#36 Winter Windows | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

morphids · 2 years

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linger, ellie williams

pairing: dealer!ellie x afab!reader

chapter: one shot (5.5k words) (theres hope for a continuation tbh) proofread but I'm dyslexic so if you see a missing word, double words and errors- mind ur business </3

warnings: explicit sexual content, 18+ so minors do not interact!!!, dealer!ellie so mentions of drug use and marijuana, afab!reader and gendered nicknames, poc friendly!! blasphemy, choking, use of trusty strap. ellie's a bit rough but it's all consensual she just gets pussydrunk tbh, (think that's all)

summary: reader returns from patrol to find her stash is empty, relying on her trusty masc dealer who loves calling her nicknames and teasing her.

Disclaimer: I do not support the genocide of the indigenous Palestinian people, and neither should you, please don’t buy the new Remastered or continue giving any more money to Druckmann. Educate yourself, learn the history, it is vital. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free 🇵🇸

A sigh escaped your lips, damn.

You looked at the almost empty baggie with a slight pout, almost pleading to the bag, hoping its substances would magically reappear. But you knew better than that.

You glanced at the clock behind you, it rested on a mahogany wall which had seldom been cleaned or decorated, you simply didn't have the time or effort, to be honest. Even after so many years.

There was too much to do in Jackson, whether you were on patrol, sorting out stables or farming crops. There was rarely any free time, but tonight you had returned from a three-week patrol, and all you had wanted was to spark up and relax for a few hours. Maybe finally get some good fucking sleep, in your own bed.

Alas, you had returned to Jackson to find your stash box considerably emptier than you remember. You could've sworn you had some more left, but knowing your habits, three weeks prior you had probably decided it would be best to smoke it all, as a going-away present to yourself. You sighed at your own stupidity.

The clock's hands ticked as you reevaluated your situation. Another look at the clock told you it was now 2:36 a.m. What were your options?

You could attempt to sleep without a joint and lie awake all night, your mind consistently reminding you of all the shocks and horrors you'd seen that you'd hoped had all been forgotten. Sometimes, you'd see the restless faces you had killed, sometimes you'd see the people who tried to kill you. Other times, flashes of infected, masses and masses of them charging after you. You shook your head to yourself. Needless to say, going cold turkey was not something you had wanted to do, especially at nighttime.

With that in mind, you collected some things and put some denim pants on, they were a bit on the baggy side but in the apocalypse, beggars can't be choosers, they fit around your waist that's all that matters. On top rested a tightly fitted green shirt, it was actually one of your favourites as it let you see what was going on underneath those clothes, it made you feel confident and you'd need all the confidence you had for this.

You had no other choice, it was almost 3 a.m and the only other person who was likely to be awake, someone with the same sleeping struggles as you, was none other than Ellie Williams. Your cheeks flushed. Would she even be awake? Would she even want customers at this hour?

You hesitated as you reached your front door, this probably wasn't a good idea but you were desperate, with a final sigh you unlocked your door and stepped outside into Jackson's winter weather.

***

With a light tap, you knocked on Ellie's door, suddenly unsure of yourself. A few moments passed as you thought no answer was going to come when you heard shuffling from inside the building and a shadow moving across the window.

You sighed, happy that she was awake.

You heard the door unlock before it opened revealing the auburn-haired girl you had hoped to see. Her brows were furrowed, a hint of confusion on her features.

"It's a bit late, you know." She spoke, her voice raspy, she was probably tired. It was then that you realised how desperate you probably looked, knocking on Ellie's door at ungodly hours of the night.

"Sorry, ran out of weed." You muttered, that was all you could say, a gust of condensation exiting with your words due to the cold. Hopefully, she'd be kind enough to give you some and spare you the embarrassment. Ellie had a reputation for being a bit of a menace, though.

Ellie chuckled quietly, looking down at you. "Well, that explains it," she hummed, her green eyes locking onto yours. Unable to hold her gaze, you looked down at your hands. They were slowly becoming numb from the extreme weather, your jacket not padded enough to protect you from this cold. "I know it's late, I just can't sleep without it..." you trailed off, "sorry, I can come back tomorrow if that's better."

Ellie simply shook her head, a soft smile grazing her plump lips, "I couldn't turn away such a pretty girl," she stopped, "especially at this time of night, it's dangerous out there."

At her words, you felt yourself fumble. You knew there was little to worry about in the safe confines of Jackson in terms of danger, except for a few raids here and there. Memories flashed in your head from a few years ago, you blushed at the thought, refusing to entertain it any longer. You wondered if she remembered it, too. Probably not.

"Only if it's no bother," you said, unsure. "Of course, not. It comes with the job of being the only source for miles," she reassured, to which you smiled and shook your head, agreeing.

"Come in, you look like you're freezing." That you didn't expect, usually in your meetings you would quickly exchange goods before returning home. But this time, she was looking at you with that smile of hers, and the cold was slowly decreasing your energy. "Yeah, okay." you hesitated, following her into her home.

Ellie closed the door behind you, before speaking again, "It's upstairs, I'll go grab it, you can take a seat wherever." She accommodated, I sat as she left the room, hearing her footsteps trail upstairs.

You took this time to look around, your house was comfortable, but it wasn't quite lived in as Ellie's, who seemingly had personalised and decorated her space. You wonder if she has people over often. For some reason, that thought tightened your chest.

You were quickly pulled away from your thoughts as Ellie reappeared in the living room. "Here," she threw a bag towards you, you smiled as your mission had been successful, catching the bag in your hands. "Thanks," you spoke, gratitude all over your voice.

"Don't mention it," she paused, "Seriously, don't mention it, Maria's been on my ass about it." "Having a domestic dealer probably wasn't what she wanted for Jackson." You joked, knowing Maria always made disapproving comments when she'd catch a whiff of it at your house. "Well, too bad. If I had to deal with an apocalypse sober, I'd have shot myself." She deadpanned, and you laughed in return.

"Thank you for providing sanity for us all." Ellie laughed at this. Her eyes looking over you, it reminded you of that day so many years ago. You shuddered.

"Well, I'll head off, don't wanna bother you more than I already have." You said, thinking that it must be at least four in the morning by this point. "Rude as always, I see." she joked, putting her hand over her heart in feigned hurt, "not even gonna stay for a joint?" Ellie pressed, finding herself entertained with the pretty girl in her living room.

To be honest, you were quite comfortable and warm. Not wanting to face that cold again, you mulled over what she said, surely one joint with her can't hurt right? "If you insist," you finally said.

With that, Ellie picked herself up off the floor, making her way over to Joel's vinyl player. You took this time to really look at her, she'd only gotten more attractive over the years you'd known her. Her short auburn hair was tied into a half bun, the rest of her hair left down, biting down on her lip softly as she scoured for a good record to play, god she really was attractive, you thought.

Against your will, memories of ardent kisses, lingering glances, heavy breaths and harsh touches appeared in your brain again. God damn it, you thought, not now. You pressed your legs together as Ellie had finally picked a record, placing it delicately on the player before turning her attention back towards you, music playing softly in the background.

"So, we've not really spoken for a while, huh?" Ellie said, grabbing the baggie and her paraphernalia as she settled down on the floor to roll. Ellie knew you could roll perfectly fine, you had been getting weed off her for years, but she couldn't help herself from wanting to show off her skills a little. You glanced at her arms, toned and tanned, adorned with a tattoo, your glance reaching her hands as you inspect the delicate way she grabs the items. Her hands are so pretty- veiny and strong, your thoughts roamed, thinking about what she could do with them, you blushed to yourself.

"I've been on patrol the past three weeks, only got back tonight." "I was wondering where the beauty of Jackson had disappeared off to," she half-smiled, looking up from hands to you, "Glad you're back."

You felt the blood in your cheeks rise, you were far from the prettiest girl around. "Me too, couldn't take another day of Jesse and Dina sneaking around during the night." You joked, those two thought they were so subtle and you couldn't shatter that blissful illusion for them. "Why do you think I refuse to go on patrol with both of them?" Ellie said, the joint rolled in less than a few minutes.

You couldn't help but be impressed, it usually took you a good amount of time before you could perfectly tuck the paper into itself, that part always annoyed you. But, Ellie? She did it all so effortlessly, her fingers habitually manoeuvring the paper before bringing it to her lips, licking the edge of the paper to stick it all together. Her eyes never left yours as she did this, lingering on you.

You watched, wordlessly as she finished rolling it. What could you say? Yeah, that was really hot, do it again, never. "Why are you so far away, I don't bite," Ellie said, trying to soften the tension that glazed over the room.

You didn't realise the distance there was between you two, you being happily sat on the couch whilst Ellie settled herself on the floor. "Alright," you scootered down next to her on the floor, resting your back against the couch. "That's more like it,"

With that, she held the joint up to your face, placing it lightly between your defined lips. You froze, watching her grab a lighter and bring it to the joint, lighting it for you. You inhaled, securing the flame was actually lit before pulling away and exhaling.

You remembered something Tommy had said, how before the outbreak, men would sometimes light cigarettes for women they find attractive and were actively pursuing. You wondered if Ellie was making a subtle move on you, but before the thought continued, you passed the joint back to her, fingers lingering on each other briefly. She established eye contact, not breaking it as she inhaled. You felt something in the air switch.

"You know something?" She broke the silence, exhaling the smoke as she did so, you thought she was about to say something really serious, so you listened. "I think you've never had to roll a joint in your entire life," she accused, an impish glint in her eyes letting you know she was officially reaching teasing territory.

"Excuse me, I can roll very well, thank you." You responded, feeling confident in your abilities. "No, I don't think that's true," she paused, taking a drag, "Pretty girl like you, I'm sure men are fawning at the chance to roll for you to impress." Ellie teased. "What, like you?" You retorted, not wanting her to have the upper hand. This seemed to catch her off guard, "What? You think I didn't notice you 'fawning to roll to impress me'?" Ellie was silent, then. Her teasing had backfired and she was left with nothing to say. You felt a swell of pride, you had made the confident Ellie speechless.

Passing you the joint back, Ellie thought back to the same day you couldn't stop remembering, she recalled that day clearly. The way your mouths had fervently collided, a haze of lust in each other's eyes. You had probably both been about 17 at the time, succumbing to each other after a night of secretly drinking Tommy's whiskey behind the stables. Of course, the lovely make-out session had been interrupted by Jesse, who was roaming around the stables. Ever since then, they never mentioned it, and nothing further happened. To make it worse, she found out that the day after you two had kissed, there was a certain man trying to grab your attention.

Ellie was never insecure, but seeing you laugh at this random bastard's jokes made her feel inferior, so she gave up. She left you alone and decided she wouldn't mention it. Though, her body craved to feel you again. She had assumed you were straight, in all honesty, but she never bothered to ask. If she did she would've found that you were the exact opposite. You had dated men in the past, slept with them, Ellie knew this. However, she was none the wiser to the truth that you were, in fact, dealing with a heavy dilemma as you realised you weren't actually attracted to men. You had always known you were into women, but finalising that you weren't into men at all, was a recent development.

Ellie sighed, thinking of that night. You had probably forgotten, she thought. It was so long ago now. "Penny for your thoughts," you said, after exhaling and passing it back to Ellie. "I'd rather stay penniless." She stated, not wanting to expose what she was really thinking about. "Come on, that's no fun." You said, feeling light-headed.

"I was just thinking," she trailed off, realising she had lost the upper hand. Ellie wouldn't have that, she craved being in control of the situation again. Ellie liked control, she liked to have her bearings and to be honest, you were making her lose it. "What?"

"I was wondering if you remember that night." You gulped, eyebrows slightly raising and stopped the movement of your hand raising the joint to your lips. There it is. Ellie thought, a smirk grazing her lips, she remembers. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ellie." This was the first time in the entire night you had said her name, and the rush it brought her was unreal, feeling more confident to press further. She saw you shudder and she wanted to see it again, she wanted to see you in all sorts of compromising positions.

"You don't?" Ellie teased, "Really?" Inching closer to you, gaze dropping down to your lips, not believing a word that was coming from them. You tensed, of course, you remembered. How could you possibly forget? The way she grabbed your waist, kissing up your neck. It was heavenly. You sighed, and she ate it up.

It was an unspoken thing, you both quietly decided that it'd be best to never mention it. But now, Ellie was reaching dangerous territory, and she couldn't pull herself back.

"Cos I remember," she leaned closer to your ear, "I remember everything." Your mouth hung open, feeling the heaviness of her breath hitting your ear, almost making you flinch. "You do?" you breathed, moving your head so it was level with hers.

"Everything," Ellie stated. Her eyes were blown out, the joint almost neglected as the smoke kept disappearing into the room's air. Ellie grabbed the forgotten joint from your hands, bringing it to her lips and inhaling, before moving it back to your lips. Your faces were so close, she blew the smoke at you. You latched on to the joint taking a final drag before Ellie stumps it out and throws it aside, "Let me jog your memory," grabbing the back of your head, bringing your lips closer.

With the smoke still in your throat, you close the gap, lips meeting in a needy manner. Her hand still latched on to your hair, pulls your head back as you have no choice but to sigh into her mouth. Ellie sucks the smoke from your lips, taking her final drag before ripping her lips from yours to blow it out.

You had never seen anything like it, you felt a rush down to your core at the action, then realised you were sad that she had taken away the warmth of her lips.

With a groan, she replaced her hands at the back of your neck, breathing heavily as she reconnected your lips together. God this was so much better than you remembered, Ellie's gotten good at this, causing a pang of jealousy to hit your chest.

Your hands travelled, meeting her waist and letting out a small gasp as Ellie grabbed the back of your head and pulled your neck back again, exposing your throat to her. This time, she leaned down and placed her soft lips on your supple skin, groaning as she sucked, causing soft hisses to escape from you. Ellie chuckled and continued leaving marks all over your neck, she was enjoying this, fucker.

Her roaming hands grasp the skin underneath your shirt, gripping you tightly. You let out a sigh as she manoeuvred her hands up, reaching the hem of your bra. Ellie brought her lips from your throat back to yours, almost laughing at how much she wanted this. She grabbed your thighs, a noise reverberating in her throat as she felt how warm they were, with a slight squeeze of your inner thigh, she hoisted you on top of her lap. Legs spread over hers.

Ever since that day, Ellie had never forgotten about you. Haunted by the memories of the night she held sacred. She often wondered if you thought about it. She wishes she had gotten further with you that night, but Jesse had to ruin everything. Here, today, she was given another chance, another chance to claim you, to mark you and make you feel the best pleasure you've ever felt.

It was almost carnal, her desire. She thanked her gods for bringing you to her tonight, she had a taste of you that night, and now she was ready to have the whole serving. "Ellie.." you trailed off, suddenly embarrassed, looking at her with those doe eyes. How can you look at her so innocently? Ellie almost melted at the sight, your eyes needy and chest rising rapidly, tugging on her waist harder. "What is it, pretty girl?" You almost moaned at the nickname, feeling a wave of shyness hitting you.

"Use your words, baby." Ellie hummed, placing her lips on your earlobe as she bit down gently, her hands caressing your back as she grabbed you tightly by the waist.

"Ellie... I.." You finally moaned, allowing yourself to give in, "Yes, angel?" Her raspy voice in your ear was causing your thoughts to run at a million miles per second. "Please," you finally said, covering your eyes with your hands.

Ellie was having none of that, she quickly raised her arms to grab yours, pulling them away from your face. "Why are you hiding, pretty girl?" You locked eyes, the longer you looked at her, the less resolve you had. She was just... so hot. The scar on her eyebrow brought a certain toughness to her appearance, her plump lips slightly red from kissing you, you could only imagine what you looked like. "I want you." You said, to which her smirk reappeared.

"Is that right?" she pecked your lips, "What do you want me to do?" She was teasing you, she knew damn well what you wanted. But she'll be damned if you weren't going to say it.

"Ellie!" You groaned, "Don't make me say it." hiding your face into her neck. "Say it." Her voice deadpan, "Say what you want me to do to you or this stops."

Her sudden change in demeanour took you by surprise, not expecting the way her words dripped with honey and hung in the air. You heard Ellie had a reputation, word travels fast in a small town, but you didn't realise just how quickly she could switch to being so dominating. You had no choice, now. Ellie wanted you to submit to her, assert her power and give you everything you needed. You just needed to say the word.

The tension hung in the atmosphere as you stared at each other, her pupils were dilated so large you could barely see the green eyes leaning on you. You couldn't take any more, you needed her, like a flower craves sunshine. "I need you to fuck me, Ellie." That's all that was needed. As soon as those sweet, sweet words left those tender lips of yours, Ellie knew she was a goner.

"That's all you had to say, pretty girl," she whispered into your lips, her hands at your thighs. It's like she just knew where to touch you, like she was born knowing. You let out a moan when she placed her knee in between your legs, grabbing her neck for support. You were still on her lap, your hips started moving automatically at the feel of her knee where you needed her the most.

"That's it, baby." she hummed, "Keep moving those hips for me," Her hands moved down to your ass, grabbing it and pulling you down further on her knee, all you could do was moan, and she had barely done anything. The power was quickly going to Ellie's head as she became unabashed. Loving how you looked so weak right now, so powerless, so... hers.

Ellie took notice of the way your cheeks darkened whenever she called you those names, she wanted to use that to her advantage. With a quick hand, she unbuttoned the pants that were still in the way, dragging them down your legs to reveal your silken thighs and lace underwear. Ellie groaned at the sight, fingers already making their way to your underwear before either of you noticed. She almost slapped herself for not doing this sooner, then remembered that guy.

"All those times you came here, saying you wanted a joint," she paused, "What you really wanted was for me to fuck you until you break." Her fingers teased circular motions at the inner part of your thighs, the sensation making you squeeze your legs. She was so close. "Isn't that right?" she questioned, "You just want to be fucked properly, can't fault you there, baby girl. These stupid men don't know what they're doing."

"Ellie... please." you moaned, feeling her fingers so, so close to your dripping core. "Is that what you want, hmm?" she cooed, her lips going to your neck again, "You want me to fuck you like those guys never did?" Fingers inching closer and closer, they slid the fabric of your underwear to the side. "Fuck.. Ellie.. please." You couldn't believe yourself, you were someone who liked to be in control, and Ellie was completely undoing everything you thought about yourself by the second. You heard the desperation in your own voice, almost ashamed that you could ever sound that needy.

"I'm gonna make you feel so good, baby." She dipped her finger into you, rotating it in small circles that made your skin feel as though it was on fire. The slight pressure of Ellie's finger stretching you out brought moans from your lips, it had been so long since you had been touched. And even longer since you felt this turned on. You craved more, you craved her.

Rutting your hips against her finger, Ellie decided to add more digits. Watching you as your face contorted with bliss, your eyebrows raising slightly as your mouth hung open, delicious sounds escaping your lips. It was music to Ellie's ears. This was officially the furthest you two had ever gotten.

"Do you know how long I wanted to do this, to see you rocking on my fingers? God, I could've killed Jesse that night." She groaned, her eyes gleaming as she smirked, feeling your hand grab her wrist, almost to say, more, more.

You were becoming breathless, but it still was not enough. You wanted all of Ellie. For her to give you her hardest. "Mhmm..." you moaned, smiling at the thought of Ellie being annoyed that your time in the stables had been interrupted, she thought about it as much as you did. It was clear now.

Ellie caught the smile and grinned, bringing her hand up to your throat. Smiling darkly up at you as she applied gentle pressure to your windpipe. You gasped, anytime a man had even tried to lay his hands on you like that, you'd tell him to kick it where the sun don't shine, yet with Ellie? With Ellie you would let her ravage you, take complete ownership of you. It was so natural. "You think I didn't see you practically drooling over my hands, you're not as subtle as you think, doll."

Her toned arms gleamed in the dark as she fucked you, her other hand grabbing your breast under your shirt and rubbing your nipple, placing her lips over it as she sucked. You were getting close, the knot in your stomach tightening at her actions, and then she halted, pulling away from you and directing you onto the couch.

All you could do was whimper. Pathetically. That was until she leaned over you, your back resting against the couch as she spread your legs. She was tall, and she towered over you. Her fingers removed your shirt as yours removed her sports bra and shorts, throwing the garments with reckless abandon, uncaring of where they ended up, meeting each other's lips with a fever.

You felt your heart beat faster, the anticipation nearly making you come on the spot, you clenched wondering what she was about to do. Ellie lifted herself off you and onto her feet, "I'll be back, baby." She said before ruminating through a box in the room, you couldn't see what she was doing though, her back turned to you.

When she returned to you, she reconnected your lips, feverish hands moulding themselves over every inch of your body. As if she was worshipping you. Her head travelled down, dropping kisses on your collarbone, down to your stomach and finally reaching the top of your pelvis. You felt your thighs being pulled apart before Ellie placed her warm tongue down on you.

You moaned, relaxing at the sensation of her wet tongue lapping up your juices, she was good at this, there was no denying that. You were quick to lose control, hands clawing at the back of Ellie's head, as she wrapped your thighs around her head, bringing her tongue deeper. "Fuck..." you gasped, grabbing her head to relieve the pressure as she licked harder, alternating between soft and harsher pressures. It wasn't long before you were a moaning mess, whimpering and clenching around nothing.

Ellie decided to multitask, stretching you open with her fingers as she ate you out. She groaned herself, even without you touching her she was already so turned on, her mind reeling and all she could think about was you. You, those moans and that body. She felt drunk from the sounds you released, and wanted nothing more than to continue hearing them.

She removed her mouth from your core, fingers still dipping in and out of you. "You like that, baby? Huh?" She breathed, "You like having my fingers inside you?" She teased, looking up at you with those darkened eyes, before dipping her head back down to your core. "Ye-mhmm, yes, fuck!" You never knew head and fingers could make you feel so good, just goes to show the kind of previous partners you had.

