#Jean went cray cray

[coryosbaby]

Ultraviolence - E.L & C.M

(pt. 1)

Fandom: “Scream Vi”

Pairing: Stepbrother! Ethan Landry x fem! Reader, Chad Meeks Martin x fem! Reader (not in this chapter), Ethan Landry x Chad Meeks Martin (not in this chapter)

Warning: dubcon, stepcest (stepsister x stepbrother), reference to being siblings while fucking (I’m sorry), jealousy, p n v, Ethan isn’t a virgin in this, loss of virginity for reader, Cherry popping, slight blood kink, scent kink, sir kink, dark! Dom! Ethan, sub! Reader, slight perv! Reader, Ethan is older (19/20), reader is of age, quinn doesn’t exist ig, masturbation, fingering, corruption kink, degradation, choking, a little bit of titty worship

A/N: this is the first part to the stepbrother! Ethan landry fic! <3 heavily imagining the way Ethan acts after the ghostface reveal for this, bc he’s just so cray cray and fine 😜 so he’s like, majorly unhinged and cocky 💗💋 reader is also hyperfem ! (I like pt 2 better honestly pls bear with me)

When you first figured out that your mom was marrying, you were ecstatic. She deserved to be married to a decent guy, and Wayne was someone in that category. He was nice, had money, and you didn’t dislike him.

When you first met Ethan, however, he made you nervous.

You didn’t hate him, per say. But the intense look he gave you the first time he was forced to shake your hand put a chill up your spine. His gaze itself cut into you like a knife. Polar opposites, him in dark sweaters, t-shirts, and jeans. And you? Clad in the shortest skirts, in the tightest tops.

The boy had ignored you the first few weeks of knowing each other. Now moved in, you’re both in the same house. Your rooms are right across from each other’s: yours completely covered in pink, with flower and hello kitty accessories laying about. Ethan’s is definitely different; a little bit less cluttered, most of it blue. A bookcase in one corner. You knew this because he left his door open quite often.

You regret not paying attention to that tiny detail.

It’s a sunny day. The sun is shining brightly down on you as you rest beside the pool in your backyard. Clad in a checkered pink bathing suit, your hair is thrown up with a claw clip and you’re spread out on a towel. Suntanning is one of your favorite activities, and today is great for it.

Wayne is at work and your mom is away doing errands. You don’t know where Ethan is. Probably in the living room watching a show, you suspect. It’s what he usually does.

You sigh, and pop the knuckle of your left hand. It’s definitely time for a drink, and you want to get your Bluetooth speaker.

When you go inside, you climb up the stairs to your room. Ethan’s door is slightly cracked, but not to the point where you can see inside. Not unless you’re close to it, at least. He must be busy.

You roll your eyes when you catch sight of the dress you’re going to be forced to wear at your mom’s wedding resting on the top of your dresser. You love her, but the woman does not have a good sense of style.

Grabbing the small speaker in your hand, you begin to make your way back outside.

And that’s when you hear it.

A groan, and then something wet.

Its coming from Ethan’s room, and sounds like him. And it’s as if the sounds he’s making started up right when you went to leave. And with his door unlocked? It couldn’t be that wrong to be curious and see what he was doing, could it?

You approach the door, not really thinking it through. And when you catch sight of the room through the crack of the door, it takes everything in you not to rub yourself.

You can see Ethan on his bed, shirt off and his bottom lip caught in between his teeth, his sweats pulled down to expose himself. He’s looking at his cock, face scrunched up in pleasure, and god, he’s big. You can feel your face heating up, can feel your swimsuit beginning to get soaked with more than just water.

“Oh… shit. Yeah, baby. You like that cock, don’t you? You dirty little bitch.” He growls, and it’s like he’s saying it directly to you.

And maybe he is. Because as his thumb is rubbing the tip of his cock, he looks directly at your quivering form in the door, thrusts his hips into the air, and cums.

You’re trying your hardest to avoid Ethan.

And who wouldn’t? He’s your fucking stepbrother and you just watched him jack off; not only that, but he orgasmed when he saw you watching. It’s fucked up.

You try to push the guilt of touching yourself later that night to the thought of it down. And it’s hard. Ethan sends you glances, a lot more noticeable than his usual ones, and when you make eye contact with him he looks at you with mischievous eyes.

And then comes the day that you’re both alone again. You’re on the couch watching a show, trying to get your mind off of Ethan. When of course, he comes down the stairs, wearing a black button up shirt and jeans. The shirt hugs his muscles and you try not to pay attention to that. He sits down beside you.

“Hey, sis.” His voice is amused, and you don’t look at him as you adjust your thigh highs.

“Hey, Ethan.” You mumble. The tv show is suddenly very interesting.

“I like this show, too. Really good.” He notes, as if this isn’t the first set of words you’ve ever really said to each other. His hand rests on the top of your thigh and the movement makes you jump out of your seat. You look at him for a moment and then scurry to the kitchen.

“Where are you goin’ sis?” He questions loudly.

“T-To…get something to drink!”

You go to the fridge to open the door and pull out a Cherry Coke, nervous hands skimming over other drinks to have an excuse to stay in the room for longer. You jump when you turn around and Ethan is leaning against the counter. He looks calm, a small smirk playing on his handsome face.

“Can you get me one too, sweet thing?”

The nickname makes you flush, and you turn around to reach back into the fridge and grab another Cherry Coke.

You hold it out to him, but instead of grabbing the drink his hand goes to wrap around your wrist to pull you closer. You inhale sharply when his hand comes up to move a piece of your hair out of the way. He then leans into you, so much that you can feel his breath. You clench your eyes shut and pull away when his lips almost touch yours.

“C’mon, don’t be like that.”

“E-Ethan…” he’s looking at you so intently, that it makes you flush under his gaze. And then his fingers move to the thin strap of your top, playing with it. He seems deeply concentrated on it. Or, more likely, your tits. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do or… or trying to start, but we can’t-”

“You’re really pretty, do you know that?” He interrupts, and you stutter, not really knowing how to reply.

“Y-Yes? I mean, a lot of people say it, but…” he looks up at you and smiles.

“You’re so sweet, too. So innocent..” he frowns, his grip tightening on your shirt strap. “But maybe you aren’t. Because you’re a little pervert, aren’t you baby?”

“I-I didn’t… I didn’t mean to-“

“But you did. Don’t lie to me.”

“I-I’m sorry…” you say, breathless.

And then, without warning, he’s kissing you. You gasp at the harshness of his mouth, and he yanks you closer to him by your hair. He turns you around to shove your body against the counter, as if you weigh nothing. You moan, and he reaches down to grope one of your tits in his hand.

“Let me see these. Now.”

You whimper, hesitant, so Ethan makes the decision for you. He yanks your straps down and your tits spill out, nipples hard and stiff from your arousal. He brings one into his mouth and sucks, his teeth scraping the swollen skin.

“God, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to see these tits, sweetheart.” His cock grinds against your clothed pussy, and you thrust your hips forward.

“This is… god, this is so wrong, fuck…”

“But you want it, don’t you? Dirty girl.”

His strong hands go underneath your ass and lift you up on the counter. He brings his mouth back to yours, and groans when you touch his hard bulge through his sweats. Fuck it. What’s done now can’t be undone.

“I do want it, sir. Wan’ it so bad.”

He lifts your skirt up, moves your underwear to the side, and sticks his middle finger in your tight heat. You hide your face in his chest, his smell making your brain cloudy, makes you forget the possibility that both of your parents could come home at any moment.

“You’re such a wet little thing.” He breathes. “Gonna let me fuck this sweet pussy, baby?”

You nod shyly, and he laughs.

“C’mon, baby, don’t get shy on me now. Let me see you. ”

You look up at him, and he grips your throat.

“Are you going to let me fuck you?” He questions again.

“Yes sir.”

And then moments later you’re bent over the counter, virgin pussy spasming around Ethan’s incredibly large length. You’re crying, the stretch painful, but nonetheless he feels amazing.

His big hands grip your hips harshly as he slams into you, sweat beading on his chest. When he looks down, your creamy fluid mixed with blood drips down his cock, and he grins.

“Awww, baby. You’re bleeding! ” He mocks. “Little virgin pussy can’t handle my fat cock, can it?”

You mewl, thrusting your hips back harder, craving more of him.

“Yeah, pretty baby. That’s it. Take your big brother’s cock.”

[wifeofnatasharomanoff]

Darkest Nights: How We Met

SERIES MASTERLIST

WARNINGS: dark!nat, nat has a dick, stalking, obsession, masturbation, somnophilia

WORDS: 1,079

PAIRING: mob!nat x f!reader

A/N: Natasha's like silly girl cray

You first saw her at a local café near your house, your shoulders barely touched as you were leaving and she was walking inside. You had bumped into her — or she had bumped into you. Either way, she made you apologize. “God– look where you're going sometimes, won't you?” You looked up at the tall, muscular woman in front of you, “I– I'm sorry I didn't mean to..” You quickly apologized before scurrying out the café.

That moment is what had changed your life forever. She saw the afraid look on your face when you apologized to her. So innocent you were. She knew she had to ruin you, rid you of your innocence. That day, she followed you home. How cute, barely any security at home. She wouldn't have even been surprised if you left your door unlocked. Natasha entered your quiet, cozy little home and looked around, seeing pictures of you and your friends in frames in your living room. A pink fluffy rug in the room as well. “hm..” God, you're so adorable, she thought. She spotted a room with the door shut in the far corner. It was your bedroom.

She peeked into the room as quietly as she could, only to see you sleeping soundly in your bed. Your plushy thighs sprawled on the mattress, your arms wrapped around a brown stuffed bear, and the duvet barely covering your body. “Fucking hell..” she whispered as she felt a strain in her pants. You were deep asleep, you wouldn't have woken up. So she chose to discard her jeans along with her boxers. Her gaze flew to your plump, parted lips as you softly breathed. “Fuck. What has gotten into me..?” she muttered as her palm went up and down her cock, jerking off at the idea of those same lips wrapped around her dick. “oh God.” she groaned as white droplets of her own cum sputtered all over her hand.

She looked down at your unconscious body, “you're such a beautiful, beautiful girl..” she needed you. She needed to mess you up. Was it love at first sight? It seemed like lust at first sight.

In the following days, she managed to break into your house and even set up cameras inside. In your bedroom, your kitchen, the living room. You hadn't noticed yet. Yet. You didn't notice the piercing green eyes following your every move, the red haired, mysterious woman tracking you down. Except till one day — you had a rather stressful day and went to a bar. What you didn't know beforehand was that this wasn't any regular bar. It was Natasha's she owned the bar. But nonetheless, you, clueless you, continued to sit at the bar with a shot glass of– whatever the bartender handed you, that of which you gladly drank all up.

“Easy there, sweetheart.. say, what's such a pretty little thing doing out here all alone?” You stayed silent as you looked up at the woman beside you. “I..” she brought her hand to your chin, caressing your cheekbone with the pad of her thumb. “oh.. what I would do to destroy you.” she whispered. If you weren't already a bit tipsy, you could've heard what she said. “Do you want another drink doll?” she spoke up, her eyes examining your face. She knew you were already quite intoxicated. Your eyes were droopy, and you took a few seconds to process words as she spoke to you. “I– I don't think..” she gestured her head over to you to the bartender, calling him to hand another glass.

The man slid over a shot glass across the table and towards his boss. “Open up, kotenok..” she picked up the glass and tapped it against your closed mouth. You kept your lips shut and took your eyes off of her. “oh, for fucks sake.” she poured the drink in her mouth and slammed her lips against yours. “mm..” you could taste the alcohol in your tongue and her lips. She sloppily kissed you with your wrists held by her strong arms, pinned against the table. “mmnph!” you let out muffled moans as she slid her tongue into your mouth, you could feel yourself slipping into darkness. Was the drink drugged or were you falling asleep?

Your question never got answered. You gasped as you shot up from bed. Wait– you were at home. How- how did you get home? Weren't you at a bar? “Shit. Oh my God–” You looked down at yourself. You were still wearing the clothes you wore last night. Last night. What happened? Memories of the night before flashed in your head. Someone kissed you. You couldn't recall her face, but— you knew it was a woman with red hair as well.

What you hadn't known is that she was watching. Is it really obsession if she cared? Whenever she'd see you walk inside your home with someone she— she genuinely couldn't express the feelings she felt. Watching you with a person other than her having such intimate moments. An unknown person with their grabby hands all over your body, your chest, everywhere. They'd push you onto the bed, and you'd spread your legs for them to cause those sweet, sweet noises to slip past your mouth— she shut off the screen.

Why was she getting frustrated over this? She didn't love you– no. Did she? She had to have you for herself. She didn't want anyone else to have you. You were hers, but you just didn't know that yet. She was sure to make you know soon.

“Natasha! The car is leaving, are you coming or not?” she groaned as someone called her. “Yeah, I'll be there.” she turned the safety off of her gun and grabbed it before she walked out of the room.

“Well, well.. what do we have here, hm?” she smirked as she made eye contact with the man tied up into a chair. “Fuck you Romanoff!” he spat out, “I'm not going to ask you again you idiot, where is Dreykov?” the man had once worked for her. Two-faced fucks working for her were one of the things she most disliked. She most hated whenever she'd see you with anyone she didn't know. “You're a worthless bitc—.” she pulled her gun out and shot him in the head. Blood splattered onto her face as his body went limp in his seat. “Call the clean up crew Wanda.”

[wineauntharry]

I’m in need of anything that contains jealous, protective and possessive Joe!!! If you’re able to write something like this 💛

Ofc stink! I like this alot and I hope its what you were asking for let me know if you want something else! love ya bunches! (sorry its short)

Tw: possessive and jealous joe/ insinuation of smut??? Nothing to cray cray

send requests here :)

-kitt

—

Mine J.B.

“ I just wanna make sure I’m the only guy you’re taking home tonight.”

Joe whispered, slurring and wreaking of tequila. But who could blame him? He had just won the AFC North Championship, and who would I be to not let him celebrate.

“Joe don’t start.”

We had only been at this club for an hour and he was plastered. I was sitting on his lap playing with the rips in his jeans when he started to do the drunk rambling moment he would have anytime he thought I looked a little too good.

“Can’t help it baby. You just look so good. Still can’t believe you chose me.”

“All of these hoes and I still chose you huh Joe.”

He let out a soft giggle followed by a stop-fucking-playin-with-me smirk and I knew I had started to press his buttons. There’s no way Joe didn’t notice every guy's neck turn when we walked in. They weren’t looking at the tall football player, they were looking at the girl on his arm, and he knew that.

After sitting in our section and sipping on our drinks, we made our way out onto the dance floor. Joe and I did our usual dance where he stood behind me and I grinded on him to the beat of whatever was playing. Nothing too crazy. I could feel Joe start to grow behind me and as he went to whisper something to me we were interrupted.

“This your man? Or is he your bitch because I’m trynna talk to you for real. You too fine to be with a white boy like that.”

Before I could even respond to the random drunk guy leaning a little too close and talking a little too loud, Joe already had a response.

“Bro you don’t see her with me right now? This my girl, stop playing. We locked in, she not going anywhere.”

The guy just walked away, not even trying to argue anymore, but Joe wasn’t finished, I could feel him tense up as he stopped dancing. It was like he somehow sobered up and wasn’t about to just let that guy's advance slide.

Joe began to walk in the direction of the guy, taking big strides, determined. Not gonna lie, Joe was always so hot when he was angry, But somebody had to keep him out of trouble, so I followed and reached for his arm.

“Joe stop!” I tried to yell but Joe had blinders on and nothing was gonna come between him and sticking up for what’s his.

Joe got the guy's attention and started to raise his voice, catching the attention of other people in the club.

“Don’t ever try some shit like that again. Swear to God, I don’t play about what’s  mine. I promise you don’t want a problem bro. Be careful. I don’t wanna come outta character.” Joe spit out.

 “You got it big bro, chill out.” The guy replied.

I guess at this point Joe remembered where we were and could feel me tugging at his arm. He turned around and we made our way back to our section, but I couldn’t just let that go.

“Joe what the fuck was that? I know you’re fucked up right now but be serious.” I said.

“You just do something to me Y/N. Can’t help it.” He replied with a smirk.

“I know but-” I was interrupted with Joe smashing his lips on mine. He was so intoxicating. I swear I turn into putty anytime he kisses me like this. It wasn’t a regular kiss. But almost a you’re mine and I don’t care who sees kiss.

Once we separate I continue my thought “Joe you gotta keep it together, that’s what happens when you go out with someone this fine, not my fault.” I said with a little giggle following it.

Joe smiled and said “I can’t help but be possessive over you. You belong to me and nothing will ever change that, I don’t care what I have to do. I’d kill for you Y/N.”

Joe has always been the jealous type, but I am too so it balances us out, just makes us that much closer.

“I’m yours Joe. In this world, it's just us.” I reassured him and squeezed his hand to let him know I was serious.

“Let’s get out of here baby, I wanna show you how much to me.” He said.

I knew what that meant. He only said that when he really meant it, it was special to him.

