#Ruby matthews x f! reader

[cloveroctobers]

OCTOBER PROMPTS 🎃 — 4. Ruby Matthews

A/N: yes it is I! Back with another Ruby piece because why the hell not? Thanks for all the new love on my previous works surrounding this layered character. She’s been fun to watch and it’s only right that I do something else for this final season. Thoughts about it? There were great moments for sure but I don’t think it’s my favorite season, I’ll probably have to go back and watch to fully determine that. I still wanted more for lots of the characters and this season seemed to miss something and it’s not me fighting for the main ships like some of you are arguing over lol. Otis needs to be by his damn self for awhile! + Ruby deserves better than the way he treated her, I’ll say that and know she’ll find her person in the near future once she experiences more growth for sure. Anyways this show was gold! RIP.

PROMPTS from HERE + I’m using: caught in the rain + crunching leaves + “you’ve got leaves in your hair.”

WARNINGS: Reader has a name + fem pronouns. Ruby being a little bitchy towards reader + hints of a potential romance?

⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚. ⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚. ⋆｡‧

Thanks to Milou's god-mother, she was able to clock out early from the book shop for the evening since a storm was brewing according to the older woman. It's funny really how Milou tended not to pay much attention to science or the weather whether-*wink* in conversation or just the mere thought of the subject, giving that she was surrounded by a bunch of people that worked in that field. Her absent mother was a meterologist who got a kick out of chasing storms, her late father was a broadcast meteorologist, her paternal uncle and ex boyfriend of her god-mother; who also happened to be her mother's best friend is a GIS analyst and finally her cousin and god-brother was studying to be a hydrologist.

As for Milou? She has no clue what she wanted to be in life, she was simply taking it one day at a time and going with the flow. Which she of course got shit for but she knew she loved books and tattoos. I mean hey! look at her god-mother, she didn’t have this goal board of being something fancy growing up she just stuck to what she loved. She came from a small family, a professor for a father, a step-father who worked in a boutique for two decades, and a mother as a florist. Milou’s god-mother always knew she loved books and candles so she eventually got into owning a book shop, making and selling candles on the side.

She did quite alright with her life if you asked Milou. Milou felt she was similar to her god-mother more than her own mother and figured with each day that the sun rose it would all work out…at least she hoped.

In the distance she sees someone dressed in red tweed attire, walking alongside their bike as Milou drives down the hill. It doesn’t take her long to realize that it’s Ruby Matthews and a smirk spreads on her lips then as she presses her foot on the gas. She thinks about speeding right pass her, turning the stereo up to make Ruby’s attention focused only on the back of her ride but it was interesting nonetheless to see Ruby on a bike instead in her own car.

“What’s this? Not the Queen of Moorfield doing actual labor? Where’s the Royal Chauffeurs?” Milou jokes from the driver’s side.

Immediately Ruby rolls her eyes, stopping in her tracks as she stretched a sarcastic smile over her pink painted lips, “oh Milou, haven’t you learned that harassment doesn’t look nice on you? That can lead to loads of things like imprisonment or pillory.”

“That’s extreme, yeah?” Milou tilts her head or the side while letting her wrists rest over the top of the steering wheel, “You call it harassment, I call it having a conversation with my neighbor.”

Ruby scoffs, “what makes you think I want to talk to someone like you?”

“I dunno something tells me you could use a friend…but if you prefer lonely strolls around town drinking that let me guess, pistachio latte on your own then don’t mind me.” Milou shrugs, pushing her sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose, “good day then, your highness.”

Ruby was more of a decaf tea person since coffee stains your teeth but when stress calls so does caffeine apparently!

And with that Ruby watches as Milou attempts to speed off but the smoke and spluttering coming from her car didn’t sound normal. Part of that gave Ruby satisfaction before she could let the sadness fill in more than anything.

Milou’s been Ruby’s neighbor since she was about nine, moving in from New Zealand, and Ruby always liked how Milou moved to her own drum. There was a time where Ruby considered being Milou’s friend but Ruby was whisked off to camp where she met Sarah— “O” and that changed everything Ruby knew about friendships.

Ruby coughed and fanned the smoke away up ahead…she honestly hoped there wouldn’t be a fire but Milou seemed to take her time kicking the door open and out the way. Cautiously Ruby made some steps forward as Milou whacked at her car a bit after popping the hood open.

“Look at that, your get away wasn’t as stunt like  as you hoped.” Ruby mockingly pouted while Milou side-eyed her.

Milou adjusted the cuffed back denim bucket hat on her head saying, “and what about you? I haven’t seen you ride a bike since we were knee-high.”

‘You still are,’ Ruby thought to herself as she peered at the shorter girl.

“Decided to try something new for college and it’s better for the environment.” Ruby stood up straight as she stated her claim.

Milou snorted at that, “you caring for the environment? Not likely.”

“Excuse me? You don’t know my interests.”

“Course I do. I pay more attention than you think regardless if we attend the same college or not. We lived next door to each other for years, I know enough.” Milou replied as she pushed away from her steaming car.

Milou stood by Ruby who held her analyzing stare, “your chains broken by the way.”

“I’ve noticed, thank you! Why else would I be walking?” Ruby sassed, “It’s not like this street is the best runway with its awful incline.”

Milou clicked her tongue and pointed, “Anything to strengthen the glutes.”

Ruby swallows to refrain from traveling her eyes elsewhere. Milou maybe short as ever but she’s always been athletic as a kid and it didn’t seem to change now into their teens, let’s just say that.

“I am the view, these hills better be proud that I’m even passing through.”

“…This is the only route to our neighborhood.”

“Do you have an answer for everything?!”

Milou laughs with a shrug of her shoulders deciding to switch the minor problem at hand, “I can probably fix that for you.”

“I know how to fix a bike! I just don’t have the tools…”

Milou sighs as she squats down near Ruby who takes a step back and sideways to give the girl some room.

“It’s bent…you’re going to need new chain.” Milou observes.

“That’s just great, as if this day couldn’t get any worse.”

Milou stands up at this, “want to talk about it?”

Ruby sips from her cup and pops her tongue, “Not particularly no.”

“We got a long way home on foot. Are you suuure?” Milou backs up towards her car to retrieve her things.

“Sorry? We?”

“Yes. This thing isn’t going anywhere, my transmission’s been on the brink of blowing at any moment.” Milou says nonchalantly while Ruby widens her eyes, “I’ll have to reach out to a friend to tow this baby up for me.”

“Transmission?! Isn’t that a safety hazard?”

“Oh certainly but there’s not much money in the bank to get a new car so…perhaps I’ll build me one in the near future for cheaper.”

“Wait…you know how to do that?”

“I’m a person of many traits my love.”

“Not your love.”

“Not yet.” Milou winks, popping a lolly into her mouth, “want to leave your bike in my trunk? My guy can fix it up for you and you’ll get it back in a day or two?”

“Thanks for the offer but I don’t know or trust this friend of yours. They could be a thief for all I know.” Ruby sticks her nose up in the air.

Milou snorts as she placed a hand on her chest, “does it really seem like I’d hang out with kleptomaniacs?”

Ruby now side eyes Milou staring at her finger tattoos mainly and shrugs, “who truly knows? You probably hang out at sketchy bars, smoke by dumpsters, and illegally race cars on the outskirts of town.”

“Wooow you really do know me,” Milou exhales, “I don’t smoke because I’d like to keep my teeth and lungs. And I don’t race cars anymore for income after crashing and breaking my collarbone last year driving that sweet corvette. So sorry babes, you’re wrong. Is it my turn to assume why you’re in a sour mood?”

Ruby pursed her lips knowing she was laying on the bitchiness but it just seemed to ooze out whenever she had interactions with Milou. It’s not like the girl’s ever had one main reason why they went at it but Milou was never one to take anyone’s shit, despite having her nose in a book reading or doodling and seeming checked out. She had Ruby figured out and Ruby couldn’t say the same with Milou, which is why she did not enjoy that much.

At least that’s what she portrayed.

“If I had to guess…Otis?”

Ruby scoffs and begins walking off.

“What did he do this time?” Milou spins on her feet, quickly locking her doors before following after the long haired girl and says, “Doesn’t seem like he’s been around much lately.”

Ruby spews over her shoulder, “And how exactly would you know that Hm? Are you proving my assumptions by being a weirdo and stalking me?”

“Never. It’s what you show and I’m not just talking about your socials…thanks for suddenly deciding to unblock me by the way.” Milou chats, “I’m talking about your energy, it’s different. Well except for you insulting me this entire time, you do seem a bit sadder these days. I just want to make sure you’re alright is all.”

Ruby feels her shoulders sink in a bit, a little surprised that anyone’s noticed this. Yes she’s been going through a heartbreak, friends being distant, dealing with seeing a old bully thrive in their new supposed “helpful,” role at this new school where Ruby can’t find her footing…it’s all been a bit much and she didn’t feel like talking about it to anyone.

She won’t ever let anyone see her as weak even if the weight was starting to crush her.

Yet here comes Milou in her cool rina sawayama glory, sensing that something’s been up with Ruby and who knows how long she’s noticed.

Milou wasn’t a friend or really an enemy and Ruby wasn’t sure if she could even consider Milou just her neighbor.

It’s quiet now besides the crunching of leaves that Milou makes a show of stomping on as they walk through town together. Milou doesn’t mind the silence or even press the issue but she always had a habit of being honest, “too honest,” in her mother’s eyes but Milou had no problem letting Ruby know what she sees.

