#THIRD EYE OPENED WOKENESS ACHIEVED

[lvrhughes]

Always Injured | A. Xhekaj

pairing: Arber Xhekaj x gn!reader

word count: 3.2k

warnings: injury?

summary: As the teams medic you see many players, but Arber most. So you make him promise one game to not get hurt, where he breaks the promise for a good reason

not my gif!

You being the team medic meant you saw certain players a lot, one of them being Arber Xhekaj. He was beautiful, anyone with eyes could see that, so blossomed your affection towards him. 

You loved him. As blunt as that, you fell for him and every time he’d come see you bloody and bruised it broke your heart.

Every practice for the last week Arber had been coming to see you, whether he’d actually been hurt or if he wanted to ask you questions. He seemed very interested in learning how to take care of himself lately, coming into your office just to ask more questions he hadn’t asked earlier. 

You gladly taught him and let him ask as many questions as he desired, loving the time with him, and when would you get another chance to teach an nhl player basic first aid? Probably never so you took the chance with open arms. 

“Hey Y/n/n” you looked up to see Arber at the door of your office, quickly noticing the blood on his nose.

“Oh God, Arber what happened?” you were quick to walk up to him, pulling him down to see if his nose was broken. 

“I got hit in the face with a puck.”

That was the third time this week. 

“You’re really unlucky this week, huh?” you teased, seeing a small smile cover his face. You had grabbed a clean cloth to wipe the blood away and just a bandaid, he hadn’t broken anything, just a small cut. 

“Sit.” you instructed, gesturing the tall man to the other side of the room where chairs and a bed were, he chose to sit in a chair. Making life easier for you, he sat in the shortest chair, allowing you to tower over him like he usually did to you. 

You wiped away the blood, seeing the way he melted towards your touch, and disinfected the area to put the bandaid on.

“Done.” you smiled, rinsing the cloth out before throwing it towards a bin of dirty cloths you had. 

“That’s it?” He sounded a little disappointed.

“Yep, unless you want to talk about something else. All you did today was achieve a small cut.”

“Do you got anything else you can teach me?”

You nodded before looking at the time.

“Arber, you should get back to practice, there’s still an hour left. You can come back after and I'll teach you.” 

He groaned but got up to go back to practice, but not before promising he’d be back after. So you spend the hour typing out any email you needed to, waiting for his arrival. None the less he showed up in your office 40 minutes after practice had ended. 

“Sorry for taking so long, I put my gear in my car too today.”

“It’s okay Arber, if it wasn’t I would've left already.” you laugh, he laughed at the joke too, still thankful you hadn’t actually left. 

The next two hours were spent teaching Arber about whatever he asked, seeing his joy when you told him he could try certain things on one of your dummies, and learning his mannerisms. You were so focused on him, the way when he was nervous his leg would bounce up and down and he’d run his hands through his hair, and when he was happy it was almost like he was always fighting the urge to bounce up and down. 

“Y/n?” you were snapped out of your gaze when his hand swiped in front of your face.

“Sorry.” you mumbled, a little embarrassment flooding you. 

“It’s okay,” He accepted and continued with his original questions. You had shown him how to try something on one of the dummies before letting him try, returning to your desk to watch. You didn’t mean to basically fall asleep, you wanted to watch him, make sure he had everything right but when you leaned your head against your arms you passed out.

You woke up by gentle shaking and a soft voice saying your name over and over. You groaned, despite how uncomfortable sleeping on a desk was, you didn’t want to wake up.

“Come on y/n/n, let’s get you home.” You opened your eyes to be met with Arber, about two inches away from your face. 

A little stunned you blinked a few times before sitting up, he backed slightly away. 

“What?” you asked, still a bit dazed from just waking up. 

“Let’s go home.” he was still gentle with his voice, not wanting to be too loud.

“No, I've got to catch a train or bus home,” you looked at the time to check, “the next one will be here in 20 minutes.” you deemed, sitting up more and stretching your arms.

“No, come with me, I'll drive you home, okay?”

It was such a tempting offer, be with Arber for extra time and get home faster, there were no cons.

“Fine.” 

So he drove you home, getting a little ‘lost’ to spend extra time with you. 

“Can I drive you to the game tomorrow?” 

You nodded too tired to think about tomorrow yet, so when you nodded he took it as a sign to message you in the morning to check that you still remembered and that he should walk you to your door before you fall asleep on the sidewalk. 

He got out quickly, walking over to the passenger side, opening your door, and gently helping you out. 

He’s so big yet so gentle. Your tired mind could only focus on that, how he was huge but so gentle. Until playing hockey, then he wasn’t so gentle. He walked you to your door, his arm around your waist. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You nodded again, reaching forward to unlock your house door, and bidding him goodnight. As soon as you made it to your bed you passed out, luckily, your alarms were already set. When the first one went off at 7:00 you wanted nothing more than to slam it off and go back to sleep, but you knew you had work. So sadly you woke up, turning off your alarm and checking last night's notifications. 

‘I’ll pick you up at 4 for the game:)’ from Arber Xhekaj, read on your screen. You barely remembered nodding at him but it was still slightly there, him asking to drive you tomorrow, you nodding in your sleepy state. So you answered him, just a simple ‘okay:)’. 

Now you had to figure out what emails and paperwork you had left to do today. There wasn’t much left, only about 5 emails left and a page of paperwork, so you were ready and waiting early. 

Arber was there right at 4, like he said, coming to the door and knocking, not prepared for you to answer so quickly. 

“Hi.” while waiting for Arber, you decided you’d make some coffee to go along with the energy drink you had that morning. Now you were bouncing off the walls. 

“Hi, you’re very awake right now.” he laughed, seeing your smile and inability to stand still right now. 

“I just made some coffee, did you want some?”

“No, I think I'm good. I’ve got my drink for the game and my hands full now keeping you away from any more caffeine.”

You giggled, following him to his car, skipping behind him. It wasn’t a long drive to the arena, but it was nice, you and him singing song lyrics together. It was fun then you had to get into the arena. Fans already outside and the parking lot filling up, Arber pulled into the private parking area. He led the way in, showing you the path where there wouldn’t be any fans trying to crowd you two. 

You bid him a slight goodbye when you trailed off to go to your office while Arber continued to the locker rooms, you set your monitor up to show the game while sorting through some papers you found lying on your desk. There was a small knock before Arber came in, wearing all his gear, to see you before the game. 

It was a short conversation, you pleading with Arber not to get hurt this game, ending with a hug and a ‘good luck’ to Arber right before he bolted from the room, seeing he was almost late to get on the ice. 

It wasn’t too harsh of a game, no one really intending to hurt anyone. No tripping, no pushing, it was almost too peaceful, you knew something would snap at some point, there was almost never a game this calm. 

You loved Arber, but god did he frustrate you. He didn’t seem to care in the slightest what happened to him and it drove you crazy. When the other team began shoving and tripping somehow Arber was always there, as if he intended to get hurt. 

When he dropped his gloves to fight you nearly lost it, having decided to fight the biggest player on the opposing team, it looked like an even fight. Arber got many good hits, but so did the other player, landing one square to Arber’s cheek, nearly his eye. Both their helmets were knocked somewhere on the ice, too busy hitting each other to care. When the refs got them apart Arber was bloodied and bruises were already forming, you didn’t expect him to be so hurt, he was a good fighter, yet tonight he seemed to have met his match. The other player didn’t look much better though, huffing when he was pulled off Arber, who he had pinned to the ice, and skating away to his team. Arber, still being led by the ref, skated over towards you, standing behind the bench. 

He let out a breath of air when he reached you, his figure visibly relaxing around you. That didn’t last for long, as soon as you had him in your office, you had him wishing he stayed on the ice. You paced around your office, he sat in a chair, head-down.

“How could you do this! Arber, I asked you not to get injured, just one game! I’m going to tell the team to bench you if you can’t stay out of my office, God Arber.” you took a breath, "I know you don't care if you get hurt but I do! I really fucking care if you get hurt!"

That seemed to really get his attention. His head shot up at you, his saddened puppy-dog look fading fast. The way his head-down sad look on his face switched to staring directly at you in wide-eyed confusion was almost head spinning.

“What?” he sounded as confused as he looked, it was almost enough to make you laugh, but your anger at the careless boy was stronger.

“Arber, I care for you. You can’t get hurt every fucking game and not expect me to be mad. For God’s sake Arber, I love you.” the words just slipped out before you could realize what you were telling him. His eyes lit up a little at the words, while yours widened in panic. 

“Shit.” you mumbled, trying to move on you began searching for the things you need to clean Arber up. 

You walked back to him, lightly grabbing his face to angle him to clean up some blood. You could feel the way he still melted against your touch, that was a little comforting. 

“Y/n?” His voice was quiet, unusual for him.

“Hmm?” you hummed back, still cleaning his wounds.

“Can I kiss you?” you froze in shock, letting your hands drop from his face. He took the moment of shock as the perfect moment to stand, leaving him towering over you again.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into him. You looked up at him, his eyes showed that he was still waiting for an answer, you nodded. 

He leaned down, your arms wrapped around his neck, tangling into his hair, you pushed up onto your tiptoes, helping lessen the distance. His lips were soft against yours, fitting against yours like a puzzle piece, the taste of blood lingering. You ran your hands through his hair until you had to pull away for air, leaning your forehead against his. 

“I love you.” he was the first to speak, sending butterflies through you.

“I love you too.” He smiled, he was practically glowing. 

“But let’s get you cleaned up and out of my office.” you giggled, pushing him back down into his chair. 

You took his hand, grabbing the cloth you had dropped to wipe his bloody knuckles. Walking away to grab other equipment, he tried to pull you back against him.

“Arber, come on here. Work with me, we’ve got to get you back on the ice.”

He groaned in response, letting you grab what you needed. Nothing was broken or fractured, but there was lots of blood. There was a little cut just below his eye, so as best you could for the awkward area, you covered it and the other cut on his face. 

“Okay, go back out now.” 

“Nooo” He whined, pulling you against him again, his arms tight against you.

“Arber, come on. Just another 20 minutes and you can come back.” 

His groan in reply, stated he didn’t like that answer.

“But I don't want to leave my baby.” He mumbled out, fitting his head in the crook of your neck.

“I’m your baby now?”

He just nodded, still nuzzling closer to you. You, after leaving him for a minute, pushed him off you.

“Go, go.” you shooed him out, his groans following him down the halls. You followed behind a minute later, locking your office and throwing the used items away or to be washed. When you made it back to the doors, Arber was still standing there.

“I thought I told you to go back to the ice?”

He just grinned, grabbing waist to pull you in for a kiss. 

“Needed a goodluck kiss.” he mumbled when he pulled away before pressing his lips against yours again. You pushed him back, making him whine in response.

“You're very whiny today,” you giggled, “Now back on the ice.” you pointed to the ice, making him walk onto it slowly. You followed behind, staying behind the bench while he sat down. 

You stood behind him until he was back on the ice to play, the other player back too. You had no idea what the other player said when he went up to Arber but clearly it was not good. The last fight had been fighting for the team but this one, it was personal. After those words the opposing player said, he snapped, lunging at him. Bringing him to the ground and punching hard, the other player trying to retaliate but being unable. The refs pulled Arber off the player, almost getting hit in the process and kicked him from the game. He stormed out, you looked to the coach, letting him clear you to follow him.

You walked into the change rooms, not bothering knocking knowing Arber was the only one in there. He was angrily shoving things in his bag, some of his things thrown around the room. 

“Baby,” you cooed, keeping a quiet voice, “what happened?”

He turned to look at you, his knuckles bloodied again and his eyes bloodshot. He practically fell into you, wrapping your arms around him to keep him up. 

“I love you, I’m so sorry.” he mumbled, leaving a bit of confusion to bubble. 

“What’re you sorry for, baby?” he left out a sob, it was muffled by your shoulder, that he had his head on.

“He saw us and he started chirping me for it, it was fine at first, his chirps were weak. Then he started talking about how you're so pretty, maybe he’ll take you for himself and-” his words were cut off by his own ragged breathing.

“Breathe, pretty boy, breathe with me.” you put his hand on your chest getting him to breathe in sync with you. 

“He said some fucked up things and i couldn’t take it. You’re too good for him, hell even me.”

“Hey, hey, don’t say that. I’m not ‘too good’ for you, I love you and I think you’re perfect for me so how does that make me too good for you?”

“You think I'm perfect for you?”

You giggled a little at what he took out from your words, but answered none the less.

“Yes baby, I think you’re perfect for me.”

He had a small smile on his lips now, leaning back into you to kiss you again. You kissed him until he calmed down, then you helped him put his things away. By the time you had all of his things away, the rest of the team came trickling in. On a high from the win, they were loud, partying and yelling. It made you realize why you never came in here, aside from this being where they all got changed. 

You and Arber were quick to leave when they poured in, letting them party and change without you two. You walked with Arber to your office, him following you in. 

“You can go home if you want, you know. You don’t need to follow me.”

“I want to.” was his answer, completely following you around your office as you picked up what you needed to bring home. 

“You know,” he started, a flirty tone could be heard in his words, “there’s no games or practice tomorrow.” 

You turned to him with a small smile, his eyes held a playful look when you caught them.

“What’re you implying I do with that information?”

“Stay with me tonight.”

He was so straight forward it was almost scary, but you loved it, but you knew you shouldn't. 

“Arber, I’ve got some work I should do an-”

“No, you can do your work at my place.” 

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“You can wear mine, or we’ll stop at yours and get you clothes.”

“I take transit home.”

“I’ll drive you.”

Fuck, he had every answer to every hypothetical problem you had. 

“Fine.”

He smiled so wide, you could’ve sworn he’d explode of joy soon. He picked you up with ease, spinning  the both of you. Giggles filled the room, the sound was angletic to him, praying he’d hear it everyday. 

The ride to his house was peaceful, filled with soft music and his hand laying on your thigh the entire time. He was quick to get out of his car when you arrived, running over to your side to pick you up and carry you in. He left kisses anywhere he could while carrying you in, making you giggle the whole walk in. 

It was a good night, you two had watched a movie, barely paying attention, too caught up in eachother. Later in the night he’d offer you a t-shirt and boxers to sleep in, his breath getting caught in his throat when you walked out in the pair. Realizing quickly he hadn’t yet confirmed you were yours, he asked you to be his, the obvious answer yes. 

The two of you slept peacefully in each other's arms, the best sleep of your lifes, as he said in the morning. The entire rest of the next day spent with each other, always touching, even while you finished work, he was always with you. Most of the time littering kisses on your body, wherever he could reach.

[itsjunear]

Hidden Feelings. Part 3

Hello everyone! Here is the last and third part. I'm sorry for taking so long, this time there are no excuses, I just ask for forgiveness 😭😭Thanks to everyone for the reblogs and likes ❤❤❤ I really appreciate it. I hope you like it, sorry if there are any mistakes, English is not my first language. I love you all ❤❤❤

Warnings: Mentions of violence, mention of misogyny, if you squint you'll see a slight mention of nudity

Psdt: I'll advance that it has a happy ending. I hate sad endings, sorry. There's a bit of anguish, but everything gets resolved.

Part 1 Part 2

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

By the Cauldron, perhaps my foolishness had led me to this situation.

