#I diagnose you with: Lake

[smuggonifico-lmao]

Mother's cradle

@tangledinink

[creekfiend]

I have been having a really weird experience this summer, which is that I fell in love for the first time. I'm 36, and if you'd asked me if I had ever been in love previously, I would have said "I don't know, maybe? I used to think so but now I'm not sure? What's it mean to be in love?? how would I know if I had or not???" I thought that because I had not experienced it myself, the people who were always saying "oh no, trust me, You Would Know" were all lying or otherwise mistaken. I DID NOT BELIEVE THEM. I was fully like "this is some sort of mass delusion, there's no way that's a thing"

Now that I know that this is something that Exists even if it doesn't always Look Like They Tell You, there's SO many things that make sense to me!!! Whenever I encountered Romance Stuff before, I had no desire to do any of it AND could not comprehend why anyone else would ever want to either. It was this really large experiential disconnect for me. Whether or not I want to do any of those things, I now understand why other people would, if they Were In Love. LIKE I GET IT NOW. IT MAKES SENSE TO ME. I still can't relate to things like people in movies falling in love instantly, but now it's like "oh right, that's a potential state of being that exists," rather than "pretty fucked up that hollywood made Being In Love up to sell more flowers or whatever."

I feel like I'm constantly 24/7 running a software update on my brain that's been overdue to be installed for years or perhaps decades. It's just like "OK YUP UPDATING ALL THESE PROGRAMS AND FOLDERS. THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND DATA BYTES OR WHATEVER, BUCKLE UP!" Pretty sure there's actually one of those little rainbow spinning icons above my head the whole time I'm conscious, like I am some sort of very confused Sim.

This happened to me REALLY SLOWLY, too, so it was like a big blockage in a river, and more and more stuff was just piling up against it, and then the dam broke, and now I'm sitting in the shallows of a giant basin lake under a massive waterfall wringing my hat out and going "woah. they got never before seen types of fish in here"

Who else knew about this??? Unfortunately the answer is: a majority of human beings over a certain age DID in fact know about this, it's just that every time anyone said "this is a way people feel about each other sometimes," I said "hmm. sounds fake." In-cred-i-ble.

Turns out that being in love is just an experience that people can have!! It's just a thing that happens sometimes! Some people have had it happen to them a bunch and some people not at all. It's just A Thing That Can Happen To You. Wtf. WHAT WILL I DISCOVER NEXT????? IT COULD BE ANYTHING !!! WHAT WOULD BE THE FUNNIEST POSSIBLE NEXT THING FOR ME TO REALIZE EXISTS? ONLY TIME WILL TELL. (Can you fucking imagine having this happen to you when you are in your seventies or eighties rather than your mid thirties ????? THAT WOULD BE THE WORLD'S MOST DISORIENTING EXPERIENCE.) (I also thought that "having chemistry" was fake.) (Do not diagnose me, I PROMISE I already know)

[tiramisuwithmascarpone]

Hello! I'm a 15-year-old devotee of both Lord Hermes and Lady Aphrodite who is raised in an extremely Orthodox Christian household, and I would like to share my story with you ⋆˚ʚɞ

Hi! for safety reasons I will not use the name I usually use online for this account, but you can call me Jellyfish. I live in Eastern Europe, more exactly Romania, a country whose population is 98% devoted to Christianity at the time of speaking. My mother is a perfect example. She wholeheartedly believes in God, I grew up with pictures of him and the Holy Mary all over the walls, which I wouldn't escape even at my grandparent's houses. My house always smelled of myrrh, I would carry a picture of God everywhere I went, I would pray to him before bed, go to church on every holiday, but I never felt fulfilled or connected to him in any way. I didn't truly know what I believed in. My mother was telling me all about how should I praise God, but I don't think I ever did it because I wanted to or felt connected to what she was telling me or felt like it was the life I wanted to live. When she would fight with my father, even now, she would threaten that she would run away to a monastery and become a nun. She thinks you cannot change your religion and you can not be Christian if you were born with Christian parents and raised in that environment. I did not have faith in God because I wanted to and felt connected to his message and wanted to worship his divine being, I did it because my mother felt that way. And that destroyed me.

As I grew older, I started believing less and less in God. I was struggling with going through teenagehood, fighting my own inner battles, and dealing with friendship that slowly felt like they were taking away my lifespan, and it wasn't just that I didn't have faith in a divine being (which is completely alright. Please do not believe this monologue is Anti-Christian, I believe everyone is allowed to believe and worship the one who they feel most connected and inclined towards.) I didn't have faith in anything anymore. When my brother reached 15, he hated my parents for their beliefs. I will not get much I detail since his story is not mine to tell, but he had battled with alcohol and substance abuse. And I was his only shoulder for him and my parents to lean and cry on. My mother told me to pray for our family, she would pray to god every day, light up myrrh, take me to churches, and I would feel miserable. I felt like an imposter in that church. I truly wanted to have faith in a god, anyone, but I felt like my only choice was God since that's what my mother taught me. Both my parents trust God so I cannot be different, can I?

How foolish I was. I can only look back to my past self and wish to embrace and hold her till she cries all her sorrow out. She was so confused.

Back in 2022, I had first heard of Aphrodite. My brother was sent to a mental hospital for his substance abuse when they caught him on the verge of overdosing. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a suicide attempt, autism and ADHD, but my father (who already couldn't accept the fact that my brother has ADHD) fought with them saying they ,,don't know me well enough" and,,there's nothing wrong with me". And he's right, there's nothing wrong with me. Not even If I am neurodivergent. I was at my lowest, I felt disgusting, I fought with my parents and was their therapist every single day, I stopped going to school, I was a mess. But, I was heavily active on social media because I had tons of online friends. While scrolling on tiktok, I found a video of an Aphrodite devotee. My interest was piqued. I heard about Greek Mythology before but never actually researched it. I liked the video and commented, talking about how gorgeous their faith sounds, and that's when it all started. I started getting more info about Aphrodite, the swans swum by me every time I would go to the lake with my family so we could ,,get some fresh air". I started getting lots of pins on Pinterest with her. I always had a desire for water and the beach was my safe place, where I felt fulfilled and free from all I'm feeling. I had a Dove make itself a nest on a tree next to the window of my classroom which I would always sit by while having lunch (on the rare occasions I would drop by to school). I started researching more about Lady Aphrodite, loving her story, beliefs, ways of worshipping, how it felt like silence was washing over me when I would make a non-physical offering to her. Her tales. The way it felt like she was always there to give me a warm hug and squeeze me while I was crying. I also felt a boost in my confidence! I started loving my features, taking care of myself again, etc. It wasn't always just sun and rainbows, I would still have breakdowns and wish it would all just end and all that, but it was more bearable with her. She made my life more bearable. I love, worship, and adore Lady Aphrodite for that. I worshipped her till this year when I officially felt strong enough to devote myself to her.

This year, actually, I started noticing my strong connection to Hermes. I was always attracted to the kind-hearted, mischievous, kind-hearted, highly intelligent and funny thieves. I always idolized them and wished to be like them. That's how I feel about Lord Hermes. I feel like he was reaching out to me all my life. Everything he is associated with I had an inexplicable obsession with for pretty much all my life. Turtles, golden or silver, travel, learning new languages, astronomy, astrology, everything you could think of. I have been devoted to him since last month, that's when I officially started labeling myself as a Hellenic Pagan, but I am still a beginner, and I need to hide all of this from my mother since I am afraid of what she would do if she were to find out I have another belief since she reacted super badly back when I was an atheist :( I set up the first altar for Lady Aphrodite, and the second one for Lord Hermes. I always had been an artistic soul and loved making my room all pretty randomly so I told my mother this is one of those cases and she believed it. She does not know english and is not at all cultured about any beliefs besides Christians, Muslims, and Jews. They are both hidden in my closet. I feel very bad for not being able to make them a bigger and more obvious altar, I hope I'll have that chance when I move out from my parent's house..

I wanted to ask if Lord Hermes would be mad if my mom kept setting random things on his altar? she even put a picture of the Holy Mary. I moved it to the other side of the closet and made a DIY necklace for him out of orange garnet or beads to apologize to him, and he didn't seem mad, but I'm not sure...I sketched drawings of both of them and rested them on their altars. Everything you see are either offerings I heard they may like or things that reminded me of them! the little notebook on Hermes's altar is specifically made for learning new languages and thought he would enjoy it. Do you guys think any of my offerings are disrespectful? or should be removed? I'm open to any advice! Thank you for listening to my story <3

[rainylana]

“I’m not always bad.” Part two!

Eddie Munson x female reader

warnings: readers dad has cancer, enemies to lovers, (bullies reader in part one), language, mentions of religion and prayer, depression and anxiety. a lot of angst and fluff.

note: let me know if you want a third part!

Eddie backed off. Whatever class you shared, passing by each other in the hallway or the cafeteria, he backed off. He didn’t bother you, didn’t even look at you. Well, that wasn’t true. He looked, but only when you weren’t aware of it. It had been two weeks since you had broke down in front of him, and as each day passed, he could see you start to slip, start to deteriorate right in front of him. Everyone else was seeing it too.

You weren’t doing as much makeup like you normally did. Instead of putting on a full face, you applied some mascara. Instead of dressing up, you preferred sweats and a hoodie, your hair put up and away so you didn’t have to deal with it.

You weren’t bringing your lunch anymore, surviving off the snacks your friends would make you eat. You didn’t answer questions in class. You weren’t you, anymore. In just two weeks, you’d completely changed, and Eddie, most of all, didn’t like it.

He should talk to you. That’s what he should do, instead of staring at you all day. Over that time, he began to realize his feelings for you were not just hatred.

The day came when he decided he would say something. Say what, he didn’t know, but he needed to speak with you, needed to know that you were…okay, given the circumstances.

•

“And I don’t know if you can hear me, or…even care about what’s happening to my family, but please, God, please, I can’t watch him die. Mama can’t watch him die. Please make him better, I beg of you.” Your hands were folded above your knees, tears on your face and mascara smudged down your cheeks. You were at lovers lake, an isolated side of the park that was overgrown and lonely, much like yourself these days.

There was a singular picnic table, an old, rundown cabin that was falling apart. You’d only been through this area a few times, but the isolation made you feel welcome and at peace, hoping maybe that God could hear your prayers just a little louder here.

“Amen.” You sniffled, wiping your tears and sitting there emotionlessly. You stared at your hands in front of you, too scared to move, too scared to go home. You found yourself always scared, always anxious and alert. Your father was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer and was only given six months to live at best. You didn’t think you could go back to life before you’d been called down to the kitchen for a family meeting.

“Hey.”

You jumped, alert and alarmed at the voice that emerged through the wooded trail. You placed a hand over your heart, calming when you realized who it was.

“Eddie?” You asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” He held up a hand. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your…” He trailed off. “I walk here a lot.”

That wasn’t true. Eddie didn’t like to walk, or any form of exercise, for that matter. He’d followed you, listened to your entire prayer and cry for help, only to come out when your finished crying. It was hot out today, but that didn’t change his normal attire. Black jeans, ripped at the knees. White t-shirt with a little grease. His hair was extra shaggy due to the humidity. He had a bead of sweat forming above his lip.

