#(they all look so bad though. they made him near as pale as me most times.)

[doctor-octiddius]

i genuinely can't believe that siddig has captivated my brain for over 7 months now and every now and again he brings in some other character into my brain that fuels the hyperfixation even more. like usually when a hyperfixation starts to fade it... it fades away...? it's gone. i need like at the very least a year to even feel like "hey maybe i could like this again" but with sid it's like "ok he's gone now... never mind he's bac- ok i got another interest- wait no, hi sid- nah, this time for real i have a new hyperfixa- GOD DAMN IT HE'S BACK ??? REALLY ???"

[twstedstoryshop]

FINALLY, I return properly. Kind of. Reason I've been away for so long was because of insane convention season and also had this bad boy in the works. This is one of two commissions done for a friend. Hope you all can enjoy yourselves for the crumbs I produce. -SK

CONTENT WARNING: Blood, violence, depressed s/o, and mentions of toxic past relationships.

Your New Boyfriends Runs Into Your Ex

While Rook Hunt was one of many to find camaraderie in a den of villains, that didn’t mean chivalry was dead to him. Certainly not him.

Under his keen gaze, he knew that when a certain topic was broached, you would shy away instantly. Paled knuckles, a panicked gaze, and your bottom lip near to splitting open by how badly you chewed down.

It was like he was seeing a rabbit or deer caught in a trap, frantic with no escape. Though his heart had been trained to a perfect steel and not feel for his quarry, when he sees that look in your eyes, all defenses fall away.

The topic? Well, the worries of what the future held for you. Moreso in far off days. Would you continue to have your friends by your side? Would someone ever cherish you? Have a deeper connection?

For Rook, it was a no-brainer because of course! Who else was more worthy of adoration and praise than his dear petite grâce? As he would declare this in all his usual grandeur, a small smile would form on your lips, but that happiness never reached your eyes.

Doubt clouded that sweet gaze of yours. In its own way, seeing such clear eyes be veiled by sadness was heartachingly beautiful. Yet it was a beautiful scene Rook couldn’t bear to behold for too long.

When it came to keeping track of you, Rook was extra considerate. If one can call it that… In his mind, he kept careful track of those you interacted with. He watched your mannerisms, your dialogue, anything amiss he would file it away. But for the longest time, it didn’t seem like an outside force was troubling you.

For a moment, Rook considered that whatever wounded your heart was a scar from a distant past he had yet to uncover. What he didn’t expect was said wound abruptly appearing on a normal day.

From a vantage point, perhaps from a second story window or among the trees that dotted the campus, Rook had caught sight of you stone-still on your walk. Before you, an NRC student he couldn’t recall. He didn’t really have time to register the man when Rook had just attention all on you.

Your wide, hollow eyes. Your chest rising and falling rapidly. How you froze so perfectly under the gaze of this man. It was a scene Rook was all too familiar with. Prey terrified beyond its own mind to run, to hide, or even fight.

Your rational mind couldn’t comprehend what your ex was even saying to you as panic held you in its overbearing clutch. The world grew dizzying and just when you felt like your heart would give out, right then and there, a broad arm wrapped around your shoulders.

“Ah, there you are, ma petite grâce. I was looking all over for you. You made me a bit worried, you know!”

It was hard to look up at him as Rook’s hat was tipped just enough for the shadows to mask his features. But your ex needed only one glance for the role of prey to be forced on him. Green eyes with a gaze so sharp, so precise like a notched arrow perfectly aligned to fire, bored right into him.

It didn’t take much time before the ex backpedaled away with his tail between his legs, now only leaving you with Rook.

Rook would face you, gripping your forearms firmly. His expression, soft though. He called out for you, trying his best to snap you from your daze. When you finally realized it was him now before you, your body moved on its own before you could think. A heaviness made you fall against his chest. You shivered, maybe tears and sobs escaping you.

Rook held you so close against him. Like he was cradling a sculpture of the most delicate porcelain. As if one scratch or knock would crumble you into fine dust.

A single hand held the back of your head protectively, letting you weep as much as you wanted against his shirt. His chin nestled along your hair. You would be so blissfully unaware of Rook’s gaze. A complicated stare into space as his mind swam with many thoughts.

Rook always found beauty in the oddest of places. Yet for the first time, there was something Rook found utterly detestable. A vile image that was a blot in his picturesque vision and that was your ex, the source of your pain. But from that ugliness, he did find a most exquisite sensation. A drive to hunt. An unyielding need to protect you.

While he couldn’t spring into action earlier, his quarry was marked. A hunter is patient and he can wait as long as he needs to for one slip-up, one more attempt to dare get near you, and Rook would be sure to let loose a vicious arrow.

There is a tension between you and Floyd on certain days. While most times, it would be all fun and games, just him and his little Shrimpy. But Floyd wasn’t blind to the weight you carried.

It would irritate him on a dime when you obviously had thoughts clouding your mind. So much so that you fidget anxiously or not even pay attention to him. His sharp voice would call over the din of thoughts and you’d see the eel practically inches away from your face.

His dual colored eyes glared at you and a slight frown pulled at his lips. “Geez, what the hell is goin’ on with you!?” He doesn’t mean to be so crass, but to see his Shrimpy unsettled, it frustrated him. 

Moreso that he can’t exactly pinpoint what was going on with you, that he can’t just squeeze it to a pulp and boom, no more problems!

He knew you had your walls and such walls took time to lower to let him in. Floyd had the patience as a waiting moray eel, but if he had the proactiveness to actually act upon his patience? That’s a whole other story. When it came to you, he just wanted to see you happy and unbothered. All reasoning would flutter out the window.

It may or may not have taken a lot of squeezing and thinly veiled threats to your friends for them to fess up information you couldn’t bear to unload on Floyd. A common name would be passed around, an ex from your past. Just the thought that someone else had their hands on you nearly made Floyd break bones if not for the pitiful yelps of your friends to release them in time.

Questions whirled in that skull of his. Why have you never brought this up to him? What did this ex do to you that made you shy away from him? Where was this scumbag now? All of these worries would bleed into his daily life and if it weren’t for Jade and Azul to straighten him out, he would have been throwing tantrums left and right.

It wasn’t until one day that all his frustrations would come to a boiling point into a final, satisfying crescendo. At least for him.

Work was to be done at Mostro Lounge. Floyd was on duty to be a waiter along with yourself. Both of you have opted to be in an awkward silence in your relationship and it was evident by how you both avoided one another, unsure of how to really talk about your issues.

Floyd had taken an order from a particular student, one he could easily sniff out as a rude bastard by his mannerisms and his tones. But if Floyd’s temper got the better of him, he’d never hear the end of it from Azul. He would hand off the order to you to at least serve drinks.

Everything seemed normal until suddenly a glass shattered. All eyes shifted to you who shivered in place. The tray rattled in your hands and below you a cascade of broken glass.

“Y-you…” “The fuck…? What the hell are you doing here!? And look at what you did to my drink! You’re still incompetent as ever, tch!”

You wanted to cry, scream, run away. You felt so ashamed, being treated like garbage again from an ex you swore you’d never let walk all over you again. But at the height of stress, you couldn’t bring yourself to stand up for yourself. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic…

That is until a sing-song, nonchalant voice slid right up behind you. “Ahhhh, what a shame. I apologize on the behalf of our lil waiter here. They’re just nervous is all. Here~ Why don’t I make it up to ya? I can serve ya a drink right here, right now. On the house~” “Finally, some decent fucking service…”

You looked up at Floyd and saw that dangerous glint in his eyes. How his pupils honed on the poor fool as his smile widened so tightly across his face. He reached for a spare glass that was left on the table, presented it with a flourish to your ex, and coyly said, “Readyyyy~? Watch carefully.”

Then, his hand flew so quick to grab a clump of your ex’s hair and slammed it squarely on the glass. The crunch of glass, your scream, and the screech of chairs being pushed back as patrons jumped.

“GYAHAHA, YOU LIKE IT!? IT’S MOSTRO LOUNGE’S OWN PERSONAL RED. Ahhhh, but the red comin’ from you? Pfft, it ain’t worth the shit under my shoe…” Your ex could barely register what was even being said to him from the glass embedded in his face and blood gushing from his nose and broken lips.

Hands covered your mouth in terror as you could barely register what was happening. From panicked students screaming to Azul and Jade holding Floyd back from beating the poor ex to a pulp. All you could really register was the horrifying satisfaction deep in your chest, seeing the one who hurt you so much battered under the hand of someone who protected you…

Leona has his own ways of caring but most of the time, if you cannot read between the lines, it may come off as uncaring.

He does care, but don’t expect a coddling man rushing to be your knight when you are feeling sorry for yourself. The last thing he wants to do is pity you as he knows all too well the humiliation of being pitied.

Instead he observes, he watches, he’s keen to everything you do that isn’t a part of your daily life. In sly ways, he tries to break your moments of dissociating. He calls your name sharply to snap you out of your funk and gives you a menial task.

Telling you to maybe preen his mane, join Ruggie on an errand, what have you. It’s better to keep yourself occupied than whatever is plaguing your mindscape.

Sometimes, he will even abruptly lean against you, his weight toppling the both of you over. Even if you protest under him, he will insist he’s really tired and just wants something warm beside him to help him sleep. In truth, it’s just another way to stop your self-deprecating thoughts.

Though he will speak up in annoyance if your depressed thoughts start to bleed into your relationship. It will sting, but he means well. He tells you gruffly that he’s not in the mood to lay next to baggage. He wants only his partner, dammit.

You may argue, you may not, it depends on how you react but at the end of it, one way or another, you’re going to have to face him and this problem that hangs over you.

If you take time before approaching him or spill everything in one go, he will wait patiently and listen. But cowardice by running away he won’t accept and would want answers promptly.

One way or another, the truth has to come from you and you explain the thoughts that coil around you like a petulant serpent. A name and face that digs into your chest horribly. Your ex and the ways he has hurt you in many ways.

Leona listens stoically, letting you share your story before acknowledging and commending the strength it took for you to finally admit this. He knows all too well the pains of the past, he shares in your frustrations. But the past stays in the past for a reason.

Now it’s you and him now. You define yourselves here in the present. If anyone says otherwise? Well, he’d like to see them try.

Who would have known that such a time would come so soon when one day, someone had the gall to start harassing you right in the Savanaclaw dorm.

That same face that always lingered around you like a ghost was here right now in the flesh, taunting you at the edges of the Spelldrive field. Your ex sneered at you, wondering what the hell you were doing around here during his practice hours. Had the nerve to accuse you of stalking him despite your split.

Your anger boiled your blood, your face flushed. Your nerves alighted with a burning fury that made the dorm’s dry heat pale in comparison. But your body did not respond to you. Your throat froze despite wanting to curse and yell out at your ex.

What neither you expected though while your mouth gasped for something, anything to throw at this scumbag, was a lion’s roar peeling across the field. A shadow loomed over your ex and both of you looked up to a silhouette blocking the sun and a pair of piercing green eyes.

Astride his broom, Leona stared squarely at the ex. “For a minute, I thought I heard annoying squawks from a mangy vulture, but now I just see a whelp. Having the nerve to approach my partner…”

Without missing a beat, Leona lowered himself to the ground and sauntered right over to your ex. Your ex tried to stand his ground but anyone could tell he was practically shaking in his spot.

“So.... What were you two talking about?” It was such a simple question. So trivial. But the way Leona spoke each word, it was like a pair of hungry jaws were ready to snap behind every syllable. He dared for your ex to slip up.

“N-nothing… Nothing at all… I was l-leaving…” “Hooo?” Leona’s tail whipped behind him in amusement. “So you just waltzed up to my partner and gawked at them? Nothing left your useless, flapping gums? I can hardly believe that.”

Leona’s knuckles cracked as he flexed his hand and for a quick second, you swore you saw wind and dust particles gather between his finger tips. The air felt still and you heard your ex gulp audibly from a dry throat. Then, a sudden calmness.

“But if you were just about to leave, then by all means, scurry along. I hate people wasting my time.”

To which your ex immediately did, turning on his heel, so close to make a run for it. Then, like a giant paw slamming atop a helpless mouse, Leona’s hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

“A warning since I’m feeling so generous today… Don’t ever let me catch you near them again. Ya hear me? Or else, I’ll make you a nice addition to the scenery. We could always add more sand and bones.” Leona cracked a toothy smirk with darkness in his eyes. His fangs glinted in the sun and it was then you truly realized the fierce lion you had taken in as your boyfriend.

[jesterofcringe]

Drain you of your love [Until you hate me.] vampire!shauna x witch!reader

★ TW for murder and blood ★ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

★ The last thing you expected to see in the basement of one of Jeff's infamous parties was Randy Walsh's still warm dead body. On the bathroom floor he laid sprawled out, face twisted in something of agony as blood gushed out of his neck and dirtied his surroundings. There was no denying that he was murdered. Worse however, there was no denying Shauna Shipman was to blame.

★ There was blood everywhere- the baby blue walls, the bathmat (which, for some reason, was in front of the sink), and leaking into the tiles as well as foundation keeping them still- but most of it was on Shauna. You would've thought she was the one who had gotten hurt due to the sheer mess of red on the front of her shirt, but the way her palms were almost dyed red as she tried to wipe her hands on his shirt told you otherwise. In an almost nauseating way, a lot of it smeared around the corners of her mouth, meeting at the base of her chin before tracing along her jawline. Like an uncoordinated runway, the blood would slither down the outline of her throat before collecting on her shirt.

★ If you hadn't known Shauna was a vampire, you probably would've fainted. 

★ "...Holy shit." You mumbled, absolutely gob smacked on the carnage in front of you, "How did you even manage to do this?"

★ Shauna looked just as confused as you as she fumbled for a good answer, "I don't know! I just wanted to feed off him I didn't know he'd..." She didn't finish her sentence, instead gesturing to the bloodbath at her feet.

★ "When's the last time you ate?"

★ "I don't know... a few weeks ago I guess."

★ "Oh my god Shauna. That's the problem." You groaned, frustrated that you knew more about vampires than the literal vampire. In all fairness, she had turned recently- perhaps a few months ago- and was still getting used to it. Knowing of your status as a witch, Shauna decided to go to you for help. You're not a supernatural expert, but you knew enough about them to give her basic advice, "You need to eat at least once a week. What happened to the animal blood?"

★ Shauna made a face, "That stuff tastes awful."