Maybe I should have let Cassian or Az accompany me, after all, they knew their people better, and that would have avoided the whole mess I found myself in, knee-deep in crap.

I gasped for air as I tried to make my limbs obey, too tired to achieve any result. The cold pierced my bones, and I was sure I would freeze if I couldn't manage to move even a little. But everything hurt, my arms felt limp, my legs too weak to stand, and I could even feel my face starting to swell, bruises becoming more pronounced with each passing moment, and a stabbing pain in my side with every breath.

Where was Rhys? He said he would come to take me home in our last communication.

I tried to move a bit, flexing my knees with great effort as I groaned in pain, almost crying out from the ache on my right side, but only managed to end up with my face buried in the snow. Gods, it didn't feel so bad, it burned a bit, but the cold would help reduce the swelling. Immortal blood should already be doing its job trying to heal the wounds, but the pain didn't diminish in any way.

I closed my eyes as I tried to gather strength in my arms to push myself up when I heard footsteps approaching me. Then, my brain started working to alert me, and I forced myself to lift my head a little, assessing the threat. A tall figure, filled with shadows and wings, was running towards me. I almost sighed in relief when I distinguished Az's figure, getting closer and closer.

"Y/N" he shouted.

He knelt beside me, looking worried and as beautiful as ever, with his nose and cheeks flushed from the cold.

"What happened? By the Mother" His eyes scanned me up and down, assessing all the damage. He touched my face gently, and I winced when he brushed against my right cheek and withdrew his hand automatically, throwing an apologetic glance before icy anger took over his face.

Did I look that bad?

"I'm… fine, Az" I replied haltingly, struggling to speak but trying to keep the fog out of my head.

"Rhys said you would be here, and when he felt…" he cut himself off halfway through the sentence, gently moving me so he could bear my weight "I came as fast as I could, I'm sorry" his shadows swirled around us, restless.

"It's okay, Az. You're here" I repeated as I rested my head on his chest, allowing myself to savor the moment as I closed my eyes. He wrapped both arms around me, careful not to hurt me further, and enveloped us both with his wings.

"I'll take you home" he whispered lightly in my ear, and I nodded, unsure if he could see me or not. He gently carried me in his arms, and I buried my face in his neck, filling myself with his scent. However, I could feel his tense body, the anger he emitted was palpable even though he was trying to be as gentle as possible with me.

"I'm fine, Az, relax" I told him in a low tone. A little lie. Fatigue was killing me.

"You wouldn't say that if you saw the same thing I'm seeing" he grumbled.

If I could roll my eyes, I would have, but sleep began to invade me, and I no longer had the strength to argue with him. I was safe, and that was all that mattered. Az had come for me.

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

I woke up with a terrible headache.

Damn. I slowly opened my eyes, aware of where I was. In my room. Alive. I sighed and touched my face, pain-free. Good. I took a deep breath and sat up, feeling that slight twinge in my side again. I lowered my gaze and found bandages.

Great. I should have been healed by now. If they were just scratches, why was I still in bed?

"Because it weren't just scratches, you had two broken ribs and a contusion" Rhys leaned against the doorframe.

"Stop spying on me" I grumbled hoarsely.

He raised his hands in surrender and walked towards me, sitting beside me on the bed. "How do you feel?" he asked with a concerned voice.

"Like I've been beaten up" I simply replied, sighing "Cassian will kick my ass for this."

"I'd say he'll leave you alone until you're fully recovered and then drag you out of bed at dawn to train again" he replied with a gentle smile before returning to his distressed tone "You should have seen his face when he saw you unconscious in Az's arms. He was worried. We all were."

"I know, I'm sorry" I looked at my nails "I… I was ambushed and caught off guard, Rhys"

He took my hand, and I met his violet eyes "What happened?" he asked without pressure.

I knew he wouldn't force me to tell anything, but I wanted to, so I squeezed his hand in response and opened my shields to let him in.

I showed him everything. How I had to pretend to be a female who only wanted to drink until unconsciousness and how I had to flirt with other equally drunk males to get them to tell me something, anything. I showed him how the night before I had obtained information from an Ilyrian soldier about those females, how they had been killed, and why. When I almost vomited because their only justification was: "They couldn't be tamed anymore. We had to root it out before it spread to the others" as if they were just simple animals. And even when, in the middle of the night, I was packing my things to get out of that dump and several Ilyrians surrounded me, realizing I had been discovered. Every blow they struck me with, in the stomach, the head, the face, the back, how I felt pain everywhere, they had beaten me almost into unconsciousness as a warning, so that I wouldn't snoop around again, they had said. And the moments before Az found me in the middle of the snow.

When we returned to reality, Rhys's body was so tense that I could feel all that contained rage, so I just touched his arm in a gesture to calm down.

It worked, because he shot me a guilty look, and I raised my hand to stop him.

"Don't do that. This wasn't anyone's fault. You didn't send me there, I volunteered to go, and it just didn't turn out as we hoped" It seemed to calm him a bit, but not entirely, and I continued speaking. "Anyway, they didn't know who I was, maybe they suspected a bit, but they didn't have a chance to ask me"

Rhys shook his head.

"I haven't received any notification from the camp, you're probably right."

I nodded. "I'm fine, Rhys. This wasn't anyone's fault, it could have happened to anyone, even to you or Cassian and Az. Relax."

Rhys sighed before his gaze turned serious. "Azriel will definitely enjoy hunting them down."

I opened my mouth to respond when the shadow singer walked into the room with bandages in hand. A look of understanding passed between Rhys and he stood up from where he was.

"I'll leave you alone. Rest" he said before getting up from my side. "Take a few days off, nothing will be deducted from your salary." he joked with a small smile, and I laughed.

However, the laughter turned into a groan when that twinge attacked again, and I had to bring my hand to that spot.

"Majda said that in a few days you should be good as new, just with rest and medication, but it'll hurt until it's fully healed" Az said with a raised eyebrow.

"Great" I groaned again.

He walked to the bed and sat down, taking Rhys's place as his shadows roamed the room, one wrapping around a loose strand of my hair. I smiled and felt Az's intense gaze on me.

"I need to change your bandage" was all he said.

I nodded as I took off the oversized shirt that wasn't mine, probably his from the scent of cedar infused in it, when I remembered I wasn't wearing any underwear to cover my breasts, but honestly… it didn't matter, after all, he had already seen me vulnerable, bleeding, and almost dead.

His intense gaze never wavered from its target, which seemed to be me. So I let him do his work and just covered my breasts with the shirt.

"Thank you" I said as his hands touched me gently, hands full of scars that I loved so much, and I felt my skin tingling in every place he caressed "For coming to find me."

He looked at me and stopped. Taking my face in his hands, his hazel eyes filled with gentleness "You have nothing to thank me for. I'm sorry I arrived too late."

"Azriel, this isn't anyone's fault"

I shook my head, feeling my heart racing. It meant nothing more, Az was obviously worried, if the situation were reversed, I'd be the same. I had no reason to think this was something else, I wouldn't let my heart get carried away.

"I shouldn't have let you go alone, I had a bad feeling" he said as he leaned his forehead against mine, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

I shouldn't let him do this, how would I recover from this? How would I feel later, when I saw him with the beautiful and sweet Elain?

I blinked to clear my vision and pulled away from him. I couldn't… I just couldn't.

Az looked at me with hurt eyes, and his wings fluttered behind him the same way his shadows did, but he kept talking. "I'm sorry, truly. Seeing you there in the snow… By the Cauldron, I've never felt so much fear, and when you fell asleep…" He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up a bit "I was so terrified you wouldn't wake up again that…"

"Stop, Az" I interrupted him as my throat trembled and my heart ached "Don't say those things, okay?"

I couldn't let him continue talking. No. Because it would make me give in and tell him I've loved him for centuries.

"No" he challenged me, determined "Let me finish. I can't imagine… Seeing that I almost lost you made me panic because I couldn't imagine being immortal and living without you. And realizing that reality…"

"Az" I cut him off again as I grabbed one of his shoulders desperately and shook him slightly. "Stop, please" I let out a pained whisper.

I wanted to cry so badly, and I guessed his shadows sensed it because they ran over my arms as a form of comfort.

Azriel ignored me.

"I love you" he confessed then. "I have for a long time, so long that spending time with you was a sweet torture. You don't have to feel the same, I just wanted to tell you. I know we haven't been completely right for a few weeks, but we can fix it…"

"What?" my body trembled as I realized what he was saying, and the lump in my throat grew bigger.

He took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead gently. "I love you, I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you."

My heart, my poor heart that had been so hurt, filled with hope… and maybe… Yes. Maybe all of this was true, but… What about Elain?

"What?" Az's face filled with confusion. Damn, had I thought out loud? I sighed and realized I had already opened that door I had been so afraid to explore before.

"Elain… I've seen you with her, you know? You look comfortable with her, Az, and I don't want to get in the way…" I said without any reproach.

"Haven't you heard anything I told you before?" he responded with desperation. "I love you, only you. I'm completely yours." He sighed, and his wings drooped a little. "Elain is nice, I think she's great as a friend, nothing more. If I've spent more time with her lately, it's because I thought you needed space from me, because I saw you distancing yourself from me and I thought… Damn."

By the Mother. This was real.

"Do you love me?" was all I could ask, completely forgetting about Elain.

"I do. My heart and my soul are yours" he replied.

"Az…" I said his name in a sigh "I love you too, I have for centuries, probably since that time you ate the carrot cake I tried to bake and no one else wanted to try."

Az chuckled softly before leaning in and capturing my lips in a slow kiss, filled with years of longing, and the shirt that barely covered me left my breasts exposed as I raised my hands to tangle them in his hair. His lips felt soft against mine, and I opened my mouth in an invitation he gladly accepted, sliding his tongue in. I wanted to move a little more to feel him, but I let out a moan when that damn rib hurt me again. Az laughed in the midst of the kiss and pulled away.

"You shouldn't move too much yet" he said as he stroked my hair.

"I know, it's very annoy…"

"You look pretty good, actually. Rhys told me you're still not ready to train, but I think I'll see you in the ring tomorrow" Cassian's voice made an appearance in the room, startling us and interrupting us, so Az quickly raised a wing to try to cover me.

I let out a laugh that made me ache, and Cassian followed suit with a laugh.

Az handed me the shirt, and I put it on as we shared a amused look. There were still things we needed to figure out, but we would do it later.

Together.

@going-through-shit @isa1b2h3 @willowpains @mariahoedt @charlotteintumbleland @thebeautifulmysteriesoflife @otherworldly-creatures-blog @sirens-and-moonflowers @i-am-infinite @kalulakunundrum @jenniferpendragon @randomperson1234sblog @abysshaven @coolepowersthings @fxckmiup @boygeniuses10 @fightmedraco @prettylittlewrites

[bon2bonn]

Paper hearts PT.1

Lets go!🥊🌼

MMA!fighter!Max Verstappen X female!reader

Max verstappen X fem!reader

Words count : 1.3k

09:30 The buzzing audience held their breath as the third round rolled in , anticipating the movements of both opponents as they glide across the ring circling around before lunging to attacck .

He had the upper hand through the previous rounds , now defending perfectly before cornering his opponent delivering quick and brutal punches and kicks . Before spinning a 360° to aim a back kick that knocked him out . The audience roared as the referee declared it a K.O . The bell rang declaring him the winner .

The flashing cameras, the swarms of people congratulating him shaking his hands , clamping him on the back as he passed and chanting his name all fade into white noise in the confidence of the locker room , his team high on spirit all congratulate him again as he thanked them all for their efforts and support making a small speech a promise to more wins and more achievements to come .

getting checked by one of the medics as everyone was backing up or busy with their own thing preparing to celebrate yet another win , his father approached , not looking so pleased with his win , "that would've finished sooner if you didn't let your gaurds down the first round" . he huffed collecting his bag shoving his phone and wallet in getting ready to leave adding curtly "I had it covered" , his father replayed with great annoyance "it could have cost you the match" max just stared at him "it didn't, and if that's not enough for you" he raised the belt giving him a pissed look "this should be enough for you to get you off my back , and fuck off" .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

02:45 She hastly pocketed her phone , wore a hoodie , an old baseball cap , picking her shoes and tiptoeing to the window carefully , opening the latch and looking out the window for a minute or so , then she threw her shoes out making sure to not hit the overly expensive uniquely designed (ugly) birds statue's strewn across the garden , then she pulled herself out the window sitting on the ledge . The hight still gave her nausea , the third floor is not that easy to psych yourself to get down from , specially when your way down is an old piping system that she's totally sure is rusted out , but she'll make do with what she got , and that's what she got now so she reached to the pipe with one hand steadily sliding to firmly plant her bare feet on the sides of it , she counted in her mind then she pulled her Wight off the window and latched both her hands and feet onto the main pipe , sliding slowly down to the floor below, pausing every now and then to make sure it's still Holding and that no one woke up .

Letting an exaggerated huff as she finally reached the ground , putting her shoes on and making sure the coast is clear then climbed up the fence and made a run down the road heading north .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

03:15 his flight touched down , late flights are a pleasing when the airport looked almost deserted , finding a cap he gave the address leaning back , looking out the window at the lamp posts eliminating the empty streets , flashing as the car passed them . Closing his eyes for a second to ease his mind . Looking to the left he had a glimpse of a silhouette lying down atop the hill basking in the night sky view , and for the moment he wished he'd be in their place , to be content with just being out in the open fields . The car took a turn snapping him out ah his thoughts looking at his phone buzzing with texts from his friends and family but mostly from his father , rolling his eyes he switched it off throwing it on his Carry-on bag going back to gaze out the window .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

04:48 lying down with a pleased humm after she managed to climb up the hill , passing by the tall unkempt grass on the edge of the park right behind the line of trees framing the bond . The clearing of grass rolled on all around the hill reaching all the way to the old fencing of the highway exit , it's a long walk but the atmosphere is worth the effort , it's quite and calming , the air clear and cool against her face taking in deep breath exhaling it slowly in a relaxed manner .

The lights from the lamp posts on the road blended with the gleaming stars in the distance, the moon is almost full Maybe in two more nights it'll reach it's peak before fading out to nothing .

After a while she glanced at the time , cursing as she lost track letting her mind drift not aware how much time passed , she stood up walking back down the hill heading to a side entrance for a short cut instead of the main gate , waving at the figure sitting on a bench facing the lake as she passed by , speeding up after they waved back at her .

She stepped out moving in a fast pace close to a run crossing the street and going back .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

04: 50 he unlocked his front door taking off his shoes and hanging up his jacket greeted by his cats burring as he held them up scratching behind their ears as they Burred in content relaxing and leaning into his hold , leaving his bag by the living room entrance as he sets them down then watching as they padded away before going straight to take a quick shower , then to bed , falling asleep not a minute later.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

05:02 she climbed back in through the window , discarding her hoodie somewhere around her room , her cap going to the bedside table and her shoes kicked by the door , landing on her bed with a tired huff she tossed her phone on the carpeted floor below the bed turning to face the wall before drifting into a restless sleep .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

08:00 he's already awake , doing a warm up exercises and putting together a meal to start the day . Checking the kitchen to make a list for later , feeding the cats before grabbing his gym bag locking his door and heading out .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

08:10 she woke up after the third snooze alarm blaring out to get her to move off the bed , she was thankful for putting together something to wear the night before . Taking a quick shower, brushing her teeth and her hair before grabbing the day's necessary items putting them in her bag then heading out in a sprint , leaving in a haste she opted to get something to eat on the way .

