#warnings: major character death

[lockwood-fic-recs]

i am still painting flowers for you

by terryh on ao3

Rating: T | Category: F/M | Relationship: Lucy/Skull | Warnings: MCD

The skull is gone. Lucy picks up a brush.

[Spoilers for The Empty Grave]

[kflixnet]

New to KFLIXNET: Check out our member Mari's drabble!

Haunt me — Sim Jaeyun

pairing: agent!Jake x nurse!reader — genre: angst, some fluff, drabble — Synopsis: Who knew how would it be without his love.. thinking back to the event how he lost his only love. His last love. His forever love.

word count: 1.1k

warnings: mcd (main character death) death, blood, crying, pet names, bittersweet ending

Masterlist

recommend listening to “To get better” by Wasia Project while reading!

“Will I die..?”

Those words haunted him.. it’s been 826 days. 2 years, 3 months and 6 days.. those exact 3 words never left his mind. It became a part of him. He promised.. promised to.. be with you..till the end. As he still grieves with your loss.. he tries to recover but that seems impossible.

“No I won’t let that happen trust me.. I’ll make sure you’ll live..” you let out a sob of pain.. the pain of leaving him.. and also the pain you’re in now. “Jake but..-“

“No.. don’t finish it..” He shuts his eyes.. your blood on his hands as he tries to stop it. He couldn’t lose you. Without you he’ll be lost. He wanted to keep living for you. Even with the ups and downs of your relationship.. although you both weren’t actually together.

You cough out blood. Losing consciousness each second passing by. “Jake just so you know..”

“Stop.. you're not dying..” you reach your hand and place it on top of his while you lay on the ground. “Jake.. I love you.. so much..” you say weakly. “Please stop.. I’ll get help soon..” his vision starts getting more blurry. He couldn’t lose you now.

“I don’t want to die.. please..” you begged. “Love.. I promise.. promise once we’re both out of here.. we’ll move away for a new fresh start. None of this dirty work…” You smiled at the thought, the thought of paradise where no restrictions could stop you both. Your love was too strong. Jake’s gaze softened. Your smile was so beautiful, pretty.

His pretty girl.

“What if I do di-“ you started he didn’t want to hear any what if’s good or bad. The thought of losing you scared him to death. He dealt with many losses but this one. This one may be the worst. “I won’t let that happen.. Please just keep looking at me. Don’t think..” He didn’t want to cry not when you were on the verge of losing your life

Your sobs quiet down a bit. Slowly trying to breathe at a normal pace. You hold Jake’s hands in yours. This may be the last time. Who knows. Jake took one hand and smiled at you. He smiles, becoming weaker and weaker. The cold feeling against his skin. You have a gunshot wound.. He tried to distract you from it. Despite his own injuries. Jake picks you up, noticing you losing your consciousness a bit, but still breathing. He starts walking towards the exit. You both were so close. Until a stupid bastard decides to shoot you before fleeing.

Each step took too much effort. Exhausted reaching him. Jake pushes through. You weren’t going to die. You were going to live and move far away from this country and live a happy life. Your skin is getting colder and colder and even pale. He didn’t want to lose hope.

—

“You know you're the only person I really opened up to..” you spoke while taking a sip of your coffee. Jake stared at you in surprise. He felt his heart start racing. Was he gaining feelings?

—

“Why..? Why did you trust him? I loved you. To even think of giving up my long life dream to stay here with you!!” You yelled tears down your face.

“No it’s not that he had documents that proved—“ “Prove what! Jake.. I’m leaving. I can't be in this mess any more.” Jake stayed silent. “No you’re not leaving” you sighed in frustration, tears streaming down your face. 

“I trusted you! And yet here you are.. betraying me.. Jake those papers are fake. I never worked for those people.”

—

The memories of how you got here flooded his mind. Jake pushes the door open. But it wouldn’t budge open. For fucks sakes hurry up. “Open this fucking door.” He was losing his cool each second with your life on the line. He had to hurry. Once the door finally opens he rushes through.

“You're here..” he says as he sees the team's doctor.. he sets your body onto the ground.. “Hurry up save her..” he demanded he was going to get you back. The doctor was startled. But quickly acted fast on saving you.

And 2 hours passed. He was getting anxious as he waited outside of the truck. Were you alive..? And finally once the back door opens the doctor steps out. Silence. “How’s she..?” He felt his gut twist. “I-I’m sorry..”

Jake could feel his heart crack. Bleeding out. Not you. Why you! He promised to keep you alive, but it was far too late. “What do you mean.. she still had a pulse when we got here.. how did she—“ He was in rage. History repeats itself. His life was always shitty and it just kept getting worse. Too much happened in one night.

“I don’t believe you.” He was in denial. He walked towards the doctor before he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Why didn’t you try hard enough?” The doctor pushes him off. “I did!.. She lost too much blood.

And here he was now.. sat down right here.. staring at your face. You always looked so beautiful. His heart is still beating for you. He visited you everyday. Never missing a day. The memories always came back whenever he was here. How he could’ve been quicker, how he could’ve stopped you from getting there in the first place.

He shakes.. tears threatening to come out. He lets go. Letting his emotion take over. He was a weak man when it came to you. You had that affect.

I miss you each day.. wishing I would wake up and the first thing I see is you. I miss the days where I would go to work and see you. The highlight of my day.

You, my love made me feel another way no else could make me feel. I love you. I fell hard for you. Even with my rough past. You managed to get past my guard, tearing it apart.

I will never let you go.. my love.. my pretty girl. You’re the reason why I live today.

To see you here laying in peace. No parasites to harm you. No one will harm you. I wish I told you how much I loved you. I had many chances, but it’s far too late. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Don’t forget that. Now sleep peacefully love.

Jake sets the flowers down on your grave, smiling. He strokes your headstone, staring at your photo. He places a kiss on it. He gets up before walking away. Tomorrow he’ll see you again, and again, and again, and again, and again…

Author’s note: So hey.. I made this after reading sinful on wattpad by tanyasapple it’s actually a Leon book but I made into a Jake drabble. I sobbed while reading it. It’s inspired by its recent update (chapter 34) Soo angst bc I’m in that mood.

© ynsvnte copyright 2024

[are-we-shrimping-today]

When The Bones Are Good by IBlogAboutIt [hockey rpf, pittsburgh penguins]

jesus christ i think about this fic all the time. there's a tree in my neighbor's house that makes a hushing sound at night and every time i hear it, i think about the lush, atmospheric, unnerving quiet - until it's not, until it's quite loud - that this fic paints. a fic that is not just eldritch horror and unreality inspired by the podcast old gods of appalachia but also a romance -- to a place, to a people, to a man. it's so deliciously creepy but also achingly sad and i think of the ending often. sidgeno, as iblogaboutit does so well, but also a beautiful portrait of jake and his fealty, which is what i loved best -- a sidgeno romance, but one that sets the stage for jake to command. would that kyle dubas had seen him in the same light 😭

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Coco’s smau!

