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sunspray-peak · 1 year

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Ch. 43: Into the Mines Pt. 3

FLOOR 110.

“Excellent.”

Abigail hopped down the last few rungs, and dusted off her blood and dirt-caked hands with a new surge of energy. “Just what I was hoping for. Was scared the pattern wouldn’t hold—it’s a clear floor ever 10 floors. We should be safe here. Take a, uhh, bit of a break, eh? Now let’s get those sandwiches!”

He had to admire her optimistic attitude.

Sandwiches from Pierre’s, some protein bars, some bananas. It was remarkable how quickly exhaustion could melt away with a full belly. Breakfast had felt like hours ago.

It had, actually, been several hours ago. Six hours, in fact. Checking Alex’s watch—how light it felt on his wrist—it was a few hours before noon.

“I can’t believe you’ve been doing this all year,” Achilles said, pouring some water into a small bowl for Voltaire. “100 fucking floors… all by yourself… Ow!” He had accidentally scratched a cut on his forearm, causing it to well with a fresh line of blood. “Shit, that hurt.”

“Aw, poor wittle baby!” Abigail pranced over to take a closer look at the wound. “Want me to kiss it? Make it feel all better, Baby McBaby face?”

“Ha ha, very funny… my grandma used to say that to us all the time. Well. Not the Baby McBaby face part…” Achilles dribbled his water over his arm. Hmm. Likely wouldn’t need a bandage. Abigail on the other hand… “No, but seriously. I don’t know how you’ve been doing it, it’s remarkable.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Abigail said with a small bow from her seat on a flat rock. But her blue eyes darkened. “Let me tell you though… these past 5 floors… they’re worse. They were way, way worse… I haven’t ever seen this many spirits on one floor…”

“Think that means we’re close?”

“It better mean we’re close. Shit!” Abigail sighed, setting a half-eaten bologna sandwich on the ground, and buried her head in her hands. “This is… this is kinda bad, Achilles. Maybe even… real bad.”

“Should we head back?”

“No!” She leapt from the rock and took an aggressive bite from her sandwich, pointing the second half at him. “We’re close. We are close. I can feel it.”

Achilles shook his head, reaching into his backpack for some more gauze and antibiotics. He had escaped relatively unscathed so far, apart from those minor cuts. But Abigail, who had borne the brunt of the battle, was bleeding from a fresh wound on her forehead (just surface level, she insisted, though Achilles patched it up anyway).

“Should probably take care of that burn…” Achilles poured his water, still cold in the canteen, over a compress and pressed it against her forearm. “Fuck, we should bandage that cut on your neck, too…”

The more he looked at her, the more wounds he saw. Guilt began to stream through his veins, swirl among his stomach in nauseating loops.

All your fault, too, really. Had to spend the whole time defending you, isn’t that right?

And here you are. Fine. Totally fine.

He shook his head, collapsing back onto the floor and grabbing a sandwich of his own.

Close your mind, bitch…

But he was already so tired…

Tired? Yeah? Imagine how Abigail must feel…

Close your mind.

Your name is Achilles Oleander Robinson. You’re 26 years old. Wait, no I’m 27 years old. Fuck, I’m almost 28 aren’t I…

*****

FLOOR 111.

Down they went…

The shadow spirits continued to be relentless—if anything, there were even more of them now, and Abigail and Achilles’ short respite on the floor above hadn’t been enough to bring either of them back to full strength.

Even so, they powered on, Abigail striking and slicing, dodging and diving, as Achilles and Voltaire scoured the scene. Together, they scaled the mines’ jagged rocks, scrabbling amongst the nooks and crannies in desperate search for trap doors, all while doubt did some delving of its own…

Why are you here?

Who were you to even think that you could actually be useful? That you could be important?

*****

FLOOR 112.

It was now clear their break on the 110th floor hadn’t been nearly enough. Even the rope ladders were no longer a safe haven. Though the spirits were unable to fly, bats and snakes were now quick to strike the moment the trio stepped one foot on the rungs.

Abigail was faltering, her swings wilder and sloppier, Achilles forced to stop his search multiple times to fend off spirits and monsters alike.

A sharp, blinding pain arced across his back—a shadow shaman behind him.

Achilles staggered forward, nearly collapsing against an outcrop of iron ore. His hand reached for his shoulder, but from the corner of his eye—more shadow shamans.

“Meow!”

Voltaire gave him a quick nip, bringing him back to his senses, before racing towards Abigail. “Meow!”

They turned from their respective fights and followed the cat—one stumbling foot after the other…

“Achilles!”

A piercing yelp—Abigail had fallen. Tripped, likely, from exhaustion or the uneven ground or both. One arm reaching out. Her ankle weak. Twisted, no doubt.

Achilles sprinted back. The shadow spirits were only a few feet away.

“Come on, come on, come on—”

A dry, rasp. A shadow shaman had neared—its razor sharp claws shooting out faster than his eyes could keep up to tightly grip Achilles’ throat. Raise him from the ground.

Deep laughter reverberated through the greenhouse walls within his head.

With a screech, Abigail raised herself from the ground and plunged her sword into its chest.

Achilles fell to the ground, but he wasn’t given a chance to even take a breath—Abigail had pulled him up. “Time to go, time to go!”Their uneven, half-dragging footsteps pounded against the ground.

What will happen if she falls again?

What will you do?

What can you do?

Voltaire—yes, the trapdoor—

It’s time to go, don’t you think?

*****

FLOOR 113.

The cavern was, mercifully, small. No larger than the town square, which made their harried, wasted search for a nonexistent trapdoor easier.

They would have to clear the floor.

They stood in the center of the space back to back, swords drawn, as spirits and monsters seethed, approaching with razor sharp claws and venomous fangs.

On they fought. Thick sprays of green monster blood mingling with the smoking streams of purple and black, the only residue that remained once spirits had been struck down. Abigail especially looked fearsome, the dirt and blood caking her boots mixing with the gore from the sludges and snakes she slayed, their corpses a pile two feet deep on the ground around them.

It became almost meditative—the rhythm of the lunges, the parries, dodges and swipes. And yet, each twist and turn further ripped the throbbing wound below his shoulders. Beads of blood dripped down his back, running side by side with sweat.

Uncountable minutes passed, perhaps even hours, it was hard to tell tell time these days, for Achilles had nary a second to spare to even glance at Alex’s watch.

Lunge. Parry. Jab. Duck. Over and over again, the muscles in his body joining the voices outside his mind in their screams. But finally—when Achilles felt like he could scarcely raise his arms another inch, that unsettling chord of chimes rang through the cavern, and to their right, a trapdoor emerged from the ground.

He collapsed atop a rock smeared in the gooey remains of a red sludge. Abigail was quick to follow, awkwardly kicking aside the tangled masses of dead bats and lava crabs to sit on the ground, her head resting back against the rock beside Achilles’ leg.

My name is Achilles Oleander Robinson. I’m 27 years old. I live in Stardew Valley. I was born in Monstera. I have five cousins. Camille. Chloe. Elise. Nick. Benji. I have a cat.

Words that had been ringing in his head nonstop during his fight with the spirits—like a chant, a mantra pulsing steadily, as if on autopilot, within the greenhouse of his mind. Like a heartbeat. Or maybe more like a headache. Yoba, a headache of his own making…

How long can this last?

How long can you last?

With a groan, he buried his face in his left hand, while the fingers of his right just barely clung to the gunmetal hilt of his sword.

“We should go, Abby.”

“Just one more minute—”

“—no. I mean… we should go back up.”

“What? Like… give up?”

The sword slipped through Achilles’ fingers and clattered to the floor, the sound echoing among the gloomy tomb. He left it there. It hurt too much to bend.

“Not give up, just… maybe come back. Tomorrow.” With a ragged fingernail, he weakly scraped dried blood from the face of Alex’s watch. “We’ve been out here nearly 14 hours—”

Abigail shook her head slowly, her neck sore and strained. “No.”

“Abigail…”

“No, Achilles.”

“Abby, there’s two days left, we can regroup—”

“There’s no time to regroup! It’s only going to get worse the closer we get to Spirit’s Eve— more monsters. Even more spirits.

“But we can rest—”

“Achilles, there’s no time. But… but if you want to go back, fine. Go.”

Hmm.

There was an idea.

Nausea immediately swept his stomach—selfish. Selfish.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear the thought. “Abigail, I’m not going to leave—”

“I said no.” With neither a groan nor a grimace, she stood firmly to her feet. “I’m not going to just give up, Achilles. I’m close. I know I’m close, I can feel it—and I’m not just going to give up now.”

She stalked slowly towards the trapdoor. Voltaire followed her to the edge of the hall where he sat and licked a sludge-stained paw, gazing at Achilles expectantly.

“I’ve spent this whole year fighting my way down the mines without you.” Her voice rang clear, though her back was turned from him. “If you want to go, go. But I’m staying.”

Leave her.

Again, his stomach fought his mind, twisting sharply with a deep set shame that his brain seemed unable to acknowledge.

“No.”

Abigail was strong, but Achilles was still naturally stronger, not to mention over half a foot taller. She was a tiny girl. He swept her from behind, holding her scrambling form against his chest. “We’ll come back tomorrow, I promise—”

Sure, you promise… don’t lie to yourself.

Abigail fought back, even going so far as to try to jab him with her sword, but her position was awkward, and Achilles managed to wrestle the blade from her grip.

“Achilles,” she cried. “We can’t do this. We have to finish this, we have to finish this now.”

She slipped herself out below from his grasp and collapsed onto the crimson soil. Tears flooded the dried smears of blood on her cheeks.

“You don’t understand. We’re so close. I can feel it. And if we leave… we’re going to miss our chance. We can’t start over, we can’t afford to wait another day, let alone another year. Everybody knows about our mission. I can’t fail, people are going to think I’m a coward, that I couldn’t handle it—”

“Abby that’s— what? No. No one is going to think less of you—people already think you’re brave—”

The glory. The pride—so was this what it was all about then? Failure. How emerging from the mines, their sole task unfinished, would reflect on one so desperate to be seen as something more than ordinary.

At this realization, he paused.

Well, well, well. Just looking in a mirror, isn’t it.

But surely… surely he wasn’t this insane; he would never be so determined to do something so high-risk, so incredibly high-stakes, just for others’ approval. Even his pride had its limit.

Well maybe that’s why you’re a failure. Maybe you’ve always played it too safe…

Recognizing the surrender in his face, Abigail reached for her sword, still in Achilles’ hand.

Her fingertips, callused as they were, felt soft against his fingers. She leaned into his chest, though for emotional or physical support, Achilles wasn’t quite sure. “Please. If it— if it gets bad, we can go. I promise. But right now—I can still fight. I can still do this.”

She stared determinedly into his eyes, her hands vice like around his arms, as unshakable as her resolve.

Voltaire eyed them from the edge of the trap door as they slowly made their way over. The cat, eager as ever, was the first to jump down, followed closely by Abigail.

Achilles paused briefly at the top of the ladder, taking a second to roll his shoulders back—a move that once again split open the gash the shadow shaman had dealt him on the floor above.

He bit the inside of his cheek—didn’t need Abigail hearing him cry out, not when she was probably pushing aside the pain of a thousand of these sort of cuts…

Come, let’s go, let’s go… Yoba, what was he doing…

You’re making a big mistake.

#llnks #stardew valley fanfic #sdv fic #stardew valley fanfiction #stardew valley oc #stardew valley abigail

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kats-kradle · 1 year

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First Line Tag Game

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

I was tagged by @holbytlanna, my beloved. Apparently I haven’t published anything sicne February so. Get ready for just all febuwhump😂😂

Febuwhump Day 28: “you’re safe now” -MacGyver (2016)

Mac knew it was going to be one of those days from the second he got up. Bozer called them his “hyperactive zombie days,” which was a pretty honest interpretation of them. Mac called them his wrong days. Wrong days weren’t the same as paranoid days, even though they shared many qualities. They also weren’t the same as sluggish days, or spacy days, or barbed wire days—Mac had so many different categories for bad days that they were more common than good ones. The thought of that made him want to laugh, but not in a genuine way.

Febuwhump Day 27: survivor’s guilt -Marvel

In this universe, Clint ducks as the bullets start flying, and hopes it’s enough to save the little boy in his arms. He’s stunned when he’s unharmed, and when he turns he sees Pietro standing in front of him, his body riddled with splotches of red that clash in a sickeningly horrible way with the brightness of his shirt.

“You didn’t see that coming,” Pietro quips with a great effort, and then his body is rigid and he’s fallen to the ground, and Clint can’t move until the little boy in his arms shifts to try and look, and then he runs to the ship as fast as he can.

In this universe, Clint goes back and drags the body to the ship. Too young, he thinks, looped in his mind like a broken record. Too young. He lays down next to the body as the ship departs, and thinks about how life has never been fair for the young and the brave.

Febuwhump Day 26 (Alt 6): limp -MacGyver (2016)

The porcelain of the toilet was cold under Mac’s arms as he heaved the remains of what little supper he had eaten. He shuddered and glanced at his watch. 3:05 in the morning. Any thought he had of wanting to call Jack was quickly pushed aside; he wouldn’t bother Jack at this hour. Explosions and ragged bodies of his friends raced through his mind again, and Mac closed his eyes against the way his stomach lurched.

Febuwhump Day 25: assumed dead -Stargate Atlantis

“Sheppard! Teyla!” Ronon called out, ducking under a branch. After a second, he added, “McKay!” His voice rang out and echoed through the forest without a response. Another attempt at the radio proved that it still wasn’t working. He let out an aggravated huff and tried to ignore the chill that was steadily creeping up his spine.

“Stay together,” John had said, and Ronon could tell by the look in his eyes that he really meant it this time. “This is not a good place to be alone.”

For the life of him, Ronon couldn’t remember why.

Febuwhump Day 24: bloody clothes -Death on the Nile

Poirot watched Bouc as he wandered down the stairs. The inevitable was swiftly approaching, as much as he dreaded it, and he sighed and leaned heavily on the railing.

“It’s horrible,” Jackie whimpered from behind him. “All of it, horrible. Who could do such a thing? You must have some theory, Monsieur Poirot. Don’t you?” There was a certain edge to her voice that Poirot couldn’t quite place. It didn’t sit right with him.

“I have one final interview to conduct,” he murmured.

Febuwhump Day 23: “you’ll have to go through me” -The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

“Mr. Kuryakin, if you could please step into my office,” Alexander requested as the Russian passed his door. Illya exchanged a look with Gaby, who was attached to his arm, before murmuring something and disengaging from her. Alexander gave him a pleasant smile and ushered him into the room before closing the door. Gaby continued down the hallway, but threw a glance behind her at the door. Alexander closed the blinds.

Febuwhump Day 22: can’t scream -MacGyver (2016)

“Mac!” Jack yelled in a panic, shaking his unconscious friend violently. “Come on, man, wake up!”

