#I NEED to draw legs more. my ocs DO have legs I’ll have you know

[peapod20001]

I should really draw on these big pieces of paper I have more cus then I have no excuse to not draw full bodies lmao

[therabbitthatpostthings]

(Part 1) (Part 2) Final part to the Giyuu's Secret Family AU story thingy. This has single handily made me attached to the OC even though I still won't give her a name. Might draw her one day.... She/Her Pronouns.

Shinobu and Mitsuri seemed enraptured in Lady Tomioka’s tales of her friendship with Giyuu. The man she described was different from the one they had come to know. Telling these stories also helped calm her down and let Shinobu slip out to send word to the Master of her return. It was strange that the thought of love was so unbelievable but, here (Y/N) is, a blushing mess while just thinking of her husband.

“How cute..” Shinobu thought.

(Y/N) didn’t seem to mind, the dark and brooding Giyuu had disappeared a long time ago and now was her loving husband and father to their son. And Giyuu loved his son and wife so much. They both came from less than happy backgrounds. No village or home to return to or at least that would welcome them. Their families were destroyed and they hoped to forever be the loving parents for Hiroshi. That’s what (Y/N) loved most about Giyuu, he was hopeful. Hope was something she lost long ago but, if Giyuu believed in it, then she would believe in him.

Even when things got troublesome Giyuu still had hope and looked out for her. On one of her more troublesome missions, (Y/N) had believed the threat was over and she could sleep the night away. She fought valiantly and the village rewarded her for it. To her surprise she is awoken in the wee hours by a large crash. Just outside her room was Giyuu fighting a demon he chased from his location. Fighting with injuries and reopening wounds slowed her down but she managed to help kill the beast. She could barely stand from then on and the days following Giyuu would carry her back home, stopping at a Wisteria House along the way.

“You don’t have to take care of me Tomioka.” She said quietly as he rebandaged her leg.

“You say that all the time.” He stated. 

“I just… I don’t want to be a burden.” She replied.

“You aren’t.”

His tone had a slight tinge of annoyance. Hesitantly (Y/N) spoke again, “I don’t understand why you would care for me this much.”

“You ask me ‘why’ a lot. I care about you, isn’t that enough?” 

“I haven't done anything remarkable to be cared about by you. Or anyone for that matter.” (Y/N)’s voice trailed off. She clutched the edge of her robe, not trying to maintain eye contact.

“You are alive (L/N), that’s all I need.”

“What..”

“I don’t need you to do grand gestures, you talking to me everyday is enough.”

(Y/N) was at a loss for words. She couldn’t hide her blush as Giyuu finished and looked her in the eye. She quickly turned her head to the side. Her heart was racing and emotions washed over her like a waterfall.

“I like having you around.” He said softly.

This only made her blush deeper. She wasn’t even sure of her own feelings when she blurted out, “I-I would stay by your side if you asked me to! You're one of my only friends, Tomioka, so I won’t be a burden anymore! I promise!”

(Y/N) continued on with her stuttering. Giyuu felt a slight twinge in his chest. Looking at her, he could only think of one thing.

Burden…

A feeling he knew all too well. That wasn’t (Y/N) though. She could never be a burden to him. She made time to talk with him. Go out to dinner. They trained together, fought together. She made him feel lighter. (Y/N) was no burden. She was an integral part of him, one he couldn’t lose. Not again.

“-I know I can’t do much but I’ve already made it to Hinoe! I can get better, I can-”

Giyuu gently and slowly pulled (Y/N) in for a hug. He was somewhat awkward at it but it felt too good to hold her close to him. “Would you really stay by my side if I asked?”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

“Then stay by me, please. Stay alive (Y/N). That’s all I want.”

“I will,” She smiled to herself hugging him back. “I’ll stay by you Giyuu.”

(Y/N) remembered how they stayed up talking until they both fell asleep. How that became a routine and she practically lived at Giyuu’s estate. Giyuu’s not an openly affectionate person so it wasn’t a challenge to keep the relationship a secret. Despite (Y/N) only becoming stronger she was still not yet a Hashira so the thought of her dating one never crossed anyone’s mind (aside Masato). She giggled to herself as her face flushed again.

“Are you okay (Y/N)?” Mitsuri asked.

“I’m fine! I was just thinking of how we were years ago. I was so shy around Giyuu, it’s embarrassing!” (Y/N) laughed.

Mitsuri couldn’t help but be endeared to (Y/N). “Now I have to know! How did he propose?” Shinobu popped back into the room, intrigued to know as well. (Y/N) face heated up again, remembering the night.

It wasn’t very often that Giyuu and (Y/N)’s days off crossed with each other but today was a lucky day. Looking back on it, she suspected he asked the Master for the day off. (Y/N) had been suspicious over the last couple days, starting with her Master being a lot happier these days. Actually Giyuu seemed happier too. Instead of staying in like normal, he suggested going out. After a good breakfast, the two left to walk around town and shop. It was a very calm day. It almost felt normal. As the day shifted to the evening they ate a hearty dinner and slowly made their way back to Giyuu’s estate. The sun was slowly starting to set as Giyuu turned to a clearing in the trees.

“What are you doing?”

“I think we should go this way, it’s a longer way back.”

(Y/N) smiled and took Giyuu’s hand, “Why the sudden change?”

“Just thought it would be nice.” He said as you two stepped off onto the clearing.

“Giyuu if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to lead me somewhere.” (Y/N) teased. A small light peaked through the clearing and you both came upon a clearing. There was a garden surrounded by two small ponds and wisteria trees overlooking them both. It was a gorgeous sight to see, especially with the full moon illuminating the area. Giyuu lead (Y/N) across the path to the large gazebo on the far side of the garden.

“Did you set all this up? It’s beautiful,” (Y/N) smiled.

Giyuu’s face was redder than it’s ever been before. He couldn’t look her in the eye as he took both her hands in his. He stood there in an embarrassed silence, grateful (Y/N) wasn’t rushing him.

“(Y/N),” He started slowly, “If I asked, would you stay by me…always?”

“My answer never changed, Giyuu. I’d follow you anywhere.”

Giyuu felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He finally looked up to see (Y/N)'s smiling face. She’s beautiful…

“I love you. The chances of us dying grow greater every day and I know one day I may go somewhere you cannot follow but, I’d rather come to that day knowing I had you with me. I feel happy around you, like I was given life again. I want to give that happiness to you. I want to marry you.”

(Y/N) was stunned. It was like the world stopped and they were the only ones that were alive still. Giyuu started to worry as (Y/N) hadn’t replied. She started crying!

“I-I understand if you don’t want to, it’s fine. I just wanted to be with you- we don’t have to-“

“Giyuu! Of course I’ll marry you!” (Y/N) pulled him into a kiss. Giyuu recovered from the shock and kissed back. They pulled away and he rested his forehead against hers.

“I don’t think I believed in love until I met you.” (Y/N) smiled.

“I don’t think I was really living until I met you. I promise to always make you happy.”

—

“I think because we knew this life would eventually take us both that we should cherish what we have right now. We’re alive right now, let’s be happy and in love too. It’s a selfish wish, especially considering Hiroshi but, I can’t regret my choices now. I can only be better from here on out.”

“That was so beautiful!” Mitsuri cheered in full tears. “I’m so happy you and Tomioka found each other!”

“Thank you, I’m happy I met him.” (Y/N) smiled.

“I’ll go get you something to drink,” Shinobu excused herself. She barely made it two steps out the door before being bombarded by a frantic Tomioka at the door.

“Where is she?! Where is (Y/N)!?” Giyuu’s eyes darted around looking for his wife. Uzui and Sanemi were close behind with bags in hand. 

“She’s stable. She’s talking to Mitsuri right now, calm down. You’ll worry her if she sees you so scared.” Shinobu said calmly. Giyuu tried to slow his breathing but could barely muster the confidence. He quickly moved past Shinobu into the room. (Y/N) and Mitsuri both jumped in their seats at the sound of the door slamming open. All composure left Giyuu as soon as he saw his bandaged wife. Giyuu pulled her into a tight hug.

“Giyuu, I-I didn’t send for you yet.” She said turning all her worry to her husband.

“The news came from Master.” He finally let go of the breath he was holding in. “I was so worried (Y/N).”

“I didn’t mean to scare you dear.” She smiled, pulling him in for a kiss. Giyuu settled on the bed, refusing to leave or even let go of (Y/N). A stark shift from the man that didn’t even want anyone to see his wife. You would think Giyuu was the one injured with the way she suddenly doted on him. The Hashira stood idly by as (Y/N) tended to her very worried husband. The same husband that hardly showed any affection last they all met was now clinging to her side. Both of them noticeably wearing their wedding bands as well.

“We brought food!” Uzui declared. “We were eating when we got the news. We might have left Muichiro behind.”

Sanemi and Uzui soon left after that, along with Mitsuri. They each waved their goodbyes to (Y/N) and she thanked them again. To Giyuu’s disapproval Shinobu informed them (Y/N) would stay the night. Regardless of his protess, (Y/N) agreed. “I couldn’t let Hiroshi see me like this.”

“I’ll tell Master Yamato that Hiroshi is staying the night then.” Giyuu stated, earning a look from (Y/N). “I’m not leaving you.”

“Giyuu I am fine.” (Y/N) reassured him.

With Hashira gone Giyuu spoke in a softer tone. “I know, but I want to stay with you.”

Knowing she couldn’t argue, (Y/N) gave in. Shinobu came back soon after to lend (Y/N) clothes. The Butterfly girls helped her to the bath while Giyuu stayed, still worried.

“It’s so strange seeing you affectionate Tomioka.” Shinobu smiled, handing him a set of sleeping clothes.

“Are you teasing me?”

“No. I just wanted to say, I’m happy for you. You and your family.”

[fumifooms]

On beastkin tattoos and drawn/written magic

Tried figuring stuff out because I was making a tattooed beastkin oc. Take it or leave it, just a bunch of observations and theorizing. There is a focus on how the tattoos look but I also try to figure out the underlying principles of how they work.

Table of contents:

observations & important details

Stuff that beastkin tattoos look like

Theories

Non-beastkin tattoos

I called the components lines and dents in the pic above, but it’d be more accurate to call them characters I think, or even symbols. At the time I wasn’t sure if it was a specific "alphabet" used for these tattoos and if they represented anything more than lines to the people using it so I called them like dents in a line or teeth in a toothwheels or inner layers in locks, but since I made the connection to magic circles I think they do. It’s the same structure as with magic circles, lines connecting characters and favoring circle structures. All magic iirc comes from calling upon spirits, so it’s interesting to wonder what written magic does exactly, if it communicates with the spirits or simply compels them.

Observations & important details

The picture at the start summarizes my observations and the recurring patterns, but I’ll also do a rundown and add more. The fundamental structure of the tattoos seem to be lines forming big simple patterns, and then small characters that sprout from a side of those lines. Although, not all lines have characters/dents, and some characters have two lines one on both sides like on Lycion’s forearms. On Lycion’s legs, there are also lines with two rows of characters on either sides, so yeah the line & dents are the fundamental structure but it’s flexible on how it’s put into practice.

Oh yeah, also notable that when doing less intricate doodles like on her blog or Daydream Hours, she often omits details so we can’t be sure on the smaller drawings wether there are dents/characters on some lines or not, we have to assume if they’re implied or if there aren’t any. For example on Lycion’s reference all the lines on his forearms have dents, but if you look at the other beastkins it’s honestly debatable wether there are dents on the lines around their forearms and lower legs, also see Otta’s tattoos on her reference…

One of the more important and puzzling details is that beastkin tattoos look very different depending on the soul type, from werebear to wererat etc etc. BUT we also see with Lycion and that random werewolf, that there is room for difference even within the tattoos for the same soul type… Of course, if we don’t assume that those differences aren’t because the type of canine soul are different, since Lycion does mention he doesn’t know which canine type his was so there’s room for variety there apparently. But I doubt that’d change much within the same genus and whatnot, but still, then we have the question… Weretigers’ tattoos look like tiger stripes, and werebears have lines that seem to emphasize a bear’s chest fur? Those two types have a lot of wavy lines that make them look rather different from werewolf and wererat tattoos. Different soul types certainly seem to require different tattoos, but to what degree is the choice of how and where the lines are placed artistic, and to what degree is it efficient if not necessary? What’s the logic of where they need to be, going from one soul type to the next? The weretiger and werebear one seem to have fitting patterns for their animal, but werewolf and wererat have much more artifical patterns.

One of the recurring patterns with similar placements are all the lines forming circles around wrists, forearms, lower legs and ankles… Positions do seem to be important especially with the recurring placings. Maybe the lines are in the places that are expected to change the most: legs and ankles & wrists with new inhuman different joints, strong muscled shoulders for tigers, strong core for bears, etc. A tiger’s eye, with all the tattoos around them…? More lines = an easier stronger more efficient transformation? With the differences in tattoos for same soul types I don’t know how much precision in the pattern themselves are important tbh, though I imagine the characters/dents are the crux of the magic and precision there is the most important. Feet and hands tend to be untouched though, Lycion is the exception to this with tattoos on his hands and fingers. Circles seem overall important imo, lines are almost always curved, or go straight around a limb to reach its other end and form circles that way, werewolf torso tattoos, etc etc.

In Lycion’s ref the tattoo ink is a brownish red, but we don’t see if that’s the norm- is what I would have said before the new Daydream Hour came out with some tattooed elves portraits where they’re a vivid red. Fleki’s tattoos are covered in her main colored reference(and in the mangas all tattoos are black ofc including Lycion’s, while on her blog and Daydream Hours the color is inconsistent and often black too), Otta’s are black though they also seem at least partly non-magical? The snake/rope pattern doesn’t look consistent with magical tattoos in general imo. Pictures of these tattoos are compiled at the end of the post btw.

It’s also important to remember, because of the pic below, we can never truly be sure of what’s necessary for the tattoo to work and what’s just artificial flourish, though with Lycion I feel like it’s implied that there’s nothing in his tattoos trying to hide in the meaning. It’s also interesting to note that magical tattoos can have random patterns added without it interfering with the tattoo’s purpose. Is it the placement that make them harmless, or that they mean nothing in tattoo magic so it’s like an extra useless line of code that doesn’t get processed? Or is it that once your tattoo is done the meaning of it is sealed, and even if you were to fully cover it up in a solid black square of ink it wouldn’t do a thing? No clue, but it’s all very curious.

Other stuff they look like

A buddy pointed out that one of the recurring patterns looks a lot like DNA strands. Maybe the "dents" signify the different base pairs?? Probably verifiably untrue since that’d mean there would only be a few different type of dents, and also if they’re doing DNA sequencing that would be crazy, but doesn’t that just make you wonder… 👀 Tattoos are like a conduit for magic (mana? Which is also a sort of life force) so I do rlly like the idea that beastkin tattoos specialize in and target the DNA in the some way.

We never see the tattoos from up super close, but especially with Lycion’s the "dents"/characters remind me of norse runes a bit. Mostly because of the structure of straight lines and the simplicity of each character as far as I can tell. Runes being used in magic isn’t a new concept so I wouldn’t be surprised if Kui intentionally incorporated them into art/writing-based magic. Culturally it doesn’t fit well in with the elves as much, but a few of them do have old norse names. (And magic tattoos seem to be a very elven thing)

And another buddy also pointed out that with the characters being connected with a line it was reminiscent of the devanagari script. The elves have a good amount of indian coding, with names and some characters having bindis etc etc, so if intentional it’d be quite an interesting detail.

(Source for second one. I couldn’t find handwritten examples where there’s a clear line between characters much)

Oh- and if we continue the train of thought of indian coding, are reminiscent of henna! The brownish red color is especially on point.

Lastly and very much least, drawing lines that separate and denote body parts always remind me of the guidelines for butchers that people often point to and even draw on the animal when cutting. Since this is the cooking manga I wanted to put this in.

Oh yeah! I should mention that some of the tattoos, especially with the wererats and the lines going down the torsos, also remind me of dissection/vivisection scars/lines.

Theories

Magical tattoos are like a conduit for magic, is what is said. In case of beastkin tattoos, that makes me think it’s not that the tattoos are what keeps the extra soul bound to the body but that they’re what allows the human to freely shift between human and beastkin form, unlike Izutsumi who can’t because she doesn’t have tattoos. So thus the souls are merged with or without the tattoos, but the tattoos help control and reign back the extra soul and its influence both on the body and on the mind. Sort of like a seal. The soul is bound by and not bound in the tattoos. Filtering the animal soul out and not in. Close but not exactly the same theory is that the tattoos are what keep the souls separate, and if there weren’t tattoos the souls would just mix. So then the tattoos are less about control and more about separation itself.

But it depends a lot on the angle you look at it with. Like while some think the soul is within the tattoo, I think the soul is within the body but the tattoos help ‘circuit’ and control it. My friend is convinced that it’s the first and theorizes a lot around that, but I plan to mostly talk about my own take here bc I don’t find the arguments compelling personally. (Do prove me wrong if you can /gen)

We know from Lycion explaining the different beastkins that what animal you can merge with is dependent on size and stature, the build of the body, but the line where a body becomes incompatible with an animal is rather blurry. Nimble bodies become werewolves and beefier ones become werebears, and the only prospect for halflings are rats. We do also know that Izutsumi and assumedly a panther bonded just fine. Obviously, a rat and a halfling still aren’t anywhere the same size, so again the line or hard limit is blurry. My take is that this is because the bodies have to shift between human and beastkin, the transformation has to not strain the body too much. If you try to transform a square into a circle, the muscles and skeleton might really struggle to adapt if not even just mess up. Lycion talks about the physical (and mental strains) in the pics below. Beastkins that don’t have tattoos and are permanently fused like Izutsumi might have more of a wriggle room since they don’t have to transform to and back regularly? But yeah if the animal and human bodies aren’t compatible enough maybe the body would collapse, or just be incredibly painful, who knows. It’s a bit terrifying to imagine what the failed soul bindings and shiftings must have been like when developing all this know how of the magic and what does and doesn’t work. Besides height, general size and body type, the amount of fat of a person might matter, like maybe for werebears. Healing and resurrection magic does take fat away from the body so maybe transformations would be a necessary cost on top of the mana? Or just be needed to form muscles, fur, etc? But yes from the examples we saw I feel like maybe werebears need fat, weretigers need musculature, wererats need to be on the nimble side, and then werewolves have loose requirements? More like ideals than requirements, I really doubt a fat wererat is impossible for example.

My main theory is that the tattoos are more about the transformation than binding the soul to the body, right. For example places that have a lot of tattoos and lines circling around limbs are ankles and lower legs, which with animal leg structures would get changed a lot during the transformation, bones and all. So the artistic parts are more about the tattoo artist’s will and about what parts of the animals are important or require more change while shifting, rather than it being a depiction of the soul’s essence or something like that. As support I think the pictures below referring to the physical strain of being a beastkin are relevant.

With this sort of tattoo magic, it’s a gut reaction to think that maybe there’s a special magical ink used. I doubt it, I feel like if the type of ink was a big component of how the magic works Kui would have mentioned it. There are some tattoos that are black like Otta’s iirc, but all the others are generally red so that could be support to that theory. The patterns evidently do matter a lot, so I don’t think it’s implausible that the patterns on their own are enough to fulfill their purpose. There’s also how "[the tattoos] are like a conduit", so I don’t think the tattoos cost or give mana but rather they, well, conduit the mana that’s in the body to be as efficient as possible or to fulfill certain specific tasks, like transforming, / lifting the wall between you and the animal soul bound to you.

Sigh how the hell does tattoo magic even work. "The tattoos are like a circuit" SURE but the symbols have to still mean something right… But then how does adding random patterns to camouflage the tattoos come into play without affecting the meaning, and if there’s an artistic or varying aspect to it and tattoos differ from one individual to the other for the same purpose then maybe it just isn’t a strict magic at all? I do find it fun that we don’t really know the underlying principles of the magic so it’s hard to even know how it activates and whatnot. Going back to tattoos being able to have extra patterns tattooed on top of it without it affecting the performance of the tattoo... But yes I do lean towards the explanation that as long as the extra patterns don’t mean anything they don’t interfere. But like if you just drew a line over the character/symbols/dents would it register that and stop working, or no? The limits are all so blurry… Here’s to hoping the world guide book 2 has info on it!! Readying myself to either get full face slapped or to have "I told you so" bragging rights.

