#Felt like rambling in my own grogginess

[erineas]

Being in a relationship with more than one version of the same skeleton should be a bit clashing sometimes. Especially if their personalities go different ways.

Imagine your sleep schedule is a mess and you just go to bed awfully late one night. You know you're bound to wake up past noon the next day, but you're too tired to care. There's nothing important to worry about tomorrow, anyways.

Hopefully, the one that finds you first is someone like Classic Sans, probably sent by Papyrus to pick you up for breakfast since he would be sleeping too if given the opportunity. He would see you there, hiding behind a comfy cocoon of your sheets, and would climb next to you to resume his napping in your company.

You two would happily nap the hours away if it wasn't for your next skeleton to appear.

Someone like Swapfell Sans would burst the door open (careful enough to not be too loud to startle you or to snap it from it's hinges, for that matter), probably thinking you were already awake. It's a surprise he didn't check on you earlier since he's the type of guy to be up and about at the very same hour you went to sleep, but he still didn't wait until noon to give you your 'good morning' kiss before going on his day.

He would wake you right then and there, complaining about how you shouldn't waste a productive day. He actually doesn't care if you use it to be productive or not, that's just his way to help you fix your schedule. And after all this time dating him, you know he means well.

From then on, your tired mind would have two options: leave the bed and fight the grogginess until you're functional again (and wait for him to sleep together at a decent hour) or fall right back into dreamland with the still sleeping skeleton in your arms.

Whatever you choose, if they're not to fight each other, you know someone will try to convince you to change your mind.

[your-nanas-house]

Sweet treat

◇ Pairing: Stepdad!Thomas Shelby X stepdaughter!Reader

◇ Warnings: SMUT, stepdad x stepdaughter, they both off age, cheating, sweet words.

◇ Summary: Thomas needs a bit of a sweet treat after a rough and long day at work.

◇ Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English. Took me ages to finish this, sorry for the wait... been quite stuck and busy lately. 🙏❤️

"Darling..." his low sweet voice called as his rough hand brushed away the hair that was on Y/n's face.

It was still dark when the young woman opened her eyes, still half asleep and a bit confused of what was happening due to the deep sleep she previously was in.

"That's my princess," the voice cooed almost mockingly and she could feel the callous hand move on her neck now... against her warm skin.

She knew too well what was going on but her groggy mind didn't allow her to fully take in what was surrounding her.

Almost reflexively a small smile appeared on her face when Tommy's lips kissed her forehead tenderly, the fingers of the sinner now moving the fabric of her nightgown off her shoulder... exposing her tender body to the cool air of the night.

His extension at work that day meant only one thing... he was searching something specific from her... and it was urgent since the man woke her up just for that.

He usually didn't wake her up on purpose... but he made an exception just in those desperate nights.

"Wake-up for daddy, sweet girl" his accent thicker than usual, she could tell it clearly when his low raspy voice pulled her completely back into reality.

The young woman inhaled sharply as soon as she felt the contrast of the tender caress on her cheek and the dirty feeling of Thomas' throbbing boner which was pressing down her lower stomach.

Her tired eyes flattered open for the second time, wandering slightly confused before meeting her stepdad's light piercing eyes and his towering frame.

Sleepiness was still blinding her mind and she needed to get fully awake to understand completely what was happening— but her body reacted faster than her mind.

"There she is. Good girl" Thomas hummed at the view, removing skillfully his shirt before opening his pants as well, pulling them down with his underwear.

The only light present in the room was the little candle he brought there and the soft smoothing light of the moon, which made her understand that it was still pretty early to actually wake up and start the day... and her mom was probably still in her own bed.

The girl could really feel now the rough circles that her stepdad was doing on her clit through her panties, which made her body jolt slightly in pleasure and bite automatically her bottom lip to be quiet. He always liked that she was so responsive for his touch and his praises. It made it easier to get her wet and go to the main part quickly when he needed.

"Tommy—" the young woman nearly whined out as she spread her legs wider to indulge in that pre-orgasm sensation which was the amazing path of the perfect stimulation of her body caused by various factors. Like his tongue swirling now around her hard nipples, mixed with the rough massage her clit was undergoing and his calloused free hand which was busy kneading her flesh.

"Had such a.... fookin'... shit.. of.. day..." Thomas revealed between open mouth kisses, never stopping to work on her so to get her ready for him as he continued to ramble about what happened.

Sadly he had little patience that night so as soon as her smaller body shook due to the orgasm, which hit her like a train, he sucked his fingers clean and easily manhandling her into a position he liked.

Lay down on her belly, ass up and hands flat on the sheet so that the man could easily reach for them.

The young woman's head was resting on the soft pillow, her breathing was heavy as she heard just the soft sound of the fabric moving and the cracking of her bed. She didn't dare to look and check on what her stepfather was doing, opting to behave and close her eyes as she waited patiently.

Thoughts swam in her head, making her bite her bottom lip inconsciously as her body kept buzzing from her earlier orgasm.

Her mom was still in the other room and there were so many maids they could have been easily caught if they wouldn't have paid attention.... not that Thomas was worried about it. In contrary, it was quite exciting for him— for them.

"Always so good for me, luv" The man's low and raspy voice interrupted the silence as the tip of his cock teased her entrance, thrusting carefully in the tip a couple of time to make her relax a bit before the definitive push which made her nearly scream and take his lenght all at once.

Tommy's rough hand flight to her mouth, covering it completely as he slowly pulled out, after waiting to allow her to adjust, enough to leave just the tip inside before thrusting harshly back in.

"So good" he breathed out with a grunt, continuing with his slow but rough movements not caring about her at all now that he had manage to be deep balls in her cunt

"You like it, love?" he asked breathlessly, as his hand sneaked to her chest so that he could play with her perky tits while still keeping one on her mouth to prevent her to be too loud.

It was perfection, Thomas loved those moments with her... his wife was nothing compare to Y/n. His sweet Y/n.

The bed kept cracking at each rough thrust he did, nearly covering the sensual noises of their skin slapping together as his hips snapped forward hitting her joggling ass.

Their body were covered of a thin layer of sweat which started to soak the bedsheets as the time passed and Thomas's cock kept bullying her warm walls inside, his tip hitting her g-spot roughly a couple of time before sending her over the edge.

He didn't stopped at all, rather he increased the speed now that his own control was slipping away since his dick was being milked by his stepdaughter's tight pussy. One thrust, two thrusts, three— and his body tensed, his hips pressing flat against hers and his lenght deep inside of her so not to dirty the sheets with the warm thick load that was filling her up.

"You're fookin' amazing, love. Daddy really needed it" the older man praised in a breath, his hips rocking in lazy swings before he finally let himself collapse on her smaller body— caging her in a hug till early morning.

[redroses07]

Just Friends // Stiles Stilinski

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader

WC:1.7k

Summary: Stiles is struggling after being controlled by the Nogitsune, and he turns to you for help. But little does he know, it will turn your friendship into so much more. Takes place after season 3. (Allison isn't dead!!!)

Warnings: Swearing, angsty as fuck, sad Stiles, kissing, implied smut if you squint?, PTSD.

A/N: HI GUYS!!! I really like this fic and ofc I hope y'all will too! This is my first time writing about Stiles and I think I did pretty well! As always, enjoy!! And comments and reblogs are appreciated. P.S. lmk if y'all want me to do a part 2 where they tell their friends (Scott's reaction hee hee) - Claire ♡

After Stiles was released from the control of the Nogitsune, things seemed to go back to normal. Well, at least that’s what one would think from the outside.

The series of events had taken a severe toll on Stiles’s mental health, and even though he did a good job of hiding it, you were the one person who seemed to know what he needed.

It all started about a week after everything happened, it was the middle of the night and you were jolted awake by the sound of your phone buzzing by your head.

You were about to hit decline but then you saw it was Stiles and feelings of worry began to stir within you.

You quickly answered, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you forced yourself awake.

"Stiles, is everything okay?"

"Yeah...well not really. I hate to ask, but do you think you could drive over to my house. I just really don't want to be alone right now." Stiles's voice was groggy, and laced with exhaustion. The fact alone that he was asking you this made you immediately agree.

You hopped out of bed, not bothering to change out of your pajamas, slipped on your slippers, and you were on your way.

Your house wasn't far from Stiles's, about a five minute drive with no traffic.

You lived directly in the middle of him and Scott, being only a short distance from each. The close proximity was the main reason the three of you had stayed so close throughout your school years.

"Friends", that's all you and Stiles had ever been. Although, neither of you could deny the chemistry between the two of you, risking your friendship never seemed worth it.

It was on this night that all that would begin to change.

When you arrived at Stiles's house, he had left the door unlocked for you so you wouldn't have to fumble around with the spare key in the dark.

You found Stiles laying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He looked lost in thought, his eyes rimmed with dark circles. It hurt seeing him look so drastically different from the Stiles you knew, and you wanted to do whatever you could to help.

You laid down next to him, your body facing his.

"Hey..." Stiles began, still staring at the ceiling.

"Stiles, what's going on? You know you can trust me with anything right?"

"Yeah...It's just a lot to put into words." Stiles's voice cracked, which told you that he was fighting tears.

You sat up and stiles copied the movement. You were now both facing each other, sitting legs crossed on his bed. You pushed aside the unspoken vow between the two of you and placed his hands in yours. Stiles's breath hitched, and you could tell he was avoiding eye contact with you.

"Take all the time you need, I'll listen to every word." you said softly.

"I know everyone thinks I'm doing okay, but I can't even function. I can't sleep without having nightmares. I can't eat or do anything without remembering all the awful stuff he made me do. I didn't know who else to tell except you. Scott has his own set of issues, and you're the only person I trust like this."

Stiles began to ramble, and your heart broke as he did. How had you not noticed earlier? Yes, it had only been a week, but you knew Stiles better than anyone. You felt like an awful best friend.

"I'm so tired, I just want to feel normal again." He could no longer hold back the tears, the dam broke and Stiles became a sobbing mess.

You pulled him into your arms with no hesitation, which only made Stiles want to cry.

"No, no I'm going to get your clothes all wet." Stiles protested trying to pull away, but you wouldn't let him.

"A few tears never hurt anyone." You said.

At that Stiles let himself fall into you, his body going limp with exhaustion. You tried not to cry along with him, wiping your burning eyes to prevent the tears.

"It'll be okay." You whispered as Stiles's sobs turned into sniffles. He finally looked up, his cheeks wet from the tears that had escaped his puffy eyes.

You did the only thing you could think of and gave him two kisses, one peck on each cheek. Stiles lips turned up in a small smile, his cheeks still turning red despite his current state.

"I think the first thing we need to do is get you to bed." You smiled, pushing Stiles's messy hair back.

He looks at you and nods without moving from your arms. You lean back on his bed, pulling him with you. You positioned yourself to where Stiles was resting on top of your body, his head pressed to your chest. You kept your arms wrapped around him, squeezing his body in an attempt to comfort him.

As you were settling down you heard Stiles whisper your name softly.

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll wake me up if I'm having a nightmare?"

"I promise." You replied as you reached down and laced your fingers with his.

Stiles gave you a half-hearted smile in response, his puffy eyes glazed over from fatigue.

"Thank you." Stiles murmured, fighting sleep.

"Shhh." Was your only response as you traced your fingers along his back.

"I love you." It was an incoherent whisper, so much that you couldn't be sure of his words. But something told you you had heard correctly.

By the time you went to reciprocate the statement, the room was filled with Stiles's muffled snores.

You sighed and proceeded to fall asleep yourself.

Stiles slept through the night for the first time in weeks.

After that the trajectory of your relationship began to shift.

From holding Stiles's hand to remind him that everything was okay when you were with your friends, to staying up all night listening to him talk.

You rarely got to sleep at home anymore, but you didn't mind. You weren't far if you needed something, and it helped Stiles get a good night's sleep. Yet he would still apologize every time. "I'm sorry to bother you again.", "I promise this is the last time.", when in reality you were definitely okay with an excuse to spend more time with him.

You had become his anchor to reality, and Stiles could feel things beginning to look up with every day that passed.

Your friends picked up on it too.

"So, are you and Stiles together, or..." Lydia and Allison asked when they managed to corner you at your locker one day. It was a question you didn't know how to answer. Eventually landing on, 'it's complicated.'

"What's going on with you and Stiles, I'm starting to feel like a third wheel when we're together." It was a joke, but there was certainly some truth behind it.

You laughed it off and changed the subject, but didn't forget the comment that night when you and Stiles laid in each other's arms drifting off to sleep.

Surprisingly, it wasn't you who finally brought it up, but Stiles.

It was a Friday night, and the two of you were at your house instead of his.

"Shit, I forgot clothes to change into." Stiles said as he fumbled through his backpack.

"It's all good, I have a spare pair of clothes in my drawer for you." You replied, pointing to the dresser.

Stiles smiled and laughed, holding eye contact with you for perhaps a moment too long.

"You take care of so much for me, sometimes I feel like you're my wife." It was a casual statement, but it put you at a loss for words.

You laughed awkwardly, failing to come up with a reply.

Stiles could very clearly read your emotions, he pushed the drawer shut and walked back over to sit next to you.

You tried to calm yourself, but your heart wouldn't stop beating at what felt like an unhealthy pace.

"You're my best friend..." Stiles began, taking your clammy hands in his.

"You've done so much for me in the past few weeks, just like a best friend should; but I can't help thinking that this feels like something more."

You felt as if the world stopped. You knew this conversation would come, but definitely not now. Your brain seemed to stop producing thoughts.

"Please tell me I'm not imagining all of this. I know this is a lot at once, but Y/N I love you." Stiles's voice shook from the overwhelming nerves.

"I love you too." You spoke for the first time in minutes, it felt amazing after you had heard it fall from his lips that first night you spent together.

Stiles's eyes gazed into yours, and suddenly the feeling of just your hands touching wasn't enough.

You reached over and grabbed Stiles face, finally closing the gap between the two of you.

You pulled Stiles down as you did, his body landing on top of you sinking into the kiss.

You tugged on his hair lightly, pulling him as close to you as humanly possible. Stiles fell deeper into the kiss, locking your hands together and pressing your body further into the soft mattress.

After a few minutes of pure bliss you broke apart. The air that filled your lungs was both a blessing and a curse. You needed to breathe, but the absence of his touch only made you want him more.

Stiles hovered over you, the sound of his heavy breathing was the only thing you could hear over your own beating heart.

"So I take it you're not just my best friend anymore?" Stiles giggled, pressing his forehead gently against yours.

"Nope."

You gave a sly smile before pulling Stiles down by his shirt and connecting your lips once more.

[xoluvx]

Im making breakfast rn but then i thought of this

So the previous night Maggie planned a family dinner night and Billie brought us while Finneas brought Claudia. We all ended up Staying the night and in the morning We decided to go cook breakfast, and when billie comes in we start play fighting, and like we throw some pancake batter on her, then suddenly we start making out and she's very obviously trying to fuck in the kitchen and we're like 'no. are you crazy im not fucking you in your mom's kitchen.'

And you can decide how it ends 😛

☀️rise & shineee☀️

dying at this request please you know how im gonna end this anon 🤭

“why are you up so early?” billie groaned, eyes still half shut. the kitchen was brightly lit and it smelled heavenly. that didn’t change that fact that you were the first person up while everyone else was sound asleep.

“i’m making breakfast,” you looked up at her. the cutest little expression on her face. bowl in your arm. brows furrowed and lips pouty.

“how are you real?” billie teased, her voice groggy still laced with sleep. she shuffled her feet towards you, making soft noises as she reached you. her arm slipped around your waist, head leaning on your shoulder as she watched you mix.

“make yourself useful,” you joke shoving her with your hip. she groaned and you accidentally flicked some of the batter when you pointed at her with the mixer. billie gasped and her eyes widened feeling the wet batter on her neck. she pursed her lips looking at you. you covered your mouth trying not to laugh but it was too late because she was reaching for the flour. she held a small hill in her palm and blew it in your face.

you coughed and closed your eyes. tight line smile.

you lunged at her and she held your arms as she giggled and you rambled warning her (teasingly of course) that she was in big trouble and as you tussled, she wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you by the strap of the apron before her lips crashed on yours. that’s all you needed to melt like butter. you fell into her releasing control and held you as you made out in the middle of the kitchen. bodies pressed so close together. lips molding so perfectly. hands roaming each other’s bodies.

when you felt your body press against the sink you groaned. her pelvis pressing on yours. hands on your ass, lips fire on your own.

“mm breakfast,” you hummed remembering you were cooking.

“please,” she breathed on your cheek, lips wrapping on your skin, teeth sinking gently leaving small bites down your neck.

“fuck billie,” you sighed. your brain was malfunctioning so consumed by the feeling of her lips, her hands, her hips.

“yes?” she asked coyly bringing her hands to your breasts, fisting them over the apron. she found your lips again and kissed you feverishly thrusting her hips on yours, pulling your leg up around her waist giving her a better angle.