★ "So I've heard, but it's all I've got." The more you thought about it, the more you felt bad. You couldn't imagine what it must've felt like, the moral conflict of needing to consume human blood in order to survive. Many tried to resist the urge, but the withdrawal just made the desire stronger until the hunger was strong enough to drive someone into quite literally going feral. You never understood why people labeled vampires as monsters until you watched it happen with Shauna, witnessing her spiraling and damn near losing your life as you tried to get her back. 

★ Now you were doing your ever loving best to make sure Shauna never descended to that level again, and here the two of you were staring at a pale corpse after Shauna slipped and accidentally took more than Randy could give. You really do need to start keeping a better eye on her.

★ Though it was awful to look at, you brought your attention back to the crime at hand, "So, what's your plan on avoiding jail time?"

★ "I didn't really think that far ahead."

★ "How did you even get him down here?"

★ Shauna rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I literally told him what I was gonna do and he fucking followed me. He took it as a weird innuendo when I meant it as a threat."

★ "That's... a very Randy Walsh thing to do." In a weird way, you honestly weren't very surprised.

★ "He kinda deserved it."

★ "Victim blaming someone who was murdered is insane."

★ "Shut up." Shauna shoved past you to get to the sink, being very careful not to step on the bloody mat while she ran her hands under the faucet water to rinse the rest of the blood down the drain, "We need to do something about the body."

★ "We? You're the one who killed him!"

★ "Well now you've both seen the body, so you're officially an accomplice."

★ You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose as you struggled to come up with a solution, "I guess what I'm really wondering is what you expect me to do about this."

★ "Aren't you a witch? Can't you like, teleport him out of here?"

★ "That is absolutely not how it works. Best I could do is draw a protection sigil on the door but I know how you feel about those." You honestly didn't know why you were even mentioning it. Shauna hates your protection sigils, and you really didn't know why. You insist they aren't dangerous, but she won't have it. You had to take to wearing different charms as drawing on your arms was an instant way to piss her off.

★ She completely ignored your comment, "I kind of wish we could just frame someone, but the puncture wounds in his neck are kind of a giveaway. 

★ "We could probably frame it on Randy."

★ Shauna looked at you like you had three heads, "Did you not hear what I said or are you planning on making it look like Randy somehow bit himself to death?"

★ "I bet if we smear his fingerprints over a pair of scissors and place them well enough it'll look like he just kinda..." You trailed off as you were sure Shauna saw where you were going with this. Although she saw the vision, she was still somewhat skeptical, "I mean, what other ideas do we have?"

★ Shauna hummed as she contemplated the idea, "There are some scissors in the kitchen, I'll run and grab them quickly-"

★ "-Absolutely not." You quickly interjected, gesturing to her clothes, "You look like the final girl in a cheap horror flick. I'll get the scissors while you clean up."

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

★ The car ride home is awkward to say the least.

★ The two of you spent a considerable amount of time dressing the crime scene before promptly leaving the party. Shauna wasn't able to get all of the blood out of her clothes, but she was able to clean just enough so it no longer looked like she had just escaped a saw trap. You grabbed a spare hoodie from your car and let her wear it out. As you left, the both of you made an excuse about Shauna not feeling good and needing a ride home.

★ "Do you think Jackie would've noticed how long you were down there?"

★ You watched a wave of realization cross over Shauna's face as she contemplated your question, "...Jeez, I think this is the only time I've actually hoped she was too busy with Jeff."

★ "Does she know you're a vampire?"

★ "God I hope not." Shauna scoffed.

★ "Am I the only one that knows?"

★ "Yeah and I plan on keeping it that way."

★ You would've rolled your eyes at her, but you had to keep your eyes on the road, "With how reckless you've been acting, we'll be lucky if I'm the only one that knows for much longer." Shauna sighed and didn't say anything. You both knew it was true with how many close calls you guys barely dodged. You just wished you could help more.

★ It suddenly dawned on you that you totally could help more, but you knew Shauna wasn't going to be fond of your solution.

★ "Honestly, why don't you start feeding off me?"

★ "Hell no." Shauna responded sharply, "You know how that went last time."

★ "That only happened because you refuse to take care of yourself," You cut back, "The only reason why you tend to feel ravenous is because you wait too long. Small dosages off me every few days is the best of both worlds- you stay fed and I don't have to worry about murder charges."

★ Shauna was quiet, paying more attention to the streetlights flashing by than your suggestion, "Is that really our last option?"

★ "I guess not. You could try robbing hospitals but that will also land you in jail." you quipped back. Shauna audibly groaned.

★ "I just..." She frowned, talking quietly as if so much as speaking about the subject was a crime, "...what if I hurt you again?"

★ "I won't let that happen. I'll hex you or something, I dunno." Another groan. Tough crowd. "Are you scared you'll develop a taste only for my blood?"

★ "Kinda."

★ You were about to make a dumb quip about that being kinda hot but decided against it considering the seriousness of the current conversation. 

★ "If you have to drink my blood for the rest of my life so be it."

★ "Don't be stupid," Shauna scowled, "Eventually I'm going to-"

★ "-Would you quit pretending you're some monster and face the facts? I don't give a shit if it hurts, I'm going to help you survive. End of discussion."

★ Shauna was secretly grateful, but she'd never admit that. Instead rather, she was desperate to have the final say and she crossed her arms pretending to still be upset about it, "Fine."

★ The idea of being vampire prey indefinitely was scary, you couldn't deny that. But the idea of losing Shauna when you know you can help her is somehow scarier. She needed you, the both of you knew that. You just wished she would stop being so stubborn about it.

[mydarllinglover]

Stars Collided || Four

Previous

It was late, Lovisa was staring out of her balcony, dressed in an pale pink nightgown, wearing a matching sheer robe, with a fluffy hem and cuffs.

She missed her parents, she had regrets, and truthfully, she was scared.

Was there really someone out there who wanted to kill her? She didn't want to die, especially for politics.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in!" She called, from outside, she was surprised why Ahsoka would be knocking, normally, she just walked in as she pleases.

But who she wasn't expecting, was to see Anakin Skywalker walking in.

She turned around to face him, her elbows leant on the balcony as she stared, taking him in.

Seeing Anakin again, after all those years, it did something to her, something she didn't like.

He was incredibly good looking, which made things a lot more complicated, she knew for sure she was attracted to him, but he was a Jedi, and they follow a very strict code, it's why she didn't like him, she hated wanting things she couldn't have, and yet, it was always the things she desired the most.

He was also funny, and charming, and actually had an personality, unlike the other men she was forced to spend her time around.

"Hi, Princess." He greeted, walking towards her. "I wanted to check on you, make sure you weren't murdered, or at least still in your room."

"How did you know where my room is?" She asked him, her brows furrowing in curiosity.

"Padme showed me, my rooms just down the hall." He met her outside, and she turned back around, as he also lent on the railing.

"Oh..." She looked down, obviously his room would be near hers.

Silence surrounded them for a bit longer.

"Uh... I- I wanted to uhm, thank you.." She started, picking at her fingers, why did she feel nervous, Princess Lovisa Amidala was never nervous. "...For saving my life, a lot, today."

"Your highness, it is my duty to protect your life with my own, nothing will happen to you, as long as I can help it." He studied her face, as he licked his bottom lip.

"Oh, right." She looked away from him again.

"Princess, did I say something wrong?" He asked.

"No, you've done nothing wrong." She sighed.

"Then what is the matter?"

She weighed the question in her mind, but eventually, in normal Lovisa fashion, she dove in head first, not caring for consequences.

"Is my life only important to your job?" She asked, and she wanted to kick herself, as soon as the words left her mouth, but she looked back, keeping her eyes on his.

It took Anakin a few seconds to remember that he could speak, but he still could not find the words.

"Of course not." He said, shaking his head as he tried to think of what she said, and then what she meant. "I- Princess-"

"Don't" She held her hand up to him. "Talk to me without my title."

She wanted, no, needed him to care for her as a person, not as an Monarch, not the way as everyone else.

"Lovisa, I do value your life, regardless of who you are, and I do not wish to see harm brought to you, no matter how cruel or exhausting you have been to me, today." He said, truthfully.

She laughed, thinking of what she had really spent the day doing to him, how he had carried her through the village on his shoulder, how he had carried her so effortlessly.

"You have a beautiful smile." Anakin said, enjoying the sound of her laughter, it made him want to become the funniest person in the world, just to hear it.

"What?" She asked, even though she heard what he said, she just wanted to hear it again.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." He corrected himself.

"Please don't say things like that to me." She rolled her eyes, remembering herself.

"Why not?" He bent his head, as he looked at her.

"Because..... I don't like the way it makes me feel." She blushed.

"It makes you feel bad? Me calling you beautiful?" He was growing more confused.

"No." She whispered, as she looked up at him, her eyes darting to his lips, before back up to his eyes. "The opposite."

She saw how his own cheeks reddened, and so she turned her head from him, looking towards the horizon, at the waterfall, the large span of grass.

"How did you become a Jedi?" She asked, changing the conversation.

"I was discovered, in my home town." He answered. 

"By who?" 

"Master Qui-Gon."

"I met him before." Lovisa nodded. "Where are you from?"

"Tatooine. It's not well known."

"I've heard of it, my father told me about that place, it's very far from the Kingdom." She said, as if he wouldn't already know that.

"Yes, it's a very sandy place. I don't like sand. It’s coarse, it’s rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere." He said, with disgust.

"Well, I can imagine." She laughed, "But your family, they are here, yes?"

"No, princess." He shook his head. "My mother is still back home, and I never had a father, I haven't seen her since joining the force, ten years ago."

"Oh..." She looked at him, sympathy swimming in her eyes. She loved her mother dearly, she couldn't even think about being so far away from her, for so long. "I presume you miss her terribly."

"Everyday, but the Jedi way, is to have no attachments, no fears, it can cause weakness, but the Jedi code, it's very outdated."

"Yes, I think it is." She nodded.

"So are the rules of being royal, I'm beginning to see."

"Very outdated." She pouted, as she looked away, an annoyed look on her face. "I have no role in life, no job, except to make the King and Queen look good, to be a back up for the throne, in case anything were to happen to the heir, or to marry wisely."

"Marry wisely?" He asked.

"Unlike you, I'm not forbidden from love, but, slim pickings. I can either marry to further my wealth and power, or I can marry for alliance, and neither of them interest me, very much."

"How come?"

"I don't care much for politicians" She waved away. "It's all rather stupid, and so are they, mostly. I'd like to marry someone who I got to know, someone who see's me as someone they can love, not just a step closer to a throne they will never get to sit on. I want to be married to a husband who wakes up everyday and thanks the universe that he was placed on the same planet as Lovisa Amidala, not Princess Lovisa, of Naboo, and the idea that one day my father will ship me off to some foreign land to marry a king, for the sake of the kingdom, terrifies me."

Since he was a child, Anakin had been thanking the universe, everyday, that he was placed on the same planet as the girl who had came to the temple, and told him how bored she was, that her father was in meetings, who had beat him in a spar, and laughed at the fact that she was a few inches taller than him, who had told the other Padawans and younglings to leave them, as they were having lunch together.

Anakin placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb swiping at her soft skin, his blue eyes locked on her hazel ones.

She was staring at his lips again, and he involuntarily licked them.

Every warning in their heads were going off, loud, but they both shut it off, no one was here now, telling them that this was wrong.

Anakin bent his head, grazing his lips across Lovisa's.

She gasped at the touch, and she nodded her head, making it happen again.

“Anyone would be lucky to have your love and devotion, I know I would.” He whispered. “You’ve been on my mind every single day since I’ve met you, Lovisa.”

And then they did it again.

“I missed you, incredibly much, Anakin.” She whispered back to him.

Anakin finally kissed her sweet lips, it was a taste he wanted on his own lips, forever.

The hand on her cheek moved to intertwine in her hair, and the other moved to hold her waist, under the robe.

Lovisa pulled away, leaning her forehead against his.

"Ani..."

But he lifted her head, and she fell, again, closing the gap between them.

Once again, realisation had kicked in, and she hated herself more and more.

"Ani, we can't." She whispered. "You’re a Jedi, and I'm a princess, we have our codes."

"Who cares about that?" He told her, the hand in her hair slightly tightened, before he let go, running his fingers through the dark curls.

"Everyone does. It's- this is forbidden."

"You always break the rules."

That she did, which is why she let him kiss her in the first place, but it was too good to stop, and she didn't want to break her own heart by following her rebellious tendencies, loving something she could never truly have.

"We can't do this." She sighed, "We would both be in incredible amounts of trouble."

"No one has to know, it'll be our secret."

"I don't want to have to hide you, we could never go past just this, secret kisses in the dark, there's nothing else for us, but this."

"And it's not enough?"

"Not from what is expected from me."

“I won’t give up on us.” He promised, his jaw clenched, as his eyes held hers, “I won’t throw what we have away, for stupid rules made hundreds of years ago.”

“Ani, there is no point clinging on to wishes and desires, it won’t change the trajectory of what is real.”

“But this is real, you can feel it, Vis, you know something is there, and I can too, there’s a reason we were brought together again, after all this time.”

“Because someone wants me dead, Anakin, and you are a Jedi, I don’t see that as fate.” She snapped.

“But I do, this is my first solo mission, there are lots of Jedi to choose from, much that are far older and wiser than I, and yet, I was picked for this, that doesn’t feel like a coincidence.”

“The more we lean into this, the harder it will be to come back from it.” She huffed, fed up with his stubbornness.

“Then I will leave the order.” He said.

“Anakin! You cannot! Do not say such foolish things.” She waved him off.

“It is not foolish, Princess.”

“It is, you are the chosen one, you are meant to bring balance to the force, to exceed expectations, you can not be so selfish as to leave for me, besides, you hold no other title, and I doubt you have much wealth, my father would never accept you.” She was being blunt, she knew it was harsh, but he needed to hear it, to come out of his delusions.

“I suppose you are right, your highness” The muscles in his jaw tightened, and she could see how his eyes swam with anger, but he remained steady, presenting himself as calm. “But nevertheless, that does not change how I feel for you, which is deep.”

“You hardly know me.” She scoffed.

“I’ve known you since we were children, and from the moment you pointed me out, you have held my heart in your hands, my heart beats for you, and I didn’t even know your name. I woke up every morning, your face being the first thing I saw in my mind, I waited and hoped that I would be greeted with your presence, once more, and now that I have had the chance to be this close to you, that I have you back in my life, I will not throw away this chance. The universe has finally answered my prayers, and I will not waste the opportunity. I won’t give you up, Lovisa, and I beg that you don’t disregard what I know you feel for me. My very soul yearns for you, and I hope that the kiss we shared will not be the last, that it will not become a scar on my lips.”