Theoretically, it should be possible to bind two human souls together, or a monster soul. Izutsumi and Lycion’s souls are called feline and canid monsters iirc, but that’s like calling a panther a monster, I wonder if an actual monster from a dungeon’s soul would be more unstable to bind and to shift into… Monsters can leave dungeons, but I wonder about The Demon’s influence on them, like how he’s able to manipulate at will Kensuke, maybe it’s as long as a monster is in a dungeon? That could potentially be sooo bad for the monster beastkin. Wild speculation though, and I imagine being a human-human beastkin would be super extra mega taboo, I wonder if it’s ever even been tried according to elven records. This is the section that was important for my dunmeshi oc lol, evidently I think tattoo magic is very interesting so I want to explore the limits of it with ocs, a tattoo artist trying more and more ambitious projects and soul like a lovecraftian protagonist learning about what should be left unknown, and a dude who really wants to be More Than Human and divine almost with identity issues that decides to take on like 6 different souls. If you’re interested here’s the dude, still a huge wip tho.

I think it’s important to remember that tattoos are used for different magic and effects too, not limited to beastkins.

Edit 10/2/‘24 oh hey a leak, neat

Other non-beastkin tattoos

I know that I didn’t point out every detail and difference ever, like in that magical tattoos extra with the halfbody person those assumedly aren’t beastkin tattoos even if I included it in the main pic, and how the bust in that same picture has a line of characters around the neck without any line connecting them much like in the pictures below.

Which speaking of this is a good place to talk about different cultures having different systems or characters for magic? The torso of that guy in the upper right corner for example has very different patterns than what I’d have expected with the beastkin tattoo examples. And of course, Izutsumi’s tattoo…

Izutsumi’s tattoos support that the characters/symbols are the most meaningful and important part. Also goes against the assumption that the elven written magic system is because the symbols communicate with the spirits better, since well, they seem to understand japanese just fine. Maizuru’s written magic is said to be akin to gnomic magic, and she reminds me of irl onmyodo a lot. Like many other types of magic, different regions, people and cultures find different ways to practice their version of it.

Meanwhile this unnamed canary’s tattoos follow the rules I’d laid out

And here with Otta, what I said earlier about her tattoo being ink and her tattoos not really seeming magical imo, maybe except the ones around her forearms? Hm I’ve always misread them as sort of a snake randomly curling around her arms but they’re still geometric after all, who knows.

[b1ackbunny]

LOVE LIES

CH. 2 | VIRTUAL PASSENGER PRINCESS

A Bada Lee smau-ish ff

pairing: bada lee x fem!dancer!oc (jia mei yu)

synopsis: bada lee wasn’t looking for love when it found her. jia mei yu couldn’t truly comprehend the feeling inside when she was with her, on and off the dancefloor. when these two dancers meet by chance, a bond is formed and uncharted territories are explored.

word count: ≈ 2.7k

warnings: definitely au-like… no mentions of swf or smf, uhhh idk any more, bad writing, friendly violence, a little inaccurate, unedited

previous: chapter 1

next: chapter 3

masterlist

taglist (open): @badasgirlfriend

a/n: I feel like this started as looking like a filler but progressed gradually… anyways the way me and bada are fr married and have a cat, dog, & turtle 🤞🏽 she’s my woman fs!!! I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY <333 let me know if I should make a taglist

Jia hummed as she made her way around the kitchen. It was the morning after exchanging numbers with Bada and sadly, they both didn't know what to text each other first.

Footsteps were heard trudging down the stairs and hall before the sleepy figure of Laura appeared in the kitchen walkway. She settled onto a chair by the kitchen table and loudly yawned. Jia glanced at her sister before continuing to make the two breakfast.

She peeked at her phone on the counter a couple of times—well, multiple—as she worked. No texts or messages from Bada had appeared yet. Jia slightly frowned before plating the breakfast. By this time, Laura had taken out two small boxes of coffee milk and moved to the dining table.

Jia brought the breakfasts over and set them in front of their seats. Laura thanked her before taking a bite. She watched as Jia glanced at her phone for another time and then sipped the coffee milk. Laura squinted at her sister and slightly leaned closer, drawing Jia’s attention to the girl.

“…Yes?” Jia asked with furrowed brows, starting her breakfast. “Why do you keep doing that?” Laura took a sip of her coffee milk before folding her hands. “Doing what?” The older sister questioned back as she continued eating her breakfast.

“Checking your phone every five seconds.” Laura immediately responded, signaling toward the device on the table. Jia’s eyes widened a little before returning to normal, flickering between her sister and her phone. “Oh, no big reason. Just waiting for a text.” Jia shrugged, looking down at her food and she continued eating.

Laura took a long sip of her milk before tsking. “I’m gonna call bullshit on this one. You don't even check your phone this much when waiting for work calls.” Jia rolled her eyes at her sister’s remark and scoffed.

“Just so you know you're completely wrong. I check my phone a decent amount of times for work calls.” Laura hummed in uncertainty and made a face before being shushed by Jia.

“But, fine… I’ll tell you. See, I'm not actually lying because I am waiting for a text.” Jia started, taking a moment to sip on the milk to try and conceal the budding smile that was ready to overtake her face.

Laura motioned her to continue, already pulling her legs onto her seat in anticipation. “I met this girl at YGX yesterday-” She was cut off by a scream from Laura who started clapping. A smile took over Jia’s features as she laughed and motioned for Laura to quiet down.

“Tell me more, I need to know more!” Jia ran her fingers through her hair, thinking back on the evening before. “She’s probably one of the most beautiful women—scratch that—beautiful human beings I’ve met in a long time. Her smile was so pretty, her laugh, when she danced…” Jia covered her flushed face silently screaming at herself to get a grip.

This caused more screams to be heard from the younger as she began to tease her sister. “How are you crushing this hard after just meeting her?” Jia removed one hand to wave off her sister before continuing on her rant.

“But at first I didn't get the chance to get her number, right? Hours later, guess who shows up at my practice room door?” Laura’s jaw dropped and she lightly tapped her table. “No way.” “That's what I was thinking. But then, she asked me for my number.” Laura shook her head in astonishment to which Jia nodded back with a laugh.

“She made me giggle. Giggle, Laura.” Jia stressed, slightly embarrassed after thinking about it. “How do you act like a dumbass and still pull? I don't even want to be like you, I need to be like you.” Laura confirmed with a nod causing Jia to deeply sigh and prop her hand against her forehead.

“I think I messed up my chances a bit though. I said I wanted to be friends.” Jia winced and closed her eyes, shaking her head. Should she have been more direct in her efforts? “Honestly, I think it's a good thing you said that. Get to know each other first, you know?” Laura truthfully examined the situation before nodding.

Jia raised her head and nodded in agreement. The two sisters finished up their breakfast before continuing their morning routines.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Since Laura was spending the day filming at home, Jia didn’t need to prep Kija, their sphynx cat, for a day at home alone. Jia took this opportunity to get an early start to her day. It was currently 8 am and her first class began at 10 so she decided to go on a quick grocery trip beforehand.

Exiting the apartment, she locked the door before moving to the elevator. Once she left the complex, she walked to the nearest grocery store and initiated her journey through the aisles. Jia was about to call Laura when she saw the notifications that slid onto her screen.

No, it wasn't that Bada texted her, but it was that she followed her on instagram, twitter, and tiktok. A gasp left her mouth before she slowly covered her mouth. She made sure the aisle was clear before fist-pumping and hopping.

Regaining her composure, Jia cleared her throat before moving down the aisle, adding a couple of items in when necessary. After she paid at the register, she walked back outside and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

Jia stared down at her phone again before looking up, and biting down a smile. With a quick breath, she followed Bada back on the three apps. Almost instantly, Jia put her phone back in her pocket and walked home. 

Did she follow back too quickly? The thought loomed around the girl’s head, causing her to sigh before shifting her focus back to the trek home.

Once she reached the apartment, she placed the groceries in their respective areas, hugged Kija on the way to the door, and made sure to bring her car keys and dance bag.

Jia crossed the street and strolled over to her car. She placed the dance bag in the passenger seat before running over to the other side and hopping in the driver’s seat.

Today, she was spending most of the day at 1Million Dance Studio. She had 4 classes in total, three that she would teach and one that she would attend, which Jia knew meant it would be an easier day.

When she reached 1Million, Jia saw the digital clock read 9:15 a.m. This meant she had a little less than an hour to spare so she started scrolling through her tiktok for you page.

She liked and reposted a couple videos before deciding it would be best to head in early. Jia grabbed her possessions before leaving the car and walking toward the entrance.

It's been a little less than a month since she taught a class at 1Million, but when one of her favorites, Lia Kim, asked her to lead a class, she couldn't turn her down. One of the artists Jia’s most recently worked with was a new girl group called Kiss Of Life.

She loved the group’s vision and happily accepted when asked to choreograph a couple of dances for them. Today, she would teach her students the choreography of Sugarcoat by Natty.

Jia swung the bag over her shoulder once she reached the receptionist. She politely greeted her as she signed in before moving through the familiar hallways. Passing a few familiar faces, Jia entered the restroom.

She walked towards one of the sinks and washed her hands before reapplying her lipgloss. Jia examined her outfit in the mirror before putting her lipgloss in her bag.

The door to the bathroom opened but Jia didn't pay attention as she wiped around her lips. “Jia!” The mentioned girl pivoted toward the noise and a smile arose almost instantly.

“Oh my gosh! You guys almost gave me a heart attack!” Jia held a hand over her heart while she laughed. The two girls rolled their eyes with smiles as they made their way toward Jia.

They engulfed her in a group hug, squeezing her tightly. “It's so good to see you. I was stalking your Instagram and why have you basically only been dancing at YGX?” Redy jokingly quizzed the girl, pulling away from the hug and crossing her arms.

“My queen Leejung has kept me captive. But don't worry, you'll be seeing me more often.” Jia dramatically said before adjustng the bag on her arm. Debby patted her shoulder and shook her head.

“How come you didn't tell me you were having a class today? Also, why did I have to find out through Redy that you were coming to one of my classes?” Debby playfully squinted her eyes at the girl and mimicked Redy’s cross-armed position.

“I wanted to surprise you. You know I love you guys, you're like my 1Million babes.” Jia said with a pout, linking her arms around her two friend’s shoulders.

They laughed and set their heads on her shoulders. “I know I missed you and all, but please release me before I pee my pants. That's the reason we came here.” Redy spoke up, causing more laughs to erupt as the three unlinked, watching her run to a stall.

“I missed you guys. Please stop by one of my classes.” Jia said loud enough so Redy could also hear before waving goodbye as she exited the restroom.

Continuing her trek down the halls, stopping at times to greet familiar faces, she reached her dance class and saw that some students were already waiting outside. She looked down at the time, it reading 9:48, before looking back up and giving the students an impressed expression.

Jia entered and dropped her bag at the front of the room. She reviewed the dance until it was less than five minutes from the class’s start time, making sure to cut down the mistakes she might make while teaching.

Once she was done, Jia opened the door for the early students and greeted them as they arrived.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Jia finished both her own class and Debby’s, so she decided to congratulate herself by taking her lunch break. It was a little after 2:00 and Jia exited the studio. She looked down at her phone and saw she accidentally left it on do not disturb for the duration of both classes and the 20-minute break in between.

She mentally winced as she saw the notifications roll in. Luckily, none of them seemed to be from her agency nor her work email. Jia reached her car and unlocked the door, climbing into the driver's seat before tossing her bag on the passenger seat.

The girl inserted the key into the ignition but didn't ignite it, silently scrolling through her notifications. Her eyes widened when she saw the multiple message notifications from a certain taller dancer.

Without another thought, she unlocked her phone and opened the messages. What she was met with warmed her heart.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Meanwhile, during the moments leading up to that text back, things were a bit more chaotic on Bada’s side. Although she had a class she was teaching after texting Jia, the girl was slowly taking over her thoughts.

During the water breaks she found herself checking her phone a bunch. It honestly was a miracle she got through the full class without slipping up.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Jia set her phone on the stand in her car. She looked into the mirror and fixed her hair a bit before she heard the ringing of her phone. She looked down at the incoming call and took a deep breath.

The girl waited a few moments before accepting the call. She leaned back in her seat and smiled when she saw Bada’s face pop up on screen. “Hey, you.” Bada teasingly said with a smile, propping her phone against her bag.

The girl on the other end could tell Bada was in a studio at Just Jerk by the wall behind her. “Hey, how have your classes been?” Jia asked as she ignited her engine. “They’ve been pretty fun! I taught some old and new choreo. What about you?”

Jia sighed with a smile, pulling out of her parking space and heading onto the road. “Mine are good so far, I taught a class and went to my friend’s class. I think you might know her.”

Jia’s eyebrows furrowed in slight thought before she turned a corner, glancing at the girl on the other end of the line. Bada wore a slightly confused expression before taking a sip of water. “I might, what's her name?”

As Jia approached a red light, she subconsciously leaned back in her seat and rested an arm on the center console. “Debby. She teaches at 1Million.” Bada’s eyes widened and she “ohed” in confirmation.

“Yeah, I know Debby! This makes a lot more sense why she- nevermind. Where are you going?” Bada changed the subject, not wanting to mention the series of replies from Redy and Debby to the girl.

Jia raised an eyebrow and glanced at Bada before brushing it off and answering the question. “Whenever I'm at 1Million, I usually go to this cafe not too far and get lunch.” The dancer explained, resting her head against the headrest and sighing at how long the red light was.

She noticed Bada move her face from the camera’s view and furrowed her eyebrows. “What's wrong?” “Nothing!” Bada quickly responded and after a couple of seconds, put her face back in the camera’s view.

On the other end, Jia shook her head with a smile before sitting up once the light turned green. “How long is your break?” Jia questioned, glancing at Bada as she lightly pressed the gas pedal.

“I don't have a class for the next 40 minutes,” Bada responded, causing Jia to hum before switching lanes. “That's good to hear,” Jia said with a smile that spread across the line onto Bada’s face.

“Are you sure I'm not bothering you while you're driving?” Bada randomly asked and Jia finally pulled into a parking spot by the cafe. “Of course not! Honestly, I like having you on the phone when I'm driving. You're like my virtual passenger princess.” Jia teasingly admits, looking anywhere but at her phone when she talked.

Risking a peek at Bada, she saw the girl hold a bashful grin, her cheeks reddened as she dipped from the frame. Once she returned, Jia leaned on the steering wheel and brought her face closer to her phone, deciding to spare the girl and not bring up her reaction.

“So Bada Lee, did you eat lunch yet?” The mentioned girl nodded, mimicking Jia’s movements and bringing her face closer to the camera. “Yes, I did Jia Mei Yu, a couple of hours ago.” Jia flippantly frowned before pushing off of the wheel and sighing.

“Well, I guess you'll just have to watch me eat.” The girl said with fake sadness and unbuckled her seatbelt. She pulled out her wallet and headphones from her dance bag and removed her phone from its stand.

Before exiting the car, she put on her headphones and connected it to her phone. Jia talked to Bada for almost the full duration of her time in the cafe, only directing her attention away from the girl when she talked to the employees.

Whenever Bada talked, Jia easily directed her concentration to her. She's a very active listener in general, but especially when it comes to Bada. She hung on each word Bada said, responding and commenting on some of her remarks.

When Jia talked, Bada couldn't take her eyes off the screen. Any sounds from the other rooms near her landed on deaf ears. All her attention was focused on the girl who lit up her screen.

She didn't know how Jia was able to absorb all of her attention without even being physically present. She nodded along to the girl’s statements and laughed at her jokes, even if they weren't always that funny.

The two grew closer together, staying true to their words on becoming friends. Although, at the back of their minds, they both hoped for something more.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[bellewintersroe]

Ron Speirs x ArmyNurse! OC.

Margaret ‘Maggie’ Emerson, an army nurse attached to the 506th parachute infantry regiment, finds herself growing closer to her company’s captain, Ronald Speirs. With war drawing to an end, a side to the mystery that is Captain Speirs is revealed. Both Maggie and Ron have a difficult time resisting their attraction to one another.

This is my new slow burn mini-series. I’m not sure how many parts this will include but I’m excited to write, hope you enjoy!

Maggie tugged off her headscarf, hands trembling, scrubbed raw as she sat herself outside the make-do field hospital. The casualties in Austria weren’t half as bad as she’d witnessed in places like Normandy or Bastogne. But every now and then somebody would slip through the cracks, and she’d loose track of time caring for them. In this circumstance an older German officer, no SS uniform, an emotional man. When she offered him powdered milk he cried.

The older man didn’t survive the surgery she assisted in. Her promotion to a surgical nurse had come with its downfalls. He’d bled out internally, right in front of her, she felt so out of her depth watching the surgeons practically give up. Maggie felt guilty for becoming all bleary eyed. It was understandable when they were knee deep in war and casualties, but right now it was a breeze compared to that.

“Nurse?” A gentle voice rung out just as her head dropped. Maggie straightened her back, swallowing harshly. “Captain Speirs.” She offered him a polite nod.

“Are you ok?” He blinked back to her, overtly aware of how her bottom lip quivered when she looked back to him. Truthfully, Ron didn’t like seeing any woman cry. At least not her. His professionalism remained in tack throughout the war, and it would continue to do so- but there was something about the nurse who sat before him that made him want to… soften.

“I’m- I’m good, sir.” She searched for the words, forcing a weak smile that Ron could read anywhere. He rummaged in his pocket, pulling the pack of Camel’s out and offering her a cigarette.

“Thank you, sir.” She weakly muttered as he sat down besides her with a breathy groan, pulling out the lighter. Her hands lifted, shielding the wind not-so-well. Ron muttered to himself, raising his other hand to cover hers. When he lit the end, he accidentally allowed his gaze to run over her downcast gaze. “It’s the end of the war.” He commented, blunter than it intended to. Surely everything should be improving?

She let out a soft laugh, inhaling on the cigarette. “For now.” Deployment to Pacific somehow seemed even more terrifying knowing what was coming. When she entered Normandy she was somewhat clueless to everything she’d see- that was somewhat grateful for that or she would’ve never jumped off that boat onto the sandy beaches.

Ron turned, jaw clenched as he sat beside her quietly. Obviously in a need of comfort he didn’t know what else to provide, he somewhat panicked she wouldn’t like her Captain being there, that he made her uneasy or intimidated. Maggie didn’t mind. She turned her head, looking over his dark features. He was well groomed, he even smelt good, a handsome man- painstakingly handsome. For her own good, she turned away.

“In off duty now- I’m not just… taking a break.” Becoming acutely aware that it actually was Captain Speirs, she informed him rather quickly.

“Even if you were, there’s nothing wrong with that.” He made sure to assure, knowing how tirelessly the nurses worked.

“What time did you start?”

“4.”

“This afternoon?”

“No.”

Ron glanced at her, mouth slightly agape. He was ready to protest her hard working before realising it wouldn’t be the smartest idea.

“I’ll walk you back.” She was a little surprised at his words. She knew he was only offering to be polite, but it was his way of effectively saying ‘home time’.

“Sir, you don’t have to.”

“I want to.” Ron spoke without thinking first, their eyes meeting. When they did, she instinctively followed him, legs feeling like jelly from the long day she’d been on them. Was it that or the fact Captain Ronald Speirs was walking her back?

After a brief moment of comfortable silence, Ron spoke again. “S’ a long day for you… how’d ya lose track of time, exactly?” He muttered, cigarette between his lips as he lit it effortlessly.

“Surgery. We were operating on a German officer.” Ron glimpsed at her again, wondering if she thought it was a good or bad thing. “Yeah, he died, so…” her shoe kicked against a slightly bigger rock below, used to her combat boots, she didn’t expect to stub her toe, wincing silently at her clumsy move.

“I’m sorry.” Ron muttered, an odd sense of relief running through her. Nobody else had been so bothered that this man lost his life, purely because he was German. It didn’t mean he wasn’t still a human.

“Why?” She asked, instinctively wanting to know why he, an American officer cared. “Well I don’t think anyone wants to see anybody dying anymore.”