No matter what the wannabe diva thought of her.

Ruby pounds her feet after a wave of leaves fly back into her vision after Milou’s just kicked another set up into the air up ahead. The wind seemed to shift not long after, whipping some of those copper and sun dried leaves right into Ruby’s face.

“Hey! Stop that! You’re gonna ruin my outfit.”

“Aw c’mon, it’s awful already isn’t it?” Milou teased as she scanned over the appearance of the girl who suddenly ripped off her glasses.

“I have you know this outfit was made by my mum.” Ruby proudly said as she shoved her bike to the side and strutted right up to Milou, towering over her, “I picked the fabric, tweaked it afterwards just to my liking and I know I look damn good wearing it because of how long and the care it took to make it so I’d shut my mouth if I were you.”

Milou moved the lollipop around with her tongue, slowly eyeing Ruby up and down that Ruby almost had to hold her breath at how agonizingly slow Milou scanned her frame.

She smirked at Ruby once she met her brown eyes again and playfully raised her hands up in the air, “relax babes, I’m just having a bit of fun, just like with the leaves. And I know Mrs. Matthews’ has quite the craft, she taught me how to fix my old hat when I was twelve.”

“What?” Ruby frowned, “when? How?”

“That old lime green hat that I used to wear a lot as a kid? Ripped it right across the top after it got stuck in a tree branch. Your mum witnessed it on her way to work.”

“I don’t even want to know what you were doing for that to happen but…mum really stopped to help and she didn’t bother to tell me?” Ruby tried to wrack her brain to remember if her mum ever mentioned it but tending to a sick father and a mother always at work, usually means the conversations happened to be pretty brief.

Always has been but that never stopped Ruby from loving her mum. She was always the kind hearted one out of the two which translated well being a nurse but Ruby definitely got her fire from her father.

“People have a lot on their minds and I hear it gets worse as adulthood comes along so we better enjoy the better memories now…plus it happened forever ago but I’m always thankful for your mom’s help since that hat is special to me.” Milou shrugged, moving to walk beside Ruby again.

Ruby hums at this and let’s out a small laugh, “that hat was a terrible color but I must say…you wore it well. Framed your perfectly potato sized head nicely.”

Milou rolls her eyes, “thank you, I think?”

Ruby nods, a small smile playing on her lips before she says, “you mentioned if I was okay earlier, yeah?”

“Mhm.” Milou peeked at Ruby as they continued walking.

“Well…if you don’t mind—

The brown haired girl began just as the rain poured down over their heads. Ruby let’s out a squeal in displeasure, quickly leaving her bike behind and sets off into a jog towards the stone fence and nearest tree.

“I can’t believe this!” Ruby yells over the loud rain after Milou makes her way over.

Milou holds out her hand to let the rain drops hit the back of the skin on her hand, “believe it. My god-mommy did mention a rain storm was on its way.”

Ruby wipes the water from her face, “And you didn’t think to inform me earlier?”

Milou folds her arms, “You don’t check the weather when you pick out your outfits for the day?”

“Do you?” Ruby glares, with a roll of her neck.

Milou smirks doing another famous spin with a pop of the collar to her puffer vest, “Always…i mean look at me, don’t I look on theme?”

It’s Ruby’s turn to glance at Milou’s appearance for the day. A cream puffy vest, a nude zip up sweater underneath exposing a black tourmaline crystal wrapped around her neck, baggy cream jeans, the black sunglasses, damp denim hat and some sort of patterned boots.

“…Debatable.” Ruby calls over the pelt of rain while Milou shrugs her shoulders.

“If I like it then I love it.” Milou says peering at Ruby underneath her sunnies, “just like you’ll learn to love it once we become friends.”

“You keep saying that like you’ve been wishing upon a star.”

“No but you were just about to put your trust in me and tell me what’s been up with you lately, yeah?” Milou rests her elbow against the tree, later followed by resting her head against her hand.

Ruby turned her eyes into slits, “was I really?”

Milou lounges just blinking at the eighteen year old, waiting for her next move.

“Okay fine!” Ruby tightens her hold on the ends of her jacket for warmth, “I’m not the biggest fan of therapists.”

“Good thing for you, I’m nowhere near one.”

Ruby sighs, “thank heavens for that! But I better not hear you gossiping about me online or anywhere else for that matter.”

“Ruby,” Milou stares hard at the girl underneath her eyelashes, “that’s not how I operate and never will. Plus I’ve been told I don’t have much of a social media presence in the first place.”

“Did I say that?” Ruby searched the air in thought.

“No, my god-brother did.”

“Smart guy. Now him, I could be friends with.”

It’s Milou’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Okay! So the only reason I’m saying this is because I won’t be running through the rain and we have nothing else better to do. So yes! I Ruby Matthews have felt like complete shit for awhile now and I’m dealing with it all the best way I know how: On my own. It’s also a number of things that contributed to this icky feeling…that you’re probably right about too.”

Milou gave a quick clap and a thumbs up at Ruby, “well done. See that wasn’t so bad?”

Ruby takes a brief sip from her coffee that’s definitely turned warm opposed to piping hot like she preferred it. She also finds that her hands are shaking a bit as she exhales. “You’re not gonna give me any advice or anything?”

“Well no, unless that’s what you want?” Milou now leans her back against the tree as she peeks up beneath the remaining brown leaves on the tree, “Otherwise I’m just here to listen or be a shoulder to lean on, your choice.”

“That works,” Ruby flicks her hair back, eyes viewing the heavy rain that makes it almost hard to see the other homes in the distance.

Milou wasn’t sure what part exactly but she had a feeling Ruby was still working that out herself.

When she reaches a hand out to Ruby, which she catches from the corner of her eye, the taller of the two quickly latches onto Milou’s wrist, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“You’ve got leaves in your hair,” Milou says making Ruby glance upwards trying to see herself.

Milou innocently raises the fingers on the hand Ruby is currently holding, showing that she doesn’t mean any harm and that Ruby doesn’t have to always be on the defense when it came to her.

However she understood and knew it would take time for Ruby to allow that after being hurt a few times. They probably wouldn’t have forever since time does move faster than you think and there were many missed opportunities as children to be something more but at least they had now.

“Thanks for sharing,” Milou whispers, holding the crumbled leaf to Ruby’s view and flicking it to the ground.

Ruby gazed at Milou for a moment before staring back out at the rain, “C’mon then. The rain looks to have lightened up.”

“You sure?”

“Not really,” Ruby cautiously steps into the now windy air, “but be a lady and walk me home. Then maybe you’ll help me with my hair while we watch wives of Miami…since who knows what kind of leftovers are stuck in my hair from the leaves you kicked at me.”

Milou takes her sunglasses to place on the brim of her hat, “that’s not what happened, I kicked away from us not towards you.”

“Don’t argue just accept the invitation because I do not ask twice.” Ruby held her cup out for Milou to hold while she shrugged out of her jacket to tie the arms securely around her head.

Milou cackled, “you look ridiculous.”

Ruby can’t help but to fight the laughter lines that appear on her cheeks, “so be it but we both know who’s the true fashionista here.”

“Yeah and her name starts with an ‘m.’” Milou hands the half empty beverage back to Ruby who struts back some to pull her bike back up into her grasp.

“Right: M for Matthews.”

“Sure but it’s actually M for Mrs. Milou.”

Ruby snaps her head back to Milou who’s all smirks and raised brows.

Was Milou flirting with Ruby? Ruby couldn’t deny that she found Milou attractive but she wasn’t in the mood to get under to get over.

“Please, don’t flatter yourself.” Ruby makes her way back over.

Milou teases, “You like it.”

“Noooo! Stop talking, let’s get going.” Ruby rushes out with a clear of her throat, hoping that the apples of her cheeks didn’t change hues.

Milou courtesy’s and holds out a hand, “lead the way then, your highness.”

Ruby looks forward after walking by Milou, the now light rain making it somewhat bareable to get through on foot, “I just want to say…thank you for always being around when I least expect it and probably need it.”

“Aw, what are friends for?” Milou lightly bumps her shoulder with Ruby’s.

“Friends? I thought you were coming up with a proposal for me.”

Milou raises her eyebrows at this, picking up on the humor in Ruby’s tone, “at least take me out first then we’ll discuss the details later.”

“Are we not heading round to mine now?” Ruby peeks out from underneath the arm of her jacket on her head.

Milou laughs, “I see. Good thing I’m dressed for the occasion.”

Ruby smiles to herself, “we’ll see…”

Milou frowns at that, not knowing what she was getting herself into with Ruby Matthews but she was sure being caught in any other rainstorms along the way, could bring flowers in the end.

⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚. ⋆｡‧₊°♱༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻♱༉‧₊˚. ⋆｡‧

Continue along with my October anthology prompts here.