“no. no are you crazy? i’m not fucking you in your mom’s kitchen,” you replied, voice slightly high pitched and very much out of breath. but your head hung low when her hands found the waist band of your shorts and tugged at them. you whimpered when her hands traveled down your ass and under your shorts. you moaned when she squeezed your bare ass and slithered down getting on her knees.

you swallowed holding on to the counter with both hands. Your back wet from the water that’d spilled over when you were washing dishes earlier.

you watched her hold your leg up. her eyes never leaving yours. she hooked your leg over her shoulder. you thrusted your hips forward. she uncovered your pussy pulling your shorts to the side and you gasped when her tongue ran between your folds.

“oh my god,” you moaned tossing your head back as she increased the pace of her tongue. she rotated it with purpose, licking and flicking. nose buried in your cunt as the noises of your wet pussy bounced off the walls in the warm kitchen. you leaned your back on the counter pushing your hips forward swaying them to the rhythm of her tongue.

needing additional support, you held on to the faucet. grip so tight you were afraid you were going to break it. she was devouring you like you were her favorite meal and you were so close to bursting. the icing on the cake or syrup on pancakes? fuck, you couldn’t think.

“cum,” billie instructed and with a few more laps you did. decorating her face with your arousal. lips and chin glistened when she pulled away. heavy breathing. thick air in the room. lashes batting as your hand unraveled from the faucet, cramping and painful.

billie came up and held your body as your legs wobbled.

“i could eat that for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she teased kissing your head as you blinked realizing what’d just happened... in her mom’s kitchen. while everyone was, hopefully, sleeping.

“don’t forget dessert,” you added out of breath and she chuckled nodding her head suggestively before cupping your face and kissing you so tenderly you forgot what you were doing and where you were. again.

[yawnjzznn]

airport crush; c. yj

!non idol au!

• pairing: yeonjun x female reader

• summary: you see a guy in the airport waiting for his flight and you make it a mission to get his number before he gets on board, embarrassing yourself in the process.

• warning: swearing & yeonjun teasing

you’ve had quite the morning, waking up at 6am for your 11am flight. you’re still groggy, iced coffee in hand with your suitcase in the other.

nothing can make this morning better— that’s until you see a guy waiting for his flight alone, sitting on an empty row of seats.

your eyes basically pop out of your eye sockets at the sight, stopping dead in your tracks.

though you can’t see his appearance clearly, you can tell the guy’s tall by the way his legs are stretched out infront of him, leaning against the chair with his phone in hand.

he’s wearing a red zip up, layered on top of a black shirt paired with grey sweats that seem to appeal to you in a way it never had.

he seems preoccupied with grey headphones over his ears— but that doesn’t matter to you, not at all.

you hug your iced drink and grab your phone, immediately calling your sister who you had just said goodbye to for your vacation.

she picks up almost instantly, maybe worried that something had gone wrong only to hear you fangirl over some stranger.

“bro i’m at the airport and there’s this fine ass guy. should i talk to him?.. i want him so bad. brooo i want him so bad oh my gosh..” you start to ramble, tearing your gaze away to stare at your shoes.

“y/n.. seriously?..” you hear her sigh, “rate this guy out of a 10.”

“bro he’s a fucking 11. he’s so fine bruh oh my gosh.. he’s got fine ass headphones on..” you bite on your nails, giggling— practically flushing red over this stranger.

“honestly if he’s that fine.. get his number..”

“how?” you pout.

“just ask him what he’s listening to. then pretend you like the artist and ask for his number.”

“no that’s too straightforward.”

“tell him he’s cute.”

“no that’s worse!”

“figure it out. BYE!”

you stare dumbfounded, angrily texting your sister curses before you turn your phone off, shoving it into your pocket.

without a plan, you started to walk towards him, deciding you’d just go with the flow spontaneously.

nervously, you sat next to him, tapping on his shoulder immediately so you wouldn’t look like a weirdo sitting beside a stranger when there were many empty seats nearby.

he turned to you, confused but still taking his headphones off, letting it hug his neck, “yes?..”

now infront of him— now that you could see his face. all you could feel was regret.

he was much finer than you thought he’d be..

you blinked, caught off guard, feeling your heart thumping out of your chest, “h..hi?..”

you mentally cursed at your own words— trying to calm yourself down by telling yourself you didn’t expect him to be so hot— or his voice to be so attractive.

unfortunately, his presence alone was intense and intimidating, already having you look more nervous than you had ever imagined you could be.

“hi?..” he tilted his head to the side.

“.. how’s your day?..”

fuck.

fuck..

“… good?…” he blinked, even more confused than he had already projected.

“.. that’s good.”

“thank you..” he let out an airy laugh at your nervousness, definitely helping to sooth you just a little bit.

you sighed, shoulders slumping, “honestly.. i just wanted to get your number..” you admitted honestly, looking away to try and feel a little less intimidated.

“oh. sorry, i have a girlfriend. we’re actually getting married. she’s just in the washroom right now.”

your stomach dropped and your world practically crumbled in embarrassment. you felt your cheeks get even redder than before, eyes widening as you snapped your head at him in shock, “i’m so sorry! i didn’t know!”

you slapped your hand over your mouth, fully processing the information.

your stomach churned in raw embarrassment, standing up immediately to try and scramble away but he stopped your dead in your tracks, grabbing your wrist.

“im just joking!” he laughed at your reaction, even more when you slowly turned your head to look at him, jaw dropped to the floor.

now you were even more embarrassed— and even more desperate to leave, “my flights leaving in 2 minutes!” you lied in distress, pulling your hand away from his grasp to dash away.

and as you were halfway out of the lounge area, you stopped dead in your tracks once again— realizing your had left your suitcase behind.

you cursed, biting on your lip and shutting your eyes close in hopes that this would just be a dream.

snapping you out of the war going on in your head was the stranger, tapping on your shoulder to get your attention.

you slowly turned around, smiling awkwardly at him, “silly me! haha..” you grabbed your suitcase that was beside him, rolling it towards yourself.

he laughed, “don’t be so embarrassed. it’s all good.”

you basically melted seeing and hearing him laugh, mesmerized, you embarrassed yourself further more by just.. staring at him.

“stop staring. it’s making me shy.” he joked, a playful grin plastered on his face.

you somehow got even more embarrassed, now 100% sure your face was a crimson red with how warm you felt.

“can i have your number?” he smiled.

could this fine man really want your number? even though you were looking stupid with how red you were?..

nonetheless, you mumbled out a small, “yes..”

though all that embarrassment and regret floated away when you had made it to your lounge, seeing a notification from the stranger.

“that was cute lol”

[eriksmaiden]

Doll - Chapter I (Clay Puppington x Reader)

Moralton. A stupid, dead-end town. It’s worthless, just like its Mayor— at least that’s what he thought.

Clay Puppington’s every day life was nothing short of a maddening nightmare. A loveless marriage, a disappointment of a son, and a job he absolutely detested. The only mere fraction of solace he had was at the bottom of his third bottle of whiskey, its stinging warmth was his only comfort, and even now it felt like far too little in the face of his son’s ungodly antics.

He often questioned how worthless of a father, of a man, he had to be for his son to turn out the way he had so far. He would look down upon his innocent face after every routine visit to his study, and he could only see himself, staring back up at him. A young Clay who seemed so similar to Orel. Maybe Clay hadn’t been worth it to Arthur, but Orel would be to Clay now— in his own twisted way. He wanted to give Orel everything he thought he’d wanted when he was in much smaller shoes, and he supposed that included a strong female presence, because clearly Bloberta wasn’t cutting it to help keep his son in check.

‘What to do? What to do?’ Clay paced around his room, haphazardly stitching trains of thought together through his nightly drunken stupor, until his eyes fell upon the town’s phone book. ‘Perfect! I’ll just make my idiot trouble child some other woman’s problem, it’s foolproof!’ Clay’s shrill inner voice chimed, celebrating a half baked victory as he dialed some randomly selected babysitter’s phone number, who for all he knew, could be insane. Not that he cared, he was sure he’d been stricken with a new vein of genius that he had to seize immediately. The phone rang as he waited impatiently, he hardly realized the time at which he’d been calling this strange woman.

“Hello? Who is this?” A soft voice came out from the receiving end of the call, somehow still sweet despite clearly being groggy, and at least mildly upset over being woken up in the late hours of the night. The uncharacteristic warmth of the woman’s tone shocked Clay, who hadn’t heard a single woman direct herself even slightly positively towards him in years.

“Clay— Clay Puppington,” he hesitated, suddenly his drunkenness was nowhere near enough to help him brave through this conversation. “I was interested in your babysitting services for… for my son, Orel,” Clay rambled on about his son’s situation, as if the whole town wasn’t aware of Orel’s escapades already, and yet this strange babysitter still listened to him drone on and on about it. When he was finally done with his useless rambling, her soft voice chided in again, an unfamiliar feeling of respite surging through him.

“I understand, Mr Puppington— When would you like me to start?” Her ever patient tone put him at a distrusting ease, and he immediately barked that he wanted her there as soon as possible, to pick up Orel after school, and make sure he didn’t get in any trouble. She hardly seemed fazed by his harsh voice, and simply obliged, agreeing to start work the very next day. As soon as she hung up, he realized he didn’t even know her name, hastily he flipped through the phone book until he finally found it— Y/N Cross. ‘What a good, Christian name,’ he thought humorously to himself before downing his fourth, no… fifth, bottle of whiskey. That tawny colored bottle bottom really was this pathetic man’s only solace.

Morning came and went, Clay could hardly remember if he’d even told his wife about the babysitter that would soon invade their family home, or if he’d even told Orel she’d be picking him up. ‘No matter,’ he thought, ‘they’ll figure it out themselves.’ Moralton’s mayor was far too preoccupied with hating his job while he was in his office, to even think of doing anything else, much less go out of his way even further than he already had to help his family. Just the idea itself seemed ludicrous, they could fend for themselves while he did his job as man of the house, he thought bitterly.

Much later rather than sooner, Clay was able to clock out of the town hall, begrudgingly making his way home, all thoughts of the babysitter or his son’s misbehavior, were all left far behind him— only one thought remained in his head: booze. He wanted nothing more than to shut himself in his study, engulfed by all his trinkets, and taxidermy animals of his very own creation; fully delve into the pleasant buzz his favorite amber colored drink shot through his bloodstream. But as soon as he uttered the words “stupid dead end job” like he usually did when burst in through the front door, he was met with a face he didn’t expect.

She seemed like a simple girl, soft features, kind eyes— those certainly got him, her bright eyes, full of life that he’d never seen anywhere in Moralton before. Suddenly he wasn’t thinking about booze, or how he’d have to discipline his son over some other idiotic misdemeanor, or even about his precious taxidermy, he could only think about what this innocent lamb was doing in the wolf’s den.

“Mr Puppington, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, I’m Y/N Cross.”

[thnxforknowingme]

Christmas Eves (1/21)

Summary: Blaine makes a quick trip to Ohio to see his parents over Christmas. He certainly doesn't expect to run into his ex-boyfriend Kurt, or to reexamine every aspect of his life, but this Christmas Eve is full of surprises.

Rating: Let's say T? G or T.

Notes: I desperately wanted to participate in the December Klaine Fanworks Challenge this year, but have had no time for writing. This weekend I had a dedicated writing session with some friends and managed to complete chapters for 9 of the prompt words, so I think I have the momentum to actually write the whole story. Will it be done by December 21st, or even by Christmas? Almost certainly not. My quasi-reasonable goal is to get it all written and posted by the new year. Anyway, enough of my rambling - I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Plead

Blaine slept in on Christmas Eve, groggy from travel and still accustomed to Pacific time. He woke up with the winter sun streaming through the window of his former bedroom, long turned into a generic guest room since he moved West for college. His mother had a passion for redecorating, and the room currently had a nautical theme - everything in shades of blue or white, boat motifs abundant, and a sign above the closet door proclaiming that You cannot control the wind, you can only adjust your sail.

He glanced at his phone, the calendar widget reminding him it was Christmas Eve, forecasting Christmas tomorrow and his scheduled flight back to LAX on the 26th. It was a short, perfunctory trip home for the holiday.

There was a knock on the door. “Blaine, honey!” His mother called. “Are you up yet? I need to run out for a few things, I’d love if you came along!”

Blaine dropped his phone onto the bedspread and squeezed his eyes shut, little starbursts appearing behind his eyelids.

“Just a minute!” he replied, and then rolled out of bed.

.

“Oh, this is nice,” Pam said, pausing by a display of velvety bathrobes in the department store they were exiting the mall through. “But I’ve already gotten you something cozy.”

Blaine resisted the urge to squeeze the cup of to-go coffee in his hand. His mother’s quick errands had turned into a trip to the mall, which was complete chaos as desperate shoppers searched for last-minute gifts and bedraggled parents lined up for hours to get their kids’ photos with Santa. Blaine was already nursing a headache and his mother’s words set off his internal alarm bells. “Please tell me you didn’t get me pajamas,” he said.

“It’s a tradition,” she replied simply, feeling the lapel on one of the robes and then continuing forward.

“Mom,” Blaine pleaded as they walked outside. “I told you this last year - I don’t need them. I don’t wear pajamas, and flannel is way too warm for Los Angeles anyway.”

His mother paused on the sidewalk curb, turning back to face him with an unconcerned smile. “Darling,” she said, reaching up to cup his cheek, “Let me have this, okay?”

Blaine took a deep breath. Arguing was apparently futile. “Fine,” he muttered, and set off towards the car.

.

Christmas Eve dinner was an elegant affair, but small. The next day they’d make the 40-minute drive to Blaine’s grandparents’ house, where other extended family would congregate, but tonight just he and his parents gathered around the dining table.

After saying grace and passing around dishes and complimenting the food, Blaine’s dad turned to his favorite topic of conversation - the importance of networking.

“Did I tell you my old classmate Andrew is going to be in LA next month?”

“Yes,” Blaine replied, “You copied me on an email to him.”

“Have you reached out to try and set something up? He owns a rental property somewhere out there so he might know someone useful in the industry. And he’d be a good connection for you to cultivate even if he doesn’t know anyone in film, if you were ever interested in changing directions.”

The only direction Blaine felt like going in now was far, far away from this conversation. He put on a polite smile and said, “I’ve been busy with the holidays, but I’ll make sure to reach out once I get back.”

“Good,” his father said. “Andrew was in my fraternity, we lived together my junior year. Have I told you the story about the Michigan game that year?”

Blaine had heard the story multiple times before, but he let his dad tell it again anyway, making sure to laugh and gasp in the right places. He had the wry thought that at least he was getting some acting practice, playing the role of an engaged, doting son.

.

At 10pm, Blaine grabbed his mother’s keys from the hook by the door and drove her car into town, parking outside the Watering Hole.

Blaine had never gone to bars much in Ohio - he’d moved away before he was 21, and had visited infrequently since. Sam had taken him to this place over a Thanksgiving break in college, and it seemed the kind of bar that would still be open on Christmas Eve. He just needed to be out of his childhood home, away from his parents and their expectations for an hour or two.

He went in and found it unexpectedly busy. Not crowded, but far from deserted. He ordered a beer and perched at an open table against one wall, where he could people-watch or stare at the TV behind the bar.

“Excuse me?”

Blaine turned towards the voice, and when he saw the man standing behind him, he felt like he’d taken a punch to the chest. It wasn’t pain so much as shock, the air temporarily knocked out of his lungs as he beheld the older - but definitely very recognizable - form of none other than Kurt Hummel.

[blackberry-bloody]

Pick Your Poison 9

You chose to call before you rest.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to stop and get some sleep. Taking a deep breath you nod, much to Berkley’s visible relief. “Ok. Thank you. But before I do, is there somewhere I can make a phone call?” You reach for the phone on the table, waiting for his response.

“Oh, I suppose I can step outside until you’re done. Then you can come get me and I’ll take you to your room.” He gives a slight smile before starting towards the door. However, he quickly pauses to add some clarification. “This place is very big and very old, it’s really easy to get lost. I wouldn’t recommend wandering off without me.” His tone was much more serious than it had been previously. You felt an odd chill run down your spine at the warning, glad you chose to stay in the library before.

Once Berkley left the room, you fully picked up the phone and dialed your parent’s number. Hopefully they would pick up despite the random number combined with the ungodly hour of night.

Ring.

Ring…

Ring…

Rin- “Hello?”

You felt a wave of relief wash over you as the groggy and confused, but unmistakable voice greeted you over the phone. You managed to keep your voice calm, “Hey. Sorry to wake you up but, I kinda have a situation”. 

“Oh! It’s you. I didn’t recognize the number. What’s going on?” Concern flooded into their voice and you could hear them shifting in bed. A slight wave of guilt tugged at you for waking them up.