“The surgeons didn’t seem so bothered.”

“What?”

“The surgeons.” She paused, looking up to the man before her. “They don’t care what a nurse has to say, not when it comes to a German.” Ron paused, watching her beginning to walk again. His brows winced together slightly and he slowly followed her, inhaling on his cigarette.

“Want me to speak to them?” He offered. “No, thank you. You shouldn’t have to ask for humanity in a surgeon of all people. I mean he even cried over powdered milk for Christ sake.”

“Who?”

“The German officer, he cried over powdered milk that I gave him.” Maggie spoke on a sigh before continuing. “You know the-the young ones don’t even crack a wince in pain, they refuse morphine, but the older ones they’re softer, they cry easier. I don’t understand it, sir.” She broke off in a slight tangent.

“Hitlers Youth.” Ron rasped in response to her words. He’d seen it, the ruthlessness of the young men he came so close to. On the lines they were fearless, tough, almost untouchable- “Brainwashed.” Maggie sighed, staring up to the night sky above. She’d finished his train of thought.

“Uh huh.” Ron agreed and she turned to him again, realising who she was with, telling her story to. That’s your Captain. Maggie stood up straighter again, averting her gaze. “Sorry sir, I shouldn’t be rambling to you.”

“It’s Margaret right?” He avoided her nonsense apology and spoke up, almost feeling a little nervous. A genuine smile finally cracked on her face, Ron was confused to hear her laugh. “Maggie. I forget Margaret’s even my name.” She mocked herself.

“Maggie.” Ron corrected, feeling his eyes scan over her shorter frame. Truthfully he’d seen her around, she was beautiful, there was no denying, caring, loyal, courageous- Ron knew all this but he’d never been close to the nurses, often working elsewhere towards the front of the lines. It wasn’t until he was promoted to Easy Company and they entered Germany and Austria did he begin working closer with them.

Maggie smiled again, looking back to the area ahead as they drew closer to where she was staying. Stealing another glance, she felt her heart jump from nerves seeing he was doing the same thing. “I’m just staying over there, that building on the right.” She babbled what felt like nonsense.

Ron nodded, scoping out the quiet area. “Probably not as nice as where you are.” Maggie added, wringing her headscarf between her hands. “Looks nice to me.” Speirs commented as they grew closer to where she was bunked.

“Thank you for walking me back, sir, I appreciate it.” She nodded, feet hitting the concrete below. Maggie felt her cheeks warm as they slowed to a full stop, she inhaled another puff of her cigarette, seeing him watch the faint smoke cloud swirl into the air above her.

Ron opened his mouth, eyes landed back on hers. She was stood so politely, a little shyly, he watched as she toyed her hands around the blue fabric in her hands. For the second time, he worried he made her nervous, scared as they walked back together in the night. That was the last thing he wanted, especially with her.

“If the surgeons give you anymore trouble, let me know.” He watched the corners of her lips pick up further.

“Thank you sir.” He offered her a smile as she turned back to where she was staying. “Ron…” he muttered, voice barely audible.

“Sorry, sir?” She spun back around. Ron felt his chest tighten and he swallowed thickly. “Just call me Ron.”

Nodding, she offered him a gentle grin, “okay. G’night, Ron.” Hearing the name fall from her lips had him smiling. Maggie wasn’t sure if she’d even heard of Captain Speirs smile before, never mind seen it. He nodded and she hesitantly headed back inside, putting out the cigarette before she closed the door behind her.

“Evening.” She nodded to the men guarding the house, they both appeared young, just replacements. “Evening, ma’m.” When she arrived to the apartment she shared with two other nurses they both jumped from the window giddily.

“Captain Speirs is outside.” Nora turned around in surprise as Maggie’s head lifted, placing her bag to one side on the kitchen tabletop.

“Yeah?” She gently responded. “Uh huh, we saw you talking to him. What were you getting, a lecture about entering the Eagles nest?”

“Or was it that you got completely fried when we were up there.” The second girl, Janet snickered deviously.

“No! And no! Everybody else was just as sauced- thank you very much, Janet!” Maggie sassed, taking her cardigan off and placing it into the laundry basket. “He walked me back. He’s actually really nice.” Maggie defended.

“Don’t tell me you’re doing the dirty with Captain Speirs out of everybody?” Nora’s brows raised. “Oh my god, Maggie!” Janet bounced.

“No! I’ve barely spoke to him apart from tonight!” She glanced back out of the window, watching Captain Speirs slip back inside his own billeted house across the square. She pursed her lips, smiling a little before looking back up to the girls.

“Well he is a total dreamboat, a little scary, Mag’s, but whatever floats your boat.” Nora shrugged. “It’s scary how nice he is.” Maggie muttered, captivated by the interaction she had. He almost made her forget about the terrible day she’d just had.

Maggie had always lived in fantasy land, before the war that was. She found herself daydreaming often, thinking about boys. She was used to the attention of lots of boys, both back home and throughout the war- but Captain Speirs was different. He was a man, she hadn’t felt so… gooey inside since she was a teenager, pre-war. Somehow he made all that excitement come back, it was fascinating.

[ruh--roh-raggy]

Heart of Wires (Sundrop/Moondrop x DCA!OC Piper)

Hello hello! Welcome to something new and different from me!!! This is my first time writing Sundrop, this is also my first time making an OC! It is with my greatest pleasure that I introduce you to Piper Belle Healy! This whole fic is going to be slow burn, super tooth rottingly sweet fluff. I'm just enamored by these big Bois, I wanna hold their hands and kiss them on the cheek. SO THATS WHAT IM GUNNA DO!! I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

WARNINGS: None

You can find my Masterlist here!

Word Count: 3,985

Part 2

“Good morning!” The chipper blond welcomed her with a gapped tooth smile as she sang her greeting. “Piper, right?” The red head nodded in confirmation. “Perfect. I'm Meredith, everyone calls me Merry, I'm gonna be the one showing you around the Pizzaplex!” She motions for Piper to follow her, pushing through the turnstiles with ease before walking into the main lobby. “I’ll give you a more thorough run down after your shift, they never listen when I tell them to have you come tour the place beforehand.” She sighs, stepping onto an escalator and casually leaning up against the railing. “You’re going to be in the daycare, so you’ll be working with Sundrop. It should be pretty easy; arts and crafts, making sure the kids don't hurt themselves, nap time, nothing too crazy. Sun can walk you through it, anything you need, just ask him.”

“Some interesting nicknames around here.” She remarks with a lopsided smile. “Merry and Sun.”

“Oh, Sundrop is his real name!” She responds with a laugh. “I take it you haven't gotten to meet any of the animatronics yet?” Merry gives her an excited glance.

“No, I've seen the posters and stuff, pictures of them in the office when I went in for my interview, things like that, but I haven't, uh, met them?” She says giving the taller blond a look of confusion. ‘Why would I have to introduce myself to a robot?’ She thinks, quickly shaking the thought as she rushes to keep up. She approached a set of large, wooden double doors, the gold handles glistening in the low lighting. She holds the door open for her with a smile, motioning for Piper to walk in ahead of her. Piper fidgets with the sleeves of her sweater, looking around the room to see shoe cubbies and hangers for coats and bags about halfway up the wall. The faded paint was covered in drawings of kids standing next to who you were assuming to be the daycare animatronics. Both of them are tall and slender, one with a sun shaped head, the other a moon. The sun wore yellow and red striped pants that billowed loosely down his legs, you noticed most of the kids had drawn what must have been bells on his wrists and ankles. The moon was dressed similarly, only his pants had white stars against a dark blue background, a matching sleep cap sitting atop his head. She smiled, breathing out a soft laugh as she ran her finger over the waxy artwork.

“We could take the stairs, but the slide’s faster.” Piper jumps as Merry suddenly starts talking. She chuckles seeing the shorter woman’s expression, pointing to a tube that must have led down to the daycare.

“Slide it is.” Piper giggles in response. Merry grabs onto the railing above the slide, jumping slightly before flinging herself down the plastic tunnel. Piper hears the clatter of plastic below before Merry calls for her to come down. She excitedly hops into the slide, unable to stop herself from smiling as she rushes downwards. She yelps slightly as the slide abruptly ends and she’s flung into the waiting ball pit below.

“Sunny! I’ve got a new friend for you to meet!” Merry cups her hands around her mouth as she calls out in the massive playroom.

“A new friend? Oh, how exciting!” Piper hears a voice call from above. Her eyes widen as she sees a large clown with a sun shaped head spin out onto a platform overlooking the daycare. In one swift motion he dove from the platform and into the ballpit, mere feet in front of her. Piper scrambled to find solid ground, hoisting herself up onto the rubber mat covered floor, her foot slipping on one of the yellow pool noodle covered edges. Two sets of articulate robotic fingers wrap around the foam in front of her before the robot hoists himself up to his full height, she scrambles backwards, screaming as she bumps into Merry.

“It’s alright! Piper, this is who you’re working with!” She drops down to her side, shaking her slightly in an attempt to break her out of her panic. She froze, her chest heaving as she watched the golden points whirl around his face.

“You said he was an animatronic!” She exclaims, motioning rapidly to the human-esque figure in front of her.

“He is!” She exclaims. “The technology for him is very advanced, it’s something the owners have been perfecting their entire lives.” She explains with a smile. She looks between the animatronic and the nearly shaking girl in front of her. “Sundrop, this is Piper, she’s the new daycare attendant.” He stands there for a moment. His unreadable expression makes her heart race.

“New daycare attendant, hm?” He suddenly speaks, his voice was so expressive, if she wasn't so terrified of his monstrously tall stature Piper would've been amazed. He slinks closer to her, kneeling down to bring his face directly in front of hers. “I’ll warn you now, the daycare isn’t a place for amateurs.” She furrowed her brows at him.

“I’ll have you know I’m wonderful with children.” She sits up, he jolts back as she suddenly gets close to him. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t make assumptions about me considering you just met me a few seconds ago.” He seemed a bit taken aback at her sudden change in demeanor. Just a moment ago she looked so timid and scared, but now she looked like she was ready to bite his head off.

“I’ll let your work speak for you then.” He stands, grabbing her gently by the wrist and hoisting her up with him.

“Sun, play nice, she’s the best resume that’s applied for the daycare in a long time. Who knows, maybe you might even like her.” She smiles and winks at him. She turns to Piper, “I’ll swing back by here at lunchtime, I’ll help you find your way to the cafeteria.” She offers happily. “And don’t let him make you nervous, he’s a drama queen anyways.” She teases, making Piper giggle.

“I wonder why? It’s not like my programming was originally meant for the theater or anything.” He responds sarcastically.

“Show her around the daycare, give her a run down of the schedule, don’t kill each other.” She counts out the tasks on her fingers. “Think both of you can handle that?” They both nod. She gives both of them a wave over her shoulder as she heads off to get ready for her shift.

“So, we start off with free play.” He motions for her to follow him as he prattles on about the schedule for the day. He shows her where all the craft supplies are, where to find the adult-only tools like sharp scissors and permanent markers. He explained that during naptime is when she would meet Moondrop, “let him handle putting the kids down, he doesn’t like it when someone interrupts his system.” He explains. “Other than that, if you’ve worked with kids before, you should know what you’re doing already.” He sighs, obviously expecting her to fail from the start.

“I think I can handle it, don’t worry.” She squeaks with mock confidence, trying to find some way to change the animatronics tune towards her. “Sundrop?” He turns to her. “I’m really looking forward to working with you, I’m sure I can learn a lot.” She noticed how the whirrs and pings of his internal mechanisms grew slightly louder at her compliment. His eyes flicker over her face for a moment.

“Thank you, Piper.”

Piper watches as child after child comes down the slide into the Superstar Daycare. “Friends, if I could interrupt your playtime for just one moment, I have an important announcement to make!” She was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the screams and laughter of the children died down, Sun easily able to catch their attention. “Some of you might have noticed there's a new face around the Daycare today. I would like to introduce all of you to Miss Piper.” There was a chorus of small hello's and hi’s from the group. She jump as Sun suddenly claps his hands together, telling them all they could go back to playing. He strides up to her, her eyes trailing up his long thin frame as he stretches farther above her than anyone she had ever met. She guessed that Sun stood somewhere around 7 feet tall, compared to her short stature he looked nothing short of a gigantic. “Go grab the markers from the supply closet, I'll take care of pulling out the tables and chairs.”

“You know it wouldn’t kill you to say please.” Piper huffs before turning on her heels and hurrying off to get set up for drawing time. Sun can’t help but watch her retreat. Out of all of his time in the Pizzaplex he had never met anyone like her, staff member or otherwise. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, that was apparent from the small little quips she had spit out at him. Granted, he knew he had a tendency to be a bit harsh towards new hires, but that was only because almost everyone they sent him was incompetent. It's not that Sundrop was mean, he was just a perfectionist. The Daycare Attendants he has worked with in the past didn't care about the kids like he did, they didn't have the same passion for the glitter covered stick figures they would be presented with. But there was something different about Piper. Sun saw how you immediately stopped when one of the kids ran up to you, stooping down to scoop the small boy up in her arms to head in the direction he was pointing in. A ball had gotten stuck in one of the rungs on the play place, too high for any of the kids to reach safely. He watched as she maneuvered herself carefully up the brightly colored structure, wiggling the ball loose before climbing back down. She hands the ball over to the boy, giving him a high five and praising him for asking for help. She smiles as the boy runs off to play with his friends. Her eyes meet Sun’s, causing her to freeze. She lets out a sigh of relief, smiling softly as he offers her a subtle thumbs up. Sun walks away, going to set up the tables for the next activity.

“What do we have here?” A voice purrs in Sun’s head.

“There's a new Daycare Attendant.” Sun mutters quietly out loud.

The voice groans, “another one? They keep sending us these stupid humans-”

“I thought the same thing. But she seems… different.” He explains, sliding the tables across the floor.

“So that's what woke me up.” He lets out a raspy chuckle. “I guess I’ll have to see what she’s like in a couple hours.” The warmth in the back of Sun's head dissipates as his counterpart returns to sleep.

“Sundrop?” He's snapped from his thoughts by her melodic voice. He turns to find Piper standing there with multiple bins of art supplies stacked in her arms. “I have all the crayons, markers, glitter, stickers, glue sticks, and stamps.” He smiles as he listens to her list off everything he would have grabbed. “I'm having some trouble finding the paper.” She admits bashfully.

“Here, let me take these.” The cold tips of his metal fingers brush against hers as he takes the stack of containers from her. He spreads them out across the tables before turning back to her. “Let’s go look for that paper.” She was a bit shocked by his response, she was waiting for him to start yelling at her. He didn't seem too keen on working with someone new, her not being able to complete such a simple task should've set him off. She follows him into the supply closet, he lets out a soft hum as he scans over the shelves. “Here we go.” He pulls out a pack of paper and hands it to her. It appeared to be at the back of one of the very top shelves, a place she couldn't have reached if she tried. “I'll make sure to get all the paper moved down to where you can get it.” He states simply before walking back out into the daycare, leaving Piper to watch him duck out of the closet in a state of confusion. He had seemed to completely change from the animatronic she had met earlier this morning, and she couldn't figure out just what exactly had spurred the sudden shift. She got everything set up for drawing time; separating the stack of paper into smaller piles to make it easier for all the kids to share, opening all the containers and removing a couple markers that had been left uncapped and had dried out. You heard the excited screams and talking of the kids as they ran over to draw. Sun had a child in either arm, a third clung to his leg as he moved in your direction.

“Miss Piper?” Her attention was caught by a girl with strawberry blond pigtails as she tugged on her sleeve.

“Hi honey, what’s your name?” She asks cheerily, kneeling down to be closer to the girl's eye level.

“Haley.” She responds with a huge smile, her two front teeth missing.

“It’s nice to meet you Haley, what’s up?” She looks bashfully over at Sundrop before her eyes immediately dart back to Piper.

“Do you think you could help me draw a picture for Mr. Sun?” She holds out the orange crayon she had clutched in her fist. “I want to make something for him but he’s really hard to draw.”

“Of course I can.” Piper smiles brightly at her, letting out a soft chuckle at her excited expression. Haley grabs Piper by the hand, tugging her back to where she was sitting, telling all of her friends that Piper would help them make pictures for Mr. Sun. She couldn't help but smile as her time was filled with giving high fives to all the excited kids as they showed off their drawings to her, drawing a quick Sundrop head for the kids to color, and being asked a million questions about her bright colored jewelry and fun outfit. Little did she know, the whole time Sun was keeping a close eye on her, absolutely delighted by what he saw.

“How’s everyone doing over here?”

“Sunny!”

“Mr. Sun!”

“Sundrop!” Piper looks over her shoulder to see the large animatronic had made his way over to where she was working.

“Is it okay if I sit here Miss Piper?” He asks with a smile, motioning to the chair next to her. He noticed how some of the kids must have placed stickers on her cheeks, her freckles laced with sparkly stars and neon smiley faces.

“Sure, Sundrop.” She smiles sweetly at him. He crouches into the comically small chair, his knees pressed to his chest.

“Miss Piper’s been helping us draw you Mr. Sun.” Haley exclaims, giggling when the animatronic gives her an amazed expression.

“Really? You all wanted to draw me?” They all clamored over to him, wanting to show off their pictures, most of them drawings of Sundrop holding hands with that child, ‘best friends’ scrawled across the bottom in messy script. “These are so wonderful!” He leans in closer to the group, they all copy his motions with wide eyes, waiting eagerly to see what he would say to them. “How about next you guys draw some pictures of Miss Piper?” They all silently agree before hurriedly turning back to their papers and crayons. He leans back in his chair. “I'll have to admit Piper, you're doing an amazing job.” She found heat settling behind her cheeks at the compliment, her eyes darting over to meet his glowing white ones.

“Thank you, Sundrop.” She smiles shyly.

“You can call me Sun, less of a mouthful.” He chuckles. “If Moon likes you you'll have passed your trial run.” There was a slight teasing tone in his voice.

“Well, lets hope for the best then.” She smiles at him.

She was grateful for nap time once it rolled around, with so many kids it was hard to find a moment to catch her breath. “Go pick your spot.” She shoos off a small boy into the other room, dimming the lights as they all settle in. She softly shuts the door, tucking herself away in a corner so she wouldn't get in Moon’s way. She wondered why she hadn't seen any sign of the animatronic all day. Her eyes immediately drifted to Sun as he stepped in the room, as he shut the door you watch his face spin around, all of the points surrounding his head getting tucked away as a sleep cap appeared. She blinked, the gold and red stripes on his pants suddenly turning to stars.

“You must be this new Daycare Attendant I heard about.” His voice was much raspier than Sun’s, he turned to face Piper, a noticeable difference in his face from the animatronic that had just stepped in the room in front of her. The moon on his face was much more prominent, the other side of his face being blacked out save for his glowing white eye. She was amazed at the complexities of their system, not to mention the immediate difference she noticed in their personalities, if she hadn’t just seen the change in front of her she wouldn't have believed this was the same animatronic. “You just sit back here, I’ll make this quick… and try to stay awake.” He chuckles before slinking off into the dark room. She heard the soft gasps and calls for Moon that he gently shushed, patting each child's head that greeted him as he made his way to the center of the room. The soft sounds of a music box beginning to chime filled the room, a tapestry of stars slowly rotated around the ceiling. Almost like magic Piper noticed the kids near her fall asleep one by one, every one of them in the room asleep by the time his song ended. She found herself yawning, pushing her round, wire framed glasses onto the top of her head as she wiped her eyes. She stretched, her spine letting out a soft pop as she pulled her arms over her head. Her eyes fluttered open, her hand immediately clapping over her mouth to suppress the scream that had welled up in her throat. Moondrop’s face was mere inches away from her own, he studied her closely, slowly crawling around her with almost spider like movements.

“I'm assuming you must be Moon?” She whispers nervously, his gaze didn't feel as judgemental as when she first met Sun, but he still made her nervous nonetheless. He offers her a small nod in response. “I’m Piper.”

“Sun seems very impressed with you Miss Piper.” He coos softly. “I do have to say you're definitely a lot prettier than the usual Daycare Attendants they send us.” He chuckles at her flustered expression. He runs a finger over one of the star stickers on her cheek. “The kids seem to like you too, that’s good.” He carefully maneuvers around her, propping himself up against the wall at her side. “How are you enjoying your first day?”