[rainbowmoonstonestories]

Let Your Dreams Be Your Wings | Chapter 2

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: The Sandman (Netflix 2022, minor content from the Comics) Rating: Explicit Relationships: Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x F!Reader Characters: Dream of the Endless/Morpheus, Lucienne, Matthew the Raven, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, Hob Gadling, Death, Rose Walker, The Corinthian, other minor Sandman characters, Original Characters. Warnings: 18+ content (upcoming, minors DNI), explicit sexual content, POV switching, very long chapters to read (you can skip parts if you think it is too much). Summary: You always dreamed of becoming a successful Fashion Designer, sharing your creations with the world and making your father proud. But with him being very ill and so many costs solely weighting on your shoulders, things didn’t go as planned and you had to take a different path instead. An interesting offer led you to the elder Alex Burgess and you were hired as a new housemaid for a very good pay. However, your kindness and outstanding empathy convinced the man to give you an additional task for a doubled compensation; gaining the trust of Dream Of the Endless, held captive into the basement for over a century. Despite the shock of finding such an ethereal entity stripped of all his clothes and contained into a confined space, you had to accept for the sake of your father. But the more you got to speak to the mysterious anthropomorphic personification who didn't utter a single word, the more you were lost into his eyes that, conversely, seemed to contain the entire universe. A deep connection formed between the two of you, separated only by a thick layer of glass.

Little did you know, what started like a simple housemaid job was about to change your life forever.

Credits: The moon dividers were made by firefly-graphics.

Chapter 2

The end justifies the means. Or does it?

In the past 106 years, Morpheus had seen nothing but demands and the worst side of humanity. The dastardly Roderick Burgess’ whims had pestered him for a very long time, asking for gifts that were not in his power to give, nor they were for mankind to receive. When Roderick departed from this world, his son Alex inherited everything that was in the Magus’s possession, included Dream himself.

He desperately tried to offer freedom in exchange for his and Paul’s safety. Dream could have accepted at the time, to be finally set free and resume his duties as the King of Dreams and Nightmares into The Dreaming.

Sadly, there was no forgiveness in his heart.

Alex Burgess had killed his raven, Jessamy, right in front of Morpheus’s eyes. He could still see her blood and innards splattered over the glass, her unrecognizable body twitching on the floor before it stopped completely. They took her away from him like they stole his helm, his ruby and his pouch of sand. They ripped his essence into pieces, stripped him of everything he was and expected to see their wishes granted in a snap.

Alex wanted an answer, Morpheus had nothing but silence to give.

And so, more years passed with him trapped into the sphere and sealed away from his powers and his realm. He refused to accept any offer coming from a weakling who first did wrong under the influence of a monster, then persisted in keeping things unchanged and following the man’s legacy.

Since getting old and ill, his captor’s visits in the basement had decreased considerably, but from time to time, Alex still showed up to try again and again, requesting an answer he knew would never come. Two guards were sitting in the cellar most times, especially at night, to watch his sitting form from afar. They occasionally stood in front of the main door at the upper floor as well, leaving him alone in the darkness of his prison.

But one night, something unexpected happened; a beautiful human girl appeared before him out of nowhere, visibly suffering from the coldness of the basement and shivering with exposed arms and bare legs due to a uniform that did not do her justice, in a place she didn’t really belong to. For the very first time after so long, he received compassion and kindness from a mortal who recognized him for who he truly was and understood the importance of his presence in the Universe for humanity’s sake. There was something in her eyes, in the way she looked back at him with so much pain and worry flowing into her heart. Something he got really curious about and wanted to further inspect.

He knew he would see her again sooner rather than later, anyway. Alex had offered her a conspicuous amount of money, mentioning her father’s illness and how much she would need it to sustain his medical care. Humans were easily corruptible, Alex Burgess knew exactly were to strike to properly use the woman for his own gain.

But Dream wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. If he had to stay trapped in that cage for many years to come, then he would make sure that Alex suffered until the end of his days. For Jessamy. For not standing his ground when Roderick put that rifle into his hands. For never apologizing for what he’d done and expecting Morpheus to simply forgive and forget.

Nevertheless, he found that woman utterly intriguing, curious and fascinating. Very much so.

You were used to tossing and turning in your bed every night before finally falling asleep, but this time it wasn’t just your insomnia keeping you wide awake.

How many people knew about Dream? Were you the only staff member allowed to set foot into the cellar? Anyone in your shoes would pack their things and run out of the front door at once, and to be quite frank, for a moment you considered that option yourself before shaking the thought away completely.

Your instinct had kicked in since the day you took the job. The rumors were one thing, you had your doubts about their truthfulness at least until they ventilated the possibility of having some kind of strange creature locked into the basement. But you also remembered how you felt upon entering the house for the first time, the air was somehow a little eerie despite the cozy atmosphere and the delicious smell of old wood. And then there was that inexplicable pull you had towards the cellar, the strong desire to get involved into something you had no connection with and you may have regretted with all your might (in part you did).

And then you saw him, Dream. He was perfection personified, you saw his eyes glowing unnaturally, his pale skin almost reflecting the light. The energy you felt when your eyes met, when you touched the glass, when he shifted in the cage to move closer to where you were standing.

You grabbed your phone from the nightstand, tapped the screen to unlock it and performed a rapid search as your fingers trembled. You selected the first highlighted link, which led you to an old newspaper page from the Daily Mail printed in 1926:

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒: 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒, 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒

Since the illness hit the first victims in 1916, some people begged for sleep that wouldn’t come, whilst others lived as perpetual sleep walkers for a long time. Later renamed as Encephalitis Lethargica, it was described like an unknown pandemic that took place during the course of World War I and also coincided with the widespread sickness and death caused by the Spanish flu. However, while it seemed to have been viral, its original cause was still unclear in 2022. You suffered from insomnia since you were a child, seeming to also have trouble remembering your dreams when/if they even occured. Considering The Sandman was still trapped into Fawney Rig, you could finally come up with a proper explanation for your affliction, as not even the prescribed medications worked for you.

You browsed through different threads and discussions posted online. Some people were convinced that EL was a bad consequence of the Spanish flu, others believed there were demonic forces involved and nothing about the illness was natural. No evidence could confirm, nor deny those theories, but you knew the second one was at least based onto real facts.

You were horribly conflicted now; what were you supposed to do with Dream from that moment onward? Refusing the offer wouldn’t bring you to a full dismissal, you figured, since that was not the original scope of your contract and firing you wouldn’t be in their best interest. The salary was already more than you could ever ask for, receiving such a high compensation for dealing with an imprisoned being would go against your principles and sense of just. Dream’s face was imprinted into your memory and you couldn’t bear the thought of knowing, yet pretending it wasn’t really happening.

Your frustration was devouring you from the inside, all your tiredness long forgetten. You put your phone back and moved the sheets out of the way, standing from your bed and reaching for the bag placed on the small desk in front of the window. You took out the notebook and pencil from the contents you had in it, moving the chair out to sit down and switching the table lamp on.

Sketching was the only thing that could always calm your nerves and you barely had enough time to make a phone call or even eat. Thankfully, the next day you would be off from work and visit your father after two weeks of distance and lack of communication.

Your hand travelled along the white page with racked up inspiration, as the pencil traced line after line and your vision started to take form. The clock on the wall was ticking, its sound creating a stable, relaxing rythm that went along well with the light scratch of graphite on paper.

But then, you found yourself lost in thought and your hand stopped moving. The page was turned, the unfinished draft of a dress you had fantasized about for months now set aside. The pencil resumed its work, sliding around without control. You let the image flow from your mind, using your fingers to smudge and blend shapes together. 50 minutes later, your drawing was complete.

In the middle of the night, you stared at your finished creation with a sense of warmness filling your entire body. If you squinted just enough, you could almost see the patterns dancing on the page like the original source. You let the pencil fall from your grasp, your blackened fingertips lightly brushing over the drawing and tracing the lines with newly acquired fondness.

You got sucked into your faithful representation of one of Dream’s eyes, your heart pounding and filled with an emotion that you didn’t know how to describe.

Despite your lack of sleep, the next day you woke up astonishingly early. The sky was still partially dark, deep blue merging with the orange and golden tones of dawn. The moment the rest of the crew got ready for the day, running back and forth and resuming their usual activities, you were already out of the house and on your way to your father’s. The trip back to town, between the taxi ride and the route on foot, didn't take you more than an hour from Fawney Rig.

Your father was lying in his bed, face lighting up upon seeing you as he extended his arms out to give you one of his outstanding and well missed bear hugs. For a sick man he still had a lot of strength in his limbs, much to your delight.

The nurse was taking good care of him in your absense; the man was properly fed and kept busy with chess matches, a lot of reading and different cheesy movies all week, which happened to be his favorites. You had the impression that he lost more weight since the last time you saw him, but his general conditions seemed as stable as they’d been in the previous weeks.

The family doctor, Mr. Mills, joined you around lunch time. He gave your father his daily dose of medicine and allowed the two of you to catch up in his room as he took a sit on the couch, documents at hand and laptop ready to be set.

“You look tired sweetheart,” your father noticed, sitting more comfortably against the pillows. “Is your job keeping you that busy?”

“Sort of, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Insomnia as always?”

“Yes,” you lied. “Just my insomnia.”

Keeping secrets was not exactly your forte and thus your emotions transpired with your gritted teeth and knitted eyebrows.

“Something’s troubling you, though. What is wrong, Y/N?”

You forced a smile. “It’s nothing dad. I just have a lot on my mind these days.”

He gently took your hand in his, thumb making circles over your skin. “I know you don’t want me to worry. But please, if there’s anything serious going on, whatever it is, don’t keep me out of it.”

As persuasive as he could be, you had to keep your resolve intact for his sake. Worrying him and worsening his physical conditions was the last thing you needed on your list.

“Dad, I promise, everything’s okay. I’m just concerned about you and I have a lot to take care of at work.”