“Well… I went for a walk, right? And I don’t know how, but I must’ve gotten turned around somewhere. Because I have no idea where I am, and weird things keep happening.”

“What?” That concern turned to panic, and you heard the rustling as they started to get up.

“I’m ok for right now though!” quickly you tried to calm them down at least somewhat, “I ran into someone and he’s letting me stay with him. So I’m not just wandering outside all on my own. It’s this huge building in the middle of the woods. Which… sounds bad… I know. But he told me there were hunters and things in the woods, so it could be worse I guess. He told me his name is Berkley Johnson.” you tried to laugh it off. Pretend like you weren’t terrified.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. Just hang tight. Do you need me to come get you? Though, you said you had no idea where you were, so I don’t know how I would be able to-” they were rambling but you weren’t listening. 

Honey.

You’ve never been called honey by them before. Never. 

“Hey um… Humor me?” You couldn’t hide the tremble in your voice.

“Oh? I- sure? What do you need?” the voice on the phone spoke.

“What’s my name?” Your tone is as firm as you can muster.

“Your name?” confusion in its voice.

“Yes. My name, what is it?” a growing pit of dread settling in your gut. You hoped you were wrong. Hoped you were just being Paranoid.

“Why are you asking such a silly question? I don’t understand what that has to do with anything…”

“My. Name.” Rage started to seem into your terror. Making for a volatile concoction of emotions. “Tell. Me. My Name.”

“Look- I know you’re scared, but you sound paranoid-”

You didn’t even bother hearing the rest of the voice before you hung up. You chucked the phone away.That wasn’t your parent, no matter how convincing it sounded.

Taglist: @whumpshaped, @whumpsday, @whump-queen, @whumpzone, @whumptier, @emmettnet, @icyheart-and-friends

[quinloki]

Ramble ramble

Just 1000 words of a possible opener to a self-insert isekai Marco/sona story.

I might change the perspective, but I like the idea of an omnipotent 2nd person that’s just mostly focused on the OC’s point of view. (I also don’t want to start writing first person and screw up mid-work on all my reader inserts, so here we are xD )

Their name will be Quill, and their hair is white, because I like that look and so I’mma use it.

I didn’t edit a damn thing, this is just me distracting myself so read at your own peril. Fully safe for work (for now).

Your head hurts and your body’s sore, and none of it makes sense. You shouldn’t feel anything - you died.

You remember dying, spending the last few moments in a hospital bed, the steady beeping of the monitors slowing. Your body gave way to the march of time and that’s all there was to it.

It was a good life, a long one full of people and laughter and good times. Some of it hurt terribly, and some of it you could’ve done without, but against the odds you had lived.

Right up until you had died.

You had.

You were so sure of it.

Soundlessly you opened your eyes and looked around carefully. The room was bright with sunlight, wooden and smelling of disinfectant and salt. The subtle scent of oak or maple tickled the back of your brain and the design of what you could see looked uncomfortably familiar.

You were too disoriented to really hone in on what it was, but your entire thought process snapped to a halt when you realized that you had shifted.

Not because you moved, but because the room had.

The subtle sway took a long moment to happen again and with a terrible sinking feeling you realized you were on a ship.

The salty smell was ocean air.

The boat was wood, you imagined, since the room was, and you turned your head to get a better look.

Despite the crisp clean scent there was no electricity in this room. Aside from that it looked like a well stocked recovery room. Not a place you’d want to have open heart surgery in, but you’d be sure a broken bone could be set at least.

Wincing against the soreness in your limbs you sit up. Nothing hurt in an alarming way, and you weren’t dizzy. Groggy, maybe, you could probably still nap a little longer, but you’d thought your sleep was to be of the eternal variety and now your curiosity was stoked about your situation.

You were in a simple linen shirt and pants. You looked over your body and came to realize you weren’t in your body.

If this was your body, you didn’t have any memory of it. You were short, muscled, missing scars and other marks you knew you had. Your skin was tan, and your hair was almost shockingly white.

You ran the strands between your fingers, marveling at it a little. You were most certainly not in your body. Eighty plus years of life had left its marks deep in your skin and soul, but this body was new.

New bodies healed a lot faster, and you swung your legs off the side of the bed, or the exam table turned bed, and hopped down onto the floor.

You could feel the slow tilt of the ship more now that you were standing but it wasn’t making you queasy. That was a welcome sign. Whatever body you’d been dumped into you weren’t in some poor schmuck that got seasick.

You looked around the room, looking through drawers and opening cabinets. You didn’t move anything or take anything, it seemed wrong to just wander out of the room too, so you did your best to stay put.

Bandages, medicines, syringes, sutures, tools for doing wellness checks. It was a fairly typical setup. If not for the lack of electricity you’d almost think you were on a cruise ship.

You didn’t know, technically, who you were, or where you were. But your current body was intact and you weren’t restrained, nor were you surrounded by blood and bodies and bars, so you felt pretty relaxed. You were on edge a little, wondering when the door was going to open, but you had been left on your own long enough to sate your curiosity and climb back onto the exam bed table thing.

You decided to look out the window and realized you had a decent view of the deck, or the small bit of it that ran down the side of the ship. You couldn’t be more than a storey up from it.

You noticed someone approaching and felt the blood drain from your face. The man was massive, not just 7’ or something but eye level with your window vantage point. He had to be over twelve feet tall easily. It was an impossible height, and despite the obviously kind smile on his face as he noticed you, you fell back into the room and slammed the shutters closed, nearly falling off the makeshift bed in alarm.

Your mind reeled at the possibilities, but you weren’t left to your thoughts for long before there was a knock at the door. You tried to say “come in”, but no sound left your mouth.

The air passed your lips, but you couldn’t make a peep. Panic rose up in your throat, had you ever been able to talk? Was this body mute? Would you be able to communicate in this world? What if you couldn’t write? What if none of this was real and you were dreaming the last few moments before your brain died?

Were you still actually dead? You felt so full of life you didn’t want to die, not again, not yet! This wasn’t a dream it was too detailed, too coherent, it had to be real! It had to be and -.

The door opened and you collapse to the floor heaving in big gulps of air as the rising panic and fear over takes you entirely.

Someone kneels down near you, a calming tone, a soothing timber. You like the sound, something is familiar in it, but you can’t make out the words. He shouts for someone, turned away from you for a moment before you hear that even tone turned toward you again.

Large firm hands grip your shoulders and pull you up. You can’t believe what your eyes are seeing but the extra information is enough. You can’t take anymore and hurl onto one strappy sandaled foot before passing out.

[aeonchangeling]

Luz groaned as an alarm near her began to go off, disturbing her peacefully deep slumber. A need to crawl deep under the warm comforter almost made her ignore it entirely, until a voice groaned. “Alright alright.” She didn’t recognize the voice right away, and a second later, realized the alarm that had gone off wasn’t the one on her phone. She sat up quickly, almost making her head spin, until the events of the prior day came back to her. The plane, the school, the goblins, the strange new students… And she saw Tulip groggily crawling down from her bed. She was rubbing her face, trying to chase away the sleep.

“Uh… good morning,” Luz greeted awkwardly.

“Mph, ‘morning,” was the red head’s response.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“No, after you guys conked out, I stayed up too late coding.”

“You know how to do that?”