“It’s been good, definitely not what I was expecting.” She giggles, Moon felt a strange pang in his chest at the sight of her smile. She looks out over the group of sleeping children. “You know, that?” She makes a vague motion to the room. “Very impressive.”

“I have a bit of a talent.” He chuckles in response.

“Do you only come out for nap time?” He was a bit surprised by the genuine curiosity in her tone.

“I can only come out when the lights are off.” He explains. “Nap time, sleepovers, Sun and I switch off after hours.” She sat and quietly chatted with Moon for the rest of nap time, Piper found herself a bit sad to see him go.

“It was wonderful getting to know you.” She smiles softly at him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Piper.” The lights gradually grew brighter as nap time came to an end. The sleepy yawns of kids and soft giggles of them talking amongst themselves filled the room.

“Well, good morning!” Sun greets the kids cheerfully as they head back out into the main play area. She timidly makes her way up to his side, feeling a bit awkward standing next to the tall robot. “I take it everything went well with Moon?” She could tell by the softness his expression held that he already knew the answer to that.

“I hope so.” She smiles at him. “I don't want either of you to think I'm an amateur.” She mocks his assumption from the morning with a wink, making him chuckle.

“You definitely proved you're not an amateur Piper.” His hand gently comes to rest on the top of her head. Piper feels a blush spread across her cheeks as he pats the spot between her messy, copper space buns. “I'm sure they're all hungry, let's get them set up for snack time.”

“He hasn't been giving you a rough time, has he?” Merry asks as she hands you a tray.

“No, I've actually been having a lot of fun working with him.” She admits with a small shrug and a bashful smile.

“What about Moondrop?” She follows up.

“He was also wonderful.” You reassure her.

“I'm impressed.” She mumbles as she starts to grab things to eat. “The last three people they hired had already been run off by now.” She chuckles. “I guess they did end up liking you after all.”

“I can't get over how much personality they have.” Piper smiles excitedly.

“I mean, they might as well be people with how complex of a machine they are. They're fully articulate, their AI lets them experience emotion, they're pretty much just like us without the internal organs.” They both pay for their lunches and sit down. “So, now that you've spent a couple hours with them, do you think you’re going to keep the job?” She seemed almost nervous as she asked her.

“Oh, absolutely!” Piper beams. She hurries through her lunch, exchanging goodbye’s with Merry before she heads back to the daycare. So she wouldn't cause a disruption she decided to take the stairs down to the main play area.

“Welcome back.” Sun smiles at her as she approaches. The rest of the day flew by as Piper got dragged off by a small group of kids to go play. She couldn't help but laugh as she caught sight of a girl wearing pastel pink fairy wings riding around on Sundrop’s shoulders, pretending like she was flying. Slowly your group became smaller and smaller as parents arrived to pick up their children, before you knew it you and Sun were alone, cleaning up the disaster left behind. “I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot this morning.” He suddenly apologizes, nervously tapping the curled golden toe of his shoe on the floor.

“It’s okay, from what Merry told me they threw in some real pieces of work before me.” She giggles in response. “We can always try again tomorrow.” He pauses, straightening up to look at her.

“Piper?” She hums softly, her blue eyes landing on him. Sun felt the words catch in his throat for a second. He takes a few steps closer to her, retrieving a yellow sun sticker from the booklet he kept in his pocket. He presses it to the apple of her cheek, her soft warm skin squishing under his finger as she smiles at his action. “Welcome to the team.”

Tag List: @yellowbunnydreams @twelvelevens

[marbarmars-arts]

So...I MAY have been collecting Fawfuls like pokemon cards <3

(and what the heck do I mean by that exactly??) WELL in a discord GC my friend Parmy suggested we’d imitate each other’s art styles as like a collab of sorts? Well...I kinda took that a step further heheh ^^

(And fun fact...this was supposed to be something I was gonna do for AU day of Fawful month too, but that idea got cut due to time)

So may I present...the different Fawfuls I drew!! For my friends/cool acquaintances!

So the one who led up to this in the first place, Fawful from @parmsnik AU!! He is dating/eventually marrying Naspi depending on where you’re at in the AU haha! Your way of drawing Fawful seems to change a little bit each time you draw him, so I tried to my best to guestimate a consistent looking Fawf! Very cute!

Up next is Fawful from @the-spacewaffle AU!! Yippee Ronnie’s AU! Thanks for being my friend for so long,,to talk about Fawful and all that stuff y’know? I’ll be cheering you on to complete the story qwq your Fawful is always so nice to my OCs when we crossover khskdjh also...pet the Reddo!

Eee yay now it’s @snuffydoo Fawful and his AU title I totally made up on the spot! I know you don’t really have a name for that kind of thing and it doesn’t have to be canon but I hope you think it’s cute anyways haha! I had a lot of fun drawing this one!! It’s so stylized! AND IT HAS DIMMY (I enjoy your Dimmy artstyle sm) but I don’t draw Spamton very often kjhskgh

Here’s @federthenotsogreat Fawful AU of sunshine goodness~! HE RETURNITH (and since I couldn’t think of another character to feature with your AU...not knowing if Cackletta is there or not jhgskg I gave him a cute little swirly sun!) I admire the fact his outfit is mostly YELLOW and also blue those are cool colors OH AND THAT LEG TOO, also super cool :)

The smol and cute @omgtheywereroomates Fawf! Your ask blog is so neat! I know I don’t ask too many questions there but I just,,,the cartoony fluffy hair?? Love that, and also thank you for your support and the super cool ship as well ^^ 

Heheee yeah hey it’s @cammiluna Fawful from Immortal Fool! Before you say anything YES I’m aware he’s got the new design since it’s near the end of the comic, you released the page that featured said new design while I was already working on this drawing xD So whoops! I just wanted to give appreciation to your comic series that you continued despite everything, and well...I know I haven’t shown much progress on it, I also want to make a comic series...so you’ve inspired me a lil :D

Deep down here there’s a little AU by @aliencatwafers which features Fawful in the sewers! With the little baby bros!! You’re a very insightful and inspiring writer with plenty of neat headcanons and ideas for the bean! Ik you mostly draw in pencil but I took the colors from your submissions to Fawful month this year and used em here! Hope it looks cool!

This little gremlin here with the two moms is Fawful from @bean-n-shroob ask blog! He looks very silly and unhinged (in a good way) and I hope he’s having a good time since after BIS! I love how round your designs are and Fawf is no exception :D

Last but not least is this VERY soft Fawful from @localdealmaker​ and their AU, whose title I made up too (again doesn’t need to be canon or anything if you don’t want it to be, I just wanted to give every drawing a cute name ^^) I think yours was the most complicated to draw for me but I love how he looks, so squish!! Kaboo is cute too!

WHEW THAT WAS A LOT OF TYPING KSJHKGH but yeah I hope you guys have enjoyed this...I might make another part someday full of more Fawful designs from friends but I AM A LITTLE BURNT OUT...doesn’t mean I didn’t have fun tho!

[zoeyslament]

How I Met My Lover - Nischa Drabble

In which Ocean helps Mischa write an essay for English class about ‘someone he loves’ as Mischa recalls stories from his and Noel’s relationship.

I can’t believe you’re already done with your essay.” Penny glanced down at the four sheets of paper, filled, front and back, with lines of big words in Ocean’s impressive cursive writing. “It’s not due until Monday.” 

Ocean flashed her a satisfied smirk. “It’s Thursday, I didn’t want weekend homework. Besides, I’m busy enough as it is helping someone with his work that he refuses to do.”

Mischa clasped a hand over his chest, looking offended. “Just because I am not as smart as you does not mean I need help!”

”You’re failing every class except history, and the only reason you’re not failing history is because the teacher took pity on you.” Ocean chided. “You want to graduate, right? You don’t want to have to repeat senior year when you’re already the eldest in the grade, do you?” 

Mischa sighed. “I do not want that, no, but I have reputation to uphold.” 

“Reputation?” Penny giggled, “Reputation as what? The biggest dumbass in all of St. Cassian’s?” Mischa slapped her in the shoulder. “No, asshole, as a bad boy slacker, that’s what!” 

Ocean grabbed her girlfriend by the arm and pulled her away from the male. “Break it up, you two. Penny, don’t you have anything better to do then bother me during my tutoring session with bad egg here?” 

Penny whined and set her head down on Ocean’s shoulder. “Come on, Oce, don’t you love me?”

”I love you more when you’re not being a pain in the neck. Go find Ricky, get into trouble like you always do. I’ll pick you up after detention.” 

.

After Penny left, Ocean turned back to Mischa, now hunched over in his seat playing some fighting game on his phone. She gave a soft tsk tsk noise as she planted a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get to work on that essay now, shall we?” 

“No.” He glared at her before bowing his head again. “We shall not.” Ocean lunged for his phone, plucking it from his hands with a single, swift motion. “No more of this until you write at least a paragraph or two.” 

“Hey! Give it back, little orphan a-hole.” He demanded, standing up. On his feet, he towered over Ocean’s measly 4’11 with his nearly six foot stature. “I will make you pay for this.”

”Whatever you say, Mischa.” Ocean placed Mischa’s phone in the pocket of her cardigan, smiling at him in the most patronizing way she could. “Please sit down so I can help you with your paper.”

It took a few minutes of convincing, but he eventually conceded. “Fine.” He plopped down into the chair with a loud bang, crossing his legs and scowling at Ocean. “What is essay about? I slept through English class.” 

Ocean felt like pulling her hair out, but she took a deep breath, regained her composure, and rubbed her temples soothingly. “The assignment was to write 3 or more pages about someone you love. I wrote about Penny, obviously. I think Constance wrote hers about her baby brother, and Ricky’s writing about his cats.”

”So I am meant to write about someone I love, then?” He scribbled down a few ideas. Ocean looked them over, then with a sigh, stated: “Someone you actually know.”

”So…I’m not allowed to write about Eminem?”

”No.” 

“Oh.” 

He rubbed his chin, his face turning pensive. “I do not know, then.” 

Ocean smiled and nodded in his direction. “Why don’t you write about Noel?”

This suggestion made Mischa’s face go cherry red. In truth, that was exactly who he’d wanted to write about the entire time, if it weren’t for fear his slightly broken English and bad penmanship wouldn’t do his perfect poet justice. 

“Are you sure?” He quietly asked Ocean, who nodded again and handed him a pen. “Just jot down some ideas. What is it that draws you to him? And don’t you dare write his ass.”

Mischa huffed at her. “I wasn’t going to. I was writing about his, erm…eyes.” 

.

It was late in the morning. Mischa could see Noel’s drowsy form curled in a ball beside him, sleeping soundly. He stroked his boyfriend’s hair, still so silky and perfect even in his deep slumber. He wished this moment could last forever. As Mischa’s hand glided over Noel’s skin, the shorter boy gave a sleepy yawn. 

“Misch?” Noel said, his voice hoarse from sleep. “You didn’t leave?” 

“Of course not.” Mischa promised. “I told you I would stay with you until you awoke, and I did.” He cupped the boy’s face in his hands. “You look so beautiful all comfy-cozy.” 

Their eyes met. Noel’s were a beautiful greenish brown. It reminded Mischa of autumn leaves, changing in the days of early fall, right before the Fall Fair. They glimmered with a tragic beauty, almost too gorgeous to put into words. 

“Can I kiss you? Would you mind?” Mischa whispered, softly caressing his boyfriend’s cheek. 

“I would love that.” Noel smiled back. Mischa closed the gap between them, touching Noel’s soft, supple lips with his own.

.

“That’s good!” Ocean tapped the paper a few times with the back end of her pen. “I like how you described his eye color. Very nice.”

Mischa smiled to himself. This wasn’t so hard after all!

”What else?” Ocean encouraged him. “What else do you have to say about him?”

”Well…his writing…”

.

“What are you working on, Poet?” Mischa slipped down into his desk beside Noel’s during study hall, “Another page of poetry, dear?”

”No, no.” Noel corrected. “A story. Remember how I told you about Monique Gibeau?”

”The prostitute?” Mischa chuckled. “Yes, I do.”

”I’m writing down her story.” He turned the laptop toward Mischa, allowing the Ukrainian to get a glimpse of the pages. “Starting at the beginning, with her very first job, and ending with her death.”

”Right.” Mischa read what he could over his boyfriend’s shoulder. From what he could make out, it was well-written and descriptive. Noel had a way with words. “I’m sure it’ll turn out fantastic, my beloved.”

Noel smiled softly back up at him. “Thank you, honeybee.” He shifted in his seat so his arm brushed up against Mischa’s. “It’ll be done soon enough. Want to read it when it’s finished?”

Mischa laughed. “I do not know if I will understand it as well as you, but I love everything you write.”

.

”That’s sweet…” Ocean purred. “I never knew you were such a softie.”

”I am not softie, I am romantic. That is not the same.” He defended himself. “I wrote paragraphs. Can I have phone back now?”

Ocean took the phone from her cardigan pocket, dangling it just out of Mischa’s grip. “Not yet. You’re almost there, just finish up that last page. I’m sure there’s plenty more to write about.” 

“Hm…” Mischa tapped the pen against his chin. “I have an idea.”

.

“I do not know what to do, Noel.” Mischa was curled up into a ball, rocking side to side. “I do not know what to do.” He repeated. 

Noel sat down beside him. “Hey, don’t worry. I can explain. Do you want me to explain?”

Mischa nodded. 

“So,” Noel began, “I think what happened is that you might’ve been tricked.” He admitted quietly. “I know it’s a lot to put on your shoulders, but…”

”I know that, Noel!” Mischa snapped, but Noel didn’t seem hurt. Mischa looked up at him, eyes red from crying. “I mean…you are sure?”

”I’m sure.” Noel stated, “I’m really sorry, Mischa. I knew it was too good to be true from the moment you told me.”

Tears filled Mischa’s eyes once more. “But she felt so real! Everything about her—the pictures, the words…” he sniffled. “And yet…it was all a hoax!”

Noel leaned his head on Mischa’s shoulder, and a feeling of warmth spread through his body. “It’ll be alright, Mischa. You’ll find someone else. Someone who truly loves you, and is really there.” He played gently with Mischa’s curls. “You’ll find someone perfect one day.” 

Mischa closed his eyes, Noel’s body warmth heating him up and making his heart flutter. “You think so?”

”I do.” Noel smiled. “In fact…” Mischa watched as Noel’s face went red. “Maybe you already have.”

.

“So that’s how you two got together…” Ocean smiled. “After Talia didn’t work out?”

Mischa nodded. “He made me realize I already had someone perfect right in front of me.” Mischa scribbled down the final few words of his essay. “Proofread this?” He prompted Ocean. 

She scanned the page. “Isn’t that…wow. You can write better than I knew. This is at least a B! Your boyfriend must be rubbing off on you.”

[vanfleeter]

Doesn't Stay In Vegas (3) // JTk

Characters: Jake x Cate (oc) Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, smut, angst (I'm sorry). Author's Note: I apologize in advance, my brain took over, but I promise it'll work out very well.

Waking up the next morning, Cate finds herself in an empty bed beside her. She looks over at the clock to see that it’s already past noon. Hearing the bus door open, she listens as she hears Jake’s voice. He spoke in a hushed tone, assuming she was still sleeping.

“Yeah, when we get back to Nashville.. I don’t know.. Now isn’t a good time. I just got done with soundcheck and–” He’s interrupted and sighs. “No, no, just..” He sighs. “Call Mark, he’ll figure it out… Yeah, okay..”

He stops talking before she hears something clatter to the floor. He groans and picks up whatever fell to the floor. Seconds later the door to the back room slides open and he steps inside. He drops when he sees her awake.

“Hey..” He says, giving her a small smile.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah..” He nodded his head. “Everything’s fine..” He bends over to the floor and picks up his belt. “My pants damn near fell down earlier during soundcheck.” He says. “Last thing I need is for them to fall during rehearsal.”

Cate giggles. “Wouldn’t that be a sight..”

He chuckles and slides on the belt through the loops. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“A chance to embarrass you? Of course I would.”

Jake slowly nods his head and leans on the bed, his knee resting in between her legs. He towers over her just slightly and lifts her chin so she’s looking at him.

“I don’t think I should be showing off my dick to everyone. I think that’s considered public indecency.”

Cate’s jaw falls slack just a little, making him laugh. “Are you not wearing underwear?” She says.

He shakes his head. “Had to send my stuff off to be cleaned.”

“Naughty boy.” She says running her hands up the inside of his legs. “So does that mean you’ll be commando on stage tonight?”

“You wish..” He smirks. “I’ll have my stuff back by then.”

He feels her one hand palm through his pants making his body flinch in reaction. She looks up at him and smiles. “How much time do you have until you have to go back out?”

“Ten minutes.. Why?”

“Oh I don’t know..” She shrugs her shoulders and traces the outline of his dick with the tip of her finger. She feels him twitch beneath the fabric of his pants and he looks down at her with fire in his eyes. “You just look so sexy in these pants and the way your shirt is showing off your chest. You dressed all in black really does something to me.”

“Oh?” He bends over and draws her in for a kiss. Without breaking the now heated make out he removes the blanket from her body and exposes her naked self. Thoughts of the night before run through his mind.

Pulling away quickly, he closes the door and undoes the belt that he just put on and pushes his pants down just enough to let his dick spring free. He lays her back on the bed and positions himself between her. Slowly he pushes into her but wastes no time and gets straight to it.

“Maybe I should dress in black more often..” He says. “Only for you..” He thrusts deep inside of her and quickened his pace.

“Jake?” Comes Danny’s voice. “Are you in here?”

Jake pauses his movements and covers her mouth. “Yeah, I’m here!” He calls.

“Alright, well hurry up. Josh is getting impatient.”

“Well tell him to relax. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

He waits to hear the door shut before he slams back into her. “That was close, baby..” He says.

“Shit, Jake..” She moans as she holds tightly to his body. “I’m almost-”

“Come on baby..” He brings his hand down between them and presses his thumb to her clit. Her back arches, her chest pressed against his. “That’s it, Cate.. Meet me there baby..”

They both reach their climaxes and Jake continues thrusting into her until it all fades. Pulling out of her, he grabs one of her shirts from the dresser and cleans them both up.

“I’ll have it washed later..” He says discarding it into the hamper. Pulling his pants back up and securing his belt, he leans back over and plants a kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back later.” —

As the four of them head through the lot towards the venue, they hear a group of fans calling their name. Agreeing amongst themselves they go over to the gates and greet everyone. “Are you all coming to the show tonight?” Sam asks. They all say yes and get excited making them all smile. “Well great, you’re in for a real treat.”

“Oh my god, it’s her!” One of them shouts. She’s pointing at someone behind Jake and he turns around to see Cate coming out from behind the bus. She stops mid stride and is frozen in her spot.

“Cate! Oh my gosh!” Another girl exclaims.

“That’s his wife..” He hears one girl mutter with a giggle.

“We should probably get going.” Danny says. “We’ve got a lot of things to get done before the show tonight.”

Thanking everyone for being there, the four of them depart from the gates and head off through the lot. Jake approaches Cate and wraps his arm around and pulls her close.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were all still out here.” She says.

Jake shakes his head and kisses his forehead. “No, it’s okay.” He says. “Gonna come see us rehearse?”

“If that’s okay?”

He eagerly nods his head. “Of course.” –

“No, Jake! You sound way off!” Josh shouts, growing increasingly frustrated with the way the music is sounding.

“I’m trying here!” Jake retorts. “Damn, I don’t see you yelling at Sam for fumbling on the keys.”

“Hey now, don’t drag me into this.” Sam says as he rests his hands on hips, his bass hanging from the strap around his body and shoulder.

Cate sits in the wings, hidden in the shadows, watching as the boys rehearse–or attempt to rehearse–between the arguing. She’s seen them argue plenty of times over how they sound but this is the first time seeing them argue in rehearsals.

“What is going on with you?” Josh says. “You weren’t like this yesterday for soundcheck.”

“I-I don’t know,” Jake sighs. He pulls his guitar off of his body and sets it on the stand.

“Where are you going?” Josh questions.

“I need air..” Jake says as he walks off the stage.

“Jake!”