Well, that wasn’t really a lie, after all.

“Sweetie, I don’t want you to think that I do not appreciate your efforts, because I do. But I am the one who should take care of my daughter, not the other way around. You are wasting so many chances, when will you start living your life the way you deserve?”

Your eyes stinged with tears. “You took care of me since the day mom left us behind. You will always be my priority, I owe you as much.”

He sighed. “This job you are doing? A housemaid for a rich bastard with questionable reputation? Jesus Christ, I strongly disapprove.”

You laughed. “Said reputation is more about his father actually… and he pays me really well. This benefits you too, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Do you know what else I’ve noticed? That you are so dishearteningly unhappy, my dear. You have dreams and an enviable creative talent that is literally going wasted.”

Dreams…

Your mind immediatly went to Dream Of the Endless, curled up naked into that sphere, all alone and mistreated for over 100 years.

You pushed that image out of your head. “My hopes and dreams are long gone, dad. For the time being, you come first whether you like it or not.”

“Y/N, do you have a moment?”

Doctor Mills called you as you stepped into the lobby, coat already buttoned up and bag set on your shoulder.

“Of course. Is everything okay?”

He looked particularly distressed, his hair was disheveled and the tie around his neck got partially undone.“There’s something I need to show you.”

Silently, you followed Doctor Mills into the living room, countless documents and medical records were scattered over the coffee table. You sit on the couch with wobbly legs and aching chest, loosening the first two buttons of your coat for the temperature suddenly increasing and you knew the heating was currently turned off.

Doctor Mills took place next to you. “I’ll go straight to the point. Your father’s been taking the same medicines for quite some time now and while they have kept his general conditions stable until recently, they are no longer working as they should anymore.”

Please, no.

“What does it mean?” You asked.

“It means that we need to try a different approach. Again. He lost a few pounds although he still eats regularly, this means that his stomach is not properly assimilating and his latest blood test confirmed it. He doesn’t know it yet.”

You wanted to cry, but you couldn’t allow yourself to break down in front of him. Or anyone. “What kind of approach should we try this time?”

“This is what I really wanted to discuss with you,” he took his laptop and typed something on it, then he clicked on a PDF document and showed you its content displayed on the screen. “It is highly experimental and not yet distributed on the market. I cannot make any sort of prediction, but the performed tests with this medicament have shown amazing results. There might be some unwanted side effects, not gonna lie, but there also are huge possibilities for him to recover.

You bent down to take a closer look at the file. All you could see was a list of codes and scientific terms that you barely comprehended. “So, what you’re saying is, with this specific treatment he may get back to a normal life?”

He looked through the various sheets on the table, some even fell on the carpet for his restlessness, but he didn’t bother to pick them up. “Yes, this is what I’m saying. It may take some time to see an actual effect, but it could work. Unfortunately, there is one problem.”

Oh no.

“Here,” he pointed at a raw of text on the paper he collected from the mess. “As you can see, it is extremely expensive. The money you sent me not long ago was enough to pay off the current medicines, treatments and 24/7 care. But, as you can see, it wouldn’t suffice to cover all of it in the future, not with the new treatment added to the package.”

You could feel your insides twisting, your ears painfully ringing and your head throbbing violently. The indicated figure you saw written on the paper was literally double your current salary at Fawney Rig.

“I’m not asking you to do this for free. I will pay you for your service, twice the monthly amount I’m already giving you, in fact.”

“I already pinged you with countless emails in the past few months and I know you are doing all you can. It is admirable, really. I wouldn’t suggest this to you if it weren’t the only chance we have left.”

The only chance left. In other words, if you didn’t agree to this new treatment, you’d directly sign your father’s death sentence and he would be done for.

You weren't ready to see him go yet.

Your bottom lip quivered and you had to appeal to all your willpower not to burst into tears right on the spot. Everyone says that life is made of difficult choices, you never had to pull your hair as much as you were now.

You hated this. You hated what you were about to say.

“I just got a new tast at work. I will pay for this the upcoming month, if that’s okay.”

Doctor Mills was dumbstruck, clearly he wasn’t expecting such a positive answer from you and rightfully so. Before leaving your old waitress job, he had to constantly chase you to remind you of the payments that were still due. “Oh… oh wow! That is wonderful news indeed!” His enthusiasm was heartwarming, but your emotions at the moment were all over the place. You didn’t know whether to be happy for that new glim of hope, or dreadfully worn-out for what you needed to do in order to let the miracle happen.

“Then I can proceed and begin with the administration next week?”

Your hands closed into fists, nails scraping the skin underneath.

You turned to him again with a feeble smile. “Please.”

The voice in your head was screaming and your heart was completely torn apart. You believed that everything happened for a reason, but how could you give your father his healthy life back, if in return you had to cause even more misery to someone who already dealt with so much suffering for way longer than you existed?

You refused to believe that Dream’s presence had no other meaning, that you had to take advantage of his captivity to save the only family you had left. Anyone would remind you that the end always justified the means, but you never believed in that saying as it sounded more like a loophole. To you, there was no such thing as ‘justified means’ when your actions could potentially damage another person. Endless being or not, Dream was still a living creature, just like you. Just like your father. Just like Alex and Paul.

Thinking about it, somehow, you didn’t have the slightest sympathy for Mr. Burgess on that regard. While you recognized the complexity of it all and fully understood the fear of being annihilated by Dream’s vengeance, it was clear from the Endless’ expression they chose not to reveal the rest of the story. Furthermore, leaving him into that cage for centuries wouldn’t be a proper solution, even more so if your theory about the Sleepy Sickness was correct. His imprisonment was seemingly affecting mankind as much as it was hurting Dream himself, even after a century.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed in frustration. Maybe you were the first person showing him the good side of humanity after so long. You knew how stupid it was to fool around with magic spells and summonings you wouldn’t even be able to suitably control, but Roderick Burgess wanted to cheat Death and dictate his own conditions, when he was nothing but a mere mortal with delusions of grandeur. Dream only needed to be given hope for once, a real one… yet he was destined to only receive futile requests and more extortions, stuck into a cycle that didn’t seem to get a proper conclusion.

Even from you, apparently. The end justifies the means, you repeated in your head, but the more you tried to convince yourself that you had no other choice, the more you wanted to throw up.

You looked out the window from the backseat of your cab. The sun was starting to come down with dinner time impending, the traffic in the rush hour had the car stationary for quite some time, but you certainly were not in a hurry to go back. Your fingers curled around the fabric of your bag, you could feel the sketchbook contained inside, filled with ideas that never really came to life. You thought about your father, so strong and brave, yet so fragile and with death looming over his shoulder. You thought about Dream, more beautiful and heavenly than a God, sorrowing over a fate that had been forced onto him by a man with no heart and prolonged over time.

A tear fell from your eyes, but you immediatly brushed it off. Just what were you even doing with your life?

You sit on one of the leather couches, holding a small glass of liquor and eying the real stuffed lion that had its gaze on you. The silent and still roar was positively unsettling, as any other animal in the manor embalmed with its natural pose, or simply standing with a blank expression. Always watching you whenever you passed by.

The ones who liked killing animals for sport, exhibition and money, deserved to burn in the fires of hell.

May Lucifer have no mercy on their filthy and corrupted souls.

As you took a sip from your glass, you heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the corridor and Paul’s familiar voice politely dismissing his guests taking their leave for the night. He stopped midway when he entered the lounge, eyes meeting yours and checking your sitting form as if you were some kind of unexpected visitor.

Breaking the awkward silence threatening to fall between the two of you, you greeted him with a smile. “Good evening Mr. McGuire.”

The man’s eyes softened. “Good evening Miss Y/LN. It is good to see you.”

Did he believe you had run away for good to never return? That you had abandoned your job and your responsibilities in the house without a word?

“You are quite an early riser. You were already gone when I woke up this morning.”

Evidently, he did.

Your main intent was in fact to avoid them for the entirety of the day, but they didn’t need to know that. “I had planned to visit my father and I find morning traffic sincerely aggravating. I thought that leaving at an early hour would be more beneficial.”

Paul nodded, and with discernible uncertainty, took a sit on the other couch in front of you. He was distressed, that much was obvious, assailed by guilt for what you had to witness and the unconventional role his husband had offered (or rather imposed) you.

When you remained silent, Mr. McGuire let out his hoarded tension exhaling deeply. “I was wondering if you were doing okay after last night? Alex didn’t listen, I told him you had nothing to do with our family affairs. I owe you an apology for what he put you through.”

You emptied your glass with a gulp, savoring the bitter taste of the little Whiskey you could handle. “I was the one getting myself involved, actually.”

“But you didn’t know, of course. How could you have known?”

Right. You had no way to know they were keeping a living being, who was practically a God, imprisoned into a pathetic fish bowl look-alike cage since 1916.

“Even so, you shouldn’t feel responsible for this, Mr. McGuire. I snooped into a matter that had nothing to do with me. If anything, the fault is mine.”

A part of you wished you had never discovered the truth about Dream, that you could spare yourself the excruciating remorse you were so desperately trying to extinguish from your heavy heart. But there also was another part that couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes and unworldly essense engraved into your spirit.

“Alex shouldn’t have done that anyway. You see, he’s been obsessing over Dream since he failed to convince him that we meant no harm, that we could free him, only if he wanted to.”

‘Only if he wanted to’?