I was enjoying my time out of the house but I knew I would enjoy whatever he was going to do to me at home more. I just smiled and nodded my head to let him know to lead the way. 

I love this boy so much and I know he loves me just the same. Its only a plus that Joe fucks best when he’s jealous or in love, and tonight, he was both.

—-

I hope yall like this omg I like it!!! Jealous joe makes me think some thots imma keep it real i need him so bad lorddddd. 

ALSO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE ON MY HARRY ONE SHOT!! (did yall peep the harry reference hehe)

Also there may or may not be a second part to this that’s just smut ;) let me know if yall want it because i def will not write it if there’s something else you want!

all the love- kitt

[hermioneblack]

Older Brother Steve / Teacher Eddie

Sometimes you need to just write the fanfiction you want to read yourself... Please enjoy the below- it has not been edited in anyway and should probably not exist.

-------------------------

Steve Harrington wasn’t a jealous man, he didn’t have the time to be jealous most of the time.

He was a single parent to his younger brother, Dustin, and had to work two jobs to keep the lights.

So he wasn’t the jealous type.

Not jealous at all that Dustin has been coming home every day ranting and raving about his new teacher, who was just the coolest guy ever and was so awesome you wouldn’t understand Steve!

He wasn’t so jealous that he went to drop Dustin off at school himself one day just to see what this guy looked like and size him up a little. Because for the last three years he had been the coolest guy in his brother's life, and he wasn’t ready for some teaching little nerd to take him place. 

‘Which is completely rational and exactly the type of thing a normal person would do.” Robin had said over the phone the night before when he had asked her to open the video shop that morning. 

“It is rational, Dustin is at an impressionable age-” Robin scoffed and laughed, “Don’t you dare laugh at me, I am a single father and I am making sure the people who my brother interacts with are appropriate.”

“Right… and you didn’t rehearse that answer in the mirror all day because you knew I would call you cray-cray.”

“I’m hanging up now!”

“Tell Mr Munson I say hello!” she sang down the line as Steve slammed the receiver back into its cradle.

That's how he found himself leaning against his car at 8am on a Monday staring at the high school he had once attended. Dustin was glaring at him and groaning that he couldn't believe he was coming to his class.

“I don’t get why you have to come inside!” he whined as he pulled his backpack from the boot.

“Because I need to have a word with your teacher.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

“God you are so lame! Remember when you were cool?”

The words stung a little, of course Steve remembers when he was cool. He had been the captain of the basketball team, captain of the swim team and the guy girls dumped their boyfriends for, even if it was just to have a quickie in the back seat of the car he had to sell to pay for his parents funeral.

“Yeah, whatever, I'm lame now. Doesn’t mean I am not going in there to find out how you are going.”

Dustin rolled his eyes and walked towards the school.

Steve followed, watching as the other parents stared openly at him, it wasn’t the first time he had dropped his little brother off at school, he had been doing it for three years, but it didn’t mean the young mothers didn’t love to stare. He knew he didn’t fit in with his ripped jeans and the flannel that covered his work shirt but he hadn’t ever cared about that because he had the hair, the car and the reputation to withstand anything.

Now he only had the hair, and after looking after Dustin full time, he was very worried he would lose that too. 

Dustin was much further ahead now and was making a big show of complaining to his friends that his brother was being lame.

Which made Steve smile a little, when their parents had died in a car crash during his senior year, he had been worried Dustin wouldn’t ever recover, he had thrown himself into his dungeons and dragons game and living in the fantasy worlds he created. But in the last few months he had been a lot more vocal about other things and hanging out with more than just Mike who Steve couldn’t help but think was a bad influence on his brother.

“Hi buddy can I help you?” A hand tapped his shoulder and Steve recoiled and turned ready to snap at whoever it was.

But the words got lost in his throat as he took them in, shoulder length messy hair with a fringe that definitely shouldn’t work, bright rings on each finger and a rock band shirt stretched over an obviously muscular body.

“Um..” he muttered just opening staring now.

“You okay?” the stranger said, waving a hand in front of his face.

“I’m Dustin- Steve- I’m Steve.” he couldn’t believe how bad he was at speaking right now, he wanted to slap himself as the stranger just looked more and more concerned.

Thankfully Dustin came bounding up before Steve could say anything else and was about to rescue him until he didn’t stop at Steve's side but bounded up to the Metal Head Stranger and did the most elaborate high five he had ever seen.

“Mr Munson, this is my brother Steve. He’s being lame and wants to speak to you.”

Mr Munson looked up from Dustin and gave Steve the biggest lopsided grin.

“Hi Steve, you can call me Eddie.”

[meera000]

comme des filles

(sandy liang)

on a very cold day last month i got dinner with one of my closest friends. when we were bundling up to go back outside, she laughed and said i looked “very covered.” ngl it took me aback a little! modest fashion does not cross my mind at all— no part of my lifestyle would call for it, nor do i really consider it when getting dressed. for me it’s more like What shapes can i make today? what can i Do with my body? and most importantly how can i Function?

so like maybe my pants are too baggy and my skirts too long. but also that’s just my style. i’ve been doing the baggy/loose bottoms since i started understanding how to dress myself. in tenth grade one of the theater kids in skinny jeans told me my green fatigues were “ridiculous” (no clue where they are now or what they’re doing, but at the time they looked like they had never given any thought to how they dressed). and in freshman year of college i received a text from one of the madewell-wearing girls— i wish i still had a screenshot but it went along the lines of this:

heyyy remember when you started wearing those edgy baggy pants sophomore year and we all judged you for it?* well now i’m scrolling through urban outfitters .com and there are so many baggy mom jeans. you were ahead of the times #fashionicon

*if there is one part i can remember verbatim it’s this question. i did not remember her in particular judging me to my face so that was kind of cray

last month i watched laini ozark’s “things that make you instantly stylish” video and she mentions baggy/unflattering outfits. Hooray i’m stylish!. in all seriousness tho everything she talks about makes sense because the wearer is choosing to wear that thing. it’s all intention. an edgy haircut, a red lip, a pop of color bag, intention. i lean towards baggy clothing out of habit and a pure enjoyment of it. i started doing it to hide my body but i’m not as insecure about my body anymore, and yet it’s stuck. i think it’s fun to look a little cartoonish. i like when people can’t tell what my body looks like because they don’t need to know everything.

BUT then there’s the whole femininity thing. i don’t know how to be a Girl or what that could mean. i’ve felt it FORever. i hang out with groups of girls and i feel odd. and most of that oddness lies in how i dress. it’s not even like i dress outlandish or all that unique at all! i’m basic! but my pants take up more space and that paired with the loudness of my voice makes me want to tear myself to shreds. i saw someone on tiktok ask “where did the women who are beautiful and quiet learn how to do that?” and i’m always wondering the same thing. and it always comes back to desirability. such bullshit but i’m not going to pretend like i don’t feel it. 

at this point in time it feels like girlhood is reduced down to things. not necessarily all the time, but people like to find it in curtain bangs and all those little bows that go on everything (it reminds me of how in cartoons the female characters have eyelashes to indicate that they’re Girls. adding bows to your christmas tree is like adding eyelashes on the female cat from garfield). Girlhood as the internet has decided in 2023 doesn’t come from Feeling but rather from what you have. You need your dyson airwrap and sol de janeiro, among god knows what else.

there’s such a specific way that these cool Girls dress now. i can’t fully describe it but it’s what’s on pinterest and i see these cool girls come into my work all the time. they all know something!!! and they look so cool and they’re not “too covered” or “ridiculous.” I want to be one of them because of course i want to feel like a part of something. but also that’s just not my style. and at the end of the day what this “something” values is reducing themselves down to things to appear more Dainty and Childlike, which is harmful in the long run for obvious reasons. growing up is a privilege. you can’t prevent aging and you shouldn’t prevent growing into the person you are.

that sandy liang ring tht says I’m going to be my own kind of princess— exactly that

[fudgetoonbits]

something I wrote bc I’m cray cray over my own fictional universe blah blah blah it’s around 200 years in the future uh company uses ai to make robot servants lololol there will be a full book ab it soon and a video game when I learn to program taking perspective from different characters at slightly different times in the same setting but this is just a backstory short story thing on one of the minor characters which was also for a school assignment so yea

TW: violence, torture, death

title is inspired off Kill the Rock - Mindless Self Indulgence [yes ik what that band did I just like the music not Jimmy]

Kill the Fire

“I’m just saying. Watch your back.”

He wished he had followed those words so badly.

It was the year 2196, Penumbra’s second year at the Human Generosities Association’s core building.

It was a famous company for constructing creatures of metal and magic to serve mankind: robots powered by artificial intelligence and, of course, targeted at an affluent audience. However, to even fathom creating a sentient, smart vessel and testing our limits, many studies have gone in dedication to humans: the only currently known intelligent species on Earth.

Penumbra was one of the many test subjects. He went there and ‘worked’ for an insignificant income. Of course, this was worth next to nothing, but he had nothing better to do other than go to the gym and study, so he figured he’d get a job.

The boy was 17 now, and he still had no big goals for his future. He never had any special talent to follow, so he was content with this job. He had acquired an adequate affinity with one of the good scientists, Dr. Phoenix, and another test subject, Caesar. It was, at the very least, entertaining to be at the building.

Penumbra sat on a cushioned bench in the waiting room. He was waiting for the doctor, and the doctor was waiting for him.

“Hey Penumbra!” a familiar voice called. A man dressed in a black leather jacket and a pair of patched baggy jeans: Caesar.

“Oh, hi Caesar,” Penumbra replied with a faint smile.

He sat down next to him.

“Got any plans for the weekend?”

“Caesar, you know I’m busy either here or at school or helping my family, if you really want to do something, the only time I see myself being free is like- months from now. Sorry friend.”

“Well, that sucks. Uhm, see you around...?”

“Bye good friend!”

Caesar got up and waltzed off.

Penumbra scrolled through his phone, and it seemed like 30 minutes had passed in 10 seconds because the doctor had already opened the door.

“Ah, Penumbra- you're all set. Come on in.” An affirming hand rested on Penumbra's shoulder, guiding him through the door frame.

Dr. Phoenix was a man in his late 30s. He wore black rubber boots, yellow-tinted goggles, a white knee-length coat, and a dark pair of skinny jeans. Wide streaks of white danced among his frizzy jet-black hair as he strode, and his smile was yellowed and sharp, stretching from ear to ear. He seemed to lack in hygiene, but Penumbra frankly didn't care.

Penumbra patiently sat on the examination chair. It was ancient; you could tell by the scratched, torn leather and the creak that erupted through the room when it was weighed. He leaned backward, and though he came here often, his body would still jerk from the sudden sound, never quite getting used to it.

The tall but scrawny figure slid some blue mid-length gloves on, the latex slapping against his skin. He pulled a needle out of a case, flicking the tip.

“So, uh… what cha’ got there, Doc?”

Dr. Phoenix muttered something Penumbra couldn't hear, but Penumbra was too nervous to ask him to repeat that something. He shuffled around and fiddled with his fingers.

“Ah, okay,” he responded after a long silence, not sure what else to say.

“How’s your family?” Dr. Phoenix prompted, rubbing Penumbra’s shoulder with a prep pad. He looked down at the floor.

“They’re fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Good to hear, good to hear.” The needle entered his skin. He winced, but not from the pain, that was just a tiny prick. He winced at the thought of what had just been injected into his system.

This was a prominent problem Penumbra never took care of. He and the doctor were good acquaintances and he trusted him. He would just hate it whenever he felt like he was not being taken seriously, but he would never confront Dr. Phoenix. He couldn't confront anyone. Penumbra couldn't even get any words out of his mouth. His thoughts would wrap around his throat and constrict him like a snake.

So, It’s better like this, he thought.

Penumbra woke up the next morning on a Saturday… and he felt absolutely awful. He ran to the bathroom, held his head over the toilet bowl, and vomited. Gagging from the gross taste lingering on his tongue, he sighed and cleaned himself up, taking some Advil to ease his throbbing headache. It was time for another visit.

Penumbra was, again, in the waiting room as usual. He was minding his own business until an odd-looking kid rushed down the hallway and suddenly stopped.

“I think I lost them,” he wheezed out, catching his breath.

He tilted his head at the stranger and giggled a little.

“What cha’ running for you goof?”

The kid jumped back, a little startled. He wore a baggy band t-shirt with some long shorts and striped socks, and he looked just a few years younger than Penumbra. Once he adjusted himself, he stared at Penumbra for around 10 seconds before snapping out of it.

“Oh, uh… sorry for the racket,” the boy nervously smiled, breaking eye contact.

“No, no, I just wanted to make conversation, you don't need to apologize.”

“Oh okay! Well, in that case, I'm Blake, and you are…?”

“Penumbra.”

“Well Penumbra, first of all, I really like your hair.”

Penumbra had dark mid-length hair touching just the end of his neck, his bangs a light blonde color.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Second of all… what are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that, but I volunteer as a test subject. I’m just waiting for the doctor.”

“…may I accompany you while you wait?”

“Sure.”

Blake sat down next to him, and they chatted until Dr. Phoenix opened the door.

“Ah, Penumbra, I’ve seen you've made a friend,” he eyed Blake with an unreadable expression, “Well, come in.”

“See you later, alligator,” he walked into the doorframe.

“Bye.”

Penumbra and Blake would talk for the next few weeks, establishing a deeper friendship. Blake liked talking to Penumbra, but he got more worried each time Penumbra walked into the doctor’s office again.

One afternoon on a Wednesday, Penumbra sat down once again, and Blake joined him. Blake was really uneasy that day, fidgeting with his fingers. They both sat there in silence for a minute or two until Penumbra broke it.

“What’s up with you?”

“Huh?”

“Why so tense?” He nudged Blake’s shoulder playfully.

He took a deep breath before the words tumbled and slid out of his mouth, carrying shock like a plastic slide.

“I’m so sorry for not telling you, Penumbra but... I was running because of, well, the people here. I’ve been stuck in this god-awful building on the run for like, I lost count. Talking to you makes me feel better but-,” he gulped, “I’m really worried for you, Penumbra. I’ve seen things in here no one should see- records of people being tortured in ways I can’t put into words- and all in the name of ‘science’.”

Penumbra was devastated, one of his worst fears taken to a whole other level. But he knew the doctor for so long.

He would never do that to me... right?

“And I know you are much more at the odds of being the next. So... I’m just saying. Watch your back.”

Penumbra never saw Blake again after that.

It had been a few weeks since. He already stressed about it to Caesar and now he was preparing to stress about it to someone much more difficult.

Dr. Phoenix.

“So, Penumbra, you wanted to meet me here for...?”

Penumbra sat on an end of a wooden table in one of the lounge’s kitchen rooms. Dr. Phoenix was waiting for the tea to finish, elbows resting on the counter and watching the steam like a cat watching a bird.

“Doctor do you... do you ever think something is wrong?”

“Like?”

“Well, I just- uhm... Doctor... am I special?”

“...pardon?”

The snake had let go.

“Don’t get the wrong idea- but- I just- I've heard many are... unethical in their studies- in this organization. And you’ve just been so shady these past couple of weeks and I just wonder- don't you think this is getting a bit out of hand?”

“...Penumbra, you really think I would harm you?”

“Well, I just don’t have a good feeling about this I mean I’ve felt really, really sick after these recent tests. My family has been getting sick worrying about me. What are you trying to accomplish?”

The doctor’s fingers dug into the edges of the countertop, chipping a fingernail. It had been a few minutes of silence. He calmed down ever so slightly, removing the teapot from the stove and pouring it into two cups. He brought the tea to the table with a jar of sugar cubes, staring daggers at poor Penumbra.

“Go on, drink.”

Penumbra carefully raised the teacup and drank slowly, not wanting to aggravate Dr. Phoenix any longer. A minute passed, and he felt terrible. His eyes fought to stay open. Eventually, he gave in and went out cold, the doctor giving him a glare unlike ever before: the glare of not a villain, but a monster.

Penumbra woke up in the usual beat-up examination chair, but his arms and legs were chained down to it. On top of that, he didn’t seem to be in the usual examination room either. The walls and floor were lined with newspapers, duct tape, and plastic wrap. He would be panicking right now if it weren’t for his dry throat, raging headache, and hazy vision.

He tried to speak, but all he got out was a hoarse croak. A series of steps approached him from behind, the head cushion rendering him unable to turn his head around.

“Good nap?”

“...”

“Fine, I see how it is.”

He walked around the chair, the figure now fully revealed to be nobody but Dr. Phoenix himself.

“What do you want from me?”

“I see an opportunity to cover a topic I haven’t quite been able to venture yet.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, after all those injections, you seem to battle disease relatively quickly, even recover rapidly from most minor physical trauma. I must say, I’m quite impressed with this progress so far. So, I want to see how well your body can handle something much more extreme.” He sinisterly smiled, swiping a cloth off the table to reveal various surgery-grade medical instruments, liquids, syringes, and a box of matches. Penumbra trembled in fear, tears running down his cheeks.

“Doctor, I know you’re a good person. You don’t have to do this.”