"More, plea- Ellie!" The pace at which she was going in was unmatched, you were surprised a smoker had so much stamina. "Did you say more, pretty girl?" She hummed, waiting till you closed your eyes and nodded, "I think I know how I can help." There was an impish look in her eyes, as she stopped. You heard her shuffle around with something before you realised what it was.

Fuck. That had all just been a teaser, foreplay before the main event. Ellie had manoeuvred herself into the harness, glancing at you as you bit your lip, watching her silently, as she slid the plastic tip over your folds. Running the tip along the wetness of your core, you ground your hips against it, hoping Ellie would take the hint.

If she did, she made no acknowledgement of it, teasing you slowly as the tip became covered in your slick. Ellie just loved teasing, curious to see how long she could drag this out until you couldn't take it anymore. "Ellie, if you don't fuck me with that already, I'm leaving and never coming back," you groaned, your voice breathless as you tried to level out your breathing.

"Don't worry, darling, all in good time," she said, before finally slipping in the tip to your entrance. You couldn't bite down your moans anymore, feeling more full by the second as you stretched around the object. "Oh-," you gasped out, barely able to speak, this is what Ellie had wanted all along, you around her in this way as she grinded her hips into yours.

"Like that, baby?" she cooed, caressing your thighs, you nodded, "Yeah? Is this what you wanted?" "Mhm-my god," you moaned, finally feeling relief as the object dipped in and out, hitting you where you craved, filthy sounds left both of your lips. "No god here, just me," she smirked, with an air of cockiness, as she grabbed your hips, locking them into place as she went deeper inside you, relishing in the delicious sounds erupting from your lips.

"Ellie, feels so- so good," you nuzzled your face into your arms, feeling your eyes roll over to the back of your head, conscious about what you looked like, you hid. But Ellie seems to like it when you're confident, not shy.

Grabbing your arms and ripping them away from your face, she thrust into you as she held your arms over your head, keeping you in place, all exposed for her. She loved the filthy expression on your face, lips in the shape of an 'o', brows furrowed and eyes rolling. "Who knew?" she teased, "That you were just a dirty little girl just waiting for me to fuck you," she loved the way her words had an impact on you, feeling high off your reactions.

"Please," you were reduced to whimpers and moans, the air felt obscene. Ellie suddenly grabbed your hips, flipping you over so you were on your stomach, she delved her hips into yours and the new position left you seeing stars. Her hand grabbed your hair, and you raised your hips, arching your back and rocking your hips with hers. The auburn-haired girl rubbed her palm softly on your ass before smacking her hand down with force, you yelped, not expecting the sudden hit and Ellie almost got scared until she noticed you settle into yourself, moaning louder.

"Fuck, doll, you're so hot like this," Ellie breathed, smacking her hand down on your cheek again, this time there was the red mark of her digits imprinted into your skin, it was devilish how much that riled Ellie on, losing control over her mouth as the obscene words escaped her lips. "Look at you," she scoffed, smirking, "So perfect, just made for this cock," At her crude words, you cried out, almost feeling overwhelmed by all the sensations you were experiencing, that didn't stop Ellie, though.

"I bet no man has ever fucked you like this, huh?" Her hips thrust into you, slower this time but deeper, you were already close, she didn't have to do much, taking long pauses before entering you again. Her fingers moved down to your clit, rubbing the bud to enhance your orgasm, as she leaned over your ear, your hair still bunched into her hand, which was handy as it allowed her to bring your head closer to her own. "Answer me, doll,"

"No, Ellie-" you struggled out, "No one, ju-just you," You were delirious, evidently having lost your grasp on yourself as your body shook, you were so close. "That's what I thought," she whispered into your ear, dropping your head back into the couch, fucking you relentlessly.

Her fingers on your clit exacerbated your orgasm, as you let out a final "Fuck!" as your body rode out the high, twitching in Ellie's arms. "Fuck..." you whispered again, as you rested your head on your crossed arms, taking deep breaths as you slowly came back to reality. Ellie slipped herself out of you, rubbing circles into your thighs as she placed sweet kisses on your spine.

"You are... wow." she hummed, you were better than she ever expected. At a loss for words she decided to wrap her arms around you, you still lay on the couch, catching your bearings as you felt her strong arms cover your body. "I could say the same for you," You giggled, covering your face, "Come on now, still shy?" Ellie chuckled, "What we gonna do about this, then?"

"It's your fault, you're just so.." "So what?" She continued, her fingers rubbing against your skin. She was so different now, all affectionate when she had been a lust demon just seconds earlier. You two clearly had a lot to talk about. "Irresistible." "I'll take that,"

"I think I'll come down to your house at 3 am again," "I'd like that."

#ellie williams x reader #ellie williams #ellie willams fanfic #ellie tlou #ellie x reader #ellie williams smut #ellie williams x reader smut #the last of us #fanfic #smut

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uwmspeccoll · 3 months

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Typography Tuesday

Typesetting on a Winter's Afternoon

This week we present selected page spreads and cover from Stan Nelson's Typesetting on a Winter’s Afternoon, printed in Liberty, Wisconsin by Michael Koppa in 2018 at his Heavy Duty Press in a limited edition of 26 copies signed by the author and printer.

In the late winter of 2018, after a three-year effort, Mike Koppa completed printing the text of letterpress printer, type founder, and type and printing historian Raymond Stanley Nelson, Jr.’s lyrical essay Typesetting on a Winter’s Afternoon, with Koppa himself setting type, we're sure, on many a winter’s afternoon. Nelson's essay was originally published in Parenthesis No. 3, May 1999, but Koppa had received a copy of the text in a letter from Nelson in 1998, when Nelson was Curator of the Print and Graphic Arts Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.

Nearly 20 years later, Koppa edited the text with Nelson’s permission, setting it in 10 pt. Century Oldstyle (designed by the prolific Morris Fuller Benton, a Milwaukee native, and one of Koppa’s favorites), with 4 pt. leading, and titling in 18 and 36 pt. Huxley Vertical. The text was printed on Zerkall Laid paper and a translucent Neenah Classic Crest UV/Ultra II. The use of the translucent paper offers a text block that cascades dimensionally through the book’s pages, mandating a particular cadence to the reading. The book also features subtle typographic prints representing recurring elements in the story: a window, a clock, and winter depicted as persistently falling snow using six-pointed asterisks printed strategically in ultra-ultra-light translucent blue on the verso of every page.

The book also includes three, not-so-subtle vintage cuts where certain emphases are required: “They were BOLD and vigorous”; “Bad letters, over-inking and poor design”; and “Attention requested.” The signatures were Coptic-sewn, and in the early months of 2019, Koppa created the 26 one-of-a-kind, non-adhesive covers that the book slips into. Each unique cover is made of pages from the 1923 Specimen Book and Catalogue of the American Type Founders Company, which included a specimen of the Century Oldstyle used in this Heavy Duty Press printing.

View other posts featuring the work of Michael Koppa.

View more Typography Tuesday posts.

#Typography Tuesday #typetuesday #Michael Koppa #Mike Koppa #Stan Nelson #Raymond Stanley Nelson Jr.#Typesetting on a Winter’s Afternoon #typesetting #Heavy Duty Press #Century Oldstyle #Huxley Vertical #Zerkall paper #Neenah Classic Crest UV/Ultra II

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angel-sweets666 · 4 months

Text

Running away!

guard könig x princess reader

a royal guard falls inlove with a princess

Warning age gap (reader is 18-25 König is 36)

chapter two, read chapter one here!

König walked to his post, his thoughts drifting to you as they often did. You and he had grown very close, sharing dreams about the future, discussing your lives, and speaking fondly of your families. Your conversations brought him a sense of comfort and companionship that he cherished deeply.

As he stood his post by your door, he anticipated your appearance. Right on schedule, your head peeked through the doorway, a sight that never failed to bring a smile to his face. Tonight, only König and two other guards were on duty by the princess's room, which meant you could sneak König into your quarters without much risk.

"König," you called softly, tapping his shoulder.

"Ja?" He turned to look at you, his eyes softening.

"Come into my room, will you?" you asked gently.

"Me? Princess, I can't. I'll get into trouble," he said, shaking his head, though he longed to say yes.

You grabbed his sleeve, your eyes pleading. "No, you won't… not if you don't get caught."

It was clear you were warming up to him, and his resolve began to crumble. König's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine… but only because your face is very pretty," he said with a shy smile, slipping past you into your room.

"M-me? Pretty? Oh… thank you," you stammered, blushing deeply. The compliment sent a warm rush through you, and you closed the door quietly behind him.

Inside, the room was dimly lit by a few candles, casting a soft, golden glow over the plush furnishings and elegant tapestries. König felt out of place amidst such luxury, but your presence put him at ease. He watched as you moved gracefully, your every action mesmerizing him.

You gestured for him to sit on a comfortable chair near the window, and he complied, feeling the weight of his armor press into the plush cushions. You took a seat opposite him, close enough that your knees nearly touched.

"So, tell me more about your home," you said, eager to learn more about the man who had captured your interest. Your eyes sparkled with curiosity and warmth.

König hesitated for a moment before beginning to speak, his voice low and hesitant. "Well, it's not much compared to here. It's a small village, surrounded by forests. The people there are hardworking, honest. We have festivals in the summer, and the winters are cold but beautiful."

You listened intently, hanging onto his every word. The way he described his home painted vivid pictures in your mind. "It sounds lovely. I'd like to see it someday," you said softly.

His heart swelled at your words, and he smiled, a rare and genuine expression. "I would like that, too."

The conversation flowed naturally from there, covering everything from childhood memories to favorite foods. Time seemed to slow as you shared laughs and exchanged stories. König found himself feeling lighter, the burdens of his duties momentarily forgotten.

As the night grew later, a comfortable silence settled between you. You stood up and moved to sit beside him on the chair, your proximity sending a pleasant shiver down his spine.

You leaned in closer, your faces inches apart. "Stay with me tonight," you whispered, your breath warm against his skin.

König's heart raced, but he nodded. "As you wish, Princess," he said, his voice full of promise.

Of course! Here’s the edited and expanded version with the perspective changed to "you":

You stood up and grabbed his sleeve, gently but firmly ushering him toward your bathroom. "Don’t worry, I’ll clean you up!" you said with a smile, hoping to ease his confusion.

"Ah… princess… what?" König seemed bewildered, and rightly so. You had randomly decided you were going to bathe him. Little did he know, you were trying to seduce him subtly, acting in a wifely manner to win his affections and perhaps convince him to whisk you away to his cabin, where you could be safe and loved.

The bathroom was warm and inviting, lit by soft candlelight that flickered against the tiled walls. The air was filled with the soothing scent of lavender from the oils you had added to the bathwater. You made sure the water was just the right temperature, hot enough to soothe his muscles but not too hot to discomfort him.

You began to help him undress, your fingers brushing against his skin as you removed his armor and clothing. He stood there, a bit hesitant but allowing you to guide him. Once he was undressed, you guided him into the bath, watching as he sank into the water with a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing this for, princess?" he asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and gratitude.

"Nothing… it's just… you work so hard for me. I should return the favor," you said, trying to keep your voice casual as you began to rub his shoulders. Your hands moved with practiced ease, kneading the tension from his muscles. He seemed to like this, leaning into your touch.

"Okay… maybe for a little while…" he sighed, his body relaxing under your ministrations.

"See? It's nice to relax," you said softly, continuing to massage his shoulders. You could feel the knots and tension in his muscles slowly melting away.

Carefully, you reached for a soft cloth and dipped it into the warm water. You gently began to wash him, starting with his back and working your way to his arms and chest. Your movements were slow and deliberate, each touch meant to care for him

"Princess, you don’t have to do this," he murmured, though he made no move to stop you.

"I want to," you replied, your voice barely above a whisper. "You deserve to be taken care of too."

His eyes met yours, and for a moment, the world seemed to fade away. In that instant, there was an understanding between you.

As you continued to wash him, the room filled with the quiet sound of water and the occasional soft sigh from König. You could see the tension leaving his body, replaced by a sense of calm.

When you finished, you took a towel and began to dry him off, your hands gentle and careful. He stood up, water dripping from his body, and you couldn’t help but blush at the sight. You wrapped the towel around him, patting him dry with slow, deliberate movements.

"Thank you," he said softly, his eyes never leaving yours.

"You're welcome," you replied, feeling a warmth in your chest at his gratitude.

You moved back into the bedroom and helped him into a comfortable robe. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking more relaxed than you had ever seen him. You joined him, sitting close enough that your legs touched.

"Princess, why are you doing all this?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.

"Because I care about you, König," you said, your voice earnest. "You mean a lot to me."

He looked at you, his eyes searching yours for any hint of insincerity. Finding none, he smiled—a rare and beautiful sight. "You mean a lot to me too," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

The room was silent for a moment, the air thick with unspoken feelings. You reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Stay with me tonight," you said softly, hoping he would understand the depth of your request.

He nodded, his eyes never leaving yours. "As you wish, princess," he replied, his voice full of promise.

you slowly dried him off and helped him into pyjama pants “sleep with me.. “ you said as you slid into bed, patting the spot next to you. He blushed “really princess?” He asked softly, almost moved by the idea “yeah… I’ll wake you up early I promise!” You smiled, he rolled into bed with you and ever so slowly… wrapped his arms around you

IM SO EXCITED TO WRITE CHAP 3

#könig x reader #könig fanfiction #könig fluff #könig smut #könig x reader smut #könig #könig cod #könig call of duty #könig mw2 #call of duty #konig x reader #konig mw2 #cod

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cherr-22 · 9 months

Text

TNGDH 36

The cause of the attack was a pack of starved wyverns.

It wasn’t uncommon for demonic beasts to come down near the territory after suffering from hunger during the long winter.

However, the damage was too much for that.

Not only was the castle heavily damaged, there were also quite a few casualties. An hour had passed since Kyle left, yet there were no news sent to the shelter. There was an uneasy silence.

“It was my first time seeing a wyvern like that…….”

The voice filled with fear got me jumping up. I hurriedly walked through the darkness towards the voice.

“How was it different than usual?”

“Ah, you’re the demonic beast specialist. The one close to the Grand Duke…….”

I nodded my head and pressed for further explanation.

“Originally, wyverns are low-level beasts among the dragon clan. They are vicious and often travel in packs, but hunting them is not difficult. However…….”

The man gulped nervously and clenched his shaking fists.

“When the knights’ spears pierced the wyvern’s body…… a terrible odor came from the blood. The spears and the ground… they corroded upon coming in contact with the blood.”

“A-and the wyvern was the biggest I’ve ever seen!”

“Its horn was pointed and sharp…….”

I unconsciously held my breath as I listened to them.

A beast similar to wyverns but larger, its blood emitting a foul odor and corroding anything it touches even after the beast’s death…

‘Drake…….’

It was a monster wyvern from the game I developed.

I took out the Demonic Beast Encyclopedia from my inventory and frantically flipped through the pages. Then, I read and read again the page that introduced the wyvern.

Everything I just heard was true. It wasn’t a wyvern from this world. It was an abnormal phenomenon just like the swamp goat case.

“……Ha.”

Haha.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

What on earth are you asking me to do? How could I bear this guilt?

Thankfully, the Blake estate was stronger than I had thought. The people who had been trembling and unable to sleep in the shelter last night got up the next day, wiped away their tears, and began rebuilding the castle.

They were strong people.

They were people who knew how to swallow down their sorrows despite the castle falling, their houses destroyed, and losing their loved ones. Everyone here was like that. They were people who worked hard for tomorrow.

I rubbed away my watery eyes and observed Kyle who was commanding the knights from afar.

He looked very haggard. It took a lot of time for the commotion to calm down, so he probably didn’t have even a moment to rest. He must’ve stayed up all night without having even a sip of water.

I looked down at the cookie crumbs left in my palm. I ate it in a hurry, but I didn’t know how many I bought during this mess.

I now barely had 20 percent of Miracle Points. I only realized now that I used up quite a lot.

I had no choice. I couldn’t disappear from the shelter suddenly, and I was afraid that Kyle might come find me when the commotion was over.

[‘Summon’ will be canceled in 3 minutes.]

‘I ate so many and yet I only have 3 minutes left.’

I smiled helplessly and went back into the castle. A bright light enveloped my body, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the familiar study room.

[(。﹏。*)]

The system repeatedly appeared and disappeared while watching my reactions. I quietly watched the system windows before rolling over with a sigh.

Let’s first do the things we could do. Nothing will resolve if we rush things.

‘Right. Let’s take it slow, one by one…….’

I went into the hut, curled into a ball, and went to sleep.

I wished for tomorrow to come quickly.

The castle was busy the next day as well.

It’ll most likely be busy for the next couple days. The proof of that was Kyle, who didn’t come into the study at all yesterday. Although, I wasn’t sure if he came to my room to look for me.

“Stop worrying about him. He’s doing well.”

I mumbled to myself and pulled the bowstring.

Both the string and my arms trembled. I pulled as hard as I could, yet the trembling wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t this hard when Kyle was helping me.

“Ugh…….”

I lost my grip as sweat covered my hands. Ting. The arrow flew, hit the tree next to the target, and fell to the ground.

I didn’t know if I had no talent or if I didn’t have enough exercise. It could be both.

I held back my sigh and pulled out another arrow.

I think I already fired twenty arrows, but only a few hit properly. Still, I practiced everyday while thinking of the people who worked hard to return back to their daily lives.

A week has passed since then.

At first, I used ‘Summon’ and tried to help the people around me, but I ended up being in the way. They were well-experienced and already knew what they had to do, so I just picked up the bow instead.

As a result, my skills with the bow increased significantly, but I still wasn’t good enough to be of any help. There was no way I could improve with only two hours of practice per day.

“Six shots. You’ve improved a lot.”

A voice came from behind me while I was bandaging my hand. When I turned my head, I saw Kyle looking straight at the target.

“……Aren’t you busy?”

“The things that needs the most attention have been sorted out. We’re at the final stage of recovery, so there is no need for me there.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I came yesterday too.”

“Yes?”

I had no idea.

I spaced out with my mouth wide open and tried to remember. Did I make any mistakes during my practice yesterday? I didn’t talk with the system, right? Or what about fisting up into the air?

[o(*°///°*)o]

I ignored the system’s strange expectations and smiled sheepishly. The system has been acting weirder and weirder lately.

But why did His Highness take time out of his busy schedule to see me secretly?

“You should’ve said something.”

“You were concentrating. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

He gently squeezed my hand. The tip of my finger twitched at his soft touch.

After practicing for a whole week, my hands turned red and swollen. I recover quickly but making the same wounds at the same spot prevented it from healing.

“Ugh…….”

“Shh.”

Kyle soothed me and applied ointment to my entire palm.

The round container smelled like grass that was dried and then boiled. It wasn’t a good smell. Still, I didn’t dislike it when Kyle applied it thoroughly onto my hands while blowing lightly.

I examined his complexion as he tied the wounds with a white handkerchief.

It was a concern every time I saw his tired face. Although, before I used ‘Summon’, I’ve already seen him as Cashew. Even in these hectic times, Kyle came to prepare my meal every morning. He didn’t kiss me though.

“Don’t overdue it. You can’t improve your skills by rushing.”

“I know. But…….”

“The wound needs to heal and toughen before you can build a new foundation on top of it. If you keep holding onto the bow with a hand that hasn’t healed, it’s not a surprise that you improve slower than you expect.”

His gentle voice made me relax my tense body. I glanced down and saw my hand was done being treated before I knew it. It used to sting from just a light touch, but now I only felt a dull pain. There was no discomfort when I opened and closed my hand.

In that time, Kyle cleaned up the area and put back the bow and arrows I used. He then lightly pulled at the hand that wasn’t hurt.

“If you’re not busy, let’s go.”

“To where?”

“The market is up again. They’re also selling the duck dish and quilted clothes you taught to the people.”

“Ah.”

I quickly checked the system window. I had roughly 30 minutes left.

‘……It should be okay if it’s just for a little while?’

As Cashew, I didn’t get to see Kyle often these days and as Shu, we didn’t talk much.

Even if Kyle wasn’t here, I was curious if they followed my recipe well and how they were selling the clothes. How has the castle been repaired and what expressions do the people have now? I wanted to know. I wanted to see what it was like now.

I cleared my throat and took his hand.

“Then exactly 30…… no, 20 minutes.”

“Alright.”

He smiled.

The tired handsome man looked even more handsome when he smiled. It’s not like his face fits my preference… wait. No, this has nothing to do with my preference. A face like this would make anyone drool.

As we walked towards the market, I swallowed my saliva. Kyle looked down at me and asked.

“Are you hungry?”

“……Uhhh. Yes!”

How sharp.

The corners of his lips trembled and drew into an arc. I avoided his gaze and hurried my steps.

“We should’ve ate before coming here.”

“No. There’s food everywhere here. We can eat those. Wow. That looks delicious! Oh, there are skewers over there!”

I felt embarrassed and rambled on.

In front of us was a stall selling demonic beast meat grilled until golden brown. Kyle paid for them and I took a big bite out of the skewer. I looked around the bustling market.

The people’s faces have become much brighter than they were a few days ago. There were still some places that haven’t been repaired yet, but it seemed like they were making good progress. They even finished making the funerals for those who passed away during the attack.

He spoke while I stood in place.

“There will be a memorial service tomorrow.”

He said it would be a long night. A hint of sadness could be heard in his low voice.