The distant sound of voices grew steadily closer, and Jack swore and grabbed Mac under the arms. His stomach turned at the sight of the bone sticking out of Mac’s leg, but he pushed past the nausea and dragged Mac out of the elevator shaft and into a nearby closet. Mac began to stir in his arms. The voices grew closer, and Jack moved to close the door, but Mac’s bad leg blocked it. With a grimace, he slammed a hand over Mac’s mouth and swiftly yanked his leg into the room and closed the door, cringing as Mac jerked awake to struggle and scream into his hand.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Mac, I’m sorry.”

Febuwhump Day 21: shackled -Stargate Atlantis

“I guess this is to be expected,” Rodney grumbled. “We’ve been pretty lucky so far that everyone in the Pegasus Galaxy speaks the same language.”

Ronon grunted in agreement as the two of them watched Teyla and John make exaggerated motions and strange body movements at the village leaders. It was a lot like that earth game… charades. It wasn’t any less entertaining, either, at least on Ronon’s part. Rodney seemed to have gotten bored of it two minutes in.

Febuwhump Day 20: knife wound -MacGyver (2016)

“Riley! Riley!”

It was a sunny spring day when Riley had finally made the connection between the words father and Jack. She was driving down the road with her dad. She’d been angrier with her mom than she’d been in a long, long time, if ever; so she called her dad to pick her up. It was a low down, shitty move, and Riley knew it the instant she saw her mom’s face blanch when his car pulled up to the house. Jack had tried to lecture her with stupid phrases like “now you listen here young lady” that Riley answered with her middle finger as she went out the door.

Febuwhump Day 19: “you deserve this” -Marvel

Apathy was a mercy.

Stephen first considered this as he sat in a hard church pew, staring at the too-small coffin at the front of the room like the force of his gaze could somehow bring Donna back, when he was suddenly and viciously jealous of everyone who lived without connection to anyone else.

Tagging: @thewanderingace @set-phasers-to-whump @catsafari25 @loves-2-read @januarydivide @personinthepalace and anyone else who wants to do this!

#tag game #my writing

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in-consequentiality · 8 months

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Entry 5 - 1/28/2024, 2:34 pm

It’s really weird, the drawn-out sensation of feeling yourself dying. Feeling the cells in the folds of your grey matter dematerialize, your joints creak, your perception fog. It’s not something you notice until there’s nothing else to notice.

Of course, I’m not dying. I’m 22. I’m in pretty good shape, better than I’ve been in the last four years I think. I’ve eaten clean and gone to the gym regularly for a couple of weeks now, not religiously but something is better than nothing. I just think a total and random failure of my organic being is the only possible explanation for this profound emptiness I feel in my chest.

I’m home now. Just for the weekend, writing this as I shuffle around Walmart with my mom. Love her. My skin weighs heavy on my bones, my knees feel like they’re gonna buckle. I’ve needed to vomit for half the day now but nothing’ll come up. Truly I feel like I’ve just been reanimated after a decade of pushing up daisies. My hometown feels foreign at this point, but I also feel a bit exiled from the city right now.

I don’t know exactly why I’m feeling like this, but I do know what set it off; the 9-hour Coke binge my high school best friend and I went on a few days ago. Haven’t felt right since. I won’t say much, but I tell you something a little weird that happened towards the tail end, that I’ll only ever admit on here.

At around 8 in the morning, only about a half hour after our last line, we were both completely strung out. He was completely paranoid and I was speaking utter nonsense. As such, we decided to retire in bed together to try to go to sleep. That’s not the weird part, he’s more like family than friend and we’ve always shared a bed after a night out. However, at some point that morning, in what can only be described as a moment of complete psychosis, I reached out to his face, held him in my hands, and kissed him on the cheek, then on the shoulder. In my deluded state, I had thought he was you. More than thought, I SAW you lying across from me through my half-open eyes and was completely convinced that the events of the prior night were some twisted dream. I only realized he wasn’t you when my hand grazed his beard; the image of your perfection was quickly replaced with one of his horror. Awkward.

I don’t know what the whole episode means, or honestly, I don’t really want to think about it. But ever since then I’ve felt like a gallon of milk three weeks past its due date, and it’s like I can’t shake this inexplicable impulse to fucking kill myself. Not out of embarrassment or something stupid like that, I think this feeling is more like existential dread. I don’t think I’ve been this depressed since high school.

Obviously, I won’t kill myself, that would be silly; I’ve already paid this month's rent.

#prose #writing #poetry

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lovestuckyhatemarvel · 1 year

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Woooo, let’s keep going.

1.) “Hey there.” Hey, Nancy.

2.) Steve frees himself by biting.

3.) I know people love to make Eddie horny about the bite and swing and like, they’re right.

4.) The wounds actually aren’t that bad.

5.) Rabies are scary but it does take a while for symptoms to set in.

6.) Steve’s job this season has been at least 70% saying shit that will be disproven immediately afterward.

7.) Say it with me: torture doesn’t work. And also why would this agent have the exact location anyway?

8.) How many times are we gonna see this stupid can of coke?

9.) Oh Owens sort of has a spine.

10.) Usually people aren’t so easily defined but sometimes they are. El is not a monster but you are, Brenner.

11.) “This place is not a prison, this is,” Brenner says as he taps El’s head. Okay I rolled my eyes hard enough I remembered I haven’t eaten yet today and I paused the show to eat. I cannot keep watching this moron on an empty stomach. I refuse. Oh dear fucking god. This episode is 1 hour and 41 minutes???? I have an hour and a half left oN THIS EPISODE?? FUCK YOU.

12.) idk why Bremer thinks it’d be bad to be like, “You didn’t massacre a bunch of kids.” Unless he actually is stupid enough to think she did it.

13.) Dustin is a terrible liar. And while lying to the cops is technically a crime, it is morally right.

14.) Steve is not fine, he’s falling over.

15.) Duffers, I do not want Steve and Nancy to date again and you ca’t make me.

16.) How’d Eddie manage to climb up that fallen tree without stepping on a vine but now needs to be extra careful climbing down?

17.) ‘FOr your modesty, dude’. Jealous.

18.) I love Steve in the vest and so does Eddie.

19.) Hopper wishing wistfully for El to come into her own while she’s in a place with Brenner is so sad.

20.) “Maybe I can still help El, even if it’s the last thing I do.” Hopper is the reason why I think El has to survive this show. For him. Because Hopper needs to know he’s not cursed. Because he doesn’t deserve to have another daughter die.

21.) Murray and Yuiri do not look THAT much alike, y’;all.

22.) Two, maybe don’t make yourself an obvious target.

23.) That was fucked up. Torturing kids is evil.

24.) All 3 saved Steve but Eddie’s the one Steve narrows in to thank.

25.) Steve is so pleased to find out Dustin bragged about him. Eddie thinks Steve is a good dude. That’s like, huge praise from Eddie.

26.) I feel bad for the Duffers trying to even have Eddie be like ‘soooo Nancy and you?’ And almost none of the fans were like ‘yes, Steve and Nancy.’ Straight guys don’t stand this close together usually, guys. And they usually don’t stare into each other’s eyes.

27.) Thank God, the earthquake interrupted the script desperately trying to hook up a couple that doesn’t work.

28.) Erica found gay porn under Lucas’ bed, right?

29.) I love Lucas and Erica.

30.) Wait is it now being decided that El opening a gate requires contacting a monster in the Upside Down????

31.) No guns and Nancy figures out they’re in the past, specifically November 6th, 1983.

32.) Steve hears Dustin. Because they’re buddies. Flipping the switch does something. There’s now shimmery light on the chandelier.

33.) Eddie knows SOS. <3

34.) Wow, RUDE, Dustin.

35.) MURRAY STOP PLAY ACTING IN THE FUCKING CELL. OH MY GOD.

36.) Okay they’ve never met Yuri before.

37.) Murray is so fucking worried and he should be. Oh, Joyce recognizes that sound.

38.) IDK why the other kids are blaming El. Brenner literally said she didn’t talk. Two gave himself away by being a moron.

39.) CHESS. I one time started to learn Chess on a Simmons board and never was as good on a normal board as I was on that.

40.) WHY DO THE OTHER KIDS HATE EL SO FUCKING MUCH????? WHY HAS BRENNER BEEN PLANNING IT??????? NONE OF THE RAINBOW ROOM SHIT MAKES ANY GODDAMN SENSE.

41.) This better be Henry lying because if not, this isn’t Brenner playing chess, this is a pigeon shitting on a chessboard.

42.) Damn, they covered that board fast.

43.) Eddie and Steve commiserating on Dustin being a butthead.

44.) My roommate reminded me that there are syndication rules and so the reason the seasons are so breakneck and short in terms of episode numbers is so the show isn’t available for syndication. That’s why we’re getting a full ass movie length episode every episode this season. So Netflix can screw people.

45.) BIKES. Steve should be wincing when he moves though, let alone biking.

46.) Max is the best.

47.) “Oh, pigs, oh PIGS. Let Officer Callahan in.” One, who are you calling pig, pig? Two, are you comparing yourself to the big bad wolf?

48.) Erica MY NEW FAVORITE CHILD. DID YOU SLASH A COP’S TIRE? I’VE NEVER BEEN PROUDER.

49.) Four bikes.

50.) Is no one monitoring the cameras here?

51.) Has anyone done an AU where Henry was genuine in his help?

52.) Let’s see how bad this CGI demogorgon is. But of course the lighter isn’t working.

53.) FOr a demogorgon that is being routinely fed, this one looks scrawny. Also yeah, the CGI is bad.

54.) Okay why would the guard open the door, Murray? There’s a monster that will kill him.

55.) Of course the fire goes out just as the door is closing.

56.) nICE THROW, HOP.

57.) Aw, Hopper and Joyce reunited.

58.) How fucking close to the trailer park is Creel house????

59.) Bada Bada Boom. The gate is open and they can care each other.

60.) I just realized I don’t know why El was in a hospital gown this entire time? None of the other kids wear one.

61.) Henry goes from ‘powers blocked’ to ‘complete control’ in like 10 seconds.

62.) Eddie why did you bring up the stains? Also those are huge. Are you just jerking off directly onto your bed????

63.) Robin and then Eddie. Try not to stare at Eddie’s ass, Steve. And then Nancy does get to falling, but falls into a vision. Wait how is she standing on the ground again?

64.) Oh now she sees Barb in the pool. This is the first time she’s seen this though. So Nancy seeing this now makes sense. She would now know it’s the pool. I just don’t think any of them know until this season though.

65.) El literally missed so much murder hiding in a closet. And now she’s going down the very flickers hallways to find the Rainbow Room completely decimated. She literally missed ALL the murders except for Two’s.

66) Why is Henry so powerful? How did he even get his powers? What even is his motivation????? Why does this character make no goddamn sense?????

67.) Sweet of Vecna to give Nancy a full villain hallucination backstory. Are we literally trying to say Henry/Vecna/One was a child psychopath or something? Why was there a nest of black widows in a vent? What’s this got to do with anything? God, this character is dumb and pretentious.

68.) ?????? I’d argue black widows also operate under the wake up, work, eat, reproduce, sleep, die cycle even more than humans do.

69.) Okay so he was just an evil child. An evil, judgmental child. Why? Because fuck you, that’s why.

70.) Why would killing people make him stronger???

71.) Literally why would Henry think Eleven is better than the rest of the kids?????

72.) Why would El need to think about any memories other than the fucking DOZENS OF CORPSES SHE’S GONE PAST?

73.) fucking what????????? Is El REMEMBERING BEING BORN? FUCKING WHAT? I’M SORRY. WHAT? I FUCKING HATE THIS SHOW. THIS IS SO STUPID. I CAN’T BELIEVE THE THING THAT HELPS HER BEAT HENRY THE FIRST TIME IS REMEMBERING HER OWN GODDAMN BIRTH. Also! HEY, not to be a party pooper BUT NEWBORNS CAN’T REALLY FUCKING SEE MORE THAN 6 INCHES AWAY FROM THEIR GODDAMN FACE.

74.) Honestly how did Henry/Vecna/One survive El doing that? Like he’s just falling around in the sky and getting struck by lightning too???? None of this makes any goddamn sense. Not even in this world.

75.) YEAH, I KNOW HENRY IS VECNA. YOU DIDN’T NEED TO SHOW THE TATTOO. Although. How does he still have the tattoo and why is it bigger? God, you guys really think 14 year olds are morons.

I need too take a break from this show. It’s so stupid. Oh my god.

#stranger things #Stranger things rewatch #season 4 episode 7 #s4e7 #stranger things s4e7

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devils-little-sista · 1 year

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The cavity was filled almost 3 hours ago why is my face still numb I haven’t eaten in a full 28 hours I’m hungry why does my whole mouth taste like tar

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fruitcoops · 2 years

Note

hi eve!!! have loved all of your oknutzy stuff recently !! Was hoping you’d write a coops fic while Remus was PT maybe just appreciating how much he does / Sirius treating him to something special (nice meal, back rub, etc) after a long day of work?

Yes! Love me some PT Loops learning that--*gasp*--people are allowed to love him. Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove, Hattie is mine!

TW referenced minor injuries

7:45—Admin

Remus’ vision blurred with exhaustion. “No sleeping,” he mumbled around a yawn. His eyes still felt too heavy, too sticky with sleep to function like they should. “Morning, morning, morning, stay awake, stay awake, you can fit a nap in later.”

No, you won’t. Someone was going to fuck up a joint during practice today. He could feel it tingling at the back of his neck like the breath of a lunch-stealing poltergeist. Remus gazed mournfully at his calendar and the list stuck to the left side of his computer screen, scrawled in a sloppy hand before practically falling into Sirius’ car the night before—his handwriting was already questionable past 6 pm, even without a day like that. Like this one was shaping up to be, too.

His computer gave a cheerful chirp: You have a meeting in [15] minutes with [Thompson, Admin]!

Somewhere back home, Sirius was still in bed. Cozy. Warm. Sleep-soft. Probably curled on his side, long legs clad in flannel, his body in a gentle arc that formed a perfectly Remus-sized hollow against his middle for prime snuggling…

“What would happen?” he wondered aloud, drumming his fingertips on the fake wood. “If I skip, what are they gonna do? Fire me? They can’t fire me.”

His eyes slid from a near-solid block of color-coded events to the crisp Post-It with its endless list of non-work tasks.

“God, they would totally fire me,” Remus muttered. As if they haven’t been looking for a reason to do it since January. He took a moment to stretch both arms over his head and crack his back; from the looks of it, the remaining 6 minutes would be the last bit of leisure time until he went home or died, whichever came first.

10:00-2:45—Clinical + Walk-in

“What are you doing?”

“Being productive.”

Moody snorted from the general vicinity of the doorway.

“Seriously,” Remus continued over the rhythmic thud of his forehead against the wooden cabinet of the break room. “This is a better use of my time than talking to Tremzy.”

“More broken fingers?”