THE GHOST OF YOU

PAIRING! - park sunghoon x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS! - Excited to start her journey at a new job, Y/N is estatic when she finds an apartment within walking distance for rent in one of the most beautiful up and coming parts of seoul for cheap, what she doesn’t know is there’s a catch. What happens when she moves in and strange things begin to occur? Will she be able to live with it or will she move out before the one month trial is up? and will she ever find out who keeps shoving her coffee cup off the kitchen counter?

started: august 15th, 2023 | ending: tbd!

PSA1: this won't have an upload schedule! especially since I’ll be starting school again soon and that’s my top priority!

PSA2: this smau will have the most outrageous and unbelievable things happen, in this smaus universe virtually anything is possible, and no one really questions it! so please bare with me if the plot line makes you scratch your head or question the smau, I promise it’s nothing serious and will be super silly and full of fun!

genre: ghost!au, social media!au, roomates!au, angst, fluff, comedy, and more!

warnings: major character death (but it’s part of the plotline and isn’t really sad), profanity, dark humor (kms, die, etc!), more to be added!

cast: all of enhypen, lesserafim’s yunjin, aespa’s ningning, and maybe more to be added!

— taglist #2 open! - send an ask or comment to be added!

APARTMENT NUMBER 128:

the ghost of you – teaser!

000: pinkerton freaks / dead man’s grove (intros)

001: oh gee hope she didn’t see my wee!

002: jay hyung is a misogynist duh !

003: fuck you google is free

004: locked - opening soon!

005: locked - opening soon!

© all rights reserved to enluv, do not steal, repost or translate.

[ulalamonz]

√Q🍓+ reincarnated🍓+ Zangetsu and Tensa (and Uryuu)

(Quincy!Ichigo defeated Yhwach but because his body was tampered so badly he succumbed to his injuries and Zangetsu & Tensa gets thrown into an alternate timeline where Ichigo nearly fell to his death but Zangetsu caught him in time while Tensa hid in the shadows, still grieving.)

[heph]

heyy, your house md drawing are so beautiful, just know i love them so much! but do you have any house fic that you like???

I have so many.

Here's a list of some of my favesss

Lack Of (Social) Skill - the one where people thought House had brain cancer (I like it because of one line at the end of the story and it made me sick)

Arureos (Greek for Rat) - Wilson takes care of and gets attached to Steve Mcqueen (I LOOOOVE THIS ONE!!!!!)

i may not be as honest as i ought to be - House gets food poisoning, lots of codependence (THIS is my absolute favourite. If you have to pick one fic from this list read this one)

The Kissing Experiment - They kiss a lot 🥺

I Never Sleep With Married Men - They're MARRIEDDDED

narcissus poeticus - Hanahaki

Welcomed Change - developing relationship? Idk how to summarize this one it's just sweet

systemic - House in love and in Denial (my favourite trope)

mr. magic hands - Implied sexual content! Wilson massaging House 5+1

These alongside the fics I recommended where the ducklings are invested in Hilson's relationship are the ones in my bookmarks (the rest are E rated/I don't remember the summary)

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Muri's series!

Through the Decades of 7

call history ⋆ ★ hands-linked and locked with fate, you've lived and loved through the decades of time filled with intimacy and tragedy. 7 varied stories, 7 decades, 7 hearts of gold, 7 deaths followed by heartbreak, and 7 different boys who hold the key to your heart, their hands in yours, with beautiful memories...so who are you to call fate horrible when devastation takes places and rips you from the arms your lover and places you in care another.

pairings *. * · ot7 x fem! reader (series)

ringtone⋆ ★ the one that got away - katy perry and falling for you-seventeen

series start *. * · october 20, 23

end⋆ ★ ???

taglist *. * · @elfis-world//@luvistqrzzz//@kflixnet

a/n *. * · all respective warnings will be on top of each story but a whole major warning is that all the fics will contain major character death...again warning, these fics will have major character death. also, i did do my best to research every single event, but please tell me if I got something wrong or accidentally wrote something insensitive. and finally like i said in all my fics, i have horrible horrible grammar becuz i can't write and english isn't my first language, and extremely sorry for the long ass descriptions. thank you!

Heeseung: The Mongolian Invasions of Korea (1258-1269)

call summary˚ · • . ° . Living in the city of Jinju for your entire life, you’ve spent your youthful days thriving joyfully with your one and only childhood best friend; Lee Heeseung. And as much as you would hate to admit it, not only would you call Heeseung your friend, but also the first and only boy who has stolen your heart. But what was stopping you from confessing? Maybe it was the risk of losing him by your side forever? You weren’t really sure yourself. So as you tackle your own challenges of love, the world around you continues on peacefully. Yet an impending force of terror awaits your lovely city and the citizens in it, one that will sweep you off of your feet…literally.

trope ༊*·˚ Childhood Friends to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . Death, Mentions of Prostitution, Mentions of Cheating, Bullying (?), Blood, Inaccurate Historical References(?), Crude, Language Horrible Grammar, Bad plot, Repetitive Scenes, Cliche

right here ➟ (1258-1269)

Jungwon: The Great Fire of London (1666)

call summary˚ · • . ° . Being an unmarried woman at 25 was already extremely hard. And being a bakery owner at that, added to the list of why you were going to get grey hairs earlier than the average woman. But you know what really tops the list? The Coffee Shop across from your own establishment. And to be more specific, its owner, Yang Jungwon, the annoying pest that’s been bothering you for over a year. Bragging about more popularity, playing nasty tricks to rile each other up, charming the other’s customers so you could whisk them away, and maybe accidentally kissing each other while you were drunk? Wait no that last one was definitively not a part of your daily agenda like the other ones. But everyone could see that the kiss was something that was going to happen between you two sooner or later and it really didn’t help that you enjoyed it. But who would know that the small smooch you two shared in that dingy bar, was going to lead something quite more.

trope ༊*·˚ Enemies to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . tba

coming soon!

Jake: The Typhoid Epidemic in Australia (1897-1898)

call summary˚ · • . ° . You were never really a sick person but your poor younger sister was. Diagnosed with pneumonia at an extremely young age, hospital visits were very common in your household and usually would lead you to take your sister to the very big hospital that was only a few blocks away. When Mama worked late out at night to provide for her two precious daughters, it left you to be the mother role for your sister. So when a night of fun between you two, leaves her in a deadly coughing fit, you rush her to the hospital and you break out in tears once you are told she was going to have to stay the night from how bad the fit was. Thinking that you were suffering all alone with your emotions, you don’t realize the cute pale boy next to you offering you a piece of his chocolate and when you do, he comforts your weeping body only to leave hurriedly once you stop your rain of tears, leaving you curious with your mixed emotions. Was it just you or was your heart beating a bit faster than usual? And why do you start to notice the boy every time you visit the hospital for your sister, ever since that painfully cute encounter?

trope ༊*·˚ Strangers to Friends to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . tba

coming soon!

