opted to tell the truth (which still works in his favor.)

It crossed Romeo’s mind to kill Vos then and there after he declined the offer, but he wanted to see how long he could survive by himself.

Seeing how easy it was for Jack to discard the gauntlet inspired Romeo to add curse of binding to the next version.

This is the only face-to-face encounter between the two before the reveal in the Icy Palace.

For those of you who wanted more Vos Possession AU lore, I gift you this. Also stay tuned because I want to dedicate an entire week to just adding to this AU sometime this month. ^^ I’m also considering writing this AU out as an actual story / fanfiction at some point instead of just these rambling posts where I jot down ideas and such. I’ve never actually written fanfiction before so no promises on that.

[Back to original AU post.]

[syngrafaes09]

Strange Nights | Vampire! Dr Strange x Y/n

Logline: After Y/N gets imprinted by a vampire Dr Strange, living under a fictive identity, they must unravel the cause behind her constant misadventures before their hopes are crushed forever.

Masterlist

Chapter 7 : Stay

Naturally, she shuddered when Stephen's cold fingertips touched her warm skin, lifting her chin. His eyes were fixated on the scrape on her forehead.

"Are you feeling alright?" Well, what a stupid way to begin. Of course, she wasn't, he scoffed at himself. "We should visit the hos-"

"No. I'm fine," she flinched. And staggered into the house.

That's when he noticed the abrasions on her palms and knees. A wave of guilt crashed upon him. Had I hunted that creature down, it wouldn't have hurt her.

"The blood on your dress tells me otherwise." There were a few tired stains of blood on the hem of her white dress that ended just below her knee.

"It's mild. Didn't bleed enough to visit the hospital." She said with a sigh. Even if it had she wouldn't. She never had to visit the hospital even when she had wounded herself badly- they always healed quickly.

"Fine but let's get them treated," he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.

Without any further resistance, she nodded and walked towards the table near the kitchen, and slumped down into one of the uncovered chairs. The house could be deemed a Halloween mess. White sheets and curly willow branches covered almost every piece of furniture. Stephen glanced at the medical supplies scattered across the table and was satisfied that everything needed was there.

"Have you rinsed them?" he asked while washing his hands.

"Yes." She was twirling the tweezers in between her fingers, a scowl on her face.

"Boiled?" he asked, taking it from her. She nodded in response.

Wiping them off with an alcohol-dabbed cotton pad, he kneeled in front of her. Washing with an iodine or hydrogen peroxide solution would be faster and easier but it would be painful and irritating. And those were the last things he ever wanted to cause her.

Immediately as the tweezers touched her wound, she jerked her leg back.

"Be still, dear," he requested, wrapping his free hand around her left lower leg, holding it still as he began cleaning the dirt from the wound. Her heart had decided to pump faster and her breathing turned uneven too – the same physical responses just like the others. Stephen tried to strife a chuckle, wondering what might be going on in that pretty little head of hers. He wished to intrude into her mind but waited with forced patience for her to say something first.

She seemed to remain strategically silent, driving him mad.

"Is it too difficult for you to... painful -" She trailed off, making him abruptly stop bandaging the gauze. Did she actually know who I was? Had Rachael told her about us? He jerked his gaze up, staring into her (e/c) eyes. If she knew, she would have never dared to neither invite me in nor sit in here with me cleaning her wounds.

"Was she close to you?"

Wait, what? 'She'? He was left with no option but to intrude into her mind to understand what she was asking about. Her memories were of that fateful evening. Vis had come up with a neat explanation that she looked like a dead old friend after my sloppy escape. He had returned home late after checking on Y/N, and none of them talked about it.

"Umm... no. A friend from work." What a lie. The only friend from work besides Wong was Christine and she couldn't resemble Y/N in any way. His heart swelled at the thought of Christine. But he had to let go, he reminded himself, everything now had to be Y/N. She was the one he had imprinted.

The scrapes on her palms and forehead were mild, superficial damage to the epidermis, unlike the knee where the dermis had torn too. They hadn't bled, so he left them uncovered.

"That thing gave you quite a fall," he commented while washing his hands.

"No. Just the forehead scratch." She chuckled as she removed the sheets and twigs. "I tripped while running back home." Jade and Rachael joined them as they laughed.

"Oh, Y/N you should rest. I'll do them." Rachael said, taking the sheets from her hand.

"Yeah, you had quite shock." Jade chimed in.

"Don't talk to me about shocks. I have a master's degree in misfortune."

"Let's hope you don't run for a PhD. May this be the last adversity." As she spoke, she flashed another glare at Stephen.

"Maybe," Y/N giggled.

"Off to bed."

"Yes ma'am." She groaned, heading upstairs.

"You won't be joining the rest of them?" Jade asked, slumping on the far end of the couch.

Rachael hadn't stayed much longer after Y/N went. As for what they were hunting down, it had been nearly caught and escaped. That meant all of them needed to coordinate – something that was very difficult for Tony and Steve. They already had their long list of differences and the eternal conflict between werewolves and vampires wasn't making things easy. But the ordeal was a little downplayed with the fact that Steve had to be on the roads with the men while the Supernaturals – except Thor and Scott, who happened to suffer a similar fate to Thor - would cover the forest.