“That’s okay.” You said meekly, looking back down at your fingers.

He stood their awkwardly, scratching the back of his sweaty neck. “Look, I can go-”

“No, no.” You waved a hand. “I should go. This isn’t my-”

“Don’t go!” He interrupted you, taking a step and stopping you from getting up off the picnic table. “I uh- sit.” He said to you, doing so himself, sitting across from you.

You weren’t aware just how much of a mess you looked, having forgotten about the tears and makeup mess on your face. He stared at you for a moment, watching you watch the lake. You were blushing—or, were you just red faced from crying?

Eddie gulped, not knowing what to say. A simple how are you would suffice, but he couldn’t seem to get it out.

“Do you need something?” Your eyes panned over to him, sunken and shallow. “I don’t have the homework done if that’s what you’re wanting.”

He hadn’t asked for it in weeks.

“How are you doing?” He bounced his knee, clasping his fingers together in front of him. “With…you know.”

You stared at him, and for a moment, you gave him that same look you did two weeks ago. Bewilderment, shock. But only for a moment, because you simply did not have the energy to put on a show, or care. Eddie noticed.

“I don’t know how to answer that.” You said honestly. “I guess I’m fine.”

“It doesn’t seem that way.” He was looking at you through thick lashes, analyzing your every move, like you were his prey. “Nobody knows yet, do they?”

You tried not to cry. You didn’t want to again, especially not in front of him. You’d already made a fool of yourself once.

“Just family.” You whispered.

You weren’t stupid. You knew Eddie felt bad for you. You’d cracked away at his hard shell and found some emotion inside of him. You just wished it wasn’t at your expense, and you didn’t need his pity.

“Do you need anything?” He found himself asking, quickly looking down to his own hands that he fiddled with, decorated in rings and cat scratches.

This was exactly what you didn’t need. You didn’t want a spotlight on you. You didn’t want him looking at you like you were going to break any second. You didn’t need Eddie Munson as your friend.

“No.” You shook your head. “But I do need to go.” He watched you stand up, and by your shaky hands, he knew you were still very upset. Had he upset you? Should he not have reached out to you.

“Y/n, wait!” He followed after you on the trail.

“What?” You whirled around. “God, Eddie, what is it?” Your eyes were round and wide, alarmed and scared.

He looked taken back, shooing a fly away from his face. “I just- I…I’m really sorry about your dad. I can see that it’s bothering you.” What a dumb thing to say! Of course it’s bothering her!

Don’t take it out on him. He didn’t do this. He didn’t cause it. He’s looking out for you. Him, of all people.

“Thank you, Eddie.” You gave him a smile mixed with a frown. “But I’m fine, I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”

You left and he didn’t follow, and when he no longer could see you, he swore he heard the sound of someone sobbing.

•

Three days later and you still hadn’t told your friends. You knew you had to soon. They were concerned. Your teachers knew now, your mom had told the principal, after he had called your parents about your grades. You didn’t get in trouble, they all understood.

You were going in and out of listening to Chrissy talk about prom, your eyes filled with what felt like water and air. You felt like you were drowning. Your eyes burned and felt clouded, your vision was blurry. Your throat burned and you seemed to gasp for air, but you couldn’t. You sat there and listened, drowning inside.

But when you felt something sharp, piercing and full of concern fall upon your face, you looked over and found the hellfire table, their master, staring at you. Eddie was staring at you. You locked eyes with him briefly before turning back to Chrissy.

Two more days passed and everyone knew. You didn’t know how it got out, but you knew it would have sooner or later. You just wished it was later. Everyone was staring at you in class, including Eddie, and by lunch time, the cafeteria went completely silent when you entered. You could take the I’m sorry’s and the I’m here for you’s. You couldn’t take being watched, couldn’t take being talked about and whispered about behind someone else’s back.

You had turned quickly on your heal, flashing an angry emotion across your face that Eddie hadn’t seen in quite some time. You slammed open the doors and walked down the hall with a quick speed. Each step you took, your breathing got heavier and heavier, your head felt lighter and lighter.

You were gulping, choking on your sobs as you rounded the corner and ran down the stairwell.

I’ve gotta get out of here. I’ve got to get out of here.

When you tripped and fell flat on your face, that seemed to be the final straw. You screamed, cursing at the universe, god, whoever, as you stood back up.

“Y/n!” Eddie came running up behind you, panting just as quickly as you were. He widened his eyes at your state. “Hey, hey,” He rushed to you, and you couldn’t help it. You melted into his arms. You let him hold you.

Your limbs gripped his shirt tightly, pulling like he was a rope, and sobbed into his shoulder. You didn’t know why, but in that moment, there wasn’t anyone else you needed more than him.

•

“Thanks for the ride.” You said hoarsely.

It was only one o’clock, but Eddie offered to drive you home. You let him, not able to imagine going back to class after the scene you had made.

“Don’t mention it.” He out the van in park, arm stretched out to the wheel. “You gonna be alright?”

You nodded, tugging at your hoodie, “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” You said quietly, excluded of emotion.

“Listen, about what happened at school,” He started, turning in his seat. “Everyone’s just surprised, that’s all. It’s like gossip to them. They’ll forget about it eventually.” He searched your eyes, hoping to make you feel better. “Are you hearing me?”

“Yeah.” You sighed. “I’m just…I don’t know. I might take a break for a few days. Maybe they’ll have dropped it by then.”

He didn’t want to go a day without seeing you. He was becoming more and more concerned, more and more attached, curious. You were becoming the very thing that kept him awake at night. He didn’t know why, but god, were you absolutely beautiful.

“Bye, Eddie,” You reached over and squeezed his knee. “Thanks for everything.”

He watched you walk inside, only seeing a small portion of your home on the inside. He hoped you would dream sweet things that night.

[jetblack4realz]

lake days iv - jake "hangman" seresin x reader

summary - jake is a regular in your household (collection of cute jake moments basically)

warnings - just a very domestic relationship with a lack of a ring which makes you want to scream

word count - 3.4k

pt i , pt ii , pt iii , pt v

______________________________________________________________

as your relationship continued, jake realized very quickly that the worst part of your weekends off was going back to sleep at base. and then waiting around for the better part of the morning before heading to your house to work on the truck you'd just recently bought because you'd been called in to tutor some new pilots or review prep work for an upcoming mission that he'd spent all night finishing.

soon enough, you found yourself coming home to jake over the hood of the truck in your driveway, tools from barrett's garage scattered around as he tirelessly tried to diagnose the issue with the engine.

he walked back into the house for the sixth time that day, grabbing a cup of water and chugging it quickly. "you alright, jake?"

"fine," he answered quickly. "do you have any floodlights?"

you glanced outside, watching the sun set slowly behind the pine trees surrounding your home. "you're not gonna keep working, are you? have you even eaten anything?"

"i've helped myself to a few snacks, but i wanted to figure this thing out before the end of the day," he answered. "i changed the oil and tried to bleed the brakes, but i think something's clogging 'em. i'mma go figure out which-"

"jake, let's just get some take out and rest," you told him, approaching him with a few slick steps. you rested your arms around his torso as you smiled. "why don't you stay the night? you seem tired and i don't want you driving back all by yourself."

"i'll be fine," he insisted.

"okay, let me rephrase: i want you to stay over tonight. will you please?" you asked sweetly, looking up at him with a soft smile. he grinned, pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

"well, sure baby," he said. "anything for you. let me just clean up my things, return the tools to barrett, and then we'll get some food. deal?"

"deal," you nodded.

when you woke up the next morning, you didn't think it would be to your mother calling you. you checked the time with a groan, pulling jake's arm off of your torso as you scooted to the edge of the bed - seven thirty in the morning. you raised your phone to your ear after pressing the little green phone icon.

"what's up, mom?" you asked, your eyes still shut as you waited for a response.

"are you coming to church today?" she asked through the phone.

"what?"

"church, honey. you coming?"

"what time?"

"same as always, 2 o'clock. we've got dinner afterwards too. maybe jake can come! or is he working?"

"no, not today. he's over right now actually."

it was like he knew you were talking about him, reaching over to you with one eye peeked open. you grabbed his hand with a small smile, squeezing it gently.

"bring him to church. he's a church man, ain't he?"

"well, he is from texas, ma." your laugh was tired, but genuine, and it made jake smile as he scooted closer to you.

"bring him. and bring him to dinner after. finn here is dying to see him again."

"you have finn over at yours?"

"he usually runs over here for breakfast. dad buys the sugary cereal brynlee refuses to."

"hmm, sounds like finn."

"i'll see you later, honey. bye-bye, i love you."

"love you too, ma, bye."

you dropped your phone on your nightstand, immediately rolling back into bed and into jake's awaiting arms. you sighed contentedly as he pulled you close, lips to your forehead before settling you against his chest again.

"we going to church?"

"yup."

"i don't have anything to wear."

"call logan."

so, after you two woke up again, at nine this time, he did. finn was all too happy to run a gray polo over to your place, immediately thrusting it into jake's arms and situating himself in your pantry, searching for goodies.

"finn, get out of there," you laughed. "grandma told me all about your cereal run to their house this morning."

"aw man!" he cried, stomping over to where you were laid on the couch and plopping next to you. you pulled him into your side, messing up his hair. "stop!"

"let's watch cars," you said, flicking on your tv and clicking through your streaming services until you found said movie. you knew how obsessed he was with it, and so you were equally surprised when he stopped you.

"let's watch planes," he said. "it's like cars, but planes."

"i don't think i've seen that before," you hummed, but it was in the suggested section below cars, so you clicked on it.

"i love this movie," he told you.

"is it because your cool aunt y/n flies planes?" you teased.

"no, it's because i do," jake said, reentering the room in logan's polo and a clean pair of dark wash jeans. you smiled at him, being obvious as you checked him out, though finn couldn't tell from in front of you.

"well," finn said, dragging the word out for effect. "i mean..."

"no way!" you exclaimed, sitting up quickly and beginning to tickle the boy's sides as he shrieked with laughter. "i'm supposed to be your favorite! i was there when you were born!"

"doesn't make you cooler, y/n," jake said in a sing-songy tone, laughing as finn pushed your hands off to run to him. jake caught him quickly, pulling him up into his arms before throwing him back against the couch. finn sat up quickly, running back to the aviator but jake just leaned over and snatched him up by the legs, holding him upside down.

finn laughed again as jake brought him over to you, carefully laying him across your lap as you tickled his stomach again. "you're so mean to me, finn."

"i'm sorry!" he laughed, pushing your hands away. "you're my favorite!"

"ha! knew it," you said, relinquishing your hold on the child with a smug smile. jake rolled his eyes, scoffing a slight laugh as he joined your side.

"whatever, y/n."

you sent finn back to his family to get him ready for church after the movie wrapped up and you went upstairs to find a dress you thought was suitable for church. you landed on a comfy, ruffly floral midi dress that was ruched at the top with elastic thread to give you some shape. it even had pockets.

you took to the bathroom, pulling out your makeup bag as you turned on some old worship songs you listened to in highschool, appreciating the sense of nostalgia that washed over you. also pulling out your curling iron, you turned it on and began humming to yourself as you wiped some moisturizer onto your cheeks.

you did most of your makeup, only leaving your lashes out as you curled your hair the way you liked it. you were so used to keeping your hair in tight buns that it was so gratifying to be able to style your hair in a cute way - even if you knew it was just going to be back in a bun the next day. you turned off the iron, unplugging it now so you wouldn't freak out later.

