#Haven't finished final inspection yet

[girlystories]

Two sides on the same coin

— pairings: Joseph Descamps x ex-rebellious reader

summary: you get expelled from your all girls school after an incident you get yourself into. cutting all ties with your troublesome friends, your parents send you to voltaire lycée in hopes you change your ways. an annoying prick, though, gets in the way of that, making you constantly on the verge of breaking your promise to your parents.

additional warnings: underage smoking, usage of foul language, mention of boobs ig?

authors note: very creative chapter title, ik. also really sorry for this late update, but i honestly don't haven't any excuse. it's finally here so I hope you enjoy. also i added a character from another movie cuz i can.

words: 3.9k

Chapter 1: The bastard with the dumb glasses

[Name] [Last Name] certainly wasn't expecting her first day to occur like this.

She fell down on her knees next to the wounded boy, who held on his left eye. He was whimpering in pain, making it obvious the punch he took to the face was serious.

Placing a hand on his back, she tried to receive any attention from him. She called out his name but didn't get an answer. Blood was dripping from between his fingers and his groaning increased before she was pulled away from him.

...

Lumière Lycée was nothing but a memory now, all what happened there only for the driven girl to want go remember, whenever she even wanted to. If she wanted to. She couldn't lie to herself and say it was a good time. On the contrary, it was a living hell for her. It wasn't a catholic school, but it was somehow aiming towards it.

She'd gotten in trouble one, two, three, or more times. Times she couldn't even keep track of.

Not that it even mattered now. No one would know of her past, her previous troublesome and somewhat rebellious nature in a place for her old school and only herself. It was a year ago from now, certainly she'd have changed from then. Or, in better words, she wanted to mask it deep inside. She promised it to her parents.

Moving schools meant moving overall, but she was sure she'd get used to the new environment sooner or later. Voltaire Lycée, the only academy daring to take things further and expand into a mixed school containing both boys and girls. Such a big change, things were seemingly passing so fast. It was the only thing the newspapers and radio were discussing about all day long for the past three days.

She was now brushing her hair, styling it while in her bathrobe. She added a small touch of makeup on her lashes, in a effort not to seem as tired from sleeping late the earlier day. Her anxiety forbid her from it. To bring some sort of color to her lips, she applied some chapstick. She didn't want to impress anybody, but didn't want to stand out by appearing like some sort of messy girl. That'd make a horrible impression. She opted to blend in with everybody else, which wasn't as easy since she was expected as one of the other few new girls. She'd stand out either way. How many girls would even attend that school anyway?

Either way, she hoped for a change. From having more than fifty absences, five to nine out of twelve marks, constantly snapping at her other classmates and breaking into fights, to becoming a lady with a future ahead of her.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, "[Name]," a soft voice called from behind it, "are you ready yet? Your father could give you a ride to school."

"No, it's okay," she got up from her chair, giving a last look at herself from her mirror. "I'd lather walk on my first day."

Her mother nodded and left without a word, leaving her to finish in getting ready.

[Name] opened her wardrobe, inspecting her clothes and in the end decided upon a matching set of a top and short skirt that she tried out the day before. Before leaving her room she wore her pair of Mary-Jane's.

She headed to her kitchen, where her parents were already awake, eating their breakfast before work. She took a seat and took a sip of her prepared coffe. "Good morning," she said.

Her father swallowed his own coffe before speaking, "Good morning. How do you feel about your new school?"

"Rather anxious."

"No wonder," her mother said. "A mixed school? It's a much troublesome shift from what we're used too. Wouldn't you agree, dear?"

Her dad finished his coffe, placing his mug down. "Well, we do what we can do. If only you would behave, [Name]."

"[Father name], " her mother glanced at him with knotted brows. "Don't start again."

He ignored her warnings, "Now make sure to get your shit together or else things will be really complicated. I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart."

"I know," [Name] simply said.

Her mother still kept an eye on her husband and sighed, turning her attention at her daughter. "Now you have a nice day, okay? Be home right after school or if you want stop by the bakery."

[Name] finished her butter bread, taking her bag as she got up and went to the front door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she got interrupted. Internally groaning, she went back and kissed her parents on the cheek.

"Alright, bye," she finally said and left.

Since it was still early, she stopped at her neighborhood supermarket to buy herself a pack of Gauloises, thanking the owner and lighting one while on her way. Just then she realized she didn't know the way.

Minutes later she regretted not accepting her parents' offer to drive her to school. Cursing under her breath at her possibility of being late on her first day, she kept her fast pase as she took a turn on the street she thought the school was located.

To her utter luck, she was right. When she noticed the front gate inspector closing the door she jogged there yelling for him stop. He rose his head towards her, earning his attention.

He threw his cigarette, chuckling softly. "Lucky for you, it's your first day, miss, otherwise I'd have left you locked outside," he said and opened the gate for her.

"Sorry, it won't happen again..." she breathed out.

"Well, they haven't made their way inside. Mr. Belanger is giving a speech."

"Thanks," she said and walked hurrily where everyone stood.

On top of the building's stairs stood the school staff, the students surprisingly listening from bellow. She shoved herself between the crowd to catch a word he was saying.

"-Gentlemen, I expect you to...to be as polite, respectful, magnanimous and dignified as I know you can...when on your best behavior."

"Who is that?" she asked herself.

"The school's Dean," she wasn't really expecting an answer, yet a guy replied from beside her.

She nodded at him, staying silent for a moment before talking again. "Damn, I don't even know in what class I am."

"Don't worry. They'll call your name anyway."

Just then, a woman walked forward, holding a sheet or paper. "I'll now be calling the first-year's, then proceed the second year's due to the addition of female students."

"Just like that," he smirked and Mr. Bluebeard began reading the paper.

[Name] breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. Because I was afraid of almost getting detention from being late."

He let out a laugh, "On your first day? There's no way a person could achieve that record. Not even me. I can assure you I've tried. I don't think you get detention from being late."

"No," she said. "I said almost. Wait, what do you mean y-"

The call of her name interrupted her question.

"That's your name, right? Seems like you're in class 1B."

"Oh, yeah," she said looking as some other students walked up the starts when their names were called. "See you."

She took a seat behind two girls, and as she did so smiled at them when they seemed to acknowledged her. Little by little everyone gathered in class, each taking their seats.

The woman that was calling out the students from before walked in. "I am Mrs. Giraud, your homeroom teacher."

Then, a girl with blonde hair entered the class, eyeing the empty seats anxiously. She had her hair styled with a headband that matched her dress which was beautifully complimenting her figure. It was no surprise everyone was looking at her with either admiration or a tint of desire.

She took a seat at a desk in the front, and [Name] felt somehow disappointed she didn't choose to sit next to her instead.

Mrs. Giraud noticed her gesture. "What's your name miss?"

She got up from her seat, holding her hands together politely. "Annick Sabiani."

"Where do you think you are, miss Sabiani?"

She didn't get enough time to respond at her question.

"Do you think it's okay to sit next to a boy?" she asked sternly. "Get your things."

She began doing so, but Mrs. Giraud interrupted her again. "No. You," she pointed towards the boy next to her. He looked at her for a moment and she continued, "Get up. Go sit in the back."

"But I can't see from there."

"Back row, now," she then looked at [Name], realizing she failed in noticing her presence before. "And what's your name, miss?"

She got up, awkwardly looking around the class and trying to ignore the stares. "[Name] [Last name]."

"You sit in the front."

She gathered her bag and did as she was told, still feeling the stares accompanied with whistling sounds and whispers. The boy tried to do the same, but someone put his foot in the way. That made him trip and almost fall, the group of boys laughing and making pig noises. "It's not your day, piggy."

The teacher did nothing about it, only complaining about being interrupted. "Quiet! As I was saying... Mrs. Giraud, with a "D" as in "discipline.""

[Name] wasn't listening what she was saying anymore, glancing at the person who was at fault of tripping the poor guy. He was grinning at his friend beside him, finding it wholehearted hilarious, like it was comedy gold. He fixed his glasses before he pretending he was paying attention to Mrs. Giraud. Instead he wrote a note and showed it next to him, the duo starting cackling quietly.

Next period was Latin, where she was met with Mr. Douillard. She ultimately ended up not having a really good idea about him, earning already a bad impression by him ignoring the girls when they raised their hand. She grew more and more annoyed when he pretended not to noticed her and she just stopped trying. Sabiani did not back down, though. Still, Mr. Douillard picked the only guy that had raised his hand.

"I think she raised her hand," the same guy with the glasses pointed out in a snarky tone. He pressed his lips together to hold himself from laughing.

Much to the teachers dismay of having to pick a girl student, he side-eyed Sabiani. "Indeed. So?"

She pushed her chair back, fixing her dress. "The Romans welcome Horatio with joy and congratulations and escort him to his house."

"The Romans "cheer" Horatio," he corrected, obviously not wanting to lower to the level of ever praising a girl, wanting to dismiss their existence entirely. "Can you conjugate the verb "ovare"?"

As Sabiani was answering, [Name] noticed the guy from before writing something on a paper, giving it to the person next to him and whispering something. The note was passed down until the teacher noticed.

"Give me that," he ordered, interrupting Sabiani.

The poor guy sighed and stood up walking up to the teacher and handing the note. From where [Name] sat she couldn't see anything but by the expression of Mr. Douillard she could tell it wasn't good.

The unlucky person sighed and stood up walking up to the teacher and handing the note. [Name] knew of him. He was Alain Laubrac, a guy who happened to be in the same gang she used to hang out last year. She stopped hanging out with them after her expulsion, when she was grounded all summer, cutting all ties with them thankfully. She hadn't spoke to him since like the rest. From where she sat she couldn't see anything but by the expression of Mr. Douillard she could tell it wasn't good.

"Think this is funny?"

"It wasn't me."

"Who is responsible for this masterpiece?"

No answer. The guy who drew it pretended he didn't know a thing, placing his pen under his bottom lip.

"Your name?"

"It wasn't me," Alain repeated.

"'It wasn't me'," Mr. Douillard sighed, "All culprits have the same name. They must be related. Okay, Mr. 'It wasn't me'...'"

"My name is Laubrac," he corrected.

"Are you the boy from the foster care?"

The whole class chuckled at that.

"Some nobody's son's trying to graduate? How amusing. Didn't anyone teach you discipline in the care system? I won't let a bastard disrupt my class. Get out."

"But he didn't do anything!" a girl with blond pigtails protested.

"Nobody taught you to raise your hand in your girls' school, Miss Magnan? Or maybe you think you have a free pass because your uncle is the Dean," the teacher mocked, hitting the paper on his palm. "Escort your new friend to your uncle's office. He'll give you detention too."

They both left the room with their heads low, the class filled with silence.

[Name] bit the inside of her mouth, raising a hand.

"Yes, miss?" the teacher complained.

"With all due respect, sir, but you're being really unfair," she said. Mr. Douillard was taked aback and she continued before he interrupted. "It was Picasso over there who did it," she eyed the glasses-guy from the back.

The smile he wore dissappeared, now glaring at her and preparing to argue something back.

"You've got a nerve talking to me like that, miss [Last Name]," the teacher said. "Don't think I haven't been informed of your performance in your past school. I'm not afraid to get you expelled here too."

The class suddenly filled with murmurs.

"Unless you want detention as well I advice you to sit back down."

She looked down and without having anything else to say she sat on her chair. Her grip on her pen tightened when she looked back and seeing the guy still stare at her, slowly forming a winning smirk.

Bastard, she thought.

Finally lunch came, and she exhaled a sigh of relief as she stood up from her seat, an instant need to stretch her body overtaking her. She only wanted to smoke as soon as possible, the necessity of nicotine calling out to her from not being present for a while. She closed her notebook and walked out the classroom as soon as there was space for her to walk through the students.

She walked down the big row of starts, avoiding in pushing the boy in front of her, but still having trouble keeping her patience.

Just as she was about to turn a corner she felt her face being hit with a flat surface, being jolted back.

"Woah, what's the rush?" she felt an arm on her shoulder and was met with a silly smile. It was the guy from earlier in the morning.

"Sorry," she said, feeling embarrassed. She allowed herself to groan, feeling free from expressing her feelings. Even in front of this guy she just met. "I just couldn't stay in that room anymore."

"I didn't know class 1B was that far off," he joked.

"You know anyone from there?"

"Certainly. I could name quite a few if you ask me."

"Ugh, then I'm sure you know. Speaking of, in what class did you end up?"

He placed a hand in his pocket. "2B," he smiled. "If my last name was different we could've been in the same class. Maybe then the school year wouldn't be so bad."

"Yeah, talk about luck," she played along his playful attitude. She didn't know where he was getting at, but he was at least tolerable. "Oh, hey, we haven't met properly before."

"You're right," he extended his palm, smiling at her. "Mick Travis."

She replied with her name, shaking his hand. "Mick Travis? Is that French or..."

"I'm originally from Britain, but I've moved here for a while. I don't know for how long but I'll do what I can in the meantime. Second year in this school and I can't wait to get out of here."

"Did something happen last year?"

"It's a long story," he said simply, changing the subject. "So, where are you headed?"

In the end they sat at a bench, under a tree to avoid the bright sun from blinding their eyes and having to constantly squint at each other. Travis sat sideways, his one leg crossed while the other was extended freely, his head resting on his palm, the other holding his cigarette.

[Name] lazily looked up at the tree as the wind moved it's leafs, making her almost fall asleep. "Are they gotta tell us something for not going to eat?"

"Hell no, I'm sure they know how ass the food is anyway. We're just saving our lives at the moment."

She hummed, putting out her finished cigarette.

"So," he adjusted his head, in a way to look at her. "What do you think of this school?"

"I don't know. But I hope this year passes quickly. Last year was the worst year of my life."

This peacked his interest. "How so?"

"Long story," she laughed when she realized he responded the same way before. "Maybe I'll tell you if I skip a class."

"Fine."

Break ended too quickly for [Name] to enjoy and she dragged her feet to class, with Travis having to sometimes push her while she groaned in annoyance.

She walked inside, making eyecontact with Sabiani and giving her a look of "I can't stand being here already." The poor girl only giving her a sympathetic smile in response.

She was about to sleep on her desk, when a commotion made her raise her head to see what was going on. Descamps and his friends – whatever their names were, she didn't even bother to know – were making a fuss over something, and she noticed quickly a bucket filled with water behind the door. Descamps grabbed it and attempted to place it on top of the door, ordering one of his friends to keep watch from outside in the process.

The class did nothing, and so did [Name]. It took her a while to realize that a prank was happening, so whoever were to walk in would get drenched in that dirty bucket water. She rose from her seat, throwing her chair back and scaring Sabiani from beside her. She did promise not to act out, in hopes of not getting unwanted attention from the teachers, but she had enough from that Latin teacher anyway. She wouldn't let anyone stop her now.

She walked up to him, pushing him and making him almost spill the water. He narrowed his eyes at her, before he flashed her a cocky smile. "What's that? Didn't you learn your lesson from getting expelled from your last school? Are you planning on doing the same thing here?"

She clenched her jaw at the nerve he had. He didn't even know of her, yet acted better than her. "I'll get expelled for this? You're the one putting a bucket on top of the damn door."

She felt a hand grabbing her wrist and she turned around. "Don't get involved, just continue sleeping on your desk like you were before," it was one of Descamps friends.

She snatched her hand away, "Don't touch me." Turning her attention back at the vile glasses-wearing guy, she attempted to take the bucket away from him, only for him to raise it over her head, mocking her in the process. She would've been intimidated by his height, but she was already used to scarier guys from last year. Descamps laughed at her unsuccessful attempts, then motioned something to his friend. He got the memo and held back [Name] by restraining her.