"No, they'll be tracking it down with the scent, I won't be much of a help. Besides, if my suspicions turn out to be true, Y/N might be in danger."

"You can trust me with her safety, I'll be staying up all night and putting up a fight if necessary." Stephen raised an eyebrow at him. "You can... are free to leave, you know."

"Could be the other way round. I will stay, you leave. Can you do that?"

He shook his head and Stephen laughed. "No matter what we say or do, we can't trust the other." Jade nodded in agreement.

"Who do you think it might be? Dad says must be a Sigbin."

"I doubt it will be pure blood. A hybrid between Chupacabra and Skinwalker most probably."

"Aren't inter-species supernatural hybrids forbidden by The Order?"

"Yes, and this is the very reason why. One never knows what the outcome will be and can cause a blood hunt like this."

Jade wrenched in his position, drumming his fingers on his lap. Seemed like he was considering whether to ask or not. But Stephen's patience was giving away. He didn't know for how long they could put up the outward patience.

"You can go to Rachael, you know? I don't mind being alone. Let's not make it very difficult for either of us."

He blurted out a yes, heading upstairs. In a beat, he paused on the third step, "How do you handle this?" gesturing his hand around.

"Do what? Be precise."

"This imprinting or the-mate-at-first-sight? The effects on..." Jade trailed off.

Stephen was tongue-tied. He had no idea why it was easy around Y/N. It wasn't like the hot, ravaging fire other alphas had described. Instead, I had felt alternate waves of being washed up with ice-cold and steaming water. The apathy of desires was unexplainable. "Maybe you are too young for this" he fluttered out. This should be it. Jade was in his early years like Thor once had been. He on the other hand had far more experience than others at the time of imprinting.

After he was done with his self-interpretation, he realized that he was too deep in thought to notice Jade leave. Slumping down, he closed his eyes, trying to listen to various sounds. The wind in the trees, crunching of leaves under wolf paws, the humming of tyres of the patrolling cars, chattering among those who are in them, whisper-quiet movements of the vampires, and much more which could never be heard if he were human. He had been listening so intently that a sudden grasp made me jump out of my seat. It was from upstairs. Y/N.

"Y/N?" He whispered, opening the door slightly.

"C-come in." Her voice was cracking.

He peeked inside and saw her looking outside the window, panting and shaking. Her hair was tousled, her eyes weary, forehead beaded with sweat made it look like she had escaped a nightmare.

"Want me to get Rachael?" He asked, standing next to the bed. She shook her head. He turned back, about to leave when he felt delicate, burning flames restraining him. She shuddered, harder now, as his ice-cold skin further ignited the fire under her skin.

"Stay... please." She pleaded, in a tiny voice, her trembling fingers finally letting go of his hand. A part of her wasn't sure who visited every night for the last three nights. It hadn't breached the forest boundary whenever she peeped through her window, but after today's evening, she wasn't sure it would stay in the forest.

Stephen struggled to find words to name the feelings that flooded him. His body, govern-less by his mind, obeyed her words like a command, sitting on the edge of the bed. He could finally feel the fire that was missing, not a single hot, ravaging flame but a forest wildfire, set out by a cluster of bombs that had been ticking ever since he met her but were detonated now. The time spent without pain and temptation made it all the more forceful now.

"Wanna talk about it?" He didn't know how to do this. He had never tried to comfort anyone. She gazed back. The expression on her face was ambiguous. He listened to the rise in her heartbeat and turned restless to read her mind.

"If not, lie down, try to sleep. I will stay as long as you want me."

Her mouth curved into a smile. His mere presence had irrationally calmed her fears. "Then stay till I wake up in the morning," she teased, lying down and pulling the duvet over. "Sleep next to me." He felt happy that she no longer felt restless because of the nightmare, but was shocked at her playful demands. Would she ask me to be next to her let alone to sleep, if she knew the truth about me?

"Matt won't be very happy to find the two men who were supposed to keep an eye out for any danger, curled up next to his daughters."

Her eyes widened. "Does – is Jade with Rachael?" He nodded. "Then stay at least until Matt comes." Following his strange, new instincts, he reclined beside her, on his side with his head resting on the propped-up elbow.

"Sleep," Stephen whispered near her ear, making her shiver and flustered at the same time. She obeyed immediately, bolting her eyelids shut. A chuckle escaped his lips, spiking up her already elevated pulse.

In her silence, he found the fire returning to him. The more he inhaled her scent further the desires were unveiled. He took another breath and let the venom burn his throat. The thirst wasn't as painful as Thor had warned it would be.

"Doctor Rochester," Y/N mumbled softly. He wondered if she was awake or sleep-talking. Nevertheless, he hummed in response. "Are you awake?" she asked, her eyes still unopened.

"Very much."