“I am a good person, I agree. I do what’s best for the company and do what must be done to make life more manageable for thousands.”

“Doctor, please.”

He ignored his desperate pleas and got to work.

That was one of the worst days Penumbra had ever experienced. Or so he thought when this continued over a course of several periods.

It had been a few weeks. Penumbra’s beloved hair had started to fall out, his sclera was gray, and his skin had turned a pale pink. He had a stitched incision on his throat, another one of Dr. Phoenix’s torturous experiments- this one to test if a human could have a ‘mouth’ on any area connected to the esophagus.

The only tool that seemed to not have been put to trial was the box of matches sitting on the table. Unfortunately for Penumbra, Dr. Phoenix was going to be working with that today. Dr. Phoenix grabbed Penumbra’s shoulder with another syringe in hand. He protested, wiggling to the best of his ability being restrained. But despite his struggle, he got the needle in and injected it. He stepped back from Penumbra, his eye twitching as he looked down at his lap hopelessly, choking out a sob. He wanted to go home and be with his family. He missed them so much.

“Now, today’s trial is especially important, so I don’t want you screwing it up. Got that?”

Penumbra stayed quiet. Dr. Phoenix proceeded.

Out of all the recent unethical experiments, this had to be the worst one yet for Penumbra. His head was set ablaze for hours at a time, and he survived. No normal human being could ever survive that. He was special. He was made special.

A week later, he could feel another prick against his shoulder. His head was covered in burn scars and being burnt just didn’t hurt anymore. Dr. Phoenix said something, but the piercing noise of insanity muffled his voice.

Penumbra had finally snapped.

He broke the chains with ease, sitting up out of the examination chair. Dr. Phoenix dropped whatever instrument he was holding, but Penumbra didn’t see that. All he saw was a lying, cheating tool. Penumbra held a face of fury, flames erupting from his head.

The doctor was no more: history.

Penumbra sat on the cold floor. His thoughts were racing. Not only was he worried how he was going to ever approach his family and friends again, but he was smothered in the unbearable guilt of murdering Dr. Hickory. He held his face in his hands, but not for long. He couldn’t just mope around; nothing would get better.

So, he tore the newspaper off the wall and opened the door. He may not be or have been accepted, he may have missed time with others, but that doesn’t matter right now.

He was finally free, and he took that in like the fresh, un-smokey air.

That’s all that mattered right now.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

We Need to Talk About Lara’s Sexuality

Okay so here’s the thing. After the rumoured script leak of what very well may or may not be a part of the Tomb Raider game were a romance between Lara and another woman is alluded, various members of the Tomb Raider fan community lost their god damn minds because apparently that possibility is alienating the basis of the character too much...

...Let’s take it step by step.

First of all, I always interpreted Classic Lara as asexual and Survivor Lara as a lesbian. These are my heacanons. This is in no way part of the games’ canon. Likewise, as is natural, various people have their own personal headcanons and that’s all okay. The issue is that you can’t present your own personal headcanons as facts.

If I absolutely had to choose guys or girls as Lara’s sexual preference I’d go with the girls, simply because most of the male characters both Core and Crystal have made so far have been ugly whereas the women have been considerably hotter, and I say that as a gay man, if that means anything to you. Ultimately I don’t think a love interest is at all necessary in Tomb Raider and I’d rather they keep Lara’s sexuality vague as it has always been so far.

Brecause the fact is that there has never been an official love interest in any canon Tomb Raider material. So no, Lara possibly being gay in the next game does not go against already established canon because she was never straight to begin with, and of course this goes both ways so no, she was never gay either. Now, I understand that just assuming Lara is straight because, for years, characters being straight across all forms of media was the common thing to expect and yes, in the original comic book line and the Angelina Jolie movies (and I think the short animated series?) Lara does have male love interests but guess what? These are not part of the main canon. They of course played a major part in influencing common perception of the character and, the movies in particular, influenced Crystal’s Classic version of the character as, in their own words, she was envisioned as a combination of Core’s games and Angelina’s movies, but I don’t see how non-canon material should ultimately play any detrimental part in deciding whether Lara having romantic or sexual relationships with men should prevent her from having any with women.

But let’s see what goes on with Lara’s “love interests” in the games themselves shall we?

Spoilers: There are none. But here is a list of common names that pop up whenever someone is desperate to prove why Lara has always been straight or gay or whatever.

1. The Earl of Farrington

In Lara’s original 1996-1998 biography, it is mentioned that Lara’s parents arranged a marriage for her with the Earl of Farrington. A marriage that we ultimately never know if Lara agreed to because after her plane crash to the Himalayas Lara decided that she didn’t wanna be a Countess any more and wanted to play Tomb Raider instead and therefore the Earl is specifically stated to “still be waiting”. This tells us that he either proposed but Lara never reciprocated or that Lara’s and his parents arranged their marriage, as is common in aristocrat families, but never managed to see it through because Lara went cray-cray. Furthermore it is never explicitly stated if they actually had any sort of relationship, romantic or not, before her plane crash, it is only stated that she was proposed to and that she never gave an official reply back.

2. Jean-Yves

Lara’s archaeologist friend from Last Revelation was at one point considered as a possible love interest for Lara but the idea was never properly explored (thank god). The character was eventually changed altogether and became Charles Kane, Lara’s high school history teacher, because, as it turns out, there was an actual French archeologist stationed in Egypt that was also named Jean-Yves and also kinda looked like him and he was like “What the fuck are you doing?” which is very iconic as an incident, not gonna lie, but not enough to justify pairing him with Lara..

3. Kurtis Trent

Kurtis was also considered as a love interest by Core, who apparently have shit taste in men because I cannot believe that the two people they wanted to pair the most succesful woman in gaming with were A. balding goofy French guy and B. edgelord creep who probably smells like weed and urine... Regardless, many people ship Lara and Kurtis *shivers* Kurtis infamously groped Lara’s clearly exposed arms and bare midriff with the excuse of disarming her while also holding her at gunpoint with Lara uncharacteristically just sitting there and doing nothing about it. The scene has always honestly creeped me out but what’s even more disturbing is that shippers classify that as flirting? I promise you, if that’s how people flirt with you, you deserve better. And you also need to call the police. Further along in the mess of a game that is Angel of Darkness (sorry not sorry) Lara ambushes the Creep herself and guess what? She searches his body but, unlike her, he wears cargo pants and two layers of shirts and she is much quicker and efficient while frisking him (she searches his chest) LarTis (god even the ship name sounds horrible) shippers like to present it as some sort of proof that Lara likes him or, alternatively, bring it up as a counter argument when you tell them Kurtis was groping her using the tired phrase “WhY iS It OkAy WhEn A WomAn DoEs It???” and of course, under no circumstances is it okay for a woman to grope a total stranger either but, as I already explained, the two incidents play out completely dfferent. Just... No... No... Leave Kurtis back in 2003 where he belongs and let him fade into obscurity as the random creep that could absolutely not hold a spinoff series on his own (because that’s what they wanted to do with him... For some reason)

4. The “Cute Guys” in Tanzania

Quite often, when I see people wanting to deny Lara and Sam possibly being attracted to each other, they use one of Sam’s diary entries from TR13 as “proof”. In said document Sam says that while on a trip with Lara in Tanzania, all Lara wanted to do was explore the ruins around Mt. Kilimanjaro but Sam kept sidetracking her because she was more interested in chatting up fellow tourists along the way. The anti-gay Lara crowd use this as proof of Lara being straight / interested in men. This is dumb for two reasons. First, Sam specifically says that Lara only wanted to explore the ruins. It is Sam who makes an effort of talking to and “running into” the guys. She doesn’t mention Lara showing any interest in anything other than the ruins. If anything this proves that Lara is not interested in men lol. And, alternatively, yeah, she and Sam could be into guys... And girls... At the same time... Because bi people apparently exist!

5. Alex Something

What the fuck was Alex’s name from TR13?? I honestly forgot because he’s just another throwaway character (see what I mean? They have a really bad track record with male characters). So, as we saw throughout TR13, Alex has a huge crush on Lara and, literally, went out of his way to do something completely stupid and dangerous in hopes of impressing her because of course! Ultimately, this bright decision got him killed but at least he got a kiss on the cheeck from Lara as a last minute gift. Once again, the anti-gay brigade use this as evidence of Lara being into guys... Really..? The man is dying. And he died to get a screwdriver and a hammer, the least she can do is give him a kiss on the cheeck! She knew he liked her, she wasn’t reciprocating the feeling, she was just being nice to a dying person.

6. Sam

And, finally, Sam is the last person that was at some point considered as a love interest by the people behind the games that never came into fruition. So yeah, just like her male counterparts, miss Samantha Nishimura is a non-canon love interest herself.

In conclusion, ship Lara with whoever the fuck you want, just don’t try to use them as evidence to Lara “AlWayS HaViNg BEen This Or ThAt SexUAliTy” because she absolutely hasn’t.

The only labels that can be applied definitevly across all iterations of the character are: explorer, adventurer, survivalist and, of course, tomb raider

Anything else is non canon territory for now~

[shahreenorah]

The Supernatural Love

Like a Movie:

September 25th 2021

"Welcome to my world, guys. Let me introduce myself. I am Olivia Summers. I am 19 years old. I am currently studying at UCLA in Music. I am in my junior year of college. No, I didn't go to college early. I just bumped up 2 grades. So I went to college at 17.

We all know that every fairytale ends with a happy ending. Mine is happier than you could ever think. Continue to watch my vlogs if you want to know what happened.

My parents died in a car accident 2 years ago. I have no siblings. Well, I have a second family. They would adopt me but I thought being their sister would be kinda stressful. Do you guys know who they are? It's the Lynches. Let me tell you guys how we all met. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Flashback:

August 20th 2018

I was walking through the streets with my friends after the filming of Alex And Ava. [{(Spinoff of Austin and Ally. Not a real show. I hope it is soon.)}] We were going to Starbucks when someone crashed into me with a skateboard. Before that, I saw a pair of the most beautiful hazel eyes and a "Watch out!"

We crashed and stared at each other for a while.

"Uhmm......." My bestie Emily [Emily Chavez] coughed. We broke out of our trance. We got up and I brushed the dirt off my jeans.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." He said. Hey, it sounded familiar.

"Clear-" I looked up to see THE ARDEN HALE staring at me.

"OMG! You're Arden Hale!" I looked behind him to see all of the Hales.

"And you guys are the Hales! OMG, my dream is coming true!" I said

If you don't know Arden Hale is the most famous person in this world. He has made many movies and all of them are like no. 1 on every movie chart. He and his family are also vloggers. So, I know all of them. Charlotte and Oliver Hale are the mother and father. Then the sequence is Noah, Birdie, Elijah, Arden and Ryland Hale.

"Do you know them?" Emily said.

"Who are you? These are the people I talk to you 24/7." I said.

"Hey, how are you?" Ryland, the youngest sibling said.

"I'm good. How are you all?" I said.

I earned a "We're good" from all of them.

"Hey, Olivia. I gotta go. Mom's calling." Emily said. 

"Okay, I'll see you later," I said as she walked off

"Okay, I'll see you guys later," I said as they walked away.

"It's always good to meet a fan. What's your name?" Arden asked.

"I'm Olivia Summers." I said.

"That's a really pretty name," Noah said. I smiled.

"Thanks. Hey, is it cool if I take a selfie?" I asked.

"Yeah sure. come here." Ryland said. Everyone huddled in close to each other to fit the frame.

"This pic is so going to be my wallpaper," I said.

"Can you send that picture to us?" Birdie asked.

They all took my phone and put in their numbers. I was smiling on the outside. But on the inside, boy was I screaming.

"Hey, you know what we should do, let's go hang out and get to know you better," Elijah suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. I would love to know more about you guys." I smiled.

That's how I met this lovely yet wacko family.

Silly Noah

Cute Birdie

Caring Eli

Cray cray Arden

Nice Ry Ry

I have a great relationship with all of them, especially Noah, Birdie and Arden. Before you suspect anything, no I don't have a crush on any of the Hale boys. They are my best friends. I would choose them over anyone any day. I love them so much.

Noah POV:

I heard my best friend talking about us in her vlogs. Let's eavesdrop. What? It's my thing.

"Well, I have a second family. They would adopt me but I thought being their sister would be kinda stressful. What do you know it is? It's the Hales. I have a great relationship with all of them, especially Noah, Birdie and Arden. Before you suspect anything, no I don't have a crush on any of the Hale boys. They are my best friends. I would choose them over anyone any day. I love them so much." She said,

"Hey, that was sweet!" I yelled.

"Thanks, Noah! I told the truth." She yelled.

I left her to film her introduction video. I am so proud of her. First, her casting in a tv series. Second, is her vlog channel.

I went to the backyard to play table tennis. I saw Elijah playing alone.

"Hey man. Mind if I join in?" I said.

"Be my guest. I don't have anyone to play with." He said as we started our tournament.

2 hours later:

"I won fair and square," I said.

"You distracted me by saying that Olivia was filming, it's not fair," Rocky yelled.

"What's with all the yelling?" Olivia came in.

"We were playing table tennis and he won," Rocky said.

"Oh, Noah. Honey, what did you do? 'Cause, let's face it, you're not a very good table tennis player." Olivia said.

"Well, I did nothing. I won fair and square." I said,

"Let me give you an example of how bad you are. You lost a damn table tennis game to Ryland who is like, 7 years younger than you!" Olivia said, basically yelling. Eli smirked.

"THAT WAS 1 TIME!" I said.

"What's going on?" Mom came.

"Well, Noah and Eli are fighting over who is the winner of table tennis." Olivia frowned, crossing her hands on her chest.

"Let me tell you who won. Noah won. Give the poor guy a chance, Eli. Now, I don't want to hear any more arguments." Mom said.

"Well, I agree with mom. Give him a chance." Liv said. She calls my mom her mom and my dad her dad because she's been living with us for so long that we are her family.

Eli pouted as we all went inside laughing and Noah did his victory dance.

This is what happens pretty much every day, just like in a movie.

[kurtty-drabbles]

Vampire au

N/A: An sort of mix of Dracula and Hellsing here. Kurt D is too cool to not be both. Also, this is an AU so mutants are here walking and talking and still going on the same social norms as the humans, now, I´d not know all the details on the Victorians social cues...so, I´ll make things up, but, hey, those are fucked up times so...yeah.

@djinmer4 @bamfoftheundead @dannybagpipesarecalling @sailorstar9 @discordsworld @look-ma-no-hands336

Victorian England is a period that is inspiring many writers to write romance, even though, ironically, most of the romances about ladies seeking marriages comes from nobles men.

Romance is a mechanism and hardly is a matter of the heart. Kitty "Ariel" Pryde can testify how Victorian England can be devoid of colour and full of rules.

In fact, the only excitement is when a new neighbour moves to the two storey house in front of Kitty Pryde, the house is pretty old, always give a haunting impression and many jokes the ghost of the past live there waiting for the master to return. Of course, is just a silly legend.

But, someone living in this old house is enough to make many people gossip. Rumour has it and is a very reliable source, a count of Bavaria is coming to stay the season in England and many women are interested in this aspect.

Yet, Ariel(as many like to call her) likes to point out no one knows anything about this man or if he´s really going to live here, and she has to admit is really boring have to gossip about a possible non-existent person.

"Better stick with my books then, at least, I´d know there´s a character there" Ariel is on the balcony of her house, the young woman is blessed to be born in a good and open mind family(many wanted Kitty to marry when she hit 14 but her family manages to dodge this situation until she´s older enough)  a long-suffering sigh escape her lips "alas, I know, soon enough, I´ll have to marry, I wish something more exciting would happen, more exciting then a new neighbour"

Absently her eyes travel to the old house and watch a pair of scarlet eyes in the window. A man with azure fur and a grimace as visiting card caught her doe eyes and the woman suddenly forget her old book, who is now laying on the ground, the old house has really a master after all.

The scarlet eyes have no pupil or iris and Ariel didn´t feel time pass down, until, her mother put her hand on her shoulder telling is dinner time, and when Ariel looks back, the scarlet eyes are gone.

__________________________________________________

Jean Grey is the daughter of a wealthy family, in fact, is safe to say the Grey are so wealth to the point only the Royal family can rival, so, this makes Jean a very suitable wife to be and many, many men try to gain her affections.

Warren Warrington is the chosen one. A young bachelor who is following the decor of the engagement with all the letters, to the point, Jean and Waren, can´t see each other alone.

The Greys once hearing that the Count is in town and living so close of them, decide to throw a party in his honour, as the costume goes, of course, and Kitty Pryde has to admit, she´s too curious to see the Count.

("No one ever saw him, said he´s too ugly" "I heard he´s too handsome" "Too old, bet he has no hair in his head and wears one of those wigs" )

The man arrives, much later, when the full moon is shining in the sky without any cloud, wearing fine clothes, a smirk on his face and his eyes, still scarlet as she remembers. No pupil, no iris, and wearing a new type of glasses, one called googles, that give an orange mix with his scarlet eyes.

The man is terribly late, and the Greys show displeasure in this fact, even if he´s a noble, however, his snarl like a smile is enough to prevent the count to be scowled.