Your fingers twitched against the glass, which you were absently twirling between your hands. “I doubt he wished to remain imprisoned for another century,” you said.

“Naturally.”

“So, what is it that Mr. Burgess is planning?”

He couldn’t really expect that, after 106 years, Dream of the Endless would suddenly accept his terms, or plead for mercy to be released.

“What he said last night is true; he wants nothing more than setting him free. But Alex is afraid, Miss Y/LN, he is not to blame for that.”

“I get it, I really do. But the question is, why me? How am I supposed to convince him, when not even you have succeeded in years?”

Did they want you to lie, to make false promises that you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep?

“One thing we noticed about you, Miss Y/LN, is your compassion. You are kind, you listen, you always know the right thing to say.”

Even if you could regret it a moment later, apparently.

“I am still against the idea of sending you down there, but you’re giving Alex hope. If you could… I don’t know, consider it… that would really mean a lot to him.”

You put the glass on the coffee table and brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “You know this is awfully wrong, right? That you cannot keep him stuck in there forever?”

He looked down at his own hands. “Yes.”

“And you also know there is no guarantee he will trust me, that he will even talk to me. That everything might remain as it is and you will gain nothing again, except for wasted time and money.”

His mouth tightened into a thin line. “I do. But something changed last night, I'm sure. The way he was looking at you... I don't know, it was just different.”

In that moment, you understood what it was that you saw in Paul’s expression and you couldn’t immediatly interpret; exasperation. Just like you, he used to be a regular worker for the manor, doing his duty in the garden as love bloomed between him and the Magus’s son. He also didn’t know what marrying Alex Burgess would entail and yet he stayed, close to his lover’s side, accepting the man’s burdens as his own.

He was tired, worried, drained out. With Alex sick and spending most of the day in bed, Paul had to take care of everything on his spouse’s behalf. And on top of that, the man he loved was getting weaker every day.

“You are a good man, Mr. McGuire,” you told him with complete sincerity. “You love your husband and I’m sure seeing him in pain is tearing you apart. I understand what you’re going through, that’s why…” You hesitated, heart going rampage as you had to come to terms with your decision. “…That is why, I’m going to give this a shot.”

There was no turning back now.

Paul’s attention snapped back at you, mouth agape. He looked at your face in silence for a few seconds, your chest was burning in part for the liquor, in part because of how awful you felt about yourself.

“You are…? Really?”

You squeezed your eyes shut. “I'll be frank with you: my father’s conditions are worsening. There is hope, an experimental medication that may finally help him recover, for real this time. But, it has a grave downside: it costs a lot of money, more than I could afford at this time.”

You saw tenderness in his smile. “So you will do it for your father.”

You felt so bad, so dirty, so evil. “I don’t really have a choice.”

“Just know that you can get out of this anytime,” he clarified. “If you don’t want to do it anymore, we would never hold it against you, I promise. Alex will understand.”

Will he, though?

You didn’t feel any better despite Paul’s reassurance and gentle words . You knew you were condemning yourself, as the knot you felt in your stomach was bound to expand and deepen your anguish to the point of no return.

You put all your energy and anxiousness into work, cleaning every nook and cranny, cutting grass into the garden, polishing ornaments and just doing more than you were supposed to accomplish in one shift. Nobody complained, if anything, the staff was using your resourcefulness as an excuse to take breaks from their own tasks, lighting a cigarette in a quiet corner and taking a walk in the open air.

You didn’t care. You needed to bury yourself into anything that could keep your mind occupied, preventing it from wandering in places you didn’t want it to go. You wanted to forget, at least for a few hours, that you had to humiliate an Endless, using him for your own lucre without practicing what you had preached.

And then, in the blink of an eye, another day had passed and you found yourself in front of the basement door, which looked like it was part of the wall design, a hidden portal to another dimension. In a way it felt just like so, were it not for the fact that the underground reality was anything but a fairy tale.

Paul brought you a small jar of pills without any label on it, dropping it into your palm. “They’re stimulants,” he explained. “Our guards have all taken them for over a century, it is recommended to never fall asleep, nor appear tired in Dream’s presence. He may be able to break through and manipulate your mind.”

“I thought he was binded to the circle, “ you said. “That he no longer retained any of his powers.”

“Someone said you can’t really take away all his power, not even with all this. He’s constantly under watch for a reason.”

Someone who? Not even the binding spell and the glass sphere were enough to fully contain Dream’s energy? Good to know, you thought.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Paul was still feeling uneasy for what they had convinced you to do. “The guards will be there should you find yourself in need. They’re already informed.”

The guards you had seen around didn’t exactly inspire you safety, but you did not perceive any sort of danger that would require their intervention.

You smiled. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you Mr. McGuire.”

He was reluctant to leave you unaccompanied, but eventually, he decided to trust you enough to let you descend on your own. “Good luck Miss Y/LN, have a good night. And please, take one of those tablets as a safety measure.”

You stared at his back as he walked away, passing in front of the antique showcases containing urns, statues and ancient armors. You waited for him to disappear around the corner before shoving the jar of pills into your pocket without even touching the lid. You had enough trouble sleeping without the stimulants and with no Dream of the Endless nearby, worsening your predicament for something that wasn’t a concern to you was unnacessary.

You carefully opened the slim door, it creaked when it moved and you could already feel the coldness from below touching your skin. You decided to wear a long jacket that covered your arms and part of your legs, but you didn’t have the time to fully change into something more comfortable.

This time, you went down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, careful not to trip with your heels on the high steps. When you reached the bottom, passing through the open gates and entering the cellar, you once again forgot how breathing worked. Dream was right there, in the same position you left him the night you found him; head down, arms crossed over his bent knees, a body language that showed defeat and affliction, but also kingliness and determination.

The knot in your stomach tightened even more and a huge lump formed in your throat. His head raised when he sensed your presence, meeting your watery eyes without even blinking.

You wanted to get closer, but your feet didn’t budge. You felt as if someone had casted a spell on you for how dumbfounded you were by his perfection.

“Did you come speak to that Old Dracula?”

A female voice got your attention from the table on your left. A woman and a man in uniform were respectively holding a magazine and newspaper in front of their faces. She had her hair tied in a low bun, a pink lipstick and quite a sturdy body structure. The man had puffy cheeks, short wavy hair and an equally large build he could barely fit under the table. They were the same guards who eyed you strangely when Mr. Burgess brought you there for the first time.

You looked puzzled. “Dracula…?”

She shrugged, getting back to the magazine as she crossed her feet. They both looked tremendously bored, stolid and impatient to leave.

The Endless was unmoved and still settled on studying you. It was hard enough to face a caged entity when you wanted nothing more than taking him out of that bowl, you couldn’t deal with those two evesdropping on you from their location and gossiping about it the day after.

No, that wouldn’t do. If you wanted to speak to Dream the right way, you had to make them leave. Somehow.

You didn't have the authority to kick them out, but you could at least try to persuade them. “Can you leave us, please?”

As expected, the guards stared at you as if you were out of your mind. “Not a chance, Missy,” the man responded. “We are on watch duty, can’t leave our post.”

You cursed under your breath. “Look, I can’t do this with you here. Please, just give me a few minutes with him, unless you want me to tell Mr. Burgess that I couldn’t do what he asked because you interfered?”

There, you had done it.

They remained silent and exchanged a look, the woman threw the magazine on the table and her colleague folded the newspaper under his arm, pushing the chair out. The female guard didn’t seem particularly trustful as she stood in front of you and narrowed her eyes, but you held her scrutinizing gaze without faltering and waited for her to lose the staring contest.

Finally, she complied. ““Alright, just don’t do anything stupid.”

You noticed her hand brushing along the gun secured into the holster, a subtle admonishment to let you know they were not playing games and wouldn't even hesitate to use it.

“As stupid as calling him Dracula?”

You didn’t mean to say it out loud, it simply escaped your lips without realizing what you were doing. The woman looked offended, snorting and making a face while stepping backward. “We’ll be upstairs if you need us.”

You could barely contain the satisfaction when her face turned red. “Yes, Ma'am.”

You heard them stomping out with heavy footsteps and the squeak of the door at the upper floor. It didn’t shut, signaling they were just keeping it ajar, prick-eared and ready to return at any moment.

No matter, you got what you were hoping for and now it was time for business. So to speak. Easier said than done, really.

When you turned around, your mouth felt dry. Dream’s position had slightly changed and you could swear you saw a fleeble grin lifting the left corner of his mouth. But when you crossed the suspended bridge and set foot on the painted ground with the binding circle, his expression was back to normal, serious and mistrustful.

You thought you had the situation under control, but now that you were in the basement with him, completely alone, keeping your cool turned out to be the hardest trial you had ever encountered. You kept your eyes over his face, holding yourself back from dropping them to the rest of his body. Although he was strategically covering his modesty, the fully naked, gorgeous man in front of you, wasn’t exactly leaving you unaffected.

And at the same time, you hated it. They left him there without any clothes on like some sideshow, stripped of everything he had and put in full view for anyone to look at.

Your throat felt close, shortening your breath. “Hi,” you whispered. “I’m Y/N Y/LN. I would say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dream of the Endless, but the circumstances are not particularly favorable.”

He remained silent, of course, so you went on. “You know why I’m here.” It wasn’t a question, he undoubtfully was aware since Mr. Burgess made it all clear in his presence. “And I owe you an apology. I am yet another mortal coming here to make you talk, to negotiate with you, convince you they mean no harm.”