Jay: The Sinking of the Titanic: (1912)

call summary˚ · • . ° . Being the only child and daughter of a wealthy businessman made it harder and harder for your sweet father to leave you so you can embark on a new journey all the way to New York. But you resisted, affirming him with your honeyed words to let you go, you’ve been his daughter for a whole twenty-one years, it was time for you to leave him behind in England. And how could he say no to his lovely child, so he lets you go, and after a few heart-wrenching sobs of goodbyes, you are finally on the very ship that would lead you to your destiny…maybe. The moment you arrive was pretty enjoyable, and so were the few hours after that, but you soon get in a little scuffle with a very distinguishable gentleman (spoiler alert he was not very gentlemanly like or distinguishable and served you horrible pain in the arse). But being stubborn was practically your middle name so why did you for some reason melt in the hands of another man who comes to your aid, easily submitting to his commands that he was going to solve it out for you…not that you really needed it, you were doing quite fine, but gosh it was attracting a lot of attention and wow that mysterious man was charmingly handsome. So you find yourself with that same man after that, spending your every minute with him, and it's safe to say you won't regret it. And hopefully, he doesn’t too but from his smile, you could guess that he doesn’t either.

trope ༊*·˚ Strangers to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . tba

coming soon!

Niki: The Pacific Theater of WWII (1939-1945)

call summary˚ · • . ° . You’re still not really sure if you regret bumping into Niki with your fruits or not. After helping him clean out the stain you’ve given him on that white shirt he was wearing that fateful when, at the ripe age of eleven, you’ve had the pleasure to stay friends with him up till these eight years and you plan it to stay that way, after finding out that you hate changes. But when the news of devastating deaths around the world finally catches up to your own country, you know that inevitable change was going to hit. First, it was the rations and the increase of government control in people's lives, not that it wasn’t already strict enough. And then it directed to more serious matters, something that you weren’t ready for; the draft for all men that were eligible to join the army and fight for their country. You weren’t ready for Niki to leave you behind nor was he ready to see your pretty face for the last time. But who knows what the future holds and what you’re devising in that witty brain of yours.

trope ༊*·˚ Friends to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . tba

coming soon!

Sunoo: The Great Chinese Famine (1959-1961)

call summary˚ · • . ° . It was no lie that you were very hard-working and were covered in a blanket of competitiveness. In school, in sports, with friends, in the field with your parents and siblings. And it was all driven by your personal dream to become a doctor. But socialism was starting to become more and more popular which means more people working to the bone to feed their families and others. This means no time for school or any academic approaches, so you just dropped out…completely. Disappointed and hopeless you try your best for your family, which works out! And you guess in awarding of your fruitful labor, god sends you, your neighbor from a few houses down to come and help you. Well to be honest it's more that in exchange for your family's help, he personally helps you. Losing his family’s farm a few weeks ago, Sunoo’s family is extremely grateful for you the food you give to them, especially Sunoo himself who’s always admired you from afar, never close enough to take a bite. So he grasps the chance immediately. For your family’s kindheartedness, he’ll tutor you, after all his brother was already a great scholar, so it couldn’t be that hard. Right?

trope ༊*·˚ Neighbors to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . Starvation more to be added

coming soon!

Sunghoon: Sampoong Department Store Collapse (1995)

call summary˚ · • . ° . Working at a small drink shop in this enormous department store was never not busy. Various customers flocked in each day and you were never ever bored, always making some sort of drink or craning your neck into the business of the other customers. You usually wouldn’t recognize any of the people that came in, too many faces for your brain to memorize, but there was always this one boy who stood in the corner of the store, always ordering the same drink and always at the same time; two pm and coincidentally it was always the same time your shift started. Curious as you were you asked, and the moment you did, Sunghoon’s face appealed in a small smug, and unknowingly the immortal beings above you opened the book of fate that had already encased the story of you two; the barista girl and her devoted customer. So it was no surprise when you find yourself, walking with the same man, hands interlocked with love, and walking in the same department store, years later, only this time, a small ring could be found on your finger.

trope ༊*·˚ Strangers to Lovers

warnings ˚ · • . ° . tba

coming soon!

again extremely sorry for the grammar mistakes....i made the descriptions 3 in the morning so it may not make sense :/

please repost and like<3

again send a comment or an ask to be added to the taglist!!!

[hom3landr]

"just lie to me, okay? just this once."

Necessary Lies

CW - Major Character Death, descriptions of gore and sickness, ANGST ANGST ANGST

Homelander’s intentions had been pure when he arranged to dose you with Compound V. He’s reminded by a friend that’s how the road to hell is paved

You aren’t getting better.

Homelander’s stomach turns.

You aren’t getting better.

He’d done everything right. The whole process was done under the supervision of all of Vought’s best doctors and scientists. Even as you screamed and begged, he’d been confident that any complications could be swiftly dealt with. Sure, you’d been an adult when the V had been introduced into your system but you are strong. You have to be. You have to.

He watches you in your room. It doesn’t seem right for you to be surrounded by so much blank white. You are color and light but even you can’t withstand the way the awful room dims your soul. Maybe if you could see the sun you’d get better. But the doctors insist you are too fragile to handle any environment except the sterile one you are contained in.

He bites his lip anxiously as you continue to hack up blood, the bright crimson automatically drawing the eye. His instincts tell him to scan you, to watch as the V twists your DNA and transforms you into something greater.

I told you not to get your hopes up. You tend to have a less than stellar track record when it comes to mud people.

He shakes his head and tries to ignore the little voice in his ear. He’s wrong this time. It’s a hiccup that’s all. You’re strong. You are.

The voice is blocked out but not by his own efforts. A horrible cry leaves your lips as your bones crack and shift under your skin. More red spews on the floor. He winces at the wet splat as a chunk of something hits the floor.

That was juicy. Wanna bet that was a lung?

Homelander tastes iron as he splits his own lip. It feels like it’s your blood he’s tasting. It’s your blood he’s spilt.

That one was a little mean, I admit. But buck up Bucko, this is what you signed up for. Maybe you’ll listen to me next time.

He’s done this before. Why the fuck were you the one with complications?

“There’s a good reason Vought doesn’t do it.”

That’s what he told Madelyn that fateful night.

He’d killed her too

He steps to the side as a squad of sour smelling scientists rush in to stabilize you. But what can they do? What can they do now that the only outcome is for the poison to run its course? He vividly fantasizes about popping each one’s head like a ripe melon as punishment for not fixing this. It doesn’t make him feel better.

Please

He begs the voice in his head.

Just lie to me, okay? Just this once.

The once dependable steady rhythm of your heartbeat is dangerously erratic.

You smell like death.

Please!

He worries the cut on his lip with his tongue. It feels strange to have a wound. The scientists flutter around you nervously. They know you’re a lost cause but Homelander’s icy gaze compels them to at least pretend to be helpful. Their terror burns his nose. He decides to make their demise slow.

No can do Buddy, you know that’s not what I’m here for. I’m the only one who’ll never lie to you.

Your heartbeat grows fainter. Your breaths rattle.

One of the scientists pisses himself.

Please…

You turn your head and despite your eyes meeting his, he knows you can’t see him. You wouldn’t be able to even without the wall in the way. He doesn’t think you can see much of anything anymore.

I told you so. Better go in and say your goodbyes.

I hate you

Aw buddy, I’m the only thing you have left.

Your heart stops and a noise all too terribly familiar leaves your throat. The last noise you’ll ever make. A wail just as wretched leaves his lips.