"Guten Nicht, Am I late for the party?" the count looks with a bit of mock to the surroundings. Women were separated in one corner and men in another and all are wearing far too many clothes.

Kitty, in her own little space, saw how the count´s mouth twitch upward in a mock fashion, but, maybe the others didn´t saw or care, and many mothers went to the Count to introduce him to their daughters, and, without any regards to proper education or social norms, the count just refutes saying he´s not feeling well.

"I´m a bit hungry" Kitty heard him speak with his Bavarian accent, the south Bavarian tone, and notices how the man´s teeth seem too sharp, but, her muses aren´t that important. "I´m afraid, I need to drink something, is there´s any good Bloody Mary?"

"Bloody Mary?" Kitty asked now gaining his attention and the fury of many mothers wanting to marry their daughters. Is a bit uncommon to drink Bloody Mary at this hour?  And, the guests already dinner, so, why the count is hungry? Didn´t he eat? "I´m afraid Lord Williams already drink all the Bloody Mary" Kitty speaks in a light tone and she is not lying here "but, I think there´s wine here..."

"Wine?" the count is pondering for a moment "yes, that would be gut" and then he introduces himself amused by everyone´s reaction, if the foreign man wants to be the eccentric one, Kitty can join in the harmless prank. The man kissed her hand and this didn´t go unnoticed.

"Ladies, we´ll be the scandalous thing to drink wine, fret not, I´ll return the good count Darkholme in one piece" Kitty promised to the old ladies and Kurt Darkholme is far too amused.

"You shouldn´t kiss woman´s hands like that" Kitty lightly chastised as they are drinking good wine. "be prepared for tomorrow thousands of old ladies suddenly visit your house to talk about their daughter, oh, what surprised they are single" Kitty jokes and knows very well she´s breaking a protocol here, yet, she´s not caring. Later, her mother and father may chastise more seriously(but, this has to be the only time something fun happens in the Grey´s parties)

"You, English folks, are very funny to me, I´m here to have a nice vacation and I think I've got a nice place" Kurt speaks smirking and showing his teeth, they are really sharp. Kitty shakes her head. "by the way, can you tell me more about the fine people in this party? You seem to be a very reasonable person"

"Thank you, Is a cross I have to carry." she jokes and gives a small sum up of who is who. "And look, I must warn you right away, Jean Grey is engaged to Lord Warrington and this is their celebration party" she explained in the best she could, but, she must have failed as Kurt starts laughing pretty hard, almost dropping his goblet.

Kitty, not wanting to be too defiant or gain attention, put her finger on his lips, this makes the laughter ceased, while, his scarlet eyes are amused. Kitty´s finger has no glove, nothing and is touching his cold lips.

"Oh, this is a party? Oh, I´ve much to learn" Kurt Darkholme states once Kitty takes her finger from his lips.

"Yes, you´d! And, why are you here? count Darkholme?" Kitty asked the man, still gazing at his scarlet eyes.

"I´m here to have fun, Katzchen, and please, don´t call me Count Darkholme, I´m not that old" there´s a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth again. "Can I ask a question?" the woman nods "are you here with somebody?"

"A husband?" Kitty asked again and shakes her head. Piotr is giving strong hints to want to be her husband and Kitty is giving strong replies of how she feels about that. A big NO. _______________________________________________________________

The men in the corner have enough of their private conversation and take Kurt Darkholme to their side to enjoy a nice chat as a man do. Cigars were distributed and talk about God were offered and Kurt gives a smile for all of them.

Bobby Drake or as he prefers to be called, Lord Williams(Is a name his father gave to him as he inherited the big house of the family), seems very upset the good wine is over and makes some comments about the person who steals it. "Count Darkholme, that woman has no right, I tell you, no right to take my wine" and the man is getting mad and madder. "I´ll teach that woman a lesson"

Count Darkholme only smiles. "Is life worth losing for wine?"

And Lord Williams, not minding the smiles of Count Darkholme nor the other men rolling their eyes at this childish act, replied. "Of course, is worth even die for good wine"

The party is over and people are going home, no one saw Count Darkholme´s carriage, yet, the man is no longer in the house. No one saw Lord Williams either, but, the man must be drinking with colleagues or with one of his girlfriends.

Next morning, one of the maids of the Grey household, spit Lord Williams dead in the wine cellar, attacked as an animal would and left to rotten in next to the finest wine. This news is a hot topic in the city. Along with Count Darkholme.

_______________________________________________________________

Rebellion comes in many forms, and, clearly Ariel most be the most rebel person in London as she often is reading even though, according to the social norms, is not respectable for a woman to read.

In fact, Kitty Pryde often is seen in the library with a good book in her hand and a hairpin in the other, you see, men think a woman should have the basic education, but, shouldn´t be here in the library. This is a place for men.

Kitty notices she´s going to be late, again, thanks to a good book. So, she is walking calmly with her pin in hand as men don´t always are that respectful to a woman who reads.

"Miss Pryde?" the male voice of the Count jolts the woman, but, she feels at ease, Kurt Darkholme never seems to mind how "rebel" Ariel is. "Strolling under the moonlight?" Darkholme asked showing his teeth and makes quips how the night is beautiful.

"Oh, no, not really, I was lost to time thanks to this book" she points the green cover book with a smile" and you?"

"The night is too beautiful to stay inside" and his smile seems far too feral to be humane, but, Kitty is fascinated by his scarlet eyes, it may be her silly impression, but, her eyes seem to get an even deeper shade of red. "But, I´d think I owe you an apology" Kitty is confused and Kurt continues, "you told me thousands of mothers would come to my house to make me meet their daughters...I didn´t believe in you. I´m sorry"

Kitty laughs amused. She remembers faintly, how a woman of her position isn´t allowed to laugh like that in front of a man, yet, Kitty is not caring at all.

"Don´t think too poorly of those mothers, Kurt" she speaks once she got her laughter over. And now, a sad smile creeps on her face "we, woman, live in a very cruel world, this is what we have been taught to do and is hard to think outside the proverbial box."

"Well, you seem to think outside the box, Katzchen" the man replied amused and offers to escort her home. The conversation about gender continues and Kitty notices how Kurt seems to enjoy making fun of the situation.

"In Bavaria is different?" she asked already seeing her house from the distance.

"You can say that," Kurt replied amused. Once, Kitty is greeted by her maid save and sound, Kurt adds swiftly "Save and sound, Katzchen, now, be careful next time, there are many strange things happening in this city and I don´t want nothing bad to happen to you" and with that the man politely retrieves himself.

The maid guides Kitty to the dining room, where Cameron Pryde, is talking in a hushed tone with his wife and now with his only daughter. "Normally, I would share this information with you, as is very delicate, but, I believe you two must know" and Cameron takes no time in giving the bad news "Fred Dukes is murder"

"Well, I hardly think anyone will miss him, the man was creepy and eat anything that he could take his hands on" Terry Pryde replied and Kitty knows stories of cannibalism involving Fred aka Blop.

"Yes, but...the curious part is that a shark eats the flesh of the already dead Fred, after an investigation, turns out someone drink the blood of the man and then feed to the shark, the one Dr Loius is studying, if the poor man wasn´t in another state people would suspect him"

"Well, I never like this Dr...bring a shark here? Is a silly notion" Terry replied again and Kitty mentions, once her mother stops ranting about how Dr Louis is a bad man, how many there are many stories of people with less blood than they should be.

"I´m afraid, Kitten, this is also real, the police has no idea on what to do, several women have been found drained of their own blood" and Cameron comment on the first case and Ariel somehow remembers the first day Kurt Darkholme arrives a woman lost her blood.

_______________________________________________________

Jean Grey is now anaemic. Is news that many, many people are talking about with a genuine obsession. Her fiance is trying to find a cure, and no one seems to understand how a healthy woman is almost on the verge of death, well, they don´t seem to care for that aspect very much.

"A party?" Kurt Darkholme asked as once again they are walking together, more to gossip about, and more to talk about among them. A secret jokes among friends. "Oh, like that joyful party?" the snide is visible on his face and Kitty cracks a smile.

"No, think something extravagant, now add more 10x the extravagance, those are the engagement parties, the one you went to was a mere meeting, you see, the Grey´s parties are so amazing that even the royals show up and people even make their appointment with the seamstress to get something to upper hold the party" Kitty explained with a dull expression, even her dear mother is in this fever, having the seamstress stress out for a perfect dress to Kitty. Something pink is quickly charted away and is promptly refused by Kitty. She prefers blue over pink.

"Oh, another dull party then" Kurt´s own dull face mirrors Kitty and it makes his red scar even more visible. "And how is this Jean Grey?"

"Oh" Kitty rolls her eyes "she´s the perfect example of woman, in fact, she´s not scandalous as me, her fashion is on point and never would wear something so forbidden" she jokes earning a chuckle from Kurt Darkholme. "See, Jean Grey would never show her neck as I do. What a virtuous woman"

"In comparison, your neck is much more lovely than hers"

"Thank you, my good Count, at least, you have good taste"

_______________________________________________________________

Jean Grey´s health is restored thanks to the miracle of blood donation, however, Jean Grey is a bit different and has been seen with many men and woman in her chambers. Has been using different outfits, far too revealing and has acting strange.

Before Jean Grey would blush and smile at the mention of motherhood for her, now, she recoils in horror and there´s a witness that saw a woman too similar to Jean murdering a baby.

Warren is gathering a group to help to unravel what´s happening, and to everyone´s shock, he asked Kitty Pryde for help too. Jean and Kitty aren´t closet friends in the slightest, but, in Warren´s mind, Kitty´s is discreet and good with people, and maybe, Jean could have confided something with the brunette.

They meet Jean Grey, she was in a crypt of her family, drinking the blood of a child and being half naked, not an appealing image to anyone. Especially as her teeth are now fangs and her eyes are dark as her soul.

"A vampire?!" Warren speaks in fear and tries to fight the woman he once loved, but, Jean replied sweetly. "Warren, my sweet angel boy, I´ve never loved you. And now, I´m free" and Jean Grey drains his blood.

Guns were shot as Jean Grey and no success, however, the sun is setting and the first rays of the sun are enough to make Jean Grey hurls in pain and slowly turns into dust.

No party at the Greys ever again.

"At least, the vampire is dead," one of them said, but, Kitty knows the history is not over.

______________________________________________________________

Kitty arrives in the old house, the residence of Kurt Darkholme, and is greeted by the man drinking sangria aka Bloody Mary. A smile plays on his face and Kitty is gazing at his scarlet eyes again, not as red as they were in the past.

"Jean Grey is a vampire" she speaks not minding the protocols and never will.

"I know" is his reply.

"Many people have been killed and had their blood drained"

"I know" again, is his only reply.

"And...are you a vampire too?"

"Yes," Kurt Darkholme does not deny.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"No" he replied again.

"Why are you here?"

"Honestly? To have laughter at people, your social norms are a joke for me, but, meeting you makes the experience better, Katzchen, I want to ask something and only you can answer that" Kurt Darkholme then replied in a soft tone with a Bavarian accent far too strong to be ignored "do you want to come with me? I can´t force you"

"Didn´t you ask this for Jean as well?" there´s a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"No, Jean was an accident, I drink her blood, but, she didn´t drink mine, so, she was never a real vampire, in fact, the whole experience only wake what she repressed for so long. To turn someone into a vampire the first vampire needs to share the blood, is almost like a marriage, but, with blood"

Kitty closes her eyes and asked. "It will hurt?" and this is a question that answers almost everything.

The Prydes are surprised and happy when Kitty reveals to engage with Kurt Darkholme. Even if the engagement was too soon, it does not bother them, a year from now, Kitty Pryde will be Mrs Darkholme and the Prydes are so happy that their daughter will be a countess. No questions will be made.

[navstuffs]

Hello could I request a rob pattinson x female!reader? They’ve an established couple but their busy schedules has them apart a lot and when reader sees how close rob and Zoe seems she doubts their relationship but Rob assures her she’s the love of his life and then he possibly proposes?

Let me be yours

Pairing: Robert Pattinson x Female Famous!Reader

Warnings: comfort, awwwnnn moments, all that good cliche, HAPPY ENDING

Summary: Zoe and Robert have gotten surprisingly close during Batman's shooting. (Y/N) is worried she might lose him.

Authors note: thanks for requesting this! i hope you enjoy it and don't mind i went tooo cray cray into this! i didn't want to specify where (Y/N) is so she could be anywhere lol

When Robert was chosen to play Batman, (Y/N) was overjoyed for him. He told her via one of their many Skype calls, while (Y/N) wasn't in England, working on a super-secret movie project. She was very excited for him. She was even more thrilled when she watched the trailer, seeing how good Robert and Zoe Kravitz worked together. As an actress herself, she recognized natural chemistry from afar.

That's how she actually started dating Robert, five years ago. They had amazing chemistry on screen until it developed itself off-screen. Things were shaken sometimes for the couple especially having to be apart for so long during their work, but (Y/N) knew Robert loved her. And she loved him. Distant kept them away but their hearts remained connected. So of course (Y/N) didn't need to be worried.

Until she started reading the news. Saying that Zoe and Robert were romantically involved now. That Robert was "hopelessly in love" for Zoe. (Y/N) knew she didn't have anything to worry about. They talked about this like any celebrity. And she knew wasn't true. She knew it couldn't be true.

Not the same Rob that made her laugh on every single call. Not the one that told he missed her so much, that couldn't wait to lie down with her. It couldn't be. Not her Rob.

Then she saw the pictures. For Wonderland website. For Exclusive Entertainment. They looked so good together, she hated to admit. They definitely had something going on. It was clear as day. She probably just didn't want to see it.

-x-

Robert knew something was wrong when (Y/N) didn't answer his usual Saturday night Skype call. She seemed distracted in the last few days, alleging her work was very demanding lately. Robert knew his girlfriend could be a focused woman, but she only started acting like that after his pictures with Zoe were out.

He knew she was probably upset. But how he was going to talk with her if she seemed to be ignoring him, not answering his texts as much anymore? He tried to face time her. Nothing.

He dropped his phone into their bed, pulling his hair back awards. Robert was nervous (Y/N) was understanding the situation wrong. He didn't want her not to feel enough. He knew his pictures with Zoe were going to feed that. That fear she had and shared so many times of not being enough for him.

Robert made a decision. He grabbed his phone. He needed to make some calls.

-x-

(Y/N)'s team woke her up around lunchtime on Monday morning. She had recorded until Sunday afternoon and today was her day off. All she wanted was to relax and rest in bed. Her team woke up claiming there was an emergency and her presence was needed.

(Y/N) put the first pair of jeans she could find, a casual shirt, a pair of her favorite shoes, and was taken by her team to a car. She tried to ask the driver and her assistant where they were taking her, to no answer. (Y/N) glanced at her phone to see only one missing call from Robert on Saturday night, afternoon. After that, nothing else. No text, no image. Nothing.

With her heart getting heavier, she tried once more to convince herself there was nothing wrong. But (Y/N) couldn't keep lying to herself like that.

"Miss, this is your stop." Her assistant announced, opening the car door for her.

She exited the car but before (Y/N) could ask anything, they left. She was left in front of Gianni's. It was one of her favorite Italian places to go in town. An employee had the door open for her, indicating for her to get in.

Inside, there were no tables. It wasn't even full as was supposed to be for Monday lunch. It was empty, except for her and the worker. (Y/N) looked for help from Gianni's worker but he pointed towards their big balcony with doors open. Gianni was placed on the border of rock, high enough to be safe from the sea's fury. (Y/N) liked especially that area, during the sunset. It was always so beautiful.

(Y/N) walked carefully, noticing the worker didn't follow her anymore. When she arrived at the balcony, Robert was standing next to a set table. He was wearing an all-black suit and seemed extremely charming. He opened a huge smile when he saw (Y/N).

"Hey, (Y/N)."

"What is the meaning of all of this?" (Y/N) wondered, getting close to the table. There were only two chairs and the sun was covered by clouds today.

"Just thought how much I have been missing you, darling. Seeing you once almost every three months isn't making any good for us."

"I-"

"You didn't answer my call. You have been acting weird. I want to know what is wrong."

His blue eyes never left (Y/N)'s face once. He seemed worried about her. (Y/N) wanted to run to his arms and tell him everything was okay, but inside of her she still felt so unsure about them. She walked closer towards him, admiring how pretty he looked. Robert was probably sweating under that suit.

"So you reserved my entire favorite Italian restaurant for this? This seems dramatic even for you, Rob."

"Drastic measures are needed for dramatic moments."

"And why would you need those drastic measures, Robert?"

Robert gulped, breaking their eye contact. (Y/N) had never seen her boyfriend so nervous before. She was just afraid of the why.

"I haven't been your best boyfriend, I know. I haven't been paying attention to you when you need me. Oh, let me finish" Robert asked, when (Y/N) opened her mouth to say something "Then you decide what to do in the end."

(Y/N)'s heart was bumping against her chest. She probably thought it was better hearing from himself at least. She just needed to be strong until the end.