Her first stop is Angela's shop . Giving the owner a warm greeting along with Marc who started working three weeks ago, taking the two separate bouquet's paying and thanking her again before moving to the next stop .

Turning the corner she pumped into someone, causing her bag and flowers to fall along with the stranger's bag , both apologizing while picking up their things apologizing again before she hastly went on her way .

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

He was about to go on his way looking down he found a single flower laying down before him , muttering quietly "it must've fell from her" , turning after picking it up to give it back , he only saw her back getting lost in the crowded street ahead . Looking down at it he decided against throwing it away , he held it gently adjusting the bag on his shoulder Before moving on on his way .

[tilebytiles]

star treatment - a.t. (part 2)

summary: there's a strange man named alex that has a strange obsession with you, and he makes the strangest offer of your life. word count: 3.2k warnings: none part 1

You had fallen asleep a while ago. The stars, although breathtakingly beautiful this far out in space, had eventually gotten tiring to look at, and your brain itched for something else. You were still too tense to talk to anyone else on the spacecraft, and Alex was nowhere to be found, although you doubted you'd talk to him anyway. With no methods of entertainment beyond staring out the window, you fell asleep rather quickly, your imagination conjuring up strange dreams about the hotel you were heading to.

The only thing that woke you up was the sound of rustling clothes in front of you. Drowsily, you forced your eyes open and your body to come up onto your feet. You were a little wobbly from trying to do so much so quick, but you regained your balance rather quickly and began to follow the journalists down the narrow aisle between the rows of seats. If there was anything science fiction films had taught you, you should have been floating through that rocket instead of walking. Your feet, however, remained firmly planted on the carpet, a fact that was rather disappointing. Floating would have been cooler.

The interior of the seating area was done in soft, warm colours, offering an inviting atmosphere. The seats were a navy blue with an off-white stripe down the center, and the walls were a shade of pink, something close to salmon, you thought. The floor was done in the same colour, but down the aisle was a red carpet. There weren't many seats, so the rocket could only house a group about the size of this one at any time. You didn't mind; the less people you had to awkwardly avoid, the better.

You realised the giant window at the end of the aisle that you'd thought was for stargazing was actually a port. As soon as you stepped into the giant see-through tube, you heard the door slide shut behind you, sealing you off from the rocket. You couldn't help but marvel at the empty chasm of space that surrounded you, as well as the moon that rested beneath you. From here, you could make out the complex building you were realising was meant to be the hotel. It looked futuristic and retro at the same time, an effect that wasn't hard to achieve; the architecture looked like the kind that was popular in the 70s, providing a sort of nostalgic feel, but it was sitting on the surface of the moon. This definitely wouldn't have been possible in the 70s (you could hardly believe it was possible now).

One of the journalists spoke up, shattering the awestruck silence. "He's a bit mad for doin' all this."

The journalist beside him shrugged. "It's kinda cool, though, don't you think?"

"Well, sure, but imagine having these kinds of funds ... and you waste it on a lunar hotel?"

You hardly knew Alex, but it made you feel a little uneasy to hear someone speaking ill of him. You wanted to speak up, but a third journalist beat you to it. "If anything, he's proving we can even do this kind of shit on the moon. It's better than some of the stunts billionaires have been pulling."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Miles," the first journalist grumbled. "Stop kissing his ass."

The journalist named Miles rolled his eyes, then glanced over at you. You hadn't even realised he was walking beside you. He grinned at you and held out a hand for you to shake. "Miles Kane," he said.

You slowly shook his hand. "Y/N L/N."

"You don't exactly seem like the reporter type. What're you doin' up here with this pretentious lot?"

You liked him already.

"Alex invited me," you told him. "I haven't really figured out why yet."

He nodded, seeming to ponder over the information you'd just given him despite it only being two sentences. "I'm sure we'll get along perfectly," he finally said, smiling at you again. "If any of these pricks cause you trouble, just lemme know."

"Thank you." You smiled back at him.

When you made it to the other end of the tube, the door in front of you slid open, allowing your party of prose into the hotel. Your eyes widened once you stepped through the door. The room you were in, which you guessed to be the main lobby, was absolutely gigantic - or at least, it felt that big. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the whole space with sconces mounted on the walls to light up the spots the chandelier couldn't reach. The walls were a warm, perhaps almost burnt, shade of orange, and the floor was made of lush carpet, the pattern almost hypnotising. Squiggles of colour stretched from wall to wall above a black background. The wall to your right, close to the door, held floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the moon and the stars in all their glory. To your left was the reception desk, the lift to its left and the stairs to its right. Chairs and tables were scattered amongst the space, providing plenty of spots to sit and rest. Mounted on the wall behind the reception desk was a flat-screen TV. You were impressed it could pick anything up out here.

Your group wandered over to the reception desk, and to your surprise, someone popped out of the door that had an 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' plaque, grinning at you all. "Pleasure to meet you!" he said. "Mr. Turner told me you'd be arriving."

Alex's last name was Turner?

"Hold on," the first journalist from before said, "you mean you've just ... been here?"

The receptionist nodded, still smiling. "We've had more than enough resources to last us, don't worry. And they're replenishable! But we can get into that later."

"There's more than one of you?"

"All the staff were busy prepping for your arrival. We hope you enjoy your stay. Let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. My name's Mark, and I'll be your guide for the tour today."

You admired Mark's genuine enthusiasm. Then again, you didn't think it'd be very hard to be enthusiastic about a job like this.

He came out from behind the desk and motioned for your group to follow as he headed for the open doorway across from the door you'd just come through. It opened out into a long hall, branching off into different rooms. "This is where the café is," he said, pointing to one of the sets of doors you passed by. "That's where you'll be eating all your meals, although your options will differ depending on the time of day. That," he said, pointing to another set of doors, "is the gym. There's all kinds of equipment in there, and it's completely free for all guests, so don't be afraid to stop by."

He continued leading you down the hall, pointing at different doors and explaining them. Connected to the café was a greenhouse that provided different types of produce, and it was available to guests ("take a tour or let the little ones learn how to garden!" he had said). There was a library, a laundry room, and even something like a patio at the very end of the hall, allowing you to get as close to the moon itself as you safely could.

When you came back up the hall and squeezed into the lift, Mark explained how the actual hotel rooms would be the last part of the tour; that way, you could all rest as soon as you got to your rooms. Your first stop was the very top of the hotel, where you could see the large hexagonal neon sign spinning slowly on top of its pole. They had built a pool into the roof, complete with a ladder to make getting in and out easy, a diving board, various chairs set up, umbrellas that you weren't even sure were necessary and bathrooms and changing rooms, the latter of which were fully stocked with robes, bathing suits and pool toys.

Heading down a floor revealed the hotel's partial namesake: the casino. The lights were significantly dimmer here than they were in the rest of the hotel, but they weren't so dim that you couldn't see at all. Machines had been pushed up against every wall and were lined up perfectly around the room. It was almost overstimulating, and you were grateful you left when you did, although the aftereffects of all the lights remained in your vision as colourful blobs for some time.

Your whole group was staying on the same floor. You didn't know if you were glad about it or dreading it. At least Miles would be nearby, you thought. He'd been making the occasional quiet joke to you throughout the whole tour, and you did your best to stifle your laughter to avoid dirty looks from the others.

"I'll talk to you later," he said, snapping you out of your thoughts. You hadn't even realised you'd made it to your rooms. His was across the hall from yours. You nodded and flashed him one last smile before unlocking your door with the key Mark had given you and stepping inside.

The room was lavishly decorated. You almost felt guilty for staying there for free. A four-poster bed stood tall, the frame painted a creamy white and the mattress covered in a white sheet. A thin fabric, something like lace, hung from each corner like curtains. The blanket looked soft, inviting, and after many, many hours of being stuck in a rocket and sleeping in a (albeit comfortable) chair, slipping under the covers and taking a proper nap sounded heavenly. You forced yourself to hold off on that nap, though, and continued your exploration of the room.

The overhead light was built into the ceiling, and upon discovering a small remote on top of the chest of drawers across from the bed, you realised the brightness could be changed. There was a floor-to-ceiling window built into the wall across from the door, offering yet another stunning view. The closet that was built into the wall rested to the left of the bed, and to the right was a small nightstand. In the closet, you found all sorts of clothes. At least there was comfort in the fact that no matter what happened, you'd be well-dressed for the occasion. Not far from the nightstand was a door, and when you opened it, you discovered the bathroom.

Ah, yes. It was about time you took a shower.

The water was perfectly warm, and the shampoo smelled lovely. Although it had only been a few days, you still felt gross for having gone so long without a shower; you guessed it was only because you were used to showering every day. When you finished getting cleaned up, you slipped into the cosiest pair of pyjamas you'd ever gotten your hands on and made sure to turn the light off before slipping into the unnecessarily fancy bed.

You wondered what Alex was up to. You hoped you'd see him tomorrow, mostly so you could thank him for inviting you in the first place. Although the concept of a hotel in space still felt a bit mad to you, you were beginning to realise it really wasn't as bad as you'd expected it to be. Maybe you were even a bit proud of him.

•••••

The next morning - at least, you guessed it was morning - you made your first trip to the café Mark had shown you. You had to admit, you were starving. Although you'd been given snacks on the rocket, they were exactly that - snacks. They hadn't been near enough to keep you full, and now your stomach felt like it was going to gnaw its way through your entire body if you didn't get something to eat soon.

A few of the journalists were already in there, including Miles. You headed towards the counter, where the employee behind the till smiled at you. "What can I get for you today?"

"Uh ..." You stared at the imposing menu on the wall, assessing your options. "Can I have the egg croissant, please?"

"Would you like a drink with that?"

"Water's fine, thanks." The employee nodded, punching your order in, and when the small number popped up on the digital screen sticking up from the till, your eyes widened. It was cheaper than you'd been expecting. You quickly fished your wallet out of your pocket.

Once the transaction was complete, you headed for Miles' table and sat across from him. He was scribbling something in his notepad, but when he heard the creak of your chair, his head snapped up. When he realised it was you, he grinned. "Hey, Y/N."

"Hey," you replied. "What are you doing?"

"Writin' down some notes for that article I gotta write. We've been here for less than a day, and I already have enough info to crank out a goddamn essay."

That made you laugh, earning a sideways glance from one of the journalists. It was the one that had been questioning Alex's motives before. You heard Miles scoff, prompting you to look back at him with a raised brow. “Trouble in paradise?”

He snorted. “Hardly paradise with that prick around.”

“Who is he?”

“James Schwartz, also known as one of the biggest dickheads on the planet. Old money - his dad runs the paper he writes for, and his dad ran it before that, and so on. Heard he’s in line for the throne.” He shook his head. “He’s willin’ to do anything for a story. Can’t keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, either.”

“What do you mean, he’s willing to do anything?”

He eyed you for a few moments, as if he was debating whether or not he should unveil James’ moral crimes to you. Eventually, he sighed, leaning back in his chair; so much so that the two front legs rose from the floor. “The best of it, so to speak, is that he flooded some poor shop owner’s voicemail until they phoned him back.”

“And the worst?”

His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze sauntered over to land on James, who’d put a pair of headphones on at some point and remained entirely oblivious to your conversation. Still, to be on the safe side, Miles’ voice lowered, forcing you to lean over to hear him. “He dated a girl, some model from Bristol. A couple of months later, she broke up with him, and then suddenly, her nudes were up on the Internet, free for all perverted fucks to see. He was one of the first to cover the story, and his article painted her in a suspicious light, spoutin’ some shite about how she shouldn’t have let anyone take such compromisin’ pictures of her. She quit modelling not long after. It was never proven to be him, but …” He shrugged and looked back to you.

Your stomach churned at the mere thought of what he’d gotten away with. “Surely someone questioned him?”

“If they did, he probably paid them to keep quiet. Either way-” He dropped his pencil onto his notepad. “-I would stay away from him, if I were you.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” you mumbled.

After your food had arrived and you’d satiated your hunger, Miles suggested heading up to the pool for a quick dip. You agreed, although considering you’d just eaten, you didn’t think you would actually do any swimming. This notion seemed a bit funny to him, and he even asked if you were chicken, but he didn’t press the matter any further.

Much to your delight, there were swimsuits in the dressing room, and you slipped into a black bikini on the off chance you hopped into the water. Wrapping yourself up in a plush white robe that had the hotel’s acronym embroidered into the left breast, you stepped out onto the pool deck. Miles was already in the pool, clad in a pair of black swim trunks and swimming from one end to the other, engaged in an intense race against himself. You plopped down onto one of the pool chairs and stretched your legs out, watching as Miles swam to the edge closest to you with a grin. “The water’s lovely.”

“I’d rather not get cramps,” you said, making him laugh. He playfully splashed water in your direction, spraying small droplets onto your calves and the chair beneath you. The water was cold against your skin.

You heard the entrance to the pool open, making you turn and look over your shoulder. Alex stood in the doorway, and when he saw you, he managed a small smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“I was looking for Miles.” He glanced around you and spotted the man in question, who offered an enthusiastic wave that was akin to one from a child. “Mark said you’d be here.”

“You should come join me, Mr. Turner,” Miles replied, assuming an exaggerated air of pompousness. “Have you even tested your own pool?”

Alex seemed to genuinely consider that question for a few moments. His hands slid down into his pockets, and his lips pressed together before finally parting to form the words, “No, I haven’t.”

And with that, he found himself in swim trunks exactly like Miles’ less than a few minutes later. It was the first time you’d seen him in anything beyond his perfectly crisp suits, and it also offered you a chance to admire his physique. His abs were lightly defined, as were the muscles lining his arms; the veins in his forearms protruded, as if all they needed was a small push before bursting from his skin; his legs had about as much hair as you could have expected, and there was a light smattering of hair across his chest. Draped over his chest, sinking into the dips of his collarbones, was a thin gold chain, the same one you’d seen him wear a number of times at the café.

Miles whistled, snapping you out of the spell Alex’s body had put you under. “She’s oglin’ ya.”

“Am not!” you protested, glaring at him.

He only rolled his eyes. “There’s nothin’ wrong with admirin’.”

You didn’t say anything, only crossed your arms over your chest. It wasn’t like you needed to respond, though; the heat that spread across your cheeks like wildfire spoke volumes.

If you were being perfectly honest with yourself - which you did reluctantly - Alex had always caught your eye. You mostly attributed it to the mysterious aura that he was always shrouded in, brought into existence by how little he spoke, how much he kept to himself, and the documents he primarily occupied himself with. Even if you now knew what those documents had been for, there were still heaps of things that remained locked away from you. For fuck’s sake, you’d learned his last name from a complete stranger.

In some ways, his mystery was a siren call, coaxing you in for what you thought might be your untimely demise. If there was anything the piles of romance novels in your flat had taught you, it was that strange men- especially rich ones- shouldn’t ever be trusted with matters of the heart.

As Alex lowered himself into the pool, though, you let yourself ogle for a little while longer.