"Three nights ago I guess I saw a silhouette of a man in the backyard." So this was what her nightmare was about. Shit. I needed to be more careful when I came over to check on her. He thought her human eyes couldn't spot him but he was wrong and careless. "That pretty much scared me." Her confession brought over me a wave of guilt. "Sorry," he whispered.

"What for?"

"Everything. Nothing will harm you. Now, sleep."

[tteokdoroki]

all the love in the world | k.bakugou.

⇝ pairing: katsuki bakugou x fem!reader.

⇝ word count: 5.1K

⇝ rating: 18+, mature.

⇝ genre: pro hero!au, engaged!au, fluff and smut.

⇝ summary: as hard to believe as it may seem, bakugou lives for time off, where the days begin with him waking up by your side and  end with him falling asleep right next to you, while he thinks of all the ways he can love you during the hours in between.

⇝ warning(s): please read ! fluffy domestic bakugou ( i think this needed a warning okay? ), smut ( characters aged up to 20s ), soft morning sex, fingering ( female recieving ), dry humping, light!praise, heavy!breeding kink, switch!reader, dom!bakugou.

⇝ author’s note(s): hellooo my loves ! as a celebration of me reaching 100+ followers, i bring you my very first written imagine !! i love the idea of domestic baku so i hope you enoy reading as i did writing !! special thanks to @ozzy-bozzy​ for the teddy bear bracelets idea hehe

⇝ masterlist | requests

katsuki bakugou considered himself to be a very lucky person.

when he was younger he’d been blessed by a powerful quirk which only lead him to exceed his classmates back in U.A. he’d graduated said school’s hero course top of his class, even if he’d failed his provisionals the first time round— nothing could stop him from becoming the best.

so when the hot headed blonde bagged the role of side kick at a top hero agency and then launched himself to the highest points in the hero charts as a pro later on, katsuki felt like all of his dreams had come true.

that was until, he’d proposed to you.

you were katsuki’s final dream, for him to wait for you at the end of the aisle— your watery smile just for him. 

that’s the vision he saw in his sleep. when you had said yes to him, the night you got engaged under the stars and amongst the roses, it was then that the explosive hero had realised how lucky he truly was.

he had loved you for a long time, katsuki had— he almost couldn’t remember the time when he hadn’t. in the time that you’d spent together; soft gazes and lingering touches, you’d taught him a lot and he’d learned through your tolerance and generosity, something that had rubbed off on him, something he’d so desperately needed to cool down his hot demeanour.

he was grateful for a lot of things, all of the things you’d taught him— but mostly the entirety of you. while you’d always said that neither of you completed each other and only made one another better, bakugou knew that his life would be complete with you in it forever.

 he knew  from the moment you’d pinned him down underneath you during training back in high school— that he was going to make you his wife someday.

“jesus katsu, why’re you up s’early? it’s supposed to be our day off,” you mumble into your silk sheets; his scent sewn into your pillows. katsuki likes the orange silk that lines your bed; mostly because of the colour and partly because other fabrics irritate his skin. with sleepy eyes, you blink up at the blonde and catch him staring mid act. like always, bakugou looks away with a heated blush and paws it away from his cheeks. “whatcha lookin’ at dummy?”

one of kastuki’s favourite things is the way you look when you first wake up, groggily rubbing the sleep away from your eyes with a pout on your lips as the sun hits your face just right— creating a halo effect around you, like you’re his guardian angel…but he wouldn’t ever admit that to you, at least not until his wedding vows. “it’s the only time i get to look at you without hearin’ the dumb shit that comes out your mouth, woman.” katsuki grumbles back, finally meeting your eyes again.  

he can clearly see the love glittering your irises and the faint smile that plays teasingly on your lips as if you know that he’s joking. unwillingly; bakugou feels himself mirror the grin that you bare and a happy warmth then spreads across his chest.

“we still have the whole day ahead for you to ogle me like that katsuki bakugou,” you hum sweetly, the tail end of your words falling into a light giggle. the ash blonde feels his heart flutter just from the sound; a candied melody to his ears that he could never get tired of hearing. 

reaching over your shoulder, katsuki uses his warm hands to roll you over onto his awaiting lap. 

your arms instinctively wrap around his neck as the sheets fall from your body to reveal yourself in one of his shirts with an old merch design and your fingers weave their way into his pretty blonde hair. 

now that you’re in his lap; the pro hero can see the smirk making its way into your face as you look down at him lovingly. “seems like you were doing more than just looking baby…”

your hips grind down against your lover’s now prominent erection that sits hidden in his dark sweats— earning a slight gasp from the man himself. “s-shut up, dumbass…” bakugou growls through gritted teeth while you move above him. 

his words stay lodged in his throat, he wants to tell you that you’re always on his mind no matter what he’s doing or looking at but instead they die down as he drops his head to your neck, leaving sweet kisses along the column of it.

early morning love making with you was what katsuki bakugou considered one of his many blessings. he loves being this close to you— feeling every dip in your skin and kissing every mark on your body, his lips work their way up from your jawline to your chin and finally attempting to land a solid kiss to your own lips.