“Mph, yeah. I like making games and ya kinda need to know how to do that.” “Wait… like, video games, you make those?” “Yeah, they’re pretty basic but I love making them,” Tulip yawned before digging out some clean clothes. Luz watched her drag herself towards a door near the back of the room, one she had missed the night before, and walked inside. She got a quick peek of a bathroom on the other side before the door closed again. “Mph… too much talking.” King’s groggy voice came from under the covers, and the tip of his skull nose poked out. “Hey buddy, c’mon, get up,” she said gently, “We’re starting classes today.” “Meh…” “...and breakfast is probably waiting!” There was a short pause, and she could see a tiny figure stand up under the covers. “Food…” “There ya go!” she said happily before hopping out of bed and began to dig through her clothes, trying to figure out what would be the best to wear on her first day. She felt a tight jolt of anxiety in her chest. Sure she had gotten along with Danny and the others but meeting someone new in a classroom was different from meeting them in a life or death situation! She had to make a good first impression! “Luz, bathroom’s all yours!” Tulip announced as she stepped out, and kind of… stared at the sight of the latina rambling to herself about what was best to wear, “Uh… you okay there?” “Wha-! I-I mean, yeah! Sure! Totally! I’m just uh-” “She can’t decide what to wear,” King droned, finally sticking his head out of the blanket. “First day jitters huh?” “I mean… well, kinda…” “Eh, nobody’s really gonna care, this place is full of wei-Whoa, what happened to your shawl?!” Confused, Luz watched as Tulip grabbed a familiar bundle of magic wool and held it up, staring at the burns. “It’s… not a shawl actually… it’s a cape… my mentor made it for me, before it got… uh… like that.” “Dude, you should totally wear this!” She threw the burned cape into its owner’s arms, leaving Luz… a bit confused. “Really? Wouldn’t that be a little… weird?” “Are you kidding me? The others are gonna love it!” “You think?” “Yeah! Like I was saying, everyone here’s kinda odd, better to own it than try to hide it.” “You seem pretty normal.” “Psh, hardly. I’m a computer nerd who’s read too many math books and ended up in a whole other world when I tried to run away from home!” “You mentioned that last night, you called it the Train?” “Yeah… it was this massive train, way bigger than anything we have in this world, and it was in the middle of a wasteland. Each car had its own mini world inside, and they usually had a puzzle you had to solve to unlock the door on the other side.” “Whoa…! That sounds like fun!” Tulips stiffened almost immediately. Like Luz had just said something incredibly offensive. The redhead took in a breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, did it a second time, before looking directly at the older girl. “On paper it sounds like that… and yeah, some of them actually were kinda fun, but… actually being there… it was different.” “O-Oh… I… I’m sorry, I-” “No no, it’s okay. You didn’t-couldn’t have known. It was… dangerous… and I could have died. A friend of mine did die, but I was able to bring him back.” She then held her right hand and her thumb ran over her palm. “By the Titan… T-Tulip, I’m so sorry, I-” “Like I said, you couldn’t have known… just… be careful when you say stuff like that to the others. Some of the worlds we went to… they were dangerous, deadly even. A lot of us have… mixed feelings about what we went through. I mean, I kinda needed to go on the Train, to learn to be a better person, but it doesn’t mean I don’t still have night terrors sometimes.” “...um… I don’t wanna be presumptuous, but… if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m willing to help.” The redhead smiled at this. “Heh, I knew there was a reason I liked you as soon as I saw you.” “I-Wait, you did?” “Yeah, you seemed real nice, a bit hyper but eh.” “Everyone likes Luz!” King said, the sleepiness finally leaving his tiny body, “She’s the best human big sister a demon could ask for!” “Aawwwww, King~” the girl in question immediately scooped him up into her arms and hugged him close. Tulip laughed at the adorable sight. “Alright you two, go get cleaned up and let’s get to the dining room before they run out of the good stuff!” “Aye aye captain Tulip!” “Snrk, “Captain Tulip?” I’ve never even been on a boat.” “My point still stands!” Luz scooped King up and rushed to the bathroom, hurrying through washing their faces, brushing their teeth and the other small rituals they did to start the day. When they were done, they joined Tulip at the door. As she opened it, the Latina paused for a moment, glanced back, and grabbed the tattered remains of her cape. She latched it into place around her shoulders and smiled before stepping out into the hall. It was a little too warm for the weather, but it also brought a strange relief she couldn’t quite name. Maybe it didn’t even have one. They hurried down to the dining room, it seemed over half of the students were already there by the time they arrived. King scampered over to the buffet line, and Luz had to scoop him up to see what they had to offer. “I want waffles!” he said excitedly, “With lots of syrup!” “You got it buddy! Oh, and whipped cream!” “Yes! Yes! Gimme!” She put two massive waffles on his plate, drowned them in syrup and then half buried them in whipped cream. King giggled in childish glee, clapping his hands together. She smiled before grabbing a large bowl and filled it with sugary cereal with marshmallows, for herself. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed it while she was on the Boiling Isles until after she came back. “You guys go find a place to sit,” Tulip smiled, “I gotta go find my friends to go over last night’s homework. I’ll try to catch up with you later, okay?” “Oh, uh, o-okay,” Luz nodded, suddenly feeling nervous as she looked around the dining room, trying to find a place to sit. “Yo~! Mornin’ Luz! Mornin’ King!” She nearly jumped at Randy’s loud voice! She hadn’t spotted him and Danny standing at the far end of the buffet, looking a bit roughed up. Had they gotten into a fight with something or someone this early in the morning? “Uh, hey guys,” she awkwardly greeted as she walked over, “You look… uh…” “Early morning combat training,” Danny stated flatly, “And someone just had to provoke Strickler.” “And it wasn’t me for once! Ha!” Randy seemed strangely proud of this admission before pointing at her, “Also, girl. Girl! Love the messed up cape thingy!” “Wait, really?” “Yeah, ya look like something from a video game or somethin’!” Now that was a compliment and a half as far as Luz was concerned! “Heh, thanks… so… uh… you guys looking for a place to sit too?” “Well, we were, until we spotted that.” Danny pointed at one of the tables, and her eyes widened at the sight. Hunter was already there, sitting and talking with another boy. They seemed to be having a lively conversation, and judging by the empty plates, they had been there for a while… and an almost empty coffee pot for some reason. “Steven’s adopted another duckling,” Danny smirked. “Psh, please, it was just a matter o’ time,” Randy jabbed him in the ribs. “Aaawwww, Hunter’s made a friend!” Luz cooed, her focus being on the fact her kinda-sorta frenemy was actually being social. “Who cares about that? They got empty seats around them! Let’s go eat!” King proclaimed before running off with his plate. “Furball’s got the right idea,” Randy eagerly trailed after the tiny demon. With little else to do, Luz and Danny followed them, and she perked up a bit when she caught on to what the two boys were talking about. “So let me make sure I have this right. He wrote the song about his time working in a bar, playing piano… and he played the piano in that very song?” Hunter questioned. “Yeah, it was pretty popular when it came out, still is to this day,” the new boy, Steven, nodded, “Though I kinda grew up on rock music inste- oh, hey guys!” He had turned and noticed their approach, waving politely at them. Hunter frowned at the sight of them. Danny and Randy both greeted him before sitting down, King meanwhile climbed into the seat next to him. “Aw, who’s this little cutie?” he asked, smiling warmly. “I’m King!” he chirped, “And I’m also super hungry!” “Heh, with those tiny little legs I can only imagine how much work it must have taken for you to get down here.” “You have no idea!” “Well, it’s very nice to meet you King, I’m Steven.” Luz smirked and sat on the other side of King. “Oh, hello,” he added, “Who are you?” “Um… I’m Luz. It’s nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too, I’m Steven Universe.” Her eyes widened. “...dude… I love that name. I love it so much.” He laughed at this, “Thanks, lot of people say things like that when they hear it.” “Heh, it’s just… cool, kinda classy, whimsical, just… there are so many descriptive words for it!” “Heh, I think I’m gonna like you.” “You shouldn’t.” Steven looked surprised before looking at Hunter, who was now glaring at Luz. “I’ll have you know she’s a lowlife criminal. As soon as I get back home, I am going to arrest her and turn her over to the Conformitorium for sentencing.” There was an awkward pause and something inside the girl panicked. He had mentioned it yesterday but now that things were calm and settled, they had time to process this information. It was easy to get away with her actions back on the Boiling Isles, she has Eda, Lilith, Willow, Gus, Amity and everyone else on her side to help avoid the law, but here, in the human realm, things were different. These guys… they were so obviously heroes, they wouldn’t- “Oh, you got a criminal record too?” Her internal downward spiral came to a crashing halt at Danny’s question. “...wait a minute, what?” She looked confused, Hunter even more so. “Yeah, even got a bounty on my head, both from humans and ghosts.” “You do? Really?” she asked quietly. “Yeah, though the human one’s a bit of a misunderstanding. There was the time I robbed some stores while under the control of an evil circus leader. Then there was the time the Mayor was overshadowed and framed me for taking him hostage.” “Dude, didn’t you steal your parent’s ecto-armor-suit-thing?” Steven asked. “...okay, that one I actually am guilty of, but it was to save our town and get it out of the Ghost Zone! Plus it was stolen from me after I passed out!” Randy snickered, “Dude, you also told us about all the stuff you broke in your fights! And didn’t you steal more than just that one suit from your parents?” “I took what I needed to defeat the ghosts and then brought it back! I swear!” “Well… what about the ghosts, why do they have a bounty on your head?” Hunter asked, sounding incredulous. “Oh, that’s because they like to cause trouble in the human world and I stopped them all the time. It’s kind of a grudge at this point… well in Stulker’s case it’s because I’m a Halfa. Half ghost, half human, aside from me and Dani, there’s only one other one that I know about. And Warden Walker didn’t like that I broke Ghost Zone rules I didn't even know existed and actually managed to arrest me!” “Whoa…!” Luz’s eyes were wide, “You have gotta tell me more about all this stuff.” Hunter seemed to be contemplating this information, but he seemed less frazzled than he had before. “I suppose those are mostly understandable circumstances. Can’t say I totally approve but if you weren’t in control of your own actions or framed, I suppose you weren’t at fault. Not knowing about rules and laws, while a weak defense, is somewhat reasonable.” “Heh, yeah well, most of my stuff is like that. Jake’s got a bounty on his head too, but that’s because some freaks in pajamas wanna slay a dragon, apparently they hunt magical creatures for sport or something.” “Wait… they hunt… sentient creatures for… that is so beyond messed up,” Luz felt a little sick just thinking about it. “Yeah, that’s why he and most other dragons fight them, to protect them from the hunters.” “Yo, you guys takin’ ‘bout me?” “Speak of the red scaly creature and he shall appear.” As if on cue, Jake was walking towards the group, seemingly carrying something on his back. “Yo, Jakey, you skipped out on combat practice this mornin’,” Randy stated, looking the tiniest bit jealous. “Yeah, sorry guys, Hailey had another nightmare.” He turned, showing that the thing on his back was actually a little girl, with her black hair pulled into pigtails and she wore a purple dress with a lavender collared shirt under it. She yawned before looking at the teenagers and said, “Good morning everyone.” She slid off Jake’s back and curtsied to them. “Guys, this is my little sister Hailey,” he introduced, “Hails, these are my new friends, Luz, King and Hunter.” Luz’s heart fluttered, both for the fact the little girl was absolutely adorable and that Jake had called them his friends. Friends, she was already making friends. She hadn’t even considered that it would happen so quickly, not with humans… well… they were humans… maybe? How did that work? Questions for another time, she had to tune back in, Jake was asking something. “Can you guys watch her for a minute while I get our breakfast?” “Oh yeah, sure man, no problem! Leave it to us!” she eagerly volunteered before scooting over to make room. “Thanks, I owe ya!” Hailey climbed into the now available seat as her brother went to the buffet. She looked at King and her eyes widened. “Awww, you’re… kinda cute!” “Augh, why does everyone say that about m-HEY!” She began petting his head, and at first he seemed startled, but slowly began to relax after a few seconds. By the time Jake returned, she had King laying in her lap, his tail wagging and trying to purr. “...and once again, little miss perfect strikes,” he smirked at the sight. She smiled as he sat down and handed her her breakfast. “So, what were you guys saying about me before I interrupted?” he asked, brow raised at the others. “Oh we were just talking about my criminal record and how we both have bounties on our heads,” Danny shrugged, which made the dragon click his tongue. “I don’t have a bounty, just a clan of psycho hunters who wanna hang my skin on a wall or some other demented sh-,” he stopped himself when he remembered his sister was right next to him, “Uh… stuff.” “That’s horrible!” Luz exclaimed, “How can they just… do that?! Don’t they get that you’re human too? …uh… I mean…” “Chill Luz, I know what you’re tryin’ ta say, and honestly, it is messed up. They know that we’re smart, can talk, have human forms, all that, but they hunt us because we’re in their way. They also know we’re the protectors of magical creatures, and a lot of those creatures are just as smart as humans too. Take out the local dragon protector, and they can wreak havoc on the magical communities.” “What would they even want from these creatures?” Hunter asked, looking intrigued. “Depends on the creature, unicorn horns, sphynx hair, I once stopped them from stealing a leprechaun’s gold. Sometimes they’re after magical artifacts, but a lot of it’s just hunting for the sake of it.” “I see…” he rubbed his chin in thought, “So… you stop them then?” “Yeah, it’s my responsibility. Well, the responsibility of all dragons.” “But… you’re just a kid, isn’t that kind of… a big responsibility to put on you?” Luz asked. “Well… yeah but someone’s gotta do it.” She looked concerned at this. “Enough about that though, if ya wanna hear about my actual rap sheet, can’t say I have a lot. Some property damage here and there because of the fights, some breaking and entering, I once impersonated my teacher, my mom and this one celebrity in the same afternoon.” “Did you ever tell Mom about this stuff?” Hailey piped up. “Not in a million years. What about you, Rands?” “Pft, look elsewhere buddy, for once I got nothin’!” “...dude, you once broke into your arch enemy’s house to get a boomerang,” Danny pointed out, “And you left a tour group to sneak around the restricted sections of a factory.” “Okay, there were a few small things, but I wasn’t caught! The Ninja of Norrisville is squeaky clean! Well, in the eyes of the law at least, being the local hero helps with that.” “Local hero?” Luz asked, “Weren’t ninjas assassins?” “Yo, in Japan maybe, but Norrisville’s always had a ninja to protect it! Eight hundred year hero streak baby!” he exclaimed very loudly. “Lovely,” Hunter groaned, covering his ears. “‘Nuff ‘bout us though, what kinda trouble did you guys get into in your world?” “Deflection, nice tactic,” Danny smirked. “Hmph, I’ll have you know, I’m no criminal,” Hunter turned up his nose at the very notion, “I’m a law abiding citizen.” “Law abiding maybe, moral, not so much,” it was finally Luz’s turn to finally frown at him. “Watch your tone human!” “C’mon Luz, ya gotta tell us what you did to get Mr. Grumpyface over there to have such a grudge,” Jake nudged her in the ribs. “What did you just call me?!” Luz smiled awkwardly. “Well… it’s a bit complicated. The Boiling Isles are ruled over by this guy, Emperor Belos, and about fifty years ago he banned certain magical practices, specifically being able to know more than one kind.” “What do you mean?” “I can answer that!” Hunter interrupted, “Belos brought an end to the Savage Ages, where witches and demons alike were all doing magic the wrong way! He was guided by the Titan to bring order to the masses and introduced sigil magic to ensure witches couldn’t use other kinds of magic ever again! The nine covens were formed to organize everyone into what school they should practice in; anyone who refuses to get a sigil is labeled as a “wild witch” and are the worst kind of criminals!” “...and how does any of that apply to Luz?” Danny asked. “Yeah, ain’t she human?” Randy added in. “Well, as soon as I got there, I met Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles! She refused to join a coven and still had access to all her magic! That alone made her a criminal, but she’s also a con artist! She sold random junk she found in the human realm by basically making up whatever she wanted about the stuff she had. She’s also a pickpocket, broke into jail to get a paper crown King wanted, and caused a prison riot on the way out! We also attacked some coven scouts so I guess you can count that as an assault on an officer of the law… or would that be more like government officials?” “And that’s exactly why she needs to be arrested! She’s a menace!” Hunter slammed his fist on the table, “And you’re just as bad because I know you were with her for the prison break at the Conformitorium! And one that interrupted the petrification ceremony too!” “Hey! I agreed to help them the first time because Eda promised she’d get me home! Wouldn’t you do something similar right now if it meant getting back to the Boiling Isles?” “I-” He stopped. He… hadn’t considered that. “...I was tried for murder.” The tension in the air suddenly changed as they both turned to look at Steven, who was very casually drinking straight from the coffee pot. “...dude… that’s gotta be bad for your stomach,” Danny groaned, as if completely oblivious to the others’ reaction. More than likely, he was just ignoring it. “You have your unhealthy coping mechanisms, and I have mine.” “Eh, fair point.” “I’m sorry… can we circle back to the “tried for murder” thing here?” Luz asked, looking utterly befuddled. “Hm, oh yeah. I was tried and almost executed for it. Only reason it didn’t happen is because the two overseeing the trial got distracted and started arguing, giving me the chance to escape.” “...why did it go to trial though?” Hunter spoke up now, “They… They had to have had some evidence or…” “Eh, to keep it short, they thought I was someone else… and I confessed to save innocent people who got caught in the crossfire.” “That’s… I…” The Golden Guard had been rendered speechless. “How about we change the topic? Aside from Strickler wiping the floor with you guys, how was training?” Steven seemed to be trying to lift the mood, and the others were happy to oblige. “Well, it was okay… until a certain big mouth told him to stop holding back and to really let us have it,” Danny groaned before chugging his juice. “Yo, seriously Randy, again?” Jake asied, looking at the accused in disbelief. “Whoa, dude, chill, for once it wasn’t me!” “It was me, Dio!” The new voice came from behind Steven and Hunter, making both of them jump. To Luz’s surprise, it was the guy from the fights the night before, the one who lost to Jack. He was posing dramatically behind the two boys, looking like he had way too much fun with his declaration. He looked like he stepped right out of a hammy shounen anime… and to her snickering delight she realized which one he was elmulating. “...dude… did you really just do the Dio meme?” Danny asked, also looking like he was trying not to laugh. “I did!” he grinned, putting his hands on his hips, “I couldn’t resist, I was walking past and overheard what you guys were saying! I just had to!” “I swear to Clockwork dude.” “Plus I wanted to meet the new guys! I heard about the whole goblin thing from Coraline and just had to meet them, like, now!” Luz felt another small flutter in her chest. Someone actively wanted to meet them? This was definitely new! “Really? You wanted to meet us?” “Yeah! We never have new arrivals show off what they got on their first day! Plus I heard you guys had some crazy magic thing goin’ on!” “Well, yeah, kinda, heh… um, I’m Luz Noceda. This is King,” she picked him up and out of Hailey’s lap, “And the guy you just scared half to death is Hunter.” “He did not-!” “Cool, nice to meet ya! I’m Qi Xiaotian!” “Qi Xiao-Xiaotin-Xiao-?” He laughed at her attempts to get his name right. “Don’t worry about it, just call me MK for short. I’ve gone by it for years.” “Oh… uh… are you sure that’s okay?” “Yeah, relax, besides, I doubt I could get your last name right… wait, Luz is your first name, right? I’m still figurin’ out how you guys do it that stuff over here.” “Yup, Luz is my first name.” She remembered from her anime that in Japan, it was common to say your last name before your first name, and while she wasn’t as familiar with other parts of Asia, she knew there was a chance they had something similar.

“Phew, okay, that’ll make this easier,” MK seemed relieved, “Mandarin's my native language, I’m fine with English but Spanish hurts my tongue! Nocid-Nosaid-Nosad- YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY!!!” She snickered, at least it was a mutual struggle. “...I thought you said your name was Dio,” Hunter stared at the older boy in confusion. There was a long pause. “...dude… remind me to show you some human realm memes,” Luz stated quietly. “So, MK,” Steven looked up at him, “What made you think you could take on Strickler this time?” “Well ya know, I’ve fought legendary demons before, I thought this time would be different from the last… um…” he started counting on his fingers, “How many times have I asked him to go all out again?” “Too many,” Danny grumbled. “Either way! One of these days I’ll get him! I just gotta keep training!” “You know that overconfidence of yours is why he beats you every time right?” “Hey I’m not overconfident! I’m just loud! …wait a minute.” Luz snickered again, MK was funny! “You’re also not used to fighting someone who uses throwing knives as their primary method of attack,” Steven threw in, “Plus Strickler has way more experience than you, that kinda trumps your powers dude.” MK gasped like he had been personally offended. “Don’t question my powers! Do I need to remind you who I got them from?!” “No,” Danny, Randy and Steven all said in various levels of annoyance. Jake and Hailey meanwhile looked… too uncomfortable to comment. MK just pouted at the dejection. “We don’t know,” Luz piped up and MK’s mood immediately improved. “Well, since you so kindly asked-” “Technically she didn’t ask, just said we didn’t know,” Hunter interjected. “Details! Well, I got my epic powers from a living legend!” In his passionate declaration, MK thought it would be a good idea to wrap his arm around the young witch’s neck and pull him in to recount his story. “A hero whose name can be traced down through the centuries! A hero of vast kindness, who fights injustice and comforts widows and orphans!” “Oh god he’s quoting the book now!” Randy exclaimed while grabbing his own head, “Make him stop! MAKE HIM STOP!” “He goes by many names! The Victorious Fighting Buddha! The Great Sage Equal to Heaven!” “You caused this,” Danny told Luz… only to be surprised that she was legitimately taken in by his speech. Her eyes were huge and sparkling.

Meanwhile Hunter’s eyes turned into pinpricks of indigent rage.

“I was given my powers by-” “GET OFF!” Hunter broke free of MK’s hold and glared at him, summoning his staff to his hands. “I don’t care whoever or whatever gave you your stupid powers! I have better things to worry about than your stupid human… whatever this is! I’m not here to make friends, I’m just here to find a way back home!” He pointed his staff directly at the loudmouth in question, nostrils flared, as if he was trying to snarl. “...are we interrupting something?” The whole group nearly jumped out of their skin at this new interruption. Strickler stood there, flanked by Teodora and Krel, the former looking amused, the latter looking like he had better things to do. “...no, you weren’t,” Hunter said, tapping his staff against the floor, “I was just about to leave.” “Before you do that,” the older man put his hand up, immediately putting a stop to the blonde, “We will need you, Miss Noceda and Mister Clawthorne to hand over your phones.” “Phones?” “He means your scroll dude,” Luz said, reaching into her pocket, “I mean… if you have it with you.” “...why do you need it?” “It’s easier to explain after we do the thing,” Teodora said, “And it’s more fun to see your reactions when we don’t explain.” “...if you’re going to confiscate it-” “No, nothing of the sort,” Krel groaned, “Now hand them over, I do not have all day!” They both hesitated, before handing them over… and were horrified when the royal sat at the table and immediately pried them open! He poked at the insides with a strange tool that looked like a weird soldering iron but was clearly something far more advanced. He moved impossibly fast, putting a strange microchip into them, muttering a few words about the scroll, griping about the insides being “organic and squishy for some reason”. He then put them back together, returned the devices to their rightful owners and declared, “There, you are now no longer traceable by the human governments.” “...wait, what?!” Luz exclaimed, almost dropping her phone in disbelief. Teodora was snickering, “Exactly what he said! Advanced alien tech means you’re beyond their ability to keep track of!” “Why would we need that?!” “Uh, because some of us are wanted by the government? Duh.” “...I’m sorry what?” “For once I’m in agreement with her!” Hunter snapped, holding his scroll away from himself like it had suddenly become highly toxic. “Well, think about it. Some of us aren’t human, and “in the name of public safety” they’ve tried to catch, imprison and run experiments on us. Plus some of them think we’re straight up dangerous, or criminals or whatever.” “It can’t be that bad,” Hunter frowned, “The others were just telling us about their… ahem, “criminal records,” so why would the human governments want to experiment on them when they’d-” “Dude, the Emperor’s Coven cloned basilisks back to life to study how they drain magic,” Luz interrupted, “And humans are… scared of what they don’t understand. Then they try to understand it… and… when they take things apart, they can’t exactly put them back together.” “...well, y-your human governments can’t possibly have enough resources or people to-” “They have multiple departments dedicated to these things,” Strickler sighed, “And we know this because of… just how many of our students have been endangered by them.” His hesitation didn’t go unnoticed by the two teenagers, and it left an uncomfortable weight in their stomachs. He wasn’t telling them something, but before they could pry, someone spoke up. “I’m wanted by the Guys in White,” Danny stated flatly.

“At least four of the teachers have been wanted by or involved with the FBI in the past,” Jake tossed out. “My sister and I currently have a shaky truce with Area 49-B,” Krel added.

“I was called a rebel, but terrorist might have been a more accurrate term to the government that wanted me dead,” Steven shrugged, “Even if it isn’t a human one.” “Wait, what do you mean not-” Luz was interrupted by MK piping up to add. “Technically me being here is… Strickler, what was it you said I was?” “Questionably legal.” “...que?!” she exclaimed in disbelief, “How is that possible?! Is he here illegally?! Do we have to keep an eye out for I.C.E.?!” “Not exactly,” Strickler held up a calming hand, “To put it simply… young MK here has been considered legally dead for quite some time.” “...he… what?” Hunter was the one to speak now, Luz had wanted to say something similar but the words died in her throat. “Yes, you see, some of our students were in their worlds for exceptionally long periods of time. Many were reported missing by their parents or guardians, and while most were gone for mere months, some were gone for years, long enough that they were declared legally dead. It’s one thing to find them and bring them here when they’re already in the United States, but bringing them from somewhere like China…” “We had to break a couple laws to get him here,” Teodora interrupted with giggling glee, “It was some of Grunkle Stan’s best handiwork!” Luz’s mind immediately went to Phillip Wittebane, sure he had been a jerk, but he had wanted to get back to the human realm so badly… she wasn’t even sure if he actually succeeded. Had he died on the Boiling Isles? Would she have suffered the same fate, if the whole mess that got them back here in the first place hadn’t happened? “So… how… how long were you in your world for?” she choked out, weakly pointing at MK. He paused, rubbed his chin a moment and began to count on his fingers. “Hm… well… I went there when I was seven… so uh… fourteen years?” She choked on her words again! Fourteen years! That was her whole life! It was two thirds of his own! He had spent more time in that other world than he had in this one! She couldn’t even begin to wrap her head around it, being gone for that long, away from everything she knew, her family… Then it hit her that, if she had found her way to the Boiling Isles at the same age, she would have spent half her life on the Boiling Isles by now… it would have become her home, her normal. She’d have had more memories of it than the human realm. It made her stomach tie itself into a painful knot. “Now then,” Strickler pulled them back to reality, “I’m going to need you three to come with me. There is someone important I want you to meet before you start classes.” “Im-Important?” Luz asked, her voice shaking. “Yes… I think you will like what they have for you.” Hunter stared at Strickler for a moment before swallowing the lump in his throat and said, “Very well, but if this person is so important…” He swung his staff in a downward arc, leaving a trail of yellow magic behind it. When it dissipated, he was decked out in his full Golden Guard uniform, feeling the familiar weight of his cloak and mask materialize into existence. “I might as well wear the proper attire.” “DUDE THAT IS SICK!” “YO, HOW’D YOU DO THAT?!” “TEACH ME HOW TO BE THAT FABULOUS!”