[intimacyequalsdeath]

Will you be my Valentine? Sugar day 3 Charles Lee Ray

Welcome everyone to day 3! This if you can't tell was a very last minute event decision for me to make but none the less I hope you all are enjoying it! As usual a master list for easy access will be posted when the even is over.

Notes: Minors DNI, SFW, No specific descriptions of reader or pronouns are used, Y/N isn't used either. If pronouns do have to be used then the reader will go by they/them. This fic doesn't really follow canon with the timeline of when Chucky became the doll to make it work so just keep that in mind.

"So like, Do you need to eat still?"

"What?"

"I mean you're like a doll and all now, do you still need to eat?"

"Look babe, I've only been at this whole doll thing for like a week now don't ask me stupid shit"

"Have you tried to eat?"

Chucky sighs, a long, hard, overexaggerated sigh and pressing his small doll fingers to the bridge of the rubber nose on his new found face. He's propped up on a few phone books in your living room that help him to see the tv better from the couch.

"No. I haven't. Just cause I'm a doll now doesn't mean shit. I'm still The Lakeshore Strangler"

"Well maybe you should then. Valentine's day is coming up and I swear Chuck if you don't eat the dinner I make you for the THIRD year in a row."

"Hey I've only missed it the last two years cause I had to lay low from the cops."

"And who's fault is that? Maybe you should've been more careful"

"Well if you could actually know how to fuckin' drive. I would've been able to have you as the getaway driver"

You gasped in faux shock and placed a hand on your chest as you stared at him. A sly grin overtook the doll's face and he stared right back at you, ripping his eyes away from the television.

"I can drive!"

"Yeah, drive us off the fuckin road. Look babe not everyone is meant to drive"

"Charles Lee Ray! How dare you insinuate that I can't drive. Don't make me remind you of that time you almost ran us into a tree while you were running from the cops"

"Oh please that was ONE time. Plus we didn't actually hit the damn thing did we?"

"We almost did though, and that's enough for me"

"Yeah yeah, whatever"

He turned back to old school movie that was playing on his tv, it was a murder mystery go figure and you were almost 100 percent certain it was one of his favorites from when he was alive, well as a human that is.

"Can I dress you up for Valentine's day?" you asked after a few beats of silence.

"Can you do fuckin what?"

"Dress you up, ya know like in those costumes they have the teddy bears wear"

He shot you a deadpanned look, clearly unimpressed.

"No, stay the fuck away from me with any teddy bear dress up bullshit"

"But if you can't wear an actual suit for dinner why not wear a teddy bear one?"

"Who said I'm going to dress up at all?"

"It's Valentine's day! You have to dress up!"

"No the fuck I don't"

"Sure Chuck"

You remarked, standing up from the couch and heading towards the hallway to go to bed. You heard shuffling behind you as Chucky got down off his phonebooks to follow you.

"Your not puttin me in a fucking costume" He muttered from behind you.

"Mmhmm"

You opened the bedroom door and made your way to the attached bathroom to do your usual nighttime routine. Once you were done you made your way over to the bed that Chucky had already made himself comfortable in and laid down next to him.

"What color do you want your costume to be?"

Chucky sighed and swore under his breath.

"Do. Not. Get. Me. A. Costume."

"No Chucky, of course not Chucky"

Soon the two of you were lulled into sleep, or at least whatever semblance of sleep a possessed doll could achieve. When Chucky woke up the next day there were two things he noticed.

One you were obviously not in bed next to him and two was in your place on your pillow there was a dress suit. A suit that just happened to be about the size of a teddy bear.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Language Barrier (Yandere male x reader) p9

tw; blood, gore, insects, calorie counting, violence, body horror, general yandere shenanigans

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

I really pulled out the scientific calculator, pencil and paper for this chapter</3 (i mean i actually do stuff like that for all Language Barrier chapters, but this chapter is particularly egregious) but it was fun to fuck around with my research and logical thinking for this series, ironic cause this series is taking place in a nonsensical setting

thanx for reblogs and comments and messages <3 it do be keeping me going

as allwys no proofreadig <3 lower your expectations <3

masterlist

part 1, part 8, Part 10

You woke up to vigorous shaking. You had the faintest hope that everything was just one big night terror and you're being awakened by your spasming muscles.

You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut. The wind was slapping your face around, it's whistling loudly in your air and your hat is gone.

You tried your best to open your eyes, but the blinding sun hurts them, it feels like you're riding a rollercoaster of sorts.

Chittering...You heard fucking chittering. You pried your eyes open and gripped harder onto 2718's back.

You screamed when you saw the translator whack an insect away with her makeshift weapon, made from the Giant's bone. It nearly punctured the man's left feet if it wasn't for his quick footwork and the woman's brutal strikes. Your hair fluttered in the air, occasionally obscuring your vision.

You're unsure how fast 2718 is moving, but you're sure as hell that it isn't humanely possible to achieve. The translator is catching up, that means she's running at similar speeds. It made sense to you that she could do it, she's part cyborg after all. But 2718...

Your companion wrapped his arms tighter around you as he zipped past the worms shooting out from the ground, the translator is helping him clear the path around the two of you.

You noticed that her shoe has a hole. Blood was soaked around it, but her toes and feet are all intact. Interesting.

The insects didn't seem to target her though, mainly focusing on 2718's legs. This time, he's gracefully dodging them, missing by a mere millimeter.

You held on to dear life, feeling your soul leave your body when you felt those familiar tremors. Shrieking in horror upon seeing another three of them pop up simultaneously.

"Hey, shut up! We can't hear them!" Scolded the translator as she grabbed one using her bare hand. It squirmed in her grip pathetically before succumbing to its' death- by her hydraulic press grip. You pressed your lips together, hoping that you didn't accidentally lead the three of you to a certain death.

You watched her skewer its' carcass on the sharp end of her weapon. There was already two of them lifelessly dripping its' viscera down the ivory baton. Why was she collecting them?

Odd, if they can rely on hearing alone to detect the insects' position, why did 2718 need to open up his third eye?

You swallowed a surprised scream when she hurled one of her cadavers at you.

You squeezed your eyes shut and tried your best to duck. But before it would collide against your head, 2718 caught it.

You heard loud crunching and you felt his neck muscles moving. You tilted your head a bit to see that he shoved the entire thing into his mouth. His jaw was driving itself up and down to grind its' body to smaller, consumable chunks. Its exoskeleton ruptured and caused black goo to gush out past his lips. Some of it splattered onto you as it dribbled down his chin.

You gagged, having a full view of the translator doing the same thing. It was hard to watch, her mouth isn't as large as 2718's, she had to waste half a body. She wasn't exempt from soiling her clothes with dark sludge. They don't seem to be enjoying the taste either. They must be doing this out of necessity.

Her face scrunched up in disgust as she forced herself to swallow it. You were amazed that she went back to defend the both of you with no delay. Managing to impale another onto her spear.

You looked behind you to see the house rapidly approaching. Too fast, in fact. As much as you want to be home, you also don't want to be body slammed against it. You're not sure if 2718 is supposed to move this fast, at this point!

She hurled another dead insect at him. You sputtered when some of its' guts landed onto your face. 2718 shot you an apologetic look before continuing to munch away.

Suddenly, he pushed your head down and spun around. Your cries of confusion was muffled by his chest. But you understood as soon as you catch a glimpse of wood, the front door to his humble abode, being mere inches away from your eyeballs.

With a devastating crash, 2718 shot through the door. Splinters furiously flung about, shards of metal from its' hinges scraped at both of your skins, and the impact could be felt through him. However, his body absorbed most of it, attenuating the net damage done to your frailer form.

You heard a second clash a split second later, more chips of wood flew in the air and rained onto you. A heavy thud could be felt and heard next to the both of you.

2718 groaned in agony. Despite tasting blood as it spills from his mouth, feeling that his ribcage liquified itself in his chest, being physically unable to bend his legs, the first thing he did after recovering enough to move is to check on you. He hastily tucked his hands under your arms, propping you up directly on top of him. He is still laying flat on his back, on his decimated door.

You're obviously disoriented. You have a pounding headache and your nose is bleeding non-stop. He gently set you back down on his chest, closing his eyes and began chanting. Red stained his pearly whites and droplets of it sprayed all over you.

However, before he could make any significant progress, the translator thrusted another insect into his mouth. His eyes widened as he now tries to strangle her, but she plucked herself away as soon as it was secured in his mouth.

She crawled away, into a relatively safer corner to refuel herself too. She weakly ripped into the vermin and took her time to chew. 2718 is busy angrily gnawing on his share, so she loosened herself on the floor. Shiny mercury that was coating the jagged, translator-shaped hole in the wooden wall can also be found pouring out of her nostrils, eyes and mouth. As well as the area on her abdomen, where a broken glass pane is lodged within her flesh, forming a reflective puddle around her and where ever she touched.

The translator closed her eyes, coughing a couple times because her own... 'blood', went into her lungs. She needed a bit of time. This isn't just a mere nibble on the foot, this is a high speed collision, comparable to that of a major racecar crash.

Steadily, the silver liquids in their respective puddles began to vibrate. Then, slowly, inching themselves towards her. Rippling and ebbing, almost like someone directed a blow dryer against them. As long as she's not interrupted, it should be fine--

She cried out in pain as a boot drove itself into her diaphragm, forcing more of her liquid life out past her lips. The process came to a harsh halt, all unnatural movement ceased to be. She is back in square one.

The translator curled up into a fetal position, groaning, sniffling and whimpering. She glared at the man towering over her, letting his filthy, criminal blood drip onto her. You're unconscious in his arms as he carried you bridal-style.

He sneered at her with his blood stained, insect viscera covered lips.

The translator quivered in extreme pain, shakily cursing him to a horrible fate. Wishing ill will onto him.

2718 responded with his footsteps, growing softer as he head towards the bedroom.

She sobbed, her entire being was filled to the brim with hatred and anger towards the male. The translator clenched her jaw and balled her fist, she has nothing but contempt for 2718.

Meanwhile, 2718 stumbled outside. He used one of the wooden pillars as support. He pulled his boots off and threw it aside.

He rest a foot onto the sand.

Letting the insects come to him as he readied his daggers.

The man closed his two eyes, allowing a third one to open on his forehead.

Heart wrenching whimpers and cries woke you up. It sounded like it comes from the living room. You sniffled, grimacing when you felt something salty at the back of your throat.

You forced yourself up, it was a colossal task, as aches, bruises and cuts littered your entire body. You spotted the blood smears all over the pillow, gingerly tapping your upper lip with your finger, you found that you're still bleeding.

Using the walls and furniture as crutches, you made your way outside at a snail's pace.

You cradled your head, seeing the damage that the translator and 2718 caused to this building. It was severe, the door was blown off its' hinges. It was left in ruins on the floor. Another great hole was blasted through the window and adjacent walls. Inches of sawdust covered everything as if a blizzard has occurred in this very room. Strange, chrome liquid coated many of the wood piles, mostly pooling around the translator.

The translator! You rushed to her, plopping down to your knees. You shook her by the shoulder, trying to get her attention but avoid exacerbating her torment.

"...That bastard kicked me in the guts..." She struggled to open her eyes. "In the middle of healing, no less..." The translator hacked more silver fluids out of her throat.

You asked her what you could do to help.

Her finger feebly protruded out, pointing at something behind you.

You turned around to see her sharpened bone spear, it has one last insect carcass stuck to it.

You hurriedly picked it up, powering through the disgust as you used your fingers to pry its' corpse off the weapon. It was harder than you though, needing to muster all your strength to slide it off. Weirdly enough, its' exoskeleton felt velvety... You weren't expecting a centipede looking creature to feel like a 1970's car seat, you were expecting it to feel smooth. Like a shrimp.

That probably didn't make it easier for the both of them to stomach it.

The translator furrowed her eyebrows, you were taking a while to get her what she needs.

To her surprise, you returned to her with the insect crudely chopped into bite sized pieces. She was grateful though.

You looked away when she popped a sizable chunk into her mouth.

"Thank you..." She exhaled. Closing her eyes and letting herself relax on the floor.

You panicked, asking her if she's dying. You got no response from her.

You shook her again, not wanting to lose your only form of effective communication, no matter how dubious she may seem.

Your hands released her when you saw that her peculiar blood began slithering into her orifices. Even that on her clothes, it beaded out from the soft fabric and slid towards her nostrils.

You eyed her abdomen, there is a shard of glass. It looks like the blood was struggling to push it out.

You decided to help by wrapping your fingers around it, and yanking out of her body in one go. Some mercury sprayed onto you, it was scorching hot! You quickly swiped it away from your skin, you frowned when you see that it burnt your arm.

This made her howl, gurgling on her own metallic blood. She gave you a betrayed look, but upon seeing what you did, her hurt- emotional pain at least, washed away.

She now seem strong enough to stay conscious. All the liquid descended into her throat, she can now speak to you.

You asked what was the deal with these insects.

"Each of them are like... what? 4000 calories? At that speed that we're running in, we need those calories."

You asked how fast were the both of them running.

"About... 220 miles an hour. I know. It sounds impossible and you can't believe that you're alive after all... that." She weakly gestured towards the exit. 2718 is oddly no where to be found.

"We can do just about anything, we just need enough energy." She rested her hand on her stomach. She slowly turned to her side so she could rest on her back.

You asked how long you were asleep for.

"Ten minutes." Her hand stretched out to grab another insect chunk. She chowed down on it as soon as it touches her lips.

Ten minutes!? How far did the three of you travel from the lighthouse before the attack happened?

"Let's see.. six hours at about 2.5 miles per hour... 15 miles. Out of... about 70. That means we ran for the rest of it, all 55 miles."

Then... how many calories did they burn doing that?

"That jerk of yours is probably weighing around 200 pounds... He burnt around 7000 calories in 15 minutes-- not including self regeneration. I'm... 132 pounds, so I must have burnt like 4500-ish calories in that 15 minutes. But I needed another 3000 at least to heal my foot... oh yeah, they ate my foot. So I ate them." She snickered as she reached out to snack on the insect.

So it took 15 minutes... to complete a journey that would have taken 22 hours by walking. Goodness you.

Then, you asked her if she 'pulled these numbers out her ass'.

"No, I got some sensors built in. I'm part terminator, remember?"

Terminator... sounds like a pop culture reference.

You guess it made sense.

You asked if 2718 also has these sensors.

"I don't know." She swallowed her last bite. "I don't like him."

That's a given.

"I hope you'll be okay when I'm out of here. I'll try to check up on you from time to time, though. That is, if I manage to even see you without that asshole clawing my eyes out."

You nodded, also wishing her luck.

Then a question crossed your mind, where does 2718 keep his teleporters? You asked her that and she hummed in response. Not knowing the answer to that.

"At this point, I don't know if he even owned any. He probably conned me, what a prick." She grumbled.

That... could be true. You haven't seen him utilizing it aside from that one trip. Maybe he only gets them from his visitors.

"You got any more of these?" She lifted her meal up. "It's not enough, I need another... 12000 calories to fix my ribs, my failing organs, my fractured skull..." She trailed off. Seemingly too many injuries to list.

You scratched the back of your head. You can't hunt these your own. The kitchen's locked too.

You asked if she could drink the blood that's dripping from your nose. It's not like you can get them back.