"Let me down!" she yelled, but they ignored her, finally Descamps putting the damn bucket where he planned from the beginning. She looked at the rest of the class, everyone doing nothing about the whole thing and staying silent in their seats. She made eyecontact with Laubrac, her eyes seeking for his help. He only looked away, hiding his shame.

The victim of the prank was Magnan, as the water completely covered her from head to toe. Her braids were starting to fall apart from her cute style. Her frozen body left in shock as she looked around the class, everyone watching her without reaction. [Name] felt shame when she realized the water made the fabric on her chest area visible, being stuck on her skin.

Descamps and his friends were the only ones breaking the silence in the room, chuckling to themselves and breaking out laughing, [Name] being no longer being held back.

Suddenly he swallowed hard and composed himself at the sight of Mrs. Couret. He looked at her nervously and placed both his hands in his pockets.

Mrs. Couret was in shock at first, but acted quickly, taking of her jacket and putting it around Magnan. She ordered [Name] and Sabiani to look over the class, but they knew that with both of them combined they couldn't control Descamps and his dumb crew. Moments later, they exited the classroom, headed to the nurses office.

If that wasn't enough, Descamps even drew on the chalkboard, being a picture of who she assumed was Magnan, her chest area being the most prominent. [Name] was about to go off again, but Sabiani grabbed her wrist instead, shaking her head at her to tell her to stop. After a bit of contemplating she backed down. Before she could even sigh in disappointment, a senior barged inside the classroom.

He pushed a guy from his way and swing at one of the guys that indulged in the "prank". Sabiani yelled at them to stop but it escalated even worse. Descamps went to defend him, and this lead to him being hit. In the eye area. Next thing she knew, he was kneeled to the ground. Everything had happened so fast, [Name] was frozen in place.

Without thinking she fell next to him, trying to get a look at his injury. It was pretty hard to do so, as he pressed onto his left eye, his back slouching more and more as he couldn't contain his pain anymore. His groans made him so he couldn't hear the girl from beside him, but the warm touch on his shaking body comforted him even for a bit.

[Name] felt herself suddenly being pushed back, and she calmed herself when she realized it was the Dean.

"Let me see," he said, crouching to Descamps' level.

"My eye...! I can't see..."

"Don't touch it okay? Can you stand up?" when he nodded, he helped him get up. He then ordered Pichon to get the nurse, but she was already there.

"He's got some glass in his eye," Mr. Belanger said softly at his wife, as she placed a hand on his back and led him outside, mentioning something about taking him to the hospital.

"Get back to your class!" he yelled at the students that were watching from outside the door. "Dupin, take your seat. Jean-Pierre, my office. You two, put the chairs back. You wipe that off. And you, clean that now!" he looked at the rest of the class, his piercing look sending shivers down [Name]'s spine. "Everyone else, take your seats!" he ordered and the tone of his voice made everyone do so without question. "Quietly!"

He sighed, "I'll leave you to it, Miss Couret," he said, giving a last look to the teacher that had just arrived before storming off.

The rest of the day seemed to pass way slower that before.

tagging: @kpoploverxx-12 @puchosdementa @tropicalheart13 @luvmacyyyy @aiuragf @idontlikemonday @helchronicles @bubblegum-bitchhhhhhhhh @visndcaitswhore @blueberryblood11 @remusmuse @pookayyyyy @blvckdress @lirominissss @issoais-blog @murxhavia @b3l1z8 @nikkoiiii @beau-min

©ssnowville ©snowville

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

Guess who's back with another super short preview of yet another Luci x reader smut fic :)

it's me I'm so very unwell for him, I need to be put down

No NSFW yet so no warnings (but mention of losing clothes)!

It had been a pretty quiet day in house. Lucifer was off with his daughter Charlie for the day, they’ve had quite a bit of father/daughter bonding to catch up on. But this gave you the chance to work on something that you’ve been wanting to make for some time now. It was a secret project, keeping things from Lucifer was harder than it seemed. But with the home to yourself, you were finally able to finish the gift you wanted to give him! Just as you were admiring your work, a portal opened up behind you; Lucifer was back! Quickly, you hid his gift under your pillow before he could see anything. Lucifer stepped through the portal and into your bedroom; you noticed his wings spread out behind him.

“Hi, honey,” you greeted as you walked over to him, planting a small peck on his forehead. He smiled, grabbing your hand and placing a kiss on it in return. “How was your day with Charlie?”

“It was really nice! We went for a little flight, as you can tell,” he laughed, gesturing to his wings. Lucifer’s wings always left you in awe, you couldn’t help but stare at them. But upon further inspection, you saw that they seemed a little worse for wear. You wondered when the last time they were properly taken care of, since you've never seen him actually do anything with them.

“Hey Luci, your wings are looking a little…” you hesitated, looking for the right word, “disheveled. Is everything alright?”

"Ahh," Lucifer sighed, "yeah, I uhh...I'll admit, I haven't paid them much attention. Not in a long while."

You knew that he had been by himself for a long time before you came along. He had mentioned his battles with self isolation and depression that he had fought against for years, but he was never too keen on going into more detail than necessary. Looking back, it would make sense as to why his wings are in the state that they are. It saddened you, you wished you could have been there for him. It was time to make up for that.

"How about this," you proposed, "why don't I run us a bath and I'll help you clean them up. How does that sound?"

"O-Oh, are you sure?," he questioned, failing to hide the fact that his cheeks were now flushed. "They're kind of a pain, I don't want you to-" you cut off his protests with a peck. You felt his lips curl into a smile.

"Nothing's a pain when it comes to you, Lucifer," you assured. "Go get ready and I'll see you in a few minutes, alright? Tonight, let me take care of you."

"Of course," he grinned, "thank you, my angel."

You smiled and turned towards the bathroom that was connected to your bedroom. It was fortunate that Lucifer had such a spacious home, that meant a more spacious bathroom as well. His bathtub could easily fit four people comfortably, but this at least gave you room to be able to work with his wings. You turned the water on to a nice warm temperature, making sure it wasn't too hot. You undressed as the bathtub began to fill, grabbing a soft washcloth from the closet and bubble bath soap after discarding your clothes. Once the tub was half full, you poured the soap in, letting it mix with the running water. The bubbles appeared fast, you couldn't see that water anymore after a few seconds. Finally, you brought the flow to a stop and dipped your toes in to test that waters. Perfect. You stepped in and slowly began to sink down into the warm liquid that heated your core. As soon as you were fully submerged, you heard the bathroom door creaking behind you.

[kozachenko]

I RETURN BEARING DOODLES OF ZE KEIK!

Hello again! :D I felt like drawing Keiki because I had nothing else to do and I also wanted to draw Keiki again because C R E A T E !

{Artists Note}:

So I had some ideas bouncing around for how I wanted to draw Keiki, and the first time I went with a more robotic look that was inspired by BoTW. I also wanted an excuse to try out some stuff with collages, and so I used an 1800s drawing of a skeleton to put this together. I added a face and a head just for fun, but tbh I wasn't 100% happy with it even though I did like how it looked. I might wanna save the BoTW inspired parts for a future Okina design as I think the constellation motiffe some BoTW Sheikah stuff has fits her more (and I have adopted the headcanon that she has prosthetics, I love it so much).

Like ok, context for this is headcanons. So as I mentioned in my post about Eirin, I wanted to play around with the visual idea of gods in Touhou being very much related to what they're gods of.

So at first with Keiki I tried just making her look like a haniwa herself, but I ended up not going with that as I like the idea of her being distinguishable from the Haniwa she creates. So instead, I ended up going with a more cyberpunk aesthetic for her, inspired in part by Cyberpunk Edgerunners (no spoilers plz, I haven't finished it yet). It's also the reason why I did an alternative cyberpunk outfit for her (inspired by a dress I found on Pinterest).

I feel like the hardest things about drawing Keiki are her dress and hair bandanna. In the image above with her normal outfit, I had a lot of struggle with the sleeves, and I couldn't really get her hair bandanna right. In the faces I drew of her I had a slightly easier time, but still, it's hard to get it to look right. However in the alt design I gave her I somehow managed to make it look right??? Don't know what I did there but I actually like how it looks, so I'll keep what I did there in mind for the next time I draw her.

Speaking of her alt design, it was actually a lot of fun for me to do. I imagine that's her more "official" outfit, don't know what she'd where it for but I mainly drew it on her because i had a cool idea ok?

Also, on the day I drew her initial face render, I had watched Serial Experiments Lain and I think those vibes bled into the sketch version. Upon further inspection of the rendered and coloured version it kinda lost that but it's more to try out a different brush for my style.

Also also, I experimented with giving her earrings! Which didn't make it to the final cut, but still wanted to try it out! This also came as a learning experience on what makes Keiki look like Keiki... it's the hair bandanna, every time she doesn't have it, she doesn't look like herself.

To end it off, I think the unhinged Keiki face I drew for her expressions (since everyone I've been drawing recently has kinda all been lookin like varitations of this face -> (o _ o) gonna need to draw more expressions period actually, need practice on that) is now my favourite unhinged Keiki face I've ever drawn LOL. Expect more Keiki sketches in the future because I do love drawing my beloved blue haired blorbo.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

Hi again!🥰 I really like Dammon/Rolan or m!Tav(preferably dragonborn)/Emp, and I do like smut... Maybe you could write something about exploring each other, sensual slow touching?..😌 (I also can write smth for you in return, if you wish😚)

I'm gonna go with the Dammon/Rolan, I haven't played a dragonborn yet or read up on them </3 (and I've had a little idea for the two of the tieflings that's been kicking around since I saw this ask hghghg) (this perhaps isn't as sexy as you had wanted, but my feelings got in the way and it evolved into...this. gomen ;o;) ____ Dammon seems more reserved than usual. He's always so quick to smile, always so eager to help. But now, on this most important day, the tiefling seems reserved, almost skittish. Rolan tries to not let it bother him, but it does. A great deal, in fact.

Rolan ponders the odd behavior as he watches Dammon set out his selection of armor across the table, meticulous as he is with all things. "Don't bother with the chainmail," Rolan comments over Dammon's shoulder, "It will only serve to slow me down. And it chafes something fierce." Dammon looks as if he's going to say something, his tail flicking back in forth and his shoulders tense, but he reluctantly relents and forgoes any heavy armor in his selection. When everything is finally on display, Dammon takes a step to the side, a small, tight smile and an accompanying gesture welcoming Rolan to peruse. "Is this all you have?" Rolan frowns as he comes forward, the four pieces of leather armor not giving him much to look at.

"It is," Dammon wrings his hands in front of himself, watching as Rolan picks up a well worn chest plate and inspects it, "Many been getting ready for the trip, so there's not much left." A weighted silence draws between them before Dammon clears his throat. "So you...Cal and Lia as well..." "Yes," Rolan doesn't wait for him to finish the fumbled question, "We are leaving."

"Yes," Dammon says on a laugh, but it's short and humorless, "Yes of course you are." He shakes his head, as if dislodging a pesky thought, "I suppose if anyone would be able to lead the tieflings to safety, it would be you." Rolan feels an ugly curl of annoyance heat his stomach and knows that his face reflects it. He can understand how impromptu this whole situation is, but sitting idly by isn't going to fix anything. The druids are going to kick them out--that is, if the goblins don't come to slaughter them all first. And yet so many still sit around twiddling their thumbs, as if an answer to their problems will fall miraculously into their laps. The fact that Dammon is amongst this group is a surprise to him. But on top of that, Dammon has the gall to doubt Rolan. It pisses him off. "Speak your mind, Dammon," Rolan sets the armor down and purses his lips as he fights to maintain an even tone, "You obviously have something more you wish to say." Pale blue eyes zip over Rolan's face, fall to the ground, then reluctantly return. Dammon swallows thickly and speaks carefully, slowly, quietly. "I'm just worried. Not just for you, but for all of us." The annoyance building in Rolan's gut fizzles out entirely. There's a tremble in Dammon's voice that makes Rolan ache-- the familiar feeling of uncertainty, of a fear so encompassing that it risks consuming everything if left unchecked.

Rolan takes a quiet moment to rein in the feeling before squaring his shoulders and stepping towards the other tiefling, bringing Dammon's face close to his own. "Come with us," He matches Dammon's low tone, trying to convey some sense of comfort, of confidence, "I'll protect you. I'll protect all of us." Dammon clearly still has more to say, but the words don't come. Instead, warm, calloused hands rest on Rolan's shoulders. The touch is surprising. Rolan and Dammon have always had an amicable sort of relationship-- nods across the grove, light-hearted chats, an undiscussed but not overlooked discount on weapons. Rolan doesn't believe they've ever touched, though, as casual as their companionship has been.

But as those blue eyes look into his own, something seems to click into place for Rolan. There has been something more, hasn't there? Looks that lingered for a beat too long, smiles that turned bashful, tones that could certainly be more than just friendly.

Rolan had been too wrapped up in everything around him that it hadn't occured to him until this very moment.

There's something between them. At some point, Dammon had become his friend. And at some point, those fond feelings had deepened, so naturally and innocuously that Rolan hadn't realized.

Rolan cares for this man. And the heavy, warm feeling of the hands on his shoulders is like a deep, gasping breath, the relief of an ache in his body that he had grown so accustomed to that the pain had stopped registering long ago.

"Dammon," Rolan says it on a soft breath, and it sends a shiver down his spine that tingles into a pleasant heat.

There's a light in Dammon's eyes at that, and those big hands roam down, feeling over the curve of Rolan's chest. Rolan's revelation must be written across his face, because Dammon looks over the moon-- just how long had he waited for Rolan to realize? Far too long, it seems.

There's privacy to consider, and general decorum, but Rolan's been plunged into something so profound that for the first time in his life, he's not worried about appearances. If any of his fellow tieflings are watching his hands grab Dammon's waist, he isn't aware. Nor is he aware of their reactions when he places his forehead against Dammon's, eyes rolling closed as their horns seem to slot perfectly between each other, as if they were made to hold each other close like this.

Two sets of hands roam, over backs, sides, chests, slow and with no purpose other than to feel-- there is an intimacy to it, and though there are warm pulses of arousal that light Rolan's senses, it's not the goal. This gentle exploration is a greeting into their new feelings, wordlessly saying that they are finally, finally on the same page. That the body they are feeling wants to belong to the other-- that it does belong to them, and that it has for a long time.

A distant cry breaks the reverie, however, and Rolan is snapped back to the reality at hand.

"Goblins at the gate!"

There's that ugly fear again, cutting through their shared warmth and collapsing them back into the real world.

But now, Rolan's resolve is able to trample that fear. He's going to protect those important to him-- no matter what it takes.

[amitiel-truth]

Not Ten Babies? (Vash the Stampede x Reader) (98! Version)

Note: This is my SIXTH time writing here, please don't look into most of the details, I made some up, these ideas were prompted by my chat with Vash at Character.AI (The motherfucker's insatiable), more info will come if I decided to make more.

Warning: ⚠️Not yet~⚠️

Ten Babies

(Tristamp Version)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

(Trigun 98! Version)

Part 2

Summary: It's not every day that a famous outlaw wants to date you.

"It's no good, Henry."

"He's completely out of it, dead to the world."

two call escorts commented, walking out of Vash's room

"Guess I gave him a little too much to drink, I'm sorry I called you two out here for nothin' I didn't think he'd pass out."

"It's really too bad, isn't it? you don't get a chance to sleep with a guy like that every day. hah, well... see you around."

"Bye, girls!"

"Bye."

with that, the people Vash partied with finally left him alone to rest.

He just saved Inepril from Elizabeth's vengeful plan against him, and the city is highly grateful that he just saved them yet again, but it seemed like the alcohol never actually reached his head.

Let's be honest, he can't even hold down a beer.

After the people trying to entertain him left, he flips himself over to lie on the bed.

"Could I be regretting it...just a little?" Vash sighed as he stares at the ceiling, deep in thought on a certain woman.