"I admit again: I haven't been the best boyfriend. I don't think web calls, face timing, memes will ever substitute the times we have together physically. I probably tried to convince myself everything is fine, but it wasn't. Believe me when I say there is no else in this life for me, except you. There is nothing between me and Zoe, we are just friends. Since the first time I saw you, it has only been you."

(Y/N) didn't say anything. Her body was washed over with multiple emotions. She thought Robert took her there for one thing and now it was turning into something else. She was stuck on her feet, looking at Robert's serious expression. He didn't seem to be lying. Not when his blue eyes demonstrated so much love for her.

"I should have calmed your heart the first time it happened. I should have told you and for that, I apologize. But I know what I feel for you, (Y/N) and for that, I ask you today: Can I be yours for the rest of your life?"

Oh.

Wait.

What?

(Y/N) glanced astonished as Robert kneeled in front of her, her mouth opening stunned. Did he just? No. He couldn't have. Wait, did he just? Nah, she probably was still dreaming on her bed. One of her assistants would wake her up soon, telling her to never drink after work anymore. Because this could only be a dream. A very good one.

"(Y/N)?" Robert's call seemed distant. (Y/N) blinked once. Twice. There was a ring in a box right in front of her face and she was trying to not freak out. She thought she was going to be dumped and now he was asking for her hand? No, no, she was most likely dreaming. "Babe?"

(Y/N) felt her tears starting to drop before she could process them falling. She wanted to scream "Yes!" at the top of her lungs, but she ended up whispering instead.

"I am sorry, babe, what did you say? Are you okay?" Robert looked at her anxious.

"Yes" (Y/N) whispered again.

"(Y/N), you are getting me worried. I will put you into the chair before you fall."

Before Robert could get up, (Y/N) threw herself into his arms, causing them both to fall to the floor. This wasn't a dream. It was real. Robert just asked her hand in marriage. He asked to be hers. She locked her lips with his, all the time they passed away, all the time she felt alone, all the love she wanted to demonstrate for him, everything on that passionate kiss. When they separated, (Y/N) had happy tears in her eyes.

"Yes. Yes! Oh my God, Yes! I want you to be mine as much as I want to be yours."

Robert kissed her again, his hands bringing her body close to him. He missed her so much. It was so good having (Y/N) in his arms again. All of sudden, (Y/N) broke their kiss, screaming:

"THE RING!"

She looked into his hands to see the box fallen on the floor near them. (Y/N) got away from Robert's arm, grabbing the box to find nothing on it. She started to look around, cleaning her tears, feeling Robert's hand on her back.

"Leave the ring. I can buy you another one, (Y/N)."

"NO! You chose this one especially and I made you drop it! I have to find it!" (Y/N) rapidly grabbed her phone, turning the flashlight on, getting a chuckle from Robert. Only his girlfriend to turn on a flashlight on a desperate act on a clear day. It could be under the table or dropped from the balcony into the sea. If that happened she would never forgive herself again.

"(Y/N)?" Rob tried to call her to no avail. The employees started bringing the food out and Robert had to signal to ask for five more minutes "(Y/N), love? It could have fallen anywhere, just leave it."

"NO!" she screamed, looking around the balcony, finding nothing. She directed her search under the table, putting her arm down there. Who would make such a big table?

"Love, leave it. I saw them moving this table and it is quite heavy. Just leave it, please."

"You are talking too much, Rob, and I don't see you helping! Come here and help me since you have a long arm."

Robert kneeled by her side, looking for it but not finding anything. He pretended he was still searching watching his fiancée's worried stunning face near his, watching his arm's movements closely. He couldn't help but get emotional he was finally marrying the woman of his life.

"I love you, (Y/N). I hope you know I will make you the happiest woman ever and-"

"Keep that for the wedding, Robert! Find my ring, damnit!"

TAGLIST: @uwiuwi

MASTERLIST | REQUESTS ARE OPEN | TAGLIST

[virgilfingsanders]

Chapter 1: Blue and Gold

Description: The Croft Princes prepare for the ball, which, from the beginning, doesn't go as planned.