"Hard pass. It's not going to give me that energy and it's gross."

You shook your head no, sorry. You don't think you have any more caloric dense food to spare... or any food at all. You then asked her where her backpack is.

As if on cue, her backpack slammed against her upper torso from a great height. Knocking the air out of her lungs and mildly resetting her healing progress again.

You looked up and behind you to see 2718. He tossed three insect carcasses onto her greatly weakened body. He crouched down, grabbing your chin and inspecting you for any other injuries.

He must be practicing his new abilities. Fresh blood streaked down his cheeks, but his eyes were clear and healthy.

You were alarmed by the amount of insect glop that he was coated in, it was much more than usual, as if he bathed in them beforehand. He left black, slimy footprints behind him.

You peered over his shoulder and spotted... a gargantuan version of the numerous vermin carcasses that he's carrying around his neck like scarves. Ink surrounded it and the porch, making it seem the cabin is in the middle of a stygian sea.

"H-he said that's the mother." The translator coughed as she heaved the heavy backpack off her abdomen. She took deep breaths before continuing. "Once you killed any of its' young, she will come for you, bringing its' hoard of children."

You estimated the size of the mother to be as big as a bus. Double decker.

He lets go of your face and gently pushed you in the direction of the bedroom. You resisted it and walked around him.

"He wants you to rest."

You don't want to. You don't trust him around her, 2718 might just kill the translator if you're not looking!

"I'm not telling him that." Said the translator. But she said something to him anyways.

To your utter surprise, he narrowed his eyes and left her alone. He didn't leave just yet, he offered his hand to you.

Naturally, you asked her what she told him.

"I said that you though that he was cool, and handsome, and hot-- and you want to see him do... things. I don't know, I'm too tired to think of a proper translation right now." She closed her eyes. Letting her head loll to one side.

"Have fun or whatever..." She drawled. Falling silent after that. She remained motionless in the next few minutes.

Your attention was brought back to 2718 when he took the liberty to grab your hand in his sticky ones. You squirmed, despising the feeling of bug guts on your skin. Nonetheless, you followed him outside.

For your translator's sake.

[sofasoap]

Lastochka - Part V

Pairing : Nikolai x F!Reader ( OC/Mini MacTavish)

Summary: Denials and road to healing.

Part I , Part II, Interlude,Part III,Part IV

MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of PTSD, torture violence, swearing, Mature theme.

I apologise if any depictions of symptons and military procedures might be incorrect.

Thanks to @homicidal-slvt for planting ideas into my brain. this whole series is all for you :)

My usual thanking @saltofmercury, mother of Mini, for lending me the character :) Please go and check out her fics!

“masterlist” for Mini MacTavish expanded verse.

Your physical injury healed up in no time, but mental scars lingered. 

First night back, he found you curled up in the corner of your room, sobbing away.

Second night, you woke up screaming, pleading the invisible enemy to stop the torture. 

Third night, he woke up, finding you not in bed, but wandering around outside the building aimlessly, totally drenched with the heavy rain pouring down. 

Night after night, Nikolai was there to soothe you, to reassure you. It breaks his heart to see how his little swallow has broken her wing, struggling to get back up. 

At the end, they decided it was best for you to leave the team. 

You panicked. You don’t want to be apart from your military family who has become such an integral part of your life.  

“Staying here isn’t helping you with healing Mini.” Soap tries to reason with you. 

“YOU GUYS ARE ABANDONING ME!”  you screamed. “ You should have just left me there to die if this was the case!”

Soap took a step back. Hurt is clear on his face. 

You stormed out of Price’s office, ignoring the calls and pleas from him and your teammates. Nikolai followed you back to the room. Calling out after you. Stopping just in front of the door, not daring to turn around to look at your husband,knowing you will start to break again if you face him. Clutching onto the dog tag and wedding band sitting underneath your shirt, you whispered a word of apology before shutting the door on him. 

Deep down , you know very well in your state of mind, you need to step back. You know you needed help. 

But the stubbornness inside of you refuses to acknowledge it. You were in a state of denial.

You closed yourself off in your room. Not even Nikolai’s begging and pleading could get you to open the door. You felt betrayed, Haven’t you done enough to prove yourself? What would you do after you leave? Going back to your parents? That will make you feel like an absolute failure. They weren’t happy when you told them the plan of following Soap into military life. They were hoping you would have stayed home and took over the family business. The headstrong impulsiveness of youth ignored their plea, with Laswell offered a chance to join the force, you grabbed the opportunity.  You gritted your teeth and bare through all the challenges and ridicules from the non-believers, to reach what you have achieved today, seeing it all crumbling apart, you feel like everything you tried achieved up to this point is totally worthless.

At the end, it was Ghost that eventually got through to you. 

“Let me go talk to her.”

He could hear you sobbing on the other side of the door. Knocking on the door few times, calling out to you, “Mini. It’s me. Come on.”

“Go away.”

Ghost looked at Nikolai, silently getting his permission, before using the spare key to open the door.  

He slipped into the room through the slight gap of the door, before gently closing it. There you were,curling up in a ball on the floor, clearly exhausted from all the crying. 

You felt a shadow and a body sat beside you. Opening your eyes, you were shocked Simon was sitting there, free of mask, looking down at you with a sad smile. 

“Can I tell you my story?” 

What seems like hours later, Ghost opens the door again, indicating to Nikolai that he can go in. Before Ghost left, Nikolai grasped his shoulder, muttering out his gratitude.

“I just want to help my precious sister get back onto her feet.”  With that, he walked back towards the office area, where everyone awaited. 

“Ненаглядная?” 

You latched onto your husband as soon as you heard his voice, apologising again and again. Guilt is eating you up now, Nikolai has nothing but being patient and supportive, and yet you kept pushing him away.

“I don’t deserve you Nik.” 

Holding you tight against him,while caressing your hair, “Nonsense.” Kissing you on the temple, “ You deserve everything in this world, my little bird.”

You started seeing the Military psychologist, agreeing at the end it would be the best if you step back from the front line until everything stabilises.  You were relieved that you were given a lifeline, another chance. 

“Going home?” Soap was surprised you actually brought it up yourself, he did initially think of sending you home back to your parents’ farm in Scotland for a while for you to get away from things that remind you of the terrible incident. 

Nodding your head. “I think it would do me some good, the psychologist said so as well.” Stirring the cup of tea, “ They will refer me to a specialist I can see regularly for sessions while I am back up there. Besides, this might be a good time to tell mum and dad about Nikolai.” You sheepishly admitted.

Soap gave you side eyes, “ Yes, let’s talk about that.”he huffed, “I am not happy you kept us all in the dark for a long time.”

“Captain knew about it. Well, at least I THINK he knew about our relationship.”

“Nik really dropped the bombshell at a great time I tell you. “ Gaz barged into the conversation while reaching over your head to grab your famous chocolate biscuits from the table. Settling himself to sit on the other side of the table, munching on two biscuits at a time. “You two really kept us under the wraps for a long time.” 

Pushing a piece of tissue underneath Gaz’s mouth for him to catch the crumps, “Well it was hard… he wouldn’t stop flirting with me while I try to keep a straight face about it.” Why are you talking about your love life in front of the boys? And when did Ghost appear and start listening in on the conversation? This man might be large, but he can really sneak around like a ninja.

“It’s hard not to get distracted when there’s a beautiful Goddess around you all the time.” You jumped slightly as you heard Nikolai’s voice appearing behind you. Groaning and covering your now burning face with embarrassment, you are pretty sure the chances of you dying from bursting your heart one day instead of being shot at by enemies if Nikolai compliments you with his flirtatious and flourishing words all the time. This man will really be the death of you literally one day.

“Take your lovey-dovey-ness somewhere else.” Soap grumbled. 

“You are just jealous.” “Am not.” 

“You are welcome to come back anytime when things settle Mini.” Price commented as he gave you a hug as you stood in front of the barrack, all packed and ready to leave. “I am sure Laswell and I can pull a few strings around when you are ready.”

“Thank you for everything Captain.I am sorry to cause such havoc.” You hugged back and apologised. Price had looked after you from the get go, treating you as an equal like any soldier, not caring about your background, also looking after you like his own.  You really owe him a lot.

Turning towards his friend, Price shook his hand and gave him a good slap on the back, “Good luck on meeting the parents.”

“I am sure my Russian charm will win them over very quickly.” Nikolai laughed.You rolled your eyes, his optimism and ego never cease to amaze you. 

Your parents certainly had the shock of their life when you came home, admitting to them about your ordeal, and introducing your new husband at the same time. 

“I was hoping you would marry a good Scottish lad..” You heard your Da mumbled and your Ma kicked him on the shin. Nikolai took it all in a good stride. 

Nikolai won your Ma’s heart quickly with his charisma and sweet words. Your Da was harder to convince. Until Nikolai brought out a few bottles of Scotch and Vodka.

“Where did you get these from????” Being the daughter of the owner of a distillery, you know a rare vintage when you see one.

“Soap and I found it last time we went… exploring.” Nikolai didn’t elaborate any further. You had a fair suspicion where it might be from, but you don’t want to know the details.  The way your Da’s eyes glinted when he saw the bottles, your Ma reassures you as she pushes you out from the sitting room everything will be alright. 

It was well past midnight when your husband crawled into bed with you.

“Mission successful?” You wiggle towards him, playing with his gold chain as he pulls you closer.

“He was harder to break through than Soap,  but with a few drinks down, he was asking for a grandchild as soon as possible.”

“Oh hell. I knew this was going to happen. They had no success trying to hassle Johnny and now they are onto me…” you groaned.

You felt Nikolai’s chest vibrate as he chuckled. “You don’t want any?” his hand slides underneath your night shirt, running it up and down your back, sending shivers down your spine.

“Eventually?” Your priority now is trying to settle into new routines, get yourself better mentally, but having a family isn’t out of the question. You wouldn’t mind seeing a few little Nikolai running around, playing with their dad, uncles and aunty.

“Why don’t we get some practice sessions now? Mmm?” he whispers into your ear as he starts grinding his now semi-hard manhood against you.

This is going to be a long long night. 

You are glad that your room is way on the other side of the estate. But you are not happy you had to walk, slightly limping the next day to the otherside of the house for breakfast. 

Ненаглядная - precious

Tag :

@roosterr @preciouslittlecreature

@boughhs

[evermorethecrow]

I start my day with a set amount of marbles in my head but every hour I lose one and right now I'm low on marbles and high on the joy and whimsy one may associate with wakefulness, no I haven't gone woke I've awoken my third eye and I'm using it to look into your devices and examine your unfinished wips. No one can stop me because am a liar and a fiend of sorts and friend to many. It's 11:56 pm and another marble is about to drop

Oh free my harrowed soul from this wretched body and let my spirit feel what I never could quite grasp

The sense of wonder that does so divide us from common man and does so place us upon a silver plate dished out and presented to anyone willing to lift the lid

Anyone so willing may be as unwilling as me, the person tied to the platter, their body may move on it's own victim to human curiosity born from a lack of paranoia which was achieved from high headed horses beliving themselves impenetrable and solid crafted by the gods themselves or the people before them depending which way you believe

And ah is believing so human

Belief in life and death and the sun and the stars and the tide and breeze and any other word that has been cut and rised dry by the starving poets of the world

And as I do not consider my words much beyond a ramble for anyone willing to hear and interpret I won't state many opinions instead I shall hold my tongue and ears and eyes and fingers and thumbs and any other aspect of my personal anatomy- of which I can live without

It is, after all, not the shell that makes a human or the flesh underneath but the thought and dictatorship of the mind

A human gets moved to a computer in science fiction and it is said they have been trapped, not that they are not human. So I'd say no matter the body it's the mind that makes a person but I may be unknowing

After all it's my opinion and a debatable one at that. Unfortunately I am not open for debate right now perhaps try again tomorrow

[mvnicagellers]

I used to eat up romance books to fill my loneliness, trying to dull the pain because I never felt truly loved - and this included friends and family - out of someone's free will: not because I was born from them and now they felt obligated to take care of me and try to love me, or because once we got close they realized they didn't like me that much but it was too late to drop me. I read those books because I wanted to know what it felt like to be someone's favorite person, and not the second (or third) choice. You see, I did have friends, but they were always my best friends, while I was never theirs even if I tried to do everything to please them. Don't get me wrong, I did those things because I loved and wanted to make them happy, but also in hopes that one of them decided that I was worthy of love. Books gave me a bit of hope. "Well, if these characters can be loved, maybe one day I can be loved too."

I think I didn't hate my appearance on most days, but I surely was hyperaware of it. And this is embarrassing, but sometimes I practiced dialogues I knew would happen the next day in the mirror to see if I would look ugly while talking, and what facial expressions suited me best, because I was desperate not to be seen as unattractive.

Perfection was always my goal, especially in work and academia. I recall feeling so out of place my first semesters in college. Everyone had read so many authors, they knew so much and I could only think "I'm never gonna make it". I was terrified of being behind on things, of not knowing enough. My biggest fear was not being able to develop a good research project when the opportunity came - if it came.

I was afraid of everything, everyone and mainly of myself. The world seemed so big and ready to shatter me to pieces if I took the wrong step, like I could fall off the tightrope I constantly walked on at anytime.

And I did. I fell right into the arms of my biggest fears. The fear of opening up, of being truly known by someone (and expecting they would run away as soon as showed them all of me), of talking a bit louder and trying to make connections, of putting myself out there even if the possibility of failure scared me to death.

I wish I could give that girl a hug and tell that it was ok to afraid. I wish I could show her how it all turned out, that in the end she gets everything she longed for since she was a child. I wish she could see how this morning I woke up next to the most handsome man in the world, holding me like he always has, through the good and the bad. How he makes me feel appreciated and beautiful even without makeup, how he finds my body gorgeous and on days I can't see it, he loves it until I'm able to. How smart he is, the way his eyes light up while talking about what he works with. How heart warming it is to watch it. Yes, please explain the world to me, I would love to learn everything about it with you. Even if I already gave you mine, with the certainty that you are never going to shatter it, because you taught me to trust again. I want to tell her how he supports me through everything, how he doesn't let me doubt myself not even for a second. How he believes in me. How I believe in him too, how this man can achieve anything he wants to. And I'll always be on the front row, clapping and bursting with pride, just like he does for me. How he kisses me until I forget my name, loves me so damn good there is not a single doubt our bodies where made for each other. I wish I could tell her we found love and it is so much more than she could have expected.

That girl should see how after waking up with him, in my beautiful apartment downtown, with simple yet elegant decor and a window that shows me all the city lights every night while my baby holds me, I head to work in the university she has dreamed of teaching at. How I'm a incredible professor. How it was so worth all those restless nights, because I was able to develop that research project I dreamed about since high school. How that grew into a more complex version for my master degree, and how I can call myself a doctor now because she didn't give up. How I still do research besides teaching, and my job fills me with so much joy and excitement it still feels like a dream sometimes. How we are learning more and more every single day, the absolute pleasure I get from it. I want to show her that thrill, the feeling of almost combusting from happiness and curiosity after connecting the dots, is still here. That it has unraveled a whole new world to me, and I have all the possibilities to go further into it. She should know that my old teachers are now my colleagues, and we even partner up for projects. I am 100% fullfilled in not only doing what I love, but being succesful at it.