“nuh, katsu—“ your breathless whine fills the air, sending shivers down the spine of the man below you. he moves up to kiss you again, gripping your hips tightly while your movements begin to sync. “no, morning…morning breath…”

bakugou huffs, hand finding the back of your head to tilt it down into a soft liplock— contrasting with the harshness of his earlier movements. “fuck morning breath, i haven’t made love to you properly in a fucking week so let me kiss you. fuck.” usually, katsuki would have added his salty pet name of ‘shitty woman’ to the tail end of his phrases but he bites his tongue, saving it for later.

you give into your fiancé then, falling in love with the way his lips meld against yours so passionately all over again. fingers that belong to bakugou dance underneath your shirt, finding you bare within the fabric. one hand slips between your plush thighs, smoothly rubbing circles into your swelling clit ever so gently.

your breath hitches as katsuki traps you under his touch, playing with your folds as they begin to grow slick and form a wet patch on his deep grey sweats, making him groan. 

the explosive pro pushes two of his digits past your entrance, curling them and watching with sparkling scarlet eyes as your mouth hangs open in of the prettiest moans katsuki’s ever heard— his mouth falls open with you while your head tilts back, exposing your sweat glimmering skin to the sun’s rays. “feel good baby? yeah, you like that?” he mumbles condescendingly, slowly pumping them inside of you. “yeah you do,  yeah you fuckin’ do.”

“yeah, katsu...more…” a  breathless moan escapes you with every thrust of bakugou’s hot fingers, the cheeky bastard setting off small scale explosions to stimulate you from within. he’s hot, the heat from his body filling the space between you and spreading right down to your glistening mound— causing slick to gush from your tiny abused hole. 

you can feel his cock pulse beneath you with every twist of his fingers to reach that spongy pleasure spot deep within your leaking hot walls.

katsuki’s thick fingers stretch open your tiny hole, making your mouth water at the thought of his weighty cock being the next thing press into you but your raging thoughts are swiftly interrupted by your fiancé— who pulls from you completely and sucks the two fingers into his mouth to lick them clean of your sweet nectar.

katsuki keeps his vermillion eyes locked on you, the lewd action making saliva pool on your tongue. his own pink muscle darts out to wet his lips, no doubt spreading the taste of you across them before making a move to kiss you. 

the pro is quickly stopped, your hands that once roamed his bare back and messed hair, now pinning his own above his head.

bakugou is a strong man, he wouldn’t have been a top hero if he wasn’t— he trained constantly and sparred often with his fellow heroes but he doesn’t resist when you grip his wrists in your free hand, releasing his hard cock from it’s restraints before it slaps against his well toned stomach.

milky precum leaks against his warm skin, while you prepare yourself to mount him. the pair of you let out a groan in unison as you sink down on the hero’s thick length— as if the tensions and stresses of the week have melted away just him being sheathed inside of you.

“mnnn, so fuckin’ tight baby, gonna need to fuck you open again…”

bakugou’s voice is low and gravelly from the early morning, just how you like as his hips roll up into yours— further pushing his fat cock into you. his tip barely grazes your cervix  as you set the pace, lifting yourself up and down to bounce on your lover’s length. 

the way you feel inside, your soft velvety walls and gushing pussy make him buck up into you with more fever, as his own symphony of moans and weightless gasps dance through your ears. “yeah? take this pussy katsuki…m-make it yours,” you sigh, grip on his wrists loosening to the point where you set him free.  the blonde’s hands immediately move to grip your ass tightly— smirking at you lazily while the pads of his fingers sink into your flesh.

you look beautiful to him, bouncing on his cock and dripping all over his pelvis under the early morning sun, the way the gold lights up your hazy lust filled eyes.  

the fire of desire burns brightly in the depths of katsuki’s stomach, love finds its way into each of his thrusts from then on— mind clouding with the desire to fill you up so good with his love as the leaking  head of his thick girth drags against your walls, prodding at the spot that has you seeing stars. “that’s right yn baby…fuck that cock, fuck yeah baby,” he whispers brokenly to you, chest rising and falling desperately while sweat beads on his hairline. “love you, love you s’much...”

bakugou watches your gaze on him soften at his confession, the words he doesn’t say often but shows you everyday still hanging in the thick, warm air.  “i love you katsu, p-please,” your erratic thrusts slow to somewhat of a passionate grind, two lovers pressed hotly against one another as the sounds of your moans twist with that of skin on skin.

knot in your stomach tightening, katsuki can feel your release creeping on you from the way you clench around him at every plunge deep inside your sweet hole. strong arms wrap around you, katsuki noticing how you shake from pleasure above him while he brings you down onto loving thrusts as if to draw you closer. 