Remus huffed. His forehead was finally starting to transition from aching to blessed numbness. “Told me it was a jammed knee. How’d it get jammed, Tremz? I dunno. Did you turn too hard? Uh, I twisted it. What a little son of a bitch.”

“Since when is Tremblay from Texas?”

“Remind me that I love my job, please.”

“You love your job and you love those boys.” His forehead hit something softer the next time around. Remus let out a slow breath through his nose as Moody adjusted to grab him by the face and gently pushed him back into a proper standing position. “That brain pays your salary, Lupin. Play nice.”

“This brain is currently on strike due to workplace abuse,” he said into the rough skin of Moody’s palm.

Light flooded back in and Remus squinted, blinking in the sudden change. Moody scanned him with a critical eye. “You eaten yet today?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d you have?”

“Wagyu steak and pan-friend potatoes.” His stomach clenched at the very thought. Moody’s expression was distinctly unimpressed. Remus sighed. “A bagel and a granola bar, two hours ago. I have a meeting with Dumo in 3 and a half minutes about his lower back pain ‘cause he refuses to admit he’s over the age of 28, so if you’ll excuse me…”

“Choke down another granola bar and I’ll let you leave.”

“Moody—”

“You’ve got 2 minutes and 55 seconds.”

Remus scrubbed both hands down his face. Not for the first time, he wished he was a little meaner, or at least mean enough to push past into the hallway. Sirius would have. But he wasn’t Sirius, and he was hungry, and there was almost certainly a peanut butter and chocolate bar somewhere in the back of the cabinet…

Bingo. Putting his job on pause had never tasted so good.

4:30-6:00—Ref. 20-47

The afternoon passed in a series of signatures and papercuts, broken up only by a 40-minute period of double-checking everyone’s skates and pads before evening practice. Remus heard the team arrive in a distant stampede and braced himself for the inevitable grilling—where are my shoulder pads? I left them drying last night, though. What do you mean they’re in my stall?—only to be left, beautifully, wonderfully alone. It appeared his extra work the night before had paid off.

Sign, stamp, stack. Remus glanced at his watch; 28 referrals completed in just under 90 minutes. That left only two items on his work calendar (he decided to ignore the ‘home’ chores Post-It for now), a number that had seemed unfathomable seven hours ago. The admin meeting felt like another universe.

He stood on shaky legs and groaned softly at the ache from sitting too long without breaks, bracing on the edge of his desk for a stretch to stave off a calf cramp. A smart person would take 10 minutes and do some light yoga, run a couple drills once the guys went home. Remus’ neck twinged when he checked the clock again—just as he thought. No time to be a smart person.

Remus wrinkled his nose at his desk chair before easing himself back into it. The future was difficult to imagine when his brain was that fuzzy.

“Two more,” Remus told the tiny granite wolf taped to the top of his computer monitor. “That’s it, and then I can go home and have a good dinner and kiss my boyfriend and sleep for ten hours.”

He flexed his throbbing hands and pushed the keyboard aside to make room for two sheets of paper to lay side-by-side. Sorting health forms was easy, repetitive, and…

6:00-6:30—Nap

Remus woke up.

His computer was off. Good sign, he thought, letting his eyes slip closed again. Done for the day. His hands took a moment to come back online. Then the familiar ache in his legs. Then a sudden pinch in his lower back when he tried to turn into the touch caressing one side of his face, and a new voice shushing him as a hand eased his back into a more comfortable spot. Remus grumbled wordlessly.

“Re.”

He made a noise of acknowledgement. One side of his face felt stickier than usual.

“Hey. Loup.”

“Lis’nin’.”

“Time to wake up.”

“Am.”

“Sure you are,” Sirius laughed quietly. Sneakers squeaked on linoleum as he shifted and Remus burrowed into the worn-soft fabric of his shirt. He smelled good, a little sweaty, like he did after warmups or a couple loops around the basement rink. Warm in the crook between neck and shoulder, just like Remus had left him that morning. Sirius’ chest hitched with suppressed laughter for a moment—there was an odd sound like rustling paper, and then an unpleasant tug on one side of his face.

Remus jerked awake by another degree and felt his neck heat with embarrassment as Sirius finished gently peeling a health form off his cheek. “Sorted ‘em,” he explained around a yawn. “Fell asleep.”

“Quoi?”

“The paper. Sorted it.” His head felt all muggy, mouth tacky like he had been sleeping with it open. “How long was I out?”

“I’m not sure.”

Remus frowned. “Time’s it?”

“6:35. I just came to say hello.”

He hummed. Sirius’ hand slid down from the back of his head to give his neck a gentle squeeze at the nape—it popped a few neurons back into place, and Remus blinked blearily at him before leaning forward to rest their foreheads together.

“Hello,” he said into the sliver of space between them. “Missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Sirius’ thumb stroked circles over the top of his spine, turning Remus’ bones to mush. “Busy day, huh?”

“Mmm.”

“Do you know what you want for dinner?”

Remus couldn’t help his sigh. Dinner. Number one on the (literal) laundry list that needed to get done before he could drag himself into bed. Sirius would be starving when practice was done, and it was only fair that he figure something out—maybe he could ask Sirius to throw a load of dishes into the washer before rinsing off. Yeah, he could do that. “Chicken and rice?” he suggested. Quick, easy, season and bake. 40 minutes start to finish.

“Sounds great.” Lips pressed to his forehead, a little dry from warmups but as pillow-soft as always. “I’ll be back at 7:45?”

Remus smiled into their next kiss. “See you then.”

8:15-8:45 pm—Shower + Dinner

Ahead of schedule, Remus thought as they pulled into the driveway and Sirius turned the ignition off. Bonus points. If they kept this up, he might be able to let the broccoli bake for an extra five to ten minutes for some extra crunch. “D’accord,” Sirius said under his breath as he ducked out of the car and jogged around.

Remus paused, bewildered, when the passenger door opened and Sirius held his hand out. “…what?”

“Come on.” Sirius held his hand a little closer; Remus felt a blush creep to his ears when he took it and let Sirius help him from the car like—like some sort of celebrity. Sirius dipped down to kiss his cheek, taking the backpack from his shoulder in the same motion.

“What is this?” Remus laughed.

“What, I’m not allowed to carry your bag for you?” Silver eyes glittered with amusement. “I can be romantic.”

You are a grown man, don’t get fluttery over that. Remus bit his lower lip around a smile. “You can.”

“I showered at the rink, so you can head up,” Sirius continued, opening the door with ease despite the two bags hanging off him. He intercepted Hattie’s welcome tackle and tossed the nearest tennis ball down the hallway for her to chase, gesturing for Remus to go ahead of him. A lopsided smile made Remus’ heart squeeze. “The beast has been tamed. After you, mon amour.”

He cast a quick look around the living room and kitchen when he entered—no surprises yet. Nobody hiding behind the couch with cake and balloons for…something important, presumably. Fuck, had he forgotten an anniversary? Anniversary of what? This time last year, he and Sirius had both been unhappily aboard the train of useless pining.

Then again, being sweet and silly and chivalrous for no reason at all was exactly the type of thing Sirius would do, when he thought about it. “Thanks, baby,” Remus said as he toed his shoes off and leaned up for a kiss.

Sirius nudged their noses together, one hand going down to soothe Hattie’s excited tippy-taps. “Pas de problem. Now go, shower, I know that look on your face.”

Remus caught him by the front of his shirt before he could turn away and pulled him down for one more chaste peck. “I love you.”

“Love you more.”

8:25 pm—Shower and…dinner?

Sirius hadn’t let him start the chicken, rice, or broccoli before ushering him upstairs with a playful smack to his ass. Remus wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, but he had been standing under the hot water for about five minutes now and honestly didn’t have the capacity to read too far into it anymore. The water took the last of his higher brain functions with it as it swirled over his aching feet to the drain. More than once, Remus’ thoughts tried to wander toward the Post-It still stuck to his computer monitor, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember what it said.

Maybe that was okay. Maybe he could take another couple of minutes to steam himself like the dumplings from their favorite shop down the road, taking in the warm air and blowing out the day’s stress. He hadn’t done that many consecutive clinicals since college. A break was well-deserved.

8:45 pm—Put on pants

**Correction: 8:45 pm—Put on Sirius’ pants and sweatshirt

The bed was far too tempting for its own good. If Remus’ stomach wasn’t growling like a hellbeast, he would have given in to his weak mortal urges and buried himself beneath the sheets the second he stepped out of the shower.

He rolled the waistband of Sirius’ sweats twice to keep them up, then slipped on his oldest, most threadbare Lions hoodie. A welcome gift from James, if Remus remembered right. One of many attempts to offer friendship to their newest, coldest rookie.

Remus stuck his nose in the neckline and inhaled deeply. How far they had come since those first silent days.

Fuzzy socks made the outfit complete and offered the gentle padded compression he had been craving since noon. He cracked his knuckles as he headed back down to the kitchen, stifling a yawn in one frayed sweater cuff, and paused at the bottom of the stairs to give Hattie’s ears a scritch. “Hello, princess,” he laughed while she gave his hands a thorough inspection. “You’ve got bedhead, c’mere. Did you have a good nap after your dad left? I know, I was gone forever.”

“The couch was still warm,” Sirius called from the other room with an audible smile. “I checked.”

“I bet you two went to the park, huh?” She stared back at him, tongue lolling, tail thudding against the floor before she pushed her entire head into his chest. The fur of her neck was silky smooth between his fingers; Remus pressed his nose to the top of her forehead and let himself relax into the velvet softness.

The air smelled different when he raised his head, blinking in the dim light. Hattie put her paws on the lower stair and began her nightly routine of making sure he wasn’t secretly hiding treats behind his ears. “Baby?”

“Ouais?”

“I can—” Remus broke off when another burst of steam sent the smell wafting into the living room. Sirius had used the good paprika. Christ, his heart was going to burst. “I said I could make dinner.”

“Chicken and rice, yes?” Sirius appeared in the doorway with a sweet smile and popped a green bean in his mouth, shrugging. “I got it.”

“You got it.” He got it. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.”

Remus’ hands stilled over Hattie’s ribs. He could feel her breathing, steady one moment, erratic with intensive sniffing the next. It seemed she had accepted the fact that he was not going to sneak her cookies and trotted off to go whine at Sirius, leaving Remus alone on the stairs. “You got it,” he repeated quietly to himself.

9:00 pm—No…plan? No plan.

Dinner was amazing. They were both too tired to talk much, but the minute they sat down Sirius had twined their ankles under the table, and there they stayed for the next half hour while they ate in companionable quiet. The rice was only a little undercooked.

Sirius liked to read or watch a show after evening practice most days, and Remus usually found himself a spot between thick thighs or tucked up against Sirius’ side to join him for an hour or two. But Sirius had taken their dishes with a kiss to his forehead and put them right in the dishwasher—and started it—before taking Remus by the hand and pulling him upstairs.

Remus watched him change into his pajamas and put his day clothes in the hamper at the same time, relying on muscle memory to brush his teeth while his mind whirred. It wasn’t that Sirius never helped around the house; the man was more of a neat freak than he was, some days. But something felt…different. It felt more intentional.

“So,” Remus started once he had rinsed his mouth out and shuffled aside to share the sink. The words stuck in his throat for reasons he couldn’t name. “Tonight was—tonight was really nice. Thank you.”

Sirius’ brow furrowed in confusion. “For dinner?”

“And the other stuff.” Why was it suddenly so hard to say what he wanted? “You know, the dishes and feeding the dog and holding the door and…all that.”

Sirius hummed and bent to spit out his toothpaste before he half-shrugged. “It was normal stuff. You were tired. I could do it, so I did.”

Remus just stared at him as he went back to brushing his teeth, already rummaging through the cupboard for the mouthwash. “Thank you.”

Sirius hummed his thanks when Remus passed him the mouthwash bottle; when he was done with his teeth, he turned, taking Remus’ face between gentle hands to kiss him, minty fresh. “I missed you today. And yesterday.”

Don’t swoon, don’t swoon, don’t swoon—“I missed you, too.”

Perhaps spending two days cooped up in his office had had more side effects than just draining his energy. He let Sirius take more of his weight with a slow exhale, and a moment later felt big hands rubbing along his aching muscles. “It’s silly,” Sirius said, his voice low. “I almost wished I had a real excuse to come see you.”

“For your own sake, I don’t,” he mumbled into Sirius sleep shirt.

There was a gentle pressure at the top of his head; Remus hid his smile in the nearest bicep. “You do so much for so many people,” Sirius sighed at last. The hands on his back maintained their steady motions. “You spend all day fixing their problems. My problems, too. I just—” He paused. Remus loved how carefully each word was chosen. Another little press made his stomach swoop. “I want you to know that you don’t have to do everything by yourself, Re. I can handle Hattie, I can do chores, I can cook. Maybe not well, but—”

“It was fantastic, Sirius.”

“Merci.” Sirius’ arms tightened around him for a brief pulse. “I can help. Let me help. I want to. This is, like, the bare minimum.”

Sometimes Remus couldn’t believe just how lucky he was. A day that used to end with boxed mac and cheese and falling asleep in the creaky twin bed of his apartment, occasionally still in his work clothes, now ended like this. And if he had his way, it would go like this forever.

“Okay,” he said, tilting his head up. The corners of Sirius’ eyes crinkled with a smile. “Alright, I’ll try. But don’t try to do everything for me, either, yeah?”

“As if I could get away with that,” Sirius laughed, bending down until their lips brushed and happiness fizzed through Remus’ whole body.

A double yawn interrupted their third-fourth-fifth kiss and they broke down into laughter; Remus went willingly when Sirius tangled their fingers together and made a show of dragging him to bed, bundling him up in the covers before settling down with a nuzzle to the back of his ear. His knees tucked up behind Remus’—his arm wound protectively over his torso, forming a perfect Remus-sized hollow.

10:00 pm—Rest

Remus was asleep before Sirius had taken two breaths.

#remus lupin #sirius black #coops #hattie #moody #sweater weather #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #fluff #pt loops #cuddling #long day

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togrowoldinv · 2 years

Text

Her Superpower

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Natasha is there for you when you’re stressed out about a major project for college

Note: This is my first fic in a decent while since I’ve been struggling with some writer’s block. I’ve been working on a huge project for school (28 pages of excel analysis, ugh), so this is inspired by that stress. I finished the project but the stress lingers, so here’s this. I hope that you enjoy!

Natasha Romanoff Masterlist, Main Masterlist

No one has ever been as patient with you as Natasha always is. Despite an age difference between you two, she has never made you feel any less than for still being in school and just starting to really make life plans.

She knew when she started dating you that sometimes you get so caught up in schoolwork that you forgot to take breaks and take care of yourself.

Recently, you’ve been working on one of these projects that takes everything out of you.

You find yourself in your apartment now sitting at your desk. It’s been six hours since you’ve even stood up or taken your eyes off the computer screen.

You’re the focused that you don’t even hear Natasha enter your apartment and come to your office door.