He didn’t even say goodbye. He let you die in that awful room alone. He wasn’t even holding your hand. You were alone like he was alone all those many years ago. Being poked at like he was.

He vomits bile onto the floor.

You’re gonna need me more than ever now. Better get used to it.

[please-let-this-work-oh-my-god]

Chapter 6 checkup (The text on Vertin says "Alive but gay" btw)

Inspo (also spoilers for Madoka Magica and Ninjago lmao):

(Fyi, I didn't know how to do the gray out thing so the black text is supposed to stand in for that)

Up to date version of this image with chapter 7 spoilers below the cut

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Fae's oneshot!

hold on

PAIRING: best friend heeseung x gn reader SYNOPSIS: Heeseung has always been enchanted by you. Since the day of your first meeting in kindergarten, he knew that you were destined for each other. He's always imagined spending forever with you, even going so far as to apply to each and every college that you did, so that you wouldn't have to leave his side. However, as graduation draws near, fate reveals its own differing plans for the both of you. GENRE: angst, best friends to lovers au, high school au, kind of a star-crossed lovers au, right person wrong time au WARNINGS: unedited, major character death, frequent pov changes, please lmk if you feel that there are any other warnings that should be added WORD COUNT: 3.4K NOTE: this has been in my drafts for so long, so i'm rlly happy to finally publish it !! and thank you to my lovely esther bae @urszn for the beautiful header which was the perfect motivation to finish writing ♡ MASTERLIST | NAVI

Heeseung couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief at the sight of you, an invisible weight falling off his shoulders.

“I thought I’d find you here.” Heeseung said, hoping his voice doesn’t reveal his previous state of panic. Despite his casual comment, he had actually spent the last forty-five minutes frantically searching for you. Your room was the last place he’d expected to find you. Yet there you were, silently sitting on your bed, bundled up in every fluffy blanket you owned, completely unaware of the outside world and the mental breakdown that had just been cut short by your appearance.

It’s otherwise dark except for the messily placed star stickers strewn across your ceiling, illuminating the room in a pale green light. Knowing of your fear of the dark, Heeseung had gifted you the stickers for a past birthday, but you had always refused to use them. worried that they would eventually die out, opting for a regular lamp instead.

"Don’t make me laugh, Hee. I saw the hundred missed calls you left." You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him. He was leaning against the door frame in his favorite matching gray hoodie and sweats. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed in worry, but he looked absolutely gorgeous. You had always thought he looked as if he came straight out of a cringey teen romantic series. With his sweet doe eyes and all his other pretty features, it wouldn’t be hard at all to fall for your best friend. He would be one of those sweet best friend types that was always there for the protagonist. They’d be high school sweethearts, joyfully spending the rest of their lives together in each other’s arms. Maybe they’d settle down in the countryside after one too many years spent in the chaos of a big city. They'd eventually have two kids and maybe even a cat or —

"So you were ignoring me, huh?" Heeseung questioned, interrupting you from continuing your delusions. His lips were jutting out in a joking pout, and he was standing with his hands on his hips, giving the impression of an upset little kid. You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the sight of the unserious glare he directed towards you. You patted the spot across from you, welcoming him to join you in your latest coping mechanism. At your invitation, he finally entered the room, carefully stepping over the numerous clothes and stuffed animals littering your floor to make his way next to you.

The bed dipped a little, creaking as Heeseung sat on the bed, scooting next to you. You adjusted the pile of blankets so that they enveloped both of you. Leaning your head against his shoulder, you could smell the notes of tangerine and oak from his favorite cologne. You both stayed there for a while, relishing in the presence of the other. You both enjoyed the respite the other provided, neither making a move or attempting to break the silence.

For the past week, both of you had been so busy preparing for the upcoming exam season that your only chance to see each other was in passing while hurriedly rushing through the halls to the next class. You had also started using lunches as a free period to study for your respective classes, so it had certainly been a while since you had last been this close in proximity. Heeseung found himself immediately comforted in your presence. Heeseung looked down at you finally up-close and his heart ached at the sight of the remnants of tears trailing from your puffy eyes. He didn’t know what to say, but his every nerve yearned to know the reason behind your current misery and eradicate its existence. 

The dark circles under your eyes had also grown significantly, almost at an exponential rate compared to his memory, and you looked so fatigued that he vaguely remembered hearing one of your shared teachers expressing concern about you to another teacher when passing her classroom on his way to a different class.

Heeseung had known you long enough to recognize that this type of behavior wasn’t uncommon for you. As a professional procrastinator, you were a proud night owl, and both of you often stayed up together. But your appearance made it seem like you had hit a new extreme of sleep deprivation. The fact that you had obviously been crying before he found you just made him feel worse. He didn’t know the reality of whatever you had been dealing with, but he was confident something was wrong. He just wished he could do more to help you, that you would rely on him more, that you would realize he’d always be there for you.

"Why now? I thought you said you were never going to use the stickers," Heeseung asked in a desperate attempt to fill the silence. He had said the first thing that came to mind, but he couldn’t deny his eagerness to hear your answer. With the stars bathing his vision in an unfamiliar green hue, feelings of uncertainty spread through his body. Maybe it was just the fact that college decisions would soon be arriving, but nothing felt right anymore. The only thing he would always have complete confidence in was his relationship with you. You had stuck together through thick and thin, and he had no doubt you would always have his back.

"I thought it might help me come to terms with everything. You know, since we don’t have that much time left together either. It’s kind of healing, being one with the darkness. Besides, shouldn't you be glad I’m finally putting your gift to good use?" You had also come to the realization that the stickers' lifespan had nothing to do with your use of them, but you preferred leaving that out. You would rather not draw attention to a fact that he had no previous idea of, knowing Heeseung would tease you relentlessly about it otherwise. He was very similar to you in that you both often shared equally stupid sentiments. It was one of the reasons you both got along so well.

"What do you mean?" Heeseung's voice was firm, despite being puzzled by your statement. You had spoken of separating as if it was something guaranteed in your future. He was offended that you had even considered parting ways with him, but even more hurt by how sure you were about it. "YN, we’re always going to be together even after graduation. You’ll forever be my number one, and I better be yours."

While you had been more focused on avoiding his teasing, it seemed your previous sentence had taken all his attention. The sudden seriousness of his tone took you aback, making you wonder if you had somehow angered your best friend.

"Hee, you know I don’t mean it like that. I love you so much, but it’s inevitable that we’ll eventually reach a point in time where we can’t be together 24/7." You sat up, adjusting your position so that you were both face to face. He frowned and avoided your eyes. Cradling his face in both your hands, you tilted his head up, but he continued looking away from you. He looked upset, but you knew that you had only spoken the truth.

"Hee?" You smiled at him, hoping to find some sort of confirmation or consolation in his reactions. You didn’t like seeing him unhappy; it didn’t suit him at all.

"Have we already reached that point then? I know you’ve been avoiding me, and it’s not just a phase. We haven't had a single decent conversation with each other in the past month. You can’t even deny it. You’re not answering my calls or texts. You’re not even talking to me anymore." Heeseung tried not to lose his composure, but he was sure that his voice must have betrayed his true feelings because he could feel the tears starting to gather.