Getting up from the seat, Cate makes her way backstage to look for Jake. Eventually she finds him standing outside, one hand resting in the back of his neck and the other one pressed to his chest.

“Jake?” She gently calls. He straightens up as he inhales deeply before turning around to face her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah..” He says, his hands dropping to his sides. “Just stressed..”

“That’s all?”

He nods his head, keeping his eyes trained on the ground beneath his feet. There was a definite shift in his demeanor from last night to this morning to now. She knew better than push him into talking about whatever’s bothering him and just let him talk whenever he’s ready. She reaches for his hand and brings it to her lips for a gentle kiss.

“Do you need a stress reliever?” She asks as she innocently flutters her eyelids at him.

He chuckles and holds tightly to her hand. “Any other time I’d take you over and over again but if I don’t get my ass back inside to rehearse, Josh might just literally kill me.” He leans down and kisses her forehead. “Two more hours, okay?” He says.

“I can’t wait.” She says, smiling up at him.

He smiles back. “Good, then get your ass on that bus and wait.”

“Ah–”

“Bus. Now.”

“But I want to watch–”

“You will see it tonight.” He says. “Now get your ass on that bus and you better be naked by the time I get there.”

“Can I touch myself?”

He shakes his head. “Now be my good girl and go.” He swats her ass as he turns her towards the bus. Watching her walk away, he chews on his lip and shakes his head before turning on his heels and heading back inside the venue. –

After rehearsal, Josh meets Jake inside the dressing room as he changes the strings on his guitar. “So about earlier…” He says as he sits on the couch beside Jake.

Jake shakes his head. “Don’t apologize,” He says. “You had every right to be angry. I wasn’t playing my best..”

“Is everything alright?” He asks.

Jake nods his head. “Just a little stressed–got a lot on my mind right now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Jake shakes his head. “Not right now.” He says.

Josh nods his head. “Well you know that whenever you’re ready, you can talk to me.” Jake nods his head. He looks up at his brother, tears glossing his eyes. Josh’s face drops and he immediately pulls Jake into his arms.

“I don’t know what to do..” Jake sniffles over Josh’s shoulder.

Josh pulls away from Jake. “What do you mean?”

Jake moves the guitar off his lap and onto the table. “I spoke to our lawyer and the divorce attorney.. They’re mailing the papers..”

“And you’re not happy about it?” Josh says.

Jake shakes his head. He leans back on the couch. “I want to stay with her.”

Josh inhales and leans on his knees. “Does she know?” He shakes his head. “Jake.. You gotta talk to her.”

“But I know what she’ll say.”

“Then maybe it’s best that you two still go through with this divorce.”

“Josh..”

“Jake.. I’m serious. I’ve been serious since this happened.. This marriage isn’t even a marriage, Jake. It’s all about sex.”

Jake shoots him a glare. “It’s not all about sex, Josh.” Jake grabs his guitar and stands up from the couch before storming out of the room to put his guitar away in the gearbox.

“You love her, don’t you?” Josh says as he comes up behind Jake.

Jake rests his hand on the door of the box and his head drops. He gives it a slight nod before closing the box and turning around to face Josh.

“I swore to myself that it meant nothing, that she’s nothing more than a friend but…” He lets out a shaky breath. “Josh, I’m falling for her. And I’m falling for her hard.”

“When did you realize this?” Josh asks.

“Last night, when we went out to get food. We were talking about which of our heroes we would want to meet if we had the chance and the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about Da Vinci and the way she was gentle and kind talking about our music and how it’s art and a love letter signed by us… I just.. I knew then that I’m falling in love and I know that when those stupid papers get signed and the divorce is official, I know that I’ll be losing her for good..”

“Jake, you won’t lose her.” Josh says, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “But I was serious when I said you should talk to her. She deserves to know the truth, though the decision is up to you.”

Jake drags his hands down his face wiping away the tears that managed to escape. Josh gives him a sympathetic smile.

“I’m here for you, I always am.” Jake nods his head and Josh pulls him into his arms for a hug. “If it makes you feel better, I’m rooting for you.”

Jake chuckles and pulls away from Josh. “Geez, look at me.. I’m a blubbering mess.”

Josh laughs and pats him on his shoulders. “That’s because you’re actually letting yourself feel your emotions. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Jake rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but why does it hurt at the same time?”

“Well, Jake, love isn’t perfect. Love can be painful but for the right reasons.” Josh gives him another smile. “Now go to her, even if you don’t tell her tonight, spend what time you have left with her.”

Jake nods his head and sniffles a little. “Yeah, okay.” He wipes his face again, clearing his throat, and straightening out his clothes. “You tell no one about this.”

Josh makes the zipper motion on his lips and throws away an imaginary key. “My lips are sealed. I saw nothing, I heard nothing.”

Coming back to the bus, Jake pulls open the door and steps inside. It was oddly quiet. Did she fall asleep waiting? Walking to the back room, Jake slowly pulls the door open to find her curled up underneath the blankets and lightly snoring. He smiles to himself before slipping off his shoes and stripping down to nothing but his boxers. Crawling onto the bed, he slips beneath the blankets and curls his body into hers. She jolts slightly before turning over to face him.

“You fell asleep..” He softly spoke.

She hums and rubs her eyes. “I guess I did.. I guess that makes me a bad girl, hmm?”

He smiles down at her. “Not tonight.” He says kissing her forehead. He moves down her face and along her jaw, leaving pepper kisses in his wake. “You’ve been so good for me.”

Moving down her neck and chest, he envelopes her breast in his mouth and sucks gently, electing a moan from her lips. “Jake..”

Releasing her breast with a pop, he moves on to the other one as he slips his hand down in between her legs. He dips his fingers inside of her, her moaning rings in his ears sending the blood and vibrations to his core. He pulls off her breast and kisses down her torso as he continues pumping his finger in and out of her.

“Oh fuck, Jake..”

“That feels good, yeah?”

“Yes..” She tugs at his hair when he curls his fingers inside of her. Her walls are already clenching around them. Lowering his face between her legs, he laps his tongue through her folds as he continues working with his fingers. Her moans fill the room as he brings her closer to her orgasm.

Finally she releases, coating his fingers and his tongue. He licks and sucks and sucks and licks. Not missing one drop that comes out of her. Once he gets her all cleaned up, he lays between her legs and lines himself with her entrance. He moans in pleasure as he feels her walls welcoming him in and already warming him up. He encapsulates her in a kiss as he gently thrusts into her. Her mouth falls open against his, her eyebrows knitting together, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

“I want to take my time with you..” He says into her ear. She nods her head as she clings to him tightly. He does take his time with her. Instead of the fast paced thrusts to get them both to their highs, he takes it one thrust at a time. He wants to relish in it, devour yet savor every second he has with her because what he’s going to do could make or break everything.

“Jake.. Faster..”

He gives her another thrust before picking up his speed just a little.

“That’s it, Jake..”

It wasn’t long before he could feel her clenching around him. He digs in deeper with every new thrust and soon she’s unraveling beneath him. “There you go..” He gently spoke. He soon follows and releases inside of her. “You’re so good to me..” He says as keeps going.

“Jake.. I can’t..”

“Just one more baby. One more please.”

“Shit, Jake..” Her fingers dig into his back and drag down his skin. Her thighs tighten around his waist. Another orgasm rips through her body and they release again together.

“Fuck, that’s my girl.” He brings her in for a kiss before slowly slipping out of her. He falls onto his back on the bed beside her. “Wow..”

“That was intense..” She moves over to lay her head on his chest. “You made me cum three times and now I’m wiped..”

He chuckles and twirls her hair around his finger.

Noticing how quickly he fell quiet, she pulled away slightly, her eyebrows scrunched together. “Jake..” She sits up and pulls him with her. “Jake, what’s going on in your head?” She lifts his chin again, this time fresh tears fill his eyes. “Hey, woah, Jacob..”

He gently pushes her hand away and moves to the other side of the bed.

“Jacob..” She repeats. “Hey, talk to me.”

“I can’t..”

“You can’t? Or you won’t?”

He pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them.

“Jacob, please talk to me..”

“I can’t.. I’m–” He’s cut off when he hears his own shaking voice. “I’m scared..”

“Scared?” She moves closer to him and lays her hands on his. “Why are you scared?”

“Because of what I’m about to tell you,” He takes a shaky breath. “You’ll hate me.”

“Hate you? Why would I-” But she stops. She leans back on her knees. “You didn’t get the papers?”

Jake scoffs. “Of course I got the damn papers.” He snaps. “That’s not it..”

“Then what is it Jake?”

He lets in a deep breath as his legs drop to the bed. “I’m in love with you…”

The room falls silent. A painful silence. One where he knows what she’s going to do and she does just that. Climbing off the bed, she grabs her clothes and pulls them back on.

“Cate, can we please talk about this?” He pleads with her as he moves across the bed towards her. She holds out her hand in front of her to prevent him from coming any closer. “Cate, please..”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen..” She says, looking anywhere but at him. “You’re not supposed to fall in love with me.. I can’t.. I can’t do this..”

He tries to grab her hand but she pulls it away before he could. “Cate..”

“Don’t touch me..” She grabs her shoes and slips them on before retrieving her things and storming out of the room.

He stays there, kneeling on the bed where she left him. He flinches at the sound of the bus door slamming shut behind her and he falls back against his feet as his head dips forward, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.

—-

“Has anyone seen Jake?!” Josh shouts as he rushes down the hall. “We go in an hour!”

The crew shake their heads and shrug their shoulders. No one’s seen him. Great.

“Did he come back from the bus?” Danny asks. “Maybe he fell asleep.”

Josh grumbles something under his breath before storming off down the hall and out the exit to the buses. Throwing open the door, he rushes to the back room and pulls open the door. He finds him curled up underneath the blankets.

“Jake!” Josh shouts. “What the fuck?! Get up!”

“No..”

“JACOB!” Josh grabs fistfuls of the blankets and tears them off of Jake. “WE HAVE A SHOW TO DO! GET UP!”

“Josh, go away..”

“Jacob, I swear to god, we don’t have time for this!” He grabs hold of his arms and pulls him upright in bed. He pauses when he gets a good look at his face. “Shit… What happened?”

“I told her, that’s what happened.”

“Did she–Fuck, Jake..”

“I did what you told me to do..”

“Oh god..” Josh frantically looks around the room. “Okay.. Here’s what we’re gonna do..” He grabs Jake’s clothes off the floor and starts to get him dressed. “I don’t care how, but you’re gonna shove her out of your mind for the time being, okay? Right now, we have a show that’s about to start an hour and that’s more important at the moment.” He grabs Jake’s sunglasses off the dresser and pushes them onto his face. “You’re gonna play your heart on stage because you have fans waiting to see you.”

Dragging Jake out of the bed and out of the bus, he manages to get him to his dressing room. He gives Danny and Sam a look of ‘Shut the fuck up and help’ as he strips Jake from his clothes again. Once they successfully get him dressed, Jenny comes in and starts quickly putting on his makeup.

“Don’t do anything with his eyes,” Josh says. “He’ll just cry it off.”

Once he’s ready, the three of them usher him down the hall. “Two minutes!” The stage manager calls. One of the crew members hands Jake his guitar and Josh pushes him up the stairs.

“You can do this.” He whispers in his ear. “Just get through tonight.” He gives him a pat on the back before going over to his spot on the stage and grabbing the mic.

It all went by in a blur. Jake didn’t even realize the show was over until he felt Josh grabbing hold of his arm and tugging him off the stage and down the stairs. Time spun around him, everything sounded like he was in a tunnel.

He sits there in the chair staring blankly into the mirror as Jenny cleans his face of the makeup. Josh pulls him from the chair and pulls his jacket off and hands it off to Sam and hangs it up.

“Hey,” Josh snaps his fingers in front of Jake’s face, capturing his attention. “Look at me..” He drags his eyes over to look at Josh. “We’re gonna fix this.”

He hated being treated like a toddler but in this instant, none of that mattered because he admitted his feelings to Cate and she walked out on him.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Her words echo in his mind. “You weren’t supposed to fall in love with me...”

He rips out of Josh’s grip as he tries buttoning the shirt that he somehow put on while Jake was in his trance.

“Woah, relax.” Josh says.

“Let go of me..” He pushes him away and storms out of the dressing room.

“Jake! Stop!” Josh calls after him.

“Leave me alone Josh!”

“Jake-”

He spins around to face Josh. “I said.. Leave. Me. Alone.” He turns back around and shoves open the exit door and steps out into the muggy, sticky heat of Vegas. Ignoring the fans who have scurried outside to catch a glimpse of the band, he runs for the bus.

Once inside he drops onto the bed and leans forward on his knees. His chest heaves as he fights the urge to scream and punch the nearest wall. Catching a glimpse of the wedding band still wrapped around his finger, he tears it off and chucks it across the room. He hears it bounce off a few things before landing somewhere on the floor.

Stupid.

Stupid.

He never should have listened to Josh.

He should have just kept his mouth shut and just signed the divorce papers and none of this would have happened.

______________________________________________________________

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

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[staycalmandhugaclone]

If you're new, this all starts with Touch Starved! You can read this little chunk as a standalone, or head back to the beginning for the full experience!

Part 2 of 3 for Trouble Breathing

Febuwhump Day 10 - Ch 2

“Difficulty Breathing” – Medic OC & Wrecker

Warnings: Heights, bats, mild gore, drowning, near death, hypothermia

WC: 2,849- prompt requested by the lovely @the-clone-zone - think I covered all of your prompts in this one!

We survived. My mind kept coming back to that simple realization. The boulders overhead had caved in. We’d been trapped. And we’d survived. I still found myself tensing at every shuffle of displaced stone or hiss of falling sand, but feeling the presence of the powerful man beside me offered a comforting reassurance that eased my fears. I don’t know if I could have forced myself deeper into the growing chill in that terrible darkness without the occasional brush of his arm against mine, the gentle touch of his hand against my back through my every flinch and hesitation.

When the trail narrowed, however, I knew I’d need to make it on my own for at least those dozen-or-so meters where the ground lining our path dropped sharply on either side into a void too deep for even my light to pierce. Treading forward, I crouched just enough to lower my center of gravity, letting my feet glide mere inches over the smooth stone. I’d made it nearly halfway before realizing there was no shuffle of movement behind me and stole a hesitant glance over my shoulder to find Wrecker still standing stiffly at the edge of the precipice, shoulders drawn harshly back, body shifting beneath too-quick breaths, seemingly torn between tearing his gaze away from that infinite drop and being unable to look away.

“Wrecker?” I called quietly, quickly drawing his attention back to me.

“Uh.. that…” Heights. I remembered one of Crosshair’s teasing quips mocking Wrecker for his problem with heights. “It’s-t’s fine, jus’ gotta…” His body shifted as though attempting to loosen himself up in preparation, but, when he tried to force his leg to take that first stop, he froze, body swaying unsteady. He purposefully turned his gaze up, stealing a quick step back, and I could hear the sharpness of his huffed exhales catch on his mic.

“Well, aren’t we just a pair.” I murmured warmly. He glanced back at me for a moment before letting out a chuckle, head nodding lightly. I watched his gaze sweep over the too-narrow path once more before drawing a deep, tense breath.

The shuffle of stone overhead nearly robbed me of my own balance, head snapping to the mocking nothingness of pitch black looming far beyond the pitiful reach of my light. Wrecker. Focus on Wrecker… helping him with his fear was a far easily task than trying to deal with my own.

The man still stood unmoved, attention also carefully locked on where that sound had come from. Swallowing back my own dread, I slowly reached for my helmet, purposefully schooling my expression into something nearing calm as I pulled the dome over my head, instantly wrenching his gaze back to mine.

“I think we’re going to have to help each other through this a bit.” I whispered, a hapless smirk toying with my lips as my words fluttered away in a tiny cloud through the frigid air. His shoulders sank, and I could almost feel him struggle with the violent denial and fear straining against that first step. “Think you can focus on me? Just for the next few minutes?” My voice softened, falling into a gentle rhythm.

“You… yuh probably shouldn’ take that off.” He warned, and my heart melted.

“As soon as we’re on the other side, I’ll put it back on, but I want you to look at me for now. Okay?” I replied through a smile that no longer felt quite so forced.

“Y… yeah, okay.” He relented, arms flaring wide as he finally managed to set his foot down atop the thin wedge of rock.

“Good!” The praise burst from me in a quiet rush of air, earnest glee swelling through my chest. “The path is right beneath you. You’re doing great, Wrecker.” I continued softly. “Just come straight towards me.” Movements unsteady, shaking beneath nerves wrought with panic, he stole another step. “That’s perfect, Wreck. Keep focusing on me, and we’ll be out of here in no time.” I promised, beaming as he gradually began to get faster.

“Aren’t yuh still scared?” He asked, and I heard the slight breathlessness robbing his speech of that innate exuberance. I gave a little shrug.

“Apparently, there’s not a lot I need to be scared of with you nearby.” I replied with a toothy grin, and my heart swelled at the gravely chuckle that reverberate deep in his chest.

“Normally folks’re scared because I’m nearby.” He retorted. For just a moment, my expression fell. He’d tried to say it like it was nothing, but I could hear the whisper of hurt in his voice, and I wanted to spend an eternity telling him every way that they were wrong, every way I adored him until each trace of self-doubt and sorrow was washed clean. He paused, visor still carefully trained on my face.

“Wrecker, you are one of the most amazing, loving people I’ve ever met.” I felt no hesitation in letting the words slip reverently over my lips, urging them into the very fabric of his being. “You’re kind when it would be so easy to be cruel," he’d gone so still as I spoke, momentarily forgetting what horrors lay around us, and I felt that glimmer of hope that he just might let himself believe me, "and you’re gentle in a way that I-”

But then the clatter of stone stole the words from my tongue. I barely had time to watch him wrench the blaster from his back before that shriek tore through me; felt it vibrate violently through my bones. I’d just begun to turn, muscles jerking in that exigent impulse to see the nightmare before remembering the simple need to run, when a wall of iron muscle slammed into me with enough force to rip the air from my lungs, body flying back before even realizing I should be afraid.

I could hear the flurry of blasterfire. I could hear something that sounded like my name roaring from a voice I was sure I knew even as what tiny whispers of air my panicking diaphragm fought desperately to gain were wrenched from me in choked gasps of agony, some spiraling segment of my mind belated grasping the realization that the darkness had birthed one of those terrifying beasts; that I’d made myself an easy target; that it had surely been watching us since I’d first spoken, and, with Wrecker beginning to close the distance between us, had sprung for an easy kill; and I could hear the loud clap of leather wings around me; the scream of cloth and skin tearing beneath those frightful claws.

My body was moving before my mind could make sense of the suddenness with which I was robbed of that gentle quiet and thrust into a frenzy of panic, hands searching desperately for pistols I knew to be useless against the beast clutching me in with its hind legs. Still, my arms flailed to reach around the bulk of its covetous talons; and I tried vainly not to remember the length of those razor sharp claws as they vanished between the plates of my armor, burring into my waist; my shoulder.

Vaguely, I noted the rushed movement of a beam of light, the intimidating mass of his form illuminated by the ceaseless flashes sapphire glow. Wrecker. Fear forgotten, he was sprinting after us, enraged shout tearing from his throat. Fighting. He was fighting to get me back. I should be fighting, too.

Teeth ground, I finally managed to grab one of my pistols, hand shaking violently as I leveled the short barrel at the thing’s neck and fired. The creature shook more from surprised than pain, bony head craning down to snap at me with those massive fangs. I watched numbly as several flashes of light erupted from my weapon to sear into its throat. The choked screech it let out nearly robbed me of what failing wisps of thought I could cling to, ears threatening to burst.

Its grip shuffled around me, claws clicking atop my armor where they failed to find purchase in those tiny gaps in-between. I could smell the tang of burnt flesh, caught glimpses of holes still gleaming blue littering those wings. It was growing anxious, movements quickening in a desperation to reach safety with its prey. If it managed to get beyond the range of Wrecker’s repeater, I was dead…

The flash of metal that suddenly ripped through the membrane of one of those wings drew another deafening shriek from it, and it took a short eternity for my mind to reach some conclusion as to what it was: the three-pronged head of a grappling hook. Pistol slipping thoughtless from near limp fingers, I watched myself reach for it, watched my hand struggle to connect myself to it via the anchor built in to the waist of my gear, and I watched those massive talons finally pull away from me as the creature concluded I wasn’t worth the fight. The instant my weight caught on that line, it ripped clear of those wings. And I fell.