He had just expected them to be silently impressed, he hadn’t thought they might actually comment on his little display! He was thankfully saved from their further bombardment of questions when Luz pushed him towards Strickler. “C’mon King!” The little demon hopped from Hailey’s lap and ran to follow them. They were led out into the hall, through the seemingly maze-like building, only to stop at the magic classroom. Unlike the previous afternoon, the sound of loud and wild guitar playing could be heard coming from the other side of the door. Strickler showed no signs of acknowledging it and tapped the back of his finger against the handle, dissipating the warding spell with ease. He pushed the door open and they all held their breath. Inside was… a bit chaotic. Tables littered with papers, shelves covered in strange crystals, stones, books and bones, the waxy remains of candles were everywhere. The place was wildly disorganized but it was filthy at least. In the middle of the room was a young man who didn’t look any older than eighteen. He had black hair with his bangs dyed bright blue at the ends, a black hoodie and skinny jeans, a necklace with a white skull pendant, a matching belt, a wrist band covered in studs, back and white high tops, and was rocking out on a bright red L.A. Electric guitar… An electric guitar that, as Luz noticed, wasn’t plugged into a speaker of any kind, but still had the volume and the distortion of one that was. It also had a glowing, blue ethereal energy radiating off of it, almost like some strange smoke. “Hisirdoux,” Strickler said, as loudly as he could while remaining formal. When that didn’t get a response, he repeated the word again, this time letting politeness slip in exchange for asserted authority, “Hisirdoux!” The young man stopped in the middle of a power chord and looked at them, smiling. “Well, about time you showed up, I was gettin’ so bored I had to start playing to keep from fallin’ asleep,” he said with a British accent, he turned his attention to the trio and smiled, “Name’s Hisirdoux, Douxie for short. Startin’ today, I’ll be your new magic teacher, pleasure ta meet’cha.” He bowed for a bit of emphasis, and she took an instant liking to him. “Now lemme guess,” he said as he stood upright, “You’re Luz Noceda,” he pointed at her with the body of his guitar, in a way that the laws of physics should not have allowed, “King Clawthorne,” he pointed to the tiny demon, “And Hunter, also known as the Golden Guard.” “How did you-” “I got a good look at your files last night,” he admitted, “Whenever someone of a magical inclination joins us, I try to help as best I can.” He then smirked and snapped his fingers, teleporting Hunter’s mask to his hand and making the hood of the cloak fall back. “Hey! Give that ba-” “Relax kid, just wanted to get a good look at ya.” He tossed the mask back to the teenager, who tucked it away into his cloak. “Gotta say, you three are pretty unique, we never get anyone from a world Ford’s already familiar with.” “Is that good?” Luz piped up and took a step forward. “To an extent, but that’s not somethin’ to worry about now. I have something for you lot.” He swung his guitar around and rested its body against his shoulder, another action that should have been a struggle under the best of circumstances, but physics seemed to be taking a vacation today! He swung it around like a baseball bat! “Luz, Hunter, I need you both to stick out your non-dominant hands,” he stated, “You’ll see why in a minute.” She didn't hesitate and held out her arm. He glared at her for a moment before reluctantly doing the same. In a single, swift moment, a small metal bracelet was placed over their wrists, unfamiliar glowing blue runes circled them. Douxie tapped them both with two fingers, causing the strange metal to expand and reach out, until they covered half of their forearms, revealing more of the strange symbols. They reminded her of the bracelets Wonder Woman wore. “Say ‘ello to your charm bracelets!” “Wait… IS THIS HOW WE’RE GONNA USE MAGIC?!” Luz exclaimed, her eyes instantly filling with more stars than could fit in an entire galaxy. “You got that right da’lin’,” Douxie smiled, “Your models are the newest versions, even more up to date than what I use.” “Really?” “But… aren’t you supposed to be our teacher?” Hunter questioned, a single brow raised. “Well, yes, I am, but I’ve been usin’ my own for so long, I’ve grown rather attached to it. These newer ones can tap into the basics of multiple kinds of magic, so long as you have a basic understandin’ of them of course. If ya do, you can recreate most of them with these bands.” “...what can’t we recreate?” “Mostly things like magical weapons, potions, ya know, stuff like that. Some real powerful magic can be more difficult to pull off but not entirely impossible, just takes more hard work. Then again, nothin’ worth doing is easy, is it?” “...how do they work?” Luz asked. “Now that’s the fun part,” he smiled, “Both of you do what I do, alright?” They lifted their forearms up, following his demonstration. He tapped on the band, a series of glowing blue points with lines connecting between them. Hunter paused, hesitating… Luz didn’t. Her own strange band lit up in a similar pattern, but it seemed simpler, more organized. Convinced it was safe, Hunter followed her lead, receiving the same results. “There we go,” Douxie smiled, “Now, for the kind of magic I was taught, you’d use invocations along with these symbols to cast your spells. Invocations are where you say the name of the spell aloud, it helps power and command the magic to do what you want.” “You can use magic like that?” Luz remembered the healing spell Lilith had used to split Eda’s curse between the two of them; she'd never even considered trying to use magic like that. The way he described it also reminded her of glyphs. “Yup, the biggest drawback of invocations is that the spells all have Latin names. Fine for their time and all, but given the nature of this school, we don’t exactly have time to teach and reteach it for every magic kid who comes through our doors. These newer models solve the issue quite nicely though.” He grinned, eyes having a spark of mischief. “Now… what’s the first spell you want to learn?”

Luz paused. What did she want to learn first? The first spell she would ever cast in the human realm, with a new kind of magic. How different was it from her glyphs? From spell circles in general? It would probably be best to start with something small, simple… familiar.

“...I wanna learn a light spell.” Hunter looked at her, he had seemingly been running through several potential options. “Alright, there are a few different ones,” Douxie nodded, “Do you want a high powered flashlight kind of deal or-” “A small ball of floating light,” she interrupted, “It… it was the very first spell I learned back on the Boiling Isles. I-” “Say no more, I already see where you’re goin’ with it,” he smiled, “Sentimentality and all that.” She smiled a little, not having to explain was strangely relieving. “Alright, follow my lead.” He tapped three of the glowing symbols, making it very clear which ones they had to touch. They followed his lead, the symbols began to glow brightly and a small blue orb of light formed in front of them. Luz’s eyes widened, a knot forming in her throat. It… It… It wasn’t the same. This wasn’t the small ball of yellow light she had expected. It resembled a small ball of blue fire, pretty in its own way but… not what she had been expecting. She had a lot to learn about this new magic. Still, it was magic… She could do magic again. She could do magic in the human realm. It was just different. She had tears in her eyes. “I… I did it!” She was torn from her thoughts at the sound of Hunter’s voice. He was staring at his own light spell, a wide smile on his face and he had tears rolling down his cheeks. He, the powerless witch, had used magic without a staff… she couldn’t help but be happy for him. “I did it! I actually did it! Uncle, look, I-” He turned around, looking for… someone… but he stopped when he saw there was nobody standing there, remembering where he was in the process, and his smile slowly fell. “...Hunter…?” He looked at her, hurt painted on his face. She had to choke down a new knot in her throat. “...Belos… Belos isn’t the only person you’re trying to get back to… is he?” “I-I uh…” “I-It’s okay… we have people we want to get back to too…” she said softly. To her surprise, he flinched, but then looked down and she followed his gaze. Of all the things they were expecting to see when they looked down, King hugging his leg wasn’t anywhere on that list… and he looked like he was about to start crying too. Under normal circumstances, Hunter might have tried to shake the small demon off, yelling at him to let go, but he found he couldn’t bring himself to even attempt such a thing. “...I miss my family too,” King whimpered. Both teenagers stared at him for a moment before looking at each other. They could say what they wanted about the other, but that one sentiment was true for all three of them, and their greatest drive to go back. “...not to interrupt the emotions here,” Douxie’s voice gently cut through the tension, “But I have somethin’ for King too.” “Weh?” He reached into his desk before kneeling down to the little demon’s level, his hands clasped together. “Since the charm bracelets are a bit too big for you, I had to find a bit of an alternative. So, I wanna try this.” He opened his hand, showing strange little stones. “These are the shards of a magical amulet Ford used to have, before he went to the other worlds. Apparently he hid it too close to the local elementary school and some snot nosed brat found it and used it to become a local child star. Played up being a psychic when really he just used obvious facts to “read minds” and the amulet to make things he wanted to happen happn.” “How… How’d it break then?” King asked, looking at the shiny pieces. “Get this, the kid got a crush on Ford and Stan’s great-niece and guilt tripped her into going on dates. Her brother tried to get him to back off and the brat tried to kill ‘im. The niece ended up saving him, stole the amulet and then shattered it. After I was told all this, I went to the place and found as many of the shards as I could. Turns out they still have some of the original amulet’s powers in them, so…” He clasped his hands over the shards, blue light poured out from between his fingers. He opened them a moment later, and the shards floated from his palms and circles King, before adhering themselves to his collar, creating a series of small. uniformed spikes around it. “There we go.” “What did you just do!?” the little demon exclaimed, running his claws over them. “I figured you didn’t want to be left out when Luz and Hunter got their bracelets, so this was the next best thing I could think of. Now, try moving this pencil from my hand.” He held out a simple, number 2 graphite pencil. King squinted at it, almost like he was suspicious of it… and the little writing utensil began to glow with a turquoise light. He let out a squeak of surprise, and his tail began to wag. “This power…! It’s amazing!” “Heh, I thought you’d like it.” Cackling in wicked delight, the young demon immediately scampered to a nearby bookshelf, and began trying to move its contents. The most he was able to do was knock them on their side but it still brought an unbridled delight. “Nice job dude. No cookie jar will ever be safe again,” Luz smiled as she watched her adoptive brother make things glow and then fall over. “Isn’t this really dangerous?” Hunter asked, looking rather uncomfortable at the idea of letting the little demon have this much power. “Before it was broken, the amulet was apparently very user friendly,” Strickler answered this time, “So long as you held onto it, you just had to think what you wanted it to do. Since most of the pieces are gone, it takes a lot more work and practice to use it properly.”

He looked back to the small demon knocking things over… alright, maybe he had been overly concerned.

“Now, I made these for you two,” Douxie tapped on his bracelet, conjuring up a pair of folders that floated to the teenagers, “They contain some basic spells for you to get a better handle on how to use this kind of magic, figured you’d find them useful. Ford told me magic worked different there, is that right?”

“Yeah, for witches and demons, they just had to draw a circle in the air,” Luz nodded as she demonstrated the action, “Because they have these bile sacks on their hearts, but since I’m human, I couldn’t do that. Instead, I found these glyphs in nature and figured out how to combine them to create different spells! It took a lot of experimenting. Kinda like what you said before about invocations.”

“Now that’s somethin’, you and I gotta talk later ‘bout that.”

“You and Ford both,” Strickler groaned, rolling his eyes.

“I’d be happy to, and I can show you what I’ve learned,” she offered excitedly, “The spell circles work in this realm, but the glyphs don’t for some reason.”

“Interesting…”

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” Stirckler smiled, “For now, I’d say it’s just about time for you three to start heading to your first class.”

[stepswowdsen]

Kuroha/Saeru Joker Playing Card: Golden Apple Symbolism 🖤💛🐍🃏🍎

The Golden Apple and Immortality

Kuroha Joker Playing Card by Sidu My Edit (Upscaled Version)

Ene and Konoha: 6 and 9

Haruka and Kuroha: Jack and Joker

Glitter Can Badge Merch (Upscaled Versions)

My Icon PFP Edits (OG Colours)

My Icon PFP Edits (Colour Edits)

Kuroha (クロハ), officially known as The Snake of Clearing Eyes (目が冴える蛇, Me ga Saeru Hebi) or Black Konoha (黒コノハ, Kuro Konoha) when possessing Konoha’s body, is the main antagonist of KagePro who causes the “Tragedy” of the Mekakushi Dan (Blindfold Gang) members.

Now that we've started off with that little character summary... I've been thinking about Kurohoe again /pos /endearing

Because of course. He's KagePro's main villain and antagonist with a banger design and incredibly interesting to me.

I put the upscaled versions of the KagePro: Playing Cards set above! You can also find it in the Drive folder of my Notion page: (X)

I felt like I should post this today since I have this post already written. I'll post the rest of my JuAli dialogue script ideas tomorrow

The Kuroha Joker Playing Card by Sidu made me wonder about the use of yellow in this illust.

Sidu very well could've used red here for Kuroha's eyes and the apples, cuz Kuroha's eyes can also glow red, as seen in the Outer Science MV. Kuroha's eyes glow red in the last chorus of Outer Science. Eye Ability users' eyes glow red when using their Eye Abilities.

Main Eye Colour (Yellow)

KagePro Wiki Screenshots of the Outer Science MV

Eye Colour (Red)

But yellow has more visual contrast against the dark blacks and grays used in the composition of the Kuroha Joker card art.

Like, I was wondering if she coloured the apples yellow just because it's the same colour as Kuroha's eyes, and if there was any symbolism attached to the Golden Apple.

So I looked it up, and there is. The Golden Apple symbolizes immortality (in Greek and Norse mythology), and it was believed that eating a golden apple will grant you immortality.

Source: (X)

Considering Kuroha's motivations/goals in KagePro, this is interesting.

Kuroha/Saeru, as KagePro's main villain, kills the Mekakushi Dan (Blindfold Gang) and wants to make Marry into his new master so that she can use her powers as a Medusa to rewind the world (due to her strong desire to be with her friends again), thus causing a "never ending tragedy" in which he can keep living forever.

KuroEne Rambles 🖤💙

His main goal is to fulfill Azami's first, original, strongest desire, the one that created him - she wanted to know and understand exactly who she was. And by doing this, he can continue to prolong his life by causing the tragedy. He seeks immortality, basically.

Before Ene lost her human body and became Takane, she wanted a body that wouldn't need to eat or sleep in response to her chronic illness that would cause her to fall asleep and faint and feel groggy even if she slept for long hours.

KuroEne technically have a character parallel going on.

Kuroha's Eye Ability is Clearing Eyes (目が冴える, Me ga Saeru)

(Quotes from the KagePro Wiki)

"The Snake of Clearing Eyes seems to hold power over 'knowledge' itself due to the nature of the wish that created it."

"In the Novel Route, Shintaro refers to it as 'a living encyclopedia with a full grasp of everything from the start of civilization up to modern science'"

"The Snake of Clearing Eyes seems to be able to retain memories of past Routes through its power."

Ene has a pseudo immortal body due to her Eye Ability, Opening Eyes (目が覚め, Me ga Sameru). It allows her to split her consciousness from her body. Through this power, she became a cyber being that resides in and possesses electronic devices.

Kuroha/Saeru kills the Mekakushi Dan, Marry's friends, to spur on despair in Marry (due to the Tragedy), and the strong desire to meet with her friends again.

Kuroha/Saeru wants to preserve his own life, by killing Marry's friends and forcing her to rewind (reset) the world back to the very beginning, and live forever through countless routes (infinite, repeating time loop resets), and continue living on, at least until his purpose (of fulfilling Azami's original desire) is fulfilled.

Kuroha and Ene have an interesting character parallel. One seeks immortality, and one has a pseudo immortal body.

The Mekakushi Dan wants a future. And they want the "Tragedy" caused by Kuroha/Saeru to finally end, and for the Snake of Clearing Eyes to finally be put to a stop. And Kuroha robs them of a future.

KuroEne Rambles (Continued)

(Copy pasting these from last time)

As said before, Kuroha/Saeru inevitably has a power imbalance with every character he's paired with (ie. power in terms of physical strength, and power over knowledge), so that's why you NEED to tread carefully with his ships. Imo, it can definitely still be done, though.