"it is well, it is well... with my soul," you sang quietly, curling your lashes as jake walked into the doorway, leaning against it with a small smile. "what?"

"nothing, you're just cute," he said, coming behind you to wrap his arms around you as you continued your makeup routine.

"so are you," you told him with a smile.

"we gotta leave soon. you almost ready?" he asked, kissing your temple.

"just finished," you answered, turning around in his arms to smile at him. "you wanna drive?"

"if it means we don't drive the subaru, then of course," he said, taking your hand and dragging you out, turning off the lights as he went. "let's do this thing!"

"i haven't really been to church much since my first deployment," you told him as you drove to the small building about fifteen minutes away. "just the few times now that i'm back."

"i miss it," he told you, glancing at you with a small smile. "i hated it as a kid, but now i realize that it was actually fun. got to be with my friends and family in a peaceful environment."

you nodded. "i get what you mean. my mom always tried to keep us so involved with coloring pages and small snacks. my grandpa was the preacher, so that helped a bit, but i really just liked coloring."

and when you sat with your family, your two month old new little niece called ella who alice and barrett had been more than happy to let you hold perched on your lap, you realized that your mom still had the same habits.

jake happily accepted a coloring page from everleigh, helping her draw on it over a notebook on his knee. the red crayon he held carefully colored in the sash on Jesus' robe, everleigh scribbling over his hair with the brown.

"looks great, honey," you whispered to him with a smile.

he winked at you, grinning and whispering back, "i'm an excellent crayon artist."

after church, you all returned to your houses to change into comfy clothes and then headed to your parents' house. you and jake elected to walk the ten minutes to their house instead of drive and you took the opportunity to slap his butt as he locked up and you skipped down the driveway.

he laughed loudly, following after you and wrapping his arms around you from behind, keeping you from moving forward. "what was that for?"

"you just look good in your sweats, babe," you told him, turning around and matching his grin before pressing your lips to his.

"you look good in yours too," he hummed against your mouth, pulling away for a moment to just go back in for a shorter, sweet kiss. you laughed, grabbing his hand and stepping backwards.

"come on, mom's got a roast in the crockpot."

family dinner was always really fun for you and was always incredibly special to jake. he appreciated being included and feeling like he was a part of your family - because he really did. he could feel that they all loved him, and he loved them too. he loved being around your brothers and dad the most, though. having grown up with only sisters he craved the camaraderie of brotherhood, something he'd only found on the football team and hoped to get more of in the navy, but only finding it in a few other aviators - namely javi "coyote" lopez and johnny "cash" richards who you spent many nights in the bar and days on the beach with back in hawaii.

and your brothers loved him too.

"i challenge you to a game of speed," logan said to jake as you all finished up your ice cream and brownies. jake grinned.

"game on."

it was intense, but after five rounds, jake had him beat at cards. logan was dramatic as he sighed and traded places with darren, letting the younger boy have a go at beating jake.

but he didn't. and neither did josh. or barrett. or your dad. or kyrie, your mom, alice, or you.

but, brynlee had game, and you all knew it. they tied twice, and as the fifth round carried on, you all watched intensely. jake was quickly running out of cards as brynlee tried to jump into his run, but to no avail. and then suddenly, they were both stuck.

"can't keep going?" you asked. they each had two cards left. they nodded, eying their cards as they grabbed a new card from the side decks. "ready, go!"

it was a 6 and a 3.

brynlee placed a 7 just as jake placed a 2, then jake quickly slapped his 8 on top of her 7 and cheered in victory.

"oh come on!" she exclaimed, sitting back with a frown as her husband high-fived your boyfriend.

"i'm never challenging you to speed again," logan laughed.

you all started to gather your things, wishing your parents a farewell as you all went to your respective vehicles, or in your and jake's case, began to walk. you had your hand clasped in his as you walked down the road, finn yelling "bye!" through the window as they drove by.

"i don't wanna go to work tomorrow," you groaned, leaning into him as your hand dropped from the wave you sent to the five year old.

"me neither," jake sighed. he squeezed your hand. "we've got a debriefing for wednesday's mission. we gotta pre-run it tuesday."

"no, they moved it to tomorrow. and they switched out bambi for fritz."

"why?"

"bambi freaked yesterday while i was over with the new guys. came back from a run all frazzled, quit on the spot."

"what happened?"

"i don't know. cash said they were out on a routine flight when they came across some cuban bogies. freaked out bambi i guess."

"so, we've got fritz?"

"unfortunately," you groaned. "luckily cash is my backseater. wish i had coyote though."

"wish you were my wingman and not stuck with the wso's," he told you.

"i'm still your wingman, just a wingman with an extra mission," you answered.

"if anything i'm your wingman. can't really lock in our targets without cash guiding us in."

"true that."

you walked in silence the rest of the way, you swinging your hands slightly and making jake smile. as soon as you were in the door, you were rushing upstairs to brush your teeth and pass out, knowing you were in for a long week starting the next morning. jake locked up behind you before following your lead.

next thing you know, he's collapsing next to you as you pulled the comforter up to you chin and turning over to snuggle against his chest. you laced a leg in between his, your arm splayed over his torso as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

"this is comfy," he mumbled softly.

"i'mma sleep so well," you hummed, smiling up at him with evident drowsiness in your eyes.

"good. we're gonna need it."

after a very long week and successful, short mission, you were finally back home.

"hey honey," you mumbled, kissing the side of his head as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders from behind. he was sitting criss-cross on the driveway working on switching the crank window of your new old truck to an automatic. he'd completely dissembled the door and was feeding the wiring to the switch he'd installed before you came out. "how's it going?"

"surprisingly well," he answered, turning to give you a quick kiss before returning to his work. "i haven't had a smooth install of these things, well, ever."

"well, i'm glad it's going good," you said, smiling softly. after twisting the wire ends together and slipping a boot over them, he turned to you with slightly knitted brows.

"you need something, darlin'?" he asked. you lowered yourself to the floor next to him, playing with the tools at your feet as he tested the window, it going up and down just as it needed to.

"no, just missed you," you hummed.

"i thought you had to go help curly with the trainees?" he asked, furrowing his brows as he glanced at you again.

"that's where i was this morning, but i'm all done now and i wanna be with you," you said. "you're out here every free second you got."

"i wanna get this finished as soon as possible, baby," he told you, attention back on the window workings. he reached for a screwdriver that you grabbed for him, beginning to return the plastic pieces of the door to their rightful places.

"i know and i appreciate that. i was just wondering if there's anything i could do to help?" you asked, looking to him hopefully.

"well, i'm just about done with this window and then i'll be workin' on the engine," he answered. "it's kind of a one person job, but i'd be happy for some company and a dj."

"i can do that," you said with a grin, pulling your phone out and pressing shuffle on your country playlist titled texas that consisted of mostly luke combs, tim mcgraw, morgan wallen, and dolly parton. "is it the transmission? are we gonna have to replace it?"

"well, after checking it out this morning i don't think so. i think the guy who had it before was just looking at the wrong things - the catalytic converter is clogged and i might replace the spark plugs just for the hell of it to try to keep from replacing or even just rebuilding the whole thing."

"that's good, right? makes things easier."

"a hell of a lot easier."

"and the burning smell when we drove it?"

"i took it over to your dad's to ask about that and he said there's an oil leak. all he did was tighten the drain plug and it's not leaking anymore."

"you went to my dad's?" you asked, smiling slightly as you watched him finish up screwing the door panel in.

"needed some help diagnosing everything. was thinking about bringing it back over when it comes to unclogging the converter - i ain't ever done that before," he said with a shrug. then he looked at you a little more intently, the screwdriver in his hand halting for a moment. "is that okay? do you not want me going to your dad's without you?"

"no, i don't mind at all. i actually like it, that you're comfortable with my family," you told him. he grinned, leaning to kiss you gently on the lips before screwing in the last two screws.

"baby, i think i'm more comfortable with your family than my own at this point," he answered.

you smiled, leaning into his shoulder as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "while i love that, maybe we should go out and visit your family? i'm sure they'd love to see you."

"ma would for sure, probably not dad," he said, his voice dropping a tone or two.

"why?"

"me and him got in a fight before i left for the academy - nearly ruined my family. have only really spoken to ma since," he answered, mind obviously recalling the events of that convoluted day.

"have you seen your ma since then?" you asked quietly.

"once, at graduation. but, that was three years ago and i've been all over since then. they don't even know i'm back in texas."

you were surprised at how casually he was offering the information, but it looked like he didn't think it was that meaningful, like it was something he could just brush off like he had for the last seven years.

"how about we do what mom offered the first time you came over?" you asked with a smile. "what if we invite them over to our place? a big barbecue. then, it's not all on you and everyone can be out and about, no real awkwardness. we can pull out cornhole and the volleyball net - though it might be all ripped up now that i think about it. anyways, there'll be plenty to do."

"i mean, it's a better idea than me just showing up one day," he mumbled.

"do you have nieces and nephews?" you asked. he nodded.

"a few. don't really know 'em," he said.

"well, if my nieces and nephews are any indicator, then they'll love you," you told him. "and they can play around with the kids. it'll be so fun."

"i'm not sure."

"just think on it. we can wait until the weather gets warm again," you offered. "if we're even still stationed here by then."

"i hope so. i don't wanna leave this baby all by herself," he said, patting the side of the blue truck as you laughed. you kissed his cheek.

"she sure would be lonely without you, babe."

[ghostlyforxst]

heyyy. I absolutely love your Naga bakugo and kirishima series. I was wondering what would they do if their kid is always tired, like no amount of sleep can fix it. So he sleeps alot and he also can sleep basically anywhere.. And they fall asleep someplace where bakugo and kirishima can't find them for a long while. How would they react and take care of that?

GENDER: GENDER NEUTRAL READER

WARNINGS: Yandere Themes

CHARACTERS: Kirishima Eijiro and Bakugo Katsuki

WORD COUNT: 358

A/N- Hello... been on break for a bit! I apologize for not responding to many request or messages, but I am working on that I promise! But, I hope you enjoy this. I'm a bit out of practice though!