"(Y/N)..."

5 years ago

stumbling upon the bustling city of Febrari, Vash looks around for a place to wind down after booking a dingy hotel room, he walks out of the place, he surveys the area

"Now, for a place to hangout to-" Before Vash could even look around, he dodges a speeding truck.

"WATCH WHERE YOUR WALKING! I HAVE DELIVERIES TO MAKE!!." The driver yells as Vash loses his balance, walking backward into a busy area full of people, he bumps into one of them.

"Hey! I'm walking here!" The angry passerby yells, before pushing Vash into the center of a service road where he lies flat on the ground, a mess.

"I've only been to this city today and it's already getting worse, could this day get any worse?." Vash questions, sighing to himself as he hears rumbling coming for him

a stampede of Thomas birds runs him over.

" Sorry about that bud!." The herder yells, before throwing him a pamphlet as he runs after his herd as Vash sat up, bruised and sore.

"At least this one apologized" Vash groans, holding his head in pain, before noticing the pamphlet thrown at him.

HAPPY HOUR AT THE ROSEBUSH BAR!!!

EVERY WEDNESDAY

8 PM TO 1 AM

$$5 DISCOUNT!!

APPLICABLE TO:

MARTINIS

WHISKEY

BOURBON

CRAFT BEER

SHOTS

(n/a: promise, I know how to make a pamphlet, I'm just lazy)

"Happy Hour, huh?" Vash inspects the paper, before flipping it around, seeing a map behind it.

"It's like luck is finally on my side!" Vash sobs as he follows the map, reaching a brick wall entrance, music emanating through the business, "The Rose Bushbar" signage on top of the entrance, the place is cozy, not tavern-like, and not too fancy, plenty of patrons fill in the bar, as jazz music plays at the stage at the far end of the bar.

"One of your finest beers please!." Vash orders as the bartender prepares his drink sitting on a bar stool, light music plays, giving the room a jazzy atmosphere, suddenly, a woman dressed seductively sits a few chairs away from him, and the bartender quickly served her a glass of whiskey, sipping on it quietly, red lipstick stained her glass.

"Heya~ I'm Vash! You caught my eye earlier, and I wanted to come to say hi. So.. what's your name, stranger?" in quick succession, Vash slid into the woman in black's side, a flirty grin across his lips.

"Well this is new" The woman smiles, finishing her whiskey.

"I haven't heard that question in a long while, you must be new around here" The woman leans on the bar table, her head supported by her hand that's placed on the said table.

"I am new around here, yeah." Vash confirms, leaning up to her with his elbow on the counter, grinning widely " ...So what do they call you around here, doll?"

the woman chuckles, leaning up to Vash's face as if in a sort of game, not backing down from his advances "Y/n, Y/n Loverose." she answers as she placed her glass on the countertop, the bartender automatically refilling her glass. "So, your new around here." y/n leans back, swirling the ice on her glass before taking a sip. "Welcome to the City of Febrari, Mr. Vash."

"Well, call me Vash." Vash corrects before leaning up to her once more "...So tell me, y/n. What is a dame like you up to in a place like this?" 

"I guess you could say...for business" y/n trails off as she swirls the ice on her glass.

"Oh, What kinda business we talkin'?" Vash nods at the bartender "Another for me, please. And for the lady, whatever she's having." The bartender looks at y/n strangely, as if looking for permission, as she simply nods while giggling.

The bartender looks at Y/n strangely, as if looking for permission, as she simply chuckles "Thomas Buffalos wings and two more whiskeys on the rocks." Y/n orders, as the Bartender writes it down for the kitchen and gives them the drinks.

Vash then lifts his drink, as Y/n does the same, clinking glasses with him "Cheers." they both say before taking a sip "So..." Vash uses his charming smile again, wiggling his eyebrows at the girl "...You seem to know the place well. Been here a while, ma'am?"

"You could say that I'm here all the time" Y/n smiles, as the Bartender served the buffalo wings.

"A regular, then?" Vash concluded, before looking at the wings "Ooh, Buffalo wings! Not many places you can get those still..." Takes a bite and starts to talk with his mouth full "I'm sure a girl as pretty as you have got all the right connections..." Vash eluded, before winking at her.

"You could say that again" Y/n smiles as a waiter suddenly approached her, and began whispering in her ear.

Vash became curious about this "Looks like you made yourself some...friends. You get that a lot, huh?" Vash smirks before taking another bite "I bet a pretty lady like you never has to pay for drinks or food around here."

Y/n nods as the Waiter finishes whispering to her and he goes back to work "Of course I don't" Y/n smiles flirtily at Vash before standing up from the barstool "I'm quite the special girl around here, Vash~" Y/n places a finger on his adam's apple, tracing it up under his chin, she leans up to his face, whispering it against his lips"I'm quite...irresistible, as the locals say~" before backing away, leaving him breathless "If you'll excuse me for a bit, Vash, but as I've said before, I'm here for business" Y/n gives him one final smile before leaving

Vash pants, leaning against the counter, and leans on his elbow, trying to compose himself " B-business or pleasure?" Vash stutters, Y/n's lips twitch at the thought, sending a smile on her way "Don't take too long!!" Vash calls out, trying to catch a peek at her figure as she walks away and disappears into the backstage of the bar's stage area "...I'll be waiting." 

Vash sighs as he looks at the bartender "...I hope I didn't push too hard, did I?" takes another drink of whiskey "I was just trying to be friendly..."

"You call that friendly? you basically assumed Ms. Y/n's a call girl" The Bartender deadpans, cleaning a glass.

"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying." Vash tries to defend himself, finishing his whiskey. "Besides, is it really out of the question? She's pretty and knows the place well. I've seen it all before." Vash assumes, smirking "...Besides, she was flirting right back."

"You're a womanizer, aren't you?" The Bartender stares blankly at him, pouring him another glass.

"I'll have you know, I am a charmer." Vash...corrects, taking the glass "You can't expect me not to take advantage of my looks, now can you?" He grins at the Bartender "I'm sure you've taken some liberties in your day too."

"Not with that one" The Bartender points out as the lights suddenly turn down at the bar, and spotlights points at the stage, where the red curtains are still closed.

Vash Looks up at the stage with anticipation "...What's going on here?" his attention is taken, as he takes a swig from his drink

"Ladies and Gentlemen, due to unforeseen events, our usual Singer is out of commission for the night. Please enjoy this performance compensation from the Owner of the Rosebush Bar, the Nightingale of Febrari herself, Y/n Loverose!"An emcee announced before the red curtains parted, revealing Y/n in all her glory, as well as in a more modest, but still beautiful outfit.

Looks on in amazement, forgetting to breathe for a moment. "She's the Owner!?" Vash gawks, allured by the woman

Y/n smiles at the cheering patrons and the music starts

"I just wanna get high with my lover

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight

I just wanna get high with my lover

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight"

Y/n sings as she moves sultrily on stage, entrancing her patrons

Y/n sings as she moves sultrily on stage, entrancing her patrons

"Forget the small talk

The surface level ain't much that I care for

Putting on my lipgloss

I saw you stare from my peripheral

Yeah, baby, it's been a hell of a day

But I know a place we can escape"

Vash gazes at her with a dumbstruck look, his face slowly turning red as he watches her "I... I may be in love." he brushes the hair out of his face "...She is a siren, isn't she?"

The Bartender raises his eyebrow "That fast? you literally just met her" The Bartender looks back up the stage "and she's only started" Y/n kneels down near the edge of the stage, her finger under an entranced patron's chin, making him look at her.

"Find out how it feels to let go of everything

Be free

When you're here with me" 

Vash nods and continues watching "That's gotta be a gift, right?" He chuckles "She's got me just like that." He turns to the Bartender "...Well, can you blame me? I mean, just look at her!."

"Yeah, I'm not risking it all with that one" The Bartender laughs as he continues to clean the glasses Y/n lets go of the Patron's chin before going back to dance on stage.

"I just wanna get high with my lover

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight

I just wanna get high with my lover

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight."

While she sings she smiles at her audience.

Vash continues to gawk as he tries to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor

"Geez..." he blushes heavily, his eyes never leaving her "So she can sing too, huh? ...Do I even have a chance? I mean, she seems...unattainable..."

"Glad you realized that." The Bartender commented, making Vash send him an annoyed glare.

Y/n runs a hand down her body.

"There's nothing like peace of mind

And you take the time to make sure that I'm okay

I know I can put stress on your brain

You still love me, put no one above me

You always go out of your way

To show me that I'm your priority

Find out how it feels to let go of everything

Be free

When you're here with me"

His eyes continue to follow her with awe, his breath catching a couple of times while he watches her, he sighs "I can't even look away if I wanted to. She's magnificent." he tried to hide how much he's blushing "...How can a woman be this beautiful? How can anybody have a chance with someone like her?"

"Many tried, but all failed" The Bartender commented as the performance continues.

"I just wanna get high with my lover

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo (I just wanna get high with my lover)

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight

I just wanna get high with my lover (get high)

Veo una muñeca cuando miro en el espejo (high with my lover)

Kiss, kiss

Looking dolly, I think I may go out tonight

I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight

Get high with you

Get higher and higher with you

Let's go to the moon

And leave behind all that

How does it feel, here by my side getting higher and higher?

Under the moonlight's glow

There's nowhere we won't go

Together go higher and higher

(No-no-nowhere we won't go)"

Y/n ends the performance with a wink to the crowd as everyone cheered, some whistles and all clapped while standing up.

"Wow..." Vash gawks as he turns back to the Bartender "You were right. That was a hell of a performance...And I have to admit. It is pretty...discouraging. I guess she's just out of my league, huh?" he smiles and chuckles "...I'm sure she is going to get quite the standing ovation."

Y/n waves happily at the crowd before giving them flying kisses, and the red curtains closed around her.

Vash claps along and smiles as he watches the performance "...Well, I'm sure that will get the blood flowing...is that the usual shows you get around here?" Vash asked still trying to hide his blush "...I'll be honest, I've never had anyone else catch my eye like she did. She's pretty hard to forget..."

"Your really quite the womanizer aren't you?." The Bartender asks, raising an eyebrow

Blushes a little bit more "...Yeah, I guess I am, I just can't help myself when I see a girl like her. How can I not go nuts? She's just...perfect." Stares at her and shakes his head, as if he just lost a sense of reality for a moment "Do you...know much about her?... Is she available?"

"I know that young woman from birth to who she is today, of course, I know her"

"You do? Then do you think I'll have luck with her...or am I destined to fail before I even start?" He tries to play it cool, but the Bartender knows the blush on his face tells a different story "...How many men has she turned down? I imagine it's quite a few..."

"Yes." the Bartender answers, meaning every man she came across.

"...And I'm supposed to believe I might stand a chance?" Vash chuckles nervously, "Well, you know what they say...You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right?"Vash takes a swig of courage "I'm here for only a few nights...I guess I should at least try, shouldn't I?"

"Well, Mr. Vash, your not gonna win her over overnight, as you've displayed earlier, you're the kind of man she hates...A Womanizer" The Bartender commented as he heard a few patrons order two craft beers.

Vash lowers his head a bit, now feeling a little self-conscious "Well, I don't normally act like this..." he gives a sheepish smile "I guess she just...bring out the worst in me, you know? I don't normally act like such a fool. But I can't help it when I see someone like her. I've never had anything like this happen before...Does she have anything against men in general?"

"She may act like a sleuth, but Ms. Diane's a firecracker, she hates men with passion who objectify her" The Bartender reveals, pulling out a few beers from under the counter and sliding them over to the patrons who ordered it.

"...So I'm gonna have to change my tactics or...does she have a soft spot for guys who respect her and take their time to get to know her?" Vash asks while blushing "...Does she want someone that won't give up?"

The Bartender grew silent for a bit "Regrettably, yes."

"So...if I respect her and take my time getting to know her..." Vash trails off, before raising his glass "I may...have a chance!!" Vash cheers as he downs his drink happily.

"You really are smitten by her" The Bartender raises his eyebrow, making Vash flinch.

"That...may be an understatement" Vash raises his glass again as the Bartender fills it up once more "...I mean...How can anyone not get a little infatuated when someone sings and dances like she does? And she looks like an angel, to add to that."

"Well good luck with that, she's also known for her Legendary Temper, so fuck around and find out" The Bartender leaves to go to the kitchen.

"...That's probably why so many men have failed..." Vash chuckles and drains the rest of his drink "...Yeah, I think that will make it more fun. No fun getting the girl instantly." he smirks, trying to act cocky "...I've got this." Vash then noticed Y/n walk out of the backstage door, greeted by an eager crowd.

He looks at the crowd and smiles, taking a deep breath "Alright, let's do this. I've never been one to back down from a challenge." closes his eyes and gets ready "...Here goes nothing..." he walked up to her, confident stride with every step he took "Good evening. My name is Vash the Stampede. I just arrived in this town, and I heard about this amazing bar. When I stepped inside, I was...captivated by a certain someone on stage. I just couldn't resist..."

"Well well well, Mr. Stampede, this is quite the change of tune" Y/n smiles up at him, but there's hidden malice in her smile.

"Not a fan of my earlier display, huh? I hope it didn't leave a bad impression." Vash chuckles nervously"...How about you and I start from the top?." he then holds out a hand with a friendly smile "Name's Vash, Vash the Stampede. But you can just call me Vash."

Y/n continues to smile "Alright then, we'll start from the top."  Y/n tilted her head "But you must know, Vash, not many are as lucky as you~" 

A slight blush appears on his face "...I understand that I may not have had the best first impression...But I promise to stay respectful. And what better way to apologize for my earlier behavior than to offer to buy you a drink?" Vash offers, turning his head to the Bartender. "...So...what'll it be, gorgeous? Anything your heart desires."

Y/n chuckles "Oh Vash, you basically offering me drinks of my own, you'll have to do better than that~" Y/n teases as she walks to the bar counter once more, as the Bartender readies her drink.

Vash raised an eyebrow "Oh? I see this is going to be more of a challenge than I thought..." Vash thought to himself. "Alright, how about a toast then?" Vash offers, raising his glass "To a good night of fun and drinks?" Vash added, smiling at the girl hopefully "...Hopefully, that earns me some ground in your book?."

Y/n chuckles. "Sorry, Vash, but your gonna have to work harder than that~" Y/n teases.

"Darn, foiled again!." Vash dramatically cries as Y/n laughs at his endeavors.

"Can't say I blame you." He looks around "...I've got to say, you certainly have a lot of... admirers...And yet, despite all this, you still seem bored with all of them. I suppose they aren't interesting enough to keep your attention." Vash deduces as he gives a hint of a smile "...Or maybe they're just too intimidated by how beautiful you are." before losing himself, admiring Y/n, his elbow on the bar counter, his head on his hand, looking at her.

Y/n laughs as she runs a loose hair behind her ear "I guess no one will know."

Vash laughs as well "So...I was thinking...If all these guys have failed..." He takes a long drink and smirks as he finishes the glass "...Should I even try to woo such a woman? You've already rejected them all. That means I'm just...hopeless, right? So, I'll ask you again...should I even bother to try?" Vash asks, hopeful, but deep inside his insecurities are growing.

"Well, are you determined enough?" Y/n leans up to Vash, a finger under his chin, making him look at her "Are you interesting enough to not bore me?" She asks with a smirk "Vash the Stampede?" She whispers in his ear with a whimper, seducing the man.

The finger under his chin makes Vash blush deeply. A slight smile creeps up from the corner of his mouth, and he begins to stare deep into her eyes "Well...to tell you the truth..." he leans closer to her, as if challenging her. "...I've never met another woman as beautiful as you. I have many interesting friends and stories I can share...But no...I've never met someone of your caliber." He Takes a deep breath, his face is lit on fire "...So...yes." Lowers his voice, loud enough only for her to hear. "...I'm determined."