“Detka?” You hear her voice and you look up to see her standing at the entrance.

“Oh hey, Nat. Sorry, have you been here long?” You ask her, still typing away on your laptop.

“Long enough to see you need a break, y/n,” Natasha says with a soft look on her face.

She walks over to you and sets a box on your desk with food from your favorite restaurant.

“I don’t have time right-“

“Baby, I know what you’re about to say. But I’m willing to bet you haven’t eaten today and you deserve a break,” Natasha says. Her tone doesn’t give you any indication she’ll let you win this argument, so you don’t even start it.

“Thank you, Natasha,” you say and she starts getting the food out.

You look back to your laptop for a minute and then you feel Natasha in your space and kissing your lips.

“It’s time for a break,” she says as she carefully moves your laptop out of way.

You open your mouth to protest, but she kisses you again.

The two of you eat together and it’s the first time all day you’ve felt anything other then stressed.

“I’m almost done with the project. I think I can put some more hours in tonight,” you tell Natasha as you finish up dinner.

“When’s it due, detka?”

“This weekend, but I’m trying to get it done early,” you reply.

“Okay, so why don’t we take the night and just relax?”

“I can’t- I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” She asks firmly, but her hand finds it’s way to your thigh and you feel nothing but her care for you seep through her touch.

“Well- I guess I just don’t want to feel like a failure for not being on top of this,” you say.

“Y/n, you are not a failure and you never will be. It’s okay to not be on top of everything always. And actually you are very on top of this, detka,” Natasha says.

You feel yourself start to cry and Natasha moves her hands to your face to wipe your tears with her thumbs.

“I’m here, my love. You’re always so impressive to me and I see the hard work you are putting in. Everyone else will see it too and you’ll do great on this project,” Nat says. She kisses your forehead and you lean into her touch.

“Thank you, Natasha. I don’t know how to thank you for saying that. How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?”

“Hmm maybe it’s my superpower,” she says with a smirk and you both laugh.

“I love you,” you say.

“I love you more.”

“I love you most, detka. Don’t fight me on it, just believe it,” Natasha says and you just smile. “So, what do you say? How about a nice relaxing night with me?”

“That sounds great, Natasha.”

And so Natasha runs you a soothing bath and snuggles with you all night in bed while you watch some cheesy romcom.

You still have work to do, but you feel much more relaxed and sure of the road ahead. All thanks to the best woman in the world, your Natasha.

Tag List: @gracebutnotgraceful @i-wished-for-you-too @idkwhygregg @nataliaromanova-widow @romanoffscottage @be-missed @likefirenrain @hehehehannahthings @mythosphere-x @readings-stuff @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @madamevirgo @milfloverslut @yelenabelovaisthebettersister @mrswidowjohansson @alotofpockets @wandassitcom @ggrangerdanger @marvelwomen-simp @maia-lightwoood @mortallytremendoussandwich @xxromanoffxx @peanutbutterprincess @karmasgxrl @picnicmic @wandaslittlewhore @exhaustedfangirl @when-wolves-howl @natashalovers @marie45019 @inluvwithfictionalwomen @sammi1642 @itsyourgirlmalise @jujuu23 @the-night-owl-blr @blackwidow-3 @strangegardentaco @avatarsnips @romanoffswoman @natashasilverfox @imthenatynat

#natasha romanoff x reader #soft natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff comfort #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha romanoff

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sie-rui · 3 years

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Plss do a Ran haitani fluff where he takes care of reader and just loves her 🥺 Ps. Take care of yourself and drink lots of Water💕

❀ LUV U | TOKYO REVENGERS 🤍 haitani ran 💿 gender neutral, second pov (you/your), fluff, comfort, established relationship, au - canon divergence, imagine 📅 june 28, 2021 🔗 masterlist

haitani ran just loves spending time with his lover.

“Get up, love, you haven’t eaten yet and it’s nearing noon already,” he coos, moving the curtains to let the sun peek in. Despite your groans, he comes over and pulls the blanket off of you with one swift tug.

He sits on your bed, placing a hand on your waist as you bury your head underneath your pillow. “Hey, I know you don’t feel like moving at all, but you can’t stay in bed forever,” he says softly in between your whining and curses. “You haven’t moved since yesterday morning, love.”

Frankly, Ran was worried about you. The fight the day before yesterday did a great amount of emotional trauma on you, especially since you and your friend were dragged into it unwillingly. The very same friend that was gravely injured while shielding you.

Now you were refusing to take care of yourself, drowning deep in your thoughts and regrets and Ran was worried because you didn’t answer your phone.

“Leave me alone, Ran, I just want to be alone,” you bemoan, clumsily trying to push him away with a hand.

Ran sighs, moving off the bed, drawing back the curtains and returning your blanket as he turns on the power fan on his way before leaving the room, closing the door silently behind him. Of course he wasn’t going to leave you alone, what kind of boyfriend would he be if he did that? A shitty one.

Since you had no plans of taking care of yourself or even drinking water and eating good food, Ran will make sure you do it. He’ll be here for you, it’s the least he could do.

An hour later finds him returning back to your room, a tray on hand that held a bowl of morioka reimen. With two slices of apples, some cucumber slices, a boiled egg, a few carefully sliced pieces of beef, and spring onion sprinkled on top, perfect for the hot noon. He places the tray on your desk, turning on the lights and grabbing a brush from your cabinet.

“Y/n, sit up for me please,” he calls out, returning to his earlier position and shaking you awake. Ignoring your grumbling, he pulls you up, pulling you in between his legs as he starts brushing on your hair, knowing that it would irritate you later on. Maybe he’ll wash it for you after you eat something.

He finishes it quickly, even tying some of the longer strands up before pressing a quick kiss on the back of your head. He momentarily leaves you alone, barely lucid, as he fetches the tray, resting it on his legs as he sits back down.

You blink up at him and Ran gives you a little smile, picking up the chopsticks from the hashioki. Lightly stirring, he raises the chopsticks to your lips, grinning. “Come on, say ahhh~”

“Ran, I can-”

You were promptly cut off with him forcing the noodles in your mouth. “Don’t you dare try to avoid eating, Y/n-chan~” He already guessed that the last time you ate was yesterday morning, or if stretched, the night before yesterday. You are going to get sick if you don’t take care of yourself dammit.

Choking, you reach for a glass of water Ran was already passing to you. “You didn’t have any kimchi and I didn’t want to leave so we have to just eat with cucumbers and apples,” he shrugs dismissively as you gulp down the cold liquid. It was only when you started eating and drinking did you realize how hungry and thirsty you were.

Ran was giving you a soft smile when you took the bowl from him and started eating by yourself.

Once you finished with the utensils put inside, Ran was pulling you into your bathroom. “What the- Ran! I can do it by myself!”

He only grinned devilishly, still trying to pull you in with him as you held onto the doorframe. “I can help you wash your hair!”

“Get out!”

He only laughed, letting you push him out as the door slammed shut.

He turns back to the room, stretching and deciding to clean up all the supplies he used and tidy up your room a bit. You’ll probably take a long time there but Ran didn’t quite mind. (Rindou quite did if the amount of times his phone had chimed is any indication.)

The moment you stepped out of the bathroom you were attacked by a towel wrapped to your face as Ran drags you back to your bed. “Ran- I swear-”

“Shh, just let me dry your hair for you.”

You pause, giving him the chance to push you to sit down on the mattress as he takes his place behind you, hairdryer and a comb already on his hand. You let the towel fall from your head, wrapping it around your shoulders as Ran hums in appreciation of your willingness.

His hands were gentle as he slowly combs your hair, turning on the hairdryer to the lowest setting. It was loud but over it you can hear his low humming as he caresses your head softly, you could almost hear his smile in those hums.

Eyelids growing heavy once more by the little actions, little rubs, you lean back to him. An “I love you” being the last thing you heard and the kiss on your forehead the last thing you felt.

(When you woke up the next morning, finally fully refreshed, Ran wasn’t there anymore but his warmth still lingered and the small note placed on your bedside table made it even more so.)

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers x y/n #tokyo revengers scenarios #tokyo revengers imagines #tokyo revengers ran #haitani ran #ran haitani #ran x reader #ran x y/n #haitani ran x reader

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i-can-even-burn-salad · 2 years

Text

28: Home

Heal my Wounds

home/change/rebirth

Warnings: Alcohol, blood

This is part of a series. If you haven’t, I suggest starting at Part 1.

There’s a LOT going on in this chapter, but not enough to split it in two, and also I am running out of prompts I can use lol

Previous | Masterlist | Next

One tiny thing Josephine might have forgotten to mention was that while the Queen’s Festival was in a week, she wanted to visit her parents the very next day already.

After breakfast, Valadan watched with mixed feelings as she scrambled around, packing her things. He had… less to pack. Cleaned and — where applicable — ironed and folded, his meager belongings took up even less space. It was a matter of minutes to put the clothes in the bag and the armor in the box, distributing whatever was left evenly between both.

After an early lunch, Josephine left for the archives, and to take care of some other things she hadn’t specified. Valadan left as well, managing to earn a few coins by scrubbing some kegs clean until the sun set. It would have been barely enough to get himself through the day, but with Josephine returning with two plates of food and a pitcher of watered down juice, there was no need for him to spend it.

Staring at the plate of roast and vegetables, he had barely eaten anything by the time Josephine was done.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m just… nervous. When we get to Caldeia, I’m gonna visit my brother. I haven’t seen him in years.” And what a mess his departure had been. “I hope that I can stay with him for a while. Until I get back on my feet.”

Damien surely wouldn’t send him away… would he? Valadan remembered a night, so long ago. Two boys, huddled together under a blanket, and the whispered promise of ‘I’ll always protect you’. If his brother would give him another chance, this time he wouldn’t fuck it up.

“I booked a portal to Caldeia at noon tomorrow, to catch the window between attunements.” Josephine’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Then you can visit your brother, and I’ll visit my parents, and we can meet again after. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

Valadan wasn’t so sure about that. “Do you have any siblings?” he asked.

“A sister, yes. She’s… we’re not as close as we used to be. She’ll be there for the festival as well. Perhaps you’ll get to meet her.”

It seemed like Josephine wanted to say something else, but after a moment of hesitation, she closed her mouth. She stayed silent as Valadan finished his own dinner, forcing the last few bites down, his appetite long gone.

When she picked up the empty plates, to bring them back to the kitchens, Valadan went into the bathroom. This time he avoided looking into the mirror or taking more time than necessary, so that by the time she came back, he was already lying on his blankets. He returned Josephine’s quiet ‘good night’, still staring up at the ceiling after she had turned off the lights.

“Valadan?” her voice sounded what might have been half an hour later.

“Yes?”

“You’re still awake?”

“... yes?”

“Would you…” She fell quiet, and he barely dared to breathe. “Would you want to sleep… here. Tonight. I mean. Next to me.”

A light went back on; a smaller crystal, lying on her bedside table, painting dark shadows on the ceiling and walls.

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t want to be alone.”

Valadan sat up, grabbing one of the blankets as well as the pillow. “Okay,” he said, voice rough.

The pale purple glow of the crystal was enough for him to find his way. It illuminated her face as she watched him pause in front of the bed. With her hair loose for once, spread on the pillow around her like black silk, and wearing a wide, worn shirt, she looked so soft, so vulnerable. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, to hold her close and press kisses on that perfect skin of hers. To keep her safe from her nightmares, and himself from the thought of losing her.

Instead, he padded around the bed, slowly and carefully, to not stub his toes — and perhaps to give her enough time to change her mind. She didn’t, and soon Valadan found himself lying in the bed, the blanket tangled awkwardly around his legs.

Now that the mattress under him was soft, it was him who lay rigid and stiff. He didn’t dare to move, afraid of doing something wrong. She was so close, he could smell the fancy soaps and oils she used. She had been closer in the morning, but somehow, this was different.

Then Josephine touched his hand. Automatically, his fingers closed around hers and he turned to his side to face her. She was trembling slightly. Suddenly, it wasn’t so different anymore.

“Hey,” he whispered. “It’s okay. When you wake up, I’ll be here.”

At least for this one last night, he could promise her that.

* * *

Stepping out of the portal in Caldeia was almost surreal. It had been years since the last time Valadan had been home, but the moment he saw the trimmed hedges, smelled the flowers of the palace garden and saw the shimmer of the glass roof above, it was as if all those years vanished.

He stayed in the background as Josephine signed the forms for their arrival. With his bag over his shoulder and carrying the box with his armor, there was little else he could do.

“Let’s split up, then,” she said, once they had reached the edge of the garden. “Do you know the flower shop in front of the temple of Ilairyah?”

“The one with the dolphin-shaped topiaries?”

“Yes, that one.” She smiled. “My sister and I have been using that spot to meet for years. If we meet around sunset, is that enough time for you?”

He nodded.

“Great. Sunset, at the flower shop, then.”

“Josephine…” Valadan shifted the box, so it rested on his hip and he could tug at his sweater. Damn, it was way warmer in Caldeia than it had been in the citadel. “Could you lend me a bit of money? I’d like to get a shirt that hasn’t been eaten by ants.” That, and a gift for his brother, perhaps.

“Sure.” She dug around in her pocket, grabbing a couple of coins, pressing them into his hand without counting them. “Here.”

“Thank you.” He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” She grinned. “I’m rich, you know.”

“I know. Princess.”

There was something soft in her expression now when he called her that. Perhaps it was in his expression, too. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Luckily, the box was in the way. Even if, by some kind of miracle, she returned his feelings, what kind of future was there for them? After the festival, she would return to the Order, and he definitely couldn’t.

“Let’s go!” Josephine laughed and started to walk. She had to take another direction, turning around once more to wave at him before she would vanish around a corner.

Valadan smiled, a bit happy and a bit sad, as he followed the road towards the artisans’ district.

Tagging: @dont-touch-my-soup @whump-in-the-moonlight

#Heal my Wounds #write me a novel #whump #fantasy whump #my writing

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snowdice · 3 years

Text

Little Kestrel (Part 32)[Birds of Different Feathers Series]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Logan & Patton & Virgil (future Virgil/Patton but not in this story)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Patton, Virgil

Appear: Thomas

Mentioned: Janus

Summary:

It was supposed to be a quick job either way. Either Virgil would assassinate King Thomas of Prijaznia or he’d be caught and get executed. Yet, when Virgil gets the wrong bedroom and gets caught by Prince Logan and his future royal advisor, Patton, the job ends up getting way more complicated for the 14-year-old. He also ends up sleeping in a (actually pretty comfortable) closet for a few weeks…

Notes: Implied/referenced child abuse, assassination attempt, knives, torture mentioned, captivity, teenagers being really dumb, sexual coercion of minors implied, a minor offering sexual favors

This is a prequel to Kill Dear. I wrote it 100 words at a time on my blog, but this is the edited version. If you want to see how it was crafted (and possibly some future content), look at the tag proofread stories.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31

“What are you doing?” Helen asked suspiciously a few minutes after her son walked into the kitchen and started looking around as though he were trying to find something. It was a few hours into the afternoon, and she and a few workers were already prepping for dinner, but mostly the kitchen was empty. It wasn’t necessary and odd time for him to come by, but he had barely even said hello to her which was concerning considering Patton enjoyed saying hello to every person, animal, and flower he came across. One day when he was a toddler, he had been determined to say hello to every blade of grass in the lawn.