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 You grasped at the air, squealing, chasing after the fluttering butterfly. You were so immersed with the brightly colored insect that your foot caught a trailing plant unbeknownst to you till you tumbled to the ground and into a lofty shrub—obtaining countless scrapes and scratches.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 You weeped, sniffling, and blew at the twinging pain on your palm. You were exhausted from running and from the sores, you knew your peculiar parents were going to be upset if you laid here and went to sleep. But, you couldn't help it and you assumed they could find you easily. Yet, you had mistaken that you had covered quite the distance.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 However Kirishima and Bakugo had slithered off and into the lake that the three of you commonly swam and sunbathe at to hunt. That's after Bakugo had strictly told you to stay put. Did you? Obviously not.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 Kirishima was the earliest to arrive back, he shrieked upon noticing your absence and that hearkened Bakugo's curiosity.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 Bakugo was furious, he shouted for you as he searched. He came to a halt and his tongue flicked the air, drawing your scent in, before hastily slithering in your direction.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 To Kirishima and Bakugo, your absence was bothering them regardless if it has only been twenty minutes—becoming more anxious by the minute.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 But when they found you, they breathe a sigh of relief before gathering you up and slithering back to the nest.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 When you woke, a punishment and harsh words waited.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 Kirishima would gaslight you, making you feel guilty for worrying them. Tearing up as he proclaims that he and your papa would die if you left them again.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 The punishment was light, maybe you didn't sleep in the nest with them or Bakugo refused you supper that night.

𓂃𓍊𓋼𓂂𓏸 Though if you continued to drowse off in random places, Kirishima and Bakugo would be troubled. Taking you to the tribe doctor, only for the doctor to diagnose you with narcolepsy. From then on they'll keep a closer eye on you, babying you even more and making certain that you continue the treatments.

[ddejavvu]

headcannon for Remus

I feel like remus would be the type of person to stop you (and his friends) from getting in trouble and then saying "the blame would be on me" as an excuse cuz he's trying to show he doesn't care much. We all know he's just subconsciously the responsible and logical one in the group so he'd try not to make a big deal outta it. (P.s. I do this a lot with my friends and sister, and Ik damn well that I won't get the blame)

Remus, for his own protection, acts aloof. You understand why, he can't let on too many weaknesses or else the people that aren't too fond of him would only have more to work with. But if you observe him carefully, you can see the tenderness escape his mouth through words disguised as insults.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Prongs." Remus drawls, thumbing through the pages of his history of magic textbook, in search of an answer, "You're losing your touch."

"It sounds fun!" You gush, "The freezing charm works fine, we've tested it before! And we skate on the lake all the time in the winter, what's the problem now?"

"The problem now is that you're trying to synthetically freeze the lake," He narrows his eyes at you over the spine of the book, "And you've only tested the freezing charm out on a glass of water. Do you understand how much more manpower you'll need to freeze the black lake? It means you'll need all hands on deck, and I'm not serving detention just because you wanted to ice skate in May."

"I don't buy it," Sirius decides, and Remus tucks his head slightly further towards the book, "I think you're worried about us, Moony."

"I am. I'm worried that you'll die after I choke you out for getting us caught," Remus muses, eyes stuck on a spot in the text rather than scanning the words, "And I'm even more worried about getting thrown in Azkaban for murder."

"That's bullshit!" James gawps, and you agree.

"I think you're worried it'll crack," You hum, "And that we'll fall in, and one of us might get scooped up by the squid, or dragged down by a grindylow. I think you think it's too dangerous."

Sirius and James look pleased at your evaluation, and Remus the opposite. You know the boy's heart is full of nothing but love and adoration (alright, a smidge of annoyance) for you all, but you're well used to the tough persona he puts on.

"You're delusional," Remus diagnoses, "I think you've actually gone mad."

"Don't worry Moony," James gushes, standing from his own bed and crossing to crawl onto Remus's, "We'll stay safe! We'll all cuddle up with you right here-" At his words, you and Sirius bolt for the bed as well, squeezing yourself around him on the mattress despite his protests, "-and we'll stay away from the dangerous lake."

"Promise," You croon, pressing a kiss to his scarred cheek that feels suspiciously hot beneath your lips. Sirius does the same on his other side, and James feels left out, so he tips Remus's head back to kiss upside-down at his forehead.

"Alright, s'enough," Remus snaps, grumbling as you all settle in while he tries focusing on his studies, "Dangerous lake. Forget the squid, I'll drown the lot of you."

[her-power]

Fixation on the Darkness (The Finale: Dark Romance! e.m. x fem! reader)

‼️🚨 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 🚨‼️

Trigger/Content Warning: Dark Eddie! Grief. Violence. Language. Angst. Some light smut.

Summary: Full summary on Part One.

Word Count: 4.2k

You were in a dream. No. A memory. The summer air was making it difficult to breathe, and all you wanted to do was scream at the sky for taking your father away. Your parents were divorced, not because they didn’t love each other, but because your father was a gay man. He was diagnosed with AIDS six months ago. Six months. That’s all it took. And he was gone. You were only fifteen. You wanted to punch all the people in Hawkins who were afraid to go near him, who were afraid of catching the “gay disease”. Your father being gay didn’t change how much you loved him, it made you love him even more, because he was himself, he was kind, caring, and beautiful. You were at the lake, fisting the damp ground beneath your fingers as you stare at the sun rays reflecting off the water. A pain hits your gut, and you groan loudly, you fist the ground more and then you scream. You scream with all your might. 

I haven’t thought about this memory in a long time. You say to yourself. You haven’t thought about him in a long time. 

This was when Eddie became your person. 

Your best friend. 

You felt his presence before he could say a word. 

“Go away.” You whimper, not looking at him. 

“No.” You hear him move closer. 

“Please! Go away!” You cry, turning towards him, your face wet with tears. “Please leave me alone.” 

His face is soft, serious. “Your mom is worried about you.” 

“I don’t care.” You growl, turning away him.

“Sweetheart, I need you to talk to me.” He sits next to you now and you scramble to your feet, glaring at him. 

“I don’t need to talk about anything. My father is dead. There’s nothing to talk about.” 

His brown eyes are sad, seeing you this way. “I’m here for you, you idiot.” 

“I don’t want you to be!” You scream at him. His face falls and you know you hurt him. “Go. Away. I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“Hurt me all you want sweetie; I’m not going anywhere.” He’s pissed now. 

“God you’re so stubborn! Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be off somewhere with that girl from the Hideout?!” 

He gets to his feet, towering over you and you glare up at him. “Your father just died and excuse me for being a little fucking worried that my best friend is about to fall into a deep end of fucking despair.” 

“I’m already there, asshole!” You yell at him; tears fill your eyes. “I’ve been there for six months. And NOW you want to play the worried card? Go fuck yourself.” 

“You didn’t let me in! I asked you time and time again what you needed from me, what I could do for you and you shut me out!” 

You slap your palms against his chest to move him away from you and he stumbles back, not breaking your stare. “I shut you out because I wanted to avoid something like this! If I shut you out, it means that I made the choice to lose you! You weren’t taken from me!” 

He blinks, taken aback. “That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve heard!” 

“Just leave! Leave me alone!” You’re sobbing now. 

“No!” He screams at you, his eyes wide with tears. 

You whimper, feeling defeated. “Why? Why won’t you leave?” 

“Because I’m in love with you!” 

It feels like your heart stops and the entire forest goes quiet. He doesn’t move, he just stares at you and you stare back at him. You blink, taking in his appearance. His shoulder length curly hair, his ripped Motley Crue t shirt, his black jeans and sneakers, the rings adorning his fingers. 

“You…you…you’re what?” You stammer. 

His arms fall to his sides. “I’m in love with you. I love you.” 

You shake your head, stepping back but he moves closer. “Me? Why me? How can…you love me?” 

He gives you a sideways smile. “How can I not? You’re everything to me. You’re my best friend. You make me laugh, even when you’re pissed at me. Because your nose does a little crinkle when you’re yelling at me. You’re kind. Which I hate sometimes because you’re too nice to people who don’t deserve it but that’s also what I love the most about you. I have loved you since the second I laid my eyes on you. Even if I never told you, even if you found someone else to love, I would still love you, because you’re my person.” He steps towards you slowly and you stand still. Hot tears stream down your face, and he wipes them away with his palm, holding your cheek. “I love you. That’s why I’m staying.” 

You gasp awake, your entire body felt stiff. You couldn’t move your legs or your arms, something was in your mouth. You were laying on hard, cold concrete, a few feet off the ground. The sky above you was a dark red, thunder rocked the sky. You head a scream of agony, and you lift your head, immediately feeling dizzy and wetness in your hair. 

Steve was in front of Eddie who was wrapped tightly in black talon like vines, slicing his body over and over with a long blade. You breathe heavily, your fear was evident. You try to break free of your restraints, trying to move yourself off as your fear turns into anger. You groan in frustration and shimmy your body, falling off the concrete slab and onto the ground, landing on your back. Steve whips around to look at you and smiles. “Morning, sunshine!”

You try to yell at him, your anger seething but the gag was making it difficult. You watch as Steve walks away from Eddie, whose head slumps down to his chest but he was still breathing. Long gashes adorned his skin, a long with what looked like burns. Steve kneels in front you, smiling. Your eyes narrow and he gently pats your hair, your shudder away from him but he grabs your head. 

“I’m trying to be nice to you. Also trying to be nice to him, I’ve been going at it with him for hours. Poor guy needs a break.” 

“Fuck…you…” You hear Eddie say weakly. 

Steve chuckles, taking out the blade that was covered in blood and bring it to your cheek. “I heard your blood tastes good.” He glides the flat side of the blade up your cheek, and you don’t break his stare. The point of the blade goes under your gag, and he moves it up, tearing it from your mouth. 

“Get the fuck away from me.” You growl. 

“Aww that’s not nice.” 

You spit in his face, glaring at him and he smiles, wiping your saliva with the back of his hand. A low growl rumbles in his chest and he grabs you by your shoulder roughly, lifting you up and you try fighting him off. He struggles against you but gets the upper hand when he forcefully slams you against a dead tree, using the ropes that tied your body to tie it tightly against the tree. You groan in frustration, feeling the burn of the rope as you try to move out of them. He had put you across from Eddie, who was covered in long bleeding gashes, his blood wasn’t just crimson, it was black as night, and that terrified you. 

“I was hoping you’d stay asleep while I have my fun, but I think this makes it much more interesting. You watch what he endured while he was trapped here.” Steve grins, gently moving your hair away from your face and you whip your head back.

“Where’s big bad, Vecna?” You say through your teeth. “I thought you said you weren’t his lap dog.”

“I’m not.” He growls and he glances up at the red sky. “See those bats? They’re his eyes. He’s too weak to be here, but he enjoys the show.” 

“He’s a coward.” 

“Don’t speak of him that way.” Steve growls.

Eddie lets out a chuckle, almost high pitched, maniacal. "So, you do bend over for him.” Eddie lifts his face up, your heart jumps in your throat when you realize his eyes are no longer brown. They are his eyes. Steve glares at Eddie, who meets your eyes, not showing any emotion, but you felt something…familiar. 

He did something.

He made his eyes change. It had to do with him being here, you knew it. He was able to change things, do things like magic. You almost want to scream with relief, but you keep yourself quiet. Eddie was planning something.

“Why don’t you start by untying me, Harrington?” He says, spitting a wad of blood at his feet. “I have some business with my love.” 

“Nah.” Steve says with a laugh. “I’m not falling for that. I know how your brain works, we’re one in the same, remember?” 

“We’re not the same.” Eddie’s voice is low, terrifying. His fangs grow and he smiles. “I died, you didn’t. You only think we’re the same, you’re just a puppet.” 