“gonna cum!”

your fiancé nods into your neck, rubbing smooth circles over your back as he pulls out of your heat completely and earns a needy whine from you. your hole spasms around nothing, right on the edge of release before bakugou forces his girth back into your accepting pushing. “cum for me angel, right on this cock,” he pants, holding you close while he rocks into you. “i've got you baby, let it all out…”

“mph, baku-! oh !”

hips stilling above his, you scratch and claw at any part of bakugou’s skin that you can— shaking as your release splashes against him, sending your eyes rolling to the back of your head and white spots dancing across your vision. the tightness of your heat drives the pro right over the edge, hot ropes of thick cum painting your insides white as his release reaches your womb.

the pair of you lay still, catching your breath as you collapse forward on your lover’s chest. while your breathing slows, katsuki rubs warming circles into your back to help calm you down— only smiling softly when you look up at him with clear, affectionate eyes. “did so good for me yn, fuckin’ love it when you take my cock like that first thing in the morning,” his words are soft on his usually sharp tongue, bakugou smoothing a thumb over your cheek while using a forefinger to tilt your head up into a sweet kiss

“always and only for you, my love,” you hum, eyes fluttering shut at the simple gesture even after you pull away. “and if you keep cummin’ in me like that katsuki ‘m gonna end up pregnant one of these days…”

bakugou smirks, pressing smaller kisses all over your face to make you giggle. you smile and greedily accept each one, loving the these tender moments between yourself and your fiancé.  “maybe that’s the fucking point, dumbass,”  he quips, biting on your cheek after landing a kiss there. “trying to put a shitty little brat in you.”

despite the small bite to his words, a blush still manages to creep its way onto katsuki’s face as you lay your head down on his chest with a smack to his waist. the ash blonde means every word and you know it too, he can tell by the knowing smile and slight gleam in your eye.

you fall back asleep not long after bakugou cleans you up.

he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy counting every mark and bite he’d left on you as he tenderly wiped between your thighs and massaged over your skin. 

but he loved how cute you looked when curled up on his chest more, your hand clings to bakugou’s shoulder as if to check he’s still there even in your sleep— giving the hero ample opportunity to play with the ‘teddy bear’ bracelet thats cuffed to your wrist. you’d made it for one of your anniversaries; matching the ‘grizzly bear’ one on his own.

prying himself from your arms is no easy task for katsuki, your grip on him like an adorable iron vice or a child with a teddy bear. after setting himself free, the ash blonde with the crimson eyes heads down to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of you— it was some what of a routine on your days off together, you always got the munchies after sex and bakugou knew just how to soothe your roaring appetite.

as he worked with the eggs and other breakfast ingredients, katsuki thought back to how much you praised him for his skills in the kitchen— he knew how much you loved his cooking and he would do anything to see you smile.

“god katsuki, i might have to start taking more days off it means i get to see my grizzly bear in the kitchen like this,” you hum from place leaning against the door frame. 

your fiancé turns round to face you with a light smirk, glimmering eyes inviting you further into the room. the explosive pro holds the sizzling pan he’d taken off the stove high above your head as you cuddle into his side, breathing in his warm caramel scent.

katsuki clicks his tongue, staring down at you fondly. “tell that to the fucking villains who fuck up the city every other day, maybe then we’d have more time to relax.” he counters, pulling a sweet chuckle from your sweet lips.

“if we start handing out your cooking, they’ll probably start turning themselves in!” you tease your lover back, swiping a bit of the pancakes from the pan above your head. katsuki grumbles and pats your ass indulgently— the supple skin peaking out from under the shirt that’s found it’s way back over your form. it’s a silent scold for eating before he’s fixed you a plate of all your favourites.

as usual bakugou pulls out your chair at the table, pressing his lips to your hairline before putting your steaming plate in front of you. your mouth waters while katsuki takes his seat opposite you with rolling eyes as he watches you tuck in to your breakfast. 

the entirety of your meal is filled with lingering gazes and hums of delight while you eat, almost as if you’re back on your first date ( bakugou spent half of the time watching you eat rather than doing so himself, but he just wanted to see if you liked the place ). 

leaning over the table to wipe syrup from your chin, the blonde smirks— quiet words falling calmly from his lips. “what do you want to do today, sweetheart?”

the birds chirps lovingly outside of your window, dancing under the sunshine— they remind you of your early mentor and often patrol partner hawks, who you needed to remember to invite to dinner soon. 

the weather is nice today and that gives you an idea. “let’s go out,” your eyes sparkle with a million dreams, each one bakugou wants to live out with you. “to the park with the roses, the pink ones where you—“

“where i proposed, got it,” katsuki smiles, the fond memory catching the tail end of his words. “i hear they introduced some new blooms too.”

you mirror his expression; stabbing your fork through a strawberry in the bowl of fresh fruit your lover had prepared for you. you hold the fork out to his lips and watch amusedly as he chomps the fruit from its place. “care to escort me, lover bear?”

“who else is going to? dumbass.”

“miss nightsky ! will ya sign my bag!”