“Uh,” Patton said, seeming distracted as he looked into a cabinet by his head. “Have you seen Virgil?”

“No,” Helen said, wondering why he was looking in a cabinet if he was looking for his friend. “Why?”

“Er… Logan and I sorta, lost him,” Patton said. He was wringing his hands anxiously. Helen put down the knife in her hand.

“What do you mean you lost him?” she asked.

“Well, see, we were trying to teach him how to play hide and seek, um, but then we didn’t think to tell him that he eventually had to come out if we didn’t find him, and now we haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

“He didn’t know what hide and seek was?” she asked. That was just one more thing to add to the list of why Helen worried about Virgil and where he came from. Every morsel of information she’d managed to painstakingly wring from Patton despite his evasions made her lists of concerns grow longer, even little things like him not knowing about simple childhood games. Actually, thinking of concerning things having to do with Virgil. “Wait, so he hasn’t eaten lunch?”

“Um, we don’t know that,” Patton’s mouth said while his eyes said ‘no.’

“He needs to be on a consistent diet, especially when he’s still taking the malnutrition potion,” she scolded.

“I know, Mama, I know,” Patton said. “I’m trying to find him. I’d kinda hoped he’d gotten hungry and snuck down here. He probably wouldn’t want to risk being caught stealing food though.”

Helen grimaced. Yet another concerning thing.

“Wait! I have an idea! I’ll be right back.” Patton turned and ran out of the room. Helen frowned at the space he’d just been and finished chopping the carrot on the cutting board in front of her. If it had been any other person in the castle missing, Helen wouldn’t have worried, but she had literally never seen Virgil without Patton and/or Logan by his side. Even when he’d gone to help Jeff can some fruit, Logan had reportedly hung around to read a book.

Considering that Logan had never exactly been clingy even with Patton, she imagined that either Virgil had asked, or Logan had thought he should stay with him for his comfort. So, she was surprised that he was apparently hidden away somewhere in the castle where neither of the other kids could find him.

Still thinking about this, she walked over to the entrance to the cellar below the kitchen where they stored most of the vegetables, planning to grab some more carrots. She was confused for a moment when she heard movement from deeper in the pantry. She reached over and touched the panel near the door that controlled the magic lights.

The newly illuminated figure startled as the lights came on, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes.

“Virgil?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he said immediately, taking a step back.

“It’s fine,” she said immediately, not wanting him to panic, “but what are you doing here?”

He considered her for a long moment, but apparently, she passed some sort of mental test, because he relaxed, at least as much as he’d ever relaxed in her presence. “Where are we?” he asked.

Her brow knit together. “The cellar under the kitchen,” she said, “You don’t know that?”

He shook his head.

“The only entrance is from the kitchen.” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him go through the kitchen at any point.

“No, it’s not,” Virgil said. “There’s a tunnel.”

“A-a tunnel?” she asked. Actually, taking a closer look at him, he seemed a bit grimy. He had dust all over his front and dirt on his nose. She thought he might even have a couple of cobwebs in his hair.

“Yep,” he said.

“Where’s this tunnel?” she asked, curious.

“It’s right over here,” he said. He took a couple of steps and pointed to the ground. There was an open square hole there that clearly had been made a long time ago judging by the buildup of grime on the inner rim but which she had never noticed in all of her time working here.

“How did you find this?” she asked, perplexed.

“We are playing hide and seek,” Virgil explained. “Logan said I could hide anywhere inside the castle. I hid on top of a dresser upstairs in some unused sitting room. There was a hole in the wall above it, so I climbed into it. Then, I crawled a little bit and it let out into a hidden passage in the walls. I wandered around in it until I found another hole in one of the walls. I thought it was a way out, so I squeezed into it, but it took me to a different hallway where I found an old room. There was a different hole in that room that had probably been covered by something because it was in the floor but whatever it was had rotted away. I crawled though it into a tunnel and came out here.”

She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his explanation. “Well, it sounds like you went on an adventure,” she said, “but Patton and Logan have been trying to find you. You missed lunch.”

He tilted his head at her. “I know. I was supposed to hide.”

“Yes,” she explained, “but you are supposed to come out at some point if they can’t find you for things like food.”

“Oh,” he said.

“They probably should have explained,” she said with a soft smile. “For now, why don’t we get you something to eat? You must be hungry.”

Virgil frowned. “But I missed lunch.”

“You can still eat even though it’s not in normal hours,” she said. “You could even if you had made it to lunch.”

“Really?” he asked, he looked tragically confused by this offer.

“Of course, sweetie,” she said. “In fact, I insist you get something good to eat right now. How about I made you a grilled ham and cheese sandwich? Maybe some cookies too!”

Virgil titled his head. “You are Patton’s mother,” he stated.

Helen laughed softly. “He gets its all from me,” she said. “We should probably go find him and tell him you’re okay. He was worried.”

“I didn’t mean to worry him,” Virgil said with a frown.

“I know,” Helen said. “It’s okay. He’ll probably laugh when he figures out where you’ve been, and Logan will interrogate you all about the secret passageways.” He seemed happy about the prospect of seeing his friends. “Come on, let’s go upstairs for a bit,” she said.

Want to read more? Click below!

Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41

#sanders sides #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #character thomas sanders #adriana writes #little kestrel #birds of different feathers #implied/referenced child abuse #assassination attempt #past torture #captivity

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after-witch · 4 years

Text

After-Witch Masterlist

My masterlist! Will be updated regularly. Please note yandere content will contain the ‘Yandere’ descriptor before a character. Content is broken up by fandom, with headcanons listed at the bottom of each category. Multi-part pieces will be noted [Complete] when they are finished.

[Hopefully these links will work on desktop and mobile... if not I will work on a Google Doc version!]

Updated 04/28/21

Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Birthday Gift: Part 1 - Part 2 [Yandere Overhaul x Reader] [Complete]

You finally get up the nerve to ask your captor for a special gift–a birthday gift.

Bad Day [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

You’re in one of your dark moods again. Overhaul wants to help you.

Just One Night [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

You really, really want to go see The Nutcracker. Will your captor grant your request to continue an annual tradition?

Damned to Live Forever [Yandere Vampire Aizawa x Reader]

You fall prey to the whims of a vampire with a penchant for lost, helpless souls.

Don’t Fall Asleep [Yandere Dream Demon Dabi x Reader]

You can’t stop dreaming about a terrible man with scars. You’ll be okay--if you can just stay awake.

Takeout [Yandere Dabi x Reader]

You haven’t been eating. Your captor brings home takeout.

Just a Name [Yandere Dabi x Reader]

Dabi wants a name, that’s all. Things will be easier if you give it to him.

So Close [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

You ran and ran from Hawks and came... so close.

So Far [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

Sequel to ‘So Close.’ Hawks realizes he has to break you down to build you back up.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

You agree to visit Japan with a friend for vacation, despite it being home to your controlling ex-boyfriend.

Threats and Lies [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

Your bratty behavior inspires threats and lies from your captor. Inspired by the prompt “I could kill you if I wanted to.”

Be Good to Him (The Boy!AU Shigaraki x Reader]

You’re a nanny responsible for the well-being of a doll-turned-ghost. You want to leave, and Tomura really doesn’t like that.

Birdsong [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

A rare outdoor picnic leads you to temptation. Inspired by the prompt “Don’t you dare fucking try it. You know you can’t outrun me.”

Adoration and Pain [Vampire!Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

You are his pure doe, his precious lamb. And his personal blood bank.

Let’s Split Up, Gang [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

You have a stalker. Thankfully, your boyfriend Hawks is there to help you investigate.

Mortality [Yandere Dabi x Reader]

Dabi muses on mortality after a hard day. For request: “Uhshh for the horror movie special I thought the quote “Fire is the reflection of or own mortality, we’re born, we breathe, and we die” from “Get Out” would work super well with dabi.”

Doctor Doctor [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

You’re afraid of doctors, which naturally means it’s time for your checkup.

Down the Drain [Yandere Dabi x Reader]

You and Dabi have a little... chat in the bathroom. For request: yandere dabi x fem reader.

White Picket Fence [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

[Part 2]

You’ve been with Kai Chisaki for three years. Your life is quiet and cozy and soothing. But what do you do when you realize you want more? For request: yandere overhaul x reader with stockholm syndrome

Pluck [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

You tried to run–no, fly–away. And Hawks is going to make sure you never try that again.

Sweet Dreams [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

Overhaul watches you sleep and has an… unexpected reaction.

Big City [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

You’re about to leave for a new university in a new city in a new country. Your friend doesn’t seem pleased. You agree to meet up before you leave in the hopes of keeping your friendship alive.

It’s My Party [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

You’re having a party and Shigaraki is not invited.

You Would Cry Too (If It Happened to You) (It’s My Party Part 2) [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

Quality Time (It’s My Party Part 3)

Shigaraki won’t let you go to the bathroom.

Office Hours [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

He gave you the outfit. The blouse, the skirt, the nylons–the heels. A secretary’s unofficial uniform. You can’t help but feel mocked, in a way. Hurt. Was he being cruel on purpose, to make you think about your life before all this?

Thank You For Your Donation [Yandere Shigaraki x Reader]

For request: “ Shigaraki gets obsessed with a twitch stream and deluded himself into believing they’re together until he finally takes her home “

Sketch Memory [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

Chisaki lets you indulge in your little hobbies. But he’s starting to suspect that you’re taking advantage of his “generosity.”

Fragile Little Thing [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

Your “boyfriend” is having a rough day and he doesn’t appreciate you being such a difficult partner. If you can’t behave, maybe he can’t behave, either.

Revelations [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

So you don’t eat, you don’t follow his rules; so you hurt yourself. It’s all you can do to keep up the fight against an obsessive captor who thinks he knows what’s best for you.

Sweet Escape [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

Escape isn’t easy. Nor is it very long-lasting. When Overhaul’s men drag you back into captivity, you brace yourself and wait for what your captor will do with you.

Comfy Couch [Yandere Hawks x Reader]

It’s fine if you’re not paying attention to Netflix, really. But not paying attention to your boyfriend? That won’t fly.

Corsets and Blackmail [Yandere Dabi x Reader]

Dabi wants you in a corset. What Dabi wants, lately, Dabi gets.

Baby Mine [Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

Rest Your Head (Baby Mine Part 2)

Close to My Heart (Baby Mine Part 3)

Never to Part (Baby Mine Part 4)

The first time you laid eyes on your child, you knew: You had to get out. Set in the ‘White Picket Fence’-verse.

Serpent [Naga!Yandere Overhaul x Reader]

You’re so lucky to have wandered into his den. Others might have eaten you, but he’ll keep you safe.

Pinned [Yandere Shigaraki x Secretary!Reader]

Follow up to Office Hours. You’ve given him a kink and isn’t that your fault, really?

Headcanons

Yandere Overhaul and a darling with chronic health problems

Yandere Overhaul General Headcanons

Yandere Aizawa General Headcanons

Yandere Dabi and a depressed darling

Yandere Hawks General Headcanons

Yandere Dabi and a depressed, clingy darling

Yandere Overhaul with a darling who has EDS

Yandere Shigaraki and a darling who doesn’t mind being kidnapped

Yandere Overhaul with a darling who hates mornings

Yandere Shigaraki + Secretary!Reader Headcanons

Yandere Shigaraki and secretary musings

Yandere Overhaul with pregnant reader headcanons

Bungou no Stray Dogs

With Friends Like These [Yandere Dazai x Naive Reader]

One of your friends thinks your new boyfriend is controlling. Your new boyfriend doesn’t like that at all.

Dinner Party [Yandere Fyodor Dostoevsky x Reader]

Your friends cancelled, one by one, leaving you with the only person in the world who seemed to care about you.

Flight [Yandere Nikolai Gogol x Reader]

You’re a fantastic actress when you’re on the stage. But your captor isn’t fooled when there’s no stage magic to hide your real feelings.

Character Development [Yandere Fyodor Dostoevsky x Reader]

You’ve been given a gift by your captor for good behavior. Too bad it’s a shitty book.

Headcanons

Yandere Dazai with an oblivious and nurturing reader

Yandere Dazai and Chuuya with a darling that has post-punishment nightmares

Yandere Dazai and Chuuya general headcanons

Death Note

Oh Sugar Sugar: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 [Yandere L Lawliet x Reader] [Complete]

You’re the owner of a cute little pastry shop. One of your customers falls in love with more than just your baked goodies.

Darling, Light of My Life [Yandere Light Yagami x Reader]

Inspired by a scene from The Shining. You found the book. He wants it back.

A Christmas Interlude [Yandere L Lawliet x Reader]

Set in the Oh Sugar Sugar series. It’s Christmas--and you have a gift coming. Deleted scene here.

Ginger Tea [Yandere L Lawliet x Reader]

You’re sick. Unfortunately, your captor has no intentions of leaving you alone to recover.

Sunny Day [Yandere l Lawliet x Reader]

He knew there was a high chance that your reaction to being kidnapped could end with depression. But what he didn’t know was how, exactly, to deal with it.

Final Fantasy 7

Compound [Yandere Sephiroth x Reader]

After being caught trying to escape, Sephiroth punishes you.

A Private Cell [Yandere Reno x Reader]

Part 2

For request: Can I request FF7 Reno with reader as his prisoner?

No Turning Back [Yandere Sephiroth x Reader]

It’s hard, being with Sephiroth–belonging to Sephiroth. Especially when your own heart belongs to another.

Headcanons

Yandere Kadaj General Headcanons

Yandere Yazoo General Headcanons

Yandere Vincent Valentine with shy female reader Headcanons

Hetalia

Wine? [Yandere Spain x Reader]

You “settle” in for dinner. Inspired by the prompt “I’m sorry, I know it hurts.”

Cold [Yandere Canada x Reader]

You ran away and that’s not good. Inspired by the prompt “I’m sorry, I know it hurts.”

Under a Bridge [Yandere Norway x Reader]

You’ve been under Norway’s thumb, trapped and caged in more ways than one. You seek help from otherworldly beings, but a deal once made, can’t be undone.

Headcanons

Yandere America General Headcanons

Yandere Japan General Headcanons

Yandere Canada General Headcanons

Yandere Denmark General Headcanons

Yandere Iceland General Headcanons

Inu Yasha

Moving On [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

You misspeak when instructed by the demon lord who’s taken you. Inspired by the prompt “I didn’t quite hear that, care to repeat yourself?”

You Can Run [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

For request: “Could you maybe do something with Sesshomaru? Maybe his ‘darling’ trying to escape not knowing that it would literally be impossible?”