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

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

#tngdh

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pizzaqueen · 1 year

Text

Steve Harrington time stamps

For when you just want to watch Steve’s scenes

I had the idea to do this during my current rewatch thanks to @harmonictechnicality (who was very happy for me to post this) and then @al-ghoul sent me his timestamps so a HUGE thank you there!

Oh, and @faequeentitania has a supercut of all of Eddie's scenes (link is in their bio) so I didn’t add Eddie’s time stamps to this post

My original intention was to not post this until it was completely done, but I honestly don't have much energy right now, so there are only time stamps up to S04E05. But I do intend to finish it one day! (If anyone wants to help out with the remaining ones, that would be great.) You can also see where the formatting changes and that's where I stopped typing up my notes and just used what @al-ghoul sent me, but I do want to reformat it so it's uniform, and add in songs used for his scenes, but I just wanted to get this out there

And I want to say sorry if someone has already done something like this in the meantime! I tried searching but Tumblr search isn't great

SEASON ONE

Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers

14:54 - 16:07 Steve’s first appearance in his rendezvous with Nancy in the bathroom

37:59 - 38:42 Mike sees Steve trying to climb through Nancy’s window

41:04 - 43:12 helping Nancy study

Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street

12:26 - 14:04 asking Nancy to the party at his house (mention of his parents); the scene cuts to Nancy and Jonathan at 13:20 but you can still see Steve in the background until 14:04

38:17 - 38:37 opening the door for Nancy and Barb (song: Raise a Little Hell by Trooper*)

43:06 - 45:39 pool scene with the drinking, etc., with Tommy H, Carol, Nancy and Barb (song: I Melt With You by Modern English)

49:18 - 49:40 drying off and going upstairs

50:22 - 51:18 we see Steve and Nancy through the window from Jonathan’s POV then it cuts to inside Steve’s room

52:36 - 52:50 getting hot and heavy with Nancy (song: tiniest snippet of the opening strains of Hazy Shade of Winter by The Bangles)

*seems to be playing inside Steve’s house because it’s muffled and gets louder when he opens the doors

Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly

00:40 - 1:50 sleeping with Nancy, intercut with Barb being killed (song: Waiting for a Girl Like You by Foreigner)

3:03 - 3:50 Nancy tries to wake Steve, then leaves

10:16 - 11:11 at Nancy’s locker

20:48 - 21:56 cafeteria with Tommy H, Carol and Nancy

30:07 - 32:16 confronting Jonathan about photos

36:01 - 36:43 waiting for the game in the hallway with Tommy H, Carol and Nancy; Nancy leaves

Chapter Four: The Body

13:16 - 14:30 meeting Nancy between buildings; asks her not to tell the cops about the beer (mention of parents)

Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat

25:47 - 27:51 Steve shows up at Nancy’s to say sorry and invite her to the movies (mention of parents; song: Steve singing a bit of Old Time Rock and Roll)

Chapter Six: The Monster

3:29 - 4:45 driving to Nancy’s with Tommy H and Carol; sees Jonathan and Nancy on bed through window (song: Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart*)

30:46 - 33:18 alley fight with Jonathan

* playing on the car stereo

Chapter Seven: The Bathtub

14:21 - 16:00 Tommy brings Steve a can of Coke and painkillers; Steve has fight with Tommy and Carol then drives off

18:40 - 19:21 offers to help scrub graffiti off cinema marquee

Chapter Eight: The Upside Down

14:42 - 17:03 comes to Jonathan’s to say sorry; gets introduced to the upside down shenanigans

18:53 - 22:00 Nancy gives Steve an out; he runs, then he comes back (it cuts to Hopper and Joyce at 21:18 for a couple of seconds)

22:27 - 23:50 following the lights with Nancy and Jonathan that Joyce and Hopper are lighting up as they go through the UD version (intercut with scenes of Joyce and Hopper)

48:01 - 48:24 epilogue snuggling on couch with Nancy in Christmas sweater

SEASON TWO

Chapter One: Madmax

12:13 - 14:02 Nancy looking over Steve’s essay in the car outside the school (song: Talking in Your Sleep by The Romantics)

20:09 - 20:38 waiting by the corner in the hallway to pick Nancy up and twirl her around by the lockers

31:38 - 33:50 dinner with Nancy at Barb’s parents

Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak

15:58 - 19:22 studying in the library with Nancy/Steve is worried about the government if they talk too much about what happened and suggests going to party and pretend everything is normal (between 17:15 to 17:36 it cuts to Nancy thinking she sees Barb)

31:23 - 32:17 Tommy H and Billy come over while Steve is with Nancy at the party; Tommy H: “We’ve got a new keg king, Harrington.” (Song: Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe)

42:03 - 44:14 dancing with Nancy (song Girls on Film by Duran Duran)/spills drink on her/bathroom ‘bullshit’ scene

Chapter Three: The Pollywog

19:11 - 21:14 playing basketball against Billy (Song: Go! By Tones on Tail) and talking with Nancy between the buildings

Chapter Four: Will the Wise

16:23 - 17:53 basketball again (Song: Scarface (Push it to the Limit) from Scarface) and the shower scene with Tommy H and Billy

Chapter Five: Dig Dug

35:17 - 35:52 shows up to Nancy’s with flowers and is waylaid by Dustin

Chapter Six: The Spy

00:51 - 3:43 In car with Dustin (song: Hammer to Fall by Queen*) going to kill Dart with bat

12:39 - 13:06 bringing meat with Dustin

24:51 - 27:34 laying trap for Dart with Dustin (meat on the railroad tracks) and talking about girls

31:48 - 32:37 at the junkyard with Dustin

33:10 - 33:21 at the junkyard with Dustin, Lucas and Max

35:27 - 35:38 fortifying the bus/setting stuff up at the junkyard

35:49 - 36:02 pouring gasoline

36:48 - 37:01 going into the bus

37:44 - 38:24 inside the bus; flicking the lighter

40:46 - 45:06 demodogs appear; Steve goes out as bait/to fight them

* playing on the car stereo

Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister

Doesn’t appear in this episode

Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer

08:35 - 10:33 walking from the junk yard with kids at night, looking for Dart on the train tracks

13:27 - 13:56 in front of Hawkins lab; meet up with Nancy and Jonathan

15:15 - 15:45 in front of the lab

16:15 - 16:21 gate opens

21:58 - 22:22 waiting at gate; Hopper picks them up

23:06 - 23:42 at the Byers’

24:43 - 29:03 in Byers’ kitchen; Steve is in and out of the frame/sometimes in the background

29:23 - 29:55 duct-taping the shed with Nancy

31:51 - 32:07 finishing the shed with everyone

33:05 - 33:10 practicing with a bat at Byers'

34:32 - 34:35 blinking lights at Byers’

38:52 - 39:16 morse code

40:31 - 40:56 “close gate”

41:31 - 41:37 hearing demodogs

42:15 - 44:34 preparing to fight/El arrives

S02E09:

00:07:23 Steve (at Byers with everyone) (00:08:03)

00:09:08 Steve (at Byers backyard with Nancy) (00:10:02)

00:10:50 Steve (on the Byers porch with kids) (00:11:06)

00:15:22 Steve (putting demodog in the fridge) (00:15:57)

00:16:17 Steve (at the Byers with the kids / Billy arrives) (00:19:09)

00:19:47 Steve (fighting Billy) (00:21:02)

00:24:41 Steve (waking up in the car with Max) (00:25:54)

00:26:43 Steve (arriving to the tunnels) (00:28:17)

00:30:00 Steve (at the tunnels) (00:31:42)

00:33:40 Steve (torching the tunnels while Will burns) (00:34:43)

00:36:52 Steve (running through the tunnels) (00:36:59)

00:38:00 Steve (freeing Mike / meeting Dart) (00:39:38)

00:40:16 Steve (running out of the tunnels) (00:41:19)

00:43:40 Steve (gate closed) (00:43:44)

00:45:19 Steve (at the Barb's funeral) (00:45:27)

00:48:51 Steve (driving Dustin to the Snow Ball) (songs: Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar and Twist of Fate by Olivia Newton-John*) (00:50:10)

*both are playing inside the Snow Ball Edit: actually the Pat Benatar song seems to be coming from his car on re-watching 😅 it definitely sounded like from inside the building to me before but now it doesn’t

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

S03E01:

00:09:15 Steve (letting the kids through Scoops Ahoy back door) (00:09:40)

00:10:46 Steve (lights go out) (00:11:01)

00:12:12 Steve (lights go back) (00:12:18)

00:24:42 Steve (Scoops Ahoy with Robin, hitting on ladies) (00:26:46)

S03E02:

00:10:15 Steve (Scoops Ahoy with Dustin) (00:12:34)

00:17:52 Steve (translating Russian with Dustin) (00:19:24)

00:35:27 Steve (Robin translated first Russian) (00:35:54)

00:41:26 Steve (mall after hours with Robin and Dustin) (00:43:37)

S03E03:

00:17:23 Steve (spying for spies in the mall with Dustin) (00:19:19)

00:27:12 Steve (found a sport fitness "spy" with Dustin) song: Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go by Wham!* (00:28:32)

00:29:20 Steve (with Dustin returning to Scoop Ahoy) (00:29:26)

00:30:03 Steve (Robin cracked the code) (00:30:12)

00:39:20 Steve (in the rain looking at delivery) (00:40:30)

*playing in the jazzercise class

S03E04:

00:09:04 Steve (Scoops Ahoy, devising a plan) 00:10:08

00:21:14 Steve (Robin brings Starcourt blueprints) (00:22:58)

00:24:32 Steve (bringing Erica into the plan) (00:25:11)

00:34:51 Steve (Erica goes into the vent) (00:35:05)

00:36:22 Steve (Erica got to the room) (00:37:00)

00:40:28 Steve (opening the boxes with the team Scoops) (00:42:08)

S03E05:

00:00:07 Steve (the elevator room falling) (00:01:58)

00:16:25 Steve (stuck in / getting out of the elevator room) (00:19:46)

00:25:19 Steve (walking the tunnel) (00:27:16)

00:34:40 Steve (finding the russian base / fighting the guard) (00:37:01)

00:37:21 Steve (Robin found The Machine) (00:38:21)

S03E06:

00:00:14 Steve (being apprehended by russians) (00:01:48)

00:17:12 Steve (being beaten up / questioned by the russians) (00:20:21)

00:31:06 Steve (tied to a chair with Robin) (00:35:58)

00:45:25 Steve (truth serum kicks in / Dustin saves them) (00:48:50)

S03E07:

00:06:31 Steve (Dustin is driving away through the tunnel / elevator) (00:08:45)

00:13:13 Steve (running from the mall guards into the cinema) (00:14:04)

00:14:30-32 / 00:14:41-44 (tweedldee and tweedledum in the cinema)

00:23:19 Steve (drunk with Robin in the cinema hallway) (00:25:08)

00:28:27 Steve (confesses Robin in the cinema restroom) (00:35:02)

00:39:07 Steve (sneaking out of the restroom) (00:40:03)

00:48:50 Steve (hiding from mall guards under the counter) (00:49:16)

00:49:41 Steve (El defeated the guards) (00:50:51)

00:51:09-14 Steve (El collapses)

S03E08:

00:00:36 Steve (Eleven's fucked up leg) 00:01:25

00:02:50 Steve (El pulls the Flayer out of the leg) (00:03:16)

00:04:28 Steve (everyone is catching up on things) (00:05:11)

00:06:34 Steve (hanging around while everyone prepares) (00:06:43)

00:07:40 Steve (driving away from the mall) (00:08:10)

00:13:32 Steve (driving kids to the radio hill) (00:14:42)

00:17:50 Steve (on the radio hill) (00:18:19)

00:24:19 Steve (on the radio hill, Flayer attacks Starcourt) (00:25:12)

00:26:03 Steve (on the radio hill running back to the car) (00:26:14)

00:32:54 Steve (hitting Billy's car at Starcourt, Nancy's driving away) 00:33:35

00:34:39 Steve (Flayer pursues the car, Suzie appears) (00:34:50)

00:35:49-53 Steve (in the car while Dustin sings over the radio)

00:36:28-31 Steve (in the car while Dustin and Suzie both singing)

00:38:04 Steve (in the car while Flayer goes back to Starcourt)

00:42:29-34 Steve (throwing fireworks at the Flayer in the mall)

00:43:03-04 Steve (keeps throwing)

00:44:16-22 Steve (on the radio with Dustin)

00:50:33 Steve (Flayer disassembles) (00:50:43)

00:54:58-01 Steve (at the ER car in the background)

00:56:44 Steve (arriving with Robin at the Family Video for a job) (00:58:04)

00:58:55 Steve (bumping into the cardboard figure) (00:59:12)

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

S04E01:

00:15:24 Steve (in car with Robin) (00:16:58)

00:54:43 Steve (with Brenda at basketball game) (00:56:24)

S04E02:

00:07:56 Steve (at Family Video with Robin) (00:09:49)

00:28:13 Steve (at Family Video with Max & Dustin) (00:29:06)

00:44:58 Steve (at Family Video flirting / searching for Rick) (00:47:43)

01:01:45 Steve/Eddie (at Reefer Rick's) (01:06:14)

01:07:22 Eddie, Steve (talks about Chrissy / Vecna revealed) (01:12:30)

S04E03:

00:12:28 Eddie, Steve (receiving supplies at Rick's) (00:14:23)

00:15:14 Steve (at Fred's crime scene) (00:15:29)

00:25:29 Steve (with kids and Nancy discussing Vecna) (00:28:12)

00:38:21 Steve (outside shrink's house in the car) (00:39:28)

00:41:22 Steve (driving away from the shrink) (00:41:33)

00:42:00 Steve (driving the car while Lucas radioes) (00:42:43)

00:50:53 Steve (breaking into school shrink's office at night) (00:51:38)

00:55:54 Steve (at the shrink's office) (00:56:53)

S04E04:

00:02:09 Steve (school after Max's episode, Nancy and Robin arrive) (00:04:50)

00:07:29 Steve (the Wheeler's house - Max writes letters, Nancy and Robin arrive) (00:10:44)

00:17:35 Steve (Max finished the letters, wants to go) (00:20:04)

00:31:33 Steve (driving Max to the trailer park) (00:31:53)

00:34:35-49 Steve (Max returns to the car)

00:48:17 Steve (driving Max to the cemetery) (00:49:00)

01:02:32 Steve (going for Max at the cemetery) (01:03:04)

01:03:17 Steve (trying to wake Max up) (01:03:35)

01:04:58-07 Steve (with Dustin and Lucas trying to wake Max up)

01:09:01-12 Steve (Dustin brings music to Max)

01:10:45 Steve (everyone searching for the tape) (01:11:06)

01:11:50-00 Steve (Max flies)

01:13:43 Steve (Max is out) (01:14:14)

S04E05:

00:14:32 Steve (sleeping in Wheeler's basement) (00:14:38)

00:36:19 Steve (arriving at Creel's house with everyone) (00:40:06)

00:49:55 Steve (checking Creel's house with DNR) (00:52:36)

#Steve harrington #stranger things #st4 #steddie #steve x eddie #st3 #st1 #st2 #(steddie is the target audience but it's also for anyone!!)#(reblogs very much appreciated on this one!)

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sunshine-and-christmas-caryls · 15 days

Text

So, I’ve been thinking about some of the plot holes from season 4, and a little of the ones from the series as a whole. And I’ve come up with a few headcanons that help my brain make sense of some things, without actually contradicting (I hope!) something stated in the final season.

Those headcanons rely heavily on the fact that there was a lot not explicitly stated, plus creative license and the “resets” though. 😂 Spoilers below for anyone that is also interested in brainstorming ideas!

Sorting out the timeline:

So after the Kugleblitz, my headcanon is it reset towards middle of April 2018, (for no reason other than it makes the timeline make a little more sense to me). Lila was roughly 1 month pregnant by then, which would have Grace be born somewhere around December 17 +/- a week tops (birthday parties aren’t always on the same day, but for my headcanon, her birthday is the 17th).

That would make her 6th birthday party occur late morning or midday on the 17th of December of 2024 (which is a Tuesday). I’m working with the assumption that Grace is in one of those school districts where they have 1 month off for summer break in June, 1 month off for winter break between December and January, two weeks off for Fall break around October and two weeks off for spring break in March.

Because it seems like the keepers meeting, Viktor’s rescue, and the spiked sake all happened that same day (based on clothing & assuming Lila and Five changed clothes for the keepers meeting, then back into what they were wearing earlier that day).

Then the next day outside the laundromat Diego mentions it’s Wednesday (which would be the 18th). The drive to New Grumpson has to be at minimum 17 hours one way (the road trip had a 1-hour and 3-hour time skip before Luthor mentioned that there were only 13 hours left to New Grumpson). But it was likely longer than that, because I don’t know how long it takes to get from the laundromat onto the highway that the overhead shot of Wanda establishes (it could be as quick as 10 minutes or up to 2+ hours depending on if they’re in the city or the suburbs, how populated it is, and how bad the traffic is at the time they leave) and I don’t know how long a stop they would need to get and cover the broken windows and -assumedly- clean the vomit out of the car floor.

Then they drive overnight and get into New Grumpson on December 19th, and after escaping they’re at the repair shop for Wanda at 3 pm, assumedly that same day.

In episode 4 Jennifer mentions that she and Ben met roughly 36 hours ago, and it was bright out. When Ben rescued her in episode 3 it was dark out. Also in ep. 3, Reginald mentioned that it could take “hours, or even days” to get the mind machine up and running.

So, I take that to mean that everyone back at the Hargreeves mansion probably met up the night of the 20th to talk to Reginald and Abigail. Then maybe they stayed overnight, (and had their clothes laundered + a shower!😆) whilst Reginald prepped the machine. Also on the 21st, Klaus is kidnapped sometime midday or afternoon, and Ben rescued Jennifer in the evening.

The machine is ready and run the morning of the 22nd, Ben and Jennifer have their conversation, and then they arrive at Jean and Gene’s farm and find all the damage Ben left. Episode 4 ends with Viktor and Reginald in the diner, Klaus buried at night, and Ben and Jen in the motel; so episode 5 would take place on the 23rd.

Five and Lila could have left the night of the 22nd and returned midday/ in the afternoon of the 23rd. But I headcanon that they left the morning of the 23rd, because Five mentions it’s only been a few hours since they left (I’m pretending the scenes are just shown out of order so they didn’t just have the focus on Five and Lila for half an hour straight). I’m also taking creative license to say that for whatever the reason Diego either doesn’t have a suit, or his suit didn’t fit him and that’s why he borrows one from Luther’s coworker.

Then the rest of the season finishes out by the end of the night on the 23rd. (I’m thinking they were all at Lila’s house for dinner after the craziness of the past few days, and when Diego said “Not during Christmas” he meant it in the general sense of being close to Christmas time, not that it actually was that day). The reset from the cleanse brought us to where the timeline was supposed to be, which was when the show aired on August 8, 2024.

Summary Timeline:

-Lila 1 month pregnant when the reset occurs.

-April 2018: Hotel Oblivion reset

-December 17, 2018: Grace born

-December 17, 2024: Grace birthday party

-December 18: drive to New Grumpson

-Dec 19, late morning- midday: arrive in New Grumpson

-Dec 19 at 3pm: Wanda is getting repaired

-Dec 20: family meets up at the Hargreeves mansion.

-Dec 21: Klaus kidnapped, Ben rescues Jennifer in the evening.

-Dec 22: Memories are restored and the group finds the attacked alpaca farm

-Dec 23: Lila & Five return, Ben & Jen merge, and the Cleanse resets the universe

[It could also work if the Oblivion reset to April of 2019, but the drive to New Grumpson would have needed to take two days (for them to arrive on the 19th) or you go with the assumption that New Grumpson is a small town and they put the flier up sometime before the 19th in order to garner attention, and all the subsequent dates get pushed back by one (arrive on the 18th, Cleanse on the 22, etc).]

So that’s my headcanon to make sense of the timeline. It’s far from perfect, not least of which because their clothes don’t change much and I play fast and loose with a lot of the details, but it’s the best I’ve got to make it make sense. 😂

A few other head canons I have:

- Jen is from a different timeline and she got pulled into this one & accidentally appeared in a giant squid. Reginald erased her memories of anything related to the cleanse shortly after her squid introduction scene.

- The subway was made from the creator of the universe, but various Fives helped to make certain parts (like the deli or the Commission) and the map & notebook which they left for other Fives. It’s out of space/ time and each stop is a reflection of the timeline (old & broke down = apocalypse already happened, or the severity of the apocalypse). It’s got openings naturally (think season 3 when Reginald spots the door) throughout all the universes, which is why small animals, objects, etc occasionally make it into the subway system. But Five’s power is what momentarily summons the nice little entryway into the subway.

- The Oblivion reset took the closest matching timeline and then pulled in people/ things that were customized by Reginald (& Allison’s requests). This is based off Klaus saying Allison “set up this whole timeline, and stole her daughter from another one” in the deleted scene of him at Grace’s birthday party.

- Allison had requested her brothers all got to stay family and that she could have both Claire and Ray. That’s why Reginald had set Luthor’s death to be undone & he appears with everyone at the closing scene in season 3.

- Claire was from a different, but nearly identical timeline as the one set up by the reset, which is why she looks or actually is older. (In season 1 she was only 4 years old, right? So she should be about 9/10, but in season 4 she looks like she’s somewhere between 13-15)

- Ray is not the same one she was in the 60s with; he was born and grew up in a more modern era and as such his personality is different than it was. OR he is the same one from the 60s but he’s been pulled into this new timeline and is struggling to reconcile the Allison he knew in 60s with the one she is in the modern era and all she has done. One of those is the underlying basis for why he left, and I also headcanon he was Claire’s stepfather.