And yet, here he was, physically unscathed, but ravaged by a century of seclusion.

“How many times did they promise you they’d let you go?”

Dream looked down, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Words were unneeded, you already knew the answer from the alteration in his expression alone.

And it broke your heart. “I wish I could tell you that I am different, that they constrained me to do it. They’re paying me for you, Dream… and I didn’t turn them down.”

Your insides burned as you openly admitted it. The Endless didn’t react, his eyes were still lowered, set on his own feet as he sat there and listened.

You wanted him to understand, to know your motives, to trust the nature of your actions albeit regrettable. You wished for him to be set free, but your hands were painfully tight and the figurative rope was cutting through your pride. “My father is ill. The only thing that may truly offer him the chance of living, is financially out of my reach. He wouldn’t survive without it.”

Alex Burgess got you exactly where he wanted you. The question now was, where did you really want to stand?

Dream’s blue orbs returned on you, their coldness pierced through your form and had you completely immobilized. Your heart was racing, your fingertips felt numb and the voice in your head was shouting again, begging you to stop. You would essentially become an accomplice, exploiting him for your needs and throwing even more mud at his nature.

The end justifies the means, my ass. You couldn't do this, it would just convert you into an inhuman beast.

Getting back to your senses, you were embraced by a rush of bravery. Your fingers closed into fists, so strongly that the nerves and tendons in your wrists were painfully tensed.

You sighed, making up your mind. “Don’t talk. No matter what happens, just don't say a word.”

You noticed his sternness melting away, being replaced by astonishment and confusion for your unexptected recommendation. You offered him a honest, warm smile... the kindest you had ever gifted. “I’ll buy some time for you. I’ll tell them that you’re listening, that you’re trusting me. If I manage to keep their fear at bay, maybe I can convince them to let you go. Don’t you ever talk, Dream. Not even to me.”

Alex Burgess needed your help with the Endless just as much as you needed his money. You could turn the tables and reverse the cards for your own benefit, allowing Dream to retrieve his dignity back and finally break free from the magical constraint.

Or at least, you had to make it work at all costs.

“I am truly sorry. I'm but a mere human myself, and if I were you, I probably wouldn't trust me either. For what is worth I can tell you this; I’ll do all I can to help you.”

His features softened and his rigid posture seemed to subtly relax.

“You've been left in this prison for so long, I could offer you some company in the meantime. No requests, no demands, just... me. As I am. I want to be a friend for you, if you will allow it.”

Maybe you were asking too much, as he was a higher being and you couldn't even compare to his greatness. After all the false promises he received, trusting a mortal was clearly the last of his options now, least of all befriending one.

As you did the last time you discended into the cellar, you placed the palm of your hand against the glass, pouring all your feelings into that simple gesture without breaking your smile, nor the eye contact. Dream watched you in silence, but what transpired from his gaze now, was hope.

End notes: In this chapter, I wanted to highlight Reader's inner conflict. I also have a huge respect for Paul, as he totally seems like a sweetheart in the show and I can see him taking us under his wing. Alex, however, is quite a different story. In the Netflix adaptation, he is a lot better than his father and it is clear he truly felt bad for Morpheus and wanted to set him free. However, you can't just promise someone that they can trust you and you will let them go, only to kill their freaking raven a moment later. Like yo, your father gave you the rifle, he told you to get rid of the bird, but you were the one pulling the trigger, it was your choice. Come on man.

#sorrynotsorrystillsaltyforjessamy

It may take me two more chapters before reaching the part of the escape. Since I have to cover a couple months more of staying in the house, you'll see a lot of breaks between parts and time jumps, because I have to leave out a bunch of unimportant and irrelevant descriptions/dialogues (don't want to get boring, I need to get to the juicy part y'all).

And I'm sorry, you may need to get used to long chapters from me... 😅

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 (currently reading) Go to Chapter 3 ->

Read on AO3

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! April 29 - May 5, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Tumblr Posts for A Wonderful Life Characters - by actaeoncross; WIP, 46/?, 51k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Multiple Characters x Reader; Characters: Celia | Seperia | Cecilia, Cody | Gordy, Daryl, Flora, Gustafa, Lumina, Marlin | Mash | Matthew, Muffy | Molly, Nami, Rock, Reader Summary: A collection of Tumblr posts for A Wonderful Life Characters x Reader prompts.

Soak - by CheshireCaine; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Cliff; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Cliff Additional Tags: fantasising, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, sexualising a man Summary: Maybe the ice would be too cold, enough to make her mouth sore. She wanted Cliff's mouth instead.

Her Hands - by durotos; Complete, 1/1, 1.0k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons Series Relationship: Nina/Galen; Characters: Nina, Galen | Guri Additional Tags: First Kiss Summary: "He looked down at the small hands in hers, covered in callouses. Her touch was always so loving and he realized he didn’t want to let go."

becoming home - by blushroomx; WIP, 3/?, 8.5k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Farmer/Muffy | Molly, Vesta/Flora; Characters: Takakura, Ruby | Lou, Celia | Seperia, Patrick | Pasaran, Nina, Romana, Lumina, Griffin | Gavin, Nami, Harvest Goddess, Mukumuku Additional Tags: enby farmer, takakura is gay, Everyone Is Gay, goddess lore, POV Multiple, Alternate Universe - Demons Summary: Forgotten Valley was always a secluded oasis inhabited only by the Goddess and her chosen creatures. But the Goddess' heart has a weakness for those who are lost, and over the years her home has become a sanctuary for nomads, wanderers, and those in need of a different life. However, the more people who come and go from the valley, the more the Goddess' presence degrades, putting the valley at risk to threats both spiritual and mortal. Ultimately, the goddess is fading, and once one is invited to her ancient pocket of the world, her magic threads through them, weaving into skin, bone, and spirit to enmesh them with the tapestry of her land. If the Goddess is not fully restored to the earth, it could cost Forgotten Valley's residents more than just their tranquil refuge - their entire lives could be at stake.

Convincing Manuela - by Sybek; Complete, 1/1, 1.4k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: Multi Fandoms: Pioneers of Olive Town Relationship: Patricia/Sally; Characters: Patricia, Manuela, Sally, Misaki Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain safe for tumblr. See complete list on AO3** Lesbian Sex, Threesome - F/F/F, Polyamory, Illustrations Summary: Things got a bit spicier than usual at Patricia's house.

Cream Cake - by buckwheatseeds; Complete, 1/1, 2.7k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade Relationship: Chase/Molly the Farmer; Characters: Chase, Molly the Farmer Additional Tags:**NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain safe for tumblr. See complete list on AO3** Food, Nervousness, Falling In Love, Romance, Cake, Baking, First Time, How Do I Tag, Sex Summary: When Molly visits Chase's house in the heat of the summer, she discovers him making a cake. When helping him ice it, things get heated, and soon he has made his own icing for her.

Katakan Yes, Please! - by Villainien; WIP, 2/6, 3.5k; Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Back to Nature, Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer & Pete | Jack; Characters: Pete | Jack, Rick, Kai, Doctor | Trent, Cliff, Gray, Claire Additional Tags: Fluff and Humor, Romance, Friendship, Absurd, Mention of Karen/Rick, Comedy, Rick and Karen are married, Drama Summary: Kira-kira gimana ya caranya Young Men Squad of Mineral Town membantu Jack dalam mendapatkan cinta Claire?

[kirascottage]

maybe ruby with a really chill s/o who’s like her total opposite, i dunno i’ll read anything for ruby cause no one really writes for her.

never too simple

ruby matthews x f. reader

summary: dating the popular girl is always interesting when your her total opposite.

word count: 1.2k

cw: sex education season 3 spoilers* , mentions of sex, swearing, soft!ruby

a/n: trying to write for some more characters lmk what u all think. this is dedicated to u ruby simps

A mighty groan spilling from your lips was routinely how you’d begin your day, prowling out of bed with a blear in your eye as you made your way to the kitchen.

With pulled brows in the beaming direction of the sunrise, your awakening hands would mundanely start sufficiently preparing your coffee or tea, just a dribble of milk and a few granulated spoonfuls of sugar.

If you had time to spare afterward, you’d end up passively watching a program on the television while you contentedly munching on your breakfast.

Then, you’d get properly equipped for compulsory school; the sex school of flaccid penises and vaginas where willing people would shag in a gutted bathroom and trade sex advice when they couldn't make their partner come.

When your digits would curl into your untamed tufts you experienced an overwhelming wave of fatigue glue onto your skull at the copious amount of effort.

Dressing fashionably and doing your hair in differentiating styles always felt complete to your look as soon as the academic year had begun, but not a prime necessity as you were on campus with a horde of vexing, titillated teenagers where it was irrevocably bound to be ruined by the second quarter.

Although your girlfriend felt otherwise.

Polished shoes, luxury handbags, designer clothes; Ruby felt as if the school was her own Paris Fashion week where Kim Kardashian would personally ask her for valuable advice on this upcoming season's prevailing fashion and trends.

Something mundane to her everyday routine, early awakening and painting the slim definitions of her aglow cheeks in contours in blushes as if it was the official Met Gala and fluttering fake lashes clung to her lash line that would nearly recoil in the wind like gaudy butterflies if the wind gust had bidden a bit too strong.