Lovisa felt dizzy with his confession, no one had ever spoke to her like that, bared themselves so raw, like this, it was all so new, and so sudden, and she never expected the first boy to properly confess his love for her, to be Anakin Skywalker.

But he was right, she did harbour strong feelings for him, she had never felt this way, it made her nauseous, she quite frankly hated it.

She placed a hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it, and his eyes fluttered shut, he was beautiful, how could anyone possibly compare to him, how was she ever going to move on from this boy, to someone who would never match to any of his qualities?

“I wish things were different, Ani, I wish that there was a life for us, out there, but we live in a reality where it is not, nothing we can do will change that, and it’s time you face it, I’m sorry.”

Then she walked back inside, to hide in her bathroom, for him to leave, as she willed for her own heart to stop racing.

Next

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : halloween?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as model number two // leon as Leon

Dearest Leon,

Your last letter made me hurl (not in a bad way I just got so embarrassed that smoke started coming out of my head anime style or whatever) I... hate that you can tell I'm a romanticist or whatever the word is because I am and I hate that you're so genuine in your letters that it hurts me to read it because what in gods name did I do in my past life for my ass to end up receiving love letters like this? OKRA'S WRITING IS RUBBING OFF ON YOU ISN'T IT. (I'm coping)

Sorry if I come off as harsher than I mean to. I'm not good with dealing with affection. I'm only good at giving affection. I need a moment to just. Give me a second to collect myself.

Okay. I think I'm okay now.

I... don't quite think the word like is the right word to describe my feelings for you. It's a little murky, and while I think I wouldn't mind dating you at all, I also think it would be unfair to you to return your feelings so half-heartedly. So, for the time being... it's honestly up to you whether or not you want to continue pursing me.

I've stuck by Ada most my life since she was always the safe option to me, and I was right when she ended up standing on stage. From the beginning to the end, I think I had become her shadow at some point. She's moving away now, so I don't see much of a point in being a model anymore. Raccoon is still relatively affordable to live in, so I could always turn that writing of mine into a full-time job. Also, I could become a full-fledged model as well. I don't enjoy it quite much, though. I hate the idea of working something that I'm not passionate about.

Oh, look! I'm being vulnerable. Nothing much is happening around me other than Luis' halloween party I'm attending today. See you there?

From the messenger, model number two

p.s. and of course. Sunshine was the cutest thing. I'm always open to visit again

Ada helps you dress up for the masquerade ball, telling you to breathe in as she pulls on the corset, your back straightening nearly immediately. You stare at the wax-sealed envelope that suits the theme, and a near identical one you made to match, and you wonder if you'll recognize Leon in the crowd of people that Luis knows. Suspicious background, a new slate in his hand, and the people of his past mingle into bits and pieces of his life — but only ever as ghosts in his masquerade ball.

The white is a visible contrast to the gold that you have been instructed to wear. Your jewelry is replaced with gold that looks as though it's seeped from the sun itself, and you are cloaked with black, the role of messenger placed in your hand this year, letters upon letters told to be given to people with certain masks.

You weave through the crowd with grace, cloak fluttering behind you as you pass letters to people with a gentle bow, lips curled upwards as you disappear back into the crowd when your time ends. You fell like a ghost. While the people in white look sickly and pale, you resemble the messenger of death, a void of nothing visible on your face. Only when you reach the final man, do you recognize the eyes.

"The messenger retires." You nod at Luis, and he takes the letter from you.

"Pray tell, princesa. The final letter?"

"To a secret." You hold the letter to your lips, closed-eye smile offered to him as you slip past him to the private chambers. It's a dramatization, obviously. You slip into the supply closet, ditching the cloak and hanging it up where Luis instructed you to, and you blend back into the crowd.

You lose Ada, but before someone else can get to you, you're grabbed by the waist, out of the way of a waiter.

"Darling." Leon smiles down at you, removing his hands from you once you're out of the way.

"Just the person." You hand him the letter, bowing as you get ready to leave.

"Please don't." He whispers, fingers clasping around your wrist as he does, and you breathe. You stare up at his hair, and then at his matching corset, and you seem to understand why Luis had been so adamant on having you wear a corset this year around despite your role as messenger in the first half. It had been custom-made, so you wonder if Leon had gone out of the way to receive your measurements from one of the workers.

"How did you know?" You mumble, taking a step closer to him anyway.

"I'll tell you on the balcony." He whispers, tugging you along through the crowd.

You wonder if you deserve such brazen affection from someone you do not even wholeheartedly love back.

Yet, the glimmer in his eyes under the gold of the chandeliers while looking at you assures you that it is fine.

prev letter : masterlist : next letter

[vodika-vibes]

Gryffin Industries AU

Enter the King

Summary: You've been the Personal Assistant/Head receptionist of Gryffin Industries since the start of the war. And it's a good job, the best job you've ever had. So when Captain Rex shows up in the lobby on a day when your playing receptionist looking like his world just crumbled to dust, you know that you have to do something.

Pairing: Pre-Captain Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 1658

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: So this isn't the first time I've written something with my Gryffin Industries AU, but the other ones are all Fives x reader requests. Also, why do I have such a hard time with Rex?

You rest your chin on the palm of your hand as you watch the blue clad clone hesitate near the door. You recognize him on sight, most long term employees of Gryffin Industries would, and you can’t help the sigh that slips from your lips as you see him.

It’s half admiring and half frustrated.

Admiring because Captain Rex, like all of his brothers, is incredibly attractive. Frustrated because the only time Captain Rex comes here is to yell at someone. And then it becomes a thing.

But he doesn’t seem like he’s in a bad mood today.

Actually, unless you’re mistaken, he seems anxious and nervous about something.

You tap out a silent rhythm on your desk, and then you push your chair back and you walk around your desk to approach him. “Captain?” You greet him with a warm and welcoming smile, “Is everything alright? You seem…out of sorts.”

He focuses his attention on you, and then he nods slowly, “I know I haven’t made myself very…welcome here.”

“Nonsense, Captain.” You counter with a warm smile, “You are always welcome here, just like every other one of your brothers. Here at Gryffin Industries we pride ourselves on supporting our troops.”

He smiles weakly, “It’s kind of you to say so.”

“It might be the company byline, Captain, but it’s also true.” You step closer to him, and you note that his hands are shaking, and concern crosses your face, “Are you alright?”

“No.” He rasps out, “No, I don’t think I’m ever going to be alright again.” His gaze locks with yours, “Please. I think I need help.”

Immediately your comm is in your hands and you shoot a series of messages to the head of the medical department, as well as the head of prosthetics, the head of development, and the head of security, and then you smile at him and offer him your hand, “Why don’t you come with me, Captain?”

“Yeah…okay.” He laughs weakly as you take his hand and tug him away from the door and towards one of the conference rooms.

You make sure that he takes a seat, and then you step away, “Would you like something to drink? Caf, tea, water?”

“No thank you,” Rex smiles weakly, though his hands are still shaking, “I think it’s best that I don’t drink anything.”

Hesitantly you set your hand on his shoulder, “Whatever the problem is, Captain, we can fix it. It’s what we do.”

He buries his face in his hands, “I don’t know if you can fix this. But, thank you for saying so.”

You glance up as one of the hidden doors slides open, and a pair of identical men walk in. You glare at Fives and he stumbles back into the hidden hallway, while Echo muffles a laugh. “The others will be along shortly,” He says as he shuts the door, though he leaves it open a crack, “Hey there, Captain.”

Rex looks up, and something like relief crosses his face, “Echo…you look good.”

You have to agree. You saw Echo when he first arrived, half dead and skeletal and so pale that you worried that he wasn’t going to survive the surgeries that he needed to get well. But here he is, almost a year later, happy and healthy looking, with his hair finally starting to grow back and his skin tone finally recovering back to the familiar rich tones of his brothers.

“Thanks,” Echo smiles at his older brother and crosses the room to sit next to him, “They’ve taken amazing care of me here. I don’t think I’ve ever been so healthy. You know they pay us here?”

Rex laughs weakly, “I heard.”

The door slides open again, and the four people you messaged walk in, followed by their respective bodyguards, including Fives, though at least he’s wearing his helmet now.

“So, ah, does everyone who works here get a bodyguard?” Rex asks.

“I don’t.” You say with an easy grin as you gently pull your hand away from Rex’s shoulder, “I’m not important enough.”

“She’s lying,” Doctor Midi Gryffin says dryly, “She’s the most important person in the building. Everyone in the building is her bodyguard.”

“You flatter me, Doctor.”

“Enough to make me some caf?” He asks.

You beam at him, “Nope.”

“Damn.”

“But I’ll leave you all to talk-”

“Actually, it might be best that you stay.” One of the guards offers thoughtfully, “You seem to have a soothing presence on Captain Rex. Plus, it saves us from having to tell you what happens after the fact.”

You slide into a seat next to Rex and pull out your writing tablet, twirling the pen between your fingers.

All eyes in the room turn to Rex, and the oldest person in the room offers him a patient smile, “Go ahead, Captain. Speak your mind.”

Rex rubs his hands over his face, and then over the top of his head. He takes a deep breath, and he starts talking.

He weaves a tale of betrayal, of brothers thrown to the side because Anakin thinks he’s genuinely that important. He talks about how Anakin threatened the vod’e in the guard when Ahsoka was on trial. And then he talks about Fives and the last thing that Fives ever said to him, and how his little brother is dead and he’s starting to think that it might be Anakin’s fault-

His hands are shaking badly enough at that point that you set your tablet down to take his hands in your own, while Echo brings him some water.

“There’s something not right,” Rex finishes, “Something’s not right and I need to disappear so I can figure out what it is. Fives and Tup deserve that much.”

Doctor Gryffin, the medical doctor, leans back in his chair with a sigh, “It’ll be easy enough to help you disappear, Captain. But, honestly, I think we can answer some of those questions.”

“You can?” Rex asks, looking from you to the other people around the room.

Helmets start coming off, Rex starts when he sees Fives, with a guilty smile on his face, and then Dogma, who looks very sheepish. “Unfortunately, Tup can’t be with us. He’s got physical therapy right now.”

“You’re all…alive?” Rex asks, stunned.

You squeeze his hands, “Unless one of your brothers dies on another planet, everyone is sent to Gryffin Industries for processing.”

“Of course, what the Senate thinks happens and what actually happens are totally different things.” Doctor Gryffin, the head of development, says wryly. “In the case of Fives, he told us what was going on and we made arrangements before he allowed himself to get captured by the Guard.”

“No, I saw you die.” Rex says faintly, “You died in my arms-”

Fives winces, “You weren’t supposed to be there, vod.”

“His death,” You say gently, because you had been the one to give the plan to Commander Fox in the first place, “had to look real. Commander Fox was supplied with a blaster that looked identical to his normal blaster.”

“Commander Fox knew?” Rex asks.

“The Coruscant Guard belongs to Gryffin Industries,” The head of security says, “we…ah…acquired them near the beginning of the war and then loaned them to the Senate, out of the goodness of our hearts.”

Echo scoffs, “Because it’s super important that we have a small army of men loyal to us being our eyes and ears in the senate.”

“That too!” Security agrees gleefully, “And it’s worked in our favor so far. Though, honestly, we were kind of hoping that they would have been able to get Padawan Tano to us.”

“Not that it matters since we offered her a job as soon as we realized that she was leaving the Jedi-” The third Doctor Gryffin, the head of prosthetics, points out.

You clear your throat, loudly, “None of you are helping.” You say pointedly. All eyes turn back to Rex, who’s gone almost gray, and the room falls silent.

“You know, I think we’ve dropped a bit too much information on the good Captain here.” Doctor Midi says decisively, “Will you make sure that Rex is employed within Gryffin Industries, and he needs new armor and a room-”

“Captain Rex has been employed with Gryffin Industries for the last three months,” You say pleasantly, “He even has a bank account already with all of his previous pay deposited there. His room is just down the hall from Fives’ and Echo’s and he already has a full set of armor waiting for him.”

“...how did you-?”

Fives snickers, “It’s because she’s hot for the Captain, boss.”

You glare at Fives, “I’ll be sure to make a note for Housekeeping that you want your clothes washed in bleach-”

“No! Wait! I’m sorry!”

You ignore Fives, and instead focus your attention on Rex, “I’ll be more than happy to show you to your room, and explain how things work here. Also, I scheduled your surgery for the end of the week. Fives and Echo can explain what that’s about.”

“We can show him around and tell him how things work here,” Echo says kindly, “You have a lot of other work you need to do.”

You huff and fold your arms, “You’re not wrong. Some of the Corries have been missing their mandatory therapy sessions. But showing new employees around is partly my responsibility too.”

“You can flirt with a Captain later,” Echo counters with a roll of his eyes.

“Why do people assume you’re the good twin?” You demand.

“Because it’s what I want them to think. Go yell at some Corries, it’ll make you feel better.” Echo says as he pushes you out of the room.

Just before the door shuts, you see Rex collapsing against Fives, and you smile. Giving them some time to reconnect won’t hurt, so you suppose you won’t punish Echo or Fives too badly for being annoying little brothers.

[1-ichi]

Orchids on an unlucky day.

Characters: G/ojo, M/egumi, mentions of T/sumiki AU where everyone is alive and well. G/ojo still checks in on m/eg and t/sumiki. All characters 18+ Tags: allergy, g/ojo being under the weather, m/eg being a cinnamon bun, g/ojo with expensive allergies

A tired G/ojo goes to pick up M/egumi up after a school trip. On the train home, G/ojo has an unfortunate encounter. 

On a cloudy day, Megumi went on a field trip with his classmates. They went on a tour to visit a local factory, gathering early in the morning at a bus stop a little ways away from university and disbanding at the same spot. It was 6 PM. He had somehow managed to finish his mission with a bit of force and just barely made it in time. How many hours had he worked? He assumes he hadn’t been able to visit the Fushiguro household for at most four days.

(I wanted to send him off in the morning since it was his first time going on a field trip but...)

The bus parks and comes to a halt. Students follow the professor off the bus one by one. Some were being picked up in cars, while others walked home alone. Then, he spotted Megumi.

“Megumi!”