Pairings: Royality, analogical, sleepxiety

Trigger warnings: mention of death - nothing in detail

~~~

The heir may not ascend the throne until he is wed.

That single sentence had caused the Crowned Prince Logan Croft, of the Kingdom of Crai, more stress then the crown itself. Which, considering he'd taken over as ruling monarch 6 and a half years ago, when his father died, was saying quite a lot.

When King Thomas passed, the 11 year old monarch had to step up and not only rule, but also raise his two younger twin brothers, Patton and Remiel, to be proper, respectable princes. It proved quickly to be a taxing job. Not only was keeping a kingdom running difficult for the young prince, but there was the constant threat of bordering kingdoms invading.

Additionally, there was the problem with Remiel. Or, rather, Remy. Patton fit the role of the second born to a T, it was scary sometimes. He was good with children, cooked for the homeless, funded the animal shelters, and managed to fill the role of the nurturing hand that the kingdom needed perfectly. Remy, however, actively fought against conforming to the role of "prince".

The third son had arguably three choices: he could lead the military, be the Kings right hand and peacekeeper, or be married off for an alliance. Logan didn't think that Remy would mind being married off for an alliance, however Logan had sworn to keep both brothers close to home after the incident.

Regardless of the strife of raising twin boys and ruling a kingdom, Logan had been ready to be crowned King at the young age of 16.

Only for the council to tell him no.

To ascend the throne, Logan had to have a husband, and as he was without parents to sign off on him getting married as a child, he'd have to wait 2 more years. Until he was 18.

Logan had thought it would be easy, that he'd have found someone in those two years, or just married someone who could fit the role of Prince Consort reasonably well and didn't annoy him too much.

Then, as soon as he was ready to approach someone, to suggest the possibility of a courtship, the stipulations came.

Logan didn't even have a problem with most of them. In fact, he even agreed with some of them.

Not marrying someone without a title from another kingdom, for example. Or the fact that he couldn't marry another Crowned Prince. He didn't even have a problem with the fact that he couldn't marry someone anywhere in line for the Crai throne. He also couldn't marry someone from a country that the Kingdom of Crai didn't have an alliance with, but that still wasn't the problem.

The only Stipulation that Logan actually had a problem with, was the one stating he couldn't marry a man from the Crai Military. And it was not because of the young captain of the Royal Guard. Regardless of what Patton thought. It was because Logan believed no one would be as loyal to the country as a soldier.

But try as he might, he couldn't remove the rule until he became King, and by then it'd be to late.

So, he decided to throw a ball. Invitations had gone out to every young bachelor in the Kingdom of Crai, important nobles, neighboring Kingdoms, and allies. Every bachelor there would be a potential husband for the Prince.

With exactly 2 exceptions.

Captain Virgil Salem and Captain Roman Sinclair of the Royal Guard were very ineligible, but as Logan had recently figured out, they were still bachelors.

And Patton had made sure they received invitations.

Out of the kindness of his heart, of course. Because giving the two hardest workers in the kingdom a day off, and should be celebrating with the rest of the kingdom, according to Patton.

Regardless of who would be there, Logan began to prepare for the ball. He wouldn't be introduced as the Crowned Prince in hopes of him finding someone who wasn't looking for just his crown. Before he knew it, while caught in thoughts of the ball, he was tying the gold tie he'd decided on for the night.

Maids had applied gold eyeliner around his eyes and then blue eyeshadow, covering the little skin the mask left open to the world. The mask itself was a deep navy, with gold edging, and a single peacock feather that lined the edge of the mask. It covered from below his cheekbones and over his nose to the top of his forehead, where his carmel hair was neatly brushed over the edge slightly.

Before he knew it, it was 6:30, and he went to find his brothers. Patton was in his room. A lightly blue suit gave way to a gold and white mask that covered the entirety of the left side of his face and most of the right side, too. Swirls and lines gave the design texture, as the white on the left faded into a light gold on the right. The maids had put white eyeshadow on his left eye and gold on the right to match.

Remy, Logan found, was wearing a pair of ripped black jeans and a dark purple button up. He was, admittedly, exasperated with his brothers choice, but let it go for the night. A plain black mask covered his eyes, with light silver eyeshadow carefully applied beneath, just enough to make his eyelids shimmer and the freckles in his blue eyes pop, and careful rips in the fabric so the mask matched his jeans.

By 7, they were in the West Ballroom with at least 200 other people, and people still steadily coming in the door. The ballroom was decorated beautifully, the black and blue colors of the Kingdom shown off in every way possible. From the food, to the banners hanging from the ceiling, to the table runners, and the curtains. The three chandeliers that hung from the ceiling were lit and sparkling, and the setting sun could be seen out of the windows that spanned the west wall.

The brothers split up fairly quickly, not wanting to be spotted together and someone make the connection of them being the Princes. Logan watched as Patton went off with a man in a red button up shirt and white dress pants, raising an eye at the familiar looking man. A dramatic red and white mask, with hints of black at the edges, covered half his face, barely connecting under the left eye and managing to avoid covering the right corner of his mouth.

Soon enough, the West Ballroom was full, and for the first time in a few years Vira Palace was a lively place. People had moved away from the staircase entrance on the north side of the room, and the doors on top of the staircase had been closed by guards. Prince Logan walked around, talking to his people, and for the first time in his life hoping his brother was right about love at first sight. But, realistically, Logan new he didn't have to fall in love tonight.

He just needed someone to spark his intrest.

It had to be 20 or 30 minutes after the doors had closed that they reopened. At the top of the staircase was a man who was wearing a purple shirt and a black tie, with a black mask hiding his features and dark black markings around his eyes. Feathers hid the majority of his hair from view, but the strands that stuck out appeared to be black or purple, Logan couldn't quit tell in the lights.

Logan felt his chest tighten, and his breath caught in his throat. He wished he could say this was a new feeling, one he'd never had the displeasure of feeling, but it wasn't. Actually, it was a feeling Logan was getting more and more familiar with. It was, to put it in a simple way that Logan could understand, interest in the person in front of him. Not that it mattered at all, because the mystery man was, it seemed, off limits.

Because the man in black and purple was being escorted down the stairs by Remy, who had apparently dressed to match his escort.

Taglist:

@ginnyfox617

[angewrites]

Dogs Make Everything Better

Title: Dogs Make Everything Better

Anime: Cardfight!! Vanguard

Words: 3,469

Summary: Aichi and Kai, much to the surprise of the Card Capital Squad, decide to get a dog.

Notes: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, AICHI!!!!

yeah uh, so this is late lmao. I didn’t get a good idea for an Aichi b-day fic until three days before, so it’s taken me all this time to actually write it. *sob* I’m sorry, my blueberry boi. Maybe I’ll do better next year lmao. 

But also, if anyone’s curious, I actually based this fic on this comic I saw a few days ago because WHY THE HECK NOT. It looked like a cute idea, so I decided to just base the fic (loosely) off of it. Unfortunately, this fic isn’t entirely fluffy like the comic is, so I’m sorry ‘bout that. Hopefully the fluff (literal and figurative) makes up for it. 😭😭😭

Anyway, if you read this, I hope you enjoy it!! Just one last thing: I was gonna put in a scene showing Kai and Aichi adopting the dog, but I decided to scrap it. Do you think the story would have benefitted from a scene like that tho or did I make the right call in not putting one in? Let me know in your comments! 

Thank you!! \ .D. /

[FFN]

[AO3]

                                             Sendou – Kai Residence

Warm and gentle early summer sunlight peeked through the royal purple curtains, illuminating the face of a young man with short blue hair who grimaced at the contact. Realizing that it was indeed morning and it was the long-awaited day, Aichi forced his eyes open, sat up, and looked over at his sleeping partner, mouth hanging open, brown hair completely disheveled.

“Kai-kun. Kai-kun, get up! The day’s here!” Aichi whispered excitedly, gently shaking him back and forth. Kai, however, much to the young man’s non-surprise, turned over to the other side, his back facing him, pulling a pillow over his head. Aichi exhaled a sigh of frustration.

“Kai-kun!”

“You can call me Toshiki, you know,” mumbled the other, who was secretly smiling at Aichi’s exasperation, trying to keep from laughing. Realizing he wasn’t going to get him at out of bed, Aichi huffed, intentionally grabbing one of Kai’s purple blankets, and went to the bathroom without another word. Sensing that his favorite blanket was missing moments later, the brown-haired man – about 28 years of age – threw the pillow from off his head and sat straight up, his hair even more disheveled than before.

That Aichi was more mischievous than he let on.

“Can I have my blanket back?” Kai called out as the other gargled and spat out his mouthwash. The blue-haired man – about 27 – wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and walked back to the bedroom. Instead of responding right away, he sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed Kai’s hair strands in their proper place – at least, in a way that made his partner look like he didn’t just get up, even though he did.

Kai’s face turned two shades of red at the gesture, but he made no attempt to stop him. Instead, having regained his composure, he closed his eyes, the repeated sensation of Aichi’s fingers gently sweeping across his forehead lulling him in a trance of sorts, with only the sound of chirping birds to be heard and Aichi’s soft humming.

“That should do it,” his partner announced, placing the purple plush blanket around Kai’s shoulders. “It wouldn’t make sense for our new family member to look better than you.”

Kai huffed jokingly. “Whatever,” he said, his playful pout turning into a soft smile as he wrapped the blanket around the other and pulled him closer to him, close enough that their foreheads were touching.

“Someone’s sure in a mood this morning,” said Aichi in a low tone, his smile evident in his voice. Kai only gripped him closer, resting his chin on his shoulder. He knew he and Aichi had to head out to the adoption center soon, but moments like this were as rare enough as it was. Between Kai’s veterinarian job and Aichi’s Cray research fellowship, it was a miracle in itself they didn’t have to rush out the door first thing in the morning, much less get the entire day off.

“Just let me have this,” was the reply. Aichi relaxed even further in Kai-kun’s embrace, also taking in and absorbing this rare, slowed-down moment between the two of them. What’s even rarer was the fact that Kai-kun was the one who initiated it, but there’s a first time for everything.

Aichi, being the first to let go after a few minutes, had last minute preparations to make before the two of them headed out for the day. Kai took the opportunity to finally get dressed, tossing on a faded red t-shirt from his Vanguard European tournament days and black jeans. No sooner had he done so, his phone began to wildly buzz. Looking at the caller ID, he laughed.

“Okay, Miwa, what do you want?”  Kai answered, his voice sounding inconvenienced, almost borderline rude, he realized, but only because he knew Miwa, his childhood friend, would understand it as a joke. The other side chortled.

“I would’ve thought getting an actual job and getting married would’ve made you a tad bit nicer,” replied Miwa, “but so much for that.”

“Don’t worry, I’m only mean to you.”

“Oh, thank you, that makes me feel so much better,” returned Miwa, his voice oozing with sarcasm. “Anyway, before you ask, I’m just double-checking if you and Aichi are gonna swing by Card Capital later. Card Capital 1, anyway, not 2 where I work. You do know there’s this huge party today.”

“Yeah, we will,” replied Kai, “but, we’re gonna be a little late, so feel free to start without us.”

“Heeeh? What, are you guys going on a married couple date or something?” Miwa teased. Kai usually wasn’t prone to migraines, but he could definitely feel one coming.

“No. For your information, we’re adopting a –“ he started to say, but Aichi’s voice rang out from the front door, “Kai-kun, hurry up!” Kai pulled the phone from away from his ear and yelled out, “Just a second!”

“Adopting a what now?” Miwa inquired like he didn’t quite believe what he’d just heard. But, Kai couldn’t afford to waste another second, so he just said, “Sorry, Miwa, we have to go now. We’ll see you soon.”

“Kai, wait –“

Kai tapped the red button, shoving the phone in his back jeans pocket and met up with Aichi at the front door. He opened the door to let his husband go through first, leaving him to lock the door.

“We’ll be back,” Aichi said, and Kai short-laughed. It was adorable how he did that.

---------------------------------------------------------

                                                   Card Capital 1

“Miwa, come on, are you sure that’s what Kai said?” Naoki, a red-haired man the same age as Aichi interrogated as he, with Morikawa and Izaki’s help, put up a light blue, sparkle-covered “Happy Birthday, Aichi!!” banner on the back wall, some of the sparkles flying their way onto his plain dark green t-shirt.

“I swear I’m not making this up,” the blond-haired man – about the same age as Kai – defended himself, setting down a cake box on the check-out counter. “Kai definitely mentioned something about adoption when I called him.”

“But . . . adopting a child? Miwa, really?” the manager of Card Capital, Misaki, chimed in, fixing her lavender hair back up in a bun and picking up a box of additional decorations. “Those two have enough on their plates, and I don’t see them adding ‘dealing with the expenses of a child’ to them.”

“I guess you’re right,” Miwa shrugged his shoulders.

“But, what if Miwa’s right though? What if it is a child? Would that make us all adopted godparents?” a dark-blue haired young man, not too much younger than Naoki, spoke up, scratching his head. “Like, would be crazy or what?”

“Kamui . . .” replied Misaki icily, repeatedly beating the palm of her hand with a rolled-up magazine. The younger of the two gulped loudly and hastily went back to setting up additional decorations around the medium-sized shop.

“Well,” another young man, also the same age as Aichi, spoke up, pushing up his glasses, “we’ll find out when they get here, I guess.” Everyone in the shop nodded and went back to their decorating business. Misaki had just finished placing the last of the decorations on the fight-turned-food tables behind a blue curtain when the familiar jingle of bells sounded and Sub-Manager, the resident cat employee, emitted a low-pitch meow welcoming the visitors.

“You’ll have to leave. We’re closed no-“ Misaki almost announced out of pure habit, as many customers had tried to come through despite the signs out front saying Card Capital was closed for the afternoon. But, when she looked up, she saw Aichi and Kai standing at the door . . . with a gold and white dog who was as tall as Aichi’s leg when it stood upright. A Shikoku, if Misaki recalled her dog breed names correctly.

“That’s no way to talk to customers, Tokura,” Kai replied without missing a beat.

“Never mind that,” said Misaki. “What’s with the dog? Did you decide to take up dog-sitting?”

Aichi gently rubbed the top of their furry companion’s head, to which the furry companion panted delightfully, catching the attention of Sub-Manager, who looked at the new furry visitor with annoyance. “Don’t misunderstand, Misaki-san,” Aichi spoke up. “This one’s ours.” Kai, of course, nodded in agreement, crossing his arms and smiling with his eyes closed, like a proud father.

Miwa, Naoki, Kamui, and Shingo all looked at each other, not quite sure how to process the latest development in the what did Kai and Aichi adopt saga.

“Yeah, Miwa, that doesn’t look like a human child,” Kamui broke the silence first, maintaining eye contact with the furry customer.

“Nope,” Morikawa nodded.

“Definitely not,” Naoki agreed.

“Not in the slightest,” Shingo chimed in.

“Doesn’t even look anything like a human child,” Izaki commented.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough. I was wrong. I admit it,” Miwa shouted, waving his hand and rubbing his head in frustration.

Aichi and Kai looked at each other, raising one eyebrow each, frowning. Then Kai directed his gaze towards Miwa and asked, “Mind explaining yourself?”

Miwa pointed a finger at Kai. “You’re the one to talk. You never said you were adopting a dog. You only told me you and Aichi were adopting.”

“Really now?” Kai brought his crossed arms closer to him. “I could’ve sworn I mentioned that it was a dog when you called –“

“You didn’t!”

Aichi giggled at the commotion as he massaged the top of his furry companion’s head. The dog wagged his tail happily, soaking up all the attention he was getting, much to Aichi’s relief, since the dog had been hiding in the back of his cage at the adoption agency.  

From what it sounded like, Miwa had thought they were adopting a child rather than a dog, so it’d only make sense that he and the others would be surprised. The two of them could barely take care of themselves, though, so bringing another human into their already small as it is house was out of the question. Plus, it’s easier to deal with dogs and animals in general than with small humans.

“Can I pet him, Big Brother Aichi?” Kamui inquired, having made his way over to the trio.

“Sure, Kamui-kun!” Aichi granted. The dog released a high-pitch squeal as Kamui petted him.

“He’s so soft,” Kamui commented, ruffling the dog’s fur.

“Right?” agreed Aichi, who joined Kamui in showering the canine with affection.

“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact you two got a dog and not a cat,” Naoki chimed in, scratching his head. “Especially since Kai is obviously more a cat person.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Misaki agreed.

“I figured you’d say that,” Aichi laughed. “Our house felt a little lonely, so we figured adopting a dog was the best way to fix that. But, Kai-kun still got to name him, so it’s a fair deal, I think.”

“Really? What’s his name?” Shingo inquired. Aichi opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Sub-Manager hissing and the dog growling at each other.

“That’s enough, Ryuu,” Kai reprimanded, like a parent would scold a misbehaving child. The dog, having sensed his name was called, immediately stopped growling and whined, shrinking back against Aichi’s leg. The rest of Card Capital exhaled a collective “Ohhhh.”

“Ryuu . . . huh?” Naoki spoke up after a long pause.

“You named the dog Dragon?” Miwa asked, doing his best to contain his laughter, but, in the end, it was futile, and his laugh echoed throughout Card Capital. “Dragon, oh my god.”

“Shut up,” Kai said, turning away from him, inciting laughter from everyone else present.

“That aside,” Aichi interrupted. “Kai-kun told me we absolutely had to stop by Card Capital today, and we had to hurry as soon as we adopted Ryuu, but he wouldn’t tell me why . . . Also, that blue curtain wasn’t there before, was it? If I remember right, Misaki-san did tell me the shop was being remodeled, but I thought the renovations were done already . . .”

Kai jumped, noting that Aichi was catching onto the surprise, and the rest of the Card Capital inhabitants’ shoulders stiffened. Glancing at Miwa’s direction, he saw Miwa mouth “Tell him to close his eyes.” The brunet sighed and grabbed Aichi by the shoulders.

“Ka-Kai-kun?” Aichi quickly looked up.

“Close your eyes.”

“Eh? Why?”

Kai smiled. It’s a good thing he hadn’t caught on. “Trust me. You’ll know.” The other raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. After he looked over and saw Aichi’s eyes were closed, Kai gave a thumbs-up sign to Miwa, who swung an arm downwards. Naoki, who was standing on a ladder, pulled down the curtain cord, revealing the hard work of the gang’s work of the past couple of hours: the slightly off-center, glitter-covered light blue “Happy Birthday, Aichi!!” banner on the back wall, enough blue and white balloons to turn Card Capital into a temporary balloon store, and the fight tables all covered with streamers, glitter of all colors, and other party decorations that Kai was sure Miwa got from the party store right down the street.

It’s a good thing the adoption process, including the never-ending paperwork, took a little longer than anticipated. All this must have taken a long while to set up, Kai thought. Rubbing Aichi’s arms, he whispered, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

“I thought it was taking a while for you all to–“ Aichi started to say, but when he fully opened his eyes, he found the birthday decorations waiting for him and his friends smiling, waiting, no doubt, for his reaction. The blue-haired man unknowingly let go of Ryuu’s leash to cover his mouth with both hands, but Kai swooped down and grabbed the leash before it could hit the floor.  

“This is . . .” was all Aichi could mutter, tears gripping the corner of his eyes.

Miwa laughed. “Just so you know, we put all the decorations together, but,” he pointed a nicer finger at Kai this time, “your husband over there suggested this in the first place.”

“I . . .” the blue-haired man glanced at Kai, who only laughed and gently rubbed the small of his back.

“It’s your first birthday in Japan in a while, Big Brother, so we needed to go all out,” Kamui chimed in, flashing a thumbs up.

“I don’t . . . I really don’t know what to say . . .” Aichi said, letting the tears roll down his face. He hadn’t expected his birthday to be acknowledged, much less a party of this caliber conveniently in the place he forged so many strong bonds with everyone there. “Thank you. Thank you, everyone.”

Ryuu cocked his head upwards. Seeing Aichi cry, he let out a small whine and nuzzled against Aichi’s leg, concerned for his owner, but the man knelt down and petted him.

“It’s alright, Ryuu. These are happy tears,” he said, flashing a smile. Ryuu seemed to understand his human was alright, not in any sort of peril, and barked happily in response, eliciting a small mew from Sub-Manager.

“Well, let’s get this party started, shall we?” Miwa announced.

---------------------------------------------------

                                       Sendou – Kai Residence

After spending several hours at Aichi’s Card Capital surprise birthday party, Kai and Aichi, with a mountain of presents and large card in hand as well as Ryuu, made their way back to their house. Aichi had enjoyed the party at Card Capital, but it felt good to be back home after a long day.

“Welcome to your new home, Ryuu-chan,” Aichi told the Shikoku who wagged his tail happily at the sound of his human’s voice.