That's why making Ene more assertive and dominant in the ship just fits so well with Kuroha/Saeru cuz it helps alleviate the power imbalance slightly and balances it out more

Kuroha's ships have the potential to be really interesting though, when depicted/portrayed with care.

Cuz his character context with being the main antagonist/villain and main source of tension/conflict of the series, his knowledge of the time loops, combined with his S/O's context, and their current and previous loves, makes for such delicious angst fuel

The one who's the main instigator of the "Tragedy" who insists on the inevitability of fate, as someone who was created even before the creation of the world, and has known the world since the very beginning, and possesses knowledge of the many paths that the world has taken throughout all the timelines… The one who's observed the world since the very beginning

And the ones trying to fight back against it and escape the cycle because they want to have a future, past all the tragedy… Ooooogh

ShinAya and Paper Crane Symbolism

It seemed pretty likely to me that the usage of the Golden Apple is intentional in Kuroha's Joker Playing Card art, since KagePro's hanafuda card sets are filled with hidden meanings and symbolisms, like how Ayano's character and the ShinAya ship are associated with paper crane symbolism due to the symbolism attached to the crane, a mystical and holy figure in Japanese culture.

The crane symbolizes healing, loyalty, recovery, and a long life. In modern times, it's given to those who are seriously ill to wish for their recovery.

Senbazuru (千羽鶴, lit. "One thousand cranes") refers to the tradition of folding 1000 origami paper cranes.

It was traditionally believed that folding 1000 paper cranes would make the person's wish come true, so that's why Ayano always folded paper cranes for Shintaro (even taping back his ripped up test papers)

KagePro Lore Context (Summary)

(Summarized from the KagePro Wiki)

Azami is a Medusa, the original creator and Master of all the Eye Ability Snakes. She originally unintentionally created the world with the Queen Snake, Combining Eyes, as a place for her to be able to learn about and understand himself.

Saeru was created by her first, original, strongest desire - she wanted to know and understand exactly what she was. She was also tricked by Saeru into creating the Kagerou Daze, a never ending world.

Azami despaired at the prospect of outliving her human husband (Tsukihiko) and her daughter, Shion, who were human and half-Medusa/half-human respectively.

Saeru told her to create the never ending world, Kagerou Daze, in order to allow her to be with her family forever, but she eventually ends up going into the Kagerou Daze alone because she believed she was bringing misfortune to her family.

Her existence/nature as a Medusa caused humans to fear her as a "Monster" (which led to humans targeting Tsukihiko and Shion as ways to try and hurt Azami)

Saeru detests the world for changing Azami's wish (the one that created him in the first place) of wanting to know and understand exactly what she was, to wishing to be with her family forever.

Because to him, it felt like the wish/desire that had given him life and meaning in the first place had been replaced.

So, everything HE had wanted, ended up coming to fruition. Saeru successfully tricked Azami into entering the Kagerou Daze and trapping her there, since he believes the world is unfit for her.

Centuries later, Azami witnessed Shion and Marry's deaths at the hands of humans in the real world. She ordered the Kagerou Daze (Heat Haze Daze), the never ending world, to take them in and save their lives, because time doesn't flow properly in the Kagerou Daze.

Azami gave Marry the Queen Snake, Combining Eyes, in order to allow her to be sent back to the real world. Azami lost control of the Kagerou Daze after losing the Queen Snake, so the Kagerou Daze now swallows up all people who die on the same day that Shion and Marry did, August 15th.

The Outer Science MV confirms that everytime Marry rewinds the world, it goes all the way back to the beginning. This means that the beginning of each new Route starts with Azami creating the world with the Queen Snake, Combining Eyes.

Misc Rambles

I think I mentioned this before, but that's insane to me... So, does that mean every single Route has to go through thousands or millions of years of history just to get to the modern age???

Dude (Kuroha) must've been having the time of his fucking life... Cuz he knows that as long as he keeps doing this, he can keep on living forever

Especially when there are an unspecified (XX) amount of Routes, aside from the main known ones (ie. Music Route, Manga Route, Novel Route, Anime Route, etc.)

KagePro's present day plot across all Routes starts on the faithful date of August 15th, Kagerou (Heat Haze) Day.

Kuroha/Saeru is so interesting. Kuroha's selfish, twisted, nature and dark urges... A character who's so inherently dark and selfish and twisted like that, manipulative, dangerous, cruel, sadistic, and bloodthirsty, like that...

A completely unapologetic villain who's fun to watch and cathartic. He's definitely one of KagePro's most interesting charas imo.

[ast3ryne]

this is officially my second request : prompt #128 or 16 with sparrow ben <33 thankss

Drunken Words

Pairing: sparrow!ben x umbrella!reader

Warnings: None really, just smut and drinking ig

Word Count: 761

Summary: Ben and Y/N get drunk and make some questionable decisions, then they decide to embrace it the morning after.

A/N: I wrote this on a 10+ hour flight because I got horny halfway through, so enjoy. Also reader has a vagina, gender neutral pronouns still.

Luther’s wedding was chaotic, and you expected no less of it. There were a great many highlights to the night if you were being honest, but the one that took the cake had to be Ben and Five’s drunken rambles. Or at least that’s what you would’ve said had it not been for Ben’s insistence on sticking by your side and coaxing you to drink with him, for some reason.

“I already told you I’m too much a lightweight to just drink whenever I feel like it.” You repeated as you chose one of the newly vacant hotel rooms, Ben directly behind you.

“That’s unfortunate, but more for meee.” He tried to take another swig but you snatched the bottle out of his hand, groaning.

“You’ve clearly had far too much, come here,” You didn’t wait for his response as you pushed him into one of the two beds in the room. Much to your dismay, and his pleasure, he grabbed your arm and pulled you so that you were on top of him, knees split by his leg in between them.

Ben seemed all too amused by this, tilting his head with a sly grin as he stared at your face, examining it in a way that almost made you uncomfortable.

Finally, he spoke. “You’re pretty.”

You blinked, mouth opening to respond and closing again several times. That was until you realized his fingers were creeping to your hand that held the bottle, and you rolled your eyes.

“And, you’re drunk.”

You sat up, holding the bottle up to your head and downing it’s remains before tossing it to the side. “There, there’s nothing for you to get, now sleep.”

“Can you sleep with me?” He asked, an unfamiliar tone slipping into his voice. He even threw the blankets aside and made room for you by the window. Just as you were about to say no he gave you that look again, the same look he gave you before, and suddenly sleeping with him didn’t seem too bad.

So you slipped into the bed, pulling the blankets up and facing him, so you don’t have to face the fact the world is imploding right outside that window.

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

You don’t remember what happened after that, but waking up now you prayed to whatever deity that was listening it wasn’t anything bad. Because it sure as hell felt like it was something bad when you woke up to Ben’s bare chest against you, his arms circled fully around your hips and holding them in place, and perhaps the most alarming, neither of you were wearing pants.

“You fainted straight into my arms,” His voice was groggy and vibrated in the most annoying delightful way, “You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

That didn’t sound right. But when you tried to remember what actually happened his fingers squeezed into your hips, slowly trailing down to your thigh and pulling your leg on top of his own hip.

Or maybe not. What did you do last night. “Would you mind…recounting for me?”

He chuckled, and it resounded right through your body.

“I don’t actually know, but one can only guess from these.” He pulled the blanket off, and looking closer you realized just how many hickeys were littered on his chest, his neck, not to mention the scratches.

You blinked, hard. Dear god did you fuck him? You wouldn’t be surprised, he was hot. But Jesus Christ. You’re never drinking again, if not for the fact that the world was ending soon then for the fact that you’d prefer to remember it if you slept with Ben again.

Though now that if was looking like when with the way you felt him harden between your legs, finger tracing circles on your thigh and lookin at you so…

You don’t know who leaned in first, but you’d practically latched onto each other. Mouths moving against each other desperately. His hips grinding upwards as he pressed himself into the wetness that pooled in your underwear. You whimpered into his mouth at the feeling, the noise shocking your nearly as much as it did him.

Ben rolled the two of you over, shifting you onto his lap and keeping his hands planted on your hips as you kept grinding, his boxers growing damper with every movement.

“Fucking tease.”

“I dunno, you seem to enjoy it.” You retorted, staring down at him.

“Not as much as you’re going to.”

[xoluvx]

Can u write a fluff one where Billie and reader are best friends but Billie has a huge crush on reader. And one day Billie is hanging out at readers and they r lying in bed but reader accidentally falls asleep cuddling into Billie and Billie gets really flustered. When she eventually calms down she does an insta live or something and the fans r like “that’s not your house” “wait where are you” and Billie accidentally tells the public that she has a crush on reader.

enjoyyyy ily <3

her heart was racing. your head nuzzled into the nook of her neck, arm draped around her body like it was the most natural thing in the world. like you were always meant to lay like this.

billie watched you. her heart was beating rapidly and she wondered if you could hear it even while slumbering. she watched the way your lids fluttered. brows furrowing as if you were having a nightmare and she just wished she could make it go away.

with a shaky hand, she caressed your eyebrows as they detangled from their furrowed state. the action only made you snuggle into her further. soft noises escaping your body. her own body tensed and her cheeks turned bright pink when you squeezed her. her heart was in her throat, pulsing. prying. trying to jump out. trying to jump out and hold you. love you.

then your soft breathing filled the room and the little noises calmed her nerves and she felt peaceful. so warm and calm.

until she remembered she was suppose to do a live tonight. she'd promised it and you were suppose to be the one who reminded her. yet somehow you ended up in her arms fast asleep and she didn't feel the need to wake you.

she pulled her phone out of her pocket. finger taping careful not to wake you. careful not to move too much. her body was half raised on the headboard. she figured she'd angle the camera so you wouldn't be seen.

the comments started flooding in as she watched the screen. eyes big and twinkling with the reflection of the fluorescent screen. she felt you stir, looked down, but you were fast asleep.

she cleared her throat before speaking.

"hi," she whispered.

comments about not being in her familiar space crowded the chat. comments wondering where she was flooded the screen.

"we have to be quiet tonight," she whispered leaning closer to the screen, eyes looking down to scan the chat. she smiled cheekily at the double meaning already seeing fans who were eating it up.

"you can stop asking where i am, i'm not home" she scolded like her fans were children, but playfully of course. she felt you stir again and looked down.

"so cute," she whispered mainly to herself watching the way you pouted your lips. it was clear you were starting to wake. the bright light and talking certainly didn't help.

when she looked up at the screen everyone was wondering what she was looking at. who the hell was she calling cute? then her hand slipped and her camera caught a glimpse of you and you stirred and whined letting go of her body, stretching and covering you face.

billie cursed and grabbed the phone.

"wait, i'll be back" she whispered and set her phone down. the screen going black.

"what's happening?" you ask, voice groggy still laced with sleep.

"the live," she leaned into you raising her brows.

"oh my god, i forgot. shit, billie i'm so sorry. how long was i sleeping for?" you were rambling oblivious to the fact that her phone was still very much live.

"it's okay. you looked so cute sleeping, i couldn't wake you up."

she'd forgotten she was on live too. the moment so intimate as you whispered and exchanged words. she was so soft with you. so reassuring, hand on your cheek as you melted into her. the moment taking an unexpected turn. you swallowed feeling yourself grow flushed.

"so the live?" you ask with a small laugh. billie nods pulling her hand away. then she picks up her phone. confusion and chaos in the chat. then you're leaning into her as she holds her phone up and the pieces to the puzzle are coming together and hearts are decorating the screen and billie's face is so obviously obviously flushed.

[blu-joons]

When You Accidentally Tell Him “I Love You” For The First Time ~ Stray Kids Reaction

Bang Chan:

A smile of relief appeared on your face as Chan looked back at you, switching your bathroom light on and off several times to show you that it worked.

He placed the tools in his hand to the ground before looking across at you. “As good as new,” he sweetly smiled, able to tell from your expression how glad you were.

“I love you, you really got me out of a sticky situation then,” you told him, glancing up to check the lights over one final time.

As you did, you felt Chan poke into your arm, bringing your attention back across to him. “I hardly did anything to fix these you know, there’s no reason to love me just for this.”

“It’s not just for this,” you admitted, feeling yourself beginning to get a little flustered the longer that Chan’s gaze was on you.

“How long have you waited to tell me that much?” He asked you with a grin.

Your shoulders shrugged, having known it deep down for longer than you wanted to admit. “Maybe I’ll tell you the next time you be my hero and rescue me when I’m in trouble.”

“I’ll make sure that I come and save the day again soon.”

Lee Know:

Your eyes lit up as you walked into the dorm, taking a glance around you hardly recognised the place, set up for the evening, just the two of you.

As you walked through, Minho appeared from out of his room, smiling widely across at you. “What do you think?” He smiled, reaching across and taking your hand.

“I never knew you had such a romantic side; I love this side of you,” you grinned, taking his hand and letting him guide you around.

Minho led you straight over to the table that he had set up like a scene from out of a movie. “If you love this side of me, I’ll make sure that you love all of me by the end of the night.”

“I already do,” you murmured, feeling a pair of eyes stare down across at you as soon as you spoke, your voice barely audible.

“You’re joking, right?” Minho quizzed, only for your head to shake back at him.

The surprised expression on his face had you smirking, stunning him. “Is love something that you think I’d joke about?” You teased, watching his head shake with yours.

“You’ve certainly got the evening off to a perfect start.”

Changbin:

You watched Changbin slowly as he fell asleep, after yet another busy week, you were filled with relief to finally see that he was resting beside you.

He had no idea that you were watching, or so you thought, not quite realising that he wasn’t in as much of a deep sleep as you thought he was, still drifting in and out.

“I love you,” you whispered, convinced that he couldn’t hear you as you dreamt, hoping that his conscience would listen to you.

However, as a figure began to turn, you soon realised that it wasn’t just his conscience that had heard you. “Say that again,” a groggy voice whispered across to you, slowly waking up.

“You’re supposed to be asleep,” you scolded, shaking your head as Changbin rubbed the sleep out of both of his eyes to look at you.

“And you’re supposed to let me sleep too,” he joked in response to you.

A sigh came from you as expecting eyes studied you. “I just said that I love you,” you whispered, hearing a nervous chuckle come from Changbin as he listened to you.

“I could definitely get used to hearing you say that.”

Hyunjin:

A sharp intake of breath came from you as you finally finished rambling, letting go of all of the things that had slowly been bubbling up around you.

A deep breath came from Hyunjin too as he tried his best to take it all in. “Have you got it all off your shoulders now?” He laughed, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Not many people would sit and listen to all of that, very few that I love too,” you sighed, taking a few moments to compose yourself.

The grip that Hyunjin had on you tightened as he focused in on what you said. “Do you just vent when you’re stressed to the people that you love then?” He subtly asked you.

“They’re the only people that I trust,” you responded, not quite realising what you had confessed to Hyunjin in your own roundabout way.

“So, you trust me, you vent to me, does that mean you love me?” He quizzed.

Your eyes flickered up as he mentioned the word, giving yourself a moment before nodding your head. “Without me realising it, I think it all adds up to that.”

“I was really hoping that you might say that.”

Han:

A shake of the head came from Jisung as he walked along the corridor, rubbing his hands over his eyes to make sure that what he was seeing was true.

He was halfway around the world from you, or so he thought, as you flew to visit him on tour. “What are you doing here?” Jisung asked once he was close enough.

“I love watching you perform, I wanted to come and see one of your shows,” you explained to him, “and I was missing you quite a bit too.”

The feeling of Jisung’s arms around your waist was a huge comfort for you, taking a step towards him. “No one’s ever done something like this for me before, flew all this way.”

“I love you, of course I was going to come all of this way for you,” you added, watching his eyes as they quickly narrowed back at you.

“Did you just say that you love me?” Jisung asked you straight away.

You smiled sheepishly back at him for a few moments before slowly nodding your head. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking whilst back at home all by myself.”

“Me too, that’s why I know that I love you too.”

Felix:

Your eyes widened in surprise as Felix lifted his hands from your eyes after counting from three, finally revealing the birthday party he had planned.

Weeks had gone into it, and the smile on your face was exactly the reaction that he was hoping for. “What do you reckon?” He asked just beside you.

“Thank you, I love you, this is amazing,” you hurriedly told him, throwing your arms around Felix’s frame, only for him to remain standing still.

You pulled away after a few moments as you tried to figure out what the problem was. “You just told me you loved me,” Felix told you before you had the chance to ask.

“I did, didn’t I?” You laughed, surprising yourself by how confident you had suddenly become, “I guess that’s because it’s true though.”

“It’s your birthday, I should be treating you,” Felix joked with you.

Your head nodded in agreement as the corners of his smile turned up even more, “I hope you’ve got a better present for me than me telling you that I love you.”

“I might have one or two things up my sleeve.”

Seungmin:

You didn’t quite know where to look as you met Seungmin’s eyes, it took you by surprise, catching you off guard and leaving you a little flustered.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Seungmin as he sniggered at how quickly you moved. “What’s that look for?” He asked as your eyes fell to the ground.