Heeseung wished that you would just reach out to him. You were such a precious person to him, and he absolutely adored you. To everyone who had ever known Heeseung, it was obvious just how much he loved you, shown through his actions alone. His every thought revolved around you, and he had no doubt that he would do anything for you.

Heeseung had known you long enough to easily recognize all your emotions. It was almost like he had a spidey-sense solely dedicated to you. Whenever he heard even the slightest hint of sadness in your voice during a call, he was immediately on his way to you with your favorite foods in hand.

Heeseung could spend all the time in the world by your side and never get bored of his best friend. He had pulled more all-nighters than he could count just to keep you company as you hurriedly crammed to finish a project for school. Even if he had already finished the same assignment weeks in advance, he was always there to help you. In fact, it was only after learning of your dangerous tendency to procrastinate that he had taken it upon himself to do the exact opposite.

Everything Heeseung did was with you in mind. In fact, he had been determined to stay by your side even after graduation, so he made sure to apply to all the same colleges as you. He had never considered leaving your side, so it stung hearing you talk as if you had already accepted the idea.

The sight of your best friend with tears brimming in his eyes was too much to handle, and you felt as if you were on the verge of crying as well. You immediately reached out to hug him, hoping to comfort him and bring him back to his usually happy self. Heeseung remained silent even as he hugged you back.

“Hee, I’m so sorry. Please don’t cry.” You do your best to assure him with your words, but you couldn’t help but feel out of place trying to comfort your best friend. It had always been him in your current position; he had always taken care of you. It made you feel incredibly guilty that your friend had done so much for you that it would never be possible to pay it forward to him in this lifetime. 

“You’re right. I was avoiding you and I’m so sorry, Hee. I haven’t been completely open with you either. I know you’re probably also anxious about college and life after graduation so I didn’t want to trouble you.” Hearing your confession, Heeseung stilled. Breaking away from the hug, he wiped his tears and looked directly at you as if telling you to continue on.

“I really didn’t want to tell you about it, but I realize now that it’s probably best that you hear it from me first.” As the first tears started to fall, you dropped your head to rest on his chest. You were full-on sobbing now, afraid of his reaction, but you continued on, finally whispering the truth to the person you had been most determined to hide it from. 

Heeseung had always hated goodbyes. As a child, whenever family came to visit, he was always the odd one out at the end of the trip, the only one who had shed no tears. The dramatics associated with partings just didn’t come naturally to him. He didn’t like how everyone else would break down in tears or how the hugs seemed to never end. It all felt awkward to him. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t sad or that he wouldn’t miss spending time with his family; it was just that he had never been the type to openly show his vulnerabilities. It was only in complete solitude in the peace and quiet of his room that Heeseung would allow himself to mourn. 

This wasn’t like that though. No, not at all. He had been completely confident that his family would visit him again, but Heeseung wasn’t sure that he would ever see you again. The love of his life was about to disappear out of his life before he could even confess his feelings. It wasn’t even the feeling of a forever unreciprocated love. Heeseung knew that you loved him in the same way that he felt about you. He had originally planned a big confession to take place in the coming weeks as graduation approached, but it seemed as if fate had alternate plans for the both of you. 

Heeseung felt like a ship lost at sea, tossed and tormented by relentless waves of grief. The weight of your eventual absence was a heavy burden on his heart, engulfing him in a whirlwind of memories and regrets, unable to escape the torment.

It was with great reluctance that Heeseung forced himself to enter the Hospital. The stark, white walls and dreary interior echoed with the sounds of crying, likely from families experiencing their own goodbyes. It was all so overwhelming and just made him more nauseated at the thought of finding you here. He was right outside your door now, but he found himself still in place, his knees growing weak. As much as he hated the idea of ever having to part ways with you, he knew he would regret not seeing you in your final moments. A violent cough erupted from behind the door, echoing through the hallway, serving as a painful reminder of the finality of your current state. He choked up as his hand reached for the handle; the pounding of his heart growing in frequency upon touching the cold metal. 

It took a moment for Heeseung to gain the courage to open the door, but he was absolutely floored at the sight of you when he finally entered. Upon his arrival, your parents stepped out into the hall, deciding to give you both some privacy. It completely broke him to see you look so much more fragile than he remembered you ever being. He approached your bedside with a lump in his throat, struggling to find the words he’d wanted to tell you. 

It’s obvious to see from his appearance that your best friend had been taking the news of your sickness very hard. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were swollen but he still looked as beautiful as ever in the dull light of the hospital room.

“I missed you, Hee.” You mustered out a weak smile at your best friend. Despite being bedridden, your smile remained bright, but Heeseung couldn’t help but feel that as if it looked out of place compared to your dull appearance. The eyes that he often found himself lost in were now almost entirely devoid of their previous shine. 

“I love you.” Heeseung blurted out, hoping you could hear the sincerity in his voice. He wished he could say more, but he couldn’t speak. The longer he looked at you in your delicate state, the harder it was for him to maintain his composure. He had imagined the two of you spending your lives together, side by side. He had already planned everything out. He knew where he wanted to propose and how he was going to do it. You might not have realized it, but you were the object of all of Heeseung’s affection. The persistence of your image in his mind was the only thing that relentlessly haunted him, and it terrified him just how much he loved you. 

“Hee, you know I love you too.” You had spent the entire day saying goodbyes to loved ones, but it was only after seeing Heeseung that you felt completely disheartened. Tears were pooling in the corners of his eyes and with it, your guilt continued to grow. 

“I’m going to miss you so much, Hee. You were the best best friend and first love that anyone could have asked for. You’ve always done so much for me. That’s why I need you to promise me something.” You held his hands tightly in yours, wanting to ingrain the feeling in your memory forever. 

“I’m wishing you all the best. You’re such a lovely person and I know that anyone would be lucky to be the recipient of your friendship and love. Promise me that you’ll start living for yourself. I’ve held you back for so long and I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize it earlier.” You paused to look at Heeseung for confirmation. He hesitantly nodded his head in agreement.

“Do everything that makes you happy, okay? I might not be able to stay by your side, but I’ll always be there for you. I’ll be your guardian angel, so trust that I’ll be watching over you. You’ve spent your whole life looking after me, so now it's my turn to return the favor.” You smiled up at him, gesturing for him to lean down towards you.  Heeseung’s eyes welled up with tears as he obeyed your request. He was determined to stay strong for you even as his cheeks grew wet, biting his lip in an effort to suppress the sobs from spilling out his chest.

“Don’t miss me too much, yeah?” Your voice broke a little seeing your best friend look so defeated. You wiped the tears from his face and pressed a kiss to both of his cheeks, resting your forehead against his. 

“Don’t cry. You’re too pretty to be crying over me.” Your comment only made him cry harder, though, and you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the sight. 

“I love you so much, Hee.” Heeseung took you by surprise when he cradled your face in his hands. Time seemed to slow down as he pressed the gentlest of kisses to your lips. You wished  it could have lasted forever; you wished that you could have spent forever by Heeseung’s side. You were so grateful to have met Heeseung, for him to have been your first and last love.