As he waved and ran over, Megumi, with his usual unimpressed expression, stared at him. Normally, with that expression, sharp, dismissive words would follow, but...

(Cute kid.)

Unlike his usual backpack, Megumi had taken a plain navy shoulder bag Gojo had bought for him on the trip.

“You know you didn’t need to pick me up.”

“Well, I got a break tomorrow and the day after, as long as nothing comes up. I wanted to see your faces.”

Megumi nods disinterested, and they head towards the station.

“How was the factory? Did you have fun?”

“... It was okay. Relates to sustainability or whatever we’re learning in lecture. Not much though”

“I see~”

— — — —

The last time he visited the apartment, Gojo happened to read the letter on the dining table detailing the field trip. Upon reading it, he declared that he would pick Megumi up that day.

(I told him he didn’t have to come. I’m an adult for god’s sake)

But in the end, Gojo always kept his promises. It had been six days since Megumi last saw him. Although he was slightly taken aback by how haggard Gojo looked, he noticed that Gojo seemed smaller than usual. Could someone really lose so much weight in just a week? Maybe it was because he lacked strength that he appeared somewhat hunched, with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes that even his sunglasses couldn't fully hide.

(Does he not realize he's overworking himself?)

Before the rush hour crowds filled the train completely, they luckily found seats near the door, sitting side by side. Despite Gojo's few words, Megumi didn't mind. They were both a bit tired. Just five more stops.

— — — —

His body felt heavy. His mind was fogged by fatigue, lack of sleep, and simple hunger. It wasn't a cold or anything, but not being at his best was frustrating. Not that it would cause any real trouble.

(I wonder if there's food at the Fushiguro’s.)

Tsumiki was usually on top of grocery shopping, but Gojo made a mental note to call her once they reached the station, gazing absentmindedly at the passing scenery.

After a couple of stops, a woman carrying an awkwardly large box full of potted plants boarded the train. She hesitated to move further into the crowded train car and instead stood right in front of Gojo, placing the box on the armrest next to him with a thud.

Gojo, not leaning against the armrest, didn't mind. But he had a bad feeling.

(It smells...)

It was a familiar, pungent odor. Shifting his gaze slightly, he recognized the white Phalaenopsis orchids.

From where Megumi was sitting, it probably looked as if the white orchid was peering down at him. But due to his height, Gojo was directly eye-level with the flowers. Gojo noticed Megumi’s glance through his sunglasses and flashed his usual goofy smile. Three stops to go.

— — — —

“... Hh’gnxxt!!”

Recognizing the flower, within seconds, an itchy sensation crept up Gojo’s nose, causing him to shift uncomfortably. An intense irritation filled his sinuses. It had always been unpleasant. These flowers were often displayed at Gojo's mansion for celebrations, and he had developed a mild allergy to Phalaenopsis orchids since childhood. He hadn't encountered them much since attending the jujutsu school, but now he cursed the coincidence internally.

Trying to contain the force as much as possible, he managed to stifle his sneeze, though it didn’t alleviate the itch. Covering the release with his elbow, he tried to maintain composure.

(It’s okay. It’s just a little.. itchy...)

“Hh’ngkshh!”

The next sneeze burst out without warning. The woman next to him shifted her weight to avoid spray. She must not realize that she is the cause of this. Slightly annoyed, Gojo pressed his tongue against the back of his front teeth to distract himself.

How unusual for him to be so bothered by the orchids. Perhaps his immune system was weakened by fatigue, causing an unusually strong allergic reaction.

(Ah, this could be bad.)

"Alright, we're here."

Barely managing to hold out until their stop, Gojo tried to maintain a composed expression, though he knew his pale complexion probably highlighted his reddening nose and eyes. The itchiness in his entire face was unbearable.

(I never manage to look cool in front of Megumi… do I)

He pinched his burning nostrils, consciously twitching his nose to endure the itch. Wanting to sneeze, but pride and embarrassment held him back. Being part of one of the three great families, he had become adept at hiding perceived weaknesses like tears and illness.

“...snf.”

An unpleasant sound. He could already feel congestion building, making his breathing harder. He felt that if he opened his mouth to speak, a fit would take over, so instead he silently urged Megumi towards the ticketing gate. When he glanced at Megumi, he seemed like he wanted to say something, but Gojo had no time to inquire.

— — — —

Megumi noticed a change in Gojo on the train, about two stops before their destination. He heard quiet sniffles and glanced over to see tears welling up in Gojo's eyes, which he quickly wiped away with his fingers, repeating the action multiple times. Even after they got off the train and passed through the ticket gate, Gojo said very little.

(So I guess this person has the capacity to cry too...)

Megumi narrates to himself. Gojo had always seemed like an enigmatic person, devoid of human flaws and living a life sans normality. Megumi wondered if something had happened during his mission. Despite experiencing something sad, he still came to pick up Megumi. Was he okay? At least he doesn’t seem physically hurt. It didn’t seem like a question a young sorcerer like him could ask, so he simply followed Gojo, who again, seemed smaller and more fragile than usual. Glancing up, Megumi could see the gap between Gojo's sunglasses and his face, noticing his slightly reddened eyes.

(Oh, I have this.)

Megumi rummaged through his bag while walking, searching for the tissue case Tsumiki made during home economics class. He traced the uneven embroidery of the Divine Dogs with his thumb.

“Um, Gojo-san.”

Gojo turned around at Megumi's voice. He saw Megumi, a little embarrassed, holding out the tissue case.

“Please use this...”

“Eh...”

— — — —

A pathetic smile almost breaks out.

(So, he sees through me... Was it really that obvious?)

Moving to the side of the walkway, Gojo gratefully plucks a couple tissues from Megumi’s tissue case.

They were just a few blocks away from the Fushiguro’s apartment. Gojo was hoping to relieve his sinuses with a tissue or a dozen once they reached home. Maybe in private? Maybe without Megumi or Tsumiki having to see him as a snotty mess? In his silence, he had tried breathing only through his mouth, pinching his nose, and trying oh so hard to hold back the wave of tickles that kept rocking forward. But with Megumi’s kind gesture and at the simple sight of relief, Gojo could feel the floodgates crashing wide open.

“Ha...”

The moment his nose made contact with the tissue he brought close to his face, an electrifying itch ran through him.

“Hh’AGsHiewww!!!”

Having held back for so long, his allergic reaction seemed to have amplified. Two tissues simply couldn't contain his mess, making an unpleasant squelching sound as it dirtied his fingertips. But it didn't stop, and another wave hit, ignoring any pattern or rhythm to his breathing.

“Hhh’EH’gkhsh!!! Hhh’AESHieww!”

Unrestrained, allergic waves continued to crash, tearing through him repeatedly. He could feel an unpleasant dampness in his palm. He needed new tissues.

(Ah, I must look really pathetic right now...)

He thought, half-resentful, as he involuntarily lifted his face. It was good he had covered his face with his hand, as his nose twitched embarrassingly. Megumi, with a slightly startled expression, quickly turned away.

“Hh’ITSCHhh! Hh’EHSHhe!! S-sorry...”

He managed to say after another bout of sneezing, his face scrunched in discomfort.

“Here, you can use this.”

Megumi handed him a longer hand towel he hadn't used during the field trip, almost pushing it into Gojo's chest.

“But...”

“Just take it.”

“Thanks... Ha... Hh’AEGshieuw…! They... won't stah….h’… stop... Hh’uhnkg’TSCHhh!”

— — — —

“Sorry... Usually, I don't get such bad allergies... Hh’euNGTSHh! Maybe because I'm tired.”

Gojo scratched his nose, now completely irritated and allergic, trying to laugh it off.

(That wasn't something to laugh about.)

Megumi sighed inwardly. He hadn’t seen the older sorcerer in such a state before. With just how pale he is, he’d also never seen Gojo in such a shade of red. It was quite concerning.

“When we get home, take a bath first.”

“... Thank you.”

“And leave your clothes at the entrance.”

“Yeah...... sweet of you, Megumi.”

“... Yeah no… Not really.”

[your-divine-ribs]

Ice Cold Part 26

Words: 3k words

Ice Cold Masterlist Main Masterlist

Van stepped out of the darkness of the alleyway, advancing on me slowly until the shadows fell away and I could see all of him. His lips were curved into a sly smile, his pale blue irises made almost black by the darkness of his pupils. They burnt into me with a fire that made my heart pound and my frame tremble.

"You've been a bad girl Lyla," he said, his voice low, tinged with something dark and sultry.

I pressed myself up against the brickwork, watching as he edged closer. My heart was hammering in my chest, my body wired with lustful desire. He came to a stop just inches from me, towering over me.

"You know it's pointless trying to resist me," he mused, reaching out a hand to the back of my head, his fingers winding through my hair.

I swallowed, hard, my chest feeling tight, and I looked up at him. The fingers of his other hand found my jaw and his grip tightened slowly as he dipped his head down low, his lips brushing my neck as he whispered into my ear. "Don't fight it... it'll be so much better if you don't..."

"I... I..." I began, not sure what I wanted to say but feeling the need to let something out.

He pulled away but only just, his forehead pressed against mine, his warm breath fanning over my face. "What is it, huh? Do you want me to make you feel something? Is that it?"

"Yes..." my voice came out timid and breathy.

"I'll make you feel something alright. I'll fuck you so hard..."

My body was ablaze, the ache between my thighs so strong it was almost painful. I wanted him to take me, to own me, to push my body to its limits and then maybe beyond.

"Please..." I breathed...

The harsh sound of my alarm clock wrenched me from the depths of sleep. I sat bolt upright, disentangling myself from the bed sheets which felt damp with my perspiration.

Frustration wracked every fibre of my being which was still burning with desire as the sordid dream lingered. I sank back down on to my pillow, my fingers trailing down my body, pulling up my silk slip and sliding under the lace of my panties, desperate to soothe the craving that consumed me.

Minutes later I was writhing on the bed, lost in the sensations as I neared my climax, visions of Van thrusting into me as he pinned me roughly against the wall in my mind's eye.

"Fuck..." I groaned, my body finally going slack as I reached my peak but not my fulfilment.

I lay there looking up at the ceiling for a moment, letting my breathing return to its normal pace, then I rolled over, my hand caressing the bedsheets that covered the empty space beside me. I'd lived alone for years and had always favoured my own company, but for the first time my bed felt bigger and starker than normal. Lonely. I felt emptier than ever as I slipped out from between the covers, making for the shower.

The cemetery was quiet, with just a few mourners scattered amongst the rows of graves, paying their respects. My dad's plot was at the far end of a row, and I saw his black marble headstone coming into view as I trudged through the long, damp grass.

This part of the cemetery was unkempt, the grass was long overdue cutting and a lot of the headstones bore dried, long-dead flowers, a testament to the long-dead inhabitants that dwelled beneath them. It was no surprise really, fifteen years was a long time for any relative or friend to feel the need to still visit so regularly. Time had a way of healing even the most grief-stricken of hearts. My own visits had become less frequent in the years since I'd started working at the agency. Even more so since I'd starting tracking Van, I thought guiltily.

I needn't have worried though. As usual my dad's grave was pristine, the marble catching the sunlight like it had been lovingly polished. Laying across the base was a single white rose. I smiled to myself as I reached down and picked it up, my fingertips brushing the velvety petals.

I'd come to think of white roses as a symbol of my dad. Every time I came to tend to his grave I'd find one, and it had been that way for as long as I could remember. I never visited the cemetery with my mother and I never had done, even throughout my childhood. The cemetery was so close to my family home that I'd not needed chaperoning. It used to be my sanctuary anyhow, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I could picture my mother now, kneeling on the ground, laying the flower gently down, tears falling to the grass below where they settled like dew drops. I replaced the rose and stepped away.

The empty feeling that had haunted me since I'd awoken that morning persisted throughout the day and into the evening. As night drew in I started packing a small bag for my London trip. It was only a two day assignment for now, but Charles' words echoed in my head about him having me transferred there. Nine months ago I would have been delighted, moving away from the city I'd grown up in, immersing myself in the hustle and bustle of capital life. It wasn't like I'd made any lasting bonds in my adult life that would be wrenched apart by a move, even my own mother wouldn't miss me. But something was changing. A yearning I'd never felt before. A need to belong to someone and to mean something to somebody.

I picked up my toiletry bag and slung it in the case, zipping it up. I was getting picked up by a taxi in the morning which was taking me to the train station so I wasn't facing a long drive. I didn't need a clear head.

I'd been ordered to steer clear of anything to do with Van's investigation, but of course the agency weren't aware of the stack of files that I'd gathered personally on the case. I grabbed a pile of paperwork off the desk in my spare room and then headed into the kitchen, reaching for a bottle of red wine on the counter, but then going for the vodka instead, pouring out a sizeable amount. I didn't usually make a habit of drinking sprits neat, but desperate times called for desperate measures and I needed something to take the edge off.

The bitter liquid scorched my throat as I knocked it back, making me shudder, but I poured another straight away nevertheless, upending that one in the same fashion. I caught sight of my reflection in the glass door of the microwave and scrunched my eyes shut, not wanting to see. I looked like a ghost, a shell of myself.

You can't go on like this Lyla...

The night was cold and bitter and I shivered as I stepped out on to the balcony from my bedroom, the inky blackness enveloping me. I realised that I'd left my glass inside so drank directly from the bottle, huge gulps, no longer caring, the vodka burning a fiery path down to my belly, warming me through. I slumped down on to the bench, leafing through photos and statements, taking mouthful after mouthful until I'd drained half the bottle.

I supposed I must have looked a pathetic sight sitting there, eyes red-rimmed, drinking alone, tragically lamenting a lost love that never even was.

Poor Lyla, all alone and no one to love her, what a fucking tragedy.

A brisk wind whipped up suddenly, sending the papers spinning in a whirlwind to the floor, but one photo sailed into the air and over the balcony, getting snagged on the outer railings. I stood up quickly, stumbling, crossing over to the railings and looking down. I was only on the seventh floor, not that high, but probably enough to kill me if I fell. But I didn't plan on falling.

I felt impulsive, reckless, the alcohol taken hold of my senses, and I boosted myself up, stretching one leg over the railings and then the other, holding on and leaning myself out, letting the wind catch my body like a sail. If I could just manoeuvre myself to the side I could reach the photo.

My phone erupted into life in the back pocket of my jeans. I could answer it, but it'd be risky. I'd have to hold on with one hand... fuck it...