I wish I could tell my younger self she is safe. That I still read those books, but not wondering when it is going to be my turn. Instead, I read them and can finally understand what it feels like. I get what the characters meant by the butterflies in their stomach, because I get them every single time I take a look at my life now.

-The kind of thought I will have in a few years.

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: You Always Meet Twice

Link to ao3

Chapter 48

Morrie travelled to Barrow Holm in the fastest pace he could manage while always looking out for a certain rockstar. Like this, he reached the holm's village in the evening. As soon as he spotted it from afar though, he approached it more carefully. He had no wish to enter it, only the thought of Nick brought him here. He sneaked around the village and kept his distance to it's walls and barricades. He hoped to catch a glimpse at his rockstar, but the surroundings were empty. Chatter and laughter echoed through the alleys of the village, making him feel even less invited to go inside. He comforted himself with the thought that if Nick was in there, he would be safe. He also concluded that he had to check the outside first.

Morrie searched the ruins around the village. He still knew them all since this small holm had been his home for a long time. Because most people were drawn to the village, it was unlikely that someone lived in the ruins. But Morrie had to be sure. Nick could be hurt. Could've climbed something and fallen, broken a leg. He knew how bold the rockstar was. In the end, all houses turned out to be empty and again, Morrie had to convince himself that this was a good thing.

When it became too dark to go on, Morrie went into the third floor of one of the houses and looked at the village through a hole in the wall. The Wastrels closed the gates at night, but there was still light in the church. Morrie caught himself listening for a certain voice. He didn't hear it, but he assumed it was impossible at this distance anyway. Later, he found the first lights move along the roads and scrunched his nose. Headboys on patrol.

Somehow the villagers had achieved an unspoken agreement with them. He couldn't remember them being a problem in Barrow Holm, even though their very headquarters sat close. For some reason, this holm became a refuge for both Wastrels and Headboys. Morrie assumed it was because most people stranded here first.

He idled at his overlook until he accepted that the day was over and he couldn't do anything for Nick now. After choosing one of the three beds and lying onto it, he immediately missed his own. Still, he drifted into a restless sleep with quickly changing, strange dreams. He wandered through an endless landscape, looking for Nick and every time he got closer to a shady figure, something jumped in the way. He was about to climb a rock but tripped and fell. That was when he woke up.

The sun was already rising, but the villagers hadn't started the day yet, so Morrie made himself a fire and ate from the supplies he had brought. He finished them quickly and then he had a lot of time to think about how the meeting would go. Morrie told himself to get straight to the point. He only needed to know where Nick lived now, nothing more. And when he'd finally meet him, he'd hand him all his belongings and leave, knowing that everything was alright. He played the scene in his head multiple times until he finally heard the gates open.

A few Wastrels went outside, either doing something useful or strolling and pondering, lost in their own world. Morrie waited for them to pass before he made his way towards the gate. On the way, his eyes fell on the sign that listed all the rules. It made him muse about the many times he had broken the rule concerning the past. He had been an absolute wreck back then.

Nick had done a better job, right? But wait... he had also tried to talk about the past. And without knowing it, Morrie had taught him the same rule. Because it was true. The past only made trouble. If Nick had been quiet... Morrie shook his head and ripped his gaze away from the sign. Mourning didn't help.

He forced himself to go on, following the street into the village, along the ruins. Some of them were empty, some of them inhabited, but they all looked alike and Morrie wondered how many Wastrels were already watching him approach.

At the end of the road, there was the old marketplace in front of the church. People sat around a fire and seemed to have a moderately good time. When they noticed the visitor, they stared at him. Morrie was most frustrated by the lack of rockstars in this group.

A woman jumped up and ran towards him, scanning him in disbelief. “Morrie! Holy shit! We thought you're a goner! Were have you been?” She stretched and put her hands on his shoulders. “My, you're big and strong now!” Morrie backed away with held up arms. “I...I'm looking for someone...”, he stuttered, overwhelmed by the sudden welcome. “That's it? You came back from the dead, just like that?”, a man shouted. “Where have you been? And why did you leave us? Didn't you hear it's dangerous outside?”, the others added. “Give him a break. He's confused!”, the woman came to help him.

“Uh...”, Morrie tried again. “I just meant to ask...Did someone new come here lately?” “Yeah, actually, two guys. Why? You know them?” “Only one...His name is Nick...” The Wastrels looked at each other and Morrie didn't like their expressions. “Nick who?”, the woman asked. “Er...he didn't say his last name...” Morrie broke out in sweat. He had forgotten how weird he'd came across. “He had brown hair...a red suit...” More suspicious looks followed. “Come on, did you see him or not?”, he shouted at them. “He's crazy”, a man said and waved a hand in front of his face for emphasis. “And I thought he'd make it.”, someone answered, sounding very disappointed. “His past got the better of him.” The group began to lost interest in Morrie.

He didn't give up. “Where are the two new guys?”, he asked the woman. She gave him a pitiful look, bit her lip and answered: “They're living in the house left from the phone booth.” She pointed at the direction. “But no one of them looks like a Nick.” Because Morrie was about to run away, she grabbed his arm to stop him. “Morrie...” “Nancy...”, Morrie muttered. “I'm not crazy, okay? I'm looking for a real person with coincidentally familiar features. And it's urgent!” He ripped himself out of her grip. “He's not here. There's nobody with that name or fitting that description. We would remember him.” Morrie assumed that Nick could've changed his name. Then he realized that he wouldn't. Not him.

“You wouldn't lie to me, right?” “Why would I?” Nancy's wide eyes told the truth. “Why do you think he's here?” “He knows the way...And he was curious about this place and...” Morrie blinked. “Well, if he's here somewhere, there's only one person who would know...” Morrie pressed his eyes shut. “Yeah...I hoped I wouldn't have to...” “He's creepy, yeah...But very helpful.” Morrie straightened himself. “Alright. He's my last chance then.” “I guess this is goodbye again?” “It's better this way.” Morrie quickly turned around and hurried out of the village without looking back. He had no reason to stay. He needed to find Nick.

He knew the way to the damned place and the thought of finding the clumsy rockstar pushed him forward. When he entered the building, he noticed that it was still as inviting as always. What made him think that a bone saw was a great piece of décor? Even if he'd probably, hopefully won't use it. It went great with the other medical instruments, though. Great to make one turn at their heels and run away. The smell didn't help either. But Morrie clenched his teeth and knocked at the door to the office.

“Come in”, said the familiar raspy voice and Morrie went inside. There, the smell got worse. The room was barely illuminated by the barricaded windows. A few orange candles fought the darkness. He had always had a knack for drama.

There was a massive mahogany desk with golden ornaments - a decadent piece of glory old times - and he had crowded it with even more creepy instruments. Morrie didn't want to know their use. But no matter how massive the desk was, it didn't compare to the man sitting behind it, who had been reading a book and now straightened himself to look at his patient. He towered above him, with his dirty raincoat, supposedly full of blood stains, his uncomfortably clean white face mask with a false, wide sneer, baring his teeth and the strange glasses that hid his eyes. The Plague Doctor.

He fixated his gaze on Morrie and sucked in the air. Morrie froze at the door, horrified. The man sniffed him! I didn't take my Joy!, his panicking brain shouted. I am a Downer! Morrie expected the doctor to run at him with a bone saw.

But the doctor relaxed and chuckled quietly. “Apologies, Mr. Memento. It's an old habit of mine. I just can't let go of the past as I should. You too, Mr. Memento? I assumed you live somewhere in Eel Pie Holm now. What brought you back? Not some infectuous disease, I hope?” The doctor folded his hands and somehow, his grin widened even more. His excitement was palpable. “I'm healthy”, Morrie answered, noticing the disappointment in the doctor's expression. When he approached the desk, he wondered if he should sit down on the padded chair that was just as flamboyant as the desk. He rather remained standing. He felt small enough.

“I'm here because I'm looking for someone.” “Straight to the point as always. I like that, Mr. Memento. Your request is very interesting as well. People here don't seem to seek anyone's company. Tell me more about this person.” Morrie gulped. He hated to be so thoroughly scanned. But he could only blame himself. He had been an open book back then, not only to the people in the village. And considering who he was looking for, he risked to sound crazy again.

“His name is Nick...” Morrie began and simply sensed the doctor's reaction. “I know what you're thinking, but this is different, okay? He looks a lot like...he dresses like...and he's aware of that and he calls himself Nick Lightbearer.” Silence ensued. Morrie avoided the doctor's gaze, not that he knew where the man's hidden eyes looked at anyway. “Nick Lightbearer, you say...”, the doctor rasped quietly. “A man like him shouldn't be hard to find...” Morrie's heart sunk. “You mean, you haven't seen him?” His greatest nightmare appeared to come true. “Not so fast, young man. I might've heard of him, yes...I see a way...” The doctor folded his hands again. He looked like he muttered to himself rather than talking to Morrie.

“Where is he? Please, tell me, it's urgent!” Morrie had no patience. To answer, the doctor slowly turned his eerie gaze back to him. “You know, usually my patients are very thankful for my help. They offer me a gift in return. The lack of Sovereigns doesn't mean we can't help each other out.” “I...I'm afraid I don't have anything with me...” Morrie inwardly scolded himself for being unprepared. Did that mean he had to go all the way back? He shot the doctor a desperate look.

“Ah, that shouldn't be a problem. You see, I'm low on certain supplies myself. I have a list here.” He held up a paper. “You're a capable young man. Would you put your healthy body in good use and fetch me these things?” Morrie felt a pang in his chest reading the list. All these ingredients for whatever potions he needed. It would be another day without seeing Nick again. But eyeing the doctor, it was rather this than not seeing Nick at all. “Er...no problem...” “You're a good man. I knew I could count on you. Now would you excuse me, I have other patients to attend.” “Sure....” Morrie stumbled out, back to fresh air and light.

Outside, he already wondered if the fumes in that room had made him delirious or if the doctor really was so damn tall. It overwhelmed him every time. As always, Morrie needed a while until he could focus on other tasks again. Reading the list helped. Morrie really wasn't eager to go for a scavenge hunt, but at least he didn't need to talk to anyone. And there was hope. The doctor really sounded like he had heard of Nick's whereabouts and as the message sunk in, Morrie felt utmost relief. Nick could still be hurt, though. That doctor wouldn't tell him until he had his damn supplies, so Morrie began to hurry.

When Nick entered the common room, the few Headboys in there stared at him. “Uh, morning?”, Nick said into the scene and the men laughed at that. “Good morning, sleeping beauty! Got out of bed already? I hope you had sweet dreams.” “Oh, I did, after I drunk you all under the table”, Nick countered. More laughter followed. “Top and bottom are easy to confuse when you're lying on the floor with your belly up.” “As you would know.” “Now listen to that big mouth! You want another round?” “No, not right now. I'm just looking for my equipment.” Nick imitated playing guitar to explain. “It's there...”, a Headboy pointed at a table in the corner. “Someone cared enough to save it.”

Nick was glad to see it unscathed and picket it up to vibe it. Then he rested on a couch to tune it. He felt much better having a guitar in his hands again and this time he wasn't too sick to cherish the moment. After tuning, he played a calm melody while the Headboys minded their own business. The lack of attention hurt a bit, but he was glad they didn't complain either. He felt that his relaxing melody was welcome and so he began to improvise, playing nothing in particular.

“Are you really Nick Lightbearer?”, someone asked after a while. “Yes, I am”, Nick just said, still hoping he could convince them. “Do you really need more proof?” “Hm...what's your favourite colour?” Nick furrowed his brows at the random question. “It's purple.” “That doesn't count! Everyone knows that!”, another Headboy protested. “Really? How?” Nick was confused. “It's like the annual question at your convention or something.” “U-huh..well...what else do you need to know?” “I'm thinking about it...” “Something only Nick knows.” “But then how would you know it?”

They bantered a bit, then fell quiet again and Nick continued to play. Because they didn't speak again, Nick considered this conversation to be over and became curious about all the other rooms he didn't see yet. He hoped to find the kitchen because he was hungry, so he left his spot and walked to the door. Halfway there, he suddenly heard a yell of multiple voices: “Norbert Pickles!” Nick jumped. He was sure his heart missed a beat and he shot around to stare at the Headboys in shock. The Headboys gaped at him as well, completely mute. Nick found this was a good time to leave, so he fled.

[axl-ul]

The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Four

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey tot he West because the whole AO3 site, where I originally posted this, got taken down for now)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

Cold breeze playing with thick fur woke him up. He opened his eyes. They were sore, heavy. His head was aching. The simian could feel his veins pumping wildly with each movement. The drought in his throat was beyond endurance. Monkey’s back hurt and his bones cracked as he dragged himself over the nearest remains of a table. The piece of furniture was covered in dark liquid and burnt by a good half. There were holes after some sort of a sharp object, most probably a knife. Somebody had to have been thrown on it as there were such dented areas that the blunt force almost broke the wood. Wukong carefully slid down the rough surface with thin fingers, his mind still foggy. He needed to find a jug of water. The sooner, the better. Last time he was this thirsty it was his junior…Bajie, Ol’ Sha and then…

Everything around him stopped.

“Shifu…“

Still squinting and coughing, he dashed through the smoke in the direction of his Master’s room. Not paying attention to the fact that a potential danger could still lurk behind a corner, the Monkey King burst in. Nobody was there. No Shifu, no Sha Seng, no Daizi. Only a broken bed and tattered curtains remained after the catastrophic events of the previous night. The inn wasn’t completely burnt down but the damage was done to a good third of the place. This room was, sadly, a part of it.

Fists clenched so hard the knuckles turned white. Wukong sank to the floor covered in a thin layer of ash. The burning itching woke up under the eye sockets. The wound from the venom started fully healing. Despite the process not being the most pleasant one, it could never compare to the hollowness that resided inside. The mightiest king of all demons and yet he was just a fool in torn trousers. Why did he listen to Bajie? Daizi had never had any good ideas to begin with. The monkey should have gone to bed like Ol’ Sha. After all, Sha Seng hadn’t ever possessed the same strength as his Senior. He only carried their luggage and helped occasionally. Wukong was the one protecting them. Then, why did he fail once again?

Bam! Wukong punched the wall beside him so hard he left behind a gaping hole with thousands of cracks around it. He was fed up with himself. The glorious Handsome Monkey King pitying himself?! What was it good for? A protector chosen by Bodhisattva Guanyin letting a simple rogue demon best him? He crossed oceans, achieved immortality and faced death more than once. During his youth some dared to call him a weakling. Those who tried it later paid for such insults dearly. Doesn’t matter who the person is. A demon, a human or a god. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven won’t ever succumb.

With painful moans the eldest disciple stood up and began his investigation. 

The ceiling was caved-in in the middle. Through the hole the cold sunless morning invited thick fog. Its gaunt arms slithered down the hole by four low walls that were still standing. One of them, however, differed from the rest. A black smudge with golden brown edges emerged on it. In front of the scorched panel was the table beside which Wukong woke up. Before he had the chance to make his way towards his sniffing nose caught onto a gut-clenching mixture of soy sauce, sweat, urine, blood and mud. A squeaky sound spread around. Heavy thumps soon followed after which an unnerving silence came.