After your passing, Heeseung often found solace in the stars, the same stars that had once adorned your ceiling. He would gaze up at the vast night sky, eagerly searching for your light among the countless others, hoping to feel your presence and know that you were watching over him.

While he had long been stressed about what to expect from life after graduation, Heeseung knew that nothing could possibly go wrong, not with you watching over him. Just as you had expected of him, it didn’t take long for Heeseung to get acclimated to college life. He had already befriended quite a few people in the same major as him. They all shared similar personalities, and he knew that he would quickly grow close to them. He lucked out with his courses, somehow managing to get his ideal schedule. With everything just as perfect as he had always dreamed, he knew he had nothing to worry about.

While the ache of your absence never ceased to disappear, Heeseung didn’t want to erase you from his life or pretend as if you had never existed. He was adamant about never forgetting you. He continued to keep you in his memory, proudly referring to you as his "best friend" and "soulmate." He wrote heartfelt letters to you, pouring out his every thought and emotion onto the page, imagining that you were still there to listen. He still had your number saved, often calling just to hear your voice on your voicemail. Whenever he came home for a break, he visited your parents without fail, who treated him as their own son. He made sure to stop by each and every one of the beloved hangouts you had once frequented together, where your laughter and joy had danced in the air, allowing himself to be immersed in the beauty of the cherished memories you had shared.

Heeseung carried you with him always as he continued to live his life as you wished for him to do. And just as promised to you, he lived each day to the fullest. The pain of your loss lingered and persisted, but Heeseung's heart swelled with gratitude for the time he spent with you, for the memories you shared together. Heeseung would be forever grateful for the serendipitous intertwining of his life with yours, a testament to the power of fate. You might not be his last, but you would always be his first love, remaining foremost in his mind and heart, etched and woven into the tapestry of his life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING !! and a million thanks to my lovely moots @kimsohn @chiyuv & @luvhyun3 for helping me with proofreading ILYSM 💗

networks : @kflixnet @k-labels @enhanet

permanent taglist : @ilynaevis @yeongwonie @gfksn @luvhyun3 @esc6pism

[silvers-starrway]

SURPRISE!!! Have chapter 2 already because I am insane about this fic :]

[fever-project]

LU x Undertale AU - What if the guys still turned to dust when they’re killed? Like in the first run ever Wind accidentally kills Sky for example, and after he’s done bleeding for a bit(maybe he doesn’t even bleed at all haha) he turns into dust. Neither Wind or Legend were expecting that, much less were expecting that Wind would kill Sky. I think that would make the whole situation like, a bit more traumatic. How what was once Sky’s physical form now sticks to Wind’s clothes.

he’d have to Reset like, instantly after that. Then he’d cry to Sky who obviously is oblivious to what happened. Wind wants to stay with him at least just a little longer after that, going to sleep for the night.

then Legend wakes up. He doesn’t remember exactly what happened, all he knows is that he need to hug Sky right now.

[carrots-bear]

Fire and Rain, written by Bear(aka me)

A rottmnt au where Donnie is the last survivor of the Kraang-pocalypse and is sent back in time. (More or less the peepaw leo aus, except it's donnie.)

Prologue

A tall, green figure crashed into another green figure with a large, clonky, prosthetic, knocking him out of the way of a Kraang laser. (This second figure was also shorter than the first one.)

“Leonardo, I swear, if it were not for us, then you would have died already,” the first figure said, tears forming in his eyes. He had just watched his little brother disintegrate, giving all of himself to send Casey Junior back in time, so that there might be a future that his stupid, selfless sensei doesn’t lose an arm, that April could have lived longer, that Raphael could have lived longer, that Donatello could still see out of his right eye, have somewhat adequate hearing without an aid, have his lower leg, and actually have his ninpo. I mean is that really so much to ask for? thought the Donnie, as he fought off Kraang dogs and tried to find shelter for them. Well, apparently the universe said yes, yes it is.

He was yanked back to the present when Leo said, “Heh, yeah. But you know that that’s just as true for you, Donald.” He was wearing the dumbest smirk— and bleeding an extremely concerning amount alright alright…alright.

Donatello scanned the area with his mono-ggle¹, and when he found somewhere sufficient, he dragged his brother over, going unnoticed by any enemies, I hope… He laid Leonardo down in the rubble gently, making sure that no stray pieces of metal could further injure him. ”Hold tight, Leo. I am going to get you all fixed up.” But then he looked closely at the wound, and his face tightened in a sort of grimace.

“That bad, ay?”, Leo said, still sporting that same old, dum-dum smirk. He winced when Donnie put pressure on the wound. “Okay, yeah. It’s that bad.”

“Of course it is, you dum-dum! Those Kraang hounds banged you up; it’s a miracle you’re still alive…”, Donnie said as he shook his head.

“How will I ever survive?”, Leonardo said, throwing his head back dramatically and putting his hand up to his forehead.

Donnie’s jaw clenched and he froze a moment, then resumed his work, saying, “Without proper medical attention… you might not.” He grimly whispered the last part, as if doing so would make it less true.

Leo put his hand down and faced towards his twin, though his eyes were looking down at his wound. “I know. But I know that you’ll be with me when it happens, and that was one of my ‘the-Great-Master-Leonardo-is-dying!’ requirements. So yay! You accidentally met one of my requirements, Dee!” He said it with a smile on his face, and Donatello didn’t know how.

“There, that should do,” Donnie said, wiping the crimson liquid on his hand onto a piece of rusty metal nearby. “And don’t joke about that,” he snapped coldly.

“Out of curiosity and boredom though—“

“Boredom?”

Donnie glared and sat down more comfortably beside his twin as he continued. “Yes, boredom; listen to my small talk question. Deep inhale and sigh. What are slash² were your other ‘re-qui-re-ments’?” (In case you were wondering, yes, air-quotes were heavily implied.)

“Well…”, and the brothers talked together for a good long time. Donatello checked how secure their shelter was so that he could sleep and ‘Nardo take watch. Yes, both realized how risky that was, putting the person who was slowly bleeding out on watch, but Donnie made Leo promise to wake him up if anything was happening.

• * • * Two weeks later * • * •

The brothers were on the run from the Kraang. Both were completely unsurprised; this was the Kraang-pocalypse, as some liked to call it, after all. At the moment, Donnie’s heated compression sock for his real foot had stopped working— again, so that’s working out great form him, slowing their pace.

Leo coughed, the running not being very good for his current state. “Donnie, I have a plan, but you might not like it.” He stumbled as he coughed again.

It didn’t take long for Donnie to know what Leo was thinking. ”Oh no, uh-uh, nope, not gonna happen. I don’t know exactly what you’re planning, but I do know it’s gonna be that load of self-sacrificing dirt again.”

As he spoke, Donnie pressed a button on his wrist-tech to activate a cloaking device. They got ahead of the Kraang long enough for Donnie to locate a safe place and get there unnoticed. Donnie eased Leo down. He could tell by what his mono-ggle was telling him, Leo was… Donnie was going to lose… Donnie was going to be an only ‘child’ very soon. His eyes wanted to tear up, but Donnie didn’t want to cry, so he forced them back.