"Hello?" The slur in my voice was pronounced, and I held the phone firmly in one hand, the other gripping the cold metal tightly.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Van! What are you... SHIT!"

My foot slipped as I tried to find purchase on the outside of the balcony and I lurched to the side. The shock injected a little sobriety into me, making me suddenly realise how risky this was in my inebriated state.

"Stop fucking around right now! Get yourself off that balcony!"

It took me a few seconds for my brain to process the fact that if Van was warning me it meant that he could actually see me. I twisted my head around, peering into the night.

"I'm not gonna tell you again Lyla!" His voice was practically a growl now. He sounded furious.

"W... wait... hold on..." I managed, plunging my phone into my back jeans pocket to enable me the use of both my hands to pull myself back up and over to safety. I paused before I did, watching the photo flap in the wind, and then it carried away, borne into the air until it fluttered out of sight.

As my leg stretched over the railings and my foot found solid ground my whole body slumped over and I collapsed with relief on to the floor, drawing a quick breath before I was scrabbling for my phone in my pocket.

"Van... are you okay? What's happened? They said you were on your own now! What's going on? And where the hell are you?" The words tumbled out in a frantic fashion and I couldn't hold them back. I felt a tightness in my chest, a sob building, but I swallowed it down.

"I'm always close by... you know that. And I'm fine... I'm okay," his voice sounded weary, heavy. I gripped the phone tightly, pressing it to my ear, heard him let out a deep sigh. "I'm not calling to talk about me anyway. You're upset. What's happened?"

YOU happened.

I wanted to say it. I wanted to tell him that I was falling apart, that my need for him was ingrained in every part of me, but I didn't. I held back.

"Nothing's happened. They believed my story, every single word. They didn't even question it. No punishment, nothing." My voice sounded bitter despite my true feelings. "I suppose you could say I got away with murder."

"I told you... you don't need to feel guilty for what you did..."

"I don't!" I blurted. "And that's just the thing. I don't feel guilty at all. I keep re-playing it in my head and I'm starting to feel fucking good about it!"

Van was quiet for a moment, and I hauled my body upright, leaning against the brickwork of my apartment, hugging my knees to my chest, hiding in the shadows. His voice was low and even when he spoke.

"That's how revenge feels. It does feel good... it feels damn fucking good..." I thought I could hear the smile in his words, a dark kind of satisfaction that I was starting to understand. "You think I do what I do because I get off on hurting people? I know that's what they say about me. They think I'm a monster... and I am... if someone wrongs me... or you."

His words sunk in and I let them meander around inside my head. It was hard enough to try and make sense of his fierce protectiveness of me as it was without the added complication of half a bottle of vodka.

"Why me?" I said, speaking carefully to try to keep the slur in my words at bay. "You always talk about me like you know me... I know there's a connection there. I feel it too... but why?"

My question was met with silence, but it didn't deter me. I continued, carelessly now, desperate to know more.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this for. Are you going to keep me in the dark forever? I keep going over and over old case files, and I know something's wrong. There's missing information, stories that don't ring true. There's even stuff around my own dad's death that I don't have security clearance to view! It just doesn't make sense. It was supposed to be an open and shut case!"

"You've got to stop this right now!" Van's voice came sharp and urgent down the line. "I mean it. If you keep digging into this someone's going to notice. You don't know who you can trust. Promise me that you'll stop."

"But I can't... how can I just stop?"

"I'm fucking warning you! It wasn't a request. You have no idea what you're dealing with here." His words sounded angry, but there was underlying desperation there.

"Then tell me for gods sake!" I cried with enough force that my voice echoed out into the night.

I slid my back up against the wall, staggering slightly to the side as I got unsteadily to my feet. I didn't care if Van knew I was falling apart anymore. Why try to hide it? I swiped the vodka off the bench and took another swallow, looking out into the darkness, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.

"Where are you?" I sobbed quietly.

"Lyla baby... listen to me..." His words were soft now, a gentleness that stilled me, taking me by surprise. "I just need time. I'm close... so close to uncovering something, and it goes way deeper than just you and me and your dad. I need you to trust me on this, okay? Just for a little longer. Do you think you can do that?"

This time he wasn't commanding me, there was no threat or warning behind his words. He was asking me... pleading with me even.

It should have been an absurd request, putting my trust in this man who should have been a mortal enemy, but I knew I would do it. There was no need to contemplate my answer. Even with the knowledge of all the heinous things that he'd done and was probably yet to do before all of this was over, something made me unquestioningly put my faith in him.

"Okay," I said quietly, setting the bottle back down on the bench and stepping across to the balcony until I came to a stop at the railings, looking out into the night. "But I need to see you... they've finally taken me off the case and they're sending me to London, but they're hunting you down. You do realise that they don't even want to arrest you now don't you? Every agent has been given the order to shoot you on sight."

"I know," he replied, nonchalant. "You don't need to worry about me. I can look after myself."

"I don't doubt it, but I still worry. Since I heard about it I've not stopped worrying. I don't want you to get hurt. I..."

I paused, the words clinging to the tip of my tongue, but they danced off before I could stop them.

"I don't want you to die. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

I heard the sound of distant sirens across the city, cutting through night. I imagined Van out there, on his own, a hunted man.

A quiet throaty chuckle came down the line.

"What's so funny?" I said quickly, bewildered.

"I'm just thinking how much things have changed. It's not so long ago that you were hell-bent on killing me yourself!"

I couldn't help the smile that emerged on my lips from the sheer irony of the situation. "Yeah well... a lot's happened since then..."

"It certainly has," he agreed. "I kinda miss it in a way... our little stand-offs. You were so determined, you were definitely gonna be the one to take me down! You know you look pretty hot when you're murderous!"

My smile spread at the totally unexpected change in the conversation. This playfulness was a side of Van that I'd not experienced before.

"And you used to bloody terrify me!" I admitted. "I never knew what I was going to get with you. I didn't know whether you wanted to kill me..." I licked my lips, lowered my voice. "Or fuck me..."

Van let out a deep exhale and when he spoke his voice was rich and deep, sending warmth through me. "I've never wanted to kill you, you know that. I've always wanted to fuck you though..."

"But you haven't..."

"Not yet..."

The sirens were louder now, only streets away, but I didn't want to end the call.

"I... I dreamt about you last night," I said hurriedly, knowing our time was short, always snatched away from us.

"Oh really? Well you won't have to dream for much longer... I can promise you that...."

I suddenly heard the sound of car brakes screeching, the sirens not only drifting across the city, but clearly through the phone too. They were close... much too close.

"FUCK..." I heard him hiss under his breath.

"Van? What's happening?" I cried.

There was a scuffling sound, heavy footsteps, a car door slamming, then the sound of tyres screeching on tarmac.

The line went dead.

[yuriko-mukami]

Hot and Cold, Soft and Bold

Ship: YumEri (Yuuma Mukami x Eri Kuukani / OC) Rating: Teens and up Summary: July in Japan is a bit too hot for Eri but Yuuma knows how to help her. The fic contains slight spoilers for Her Calamity.

This fic has been written as a commission for @eri-talks. The OC in the story belongs to her.

“Ahh, this is too much!” Eri’s voice echoed through the yard and bounced back from the trees near the fence, temporarily drowning the chirps of the birds and singing of the cicadas.

Turning around, Yuuma pushed aside the shovel he had been using. The tall blond girl was swiping her forehead while sitting before the tomato plant full of ripe vegetables. Her sketchbook lay on her lap and the pencil whirled in her free hand. There was a wedge between the her brows and a slight pink hue all over her face even though she had zero reason to be embarrassed at the moment.

Yuuma should know, for he had given several of those earlier. But not right now since he had been focusing on gardening.

“Whatcha whimperin’, Bunny?” Inching closer, Yuuma peeked at the sketchbook. So, this was why Eri had been eager to come to the garden? She had recreated several plants on the paper. “Hah, that tomato would look almost eatable if it was in color.”

Eri shifted, glancing at Yuuma but, as always, she had hidden her eyes behind shades. So fucking annoying. Yuuma would like to see those shiny gray-blue orbs that reminded him of the sky. But he had already learned that removing those glasses at the wrong moment could cause extra trouble.

A whiny sigh pressed between Eri’s lips. “It’s too hot in here… I don’t get how you all survive in this heat.”

Yuuma scratched the back of his head. “It ain’t hot if yer a Vampire.”

“But Yuri too…” Eri started to sound almost desperate. Was the weather really that heated?

“I bet that scrimp is holin’ up under the bushes again.” Yuuma gazed around and sniffed. Yeah, he could smell Vixen nearby. It seemed always to be like this in the middle of the summer months.

A groan. Eri put her pencil down, looking up. There were pearls of sweat on her forehead, and her light hair looked a bit lifeless today. Yuuma could distinguish the faint aroma of perspiration under Eri’s regular scent of paper and paints. Perhaps Bunny had an actual reason to complain. “That bad?”

Yuuma let his gaze trace the woman from head to toe. There was idiocy in dressing up and then there was this… this… “Haa… ain’t that stupid to wear a jacket and a shirt if yer feelin’ too hot already? And what’s with those black pants? Ain’t they absorbin’ the heat or some shit like that?”

The pink deepened on Eri’s cheeks, and her left leg twitched. “I don’t want to burn in the sunlight. I’m more accommodated… in a different kind of environment.”

One of these days, Yuuma would squeeze out the truth about what was that different kind of environment Eri sometimes mentioned but he had figured she was hushing up about it for a reason. As much as he disliked keeping secrets, he didn’t want to scare the bunny and make it hop away.

Why the hell that’s so damn important? I don’t get what’s wrong with me these days… Yuuma frowned. Lately, he had gotten odd thoughts he didn’t want to explore any further. So, instead, he gave a glare at Eri. “Ya should accommodate here then.”

“It’s not that breezy…” The woman hung her head. As she moved, her hair slid along her back, revealing a slice of her pale nape that had started to grow reddish from here and there.

Yuuma stared at the unblemished skin under which blue veins throbbed quietly, pushing the blood forward. The blood had the most curious smell ever It was almost like… stellar. Or perhaps… lunar. Yes, yes, indeed. There was a hint of the full moon in Eri’s blood even though Yuuma couldn’t quite explain the impression.

“Fuckin’ hell, ya ain’t makin’ things easy!”

Yuuma’s grumble made Eri flinch, but the Vampire didn’t mind. Instead, he snatched the woman so fast that the sketchbook glided under the tomato bushes. Not paying attention to the fact, Yuuma swept Eri over his shoulder and strode toward the trees.

“Hey! Put me down!” Eri squirmed so much that Yuuma had to take a tighter grip on her. Not that he cared. She wasn’t going anywhere unless he allowed her. And there was no way he would let go of her. Probably forever. Perhaps he should tell her that. No matter what kind of possible threat she posed, she was going to stay.

“Don’tcha yell at me or I’m gonna stuff somethin’ into yer snout…” Yuuma intended to sound annoyed, but the words came out with an unforeseen chuckle.

“I dare you…” Eri’s words were murmur.

Yuuma couldn’t stop the smirk that curled his lips. “Try me and ya’ll find that piehole full.”

Surprisingly, that really shut Eri up.

Was that good? Yuuma couldn’t quite tell. It could have been fun to watch how well his bunny could take the carrots. Shaking his head, Yuuma stomped under the trees and lay Eri under the biggest one that created a huge, deep green shadow over the grass.

“Ya cool now?” Yuuma sat down and reached his hand, picking up the shades and tossing them aside before Eri could stop him. Heh, it was as if there were a lighter tone of blue meeting his gaze right now. A bunny with sky eyes, who would have thought…

What the fuck am I thinkin’? Yuuma stared into the azure, almost feeling like drowning in it. Surely, he wasn’t in the right of his mind now.

“Erhh… well…” Eri meandered a bit, the pink hue on her cheeks sliding towards red. Was that a no?

Growling, Yuuma yanked the denim jacket’s sleeves down Eri’s arms, finally tugging off the piece of clothing and throwing it on the ground. “Ya shouldn’t put on so damn many layers of rags.”

Was the woman puffing now? What the heck was that twisting around and thumping her thigh against the grass?

“Ya can’t still be feelin’ hot.” Yuuma sighed. “Fuck, come here! Hurry up, move yer ass!”

“You don’t have always to be so loud… I can hear you…” But Eri didn’t inch a bit.

“Then why ain’t ya movin’?” Yuuma grabbed Eri by her waist and lifted her on his lap as if she weighed nothing.

A disoriented cry escaped into the air. “Ehh?! Stop tossing me around!” Eri wriggled like a scared rabbit in a trap.

Chuckling, Yuuma wrapped his arms around the woman, nuzzling her neck. “It’s much cooler like this for ya. I feel like a chiller to ya, don’t I?”

Silence.

Followed by a sigh. “Erh… well… yes…”

Finally, Eri was calming down and staying put against Yuuma. The woman still radiated warmth through his shirt. It was unbelievable how much body heat she was able to develop. However, Ruki had mentioned something similar about Yuriko. Yet Yuuma was the most certain that he wasn’t holding onto a magical fox but something else. Something much more delicious and sweeter.

This scent…

…it emitted through Eri’s skin…

…the taste of full moon nights.

How was that even possible? Maybe Ruki would know. Yuuma should ask him later. But not now. In this instant, he only wanted to sink deeper in the aroma that dampened his tongue, waking up the yearning he had tried to keep at bay for the said brother had told him he had to be careful around this mystery woman who had appeared to their lives.

Eri’s hair tickled Yuuma’s face. Its feral fragrance mixed with the scent of her blood. A new growl vibrated through Yuuma’s chest. Why the hell was Ruki giving such rules anyway? It was easy for him to yap about it since he had brought Yuriko into the manor against all they had been discussing. Against all their plans.

If Ruki wasn’t playing by the rules, why should Yuuma? Inhaling deeply, he allowed Eri’s scent to waft in. Without further thought, he opened his mouth, scraping her neck with the tips of his fangs. She tensed on his lap, pressing her palms against his shoulders.

“Ya ain’t going nowhere…” The crunch of flesh was almost as satisfying as the gush of blood on Yuuma’s tongue and the moan of pain only thrilled him even more, his vampiric senses kicking in and telling him to have everything right here, right now until there would be nothing left but gratifying fulfillment.

Eri whimpered, hitting Yuuma’s chest, but he pressed her against him, sucking with relish as her liquid of life coated his mouth, tickling every cell of his awake. Celestial, this flavor was celestial. Almost too good to be from this world.