Steve laughs, but you could feel his rage. You feel the back of his hand connect with the side of your face and you gasp, feeling blood on your lower lip; Eddie reacts in his restraints, a loud growl escaping him. Your cheek was sore, and you felt even more dizzy than you had before. 

“Cool little trick you did there, with your eyes.” Steve says with a smirk. “You seem to have a lot of power when you’re down here.” 

Eddie chuckles. “Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are when you speak? I mean, before all this. Just a sad little boy, chasing Nancy Wheeler. The unattainable fruit. Where did that get you, Harrington? Alone. Riding the dead dick of Vecna.”

“Fuck you!” Steve yells, taking the blade and slicing Eddie in his arm, Eddie yells in pain and you struggle against the tree.

“Stop it!” You yell. You catch a glimpse of the blade in the off lighting, there was something glowing on the tip of the blade, it wasn’t blood. Steve sees you looking. 

“Belladonna, my dear. Figured out it’s poisonous to creatures like us...like them." He glances up at the sky towards the bats. "Your boyfriend loves it.” 

Tears fill your eyes as you look at Eddie’s slowly paling skin; Steve walks over to you, his cold fingers graze up your cheek. “I’ve always thought you were so beautiful. So kind. As soon as I found out you were dating him, I was heartbroken. Why couldn’t you love me?”

Your eyes narrow. “Are you fucking kidding me, Steve? You? I wouldn’t even give you the satisfaction of being in your dreams. You’re a pig. And a murderer.” 

He grips the back of your head roughly, his fingers pulling at your scalp, and you shudder. “I would’ve made you scream my name louder than you have screamed his, and that’s a promise.” He roughly presses his lips against yours, you feel his tongue slide uninvited into your mouth and you feel your stomach churn. He pulls away from you, laughs, and then you feel the hilt of the blade hit your head, and you’re swimming in darkness again. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead.” You hear Eddie’s voice in your ear, soft. His lips gently kiss your cheeks, your hair. 

You groan, not opening your eyes, pulling him towards you so your legs are wrapped around him tightly. “I don’t want to.”

“You wanted to see the sunrise.” He smiles against your hair. “It’s so quiet. Perfect time to go to the lake to watch it.” 

“Tomorrow.” You grumble and he giggles. You feel his soft lips kiss yours. 

“Come on, baby.” His voice cuts through your soul, you shiver. The softness of it, the seductive feel to it. You open your eyes, gazing into his beautiful brown ones. You press your lips to his, feeling the electricity as his tongue slides gently into your mouth and you moan. You turn him on his back, deepening the kiss, and you pull your shirt over your head. "This feels like a trick." He laughs against your mouth, his hands glide down your waist, cupping your bare ass. You could feel his erection at your opening and you grind against him, he moans against your mouth and you pull him out of his boxers. You carefully lower yourself onto him, you both groan loudly as you position yourself feeling him go deeper and deeper into you. You roll your hips, his hands reach up to cup your breasts as you move, every single part of you was tingling with pleasure and you could spend all day here if you could.

When you were both finished, you had just enough time to go to the lake to watch the sunrise. It had been a year since your father's death, and everyday he wanted to make sure you saw the beauty in things even when things felt like darkness. When you got to the lake, you stand there in awe as the sun began to rise, beautiful shades of pink, oranges and red reaches your eyes. You could feel Eddie's eyes on you, and you couldn't help the tears that overflow from your lids. You look up at him and he holds your face, wiping your tears away and you rest your cheek against his palm.

"I don't deserve you." You whisper to him.

He smiles, kissing your forehead. "I don't deserve you. But here we are. Are you okay?"

"I miss him." You whisper.

"I know." He wraps his arms around your shoulders. "I know you do."

"Never leave me. Promise me we will grow old together...sit on a porch watching our grandchildren."

He smiles at you. "I promise."

"Do you love me?"

"Always."

You wake up cold, thunder continues to boom overhead and you open your eyes. There was no sign of Steve; it was only you and a semi conscious Eddie. You feel a tug at your restraints and you almost scream, but when you turn your head you see the kind and scared face of Dustin. "Dustin?! What are you doing here?"

"Shut up, I'm rescuing you guys." His hair was wet, he had to swam through the lake to get here. You feel your restraints loosen and you awkwardly fall to your knees to the ground, your legs wobbly.

"Where's Steve?" You ask as he helps you to your feet and you make your way to Eddie.

"I saw him walking to Kreel house. I think that's where Vecna is."

You walk up to Eddie, gently patting his face and he gasps, looking up and his eyes widen when he sees Dustin.

"No, get out of here!" He growls.

"Nope, sorry pal. Rescue mission part duex starts now."

"You're gonna get yourself killed." Eddie says weakly as the two of you work together to get him out of the restraints.

"Then we will die together." Dustin says, pulling the ties loose and Eddie awkwardly stumbles to his feet. The wounds on his chest and arms were already healing. He holds your face, inspecting your head wounds. His eyes narrow.

"I'm gonna kill him." He glances at Dustin. "You're in big trouble, too."

"Okay, dad." Dustin laughs.

"Let's get out of here first." You tell him gently.

Suddenly, there's a rush of cold air, and a loud smack as you watch Dustin go flying away from you guys. Falling unconscious on the hard ground, Eddie growls as Steve makes his way towards you and Eddie deflects by tackling him. You fall to the ground, trying to find something, anything to stop Steve from attacking Eddie. You hear a screech above your head and watch as the bats make a circle, taking a nose dive towards you. You scramble to shelter as the bats circle closer, and something reflective catches your eye. It's a rusted lid of a trash can, with nails poking out from underneath. You rush towards it, hearing the squeal of the bats and you grab the handle of the lid, thrusting it upwards as they crash into you. They were so strong but you held your ground, shielding your face. You could feel one bite your leg and you scream in pain, using your other leg to kick it off of you. Scrambling to your feet, you rush to where Steve and Eddie were fighting. Steve was on top of Eddie, attempting to strangle him and you whip the lid with all your might against Steve, getting him to fall off of Eddie as he groans in pain, the nails stabbing him in the ribs. The bats make another beeline towards you but as soon as they see Eddie they rush up to the sky. You help Eddie to his feet and he takes your hand, you rush over to where Dustin laid. He was still breathing, thankfully. Eddie kneels next to him, gently shaking his shoulder. Dustin groans, and you feel a sense of relief as he slowly opens his eyes.

Something happens just then. Your skin grows hot, something stings your lower belly, something warm spills down your legs. You glance down at your stomach, seeing the sharp point of the blade that Steve held behind you sticking out of your flesh. You meet Eddie’s eyes, who sees what you see. They widen with fear.

And you can’t articulate what happens now.

“Noooooooooo!” Eddie screams, and you feel Steve pull the knife from behind you, laughing as your knees buckle. Eddie catches you, you could feel your blood spilling more and more, your ears were ringing. You can’t say much, you were starting to feel the pain. Dustin rushes to you, taking his jacket off, pressing it to your stomach as you cry out in pain to try and stop the bleeding. Eddie was gone, all you could hear was horrific, animal sounds coming out of him as he tackles Steve. Your vision was blurring, Dustin was talking to you. You turn your head to the side to watch what was unfolding.

Eddie takes the lid off the ground, walking towards Steve, his eyes blazing with rage and grief. Steve was still laughing.

“This is exactly what I wanted, that rage. So did he. Give it to me baby, show me how mad you are.” Eddie lifts the lid above his head and brings it down on Steve, once, twice. Until Steve is on his back, Eddie lunges at him, and Steve uses his feet as leverage to kick him off. He dodges a punch from Steve, using his leg to swipe under him to get him to lose his footing but he catches himself. Steve yells, tackling Eddie into the same tree that he was tied to, the blade in his hand. Eddie blocks Steve’s arm as the blade moves closer to his neck, pushing with all his might and uses the hilt of the knife to bash Steve in the head. Steve becomes dizzy, Eddie’s claws extend and in one motion, Eddie slices his throat with his hand, black blood oozes from Steve’s throat as his eyes widen and he looks at Eddie. Eddie growls, taking the blade from Steve, trembling as he stares at his old friend.

“I’m sorry, man.” Eddie whispers.

“Just…do it.” He gurgles, blood pooling from his mouth.

Steve came back for a second, but he disappeared again. Eddie plunged the knife into Steve’s chest. He takes one last breath. Steve goes limp, his eyes in a fixed stare at Eddie’s as he collapses to the ground. Eddie stumbles back, glancing over to where you and Dustin were. Forgetting. And then remembering.

He rushes towards you; Dustin was almost in tears. You were trembling, you were cold.

“Let me see, let me see.” Eddie tells you, his voice shaking as he lifts up Dustin’s jacket from your stomach. A whimper escapes his lungs as he gazes at your wound; blood covers your entire torso, it was coming out of you like rivers. “I can fix this.” His fangs elongate and he brings his wrist to his mouth.

“Nnno…” you grab Eddie’s wrist, shaking your head, tasting blood in your mouth. “No…it’s okay.”

“You’re dying!” Eddie screams, his eyes filling with tears.

You shiver, reaching up to cup his face. “I’d do it again, you know.”

Eddie holds your hand to his cheek, smearing your blood, you feel his warm tears. “I’m so sorry.” He cries.

The pain was slowly fading, you were fading. “Do you love…me?” You can’t see him anymore.

Eddie whimpers, a painful groan escapes him. “Always.”

Eddie watches as your hand falls limply from his face, your eyes in a fixed stare. You were gone. He holds your limp body to his chest, a sob escapes him. He lifts his eyes to the sky and screams, a loud, heartbreaking scream. There’s a roar in the distance and everything begins to tremble.

“We have to get out of here, man.” Dustin says, his voice shaking with sadness. The ground begins to crack under their feet.

“I’m not leaving her.” He growls.

“Take her. We’ll bury her at home. But we have to go, now.”

Eddie lifts your body over his shoulders, you were still warm, and he could feel himself question whether or not you were still alive. Eddie and Dustin run towards the dried lake, the ground still cracking underneath. Dustin spots the opening to Hawkins, and he rushes inside, Eddie follows, holding you tightly.

Eddie gasps as his face hits air as he comes up from the water. Dustin was already on shore, helping Eddie carefully drag your body to the land. Eddie falls to his knees, staring at you. It was freezing, you were beginning to grow cold. He takes your hand in his, a childlike sound escaping him and he sobs again. Harder, painful. He rests his head against your chest, trying to will the sound of your heartbeat but there was none.

There was none.

It was a nice spot. Where he buried you. Deep in the woods, under a beautiful willow tree. He didn’t leave a marker but he knew where you were. Grief was consuming him, so Dustin had to make up a story about what happened to you. You decided to travel, he told your boss. The loss of Eddie was affecting you deeply and you needed some time for yourself. He bought it. Everyone bought it. Even your mother.

Eddie wouldn’t eat. Wouldn’t sleep, not that he really good anyway. And when he did, he had nightmares.

Horrible nightmares.

A river of blood ebbs and flows through veins, colliding with unnatural blood, colliding with human blood. It heals wounds, adds color to flesh. A simple bite, a drink from a vein. Hands gripping soil, climbing, climbing.

Colors.

Sounds.

Strength.

Eyes open in the darkness.

Fixation.

Dark eyes.

Red.