Leo was having trouble breathing as it was, so it didn’t help the situation that he was about to give a speech to his twin. “Donnie, I know you know I’m dying. It’s okay! I have a plan remember?”

“Is that plan you dying, the Kraang killing everything, and sparing me to make my life miserable?”

“Well, I mean, I would prefer it if I could live too. If there was another way, I’d take it, but there’s not. I want you to see the good timeline, so you can tell me about it once you die, probably sitting in a rocking chair and solving the ancient puzzle of— The Rubix Cube. You have to promise me that you’ll come back to us when you die, alright? Not a bunch of Master and Uncle wanna-be’s.”

There was that smirk again. Oh, that smirk. Donnie was going to miss it. Welp, here come the water-works. You couldn’t even hold it in for his— “Wait, why didn’t I point this out before? What do you mean? You can’t actually be planing to send me to the same timeline as Casey Junior. You can barely use you ninpo in this state. That killed Mikey, it’s going to kill you too. I didn’t want to watch my family die before, and I still definitely don’t want to now. Please don’t do this, Leo.” Yup, the water-works have arrived everyone! Aw man, why?! Donatello felt his purple mask absorb the tears. They were coming in an onslaught; it would soon look like he just dipped the lower half of his mask in water. He sniffed and looked away from his brother. Donnie was holding his twin’s hand, just to make sure he was still there; he squeezed it, craving any sort of comfort, yet still unsure how to ask for it.

“Aw, Dee. C’mere.” Leo opened his free arm for a hug, and Donnie gladly took the opportunity, knowing it would likely be the last time for him to do so. They stayed like that for a bit, hugging and crying. Then Leonardo pulled back, slightly reluctantly, and said, “If you want, you can take my mask and katanas…”

Dee looked at his twin’s face for a moment before reaching up to untie the blue mask. He wrapped it around his right hand like a fingerless glove, just above a black choker on his wrist. Then he reached for the strap for the blue-hilted twin katanas.

“Does this mean you’re on board with my plan?”

“I know you’ll never let me hear the end of it if I don’t go along,” Donnie said grimly as he strapped on the sheath.

“Heh, you—“, Leo was interrupted by another fit of coughs before he could continue. “You got that right, is what I was going to say.” Donatello finished getting his belongings together and thought, My twin is actually insane. I mean, this could work, since Leo does have portaling abilities, and Mikey did it, so I suppose it’s feasible… “You ready, Don?”, Leo asked, interrupting Donnie’s thoughts.

“Yeah, just a few things first. One:” Donnie leaned forwards and hugged his leader again; he hugged back. Donnie pulled back and said, “Two: I know I don’t say it a lot, because, well, y’know, but I hope you know that I do love you, ‘Nardo.”

“Aw, I love you too, Don-Tron.” His tone was playful, but his words and undertone were loaded, so that helped Donnie a lot with suppressing his tears for number three.

“And three….I don’t blame you for this ‘Nardo. Any of this. I never have. The world was resting in the hands of an egotistical child who didn’t even know what was at stake, not to mention you weren’t the one who wanted to open the portal in the first place. We can definitely blame this one on the Foot. I’ll say this one more time, though, because you don’t look like you believe me.” Donatello rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder and said, “I don’t blame you.”

Leo’s eyes filled with tears, and one slipped down his cheek as he said, “I…Thank you, Donnie. I really needed to hear that.”

“I know,” Donnie stated matter-of-factly as he leaned forwards and touched his own forehead to his brother’s as a last goodbye. “Okay,” Donnie sighed. “Now I’m ready.”

Leo nodded and concentrated hard on his ninpo. He summoned all his strength before there was a burst of light, and a crackling, swooshing, blue portal appeared, though it was small at this stage. Well, at least for a seven-foot three-inch tall mutant who had a few extra weapons that he probably didn’t need on him. Leo let out one last battle cry before he disappeared, disintegrating into thin air. Another tear left Donatello’s eye as he watched the portal grow. He put his bō staff in its sleeve and took out the twin katanas, then looked around at the demolished place he had called home all his life. “Good-bye New York of twenty-forty-four. Sigh.” As he stepped into the portal he murmured, “New York, what a town,” and disappeared into— not next week, but roughly one-thousand-one-hundred and forty-four weeks previous³.

_____________

Prologue is out!!!🥳 I have not told the internet about this au, barely at all, yet. I've already written a few chapters, but I'm saving those for a bit.

So, a few things I'd like to note:

Everything is platonic/familial unless otherwise stated.

It is probably going to be extremely hurt-comfort/comfort/fluffy despite it being Donatello-centric, and the main characters being reptiles;) [ho-ho, ha-ha, he-he, I am the Queen of Daughter Dad-Jokes]

I know nearly nothing medical; mostly stuff I hear my dad(a doctor) talk about, stuff in media/books, and the science I do in school

The numbers that you see by the text(e.g. Hello¹) are what I will use as footnotes, more or less

-=_=-=_=-=_=-=_=-=_=-=_=-

Footnotes:

Donnie’s goggles meet a monocle

/

This is Donnie; I made sure the number of weeks were accurate

=================

Edit: Prologue | Chapter 1

[kflixnet]

Check out our member Coco’s smau teaser!

THE GHOST OF YOU — TEASER!

pairing - park sunghoon x fem!reader

genre: sm!au, ghost!au, comedy, and I believe that’s all!

warnings: major character death (not necessarily sad but funny), grief (they joke around to grieve so nothing triggering), this teaser is set a year before the actual smau starts! tbh that’s all but if I missed something please let me know!

UPDATE: HELLO THIS SMAU IS NOW OUT! masterlist found -> here!!

coco’s <3 note: this is a teaser for my new smau that will be published sometime after that’s the thing finishes (which is soon hehe) so I hope this can give you a small taste of what’s to come from it !! i didn’t add anything too crazy because i don’t wanna spoil it just yet :) if you have any questions feel free to send them my way! ALSO BECAUSE I GOT CONFIRMATION - tagging my love @odxrilove who has fr fr has helped me with this plotline so much without her I’d actually lose my mind on this smau !!

taglist is open! — send an ask or comment on the main masterlist to be added!

(please note: that i will not be answering asks immediately for this taglist, but rather I’ll be waiting till after the masterlist is posted, but you will be added to the taglist if you ask! I just wanna get ttt finished first!!)

PERM. ENHA TAGLIST! - @en-fvr @bloom-bloom-pow @nikis-mum @yourlocalhotgf @kyublr @spoooooooooooon @enhacolor @yoongimooni @blaqpinksthectic @gyuuss @eternallyhyucks @dinosdance @simpforsung @misschubswrites @junityy @jjunry @jwonsgirl @fxckingshame @stealanity @haoreo @jxp1t-3r @chaerybae @bobariki @vatterie (this is not the smau taglist)

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Content Warning: This piece includes content that may be triggering to some viewers. See this post for details

Prev | First | Next

Battle With Razor Pt 4

It wasn’t long after the start of the battle proper that Razor made a break for it. Goldenstar couldn’t believe the absolute cowardice on display, especially from a leader. He didn’t call a full retreat, he just looked around, seemed to come to a conclusion, and fled. 