A Gift [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

Your demon lord captor presents you with an unusual and unexpected gift.

In Sickness [Yandere Sesshoumaru x Reader]

You were not often alone with the demon lord who took you captive. Then again, you were not often touched by the demon lord who took you captive, either.

Knives Out

Yandere Ransom Drysdale Imagine

Imagine meeting Ransom Drysdale...

Hook Line and Sinker [Yandere!Ransom Drysdale x Reader]

You’ve broken up with Ransom Drysdale, and you mean it this time. But the freedom that comes with the breakup leads to a series of unexpected coincidences that leave you wondering: was it worth the price?

Yandere Ransom Drysdale Headcanon

Sticking up for Ransom at a family dinner.

Emotional Loan [Yandere Ransom Drysdale x Reader]

You shouldn’t be this nervous about telling your boyfriend that you want to transfer to a college out of state. Ransom is nothing if not generous with you–so why is your stomach in knots?

Labyrinth

The Pain Sweeps Through [Yandere Jareth x Reader]

You’re not the first one he’s brought into the Goblin King’s Labyrinth. You’re not the first one to best him, to get to the center and beat him at his own game. But you are the first one to beat him and give in: “Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.

Misc Horror Movies

Kim So-Hee x Reader Headcanons (Wishing Stairs)

The Slayers

Yandere Xelloss Headcanons

Trigun

Yandere Knives x Reader Headcanons

Original/No Fandom

Wife or Death [16th Century Witch POV]

You’re a 16th century witch who finds herself pursued through the woods by a witchfinder. Out of options, you pray to the only lord that might save you.

Floss [Yandere Dentist x Reader]

You hate going to the dentist. You really do.

In the Mirror [Doppelganger x Reader]

She just wants to make your life better. Of course, that’s hard to believe when you’re trapped inside a mirror.

And Home Before Dark [Wendigo x Reader]

Living in the practical wilderness of new France, you knew you were never meant to be in the woods after dark. After all, there was something in the forest that was dark and dangerous and it wanted you.

Madame Guillotine [18th Century Aristocrat Reader]

It’s the French Revolution and you’re a former aristocrat on your way to meet your death at the scaffold.

Down the Cellar Stairs [Early 20th Century Reader]

It’s just a game, just a silly game to play on Halloween. But you may find more at the bottom of the cellar stairs that you bargained for.

#afterwitch masterlist #yandere #horror

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wiypt-writes · 4 years

Text

Riding On

Ch21: Her Hooves Set The Beat, My Heart Sang The Song

Summary: There’s a feel good factor at the Gallagher-Adler’s as Alex hits another milestone, but their happy little bubble his shattered with some bad news at the stables, and Fliss is forced to say a heart-breaking goodbye…

Warnings: Bad language, 18+, animal death.

Pairing: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: So, for those of you who don’t know, Heidi was actually real. She was my beloved horse of a lifetime who I lost in July 2018 to complications associated with old age. At 28 I she had a good life, and for the 20 years I had her she gave me everything. Writing this brought back a lot of memories and was quite therapeutic in a way, but if anyone wants to skip over it for fear of being triggered, I won’t be offended.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 20

April 2020

“Go away!” Mary laughed, pushing Fliss’ arm as she tried to peek over at what she was writing on the piece of card upon which she’d been designing the Wedding Invitations. “You can see when I’m done!”

Fliss chuckled and backed away, hands raised, palms up.

“Okay, okay.” She walked backwards a few steps before she turned and her eyes fell on Alex who was in his pack and play loudly banging some coloured blocks together. He looked up at her and gave a huge smile before he shuffled a little to the edge of his pen and reached up, curling his hands onto the sides. As Fliss watched, he tried to pull himself up into a standing position but only got so far before he landed on his butt, and waved his arms and legs shouting something in, what Frank called Bean-Babble. Fliss grinned and moved to pick him up.

“Not quite mastered that yet have you, baby?” She smiled, kissing his cheek.

Alex let out another loud squeal of contentment as he perched on her hip and she made her way over to the kitchen area. There, she settled him in his high chair and headed into the fridge to grab him an apple. Since he had started eating solids it had fast become apparent that he was particularly partial to the fruit, something Frank directly attributed to the fact that Fliss had eaten so many of them when she was pregnant thanks to her craving. Fliss carefully chopped the fruit into large pieces before she placed them down on the tray of his chair, kissing his soft hair again as Alex grabbed a slice in his hand and promptly jabbed it in his mouth, making appreciative noises.

Happy that he was content, Fliss then turned her attention to their dinner. She soon had the base of the cream and garlic sauce for the seafood linguini simmering nicely in the pan so she then turned her attention to shelling and de-veining the fresh, king prawns Frank had brought home the night before, along with chopping up the squid and cleaning the mussels before she turned her head and looked over to the table across the large family room.

“Mary, do you want mussels in yours?”

“No, they taste like snot.” Came the simple response.

“You know what snot tastes like?” Fliss pulled a face. “Gross.”

Mary didn’t reply, her hand was busy scribbling on the paper. Fliss shrugged and placed some of the sauce into a separate pan before she dropped some of the seafood through to cook, before pulling a cod and mash potato puree out for Alex for his dinner. Whilst that was in the microwave, she tossed Mary’s sauce through some of the pasta, before sprinkling over a little bit of parmesan and setting it down on the breakfast bar.

“Mary, dinner.”

Mary hopped down from the table and made her way over to the counter. With a thanks to Fliss she tucked in as Fliss smiled and sat next to her, feeding Alex.

“What time is Dad home?” Mary asked.

“I’m actually expecting him any time now.” Fliss glanced at the clock. “He has no meetings tonight so he shouldn’t be too long. Did you want him for something? I can call him.”

“No, I was just curious.” Mary swallowed her mouthful of food. “Do you mind if I don’t ride tonight?”

“No, of course not.” Fliss gave Alex another spoonful of his dinner before she turned to Mary. “Is everything ok, Stack? It’s not like you to pass up an opportunity to ride.”

“Well, I thought I could spend some time with Frank.” She shrugged. “I haven’t seen him properly this week.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that.” Fliss smiled, giving Alex more food.

“Just figured if you’re at the stables and Alex is in bed, it’ll just be the two of us. No offense.”

“None taken.” Fliss chuckled, as Mary grinned and continued to eat. And she meant it. Over the past two weeks or so, Frank and Alan’s son had decided to expand a little and as such had been meeting with potential new suppliers, often working until later in the night, something Fliss knew was hard on him because it meant his time with the kids had really been limited to a quick hour over breakfast, the morning school and crèche drop offs and weekends. Fliss had assured him that the kids were fine, she was fine, and reminded him that he was doing this for the family, for their future but it didn’t stop him feeling guilty.

It was kind of ironic, when she thought about it. As she’d been expecting to feel the same guilt after going back to work full time but as she was self-employed, she’d been able to work her time-table quite well around the kids. She’d taken on another stable hand to help with the day to day chores leaving her free to teach more freelance in the area and school horses when they came to her for training. Joanne was now taking the group lessons completely, having passed her final teaching exams earlier that year, and Alex had settled really well into his day care, going two days a week to the centre round the corner from Mary’s school which had come recommended by Bonnie’s sister. The other two days a week Verity (and nine times outta ten Bill) came look after him or take him out, meaning on those days Fliss worked later- scheduling in evening lessons for clients as Verity would sort the kids dinner before Frank got home, and then on Friday, Fliss did her paperwork so Alex stayed with her . It was busy, and often required military planning as to who was picking which child up and when, but they worked it well, and Fliss had been very surprised at how easily they had picked it all up.

They continued chatting, and just as Mary had polished off her desert, Thor gave a little woof and padded to the back door as it opened and they heard Frank giving his usual jokey greeting.

“The boss is home.”

“Yeah I know, she made dinner.” Mary shot back and Fliss laughed, giving her a hi-five.

Frank walked into the main room and smiled at them both, giving Fliss a quick kiss before he ruffled Mary’s hair as she shoved him away, rolling her eyes, jumping off the stool to escape him.

“Good day?” He asked, and Fliss nodded.

“Yeah, not bad. You?”

“Busy, but productive. We got the final Price Lists negotiated so…” he trailed off, nodding to Alex who was smiling at him. “Looks like he enjoyed dinner.”

“So did Mary.” Fliss mused, nodding to the empty place on the side. “She ate a full dish of linguini and a massive piece of Mum’s chocolate cake. Think she’s going through another growth spurt.”

“Great, more clothes to buy.”

Fliss chuckled as she fed Alex the last of his peach and apple puree before she reached for a baby wipe and scrubbed his face and hands clean, much to the baby’s annoyance. She stood up to clear away his dish, leaving the spoon in Alex’s hand as he was busy banging it against the tray of his chair. Frank sat down on the stool she’d vacated, kissing Alex’s head. .

“Hey, Pal. Meet any hot girls today at crèche?” He asked. Alex shrieked in response, banging the spoon harder and Frank nodded. “Oh really? Well, you play it cool and she’ll be putty in your hands.”

“Like I was in yours?” Fliss asked, turning to face him and Frank grinned as he settled on the stool.

“Think we both know it was the other way round.”

“Don’t you forget it.” She smirked a little.

“Like I’d have a chance.” Frank winked at her and Fliss smiled.

“Do you want your dinner now or-“

“Oh, can I show you the invitation first?” Mary suddenly piped up from across the room and Fliss nodded.

“Sure.”

She jumped off the table at the chair and approached them, placing the card on the breakfast bar in front of Frank. Fliss stood behind Frank, her hands sliding round his shoulders as she kissed his cheek, both of them glancing down at the design Mary had come up with.

The front was a simple square piece of card. Across the top Mary had cut letters out of a magazine to spell out the words “WE’RE GETTING MARRIED” and underneath it she’d stuck a copy of a photo of the four of them which had clearly been taken at Bill and Verity’s a few weeks ago. Mary and Alex were both looking at the camera, whereas Frank and Fliss were both laughing as they looked at each other as Frank held Alex, the baby’s back to his chest, supporting under his butt with one arm, the other held across his front.

“Where did you get that?” Frank asked, grinning as he looked at it.

“Poppa Bill.” Mary looked at him. “He said it was like the five thousandth attempt at trying to get us all to look at the camera.”

“That was Frank’s fault.” Fliss laughed, “He kept nipping my ass.”

Frank shrugged, before Fliss spotted one of his arms snaking backwards, blatantly intending on doing the same and she slapped his hand, making him give a dirty chuckle as he pulled it away.

“Turn it over!” Mary urged. Frank obliged and they both smiled instantly at the back. It was written in Mary’s untidy writing, in bright multi-coloured felt tip.

“Oh Mary, this is just what I wanted!” Fliss grinned. “For it to look bright and unique.”

“You haven’t read it yet.” She looked up at Fliss rolling her eyes, but before she could comment Frank started to laugh as he had and his chuckles continued as Fliss read the words out-loud.

“Mary and Alex Adler would like to invite you to their Mom and Dad’s wedding.” Fliss took a deep breath at the word, looking at Mary who gave her a small smile. Whilst Mary had referred to Fliss when talking to other people as her mom, she’d never actually used the word directly to Fliss yet. But, now wasn’t the time to dig into that. Fliss cleared her throat and read on “Frank and Fliss met at the stables. Frank was smitten, Fliss was too. But they were too dumb to admit it straight away. And then Frank took her sailing (not driving) on a speedboat. They kissed, made a baby and now it’s time for a party. (And a wedding too).”

Fliss burst out laughing, as Frank tried to gain enough control to read the final bit at the bottom, which was situated underneath the details of time and venues, before it went on to state their address.

“RSVP to Mary (not Alex, because he can’t read!)” He managed to wheeze out, wiping at his eyes. “Oh, Stack, you’re killing me.”

“You like it?” She grinned and Frank nodded.

“Mary.” Fliss’ laughter died down as she took a deep breath. “It’s absolutely perfect!”

Once they had finished laughing at Mary’s Invitation Prototype, Fliss and Frank ate dinner together, Mary chatting away to the pair of them as she sat at the end of the breakfast bar, sipping a milkshake, informing them both about her day, before Frank took Alex to get him bathed and changed into his pyjamas.

“This bath is supposed to be for you.” Frank grumbled as Alex enthusiastically splashed at the water with his little hands, those little babbling noises emitting from his mouth as he glanced up at Frank with his big blue eyes, making another sound that could almost have been interpreted as a question. Which, maybe it was. “You heard me.” Frank looked at him. Alex studied his dad for a second before continuing with his splashing, laughing loudly as he tossed a plastic boat to the end of the tub before he stretched towards it, then realising he couldn’t reach the toy, promptly burst into tears.

“Seriously, Pal?” Frank rolled his eyes, stretching his right hand over to retrieve the precious item. As soon as he passed it back, the over the top tears stopped and Frank raised an eyebrow. “If you wanted it so badly why did you throw it away in the first place?”

Alex responded with another noise, this one a gurgle and Frank nodded.

“Okay, understood.”

At that Alex looked at him, cocking his head to one side, making another puzzled noise and tossed the boat this time over the side of the bath, a grin spreading across his face as he studied his dad. Frank arched an eyebrow. “You know, just because I love you doesn’t mean I sign up for this whole throw and fetch shit you got going on.” He picked up the toy and tossed it back into the water. “That’s Thor’s job.”

“You know, if his first word comes out a swear, you’re in deep trouble.” Fliss arched an eyebrow as Frank turned his head over his shoulder to look at her as she stood in the bathroom doorway. At the sight of his Mumma, Alex gave a huge grin and let out another gabble of noises.

“There are worst things it could be.” Frank shrugged, looking back at him.

“Like what?”

“Trump.” Frank deadpanned and Fliss let out a chuckle as once more the plastic boat came out of the tub onto the floor.

“Right, I think play-time is done pal.” Frank looked at Alex, who glanced up at him as he made sure to keep one hand behind his son’s back whilst reaching for his little hooded towel, which was patterned with tiny little ducks. “Come on.” No sooner had he lifted Alex out of the tub, the eight month old started to protest, dramatically, screams once more hitting Frank’s ears. “Oh, hush…” Frank chuckled as he lay him down on the towel before wrapping him in it and picking him up, rising to a stand and gently jiggling the now hysterical baby up and down.

“Anyone would think we’re tryin’a kill him, not simply dry him off after he’s spent fifteen minutes in the bath.” Frank rolled his eyes, an amused expression on his face at Alex’s dramatics.

“Well, he’s a right little water baby, aint you Bean?” Fliss leaned over to kiss Alex’s head as his cries suddenly died down as he had become instantly distracted with the buttons on Frank’s shirt. He made a little “oooh” of approval, his tiny fingers reaching to the ones near the collar. “Ha, look at that, he’s easily distracted, just like his daddy.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t deny, I quite like undoing your buttons.” Frank teased, dropping a kiss to her mouth. “Shall I dress him or do you wanna do it?”