- Reginald’s customization points included Abigail being alive, and the marigold never being released. Allison killed him before he “pressed go” so to speak, but he had already input all/ most of the settings, so either his death was reset to fit into the timeline and he’s Sparrow Reginald, or the timeline was built off a universe that he didn’t release the marigold and it pulled that Reginald into this timeline.

- The 43 immaculate births would all have happened naturally in their own time (different birthdays). The moms all were kissed at the time of inhalation of the marigold that caused their conception, and the marigold gave life to them by taking DNA from both people to form the body of the babies and accelerate their births.

- Sparrow Ben stayed because Allison asked for Ben to be alive and the universe reset just kept Sparrow Ben to meet that criteria. Sloane was not specifically asked to stay together by Reginald or Allison so she ends up the same way other “immaculate births” kids did and was born into a family normally, which is why, if she had been found, she wouldn’t remember any of the umbrellas or sparrows.

- The Hotel Oblivion reset also erased/altered memories that people had in order to fit into this timeline, which is why there’s so many keepers. Additionally, it either accelerated or worsened the different universes bleeding into each other. It also input a “background” for all the Umbrellas which is why they all had homes/ IDs/ etc. (They could then choose to keep with what they had or switch from there.)

- Five’s background included making him older then he physically was so that he didn’t have to go through high school, or he wasn’t “aged up on paper” but took a GED and went straight to college before getting into the CIA.

- Lila’s family was from a different timeline and have mixed memories like some of the keepers. She and Diego end up talking to them closer to the five or six year mark about everything. And that’s why the ask so many questions to Klaus in the deleted scene.

- Lila wasn’t formally working with the CIA. She found out about & went undercover with the keepers of her own accord and was only “working with the CIA” once she and Five started to collaborate. OR she was formally working with them, but under a different sector that wasn’t headed by a keeper.

- The first year after the Oblivion reset, all the siblings were in the same general vicinity of each other and they all met up again at least once to talk with this world’s Reginald about what happened, which is why they knew their births were a product of the marigold, what the marigold even looks like, who they are in this universe, etc. Also, because Allison asked that her family all be in this universe, maybe they were all adopted by Reginald in this timeline too but are “estranged” from their father. And Abigail find out later that these were alternate versions which is why she never met them before this season but knew them? Or she was newly appeared in this timeline too and Reginald just filled her in on the details.

- little girl on the bike = creator/ God

- Abigail had died but was brought back because of the reset. Whilst dead she spoke to the creator/ little girl who told her about the cleanse.

- The Marigold creates, the Durango destroys, and when mixed together it does both, hence “resetting” the universe. They also react somewhat to intention, but are like a computer program or a genie/ jinn. You technically get what you ask for, but it’s not how you wanted it or it’s not quite what you thought it would be, and that’s why none of them were truly happy at the start of season 4. And it’s also why their moms got pregnant and they just regained (if slightly differently) their powers.

- The ending meant one of the following:

- 1) The cleanse really did fix everything and so the universe was reset to what the timeline should have been, which is our world as we know it. The idyllic field with everyone was heaven/ the void/ wherever it’s called that Klaus goes to, and the siblings plus Lila were reduced down to marigold flowers from the effort of the reset. Which is why the kids were able to exist without a kugelblitz forming, and why we see so many people from the original or previous timelines (they would all have already been dead without the marigold in the world).

- 2) the cleanse, did not in fact, fix everything, perhaps because it missed the guy Klaus splashed with the shot he never took. So it erased our umbrella academy and their kids, but we see the kids from the naturally born versions of themselves had they been born & the marigold hadn’t existed. But because it didn’t fix everything the remnants of their marigold resprouted as marigold flowers, leaving room for them to come back in the future or for new super-powered kids/ people to emerge.

So while there’s a ton of holes still, that’s what I came up with to make sense of some things that weren’t really explained in the final season. I’m curious to know what other might have come up with though, if any one wants to let me know what they think/ headcanon!

#tua season 4 spoilers #tua headcanons #making the TUA timeline make sense #TUA theories #TUA canon compliant theories #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy season 4 spoilers and theories #TUA spoilers #tua season 4

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braidlottie · 10 months

Text

snow angel.

pairing: adult!lottieshauna x gn!reader

fluffmas/kinkmas masterlist

summary: your girlfriends surprise with a ski trip to the mountains this year.

tags: lots and LOTS of fluff >_< too much probably, ski trip, lottie spoiling you and shauna, cuddling, lottieshauna Cuddle sandwich!! :33

word count: 1414

lottie is the bold and shauna is the italic

“hi honey, i made breakfast.” lottie smiled at you walking downstairs in your pjs, rubbing your eyes. “smells good.” you yawned. “it’s your favorite too,” shauna petted your head, putting a plate of pancakes in front of you.

the three of you sat in silence at the dinner table, enjoying your food, when shauna broke the silence. “i was thinking,” she took a sip of her orange juice. “we go out this weekend. y’know, like, have a little vacation. just the three of us.” she smiled. you immediately perked up because you have been absolutely begging your girlfriends for a ski trip recently.

“i think that would be just wonderful.” lottie smiled back, wiping away her mouth with a napkin. the older women looked to you now, waiting for you to say something. it was like they were in on something that you didn’t know yet.

“oh, yeah. i would love to go out with you guys.” you muttered, mouth full of pancake. lottie and shauna shared a look before she squealed. “okay, i can’t hide this from you any longer. lottie booked us a trip to a nice ski resort in the mountains upstate.”

“what?!” you shot out of your seat, your cup off juice almost spilling off the table. “we know how much you’ve been wanting to go, darling. and plus, it’s the perfect time of year.”

you were so happy, instantly running to hug lottie and shauna. “when do we leave?”

“tomorrow, so you should get to packing later. we’ll spend three days there, and we’ll be back in time for new years.” lottie grabbed the three of your empty dishes, putting them in the sink. “oh, and i’m taking you to the mall later. we have to get you some appropriate attire for the snow, honey.” new jersey winters were pretty harsh, but you’re going to the mountains. obviously you’re gonna need a coat or two.

***

the three of you left very early the next morning, piling your suitcases into the trunk of lottie’s car. it was still dark out, and you couldn’t stop yawning. you looked down at your phone. 4:36 AM. you sighed. lottie was all about being early.

you sat in the backseat of the SUV with shauna sitting in the passenger and lottie driving. “is everyone excited?” lottie tried to get the party going, turning on the engine and the heat. the car chimed as she pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. you heard a “yes” from shauna, and you were about to reply as well, but a yawn cut you off.

“why don’t you take a little nap on the way there, darling?” lottie looked at you through the rear view mirror, sleepily rubbing your eyes while looking out the window at all the christmas lights. “how long will it take to get there?”

“four hours, maybe a little less.”

you huffed. “we’ll be there in no time, and it’ll be even faster if you sleep a little, baby.” shauna turned around in her seat to look at you. “and think about it. you’ll need some energy for all the fun things we’re gonna do when we get there.”

finally giving in, you nodded, getting in a comfortable position before closing your eyes.

***

you were gently shaken away by lottie, the car parked in a lot with lots of people and families around in the snow. shauna was already out of the car, getting all the luggage out the trunk. “did you have a nice nap?” she smiled at your sleepy little face, unbuckling your seatbelt as you stretched. she let you get out of the car, helping you into one of your new puffer jackets.

you whined in protest when she zipped you up. “you’ve got to bundle up, angel.” she slipped your beanie over your head, making sure your ears were covered. “but, it’s not even that cold out.”

“hush, hush, go help shauna with the bags.” she hurried, locking the car up.

the resort lottie had booked was beautiful, you weren’t even in your room yet and everything just felt so cozy. before you knew it, lottie checked in with the woman at the front desk and she gave her your room key. it only took a short elevator ride to get to the third floor where your room was. shauna slid the card in and the light turned green, letting you open the door to come inside.

there was a huge flatscreen tv on the wall, a fireplace right below it. to the left of it was a glass patio door, that led onto a balcony. the view was absolutely breathtaking, it was like something out of a movie. there was a little kitchen and even a little mini bar. you walked into the bedroom, finding a little basket on the bed with refreshments and snacks and a note from the restore saying “Welcome!” in cursive with yours, lottie’s, and shauna’s last names. you swore the bathroom was three times bigger than yours at home, the walk-in shower taking up half the room.

“how much did all of this cost?” shauna exclaimed, already reading off the mini bar’s menu. “let’s not worry about that honey, we’ve got ski lessons to be at. in thirty minutes!” she looked at her watch with wide eyes. you and shauna just giggled to yourselves, watching her scramble around the room for her things.

***

lottie rented skis and helmets for all of you, and a pair of snow goggles that she caught you staring at and couldn’t let you go without them. the instructor was very nice, teaching you how to stop and slow down. after a good hour and a half or so of lessons, it was time for your first big hill.

you looked out the window of the ski lift, admiring the snowy mountains. you were too excited, lottie and shauna smiling lovingly at you as you babbled on and on about the snow. it was so special that your first time seeing snow was with them.

the instructor only let the three of you go one at a time. you took it like a champ, lottie losing her balance and taking a few stumbles, and shauna almost ran full on into a tree. but they surprisingly left the ski track unscathed, lottie giggling uncontrollably at shauna’s attempt.

you spent the rest of the day doing other activities, like enjoying the hot tub, going to gift shops, and even going on snowmobile rides off track. lottie noticed how much you loved the rented goggles that she decided to buy you your own pair. yes, they were $70 goggles, but your happiness was more valuable to her.

the night ended with dinner in a very decorative restaurant, the inside felt like you were eating in a cabin. you sat in a booth with your girlfriends, getting a a wonderful view of the ski tracks, watching people trick off the hills and hop back on the lift.

when you got back to your room, it was nearing 10pm, and you were so exhausted from everything you did today. but you still wanted to sit by the window and watch the snow fall. it was like you were in a trance, cherishing every little snowflake that blew in the wind. you heard your girlfriends muttering something behind you in bed, how adorable your reaction was. you looked back at them and smiled, eventually getting up to join them.

“did you have fun today, baby?” lottie asked, getting you tucked under the covers with them. you laid sandwiched in the middle, your head resting on shauna’s chest as you nodded and yawned.

“goodness, honey, if i had a nickel for every single time you’ve yawned today, i’d be rich.” shauna teased, and lottie chuckled in reply. you just hummed, turning to face lottie now, getting a kiss on the nose from her. “you’re so warm. you’re like a little oven.” she scooted closer, wrapping her arms around you and shauna. “we might not even need the fireplace tonight.”

you were so content and warm, the soft, hushed voices of your girlfriends lulling you to sleep. “thank you so much for this. love you.” you slurred, pretty much out of it. “we love you too, angel. get some rest, okay?” lottie smiled, soothing you to sleep by rubbing your cheek. you knocked out quick, your girlfriends admiring your peaceful state before falling asleep themselves.

#yellowjackets #yellowjackets x reader #lottie x shauna #adult lottie #adult shauna #lottieshauna x reader #lottie shauna x reader #lottieshauna #lottie matthews x reader #lottie matthews #shauna shipman #shauna shipman x reader #shauna sadecki #shauna sadecki x reader #shauna yellowjackets #lottie yellowjackets #lottie matthews fluff #shauna shipman fluff #finalgirlmeeks fluffmas/kinkmas ‘23!

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borathae · 1 year

Text

↳ Index [Chapter 36 - Oma]

• Oma (German, grandma)

Warnings: I want to cradle Jungkook in my arms and kiss his forehead, he is the most adorable person ever, cuddles & snuggles, wandering around memories, grief in some way?, idk she visits her dead grandma in her memories, it’s sweet but in a bittersweet kinda way, the ending hits different

Wordcount: 14.3k

a/n: writing this chapter after so much pain felt like therapy. this is a breather after all the angst

You open your eyes. The walls are violet and the furniture a mahogany red. You know that room so well. You spent many nights in it back when Namjoon was still nowhere to be found and your little group was still complete. Maybe a little broken at that time, but at least everyone was still here. You sigh with pain in your voice. The night Yoongi was with you in this exact bed comes back to you. Haunting you. It was a peaceful night, the air smelled of aging summer and the cicadas were already quiet. The rest of the house was already asleep. It was just you and him. He plopped himself right across you, sinking into the fluffy duvet until he was almost swallowed by it. You then proceeded to giggle like crazy and attack him with dozens and dozens of kisses. Yoongi spent the night under those covers with you whilst the only soundtrack of the night, was your shaky breathing and the sound of desperate kisses. He told you about his past as a sorcerer once everything was done and you listened to him until the sound of his voice lulled you to the best sleep ever.

Knowing that such moments were nothing but memory these days hurts like fucking hell.

You sit up even if it is difficult. Your legs are bared under the covers. That explains why your jeans are thrown over the wingchair by the window. Your beanie and winter coat were on it as well and by its legs, your winter boots were standing.

Jungkook must have undressed you last night before tugging you into bed. The latter wasn’t in the room with you, but the sound of the shower next door lets you know that he was still here. Even if not visible, Jungkook was still here.

The morning after your night with Yoongi comes back to you. He also took a shower in this bathroom. He let you sleep in and you woke up to the sound of him brushing his teeth. He kept the door open, leaning against the doorframe and with his eyes gazing at your face. He wore a bathrobe back then. It was pink and floor length as it belonged to one of the witches. You remember giggling when seeing him and Yoongi telling you to stop teasing him with fondness in his eyes. He gave you a kiss once he finished his morning routine and till this day you regret not pulling him back into bed with you to kiss him for hours. You should have appreciated the time you had with him more. You should have kissed him and kissed him and kissed him some more.

The door opens. Jungkook steps outside, wearing fresh boxer briefs and having his hair tied back in a high bun. He looks at you the moment the door opens.

“Good morning”, he says.

“Mhm”, you let out, because you felt too weak to speak.

Jungkook sits down at the edge of the bed, draping his left arm over your waist and propping his hand on the mattress. He caresses your cheek with the back of his right hand gently and soothingly. You know that he can smell your sadness. No emotion gets unnoticed by his overly sensitive nose. Especially not one so stubborn and potent. He doesn’t call you out on it. You appreciate that he doesn’t. You don’t have the strength to accept comforting words or promises that it will get better again. His soft touch brings comfort enough.

“I will bring you some breakfast.”

“Mh-hm.”

Jungkook breaks away from you and gets dressed. He leaves the room afterwards, abandoning you in your thoughts. You appreciate that he didn’t ask whether you wanted breakfast or not and instead he decided it for you. You couldn’t have possibly made a decision. It is so exhausting to make decisions. So goddamn exhausting.

Yoongi brought you breakfast that morning as well. You insisted on going downstairs and eating it together with the others, but Yoongi wanted you to stay in bed and relax while he fed you fresh fruit from the witches’ gardens. He made it so easy to give in. He always did. And he made it so worthwhile. You never regretted giving in to him.

You want to return to the past. Why is it not possible? Why do you have to keep living, knowing that you can never relive your favourite moments? Why did everything go so very wrong?

The door opens. Jungkook is back. He returns to his spot, placing the bowl of food on his lap.

“Meredith made porridge for you. She put a little bit of magic in it to help you regain your energy”, he says and scoops up some of the sweet breakfast. He blows on it until it isn’t too hot anymore, “try it.”

You let him feed you. The porridge is rich in spices. Cinnamon, vanilla, honey and fresh milk. The magic gives it an even richer flavour. It tastes good.

“It’s yummy, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. Eat it well”, he says, feeding you spoon by spoon without speaking a word. He knows as well as you do, that there is nothing to talk about.

The magic starts to work after half of the bowl was finished. Your body stops aching and your muscles finally begin wanting to move. The warmth and Jungkook’s gentle care helps your heart ache less. You sit up, using his thigh for support.

Jungkook places the spoon in the bowl, watching you with bated breath. You take said spoon and begin eating yourself while he holds the bowl.

You chew and swallow, looking into his eyes.

“How long did I sleep?” you ask him.

“Almost an entire day. You fell asleep in the car so I carried you to bed. You didn’t even wake up when I undressed you. You must have been really exhausted”, he says and gives you a knowing smile, “it’s good that you slept for so long. You’ll see how much easier you can work today.”

“Do they know why we are here?”

“Yes. I told them everything and they went straight to work. Don’t worry my baby, you didn’t lose any time”, Jungkook says, caressing your cheek, “they worked in your stead so you could rest.”

“Thank you”, you get out, “you have no idea how much this means to me.”

Jungkook gives you a little smile, “I’ll go downstairs now. Jelena told me that she might have a lead and she needs a vampire’s help for it. Take your time, we have everything under control.”

Jungkook wants to stand up and leave but you pull him back. He looks down at you and his hand clutched tightly in yours. You guide it to your lips, leaving a soft kiss on his knuckles.

“Thank you”, you whisper.

Jungkook smiles, brushing his thumb over your skin gently. He leans down and kisses your knuckles.

“Eat your porridge. You need the strength”, he says softly and slips his hand out of your grasp to leave for good.

You leave your room once breakfast was finished. The rooms are all empty. The kitchen doors leading into the garden are closed. Only the handles, pulled into an open position, let you know where you will find everyone. You abandon your empty porridge bowl in the sink and slip outside.

The air is cold and wet. The ocean is loud from the storm brewing on the horizon. The sky is dark. You pull your jacket tighter around you and hurry to the shed.

Its doors are leaned shut. They open easily.

Heads turn into your direction instantly. Meredith calls your name, hurrying to you in big steps. She engulfs your hands in hers, using the momentum to pull you into a hug.

“This is terrible, oh this is so terrible. Poor Yoongi”, she says with great sadness in her voice. She squeezes you softly, “and you. Oh, you must be so confused.”

You get lost in her hug, squeezing your eyes shut.

“I don’t know what to do”, you confess, “all I try, fails.”

“I know how you feel. Come”, she breaks away from you, taking your hand, “we can celebrate your powers later. We have work to do.”

“Can you help us, Meredith?”

“We will do everything in our power and knowledge to get Yoongi out of this situation”, she promises you, leading you to the working desk.

Jungkook welcomes you by his side, rubbing his hand up and down your lower back just once before he looks back at the work ahead.

His blood is distributed between ten metal bowls, while another ten bowls show his dried up blood.

“What happened here?” you ask.

“Trial and error of different spells. Dragana knows which spell Namjoon used to curse Yoongi.”

“You do?” you address Dragana.

She nods her head, “Jungkook told us how the cursed wood entered Yoongi’s system. The curse manifested itself by infecting the lungs and later spreading to the blood system. So we infected Jungkook’s blood with splinters of wood, which I laced with the same curse, and then we tried different methods of healing.”

“You can test spells like that?” you gasp.

“Of course you can. Why? How have you been testing your spells?”

So all those vampires you killed were useless, senseless killings. You feel sick to the stomach, but force it down because you have to concentrate.

“Differently”, you whisper and to your gratefulness they don’t ask further questions. Perhaps deep down, they already knew the answer and with it, knew that it was impossible to confess.

“As you can see, every spell we tried until now hasn’t worked. The curse still boiled Jungkook’s blood until it was gone”, Dragana continues, pointing at the bowls.

“I see. Which spells did you try?”

Dragana explains them to you and to every single one, you have to tell them that you already tried it before.

“This is a stubborn curse, isn’t it?” Jelena says.

“Of course it is. It is Namjoon’s doing”, Meredith says, “if he works together with them, it is no wonder that the curse is as stubborn as it is.”

“Who is he working with?” you ask.

“A coven of witches, who think their purpose is to serve evil. They gain their powers from death and pain and Namjoon has been working with them for centuries.”

“I see. This is terrible. Maybe that is how he always escaped us. Could the witches have put a cloaking spell on him?”

“Oh, most definitely.”

“So he was right”, you murmur.

“What do you say?”

“When I talked to Namjoon in the dungeon, he told me that he wanted us to capture him. That everything was going according to his plans. Holy fuck, he was right. He actually wanted us to find him”, you dig your nails into the wood in a furious grip, “I’m going to kill him. Even if it’s the last thing that I’ll do”, you press out through gritted teeth.

“Hey ___”, Jungkook whispers, rubbing your back, “calm down.”

“W-what?” you stutter, looking at him.

“Calm down. Look.”

He points at one of the bowls. His once untouched blood has boiled down completely.

“Did I do that?” you gasp, looking at Meredith for help.

Her brows are furrowed in slight worry.

“But I didn’t even do anything.”

“Yes, but your magic did”, she touches your forehead, “oh, you are so messy in there. Dear oh dear, you have no focus.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that you haven’t learned how to focus your magic yet, have you?”

You shake your head, “Meredith, is it dangerous?”

“It can be if you allow it to continue for too long. You could lose control over your magic and that could have fatal consequences.”

“Fatal?” you gasp.

“What do you mean fatal? She can die?” Jungkook gasps, grabbing your hand tightly, “Meredith, you have to help her. She can’t die.”

“Everything is okay for now, don’t worry”, she calms him down, “you are with us now and we can keep an eye on you.”

Jungkook exhales in relief, loosening his grip just slightly.

“Thank you. I seriously wouldn’t know what I’d do without you guys. I know nothing, seriously”, you say.

“That’s not true. You managed to do quite a lot of spells without any prior knowledge. You have talent, you just need practice”, Meredith assures you.

“You think so?”

“I do.”

“Thank you.”

“But for now let’s make sure the magic doesn’t overwhelm you again. Jelena can you get the focus bracelet from the cellar?”

“I will. ___ have you any colour wishes?”

“Blue”, you say without hesitation.

“Blue”, she repeats, “I wonder why that is”, she says and hurries away in light steps.