Eyes.

A high pitched chuckle.

Life.

To be continued in the next installment…

A/N: What a ride. Love you all. Thank you for your continued support.

Stay spooky! I’m gonna be writing an Eddie palette cleanser after this, don’t worry though, you’ll get the next installment of this batshit series. 😘

@fearless-wretch-insanity @kellsck @kelsiegrin @trixyvixx

[perseephoneee]

good morning [kai parker x reader]

synopsis: in which you wake up with your boyfriend kai and enjoy beautiful morning sex

warnings: sex, oral sex (m and f receiving), never written smut before so bare with me, 18+ only please

Who knew waking up with a witch could be pure magic?

The sun filters through the window shades, the faint sounds of people waking up hitting your ears. Probably everyone, but you didn't mind. All you could think about was the heartbeat next to yours, the soft sounds of his snores, everything. The room sits at a standstill, your perfect corner where nothing can touch you. You look at the boy next to you, taking in the curve of his nose and the relaxed look he wears when he's asleep. A sense of possessiveness overwhelms you, and all you want to do is hide him in your heart so no one can ever touch him. You lean over, planting kisses all over his face and neck. A hint of a smile graces his lips as his eyes blink lazily at you. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Kai whispers, his voice is still deep and scratchy from sleep. You lean over and kiss his nose, causing him to scrunch his face and learn a smile from you. 

"Just hanging out, what about you?" you ask, curling back into the pillows and hiding your face. 

"Looking at this cute girl next to me," he flirts, turning to his side so that you guys are nose to nose. You try to hide your face with your hands, his unrelenting stare becoming a lot, but he pulls your hands away and stares at you with eyes the color of summer lakes and falling snow. "You make my heart beat, you know that? And that's impressive, considering before you and the merge, I was a self-diagnosed sociopath."

"I've always liked them crazy," you chuckle, giving a slight yelp as Kai pulls you to him. 

"I'm crazy about you," Kai jokes, earning a grimace from you. 

"That was bad."

"I'm not as funny in the morning," Kai sighs. "Which is a letdown considering I'm usually hilarious."

"Damon would disagree," you say. 

"He's just in denial; give it some time; he hasn't heard my knock-knock jokes," Kai exclaims. You cradle his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you. 

"Kai."

“Y/N,”

"I love you," you whisper, earning the biggest grin you've ever seen from the brunette boy next to you. 

"I love you more," Kai kisses you, gentle yet fiery. His kiss soothes every part of you, and all you can think of is him. 

Kai rolls on top of you, one hand grasping your face and tilting your lips closer to his. You run your fingers down the planes of his chest, feeling the lithe muscle to the shoulders until you're pretty sure you've left a fire in your wake. Kai nips at your bottom lip, and you let him explore every part of you. You push him back so you can take off your shirt, and Kai stares at your bare chest with a lust-filled gaze. He kisses your neck, pushing you back down. His teeth and tongue mark your pulse to the column of your throat, and the only sounds you can make are satisfied sighs and happy gasps. One of his hands comes up to grasp your breast, and you're struck by how much more sensitive you are in the morning. His tongue joins his hand, ensuring your nipples are peaked and you're panting above him. 

"I like knowing I reduce you to this," Kai murmurs, kissing down your stomach. "You really are such a mess for me."

You yank him back up to you, catching him by surprise as you kiss his mouth. You flip each other over, straddling his lap as you leave kisses along his neck. Kai groans when you suck and bite his pulse point, and his hands grip your hips as your fingers trail down his chest. 

"This was supposed to be my move," Kai moaned as you licked and nipped over his chest. 

"Just shut up and be pretty," you smile, taking off his pajama bottoms. Kai's hand fists the sheets when you tentatively take his member into your mouth, starting slow before bottoming out. You almost get high off the sounds he's making, the gasps and the deep-throated moans that make you wonder why you don't always start the mornings with him writhing under you. You bob your head, licking the tip before circling back down. Kai grasps your hair, letting out a string of curse words that make you smile. You let go of him, going back up to his neck and lips as Kai lets out a low chuckle. 

"Who said you could be in charge today?" he taunts, pulling back from your kisses to look at you with heavy-lidded eyes. 

"You did when you became a mess under me," you whisper, looking at his awestruck face. You watched his expression turn dark as he forcibly kissed you, much harder than before. 

"Naughty girl," he whispered, chills running down your spine. He flipped you over again, giving you bruising kisses as he held your hands above your head. "Keep those hands above your head," he orders, kissing back down your body and peeling off your underwear. You grapes the pillows above you, taking a sharp breath when his teeth nip your hip bones before kissing your plush thighs. You know you're soaking, but he's taking his time marking up your inner thighs and denying you what you want. Suddenly he pushes two fingers through your entrance, and you let out a moan you didn't know you were holding. His fingers curl and push most deliciously, and you fight the urge to reach down and grab his hair. 

"Good girl," Kai chuckles as he watches your fists curled tightly with each thrust of his fingers. Part of you wants to slap the stupid grin off his face, while the other wants to shove him between your thighs. Finally, he decides to lean down and lick your clit, causing you to let out an embarrassing sound that only he would be allowed to hear. His tongue is artful, and his fingers precise. You're wondering how you could've gone this long without experiencing this euphoria every day. You make the mistake of looking down and seeing the sight of the brunette between your legs, and you decide it's the best image you've ever seen in your life. 

"Fuck, Kai, I'm close," you groan, arching your back as he sucks on your core. 

"Come on, Y/N, show me what you got," he whispers, giving you one satisfying lick, and suddenly your world is all a rush as you come undone on his fingers and mouth. You moan as you finish, and he pulls his fingers out and sucks them clean, letting out a satisfied hum. 

"I need you to fuck me now," you breathe. 

"I couldn't agree more," Kai smiles, leaning down and kissing you as he takes a condom out of the bedside table. "You can touch me now, by the way," he whispers into your ear, kissing you right below it as he steadily pushes in. Your legs wrap around his waist as he bottoms out, and you feel complete having him this close to you. Kai starts to pick up his pace; one hand braces beside you while the other grabs the headboard. You wrap your arms around his neck, leaving kisses and letting out breaths of contentment as you feel that familiar coil build-up. Your fingers leave a fire in their wake as you scrape your hands down his shoulders, through his hair, anywhere you can touch until all you feel is him. You feel yourself come again, crying out Kai's name as he finishes alongside you. You both breathe heavily afterward before he finally pulls out and collapses next to you. Kai grabs you to his side, kissing your neck and cheek and earning a shy smile from you. 

"I forgot to say good morning," Kai murmurs, tracing the contours of your face. 

"I think what you just did was morning enough," you say, smiling. 

[devine-fem]

hii same anon as the original bruce and damian headcanons, i came back to share my jon + damian headcanons because i think about them all the time

- damian is just as tactile as jon when it comes to affection, when they're chilling alone together he likes to hang off of jon's arm or lean against his back/shoulders, it gives jon a little ego boost every time

- jon has a tendency to bounce his foot subconsciously and it drives damian nuts

- jon was sweating bullets the first time he sat down to have a meal with damian and talia together, wanting to give a good impression as her son's best friend, damian on the other hand knows the kents already love him and think fondly of him so he'll just pop in every now and again and help whoever's cooking dinner for the day

- damian goes to the farm for a few weeks every summer with the rest of the kents, they have a rope swing over the lake that jon pushed him off of once and now he swings off backwards

- on a similar note ma and pa appreciate when jon brings damian around because of his versatility in skill, he can help out with whatever they need and he just likes having something to do

- damian has his own horse at the farm

- damian knows a lot of languages and english isn't his first so i like to think whenever he sleep talks it's very rarely in english, whenever they have sleepovers jon will sometimes wake up to damian quietly conversing with dream people in a mix of 3 different languages none of which he understands, he can just recognize them because he's heard damian speak them all

- jon's dyslexic and didn't realize until he was a teenager because he subconsciously read with his super speed to make up for the fact that he couldn't process what he was reading as easily as everyone else, damian clocked it because jon can't read out loud very well and has a problem with mixing up specific sounds (like "mm" and "nn") when he does and damian assumed he'd been diagnosed already

- they both have a staring problem, they're not trying to be rude they just space out a lot and end up looking at things or people for extended periods of time

- jon once put a bell on a bracelet for damian, it didn't work he still snuck up on him successfully

- damian takes note of the different things jon wants but can't afford and will buy them for him without telling him, he just leaves the items on his bed or on his desk and doesn't say anything until jon calls him thanking him because who else could afford this stuff

- the kents keep damian's favorite tea in their pantry for whenever he has trouble falling asleep at sleepovers, jon noticed it helps him and asked his parents to buy some to keep in the house

- jon is a restless sleeper and one time damian woke up in the middle of the night to jon's foot digging into his abdomen

i can tell you that we literally have all the same headcanons LMAO

[stagkingswife]

Around the holidays I had the unique joy of meeting up with @windvexer in person while they were visiting my beloved New York City.  Over sushi, dessert, and then just hanging out in their hotel lobby we had a wide ranging conversation about our practices, UPGs, etc.  The conversation eventually drifted to comparing our spirit lead initiations.  Chicken’s story is theirs to share, or not, as they choose. But I’ve been thinking a lot since that conversation about my own initiation and how it parallels another important story in my life. 

When I was 15 I was a dancer and I was good, like competing at a national level.  I was cast as Odette in my ballet school’s adaptation of Swan Lake.  I practiced, and rehearsed, and trained all year long for the role. Then a month before recital weekend my family and I went on a weekend trip to Gettysburg. I also love history, and my dad and I had just read a book about the battle of Gettysburg together, so we clambered all over the battlefield.  I tore a calf muscle doing this.  I saw my usual doctor for injuries and wore a cast for three weeks, walked through rehearsals, took it easy.  Once the cast was off a week before the recital I ramped up slowly, warmed up more than usual, stretched carefully, everything.  But come recital weekend I danced my heart out and left everything on the stage.  3 weeks later I was diagnosed with CRPS in the leg I had injured. What does any of this have to do with my initiation?  Everything, just bare with me. 

My childhood mentor had been initiated by the spirits of her tradition, and she had spoken to me about the effect this had had on her.  I had written an academic paper on initiatory spiritual traditions and the phenomena of initiation sickness.  I knew, long before Oisin ever broached the topic with me, that a spirit lead initiation could wreck your life, that it would be trying in ways that were specifically designed to change you on a fundamental to suit the spirit's needs, and that undertaking one would have consequences I couldn’t even begin to image.  I also knew that dancing Swan Lake one week out of a cast could have disastrous results for my dance career.  But I loved the music and choreography.  I loved how I felt while I was dancing.  So I danced.  I was already in love with Oisin when he presented me with this trial. I loved learning from him, and working with him, and if there was something hard, even something impossible, that he needed me to do so that I could keep learning and working with him - it was no question. 