Fliss took a deep breath, of course she wanted to dress him, she wanted to do everything for her baby, but she also knew that Frank had been out of the house early every morning and this was the first evening since Monday he’d made it home before bath time. With a smile she shook her head. “It's okay, you can do it. I’ll clean up in here.”

“Leave it, I’ll do it later.”

“It won’t take me five minutes. Then once I’m done and he’s settled, I’ll head over to the yard so I can ride and finish off. I won’t be too long, just an hour or so.”

“Then we got some us time?” Frank asked, almost pleaded and she smiled.

“Then we got some us time.”

“Perfect.” Frank gave her a soft smile before he kissed her again and carried Alex into the nursery. Before long he’d managed to wrestle a very wriggly baby into a clean diaper, a fresh romper suit and headed downstairs. Mary was now sat on the couch, her eyes glued to something on the TV as Fliss was warming Alex’s bottle up.

“You going with Fliss, Stack?”

No answer. With a raised brow he turned to look at Fliss who was biting her lip, trying not to laugh as he switched his attention back to Mary.

“Earth to Mary.”

With a groan she looked at him. “What?”

“Less of the attitude.” Frank looked at her. “I asked if you were going to ride?”

“Oh, erm…” She hesitated and Fliss chuckled.

“She wants to stay here and spend some time with you.” She smiled as Frank looked at her, then to Mary.

“Wow, me over Monty, I’m flattered.” He smirked. Mary rolled her eyes.

“Don’t get used to it, it’s only because I’ve not seen you properly this week to hang out.”

Frank snorted before he sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. It won’t be forever.”

“It’s fine.” Mary shrugged, her eyes back on the TV. “Not like I’m neglected, is it?”

“Good to know you feel that way.” Frank nodded seriously, before he caught Fliss’ eye and she gave him a wink.

He placed Alex down on the play mat in front of the TV and within seconds the baby had flipped himself over and pushed up onto his hands, rocking back a little onto his knees, emitting more excited noises.

“Mary, I’m just gonna grab a drink.” Frank looked at the Alex, before he turned to Mary. “Keep your eye on your brother will you?”

“Sure.” She shrugged, her attention now completely on the baby as she dropped onto the floor and shuffled over to him, talking to him as she did so.

Frank watched for a moment, giving a silent groan as Alex flopped gently down face first onto the mat.

“Oopsie!” Mary grinned, and Frank braced himself for the dramatic screams, but they never came as this time, Alex managed to right himself and roll back over onto his back, giving Mary an excited grin and a loud shriek as Mary waggled one of the toys from the baby gym over the top of him.

Satisfied they were okay, Frank headed into the kitchen where Fliss was busy finishing off the lunches for the next morning, dropping a kiss to her cheek as he reached into the fridge, grabbing a beer.

“You wanna do bedtime as you’ve not had chance this week?” Fliss asked, nodding to Alex’s bottle where it stood in the jug of boiling water.

“He’s my son, course I wanna.” Frank frowned as he looked at her, flipping the top off his beer. “You know, it’s not like I’ve been working late on purpose, Fliss.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Fliss narrowed her eyes at him as he took a long pull of his drink. “And you know it. So less of the shitty tone, thank you!”

“Sorry, Honey.” Frank sighed, dropping a kiss to her lips. “Just, well, I didn’t think Mary would have bothered as much as she had.”

“She’s fine.” Fliss shook her head. “And she isn’t bothered as such, she just wants to get you to herself for a little while. I mean, let’s face it, how often does she get chance to do that now?”

“True.” Frank nodded. “Maybe I should take her out on Saturday somewhere, just the two of us. Would you mind?”

“No, course not.” She shook her head. “I can take Alex down to the beach with Bonnie. You can always join us later on.”

“Yeah.” Frank nodded. “Sounds good.”

“And tonight, why don’t you spend a bit of time in the pool before she showers?” Fliss suggested, as she slid her hands up round his neck. “Then maybe when I get back, me and you could-“

But whatever filthy water-based shenanigans she was about to suggest, Frank never found out, as at that moment Mary let out a yell.

“Oh my God! Alex is crawling, quick!”

In a flash the parents rushed over to where Mary was sat at one side of the play-mat, waving Alex’s huge stuffed elephant at him, as he unsteadily made his way over to her, one hand and knee moving at a time.

“Frank, quick!” Fliss nudged him as she dropped to her knees behind Alex, her hands settling either side of his little body, getting ready to catch him if she needed to.

“I got it…” Frank muttered, as he crouched next to Mary, his phone out. “Alex, buddy, you reckon you can make it all this way to Daddy, huh?”

Another few little movements later, Fliss’ sharp eyes saw the baby’s arms beginning to wobble and, just as they gave way she grabbed him and pulled him backwards, swinging him up and pressing her to his chest, smothering his face in kisses.

“My clever little man!” She beamed as Alex laughed, grabbing at her hair as she kissed him. “Oh my baby, you’re getting so big!”

Alex clearly decided that his crawling efforts were done for the day as he made no attempt try again as Fliss held him in position on the mat. With a shrug, she gently placed him on his back where he began to grab once more at the toys hanging over him.

“Obviously had enough excitement for one night.” Frank chuckled as he reached over and tickled the baby’s belly, drawing a gaggle of laughter from him.

“I’m so glad we all got to see it.” Fliss beamed round at them both and Mary nodded enthusiastically. “Right…” She rose to her feet. “I’m going to go ride and finish off. I’ll be back in an hour, hour and a half.”

Once she was gone, Frank turned to Mary. “Fancy playing in the pool for a bit before bed?”

“Errr, yeah!”

“Okay, well give me half an hour or so to get him down and then we’ll head out. I wanna see if you can master a back flip this time instead of a front one.”

***** Alex went down, as usual, with minimum fuss and once Frank was happy he was settled he changed into his swim shorts and headed downstairs. Grabbing the baby monitor screen from the side in the kitchen, he and Mary headed out to the pool, Mary wasting no time in cannon-balling straight in. Not one to shy down from a challenge, when Mary told him to beat her splash, he did just that. The two of them enjoyed a fun filled forty minutes or so, racing one another (Frank let Mary win a few, but not all) play fighting, diving and generally larking around as the sun dipped behind the eye-line of the fence and the lights in the pool kicked in, reflecting against the bright blue tiles which lined it.

Frank climbed out of the pool to check the time on his phone, and realising it was now almost eight, he told Mary it was time to get out. She protested, but he shot her a no-nonsense stare and with a loud groan about how unfair life was, she climbed out and Frank wrapped her in a towel before giving her a drink of water and then packing her off upstairs for a shower, promising her she could read in bed before lights off at nine.

He showered himself, pulling on a pair of sweats and a well-worn light blue T-Shirt, and by the time he had finished and headed across the landing to tuck Mary in, she was already out for the count. With a smile, he placed her book down on her night stand, gently kissed her head and then flicked off the lamp before he moved to the next room to check on Alex. He was also fast asleep.

He headed back downstairs, grabbed another beer and settled in front of the TV, giving a snort as he glanced at the time. It was now ten past nine. So much for Fliss being just an hour. No doubt she’d ended up chatting to one of the clients about something, as usual, which had delayed her locking up. Firing her a good humoured, sarcastic text about how he should grow a mane, tail and two extra legs so he could get a look in, he tossed the phone down onto the coffee table, frowning as it instantly began to light up. It was Fliss.

“Hey, Honey, I was only joking, take as-“

“Frank, there’s something wrong with Heidi.” She cut him off, her voice cracking. “She’s got colic and it’s bad. I called the Vet and he’s on his way but she won’t get up. I can’t get her on her feet to try and walk her round she’s just…”

Frank took a deep breath, his stomach falling as he digested her words. He wasn’t clued up on a lot of horse lingo or issues, but he knew colic was fatal to some horses, depending on the severity. And even without the fact that Fliss was clearly concerned, he knew that with Heidi being as old as she was this wasn’t good.

“How long is the Vet going to be?” he asked.

“They said about half an hour, he’s on his way but as it’s night it’s an emergency call so he’s coming from home.” She took a deep breath. “Frank, I’m gonna lose her.”

“Look, you don’t know that for sure.” He placated her gently as he stood up from the sofa. “Listen, let me grab the kids and we’ll come over.”

“Frank, they’re sleeping.” She began to protest, “And Mary will be so upset to see Heidi like this, and if the vet has to put her to sleep then…”

“Then she’ll be mad as hell she didn’t get to say goodbye.” Frank reasoned as he made his way into the hallway. “I don’t want you over there on your own, sweetheart. Not if…”

There was a pause. “I don’t want to do it on my own either.” She whispered and he took a deep breath as he headed up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

“And you don’t hafta.” He replied. “Give me five minutes. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I got everything here.”

“Okay.” He nodded, pausing outside Mary’s bedroom. “We’ll be with you in five.”

She sniffed. “Thank you.”

Frank stuck his phone in the pocket of his sweats before he opened Mary’s door and headed over to her bed. Standing on the bottom rung of the ladder of the cabin he gently leaned over. She was led, facing away from him, face snuggled into her pillow as Fred lay by her side. He raised his head questioningly at Frank as he softly brushed Mary’s hair off her cheek, pressing a kiss to her face.

“Stack, hey…come on, wake up.” Mary gave a groan as she pulled her covers up further, her eyes still closed. Frank spoke a little louder, his hand softly shaking her shoulder. “Mary, sweetheart, I need you to wake up, come on.”

She stirred a little, before she rolled onto her back, blinking sleepily at him before she frowned.

“Frank, it’s still dark!” She glared at him and he bit back the smirk at the fact she’d reverted to Frank, not Dad. Something she always did when she felt he was being a jerk.

“I know you haven’t been asleep long, but Fliss is at the yard and we need to go be with her. Heidi isn’t well, the vet is on his way.”

At that she sat up, all tiredness evaporating from her system. “What’s wrong with her?”

“It’s colic, Sweetie.” Frank answered gently. “But Fliss is on her own, so I need you to get dressed whilst I grab Alex, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded, and Frank smiled softly before he turned and headed over to the nursery which was quiet bar the soft sounds of Alex’s little baby snores. In the stream of light that illuminated the room from the landing, he could see his son sleeping, halfway down the crib, head tilted to the side, the pair of them meticulous in the way they set him down at night. He crossed the room and gently picked Alex up out of the crib, the baby giving a little sigh as he did so but other-wise remaining asleep. He grabbed a little fleece blanket and as he made his way back out into the hallway, Mary appeared in her jeans and a red t-shirt.

“Why don’t you bring your laptop or something, just in case we’re there for a while and you get bored?” Frank asked. “You can sit in the office with Alex.”

“It’s downstairs.” She answered. “I’ll go grab it.”

They headed down stairs and Frank settled Alex in his stroller which was by the kitchen door as Mary grabbed her stuff. Frank slipped his feet into his sneakers as Mary stuffed on her boots and he wandered into the laundry room and found a warm top for them each.

“Frank it’s like almost summer outside.” Mary looked at him, “It’s hot!”

“I’m well aware of the climate, thanks.” He looked at her, stashing the hooded tops and cardigan on the underneath space of the stroller, before he made sure that Alex’s little blanket was set around his legs. “But it might get a little breezy if we’re there later.”

Truth be told he had no idea why he was taking them, other than the fact it felt like something he should do even though it was still in the low 70s at night. He was a little lost, this was something he’d never dealt with before, and there was a sick feeling in his stomach that it wasn’t going to end well. But, there was no point worrying about it until they knew what they were dealing with. He had to be strong, be calm. Taking a deep breath he looked at Mary and nodded. “Get the door, Stack.”

By the time they had reached the Yard, Fliss had managed to coax Heidi to her feet. As Frank and Mary walked round the side of the barn Fliss was heading to the paddock, Heidi trudging behind her.

“Hey.” Frank looked at her, and she gave him a tight smile, not stopping.

“I’m sorry, but if I stop she’ll…” She began to explain but Frank waved her away.

“Do what you gotta do.” He watched as she cast a look over her shoulder. “I’ll settle these two in the office and then I’ll be out.”

After doing just that, instructing Mary to keep an eye on Alex and promising her he would come get her once they knew what was going on, he wandered back to the paddock and without a word simply took Fliss' hand in his as she continued walking Heidi. Frank could hear the horse was making grunting noises and every so often tried to stop and kick at her stomach, but Fliss kept walking, her face set. She didn’t say much, making a little small talk, but Frank simply stayed by her side as every so often they changed direction.

“Where the hell is this vet?” Fliss gave an exasperated sigh and looked around, almost as if she expected to see him.

“It’s not been that long yet, Sweetheart.” Frank soothed her.

“Well it feels like forever.”

Frank kissed her head as they continued walking and about five minutes later a dark blue Hyundai pulled up the drive and Fliss let out a sigh of relief as she saw it was Scott, their usual vet and not some random on-call one. She led Heidi onto the main area of the yard, the horse rapidly becoming even more agitated. Fliss gently ran her hand down her neck, as she turned to Scott and gave him a quick low down and he nodded, patting Heidi.

“Okay old girl, let’s see what’s going on…” Scott hooked the stethoscope into his ears and moved to listen to her belly, taking a deep breath as he looked at Fliss. “Yeah, there’s absolutely no gut noise at all. It’s definitely colic, but you know that already…” he unhooked the ear pieces, leaving the item hanging around his neck before he moved to her head and examined her nose to get a look at the mucas membrane colour, then did a quick check on her gums which Frank noticed were pale instead of the usual pink.

“She’s in shock.” Fliss sniffed a little, noticing the change in colour and Scott wrinkled his nose.

“Not uncommon if she’s in a bit of pain.” He stood back. “Okay, I’m going to give her an anti-spasmodic and some pain relief which should help, and a mild sedative so I can do an internal examination.”

“Yeah, whatever you need to do.” Fliss nodded as Scott turned to head back to his car to prep what he needed.

“Internal examination?” Frank looked at Fliss, “Like, is he…” He mimed fisting something and despite herself, Fliss let out a snort of laughter.

“That’s exactly what he’s gonna do.” She shook her head as she gently stroked Heidi’s face, the mare giving another grunt and huff as she butted Fliss out of the way a little. “Still a sassbag, eh girl?”

“Like her mom.” Frank looked at Fliss and she shrugged, turning over her shoulder as the vet approached, two large syringes in his hand.

“Look, can you call my mum and dad?” Fliss looked at Frank. “I don’t think…well, Dad especially is going to want to be here if…”

“Sure.” Frank nodded and turned away, obligingly.

He wandered back into the office, Bill who answered the phone instantly asked him what was going on and when he explained he simply stated they would be there as soon as they could be and hung up.

“Is she going to be okay?” Mary asked, as Frank checked on Alex where he was still sleeping in his stroller.

“I honestly don’t know Stack, but as soon as I do I’ll tell you okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’re doing a good job in here, watching him.”