And while she is busy getting the bracelet, the rest of you continue the research. You try many spells that day. Many, many spells. You use different tools and devices, speak different languages, whisper long forgotten words and yet the result is always the same. The curse boils Jungkook’s blood until there is nothing left. You even take more of Jungkook’s blood to test out more spells, but before you could find a solution, you run out of cursed wood. It was late into the night when that happens. The witches were all exhausted, so were you. And yet while everyone went to sleep for the night, you stayed up. The witches forbade you to go to the shed alone and while you really wanted to, you listened. They knew better than you.

So you stayed in the living room where months ago you found your friends unconscious. The candles surrounding you have almost burned down completely, barely casting any light. This is exactly how you feel. Barely shining.

You thought that today would be a good day. That the witches would figure out how you could heal Yoongi and yet they have come to as little solutions as you did. You aren’t angry at them, you are just frustrated at the entire situation.

“There you are.”

You turn your head just in time to be able to watch Jungkook sit down on the sofa next to you.

“The others all went to sleep already”, he tells you, studying your face when you give him no answer, “what are you doing here?”

“Thinking.”

“I think we made progress today.”

“No, we didn’t.”

“Yes, we did. The knife. The knife we found in one of the books. We will find the right spell for it.”

It was Dragana who found it. It was an old drawing of a knife which was once used to extract poison from people. Nature witches used them whenever they healed people in their villages. As of now, you haven’t found the right spell yet.

“Maybe.”

“I’m sure of it”, Jungkook says.

You say nothing to it. You wouldn’t know what to say. So you lift your arm and point at the rug. There is a big stain on it.

“You were passed out right there. Your drink was spilled all over the rug and your legs were all bended weirdly”, you say.

Jungkook looks at you with confusion in his eyes.

“I was so scared back then”, you confess, “thinking about it now makes me laugh. I was such a wimp.”

Jungkook scoffs, “don’t say that. You were never a wimp. Hell, you’ve always been a badass.”

“Tzt, yeah sure.”

“Hey”, Jungkook nudges your arm, “stop that. I’m serious.”

You sneak a glance at him. He has his brows furrowed in seriousness.

“You really think so?” you ask him to which he nods his head.

“You stayed when you found out about our secret, survived way too much shit and you saved all of us. Back then I mean. You saved all of us and you were just a human back then.”

“Mhm”, you turn back to study the stain on the rug, “I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I knew about my powers back then.”

“I get that, but you did all of that even without powers, so I don’t think that you would have needed them back then.”

“I guess.”

“I’m serious, ___”, Jungkook insists, placing his hand on your shoulder.

“I know, I appreciate it”, you tell him, reaching up to pat his hand.

It feels like such a long time ago. The stain looks fresh and yet for you it looks like a part of a time far too long ago. You regret that time. The fight with Yoongi seems even more awful these days. So many days wasted with fighting instead of hugging him close. You break your eyes away from the stain and look at Jungkook instead.

He looked at the stain as well, but changed his gaze to you when he feels his eyes on you. He gives you a shy smile when he does, one you try to retort but fail.

“Jungkook, I miss him so much”, you choke out in a trembling voice.

Jungkook’s smile falls, immense sadness replaces it.

“I miss him too”, he whispers, clearly fighting with his tears.

“I can’t bear it anymore. This, this hollowness”, you hit your own chest, “when he left, he took the part which was happy and bright and which loved life. I don’t see any beauty in life anymore. And no hope. I lost all of my hope.”

“I share your pain, but I don’t think you lost all hope”, he takes your hand and squeezes it gently, “if you had, you wouldn’t keep fighting. You wouldn’t move heaven and hell to find a cure and you wouldn’t keep trying new spells.”

“I don’t know for how long I can still do this”, you confess and whimper, “I don’t want to be without him anymore. I love him so much and now he is…now he is gone”, you barely get out the last part before everything gets too much and you sob.

“Come here”, Jungkook acts instantly. He pulls you atop his lap and hugs you against him. Like this, he cradles you in his strong arms and rocks your bodies from side to side soothingly. He sobs softly, giving you a tight squeeze.

“I miss him too”, he confesses between your shared sobs, “I spend most of my nights crying because I miss him so much.”

“It hurts so much.”

“It hurts unbearably.”

You both sob into the other as your arms squeeze the other for comfort. It may sound most peculiar, but it feels good to cry with Jungkook. He understands you. He truly and really understands you. The others may miss Yoongi, but they never learned how it felt to be in love with him and to be loved in return. But Jungkook knows. He knows and because of it, feels your pain. And it feels healing to cry with him because for the first time in a long time, you don’t have to carry the pain alone.

The first two weeks after you lost Yoongi, you and Jungkook shared every night together. Back then, you cried in each other’s arms until you passed out in exhaustion. You shared the pain and felt comfort through it. Even if just the littlest amount. You faded away once the third week nearly passed and left Jungkook to cry alone while you became gradually insane from failed research.

Now that you are in his arms again and you cry over the emptiness Yoongi left behind, you are reminded once again why you didn’t entirely break in those first two weeks. It was because you shared the pain with Jungkook and found comfort in being really understood.

You lift your head during a moment where your tears stopped. Jungkook can barely see through the thick remnants of tears and yet he does. He sees you. And he understands and feels understood in return. You and he reach for each other’s faces at the same time, your thumbs wipe your tears away.

“Will we get him back?” you ask.

“We have to believe in it”, he says, “I want to believe in it.”

“I want to too, but it hurts me so much.”

“It hurts me too”, he tugs your face down until your noses touch. Your eyes close, “but we can lean on each other. Yeah? We can cry and hug and share the pain.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I want to do that. Kook, I’m so sorry that I pushed you away.”

“I know you got lost in finding a cure”, he assures you, “it did hurt me a little. Yeah, I was hurting at first. I was in so much pain and then you pushed me away too.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s coming so late, but I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, I understand that you had more important things to do”, he says and kisses your lips. Gently and full of love, “thank you for crying with me tonight. I feel so broken, but you make it a little easier.”

“I feel broken too. If I think about it for too long again, I’ll start crying without stopping.”

“Lean on me”, he offers and you take him up on it instantly. You rest your cheek on his shoulder, closing your eyes as you inhale his scent.

Jungkook smells gentle. He smells tender and soft and clean. He doesn’t wear perfume which will make you think of an attractive man like Yoongi and Hoseok do. Nor does he wear scents which remind you of a gentleman like Taehyung and Seokjin do. Jungkook doesn’t wear perfume and yet he smells incredibly good. Gentle and soft. You like to describe him this way because it fits him so very well.

“I thought that we would finally be successful here”, you whisper brokenly, “I thought that they would know of things I haven’t read about yet, but we didn’t achieve anything.”

“I understand you so well”, Jungkook speaks in whispers while his hands run up and down your back, “but maybe the knife will be the right thing to use? You didn’t try this out yet.”

“Even if it does work, how should we activate it? We don’t know the right spell. We, we need a nature witch for it and we don’t know any.”

“Then we’ll look around until we find one. I’ll drive you to wherever we need to be. And, and then you can use my blood as often as you need to until you know the right spell.”

You hug him to you tighter because there are no words to describe how grateful you are for him, for his optimism and his ability to think of solutions. You have no energy or hope left tonight. You are so thankful that he can tell you hopeful things you would have never thought of. Jungkook understands what your gentle squeezes means and he squeezes you right back

“Kookie, I think my grandma was a nature witch”, you whisper.

“Really? What makes you think that?” he asks.

“When I was a little girl, my mum always told me about grandma Lilly and that she was crazy in the head. That’s what mum called it.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, my mum told me that grandma Lilly always wanted to teach her about witchcraft when she was a little girl and that she always spoke of demons lingering in the woods behind her house.”

“Are you for real? And your mother didn’t believe her?”

“Of course not, she’s my mum. She never really believed in the supernatural. Not ghosts or demons or magic. The world is explained through science and facts for her, not magic. I was on her side once upon a time, but I was wrong big times.”

Jungkook chuckles, you retort it.

“But I know now that grandma Lilly was right”, you say, feeling your chest tighten in sadness, “magic is real, ghosts actually whisper in the nights and demons are very much part of this world. Goddamn it, I regret it so much that I never visited her once I got my first car.”

“You didn’t?”

You shake your head, sighing in sadness.

“Grandma Lilly lived very far away from any kind of civilisation. You had to drive through tense forests, cross way too many shaky bridges and drive on narrow gravel roads. Her house was surrounded by a dense forest. I think they were conifer trees. And on the south border of her garden a brook was running right past her flower beds. I think she grew stinging nettles and hogweed there. I don’t know exactly, I was always scared of that corner because she said that the plants there will hurt me a lot if I touched them, so I stayed away as a little girl.”

“Thankfully you did, hogweed burns are no joke.”

“Yeah, they really aren’t”, you agree and continue, “but other than that, her garden was so beautiful. She had many flowers beds, most were filled with herbs or healing flowers. She used them to make potions. That’s how she called them and as a kid I always thought that she was joking, but I know better now”, you say, letting out a small, sad chuckle, “she also grew all of her food herself and had a separate house for her animals. She never killed any of them, they were all her friends. She told me that she talks to them and that they want to give them their milk or eggs or fur as a token of friendship for keeping them safe.”

“And you didn’t believe her again?”

“Yeah, sadly I always thought that she was just saying that to amaze me.”

“I guess, it’s hard to believe in stuff like that when you don’t really live through it yourself.”

“Yeah, most definitely”, you agree, nodding your head, “but I think”, you continue, “I think deep down I always knew that my grandma wasn’t lying. Her place felt magical the moment you sat foot on her property. The sun was always brighter and the plants always healthier and somehow the strong storms in summer and winter never seemed to damage her place. It was like the trees and branches refused to fall on her land. And I slept so well”, you say and smile, “my bed was always too big for me, but she put lots of pillows around me so I always felt safe. At night she would bring me a mug of warm milk with spices from her garden and honey from her bee friends and then she would tell me one of her magical adventure stories and I would fall asleep and oftentimes dream of being part of her adventures.”

“Her home sounds really nice. I bet you had really good days there”, Jungkook says with awe in his voice.

“I did”, you smile, “not many because my mum never really trusted grandma Lilly to take good care of me, but I think that she was scared that grandma would show me something magical and therefore confuse me.”

“Would that really have been so bad though?”

“No, I don’t think so. Especially now. I would have loved to have my grandma teach me magic. Just imagine what I could have done if I already knew about my magic since I was a kid.”

Jungkook sways your body softly, “I’m sorry ___, that really would have been cool.”

“Yeah, it would have been”, you say and give his body a soft squeeze, “I really miss grandma Lilly.”

“Did she die already?”

“Yes, a few years ago. The official story is that she developed early dementia and got confused and one night she wandered into the woods too deep and died there from the cold. When the police found her body three days later, half of her neck was torn out. They said that an animal got to her.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“Of course I don’t. Just think about it. She fought demons in the forest and had half her neck torn out.”

“Holy moly, ___. Vampires”, Jungkook says.

“Exactly. Fucking damn it, she probably died fighting a vampire. That would explain why she talked about demons in the forests and why I had to be inside the moment the sun was setting and why she told me to never ever tell a stranger to come inside. You know.”

You lift your head to look at Jungkook. His eyes race between yours as his entire attention was on you and your story.

“She had fencing all around her garden. It was so high and the ends were sharp and placed in a slight angle facing the forests. She told me that it keeps the demons from trying to snatch her away.”

Jungkook widens his eyes.

“Holy fuck, your grandma actually fought vampires, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did”, you say, “I just know she did. And we didn’t believe her. Fuck, my mum called her crazy and I believed her, because obviously a little girl is going to believe her own mum. And now it’s driving me insane because I had her.”

You widen your eyes in emotion.

“I had my grandma right there. Knowing everything and, and sharing my, my”, you look at your own hands, realising that they are shaking just slightly, “my magic. And I didn’t believe her. I’m going insane. I want to talk to her and see her again and ask her so many things.”

Jungkook takes your shaking hands and cradles them against his chest. It lessens the shakes and grounds you to him. His thumbs draw circles on your skin, his eyes draw you in and give you a sense of comfort.

“Maybe you could?” he suggests.

“How? Last time I checked, bringing back the dead isn’t really my forte.”

“Your memories. Maybe we could go there together and look for clues in her place.”

“You think this could work?” you gasp.

“We could try?” Jungkook tilts his head to the side, “you’d just have to let me inside and then guide me to the year you want to return to.”

“Holy shit, Kook. You would do that for me?”

“I would do everything for you”, he says.

You smile, reaching out to caress his cheek. Jungkook leans into it.

“Then let’s do it. Trying won’t hurt.”

“Exactly”, Jungkook nods his head excitedly, “lie down, let’s get comfortable.”

And so it happens that you take off your magic rings, lie down on the sofa and Jungkook lies himself on top of you. He rests his head on your chest, reaching up to cup your cheek with one hand.

“Now close your eyes and think of the year.”

You close your eyes, thinking back to this one summer where the raspberry bushes carried so much fruit.

Your body tingles and your head feels dizzy for just second.

Red behind your eyelids and the sound of birds.

You open your eyes. This forest. You know it. It’s the forest behind your grandma’s house. It worked!

“Woah, this place is even better than I imagined it to be”, Jungkook gasps, looking around himself, “wow, your memories are beautiful.”

There is colour all around you. The light is taunted by a golden hue, which gives the trees and plants around you an almost unnatural colour to it. Green and yet not really green. It is that distinct green the world gets when the setting sun kisses the earth just right.

“Those are my memories”, you murmur, lifting your head to count the branches on the high conifer trees just as you did when you were a little girl.

Too many to count. Just like in the past.

You lower your head, shifting your attention to Jungkook who is just a few feet down the path. He is looking at you. His skin looks so healthy and alive, not at all pale like in the real world.

He stretches his arm to you, opening his hand. You jog to catch up with him, taking his hand in yours.

“Is that the way?” he asks.

“Yes, that’s the way. Just past those trees”, you tell him, “follow me. I know this path from memory.”

There is the fallen over tree to your right with its white mushrooms growing all over its bark. Just past that, to your left, there is the rock. It is black and covered in moss. It seemed so big when you were little, but now it is only reaching you to your knees.

You pass it and duck out of the way of some low hanging branches. Jungkook does the same, inhaling deeply afterwards.

“It smells so good here”, Jungkook says.

“I know. That’s grandma’s raspberry pie. She just called me for pie”, you tell him, running, “quick. The pie is so yummy when it’s still warm.”

Just a few more steps. There it is. The gate. Opened just how you left it when you went on your adventure.

“I’m coming grandma!” a little girl calls out behind you.

You and Jungkook stop abruptly, turning on your heels.

“Holy shit”, you press out, watching the ghost of your past run down the path.

“Is this you?” Jungkook asks with widened eyes.

“This is me”, you whisper, watching with a lump in your throat as you run and run and run with a big smile on your face and with dirt on your hands.

You come closer and closer until you run right through you and Jungkook. You feel a cold shiver run down your spine as it happens and for just a second it seems as if your past self falters in her steps. She looks over her shoulder. Her eyes are focused right on you and Jungkook. You squeeze his hand tighter, feeling dizzy. Can she see you? She blinks her eyes twice then turns back around and begins running again.

“Grandma, I found mushrooms again! The white ones!” childhood you yells excitedly as she stumbles past the gate and runs through the flower meadow, which your grandma kept behind her house.

So she didn’t see you. You feel relief and yet also disappointment. Oh, how you would have loved to tell her that all those painful days she will go through during her teens will feel manageable one day and that she will find happiness again once she stops believing the hurtful words her parents yell at her.

“Grandma, look!” past you calls out, skipping over the meadow without any care in the world.

You follow her, tugging Jungkook with you instinctively. You barely even notice him by your side, not when the memory of this day is so clear before you.

Grandma Lilly steps out of the house then.

The ache in your chest makes you stop. She looks just as beautiful as you remember her to look. Her smile is just as warm.

“Look at you, my honeybee. You got your hands all dirty. It must have been a good day”, she welcomes past you back with open arms in which she jumps happily.

With a squeal leaving her lips she allows your grandma to lift her and then twirl her around. The laughter she lets out makes you feel tight in your chest. It hurts to see you that happy with the woman who loved you so much and knowing that you can never have this again.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook whispers, squeezing your hand as he watches tears roll down your cheeks.

“I don’t know”, you press out, yearning for a hug from your grandma.

The reflection of your past cuddles into your grandma’s chest and the yearning hurts even more.

“Grandma, I want cake”, she says and closes her eyes.

“Of course, I baked the biggest pie for you, my honeybee”, your grandma says, caressing the back of her head. Her eyes scan over the garden to the gate. For just a second it feels as if her eyes are lingering on you and Jungkook.

“Hey”, you mouth the word, lifting your hand to wave at her despite knowing she can’t see you.

Your grandma smiles.

It can’t be. Did she actually see you?

She sets down past you.

“Go inside honeybee and prepare some tea for the pie, alright?”

“Why are you not coming with me, grandma?”

“I need to make sure that the gates are safe in case demons decide to come tonight, okay?”

“Yes grandma. I’ll make tea for you too.”

Your grandma kisses past you’s cheek.

“Thank you, honeybee”, a soft pat to her butt follows, “now off you go.”

Past you soon disappears inside the cottage and with it conjures a wall of thick fog right by the door.

“What is happening?” Jungkook asks quietly, staring at your grandma with big eyes, “why is she staring at us?”

“It can’t be”, you whisper, slipping out of Jungkook’s hold, “grandma?” you call out, walking to her in slow steps, “grandma, can you see me?”

She smiles, “I was waiting for you, my honeybee. Look at you, you have grown so much”, she says.

“Grandma”, you press out, running to her for the hug she offers with open arms.

The hug feels like coming home after a painful day and for a moment you feel eight years old again, unburdened by the world and with nothing but good memories in your mind.

“Grandma, you are real. Oh god, I missed you so much”, you sob, squeezing her tightly.

She seems so small now that you are all grown up. She was always so tall when you were a little girl and now you have to bend down to reach her waist. But the feeling hasn’t changed. It is still as warm and nice and safe as it was back then.

“Oh, my honeybee. I missed you too”, she says, caressing the back of your head only how she can, “now, now stop crying. We have lots to talk about.”

You lift your head, letting her cup your cheeks and dry your tears.

“I can see that you have finally found your powers”, she says with unconditional love in her eyes.

“Grandma, we were wrong. Mum was wrong about you and, and I was wrong for believing her. E-everything you said is real. Grandma, demons and ghost and magic exist and, and vampires they-“

“Hush, I know”, she soothes you, “I know, my honeybee, I know. Don’t blame yourself or your mother for not believing. It wasn’t your time yet to believe and it was better that you two lived peacefully because of your disbelief.”

“Grandma, I’m sorry.”

“For what, my honeybee?”

“For never coming to visit you when I got my first car.”

“It’s okay, my honeybee. You came back to me just as I had envisioned.”

“Envisioned? You knew that I would come back again?”

“Of course I did, just as I know about the day you found your powers. Oh sweetheart”, she says and brushes her thumbs over your cheek, “his name is Yoongi, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t cry. He will be safe.”

“He will? How, how do you know? Grandma, I don’t know anything. I, I have no idea what I’m doing. I, I can’t wake him. I don’t know how. Or, or what I did. I miss him so much.”

“I know, honeybee. Calm down now and rest, I’m here now.”

You tear up because in this moment you feel so relieved that you wanted to cry.

“Come now”, she says, placing her arm around your waist, “we have lots to talk about.”

You follow her, holding her oh so tightly in case she decided to disappear again.

“We should take the main entrance. We wouldn’t want to actually start the memory would we?” she says and chuckles her signature chuckle. It always sounds a little whimsical, as if she was plotting something mischievous.

“So you know about the memory fog?”

“Of course I do”, she says and looks over her shoulder, “come now, Jungkook.”

“Me?” he squeaks out, pointing at his own chest.

“Yes. You.”

“I-I…okay”, he stutters and begins running to catch up with you.

Your grandma drapes her arm around his waist, painting a bright blush over his cheeks.

“Tell me, sweetheart, do you like raspberry pie?”

“Yes, I do. I think. I never had it before”, Jungkook says shyly.

She chuckles.

“Well, you will love mine.”

Jungkook lowers his head and blushes more.

Your grandma guides you over the threshold of her cottage.

“How?” Jungkook gasps, speaking out loud what you were thinking.

“Sweet boy, you are no vampire. In here you are human just like the rest of us.”

“I’m human?” Jungkook presses out, staring at his own hands. He gasps as if he realised something, then he presses his hands to his chest.

His eyes tear up in realisation.

“I have a heartbeat”, he croaks, looking at you, “___, I’m alive.”

“I don’t understand. The last time I was in memories, Yoongi had to actively change his being to get a heartbeat.”

“That is because those were his memories. This right here are your memories, my honeybee. You decide the rules in here and it seems that you wanted Jungkook to be alive.”

“___”, Jungkook whispers.

“I did?” you breathe, looking at the blushing man with widened eyes, “…I did.”

“___”, Jungkook takes your hands to kiss them softly, “thank you. Thank you so much.”

“I made you human, wow”, you whisper.

Jungkook giggles happily, resting his soft cheek on your hand. His warmth feels different than on other days. Honest and real. He closes his eyes and giggles again. His happiness makes you smile. You are glad that he feels happy.

“Now sit down you two, let me get you some pie”, your grandma says with softness in her gaze. She can see that you care a lot about the blushing boy and that he cares a lot about you.

Your grandma sits you down by her kitchen table. Once upon a time, you had to climb the chair to reach the desk. It feels so peculiar to sit down normally and see everything perfectly.