Certain it was no hinges or the wind, Wukong creeped over the departed door of the neighbouring kitchen. His eyes were met with a horrifying discovery. On the floor, there was the innkeeper lying in a puddle of red liquid. Next to him was his wife and their little son. The expression written on their features perfectly described the last moments of their lives. Their swollen faces, bare arms, necks, legs, it didn’t matter what part of the body Wukong closely observed. The snake bites were all over them. Breathing out for the last time, the throats of the family must have been filled with sobs and dreadful cries. The same venom which burnt Wukong’s face circulated in its victims’ veins. Creating an excruciating suffering, the torture resulted in the twisted contours.

He turned around. Though the stench from the corpses was undeniable the one he tried to track down came from a different direction. Bare feet stepped over the tragic find. He strode to the bead curtain and swiftly drew it back. In the darkness of the pantry the sobbing grandmother with the younger child in arms crouched in the corner. In the same moment, something massive rustled behind Wukong’s back.

“Aaargh!!!“ At the last second the monkey pilgrim dodged the long tines of a rake. A rotund person swished by the furry demon. Stretching out the slender arm without moving further aside, Wukong grabbed the attacker’s long ear.

“Nice circus, idiot…“

“Big Brother?!“ Bajie whimpered. Soon, the nine-toothed rake dropped down. Pigsy forgot everything about the painful squeeze and whooped with joy,“It’s you! I thought those snakes had returned. But no. It’s everyone’s favourite monkey!“

“Bajie, shut up!“ Wukong cut him off abruptly. 

“Nah,“ the pig demon waved his hand with lighthearted laughter, seemingly completely forgetting the weight of the current situation, “Madam, you can come out. You’re safe, now.“

“I wouldn’t do that.“

“What’s wrong, brother?“ Pigsy wondered. Soon he realised what resided in the elder’s mind once the monkey motioned with his head towards the three corpses. The gloomy expression replaced the jolly gaze. His pig snout dropped.

“I doubt there are any more survivors, am I right?“

“Sadly yes. You are. We should bury them.“

At first, Wukong wanted to object. For him, all life must once flee and though the dead should rest in peace, those alive are more important. His Master needed him. He can’t waste time with rotting humans. But then, he remembered the teachings. Monks should spread compassion. He looked over the woman with her last family member. The boy tightly clenched onto her, not daring to gaze upon the scary-looking disciples. The image evoked something that’d been in a deep slumber inside. “I agree. Let’s go.“

Both brothers did as they promised. Around twenty to thirty graves grew from the soil in the yard in front of the house. During and after the ritual, not a sound was heard around the two men. Not a single leaf moved, not an early lark chittered.

“Bajie? When I was knocked out, did a candle fall to the side?“ Wukong asked while they walked away from the marked grounds.

“Sorry,“ the pig demon shook his head,“I can’t recall anything like that. Before you lash out, in my defence, I had slightly different concerns to take care of.“

To Bajie’s amazement the monkey demon kept his cool. The only thing he actually did was pat the former general’s back.“I know, brother.“

****

“What are you doing?“

The man with big ears cast a curious look over his shoulder. He saw his senior crouching by the table and delicately running fingers on the scorched remains. “Observing. Investigating. Do the same.“

Zhu Bajie snorted,“As if we were one of the officials…“

“Bajie, if we want to find Shifu, Ol’ Sha, the Princess and the Wolf Witch…“

Another snort,“Whoah, you title her properly all of a sudden?“

Sun Wukong sighed and paid no more attention to his brother. Instead, he focused on clues. Images of potential scenarios rushed inside his mind. Picture after picture. Still, it wasn’t enough.

There was a candle. Although the item was broken in half, it was fairly long and its wax nearly intact. The wick was in the same condition. Calmly, he crossed out the candle as the possible cause of the fire. To gather new resources the hairy fiend sniffed. A well-known floral scent came to him. The aroma tingled his sense and forced him to use his keen sight, as well, once he was sure he was on the right track.

Eyes lit in smouldering flames and the Monkey King entered the world of patterns so fantastic no ordinary human could ever imagine. The floor seemed to get into a flowing motion while the thirty to forty streaming ribbons marked the space with various spirals and figures of red and gold. Wukong stood up and followed the most prominent shape which happened to possess a feminine look.

Without facing his fellow disciple, the former warlord asked,“Bajie, will you do me a favour? Check the stables. Maybe Bai Long Ma ran away. Still there might be something useful.“

“On my way, Big Brother.“

“One last thing,“ he stopped Zhu Bajie while approaching the wall itself,“if the dragon-horse is alive and well, saddle him up. He’ll take the woman and the child back to the woodcutter’s shed once they wake up. Then, he’ll wait there with them.“

“Understood, Brother Wukong.“ The boar creature exitted the low building and left the monkey alone.

Wukong remained in the centre of absolute silence of the gloomy hall. He followed the tracks of Márgerdra’s remains. Her presence was still quite strong which allowed the fiend to easily detect details of the fight. It was her who collided with the surface of the thick wooden board. She might have been strong and swift. But it was no match for the attackers who easily outnumbered her. They restrained her the same way they managed with Wukong. In contrast to him, she wasn’t poisoned and still maintained her powers. For someone with such a stubborn and proud nature as herself a quick retribution was inevitable. A blinding lightning had to be followed by a bursting fire. At least, he based such deduction on the witch’s much earlier attempt to gather enough strength for the spell. The fact that several of the attackers’ imprints dispersed in various directions seemed to confirm the theory. Others collapsed on the spot. Which, of course, had downsides, as well.

To the Sage’s annoyance, too much foreign energy concentrated around his clue and consumed it. Frustrated, he started observing the wall once more. There he found something peculiar. Deep grooves were carved in. As if someone lost their balance and tried to avoid the hard fall. Wukong thought of the second possibility. The person was desperately trying to escape the grasp of danger. Because they didn’t have a weapon the poor soul used what was left and most natural to them. Claws. The marks they left behind were remarkably long. Wukong carefully caressed them with his finger pads. Snakes and claws didn’t go hand in hand quite well. They had daggers with needle-like ends. Not to mention their infamous venomous teeth. Maybe these weapons were responsible. On the other hand, there were five of them right next to each other. At the same time the marks were quite thick in comparison…

Weapon. A word which became another kick for Sun Wukong.

His cudgel. He dropped it last night. Nervously reaching to his right ear clawed fingers didn’t touch the cold metal a single time. Panic rushed all over his body like a deadly fever.

Where is it? His powerpole. His Ruyi Jingu Bang! His dearest weapon which had been accompanying him for so long.

A frantic look quickly grew into a furious flame. Backing away from his findings he tried to take a bigger picture when he tripped over. Agilely rolling to the side to soften his unfortunate fall a golden glow caught his attention. There it was covered in ashes and a silk veil. Rich floral embroidery painted itself over the cloth. The luxury, partially covered in the dried mud, was surely in the possession of the Lady Wolf Witch. It was the very same blue-grey piece of fabric decorated with red peonies and magnolia flowers which lured out Wukong seconds before the meeting with the woman.

He carefully picked it up. Caressing it with a thumb a memory flowed around like waves washing the shore. Tall grass brushed against the pink cheek. Later on, with equal loveliness the strange woman put a hand on the little princess’ forehead.

‘I’ll make sure you’re safe…’ Why didn’t he say it outloud?

A loud yell made its way inside the ruined inn,“Big Brother! Come here! You better see this!“

“On my way!“ The Sage dusted down both himself and the found cloth and rushed outside. Pigsy’s calling navigated him to the stables where the pig was reviving the knocked out stallion. Beside them there was an unmoving body lying flat on its stomach covered in a large cape. It was soaked wet in blood just like the hay around. Similar to the family Wukong found earlier the fluid also seemed to begin drying up.

“Is that it?“

“Do you see anything else mildly interesting?“ Bajie responded with a snarky undertone in his voice.

The demon with a fiery gaze squatted beside and turned the dead over. His decision made the fabric move aside and reveal a feral face with bulging yellow eyes. 

“A wolf demon. Seems like your pack didn’t appreciate you much,“ the hand in a yellow sleeve uncovered the wound on the wolf’s neck. Wukong eyed both his right and left yet something still bugged his mind. Picking up the deceased’s paw he closely observed it.

Pigsy couldn’t help but curiously raise his gaze and ask,“Big Bro, what are you doing? Why are you murmuring under your nose?“

“The claws. There were wolf claws on the wall inside the inn.“

“So what?“

“Idiot! I’m looking for their owner.“

“Well, you can lie your head to rest. The culprit’s here. But I doubt he’s gonna tell you where his accomplices took Shifu.“

“It wasn’t him.“

Bajie wasn’t sure whether it was the sudden cold in Wukong’s voice or the certainty in his words which drew out a confused stutter,“W-What? What do you m-mean?“

Seeing Bai Long Ma slowly coming back to senses the Monkey King waved for Bajie to come nearer. “Look, The blood’s nearly as old as the one around the corpses inside. He either died before or shortly after the attack. There’s no way he got that far inside the building and scratched a wall. Now this - he’s got two of his fingers missing. There were five claw marks I found. Not only that. These are much larger.“

“Are you sure? Listen, I know your sight is beyond belief. But yesterday one of those fiends wounded your eyes. Maybe it’s still deceiving your true senses…“

“No, Bajie. Go inside and check them. Once you’re done you can only agree with me that it wasn’t him. Again, the wolf was either killed before or after the attack. I believe in the first option. I recall smelling fresh blood from the snake fiend.“ Wukong being logical was nothing new to his junior. After all, they’d travelled for a long time together and he was a witness to many occasions on which the Great Sage showed his quick thinking despite the usual initial impression. Contrary, the former general hadn’t seen the monkey be so collected in a long time. His tail rested on his sash and no longer painted chaotic drawings in the air. Shoulders visibly raised only occasionally.

The extraordinary tranquillity woke up the boar’s slumbering trust,“Who do you think it was, then?“

With an empty expression the elder lied,“Not sure.“ Soon he added,“But I guess that if we manage to find them we’ll find Shifu and Ol’ Sha, as well.“

The monkey looked over his shoulder back to Ao Lie who in the meanwhile pulled his miserable body together. “Brother, saddle Bai Long Ma. He’s gonna take the woman and the child to the woodcutter as quickly as possible.“

“What about us? What’s our destination?“ Pigsy rushed behind Wukong. They stopped and looked forward. The duo found themselves in front of the image of colossuses. The high peaks seemed to have reached the celestial arch aeons ago. Yet, countless black dots didn’t escape the grasp of a watchful pair of brown eyes. They were caves. And they were staring back at Wukong, equally fearlessly and impudently.

In response, the golden-black pole hit the ground. Long tail took out the damaged veil. It brought the item up to the monkey’s nose. Wukong sniffed and picked up the trail. “The mountains.“

****

When Mei woke up with an atrocious headache her protector was already crouching by the cell bars. Although the princess’ chapped lips quivered and her chest clenched tightly her swollen eyes were the reason behind her miserable expression.

“Márgerdra, where…where are we?“ The painful whimper was all the young lady could gather her strength for.

Márgerdra’s frustrated growl stopped her nearly immediately. A silver-plated wooden hairpin flew across the cell. The flight ended with a distinct clinging as the item collided with the stone. “Foremother’s bones! This is supposed to work every time!“ Wolf Witch sank down, yellow waves from the undone bun flooded the floor. She wrapped her hands around her knees. Otherwise striking the world with her radiant beauty, the magnolia was in her wilt. Pink cheeks withered away. The youthful spark hid itself behind the dark curtain.

The Princess of the Great Tiger Kingdom crawled closer. She leaned against the woman’s shoulder. “Why are you trying to open the door with a hairpin? Can’t you use your magic instead?“

“They’re going to notice some kind of usage. Snakes are particularly good at this.“

“They’re just a bunch of thugs. I mean, they’re pretty disgusting and sleazy. But that’s all. Just simple thugs.“

“That’s how they present themselves. But I’m not so sure.“

“What do you mean? What’s going on?“

Blue eyes flashed in the gloom. They looked over the room as Márgerdra scented the air. “Something around here stinks. And it’s not the dead rat in the corner.“

They sat in the lingering silence for a while. Only the two of them in the unknown room. Wet walls seemed to come closer to them with each breath. Their steps were slow yet sure. Those massive bodies with deep scars are going to crush two women. They’re going to break their bones, their skulls, they’ll make sure two helpless bodies will merge with them for the rest of eternity. No-one’s going to discover the little secret of the cave. The sleeping mountain giant will collapse and nobody will bat an eye. 

Only the malicious dripping of water accompanied Márgerdra and Mei. The distant murmur thrummed in their ears. Mei looked to her right. No matter how much the sole torch in the narrow corridor tried to deter the proceeding shadows. The same way they ate the rat alive, those hungry beasts of dread and hopelessness were going to cut the prisoners’ throats, too. It was only a matter of time until they’d break even the Wolf Witch herself or the Tiger Princess. After all, Tripitaka ended up in their claws, as well.

When Mei and Márgerdra started feeling like sleeping again a sharp metallic noise brought them back.

Keys and boots approached their destination rather quickly. The prisoners didn’t even manage to take a breath when a scaly bald head shot in the gap of the cell bars. The forked tongue flickered. Soon, half a dozen dark figures emerged behind the snake with a low hissing.

The snake motioned to his minion and the door opened widely at once. A tall man in light clothing was thrown inside. He was covered in bruises. “Venerable monk!“ Mei couldn’t contain herself and knelt beside him. Although weak, there was a strong hint of a great willpower and determination once he grasped her hand.

The snake almost tilted his head in laughter. Márgerdra, however, protectively stood in front of the couple,“Nice to see you being all easy-going. Say, where did your bravery go when you met Sun Wukong? To your pants?“

“Sorry. Didn’t catch that. Say it again.“

“Dumb, deaf and a coward. What a nice combination. That’s quite rare these days.“

“Coming from a filth who needed a monkey to fight for her.“

Suddenly, Mei shouted at the demon,“Hold your tongue, you brute! You’re speaking with the royal protector Lady Wolf Witch. Not to mention you deserve spanking for the heinous beating of venerable Tang Sanzang.“

The fiend narrowed his eyes. The slit in his pupil was barely discernible. “Spanking?“ Smiling vindictively, he stretched out the long arm, whip hanging in between fingers. “Like with this?“

Márgerdra’s pupils dilated. “You wouldn’t dare…“

“Would I, witch? I’m the lord of this cave. Not you,“ hand with Márgerdra’s whip pointed at the young girl and the wounded monk and in a low and malicious voice he added,“nor them.“

As fast as a lightning, the biting tail slashed. Sanzang and Mei screamed in horror of the upcoming blow. They shut their eyelids and waited. But nothing came. The witch caught the tip with her bare hand. The cut was deep, sending striking pain up and making the woman shiver. Yet, she didn’t loosen the grip. In fact, the zeal only rose from the depth of her soul. Lightnings sent from her petrifying gaze shot her opponents as if she had brought back the thunderstorm from the previous night. Contrary, her angelic voice turned into an icy threat. “Only over my dead body.“

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t aiming at them.“ 

The demon pulled the whip and sent the witch flying into the nearest wall. Two snake fiends surrounded Márgerdra and pinned her against the cold rock. Similar process was done to the monk and the princess who they separated into opposite corners.