“Yuuma… stop…” Eri’s plea reached the Vampire’s ears.

No, no, no! Yuuma needed more. This wasn’t nearly enough. He needed more of this liquid that made his head fill with bliss and eased up the constant parching feeling in the back of his throat.

A harsh suck, then another, and a third. So savory and yet so sweet at the same time. The perfect combination. Nothing could compare it, nothing else could ever quench his thirst to the hilt.

Yuuma groaned, swiping the tip of his tongue over the bite mark. “Ya fuckin’ drive me mad…” The relishing taste lingered in his mouth.

Eri panted, her bosom heaving up and down but didn’t say anything as if her voice had been robbed from her.

But Yuuma needed answers. “What are ya?”

“Your… fellow… human?”

Did that sound more like a question or was Yuuma imagining things? He nuzzled against the throbbing vein but then gradually lifted his head, following the column toward Eri’s earlobe. She instantly shivered and let out a quivering whine, so this time he made an effort to keep his voice down. “That’s all? Ya ain’t shittin’ me?”

Eri quivered in Yuuma’s arms, her heartbeat getting rapid as if she had been a rabbit in the headlights. He could hear how her breath quickened, and when he turned to meet her gaze, something was glimmering behind the blue tint.

“You know… this isn’t the first time I have been here…” Eri finally started to speak. Her tongue dampened her lips, and it almost looked as if even the tip of her nose was vibrating. The faint scent of fear floated in the air.

“Not?” Yuuma stared at Eri. He couldn’t recall seeing her at the manor before. “Vixen invited ya earlier, huh?”

“No… not exactly…” Eri swallowed. “I… kind of landed in your garden last summer. But that was an accident. I didn’t mean to hit there or cause damage or anything like that. It just happened…”

Last summer? His garden? Landed?! “That fuckin’ hole in the ground!”

Eri’s eyes bulged, and she was almost paralyzed in Yuuma’s grasp. “Yes.” A mere whimper.

“What the fuck?!” Yuuma clenched his arms but when Eri yelped, he took a breath and loosened his grip slightly.

“I didn’t mean to…” Eri whispered. “Sorry.”

There was a moment of emptiness in Yuuma’s head. This was absurd. A chuckle grumbled through his chest as the laughter took over. Yes, he had been annoyed as fuck because of the said mystery hole in the middle of his plant plot. But… now, he was too curious. “Just what the hell happened? Why did ya land there?”

Eri’s whole body shook as she gulped air. “It’s complicated. I had to run away… from home. And I was in a hurry, so… I just hopped towards the closest option. That happened to be the Ear–  your garden.”

The words hit deep into Yuuma’s gut. Eri was a runaway? Probably not in a similar manner to the Mukamis, but this was something Yuuma could understand; having to escape somewhere. “Fuck… that sucks.”

“I said I’m sorry…”

“Quiet the whimperin’, Bunny! I meant that yer situation sucks. I caught yer drift. Glad ya got away from whatever shitty stuff it was.” Yuuma nodded. “And the garden was fixed. Just don’tcha go jumpin’ there anymore.”

For a moment, Eri gaped but a tilt of her head followed a while later. “I won’t.”

Yuuma grinned, leaning in. Ruki might be suspicious of the woman, but it was clear that she posed no threat. From where she had run away didn’t really matter. Yuuma knew better than to dig up someone’s angsty past.

“Ya better keep yer word.” Yuuma gazed at Eri, getting caught in the blue again. She was soft and warm in his arms, looking like a wild animal and still so tamed. And for damn sure no one was going to take her from him. He wouldn’t let that happen. For that, he should make sure that Eri wouldn’t think otherwise either. “Yer mine.”

“Eh?” Eri blinked.

Smirking, Yuuma nuzzled his nose on Eri’s. Before she had time to withdraw, he imprisoned her lips with his, sucking gently this time and making sure the moment was long and leisurely. Something moved in Yuuma as the last of his thoughts flew away. The smooch was like Eri’s blood, too, extraordinary… or perhaps… extraterrestrial.

[gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot]

It's the little things (5)

Previous / Next

Queuing with the food tray in their hands, Gaz was talking Ghost's ear off, telling him all about the ... he didn't even fucking know, but from time to time he grunted or nodded. The fucking queue was slow as hell that day.

Gaz knew Ghost was barely listening, but he still kept talking. Long ago he had adopted as one of his goals making the Lieutenant feel more human, by being around him and interacting with him, even if it had been one-sided at first.

When Sgt. Garrick was recruited by Captain Price, he could barely exchange greetings with Ghost. Most days he didn't even hear his voice. Of course he didn't know the details, but for the tiny, sparce clues mentioned while chatting with Price, and seeing Simon's face in Las Almas, Kyle knew something bad had to have happened to make Ghost... Ghost.

Given Ghost's gear choice, one would think he'd be a cold-hearted bastard. And he was, but also... kinda not. Gaz had seen him carry another wounded soldier on his back without a single grunt for hours until they got to exfil. If Ghost noticed the sentry was tired, he'd send them to bed and take over the watch. He was always there, silent, stoic, reliable.

So the first time Ghost sat down with him at the mess hall, unprompted, after seeking him out, Gaz felt fucking good. And when it kept happening, he felt even better.

The queue advanced slowly, and Gaz laughed when he heard the grunt coming from behind the balaclava. They could see from there that Price and Soap were already at their usual table, and Riot was standing near them, chatting with a couple of privates.

"Man, I wish my girlfriend had those tits" A Corporal queuing in front of them commented to his fellow officer.

"Whose tits?"

"Vega's. Saw her the other morning in the swimming pool"

Oh man.

Gaz tried as hard as he could to not burst into laughter, seeing Ghost silently glaring at the back of the Corporals' heads.

"It's a shame about her face though"

"Yeah, but you really don't have to look at her face"

Oh boy. Gaz kept looking at Ghost, whose eyes were narrowed to barely two slits. He could almost imagine the following day's news. Murder at the mess hall. At least that would get the queue moving.

"She trains every morning with a group of the privates. Today they were doing squats"

"Bet that's why her ass is that big"

Yep, there was about to be murder. Gaz giggled when Ghost leaned in, his head looming over the Corporals.

"We could find out"

The two Corporals yelped and looked up, turning pale at seeing the towering Lieutenant behind them, clearly pissed.

"Sir... sorry, sir..."

"We were just..."

"Meet me in the gym in one hour and we'll see if it's true. You're going to do squats until your arse grows bigger or you pass out" Ghost growled, his accent thicker than ever. "Don't make me hunt you down"

The rest of the time in the queue was awkward, with the Corporals shuffling their feet and the Lieutenant right at their backs, murdering them with his eyes alone. Gaz enjoyed it greatly.

And to top it off, by the time they got to the food, they had run out of custard. Fucking hell.

Gaz and Ghost made their way to the table where the rest of the team was waiting, Price and Soap engrossed in something about explosives, and sat down, the Sergeant was beaming, the Lieutenant moody.

Sitting next to him, Riot moved her custard to Ghost's tray, and he looked at her, confused. She shrugged.

"Saw there were just a few left and saved you mine"

Gaz smiled knowingly when Ghost's whole demeanor softened. He wondered how much longer would it take. Maybe he should make a bet with Soap, given how invested he was.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Where I fell in love - SasuHina Month Day 1

While I’m used to this happening in August, here we are for @sasuhinamonth and here’s hoping I can at least get to 5 days. The good thing is I can actually use my job’s computer to work, so fingers crossed. Anyway, enjoy.

Day 1 | Día 1

“Love at     first sight” | “Amor a primera vista”

“Waiting     for you” | “Esperándote” 

 “The Uchiha family, one of the richest families, all the way from Tokyo.”

“I hear their sons are single. Oh, to marry into a family like that.”

“My daughter will be dancing with them first.”

“Not if I can help it!”

Sasuke tried to not roll his eyes. Just because his mother didn’t attend the dance didn’t mean he was willing to tempt fate. His mother tended to know whenever he’d been rude to people. Probably why she practically ruled the house despite his father being the head of the family. He stood near the front of the room with his brother and Izumi, who was fidgeting.

“Stop moving,” he whispered.

“You try standing still with 20 layers of silk on you. I’m boiling.”

Their mother had insisted their cousin still dress in Heian fashion while switching the boys over to fit the rest of Konoha. Though from the looks of it, if they arrived in kimonos, no one would bat an eye. Regardless, he felt like he stuck out, which made the target he held even bigger. He watched many females and their female elders fight over who approached first until a different family all together came.

Their eyes made them stand out; white with the faintest hints of blue or purple. Except for one. Her eyes were a pale lavender, her long blue tinted hair and blue dress overlaid with floral lace.

“Welcome to Konoha. I am Hyuuga Hotaru, dowager of the Hyuuga family. Allow me to introduce my grandchildren. Neji,” the only male who’d followed, though clearly not interested if the slight glare on his face was anything to go by. One less person for Izumi to worry about. “Hanabi and her older sister and heiress to our family, Hinata.”

Hinata, with her small smile, different eyes and simple dress compared to her younger sister. She caught his attention more than anyone else in the room.

“Uchiha Itachi. Allow me to introduce my brother Sasuke and our cousin Izumi. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Perhaps we’d be lucky later to meet your son, Lady Dowager?”

“He doesn’t come to dances. Hasn’t since we lost most of my family within years of each other, but we’d be very happy to invite you over for tea whenever you please.”

Oh, she was good. In a matter of a few sentences, she’d solidified a chance for their families to become close.

“We’d be very honoured. Perhaps I can help open the dance with your granddaughter, if that would please her?” Itachi asked, hand out to Hinata.

Her smile became slightly strained but she still nodded politely and let Itachi led her out. He noticed her sister looking at him and Sasuke decided it was as good a time as any to back out.

                                                  ____________

He later found Hinata in the library. The house the dance was being held in wasn’t an opulent one, just enough space for the family and to invite the village members to dance. Most other rooms had been opened to allow mingling, but this small library was closed off, the music barely breeching the door. She was sitting on one of the ladders, reading by the moonlight. He couldn’t help but stare at her. 

“Hiding?” She jumped, face turning red when she saw who it was. “Relax, I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“I-I’d be grateful. Obaa-sama expects me to be mingling. A-all anyone wants to t-talk about is how it felt to dance with your brother.”

“I can guarantee he had just as worse a time as you. Not that dancing with you is bad.” he quickly said when he saw her face drop. “What I mean is, Itachi would have felt the same regardless of who he was dancing with, unless it was his intended.”

“Oh, I-I didn't realize he was a-already engaged.”

It was an unspoken fact back in Japan of the type of person Itachi was, but he wasn’t sure how they’d take it in Konoha just yet.

“Not exactly. Let’s just say he has someone who warms his bed and our parents have accepted it.”

“Oh.” her face started to pink again and she focused on her book. “What about you? W-why have you come to hide?”

“I don’t enjoy the politics of female figures trying to marry off their wards. They care about my family’s name more than me and it’s annoying dealing with them acting like they know who I am.”

“Unfortunate product, I'm afraid. Even as the eldest, I-I’m still dragged to meet many suitors based on what they can d-do for our family. N-not my idea of fun either.”

“How about this? Your grandmother already set up a chance for us to meet again. How about whenever we manage to get into parties we didn’t want to attend, we can meet in the library?”

Hinata smiled softly, holding the book in her hand closer. “I like that idea.”

Later when they were leaving, Itachi asked where he’d disappeared to after the first dance.

“I was talking to someone.”

“You? You’d rather hang out by yourself than willingly talk to someone. What was so different this time?”

“They…It was hard to keep my eyes off them.”

He knew his answer surprised his family. He wouldn’t call it love at first sight, but maybe when they were older, he’d talk about seeing her in the moonlight and wondered if he could fall in love then.

[oddballwriter]

can you do a platonic HC or Scenarios with evan and Tim (separate) with their child ( that finds out about their ‘counterparts’ (Masky and good old HABIT) and just their reaction/finds out about their kid interaction/meets them I can just see them freaking out especially evan because HABIT eat his other child and him just not wanting that to happen again, Tim is hella anxious/upset because he wants to shelter them for that part of his life and them just being confused they thought that that was them and they were just being weird

I hope this makes sense lol. I really love your work 🤭

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Warnings: Habit is here and there's implied mentions of the events of EMH with Evan and also implied murder 

Author’s Snip: I loved this request so much but i don't know how to go about it so this might be weird  

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

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Tim

You weren't planned at all

He had a quick thing with a woman and then next thing he knows he's got a kid

He was scared shitless, not just because he now had the responsibility of raising a child, but also because he felt like he was in no place to take care of one with all that he's been through

But he didn't have the heart to give you up. He doesn't really know why. It could be that he knew deep down that you might not be happy in the system, or finding the strength to raise you would heal something in him, maybe even believing that raising you could give him a sense of normalcy for a moment. But either way he kept you

Being a single dad with hardly any close resources was a hassle, don't get me wrong, but Tim thought that he wasn't doing too bad

He made sure you two were close and had a strong connection since he knew from personal experience that growing up in an environment where there wasn't any sense of parent-child closeness isn't good

He tried his best to hide his condition from you but you can only go so long until your kid both starts asking questions and then gets to an age where they are old enough to piece things together. Obviously, you didn't have all the pieces, because it would destroy Tim if you did, but you had enough to know that there was something up

Tim doesn't really know when it started happening again since there were no signs at first, and you, oblivious to just about everything about his past, just thought that he was acting strange every once in a while because of strain from a tough day or week

But then one night, he wakes up on the floor and you're backed up into a corner looked pale with fear and looking right at him with complete terror in your eyes

And he just knew. He knew he did something when he was out. That it happened again after all this time of having it under control

And what sucks the most is that Tim wants to rush over to you and console you like he always did when you were scared, but truth is, you were technically scared of him

A lot of things needed to be talked about after that, much to Tim's dismay. You learned about why Tim takes the pills, what happened, what's happened to him and others, and what exactly is causing it, along with what you saw that moment was

As much as Tim hates to admit it to himself, you would find out eventually in some way, and neither way would be pleasant

Evan

He felt a lot of conflicting things when he found out

Evan seems like he'd be a guy who would absolutely love to have kids of his own and be a dad. He would probably be the kind of dad who was his kid's best friend. So for a moment he had the happiness of having a chance to get that experience

But then he remembered... well... everything

He got so scared and he did something that he would never do if things weren't the way that they were and he didn't have what he had going on. Evan ran off, he though for a moment that if Evan wasn't near you, then that meant Habit wasn't near you. And he wasn't there at all when you were born. He wasn't there for about a year after that either

But then, one day he gets news that you're mother's been deemed deceased after being missing for a while and apparently there was some agreement that he wasn't aware of that he would get you. He had a feeling that this was all Habit's doing, this whole set up sounded ridiculous that it was basically almost the only answer

Evan was scared shitless about when Habit would make his strike but what made Evan even more scared was that Habit didn't do anything... at all

There was no sign of him having done anything to you or anything

He wondered if he was actually losing his mind all on his own this time

As much as Evan hates to admit it, he sort of just let it all out. He let himself fucking breath and just raised you

Like nothing was happening, because it wasn't. Like there wasn't something looming over him every moment, because it felt like there wasn't

At at some point when you were much older, Habit decided to have some technical parent and child bonding. You didn't really suspect anything much, but you know your "dad" was acting different and sounded almost like a completely different person

Evan's heart sank into his chest when you innocently said "Oh, your throat's better. Thats nice."