“You just make me shy; I look at you and think wow I love you,” you suddenly admitted, coming to a quick halt just as you finished your sentence.

Your head soon tilted back up, nervously looking at Seungmin again. “You love me?” He quizzed, focusing on just three of the words that you had just spoken.

“This wasn’t quite the place that I was imagining telling you,” you mumbled, scratching your hand over the top of your head awkwardly.

“It feels like the perfect time to me,” Seungmin shrugged in reply.

A light giggle came from you as you spotted just how excited he was, “I was planning on telling you somewhere a little fancier, somewhere a little more us.”

“Y/N, there’s nothing more us than being silly at home.”

I.N:

Your expression was soft as you looked across at Jeongin, finally feeling your tears begin to dry up, with his hands pressed against your cheeks to catch anymore.

His eyes studied you closely, rising with every hiccup that came from you. “Are you feeling better?” He asked you as you fell silent from crying at last.

“I am, thank you,” you whispered across to him, “I love you for being here for me,” you added without giving your words much thought.

From the look that appeared on Jeongin’s face though, you knew exactly what you had said straight away. “You love me being around?” He smiled across to you.

“I do,” you simply replied with a slight chuckle, “it’s not just having you around, I guess that now is a pretty good time to just say I love you instead.”

“Y/N, you’re upset, you might not mean it,” he tried to tell you.

Your head shook in reply to Jeongin, “I might be upset, and I might be a bit confused, but there’s one thing that I know for sure, and that’s what I’ve just said to you.”

“Wow, I was never quite expecting you to say that.”

---

Masterlist

[chezzywezzy]

Yandere Lost Boys (8/8)

Word count ; 4.7k

I groaned, feeling Dwayne shuffle around me. I was so tired. It couldn’t possibly be time to wake up yet. I felt gentle hands shake my shoulder, and I realized the almost-warmth of Dwayne’s body could only be felt by my wandering hand.

“Y/n, it’s time to go.”

My eyes shot open with a burst of adrenaline, but it was just as quickly consumed by my grogginess. I saw Michael through blurry vision as he pawed affectionately at my week. I heard distant rustles and chatter, but I had a hard time distinguishing it.

“Michael,” I gasped, hand twitching.

His arms dipped underneath my body and he began to lift. But just as quickly as that happened, another hand shot out to my upper arm, pulling me strongly out of his grasp. I let out a yelp, tears threatening to fall because I didn’t like that my sleep was being disturbed.

Michael cursed groggily under his breath, and Dwayne growled. He pulled me on top of him before rolling on his side. He didn’t seem aware of going on, but he didn’t seem happy that our contact broke, if even for a second. He muttered my name, and it rolled shivers down my spine from how possessive it was.

I heard three pairs of footsteps approach. I recognized Sam’s voice instantly. “Michael! What’s going on? Where are the others?”

Michael immediately hushed him, but at the same time, I heard two other unrecognizable voices.They shushed him, but it was oh-so loud. I was about to fall asleep again, fi not for Dwayne’s death grip on me and I realized he’d tensed. He wasn’t aware of what was going on yet, but he clearly sensed something was going on regardless.

“Y/n,” he grunted quietly, scooting further toward the corner of my bed.

A bout of despair consumed me and I weakly pushed at his chest. Michael’s name threatened to escape, and as a hand escaped under his arms, I reached out sleepily toward him. Michael’s soft fingers intertwined with my own.

“We can come back for her later,” an unfamiliar voice that sounded like a tween gruffly stated. “We have more important things to deal with.”

“N - no, we need to get her first,” Michael insisted quietly.

“Let’s just stake this one,” another voice spoke.

Michael suddenly tugged on my arm harshly, forcing Dwayne to wake up. He let out a guttural war cry, and I heard others echo from a deeper chamber in the back. Michael managed to pull me free and I barrel-rolled off the bed. I yelped loudly as my back hit the rock ground.

All hell was defending upon us as I heard more screeches coming from Dwayne. The others had been woken up.

“Fuck! We need to go,” one of the voices spoke, to which Sam agreed.

“Fuck you, lover boy. We almost had it.”

Warm hands lifted me off the ground bridal style and my head immediately leaned against Michael’s chest. I didn’t even open my eyes as I heard rambling form the bed sheets. It was so inhumane-sounding and it scared me to my core, but I was still so numb from my desire to sleep.

The world around me rocked with each step he took. I suddenly shuddered as I felt the warmth of of the sun hit me, and the furious screeches were nothing more but echoes. Michael’s movement became groggy, but I became aware that I was sat down in the back of the car.

Michael was quick to scramble beside me. His arms wrapped around my waist and I eagerly cuddled into him. His leather jacket was used as a blanket to cover our heads, and I could tell from his quiet snores he was out like a light. The car started up and we were off, which was more than enough to put me to sleep.

That is, until people started tugging on my arms. “God dammit, they’re out like a light!”

“We can’t just leave them there!” Sam argued.

“Oh yeah? You think you could take both of them? We have better things to do! We need holy water, now!”

My hand twitched and I gasped, trying to force myself awake. I heard their bickering go quiet, and a pale hand began shaking my shoulder. “Yo, she’s awake. Hey, hey, hey, you two need to get inside. Wake up!”

I groaned, limply pushing at Michael. He twitched, and I heard the boys grab their bikes and rush off indoors. Michael finally moved the leather jacket off us, sitting up. He was more awake then I was, but I tried to be alert. He forced himself over the car, using it for balance as he stood. I gripped, and his strong arms helped to pull me out.

Little by little, we limped over to the door. The young children had gone off on their vampire-hunting adventures, but I was tired. I needed to be awake for the - metaphorically speaking - wolves that would descend tonight. They wouldn’t be happy. But, hopefully, that wouldn’t matter because the Frog Brothers could handle them.

I wish I could’ve found them sooner. Maybe if I’d been more thorough, Ruby would be alive.