“that’s a nice bag sweet one, you sure i can sign it?”

katsuki loves the way you are with kids, even though you’re a massive child yourself.

the pair of you decided to walk to the park; since the nice weather held up and it wasn’t too far from your private neighbourhood— even though it took a little longer to get there than expected. 

not that either of you minded, but many curious fans stopped to talk and ask for pictures; some even asked for autographs which you happily gave them. while the mighty ground zero was slightly grumbly about it, he adored how kind and patient you were with everyone you met no matter how old they were.

his vermillion eyes, though brownish looking under golden light, sparkle as you ruffle the little kid’s hair and wave politely to their awaiting parents. bakugou wants to have kids with you one day. 

it was something he hadn’t really thought about until recently, he knew it would be difficult, with both of you reaching the heights of your careers and the pair of you were still very private about your relationship as well, with word of your recent engagement already slipping into the tabloids.

there was no doubt that they’d speculate about your marriage too, no matter how private you kept it. keeping a child secret would be even harder. 

and yet; the thought of you holding a baby…his baby would, on some nights lull him to sleep.

you squeal like a little girl when the ash blonde stops to buy you an ice cream from a van by the entrance of the park; he can’t stand how much you love mint chocolate chip but buys you a towering double scoop anyways.  “how do you even eat that toothpastey shit?” bakugou grumbles, finishing off his orange popsicle as you walk into the flower garden.

“says the one who likes orange, you have no taste katsuki bakugou.” you chide but take his freehand nonetheless. the explosive pro’s thumb brushes over the back of your hand while you make your way through and he can’t help but pluck one of the pretty blooms from the bushes to tuck behind your ear.

you scold him for taking the flowers but your smile betrays you as katsuki dips you for a honeyed kiss on the lips. 

he’s never one for PDA but this was your spot, here just last year bakugou had sunk to his knees in front of you with an expensive diamond ring you were eyeing months before ( you would never say anything but katsuki always picked up on these things ). 

he would also never admit it, but his hand shook with every word that passed his lips and you were sure he had been crying harder than you were while he slipped a ring on your finger.

your secret kisses and tangled limbs hiding deep in the rose bushes are soon completely soaked by an onslaught of unexpected rain.

you shriek at the rain while katsuki grabs your hand, free arms thrown over your heads as you make a dash from the flower garden and head for the main streets in order to catch a bus.

the pair of you giggle as you stumble onto the vehicle, ringing out your drenched clothes and wiping at your wet faces as it heads home. bakugou pulls you into his arms, head resting atop yours to draw you closer— the heat from his quirk allows him to keep you warm and you get a load full of his sugary scent as well ( not that you mind ).

you stay like that on through the rustling traffic, cuddling like a cat to your heated fiancé but a tug on the bottom of bakugou’s wet shirt captures your attention. the pair of you look down to catch the innocent eyes belonging to a darling little girl. “u-uh h-hi mister gwound zewo!” the little one stumbles through her words and in the corner of your eyes you can spot the girl’s mother and give her a reassuring grin.

bakugou’s gaze softens at the curly haired girl and releases you to crouch down to her level despite the shaking bus.  his hand still holds onto yours though. 

he ruffles her hair with his free hand, making your heart warm— there was a side of katsuki the public never really got to see, where the hotheaded pro could be tender and quiet and often quite reserved. 

the media got a kick out of playing on the ash blonde’s explosive nature but moments like this let the real bakugou shine through.

“hey there kiddo, whatcha’ got there?” katsuki mumbles delicatley, noticing the girl hiding something behind her back.

“tisswue! for my favouwite hewo!” the little one says, gingerly holding it out to the blonde’s wet face for him to use. bakugou taps his cheek and cleans closer to let the little girl wipe his face with a tiny chubby hand. they chatter for the rest of the ride home— the girl bashfully twirling her hair around her fingers as katsuki compliments her quirk.

leaning your head on katsuki’s soused shoulder while you walk home, you look up at him with an adoring expression, wondering what he’d be like with a little girl of your own. “that was quiet adorable mister ground zero, you stole my hear away!” you tease, kissing your linked hands.

“yeah? well don’t get used to it shitty woman.” he says through gritted teeth and marches you both through the rain to get you home but the blush on his face tells you otherwise. if you ever had a daughter, you could only imagine what he’d be like with her.

katsuki heads straight for the shower when you get in, leaving you to pick a movie and order takeout as you’d discussed on the way home.

it was a regular routine for you both on nights off; you always picked the movie because if you left it up to your fiancé you’d end up watching some boring documentary on all might or cooking ( he was a closeted nerd at heart ). 

you settle on a cheesy romcom that you’ve seen about a hundred times because for one;  it’s your favourite and two, you’ll never get tired of seeing bakugou cry towards the end of the movie.

“take out should be here in twenty!” you call to your lover, when he passes by you to enter your living room.

“got it, now go wash up before you catch a cold, stupid—“ the ends of katsuki’s words are cut off by your stream of giggles, bouncing off your cream coloured walls. your ash blonde fiancé has half a mind to curse you out for slapping his ass through his fresh set of sweat pants but rolls his eyes nonetheless. 

he finishes pulling his tank top over his head while heading deeper into the room, not wanting to answer the door without one ( as much as your regular delivery driver would like that ).

while in the shower, you manage to scrub away stains of the rain and soreness from the day— washing over sweet love marks from katsuki with pride. a temporary reminder of his eternal love for you and you only. 

there’s already a change of clothes waiting for you when you step out of the shower; one of his old shirts and a set of boxers that you slip into comfortably. your nostrils are filled with nothing but the alluring scent of burning sugar, the traces left by bakugou himself.

he’s already munching on a box of tempura by the time you’ve headed back downstairs, crimson eyes light up when they land on you and you make a dive for the couch— rolling into katsuki’s side. “did you tip the delivery driver?” you ask, watching as your fiancé dips a piece of the food into some sauce before he holds it up to your lips.