I should have known how long Wrecker’s grappling hook was. I should have thought to try and use my own. I should have kept my damn helmet on, but as my body slammed into the icy waters hidden at the bottom of that engulfing darkness, I knew only panic and pain and cold as my entire body convulsed, lungs seizing in a sharp gasp that only wrenched the nearly frozen liquid down my throat.

My arms locked against my chest, knees tucking into my stomach, numb to the agony of where that thing’s talons had left deep tears through flesh and fabric alike as muscles snapped taut amidst the frigid presence overcoming me. My chest fluttered in sputtered gasps, limbs jerking in some whispered plea to drag myself to the surface, to breathe; to scream, but there was only the darkness of those merciless waters closing over me.

I didn’t notice the pull at my waist until my body finally breeched the surface. The instant I felt air touch my lips, my body burst back to life, violent coughs tearing from my throat in a desperate attempt to force my lungs clear of that stagnant, icy water, retching around the sharp taste of minerals and rot atop my tongue.

Something was grabbing at my arms, pulling, dragging me over a ledge. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t focus beyond the screaming panic of cold, body shivering too violently to steal more than a fleeting gasp of air before it fled me in a strangled cough, hands curling against my chest in some useless attempt to retain even a whisper of heat.

Something was moving; shouting. I could hear shouting beneath the vague sensation of my body being jostled against someone else’s touch. I was sure that was an arm clasped beneath my chest, holding me up from the smooth stone, but when something slammed against my back, even that meager trace of lucidity fled me, body flailing anew to escape. A second blow struck me, then a third, and the flood of water that burst from my lips brought such an overwhelming rush of relief and hurt, I could do nothing as my body collapsed against him, torso bucking with wheezed gasps as that burning suffocation finally began to quell. That touch returned to my back, now sweeping up and down in vigorous strokes just bordering on painful.

“Doc! C’mon, Doc; say somethin’!” That voice begged, and it took several seconds for me to remember.

“Wre… Wreck…” I wheezed, legs shifting just enough to push me further into him, begging for his strength and warmth to somehow free me of the terrible hurt and fear, and I felt his body sink in a sharp sigh of relief.

“Think your pack got knocked off by that thing’s claws. You got any bandages in those pockets?” He asked breathlessly. I had to fight to make sense of his words. Pockets… the… the satchels at my waist… I only just managed a nod, unable to convince my arm to even tense with the intent of reaching for them. Without hesitation, he quickly dug through one to find the wildly insufficient medpack.

Unfazed, he began ridding my shoulder of armor to reveal the series of puncture wounds perfectly illustrating the gap between my shoulder bell and the chest plate. He didn’t waste time asking. I felt him guide me to lean back against his chest before he grasped the ruined fabric of my shirt. It tore like paper between his hands.

The sound of ripping fabric barely registered, mind only distantly noting the steady trails of crimson seeping from wounds I knew would be painful if not for that terrible numbness of the cold. It felt like I’d merely blinked, but my shoulder was suddenly covered in bandages, and he’d already moved to my hip, some fleeting apology catching on his lips before tearing the cloth concealing pierced flesh there as well.

“-ay awake!” The world jostled sharply around me. Couldn’t tell if it was from the way my muscles convulsed or something else. “C’mon, please stay awake!” Wrecker… he was running… Maker, it was so cold…

“-em things! Came outta nowhere an’ tried ta take off with her!” He was shouting. I think I could hear more voices. “Argh! The karking signal’s all over th’ place! I can’t… yeah, ‘course I got’er!” The shrill cry of blasterfire screamed over whatever response hummed from his speakers, reluctantly drawing some broken sliver of awareness to the distant clapping of leather all around us.

“Hey! Hey-hey; doc! Doc, look a’ me!” His voice boomed from that fearsome helm, but I knew him in an instant.

“Wr-Wr…Wre-”

“Yuh don’t gotta talk, but yuh gotta stay awake!” Almost before the silhouette dipped into the halo of light around us, grasping limbs already stretched forward with flared talons, Wrecker leveled his repeater and sent a rapid burst of fire strafing across its face. With an affronted cry, the thing vanished back into the darkness. “I’ll get yuh to Tech, Doc! He’ll get yuh all fixed up! Jus’ gotta stay awake!” Another creature dove for him. With a surge of speed, Wrecker just managed to leap out of the way, one arm remained locked around me while the other aimed his weapon once more.

This was insanity. Even unhindered beneath my dead weight, there was so little hope of making through the swarm of monsters vying for an easy meal.

“Wr-Wreck…” I called, voice still shattering from how that terrible chill robbed me of breath.

“They’re already waitin’ for us!” He promised, somehow still managing that lightness in his voice as if some part of this were fun. “Jus’ gotta get up this hill, an’ we’ll see em!” I managed to glance forward but saw nothing beyond the steady climb of that rocky path fading into shadow for some unknown distance without granting any hope of ever reaching the surface. We barely made it through the swarm with all of his brothers fighting alongside us. There was no way…

“Y-you ne-need to let- to let me g-go.” I felt the sudden falter in his stride and was glad that I couldn’t see the hurt or shock or anger that stole over that handsome face.

“No.” That hint of fun was gone. The way his voice growled through the modulators of that fanged helmet offered none of his overzealous joy. I felt the strength of him in the firm clarity of his voice, suddenly faced with the reality that this man was more than his brute force. Just like Echo, I had to remember that, through all his games and jokes and banter, he was one of the most accomplished soldiers of the GAR. “Not an option, Doc. We’re getting’ outa here together! ‘m not about to let a bunch’a oversized rats take us out!”

I felt him push forward with a fresh burst of speed, volleys of blasterfire screaming about us in an almost calculated rhythm, and I wanted to sob – I wanted to find some way to explain; to make him understand my horror at the mere thought of being responsible for his death; to beg him to acknowledge that his only chance was to leave me, but my lips refused to move, chest bucking beneath too-shallow breaths. Still, I felt myself try, felt the strained air catch in my throat, jaw shifting listlessly around near-words I just couldn’t quite give life.

“We’re almost there, Doc! Jus’ hang on!” I didn’t want to… Maker, I just wanted to remember what warmth felt like; I wanted to remember how it felt for my lungs to draw in more than a quivered gasp. “Hey! No-no; c’mon – keep your eyes open! Look a’ me!” I wanted to forget the burn of muscles trembling in that futile desperation to fend off the terrible cold turning my bones to ice and robbing my fingers of feeling. “Doc!” I wanted to remember that beaming smile he so willingly shared with the worlds.

Next Chapter

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[writing-reaper]

Bound Through The Force

The Bad Batch x f!OC Mara

Description: Finally put in a corner, Mara has no choice but to tell them everything. Ready for them to despise her, their response turns out surprising.

Note: Mara explains her past, so it’s a shit ton of dialogue. Feel free to just skim through, I’ll have something else at the end.

Warnings: trauma dumping, mentioned death, mentions of abuse, cult, breeding, mistrust and then forgiveness and fluff

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four |

Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven (here)

“What do you think it means to live?” Mara asks, looking toward the Jedi sitting cross legged across from her. She hums, keeping her eyes closed.

“I think it means to enjoy the things around you, to find the light in things.” Shaak Ti answers. “Why do you ask?”

“I heard once that if you’ve taken a life, that you could never live one.” Mara answers. “I’m simply curious, if I’ll ever be able to live. Do I even deserve to?”

“I do not believe you’ll accept any answer I may have for you. Though I ask you consider this.” The Jedi begins, finally opening her eyes to look at Mara. “That girl that follows you around—”

“Omega.”

“Yes, Omega. You care for her, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then care for her. Enjoy the every moment she’s in your life. When it rains, look out the window and smile. When it doesn’t, still smile. For living means appreciating every moment of time and every person you meet.”

Mara sighs and looks out the window. For the first time since she’s been there, she smiles. And when it finally falls from her face, she opens the door to her room and smiles once more.

“Omega.”

Mara raises her brow at the man holding the ice pack to her head. Her hand grazes over his as she grasps the ice pack, slightly adjusting to move away from his reach.

“Everything…” she hums, laying on her side to face him better. “Everything is… a lot.”

“I know.” He answers. “But nothing about you is making any sense. We need answers.”

“Fine.” She sighs, a tear leaving her eye as she visually slouches. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by the weight of it. “There’s no use in hiding things any longer. The truth will inevitably reveal itself. Perhaps it is best to hear it from me.”

“That’s all we want.” He states, trying to remain unfazed by the tears in her eyes.

“My mother was born of a cult. I only recently learned of her existence, as I had always been told she abandoned me. However, like many children of the Hye Society, I had been abducted to become one of their weapons, a mindless toy, made to destroy their enemies.” Mara begins, eyes glued to her feet as painful memories ache in her head. “Priya had been an older child of this abduction. If it wasn’t for her, I think I truly would be the mindless doll they expected me to be.”

“The friend you named your Tooka after?” Mara nods.

“Priya told me about her parents and how she was raised before they died. Maybe it was the idea of some day having a normal life is what kept me the slightest bit sane. She showed me compassion and warmth before I could completely despise it.” Mara wipes her eye at the falling of a tear. “When the final trial began, we learned that our relationship wasn’t as secret as we hoped because we were put against each other. We had made a prior agreement that if it would happen, we’d come to a draw then strike the same, leave the first drop of blood to chance. I didn’t realize just how prepared Priya was to die.”

“Did you kill Priya?” Her heart throbbed when he said her name, so much so she wanted to scream.

“I might as well have. She was dead either way. The elder killed her when I hesitated. For that, I was punished. Everyday I’d train, and every night for a month after I’d be whipped till I bled. If you need proof you can still see the scars.” Mara shifts up right, turning from him and raising her shirt.

“Kriff!” A startled shout left him at the sight. She releases her top and lays back down, finding it harder to meet his gaze. Perhaps because of that pitying look on his face.

“I’d train, then they’d tell me who. Who was in their way, who I had to kill. And I’d do it. I didn’t think there was a way out. Every opportunity I had, it felt like I was being tugged back to them on a chain. I thought if I did what I was told that the pain would go away, that the guilt would whither with their praise, but no matter what I did, I was doing something wrong. Then they told me to burn down a town. I don’t remember where, I just remember the warmth.”

Hunter remained silent as he watched her with uncertain eyes, her head tilting to the side as she stares toward the window.

“It didn’t come from the flames, but this little boy. He ran to me, hugged my leg and he begged. He begged me not to hurt his family. And then I realized that my suffering would never end, so why should others suffer? The town will burn, but I could save the people who lived there.

“I didn’t save many with half the town already turned to rubble, but I managed to save some from the destruction I had already caused. When I returned, I earned my name: Mara the Wyvern. A dragon for the fire, but a wyvern to convince their mindless followers I served them by choice because all I had were my wings and my two feet. Wings to fly away if I needed, if I ever had wings they were clipped before I knew what they were used for.”

“Did you manage to save anyone else?” Hunter questions, thinking of the relief in her voice when she said she realized that she didn’t have to kill anyone.

“At any opportunity.” She states firmly, red tracks running down her face as he realized just how much she’d been crying despite her steady voice. “There was a short period of time where I didn’t kill anyone. Three months. And then the breeding program began and the only person I wanted to kill was myself.”

“A breeding program? You don’t mean…?”

“I don’t remember much from that time period. Only one of my partners sticks out in my memory because he was beaten half to death when he asked me if I was ok. The only other thing I remember was being ill. Between what was expected of me and constant panic attacks, I had to be chained to a medical bed, once I was put on life support because I tried to scratch myself open.

“When they finally gave up on me, they looked for other options. Luckily, they found them and I was no longer required to participate, no matter how many of my traits they wanted their future slaves to carry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve been suffering long before you were even created.” Mara shifts to face him, happy he didn’t flinch when she placed her hand on his cheek, as Omega had done to comfort her before. “I am grateful to have met you when I am actively trying to be my best self. I may be broken, inside and out, but at least I get to choose what to do from here on. And I’d be forever more grateful if you let me continue to figure things out with you all than without.”

“I know you’re a good person, Mara.” He states firmly, sending a shiver through Mara’s heart. “Do you feel comfortable continuing?”

“I must admit, there’s not much else. I saved more and more people, mostly children, but eventually I was caught. When I was caught, I was ready to accept my fate. I finally got to take pleasure in my acts of rebellion, spit in the face of the ones who wronged me and then simply waited for that blade to chop off my head in a single fatal swoop.” Mara begins once more. “And then… I didn’t want to die anymore. My tormentor revealed a truth I didn’t realize would gift me so much courage. They told the crowd I would be given my mother’s name of exile. Mara Deoradhán. I was told my mother had abandoned me, not that she had been exiled. Suddenly, I had a reason to live. I didn’t know how I stopped the blade till I met Shaak Ti. But as soon as I had escaped the execution stand, I found a supply ship and wound up here on Ord Mantell in this very Parlor.”

“What happened when you came to Cid’s?”

“I told her who I was, and that I’d do anything she needed me to so I could break the shell that had been created.” Mara answers. “She complained that I was too skinny and that I wasn’t very social. When I opened up to her, I told her about my self loathing and gave me some half assed excuse of why I should love myself and I’ve been clinging onto it ever since. And then, just as my body was going out of survival mode, Shaak Ti arrived.

“She recognized me and still talked to me like I was a person, not a dangerous killer. It was scary, like she looked straight through me. I still don’t understand why she scared me so much. Even so, I followed her blindly when she told me she could give me answers about myself, answers to questions I never bothered to ask. She took me to Kamino and helped me get to a healthy weight and taught me how to relax. She called it finding peace, but I despise myself too much to achieve that. And then I met Omega.”

“I’d say I know where things go from here, but you haven’t exactly explained that either.” Hunter comments, earning a small smile from Mara.

“I appreciate you turning the comm on, because I would not have been able to do this with all of you in here.” Mara answers, watching his face shift to one of surprise. “Omega wasn’t allowed to be around me. A rule I tried to follow because I didn’t want to be sent back to Ord Mantel as I got super sick in the healing process. However, she was incredibly persistent.”

“She is extraordinarily persistent.” He agrees with a chuckle.

“Hey—!” A quick shush follows and Mara smiles at the comm device.

“Eventually, I let her start following me around and talking to me. While, Shaak Ti was certainly helpful, her company was rarely… enjoyable.” Mara hesitates at the last weird, grimacing at how awkward it felt.

“I understand.” He reassures.

“I have a difficult time socializing, but she spoke enough for the both of us. Of course, I eventually found it in myself to respond and we bonded quickly afterwards. But after that… I left. I didn’t know where exactly I would end up, but I eventually wound up with Elliot. I had went to an underground market I’d traveled to many times to find a ride to the outer rim. He was crude, but he was easy. Act oblivious, don’t show you’re offended, and he gave chase. He was only supposed to take me to where he was delivering his next shipment. Unfortunately, his experience didn’t match his intelligence and I had to get us out of a dangerous situation.

“Apparently the misunderstood bad girl gone good only made him more interested in me. He’d insist upon random stops, faked problems with his ship and his efforts became more and more desperate the closer we got to my location. Then he faked a crash and we were ‘stuck’ on a moon for a few days. I let my guard down under the impression no one was ever going to come. So I told him about the only good thing in my life, the only person I had who was waiting for me. I don’t know why, but I told him more about myself until he assumed I was at my lowest and made his move. My assumption is after he got what he wanted the ship was going to miraculously start working again and he’d finally decide to move on with his life. Instead, I rejected him and the next morning he came up with the idea a necessary part of the ship had broken off in the crash. When I went out to get it, he flew away. Got lucky that a supply ship made a pit stop and eventually made my way back here.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here and not stuck on that moon.”

“Thanks for hearing me out.” She replies, brushing her hair back and to the side. “I don’t want our relationship to change after what you’ve learned about me and I really don’t want your pitiful stares. I don’t expect you to be any different toward me, nicer or otherwise. I just want to be in Omega’s life, as long as I can, because I have nobody else to live for.”

“Don’t say that!” Omega’s voice comes through the comm once more and Mara winces.

“I forgot she was also listening.” Mara whispers, not wanting the comm to pick it up.

“She is right.” Mara shakes her head and brushes out her hair with her fingers. “You have your life to take back.”

“Every experience that is supposed to be enjoyable has been taken away from me. There’s nothing left for me to take.”

“You’ll find something, we’ll help you.”

“Thanks.”

“Hunter? Can you give Mara a hug for me?” Omega asks through the comm. Mara felt her heart skip a beat and her face turn red at the child’s suggestion.

“Omega, you can come up here—” she was cut off at Hunter’s sudden embrace.

Suddenly, she felt weak. Weaker than before as she leaned into his welcoming embrace, returning his hold. The hot tears filled her eyes once more and she turns off the comm right before a sob leaves her lips.

Mara let go to move away, but his embrace just seemed to tighten, keeping her in place as another sob left her lips and her head rests on his shoulder. When he did let go, she apologized for almost breaking down on him. If he wasn’t already so flustered he probably would’ve pulled her back in.

“You should get some rest.” Hunter says, his own cheeks flushed as he rubs the back of his head.

“C-can… can you stay with me…? Just a little longer?”

“Sure.”

Hunter left when Mara finally fell asleep. He found his brothers how he’d left them, still sitting at the large booth with Omega. Tech was examining the bottles from the bag Mara had requested, and Omega was listening to him as he rambled on about the different liquids, their origins and their uses.

“How’s she doing?” Echo asks, sounding concerned.

“She’s asleep.” Hunter answers, not quite sure of her actual emotional state as she fell quiet and held the purple Tooka. When he had met her gaze, she’d smile and her face would flush, and he could only assume the poison would result in a fever. “Omega, you knew that Mara was an assassin?”

“Nala Se told me before I met her because she didn’t want me around her.” Omega answers. “She said that she was dangerous, but after watching her for a while in the training room with the cadets I couldn’t see her as dangerous.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well… she never really worked with the cadets, she’d always just watch Shaak Ti train them. Then there was this one cadet, who wasn’t doing well. He fell and just didn’t get up. Some of the others seemed to laugh at him, but she laid down beside him.” Omega explains, thinking back to the day she saw Mara’s true colors with a small smile. “I don’t know what she said to him, according to Nala Se it was the first time she’d spoken since she’d arrived, but he was encouraged again and she helped him throughout the rest of the training.”

“Do you know why?” Echo asks, sounding rather swayed by the story.

“I never asked, she didn’t talk to me for a month.” She answers with a shrug. “And when she finally did, it was because I asked about one of her scars.”

“She’s still weird.” Crosshair scoffs, earning a laugh from Wrecker.

“I like her!” Wrecker declares before elbowing him. “You can’t deny she’s been fun to hang out with!”

“I’m sure you can forgive her behavior. From the sound of things she’s never been allowed to conduct herself in a proper manner.” Tech comments. “Furthermore, individuals who have been victims of abuse so early in their youth tend to have childlike tendencies and underdeveloped brains. And while Mara certainly acts an adult, she still portrays a childish behavior, especially around those she trusts, such as Omega and Cid.”

“Shouldn’t you add Crosshair to that list?” Omega inquires, earning a look from all five of them.

“What do you mean?” Tech questions, adjusting his goggles.

“She did that drinking game with him, Mara usually refuses alcohol from people. Even the medical volunteers on Kamino could never get her to join them.” Omega explains.

“Does that really make a difference? She just told Hunter something she clearly didn’t want to.” Crosshair scoffs.

“I guess it could’ve also been because of Tech. She seems to hang around the two of you more until Hunter talks to her.” Omega reevaluates aloud.

“I’ve noticed that as well.” Echo comments. “Whenever Tech’s fixing something, she’s always nearby watching and when you start making some sort of comment she’ll smile and participate in the conversation.”

“Didn’t think you’d be paying that much attention to her, Echo.” Crosshair quips with a smirk.

“Sh-she just doesn’t make any sense to me.” Echo stammered, his face flushing in embarrassment. Maybe he had been paying a little too much attention to her, especially when trying to trust her.