She places a plate of pie in front of you and Jungkook then sits down opposite of you.

“Eat, sweethearts”, she says with a smile.

The pie melts on your tongue like a memory of good times. And it is. It is a memory of good times. A memory, you thought to never be able to return to.

This evening you stay by the kitchen table for a long time. You share two cans of tea and eat another piece of pie. Jungkook eats just as much. You talk a lot with your grandma. About everything you never got a chance to talk about.

How you struggled for most of your high school years because of the other children making life miserable for you.

How you didn’t go to university right away, but instead wasted away in depression. How once you hit twenty years of age, you overcame that phase in your life with the help of books and how you began reading as a hobby ever since then. You also tell her about your first job in a bookshop and that you loved it a lot, but that in the end you had to give it up because the shop closed for lack of customers.

You tell her about how your parents moved away from here when you turned twenty one and how they took you with them because you had nowhere else to be. How you lived in the dense city until you were twenty four and how you fought with them a lot because the space was sparse and your mindsets were always different. How they told you to be careful in college and that they will think of you, but then they never really called or texted. How you aren’t angry at them because you could have called as well, but you didn’t.

You also tell her how you plan on visiting them soon, maybe once Yoongi is awake again so he can come with you.

You tell her about all the plants you are growing and that Yoongi gave you your own greenhouse as a present. She smiled at that and took your hand.

And then you tell her about how your life went from normal college days to days filled with vampires and witches in just a blink of an eye. You tell her about Taehyung and she listened with slight concern in her eyes, but with understanding in her touch.

You don’t talk about your problems that night. You go to sleep after your grandma made you and Jungkook warm milk with spices from her garden and honey from her bee friends. Your grandma wishes you both a restful night and promises that in this time and place nothing from the real world can hurt you. Then she turned off the lights and a wall of fog appeared between the rest of the cottage and your bedroom.

“___?” Jungkook whispers into the darkness.

“Yes?” you answer him.

“Are you sleeping?”

“No.”

The mattress shakes as Jungkook shimmies closer. He comes so close that you can see the outline of his features appear out of the darkness. His eyes are open, they reflect the faint moonlight shining through the curtains. They aren’t ruby as they normally are, but obsidian just as human eyes get.

“Can I talk to you?” he whispers.

“Sure, why are we whispering?”

“Just so”, he says quietly.

“Okay”, you answer him just as quietly.

“I don’t understand this place”, he whispers, “how can we eat and drink and fall asleep when they are nothing but your memories?”

“I’m not sure either. When I was in Yoongi’s memories with him, everything around us felt real too. I could feel the weather and smell the flowers. And Yoongi told me that there are many vampires who lose themselves in their memories because living in them is better than living in the real world.”

“So you think that we are still in your memories? And that this is all just a figment of your imagination?”

“I can’t say. I don’t understand either how my grandma is so real. She shouldn’t be able to interact with us or know that we are here.”

“Maybe it’s because you are both witches from the same family. Maybe we aren’t really in your memories but in some sort of witchy world in between your actual memories and afterlife.”

“Like a limbo type of place?”

“Yeah, maybe not that biblical, but who knows what happens when witches die. Maybe there is a realm for witch spirits to roam around in. Maybe this is actually your grandma’s spirit and this place is your family’s spirit realm.”

“It sounds possible. It would explain why my memories aren’t black and white like Yoongi’s memories and why she was able to see us.”

“It would also explain why childhood you stopped when she passed through us. Maybe she felt our presence. Can you remember feeling cold back then?”

“I can’t really tell, lots of weird stuff happened at my grandma’s place. Maybe I actually passed through us back then”, you say, studying Jungkook’s features, “holy fuck Kook, this all makes so much sense and yet it feels so unexplainable. How are we here? What is happening? Is my grandma really here?”

Jungkook reaches for your hand to hold it in comfort.

“Let’s just say that it’s a sort of spirit realm and she is real. We can’t find more answers tonight either way, the door is shut with fog.”

You sneak a glance over his shoulder. Impenetrable darkness lingers were once the door was.

“I guess you’re right. We just have to wait and see.”

“Yeah exactly. Let’s try to sleep tonight and see about it tomorrow”, he says.

“Yes, okay”, you say, closing your eyes, “I honestly need a night of sleep either way. I’m so goddamn exhausted.”

“I can imagine. You’ve been working so much lately”, he says.

“I had to.”

“I know, this isn’t an accusation. At least you did more than I did. All I did was cry like a loser.”

“Don’t say that Kook, if I wasn’t so occupied with finding a cure, I would cry too. All that keeps me from breaking down is the thought that only I can solve this. I can’t waste time crying when I’m the only one capable of fixing this.”

“I’m sorry you feel this way. I will contribute more from now on.”

“No Kook, this wasn’t an accusation. You did so much already.”

“I did?”

“You took me back to Meredith’s place and then brought me here. And tomorrow we will talk to my grandma and maybe finally find out how to fix this shit. I wouldn’t be as far as I currently am if it wasn’t for you.”

Jungkook smiles, squeezing your hand.

“This means I actually did something, I’m so happy”, he confesses in a whisper.

“You did. Thank you”, you say, shimmying closer until you can leave a soft kiss on his forehead.

Jungkook exhales shakily, lifting his head to look at you. His eyes are glassy and there is something in his gaze that lets you know that he can’t remember the last time someone kissed his forehead.

“Should we cuddle as we sleep?” you suggest.

“Yes”, he breathes, barely getting the word out.

You scoot closer, taking him in your arms.

“No”, he says.

“Hm?”

“Can, can I hold you?” he stutters, “I, I can’t hold you like I want to in real life. In here I don’t feel affected by your smell and, and I could hold you without wanting to hurt you. Please, can I?”

“Of course you can. Gosh Kook, you are so sweet.”

“Thank you. Okay, so. You have to come closer and I’ll put my arm under your head.”

“Like this?”

Jungkook closes his arms around you in the new position, pressing you against his chest.

“Just like this”, he whispers, nuzzling his nose into the crown of your head, “thank you”, he says shakily, “this feels so good.”

“Yes, it feels so nice”, you tell him, snaking your arm around his waist to pull him close.

You will rest for tonight. You have decided that. You will find rest tonight and you will find it in Jungkook’s gentle hold, surrounded by pillows and with the sounds of your grandma’s garden filling your ears.

The fog by the door is gone come morning. The scream of your grandma’s rooster wakes you. Three times he greets the sun and then a short pause follows. You peel your eyes open. You haven’t moved an inch. You are still against Jungkook’s chest with your arm around his waist and your senses engulfed by his smell. He feels warmer than he did last night, which brings out the sweetness of him even better. He doesn’t seem to be awake yet, judging by the calm – barely noticeable – breathing he is doing. He must be really relaxed for him to breathe that slowly.

You close your eyes again and snuggle closer to let his body shield you from the sunlight. Like this, the bridge of your nose is touching his chest. You can feel his heartbeat that way.

Rhythmic and calm. Constant and never faltering.

Fascinating.

Jungkook is human in here. His heartbeat is real, his warmth is real too, his breathing has a purpose. It is both fascinating and unexplainable to think about. How is he human? Is it because you actually made him human? Or perhaps those are the rules of the spirit realm. Perhaps vampires or other magical creatures, which aren’t witches, have to lose their powers first before they can enter. Perhaps in here, curses take no place and Jungkook has been ridden of his vampiric curse the moment he set foot in this place. Perhaps in here everyone is equal and no power could shift the balance of this realm.

Whatever the answer might be, you are happy for the way it is. Jungkook seemed so happy last night. You want happiness for him, because he deserves it. He works so hard to get better, but you know that it is still hard for him. At least in here he can relax and be himself. At least in here he can find comfort.

It feels nice to know that out of all the places it is your grandmother’s home. You can share the comfort she always made you feel with Jungkook. It is a nice thing to do.

And perhaps one day you can visit this place with Yoongi as well. You can introduce him to your grandma and then you can make flower crowns and later eat pie.

The rooster crows again. Once, then twice and a third time right after that.

Jungkook seems to wake up from it. He inhales deeply which presses his chest into your face for just a second before he exhales and his chest sinks again.

“Hm”, he lets out in hum, “hm?”

His hands begin moving, travelling along your upper arm and the back of your neck. He whimpers softly, as if he realised what he was doing, pressing you oh so close afterwards. His arms close around you tightly, his chest shudders in a shaky breath. This must be such a precious moment for him. To wake up and to realise that he was able to hold a human for the entire night. He must be so happy right now.

“Good morning”, you greet him quietly.

“Hey”, he presses out, squeezing your body, “oh god, you’re so warm and soft.”

“You too. It’s really nice.”

“It’s so nice, oh my god ___ it’s so nice”, he says, letting out a shuddering breath, “I just want to”, he squeezes you as tightly as possible, squeaking as he does, “you know?”

He makes you chuckle, “I know, I feel the same. You give amazing hugs.”

Jungkook squeezes you again and then again and because he can’t stop, he does it a third time as well.

“Gosh Kook”, you say, caressing his back.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop now. I, I just never woke up with, with the human still a-alive before.”

This tugs at your heartstrings. Poor boy.

“Don’t stop, sweets”, you tell him, “give me all the cuddles you want to.”

“Thank you, ___”, he says, pulling you close again, “thank you so much, oh I never want to get up again. This is heaven, I don’t want to stop.”

You let your eyes fall closed, running your fingers up and down his back mindlessly. Quite frankly, you don’t want to stop either. You feel so selfish to admit it, but having a good morning again feels nice. Oh you hate yourself so much for even thinking it, but your last countless mornings were filled with so much pain and exhaustion and fear of what the day may bring that this fleeting moment in this unexplainable realm of memory and reality feels addictive.

Outside the donkey answers the call of the rooster and somewhere downstairs the front door seems to close. Your grandma must be finally up, now leaving the cottage to feed the animals.

“It’s really busy here”, Jungkook says.

“Yeah right? It’s the best way to be woken up. I always loved waking up to the animals.”

“I can see that. I loved it too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I come from a family of farmers, well, fishers to be more exact.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, we had a small house by the coast down in Busan and had two boats. My father and uncle were the captains of them and we had five employees, including my older brother and me and my cousin. My mother and aunt took care of our house when we went out. We had lots of animals too. Chickens and goats and also so many cats and dogs.”

“That sounds so nice. Gosh, I never even imagined you as a fisher.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but it suits you. It must have been a good life.”

“I guess, it was until the war started. We all had to enlist, you know? My brother and my cousins and I. We had no choice, they sent letters to all the houses telling the families that all men between the age of sixteen and thirty needed to enlist or else they would have thrown everyone in jail for treason.”

“That’s awful, what the hell.”

“It was. I never wanted to be a soldier. I just wanted to be with my girlfriend and my family, not f-fight in a war I had no guilt in”, he confesses, hiding his face in the crown of your head for comfort, “I still dream of the fighting sometimes. I don’t wish this upon anyone, not even my enemies.”

“I’m sorry, Kook. I can’t even imagine how awful it must have been, but I am here for you.”

“Thank you”, he whispers, “thank you so much, for everything. I don’t ever want to let you go. It feels like it did back then.”

“Back then?”

“When I was human and I would wake up for a day at sea.”

“Yeah? Did you also wake up hugging your girlfriend?”

“Oh god no”, he giggles, “we weren’t allowed to stay overnight, because we weren’t married yet.”

You lift your head as best as possible.

“What? Why do you look so sad?” he asks.

“You never experienced sex as a human?” you whisper, “Jungkook, oh god. Do you truly not know how it feels like?”

Jungkook lowers his eyes in coyness, “just because we weren’t allowed to, doesn’t mean we didn’t try”, he confesses, blushing vividly, “her dad had a car and she always picked me up with it. Then we drove along the coast until we found a quiet spot and we, uhm, we had sex on the backseat. We were always so paranoid to be caught, but it felt so good that we didn’t want to stop.”

“Oh dear”, you have to chuckle, “well, that is good to hear. I think I would have cried if I found out that you never even experienced sex as a human.”

“Now you don’t have to”, he smiles shyly, “don’t tell anyone though, it’s a secret.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t dare to expose your horny ass”, you say, snickering.

Jungkook’s face lights up. He presses a kiss to your forehead and pulls you closer, keeping his lips against your skin afterwards.

“But that’s new”, he whispers, “I never woke up with a human like this. It feels so good.”

“I’m happy to be your first then. I hope we can have memories like this often.”

“Me too. I seriously want them every day.”

A thought comes to you then. Memories of the last conversation you had with Yoongi.

“If there was a cure would you take it?” you ask Jungkook.

“What do you mean?”

“If there was a cure to vampirism would you take it?”

“Yes”, he says without hesitation, “I wouldn’t even hesitate. I hate nothing more than what I am and I would do anything to change this.”

You lower your head, hiding your face in his chest. Jungkook, unaware of your racing thoughts, rests his chin on the crown of your head and smiles. He feels so relaxed right now.

“Jungkook, I have to tell you something”, you say.

“Tell me.”

“I think Yoongi found a cure to vampirism before he, you know, fell victim to Namjoon.”

“What?” Jungkook gasps, scooting back just enough that he can look at you, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was so preoccupied with finding a cure for whatever keeps Yoongi from us that I completely forgot about it”, you confess, “I’m sorry, but you seem so…content in here as a human and it made me think about what Yoongi told me on the night he…left. That’s how I remembered again.”

“What did he tell you?”

“That he wanted one lifetime with me.”

“Yoongi also wants to take the cure?”

“I don’t know anymore. I think I talked him out of it, but now I feel so selfish.”

“Selfish, why?”

“What if I forced him? I, I don’t know how living with all those urges is for you guys. I don’t know how it feels like to know that you can never die. I told him to not take it just yet, but to wait for darker days. It feels so selfish now.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t?”

Jungkook shakes his head, “I’ve never heard of this cure before and I don’t think other vampires have. We don’t know how it works or what it does. I assume you were just worried that it might kill him or hurt him. That’s not selfish, that’s simply not wanting your lover to be in pain.”

“I guess”, you say, lowering your eyes, “but I also just wanted to keep him a little longer”, you confess, “shit, I’m sorry. I know, it’s awful to admit.”

“It’s not”, Jungkook says, “you love him and that makes you want to stay with him forever. I get it.”

“You do?”

Jungkook nods his head.

“I know I said I would take it instantly, but now that I know it’s real I feel really scared. What if we take it, but then die really young because sometimes humans die young for no other reason than that the universe is cruel?”

“You don’t have to take it. Not until we tested it out on Namjoon.”

“You want to test it out on Namjoon?”

“Yes. This was our plan. We were planning on testing it out on Namjoon to see what it does and if it is safe. And then we wanted to keep it for darker days. That was our plan before everything went downhill.”

“Wow, you had a whole plan laid out”, Jungkook says, “and I had no idea.”

“I’m sorry, I forgot about it again. A-all I’m thinking about is Yoongi. I want to safe him first. He’s already gone from us and I don’t want to think about a cure.”

Jungkook nods his head, “I understand. We’ll safe him, I promise. And then we can talk about that supposed cure. Together. With Yoongi.”

“I like how that sounds”, you breathe, “I really hope that you are right. You know, when he told me about the cure he also said that he just wanted to know that he could also end and now-”

“Now he knows”, Jungkook whispers, “it’s cruel to imagine.”

“Exactly”, you breathe, closing your eyes when Jungkook cups your cheek and dries off your tears.

“Don’t cry ___. We have your grandma now”, he whispers.

“I know, I’m sorry I’m just so tired”, you confess, voice trembling, “I can’t do this for long anymore.”

“I know”, Jungkook breathes, leaning in to kiss the tears from your lashes, “you don’t have to. I’m here, I can carry most of it.”

“Oh god, Kook”, you whimper, twisting his shirt at the front. Your eyes, although sensitive from sadness, lock with his’, “I love you a lot, Kook.”

Jungkook widens his eyes in surprise, lowering them a second later.

“I love you too”, he says, “holy shit, do you mean it?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well shit”, Jungkook croaks, cupping your cheeks to squeeze them gently as he tilts your head up, “I love you so much, I-I can’t believe you feel the same.”

“Of course I do, you’re one of the sweetest people I know”, you tell him, caressing his cheeks.

They heat up under your touch, sparkly eyes almost blinding to look at from all the happiness in them. He smiles brightly.

“No you are. You are so sweet and wonderful and, and funny and pretty and I”, he stops himself, gasping for air. His eyes widen cutely, “I love you so much. I love you seriously so much.”

You smile, “I love you too, Kookie.”

Jungkook finally knows what the purpose of living is. It is being with you and loving you. He squeezes your cheeks and pulls you into a kiss. A deep and desperate kiss. The type of kiss, you would have lost yourself in on better days.

“Baby”, you whisper, breaking the kiss, “Jungkook baby, I can’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Sleep with you. I don’t feel those needs lately. I'm sorry.”

Jungkook looks sad at first, but soon deep understanding fills his features.

“I understand. I think I wouldn’t have enjoyed it fully either way. I just love you so much and knowing that you love me too, made me blind to the situation for a moment.”

“Once Yoongi is back, I promise you to make it up to you.”

“It’s okay, my baby. I don’t expect any kind of payback. Whatever happens will happen.”

“You are seriously so sweet. Thank you so much, my baby.”

Jungkook smiles, caressing your cheek.

“I just”, he falters, licking his lips. His eyes soften, “I just wanna tell you that this is what I’m training for. This is how I wanna be with you one day.”

You smile, caressing his pecs, “and you will. You are making progress each and every day and I am positive that we can have moments like this in the real world too.”

Jungkook nods his head, smiling so brightly his nose scrunches up.

Your grandmother is waiting with breakfast once you and Jungkook decide to come downstairs. She is in the middle of brewing herbal tea on her stove and listening to music on her old radio, but turns around when Jungkook greets her loudly.

“Good morning, my dear. Did you sleep well? Oh?”

You greet her by hugging her tightly, face hiding in the crook of her neck and arms tightly around her. You squeeze her gently, inhaling deeply to make sure that her scent will never leave your memories again.

She giggles mischievously, patting your back lovingly, “what a lovely surprise.”

“Good morning, grandma”, you say, stepping back to send her a smile.

“Good morning, my honeybee”, she says, running her hand down your cheek once.

“Breakfast smells amazing, grandma. I can’t wait to dig in.”

She smiles, eyes softening behind her golden framed glasses. She caresses your cheek a second time, making sure that the picture of your face will never leave her memories.

“Sit. Sit, my sweethearts. Drink tea if you want to. Milk is in the fridge. I will get berries from the garden”, she says and gestures you and Jungkook to get comfortable. She disappears through the backdoor afterwards.

Jungkook pulls out the chair for you, helping you sit comfortably. Once done, he leans down to wrap his arms around you from behind. He kisses your neck, just once and without any ulterior motive in mind. It feels nice to be loved that way, sending a warm flutter to your tummy.

He sits down next to you afterwards, pulling his chair closer to you so he can touch you innocently. He turns to face you, running his fingertips up and down your arm. You meet his gaze in a fleeting moment and backtrack, focusing on his sparkling eyes.

“What’s wrong?” you ask him.

“Nothing. I’m really happy.”

“Mhm”, you hum.

“Sorry. Ah dear”, he cups his cheeks, turning away from you in giddiness. You smile fondly because of it, turning your attention to the breakfast at hand. If you remember correctly, your grandmother’s breakfast is to die for.

“You should eat a lot. My grandma’s breakfast is amazing”, you tell Jungkook as you place some fried eggs and bacon on his plate.

“Thank you. I want to eat a lot. It smells so good”, he says, doing the same to your plate.

You and him share silence as you begin eating. The food is just way too incredible to taint it with conversation. You want to enjoy it fully. Your grandmother returns with a basket full of berries once you finished your first slice of toast and eggs. She prepares each of you a mug of steaming tea and as she washes the berries, you ask her if she knew more about this place.

“This is my home”, she answers you.

“Yes, but how is it possible that we are here?” you ask her, “that we can eat and sleep and it actually does something to us? How is Jungkook human? And why can you see us?”

“Are we in some sort of afterlife for witches?” Jungkook asks.

“One could call it like that, my dear”, she says, sitting down opposite of you. “It is a world only witches can enter. I am here because I am truly here. After a witch dies her soul enters this realm and manifests itself as a new body in this realm.”

“A new body?”

“Yes. Many choose to have a prettier, better body but I like how I looked”, she snickers, “wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes grandma, you look really beautiful.”

“I think so too, grandma”, Jungkook agrees, nodding his head vigorously, “so how come we managed to get here? It makes sense that ___ can enter the realm because she is a witch, but how come I am allowed to be here?”

“Well, this is a realm for dead souls after all and vampires are technically all dead.”

“Ah, that makes lots of sense.”

“And you are allowed to be here because ___ allowed you to enter through her consciousness. Without ___’s consent your soul would have never been able to even find this realm.”

“I see”, Jungkook says and holds your hand, “thank you so much for allowing me entrance, ___. I love it here”, he says.

“You have to keep it a secret though”, your grandmother says, nudging his arm gently.

“Of course I will. I will protect this secret with my life”, he promises and pretends to lock his lips.

Your grandmother laughs fondly, “I never doubted it. You seem like a decent young man.”

Jungkook flusters, “I try to live well. I didn’t always succeed, but I want to become better and better day by day.”

“This is noble thing to want, my dear”, she says and caresses his cheek.

Jungkook blushes, lowering his eyes shyly.

“And how did we get here?” you ask her, “I wanted to return to my memories with Jungkook and not get to this realm. How did we see my past self?”