I would honestly say that the whole thing feels like Jack and Danny from The Shinning but even weirder

[elliethesuperfruitlover]

I Never Told You What I Do...in general

A/N: It’s very me of me to come back out of.....everything with a very self-indulgent fic because of......normal teen problems? Anyways feel free to ask me my qualms about being ND and being jealous of people in relationships.Title is an MCR reference. Also yes this is accurate, I do in fact have an APUSH quiz tomorrow and I’m writing this instead of doing my reading.

Warnings: implied masturbation, mild suggestive jokes, a little test anxiety, making out, spoilers for the movie Spree

Tag List: @bisexualnathanyoung, @super-unpredictable98

“Luci, I literally came over to your house to study, and you did better than I did on the review. It’s literally history and you know how your dad is. You’ve got this.”

“I know, I just feel this....grossness in my chest about it,” he replies, fist on his chin. “Almost like-”

“You can’t breathe? Yeah, I know, that’s the inevitable test anxiety I’m afraid.” you reply, patting his hand. Lucien puts his hand over-top yours and gently rubs it. A rare smile pops up onto his face, one that goes up to his eyes.

“Thanks babe.”

The late bell rings, and the door to the classroom closes. The quiz papers are passed out, and before you know it, you’re 15 questions deep and writing down short answers. Across from you, Lucien’s leg is bobbing up and down, but his pencil is moving, and he seems to be on the last page of the test.

“Who were two writers who emerged from the Second Great Awakening? Explain one of the writer’s beliefs, and how they differed from initial American beliefs.”

  You read the question a few times before it processes in your mind, and you get to writing. “Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau; Thoreau wrote about how nature is a gateway to the greater individualism that secular utopian societies encouraged. America is known for it’s hive mindset, and the belief that nature is something to be connected to, rather than to exploit, directly opposes that.”

You move onto the next question, and before you know it, you’re on the last question of the quiz. Just as you finish it, a fire drill goes off. “Fire drill on a Friday, that’s odd.” you thought to yourself. You make your way out of the classroom door, and catch up to Lucien, who’s a few strides ahead of you.

“Hey Luci honey. How’re you liking the quiz?” you ask him, pinkie in his hand.

“It’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The question about Joseph Smith almost threw me though.” he replied, letting out a huff of air.

The two of you make your way to the baseball field, and you stand in line in front of him. It’s a somewhat chilly day, with cirrus clouds dusting the sky, sun shining. A breeze makes it way into the field, forming goosebumps on your skin. Lucien notices and pulls you closer to him, breath dusting over your skin. You two sit there for a moment, and he holds out an earbud to you.

“You’ll never make me leave, I’ll wear this on my sleeve.

Give me a reason to believe.

So give me all your poison. And give me all your pills.

And give me all your hopeless hearts

And make me ill.”

You close your eyes, and remember the moment you looked at Lucien and went  “Yeah....he’s cool.”

 The first week of school was unnerving for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, new people after a while of being....not near them. Food, romance. “Ew, you thought to yourself.” The gas in your intestines did little to aid you either, but your “I only do every day once.” philosophy was the only thing keeping you from running out of the auditorium doors.

  You sit a chair away from the previous person, and put your head onto your binder, wishing that the day would pass as quickly as it came after open house. (Which you definitely almost didn’t have an anxiety attack at.) A person sits a chair away from you, and you reel at their appearance, and observe the way they slouch in the wooden chair, phone in hand, headphones in ear. Their hair is a pale grey, most of it shaved off.

“Nice outfit.” you reply, looking at his clunky boots with envy.

“Huh? Oh thanks, made it myself.”

You recognized him from the corner of your 1st and 5th period classes, which he usually didn’t actively participate in, giving a half-hearted “here” for attendance at “Bloodmarch”. This, however, was your first time properly speaking to him.

“Yeah, you kinda give off that punk-y vibe. That and I can hear you blasting My Chem from 2 seats over.”

“You listen to MCR?” he asks, earplug ripped from his ear. Nice helix piercing.

“I’m full of surprises man.”

He leans closer to you and begins a full conversation about the emo scene in the early 2000s, and you answer back enthusiastically. He seems really passionate about it, and even as the bell rings, you two keep chatting. “Oh my god, the things I would’ve done to be able to get tickets to Warped tour man.” “Same!! I was the size of a fucking banana at that point. I mentally attended it.”

First period passes in a flash, and Lucien pats your shoulder when you get up.

“We can keep talking at lunch. I have Bio for 4th period and I’ve seen you at lunch, so I think we’re set.” he says, voice slightly muffled by his mask.

“Cool! I’m right outside your class, if I have the teacher right, so it won’t be too much of a trek to get to you.”

You two wave goodbye and part ways, and for the first time in a long time, you find yourself hopeful to hang out with a real person.

As promised, you two talk at lunch, and chat on the way to 5th period, almost getting in trouble for giggling too loud at images of “pickle gerard”.

  The days pass by, and you find yourself looking forward to going to school because of Lucien, talking to him any moment you’re free. When fall break rolls around, he asked you to spend it with him.

“I’m seeing a movie on Saturday, Halloween Ends. You want to come with?” he asks, and you think “Oh fuck, is this a date? I’ve....never been on one. What in the hell do I expect-,”. Shelving that for another time, you agree.

“I’m going to the library first though. Is that cool with your dad?” you ask, skipping a song on a playlist.

“Oh yeah, definitely. He has this huge library in his house, but he loves watching movies, so he’s probably gonna pop in.”

You smile at that, and as 3:30 rolls around later in the day, you meet Lucien downstairs, and he checks his phone, replying to a message. You stand near him, and he grabs your hand, “My dad parks leagues away from where everyone else is, you’re uh....gonna need a guide.”

Lucien was a big fat liar.

His dad, Damien, was about 7 feet away from the entrance of the school, in full Victorian garb. He looks up from his own phone, and his face lights up at the sight of his son.

“Lucien my dear boy! How was your day?” he asks, bringing Lucien into a hug, kissing the top of his head. He grunted at the contact, but his shoulders slumped a few inches, melting into the touch of his dad.

“It was good, a little long because of the testing. But I got to skip 5th period which was a relief because I didn’t feel like shitting my pants (”Language!”) over another test.”

“Luci, that’s one of the 2 classes we share, do you secretly hate my guts?” you retort from behind him, a teasing look on your face. He chuckles and replies with “Only that you can be a real pain....and I hear your guts literally all the time.”

“Oh please, Lucien, I never make beans anymore because of the way the pillows are simply saturated with the flatulence you let out. Now, who’s this?” Damien asks, a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Just three raccoons in a trenchcoat, sir.” you reply. he seems to push himself out a bit more at the word “sir”, a grin accompanying his face. You set your laptop bag down, and extending your hand for Mr. Bloodmarch to kiss, a custom Lucien reminded you of.

From behind Damien, you see Lucien tap his dad on the shoulder, whispering something in his ear, a blush creeping up his cheeks and neck.

“Oh! I’ve heard so much about you, dear. Lucien talks about you nonstop. He’s never been much of a chatterbox, but when it comes to you, he never seems to run out of words.” Damien said, smile stretching to his eyes, (”Just like Lucien’s.” you think to yourself.) He continues talking, much to Lucien’s display.

 As you walk to the car, Damien quiets a bit, trying to talk as the cars pass by. “I can’t walk, talk, and look for traffic. There’s going to be a smattering of dead vampire upon the pavement I’m afraid.” he jokes, opening the door for you.

“Guests get to pick the music.” Lucien explains as Damien hands you a few CDs, and turns the car on.

 The ride to the library was fairly short, and the three of you headed into the building, and split up. Lucien stopped off at the kid section “I do early childhood development internships, might as well read the source material.” and you and Damien walk up to the YA and Teen section, out of breath from the 4 story walk.

“Damn it, they don’t have Cinderella is Dead.” you mutter to yourself as you peruse through the shelves, pulling the books that catch your eye to the edge of the shelf.

Damien heads to the section you’re in, and gasps excitedly at the manga selection, almost immediately picking a few off the shelves.

“I bind my own fanfiction, you see. I find myself needing more of the main material, and well, here we are.” he explains quickly, finger tapping along the spines of a few copies of “Naruto”. “That may have been too much information.” he replies, looking away quickly.

“Oh no, you’re completely fine. Lucien’s told me about it. And about your home-library. From his description, it sounds absolutely magnificent.” you reply, and it’s clear he appreciates the compliment, as his eyes shine a bit brighter.

“Ah. A word about Lucien and your friendship. I mean not to meddle, but I really do think find that my son is fond of you. Quite fond. He talks about you constantly, dear.” he whispers, looking you in your eye.

“I um....thank you Mr. Bloodmarch. I’m also fond of him. I really enjoy his company. He’s really nice to me, and keeps me sane at school. But you’ve probably heard all that by now.”

“Oh no, I find it interesting. But I do implore you to tell my son these things as well. I fear he may go mad from the times you’ve asked to borrow a pencil, or shared your lunch with him.” he laughs, awaiting an answer.

“I’ll keep that in mind this weekend. Thank you for letting me know.”

 The two of you head over to the DVD section, and at the sight of “Spree” you gasp loudly and snatch it from the shelf, cradling it to your torso. The rest of the searching is much less exciting, and you pick a few other things. Lucien meets the two of you downstairs, and you check out.

“Vegetarian lasagna is on the menu for tonight, dear, I hope you’re not allergic to eggplant.” Damien says, over the notes of Mitski playing from the stereo.

“That’s fine by me!”

  The evening passes by quickly, and you prepare your sleepover with Lucien, plugging spree into Damien’s large television in the sitting room, and devouring your bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. “I’m the only one who eats it, Lucien thinks it tastes of um, toothpaste and shit, I’m afraid.” You laugh at that, and as Kurt meets his demise, you feel yourself slipping into the warmth of sleep, Lucien’s shoulder serving as your pillow.

  You wake up the next morning in the guest room, and to the smell of pancakes and vegan sausage. Lucien’s even cuter when he first wakes up, you find, as his hair is a mess (and wavy!), and his low voice dips even deeper, reaching molasses territory with how he seems to trap you in his mumbled greeting. I could get used to this, you think, as you dig into your breakfast.

The rest of the weekend passes without a sitch, save for Lucien’s hand touching yours in the too-salty, but so delicious popcorn. You two discuss the movie afterwards, but not before Lucien confesses to you.

“I uh...like you a lot. And I kinda want you to be my partner...or girlfriend....whatever makes you more comfortable.” he mumbles, blush up to his forehead and ears.

“I’d like that a lot Luce....I’d like that a hell of a lot.”

Damien picks you two up, pinkies touching, and he almost cheers from the front seat. (”Finally! Your friends to lovers has been achieved!!!”) You’re pooped by the time you get home, but not pooped enough to neglect yourself of fantasies you’ve held off on thinking about, which may now become a reality.

                                                            ~

You snap back to reality, and Lucien is still chilling on your neck, his arms wrapped around your form. He hums into your neck (albeit uncomfortable, he’s quite tall and gangly, but not immune to achy bones). The all clear is given for the fire drill, and the intercom comes on to alert everyone to grab their things and report to their 6th period classes.

  Lucien hugs you goodbye “See ya at 3:30.” he says, and you head to class, a smile on your face. A lab follows a costing quiz, and you save some of the leftovers for Lucien, who never denies food. “You cooked it babe, even if other people are helped. I’ll gobble it and you down any day of the week.” He, once again, meets you downstairs, and kisses you on the cheek, checking your weekend plans once more.

“Ok so we’re watching The Menu on Saturday, 7pm showing and you’re spending the night, right?” he clarifies, texting the information to Damien, regardless of him being 10 feet away in his car.

“Yeah, that’s good.” you say, feet cracking at the fixed position they’d been in from the day.

  At home, you quickly shower, then proceed to lock your door, and collapse into bed. “Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.” you mutter to yourself, slipping a hand past your sleep pants.

The next day arrives, and you spend most of the day pottering around and getting chores done. Once the clock hits 5:30, you head to the bathroom, and freshen up, and put on something other than night-clothes.

“Got your sleep-clothes, phone, charger, money?” your mom asks.

“Yes.”

“Pocket knife, just in case.”

“Um...we’ll come back to that, but I do have two shoes and two iron fists, so I’m sure that counts for something.”

You arrive at the movie theater and get dropped off at the front entrance. Lucien spots you once you’re inside the building, and gives you another kiss on the cheek.

“You ready to get spooked baby?” he asks, hand entwined in yours.

“Hell yeah I am.”

As the movie shows, Lucien begins shifting more and more towards you, even at one point turning his head into your shoulder, a small scream exiting his mouth.

“Like father like son, huh?”

“Shut. Up.” Lucien states, nuzzling his face into your arm. He stays like that for the remainder of the movie, jumping here and there. Once it ends, he slowly gets up, and keeps you at his side “Just in case any creepy chef tries to threaten me.”

Damien’s waiting at the entrance, and noogies his son, who begrudgingly accepts it. “How was the movie, kids?”

“It was good. Nice and spooky. I wonder if I’ll have enough money to get invited to a murderous dinner...like Clue.” Lucien chuckles at that, and kisses your hand, quieting down on the ride back home.