“damn right i did, i didn’t wanna though…they kept staring at my arms,” bakugou revels in the way you laugh around the piece of food he pushes into your mouth. you chew with a grateful smile, the look of amusement never leaving your pretty face. “whatcha laughin’ at dumbass?”

“i think you forget how much the public loves your arms, ground zero.”

as soon as you press play on the movie, time seems to fly away from you both— the air is filled with streams of laughter and moments where you swipe from one another’s plates, picking on one another fondly. somehow by the time the film reaches it’s climax the food has been devoured and you’ve ended up huddling into bakugou’s chest. 

fingers laced with yours, bakugou twirls the diamond engagement ring you have on, around your finger, smiling at the precious reminder that you’re to be his forever and always.  “where do you think we’ll be in the future?” you question quietly, nuzzling into your fiancé’s side.

“married, of course.” crimson eyes find yours in the dimly lit room, almost rolling annoyance as if your question is the dumbest thing in the world. in response, you lean up and squish the explosive pro’s cheeks together and beam up at him while he scowls at you.

“stupid, you know that’s not what i meant,” the words despite harsh, leave your lips dreamily and a contented expression crosses your face. “i see us with kids, in a house much bigger than this one and a backyard that stretches for miles and miles—“ your words die warmly in your throat, figuring that you’ve gotten slightly carried away with the fanticies you’ve made for yourself and katsuki. 

in your mind, you can’t help but conjour up a litter of tiny bakugou’s running around a plush green garden— maybe a little dog too and your heart swells in your chest at the idea.

the hot head squeezes your hand, resurfacing you from your sea of thoughts. “you want kids? with me?” his voice is barely above a whisper, all of his vulnerabilities splayed out in the tone as he looks at you warmly.

“a whole family with you, as many as you want.”

suddenly, bakugou has you flipped onto your back and pinned underneath his muscular frame. 

his warm breath fans across your face making your eyes fall heavy with adoration. “four.” the blonde grunts, swooping down to brush his lips gently across yours, not quite kissing you much to your dismay. “i want four of those snotty little gremlins with you, maybe have the fifth by accident and then we’ll get a big fucking house for them to destroy—“

“f-five kids katsu?” you gasp out your words at katsuki starts to press increasingly harsh kisses to your jawline, settling on your neck while he licks over bites he’d left earlier today. 

bakugou murmurs something about ‘you said as many as i want’ before he’s growling at your hands that find their way into his blonde locks, tugging on them tightly as pleasure overwhelms your senses. 

he hums against your sweet skin, finding his place between your legs at the same time as his thoughts take him away from you. he’d love to see you pregnant, so full of his love and his children.

the movie is long forgotten by now as lust settles in every corner of the room. hands push beneath your shirt, groping and massaging your breasts to pull all sorts of sounds from you. 

bakugou forces a knee between your thighs, finally capturing your lips in a hungry and heated kiss— his tongue slips in your mouth after he pinches your thigh, fighting yours in a passionate dance for dominance. “gonna fuck a shitty little brat into you, yn,” katsuki almost whines as he pulls away from your inviting lips to press your foreheads together. you look gorgeous beneath him, flustered with swollen lips from each of your rough kisses and there’s no doubt in his mind you’re thinking the same about him. “gonna fill you up so good, gonna make pretty babies with you, hah?”

“ka-katsuki!” you can’t help but mewl at his breathless sinful words while you fist at his tank top. everything is hot, burning hot and you grind up into him with a newfound desperation, the friction against his hardening length sending your eyes rolling with ecstasy.. “we’re not even— mmm god, right there— we’re not even married yet!”

“gonna be at some point, why waste time fucking trying? not when i can cum in you and give you one right fucking now—“  bakugou moans heavily into your ear, diving back into a sloppy kiss as he fumbles around with the string of his sweatpants. 

you’re whimpering out for him, pulling the blonde into a lustful trance while you make a move to kick off your underwear when the sound of shattering glass pierces through the bubble of horniness you’ve both created. “shit.”

you both freeze and your matching gazes drop to the floor; a rapidly growing stain of red wine spilling onto the carpet under the coffee table your take out was on. 

the fluffy white rug had been a housewarming gift that katsuki begrudgingly accepted from your old school friend and fellow pro, izuku midoriya— so the sight of the now ruined rug makes you both burst out into harmonious laughter. you’re sure the number one wouldn’t mind. it’d make a great wedding story too.

you focus your eyes back on katsuki, cupping his face as that same love filled smile from earlier returns to your face. ”let’s start trying tomorrow, then?”

“tomorrow it is.” bakugou grins back, dotting your hairline with sweet pecks before cuddling into you.

baby making can wait for now, he supposes, for with another day off— he has all the time and all the love in the world to give to you.