“You must have linked yourself to this realm and walked a wrong path”, she says, “I can’t quite understand it either as getting to this realm requires a lot of training and many skilled witches still fail to do so. It is true that you started off in your memories. I must admit, that I didn’t see you at first until suddenly I felt myself become aware and then you appeared.”

“Fascinating”, Jungkook whispers, listening with parted lips.

“I think what happened was that your emotions overwhelmed you and therefore you possessed over great powers for a few seconds which then helped you reach this place. Tell me, my honeybee, have you ever had uncontrollable surges of power during very emotional moments?”

“I did! Grandma, I did. When, when Yoongi was dying and I thought that I will lose him. I-I felt so scared and heartbroken and lost and all I wanted to do was to protect him. So I screamed and then there was the bright light and all of a sudden Yoongi was unconscious and his entire body was covered in a layer of glowing light. Grandma, what does this mean?”

“I see. So it happened before.”

“It did and I think”, you hesitate.

“Go on, honeybee.”

“I think it happened when I was angry as well. There is this vampire, grandma. His name is Namjoon.”

“I know him. He is a very dangerous monster.”

“He is and grandma, okay listen. Grandma, we managed to capture him, but he hurt Yoongi because of that. And when I talked to him I got so upset for taking Yoongi from me that I felt so angry and so helpless and I just wanted to hurt him and all of a sudden he started bleeding out of his eyes because I cooked his insides. I didn’t even know how to do all of that before that. I thought of it and it just happened.”

“I see”, you grandmother says and sighs sadly, “oh, my honeybee”, she says with slight regret in her voice, “it pains me to know that despite all my efforts you have fallen into this world.”

“What?” you ask her

“You were never supposed to awaken your powers or meet such dangerous creatures.”

“Not them, grandma”, you say, taking Jungkook’s hand, “they are different from the demons in the forests or Kim Namjoon. They keep me safe and protect me and they are the only family I have left.”

“Are they? Truly?”

“Yes. Yoongi is the reason I’m still alive. Why I’m still breathing. He kept me save even before we fell in love and, and when I’m with him I feel…” you touch your aching chest, “…I feel at peace.”

You lift your glassy gaze.

“I feel at peace because when we are together the world and all its problems seem so unimportant. When I’m with him, I want to keep smiling and laughing, because just looking at him makes me happy. I have never felt like this before, grandma”, you confess and laugh.

She laughs with you.

You wipe your tears away, smiling honestly.

“Sometimes it scares me how much I feel for him, but then he says my name and I’m not scared anymore. And it doesn’t matter that he is a vampire.”

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“Yes more than anything, more than my life. More than my-”, you falter, looking at her with fearful eyes.

“More than your innocence, I understand.”

“You do?”

She nods her head.

“I did terrible things for your grandpa, my honeybee.”

“You did?”

“Of course. I killed for him too. They were vampires who wanted his head. So I killed them painfully. You and I are no different.”

“I feel so awful, grandma. I, I killed people.”

You miss the confusion washing over Jungkook’s face as your eyes are focused on your grandmother’s face.

“Those monsters weren’t people. Kim Namjoon and his followers don’t deserve your remorse”, she assures you.

“But still, I feel terrible.”

“Of course you do, but you shouldn’t. I must admit that I have never met a vampire like Jungkook before.”

“Like me?”

“Yes. Still so humane and full of true love”, she says, “and I have seen glimpses of how Yoongi treats you and specks of your friends I saw as well and I must admit that I have to change my view on some vampires.”

She reaches over the table, intertwining her fingers with you.

“But not about Kim Namjoon and his followers. They are terribly twisted creatures and you did what you had to do.”

“And yet I feel like I haven’t done anything. Grandma, everything I try turns out to be wrong. I tried so much already.”

“I know, you must be so exhausted already.”

“I am. I want all of this to stop. I want to get Yoongi back and I want to keep fighting until I do, but I don’t know how long I can still take all of this defeat.”

Jungkook places his arm around you, resting his chin on your shoulder so you know that he was here for you.

“I know, but it will all be over soon. I will help you”, you grandmother promises.

“You will? Oh grandma, thank you so much”, you say, spilling tears of grateful relief.

“Don’t cry, my honeybee. Grandma's here now”, she says in a soothing voice, “now tell me everything you tried already. We need to work out what might have gone wrong and how to fix it.”

And so you begin telling her about every possible cure you already tried. About all the spells you memorised, all the relics which turned out to be useless, all the tools you carved only for them to be worthless in the end. You tell her about the countless failures, the endless nights of research, the overwhelming amount of knowledge you acquired and how nothing was of help. You tell her about the hundreds of phone calls you made to the witches you knew and the hundred phone calls you made to the vampires you knew and then the hundreds of phone calls you made to the wolves who were willing to help. You tell her about how none knew what to do and that at some point all their wishes for Yoongi’s speedy recovery felt like mockery. You tell her about your own doubts. For you as a person, your magic, your abilities, your right to love Yoongi. You tell her how you cried for too many nights until suddenly you started to feel numb to anything. You tell her about Taehyung and the others and how they worried for you. You tell her about everything while she listened and nodded her head.

Once you finished your stories, she promises that she will help as best as she can. And then you spend your day doing research together. She teaches you how to control your magic during emotional moments and while you didn’t quite understand it, she promised you that with practice you will be able to master the skill. She teaches you the proper pronunciation of spells and explains to you why certain relics didn’t work the way you wanted them to work. And you realise just how very little you actually knew about being a witch, but she assured you that you knew a great deal and then she kissed you on the cheek and said that you always were a very self-conscious person because your mother didn’t make it very easy to have faith in yourself.

The moon is high in the sky by the time you finish your research. It is shining into the kitchen, but it isn’t dark inside the cottage. Your grandma told Jungkook to light a few candles. The latter is bundled up on your grandma’s sofa with you while your grandma sits in her armchair like she always did late at night. He is dozing with his lips parted in soft snores while you are practicing the spell your grandmother taught you.

You were successful. By the time the clock struck seven, you figured out a way of saving Yoongi. You wanted to cry and fall around her neck, but she told you to channel that excitement and turn it into magic. And so you did, practicing the proper way while she advised you and with it, your magic finally began to feel real. You could feel it coursing through your veins and tingle in your fingertips. Until now you felt numb to it, but through your grandmother’s advice you finally began to feel it.

And it felt wonderful. It gave you purpose and hope.

“You did it”, your grandmother gasps when you successfully turned the small heap of sawdust back into a tiny piece of wood.

“I did it. Grandma I did it!”

“Of course you did. I never doubted you for a second”, she says, “oh my honeybee, come here”, she says and falls around your neck in a tight hug. She falls off the armchair that way, kneeling on the floor with you while you hugged her and thanked her under tears.

Jungkook wakes from the sound, licking his lips and inhaling through his nose. He blinks a few times until finally sitting up.

“What happened?” he asks.

You break away from your grandmother to pick up the piece of wood and show it to him.

“I did it Kookie. I know how to focus my magic now”, you say.

“You did it”, Jungkook gasps, closing his hands around yours.

“I know how to use the knife now. Kookie, the spell I tried will finally work. I know how to focus the magic now. I know how to save Yoongi.”

“I can’t believe it. ___ you did it”, Jungkook’s eyes become glassy, “I never doubted you for a second.”

“I did, but not anymore”, you laugh, “Kookie, we’ll get Yoongi back. Grandma you-” you stop upon seeing her sad eyes, “grandma, what’s wrong?”

“You have grown up so much”, she whispers, “oh my honeybee, why does time pass so terribly quickly?”

You turn to her, closing your eyes when she cups your face.

“It is time for you to leave this place.”

“What?” you gasp, looking at her with fearful eyes, “but grandma.”

“You have to save your beloved. Time doesn’t wait for you. Two days have passed here as well as in the real world.”

“I see. Grandma, I don't want to leave you already.”

“Neither do I, but you have to leave eventually.”

“Can I see you again?”

“Maybe one day, but if we won’t, I am sure that you will be okay. You are my granddaughter after all”, she says, smiling sadly as she wipes your tears.

“I will return, I promise you. You have to meet Yoongi, grandma. When I heal him and I learned how to focus my emotions, I will return.”

She smiles, “and I will wait for you with raspberry pie.”

You laugh, she laughs as well. You help each other stand up, holding hands as she leads you outside. She holds Jungkook’s hand as well, caressing his knuckles. You know that you have to leave this place and yet the walk to the forest gate leaves your heart aching in your chest. You know that you will see her again one day and yet you don’t want time with her to end already. You have finally grown into the age where you can see eye to eye with her and you have so many questions you haven’t asked her yet. And yet as you try to speak them right now, you can’t think of any of them. all you can do is look at her face and hope that you won’t ever forget how she looks.

You stop when you are just a few steps away from the closed gate. She turns to Jungkook, cupping his cheeks.

“Keep being yourself, my dear. Your life will be bright”, she tells him, caressing his skin with her thumb.

“Thank you, grandma”, he says with a smile, “grandma, can I give you a hug?”

“Of course you can.”

And so it happens that Jungkook bends down to hug your grandmother. He does so with tenderness and honest love in his chest.

“Thank you for your help and for being such a great person in ___’s life”, he says.

“I could say the same about you, my dear.”

Jungkook steps back with blushing cheeks and a shy smile.

Your grandmother turns to you, gasping when you fall around her neck.

“I don’t want to go, grandma”, you sob into her shoulder.

“You have to, my honeybee. Live your life with your love truthfully, passionately, and to its fullest and I promise you that it will be worth it.”

“Thank you so much, grandma. You and grandpa are the only family members who didn’t leave scars. I will miss you so much.”

“I will miss you too, my honeybee”, she says and breaks the hug because she knows that you won’t be able to do so.

She pushes you closer to the gate, pulling your hands from her face to hold it. Her eyes carry tears but her lips are curled into a smile.

“I’m so proud of you, my honeybee”, she whispers.

“Grandma”, you choke out.

“Now go, live your life. I will be right here rooting for you.”

You take a step to the gate and turn again.

“Grandma”, you plead, reaching for her but she stays back.

“Go, my honeybee”, she whispers.

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can.”

“No. I can’t.”

She smiles and nods her head, “you can.”

Jungkook takes your hand, making you look at him.

“I’ll help you”, he says, “hold my hand and we’ll go together.”

“Kook”, you whisper, “Kook, please don’t let it go.”

“I won’t”, he says and tugs at your hand.

You stumble closer to the gate, eyes falling back onto your grandmother. She lifts her hand to wave at you and all you want to do was to run back to her and stay right here with her for the rest of your life. Jungkook clutches your hand tighter, opening the gate for you.

“Ready?” he asks.

The night is dark behind the gate. You look at your grandmother one last time. Jungkook squeezes your hand, letting you know that you weren’t alone. That he will hold your hand as you step through that gate and that long after that, he will keep holding it.

“I love you, grandma”, you say the words you never told her when she was still alive.

“I love you too, my honeybee”, she answers you.

You can’t move. You can’t move through that gate. No matter how hard you try, you can’t move on.

“Kookie?” you press out.

“Yes?”

“You have to tug me with you. Please.”

“Okay. Hold my hand, I will help you”, he says and steps through the door. You stumble after him, fighting the tug but at the same time clutching his hand.

Your grandmother gives you one last smile and then your feet stumble over the threshold. She disappears, darkness swallows the clearing and her cottage, your entire body begins to tingle and you know that any second now you will open your eyes.

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verycharismaticdragon · 10 months

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Do you know why everyone and their mother keeps saying that Sheb Qingqiu's secluded cultivation lasts for a year or 3??? Last I checked, wasn't he only in the cave for several months??

...I haven't seen a fic use that timeframe in quite a while - am I the delusional one??

Having intensively cultivated for several months, he could freely control his spiritual energy and had risen one level above his original cultivation base.

... nope, still as I remembered from the official book, page 85 in my copy. Even my old Exiled Rebels translation puts it as, "several months." Last I checked, 12 (or 36) months is far too many to simply be considered "several", so what am I missing? It just- throws off the timeline so badly and greatly increases the amount of time poor Binghe is stuck in the woodshed, for what?

Okay, so the 3 years thing comes from the donghua, no need to look further. It's one of those things that directly go against canon but have stuck in people's minds, similar to 'the washerwoman was the one to pull baby Binghe out of the river' and 'Shen Qingqiu fainted dramatically several times early on in his transmigration'.

Then, I don't believe I have seen 1 year myself, but if I had to guess, it may come from the fact that Binghe is 14yo prior to SQQ entering seclusion and 15 once he leaves. That said, an entire year makes zero sense considering what we know of the timeline.

Which is where I confess that I tore out some hair over the length of SQQ's seclusion when constructing the timeline for Transmigrator Time Traveler, because for me 'several' months means 3 to 5, but given all the facts, SQQ's seclusion had to last somewhere between 6 and 10 instead. (I went with 9 in the end, for the fic, cause I've read that 9 is a significant number for spiritual practices cultivation is based on? the source was a little vague so i don't know how true that is, but I needed a number.)

Nevermind, to the aforementioned facts. MXTX confirmed the date of the first chapter publication - Sept.21 - to be the date of SQQ's transmigration. (Small note: I'll be using modern months, even though SV's world uses lunar calendar, because it's easier to gauge weather and stuff. For characters in the novel, they might see those as different months/seasons, but that doesn't really affect our purpose here.) Luo Binghe’s 15th birthday - which Shen Qingqiu missed in seclusion - is in winter ('coldest day' which I after some research came to hc as jan6, though that's not particularly relevant, because...) Demon invasion happened on a 'hot day' (SQQ mentions it in relation to how SHL is dressed) - which puts it in May at the earliest, August at the latest. So these are the 'borders' we are working with.

Now, to my actual calculations. We know SQQ spent some time on the Peak after transmigration, before the Skinner mission that led to him going to seclusion. So I'm gonna say that happened in October at the earliest, December if you stretch it (though I feel like his tatas would freeze off if the Skinner left him half-undressed in December...) - but definitely not later, cause Binghe’s birthday has to happen off-screen. So if we take the longest possible time frame, October to August, we get 10 months. The slimmest possible window - December to May - gives us 5 months, but between the aforementioned boob hypothermia issue and the fact that May is a bit of a stretch for the 'hot day', I think that 6 months is the shortest you can go.

Which, again, doesn't align with my understanding of what should be described as 'several' months, but what can you do... tbh, im not sure MXTX thought all that hard about the timeline, which is understandable as a writer - but as a fan, frustrating

So yeah - definitely less than a year (and absolutely not 3, donghua), though the math gets fuzzier after that.

#that said im pretty sure that donghua's 3 years is to save on Binghe models... he def has different ones pre and post seclusion #but im pretty sure that demon invasion and IAC binghes have at the very least the same head. not sure about if the clothes are a recolor too #still... feel like they couldve handled it more gracefully. like for example not mentioning the time frame at all 🙄#svsss #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #svsss meta

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dapandapod · 8 months

Note

oh my god, I need this in my life ;____; Pairing is dealer's choice.

36. unconsciously searching out each other’s hand while sleeping

Look. I kinda missed the mark here, in a sense, as did I miss the timely window to write/reply.... xD anyway here it is? some Geraskier, a healthy dose of pining, and a lot of semi-platonic cuddling! Thank you Ebs my love for beta-reading! And I hope you like it, Kuri-darlin! Please enjoy <3 On Ao3 here!

It starts, as it often does between the two of them, with a deep bottle of spirit and a great idea. Usually, it’s one of Jaskier’s, but this time neither of them will claim the responsibility.

Skinnydipping is a much better plan in summer temperatures, rather than in late spring. Cold water from the icy mountains is still trickling down in rivers and finding itself in the lake they are now rushing out of, bare as the day they were born.

Jaskier isn’t shrieking, he never is, he is just flexing his vocal chords. Geralt is telling him that he is indeed shrieking, and that he should stop before it gets shrill enough to call the local dogs over.

Punching Geralt’s chest is very different when he is not wearing any clothes, skin cool and slippery, and Jaskier loses himself for a moment.

This is where it all begins, in a sense.

They are both rather lost, directionless in the free way of the traveling pair they are, but still trying to make out what path is theirs, and if what they will find at the end of the road will please them.

Geralt grasps Jaskier’s hand, and holds it to his chest. If asked, he will say he is clearly making sure Jaskier won’t be able to punch him again, but if you ask Jaskier, the only thing he will remember is firm fingers around his wrist, chest hair rough against his knuckles.

When Jaskier does not immediately protest, just stares at their hands with wide eyes, Geralt declares the bard too drunk, and he pulls Jaskier with him towards land by the hand.

Getting dressed one handed is… even more complicated while drunk, but the witcher does not let go of the bard, and leads him all the way to their rooms. They technically have their own rooms, but somehow they both end up in Jaskier’s room, only half way into the bed.

Later, Geralt remembers waking up with Jaskier’s fingers laced through his, and turns to look at his face lax in sleep, pressed against the mattress.

It happens again, of course it does. This time they are between inns, with winter and his bad timing stealing one last cold night before spring broke through properly.

They have found alright shelter, compromising the comfort of the open forest floor for keeping warm, snuck in the crack of a rock formation.

The fire is doing wonders, and despite the smoke stinging their eyes, Jaskier is looking decidedly snuggly with the fire behind him outlining his figure.

Their bedrolls are side by side, and Jaskier has grabbed onto Geralt’s hand, marveling over… well, marveling in general actually.

This time there is no alcohol between them, just a sense of peace and amusement, and Geralt watches Jaskier trace each digit, using both hands to look this way and that.

His knuckles are getting a great deal of attention, as is his thumb and palm. While he does it, Jaskier tells a story about his mother and a fortune teller that probably was a sham, but there once was this palm reader he met in Novigrad, and did you know that the placing or lack of calluses really tells a lot about you as a person?

Geralt listens with a smile, and snarks at the obvious holes in the storytelling when Jaskier is making too much up again, and, between one heartbeat and the next, Jaskier’s eyes droop shut.

He is still holding onto Geralt’s hand, one cradling the side of his hand and his pinky, the other holding onto his thumb. Even as specks of snow trickle down from above, and the wind howls, the fire crackles merrily, and Jaskier is holding his hand in his sleep.

Geralt doesn’t take his hand back, and in the morning they have inched closer, and Jaskier is holding Geralt’s hand against himself like you would a teddy bear.

Not long after the summer solstice, they make a close acquaintance with death. Her foul breath brushes the bard’s cheek as a Necker’s claw dug into his flesh.

Lucky for all of them, Jaskier is wearing a leather coat, and instead of being fatal, it just ends up being very fucking painful.

Blood is not a good look on bards, at least not their own, Geralt decides when Jaskier sits eerily quiet after being patched and bundled up in a barn that they’ve got to borrow for the night, with the promise not to bleed on the hay.

That night, Geralt reaches for Jaskier’s hand, holding it as he presses himself up against the bard’s back, listening to his even breaths and rapid heartbeat, infinitely grateful he made it in time to save him.

As with anything, spend enough time doing something and a habit is formed.

It isn’t every time, nor is it a conscious thought, but if there is but an arm's length between them, they will either end up half way out of their bedrolls and meet in the middle, fingers lacing together, or when they’re sitting idly next to each other for whatever reason, their fingers will seek each other out, sometimes barely touching, and other times overlapping.

It stops being a conscious choice, it is something just done. Jaskier eagerly grabbing his hand as he tells exciting news and then forgets to let go, or Geralt wanting to keep track of him, or to support him, or when in a crowd.

It’s natural, an anchor when they are in danger of getting lost.

They part, and they reunite later that summer, and that fall Geralt grabs Jaskier’s hands to rub them warm, to breathe on them to help him regain temperature.

He knows you shouldn’t breathe on them, knows how a breath actually can make them colder, but Geralt may or may not be accidentally brushing his lips to Jaskier’s knuckles, and Jaskier is pretending not to notice, pretending he doesn’t have fine rabbit gloves tucked in his backpack, gifted by the very witcher right in front of him.

Things change, and also they don’t.

Dragons and witches and a child of the elder blood marks each change in their own way. Jaskier finds himself waking up, holding his own hand in his cold room in Kaer Morhen, and Geralt’s hand reaches across the empty bed for the bard’s even before he registers not to.

Another bottle of spirits, this time a stolen Nilfgaardian booze smelling absolutely terrible with the aftertaste of dirt, and another bright idea later, and Jaskier and Geralt once again find themselves sprawled halfway across Jaskier’s bed.

Geralt had to pull him up the stairs by the hand to keep their balance, or so they told themselves. The White gull Geralt ended up downing tastes terrible on the second day he notes, shifting and pulling the warmth by his side closer.

Jaskier grunts in his ear and knees his thigh, but only when he tightens his hold around hot, sweaty fingers does Geralt realize what he’d been missing. Jaskier is tangled against him, arm trapped under himself in an angle that will promise complaints the moment he wakes up. It is warm, and it is comfortable, and Geralt is slowly coming to terms with what pleases him.

Relearning how to share a bed is much easier when you have an anchor, a focal point, or it would have been if Geralt wasn’t startled awake by Jaskier almost falling out of bed. They resettle, Jaskier now firmly between the witcher and the wall, and the back of Geralt’s hand pressed against his lips as sleep reclaims him.

It doesn’t matter if they are awake or not, they reach for each other like a weed craves the sun, like roots seeking dirt, like vines growing where they find purchase.

The day Geralt wakes up and finally finds courage, he kisses Jaskier’s palm, and Jaskier kisses his lips.

#the witcher #geraskier #geralt x jaskier #holding hands #hand holding prompts 2021 #shuddup i am so in time it's not been years #fluff #friends to lovers #getting together #dapanda writes #jaskier the bard #geralt of rivia

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hayleythecannibal · 11 months

Text

Twisted Minds: Chapter Ten Buffet-Froid

TW: Crime scenes, Gore, Crying, Death, Malpractice.