“Alright so, I’ll be out tonight and part of tomorrow morning. I’ll be with Hugo, as he invited me to a wrestling match, and I’d hate to turn him down. I expect the house not to be on fire, no babies running around....and please eat some real food while I’m gone.” he states, spinning his keys in his hand.

“Mhm!” “Yes, dad!” you two reply, Lucien already heading up the stairs with you in tow.

“I mean it, you better be using protection Lucien, you know where the condoms are!” he shouts, hand cupped around his mouth.

“YES, DAD!” he yells back, red flushed with embarrassment.

He takes you up to his room, and flops down onto his bed, springs creaking. He beckons you with his hand, and you sit across from him, heads almost touching.

“So uh....what do you want to do?” he asks, brown eyes shining in the moonlight let in by his curtains.

“Get these movie germs off first. But after that....I think I want to make out with my boyfriend and watch shitty horror movies.” you reply, sitting up to look him in the eye.

“Sounds like a plan.”

True to your word, as soon as you get out of Lucien’s bathroom, you sit next to him, and he smiles at you, putting his phone facedown on his nightstand. Lucien gently kisses you, hand cupping your jaw. He stays like that for a few moments before moving down to your neck, gently nipping the skin there. 

  His hand drifts down to your waist, and lifts part of your shirt up, rubbing circles and invisible shapes into the flesh. Your hands tangle into his hair, and play with the few inches of hair on the nape of his neck, gently pulling at it. A quiet noise escapes his lips when you accidentally brush against his lap, breaking away to apologize.

“No no no, you’re good. Just...sensitive is all.” he admits, kiss-swollen lips upturned into a shy grin.

“Just kiss me again, Luci.”

“Yes ma’am.” he replies.

  The rest of the night is spent in intervals of kissing, with the promised shitty horror movies (”HOW DARE YOU CALL KRAMPUS SHITTY!”) playing in the background. He makes you both sandwiches after you separately...finish in his bathroom, and you cuddle up close to him as the opening sequence of “The Addams Family Values” plays.

“Yeah....I could get used to this.” you think again, as you fall asleep at Lucien’s side, face mashed against his chest.

Masterlist

[bettsfic]

not me writing a rexsoka post-apocalypse au on this fine thanksgiving day

this is a modern au, sort of, in that it’s set on earth, just in the future. it’s kind of a “what if america had a clone army” au. this takes place at the tail end of the second clone war, which is ending because most of the population has been wiped out. rex has just gotten news that ahsoka has been seriously injured but honorably discharged and is ready to come home. 

*

He’d left at dawn and arrived at dusk. The VA hospital was a relic of a different world—a cleanly paved parking lot for cars that no longer existed, windows unbroken by stones, electric light streaming out. He slid a mask on over his nose and mouth, secured goggles over his eyes, threw a hood over his head. Years ago this might have made him look suspicious, but now these things were as necessary and common as shoes. 

Inside there was no one at the front counter to greet him. Someone had left a sheaf of papers on which was handwritten, PICKING UP. Below it was a list of names and beside them, room numbers. Many were crossed out already. He flipped to the Ts. 

SGT. TANO, AHSOKA, 5-C.

Caution tape spanned each of the three elevators. He took the stairs. He was certain he’d been here before though he couldn’t remember why. Clones had their own medical facilities. Once he reached the fifth floor, the silence was broken by quiet groaning and crying. Some lights were out and hadn’t been replaced; some were flickering. The central cluster of desks held computers that weren’t on, or maybe even functional. He kept looking for a nurse, doctor, orderly, anyone, but the halls were empty. He reached 5-C, a small room sectioned off with curtains. He peeked behind the first and saw a pale-skinned arm. He moved to the second, near the window, and gently pushed back the curtain. There she was. Only asleep, hopefully. When his men were seriously injured he used to tell them, It’s not bad, you’re fine, just walk it off, soldier. But this, even he had to admit, was bad.

Half of her face was wrapped up in gauze. Her right arm was in a cast, nestled in a sling. He couldn’t see below that, but under the blanket he could tell there was something around her leg. A cast, or some other contraption holding it all together. She was knocked out by something, hopefully pain pills of some kind. He stepped closer, until he was at her bedside looking down at her. He was not a man of many emotions but in that moment it all washed over him—her smile greeting him every day of summer; the terror he’d held inside him from the moment she left, worse than any he’d felt on the front lines. He wished he’d fought her harder, said the exact right thing she needed to hear to convince her no, this wasn’t worth it. Stay, please stay. But back then he thought the war was over. He thought she’d be put behind a desk somewhere, or get sent out to do humanitarian relief. Natural disaster cleanup. That was the life she wanted. Then again, no one got to live the life they wanted. Most people didn’t get to live it at all.

He reached up, gently dragged his knuckles down the uninjured side of her face. Soft brown skin. Warm. He remembered when her cheeks used to be so much rounder, all smiles and a little baby fat. Now she looked thin and sallow, like she hadn’t seen a full meal in years. 

Suddenly she gripped his wrist and put him in a simple but startlingly effective armlock. Her eyes shot open. They were just as blue as they’d always been, but they were angry, and afraid, and he didn’t recognize anything behind them. What had she been through? Who was she now? With his free hand he tugged down his hood. Her gaze flicked upward. Her face softened. “Rex?”

[pennywaltzy]

Ghost Fare

And here’s a little story about a hitchhiker and a cab driver, written for day 2 of @mollyappreciationweek!

Ghost Fare - Sebastian picks up an unusual hitchhiker outside of the village of Bray.

READ @ AO3

Sebastian Moran had never believed in ghosts. There were supposed to be ghosts all up and down his chosen stomping grounds for cab fares, but he never encountered any.

Until that Halloween night.

Until her.

He could tell something was different by the sheer amount of fog that had crept up around him as he saw her flag him from the side of the road, looking like she was hitching a ride. It got cold, too. She looked injured, but otherwise perfectly normal if a little pale. “Where can I take you?”

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Village of Bray, 40 minutes outside of London.” He wouldn’t have been out in Bray, except he got some fare to go to a hoity-toity restaurant he would never eat at. He’d been on his way back to London when he picked her up. The fact she didn’t know where she was had made him initially think she’d been drugged and ditched. Either way, he couldn’t leave her in the cold. “Get in. I’m headed to London.”

“Thank you.” She was wearing a short black leather jacket and matching leather skirt with a white button-up fancy blouse, and some tights that looked black. She was holding her arm to her side like it was broken or at least bruised. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had on some tasteful though dark makeup. All in all, pretty girl.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Molly. My friends call me that. My mum calls me...Margaret.”

“Can I take you to your mum’s?”

She looked surprised. “Yes. She’s in London. You can take me to her.”

He noticed she had a silver locket that she fiddled with using her good arm. “I can take you to the hospital, get someone to look at your arm,” he said as he put the car into gear and began to drive to London.

“No. My mum will take care of me.”

“Where does your mum live?”

“A bungalow near Wellington Way. Right by the Bow Road station. She has flowers in the front. Roses.”

“I hate to sound crass, but can you pay? I’ll still take you if you can’t, but it might not hurt to call your mum and ask her for some fare if you can’t.”

“Call her?”

He fished out his mobile. “On the mobile.”

“I could try.” She took his mobile and after a few minutes of trying to figure it out made a call. There was a bunch of static that even he could hear, and she handed the phone back to him. “Sorry. Bad reception?”

“Maybe.” They lapsed into silence then for the most part, with him asking questions every once in a while. Once they got into London he concentrated on avoiding the drunks. As he pulled up to Wellington Way he noticed she looked...surprised. Like she couldn’t believe they were there. She fiddled even more with her necklace the last time he looked at her before finding the bungalow her mother lived at.

When he turned to tell her they were there, she was gone, but her necklace was on the seat. That was when he realized he’d delivered her back home, but it wasn’t all done. Until her mum got the necklace, it wouldn’t be done.

He knew he was going to need some pretty stiff drinks later, but for now, he picked up his mobile and looked at the number she had dialed. It looked like a legitimate phone number so he dialed it. After a few rings and no static, a woman picked up. “Hello?”

“Hello, ma’am. I’m a cab driver, came out of Bray earlier this evening. Picked up a girl named Molly. She said her mum called her Margaret. She left a necklace in my car when she...disappeared. I know it sounds like a hoax, and with it being Halloween and all, I don’t want you to think I’m pulling your leg, but I’m right outside. Can I give you the necklace?”

“Is it a silver locket?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“It can’t be.” There was a pause. “I’ll come to you. Just wait there and I’ll be right out.”

“Alright.”

Seb hung up and waited. Soon a short, frail-looking woman came out to his cab. He scooped up the necklace from the rear seat before she got to him and he stood outside, ready to give it to her. When she got to him, he handed her the necklace. “We never found her,” the woman said. “Her boyfriend was taking her to Bray for dinner at a fancy restaurant twenty-five years ago, on Halloween night. They got into an argument and he left her by the side of the road. No one ever saw her again, but I’ve heard stories.”

“What kind of stories?”

“Of a woman hitching a ride every Halloween. But no one ever picked her up." She looked at the necklace and opened it, showing him the pictures inside. "This was Margaret and her father. He died when she was young. She never took this necklace off unless she was going in the water. Thank you for returning it to me.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out some money. “Please, let me pay you.”

“It’s all right,” he said, gently pushing the money back to her. “I did a good deed. That’s payment enough.” He tipped his hat, got back in his cab, and drove back to his flat in London proper. He poured himself a stiff drink, then made a call to the police line to have someone look for a missing body near the outskirts of Bray. Then he had his drink and went to sleep, still calm about the whole thing, or as calm as he could be.

But he definitely believed in ghosts now.

[kyupidos]

hii i really love your works !!! i would die for you if you'd write something like about fem!mc dating vil, but with friends she's silly and uninhibited and stuff and with vil she IMMEDIATELY gets humble and starts to shy away cuz he's too pretty and gorgeous and she kinda feels insecure around him :( bonus points if she's chubby eh

(SORRY if it sounds weird lol also my english is kinda bad)

7/09/24’s delivery 🏹✉️ twisted wonderland

the way she is with me!ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ,ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ ;; summary. ‘you’re vil schoenheit’s lover—hey you don’t know how but you are. albeit, you can feel a little undeserving of it…of course, he disagrees.’

characters. pomefiore : vil schoenheit ( separate ) ;; romantic . 🖇️ tags. reader is gender neutral ( you/your ), reader is yuu, romantic fluff

📡 _a/n. oh how i love this ask <33 sorry this took me a bit, given it’s the school year’s end i’ve had to deal with things like my younger sister’s graduation, joining the volleyball club…but i hope this reaches you and you enjoy it!! ( btw i don’t write for fem readers, so i made this gender neutral ^-^ )

v. schoenheit

— “hehe..honestly, he’s seriously the best boyfriend i could ever have… not like i’ve had any others,” you giggled wistfully to your first year friends, some more willing to listen than others ( guess who ). deuce smiled at your ramblings, betting tails as ace betted heads on a bet you didn’t know anything about ( though jack, sebek, and grim all seemed invested ), while epel joined you, albeit, clearly less on the fact of giggling to partake in vil’s praise.

— epel tilted his head with a sigh, “i don’t get how you never stop finding a way to praise him. sometimes you’re kind of like rook, y’know?” at that you just scoffed playfully with a chuckle, messily taking a largely portioned bite out of your food. ace turned to you just to pinch your cheek lightly to tease, “maybe clean up your face as you talk about him too, huh?” you swatted his hand away though, sticking out your tongue at him with a grin as he turned to grim who also started to place bets, but instead with his tuna, the others deciding to do the same ( not like you noticed ).

— you just shrugged your shoulders as epel awaited a response, “i’m just happy, i guess. i lucked out big time to be able to have a lover like him, y’know?” you grinned, and epel smiled at your comment. “maybe, but’cha know, i bet he lucked out with you,” he spoke with his usual expression of tongue slipping slightly as he messily ate his own food, not leaving a lick untouched.

— one final snort of amusement to yourself, you played with your food for what barely felt like a second before taking a larger bite out of it than before. no, you definitely lucked out more, and you know because vil invited you to spend time after school in his dorm room.

— you just barely moved a tad with your nose scrunched, laying in vil’s lap as he pampered you and gave you skincare as you laid in his face. the most he did, unlike before you started dating when you were simply well acquainted and nearing the unspoken terms of friendship where he calmly scolded you for making unsavory facial expressions, was tap your nose to relax it, and you in the process.

— “really my dear,” vil smiled down at you handsomely, “you should do your best not to move.” you wanted to respond as he continued to fufill his task of completing your facial routine for you, but you got lost in his ethereal eyes, as you usually did. a part of you was always unsure how you managed to even score the first date with him. after all, you were merely a speck of dust compared to the vil schoenheit. you knew he loved you for a fact, but you couldn’t help but feel yourself paling in comparison to him.

— you looked up at him from where you laid, still practically at a loss for words from your awe as he looked back at you relaxed but concerned by your expression given you were never one to be able to hide your feelings without strain. “sorry, it’s just,” you finally managed to get out the words with the feeling like your throat was just barely managed to spit them out as your heart twirled, “vil, you’re so…pretty. i don’t know how i’m able to call myself your lover like this.”

— just then, his shoulders relaxed as he’d taken a break from his pampering to listen to you closely, his face adorning a calm and understanding smile as he did, before closing his eyes to laugh your words off. “my love, i’d argue how much i feel the same. you’re pretty just the same, i’ll always be in love with your beauty, do you understand?” he cupped your cheek lightly, as to not make his efforts to care for your face useless. “not to mention how much of a lovely person you are, i feel lucky to have you beside me.”

— you had half a mind to turn your face away to not have to look him in the eyes in your sudden shyness, but you forced yourself not to as you know it’d get rid of his hard work. “heheh… i’m glad.” and to reflect that, vil put down his cosmetics beside him and leaned down to hug your figure where he could from his position ( it read mostly as him cradling you ), you gaining the confidence do to the same.

— “don’t forget how much i love you, dear.”

( EXTRA. )

— you giggled through a breath of relief as you sat with your friends at lunch again, “i guess you were right epel,” you turned to him as he held a breath in his pride with his shoulders stiffened slightly to show it, “he was lucky to have me too, i guess.” you were barely able to register the way jack and sebek looked at the other three with one proclaiming it more calmly than the other,

— “guess we won the bet. told you the both of them would be vocal about their luck.”

— “[y/n]’s always vocal and vil’s not one to lie, it was an easy bet to make!”

— “hey, what the hell?!”