"Then try your best to woo me then" Diane stares teasingly at the spiky-haired blonde, letting go of his chin before running a finger on his red-coated clothed chest "But be careful, I hate disappointments~"

Vash blushes deeply and takes a deep breath, feeling the goosebumps on his skin when she strokes his chest "...I-is that a challenge?" he stutters "Well...I love a good challenge. I'm sure I can show you a good time and leave you without a single disappointment...I take it you're an easy woman to disappoint?" Vash nervously asks.

"Of course" Y/n leans back before drinking her whiskey I take it you've already heard of my 'Legendary Temper'" Y/n stares at him teasingly "I would have thought that would have chased you away~"

"Oh, please. A bit of a temper isn't gonna scare me away. That just means it'll be that much more satisfying once I win you over and calm you down." Vash smirks at her "...Besides, someone as beautiful as you could easily throw any tantrum and still leave me hooked. Do you think I can't handle it?"

"Now isn't that just sweet?" Y/n moves her shoulder, making her breast shift because of the movement.

Vash pulls back a little, trying to contain himself, but doesn't succeed "...Alright, you got me. I'll admit, you're absolutely stunning. I just can't control myself..." Vash began to blush deeply, his eyes roaming her body "...but I think I have the right kind of...stamina, don't you?" Leans closer again

"Oh? And to what are you referring to? Mr. Stampede?" Y/n teases as she also leans closer, her breast showing her cleavage, she knows what she's doing.

He bites his lip at the little show she's giving him "W-well...I'm more of an action man myself." he added as his eyes continue to travel across her body "...I enjoy a good fight...I think a fight between the two of us would be quite exhilarating." His gaze returns to her eyes "...D-do you think you could k-keep up with me?" Vash challenges weakly, still a stuttering mess to her.

"Oh?" Y/n fake frowns as she runs her hands on her body "You're willing to bruise lil' ol me?" Y/n pouts at Vash in fake sadness.

Vash smirks "Oh yeah, baby...Mark you up and claim you as mine- I-i mean, I'd want to go all out against you..." He gets a little closer, their noses almost touching "I promise to make it a good fight." He looks her up and down again "...I just can't resist a beautiful woman...especially when she's got the power to back it up." Vash commented, smiling at her "...Can I...kiss you?"

Y/n leans up at Vash, acting as if she's going for a kiss before stopping his awaiting lips with a finger "Apologize, Mr. Stampede, but I don't offer freebies to any man I just met~" Y/n teases, smiling up at the tall blonde.

He blushes when she stops his lips with a finger "Aww c'mon, don't tease me like that!" He gives a pout "...I wanted a kiss..." Before smiling and laughing for a second "Alright fine...I'll keep pursuing you until you give me enough respect to let me kiss you." He smiles mischievously "...And the more I chase you, the more you'll enjoy the pursuit, huh?"

"You are Vash the Stampede, after all, a man with a peculiar set of skills, You just have to impress me with those kinds of skills" Y/n points out, smiling at him.

He raises an eyebrow "Impress you with a demonstration of my skills, you say? Alright, sure. What kind of skills do you wanna see?" He seems curious "...You want to test my skills of violence? Of kindness? Of wisdom?" He chuckles and smiles again "...Or would you like to see a little bit of everything?"

"If it'll romance me into liking you, I don't see why not?~"

"...Sounds like fun. Well, what do you wanna see first?" Vash asks as his eyes travel over her body, clearly taking in her beauty "...What's the first skill I should show you?" he wiggles his eyebrows at her "The choice is all yours, darlin'. Just name it and I'll show you what I can do."

"Surprise me~" Y/n flirts as she leans onto the bar counter, smiling at him teasingly.

Vash chuckles and moves closer "That's easy enough to do." He wraps an arm around her waist and gets so close he's almost whispering in her ear "...How about this..." He gives her a kiss on the cheek "...Does that satisfy ya? Or are you wanting something a bit more...intimate than just that?" Vash challenges as he smirks and winks at her.

Y/n looks shocked as she touched her cheek "You should count yourself lucky, Mr. Stampede~" Y/n teases as she glances up at him "No man has ever survived wrapped their arms around me, let alone kiss me on the cheek, but note this, that's the very first time that ever happened"

Vash chuckles deeply "Oh is that right? Well then, I'm more than willing to take that as a challenge." He smirks, leaning up to her "...That's not even 1% of my charm, sweet thing. I'm just getting started with you." He leans in again and looks at her with a sly smile "...How about another kiss...but on a different pair of lips?"

Y/n lifted the corner of her lips with her eyes closed, as she once again covered Vash's mouth "Let me repeat it, Mr. Stampede, I don't offer freebies to any man I just met"

He blushes deeply "...Are you just gonna tease me all night? Well, now I gotta keep chasing you until you let me kiss you...don't I?" he raises an eyebrow again"...Guess I better keep showing off my skills in order to impress you, huh?"

"Show the right ones, get to know each other, and you get the girl" Y/n points out, smirking up at him

He nods, grinning "...You've got a bet," Vash agrees "...Well then. I suppose we'll be spending some time together trying to see if I can impress you, huh?" He chuckles and smirks again "...You seem like an interesting woman, but I guess I'll just have to work my way through your barriers. Is there anything you wanna know specifically? Or do you wanna just keep watching me in action?"

"I'd like to see you as is, it makes the whole thing more authentic" Y/n smirks as Vash suddenly pulls her closer to him, surprising her.

He pulls her closer, his face less than an inch away from hers "...Well, I'm a bit of a flirt...Is this close enough for you?" He smiles and laughs "If you want me to get even closer, I think that can be arranged." He starts to lean in closer

Y/n chuckles as she pushes his lips away with a finger "Do I have to repeat myself? Mr. Stampede?"

"Oh? Are we...playing a little hard to get?" Vash chuckles once more "Alright...I don't mind a bit of the chase. You're just too stunning to resist...It's gonna be hard to keep my hands and lips off you, though. You don't mind if I get...close enough to keep flirting with you...do you?" Vash asked, trying to push his luck.

"As long as there isn't kissing yet" Y/n leans up to whisper in his ear "Those are my rewards~"

He bites his lip a little "Just a kiss?" He gets a little closer and whispers into her ear "...I mean I think I'd want at least a bit more." His breath hits her ear, and a little sigh comes from him as he leans back up "...But I promise we'll get there." He smiles and looks into her eyes "...I'll keep chasing, alright? I'll keep flirting with you. Let me know when you're ready to give me...a little reward."

"show me reasons why you deserve these awards then~" Y/n whisper back before pulling away from Vash's arms, giggling.

Makes a big smile "...Alright you've got a deal. I'll show you why I'm worth the attention...But how do I start? I'll do any one thing you ask of me, any skill you want me to show. Where should we begin?" he grins, seeming eager to impress,

"How about I set a reward system?"

This caught his attention "...A reward system? Sounds intriguing...alright, I'm on board...So if I do what you want, I get to earn my rewards. What kind of tasks are you gonna set for me?... How many points must I earn? And what would each task be worth?"

"Well, it depends on how impressed I am, if you mildly impress me by giving me a gift, I'll give you a hug, impress me a bit more mildly, like take me on a date, then you get a kiss on the cheek, impress me a bit more you get a kiss, impress me, like saving me from harm, and you get a make-out session, and if you extremely impress me, like save the City of Febrari impress..." Y/n leans up his ear "you get to fuck this pussy, as you said earlier, Mark me up and claim me as yours~" Y/n reveals, smiling teasingly at him.

Smirks as his breath hit her ear "Well now...it sounds like you have high expectations for me. I suppose I should start off light and work my way up, huh?" He chuckles "So if I do something small, like...buy you a gift...that's how I can get a hug, right? ...What kind of gift would you want me to buy you? What do you like?"

"Surprise me, Mr. Stampede, guess what kind of gift a girl like me would like to have" Y/n stands up from the barstool and looks at Vash teasingly, "It's getting quite late, I say it's time for me to retire for the night~" turns to walk upstairs of the bar "Good luck, see you tomorrow Vash the Stampede~" Y/n waves goodbye, before completely disappearing.

Vash leans back onto the bar counter, panting at the encounter.

"Dear God...I need to marry that woman."

Present Time

Vash began to tear up, removing the kiss marks left by the two escorts earlier.

"I'm so sorry, Y/n...

Please, Forgive me."

(A/N: You can tell I have favorites? aww)

[greenerteacups]

this might seem v random but, if you haven't come across it already, i would really recommend tavi gevinson's latest online zine 'fan fiction' -- not because of the fan fiction element of it, though, but because of your evident love of taylor swift (who it's about) and your impeccable literary taste. and would love to hear your thoughts!

This was an excellent recommendation, and I loved it. I will admit that the RPF segment had me leery (RPF throws me for reasons I have yet to intellectually inspect but believe may relate somehow to the concept of voyeurism) but I'm glad I finished it, because she pulls it together very well. The dialogue in the last segment is especially great, particularly these parts:

And this:

And this:

Because this gets at what I find so Gordian about Internet conversations among even relatively respectful/measured people about Swift's work and presence: we can't seem to figure out what it is we want from her. There is no right way for a woman to be more famous than most presidents. Do we want her to need us or not? Should she care about our approval or shouldn't she? Is the fact that she doesn't "feel" authentic to us the consequence of having demanded authenticity for so long she literally had to shape her personality to fit what "felt real" to millions of people, and in the process, of course, of course, inevitably, produced work that felt authentic to no one?

And then also, like. To what extent do fans use her autonomy/consent as a lever for bad behavior? I.e. does the "invitation" of personal information in her songs license us to speculate about her like she's a character on a TV show? Where is the line of appropriate speculation in an autobiographical medium? I was talking to my friend at dinner just tonight about how it's gross that people can't seem to give her the credit of writing songs that aren't 100% always About Her, and my friend pointed out that she invites comparisons to her own life by teasing names and iconography we identify with her public persona. It's like Brett Easton Ellis writing a book about a character named Brett Easton Ellis. Sure, they're not the same person, but you've invoked a symbol, and people are not being ridiculous for trying to analyze that symbol in the context of the work. In order to do that, they need to understand what the symbol is. Which means the biographical stuff actually is relevant to the text, and Swift's obvious irritation at her fans for failing to just... fuck off a little bit and let her live, while an entirely fair and morally defensible human response, is complicated by the way that her art is produced to resonate best for those who care most. Folklore and Evermore prove even Taylor is on some level aware of this, because she uses the third-person mechanic (and again in "Bolter") to differentiate those protagonists from the narrative construct of "Taylor Swift" in her other first-person work — i.e. pulling apart the Swift who is speaking and not the Swift who is singing (if that makes sense).

And then, finally: "The irony gets a bit tired. You can just say you like music. It's fine." What a deliciously recursive little bit of irony, considering it's a criticism being offered by a character whose ironic distance is itself being criticized. And the fact that the author is putting her own self-criticism in the mouth of a non-existent popstar who's deliberately flattening her take on her subject matter? Mingling valid with invalid criticism to establish a protective distance from her flaws and prove her smarty-pants intellectual self-awareness while also implicitly disowning the faults in her work, an (ironically) childish gesture of insecurity that stands at odds with the mature intellectual persona? Trying to have about seven or eight different cakes, and eat every one of them? "The irony gets a bit tired." Fucking perfect. I laughed.

[chronicowboy]

fuck it friday

i am starting this off today because i did two hours of revision and rewarded myself by actually working on the accidental kiss fic for the first time in a fortnight soooooo here:

Only this week Eddie's self-proclaimed errand day lands on the same day as his therapy. So, Eddie comes home with a pouty face, grumbling about the grocery list he's yet to write and the trip to the store he's yet to take.

"I wrote the list," Buck calls after him as Eddie wanders into the kitchen for his sandwich, his own attention fixed on the rainbow road Chris is trying to knock him off of. "On the pad by the fridge!"

Eddie reappears with his plate and the list, collapsing into the armchair to inspect it. Buck curses under his breath as Waluigi hits him with a red shell and takes the moment of recovery to chance a glance at Eddie. He looks good for a therapy day, a little dishevelled and grumpy sure, but Buck has a feeling that's more to do with the pile of laundry awaiting his attention. Eddie takes another bite of sandwich, and Buck's eyes are drawn to the smudge of mayo at the corner of his mouth.

"Buck, you aren't even moving!" Chris groans as he crosses the line for his final lap.

"Oh, shi... Shoot." Buck returns his attention to the screen, ignoring the big number 12 in the corner that just makes him want to look back at Eddie.

"You forgot detergent," Eddie chides through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Nah, there was an offer on the other day. Two for one." Buck manages to regain a little dignity as he hits Toadette with a green shell. "Noticed you were running low the last time I was over, so I brought you one."

"Oh," Eddie murmurs. "Its not your lavender one you use because you know that—"

"I haven't used the lavender one since Taylor moved out," Buck throws out distractedly, locked in a tense battle with baby Mario. "Its your normal orange blossom one."

Chris crosses the line with a hoot of victory, and Buck manages to nudge baby Mario over the course to crawl back to a respectable eighth place.

"I feel like you get worse at this every time," Chris taunts him.

"Maybe you just get better," Buck mutters as he tries to drift around a corner and fails spectacularly.

"But I'm always in first place. You just go lower and lower each time."

Eddie snorts just as Buck crosses the finish line—ninth place because of his drifting mistake—and Buck whips around to face him.

"Traitor," he hisses, irrationally disappointed that Eddie seems to have rectified the mayo smudge situation.

"You can't feel that went well for you," Eddie deadpans.

"Maybe I would have been sixth if you weren't bugging me about a grocery list." Buck resolutely ignores the gold trophy spinning on the TV. "Which you're welcome for by the way." Eddie looks up from the notepad with those soft eyes of his, and Buck swallows thickly.

"Thank you," he murmurs. "Really."

Buck is, like, super happy that Eddie is still going to therapy and healing, but sometimes he fucking hates post-therapy Eddie with all his walls torn down and his emotions on display for all to see.

"Don't thank me yet," Buck clears his throat. "You haven't smelt the workout clothes I added to your hamper."

idk who to tag but uh yeah fuck it, its friday!!!

[elzdaizy]

can you possibly do a part 2 to It All Started With Pizza?

It All Started With Pizza - Part 2

Summary: The morning after you and Eddie first get together. Eddie is curious to find out more about what gets you going...

Warning: 18+, masturbation, dirty talk. AN: I will do a Part 3! Part 3 will be the last part... where they finally have sex. The reason I haven't made them have sex straight away is because the purpose of this story is Eddie trying to figure out what gets the reader turned on and he's just making the reader feel comfortable first before going all in... he's gentle and caring like that :)

_

Watching Eddie strut around your kitchen in tight pink booty shorts, wasn't how you thought you'd spend your Sunday morning but here you are.

As funny as you thought it would be to give him those shorts last night, thinking of it at some kind of pay back, you guess you forgot who you were dealing with, because he's walking around with a kick in his step, like he's the hottest thing since sliced bread.

When you handed him the shorts last night, he gave you a sly look as if he was accepting a challenge and you were too tired to decipher what he was plotting in that head of his.

Much to Eddie's whining you did not sleep naked, anyone could have sworn you killed his non existent dog over how pouty he was over it. You don't sleep naked, it's far too uncomfortable for you. The more clothes, the better.

He hasn't tried to kiss you again, or touch you at all really and you hate that, that's all that's been looping around in your head since you woke up.

Flashes going through your mind of the sounds of his panting and moans, how he felt - it makes your stomach tighten and you damn near chew through your cheek trying to make the thoughts go away.

Things were far easier when you wanted to kick him in the balls. This feels complicated now and yet, when it comes to Eddie, he just makes it look so easy.