Warning this is Fem!reader. You can also find this on Wattpad and A03 under the name @HayleyMarieOfficial. Comment if you want to be added to the taglist.

Taglist: @punkin-time @miaowkitty @gabriella-aesthetic

Twisted Minds Masterlist

HANNIBAL’S OFFICE - NIGHT-

Hannibal and Jack enjoy brandy by the fire. Winter can be seen falling through the open windows. “You knew, from the moment you walked into his classroom, that you were putting Will in a potentially destructive environment.” Hannibal tells Jack, “I had eight college girls dead in Minnesota. He and Dr. L/N caught their killer.” Jack says as he stares at the fire. “He also caught their killer’s disease. He can’t stop thinking about what it is to take a life. And Dr. L/N’s mind is starting to blur the lines of only feeling the killers or the victims emotions. It's overwhelming her '' Hannibal expresses his concern.

“I’d rather Will Graham and Dr. Y/N L/N go a little mad than some innocent lose their

life. And I think they would rather that, too.” Jack says with a determined tone. His mind had been made up. “Will and Y/N are innocents.” Hannibal says softly, Hannibal then looks to Jack, his eyes conveying the sadness and regret he feels. Jack understands Hannibal's sentiment and nods in agreement. “Yes they are and I know they are going to survive. Will is genuine and Y/N is Compassionate. He’ll always come back to being Will. And Y/N will be calmed by Will.” Jack expresses his non-concern.

“Not always. So far. He saw a neurologist today. They found nothing wrong with him. He was very upset by that.” Hannibal Explains, “He wanted something to be wrong?” Jack questions with a raised eyebrow.

“He wanted an answer that wasn’t mental illness.”

“Do you think Will is mentally ill?” Hannibal considers his answer carefully.

“The problem Will and Y/N have is too many mirror neurons. Our heads are filled with them when we’re children. Supposed to help us socialize and melt away. But Will held onto his, which makes knowing who he is a challenge. He’s always reflecting those around him.” Hannibal explains.

“It’s a mild form of echopraxia”.

“When you take Them to a crime scene, Jack, the very air has screams smeared on it. In those places, They don’t just reflect, they absorb. They absorb in different ways but absorb nonetheless.” Hannibal's words reflect the importance of the environment in which an individual is raised. He highlights how the external environment can shape an individual's personality and even how they process information. This is a reminder that the environment matters and can have a lasting impact on an individual's identity.

WOODED HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT-

Will walks slowly into the dark bedroom. He turns on the

lamp on the night stand. Replaying the recollections in his

head. The stain from the murder still coats the floor.

“It’s 10:36 PM. I’m in Greenwood, Delaware. My name is Will Graham.” He edges toward the bed. He crouches to find – A PAIR OF EYES staring at him from beneath the bed. Will’s frozen. Dream or reality? When suddenly – THE BED OVERTURNS TOWARD HIM The lamp on the night stand is SMASHED.

In the FLASH of the exploding bulb, a SHAPE darts past Will, a DEAD YOUNG WOMAN, her skin yellowed and filthy, the whites of her eyes filled with blood. It may as well be the walking corpse of Beth LeBeau haunting Will’s waking nightmare of murdering her. But it’s not. Will grabs her by the elbow. With a sickening sound, a whole SHEATH OF SKIN PEELS OFF HER ARM, leaving Will holding the macabre “glove.” Before Will’s horror can quite take hold, we...Instead of holding the glove of skin, it’s a flashlight. He’s no longer in the bedroom.

We are –

WOODED HOUSE - NIGHT-

Will focuses his eyes. Swivels around. , a sense of frightful dislocation, the WOODED HOUSE in the deep, deep background. There’s no sign of the Dead Young Woman. Will looks at his watch and winces. Will Graham has “lost time” again. Loud enough to hear if the Dead Young Woman was near: “It’s 1:17 AM. We are in Greenwood, Delaware. My name is Will Graham. And you are alive. If you can hear me. You are alive.” the expansive, silent night...

WOODED HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT -

Will and Beverly stand over the disheveled room. “Why did you call me? Why not Jack or Y/N? Why not the police?”

“I called you because I’m not entirely sure what I saw was real.” That admission almost breaks her heart, but it doesn’t show. “Then let’s prove it.”

“I grabbed her arm and an entire layer of dead skin separated from the underlying tissue... like she was wearing a glove.” Will runs a hand over his face, “That’s why she doesn’t bleed.” Beverly cocks her head to the side.

“Could be a severe staphylococcal infection. That, or leprosy.” Beverly Raises her eyebrows, “Her eyes were discolored. She was malnourished. Jaundiced. Liver’s shutting down. She was deranged.” Will expresses what he experienced. “She mutilated a woman’s face because she thought it was a mask.”

“She can’t see faces. If she did kill Beth LeBeau, she might not even know she did it.”

“Then why did she come back?”

“To convince herself she didn’t.”

“Is that why you came back?” Beverly asks as she turns to him but doesnt meet his eyes. “If I wasn’t clear on that issue, I know I didn’t kill Beth Lebeau. I just want to know who did.” Will says as he stares at the floor.

“Me, too. You and Y/N are the subject of a lot of speculation at the bureau.” Beverly says softly as she looks at the blood stained floor. “Oh yeah? What are they speculating?” He slowly turns towards Beverly, “That Jack pushed you both right up to the edge and now you’re pushing yourself over. And that Y/N will follow soon after.” Beverly Sighs not wanting it to be true for her friends.

“This killer can’t accept her reality. I can occasionally identify with that. That being said, I feel relatively sane.”

HANNIBAL’S OFFICE - NIGHT -

The clock Will has drawn, correctly numbered with hands corresponding to 7:05, until he gives it back to Hannibal… “Thank you for humoring me.” ...and it is DALI-ESQUE.“I feel like I’m seeing a ghost.” Will says with a chuckle, Hannibal tilts his head “Regarding this killer or yourself?”

“Both.”

“She’s real. You know she’s real. There is evidence. When you saw her, your sanity did not leave you.”

“Time did.”

“You lost time again?” He glances at the DALI-ESQUE CLOCK, closes the notebook. “I spoke to Dr. Sutcliffe. We briefly discussed the particulars of your visit. Would you like to discuss them with me?” Hannibal continues. “There are no particulars. He didn’t find anything wrong.” Will expresses his frustration. “Then we keep looking for answers. Perhaps you would permit me to run some tests of my own?” Hannibal suggests and raises an eyebrow.

“Thematic Apperception Tests? Minnesota Multiphasic?”

“Among others.”

“You wouldn’t publish anything about me or Y/N, would you, Dr. Lecter?” Will asks as he rubs his stubble. “If there were ever anything that might be of therapeutic value to others, I’d abstract it in a form that’d be totally unrecognizable.” Hannibal admits as he watches Will’s eyes, they have such value and an insight into his soul and broken mind.

“Just do me a favor and publish it posthumously.”

“After your death or mine?”

“Which ever comes first.” Hannibal lets that hang in the air, then: “Have you considered Cotard’s syndrome? It’s a rare delusional disorder in which a person believes he or she is dead.” Hannibal Suggests as he Studies Will. “Talking about the killer or me?” Will asks

“The killer, of course.” Hannibal says calmly.

��She couldn’t see the victim’s face. Or she was trying to uncover it.” Will scrunches his eyebrows and thinks. “The inability to identify others is associated with Cotard’s syndrome. It’s a misfiring in the areas of the brain which recognize faces, and also in the amygdala, which adds emotion to those recognitions. Even those closest to her could seem like imposters.” Hannibal explains as he analyzes every movement and facial expression that Will does.

“She reached out for help, someone she loved, someone she trusted. She felt betrayed, became violent.” Will suggests, no not suggests Knows “She can’t trust anything or anyone she once knew to be trustworthy. Her mental illness won’t let her. Have you ever felt that way, Will?” As Will identifies with the gravity of that, we...

WILL GRAHAM’S HOUSE - NIGHT -

DOGS, slumbering in a bunch. Will sleeps fitfully, sweating. Holding Y/N from Behind as she sleeps as well. It’s dark. Shadows throw dim light over the property. the DEAD GIRL watching the house. Emaciated, hand ripped raw from her encounter with Will.

WILL GRAHAM’S HOUSE - SAME TIME-

Stirring in his sleep. his living space until it finds the narrow slit of the curtains, barely open. A HORRIBLE EYE Subconjunctival hemorrhage, cataracts, a leaking iris losing

its shape. But still it watches from outside as Will and Y/N sleep.

F.B.I. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY -

Jack, Will, and Y/N interview JOCELYN MADCHEN about her daughter.”I was almost relieved when I got the phone call. I thought you found her and she was... would be at peace.”

She winces at that admission. “You thought she might be dead?” I ask with a tilt of the head.

“Makes me sound like a horrible mother. I tried to be a good mom. I tried to do everything for her. Just don’t want her to be in pain.” She says with a sorrowful voice, I place my hand on her hand empthetically. “No one is doubting your dedication to your daughter, Mrs. Madchen.”

“How well did she know Beth LeBeau?” Jack asks Ms. Madchen, “They were best friends. Went to school together before it was unsafe for Georgia to go to school. I don’t think they talked in years.” She says. I'm about to ask a question but Jack beats me to it. “When did you notice your daughter was struggling with mental illness.”

“When she was nine, she told me she was thinking about killing me and that she was already dead. Imagine staring into your little girl’s eyes and knowing something... awful is evolving behind them.” She explains, I quickly pull a psychology journal I had been writing my studies in since I was in high school. “What sort of symptoms did she have?” I ask quickly. “Older she got, the worse they got. She had seizures, hallucinations, psychotic depression. I was grateful when she was catatonic.” I nod and flip through the pages of my journal to find a specific page, a specific case I studied. “Was she violent?” Jack asks

“Sometimes. We took precautions, made plans. Georgia’s little sister knew to lock herself in the

car at the first sign of trouble.”

“What did her doctors say?” Will asks “Not much. She’d stay in the hospital for months at a time. A million dollars of blood tests and brain scans, all of them inconclusive.” Will reacts to that, relating to her frustration. “I don’t have a million dollars. I’m being sued by the hospitals and insurance companies, none of them could ever tell me what was wrong.” Ms. Madchen says

“You still don’t know?”

“They would say it was this or that, but they were always guessing. I did my own research, wrote down every word all those doctors would say, all the different terminology. Learned a lot but mostly what I learned was how little is actually known about mental illness. All they really know is it’s rarely about finding solutions. It’s mostly about managing expectations” I find the page, Cotard’s Syndrome : People with Cotard's syndrome (also called walking corpse syndrome or Cotard's delusion) believe that parts of their body are missing, or that they are dying, dead, or don't exist.

B.A.U. - JACK CRAWFORD'S OFFICE - DAY -

Jack sits behind his desk, lost in thought, pouring over the case file on Georgia Madchen.

Will standing in the doorway. “Managing your expectations?”

“Changing my expectations. After Miriam Lass died, I went to pack up my office. Then the idea of packing became so overwhelming I thought I should just leave. I got a trainee killed. It was a failure of leadership. I was responsible.” Jack says with a sorrowful voice, he's trained not to break but that's all he wants to do. “You didn’t kill Miriam Lass. The Chesapeake Ripper did.” Will tries to reassure him.

“Doesn’t feel that way to me. I pulled her out of a classroom like I pulled you out of the classroom. And pulled Y/N into this.” Jack says as he shakes his head, “She was a student. I’m a teacher. And Y/N is a Psychiatrist Who also happens to be FBI.” Will says not letting Jack try to blame himself for things. “Neither of you are real F.B.I., which means I’m as responsible for you and Y/N as much as I was for her.” Jack says with anguish.

“I’ll take my own responsibility.”

“Not from me, you won’t. We’re going to share that responsibility. I broke the rules for Miriam Lass. Encouraged her to break the rules. I’m breaking the rules with you and Y/N.” Jack feels upset and disappointed with how he keeps making the same decisions over and over again. “Allowing unstable agents to do field work?” Will says with his eyebrows raised.

“Special Agent. Meaning you still represent the F.B.I. Meaning you still represent me.” Jack says voice slightly raised and angry. “Have I misrepresented you, Jack?” Will asks confusedly. “No, but you’ve got me curious. Why are you still here when you and I both know this is bad for you. You had an opportunity to quit. For some reason you didn’t take it.” Jack says with concern and interest on his face.

“Do you want me to quit?”

“I want you to know why I think you didn’t quit. You’re still here because what you do here has given you some sense of stability. That stability is good for you, Will.” Jack expresses gently.

“Stability requires a strong foundation, Jack. My moorings are built in the sand.” Will runs his hands over his face. “I am not sand. I am bedrock. Even when you are doubting yourself, you don’t have to doubt me.” Will, realizing he has an ally in Jack --

HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOME - DINING ROOM - NIGHT -

Classical music plays. Dr. Sutcliffe and Hannibal consider a centerpiece of succulent ham still on the bone. “The Jamon Iberico. Still love your rare treats, don't you, Hannibal? The more difficult and expensive to obtain the better.” Dr. Sutcliffe points out in an almost rude manner.

“It's a distinction that adds an expectation of quality.” Hannibal says calmly as he cuts the meat gently and with precision. “Not always” Dr. Sutcliffe expresses as he drinks the wine but not spending time to savor the meal. Hannibal cuts into the meat. “For Iberico, only a few pigs are selected each year. Once chosen, they roam the fields of Western Spain, enjoying a diet of local acorns and roots which give the ham its distinct flavor. But is the pig, once fattened and slaughtered and air cured, superior to any other pig, or is it simply a matter of reputation preceding product?” Hannibal says eloquently, he watches as Dr. Sutcliffe takes large bites of the meat without even savoring it.

“Irrelevant. If the meat-eater believes it’s superior, belief determines value.” Dr. Sutcliffe says with a shrug. “A case of psychology overriding neurology.” Hannibal says with a smirk, as he savors the meat as it is intended to be enjoyed. “A case of reputation being king, but referrals being better.” Dr. Sutcliffe says with a arrogant attitude and radiance.

“We know how Iberico chooses his pigs. How did you choose yours?” Dr. Sutcliffe asks with a suspicious tone. “Are you referring to Will Graham?” Hannibal asks with an ever so slight tilt of the head. “You’re fond of the rarefied. What makes him so rare?” Dr. Sutcliffe asks curiously, wanting to pick Hannibal's Brain. “Will Graham has a remarkably vivid imagination. Beautiful. Pure empathy. Nothing he can’t understand and that terrifies him.” Hannibal explains to Dr. Sutcliffe, “So you set his mind on fire.” Sutcliffe Questions, he thinks what Hannibal is doing is morally wrong, but how could something be Morally wrong to a person who is so Morally Grey.

“Imagination is an interesting accelerant for a fever.” Hannibal doesn't even look at Dr. Sutcliffe, “How far is this going to go? Put out the fire or let him burn?” Dr. Sutcliffe asks with a serious and concerned tone. “Will’s my friend. We’ll put out the fire. When it’s necessary.” Hannibal looks Sutcliffe Dead in the eyes.

“He wants to have more tests.”

“Now we’ve confirmed what it is. It’ll be easier to hide from him.” Hannibal says with a sly smile --

MRI EXAM ROOM - NIGHT -

Now in a hospital gown, Will sits on the MRI's sliding tray and lies down. Dr. Sutcliffe hands him a set of ear-plugs. “Hang on. I’ll warm this thing up.” As Dr. Sutcliffe exits FRAME, Will pops in the ear plugs.

MRI TUBE - NIGHT -

The tray containing Will Graham slides into the tunnel and comes to a stop. Waiting. Claustrophobic. The CHIMES sound. The KNOCKING BEGINS. It's bone-rattling loud. Even with the ear plugs. He blinks. And SILENCE. Dead. Silence. Will is lying on the tray except now he's outside the MRI tunnel. He removes the ear plugs and sits up. Its empty. He's alone. No one at the controls. He inches off the tray and walks out the door.

SUTCLIFFE'S OFFICE - HALLWAY - NIGHT-

Empty. Will steps out of the change room, buttoning his shirt as he shuffles toward Sutcliffe’s Office. He slows to a stop once seeing an odd stain outside Sutcliffe’s door, which is partially ajar, an almost imperceptible speck of something that catches Will’s eye. Then Will notices the burgundy smear on the door knob, as if someone pulled the door shut behind them and it didn’t latch.

“Doctor Sutcliffe? No answer. Will moves forward cautiously.

SUTCLIFFE'S OFFICE - NIGHT -

Will slowly pushes the door open. A SERIES OF THIN SMALL FOOTPRINTS track back toward Sutcliffe’s chair, each one becoming more defined the closer they are. DR. SUTCLIFFE’S EYES

They stare dead-lidded at Will. they are UPSIDE-DOWN, looking over the back of his chair, flipped nose over eyes, PEZ-DISPENSER STYLE. His jagged “Glascow Smile” has nearly beheaded him at the jaw. The bloody scissors, the murder weapon, have been discarded

on Sutcliffe’s desk in a small smatter of red. The horrible silence rings in Will’s ears and we...

BLUE LIGHT dances across his face.

DR. SUTCLIFFE’S OFFICE - NIGHT -

LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS and FBI AGENTS can be seen passing in the hall as Beverly runs a CSI ULTRA-VIOLET WAND over Will. Jack Crawford watches. Beverly reassures Will, and Jack: “You’re clean. You couldn’t have done this without getting something on you and there’s nothing on you.”

“I don’t feel clean.” Will says softly, Y/N walks in and sees everything, Dr. Sutcliffe, His face is split open at the jaw, sitting in his chair. Brian Zeller working over Sutcliffe. He pulls a long stringy hair from the bloodstain on Dr. Sutcliffe’s collar. the BLOODY SCISSORS, still on his desk, just as Jimmy Price takes a PICTURE of them, then carefully picks them up. “Murder weapon has the same diseased or damaged tissue on it that we found at Beth LeBeau’s house.” Jimmy says, “What connection does this guy have to the first victim?” Zeller asks with a stupid look on his face.

“Just me.”

“What do you remember?” Y/N asks as she looks at her partner of multiple contexts. “I remember coming here. Going into the MRI, getting out... and finding Dr. Sutcliffe’s body.” Will says as he looks at Y/N, with devastation in his eyes. “No confusion?” Jack asks calmly, “Not that I’m aware of.” Will says as he looks up at Jack. “This Dr. Sutcliffe, does he usually see patients after hours when he’s the only one in the office?” Jack asks with confusion.

“He was very accommodating.” Will says softly, “Georgia Madchen followed you here? While you were ticking away in an MRI, she did this to your doctor? Why him?” Jack asks, well more demands but yeah. “She can’t see faces. Maybe she thought he was me.” Will says as he watches Y/N Sit beside him and rub his back soothingly. “Okay, while we’re at it, why you?”

“I don’t know, Jack. I have a habit of collecting strays. I tried to tell her, that night I saw her, I tried to tell her she was alive. Maybe she heard me. Maybe that hadn’t occurred to her in a while.”

WILL GRAHAM’S HOUSE - NIGHT -

WILL’S EYELIDS flicker. He glances over to see the dogs are all staring under the bed, their growls growing ever so gradually. Will leans over the side of the bed, pulling up the sheets, and looking under his mattress and box spring. A quick, startled glimpse. Face ghostly and white. Eyes filled with blood and cataracts, a living corpse. Nevertheless, he panics and tumbles off his mattress, scrambling away from the bed. The dogs BARK aggressively. Will positions himself between dogs and bed and commands: “Tssst. Stop.”

The dogs stop barking in various stages until all quiet, only the low-pitched rumble of growls ready when they’re summoned. Will is strangely calm, cautious. He knows he’s not dreaming. He puts his face close to the ground to peer under the bed. UNDER THE BED In her grim visage we see not horror, but sadness. An ache. Georgia Madchen stares back, feral, silent.

“I see you, Georgia.” She scoots further into the shadows under the bed. “Think of who you are.” The genuine need in Will’s statement calms Georgia. “It’s midnight. You’re in Wolf Trap, Virginia. Your name is Georgia Madchen. You are not alone. We’re here together.” A long moment of silence, then a distant, raspy whisper…

“Am I alive...?” Georgia’s gnarled hand reaching out from under the bed...

HOSPITAL - BURN UNIT - DAY -

Will approaches a BURN TANK. Georgia’s visible through clear plastic, protected from the outside world. She is heavily sedated and her body has been coated with ANTISEPTIC GEL.

The dead woman is on life support, her eyes are open but for all intents and purposes, she is unconscious.

HANNIBAL’S OFFICE - DAY -

Hannibal is behind his desk as Jack considers nearby.“Risk of infection is high. She’s lost most of her vital fluids. Even some bone mass. She’s being treated like a burn victim.”

“Will she recover mentally?” Jack asks “Almost all sufferers of this delusion recover with treatment. In extreme cases like this one, electroconvulsive treatment. I’m more concerned about Will.” Hannibal says honestly, “Thought you’d be more concerned about your friend Dr. Sutcliffe.” Hannibal studies Jack’s intent before answering.

“I’m grieving Dr. Sutcliffe. But Will’s are very much alive. He’s still desperate for an explanation that can make everything right again.” Hannibal explains his feelings. “I’m desperate for some explanations myself. I want to talk to this young woman when she recovers. How much of this will she remember?” Jack wonders

“I sincerely hope for her sake, she doesn’t remember much.”

#hannibal nbc #hannigram #fem!reader #hannibal x reader #hannigram x reader #will graham x reader #twistedminds

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