So in compromise with your dear girlfriend you’d slip on your most charming skirt, add a minuscule more makeup than you ordinarily did, and style up your hair to pristine effort; but, at any point when you had gotten languid throughout the day, you’d disregard all formalities and brush all of your perspiring tufts and locks back into a clip.

You had opted for your style for the day as you had woken up late due to diligently studying for Biology till nearing dawn and felt as though it was a test day, there wasn't much to dress up for.

Your hair was natural for the day, the cut and style carefully framed the delicate bones of your plump cheeks and your nape felt shielded from your locks.

A dull blush was painted on said cheekbones and an ordinary flick of liner that was carefully shaded into your crease and decorated your primed eyelids. Your lips were glossed over in chapstick — the skin of your lips kept healthy after the storming season of drying and visible cracks had undoubtedly passed.

The material of your top was a milky-ivory shade, with the ample sleeves dyed in a baby blue, similar to the unclouded sky on a pleasant summer day. Your jeans were raw denim, a light wash that hemmed at the mid-waist and flared out near the bottom of your ankle. Instead of a booted heel, a pair of onyx converse with embroidered designs from the years encapsulated your feet.

Invariably hearing a blaring honk from the driveway you deemed your modest outfit quite fitting for the day — eagerly snatching the navy blue bag with a spillage of papers drooping from the sides of the zippers and striding over to the magenta car where Ruby had stood with her heel pressed into the leather disk where the horn symbol resided.

“Are you wearing your simple clothes again? You know, you can always borrow my stuff if you’re not feeling yours.” With an arched brow, she strategically placed her bottom into the left side of the car as you had unfastened the bright-toned door.

Your shoulders pulled into an expressive shrug once you were finally sat, “Simple clothes for a simple day.”

“But you’re around me all day, henceforth it physically cannot be a simple day. We’re girlfriends and that makes us better than everyone else. Therefore, we need to let everyone know we are better than them.” The girl practically huffed, her polished nails slightly colliding with the wheel as she promptly drove.

“Right, Rubes, my bad.” A distorted giggle escaped with difficulty from your throat at her aplomb.

…

“I cannot believe this woman. That grotesque, ill-favored, monstrous woman with that nauseating, greasy side part and uncolored roots genuinely wants to take away our right to dress as we please! Babes, I bought so many new outfits for the term and I even redesigned your wardrobe! This all feels like a complete waste.” The brunet all but fiercely screams at the front of the school with a shrill whine instantly following, her manicured fingers squirming around to progressively extend her point.

Ruby frantically begins to wildly gesture to her outfit. She's wearing a tied-up violet blouse that's sheer, with a matching tank top underneath. Her pants are denim, painted in differentiating patterns of dull purples, and her back pockets are delicately hemmed with intricate patterns and unique designs.

It’s when the delicate pads of your fingertips brush at her lower back and your chin hooks onto her covered shoulder, she ultimately regains a well-needed breath from her boisterous rant.

“Rubes, relax,” You croon softly while gently sweeping your thumb against the granulated material of her violet sheen coat. “You know we can always hem the kilts, and accessorize the top with something because you’re like a fashion goddess. There's always a way to wean your way around the new dress code, and we can figure that out, but first, you need to breathe.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re right, I am a fashion goddess, I can totally make it work.” Her brow arches in patient compliance with your kind words.

It’s hushed for a moment, the inhales of Ruby’s breath become slow and relaxed before Anwar chides across from you both in feigning annoyance, “Oh, so you can calm her down and we can’t? Now, that’s just unfair.”

…

Ruby's ached throat is burning as she's nearly out of breath whilst she speaks, “I cannot just believe Adam Groff just threw a— a poo at that French man! God, this trip is so repulsive. We should’ve just went to the Eiffel Tower instead!” A remaining number of pants hoarsely escape her brawny throat.

You lamely conceal a chortle at her severe chastising, your head weaseling into the bend of her expensively fragrant neck as she's sat next to you with her body facing forward.

“Yeah he definitely should’ve held it in,” You muffle your chortle into her grey blazer. “Plus I think it was Rahim, I saw him sockless.” Your voice instantly drops into a hushed octave at the comical gossip as her head bobs rapidly towards you.

“No fucking way!”

[lunafeather]

For the anon ask: most important question first, how are catBeth and catRio? Second: what are some of your favorite Good Girls moments and/or episodes? From an acting perspective (I always enjoy reading your acting insights!) or just general enjoyment. And, not a question, but loved, loved, loved the third chapter of Remix and am looking forward to your prompt fills. I have no doubt that they'll be great :)

ANON ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS!

Okay so Cat!Beth and Cat!Rio are doing great, causing trouble, living up to their namesakes. The only way Rio isn’t Rio is that he talks a LOT, we have constant conversations, I know what his specific meows mean now (apparently male cats tend to be talkative ones). They love each other so much, but they play fight constantly and Rio can be a bit of a dick (lol) and Beth is only super noisy while they play (LOL).

Had an incident a couple days ago where they were asleep on the couch and I went to give Beth kisses, only she was apparently DEAD ASLEEP cause I startled her awake so badly she immediately went on the defensive -- hissed and swiped at my face. Her claw got caught in my nose and dragged a huge cut inside of it, man that shit was PAINFUL.

Rio went a couple months not feeling very cuddly, which made me very sad, but about a week ago he started cuddling again, I almost cried I was so happy. Only he does that cat thing where he puts all 14lbs of his weight on one paw on my chest and I legit worry about health problems from being crushed. Sadly, he only cuddles for like 10 mins then moves on, but I try to enjoy the little time he gives me!

Have some photos!

Favorite Good Girls Moments/Episodes

So my favorite episode is and likely will always be 2.05. Everything about it... The Brio stuff, Beth boss bitching up and selling those cars, Annie and Ruby helping, the Amber stuff (specifically the stuff about moving to LA and giving it 6 months before giving up, it was extremely meta and I feel like only people in the industry could ever truly appreciate it), the Stan/Ruby stuff, "no I know how to spell A X E”, Ruby’s reaction(s) to Beth and Rio boning, Beth pouring vodka into her slushie and the LOOK SHE GIVES THE CASHIER, Beth taking Dean’s business from him, all of it is just..... *chefs kiss* please pour it directly into my VEINS. My absolute favorite moment though is the end scene with Beth and Rio, the multi-layered conversation about both crime and their relationship, but even more specifically, Rio saying, “yeah you’re right, it is kinda early huh” then looking DIRECTLY AT BETH’S MOUTH before looking away and smiling one of the most gorgeous smiles I have ever seen in my L I F E.

Other favorite eps, in no specific order: 2.11, 3.11, 2.04, 1.04, 1.05, 2.07, others I am probably forgetting

Other fave moments, in no specific order: Brio 20 Questions, Bathroom sex, Vette smashing, Beth opening the dubby, the 2.08 picnic bench scene, Ruby shooting Big Mike in the foot, Annie helping Nancy give birth, Ben’s coming out to Annie, oH nO wHaT hApPenEd?, any time Beth defends Rio, His name is Rio!, Beth coming out of the bathroom after hiding the books, every time Rio lies about Beth being just work, any time he touches her face, all of the 1.10/2.01 dining room scene, aw you guys didn’t hit me up to do brunch??, and many more

Okay so acting-wise, all of the cast just continually knocks it out of the park. Any time Annie has to be soft and vulnerable, Mae just fucking OWNS IT and I love that. She is exactly the kind of actor I am, I see so many similarities in our styles. The first one that comes to mind for Christina is in 2.10 when she destroys all of the baked goods she spent hours making. Imagine being so good at your craft that you can film this emotional breakdown 10, probably 20 times, with different layers and methods of expressing internal anguish, and every single moment is heartbreaking and raw and honest? Manny’s manic, soft, viciousness in the 1.10/2.01 scene always kills me. Somehow he makes Rio so human and multifaceted, like yeah he’s fucking crazy, but he’s also a man living in a world where he has to be hard and ruthless, and yeah much of his softness is a ruse, but some of it is genuine. He layers all of that together perfectly. Any time Retta cries kills me, but I actually love every time she bosses up and gets into a passion speech. The “I’m that Bitch” passion speech is my favorite. Retta plays Ruby’s desperation and uncertainty so well, always layering it under other things. And she’s obviously the queen of reactions. Matthew is so good at looking dumb, like, he isn’t dumb in real life, he’s actually very charming?? I always love, though, when he plays Dean stuck in a situation where he knows he fucked up, again, LAYERS, man! I’ve already waxed on much too long, but everyone else is also amazing: Lidya, Isaiah, Reno, all of the minor characters.

So much of film/TV acting is about internal life, and letting the audience see varying amounts of it in your eyes and your actions. I think Christina and Manny are particularly good at this, but mostly because they get the most silent screen time where they’re just looking at someone or something. Mae is the best at vulnerability, which is essential.

All of them are so fucking good, it’s why it’s one of my goals to get on the show, because my soul would leave my body if I had the opportunity to act opposite literally any of them. I’ve actually started trying to form a relationship on social media with Liz Dean (casting director for the show) so that I have something to lean on when they start up production again. I am hoping she does a general casting call like many other CDs are doing so that I can get my face in front of her and her office.