You honestly thought you'd be having more of a meltdown over this, you were so terrified of human contact for so many years that you thought you'd crumble if it happened again. What you weren't expecting was that you'd enjoy it.

The shorts are a good distraction though, you've been cycling through trying not to laugh and not look at his ass - which he purposely keeps making sure is in your line of vision.

"So, I was gonna make breakfast but uh, there's not really anything here - aside from toast, you want some toast?" He asks, looking at you over his shoulder from where he's stood for five minutes inspecting your essentially empty pantry.

"I'm not much of a breakfast person - help yourself to whatever is there, thank you though."

Eddie gives you a strange look, probably over the fact you were actually being polite and not sarcastic; but the minute you notice you've been staring at his mouth again you look at the counter where you're sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

_

Eddie stands from the stool after he's finished with stuffing his toast, grabbing your hand to urge you to stand up and it's only then you realise you've just been sitting there staring at him again while your mind goes in circles.

"Where are we going?" You question with your brows dropping together.

Eddie gives you a cheerful look, but then keeps leading you towards the bedroom "We are going to brush our teeth, like responsible adults - you got a spare one I can borrow?"

You watch his back with a puzzled look while you follow him 'Uh... yeah i do - but I don't need you to hold my hand to do that."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He muses, ignoring the other part of your sentence and walks you into your bathroom; shutting the door behind you both before going to lean against the counter, "So, spare toothbrush?"

You side eye him with suspicion, going to the top drawer and grabbing a spare tooth brush still in the packet and hand it to him; to which he grabs your toothbrush from the holder on the sink and hands it to you with a sweet smile.

"What are you playing at, weirdo?" You squint at him, but he ignores you again; handing you the toothpaste and gestures for you to use it while he starts opening his own toothbrush.

You huff out a sigh through your nose, knowing he won't tell you so decide to just brush your teeth and let him be the weirdo he is.

He eventually joins you and you both brush your teeth in silence. You stare at the mirror trying not to look at his reflection, where he's just staring at you in the mirror. He looks far too amused for someone brushing their teeth, and it makes you uneasy.

You finish up without any surprises, both rinsing your mouths and you give him another strange look when he places the toothbrush in the holder next to yours.

You jolt in shock however, when Eddie grabs your waist and lifts you; only to plop you down on the counter top, then walks off to the shower and opens the glass door and starts the shower running.

"What are you doing?"

He faces you and tilts his head, hooking his thumbs into the hem of his pink shorts, "I'm having a shower."

You pull your face back, looking mortified, "I am not showering with you."

He pulls his lips to hide a smirk, and keeps his thumbs hooked in the shorts as he slips them down to just above his pubic area and then pauses, "I know, that's why I said I'm having a shower."

"Okay I'll leave you to it then." You blurt, leaning back when he pulls his hands from the shorts and walks towards you; placing his palms flat on the counter either side of you and dips his face close to yours.

"Mmm' No. I want you to watch."

"Have you lost your fucking mind!" You snap with your voice breaking from how high pitched it went, which makes his eyes light up in amusement.

"I said I'm gonna help you figure out things you like, and you've got me curious about what those other things might be - just give it a chance, you can leave whenever you want. Just try." He says with his voice slowing as he leans closer.

Your insides are clenching and flipping and doing all kinds of contortionist bullshit, and your brain is scrambling to figure out what the hell he expects exactly.

"If you like it, stay. If you don't like it, leave. Pretty simple - I won't force you. Totally up to you." He continues, keeping his eyes focused on yours while you fight the urge to bite through your own tongue.

"What does watching you shower have to do with things I like?" You stutter out like a fucking idiot. You look like a deer caught in head lights right now.

You're confident and quick witted in situations where you can cover your nagging self doubt with jokes, but faced with any kind of intimacy and you're a blubbering moron.

Where as that seems to be the area where Eddie excels and it's terrible for your cortisol levels.

"Ouch, here I was thinking you might actually like seeing me naked." He teases as he places his hands on your hips and tugs you forward until you're flush against him with your thighs either side of his hips, and you swear to god you hope you pass out so you don't have to deal with this.

You thought maybe because he hadn't tried anything since you both woke up, maybe last night was a once off or it'd been forgotten... you should've known better.

"Just humour me." He hushes, nudging his nose against yours "Give it a chance."

"I-...uh" You hold your breath trying to think of anything to say, but all that is spinning in your head is how much of an idiot you are because you're actually considering this.

"Relax, you're safe." He coos, gripping your hips tighter which makes you let out your breath in a sharp shallow exhale "I do need a favour first though."

You raise your brows, encouraging him to just hurry the hell up and tell you because you're about to start sweating bullets from how quickly this entire thing has flipped upside down.

He sucks his lower lip under his teeth before releasing it, he puts those damn voodoo lips barely an inch from yours, "Can you kiss me again?"

You hesitate for a moment, swallowing and he glances from your mouth back to your eyes with his low voice still managing to somehow sound coy "Pretty please? Cherry on top? Extra sprinkles too? I'll be a good boy, I promise."

Good boy my ass, you think.

You roll your lips into your mouth, your eyes giving away the smile you're trying to hide as you fight the urge to laugh and hate the fact you find this idiot adorable.

You actually enjoy kissing him, and he knows that now. It's bad news. It gives him a power over you that you don't want him to have.

Alas... you lean forward; pressing your lips to his anyway.

He lets out a triumphant hum but immediately takes control of the kiss, hooking your legs around his hips and taking a hold of your face between his large hands. There's silence again.

The kiss goes straight to heated, his tongue breaking past your lips to roll against your own and the way his mouth is attacking yours has you panting for any kind of air you can get.

His soft moans that start vibrating up his throat have your skin prickling and it's like your body doesn't even know what to do with itself, you went so long without feeling things like lust or pleasure and now it's all you're being bombarded with in a span of 24 hours.

After a few minutes of him scrambling your mind with his mouth, he pulls back with heavy eyes; pecking your lips once more before he rests his hands on your thighs with a smug look.

"Thanks for the help" He says with a deep exhale while he catches his breath.

You quirk your brows together, trying to grip your bearings again, "Huh?"

Your eyes nearly pop out of your head, when he explains what he meant by holding your thighs and thrusting his hips forward; pressing a very distinct hardness against your centre and every muscle in your body constricts.

He smirks and how rigid you become, lifting his brows with cheeky eyes and unwraps your legs from around him; pulling away and watches your reaction as he grabs the hem of his shorts again to pull them down.

You dart your eyes away, looking at your lap and trying to stop your heart feeling like it's about to give out; hearing Eddie chuckle to himself before you hear the glass door to the shower open and close.

You should leave.

You should but you aren't and you don't know if it's because you're paralysed with nerves or actually want to be in here.

All you hear is the steady stream of water from the shower head being disrupted by Eddie stepping underneath it, letting out a low relaxed groan that has you gripping to the edge of the counter top while your eyes stay firmly stuck on your legs.

The sound of the water hitting the ground in uneven patters rings around the air, while you assume he's washing himself but you just can't bring yourself to look up.

You're still figuring out this attraction to Eddie, if that's what it is. You know that he's physically appealing like, genetically but you've never been one that's overly swept up in looks - are you just physically attracted to him? You can't tell. You guess because you haven't felt attraction in so long, you're just unfamiliar with it now.

The feeling is so new again it's uncomfortable because you don't know what to do with it, or where to place it. You feel blindsided by it.

The seconds tick past like hours while your pulse hammers in your body until you hear Eddie's gruff voice trying to sound soft and reassuring.

"Look at me (y/n)."

Still can't bring yourself to look up.

"(y/n.)

Maybe if you pretend you can't hear him, he'll shut up.

"Look at me or I'll get out of the shower and stand in front of you naked until you do - or just leave, it's up to you."

You think your legs would give out, if you tried to stand right now; so you swallow the ball of nerves in your throat and slowly drag your eyes up; taking a deep preparing breath before you move your gaze to the shower.

Your eyes whip up, catching his hooded ones framed with his lashes as he watches you with a calm expression but there's a faint concentrated crease between his brows.

His hair is soaked and pushed away from his face, stuck to his neck and shoulders; and you watch his adams apple dip as he swallows before he speaks "Just watch me okay? See how it makes you feel? - If you want me to stop just tell me."

Okay? You think, But watch you do what? Stare at me?

It makes you feel like you're going to have a stroke, glad you could clear this up.

Eddie's eyes stay on yours. but his brows pinch tight together when he sucks in a sharp breath and his lips part; before he huffs out a puff of air with a barely audible moan.

...Oh god.

He's... Is he seriously doing what you think he's doing?

Your eyes glance down before you can stop them, seeing the fogged image of his fist wrapped around his length as he pumps it in slow motions and your stomach clenches that tight you just about hunch at the feeling like you've been kicked.

Shouldn't have looked.

You hold on to the counter for dear life, genuinely scared you're going to fall off it and dart your gaze back to his face; completely frozen where you sit.

You feel like you're in some kind of trace, watching a car crash you can't look away from while he keeps his eyes on you; rolling his head back against the wall to expose his throat while his chests starts to rise and fall faster.

Your nerves are firing over your body, and the tension in the room that feels thicker than the steam damn near has you shaking while you watch his mouth fall open; echoing a deep strained moan around in the air as he starts to pant.

Everything in you is screaming to look away and you just... can't.

Eddie doesn't take his stare of you, and while you struggle to focus solely on his face you can see his shoulder tensing along with his chest muscles as he starts to work on himself faster.

He's hazy through the steam on the glass, but droplets of water that trickle down it leaves streaks that let hints of his clear image come through.

"Staying, sweetheart?" He drawls, his voice is low and out of breath and you sure as shit hope he doesn't expect a verbal answer because you vocal chords feel as stunned into paralysis as your body does.

He takes the fact that you haven't budged as a response and a ghost of a satisfied smile pulls on his mouth before he wets his lips as his breathing gets faster "Just keep looking at me - M'thinking about you being in here with me, your hands on me. It's driving me fuckin' insane."

You swallow for what feels like the hundredth time, and your knuckles are white from how hard you're holding onto the counter; and a seen of sweat starts to build on your forehead and chest, which you can't tell if it's from the steam in the room or what you're witnessing.

Eddie's chest does a sudden jump, while his brows crease hard together and his jaw drops with a strained "Oh fuck" as his eyes pinch shut.

You're clenching your jaw tight, but not as tight as you're squeezing your legs together as his grunts and moans become louder, mixed with the occasional profanity panting out of his mouth.

You can hear your pulse ringing in your ears but it's doing nothing to drown those sounds out; and when Eddie's jaw drops and his face scrunches up in so much pleasure it looks painful with his shoulders hunching forward, you are absolutely certain you're gonna faint.

You can see his body tremble and tense while he curses and grunts out moans that get cut off with sharp pants as his muscles constrict with what you describe as nothing but bliss across his face. You think your heart has stopped. You can't even feel it, you're entire body is numb.

You watch helplessly as Eddie composes himself, catching his breath slumped against the wall and eventually moves back under the water and runs his hands through his drenched hair as it streams over him.

He rinses himself off, then shuts off the water and rings his hair out, flipping it away from his face before pushing the door open and walking out to grab a towel hung over the towel rack to wrap low around his hips.

You're still a statue on the counter, trying to wrap your head around what you just watched and you don't even realise how heavy your own breathing is.

You feel like this should be awkward, but it's just not. The air of calm confidence he has as he turns and walks towards you; giving your rigid a once over before he stands in front of you, just has you speechless instead of anxious.

He doesn't say anything, probably aware that you wouldn't be able to respond even if you wanted to, and just grips your waist to help you get down off the counter.

You're surprised that your legs didn't collapse underneath you.

You feel like a walking stunned zombie, everything you just saw replaying in your head like some erotic movie in flashes.

You turn because you assume you're both just going to leave the bathroom, but Eddie stops you and stands behind you with his chin resting on your shoulder.

"Not so fast." He tuts, smoothing his hands from your waist down your front to lift the hem of your shirt and dips his fingers into your shorts.

You dig your fingernails into your palms to stop from jumping when his fingers go lower, sneaking past your underwear until they go between your legs and explore a lazy back and forth stroke up the arousal coating your hear that has you choking on a gasp.

He pulls his hand from your shorts, moving his mouth to your ear and you can hear the damn cocky smile in his voice, "Guess we can add watching someone getting off to the list of things you like... naughty girl."

You're still wordless, absolutely shocked into helpless silence which only seems to entertain him more as he presses a chaste kiss to your cheek.

"You feeling okay?"

"Ha!" You wheeze, the only audible sound you can make because that question is so fucking ridiculous right now.

He moves his hand to pat against your behind "You'll be fine. Besides, this'll give you something to think about till I see you again. C'mon, I've gotta get dressed."

[mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea]

"A place where sinners fall in love" sounds awesome

This is one I'm working on right now for a kiss prompt meme. @scottxlogan gave me two prompts from it (one of them was the Emma/Tony one that's already finished and posted up), but the prompt on this one is "to give up control. (any ship)."

It's a Frostiron fic that's pre-relationship that takes place on Asgard. They're dealing with Amora (Enchantress), who is, of course, on the tear because she heard that Loki and Thor are is back in Asgard with friends from Earth, and she naturally wants another shot at spelling him to fall for her. (She's relentless.) She also doesn't care who else she spells in the process with her love magic, especially as a distraction tool.

I haven't gotten up to the point that he's found Tony yet, but he has run into a spelled Clint and Bucky making out in an alcove (and of course, the results of the spell are going to actually last beyond the spell wearing out for those two). When Loki does find Tony, it's right after Amora's dropped a spell bomb on him, which Loki gets to have the fun time of dealing with.

Snippet:

It hadn’t taken Loki long to track down Clint and Bucky.  He almost missed them, but when he caught movement as he passed in the hall, he paused his single-minded pursuit of rescuing his Earth friends to inspect the alcove in the hall between two display tables bearing relief carvings of Thor’s paternal grandparents. 

“Who’s there?” Loki asked as he cautiously stepped closer to where the sounds – hmm, that sounds like moaning and heavy breathing – his hand raised and ready to strike with seiðr.  “Are you alright?  Are you –“ 

He jumped back, his eyes wide, hands still up but more to shield himself from what – and who – he found. 

“Oh!  Oh...oh I’m sorry,” he muttered at first and half-turned to offer the couple privacy while they...broke apart to face him. 

Clint was the first to open his eyes and speak when he and Bucky came up for air from the heavy kissing they’d been engaged in before the younger prince interrupted them. 

“Lokes?  Z’at you?” he mumbled, his words thick as if the kissing had thickened his tongue. 

“Yes, Clint.  It’s me.  I was looking for you two...and Anthony,” Loki answered and finally turned back as the two stepped from the alcove.  He cleared his throat and then looked closely at them. 

“We uh...we saw Tony a bit ago,” Bucky stumbled over is words, his brain feeling both muddled and on fire, and all he wanted to do was grab Clint again and continue doing what they were doing before Loki found them.  That, too, left him feeling muddled and on fire. 

Loki stepped closer to them, carefully as he could sense the magic still crackling off of them.  It wasn’t his magic, but he knew whose it was. 

“Where is he?  You two were spelled by Amora, and I suspect that’s why you two were lip-locked.  The spell will wear off, but I’m going to,“ Loki touched the both of them and a halo of his own magic surrounded them.  It wouldn’t remove the Enchantress’ magic from their systems; they would have to wait it out as he told them, but this would, at least, protect them from further harm, “there.  You two will be protected while the other magic runs its course.  I suspect you’ll be too distracted to help in the fight, so I’m going to send you to my mother for your safe-keeping.”

.

I don't know how long this one's going to be - not terribly long, I don't think. It'll sort of be the start of something for Loki and Tony, but Loki will be terribly worried about Tony's state of mind once the spell wears off.