“Come on,” she’d barked to Orangestar and the two of them had bolted after him. Luckily, his size and the jingling of his bell made him easy to follow. 

“He’s going deeper into the woods!” Orangestar shouted. 

“Why would he do that?” Goldenstar called back above the noise. They burst from the throng of cats in pursuit of Razor’s fleeting tail tip. 

“I don’t- Ah!” Orangestar cried out and fell to the ground. Goldenstar whipped around to see the ginger cat she had met in the city pulling roughly on Orangestar’s tail. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” he growled, reeling her in. 

Goldenstar dropped into a crouch. “Orangest-”

“Keep going!” the other leader ordered, rolling over to kick at the tom’s face. “I’ll catch up with you! Don’t lose him!” 

“Got it,” Goldenstar nodded and pivoted again to charge deeper into the woods. Orangestar was right. The point was to kill Razor. If they let him go, the whole meeting would have been for nothing. 

She bounded through the woods after his scent trail and the faint jingling sound of his bell. The massive tom left a path of broken twigs and scattered leaf-litter in his wake that wasn’t hard to spot. As she raced through the trees, her mind was also racing. He was barrelling west, north-west, deeper into EarthClan’s territory and away from the city. Why would he do that? It wasn’t like he was headed for their camp. How would he have even known where it was? If they kept going, they would eventually run into the river but she couldn’t imagine he would run for that long. 

She couldn’t hear the bell anymore. She paused, looked around, and realized that the trail had vanished too. She looked around at the trees, tried to figure out if he had jumped up one, but that didn’t make any sense given where the trail had ended. It was as if, in the middle of a clearing, he simply disappeared. The fur along her spine prickled with unease as she padded carefully to the end of the trail, mouth open to find his scent. He was close, she was certain, but where exactly? The muffled breeze was blowing against her face but there was no trace of him on the wind. The smell of mulch and growing green things was distractingly strong. 

“Where are you?” she mumbled under her breath, eyes flashing around the clearing. She turned around to try retracing her steps and there he was, looming behind her. She gasped in a particularly undignified manner, puffing up to twice her size. 

Razor laughed. “Did I startle you?” 

Goldenstar lunged. There was no time for fear or conversation. She raised her claws to swipe at his face, aiming to blind him, but he reared up and slammed one of his heavy paws into the side of her head, sending her tumbling into a gnarled root. She groaned and heaved herself to her feet but he was on her again, laying multiple swats on her skull in quick succession. The world spun dangerously. 

“Shh, stay down, girl,” he soothed, one giant paw pressing down on her throat, claws unsheathed. She coughed and clawed blindly at his leg to no result. She quickly realized that he hadn’t been taking the fight seriously before. She had underestimated him, the one thing Scorch had told her she should never, never do. 

“I’m glad we could get some time alone,” he continued, his other paw trailing feather light along the ridge of her sternum. “A girl like you deserves special attention, don’t you think?” 

Goldenstar snarled and he chuckled to himself. As her vision started to clear, his face swam into view, silhouetted against the blood red light filtering in through the canopy above. His too-white smile spread like a menacing butterfly across his face, his pale eyes roving intrusively over her body. Goldenstar knew that, pinned as she was, her hind legs wouldn’t reach any part of his body that would matter so she settled for curling up to try and kick at his leg in a desperate attempt to dislodge it. 

Razor’s smile widened and he pressed harder on her throat, drawing blood and cutting off her air. Her body panicked at the sensation and she thrashed her body as hard as she could against his weight but there was nothing she could do. He was too heavy and seemed unfazed by the claw marks she was leaving on his legs. 

“This is my favorite part,” he purred. “I think it’s just adorable: the moment when a creature realizes there’s nothing she can do. If you stop struggling, this will be easier for both of us.” Goldenstar tried to hiss at him but there was no air in her lungs. She gaped helplessly, starting to feel darkness encroaching on the edges of her vision. Razor frowned and very slightly lifted his paw to allow her to gasp for air. With the immediate threat of death removed, her eyes shut tightly and her body went slack, save for her chest which heaved over and over again as she greedily gulped down air. She couldn’t think straight.

“That’s it,” he said, “stay with me. As fun as it would be to see you choke and squirm until you turned blue, that’s too good for you.” His free paw trailed down from her sternum to her stomach. As it went, he unsheathed his claws and Goldenstar yelped as they scraped her skin hard enough to draw blood. 

“No,” Razor rumbled,  “you thought you could take what was mine and get away with it. But nobody,” and here, he sank his claws deeper into her belly and twisted them, causing her to nearly bite through her own tongue, “gets away with stealing from me.”

“I didn’t steal anything,” Goldenstar choked out around the blood now pooling in her mouth. “She couldn’t wait to get away from you!” 

“I know,” he laughed and Goldenstar nearly gagged. “She’s always been a flighty little bird.” He dragged his claws across her stomach and flicked them out of the flesh, tearing it away in a spray of dark blood. Goldenstar whined in pain and threw her eyes upward to try and focus on the branches of the tree, hoping it would distract her from the overwhelming pain.

He purred at the sound and kept speaking. “But she’s always known her place. It was your influence that fooled her into thinking she could live without everything I gave her.” He lifted his bloody paw and swiped his tongue between his toes, grinning down at her all the while. 

“You tortured her,” Goldenstar spat, trying to thrash again. 

Razor’s smile contorted into a furious snarl. “I love her!” he shouted, slamming both paws down on her throat. “I’ve shown her more kindness than she’d ever known! More kindness than a jealous little bitch like her deserves!” He sank his claws into her neck, that look of bloodlust back on his face. Goldenstar gasped and felt an uncomfortable flutter in her windpipe as the air escaped around his claws. If she didn’t do something soon, she was going to die. 

She kicked her hind legs up at him again, scrabbling at his now bloody arm. She twisted her head to try and sink her teeth into anywhere on his body she could. He snarled again and sank his claws in even further. 

“What could you possibly give her?!” he roared. “I am the Speaker! I am excellence personified! I am the most powerful cat alive! What are you?! You’re nothing!” The world was growing dark again, his voice fading as blood pounded in her ears and her focus started to drift uncontrollably into the void. She had failed. Tears welled in her eyes, not just from pain but from the shame of knowing she hadn’t been strong enough to protect anyone. The cold earth was leeching all of the heat from her body. Her paws started to grow stiff and numb. She couldn’t find the strength to lift her legs anymore. 

Distantly, she registered that Razor let go of her throat and heard him shout, as though at the end of a long tunnel, “Dammit! Don’t you dare die yet!” 

In one last act of defiance, she ignored him.

[scribefindegil]

The Time Traveler's Widow

Fandom: Back To The Future Words: 4,246

People say all manner of things when they’re dying. So when Emmett claimed to be from the future and told her rambling stories about a time machine he’d built, Clara was sure it was the fever setting in, his mind turning to the fantastical creations that he loved to read about as he faded away. But as time passes, she begins to wonder . . . (Scenes from Clara's life in the timeline where she survives 1885 but Doc doesn't)

[Read it on AO3]

A short, bittersweet fic about the intermediate 1885 timeline, trying to help someone you'll never get to meet, and moving on.