“Where do you want your birthday stuff, Aichi?” Kai asked from behind the mountain of presents. Instead of answering the question, the other insisted on helping, but Kai furiously shook his head. “It’s your day. You’re not doing anything of the sort.”

The blue-haired man stared at his husband, then laughed. “I’ve heard that a lot in the last couple of hours.”

“People aren’t allowed to do menial stuff like this on their birthday. That’s just Doing Birthdays 101,” Kai huffed, forcing his way to the dining area. “At least, they shouldn’t.”

Laughing and without another word, Aichi removed Ryuu’s leash and let him scope out his new home so he could adjust. Even if Ryuu didn’t entirely understand, Aichi, nonetheless, explained to the dog about the various rooms of the small house, from the dining room to the living room, which stored Kai’s various European Circuit Vanguard trophies (for now, anyway).

Kai, in the meantime, organized Aichi’s presents in order – by size, by if they were boxes or bags, by cards – since seeing them in a disorganized pile would drive him crazy. Once he finished doing that, he sat down at the kitchen table, watching his husband and their newly adopted furry child roam about the house, with Aichi talking away, and Kai couldn’t help but stare, his gaze softening, lips gently turning into a smile.

He had told Aichi that they should adopt a dog, an older dog, because as snug as their small house seemed, it did feel empty, and the emptiness was best filled by an animal. But, there was another reason Kai insisted on adopting Ryuu, one he’s kept to himself. Aichi hadn’t told him, but Kai knew, from his tossing and turning, his groaning at night, and his tired smile the next day after undergoing such a traumatic ordeal, that he was experiencing vivid nightmares. After the Link Joker incident, Kai too experienced the pain, the immense guilt, and the frustration brought about by lucid dreams of his crimes, and it was only after he confronted that pain head-on with Aichi and the others, when they said that he was forgiven, that he was truly able to recover, enough to the point where the nightmares finally stopped.

But, Aichi . . . His recovery journey was far from over, Kai realized. And it pained him to see the one he loved in such agony, a destructive agony he’s willing to keep inside and mask, not wanting anyone to see.

Kai understood that adopting a dog wouldn’t solve all of Aichi’s problems, but, since Aichi petted practically any stray or leashed dog he saw – which has made the two of them late to very important social functions on occasion (not that Kai minded though) – it’s a start. He wasn’t the biggest fan of dogs, but, for Aichi, he’s willing to change that. He’d do anything, absolutely anything, for him.

Noticing Aichi and Ryuu sitting on the floor in the living room, Kai rose from his chair and wandered over to the duo. Aichi was gently patting the sleeping dog, who was lightly snoring. The brunet looked at Aichi’s eyes and, although he seemed exhausted, they were glistening and at peace. It was the calmest Kai had seen him in a while. He reached out and lightly touched the other’s shoulder. Aichi grabbed the other’s hand with his free one while still petting their newest roommate, their fur child.

“It’s late, so if you want to turn in, it’s fine. I’ll join you later,” whispered the blue-haired man. Aichi expected Kai to accept the offer – after all, Kai was a stickler when it came to bedtime – but, instead, he was gently pulled backwards. Sensing Kai behind him, Aichi leaned back further, positioning himself so that he could listen to and be lulled by Kai’s steady heartbeat.

“You won’t get rid of me that easily,” Kai whispered, gently tightening his hold on him. “Especially not tonight.”

Aichi laughed softly. “I wasn’t trying to get rid of you,” he whispered back. Tears forming at the corner of his eyes, he added, “I already tried that once, and look how that turned out.”

Kai inhaled sharply. He knew it. “Aichi . . .”

Aichi wrapped his arms around Kai’s waist, pressing further against his body. “Thank you for Ryuu, for the party, everything. Thank you for being here with me . . .” a pause. A deep breath. “ . . . Toshiki.”

A gasp involuntarily escaped from Kai’s mouth, but he quickly regained his senses, burying his face in Aich’s hair. He had joked about it that morning, but, actually hearing Aichi finally say his name, his first name, was nothing short of a magical, relieving moment. Only his parents had called him by his first name, and he refused to let anyone call him by that name ever since. No one had been close enough, had beaten down the doors of his heart, faced the darkness and terrors of his mind enough, had borne his anguish, his hurt, his agony and pain, for him to let them say his first name.

No one . . . except the one lovingly locked in his embrace, the one who never gave up on him, and never stopped giving him chances.

His eternal mate and, now, his husband. And he couldn’t have been more grateful.

“Of course, Aichi. Happy birthday.”

[alien--puppy]

I'm looking for constructive criticism please

Tw Self-Harm

Landon sat in an uncomfortably small desk in an uncomfortably cold classroom. He was freezing in his t-shirt, but he couldn't let anyone know. He shivered. He scratched at his arm harshly over previous scratches, a fair trade off, he thought, for his public humiliation. No one looked at him. He bites his finger as he looks at the clock. Twenty-three minutes left. He put his hand back at his arm and kept scratching, ignoring how it stung.

His friend, Cray looked over at him and he subtly pulled away from his arm and turned it over. "Dude, you okay?" Cray asked quietly, flicking his tail at Landon.

"Obviously. I just wanna get out of this fuckin class," Landon said, ending his sentance with a shrug.

"Kay then," Cray said and went back to his work.

Landon looked at his already finished work and then the clock. Twenty-Two minutes. The clocks ticking was impossibly loud in the near silent classroom. He wrapped his tails around the cold metal legs of his desk. He shivered. The room was 75°F. He scratched at his arm.

"Alright, is everyone about done with their work?" Ms. Turing asked loudly. And after receiving various yes's she turned to face the board and started explaining the work.

Landon had thought he got most of the answers right. But after Ms. Turing went over the first page, he had missed seven out of the twelve she'd gone over. Im so fucking bad at math, he thought before scraping at his arm with his short and uneven nails. Blood leaked from his arm and he stared at it for a second before his heartbeat rose. He raised his hand( the right one).

"Yes? Do you have a question about the problem?" Ms. Turing asked.

"Can I go to the bathroom, please?" Landon said, calmly. His hand was shaking. The blood on his arm was dripping through the rip of his black jeans onto his lower thigh. He shivered again. He was freezing. He was about to cry and the people here couldn't see.

"Fine. Be back in five minutes," Ms. Turing said, with a slightly agitated voice.

Landon un-twisted his tails and walked out of the classroom and shut the door. He stumbled then and felt a tear slip out of his eye. He started walking towards the bathrooms. He tripped slightly on a pencil. He started walking faster. He turned the corner, and seeing it was clear, ran into the boys bathroom and into a stall. He slammed the door shut and locked it.

He started sobbing loudly before biting down on his lip, drawing blood, but he wasn't bothered enough to care. He ripped toilet paper from the holder and swiped it down his arm and lower thigh, before balling it up and throwing it into the toilet. He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down to his lower thighs and sat on the toilet, underwear still on.

He shakily opened a portal to The Void, and thought of his sword before pulling it out and closing the small portal. He shrunk his sword to it's dagger form and unsheathed it, dropping it's sheath. He wiped the tears and snot from his face, and readied himself.

His hand was shaky as he moved the blade towards his thigh. He dug the blade into his flesh and drug it across his skin, and sobbing, he made another cut to the scarred skin. And another and another and another…

Landon was left with twenty-eight cuts by the time the bell rang seven minutes later. He quickly cut himself twice more as ending on an uneven number upset him, before quickly wiping away the sticky blood with toilet paper. He pulled up his jeans while hurriedly flushing the toilet and put his sword, no, dagger away, back into The Void. He opened the stall and hurried back to class to get his bag.

Ms. Turing glanced at him as he rushed back into class, but paid him no mind as this was a usual occurrence with him. Landon grabbed his backpack and walked through the crowded halls to meet with his friends before they got on the bus. He was pulled backwards by his horns, and turned to look at his friend, Exavia.

Exavia was taller than Landon by a good foot( not hard as Landon was five foot nothing), and always teased him about it.

"Hey! My dad's letting me have some friends over while he's out. So I'm gonna have a party tonight! Wanna come?" Exavia asked loudly while steering Landon around by his shoulders, through the hall.

"I can't. My mom's…making me help her with a thing tonight. Sorry. I want to go but I can't." Landon says, not bothering masking his face as Exavia can't see it from this angle.

"Aww. But dude! You'd be cool to have there! Can't you just ask your mom if she can cancel? You haven't come to any of my parties! At all dude! Do you  not like me or something?" Exavia says with a fake pout before pulling on Landon's horn again.

"Fine. I'll ask my mom if that makes you stop pulling my head you dick. I'm gonna get a concussion one day." Landon says shoving Exavia's arm away from him.

"Cool! You remember my address, right?" At Landon's nod Exavia keeps talking,"Good! Coz this party's gonna be the best yet! I promise that you won't regret coming! I'll even be able to get you some pussy. Promise," Exavia says with a small salute.

"Shut the fuck up. I told you I'm not a virgin." Landon says.

"Liar! And I gotta go now though. But bye shorty! I'll see you at my party. It's at 8!" Exavia says as he starts to jog to his bus.

Landon just goes to his own bus and sits at the back with more of his friends. And as they all start talking to him, he wishes nothing more than for them to just leave him alone. Just for the day. He can't handle all of this faking.

[dandorkity]

Tagged by @ebeefarnum (thanks brah)

Rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 people

Nicknames: Hagzzzzzz (the nickname to my derby name, which is Hagatha Christie)

Gender: Female

Star sign: Scorpio

Time: 6:36pm (but I have to leave in a second before I’ll be able to finish this so I’m gonna save it in my drafts and who knows when I’ll actually post it)

Birthday: November 15

Favorite bands: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Cribs, ABBA (I have a lot of favorite bands so I’m listing a few that I’ve been listening to a lot lately)

Favorite solo artists: Suf, Kate Nash, Clint Mansell (same)

Song that is stuck in your head: Hateful by the Clash

Last movie: I watched this terrible documentary called Demon House that my sister told me to watch and I thought it was like a jokey doc/mockmentary but the dude was totally serious and I hated it

Last TV show: Ghosted (RIP)

Why I created this blog: My friends had tumblr in college and I wanted to fit in. Actually I guess that’s why I created my main blog, I created THIS blog because I thought my whiny text posts were preventing me from getting more followers on my main blog (but I guess most people don’t seem to mind that on ‘popular’ blogs)

What do you post/reblog: CATS (and the rest)

Last thing you googled: “washing roller derby gear” (way too late in the game to be googling that)

Other blogs: you know it

Why the URL: Because Dan Dority is a dork

I follow: 123

Followers: 135 on this blog, which is honestly shocking because it’s basically just weird text posts (speaking of, I just very quickly bought a bag gardettos and I went to eat them and they were partially open and I can’t remember if I did that or if I bought them like that, I’m totally gonna eat them anyway)

Lucky numbers: 4

Instruments: I can’t play shit, I’m so musically untalented it’s cray

What are you wearing: A Jonah Ryan shirt and jeans

Dream job: house cat 

Last book: The Fever by Megan something. It was alright. 

Tagging alls y’all god I’m so tired

[timmyrx2000]

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 11

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 11

Wendy tiptoed downstairs early the next morning and woke Dipper. "Hey, dude," she said, sitting on the sofa next to where he lay huddled in a blanket. "Wanna go for a walk and show me your nabe?"

"Uh—what?" Dipper asked, holding onto the blanket a little more tightly.

"Your neighborhood, man!" Wendy said, grinning. "See, I've only ever been to California like three times before this, and we never got anywhere near as far south as the Bay area. I wanna see where you live."

"S-sure," Dipper said. "Where are my, uh, jeans?"

"Here ya go."

He took them. "Th-thanks. If, uh, you know, you might want to step into the hall—"

"C'mon, man! I got three brothers! I gotta take you campin' so you can get over some of these hang-ups! Or—hey, don't tell me you sleep raw?" She playfully grabbed the blanket, and he held on to make sure she couldn't yank it down.

She flipped it up instead. "Yup," she said. "I kinda figured you for a tighty-whitey guy. Get your jeans and shoes on. We don't have a whole lot of time."

She had changed to her normal outfit of green plaid flannel shirt over a white undershirt, jeans, her logging boots—and Dipper's pine-tree hat. He donned her trapper hat, and she chuckled. "Remember, dude, we have a date in June to meet in the Shack and exchange headgear again!"

They sauntered along the rows of houses, Dipper stammering out an excuse that it was only suburbia, after all. "Yeah," she said, "but it's interesting to me! I mean, my whole life we've lived away out in the woods, like five miles from our closest neighbor. This looks friendlier."

He had the inspiration to take her to Piedmont Park, which meandered for a good many acres and featured hills, a small stream (complete with waterfall), a fountain—normal park stuff, as Soos might say. And on the trail, she—she reached out and took his hand. "You were real brave," Wendy said. "Mabel told me all about it."

Dipper shrugged. "Chuck's a good friend. Couldn't let a ghost get him."

"Yeah, but Ford says old Nathaniel always held a grudge in life. You watch your butt from now on, hear? And if you see any sign of him, you get on the horn to me right away. Don't wait until he shows up dragging a chain through your bedroom or some junk."

A couple of fit-looking women in headbands and leotards, out jogging on this early Sunday morning, ran toward them, chatting. They waved and smiled.

When they had pounded past, Dipper said miserably. "Now they'll talk about how I'm way too short for you. And too young. They'll make fun of us."

She squeezed his hand. "So what? Let 'em giggle. And you know, you've grown like four inches since last summer. I think I finally leveled off, so you're catchin' up a little." They stopped in the middle of a wooden bridge, and Wendy added, "Mm, we could almost be out in the woods here. This is nice, man. Hey, let me see if you're really too short for me."

Dipper wasn't prepared. She leaned—just a little—and kissed him quickly on the lips. Then, ruffling his hair and smiling, she whispered, "Mm, dude, not too short at all."

For the rest of the way, he walked on air.

Ford insisted that Mabel and Dipper accompany him and Wendy to the hospital. They arrived a little ahead of time. Though Chuck was sleeping, Mrs. Taylor was already awake, and they found an empty waiting room for a quick conversation. "I keep hearing what a wonderful doctor you are," she said.

Ford shrugged. "Mostly based on a few papers I did for medical journals. I'm not in practice. However, this is—a special case, as you know. Tell me: How much does Chuck remember?"

She shook her head. "Not very much at all. From the time he blacked out, he says he just has flashes, like pieces of a dream that he's almost forgotten. He sort of remembers jumping out the window, but then nothing until Dipper and Mabel pushed him down in the labyrinth."

"That's when the spirit of Nathaniel Northwest was forced out of him," Ford said.

"He—he says he felt—not angry at them, but—but sad, because it was like he'd lost something."

"His own spirit was dormant within him," Ford said. "Believe me, if the kids had been just a minute late, Chuck would have been thrust completely out of his body, fully aware—but invisible. He would have become the ghost, and Nathaniel would have taken over his body completely."

"And that's a terrible feeling," Dipper said. When Mrs. Taylor stared at him, he added, "I know. Don't ask me how, but I do."

A few minutes later, Chuck woke up still feeling a little groggy, and his left arm obviously hurt him. He acted embarrassed when Mabel kissed his cheek. "I, uh—was I talking crazy yesterday, Mabel?"

"Meh," she said, shrugging. "Nothing so cray-cray that I hated it!" She glanced around and lowered her voice. "So—you still want to hang out with me?"

"Yeah!" he said, and immediately blushed.

"You got it," Mabel said happily.

Ford, Dipper, and his mom explained to him exactly what had happened, and he grew pale. But then Ford handed Mabel a thin chain with a tiny gem. "Give it to him," he said. When Chuck took it from her, Ford said seriously, "Chuck, this will protect you. We can't destroy a ghost, but we've dealt him a blow that he'll have to recover from before he can be a threat. As long as you wear this, you're safe. Now, when you're twenty-one, the threat is over. You can take it off the day after your twenty-first birthday—but hang on to it. When you marry, and if you have children, pass it along to your first son."

Now Chuck blushed again. He looked sideways at Mabel. "Uh—what if it's twins?"

Dipper had to turn away to keep from laughing where Chuck could see him. But Ford very seriously said, "One will still be the first-born son, and he's the one you have to protect. Remember that."

Dipper recovered his poise and said, "Until then, tell the guys on the team that a girl—"

"Your girl," Wendy corrected. Mabel giggled.

"Your girl," Dipper continued, "gave it to you and it's your lucky charm."

Chuck sighed. "I—won't be on the team," he said. "Broken arm will put me out for the rest of the season."

"Next year, then!" Mabel said. "'Cause you're no quitter!"

Chuck reached for her hand. "Next year," he said, making it sound like a promise.

All too soon, Ford and Wendy had to leave for the Oakland airport—"Second time I've been in a plane, guys!" Wendy said. "Stanley told me it would be awful, but I like it!"

Practice started again Monday afternoon. The team heard the news and practice went—well, terrible, to be honest. As Coach Waylund patiently pointed out the many errors and problems, Dipper said, "Uh, Coach? Chuck will come back to school on Wednesday or Thursday. Is it OK if he comes to practice? To, you know, watch and advise us?"

"I'll be disappointed if he doesn't," Waylund said. "Tell him that. By the way, Pines, where's your cap?"

"Uh, it, uh, blew off," Dipper said. "I couldn't find it."

"Well, pick up a replacement before Saturday's game," Waylund said. "That fur thing is an interesting fashion statement, but it won't do for playing baseball. Did you go back and look for the cap?"

"I couldn't find it," Dipper said. That was a white lie. A team of horses chained to him couldn't drag him back to that labyrinth.

Chuck made it to Thursday practice, not dressed out, but wearing his own cap. He watched the guys practice fielding, and during a break he called Dipper over. "Take off your trapper hat," he said. Then he clapped his own baseball cap onto Dipper's head. "Here, use mine. I won't need it for the rest of the season."

Dipper touched the brim. "Aw—thanks, man. Up high!"

Mabel had started coming to every single practice—in fact now she sat in the dugout—and she said, "Don't worry, Chuck, I'll buy you a new one myself! And Brobro, don't you ever get rid of that one! That's your lucky charm!"

The Saturday game was against the Palo Alto Pirates—not a game that the team would dread, ordinarily, since the Panthers and Pirates were on a roughly equal footing and had very similar win-loss records.

However, without Chuck . . ..

In the locker room, guys got dressed out and sat in gloom on the benches, muttering to each other and pounding their fists in their gloves. Dipper felt edgy and couldn't stop pacing, his cleats clicking on the tile floor. He had a sinking feeling that everything was about to go wrong—and it would be mostly his fault. He'd been lousy in the last three practices.

He kept adjusting Chuck's cap on his head and telling himself, "Calm down, calm down, calm down!" That only made him more nervous.

Then he heard a couple of guys yell, and he turned to see Chuck grinning, wearing his jersey—except only one button was buttoned, so it could hang over his cast like a cloak. He was high-fiving everyone, Barb, Bobby, Petey, Kenk. "So, who died?" he yelled. "C'mon, you guys, show a little life! The Pirates are pushovers!"

He scooped up Dipper's batting helmet and smooshed it into Hi-Ho's face. "Smells like victory!" Chuck yelled.

"Foo! Victory stinks, man!" Hi-Ho shot back, shoving the smelly helmet away. He hugged Chuck, carefully, avoiding the cast, which now sported dozens of autographs, including the whole team, plus a great big red heart with MABEL in squooshy-looking balloon letters. "Seriously, dude, good to have you here. You gonna sit in the dugout?"

"Duh!" Chuck said. "I'm gonna keep notes, too, so you guys play good, or you'll have to answer to me."

Well, that was a positive send-off. Too bad it didn't last.

The game didn't begin badly. The Pirates won the toss and chose to bat first—always their preference, because their coach believed getting on the board early was a key to shaking up an opposing team. They did score one run, but in the bottom of the second Piedmont not only tied, but got one up when Mike crossed the plate. Unfortunately, the next batter popped out and the Panthers took the field again.

Dipper couldn't shake his attack of nerves. He kept pounding his glove and scraping his cleats as he played second, but he had the panicky feeling that if he went for a line drive he'd miss it. Or fumble the ball when trying to tag out a runner. Do something stupid.

Mabel, who had become a crowd favorite, was working extra hard, boogying, turning cartwheels, leaping, leading enthusiastic cheers. That day, she seemed more a distraction than a morale booster to Dipper. He felt bad that Chuck was watching his lackluster performance and kept thinking how much better it would be if Chuck could stand on the mound.

By the time the fifth inning ended, each team had upped its score, and the teams were locked in a 3-3 tie. And as the sixth started, everything just fell apart.

The first Pirate up to bat hit a clean single, and he led off first base so far that Dipper kept trying to send telepathic messages to Jon-J on the mound: Throw to first!

It didn't work. The next man up smacked a long fly past Petey, the right fielder, who finally backpedaled and misjudged it, catching it on the bounce. He threw to Dipper, but wide, and though Dipper managed—barely—to get to the throw and catch it, the runner was already standing on second base. Dipper threw the ball to the pitcher and watched Jon-J shaking his head and smacking the ball hard into his glove. Bobby, catching, sent him two signals that he shook off.