Thanks for the ask!

[sunsetentity]

Checking on Freddy

Hello!!! I haven't wrote any of this in a while, and english is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes! Have a nice day/night!

~~~~~~~

Aside from the low music in the halls, The Mega Pizza Plex was quiet. The lights were shining in all types of colors, illuminating the security robot's face that were roaming around the place you've been quite familiar now. You've been work here almost a month here as a general staff member; your job was to substitute the missing colleague. There wasn't a cashier? You replace them, there wasn't a security guard? You were the security guard, like this night. At first it was a little confusing the change of roles, but the pay was really good, so you just let that slide - you even had a discount for Bonnie Bowl! (But not on the entrance of the mall or renting of the shoes).

You sigh and look at your watch except that at least half an hour as passed, but to your surprise it was only 15 minutes. You massage your temples, "Maybe if I don't look at the hour it'll pass faster" you say to yourself, going to the hall where the animatronic's rooms were displayed. Your colleague Dave, before leaving, told you that he already checked Roxanne, Chica and Monty but didn't make it in time for Freddy. But knowing him, he just didn't like Freddy and was too lazy to do it. Dave should get fired.

You stare on the door, lost in thought for a few seconds and hold up your badge to the scanner, making a little approving noise and letting the door slide. Freddy was looking himself at the mirror, noticing your arrival - "Hello Mx Y/N! It's a pleasure to see you" he says in a happy tone, "Hi Freddy, it's a pleasure for me too" you say smiling, and you really meant that! Freddy was always helpful in the job, never complained of anything (except when you bought foods from other places..) and had always a cheerful way of being. You really liked him.

"So, how was your day? Did you encounter any problems?" You asked, gesturing him to sit on the sofa while you went to the room where he charges and took a red toolbox, "I had issues with my lighter on my finger, it isn't working properly" he says, holding up the finger and trying to light it up. You came back to the room and start inspecting it, while doing some questions. "Did you touch something liquid like water or else? A sauce? Did it stopped working on the first try or after some time?" Etc. He was answering all the questions, but you noticed that the more questions you asked, the more less talkative he was, to the point he didn't answer. He was just looking at you repairing his hand (which didn't have the shell on) and since your question didn't get answered, you looked at him "Freddy? Is everything okay?" You asked, finally getting the attention "Oh! Sorry, I was just lost in thought". You thought to yourself if he actually could think but dismissed it, it was advanced AI after all, or maybe he just have the code to think he could..think? You leave the thought. "What were you thinking about?" You say, too much curious at this point, "Huh, just that.." he took his right hand and he put it in comparison with your left hand, meeting your palm, strangely his hand was warm "We're so different. Yet, we're.. alike in some way." Freddy said in a more serious voice. You, aside from the embarrassment of the gesture, you respond "What do you mean?", Not kinda understanding what he meant. He replied "You're alive, and you're a human. I'm alive but.." he didn't finish that sentence. You know were confused, how could he even have an existential crisis? Is he THAT advanced? You feel sorry for him, so you try to think things to cheer him up, in that state he could go worse or the others would decommission him for this. You inhale slowly and look at Freddy, caressing his cheek, slightly warm - "Freddy, I'm sorry for what you're feeling, I really am. But think! You're alive! Isn't that amazing? You can do so many things! You sing and help so many people you can't even them! And don't let me start on how much the kids love you" you smile, looking away from his gaze "And.. you don't know how much I appreciate you. I really do." You finish, finally meeting his eyes that were bright in surprise, you left him speechless. He was supposed to cheer other people, not the other way around...right?

He smiled and caressed you cheek "I appreciate you, and your work, a lot Y/N." He says, putting his hand on your shoulder. You smile bright, you were really happy at his words (and that he was a little better of course!) "Okay! Let me just re-put this on" you put the shell of the hand back in its place "and ta-da! Back as new" Freddy tried to light up his finger and it worked, even better than before! "Great job superstar! I knew you could do it" you give him a smile, then offered your hand "soo.. I have free time, you are the champion of Fazer blast, wanna teach me how to play? I never played it before". Freddy looked at you and when he heard the offer, his eyes seemed like stars - "Of course Mx Y/N! I will gladly accompany you to the greatest adventure on Earth! Or.. space, for that is." Freddy took you hand, and you two went to the Fazer blast chatting.

This is gonna be a good night.

[n7punk]

okay it took me awhile because Journey Into Lost Memories is a cut scene simulator for a good chunk of the game, but i've finished the entire Another Code: Recollection remake and i have some final thoughts (balls to the wall spoilers, do not click if you haven't played the game)

not gonna talk much about the first game since i already wrote a fucking essay on it, but i will say having taken the collection as a whole now, i firmly prefer the original. the remake isn't a bad game, just not quite the game the original was.

for Trace Memory/Two Memories anyway. the sequel... i have more problems with

first of all i never played the original sequel because it didn't exist in america, and im too fatigued to watch a playthrough now but i do fully intend to. That said, i could still see changes just with the context of what changes they made in the first one.

there is like. one puzzle per chapter for the first chunk of the game. like max. chapter one has getting... aw fuck i just played it and i forgot his name, but the guesthouse staffer's attention. and then there's the "puzzle" to unlock the door (given what the RAS looks like, i assume this use to be motion control bullshit, so i'll take the series of button prompts instead, it's just kind of a ridiculous way to hack lmao) and proving your innocence (wow a whole two puzzles). and then... i think the next puzzle is rescuing matthew? which is being a bit generous.

the boathouse was the first time it felt like i was playing the same game as the original series, and there's like... chapter 2 or 3? the boathouse was good, but then it's not good (puzzle wise) for... several chapters. like im trying to list puzzles off and i know im missing some but off the top of my head: music box, finding the keys, the clock tower, the resort headquarters, then the whole thing in JC valley where it's a Trace Memory game again. all that is in pretty quick secession but the first couple chapters drag and are mostly watching cutscenes doing a lot of set-up that doesn't give you enough clues for you to feel like you're trying to solve something, and thus mentally engaged. i actually started cutting off dialogue, hitting A without listening to the VA the second I had skimmed through the dialogue, because there was just way too much cutscene. this is not a puzzle game for like five chapters, it's Life Is Strange or something.

i don't need to play the original to know they cut a ton of puzzles from this second game. i really felt like i was going insane without the lack of balance in the second game. and the thing is, once the story happens, it's interesting! but goddamn is there 2, maybe 3 chapters of story in a 7 chapter game.

for the story... the part with matthew's dad was interesting to me, but like i said, gathering (very little) information on that takes up the first half of the game and then it all happens at once. also why did they change the ghost rules for this game. why does kelly look like that. they should have standardized that in this remake. kelly plays by completely different rules than d and im not a fan.

the zipper on her doll being a red herring was pretty funny tho lmao. i was literally in the middle of telling my mom it was driving me crazy that ashley hadn't thought to try it yet when i got the chance to inspect it and found the actual secret.

the pollution plotline also felt nonsensical at points, and it does mostly get justified later (why the fuck did her dad just happen to make an app for the DAS - something with like 4 apps - for measuring water quality? ok later it gets tied into liquid memory, but it had me laughing out loud for how convenient it was at the time) and tbh the plotline with the lab did too at times, but the ryan plotline was good. im still not clear on what memories were taken from sayoka? like they made it sound like they wiped her memory at some points, but that straight up can't be possible so i just dont know. like the reason behind it made since and every but idk... there were a lot of little things here that were messy and i would have expected them to fix and unify across games in a remake, especially considering how much they changed. i can't tell when the hell sayoko went to lake juliet. was it like, a day before she died? a month? year? can't have been more than a year, but again, wiping her memory doesn't make a lot of sense.

also like. sorry. but ryan is supposed to kind of be 6 years old (he has been strong since the pollution) so did he just... god how the hell did he get involved in the bill and gina thing. bill had been using richard for 7 years already, ever since he killed sayoko, but when did gina get involved, and then when did ryan? he had to be involved for at least two years since bill sent the source code to jc but... god i have a migraine and i CANNOT make sense of this. i think bill thought he was the mastermind, he got in touch with gina through his "buyer" (no idea if she already worked there, or got a job "undercover" for more info on the prototype, or was placed undercover after blood edward island fell apart. i dont think a timeline for her and rex's relationship was given that would have helped place this, just his divorce which was a few years ago and could have happened before she arrived or after - maybe even because of - her arrival).

god im rambling so much. basically i think the ryan stuff was good (i out loud went "OH HE'S TRYING TO MAKE A NEW SAYOKO" when i figured it out and that was a good feeling), but things with the lab/another project history got very twisty and the early game (camping, matthew's plotline, and the band/music plotline that... didn't really go anywhere aside from making gina suspicious, which is fine, but trim down all the long ass cutscenes then) had way too little gameplay and especially PUZZLES that just made it drag on.

ive seen a few mentions of changes now im daring to look at the tag and it is making me excited to watch a playthrough to see the original version of the game too, but my current assessment is that the sequel probably suffered heavily from the cuts/changes. maybe it always had these problems, but i doubt it. i also might replay the original trace memory until i hit a brick wall. i doubt citra has support for it lmao.

oh also im never going to get over them just calling it "the Big Deal Band Contest" thats a fucking placeholder title i put in and then can't come up with anything better but they did it for a video game (post-remake!) and not a goofy fanfic

[nightmaresaskblog]

Chapter Three:

Things going Wrong

This one is a bit longer than the others, so keep that in mind.

Fanfic under cut!

Tw/Cw: missing dog, description of disturbing imagery

It was a new day with a new dawn. The afton children all stumbled into the kitchen for breakfast, processing being alive.

William was there cooking pancakes and just a cheery as ever. (Well, as cheery you could be when you've just woken up 10 minutes ago and haven't had your morning coffee yet.)

"Good morning, kiddos!"

"What's all this?" Micheal yawned.

"Well it's your first day of school. Thought I'd make something to fit the occasion!" William sat a plate of pancakes at Micheal's spot.

"I can also finally unpack all the other house decorations while you're at school. Getting two things done at once, eh?"

The kids all groaned in frustration. School was not fun at all. Work, teachers, bullies. All schools had them, so what else could they expect?

Even though Micheal and Elizabeth were talking to try and wake themselves up, William seemed to notice something was off about Evan.

"Evan, are you alright?"

Evan jumped in his chair, frightened and on edge. Upon closer inspection, William noticed the dark rings under his son's eyes.

"I-I'm fine. Just tired."

Micheal scoffed. "No kidding. You look like you gotten zero sleep! What's wrong with you?"

"Micheal, that's enough. You don't say things like that to your brother." William pointed his fork at Micheal, then turned to Evan.

"Had something bothered you last night?"

Evan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I was thinking about.. About.. About mom."

The room went silent. The afton family stared off in different directions, deciding that the floor was more interesting than the conversation.

William sighed. "I know times are tough now, but.. Things will be better. All we need to do is work together as a family to get through the day, alright?"

The kids nodded in unison.

"Good. Now-" He stood up, putting his plate in the sink. "I believe you should finish eating and get ready. You need to be at the school in 30 minutes.

As the kids finished their meals, William's mind was set on finishing one of his projects.

A toy for the lonely ones. A game where you could play red light green light. The classic children's game.

The Plushtrap Chaser!

Walks in the dark! Freezes in the light!

He had to make sure it even worked, though. All his other projects had failed. But with Uncle Henry helping, he was finally able to get his idea rolling.

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes dad."

"Just want to make sure."

The bus rolled up to a good lengthy distance from the house, as if it was scared of it.

Nevertheless, the kids sprinted over to board the bus.

William waved at his kids. Hopefully, they would be well behaved at school. For now, he has other plans.

He grabbed the animatronic from his office and set it down on the chair in the hallway. It was dark enough for the room to be illuminated by his flashlight.

He made sure it was on and had working batteries, then walked over to the other side of the hallway and sat down.

Taking a deep breath, he turned off the light.

He listened for sounds of animatronic movement, footsteps, anything.

He started counting in his head.

1...2.....3......4.....5.....

He sat still, listening to any signs of movement.

6....7.....8......9....10....11-

There was a thump.

William stayed silent, hoping for more sounds. But it was silent. He turned on the light, expecting it to have move closer, and let out a gasp.

The doll had fallen to the left side of the hallway as if it was tossed over.

William sighed in frustration. The thing moved a bit, sure, but it just glitched out and fell. It was supposed to walk towards it's programmed spot! Why the hell was it not working?

"Well, if at first you don't succeed, try again. And if that fails, throw it out and make another one." William muttered to himself.

He picked up the toy and shoved it back into his office. He would probably ask Henry to fix it.

William's attention turned to the loud barking of his dog.

"Sparky? What's wrong, boy?"

The sounds came from the hallway near Evan's room. Sparky was standing at the grandfather clock, growling and barking up a frenzy.

William's eyes followed the trail, and what exactly Sparky was barking at.

It was a plush bear perched on top of the grandfather clock passed down through generations. It's eyes stared at William, filled with more life than his deceased wife.

How did the plush get there? Did Micheal put it up there as a prank for Evan? He had to have some sort of stepping stool to reach the top? And when could have he done that?

William took the plush off of the grandfather clock and examined it in his hands.

"Well, it's still a plush." William muttered. He ventured over to Evan's room and tossed it on his bed. It had to be Evan's.

William turned to his office, picked up his phone, and dialed a familiar number.

It rang twice, then someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Henry."

"Ah, William! It's been a while! Have your family settled in, yet?"

William shook his head, then realizing how silly he looked since Henry couldn't see his face.

"Yeah, a bit. The kids has picked out their rooms and got their stuff unpacked. I'm currently working on other projects."

"Let me guess. The Plushtrap chaser?"

William sighed and sat down in his chair. "Yeah. Tried testing it out today while the kids were at school."

"And?" Henry pressured.

"It just fell off the chair. I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" William slammed his hand on the desk, then winced due to the pain.

"Maybe I could come over and see what's wrong with it? I can try and fix it." Henry offered.

"Yeah. I could use some help with it. Just wished I would finally create something that works for once."

"Don't worry. We'll get this working." Henry reassured him.

Sparky began barking again.

"Hang on, I gotta go for a bit. Sparky needs taken out."

"Alright. Want me to come over and help with anything?"

William stood up. "Yeah that'll be great."

"Great! I'll be there in a half an hour!"

The line disconnected, and William hung up. He grabbed Sparky's leash from the wall and made his way towards the noise.

"Come on Sparky. Where are you?"

William turned a corner and gasped. The back door was open a crack. Sparky had run out.

"Oh fucking hell." He took off into the yard and towards the woods, slamming the door behind him. "SPARKY!"

William kept a steady pace, trying to find his dog.

He shouted his name a dozen times until his throat was hoarse.

William heard rumbling in the distance, then felt raindrops pour on his head.

Oh great. Rain. Just what I needed.

He couldn't search for Sparky in the rain, at least, not dressed like this. It was already started to get cold on the chilly September morning.

William started walking to the direction of the house. He called out Sparky's name in a vain attempt for him to appear again.

No response.

How far did that dog go? Why would he run off like that?!

Elizabeth is gonna KILL me if she finds out Sparky's gone missing.

William made it to the house and walked inside. He dried off and took Sparky's food bowl and filled it up with treats.

He took it to the back porch and left it out. If Sparky gets hungry, he can come back, William thought.

The doorbell rang, signaling Henry's arrival. William opened the door, and there he was, toolbox in hand.

"I figured I'd bring this. Is everything okay?"

William buried his face in his hands. "No. Our dog went missing. He ran out back and into the woods and I can't find him!"