“Maybe Mara likes them more because they treat her like a normal person.” Omega suggests, quickly earning a look from Hunter and Echo. “Then again, that doesn’t explain why she doesn’t spend much time around Wrecker.”

“It’s probably because I grabbed her that one time.” Wrecker admits with a frown, scratching the back of his head. “She looked pretty freaked out.”

“I’m sure she’s already over that.” Cid scoffs, approaching the group. “How long were you going to wait to tell me Mara left?”

“The bars empty, besides those two. Didn’t think it’d be a big deal.” Hunter answers. “Mara got poisoned so she’s resting upstairs.”

“Uh huh, not a big deal, I’m running a business here. Someone’s always got to keep an eye out. Mara’s a grown adult, she can handle herself.” Cid scoffs, annoyed knowing they probably didn’t even realize when a new customer had come in.

“Sorry!” Omega apologizes for the group, seeing as it would’ve only taken them a second to grab Cid.

“Anyway, I got another mission for you boys, but we’ll discuss the details tomorrow. I want Mara to join you.”

“But she’s been poisoned—”

“That’s like saying Tiny here scraped her knee. Why do you care? Considering what Mara told me about that client, he wouldn’t want to kill her.”

“Why’s that?” Hunter questions.

“Because whoever hired him wanted to make sure she was alive. Mara may have “told him everything” but every assassin knows not to disclose their sanctuary.” Cid explains. “That means one of these customers gave out her location.”

Taglist

@mybigfatspoonielife @gjrain20-starwars @goddess-of-congeniality @redpool @chxpsi @stardust9905

[cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal]

For that ask game, “yeah no, 'sorry' isn't going to cut it this time." And/or “it’s not your fault” (for two different ones or whichever you’re feeling more!) open to the OC(s) of your choosing!

Sorry for taking forever on this. This was a stupidly challenging couple of prompts. I've managed to get the one for "It's not your fault" done. I'll keep working on "Sorry isn't going to cut it this time" and reblog this with the finished piece.

Pairing: Cassandra (Remus)/Ricardo

Warnings: Dysphoria, Suggestive Themes, and Puppet-Based Lies

Ricardo laughs as Remus throws popcorn at the screen. It’s a good sound, rich and full and accompanied by a crinkle at his nose as Remus boos at the wooden actors they’re watching. “You’d never come up with such a good line,” he complains. “This movie’s writing is unrealistic.” He stops himself from wincing as the voice comes out higher than his own, reminding him sharply that he is not himself right now. He is Cassandra. Ricardo is laughing at her, smiling at her, not him.

“Hey, I’m incredible at banter,” Ricardo protests, lacing his words with hurt for the drama of it.

Remus shoves Ricardo’s shoulder, just enough for him to rock gently in his seat and when he leans back into Cassandra, he wraps an arm around her shoulder. “How would I know?” Remus huffs. A lie, but it’s bound to push Ricky’s buttons. Cassandra’s lips twist in a wry smile as Remus lines up the shot. “You could be saying anything out there fighting villains. It’s not like you take a mic out with you.” He gasps, widening his eyes to complete the effect. "Is that why you don't? So no one can know how bad your one-liners are?"

He turns to face her, turning those warm brown eyes and brilliant smile that makes Remus melt every time. How long has he wondered what it’s like to have that smitten look directed at him? To know what it feels like for Ricky to want him?

Pressing his hand to his chest, Ricardo pitches his voice up incredulously. “Are you calling me a liar, Reyes?”

It was a mistake to let him call Cassandra by her surname. Too close to his old nickname, too close to old memories, too easy to mistake her for himself. It makes Remus bold. That and the couple of beers he’s had tonight. He brushes some of Cassandra’s curls - so much like his, same color and texture but so much longer than he’s ever been able to grow his - out of her face. He raises her eyebrow imperiously, “I guess that depends on if you’re lying.” He leans forward, knowing that it lets Cassandra’s already low cut shirt sink lower. He’s close enough to Ricardo that he can smell the cologne he always wears around Cassandra. “Are you a good liar?”

Ricardo’s eyes flash down to Cassandra’s chest and back up. If Remus hadn’t been looking for it, he might have missed it. Ricky’s tongue darts out to wet his lips. His pupils are a little too wide.  Predictable as always. Ever the sucker for a pretty face and a good flirt.

“My mouth has many talents, I’ll have you know.” His grin is positively hungry. It makes Remus want to bite his lip, draw the hunger free from the smugness. “Lying, included.”

Remus slides Cassandra’s hand over the couch cushions and up onto Ricardo’s leg. He doesn’t take his eyes off Ricardo as he trails lazy circles across his inner thigh. He always did like to sprawl out. Leave himself open to anyone who might take advantage. People like Remus. And, by extension, like Cassandra. Ricardo’s eyes blow wide as Remus drags Cassandra’s manicured nails further up his leg. Not hard, just enough for Ricky to feel it through his trousers.

Remus doesn’t need his telepathy to see the way Ricky’s pupils blow wide. The way his lips part and his breath hitches ever so slightly. “I bet it does, Ortega,” Cassandra’s voice makes the words into almost a purr, pushes it past the threshold of suggestive and into the realm of the obscene.

He shouldn't do this. Agreeing to a movie night was bad enough - too close to their shared past. It’s too easy to fall into old habits, to be too comfortable. But he’s sitting closer to Ricky than he has in years, basking in the warm light of his deep brown eyes, sharing in the brilliance of his smile. So when Ricky leans in, close enough that Remus can feel the warmth of his breath, Remus’ heart skips a beat.

“Care to find out?” Ricky smirks, like the line’s something to be proud of.

Remus groans, but doesn’t lean away. “Dios, that was corny.”

Ricky opens his mouth, no doubt to defend himself, but Remus grabs the front of his shirt and drags him down. He tastes like popcorn butter and his terrible craft beers, but Remus doesn’t mind because he’s kissing Ricky. He’s kissing Ricky. He’s kissing the man he’s held a candle for as long as he can remember. Regardless of what he tastes like, it tastes like victory. Like coming home.

Ricky’s moans into his mouth and it takes all of Remus’ self-control not to melt into him. When Ricky’s hands grip his waist, he gasps, and lets Ricky slide him onto his lap without a fight. He cards his hands in Ricky’s hair, presses himself as close to Ricky as he can. He trails kisses across Ricky’s cheek, up his jaw, burying his nose in the curls behind Ricky’s ear.

He settles into the way Ricky’s touching him. Hands roaming down his sides until they slink around his hips, gripping his ass lightly. Remus sighs in contentment against Ricky’s neck before pressing open-mouthed kisses down the curve of it. Maybe he’ll leave a few bruises, just to piss off the Rangers’ PR team. Give the makeup department a little extra work in the morning. Leave something of himself behind for Ricky to carry.

He smiles when he hears the stutter in Ricky’s breath. It’s nice for the tables to turn, for him to be the one causing Ricky’s heart to race and breathe to catch. But it’s not enough. He wants more. Wants to feel Ricky want him, to hear the desperation for him. Remus grinds his hips down against Ricky, relishing in the feel of Ricky straining against his zipper.

Ricky grips him tighter, pulling him so close he can feel the rumble through Ricky’s chest as he groans, “Cassandra.”

Something hot and ragged rips through Remus’ chest, dragging a choked gasp from his throat. No, not his throat. Cassandra’s throat. He freezes, his eyes snapping open as the reality of the situation settles into his bones. The world goes quiet as Remus recenters himself, trying to shake the weight that’s dragging him further into the choppy waters of his heart, and he can just barely make out Ricardo’s voice.

“- Reyes…What’s wrong?” There’s worry in his voice, palpable even through the five walls between it and Remus’ mind. His hands are loosening their grip on Cassandra and he draws his head back to look at her. “Was it something I did?”

Remus shakes his head, fumbling off Ricardo’s lap. He presses his palms into his eyes. When did he start crying? He wipes away the tears furiously. “No, it wasn’t you,” and this time he doesn’t catch the wince at the sound of Cassandra’s voice. “I can’t do this.”

Ricardo reaches forward for a second, but drops his hands uselessly at his side. Every part of him looks tensed as though he wants to leap up and help. But he can’t. How could he? He doesn’t even know what’s going on. “I’m sorry.”

Remus laughs and it comes out high and hysterical and grows even more so as he hears it. He hugs Cassandra’s arms around her body, but it just highlights the differences, just makes him feel worse. “It’s not your fault.” And it’s not. It’s really not. It’s not fair to even pretend it is. Even if it would make Remus feel better. “It’s not. I promise.”

He stumbles to his feet, nearly slamming the back of his shins into the coffee table as he does. The pain brings a little more clarity to his mind and Remus clings to it like an anchor as he forces Cassandra’s feet towards the door. “I have to go,” he manages to choke out as he slips her heels back on.

“Cas- Reyes, wait!” And Ricardo is getting up to his feet, but Remus is already out the door. He’d always been the faster of the two. Funny. Just another thing he and Cassandra share.

He takes the stairs two at a time, not even bothering to look back as the doorman calls out a farewell in the lobby. If Ricardo follows him, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t care. Remus doesn’t stop running until he’s nearly home.

[cutedevil34]

So Gods Do Exist… (Mortal Kombat x OC) ((Kinda))

Part 3

Kenshi, Kung Lao, Lemon and Johnny were all summoned to meet Liu Kang in front of the wooden mansion/orphanage they were staying in. 

“So we find him in Outworld and bring him here for questioning?” Kenshi questions, holding up a paper with the drawing of a man’s face on it.

“Yes.” Liu Kang responds. “If what I fear has happened, he is a grave threat to the realms.”

“Anything else?”

“Shang Tsung is a master of deceit. Do not trust a word he utters.”

“Sounds a lot like my first agent.” Johnny comments.

“It’s a tricky mission.” Kenshi continues. “I’d rather Raiden fo than this one.” He pointed to Johnny who looked extremely offended.

“Hey! “This one” is up for the job.”

“This mission must be done quietly.” Liu Kang informs, getting closer to the group to whisper to them. “I am breaking my word with Empress Sindel by sending you into Outworld without her knowledge. Due to the tournament, Raiden is now a familiar face there. Sending him will only increase your risk of being discovered.” He takes a red talisman from out of his back pocket. “This talisman is attuned to Shang Tsing’s chi. Follow it to him.”

Kenshi takes it out of his hand and examines it.

“And be careful. May the Elder Gods protect you.”

“Are we there yet?” Johnny whined.

“Again? How old are you, five?” Kenshi questioned.

“What can I say? These boots aren’t made for walking.”

“Just take the boots off then.” Lemon huffs. “Or stop complaining, I’m the one that has to make sure I don’t accidentally roll off this hill.”

“Then take them off.” Johnny repeats, making Lemon roll her eyes.

“He is right about that part.” Kung Lao agreed. “Why would you wear rollerblades? That’s just asking to make things harder.”

“Well I’m sorry that I only brought two pairs of shoes and one got destroyed. If I knew we were going on the hunt for some “potential” villain, I would’ve brought another pair.” Lemon says sarcastically before suddenly smirking at Kung Lao. “Wanna make a bet on if I’ll fall or not?”

“No! Raiden told me to stop and for once I’m going to listen to him.”

Lemon’s smirk fades away as she rolls her eyes and brings her attention to Johnny. More specifically, the sword on his back. “Johnny, when have you ever used a sword? I thought you just had that thing for decoration.”

“It’s not just for decoration!” Johnny and Kenshi shout at the same time.

“Damn, sorry.”

“That’s my family’s sword. Sento.” Kenshi explained. “And at some point I’m getting it back, Cage.”

“Do you have three mil’ on you? If you do, I could give it to you right now.” Johnny teased.

“You know I don’t have it.”

“I bet your Yakuza pals could come up with it. Oh, that’s right, you blew them off. If there’s one thing Hollywood’s taught me, it’s never burn bridges. You never know who can help.”

Kenshi stops walking and turns to Johnny, flashing his flashlight in the man’s face. “The Yakuza are leeches, bleeding out those too weak to resist. I grew up in that life and I never understood it. Why did my gain require other’s pain? I got out, I need my clan out too. We can’t be a part of the Yakuza’s crimes any longer.”

Lemon huffs and snatches the talisman from Kenshi, gaining his attention. “Keep arguing if you want. I’m going to actually complete our mission before my legs give out on me.” She says, rolling past the trio and following the talisman. Kenshi glares at Johnny once more before he and Kung Lao follow behind Lemon. Johnny rolls his eyes and follows as well.

Lemon reached the end of a cliff, above a bunch of other people and creatures that were fighting each other. She lifted the talisman up to feel its reaction to the crowd.

“What’s your precious say?” Johnny asked, taking his phone out and recording the fight. Mainly the creatures.

“Our potential villain is in there. Somewhere.” Lemon answers.

“Along those creatures?” Kenshi questioned.

“Mhm.”

“Oh, my fans are gonna go nuts cosplaying them at Cage Con.” Johnny commented.

Two armored men drag one of the creatures out of their house, against their will. Another man, who the group was able to recognize as Shang Tsung, walked behind them. “Hold him still.” He commands, taking an empty syringe out of his pocket. “If he squirms I cannot extract marrow.”

“Let’s just jump him after he’s done.” Johnny suggests. “Oh! In “Fist of Iron” we did this thing where like—”

“We’re not basing strategy on your films, Cage.” Kenshi interrupted.

One of the armored men kicked the creature in the back of its knee, forcing it to kneel down. “Let me go!” It shouted. “You can’t do this!”

“The wound will heal quickly, it is a small price to pay for progress.” Shang Tsung declared, pushing the syringe into the back of the creature’s neck. It screamed out in pain and broke the ropes tying it behind its back. It then stabs both the armored men through the chin and head.

Shang Tsung backed away from the creature, getting to a fighting stance. The creature quickly overpowered him, knocking him to the ground with only a few hits.

“On second thought, this scene’s playing fine without us.” Johnny yawned. “Yep, I say we let them finish it.”

“We have to save Shang Tsung.” Kenshi argues. “Liu Kang needs him alive.”

“I was going to say that you’re way too calm, then remembered your past.” Lemon says, slowly backing away from Kenshi who was glaring at her. “Okay, I’ll just…go…around…somewhere. Bye!” Lemon quickly skates away from the group, lightly hitting herself on the head with her fist. “Why the fuck would you bring up his past!?” She shouted at herself.

The other three jumped down the cliff and towards the fight. Kenshi grabbed the creature and pulled it away right before it could stab their potential villain.

Shang Tsung quickly moved away from the fight, smirking at the interference and shapeshifting into one of the creatures. He then roared at them and walked away.

“How did he do that!?” Kung Lao exclaimed before him and Johnny quickly got into a fighting stance to hold off the rest of the creatures. Behind them, Kenshi got flung off the main creature’s back and onto the ground.

“I would’ve killed him, but for you!” It shouted at him.

“I get why you’d want to, but you can’t!” Kenshi argued, standing up and taking his sword out.

“You’re one of his minions! You’ll die in his place!”

Going back to Lemon who still hasn’t found a way to come down, the girl just shouted, “Fuck it!” and jumped down to where the fight was, landing on top of one of the creatures. “Oh shit, sorry!”

“Don’t apologize! They’re trying to kill us!” Johnny shouted from the left.

“Oh, so do you want me to kill it?”

“NO!” Kung Lao shouted from the right. “We have no reason to kill them!”

“Then what the hell do I do? Knock it out?!”

“You would rather kill it!?”

“YES!?”

“NO!”

“UGH!” Lemon kicked the creature on the side of its head, promptly knocking it out.

Kenshi, who was still behind them, won his fight against the main creature and put his sword back. “Now please, let me explain.” he pleaded. Kung Lao, Johnny and Lemon all back up to him, suddenly being surrounded by the creatures.

“You got us into this. How about getting us out?” Johnny asks Kenshi who continues to talk to the main creature.

“I know what this looks like, but we don’t work for Shang Tsung.”

“If not, why save him?” The creature asked.

“Because Liu Kang, Earthrealm’s Protector, wants to question him. He thinks Shang Tsung may be a threat to both our realms.” Kenshi holds his hand out. “I’m Kenshi Takahashi.”

“Our kind do not shake hands.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Don’t you know what we are?”

“No, we don’t.”

The creature lifts its arms up. “We are victims of Tarkat.” It explains. “The disease is not easily gotten, but you can’t risk more close exposure.”

Johnny quickly wipes his hands on his clothes after hearing that.

“Oh shit, so they’re not creatures…” Lemon mutters. “I can’t call them “its” anymore…”

So the MAN continues to explain how Tarkat works. “It disfigures, then debilitates. In time, it will turn us all into blood-thirsty monsters. Death is our only release.”

“So you weren’t always like this?” Kung Lao guessed. 

“I was once a rich merchant. But when I became ill, I was banished. Now I run this colony. I am Baraka.”

“What does Shang Tsung want with your bone marrow, Baraka?” Kenshi asks.

“I don’t know. But he comes here each month to harvest it.”

“Release us and we’ll capture Shang Tsung. And we’ll find out why he's been coming here, I promise.”

Baraka looks back at his colony before ordering them to let the group go.

“Thank you. We won’t let you down.” Kenshi thanks before turning to Lemon who was holding up the talisman.

“I think we just did.” Lemon whispers. The talisman wasn’t glowing anymore and had cracks on it. “It’s not working…”

“His laboratory is near.” Baraka reassured. “I can guide you there.”

“Thank the gods.” Lemon sighed. “I rather not be scolded by either of those two.” She points to Kenshi and Kung Lao. 

Baraka led them to a large factory type building with water wheels on the side and surrounded by water.

“Any idea what to expect?” Johnny asked him.

“No. I’ve never been inside.”

“Stay here.” Kenshi orders. “We’ll check it out.”

They snuck inside the building and crept up the stairs where they heard Shang Tsung talking to somebody.

“The addition of crushed Kytinn Larvae proved an inspired choice.” He noted. “In testing, outcomes improves significantly. I have modified the formula since the last time it was administered. It uses several new ingredients. This new serum is exactly what we need. Its effects will be immediate and long-lasting.”

The four Earthrealmers peeked over the top of the stairs to see Princess Mileena laying on a chair with Tanya, Rain and Shang Tsung standing over her.

“How can you be sure?” Tanya asks.

“Because it is brewed from freshly extracted Tarkatan marrow.” Shang Tsung answered, looking down at the syringe in his hand. “It couldn’t be more potent.”

“He is infecting Mileena with Tarkat.” Kung Lao noticed.

“Shit, guess he is a potential villain.” Lemon sighs.

“We need to stop him.” Kenshi says.

“Save a distressed damsel?” Johnny laughs. “Sure thing.”

The four of them run out of their hiding spot and stand in front of the group of villains.

“Get away from her!” Kenshi demands.

“You bitch!” Johnny shouts at Tanya.

“What!?” Lemon exclaims.

“Excuse me!?” Kung Lao questions, grabbing Johnny’s arm and looking at him in confusion. “What was that!?”

“You know, the movie!” Johnny attempts to explain. “Tiny girl, ginormous alien, “Ripley!”” The group just looks at him in confusion. “No!? Seriously!?”

“Earthrealmers!?” Rain exclaimed. “How did they find us–”

“They’ve already seen too much.” Tanya states, running towards Kung Lao and Johnny while Kenshi and Lemon went around her and to Shang Tsung.

Lemon kicks the syringe out the sorcerer’s hand, breaking it on impact. She then kicks the sorcerer back onto the wall behind him. Rain then walks in front of them, blocking them from Shang Tsung.

“I need time. Buy it for me.” He tells Rain before running off. Lemon was going to follow him but is pushed onto the ground by a wave of water.

“You will get nowhere near him.” Rain says, glaring at Lemon and Kenshi.

“Shit, I thought Shang Tsung was the sorcerer.” Lemon curses, spitting water out her mouth and standing up.

“Liu Kang sent you, didn’t he? Sent you to learn our secrets!”

“He sent us here for Shang Tsung.” Kenshi corrected, taking his sword out. “But it looks like he’s just part of the problem.”

With some help from Lemon, he knocked Rain out with a punch to the face. “The High Mage is brought low.” He says, putting his sword back. He then notices Tanya starting to win her fight against Johnny and Kung Lao. “Lemon, go stop Shang Tsung. I’ll go help the other two.”