I had no way of knowing when I was teenager waiting in the wings in my white leotard and feathered wig that I was about to dance my last ballet.  That in less than a year I would start using a cane, or that I would one day swap the cane for a wheelchair, or any of the changes and accommodations that I’ve had to make in my life for my disability.  I only knew the love. When I said yes to Oisin I couldn’t have predicted how much it would break me when he killed my soul, dismembered it, and scattered the innumerable shreds across the Otherworlds.  I could have imagined the amazing and terrifying things I saw and experienced on my journey to find those fragments and assemble myself - or what it was like to live without a complete soul in the meantime. And nothing could have prepared me for the permanent changes the whole process had wrought on my life: on my physical health, my mental health, the very fact that my spiritual oaths and promises must always come first for me.  I only knew the love. 

17 years after my diagnosis, and 13 after my initiation started, I look back at the choices that led to both and would make them both again, even knowing the consequences.  These two choices, more than almost anything else in my life, have shaped who I am as an adult and I like that person.  These choices came from the right place, both times.  Not from ambition, greed, guilt, or fear, but love.  And I can’t ever regret what I did for love.

[its-the-pilot]

Where My Christmas Lives | One-Shot

Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry I'm a little late with this one, but here's my entry for "Snowman" in @sailor-aviator's Christmas Writing Challenge!😘

Summary: You and Bradley go to Lake Tahoe to stay with the Kazanskys for Christmas. (Mav's niece!reader)

Warnings: mild teen sexuality

Length: 1.6k words

Pairing: teen!Bradley Bradshaw x teen!Female Reader

| Waves Masterlist | Masterlist |

Message or comment to join the taglist!

Where My Christmas Lives

“Your mom really thought of everything. I can’t believe she planned this trip for us a year ago,” you smiled, resting your head on Bradley’s shoulder as you watched the snow fall outside the taxi on your way to the Kazansky’s cabin in Lake Tahoe a few days before Christmas.

Bradley squeezed your hand and kissed the top of your head. “Mom always liked a white Christmas,” he mused, looking out the window as the car came to a stop. As you gathered your things and climbed out, Iceman exited the cabin to settle the fare with the driver. 

“Come on inside, it’s cold out here,” Ice offered, helping Bradley carry your bags into the cabin. Once inside, he hugged you tightly, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Let me get a look at you two,” he said, turning to shake Bradley’s hand. “Every time I see you, I see more of Goose. You’re just missing that ridiculous mustache he always wore.”

“I don’t think I can pull off that look.” Bradley laughed, returning the firm handshake.

“Never can tell,” he said knowingly, motioning toward the living room. “Go make yourselves comfortable, I’ll take your bags upstairs.”

Bradley dropped onto the couch with a sigh as Ice disappeared up the staircase, leaving the two of you alone in the living room. “Come sit with me,” he mumbled, eyes sliding closed as he patted his thigh and held a hand out for you. 

You had wandered across the room, looking at various pictures and decorations around the cabin when Bradley's voice met your ears. Taking a few steps back toward him, you accepted his outstretched hand and let him pull you onto his lap, his strong arms encircling you. “Tired?” You asked, reaching one of your hands up to card through his hair gently, your nails brushing against his scalp. 

He nodded, relaxing under your touch. There was a long moment of quiet before he spoke, his voice low. “Is it wrong I'm glad we're here instead of home for Christmas?”

Shaking your head, you frowned only briefly. “Mama Carole knew, I think. That's why she planned this,” you explained, resting your head on his shoulder. “I'm glad we're here too. And hopefully Uncle Pete makes it.”

Iceman smiled at the young couple as he came back downstairs, heavy footsteps making his presence known so he didn't startle them. “Sarah and the kids will be back from the store soon, so enjoy the peace and quiet while you can,” he warned, crossing through the room toward the kitchen. “Planned on making steaks and potatoes for dinner, take advantage before it starts snowing again.”

“Sounds great,” Bradley replied, finally opening his eyes and looking up at the Captain you both thought of as a surrogate uncle. “Need any help?” 

“You two relax, you're our guests. If you wanna do something, help entertain the kids. They're a handful.”

You nodded but didn't have a chance to reply before the front door opened and two small children came barrelling into the living room, calling your names. Dropping a kiss to Bradley's cheek, you managed to slide off his lap just in time for the kids to jump on both of you. 

“Hey guys! You got so big!” You smiled, hugging Ice’s four-year-old daughter Katie tightly. The last time you had seen them was over a year earlier at Ice’s promotion to Captain, before Carole was diagnosed. 

The kids switched places after a moment, scrambling over you and Bradley like a jungle gym. Jack, the six-year old boy, bounced on the couch excitedly and tugged on your hand. “Can we build a snowman? Daddy said you’d help!”

You shared a look with Bradley, seeing the smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth as you silently asked him to join you. “We’d love to,” he replied, lifting Katie into his arms as he stood from his seat. 

Jack jumped down and ran to the back door, you and Bradley close behind him. Once you were outside, he set Katie down and let the kids get started on the snowman as he passed you his gloves.

“I’ll be okay,” you promised, only to have him slide them onto your hands one at a time. “Bradley…”

“Your fingers will freeze off,” he argued, giving you a quick peck on the lips before nudging you toward the stairs. “Go on, I’ll be right there.” He chuckled at the roll of the eyes you gave him before stepping off the deck, looking back over his shoulder when he heard Ice step out of the cabin. “Hey, I was hoping to talk to you for a minute.”

The older man nodded as he started up the grill, a plate of steaks and potatoes sitting on the table beside him. “Sure, what’s up, kid?”

Bradley pushed his hands into his pockets and moved closer. “I need a letter of recommendation for the Naval Academy, and I…” he hesitated briefly before continuing. “I was hoping you’d write one for me.”

“Why not ask Maverick?” he asked, curious as to the answer. He had a feeling that he knew, given the discussions he had with you over the past few months regarding the tension between Maverick and Bradley, but he wanted to hear the teen’s explanation. 

“He doesn’t want me to join up. My mom wasn’t thrilled about it either,” Bradley sighed, shaking his head. “But it’s my life, and I wanna fly, like you, Mav and my dad.”

Ice nodded and looked out to the yard where you and his children were working on your snowman. “Does she know?”

“She knows I’m applying, yeah. We haven’t really talked about flying yet though,” he explained, his eyes moving to watch you as well. “I don’t know how she’d take it, she worries like crazy over Mav.”

“Would it stop you? If she said she didn’t want you to?” Ice asked, putting the food on the grill before leaning against the railing of the deck and studying him closely.

Bradley was quiet for a moment as he considered the question. He hadn’t thought about it before, what he would do if your reaction to his wanting to be an aviator was not what he wanted to hear. “I don’t know. Probably not. We’d just… have to work it out.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ice sighed and gave him a look. “I’ll write you the letter, Bradley, but you need to have a conversation,” he said firmly. “I can see the way you look at her. Your mom saw it too, long before it was real.”

“She did?” He asked, pulling his eyes away from you and looking back to Iceman. 

He nodded, clapping the younger man on the shoulder as he returned his attention to the grill. “She was always saying you two would end up together.” He flipped the steaks over and turned back to Bradley. “It’s not fair to either of you to assume she’s on board with whatever you wanna do with your future. You have to take each other into consideration. Got it?”

“Got it,” Bradley nodded, moving toward the stairs to join you and the kids building the snowman. “Thanks, Ice.”

Iceman waved him off, continuing to grill while watching the four of you finish the snowman in the middle of the yard. It was a little lopsided, but his kids cheered when Bradley lifted the head on top and put his baseball cap on it, finding a couple of dark colored rocks to work as eyes. 

After dinner you helped Sarah put the kids to bed while Ice and Bradley cleaned up the kitchen. When all the chores were done, you found your boyfriend sitting on the back deck beside the fire pit as a light snow fell around him. Grabbing a blanket, you stepped out and sat beside him, wrapping it around both of you.

“Penny for your thoughts?” You asked quietly, nuzzling his cheek with your nose.

He looked over to you, offering a small smile. “Hey, Dimples. I was just thinking about you.”

“Oh? Good things, I hope.”

“Always,” he said, kissing your temple. There was silence for a moment before he spoke again. “We need to talk, though.”

You frowned, the tone of his voice sparking a bit of anxiety. “Okay… is everything alright?”

He took your hand beneath the blanket and laced your fingers together. “I’ve told you I want to go to the Naval Academy after I graduate. I talked with Ice earlier about writing a letter of recommendation for me.” You responded with a simple nod, allowing him to continue uninterrupted. “I want to be an aviator. I know you get anxious about Maverick flying, so I just…”

Before he could finish, you cut him off with a soft kiss, your free hand lifting to rest on his jaw. “I support you, no matter what,” you whispered, looking into his eyes. “I can go to the University of Maryland and we can visit when you get leave. We’ll make it work, Bradley.”

“Really?” He asked, resting his forehead against yours. “What about you? Being with a Navy man isn’t easy, I don’t want you giving your dreams up for me.”

You shook your head, closing your eyes and kissing him again, long and slow. When you finally parted, you squeezed his hand, offering a smile. “You’ll be in the Academy for four years, I’ll have time to go to school myself, don’t worry,” you explained. “Bradley… as long as I have you, and we’re happy, that’s enough for me.”

“You’re incredible, you know that?” he smiled, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. 

“I’m really quite something,” you teased, kissing him once again before standing and offering your hand to him. “C’mon, let’s get some sleep, the kids already have plans for us tomorrow.”

Bradley accepted your hand after turning the gas on the fire pit off, letting the flames die down. Standing, he wrapped his arms around you and kissed your neck. “Sounds great. I’m glad we came out here this year.”

[chompsky]

This last week was extra special, filled with fun, treats, love, and even getting food at the table. He was my best friend, I'll always love him impossibly much, and the world is so much worse without him in it. 

Chompsky passed away yesterday, peacefully, at the age of 12.

I snapped the first shot while we were fetching sticks at the lake at sunrise yesterday morning. The sun took its time burning off the fog from the still lake (still until Chompsky bounded into it, of course) and both it, and he, were effortlessly spectacular.

The second shot shows my two favourite people: Jenn and Chompsky playing tug at the lake yesterday morning as the sun comes up. He had an extremely aggressive melanoma in his bowels that was only diagnosed last week. He was on laxatives to keep his stool soft so he wouldn't get backed up again, and painkillers too, but beyond that there was nothing we could do. I'm so glad his last day was a great one.

And the third image is my last portrait of Chompsky, taken yesterday, as he was smiling happily in the fall leaves. My constant companion, an adventurer down for anything, my perfect little man. We shared our lives for 11 years and if I could've willed it, we'd've shared them forever. I love you Chompers

[forgetminot]

Hey! Hope you are doing okay 🩷

I have a little request (if you feel comfortable, of course). I would love for you to write about Arthur Morgan x F!reader (Or GN), both are former lovers and they are reminiscing their time together. You can make it romantic, anyway you want. 🩷

Distant Memory

✿ Arthur Morgan x F!reader ✿

Warnings : TB Arthur (based in chapter 4 after he has been diagnosed- iM sOrRy) angst, fluff, past relationship, use of y/n.

Authors Note : I took the 'anyway you want' and rolled with it. I loved writing this thank you for the request queen 💙💙

Summary : You run into a familiar face and spend some time catching up and reminiscing.

You didn't expect him to look so... fragile- he wasn't well and you could see just from a quick glance in his direction. You turn around suddenly, retracing your steps as you follow behind the man and place your hand gently on his shoulder.