Henry gasped in shock.

The two got properly dressed in coats and wandered into the woods again, searching for their lost dog.

"Sparky!"

"Come on, boy, we gotta go home!"

"Sparky! Where are you?!"

The duo had ventured further and further, leaves crackling under the footsteps of the brothers.

The forest stretched on for what seemed like miles, with the branches ready to snag the brothers and trap them there forever.

There was no sound of Sparky anywhere. No barks, no yowls, nothing. The only sounds were the mens' voices calling out for an answer, and the rain pattering on the life in the place.

Henry broke the ambiance.

"We could print out some missing posters. I'm sure that the local town would like to help."

William mumbled out a "Okay," but it was mangled and muffled it sounded like "Oksmsmma"

"What was that?"

" I SAID OKAY!!" William shouted, the stress and temper getting to him. The sound of his voice echoed through the woods, then fell silent.

Upon noticing the frightened expression, William took a deep breath.

"I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry."

"I know."

"It's just- we can't find that damned dog."

"I know."

"Just add it to the list of shit I've got to deal with! What's next for me, huh?" William threw up his arms in frustration. The fear and panic was getting to him.

Henry put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll ask the town if they've seen him, or put up missing posters for him. We'll find Sparky."

William nodded, too tired to respond right away.

"Did you do anything that could be the cause of Sparky running away?"

William fumbled with his words. "The back door was open. I believe I left it open a bit by accident."

"Well, don't worry. He couldn't have gotten far, and he'll return when he gets hungry." Henry patted his brother-in-law's shoulder.

"Now let's head home. We'll both catch a cold if we stay out for this long."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it." Henry stated as he examined the Plushtrap.

Hours later, the two were dried off, and might as well make the most of Henry's arrival.

"Well, it wouldn't work when I tested it out!" William exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down. I just got to reset the programming. It should work now."

Henry and William went to the hallway and attempted the game again.

They set the doll on the chair and then sat at the other end. Henry coded it so that it would be connected to the X.

"It's not gonna work, Henry. I already tried it."

"I just wanna test it for myself."

The two sat in silence for a while, waiting to the hear the Plushtrap make noise.

Henry turned on the light.

The Plushtrap head was cocked to the side and its body was leaned forward, as if preparing to exit the chair.

"You made him freeze up! Turn the light off!"

The hallway went dim, and they sat in silence again.

There was a pitter patter of footsteps. Henry turned on the light, and the toy went into hiding in one of the rooms.

"Holy shit." William gasped.

Henry turned off the light and waited.

The footsteps were running faster now.

Henry turned on the light, and the Plushtrap froze at the X. Upon reaching it's designation, it powered down.

The two men cheered.

"Fucking finally!" William gave his partner a high five.

Henry picked up the toy. "I told you it was gonna work."

"Well, I didn't believe it would work at first."

Henry frowned. Upon seeing that expression, William forced out a laugh. "I mean, I thought my work was so bad that it couldn't be salvaged! I'm impressed you managed to get it working."

Henry let out a chuckle. "You're the one who comes up with the ideas. I'm the one who brings them to life."

The duo laughed. Henry started packing up his things.

"I have to leave. Gotta go pick up the twins and all."

William waved good bye to his friend. "Take care, and drive safe, alright? Hate to see you get hurt due to the rain."

Henry drove off away from the house, and William was alone again.

Without Sparky around, the house was silent again. The funniest feeling, huh? When you're alone and no one else is around, you'd become more aware of your surroundings.

He noticed the ticking of the grandfather clock echoing through the house, the hum of the air conditioner.

He tried turning on the radio, but all that came was static. He slammed his hand on the radio, trying to get it to work. He shut it off in rage.

"It's a new house. Might as well explore it," William muttered.

The inside of the house was unique. It seemed that whoever built it had too many ideas at once, and shoved all of them into the structure.

The hall where the duo did the Plushtrap experiment had 4 doors, 2 on each side. One a closet, another a bathroom, another leading to the basement, and the 4th was just brick. It seemed like they forgot about building the 4th room and just didn't bother to fix it. Whatever was meant to lie beyond that door was gone.

The window was square and was built high up. It would take a grown adult with a ladder to reach that height. In fact, in many places around the house, there were places that had objects placed in random places that it would upset and anger people who were picky about how their things were placed.

The hallway, or rather, hallways, leading to Evan's room were odd as well. The ceilings were very high up, higher than 15 feet tall. It seemed like they wanted to add a second floor, but decided against it the last minute.

William heard the rumble of the bus approaching the driveway, and heard the sounds of his children.

"God dammit," William muttered. He checked the back door to see if Sparky was there.

He wasn't. There was no sign of the dog anywhere.

The front door opened, and the Afton family made their entrance.

"Daddy! We're home!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Liz, stop pulling on my backpack!" Micheal shouted.

"Well it's not my fault you have your backpack open all the time!"

"The zipper broke, okay?!"

William approached his children, a forced smile on his face.

He hugged his children in a group hug.

"Uh, Dad? Are you okay? You're acting weird," Micheal was the first to talk.

"Kids, there's.. Something bad happened. Sparky, he... He went missing."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped, her shoulders sank.

Immediately all of the kids started asking a million questions.

"How did he go missing?!'

"Can we find him again?!"

William raised his hands in an attempt to silence his children. "He ran off out back and I couldn't catch up to him. I put food out back for him, and Uncle Henry offered to make missing posters for Sparky. We'll find him."

That wasn't enough. The kids were in tears, horrified that a family member went missing so quick. First their mom, and now Sparky.

William hugged his children, visibly upset. He didn't know what else to say.

....

The kids didn't eat much supper that night. They spent the afternoon trying to help find Sparky. Even with Charlie and Sammy helping, it wasn't enough.

The family plastered the posters all over town in vain hopes that someone would find Sparky. Henry offered to build a fence around their house once they found Sparky to prevent him from vanishing again.

Micheal tried not to think about what would happen to Sparky out there. There was already a dead animal skull out there. Would Sparky's skeleton join the others?

The thoughts wouldn't leave the family even at night. It seemed that someone didn't want them to forget about it. They wanted them to know and worry.

It was around midnight when Evan shot up in his bed, eyes wide open. He awoke to a familiar noise. He knew that noise.

It was the bark of Sparky the dog.

Something was off about it, however. It seemed it was in pain, yelping and howling for the sweet release of death. There was additional barks layered on the noises of pain.

It sounded like a dog that was terrified.

It was coming from inside the house, outside Evan's door.

Evan grabbed the door and held it shut, panicking about what he should do. Vicious scratching could be heard from the other side, wanting to pry the door open.

Evan had a fear of dogs since Sparky accidently bit him while they were playing. Even though everyone told him that Sparky didn't mean it, Evan still was terrified and didn't play with Sparky after that.

He tried to muster his courage and tell whatever was on the other side to back off.

"S-stay away from me!" Evan shouted nervously.

"S-stay away from me!" The creature on the other side mimicked back, as if it was mocking him.

Then it started barking again. Distorted and low pitched cries rang from the other side. Sparky's barks could be heard on the layers of animal cries the creature rang out.

The cries turned into loud laughter that rang through the halls. It wasn't a laugh made by a single person, but laughs of multiple people at once. Some sounded like a hyena, others sounded low and deep. Nonetheless, they were all layered on top of each other, failing to get a perfect harmony and instead were screeching and screaming.

Gripping the door tight as hard as he could, Evan reached for the light that was beside it.

The laughter abruptly stopped, and Evan heard heavy breathing on the other side. It seemed it needed a moment for fresh air.

He opened a door a peek and shined the light to see what he was facing.

What stood before him was a monstrosity.

It's chest was torn open to reveal a mess of tangled up wires, small speakers, and microphones. Various other parts lived inside of it as well, such as broken radios. Some looked like the ones in his house, others looked like ones that came way before their time.

The face was covered in wires resembling whiskers on it's cheeks, and it's teeth were way too much to fit inside a mouth. In front there were buck teeth, and the teeth surrounding it were like tiny metal daggers shoved into the mass, cramming as many as one could and leaving no room for any more. It's blue fur was plastered with a smile grinning broadly at Evan, stretching ear to ear so much it looked like it would hurt.

Evan let out a shrill scream and attempted to shut the door, but the monster wedged it's claws in between the crack, and pried the door open, knocking Evan to the ground.

Evan desperately scrambled back to his feet and ran out the other door opposing his room. The laughter appeared again, shaking the halls and forcing Evan to slam his hands over ears in a vain attempt to shut out the noise.

Evan sprinted to his brother's room, pounding on the door and screaming.

"MIKEY!! MIKEY! PLEASE OPEN UP!!"

The door swung open, and Michael gave a stern but barely awake "What?!"

"There's-was-a-monster-in-the-hall-and-it-was-gonna-eat-me-"

"Evan, slow down. What's going on?"

Evan pointed to the direction of his room. "There was a monster, and..."

Micheal glanced over Evan's shoulder, and there was nothing.

Micheal held his head in his hands. "You woke me up because you had a nightmare?!"

"It wasn't a nightmare! It was real!"

"Evan, listen to me. There's no such thing as monsters. Just go back to sleep. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

Micheal was ready to close the door, but Evan stopped him. "Wait!"

Micheal sighed in tiredness and frustration. "What is it?"

"Can I sleep in your room tonight? I don't wanna go back there!"

"No. Goodnight!" The door slammed in Evan's face, leaving him alone in the darkness.

Evan stood in front of Micheal's door, unsure what to do.

There was no way he would go back there. He would rather spend the day, no, a week at Fredbear's Family Diner.

The mimicking thing seemed to have vanished from the house entirely. Evan didn't want to go to sleep and risk the monster tearing him apart.

Evan darted to his bed, flashlight in hand, ready to run if he heard the thing.

He would stay up all night if he had too.

Evan sat up straight on his bed, alert and ready. If it came from one of the doors, he could throw a pillow and distract it, giving him time to escape. Or hold the door shut to prevent it from entering.

Evan took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.

(Notes:)

In the Cursed House AU, Henry and William are brothers-in-law (Henry's sister was William's wife)

The mimicking thing is Nightmare Bonnie. I decided to give him the ability to mimic voices

More nightmares will appear in next chapters!

Evan is not having a good time

[thelov3lybookworm]

Ho ho ho hello lov3ly 🎅 How are you doing dear?

1st thing... Your gift is not completely ready. I've been so busy and tired 😪 so you will unfortunately not receive your gift on the 17th. I'm very sorry 😥 It's coming very very soon though!

2nd... For today's teaser... *drum roll*... ✨The first few paragraphs of your gift✨

“Wife,” he sneered. “Husband,” she sneered back. Azriel walked to end of the table and sat down. “Glad to see that you are still alive,” he said, pulling the plate that his wife had already filled for him closer. “Glad to know that I am still the funny one,” Gwyn replied without looking up from her own plate. Morning greeting, checked. Daily verification that his partner was still breathing, checked. What was left to do before breakfast? Ah right... Check the food for poison. His shadows made a sweep around the table, ensuring that nothing would lead to him dropping sick or dead. When he finally raised his cup of tea to his lips after their quick inspection, his eyes landed on a pair of teal ones across the table. Azriel internally shuddered at Gwyn’s piercing gaze and at how her lips turned into a feline smirk. “It will happen when you least expect it,” she said, then dug a knife into her pancakes.

Let me know what you think 😉

I'm good santa!

I don't mind it being late santa! Honestly, I myself haven't finished my fic yet 😅

And....

OH MY GODDDDDDD AHHH WHATTTT

Oh I love this 🥹

I'm already getting addicted lol I can't waitttt ughhhh I'm droolingggg

[dracwife]

inquiries.

ship: dannilore word count: 1365 summary: my half of an art trade with @apheliiion-ships ! i've never written for lore before, so this was quite fun to do. i hope i did alright, in my mind i imagined they'd have a bit of banter before the whole. kidnapping thing, which as you know is my favorite thing ever to write ;O

"And I believe you are already familiar with Danni. They were a part of the field team that found you."

"Of course. Nice to meet you."

Danni's eyes squint, half in question, half in strain -- the light that pours in from the hall hits them and though it doesn't hurt, it takes a moment to adjust.

When it finally does, they see the familiar outline of Wesley, standing just alongside the pale figure. Their senses tingle, and though they haven't the capacity to focus in on that point like perhaps any of their alien-kind could, they did know well whatever it was was not human.

Their eyes finally are able to make out features, and they recognize the android. For a moment they mistake it for the Lieutenant-Commander. But the way he is dressed -- the way it, they correct themselves mentally, is dressed -- the way it carries itself, is not the same.

No, this was the sum of parts they had found just earlier on their expedition, now assembled.

Their lip curls, brows furrowing. The room falls quiet, there's an air of expectancy until finally, the Lieutenant responds:

"I don't trust it. Why is it here?"

Wes falters, taken aback by their abrupt response, as does the android, who tilts his head in shock.

"I suppose I did not mean to intrude, the boy was just showing me around, is all. I hear Data is a valuable asset to the ship's crew. I figured perhaps one day soon I may be the same."

"Not if I have any hand in it."

"Perhaps you will not."

Danni scoffs, picking up their PADD, and brushes past the two. Wes attempts to stop them, but they continue on anyway:

"I have a report to finish, if you'll excuse me."

It was much to their displeasure, of course when over the next few days the android -- Lore as it had come to have been called -- continued to prove quite an irritating, but regular presence amongst the crew. They kept a close watch on him, of course (and yes, they had taken to calling it a him, as commanded by their superiors, which they supposed they were then obligated to), as was their duty as a security officer but also found it remarkably hard to get away from him when they most wanted to.

Such as, in that moment, when he so gleefully invited himself into their office, yet again.

In a strange way, they had almost gotten used to it, him being around just when they figured they'd given him the slip.

Now he stood just before their desk, fingers brushing over the corner as he rounds it, gaze analyzing every detail of their space, from the dully-colored walls of the Lieutenant's quarters to the far wall -- a window out into the endless beyond of space, something Danni was fortunate enough to have, as most low-ranking officers did not, to even the chipped paint of the floor where boots had kicked and scuffed over many voyages over many months. 

He picked at one of the many imperfections in their desk, which only fueled their deeply-rooted annoyance at his mere presence.

"Can I help you?" they finally offered.

"Probably. Maybe not, though," he continued his close examination of every small thing, very obviously in a taunting sort of way; They knew quite well that androids hadn't the need to study close any real object, rather the mere glance could store within their memory drive any number of details that the human, or humanoid, mind could only do after close inspection. No, he was doing this just to irritate them. 

"Why are you here?" they ask again, arms crossing against their chest now. They lean back, hoping to give an air of upset, perhaps even intimidation by relaxing so. 

"A good question!" Lore turns, "I wish to study you."

"Why me? Why not…Literally anyone else?"

He grins, "You intrigue me. You aren't like most of the other humans on this ship. In fact, You're not even like most of the other aliens, either."

Danni scoffs, eyes rolling as they return to their work before he interrupts them again:

"I have been trying endlessly to figure it out, but I cannot…So, what exactly are you?"

"I'm a Starfleet officer, who's three seconds away from learning how to disassemble a Soong-type android, intimately."

There's a flash of something behind his eyes then, which almost startles Danni -- it's not something they've ever seen before, at least, not in an android. And certainly not in Data. 

What jars them more, though, is what he says next.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Lieutenant."

They stand, slowly, opposite of Lore now, with concern. The way he speaks, the way he moves even, that look he gave them. It was far too human for their tastes. He smirks over, clearly amused by the whole situation.

"Excuse me?" they manage to hiss back, taking a step towards him. Were they not bound by regulation, their hand would've been halfway to their phaser already, but instead they run protocol through their mind, a futile attempt to restrain themselves from pressing further. With still a decent distance between the two of them, Danni stops.

"You aren't like him. Like your brother."

"Perhaps not. Maybe that makes me superior."

"Maybe that makes you dangerous," their fingers brush the holster of their belt, their eyes flash towards the emergency call button by the door. If they dodged right, they could likely rush past him and --