We clambered up the stairs of the unfamiliar household. It was silent. I was about to pass out until we ended up in Michael’s room. I was more than glad when we both collapsed. We didn’t even straighten ourselves out right. WE crashed, and just like that, we were out like lightbulbs.

~~~

“God, guys, get up! The sun’s setting!” Sam’s voice broke through, and I jolted awake. 

I sat up suddenly, gasping. I was sweating profusely. Fear coarse through my veins. The Frog Brothers were nowhere to be seen, but I heard shuffling amidst the house. The windows were all boarded up and the house was dark. Sam rushed out the doorway when his name was called, and I began vigorously shaking Michael’s chest.

“Michael…!” I exclaimed.

His hand suddenly shot up to my wrist. He blinked open, keeping my hand against his chest. His dark curls fell out of his face, and he watched me tiredly. We maintained eye contact, and he slowly navigated my hand up his chest and onto his cheek. He was fully alert, and I could see the worry swarming in his gorgeous inky orbs.

“It’ll be alright, Michael,” I consoled with a frown, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

“If you believe it, why are you shaking?”

I hadn’t noticed until he mentioned it, but it was true. I gulped slowly, withdrawing my hand. I instead allowed him to sit up, no more words being exchanged. I pulled on one of his jackets for the sake of comfort while Michael quickly looked himself over in his bedroom mirror. I was about to leave to join the children down in the living room or wherever they were, but Michael stopped me, wrapping his arms around my waist. His curls pressed to the side of my head.

I placed my hands over his own, leaning against him. “What’s wrong, Michael?”

“I’m just thinking… after this is all over, we need to go on a date. A perfect, normal date.”

I giggled, turning around and instantly wrapping my arms around his neck. I didn’t quite give him a kiss. Instead, I rubbed our noses together in a lengthy Eskimo kiss. Michael exhaled, and his entire body relaxed instantly. He finally closed the distance. The kiss was short and simple, but it was dripping with passion and ecstasy. 

He pulled away, but he squeezed my waist one last time. The wind started picking up outside and my heart dropped. I liked Michael, but I couldn’t help but wonder if things would be easier if I gave myself up. I didn’t want anyone to die. Even those psychopaths that turned me.

I still felt too soft for them.

Suddenly, barks sounded. Crashes and shouts came from downstairs, and we separated, dashing over to the balcony. Michael thrust the doors open and peered over the edge. I followed suit, tears threatening to spill. When we got outside, I saw that Sam was dashing right out into the yard toward his dog.

“Sam!” Michael howled, not wasting any seconds in heading right back indoors to pursue.

The Frog Brothers begged for him to come back. I would’ve, too, if my gaze wasn’t glued to the distant shadowy figures approaching rapidly. Even within the wind, I heard their cruel cackles, each as distinct as the other. My breath caught in my throat and I heard them call my name. 

My gaze shifted to the panicked boy as he darted across the lawn. He was running straight for a chained up husky, of whom was barking manically.  Sa reached his dog in time, struggling with the restraints. I gasped and resisted calling out as Michael exited the house, in tow with Sam. It made my heart burn with concern and attraction from how much he loved his family.

Michael skidded right to the dog, struggling with the leash. In terror, I realized the vampires were descending from the sky, aiming right for them. They were pissed, and it was evident. I’d never seen them fly so fast, and I’d never felt the wind this harsh.

“Michael!” I shrieked, finally allowing the tears to fall and sully my vision “They’re coming!”

The dog, with one final whimper, was free. It dashed toward the doorway, leaving their owners in the dust. Everyone was screaming and crying for them, and the brothers finally got to their feet. I was almost relieved, but Sam suddenly sprawled against the ground, taking Michael with him. A shriek threatened to escape as the vampires swooped down and were barely above the trees. I could sense how badly they salivated over them, and I gripped the handrail tightly.

Michael pulled him to his feet, and they were off again. They made it under the balcony and I heard the door slam. I almost let out a sigh of relief, as the boys were previously heading right toward the door with their hungry paw outstretched. 

But then I remembered I was still on the balcony. I let out a gut-wrenching scream and turned to the open door. My hand grasped the rim ,and I grasped it tightly. I was half-way inside.

“Y/n, where do you think you’re going?” David hissed from right behind me. 

I screeched as claws grabbed at the back of my shirt, and another pair snatched my ankle. I ended up falling face-first against the hard wood balcony, and my hand failed me. I shouted for Michael to save me as I was being dragged and slowly lifted off the ground by my foot. I reached and flailed desperately, feeling their slimy hands grip my body possessively.

Suddenly, Michael was there. The boys were unable to enter directly, and he knew that. I’d told him that. Tears spilled and I heard them hiss in annoyance. I was levitating and David was about to officially take me elsewhere. I reached out toward Michael desperately, and him to me.

And he caught me. The Frog Brothers were quick in pursuit, shooting arrows with garlic stuck on it. An arrow whizzed past me and I was suddenly dropped. I gasped painfully as I collided with the balcony floor. When I looked over my shoulder, the boys had seemingly disappeared, not wanting to face off toward imminent death. Michael dragged me back in and one of them slammed the door behind him.

All was still for a moment. The wind stopped and I heard nothing. Michael pulled me to my feet, checking me over anxiously. The Frog Brothers dashed off, leaving us alone. He pawed at my face, peppering a few kisses on my jawline.

“Where are they?” I sobbed, clinging to his chest.

“I - I don’t know. But you have to stay here. Stay hidden,” Michael instructed, panting. “You can’t let them take you. It’s obvious they’re here for you.”

I nodded, and I let him pull me up to my feet. We shared one last hug before Michael informed me he needed to take care of Sam. That Sam had as much of a target on the back of his head as anyone else. And he was right. I was the one who dragged them all into this.

I heard banging coming from the outside windows of the bedroom. The entire house started shaking, and I was sure some of the support beams would crumble. The boys wouldn’t stop until they destroyed every inch of this place and I couldn’t bare the thought of it.

I knew they weren’t planning to attack until they knew where I was, though. And that terrified me.

The window on the other side of the room suddenly crashed and burst open. I heard so many cackles and hisses, and I knew that I had to run. I went toward the door which led to the bathroom. I slammed it behind me. I heard someone pounding on it for dear life, and adrenaline coarse through my veins as I pushed my body against it.

I noticed that the bathtub was filled to the brim with garlic and holy water. I wasn’t sure if I had the guts to put the plan into motion, though, and I dreaded the idea of hurting one of the vampires, despite everything. I had waited too long to think, though, as the wood from beside me suddenly splintered and a hand grabbed at my head.

I screamed, and from the other bathroom door, the Frog Brothers entered. They had a stake in their respective hands and they were trembling head to toe. The door burst open and in stalked Paul, face distorted and furious.

I flew into the bathroom sink. The floor was slippery and I ended up sliding, hitting my head with the metal rim on the way down. I shrieked, but my ankle was suddenly grabbed and I was being dragged my a steaming Paul. He gripped the back of my hair and forced me onto my feet before knocking me into the wall. His anger shifted to the two young boys, and he pointed at them accusatorially. 

“She’s mine!” he roared at the top of his lungs. The brothers began stumbling backwards toward the doorway again. He smacked the stakes right out of their hands. “You’re dead meat!”

“No, you’re dead meat!” they fearfully taunted, pressing their frames out of the opposing doorway.

They suddenly halted at the other side of the bathtub. Paul bore his fangs when they started pushing him up against the tub desperately. Paul was almost amused by their weak attempts to shake him. The vampires were stronger by tenfold, and I couldn’t help but be shellshocked when they got so close to him.

“Garlic don’t work on me, boys!”

“Try holy water!” they shrieked.

They suddenly reached their hand into the tub and sprayed. Paul shoved the to the ground before letting out agonized screams. His face was up in smoke and he pawed at it, stumbling away from the tub. He ended up backing into the wall next to me and I scooted away.When he removed his hands, I saw that the right side of his face was burnt and hot. He wasn’t dead, but he sure was pissed off. 

The Frog Brothers were screaming girlishly at the top of their lungs. They were hugging each other tightly, and suddenly, another vampire pushed himself into the room. I’d seen Marko pissed off many a time, but never so severely. Even when his eyes shifted to me, he only fumed further.

“How dare you little shits interfere,” he hissed, standing next to Paul.

The Frog Brothers screamed again, scrambling to their feet. “Mayday, mayday, retreat! We retreat!”

My jaw dropped as they dashed out of the room, and I realized I was left with two of the vampires to fend off. I was cornered, as it was either them or the sink. My fingers dug into the sink as I leaned against it. Their attention shifted to me. Paul was still gasping from the pain, but Marko narrowed his eyes at me.

“You don’t think you can get away that easily, do you?”

I reached for the knob and turned on the sink. Their anger seemingly evaporated, being replaced with amusement from my actions. Paul, with his mangled face, and Marko, of whom was watching with interest, backed me into it. Quiet whimpers escaped. I knew they weren’t going to kill me, per se, but they were unpredictable. They could always try.

Marko tongue rolled over his fangs as he pressed himself against me. I flinched when his sharp nails met my cheek and he slid them across my flesh teasingly. I could hear something going on downstairs, and I assumed David was dealing with the others personally. I hadn’t a clue as to what he was planning to do.

And that’s when an idea came to mind. I reached my hand underneath the now searing hot water. Paul was still panting in pain, and yet, they seemed distracted from their main goal. I dipped my hand underneath the steaming water. I let out a screech of pain, causing their expressions to become panicked. It was hot, but by god, it wasn’t holy water. 

I grit my teeth and flicked a handful at them. They roared, stumbling away. Some of the drops hit them, but it gave me some distance. I darted right past, still cradling my burnt hand. I heard an enraged “you’re not getting away that easily” from Paul, but I slammed the bathroom door shut. I could feel them clawing at it, but I was finally in another bedroom.

I twas empty, and I knew I had to go downstairs. David or Dwayne was surely cornered by the Frog Brothers. The door was torn off the hinges from behind me, and instead of waiting to be caught again, I tossed my body right over the railing.

I shrieked, hearing that the majority of the chaos was coming from the other room. My aim was almost perfect because half of my slammed into the couch while my legs hit the table, sufficiently cracking it. I let out a groan, but I realized that Paul and Marko were quick to fly over the rails and attempt to tackle me.

“Michael!” I screamed, hoping he was in the area.

I scrambled to my feet, barely missing their ragged claws. I saw that everyone was gathered around in a room, shouting and arguing. They weren’t fighting, though.

All of their attention turned to me, and Michael opened his arms. His face was contorted and he was panting. He was stained with blood, and for a moment, I was scared. But as he tried moving toward me, I saw that David’s head was completely decapitated. David was dead. And yet, everything was the same.

Michael tried making it to me, but the ceiling broke but a few feet above me. I came to a screeching halt. Dwayne, letting out a monstrous roar, emerged from the ceiling. We made but brief eye contact, and it made my blood ran cold. All of them were very displeased, but he was the most. Any joy reaped from David being killed was replaced with terror, because now, every vampire was unhappy.

Michael tried stepping out of the way, ready to attack the monster, but Dwayne tackled him to the ground. Dwayne slashed violently at Michael’s face, forcing hi moo let out a cry of pain. I tried to run and separate them, but two arms slithered around my face and pulled me toward them. It was none other than Marko,, who was heaving furiously as his hands ran over my body tightly.

The Frog Brothers were taken aback. Paul pounced at them, but they managed to squirt some holy water out of squirt guns. Paul, writhing, collapsed to the ground. That wasn’t before he swiped at their ankles, though. The Frog Brothers tumbled to the ground.

Each were in their respective tussles, and I Was left to struggle in Marko’s arms. I let out quiet sob as his sharp fingers squeezed my throat teasingly. I felt his tongue glide over the shell of my ear, and I wanted nothing more than to escape. Seeing as David wasn’t the head vampire, I had no idea how things would work out in our favor. 

I didn’t want my innocent friends to die.

“See, angel face,” he spoke aggressively, forcing me to look at David’s decapitated head,” look at what you’ve done. Think about how things would’ve gone if you just accepted us. And now, your little boy toy and his entire family will die and you will watch.”

I tried wrenching my face, free, but his nails dug into my puffy cheeks. He was still hissing angrily under his breath, and I couldn’t help but paw at the arm around my waist. I was forced to watch as Paul managed to tackle Sam, fangs sinking into his shoulder. Meanwhile, Dwayne had trapped Michael against the wall. There were slashes covering his entire body.

 A silent scream tore at my throat. Marko was still hushing me aggressively, half pissed off and half amused by the suffering and pain him and his friends were delivering.

“Michael? Sam? Michael?”

A distant voice that I recognized to be Ms. Emerson broke out, and a sudden silence fell over the home. Everyone halted what they were doing. Both Sam and Michael were dropped to the ground. All that could be heard was loud panting.

Dwayne was staring directly at me, his chest heaving wildly. Marko’s grasp on me loosened enough so that I could peer over his shoulders. The petite woman entered manically with Max, my boss, right behind her. The Frog Brothers and Sam were quick to run over to her, Sam still reeling in pain.

“What happened? Oh my god, we need a doctor! Who are these people?” she sobbed, terrified by the destruction of not only the house, but of her children.

Everyone started speaking over each other while Max ignored the commotion, walking deeper into the room. Marko let go of me, which allowed me to back away. I was so confused and so frightened. Max was so calm and collected and I didn’t understand what was going on.

I backed right into Dwayne, who was quick to grab me. His face was still contorted, but he enveloped me in a warm, bloody hug. His fingers stained my shirt and I was too shocked to react, glad to have the feeling of something comforting me regardless. 

Max stormed into the room, disregarding all of the vampires. He went right for David’s head, concern riddling his expression. He reached and tilted it. He allowed the head to fall onto the ground next to him, blood splattering in its wake.

The mother suddenly pulled away rom her kids, turning to the various strangers in her own home. Her face was pale and mortified. The bloodshed was immense, and she was barely able to speak. “Who are you people?” she squeaked.

“I’m sorry, Lucy,” Max spoke up demurely. “This is all my fault. David and my boys misbehaved.” He was chuckling and removed his glasses, slowly walking toward her. Dwayne chuckled from under his breath, and the realization dawned on me.

“I told you. Boys need a mother.”

“M - Max, what are you talking about? Do you know who these people are? They’re dangerous!”

Sam, grunting in pain, exclaimed,” I knew it! You’re the head vampire!”

I pushed myself free from Dwayne, who allowed me to. He was smug.  I didn’t like it. Everyone except the vampires were baffled, and I was, too. I went to Michael and helped him up. Some of his scratches had healed just from being a vampire alone. He held me close with labored breathing, and he gently wiped the tears and dirt off my cheek, kissing it gently. His face had almost returned to normal, although I knew the blood tempted him.

“But you passed the test!” one of the Frog Brothers shouted, pointing accusatorially. 

“Don’t even invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy,” he chided. “It leaves you powerless.”

“Has everyone gone crazy? What happened to my kids?” Ms. Emerson interrupted.

Max chuckled lowly. “It was you I was after all along, Lucy. I knew that if I could get Sam and Michael into the family, you’d have no choice but to follow. It was all going to be so perfect. But it seems our newest recruit, Y/n, has become a focal point with their hatred for one another. My boys aren’t known for being the most open-minded. They don’t like to share.”

Shivers rolled down my spine and I clutched Michael tightly.We hugged as though our lives depended on it. I never wanted to be a vampire. I wanted Michael.

“We could’ve been one big happy family.”

The others had started to walk away while the three remaining vampires began stalking toward us. There was murderous intent in their eyes, and I couldn’t help but shove Michael behind me. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be safe.

Max peered over his shoulder, sighing. When he turned back, though, I could tell his contorted visage struck fear into the woman. “But I still want you, Lucy. I haven’t changed my mind about that. But, my dear boys, have fun with these nasty children.”

The humans erupted into screams and the two of us were surrounded by the others, unable to help. Everyone except us two tried to attack the head vampire. I was suddenly grabbed by one of the boys and torn away. Michael was jumped at and I screamed. Michael was thrown to the upper level and everyone was struggling to fight against the supernatural creatures.

However, a distant car horn started. Everyone paused, disturbed by the interruption. All except Dwayne, who continued to hold me back while I tried to struggle free.

A large vehicle crashed through the wall. It was covered in wooden spikes, and Michael pounced from the second story to thrust Max into a spike. Everyone watched in either horror or hope as he was struck through the chest and forced against the wall, being stuck there to hang.

And then, he exploded. Screams echoed the room and I clutched Dwayne tightly.

And then, everything went silent, minus for struggling coughs. Max was no more. And my body felt light and easy. I pushed Dwayne away, who staggered with unease and weakness. I ran over to Michael, collapsing onto the floor and hugging him tightly. 

“It’s over,” I sobbed happily.

Michael was still out of breath, but he returned to hug, peppering kisses along my cheeks. We were human again. And that meant the remaining vampires were, too, and they couldn’t do anything to stop us. We staggered to our feet, wondering who the hell could’ve saved our asses.

I separated, suddenly feeling the desire to check on the psychopaths. All of them had collapsed on the floor and their faces were normal. They didn’t seem half as menacing as they used to be. Michael went to console his family, leaving me to hover over the weak men.

Marko limply grabbed at my ankle. I let him. He couldn’t hurt me or the Emerson family anymore. None of them could.

An old man suddenly emerged fro the tank. It was the grandfather Michael mentioned. And he was unhinged. He stalked right over to the fridge and opened the door. Everyone watched in bewilderment about how casual he was, but as he drank some seltzer, he shrugged.

“One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires.”

[ladyofthenoodle]

pretty lady, look at how he's smiling

happy holidays, @anna-scribbles! i was your secret santa this year. this is partially inspired by this fantastic comic of yours, everyone please feel free to imagine marinette making that exact face for the beginning of this fic. actually, you should imagine all of them making those faces.

lovesquare, rated T, 4303 words

“Good morning, Marinette!”

Marinette blinked.

There, right in front of her on the school steps, stood Adrien Agreste, hands in his pockets and smiling at her like they shared a secret. A groggy Nino trailed a few meters behind him, squinting at them as he polished his glasses with the hem of his shirt.

“Good Adrien… morning!” she managed to splutter back, heart racing. She hadn’t been prepared to talk to him so early in the morning—shouldn’t he be in the classroom already?

Marinette hooked her thumbs inside the straps of her backpack, shifting the weight against her back as an anchor. Adrien’s eyes followed her hands and his grin widened.

“Can I walk you to class?” he asked.

What?

“I can carry your bag for you.”

What!

“Not that I don’t think you can carry your own bag!” Adrien rushed to add in response to Marinette’s silence. “You know how much I admire your strong meowscles—I mean, your strength! Because you are very strong. Yes.”

Whatwhatwhat.

“You can carry my bag if you prefer.” He winked.

Adrien Agreste winked at her. At her! At Marinette Dupain-Cheng!

“Dude, is something in your eye?” Nino asked, his glasses sparkling in the morning sun.

“Oh, um,” Adrien muttered, his shoulders coming up to meet his ears. “It’s, just, ah, bright?”

“Hmmm,” added Nino.

Marinette said nothing, her brain still too busy processing “Can I walk you to class?” to bother with forming its own original words in response.

“Sorry, Marinette.”

Was he blushing?

“That was presumptuous of me. Of course you don’t want to carry my bag. Or for me to carry your bag. You probably already have someone to carry your bag, and you don’t need me getting in the way, I’ll just—”

“No!” Marinette screeched, interrupting his rambling before he could finish the sentence with something disastrous, like “leave.” Marinette had no idea what was going on right now, but she did know she absolutely did not want Adrien to leave.

Unfortunately, Adrien did not seem to know what Marinette wanted, and she watched with horror as his now-shaky grin slid right off his face.

Nino glared at her.

“I mean, no, I have no barry to cab, just you, please.” Marinette’s tongue felt like lead in her mouth, but she powered through. “Please carry my bag! Only you, Adrien.”

“Thank you!” he cheered in response, his megawatt grin once again at full power, sucking the capability of human language right back out of Marinette’s head like she’d never had it at all.

Adrien then cleared his throat before saying in a slightly lower voice, “At your service, ma belle.”

And then he… bowed?

Yes, he definitely bowed. And extended his hand out with a flourish, ready to take her bag.

Marinette experienced a full system failure.

She didn’t remember much of what happened next, except that Adrien’s eyes when he looked back up at her sparkled like summer grass after the rain. An amused Alya would later explain that Nino had taken it upon himself to slip Marinette’s backpack off her shoulders and into Adrien’s outstretched hand. Marinette wasn’t sure exactly when Alya had joined them.

Somehow, from there, they’d made it to the front of the building (Marinette couldn’t recall taking a single step; she must have floated), at which point Adrien had rushed forward to open the door for her. She remembered that moment because someone had to nudge her through the door (the floating had apparently stopped then, since whatever force that had pushed her along thus far was content to pause at the door and smile back at Adrien, whose beaming smile was only slightly strained by the effort of holding the door, his own book bag, and her backpack).

Thankfully, Marinette had managed to more or less return to a functioning plane of existence by the time class started. She lamented that she’d zoned out for most of the walk to class—surely this morning would be a treasured memory for many months to come. The sound of Adrien’s voice saying “ma belle” alone—and saying it to her—would’ve been something she’d play on repeat in her head for the rest of the day.

Would’ve been, except Adrien’s early morning gallantry turned out to be just a warm up for the rest of the day. At every chance he got—every pause in the lecture, every transition between classrooms, even when she dropped her pen–Adrien went out of his way to pay attention to Marinette. Not that he normally ignored her, but he usually didn’t seek her out like this.

Like he’d come to school specifically to dote on Marinette, and that every other part of his day was just something to pass the time between his moments with her. Like he was as eager to spend time with Marinette as she was to spend time with him.

Worst of all, every time she looked at him (something she could usually do at her leisure throughout class–and did), he was looking back at her. Not just making eye contact either, but full-on stares of adoration, complete with pink cheeks and unbearably cute heart eyes.

It was a wonder she’d made it through class without Miss Bustier sending her to the nurse, because she was pretty certain that she’d stopped breathing at several points.

To top the morning off, Adrien had bid farewell to Marinette on his way to lunch by kissing the back of her hand. Which she should’ve been able to handle, given that Chat Noir did it to her all the time, but this was Adrien and this was Adrien’s lips on her bare hand.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, right outside the door of the classroom, staring at the hairs standing up on the back of her hand and marveling at the phantom feeling of his lips where they’d softly lingered as he’d stared into her eyes. The heat in her cheeks still hadn’t fully faded by the time Alya approached her.

“I think he likes you,” she teased, shaking Marinette out of her reverie.

“I don’t know…” Marinette tugged at her lower lip with her teeth as she trailed off, averting her eyes from Alya’s knowing smirk.

“C’mon girl, did you see the way he was smiling at you today? And some of the things he said, woo, going after Chat Noir’s girl and stealing his moves? Bold.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I’m not Chat Noir’s girl, Alya, gross. It’s not 1965.”

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot. Chat Noir’s your girl, not the other way around.”

“Alya!”

“Just trying to get a rise out of you.” Alya winked. “You’ve been in a daze all day.”

“Can you blame me? Adrien has been FLIRTING with me!”

“Oh ho ho, so you admit he was flirting?” Alya’s eyebrows gave a self-satisfied little wiggle. “What was that ‘I don’t know’ about then?”

“Just because he was flirting doesn’t mean he likes me!” Marinette tried to explain, though honestly, she wasn’t really sure herself anymore. He certainly seemed into her, but… “Why would he like me?”

“Okay, first of all,” Alya started, ticking off one finger, “You’re amazing, Adrien is lucky to know you, and eventually he was bound to realize you’re more than a just a friend—”

“Alya, that’s not—”

“Uh-uh-uh, I’m not done!” Alya interrupted Marinette before she could explain it wasn’t her own likeability that was in question, just the suddenness of Adrien’s interest.

“Second of all,” Alya said as she ticked off a second finger, this time with slightly more vigor, “you know Adrien isn’t the kind of guy to flirt with a girl he’s not interested in. Heck, he’s not the kind of guy that flirts at all, so—”

“Exactly!” Marinette said, throwing her hands on her hips so quickly that sure-footed Alya almost stumbled back in surprise. Marinette winced, but Alya’s lips twisted with amusement and she gestured for Marinette to continue.

“Adrien doesn’t flirt,” Marinette proclaimed, ignited in the way one only was moments after several revelations had clicked into place. “Not with me and not with anyone else either. He never did any of this with Kagami, not even when they were dating. This is weird, Alya. Even if Adrien did just wake up one day with a crush on me—which I doubt—he wouldn’t be acting like this!”

With that, Marinette threw her arms in the air with a victorious emphasis (though her victory was a hollow one, tinged as it was with the paired truth that Adrien’s feelings were surely as platonic as ever).

After a thoughtful pause, Alya seemed to agree. “It is uncharacteristic of him, you’re right, but what other reason would he have?”

“Maybe his father told him that he’s arranged to be married to the Crown Princess of Sweden, and—”

“Isn’t she married already?”

Marinette ignored Alya’s interjection, not wanting to bring irrelevant things like facts into the conversation. “—and he has seven days to convince his father that he’s in love with someone else or he’ll be shipped out of the country where they’ll feed him nothing but lutefisk, and—”

“Marinette!” Alya interrupted again, this time with a pair of firm hands laid on Marinette’s shoulders. “Don’t you think there’s a slightly more likely explanation for this?”

Alya did have a point, she supposed. Sweden was a bit far fetched. “I suppose Monaco is much closer, it’d be much easier to arrange photo shoots than from Sweden…”

“Or,” Alya offered with a fond but long-suffering look, “There’s no arranged marriage to a princess at all, just an akuma.”

Oh.

Marinette had to admit that did seem more likely, but… “Why would an akuma make Adrien fall in love with me?”

Alya tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe the akuma is one of the girls, frustrated that you still aren’t together. Oh! Or maybe they missed their chance with a girl and so their power is to make every guy realize his feelings and act on them or maybe the akuma is someone who is in love with you and thinks everyone else should be too!”

“Or maybe their love was unrequited and they’re trying to spare me the same fate,” Marinette grumbled. She preferred the engaged to a princess idea, really. Then, at least she’d have the chance to make him fall in love with her for real as they fake-dated for his father’s benefit. An akuma wasn’t nearly as fun.

Alya hummed, then mused, “If there was an akuma like that, wouldn’t other people be affected? No one else was acting strange today at all really…”

Marinette had no choice but to take Alya’s word on that fact, since she barely had any idea what she herself had acted like today, let alone anyone else. Her brain had been even more laser targeted on Adrien Agreste than it usually was, and her brain was about 25% Adrien Agreste fantasies at a baseline.

“Maybe he just ate something weird,” Alya said with a nonchalant shrug, and suddenly, the bottom dropped out of Marinette’s stomach.

Because Adrien had eaten something weird. Something she’d given him.

Two days ago, on Sunday, she’d made her regular batch of magical cookies and Camembert for her and Chat Noir. She’d also boxed up some bakery leftovers for her friends and brought them to school the next day. Or, she’d thought she brought them to school, until Adrien had opened up his box to an array of pungent, multicolored cheese instead of the croissants she’d promised him.

He’d looked shocked at the time, but later pulled her aside to thank her with far more excitement than she’d thought a box of soft, oddly-colored dairy products warranted. She’d assumed he was just a fan of Camembert, and that without a Miraculous, eating the cheese wouldn’t have any effect.

But what if she’d been wrong? What if he’d eaten the pink one? Come to think of it, his cheeks had been looking a bit flushed when he’d thanked her…

He must’ve eaten the pink one.

“Alya,” Marinette croaked as the blood drained from her cheeks. “I think I put him under a love spell.”

read the rest on ao3