“Don’t patronise me, Dad.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s asleep, and I’m reading. Not like it’s hard.”

Frank blinked, before he gave a little scoff and turned to head back onto the yard.

The Vet was just finishing giving Heidi the first jab and he gently rubbed the horse’s neck and then nodded to Fliss.

“Okay so that’s the pain relief and anti-spasmodic administered. Take her back in the paddock and give her another couple of minutes’ walk round whilst it kicks in.”

Fliss nodded and led the horse away, waving off Frank’s offer to come with her, Thor trotting behind.

“What’s the chances, Scott?” Frank turned to the man and he pulled a face.

“It’s hard to say.” He sighed. “If she was younger I’d be optimistic but with horses that age, well everything like this can be a risk. If this doesn’t work then I’ll know more after I’ve done an internal.”

To their despair it didn’t work, and if anything after another minute of walking around Heidi had gotten even worse and her bright, chestnut coat was now damp with sweat, her chest area and parts of her chest covered in a thin sheen of white foam.

“Scott, she’s in agony.” Fliss sniffed as Frank curled an arm round her.

“The sedative will help more with the pain.” Scott assured Fliss, pulling out the second needle which he administered into the horses neck. “Atta girl. We’ll give that a minute to work.”

As Scott snapped on a pair of rubber gloves, Frank and Fliss both turned to look as they heard another car heading up the gravel driveway onto the yard. Verity and Bill appeared shortly after, exchanging a look before Bill headed straight to Heidi, giving her a soft stroke on the nose before Verity did the same.

“You okay, Titch?” Bill asked, dropping a kiss to her head and she swallowed.

“Not really.” Her eyes flicked to Scott as he moved behind Heidi whose head was now slumped down, resting on Fliss’ shoulder as the sedative had kicked in. No one spoke for a moment, before they all heard a heavy sigh from Scott as he pulled his arm back and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Fliss.” He sighed, and immediately her face crumpled and she took a deep breath.

“Don’t say it, please.” She begged, her chest tightening painfully as her voice cracked.

“Her gut’s twisted. The only option is surgery, but given her age and the stress that would put on her heart…”

He trailed off as Fliss shook her head, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. “I’m not putting her through that.” She whispered, “It’s not fair. She’s too old.”

“In that case then, well, you know what I’m gonna say.” Scott dropped his head as Frank softly placed his hands between Fliss shoulder blades as she nodded and took a deep breath “I really am so sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault.” Fliss shook her head, sniffing loudly. “I don’t want her in pain longer than she needs to be. Can we…can we get on with it, please?”

The Vet nodded. “I won’t be able to arrange for her body to be collected until the morning.” He looked at Fliss who took a shuddering breath, more tears rolling down her face. “So errr, where do you want to….”

“Why don’t you use the barn at the back?” Bill cut in gently. “I can move the tractor out for the night. There’s enough room for her to go down peacefully and she can stay in there until someone can collect her.”

“Yeah, it’s clean in there and a soft landing for when…” Fliss took a deep breath before she began to cry as she pressed her face into her beloved horse’s neck, her shoulders shaking as Frank gently rubbed at her back.

“The kids are in the office.” He turned to Bill and Verity, “Mary’s gonna…”

“We’ll sort it.” Verity assured him. “I’ll take Alex back to the house.” She turned to Fliss and gave her arm a gently squeeze before she gently scratched at Heidi’s wither, her head bowing as she walked away.

The next five minutes passed in a blur for Fliss, and somehow she found herself in the barn at the back, as she led Heidi in, the mare following her faithfully.

“Do you want another couple of minutes?” Scott asked kindly.

“Just one, for us all to say goodbye.” Fliss nodded, as she stroked down Heidi’s nose, the tears pouring down her face. She turned to Mary who was stood with Frank, her eyes wet and Frank picked her up, carrying her over as the family crowded round.

“Goodbye, Heidi.” Mary sniffed, pressing a kiss to her nose as Frank gently gave the horse a scratch on the neck. “Frank says we all end up in the same place eventually, so we’ll see you again.”

At that Fliss let out a loud sob and clamped her hand over her face as she broke down. Bill wiped at his eyes as he dropped his arm round his daughter.

“Do you remember when we went to see her before we bought her?” He asked and Fliss let out a choked laugh. “She was in that field, and she came straight over, but so did that big black horse…”

“And she kicked it.” Fliss laughed. “Then she bit Steve. That’s why I picked her.”

At that Frank let out a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, he held a grudge about that, still does.” Bill smiled softly. “God, you had some moments with her. Falls, disagreements, battles of wills, but you got there in the end.”

“She’s been amazing.” Fliss smiled, pressing her nose to Heidi’s. “Turned herself inside out to please me. The best horse I could ever have had.”

Bill smiled, before he reached up and stroked Heidi’s face. “Night, old girl.”

At that he stepped back a little, the three of them plus the vet giving Fliss a moment alone with her old faithful.

“Dad’s right.” She smiled, her hand stoking Heidi’s nose, “You were an asshole for the first four months but, I knew you’d be special, I just had to get your trust. You gave me everything, baby girl, and I’ll never forget you. I’m gonna miss you so much. Your stupid temper tantrums if I don’t pay you enough attention, the fact you rule the pastures…” the tears poured freely down Fliss’ face as she took a shuddering breath, pressing her head to Heidi’s, taking a deep breath. “Sleep well.”

At that she turned to Scott and nodded, and he stepped forward.

“Okay, you’ve seen this before, right?”

“Yeah.” Fliss nodded, “But Mary hasn’t so…”

“Right, so, Mary, I’m gonna give her the first shot and that’s gonna knock her out pretty much, she’s likely to rock back and sit down like a dog before she flops sideways so, be prepared okay.”

“Kay…” Mary spoke in a quiet voice from where she stood in front of Frank. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down.

“You sure you wanna watch this?”

Mary nodded. “Yeah. Heidi doesn’t know what’s going on. She should have her family here.”

Frank smiled, pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stood up, his hands remaining where they were as Bill gently strode forward and grabbed Thor’s collar, removing him from the barn and out of the way.

Within seconds of Scott administering the first injection, Heidi did just as Scott said. Fliss gently pushed back with the lead rope, guiding Heidi back and the horse fell onto her haunches before flopping sideways, her head landing heavily on the straw bales that Bill had positioned to cushion her blow.

With a loud sob Fliss dropped to her knees and cradled the horse’s head in her lap as Scott then bent over to give her the last injection.

“So now she’s just basically gonna fall asleep and never wake up.” He looked at Mary who nodded, giving a loud sniff as she reached up to grab Franks hand.

“You okay?” He asked and she nodded, wiping at her face with her other hand. Bill moved, dropping a large hand to the back of the small girl’s head as Fliss gently stroked Heidi’s face as the animal’s eyes closed.

With a final, laboured breath, the animal’s chest grew still and Scott bent over.

“She’s gone.” He looked at Fliss, who gave another loud sob, bending over to press her face into the side of Heidi’s cheek.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t fix you.” She cried, her voice broken. “I’m so sorry.”

Frank was surprised to find his own eyes misting up, and as Mary turned to him, pressing her face into his T’shirt just above the waistband of his sweats, he glanced up at Bill who had tears trickling down his cheeks. He nodded to Frank who gently looked down at Mary, who stepped back and moved towards Bill as he opened his arms, allowing Frank to move into the barn.

“Hey, Lissy…come here.” He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms round his girl who turned and pressed into him, her body wracked as she almost screamed out her sobs.

*****

It was pushing midnight before they made their way back to the house. Fliss had broken down once more as Frank and Bill had pulled the huge barn doors shut where Heidi’s body lay, covered by a tarp, ready for collection in the morning. The Vet had been nothing short of fantastic, as sympathetic and understanding as he could and for that Frank had thanked him profoundly as he’d been packing his kit up. Without a word said between any of them, they walked down the little pathway and through the gate that connected into the gardens of the house and walked slowly across the gravel driveway. Fliss was walking a little ahead of them, every so often Frank would notice her hand falling to Thor’s head, almost as if she was checking her faithful dog was still with them as well.

She opened the back door which led into the mudroom and walked in, kicking off her boots and then headed into the family room where Verity was sat watching TV. She stood up immediately, took one look at Fliss and then she held her arms out.

“Mum…” Fliss choked and Verity swallowed, her own face creasing into sadness as Fliss stepped into the comfort of her mum’s arms, sniffing slightly.

“Oh, Sweetheart.” Verity pressed a kiss to her daughters head. “I know this is no consolation but she had the best life ever with you, she was so loved and looked after.”

Tearing his eyes away from Fliss, who continued to sniff softly as her mum held her, Frank gently turned to Mary who had tugged on his sleeve.

“You okay?” He asked, his hand gently cupping under her cheek and she shook her head.

“I’m just sad.”

“I know.” He agreed. “You will be for a while, and there’s nothing anyone can say or do that’s gonna make it better, but if you wanna talk about it…”

“No, I think I just wanna go to bed.” She shrugged slightly. “And give Fred a hug.”

“Alright.” He nodded. “You go up, I’ll come tuck you in, in a second.”

She nodded and then walked towards Fliss, hesitating a little, before she continued and gently reached up to lay her hand on Fliss’s elbow. Fliss broke away from her mum and turned to look at Mary, wiping her eyes. Mary blinked and Fliss gave her a soft smile, crouching down to give her a hug, kissing her head.

“I love you, Mom.” Mary’s voice cracked and Fliss pressed her face harder into her hair, pulling her even closer, before she pulled back a little bit and smiled.

“I love you too. And I’m proud of you. You were so brave then.”

Fliss straightened up as Mary walked from the room after bidding everyone a goodnight, before she turned to Frank who was watching her carefully, knowing from the way her face was crumpling that her emotions were about to boil over completely. “Frankie…she…” Fliss stuttered, her chest heaving as Frank stepped forward quickly. “She just…”

“I know…” He wrapped his arms round her and pulled her close as she began to sob, her face pressed into his t-shirt. He stood, his large arms holding her against him, one hand gently resting on the back of her neck, his thumb gently arching over the skin at the back of her ear as he slowly rocked her to-and-fro on the spot, pressing a kiss to her head.

“I’ll make us some tea.” Verity swallowed, and Frank looked at her gratefully as she passed, Bill following, the man gently squeezing Fliss’ shoulder. The room was silent apart from the clinking of mugs as Verity gathered the items she needed to make them all a drink, and Thor’s soft little whines of concern, the dog eventually sticking his head in between Frank and Fliss, nudging Fliss’s thigh with his nose, his noises of distress becoming more and more high pitched. Fliss looked down, Frank’s arm curling over her shoulder as she reached down and scratched behind his ear, before the dog stood on his hind legs, his large paws reaching Fliss’ shoulders as she stooped towards him as he gently licked the tears from her face, his noises dying down a little. Frank watched the animal, a warm feeling in his chest. He’d never seen him react in this way before. He knew from tales Fliss had told him that he’d often comforted her before once her shit bag ex had given her a battering, and he’d seen the dog seek her out when she was upset or worried, but never in such an overt way like this.

“I know you’re not keen on the idea.” Fliss sniffed, looking at Frank and he turned his eyes from the dog to her. “But, can he sleep on the end of the bed, just for tonight?”

Frank looked at her, then back to the dog. Having never had pets as a kid, the bond between a human and an animal was never something he’d really given a second thought to, that is until Mary had found Fred. But since meeting Fliss, seeing the way she was with Thor and her horses, seeing how Mary was with Monty, he’d started to really comprehend that the ties went beyond a simple love. They were bonds, bonds that transcended species, bonds that snaked their way around your heart and latched on with barbs and having one of those bonds wrenched away was not only excruciating but it was devastating.

In simple terms, it was like losing a member of your family, and that Frank could relate to. It was a physical pain, a searing knife which twisted in your heart every time you thought about the person you’d lost.

The lump in Frank’s throat grew even larger as he reached out and scratched Thor behind the ear, the dog turning to him and licking the underside of his forearm, his bushy tail wagging against Frank’s leg.

“I think we can make an exception for one night.” He smiled, looking at Fliss before he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

*****

Frank was glad their bed was a kingsize. Whilst he never minded particularly that Thor would lounge on the bed with them before they were going to sleep, or in the mornings when they got up, having the big animal on there all night could have been a problem, but as it stood, the dog was perfectly happy to curl up round the peak in the covers which Fliss’ feet made, and she pointed out to Frank that he’d probably hop off and get on his basket at some point during the night.

“He used to do that, anyway.” She shrugged. “When I was in the annex that is. Asshole never let him on the bed. If he was ever away for a few days and I let him or Loki up, I used to have to change the bedding so he wouldn’t find out. One day I forgot and…well, you can figure the rest.”

“Shhhh.” Frank kissed her neck softly as he pulled her closer, her back pressing into his chest wrapping his arms around her. “Try and get some sleep, Sweetheart. It’s late.”

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“What for?”

“Just being you.” She let out a deep breath and turned her head so she could look at him.

“Well, that is one thing I’m pretty good at.” He quipped and Fliss gave a soft chuckle before she took a deep breath.

“I know you’re busy at the shop, but is there any chance you could start late tomorrow?” She asked him softly. “I don’t wanna be on my own when they come to take her.”

“I’m not going in tomorrow.” Frank shook his head. “And Mary’s not going to school. We’ve had a late and upsetting night so I think we should all take it easy, spend some family time together. I thought maybe we could go for a drive, head down to Bay Vista Park.” He suggested. “There’s plenty of shade to sit in. We can take a picnic, climb some trees, me and Mary can have a game of Ultimate Frisbee, perhaps a swim. Hey, we might even spot some manatees.”

“Sounds great.” Fliss agreed, turning her head back round and laying down on the pillow. It was silent for a while, and Frank thought she’d drifted off to sleep until he felt her take a shuddering breath and her shoulders began to shake.

“Hey, come on.” Frank pulled her closer, pressing another kiss to her neck and she turned in his arms, pressing her face into his chest.

“I can’t believe she’s gone.” Fliss sniffed, as Frank’s hand ran up and down her back.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I wish there was something I could do to make this better.”

“This is helping, a little.” She spluttered and Frank gave a soft chuckle, kissing her head again.

“Then you can stay like this all night.” He replied, closing his eyes as he simply held her close.

Eventually, Frank felt Fliss’ breathing grow even, and even though he couldn’t see in the dark of their room he knew she was asleep.

“Night, Baby.” He whispered, kissing her forehead and at that he heard Thor give out a little huff as the dog hopped down off the bed, his basket creaking before there was a soft thud indicating he’d bedded down there.

And, as Frank drifted off, he couldn’t help smile at just how the faithful dog had waited until he knew his precious human was asleep before he left her side.

***** Chapter 22

Dedicated to my gorgeous, wonderful, bad tempered but oh-so-loyal and loving chestnut mare, Sandybrook Hideaway. Keep waiting on that rainbow bridge until I find you again.

#riding on #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #frank adler x oc #gifted #gifted fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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