Jon-J had a good fastball, and he tried it. The batter swung, missing by a mile. That seemed to give Jon-J heart, and he threw a deliberate ball, then sizzled another fastball past the batter for a called strike. He risked one more fastball—and the batter fanned it. The next man up, though, the biggest player for the Pirates, hit another single, sending a man home and putting the Pirates up by one run. And the next Pirate virtually copied the previous one, batting in another runner.

Maybe Jon-J had strained his arm. He walked the next man, loading the bases. And the next batter smacked a weak flyball that Dipper backed up and easily caught, firing it to Bobby for a double play.

The Panthers went in to bat with the score five to three, Pirates leading. Kenk got a single—barely running out the throw to first—but then Mike, who seemed as worried as Dipper felt, misjudged every pitch and went down swinging. Petey popped out. JD and Barb both got singles, loading the bases—and then Jon-J, who looked exhausted, struck out on four pitches, just managing a weak foul tip on one.

At the top of the seventh, Jon-J put his heart into pitching, but he was obviously tired and shaken up. The first Pirate up hit a fly straight into the center fielder's glove. The next one got a single on Jon-J's first pitch. The next hit to right field, where Petey DeFoy, maybe trying to compensate for his weak performance earlier in the game, bobbled the catch, temporarily lost the ball, and then hesitated before deciding where to throw it. The error stretched a single into a double and brought in another Pirate run. Even worse, Jon-J, now badly shaken, walked the next batter, again loading the bases.

To Dipper's surprise, the coach called a time out and motioned him to come in as he walked to the mound. He got there in time to hear Waylund say, "Your call, son."

Miserably, Jon-J said, "I can't concentrate, Coach. And my arm's gone. Pull me out."

"You got it. Good try, though. Pines—take the mound."

"Wh-what?" Dipper stammered. "Coach, no, I can't—"

"Taylor says you can."

Dipper looked over at the dugout. Chuck stood waving at him, and he gave Dipper a thumbs-up.

"Take the mound, son," Waylund said kindly. "Keep your mind in the game and do your best. That's all we're asking."

Dipper warmed up, but he wasn't used to pitching. Bobby helpfully offered suggestions by means of signals from behind home plate. Dipper took them all.

Oddly, his inexperience seemed an advantage at first. He could hit the strike zone, but his pitches were erratic enough to baffle the first man up, who popped a little looper right to first base, where it was caught and fired home before the Pirates could try for another run. The next batter swung at two of Dipper's pitches—not fastballs, exactly, and not curves, but, well, dippers—but then connected for a single. And another run crossed the plate, putting the Pirates up 7-3, with the bases still loaded.

As if from a great distance, he heard Mabel off in front of the grandstand: "Dipper! Dipper! Put him out! That's what pitching's all about!"

Do it for sis.

He took a deep breath and pitched. Swung on for strike one. He considered the second and went for the outside corner, just missing it. Ball one. Strike zone again, but a little high—and the batter got a piece of it, sending a skipping grounder off to Dipper's left. Dipper lunged for it, fielded it, and whipped it to Bobby, who got the runner out as he started a desperate slide.

Then as they came to bat, it was do-or-die time for the Panthers. X-man, who looked exhausted, struck out and plodded back to the dugout. Hi-Ho got a respectable double—though he barely beat the throw to second. Bobby, who acted a little fresher than the rest of the team, hit what first looked like a home run, but it lost altitude going into the slot between left and center field, and the center fielder was just a little too slow and the hit ran out of steam and bounced off the chain-link fence. Still, Bobby, too, made it to second, and Hi-Ho scored.

And there the rally ended. Dub popped out. Dipper stepped to the plate tense and shaking, his hands soaked with sweat inside the batting gloves. He couldn't control his breathing or his pounding heart.

He was just as bad at bat as he had been back in the fall at the first practice. With the sweat of anxiety stinging his eyes, he couldn't judge the pitches and struck out one, two, three, even going after an impossible outside ball.

The Panthers lost seven to four.

And Dipper dragged into the dugout thinking It's all my fault.

He had no option. For the good of the team—

He'd have to quit.

To be continued

Note from the Authors: This was just an idea I had but the one who really worked his magic and wrote almost all of this is none other than BillEase. He’s an amazing author who usually hangs out at fanfiction.net. Don’t pass up on a chance to check out his stuff. This guy is AMAZING. He wrote the story, I just gave the plot.

[petri808]

Karaoke Kraze

@fic-writer-appreciation

Lucy, Cana, and Levy have been friends since childhood.  Home for the summer from college they head to their favorite club to drink, sing, and just party the night away.  Levy’s boyfriend Gajeel brings his friends along but Lucy’s lyrical enchantments quickly leaves his younger cousin Natsu spellbound.

Ch 4 of 10: Flirt

Ch 5 of 10: The One

“H-h-heartfillia??!!  As in that Heartfillia family!”

“Oh, you didn’t know?  I thought someone would have told you tonight who I was.”

“N-no, no one did.”

“Why, does that bother you?”

“It doesn’t, I was just surprised that someone of your um, social standing would be interested in a guy like me.”

She frowns.  “What do you mean by that?”

“I-I mean… Well... I’m just an average guy and…”

Crossing her arms and looking away, “I don’t care about such things.  Most of the guys that hit on me do it for two reasons, for my looks or my money and I’m just sick of it.”

“Hey,” he gingerly takes one of her hands to uncross them and with the other turns her chin back to him.  Pausing for a moment to search deeply into her watery eyes, “Luce I’m not like those guys.

“And what makes you so different?”

He smiles, “In art class it was these eyes of yours that first got my attention.”  Her body starts to relax.  “They’re so bright and engaging that they just draw you in.”  Sigh, he looks down, “I know you don’t remember but I do like it was yesterday.  It was the second day of class and I had just walked in, you looked up from your desk and when our eyes met, you smiled at me.  It…”

“I do…” she whispers.  Shifting his face back to her gaze; his green eyes flash with a mixture of surprise and exhilarating delight.  Now she smiles and caresses his cheek, “I remember thinking you’re the first boy I’ve ever seen with pink hair; it’s my favorite color after all... But you never tried to talk to me or look at me again...”  

He runs his hand through his hair, “Yeah, I was a total introvert back then…  I mean I’m still shy but back then it was worse, I probably would have fainted if I had tried to talk to you.”  She giggles at the thought.  “But tonight it wasn’t your eyes, it was your voice.  As soon as Elfman opened the door and I heard it; ugh Wow it was so entrancing; it just beckoned at me to follow.  While the others went to the bar I just kept heading towards its source and then when I saw who it was attached to, it was like a double slap; to be coming from a beautiful woman!”

“And you really didn’t know who I was?” she murmurs

He shakes his head, “You could’ve been a waitress for all I cared, in that moment you had me hooked like a fish on a line.”

“Natsu, I…”

Both their phones start pinging and blinking with messages.  

‘OMG u go Grl!  B Cray Cray undr covrs 2nite ;)’ –Cana.  

‘N u sly dog!  Hope u got protection :)- ’ –Gray.  

‘Cuz, don’t do anyting I wouldnt!’ –Gajeel.  

‘Oooh N, ur hands r so Big.  Wht elses Big?…  LMAO b ‘safe’ 2nite!’ –Levy.   ‘Txt me 2morw’ –Levy.  

‘Txt me later later’- Gray.  

‘Advice, dominate her, women <3 when guys lead  G-Luck’- Loke.  

When they look up from their phones they’re cheeks are varying shades of crimson.  “S-so what’d they say?” his voice cracking in embarrassment

“Um, have fun…”

“Y-yeah, same here…”

Based on their facial expressions they know that’s a lie but neither is willing to admit to it.  Turning away slightly from each other to hide the messages they fire off their replies.

Group text to Levy & Cana- ‘Really U guys! I’ll call u 2morw’

To Gray- ‘Txt u 2morw, Y coverd if go there’  

To Gajeel- ‘Won’t promise’  

To Loke- ‘Will keep in mind’  

‘XXXXXXX!!! Smooch, Smooch, Smooch. XXXX Finally!!’- Cana.  

‘Uhh, Uhhhh, Uhh, MMmmm Natsu…  yes, Yes, YES!  LMAO!!!’ –Levy.  

‘Y not go there?’ –Gray.

Group text back to Levy & Cana- ‘Seriously!!!’  

‘8--- >O  ;)-‘  -Cana.  

‘Nah Jokn, dnt push N 2 hard K’ –Levy.

To Gray- ‘u know me’ To Cana- ‘??‘

‘Insert here’ –Cana.

Her face heats up.  To Cana- ‘OMG!!’

To Levy- ‘Y?’

‘Hes a sweet <3’ –Levy.

‘Jst sad man’ –Gray.

To Levy – ‘K’

To Gray- ‘Wtvr u know y I wont…’ ‘LMAO! Grl jst b nice k, tlk 2 u in morn’ –Cana.

Sigh, “They are so crazy!”

“Hmm?” he looks up from his phone.  “Who is?”

“My friends.”  

On the rest of the drive back to her home, they do their best to keep themselves composed but Natsu’s faring a little better than she is considering her texts were more explicit.  He puts his hand on her back instead of around her waist and softly rubs it to calm her nerves.  She starts to melt into his side as it relaxes her but not in the way he intended.  A permanent blush has stained her cheeks because now his touch just makes her think even more about possible bedroom activities later that night...

When they pull into the driveway, Natsu gulps; the closest he’s ever been to the inside of a mansion was watching them on television and here he was invited to one by a beautiful billionaire.  His conscious mind throws up warning bells, hesitant if he really should have taken the girls offer.  Events were moving so quickly and it was pushing him well outside of his comfort zone, but in the heat of the moment he just couldn’t say no to her.

As they get right up to the looming structure it is quite imposing when you’re not used to such things.  He counts two maybe three floors, what may be a garden on the right side, and a multi-vehicle carport to the left.  Capricorn drops them off at the front door and Lucy leads him inside.  A maid greets them in the foyer, raising an eyebrow when she sees Lucy’s male guest.   She asks if they need anything and Natsu just says he’s thirsty, that he doesn’t want to end up with a hangover tomorrow.  “Virgo please bring us both some water in the parlor.”

Bowing, “Very well Princess.”  She turns and heads off to the kitchen but not before taking a second look at the handsome young man.

Inside a front parlor, Lucy and Natsu are sitting on one of the couches side by side after Virgo has brought them their drinks.  Nervous, Natsu hastily gulps his down and places the cup on the coffee table.  He keeps his hands on his lap, fidgeting with his fingers.  Lucy sips from her glass but her eyes are still watching him.  She can tell he’s nervous but figures it’s because of who she is.  “Are you okay?  You seem anxious,” putting her cup down.

“Huh, um just a little… I’ve never been in a mansion before.”

“Oh,” she giggles, “It’s just a roof over our heads…  Want a tour?”

“Um, sure.”

She pulls him off the couch but keeps their hands mingled.  Starting on the first floor she points out the dining room, kitchen, pantry, study, library, game room, ballroom, laundry room, and servant’s wing…  He’s overwhelmed by how big the place really is.  “I have an indoor pool and Jacuzzi out back; the girls and I use that a lot during the winter break.  The third level is an attic and storage.”  Then she takes him to the second floor.  “There are 5 other guest rooms on this level; each having their own bathrooms.”  Finally she reaches the master bedroom, “And this is my room,” she opens the door.  Up till now the situation had been benign for the most part but this; now it’s getting heated again, ‘her bedroom!’  He screams in his head.  ‘Why would she…’  “Come on,” she pulls him into the room, closing the door behind her and locking it.    

“This room has a larger bathroom, a walk in closet, and dressing area.”

Looking around the expansive chamber, “Wow, it’s like an apartment all by itself, you even have a couch in here… and… it’s really pink…”

She giggles, “Well I told you it’s my favorite color.  The rest of the house needs to appear more proper for guests but in here it’s like my sanctuary....”  her voice becomes more melodic, “… and where I can have a little privacy…”

Gulp.  Knots tighten in his stomach as she glances at her bed...  “Um, c-could I use your bathroom, I think the water is catching up to me.”

“Of course,” she points, “Right through that door.”

“T-thanks.”  He closes the door behind him and leans against it.  ‘Calm yourself man, so you’re in a girls bedroom; nothing wrong with that, it’s totally normal… Then why I am I quietly freaking out!  Cause you’ve never been in one before that’s not your sisters.  Just go with the flow, she likes you, you like her…’  Sigh.  After finishing up his business and cleaning up he lets out one more deep breath before opening the door.

She turns to look when she hears the door open and smiles.  He exhales, ‘Oh good, she’s not on the bed…’  Patting the cushion beside her he tentatively walks over to the couch and sits down.  When she places a hand on his thigh, he tenses slightly.  “Hey just relax, I’m not gonna bite ya…” Caressing his cheek, “unless you want me to…”

“Luce…” he utters as she climbs onto his lap facing him and leans in for a kiss.  Pressing his back as far as he can into the couch, “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious…”  She purrs before locking lips with him again.  Natsu follows his primal instigations and melts right into the moment, I mean who wouldn’t?  She’s like a drug to him that once you take that hit you’re trapped by its effects.  Picking up where they left off at the club, her fingers thread through his soft spikey locks and he’s wrapped his arms around her back.  Her skin tingles at his touch.  When he curls his fingers and grip against her bare flesh she moans out and with the surge of fervency her nails lightly scrape along his scalp sending shivers along his spinal column.  His kisses turn more forceful when he bites her lower lip.  A slight gasp on her part gives his tongue the opening it was looking for to explore her warm and moist orifice; such a delight to play with a fellow explorer inside.

Trailing his kisses, lips moving along her cheek and following her jawline, he pulls her hair back.  She tugs ever so slightly on his hair as his soft lips suckle at her neck, nibbling against her collar bone and shoulder.  “Natsuu…” long throaty groans reverberate from her and travel through his body causing a stirring bulge in his jeans that presses against her own moistening sex.  Peaked her hormones kick in and drive her mind wild.  Slowly she moves her hands down along his chest heading in that direction.  When she reaches his waist her nimble fingers begin to undo the button…

“Wait, Luce stop.”   He grabs her hands, “We shouldn’t do that.”

“Why not!”  She pouts.  “Don’t you want too?”

“I um…   I-I just think that going from 1st to 4th on the first night is to soon; we s-should get to know each other more first.”

“Well then let’s get to know each other better…” She tries to work at the button again but he stops her a second time.  Incensed she climbs off his lap, “You get me all riled up and now you’re turning me down!  I can’t believe this.”  

“Luce, I’m not the kinda guy to take a girl to bed the first time I meet them.  I’m sorry”

“Get out.”

“What?  Why are you over reacting; shouldn’t it mean something that I wouldn’t take advantage of you?”

Tears are trickling down her face.  Deep down she knows what he’s saying is right but she just doesn’t want to admit it.  She’s craved, hungered for him all night, and he sure sent out the same signals!  She really felt that he could finally be ‘The One,’ and all that passion had led them here.  To be turned down now, just felt like… like a total let down.

“Just get out Natsu, please.”  The water in her eyes threatens to spill from its gates.

His heart is shattering at the sight of her tears.  He doesn’t understand why she was so upset with him.  Wouldn’t most girls be happy when a guy doesn’t exploit the situation?  Now he wonders if he was fooled into thinking he meant more to her than just another mark on her bed post.

Tears of his own collect and slowly trickle down his face.  “Luce… I’m sorry….”  

Shaking, she covers her face with her hands as the tears flow down her cheeks.  Without saying another word he walks out the front door and sits on the steps melting down.  It takes him awhile to calm himself just enough to call his cousin, praying the whole time that he’ll answer.  By this time, his own tears had become so heavy it has soaked the front of his shirt.  He had really felt like this girl could be ‘The One’ and now…

“Natsu?  Why are you calling me, shouldn’t you be…”

“Gajeel can you pick me up from Lucy’s?”  He tries to cover it up but his cousin can hear the sniffling.

Natsu can hear Levy in the background as Gajeel explains to her they need to go.  “Yeah we’re on our way.”

“Th-thanks.”

About 15 minutes later a car pulls up to the steps.  In his wait Natsu had gone back to crying so heavily his eyes are completely bloodshot and swollen.  He shambles to the back seat climbing in, laying down and curling up his legs.

“Oi, what happened?”

“Yeah Natsu, you and Lu seemed like you were having so much fun tonight.”

“Sh-she w-want-ted t-to have sex but I- I t-turned her d-down so she, she told me t-to leave.”  

“Why they hell would you…”  But Levy slaps her boyfriend’s shoulder and glares at him to shut up; she can clearly see that Natsu is already upset so yelling wasn’t the right response.

Softening her voice, “Natsu start at the beginning…  Tell me what happened.”

So he does.  Starting from the moment he heard Lucy’s voice, how he was entranced, to the dancing, and the kissing, then he tells her how he reacted when he found out who she was and started to get nervous on the way over to the house, he brings up art class, the make out session on the couch, ending with being kicked out.  “Levy, I’m j-just not the t-type to-to-to s-sleep with a girl on the first n-night.  We bare-barely know each oh-other, I-I mean hell we only l-learned each other’s last na-ames in the car!  I wanna g-get to know her bet-ter b-before making that leap… I-I just don’t, don’t under-under-stand, shouldn’t girls ap-preciate that I won’t take ad-advantage of them?!  Ugh.”  He sobs into his hands, “I really thought she could finally be, you know, the one… but now…”  He looks up at Levy, “Is she that kind of girl, did she lead me on?  I mean the way she came onto me, w-was I gonna be just another notch on her belt??!  I-I didn’t want to end up a one night st-stand.”  He shakes his head and buries his face back in his hands, “No, I don’t wanna believe she’s like that but…  Fuck!  I don’t know what to think!  She’s really messing with my head!”

Levy is absolutely stunned by what she is hearing, she’s known Lucy over half her life and she knew her friend has never acted like this before, hell she was surprised when Lucy asked Natsu to go to her home but also happy for her friend; she and Natsu would make a great couple.  Their chemistry was just mindboggling, so why would she have pushed it to this point?  Did she have ulterior motives?  Was she tired of being the only virgin in their group?  No that can’t be it. Levy shakes the thought from her mind.  As shocked as she was about Lucy’s behavior, she also believes Natsu’s story.  I mean think about it, why would a healthy male turn down a rich and beautiful woman, and be crying over it if he wasn’t telling the truth?  

“Natsu,” Levy does her best to comfort him.  “I believe you but no you wouldn’t have been just another notch in her belt because, well… she’s still a virgin.”  Natsu looks up at Levy in disbelief.  Seeing his reaction she smiles, “Lucy’s never had a real boyfriend before, she’s dated a few times but never went further than a dinner or movie.  In fact tonight was the first time I have Ever seen her react so strongly towards a guy; you must have had a profound effect on her too.”

“But, but why would she get so mad about the sex then?”

“I have no idea but I’m gonna find out.  Don’t worry okay, just calm down.  Gajeel’s gonna take you home after I go talk to Lucy real quick.”

“Thanks you guys…” he mumbles

Levy kisses her boyfriend and gets out of the car.  Virgo lets her in and tells her Lucy’s still in her bedroom.  “Is that boy okay?  He seemed really nice, and cute but left in tears.”

“Natsu, yeah don’t worry Virgo, he’ll be okay.  It’s Lucy that was being an idiot tonight.”

[Knocking]

“Lu, it’s me Levy can I come in?”  No Response.  She places her ear up against the door and can hear light sobbing.  “Lucy, I’m coming in.”  She opens the door and sees the outline of her friend curled up on the bed under the covers.

“I don’t wanna talk Levy.”  She mutters

“Well too bad cause you need to.”  Yanking back the blankets she finds Lucy still in her red dress.  The front is splotchy from the tears that fell and her hair and make-up is a mess; eyes puffy and red.  Sitting next to her Levy puts her hand on her friends arm.  “Lu, tell me your side of what happened.”

“M-my side?”

“I’ve already spoken with Natsu.  He called Gajeel in tears so we came here to pick him up.”

“I-I can’t believe he turned me down!  I wanted him s-so badly!  I-It just built up all night till I felt like if I didn’t… I, I, I don’t know what came over me...  I’ve never felt so, so intense like this over a guy!  And I thought he wanted it too…”

Levy giggles making Lucy glare at her, “Lu, that’s called love.  Since it’s the first time you’ve ever experienced it before, you’re not used to it.  But I told you, Natsu’s a really nice guy, don’t push him to hard.  He’s not gonna sleep with a girl just because; he wants it to be special.”

“But that’s the thing.  I-I think he is special; he might even be my perfect match…  Does he think I go around sleeping with just any guy?”

“Um, actually based on the way you behaved, yeah he did.”  Lucy’s eyes are screaming ‘What!’  “You came on so strong that’s what he thought, and he said he didn’t want to be a one night stand.  But I cleared that up quick when I told him you were still a virgin.”

“Oh my God you told him that!”

“Lu you don’t need to freak out because… so is he.”

“Wait are you serious?”

Levy nods, “he thought you were his dream girl too and then you kicked him out because he wouldn’t sleep with you.  Now he’s completely devastated over this.”

“Well, I, I don’t care anymore.  If he thought I was perfect too then maybe he should have just gave in.”

“Whatever girl, that’s your stubborn side talking.  You just don’t wanna admit that you made a complete ass of yourself tonight in front of a fine-ass guy.”

“Shut up!”

“Tch, just go clean yourself up cause you’re a hot mess right now, get to bed, and think about what I said.  I’ll drop by tomorrow to check on you.”

Levy stands up to leave when Lucy calls out to her, “I’m not changing my mind!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Levy waves her hand, “You’ll be fantasizing about him in your dreams tonight.”  And with that last jest she shut the bedroom door behind her.

Back in the car… “So what’d she say?”  Probes Natsu, hoping for a good answer

“To sum it up, she’s totally in love with you.  You got her so aroused tonight that she wanted you to be her first but then you turned her down so she got upset.  It’s not your fault; she can be stubborn like that since she’s kinda used to getting what she wants.”

“Sh-she’s in love… with me?!”  

“Yeah, I think so.”  She smiles, “I told you don’t worry, you’ll get another chance…”  A devious grin spreads across Levy’s face as the wheels of her mind turn, “Oh yeah, definitely get another chance…”