AND THANK YOU ABOUT REMIX, I feel like Favorite Things really eclipsed Remix cause I posted them at roughly the same time, and Remix is a very different flavor of fic?? I feel like it’s way more challenging though, because it’s taking every single episode and morphing it in some way to be different but still similar enough it could slide right back into the show. Also because it isn’t linear, i think it doesn’t really yell OPEN ME AND READ ME. But I am super glad that the smut drew more readers in lol I am working on some other prompt fills as well as the promp-a-thon stuff, I really hope you love everything. I am a soft and sensitive bean who needs love and support and validation.

WOW THAT WAS LONG, SORRY

Go on anon and ask me anything!

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! April 22 - April 28, 2024

This week's newest stories and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Burning Gold - by AppleBeryll; WIP, 3/?, 5.3k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Gray/Mary the Librarian | Marie, Claire the Farmer/Rick, Karen/Rick, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Kai/Popuri; Characters: Kai, Claire, Cliff, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Doug | Dudley, Rick, Popuri, Saibara, Karen, Mineral Town Residents, Gray Additional Tags: Slow Burn Summary: Claire seeks a new life, will mineral town be what she's hoping for?

just relax - by dolorosamina; Complete, 1/1, 9.9k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Rape/Non-Con; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Rock/Reader, Pony | Aya | Jill/Rock; Characters: Rock, Female Farmer, Pony | Aya | Jill Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to remain Safe for Tumblr. Please see complete list on AO3** Angst and Fluff and Smut, Body Worship, Breeding, Creepy Fluff, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Drugged Sex, Recreational Drug Use, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Exhibitionism, Extremely Dubious Consent, Facials, Feral Behavior, Forced Pregnancy, Mating Press, Non-Consensual Touching, Obsessive Behavior, Unhealthy Relationships, Oral Fixation, Overstimulation, Praise Kink, Reader-Insert, Bad Decisions, Teasing, Touch-Starved, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Unsafe Sex, Yandere, Biting, Dubious Morality, Hallucinogens, Aphrodisiacs, Coercion, Crying During Sex, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dirty Talk, Hair-pulling, Humiliation, Maledom, Manipulation, Marking, Mind Break, Non-Consensual Groping, Possessive Behavior, Pregnancy Kink, Scratching, Verbal Humiliation, Violence, Withdrawn Consent, Reader Being Somehow Dumber Than Rock, Rock Being Just a Little Bit All Over The Place, Rock fans don't look, Psychological Horror, Mind/Mood Altering Substances, Slow Build, (More Like Slow Boiling a Frog in a Pot) Summary: “Thought I’d, eh… teach you a few lessons on how to relax. Don’t mean to brag, but I’m kiiiind of an expert on destressing…” Out of the kindness of his heart, Rock graciously decides to play doctor to an overworked, sleep-deprived farmer. A story about friendships, alarm bells, and smashing the snooze button until they break.

Tumblr Posts for A Wonderful Life Characters - by actaeoncross; WIP, 45/?, 47k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Multiple Characters x Reader - Relationship; Characters: Cecilia | Celia | Seperia, Cody | Gordy, Daryl, Flora, Gustafa, Lumina, Marlin | Mash | Matthew, Muffy | Molly, Nami, Rock, Reader Summary: A collection of Tumblr posts for A Wonderful Life Characters x Reader prompts.

Daryl's Heart Events - by actaeoncross; Complete, 1/1, 1.6k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Character: Daryl Additional Tags: Heart Events Summary: These are my thoughts/headcannons on how Daryl's heart events would go if he was a bachelor. This includes his introduction events through the 8/Yellow heart event.

Sakura - by Moomieluv; WIP, 6/?, 11k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: Harvest Moon 64 Additional Tags: Friendship/Love Summary: A young woman taking over her grandfather's farm in Flowerbud Village forms relationships where she least expects them.

becoming home - by blushroomx; WIP, 2/?, 5.0k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Farmer/Muffy | Molly, Vesta/Flora; Characters: Takakura, Ruby | Lou, Celia | Seperia, Patrick | Pasaran, Nina, Romana, Lumina, Griffin | Gavin, Nami, Harvest Goddess, Mukumuku Additional Tags: enby farmer, takakura is gay, Everyone Is Gay, goddess lore, POV Multiple, Alternate Universe - Demons Summary: Forgotten Valley was always a secluded oasis inhabited only by the Goddess and her chosen creatures. But the Goddess' heart has a weakness for those who are lost, and over the years her home has become a sanctuary for nomads, wanderers, and those in need of a different life. However, the more people who come and go from the valley, the more the Goddess' presence degrades, putting the valley at risk to threats both spiritual and mortal. Ultimately, the goddess is fading, and once one is invited to her ancient pocket of the world, her magic threads through them, weaving into skin, bone, and spirit to enmesh them with the tapestry of her land. If the Goddess is not fully restored to the earth, it could cost Forgotten Valley's residents more than just their tranquil refuge - their entire lives could be at stake.

Fact and Friction - by actaeoncross; WIP, 6/?, 7.6k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, Animal Parade Relationships: Daryl/Pony, Cecilia/Nami mentioned, Gordy/Matthew mentioned, Rock/Molly mentioned, Gustafa/Lumina mentioned; Characters: Daryl, Pony | Aya | Jill, Forget Me Not villagers, Wizard Gale, Witch Vivi, Harvest King Ignis Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, Romance, NaNoWriMo 2023, Not Beta Read Summary: Struggling to come to grips with the death of her parents, Pony moves to Forget-Me-Not Valley. She tries to avoid being involved with sprites, gods, or goddesses, only to be drawn in against her will. Pony's only help to solve the disappearance of the Harvest Goddess involves three enthusiastic but not very helpful sprites and a scientist. She slowly learns that she cannot run from herself and to come to terms with her past and feelings—even those for the infuriating scientist.

Alternate Scenes for Fact and Friction - by actaeoncross; WIP, 1/?, 1.0k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Daryl/Pony | Aya | Jill, Celia | Seperia/Nami, Cody | Gordy/Marlin | Matthew, Muffy | Molly/Rock, Gustafa/Lumina; Characters: Daryl, Pony | Aya | Jill, Lumina, Gustafa, Rock, Muffy | Molly, Cody | Gordy, Marlin | Matthew, Nami, Celia | Seperia, Cecilia Additional Tags: Not Beta Read Summary: This is a collection of alternate points of view, expanded scenes, and extra scenes that didn't feature or fit within the main work for Fact and Friction.

Don't Eat Flowers - by Maymist; Complete, 12/12, 22k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Nami/Pony | Aya | Jill; Characters: Nami, Pony | Aya | Jill, Rock, Reader Additional Tags: Lesbian Character, Inspired by Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, Mentions of Other Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons Games, Blue Feather, Romance, LGBTQ Character, POV Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship Summary: The new farmer girl in Forgotten Valley attempts to give Nami some flowers to, er… totally give the hint that she's romantically interested in the very much reserved tomboyish red-head. Nami completely jumps to conclusions and misunderstands though, and that's where this silly romance begins. What kind of other madness will ensue?

At the bottom of the river - by FemboyCookie; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: M/M Fandom: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Rock/Sion; Characters: Rock, Sion Additional Tags: Fluff Summary: He couldn't be… trying to catch fish barehanded, could he?

[kirascottage]

thank you for taking the time and consideration to read! here i’ve gathered most characters i know how to write for, (mannerisms, personality, dialogue)

i want to say that i will not be writing every single request. all your ideas are probably amazing, but i might not want to write it as it may trigger me, or even just because i’m not really motivated or moved by the request.

please, please, please do not send me the same requests you’ve sent to other writers. i will definitely find out and truth be told it’s rude as fuck. authors work very hard to please as they want it to be as close to perfection as possible and they are not in the mood to be accused of stealing as i am not in the mood either.

please do not rush me and my writing. if you heckle me i will delete your request and write something else. i am a student and i cannot write 24/7. regarding nsfw content anyone is allowed to interact and request as long as i am not sexualized then i am okay with it.

i will most likely be adding more fandoms the more i write (shadow and bone, etc) when i have the time to watch them !

— fandoms i write:

— harry potter franchise

luna lovegood, james potter, sirius black, remus lupin, lily evans, regulus black, and marlene mckinnon (more tbd)

— criminal minds

spencer reid, aaron hotchner, emily prentiss, derek morgan, and luke alvez

— outerbanks

jj maybank and pope heyward

— shameless

mandy milkovich, lip gallagher and carl gallagher

— bridgerton

anthony bridgerton, benedict bridgerton and eloise bridgerton

— sex education

ruby matthews, maeve wiley and jackson marchetti

— euphoria

fezco and maddy perez (anyone else tbd)

— things i will not write:

student/professor romantic relationships, romanticism of cheating, teen pregnancy, nsfw involving children, m x m

no specified reader!!! no certain hair colour, skin, body, etc. i wanna make the reader as neutral as possible that way everyone can enjoy my fics.

i don’t write personal ships or about any of the actors

soulmate au’s

character x character

detailed self harm, eating disorders, detailed abuse, detailed mental disorders, suicide attempts, sexual assault scenes.

x male!reader (i’m not a male so i don’t feel like i could write from this perspective)

incest, rape, bestiality, obscure kinks and fetishes (ex. piss, scat, rape kinks etc), pegging, anal, age regression, non-con, cnc, dub-con, subspace, little space, daddy/mommy kink, fwb, cuckholding, polyamory, and period sex

older!remus or older!sirius in a sexual context.

— things i will write:

angst, fluff and smut

headcanons, blurbs and preferences

x platonic!reader (parental/guardian/sibling relation)

f x f & m x f