"Arthur?" He turns, slightly startled as you call out his name; you take in his appearance, his face was sunken and his complexion sallow. "It is you-"

"Y/n?" He speaks your name so softly you hardly hear him say it. "What are you doin' here?" He questions, motioning his hand to the busy streets of Saint Denis.

"Just visiting, it's nice to get away from the country now and then." You smile gently. "It's good to see you." You whisper.

"It-" He brings his hand to his mouth, coughing harshly. "-It's nice to see you." He responds as he wipes his hand against his shirt.

"You don't look well, Arthur..." You frown, taking his arm and stepping to the side of the street to stay clear of the bustling road. "How are you, how's the gang?" You ask. You knew little of the gang, only hearing stories from Arthur and seeing pictures of their faces littered on wanted posters.

"The gang-" he chuckles. "The gang has seen better days and, well, so have I." He sighs, leaning on his right side against the brick wall.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, was going to happen sooner or later." He replies bluntly.

"What happened?" You ask.

"How much time you got?" He asks back.

"I'm not going anywhere." You smile faintly. "Would you like to go somewhere more quiet? It would be nice to catch up after all these years." You suggest.

"Uh, yeah, we can do that." He nods. "Do you have a horse?" He questions as he whistles loudly, watching as his horse trots towards you both.

"I took the train here." You respond.

He lifts himself onto his steed and holds out his hand for you, which you gladly take; he pulls you up and you sit behind him, placing your hands carefully on either side of his waist. He tells you to hold on tight as you both make your way out of the city, dodging people and wagons as you go. You ride in silence for a while and you watch as the landscape changes from thick, murky swamps to the vivid greens of the plains.

"This should do." Arthur says as he pulls tightly on the reins, bringing the horse to a complete stop. He gets down from the horse first and offers his hand once again for you to take.

"Thank you." You smile kindly as your feet touch the ground.

"Course, no problem." He nods and heads towards a small lake, sitting on the ground a few feet from it; you follow after him and sit beside him, grateful that the grass is dry and not caked in mud. "How's your family?"

"Oh- My mother passed not too long ago." You sigh. "She was sick, went in her sleep."

"I'm sorry to hear that, she was always a nice woman."

"She still was, until the end." You smile faintly. "My Pa is well, still strong after everything." You laugh. "I know the both of you never saw eye to eye."

"He never liked the whole outlaw thing." Arthur grins.

"So, what happened?" You ask, referencing back to the gang.

"What hasn't happened?" He scoffs. "Job back in Blackwater went bad, real bad- Dutch shot some innocent girl and he ain't been right since." He sighs. "Then we lost Sean, always thought I'd celebrate the day that annoying boy left." He chuckles lightly. "He was like a brother to me..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." You respond kindly.

"Lost Hosea and Lenny not too soon after that, bank job in Saint Denis went horribly wrong."

"So, that's what all the wanted posters are about." You acknowledge. "Hosea- you used to mention him all the time."

"He was a better father than my real one ever was." He hums. "Always told me I was an idiot for not running off with you."

You giggle. "I can't imagine how that would have turned out."

"Would have been nice." He replies suddenly, surprised by his own response.

"I think you're right." You beam.

"You do?" He questions, coughing lightly.

"You were always good to me, Arthur. Always looked out for me, made me feel safe." You smile sadly. "Maybe in another life, we would have made it work..."

"If i didn't have people to look after I-"

"I know." You cut him off. "You were always so loyal, it's one thing I loved about you."

"Wasn't loyal enough to you." He sighs.

"I always knew that the gang came first, even if you didn't want to say it out loud." You place your hand over his. "They're family."

"You could have been family too." He mumbles, taking his hand from yours as he coughs roughly into it.

You frown, moving your hand to his back. "You're sick, ain't you?" You say, already knowing the answer.

"I'm dyin'" He laughs coldly. "Got tuberculosis, beating a guy for a few bucks."

"Oh, Arthur..." You rub your hand up his back slowly. "I- don't know what to say- I'm sorry." You sniff sadly.

"Dont be, I deserve every last second of it." He states bluntly.

"Don't say that!" You scold.

"I ain't the same man you fell in love with." He responds.

"Even so, no one deserves this."

"I'm a killer, Y/n." He laughs, standing up. "I hurt people, I steal from 'em too."

"There's always some good in people, Arthur. You always did good." You express, standing up to meet his eyes.

"The person you knew, he's just a distant memory." He admits.

"I don't believe that." You step closer, taking both his hands in yours. "I don't think that part of you would just disappear, Arthur."

"You don't know me no more." He shakes his head.

"I do, because the person you are talking about wouldn't have spared me a second glance: wouldn't have helped me up onto his horse and sat next to me by the lake." You grip his hands tighter. "Maybe, if you really think you have changed- you should use the time you have left to be good."

"I- I'm tryin' to help people." He sighs.

"You are a good man, Arthur Morgan." You smile softly. "And I don't think you are too different from the man I never stopped loving." You place your hand against his cheek gently.

"Wish I never left." He whispers, placing his hand on top of your small one.

"We can't change the past." You frown.

"I'll do better." He insists.

You nod, leaning up and placing a quick kiss to his cheek. "I know."

[jaimemes]

What could really even justify you doxxing everyone anyways? You seem to have some reason tell yourself it's fine, but... what even is that?

ho boy. okay last night i was going fuckin Thru It but im slightly more mentally stable this morning. i tend to get worse the later in the day it gets. tbh i should start tagging my mentally ill ramblings cuz yall ask these kinda questions a lot (which honestly doesnt really. help my delusions. but yadda yadda audience retention and engagement)

first of all, lemme get this out of the way: im not trying to justify what i do. i know its shitty. i know im shitty. im not gonna pretend im the Good Guy here, im just not quite the Bad Guy either. not everything is black and white.

its not an excuse, its an explanation.

anyways. back to the question. ill put this under the cut because this might get pretty unreality-heavy very quickly. and also i realized halfway thru that this was getting kinda long

look at it from my perspective— be incredibly mentally ill with me for a moment here. you believe yourself to be a part of a narrative. you dont know what kind. you dont know the genre, you dont know the story, you dont know what role you play or the role that your friends play. but you know that you are all part of the narrative in some way.

you know how stories tend to go: the plot is often driven by factors outside of your control— be it by someone else’s hand (ex: the villain burns your village down, there’s a killer at Camp Crystal Lake, two people get in an argument, etc) or by the whims of the universe (ex: a tornado rips through your town, you get diagnosed with a terminal illness, you find a golden ticket in your chocolate bar, etc) but nevertheless the story always starts because of a impending or unexpected change.

keywords impending or unexpected.

the characters dont expect it because they dont have all the information. they arent omniscient or genre-aware. they dont know whats happening with the other characters, they dont know the complexities of one another and how they are a product of their circumstances. they arent looking for literary devices in their own narrative because they dont know they’re in a narrative in the first place.

but you do. you’re a self-aware character. you believe youre in a narrative. and because you’re aware that you’re in a narrative, you are placed in a unique position: you can try to predict the narrative. its like watching a TV show. the characters only have one perspective, but the audience has everyone’s perspective— the complete narrative.

but of course, as part of the narrative, you arent the audience, are you?

but if you watch everyone around you, if you gather as much background information as possible, you can become as close to being a part of the audience as a character can be. you can have all the information necessary to make those predictions. and maybe, just maybe, you can predict the direction the narrative is headed before it happens. you cant be caught off guard if you know everything you need to predict the twists.

(hell, i think im in the midst of finding a twist right now. but i need more time to figure out all the pieces before i make any predictions. plus, a good narrator never outright reveals the twist to the audience before it happens. im the one with the stakes here, not you. but i digress, ive gotten off-topic.)

but there’s a glaring issue in your plan: because you’re a part of the narrative, you can’t exactly change it, can you? sure, you can TRY to stop it, but if you try, is that really you stopping the narrative? or did you just play right into its hands? did you change the story or was the story always written that way? you wouldn’t know: you’re a part of the story, aren’t you?

but the audience isn’t.

and this is where you can stop being mentally ill with me and step out of my shoes again (chances are my shoes are too small for ur feet anyways lmao)

this is where you— yes, you reading this— come in. because you are the audience here. you are MY audience. you’re completely removed of the narrative i believe myself to be trapped in. you’re on the outside looking in.

i believe myself to be in the unique position of being a character that can interact with their audience. and while i may not be able to change the story from the inside, maybe, if i interact with the audience, we can influence it from the outside. i just need to retain the audience enough to generate engagement with the story.

and what better way to generate audience retention than by giving them the information they need to predict the story in a way i as a character probably never could?

dear viewers, do you know what that’s called?

that’s called being a narrator.

but like i said before, a good narrator never outright reveals the twist to the audience before it happens, do they?

and an interesting narrator is an unreliable one.

…

anyways! wow that did not help my mental health. this is gonna be a hell of a day. so much for being mentally stable this morning lmao

but yeah. look. theres a reason i used language like “you believe” and “i believe” and “i may”. im aware that i suffer from delusions and paranoia. im aware that i am horrifically mentally ill. im aware that this all sounds completely inane. im not trying to say that this is the definitive truth of the universe. this is just my belief.

you may not be a part of a narrative. you dont even have to believe IM a part of a narrative.

but i believe myself to be.

[asherisawkward]

What mental illness does Philip have?

I’m just going to briefly list what I’ve noticed and what others have noticed for him. I am not trying to demonize or harmfully depict any of what I list, and I have several of the disorders that I’m listing while another suggestion was made by someone diagnosed with that disorder. Some of these aren’t actual disorders but are instead symptoms or behaviors I’ve noticed in him.

Having said that, I’ve noticed traits for the following:

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Related to the Grimwalker cycle of death and rebirth)

*Unspecified Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorder (hallucinations and “delusion” associated with the BI inhabitants)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Incredibly obvious)

Possible Trauma-Induced Memory Issues (Portraits in Hollow Mind)

Substance Dependence/Addiction (palismen)

Unspecified Anxiety Disorder (Dread and anticipation leading up to the expected betrayal of Grimwalkers, the creation and use of multiple back-up plans)

Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms (Lack of care for his own degrading state, inability to care about other things)

Lack of Regard for Safety and Health (Continued use of palismen, putting himself in dangerous situations [Eclipse Lake, Stonesleeper incident, betraying the Collector], continued use of curse despite negative side effects)

Lack of Care for Life/Possible Suicide Ideation (“I just need to live long enough to see this through,” indicates a lack of regard for his own life and a lack of plans after something that takes significant effort; when I was at my worst, I had this feeling of, “I’ll do this one last thing, and then I’m done” that he seems to mimic, and he doesn’t even notice or care that his body is decaying in WAD)

Self-Harm Issues (Cut his ears and carved glyphs into his arms, continued to absorb palismen and transform when it negatively affected his health)

*This is the diagnosis suggested by @streya-nova. I’ve read it, and they make a ton of great points. Additionally, one of my aunts has paranoid schizophrenia, and I’ve recognized some overlapping symptoms. Their discussion of this is in the link below.

I hope this all made sense for you!