"Relax, Lieutenant. I'm no threat to you."

Their attention is drawn back to him, and he seems to have taken a half-step back, and as they focus back they notice the shift in his weight…Just enough to block their view of the exit. 

"I'll ask one more time, what are you here for?"

"Simply to talk."

Their hand falls from their phaser. They relax back onto their heels. His expression dims, back to that normal, artificial sort of look.

"I was actually hoping you'd give me a bit of insight as to how this ship works, exactly. With you being part of Security, and well -- to be quite honest, you're one of the only people I really know here."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

He frowns. 

"Besides, I thought Wes introduced you to the crew," they follow-up, every word drawn out in caution.

"Oh, yes, the young boy did. But you…You were there when I was discovered. Doesn't that make our bond…A little more special than formality introductions?"

Danni's stomach churns at the thought. 

"No, it doesn't."

"Then perhaps we should get to know each other better!"

Lore's face twitches, and Danni waits, unable to parse if it was on purpose, or perhaps some sort of fault in his hardware. Their head tilts away slightly, watchful eyes still trained on him.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, either," their voice drops low again. 

"You're a…Hard nut to crack, I believe is the phrase?" he tuts, "But maybe you'll loosen up soon."

Danni's head shakes slightly, half in question, half in vigilance.

"I wouldn't tell anyone about my visit here today, either. You know, with you threatening me, and all. Wouldn't want that going on your already, as far I am aware, very long disciplinary record, hm?"

Lore smiles, and they see that flash of something behind his eyes again. He turns on his heels, and exits their quarters, leaving them solitary in their now, very large and eerily quiet room. He's just quick enough that they scarcely hear the words he mumbles under his breath:

"Oh, yes. I think we will get to know each other very well, soon."

They feel a shiver run the length of their spine, and they aren't sure if its some alien part of them that causes it, or the resounding presence of the thing that just left them, or perhaps the way they felt, for once, that someone -- something -- could finally stand to match their own attitude and sense of reckless verbal banter, but somewhere deep in their mind worms an idea that frightens them to their core: 

That maybe, they would so much mind that.

[ask-voreganronpa-boys]

Hey hey! Could you please do a unwilling nagito voring a borrower (safe plz!)

It was a warm, nice day yet again on Jabberwock Island. Nagito was walking back to his cabin after a whole day of pretty much nothing. Hajime was busy on another part of the island and everyone else was busy as well with their own talents. Nagito sighed softly through his nose, about to murmur to himself but was interrupted by the sound of tiny yells for help coming closer.

Nagito turned around to face the noise, his eyes widening in surprise at what he saw. It was a tiny... person running at full speed towards him. Nagito instinctively bent down to inspect the small creature that looked in desperate need for help. He held his hand out as they got closer, amazed that the tiny person willingly jumped into his palm and was clinging onto it for fear life.

"uhm..." Nagito, despite everything he's seen, is taken aback by the sheer smallness of this tiny person. The borrower looked back behind them, as if seeing if something was still chasing them. They looked up to nagito, "y-you're n-nice, r-right?? C-can y-you help m-me??" They asked worriedly. Nagito nodded, "o-of course!..?" Nagito of course agreed but was a little worried about what was actually going on

...

You were wheezing, trying to catch your breath from the extreme running you just went through. You got caught stealing food from the hotel kitchen by the resident chef, who didn't appreciate critters taking his ingredients. You were currently being pursued by him and you didn't have much time before he caught up.

You look up at the kind Giant who had picked you up. He looked confused, but understandably so. You were about to speak more but heard the sound of footsteps in the distance and growing closer. You looked up at Nagito, your face sketched with anxiety.

"y-you have to hide me, P-please!" You pleaded with him. Something flickered through Nagito's eyes, just a fleeting moment, someone was actually asking him for help, for protection, he was speechless for a moment before nodding quickly, figuring time was of the fleeting and he shouldn't waste it with questions, "y-yeah! I'll put yo—UHMF!?"

before Nagito could finish, you leaped off of his hand and into his mouth, taking the opportunity while he was speaking. You figured that, in the moment, hiding in a giants stomach was much safer than getting squished.

It was only for a quick moment as you pushed yourself quickly to the back of Nagito's throat. But you could feel the bumpy texture below you and your spine shivered as you felt his teeth graze against your skin. The slickness of the saliva helped propel you all the way back to his throat. The fleshy, pink pendulum slid over your head as you were gulped down, involuntarily. Your journey down into his emerald-green stomach was uneventful, and you immediately felt a weight lift off your shoulder now that you successfully evaded being caught... Even if it was in a most unusual way

"GLK-!?" Nagito swallowed reflexively, his eyes wide with pure shock and confusion as to what just happened and what he did. He felt sick to his stomach, wanting to puke the new contents up immediately. He couldn't believe that he just ate a living being, even if it wasn't voluntarily, he still felt disgusted. His arms instinctively went to his stomach, clinging to it, as if to convince himself that there was really something in there.

Before he could collect a single thought, the pursuer finally rounded the corner, red in the face and exasperated from running. Teruteru panted and ran up to Nagito, wooden rolling pin in hand, "Nagito!!" He started, looking on the ground, "have you seen a pesky rat run past here???" The small chef asked, circling around Nagito, still searching for the burrower who evaded him.

Nagito had to gulp down his anxiety and confusion, and like a switched, he completely flipped back to his aloof, carefree personality, "a rat? nope! Sorry, haven't seen a thing! I was just going back to my cabin." Nagito smiled calmly, hiding the whirlwind of emotions underneath perfectly.

Teruteru blinked and sighed, believing Nagito but also figuring that he was wasting time talking when the time could be used searching for the little thief. "A-ah... Well, if you see anything, get me right away!" Teruteru said and then ran off to continue his search. Nagito stood there with a smile and waved until he knew Teruteru was out of earshot.

Nagito hurried to his cabin, still clutching his stomach. He hurried to his bathroom and leaned over the sink, "h-hey! Are you okay in there?? I-I didn't mean to swallow y-you!" He pressed his fingers against his stomach, trying to feel for your tiny form underneath his skin

You squeaked as you were squished between the slick yet firm walls of his stomach. You pressed back, causing Nagito's whole body to flinch in response. "Y-yeah! I'm fine, I'm fine!" You spoke up, "I meant for you to swallow me! Sorry but if I didn't hide, he was going to squash me!" You said with a nervous laugh, "thank you for hiding me, even if it's a bit... unorthodox. You're a real lifesaver!" You sat up and rubbed the walls in front of you, a effort to comfort your giant host

Nagito was silent for a moment. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that there was a living person inside him, speaking to him. "Uhm..." He hesitantly rubbed his stomach, "well.. I'm happy to have helped you but... I could've just,, put you in my pocket..." He murmured, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. The feeling of the rubbing on the inside felt like literal butterflies, and he didn't really know how to feel about it. "I'm... I'm going to go ahead and let you out. I'm sure my stomach isn't the best hideout." He said, wanting to get rid of the strange feeling in his gut

He gave his stomach a soft pat before hunching over the sink. After some retching and gags, You were ejected from the green giants gut and landed with a wet plop in the palm of his hand. Nagito's breath was shaky as he set you down on the counter. He took a moment to catch his breath before looking over to you, "th-there... All in one piece. I don't think we've been introduced, how rude of me." He laughed nervously and grabbed a rag to gently wipe you off.

He held you gently in his palm and started to use the rag to dab the saliva off. "My name is Nagito Komaeda, a pleasure to properly meet you." He smiled warmly, "what's your name?" He asked, handling you with utmost care like a delicate doll. "I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you too!" You grinned up at him with flushed cheeks. "Well, Y/N, I think this is the start of a good friendship! Just... Warn me next time before you jump down my throat" Nagito laughed warmly

[mannatea]

Break Open the Sky, a Tales of Symphonia ‘fic (Chapter 12)

Current Word Count: 97,018 Summary: What kind of “Hero” of Regeneration would she be to leave an infant to fend for itself? Someone had to have left it here for a reason. The question was, of course, why? But as she lifted the little thing carefully into her arms, the motion reminding her of nights so far in the past, now, the why seemed almost tragically clear: this baby was of mixed blood. Chapter Summary: Raine makes the difficult decision regarding what to do with baby Rose. Pairing/Characters: Raine, Original Characters, will also feature Genis, Regal, and Sheena. Endgame is Regal/Raine. Extra Info: This is technically an Accidental Baby Acquisition story, but I liken it more to “Doorstep Baby” literature because it sure ain’t cute. Rating: Mature, for themes. Genre: Eventual romance, gen, family, character study.

The title is the link to Ao3 for Chapter 12! (This is the next to last chapter!)

Notes are under the cut!

I thought this chapter was totally fine until I went to read it again yesterday and I hated so, so much of it. It felt awkward and stilted in places, and I swear characters were logic leaping to kingdom come in the dialogue.

Anyway, after rewriting half of the damn thing yesterday and today, I hope it passes inspection.

--

Sara as the secretary: I pulled this name from the RP that I did with an old friend but I'm not sure if she made that up or if it's in the game. Either way, it's in this story now because my bestie is Sara and I think it's funny.

--

I hope someone noticed Raine's little bouts of jealousy lmao.

--

There's a tiny bit more about Sybak here, though all the big juicy stuff is slated for the sequel, which I still haven't finished outlining. (I did get pretty close though.)

--

Finally, Raine's decision. I don't recommend reading this section if you haven't read the chapter yet, but if you want to read it anyway, who am I to stop you?

WARNING: This got really long and meanders a bit. SORRY.

Throughout this story, I've tried to make a serious effort to show the ways in which Raine cares for Rose, but also the ways in which she just...doesn't. There is resentment there. There is unhappiness. If Rose was her biological child, you'd think she had Post-Partum Depression. She takes care of the baby, but it's rarely written in a tender or sweet way. At one point in the story I even had Regal note that she seemed to do things automatically, almost without thinking about the fact that she was doing them. She has moments with Rose that are sweet but these were meant to feel like outliers and there aren't enough of them to balance the times in which she just kind of mindlessly takes care of her.

I don't count the sailing experiences against Raine, by the way; she did her best on the ship to Altamira, and on Regal's sailboat she was dealing with a lot (and he was there to help).

I do feel with time, she probably would grow much more attached to Rose, and love her more fully, but none of that would come without a cost, and...we've seen a glimpse of what that cost is.

Keep in mind that when I was outlining this story, Lila and Marcie didn't exist, so...the only company Raine had during the day for those months in Altamira was Rose! In this outline, Raine was torn between very badly wanting her life back, and also finding it difficult to go back to the way things used to be. It's also important to note that Regal really did not want to influence her either way in the original outline. This is mostly because he had grown rather attached to Rose but knew his opinion SHOULD not matter.

The romance between Raine and Regal was a lot more important in the original outline too. I doubt anyone would have guessed that because it's such a centerpiece in the finished product, but the original outline had gems like this in it:

-she's trying very hard not to love him (there are just SO many reasons why she's not good enough, but she's also very afraid of getting hurt). Like she knows he's a good man and any hurt feelings will just be of her own creation. still, watching the way he spends time with rose stirs something in her. -(she loves him already, feels like the incident at the party was her doing/fault because she couldn't keep a tight enough lock on her feelings when inebriated and regrets it, but still to this day can't quite harden her heart against him)

(In the original most of her attachment to Rose was formed through Regal, too, like watching him rock her to sleep when she just couldn't do it herself.)

With Lila and Marcie around, I didn't have to go into full on Yearning Mode and things were able to quietly and naturally develop between them with most of the yearning coming from Regal. Yay.

I s t r u g g l e d (AND I DO MEAN STRUGGLED) to decide which choice Raine would make in the end, even in the outline.

Just like in the finished story, Regal guides her toward a choice, though in the original outline he asks her more questions about Rose: if she wants to raise Rose to adulthood, if she wants to oversee her education, if she wants to raise her like a daughter and not a sister. His final question is, "Do you think you can love her?"

To which Raine says she already does.

This gave me two paths:

Raine keeps Rose because she loves her already and points Sheena toward the Crestfield Orphanage and the children there that kind of haunt her (in the original this was a group of 4 or 5 children instead of the brother & sister that ended up in the final draft).

Raine knows that Sheena will provide a better life for Rose than she can and gives her up even though it's difficult for her because she loves Rose.

I knew I wanted someone to adopt, but both Sheena and Raine were good fits for it, and it ended up being more about the kind of story I wanted to tell with Raine and with Sheena and "Found Family" and all of that.

There is a very real kind of love and trust in Raine handing over a baby she cares about to Sheena, someone she has had to learn to trust.

This is ultimately why I chose Sheena.

The original outline played a lot more, too with Raine's identity as a "parent" (particularly against her own will). Regal was originally going to tell her that while she did a good job raising Genis she does have an identity outside of that and if she wants to revisit it she can do that literally whenever; she can have her own biological kids or adopt and she can plan for it.

This also gets to the heart of some of Raine's larger fears in the original outline, which were eventual resentment toward Rose, and knowledge that the origin of Rose in her life could be negative in the future.

Anyway, especially in the version of the story I ended up writing, which included Marcie and Lila, I can't see Rose working out with Raine in a healthy or fun way. Like I said earlier, we got a glimpse of what the cost would be of keeping Rose, and let's just say that it wouldn't be pretty.

Raine thinks briefly in this chapter about her likely future doing physical labor trying to feed an adult, two growing children, and a baby, and you can chew on that for a while if you want to, but I didn't want to explore it. (She's suffered enough.)

--

My biggest annoyance with this chapter was getting Raine to actually make a decision. She's not a very impulsive person, so of course she'd want to think about it, but she's got a lot of issues to work through and no therapist to work through them with.

Regal's as good as it gets for her and he's not objective by any means. If you couldn't tell, he feels he knows what's best for everyone is giving Rose to Mizuho. He doesn't come out and say it immediately because he doesn't want to be That Guy.

But things sorta end up that way anyway, because Raine spends so much of the chapter stuck in a loop: struggling with feeling like she's following in her mother's footsteps by giving Rose away and fighting it almost desperately in her own mind. And to her own detriment!

Like, she's always been an incredibly responsible person; the fact that she raised Genis starting at age 11 makes that clear. I do think, however, that sometimes she takes it a bit too far and overreaches. Rose is perhaps an example of that. (She was definitely in over her head. But she was given responsibility?? What else could she do? Something something older sister Surface Pressure vibes.)

Obviously her capacity to care about others and do the right thing come into play here, right along with "saving the people right in front of us" but sometimes the right thing to do, the right way to save someone, isn't to take personal responsibility for them.

Raine was traumatized by her experience. Not only was she abandoned, but she was given responsibility of a literal infant at the same time. At 11 years old. She has a very hard time separating these two things and Rose feeds right into it in the worst ways. (It also wasn't the only time Raine has felt abandoned by someone in her life, so you can see why she'd feel so terrible about doing that to someone else, even a baby who won't remember it later.)

Raine knew all along what the objectively better choice was, but she couldn't choose it as long as she had other stuff in her head telling her she was being irresponsible/selfish/lazy/just as bad as her mother.

She needed someone else to tell her that giving Rose away isn't the same as her mother giving her up. She needed to hear someone else's voice in her head—not her own and not her mother's.

This was intended to sort of mimic Regal's line to her in the OVA where he says that surely her mother hadn't abandoned her, but rather...sent her through the Gate hoping Sylvarant would be a better life for her.

I hope Raine's cyclical struggle in her own mind came across believably enough in this chapter. (But if it didn't, feel free to criticize that, especially if you have ideas of ways I could have done it better.)

--

Now that Raine's decision has been made, there will be some emotional fallout. You can't learn to let go without some pain, after all.

So stay tuned for the final chapter to see that! :)