“Right!” Lemon agrees, skating over to Shang Tsung and kicking him in the shoulder. “Can you stop trying!? We’re not going to let you harm the Princess.”

“Who’s said I’m harming the princess?” Shang Tsung questioned, getting into a fighting stance.

Lemon blocked one of his punches and used that to get behind him and kick him to the ground. She then jumped on the man’s back and activated her rollerblades to push him further into the ground.

Shang Tsung cried in pain, glaring at Lemon who held his hands behind his back. “Fighting back was the dumbest idea ever. I’m faster than you, dumbass”

“I can tell.” Shang Tsung says, smirking. He then shapeshifts into Lemon’s body and rips his hands away from Lemon before turning around and kicking the woman in the stomach. “I could use that speed.”

“Oh, what the fuck? What the fuck!?” Lemon shouted, quickly stabilizing herself and turning to Kenshi who was currently fighting Tanya. “Why did nobody tell me the potential villain could shapeshift!?”

“We didn’t know he could transform into ANYTHING!” Johnny argued for Kenshi.

“Well shit!”

Lemon was stuck blocking multiple punches and kicks from Shang Tsung. He was too fast for her to react, and that kinda pissed her off, especially because his speed came from her own body.

Shang Tsung then grabs Lemon’s arm and throws her to the ground. He then slams his rollerblade into Lemon’s stomach, causing the woman to scream.

“You cheater!” Lemon roars, grabbing the leg that was on her stomach and turning her rollerblades on. The wheels quickly spin backwards and because her shoes were on the ground, they moved both Lemon and Shang Tsung towards the wall behind them. Lemon quickly spins around to face the wall and throws Shang Tsung into it, creating a few cracks behind the man.

Lemon then stands up and, once again, grabs Shang Tsing’s hands as hard as possible, forcing him to stand up as well. “Fight back again and I swear to the gods I will literally kill you-“

Kenshi, who finally finished his fight and knocked Tanya out, ran over to Lemon with Kung Lao and Johnny.

“This is twice you Earthrealms have been a thorn in my side.” Shang Tsung groans. “I’ve already told you, I’m not trying to harm the Princess.”

“We’ve heard about how you lie. Excuse us if we’re skeptical.” Kenshi replies, turning to the others. “Don’t let him free.” He then runs to where the Princess is and lightly shakes her awake. “Princess, are you all right?”

MIleena wakes up with a low groan, looking up at Kenshi. “Is it over?” She asked.

“Yes. You are safe. We’ve stopped Shang Tsung.”

“Stopped him!?” MIleena replied in surprise. “Why!?” She suddenly gasps in pain and starts to shake uncontrollably. Her eyes turn red and she becomes more hoarse as she continues to gasp in pain.

“Princess! Princess, what’s wrong!?” Kenshi shouts, trying to hold her down.

“What did you do!?” Lemon demands, pulling Shang Tsung's arms.

“It’s what you’ve done, fool! Let me help her, before it’s too late!” Shang Tsung pleads.

Lemon rolls her eyes and gets off of Shang Tsung’s back. “Watch him.” She tells the other two before skating over to where Kenshi and MIleena are.

“Back up!” Kenshi shouts to her, holding his arm out. “Something’s happening to her!”

“I can see that!” Lemon shouts, looking scared. “This is Tarkat!?”

Milleena sat up and roared at the two. She then broke the chain on her wrist and stood up, slowly starting to walk towards Kenshi and Lemon who were backing up.

“Now do you believe me, Earthrealmers?” Shang Tsung questioned.

“What do we do?” Kenshi asks.

“Keep her occupied. I need time to finish more serum.”

“And I can’t hurt her?” Lemon questions.

“No!” Kenshi states.

“No promises.”

Kenshi ignored her and turned back to Mileena. “Princess! We can help you.”

“Your blood…” Mileena says, sniffing the air. “How sweet it would be to lick off my fingers…”

She then lunges at Kenshi who blocks all her incoming attacks with his sword. Lemon skates behind Mileena and wraps her arms around the Princess’s neck, putting her in a chokehold.

“I said don’t hurt her!” Kenshi reminds.

“And I said no promises!” Lemon replies. “Now are you going to do something or what!? I’m not stronger than this woman just so you know!”

Right after she says that, Mileena breaks free from Lemon’s grip and is about to turn around to attack her but Kenshi swiftly hits the woman in the stomach with the butt of his sword, knocking her to the ground.

“Johnny. Kung Lao.” Kenshi calls, putting his sword back. “Help hold her down!”

The two both grab Mileena by the arms holding her in place as she struggles to break free.

“It’s now or never, Shang Tsung!”

Lemon rolls away from Kenshi and to where Shang Tsung was to get him to Mileena quicker…which proved to be the wrong idea.

Mileena breaks free from Kung Lao and Johnny. She elbows Kung Lao in the chin and goes to bite Johnny but Kenshi pulls her back at the last minute. Mileena wacks the man’s hands away and runs to a table close by to grab her two sai. She then runs back to Kenshi, jumps up and stabs the man in the eyes.

“Kenshi!!!” Johnny shouts as Kenshi screams in pain.

Lemon rushes over to the two and punches Mileena in the face, finally knocking the woman. Shang Tsung takes that chance to finally inject the serum into Mileena’s body, turning her back to normal.

A door to the right opens, showing Kitana, General Shao, and someone new.

“By the Gods! Mileena!” Kitana exclaims, running to her sister. “What’s happened here, sorcerer!?”

“There people were sent to disrupt your sister’s treatment and scandalize Outworld by revealing her illness.” Shang Tsung lied. “This woman here even punched the Princess.”

“Because she stabbed my friend in the fucking eyes!” Lemon, who was kneeling next to Kenshi argued. She stood up to fully defend herself but was knocked out by the newcomer’s punch to the face.

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MASTERLIST

Picrew link: TOON ME!

[maysoulrose]

The Thief and The Moon chapter 4

chapter 4 of my little indulgent Skyrim fic, featuring Brynjolf and my dark elf oc, Allustria.

chapter 4

Allustria seemed to have lost her playful mood since meeting Mercer. Brynjolf was a little worried.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine at GoldenGlow. Just get in, get the vault’s treasures, and set a couple beehives on fire.” He glanced at her, hoping he was doing an alright job at easing her mind.

“I’m not worried about the job. Like I said, I’ll get it done.”  She snapped. Brynjolf let silence in for a moment. 

“... Let me show you around a bit more. There’s a bed over here that isn’t taken, could have your name on it. Comes with a privacy screen, a nightstand, and chest. You can throw all your things in there.” He took her to said bed. “My bed is just across yours If you ever need anything, you could just toss a rock my way and I’ll come over.” He gestured over his shoulder. The first waterfall just beyond his station. She lets out a little chuckle and looks around. Brynjolf can see her mind whirring with thoughts. Trying to figure out how to say it. If she should. If she could trust him with it. She takes a seat on her new bed.

“Thanks for trying to ease my worries, but you’ve misunderstood.” She keeps her eyes to the floor. Brynjolf takes a seat next to her and listens intently.  The elf looks toward Mercer, who took his place back at the desk and is buried deep within his work. “Let’s just say, I don’t like how he smells… He smells… like me.” Her eyes darken, deep in thought. 

Brynjolf’s eyebrows furrow at that remark, but doesn’t question her. He honestly didn’t know what she was talking about. Did he stink? From what Brynjolf had noticed, she didn’t smell bad. Did she mean metaphorical? All that he’s been able to tell is she’s an amazing thief with sneak skills that seem to surpass his own. If that’s the case, then why would she hate Mercer for that? Did she see him as competition? 

Allustria exhales and looks up at the light shining through the dripping ceiling.

“Forget it, I don’t really know why I told you that.” She laughs, awkwardly, and rubs the back of her neck. “I don’t expect you to understand, you’re just… weirdly… easy to talk to.” A little pain showed in her face. “Just.. Be careful around him?” She finally looks Brynjolf in the eyes. She looked genuinely worried. Brynjolf didn’t know how to feel about it. She felt so sincere, but he’s known Mercer a long time. 

“…No harm in that I suppose.” He finally responds. The sound of her sigh of relief gave him a bit of relief as well. She’s obviously been through something. Perhaps done some things she’s not proud of. Sounds like she’s just cautious of the people she meets. 

“So. Where do these tunnels lead?” Allustria nods her head in the direction of one. Brynjolf lights up once again

“Allow me to show you~”

——————————————————

“This is the training area. We have chests to pick and archery training. It’s good for sparring to get better at your close combat skills as well.” 

It was warm here. The ground was littered with hay, barrels, locked chests, and sparring dummies. Seemed to double as a storage room. Allustria took up a bow and traced her fingers along an arrow’s feathers. The stance she took showed off her incredibly toned legs. As well as a strong back and fit arms. She cocks the arrow, draws back, and shoots at a target hanging near the ceiling. Just a smidge off a perfect bullseye. 

“I’m a little rusty.” She winks, playfully. Brynjolf rolls his eyes. 

“I, uh, noticed your daggers.” His eyes lower toward her thighs. “Is that all you carry? Oooor….”

She raises her brows, paired with a mischievous smile. 

“You’re a little naughty, aren’t you?” Allustria lifts her leg onto a crate and slips the fur pelts away so she can show off her deadly hidden blade.

“I prefer… observant.” Brynjolf rubs his chin, taking in every inch of her bare skin.   She slips the weapon out of its sheath and throws it at a target. It plunges in with a good thunk. She flicks her wrists and two more daggers drop into her palms. Thunk, thunk. They join the first. Brynjolf goes to retrieve the blades, admiring their craftsmanship. Two matching steel blades with jewels embedded into the hilt, and one gnarly wicked blade he didn’t recognize. A dark metal, its handle wrapped in brown leather. The blade was slightly curved, and had embellishments carved near the handle with two spikes that would surround your hand when holding it. He hands them back, which she hides on her person once again. 

“To answer your question, I prefer daggers over everything else. Easiest to conceal.”

“Can’t disagree with that.” Brynjolf leads her out of the training room. 

They pass a table covered in food for the taking, across a bridge in front of the second waterfall, and past Mercer’s desk. A couple of empty shelves behind him. 

Next were a set of large golden doors, decorated with the fanciest and most intricate locks Allustria had ever seen.

“Got something important behind those?”

“Ah, that’s the guild’s treasury. Best locks money can buy. You need two keys to open it and the only people who hold a copy are Mercer, Delvin, and myself.” 

Hearing a ruckus behind them, Allustria turns to see what it’s all about. A few patrons from the bar had dragged themselves to their beds and immediately passed out cold. All tuckered out in the late hours of the night. Seeing them coming in, still laughing with each other, and then falling asleep the second they hit that pillow was really comforting to Allustria. It felt safe here… Generally… She was still keeping her eyes on that Mercer guy. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way. 

Allustria spots the ladder down the last tunnel that separated their sleeping quarters. 

“Where does that lead?”

“Oh!!!” His eyes lit up. “Now that you’re an official guild member…” Brynjolf excitedly led her to the ladder. He was so giddy about it, showing a childish nature. Allustria couldn’t help but get excited as well. She followed him up and he opened a trap door at the top. After climbing out, he turns around and offers a hand of support for the elf. She takes it and brushes herself off as she stands. They’re incredibly close to each other with not much room to move. Their chests almost bump touching. The tight space was poorly lit by a lantern with a couple of candles inside and was fully formed of brick and stone.

“What is this? A torture chamber?” Allustria said, with an unintentional lilt of excitement. 

Brynjolf grabbed a chain that was hidden behind him and gave it a good tug. A horrible scraping sound of stone on stone filled the space. The night air rushed in, as the ceiling opened up, rustling Allustria’s hair in waves. She closes her eyes and takes in a deep inhale. The ratway and cistern wasn’t terrible, but it definitely smelled better up here than down there. Brynjolf explained all the mechanisms that were installed in the makeshift mausoleum to get this secret door working. He made it sound so interesting, when normally she wouldn’t care much, but his enthusiasm was contagious. 

They wander up the stone steps and arrive in the cemetery. Brynjolf pushes in a button, resembling the thieves guild emblem, and the stone structure grinds closed once again.  Blooming nightshades filled the gated area around them. Bustling trees in the gentle wind. Quaking aspens shimmered, mimicking the sound of rain. The night was clear, Letting the stars shine their loveliest of colors. 

Brynjolf gasped when he saw Allustria. In the night sky, her eyes almost glowed. As if they had their own source of light. Even the bridge of her nose seemed to gain a sprinkling of freckles that sparkled faintly. She looked so peaceful, looking up to the stars, lowering her lids as she inhaled the fresh scents. The wind danced with her long hair, swirling back and forth. The breeze trapped itself against the walls, picking up leaves and swirling around them in a spiral.

“It’s a lovely night.” Allustria looked at Brynjolf. He felt himself begin to blush from her beauty. Her eyes were of the stars themselves. 

“… It is, Lass.” He said, not taking his eyes off of her. 

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5

read it on the fanfiction site

[spectresbase]

Spectre's Holiday Advent Calendar, Day 10

As a thank you to my followers, I've thrown together a bunch of short stories with their OCs and requested characters and will be posting them 1 per day as Holiday gifts. Hope you enjoy! Today's Character: Talah Moon for @lastman505

They were a study in contrasts. Winter, pale skinned, regal, sophisticated. Talah, dark skinned, direct, and almost aggressively uncultured. Which was good, because while Winter was painfully aware this wasn’t appropriate behavior for a senatorial aid, Talah straight up didn’t care. Hooking her legs around Winter from behind, she used her heels to pull the other woman’s legs apart, pulled her sleep shirt down to reveal her tits and shoved a hand into her panties.

Tits. Panties. Winter would probably have referred to them as breasts and undergarments if Talah’d asked. She didn’t. Instead she nibbled her neck. Winter gasped, back arching, pressing her shoulders against Talah’s chest. Talah took the opportunity to reach her other arm around, grabbing one of Winter’s ‘breasts’, squishing it between her fingers. Winter was bigger than she was, softer. Years of fighting the Empire had toned most of that softness out of Talah. She squeezed.

Winter shivered, gasps becoming whimpers. Not for less though. For more. Talah knew that much from the way the other woman’s crotch heated under her fingers. She focused on it, using two fingers to work her clit while she continued to kiss and fondle her. Shivers became shudders. 

“T-they’re gonna be b-back soon.” Winter stammered through the gasps. “I know. And I’m gonna have you dripping and desperate when they do.” Talah whispered into her ear. Her hand between Winter’s legs sank lower, fingers hooking inside her. “Looks like I don’t have far to go.” 

She withdrew her fingers, bringing them up to Winter’s eye level. She let her get a good look at the way the dark digits glistened. “You’re a mess, girl. I’ll take it as a compliment. Open wide.” Winter did, shuddering again as Talah slid the fingers into her mouth. Her tongue rolled around them both, licking up every drop of her own arousal and it was Talah’s turn to shiver. She imagined that tongue working just as diligently between her own legs. She bet it would feel incredible. Her pussy agreed, little bursts of aching need blossoming in her thighs.

But no. That wasn’t the mission. She wasn’t the main attack force this time. She was the advanced team, sent ahead to prepare the way for the main thrust, and as much as she craved to go off mission, she had her orders. So instead of twisting Winter around and drawing those beautiful lips and skilled tongue between her legs; she put her freshly cleaned fingers back to work between Winter’s. The Commander better fuck her long and hard for this. Otherwise she was keeping Winter for herself next time!

[sanisse]

No Grave Can Hold My Body Down, I’ll Crawl Home to Her | Beorn x Fem!OC (3rd person POV) 

Spice Level (1-5): 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (pretty spicy)

Pairing: Beorn x Fem!OC for @medusas-hairband​ – Tumblr ate the original ask right out of my inbox but I gotchu babe. 

Warnings/tags: rough sex, biting, impact play. Breeding kink slipped in here too, whoops. CW: descriptions of blood & injury from a battle. 

Original request: “can I request some intense I-almost-lost-you-so-I’ll-fuck-you-into-tomorrow primal sex with Beorn and a woman? Your choice if the desperation is more on his part or hers” – to which I answer, both? Both is good. also yeah we’re ignoring how he looks in the Hobbit. We’re getting Jason Momoa!Beorn because I said so. 

Minors DNI. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. 

-

The black blood is still cooling on his armor when Beorn finds her in the woods in a circle of the slain orcs she’s brought down with her own hands. Never has she been more beautiful. She drops her sword and runs to him. He drops his-- the battle’s over-- they’re whole, they’re whole-- that’s all that matters-- and coils his arms around her hips, snatch her up. She locks her legs around his waist and surges up to claim his mouth in a consuming kiss that’s more teeth than tongue. 

There is blood leaking from a wound in her side. Blood drying on her hands. It mingles with the blood and mud streaked on his face. He doesn’t care. He kisses her. Tastes it: metallic on her tongue, and lets out a moan. Blood means they are still here. They are still alive. They made it.

She sinks her teeth into his bottom lip. He growls and slams her up against a tree.

“Need to feel you,” she hisses against his lips, braced between the rough trunk and his own body. “Need to feel you inside me. Make me yours.”

“Mine,” he rumbles in agreement. He lets her go just so he can tear open the laces to her leather trousers. She reaches for his. They aren’t undressing each other so much as tearing each other open, clawing at the fabric, rending it away until there’s nothing between them but flesh.

Their hips knock together. She shoves him down to the loamy earth and climbs astride his hips. The impact makes him wince. He’s wounded, too, he doesn’t care. He has to have her. Has to know that they’re both real.

She feels real enough when she takes him in her hand and mounts him. Hot and wet and slick. And to her, it’s the same: she knows he is here, hard and huge and perfect. Almost too much to take. The burn is exquisite. She braces her hands on his chest and rises up, then swallows him up again, fucking him, taking him as deep as he’ll go as she pants and moans into his mouth.

He wants more. They both do. He fists his hand in her hair and flips her under him, pinning her to the earth. The warm smell of the wet leaves, the dirt, the fresh growing things, the spike of pain that shoots through his stomach, the way she claws and bites at him like a wildcat, drawing scratchmarks down his back as he ruts into her, claiming her--- it’s a all a brilliant reminder: a splash of holy color on what remains of the day. They are still here. They are still here. They are still here. 

He presses his forehead to hers. Swallows her gasps straight into his own mouth. The air expelled from her lungs. The vivid proof that she still breathes. She digs her fingernails into his arm and draws blood. Sweet, fresh, blood. Evidence that tells her he still has a heart that beats in his chest. 

“Harder,” she demands. 

He slams into her so hard she chokes. She’s unbreakable: this woman of his. Perfect. Dauntless. Incredible. As strong and capable a warrior as any he’s ever known. He loves her. He loves her. He loves her.

She manages to flip him again. They roll through the fallen leaves together. She slams his wrists to the ground and tosses her hips. 

“Thought I lost you,” she hisses out with a tortured moan. “I saw the blow. Saw the blade--” 

“Never,” he insists. The cut isn’t deep. He’ll survive. “I’ll always come home to you. I promise.” 

She cries out and clenches around him, letting go of his wrists to collapse onto his chest. Beorn wraps his arms around her, fucks her straight through it, rolls her onto her stomach and pins her to the ground by the back of her neck, smothering her, slamming in, out, in, out, over and over and over-- fucking her into the dirt as she screams and shakes and keeps coming. 

He’s going to put a baby in her, he thinks. Then no matter what, she’ll always have a piece of him. 

He growls, sinks his teeth into her shoulder, and comes.

They lie there entangled together, bodies cooling as the sun starts to set. He strokes her hair back behind her ear and soothes the bite mark he left on her shoulder with the flat of his tongue, then a kiss.

“I need to have a look at that wound,” she murmurs, voice hoarse. He’s still crushing her. 

“And I yours,” he replies back. “I’ll make a fire.” 

She reaches back to grab onto him before he can leave her.

“In a minute.”

Beorn closes his eyes, buries his nose in her hair, enjoys the scent of her, knowing she is real, she is real, she is real.

“In a minute,” he agrees. 

They lay there and watch the sun set together, and the stars wink to life above their heads. The day is done and they know: the stars are proof. They’ll live to see another sunrise.