[tempe-brennans]

what if i never love again?

author's note: this has an unhappy ending, just so you know. i kind of lost the thread of where it was going and just starting waxing poetic about breakups but i still like it

summary: you'll be gone tomorrow. but, tonight, you're still matt's.

It’s over–you and Matt both know that.

It’s why he didn’t go out tonight. It’s why he’s here, in bed next to you, trying his best to commit every moment to memory.

Moments with you are in short supply, and he’s not about to waste them–evil he knows is waiting outside be damned.

It’s quiet, neither of you speaking.

The silence is too thick to think about breaking.

The only sounds are the steady pulse of the city, the racing of your heartbeat, and thrum of the buildings heating unit.

He could do without the heat, if he’s honest, even though it’s cold out. His whole body is on fire, a nervousness rattling just beneath his skin that sets him entirely off balance.

He’s on the wrong end of the hour glass, sand piling on too fast for him to stop.

It makes his hand shake as he reaches out for you, arm wrapping around your waist and pulling you close.

You’re wearing his shirt, the near worn out material standing out to him immediately.

“I’ll love you,” Matt murmurs, voice shaky, “for the rest of my life.”

He hears your sharp intake of breath, your shaky exhale.

“So will I, Matty.” Your hand finds the side of his face, fingers so gentle as they run over his cheek. “I’ll love you forever.”

“I know this is...I know this is the end...” Matt takes a ragged breath. “I know tomorrow...”

Matt gets lost in thoughts of you. He knows your bags are packed, sitting in the corner of the room. He can imagine it now, the sound of the wheels as rolling along the floor as you leave, and he can’t breathe. His words get caught in his throat.

“I know, baby,” you murmur, scooting closer to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I know. It’s okay.”

He takes another breath. “I know that anything can happen–that you could fall in love with someone new.” He closes the distance between the two of you one more time.

Just because he can. He doesn’t know how many kisses he has left with you, after all.

“You’ll always have me.” He shakes his head, feels a tear escape and roll down his cheek. “If you need anything–anything at all–you come here and we’ll figure it out, okay? I don’t want…I don’t want you to ever feel alone.”

He hears the rustle of the pillowcase as you nod your head and a weight lifts from his chest.

“You too, Matty. You know that, don’t you?” Your thumb drags over his bottom lip. “I’d still do anything in the world for you,” you hum.

“I know,” he whispers, voice thick with unshed tears.

“Can we just stay here?,” you murmur. “Forever?”

Matt knows logic isn’t what you’re after–you both know all the reasons this has to end all too well. He knows you want a distraction.

And, if he’s honest, he’s tired of thinking about you leaving.

“Of course we can,” he hums.

His hands find your face, fingers impossibly soft as they run over your cheeks–almost reverent as they map your features one last time.

“The sun will never rise. Tomorrow will never start.” His voice is even–calming, he hopes. His hand slides to your neck, feels the racing of your heart fade to the steady beat he would know anywhere. “We’ll never lose this, never lose each other.”

There’s a sob, a choked thing that bursts free from your throat. You reach out, hands resting flat against his chest.

“I don’t wanna do it without you. I don’t wanna do any of it without you.”

Your voice is thick, tears changing Matt’s favorite sound to one that breaks his heart.

“I know, honey, I know.”

His hands run along your spine, pull you close as your tears soak his shirt.

“I'll always be with you.” He kisses your head. There’s a beat of quiet, and Matt whispers, “And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart…”

Your head leaves his chest. “I carry your heart.”

“I’ll always carry your heart. As long as I’m alive, you’ll be a part of me.” Tears catch in his throat. “And I’ll always be grateful.”

You kiss him, a lingering sort of thing. “So will I,” you murmur.

Matt’s tired. His head has gone fuzzy, his limbs are heavy.

There’s no way he’ll go to sleep though.

In the morning, Matt knows you’ll leave.

He’s made his peace with that–no matter how it makes his heart twist.

For now, though, he holds you close. He breathes you in, hopeful that–if he tries hard enough–he’ll keep enough of you that he can recreate you on hard nights. He’ll have the way you smell, the feel of your body against his, the pattern of your heartbeat–even if he doesn’t have you.

He knows you’re awake, can tell by the way your breaths come. Part of him feels like he should speak, keep you talking so he never forgets the sound of your voice. The other part of him wants to pass the hours you have left in silence, let the end wash over him without distraction.

Every so often, a sob leaves you. Your heart goes haywire and you shake in his arms. Each time, it makes him hold you tighter, murmur quiet reassurances into your ear.

How many times can he tell you he loves you? Do you know? Do you really know how much he cares for you?

He’s not sure he could ever tell you, could ever find words to explain the place you hold in his heart.

Instead, he hopes–in these last hours–that the way he holds you explains it. He hopes you’ll never question it, even weeks from now, cold and alone in a bed far from him–he wants you to be sure.

He knows he is–couldn’t be more sure. He’ll keep this last night in his heart for the rest of his life.

Right next to his memories of you.