The rogue stepped in the direction of Mei and proclaimed,“Since there was barely any mention of you two in my deal I guess it’s my time to shine.“ Hunger mirrored in his face, tongue licked thin lips. His hand slid down as he undid the knot on his trousers. Two of his vipers stripped down Mei’s skirt and pants thus revealing a good portion of her legs. The girl started shaking uncontrollably and cried, the monk prayed and vainly bargained with the leader.

“Sir, please! Have some sense!“ Sanzang cried his eyes out,“This doesn't lead anywhere! She’s an innocent soul!“ Otherwise pleasantly warm voice became croaky and wobbly. Not one of the kidnappers listened to the begging. 

The scaly figure knelt down. When his henchman failed to restrain the black-haired girl the leader hissed and forcefully spread her legs. Poor soul whimpered and sobbed. Tears poured down her swollen cheeks. Her fists clenched hard and her bare legs were prepared to kick in any direction when given a chance. Alas, slim limbs only trembled as soon as the ice cold fingers began sliding up and down and massaging the sensitive areas. The snake skin was so rough that the foreign pressure not only bruised the soft skin but also scratched her badly.

“Leave her alone, you filthy bastard! You hear me?! I swear I’ll pluck your eyes out and feed you to vultures! Not even your mother will recognise you once I’ll get my hands on you!“ The witch shrieked for the last time it shook the stone skeleton.

The shrill sent shivers down everybody’s spine. “Fine. Since you’re asking for so much attention I better give some. I can have the younger one next time, anyway. Or is anyone else here interested in this…exoticism?“ The treacherous gang leader spread his arms in a welcoming gesture and patiently waited. It didn’t take long for the biggest of his minions to step out.

The volunteer resembled his master too much. His manners, the confidence in his steps, everything about him caused a tremor inside Márgedra’s chest. Unmistakable stabbing pain built up in her throat just as he offered a ravenous stare the moment he tore open her dark blue vest. Her shallow breaths ceased to be. A single sweatdrop streamed by the ear down. Despite a great shadow enveloping her the witch swallowed hard. Keeping her face straight, her long spine leaned back unnaturally calmly.

“Step aside, Dong. I want to see the quality I’m about to receive,“ the rogue demon intended to say out loud. However, his voice muffled in the middle of the sentence. Instead of cobalt sparks an endless abyss yawned within the flat expression.

What followed surprised everyone including the unmoving Mei and frozen Sanzang.

A smile drew on the angelic face,“Finally you’re showing me you can be a man. Why don’t you come closer, then?“

“W-what?“

“I demand,“ she continued in a honeyed voice,“that you come closer. I know what your heart desires the most.“ The witch let a few strands fall over her left eye. 

At first, the snake refused to believe his own ears. How can she offer herself this easily? It hasn’t been a minute ago when she yelled as if she had been possessed.

Looking closer and observing her naked abdomen and breasts wrapped only in a thin tight cloth he lost himself and walked over. The provocatively stuck out chin was all too tempting for the gang leader. The fiend caressed her soft frame as soon as his head fell in the curve of her neck. Needily, he planted several rough kisses there.

“Lady Wolf Wi-“ Sanzang didn’t manage to finish.

A blood-freezing yell ruptured eardrums of everyone present. In front of the young Buddhist, the fiend’s body uncontrollably twitched in excruciating pain. After several more seconds, which felt like an eternity, he collapsed to his knees. Blast of slurs flooded the cell while the leader held onto his neck. The torso shook fiercely and angry hissing seemed to have poisoned the air itself apart from the spat venom.

Sanzang audibly gasped upon the horrifying view. A wrathful look shot from the witch whose mouth and chin were smeared with the reptile’s dark blood. As if it weren’t enough for the Buddhist’s fragile heart the Wolf Witch spat something pinkish over the suffering demon. Though she might’ve been enraged beyond belief, a satisfied expression replaced the hellish fumes.

“Dong! Dong!!!“

The henchman hesitated before carefully approaching. Crouching figure pulled his master aside before the rest could jump in. Of course, the punishment was inevitable.

One, two, three mighty punches landed into Márgerdra’s stomach until she vomited. Her attack had its lasting effects and no other restrictions were undertaken.

Soon, the kidnappers took away and left the locked trio alone. A miserable void filled them.

“I…I’m sorry, Your Highness, Venerable Tripitaka. That…I didn’t do more. I should have…“

A body dragged across the floor and a bruised face of Sanzang drew near. “You’ve done more than enough. No need to apologise for anything, loyal advisor.“ Although the Tripitaka was still shaken by these events it couldn’t be denied the witch acted in self-defence. So, he partially unwillingly turned blind eye to her ferocity. 

He helped her to stand up and walk over.. As soon as the women met he threw a layer of his robes over them.

“Venerable monk, what about you? It’s cold here. Surely you’ll be freezing.“

Tranquillity and compassion resonated within the man.“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been on a journey for several years now. Living in nature under the sky…this is nothing.“

Márgerdra insisted,“I mean it. Did you forget when I mentioned I come from the land of ice and snow?“

“Truly, do not worry about my well-being.“

“Venerable monk, please, get under with Her Highness. You’re just a human…“

“And you aren’t?“ Sanzang offered a sincere smile.

Strangely, the witch froze on the spot. For a moment, she resembled a statue. Quickly standing up, her hands clutched the damaged jacket as tight to the skin as it was possible. Urging the monk she added,“That’s enough. Don’t be childish…“

For the first time, the gentle girl spoke up,“Márgerdra…thank you so much.“ Mei took her protector’s hanging hand in hers,“but you should be under the jacket with us, you silly.“

“There’s enough room just for two, Mei.“

“You sure?“ A shy smile replaced the dried out tears.

“My Lady, please,“ sitting Sanzang pleaded. No matter how much the young couple offered an aid the advisor was simply too strong-minded for them.

Sanzang was first to doze off. On the other hand, Mei couldn’t even find a good enough position to begin with. Though, the uncomfortable stone was the last on her list of worries.

“Márgerdra…I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger…“ she whispered after a while.

“What? What are you talking about, little tiger?“

“You stood up to him. Me? I just cried again…Like a stupid, foolish child that I am-“

“Don’t you ever say this again, little tiger. I’ve already told you - you’re strong. You’ve always been. And you’ll continue to be. You have the spark, that spirit millions of warriors dream about,“ Márgerdra took the round face in her hands. “They dream yet they don’t dare to wake up and face reality. That’s why you’ve achieved so much. That you faint a little bit more often than others? No. That’s not childish. If only it shows how pure your soul is. How much you value life itself. The ruler with no respect for the living is no ruler at all. Such brings only death and doom. The never-ending winter. You, on the other hand, you are going to bring the spring. And I’m so proud of you. Even today. Because you actually told the fiend the right thing. You showed him his reflection. He hurt the defenceless. While my little tiger roared and didn’t allow for the injustice to simply fly away…Now come here, my little plum.“ Márgerdra soothed the sobbing Mei,“I love you, alright?“ With a kiss on her forehead the protector tucked the large cloth under the princess’ chin. 

“Thanks, Márgerdra,“ Mei beamed at her, the bright taking over the gloom. “One day, when I have children of my own, I’ll make sure I’ll be just as a good mother to them as you’re to me.“ Soft silence slowly washed the cold stone walls. Then, the plum girl looked over the cell door with a growing fear. Under the large jacket, she subconsciously crossed her legs.

“Rest while you can, Mei. You need to gather some strength. Soon,“ blue eyes shot a mistrustful look behind during a short pause,“we may get out. Now, go to sleep. I’ll be on the watch.“

Before moving onward she added with a wink,“If anyone ever gets close to you again I’ll bite their head off,“ the Wolf Witch chattered with her teeth.

At last, a ringing chuckle escaped from the Tiger Princess. “Wow, you really deserve the title of ‘Wolf’ Witch.“ The moment she ended her amused remark the princess entered the land of dreams.

Márgerdra sat down and faced the dark corridor. The single torch got significantly weaker. Yet, miraculously, it was still burning and offering a little light. She smiled under her nose,“Yeah. ‘Wolf’ Witch…“

****

“So? Found anything?“ Wukong brushed off a thick layer of dust and tiny pebbles. He turned to arriving Zhu Bajie who was soaked wet and covered in strange roots and leaves. A large bulge was emerging on his snout.

“Yes! My boot in your a-“

“Alright. Idiot got tricked and finally washed himself. Check,“ Wukong casually threw Ruyi Jingu Bang over his shoulder and continued on his way upwards. 

The first half of their tracking could be described as pretty easy. Trace of kidnappers and their victims was still somewhat fresh and thus strong. The further up the mountain they went and the more caves there appeared, the more confusing the mountainous labyrinth became. The hardship showed on both demons equally terribly - Bajie not only wailed, he started to throw pebbles and rocks into every darned tree and bush he saw. In addition to Pigsy’s anger, Wukong’s tail twitched uncontrollably while he pursed his rough lips. Mentally, the simian was counting down and waiting for a moment to smash Bajie over his head.

Thankfully, the duo decided to sit down for a while before reaching the final cave. The pig demon stretched his neck and shoulders. Bones cracked and he felt as light as a feather, again.

“Still thinking about her?“

“About who, idiot? If you want to talk nonsense, be more specific.“

“Wolf Witch. She’s getting onto you, isn’t she?“ Bajie smirked.

Wukong rolled his eyes before snorting,“As if. The only thing she's getting onto is my nerves. So are you.“ He took out the veil and observed every detail for the hundredth time that day. “What are you hiding, blondie? Why are you sealing yourself away?“

“Did you say something?“

“No.“

“C’mon. Be a brother and talk to me.“ Simultaneously, Pigsy noticed the cloth piece in the monkey’s palm,“You’ve seen it already…“

“I know. But it seems like there’s more to it. Or rather to those damned claws…“

“Brother,“ Bajie hugged his senior amicably around his shoulders,“the wolf demon must’ve gotten inside. Somehow. Then he fought you and maybe the witch, too. She wounded him. He died. The end.“

“That’s not it. The disgusting fleabag had his throat sliced. He died before. The size doesn’t match, either. And the surroundings…“ A pleasant sweet, slightly citrus, fragrance filled his nostrils.

“You still think it was her?“

“I’ll prove it.“

The boar snorted once again in amusement,“Good luck with evidence, then.“

He intended to ascend to higher parts of the peaks. After a few steps he paused and faced the monkey once more,“You really think she’s not just a human witch?“

Answer was dry and anticipated as usual,“Yes.“

“So what is she? Why does the princess keep her close?“

The trickster thought hard. An image of their first fight and Márgerdra’s despair to keep Mei as far from the danger as possible struck him. “I’m not sure.“

“A fairy? Couldn’t she be that one? ‘Cause if she’s reporting to Heaven…“

“No. She works on her own,“ Wukong stepped out and resumed the search after their Master.

“Plus, she’s smarter than that. At least I hope so.“

Demons ascended higher and higher. Initially, Zhu Bajie thought they entered the Heavens and they were going to get struck by lightning for the insolence. Clasping his big ears and his rake, he followed Sun Wukong close behind. Fog was no more promenading in the web of mountain paths and needle thin passages. However, the earth’s spine curved and splitted in various places. So two disciples now wandered around aimlessly. Everything was grey and red but no entrance of a cave arrived to greet them. Only vultures watched them warily far from the cloudless sky where the heavenly wheel was getting back to its summer prime.

No matter how hard he wanted to hold his tongue, a taunting question forced its way out,“By the way, a ‘fleabag’, hm? Ain’t you yourself kinda hairy, Big Bro?“

It nearly took one dreadful look over the shoulder to silence the pig. This time, Bajie remained interestingly obstinate. “What? You wouldn’t scratch that cute furry belly?“

“Shut up, Daizi.“

“Say, Brother, a wolf, a dog - they’re all so adorable when they give those big puppy eyes,“Bajie made sure to highlight every word spoken,“when they tilt their heads to the side and their ears just, y’know, follow? Big plus if their paw’s lifted. They look so dumb but cute,“ Bajie softened his voice until it became unnaturally thin.

“I said shut up. Those disgusting beasts aren’t at all ‘adorable’. One look away and they gut you out with their teeth and claws. Dogs, wolves…they’re even worse than cats. Or even more than foxes and snakes combined.“ He waited for Bajie to catch up when he pressed him against the nearest rock and spitefully explained,“First, they select the weakest one of the group. The sickest, the youngest, the fattest. Simply the one who’s got the minimal chance to escape the inevitable. When they choose their target those beasts create enough chaos to get that idiotic victim. You, as the prey, don’t want to be eaten, understandably. So what are you going to do? You either run until you’re so tired of the endless chase that your legs give out and those ‘adorable’ monsters get you and tear you apart. Or you can fight. You fight and fight and fight. But you know what?“ His husky voice lowered. The rock formation crumbled under his fingers clawing into it.

Firstly, Pigsy didn’t want to continue in Wukong’s terrifying game. In the end, the burning look made him give in. “W-What, B-Big Brother?“

“It’s all up for nothing. You’re cornered. The whole pack surrounds you and you have no more space where you can put up a good and fair fight. You kick, you whimper, you try to shake those fleabags away. And then, there always must be that one certain single bastard who not only bites and scratches you like the others…“

“Is it the one that bites into your neck?“ the junior asked. His body was completely shivering.

“No. This one’s much worse. It’s the one that enjoys the hunt all too much. The wolf, or a dog - all are just the same savages, jumps and bites into your leg. The pain makes you howl. You feel your bones being crushed. You feel how your strength is leaving you. But you can do nothing. You’re completely restrained, lying on the ground so the next bastard can sink his teeth into your throat and finish you off. So next time you want to scratch a stray cat or a dog, think of it.“

Furious Wukong bounced back and eyed Bajie who in return was left speechless. After gathering some courage, an even bolder remark slipped from him,“Just admit you’re afraid of dogs. Am I right? You have no problem with any other animals…“

“...cats, too. Also bats and…“

“Nope. You’re trying to be all scary and stuff,“ Bajie laughed in Wukong’s twitching face,“but in the end your shin was chewed on by a mere puppy. That’s what you’ve been just addressing.“

“You got some nerves, Brother Bajie, don’t you?!“ the monkey clawed onto the pig demon’s ear until the lobe turned white. “Since you’re in such a good mood, say, what was in that potion that got me poisoned and where did you get it?“

Pigsy’s laments stopped. A strange bird cawed in the distance.

“Answer me, idiot. Where did you get the flask and why did you give it to me?“

Wukong’s menacing tone had its effect. Tiny eyes widened. Instead of a coherent reply, a puzzled stammering only added insult to injury,“I-I don’t know. I just happen-ned to find it one night. When we were a-at the woodcutter’s. Thought to myself m-maybe Ol’ Sha l-lost some of our medicine. I wanted to return it. Really. But it looked…I don’t know…not like the usual sort of potion. M-more l-like a confidence booster-“

“How did you arrive at that conclusion?!“

“Only Ol’ Sha carries our luggage. He’s the shiest of us, too. Maybe he bought some to aid himself a b-bit. When I saw how mis-miserable you became upon angering Shifu I wanted to h-help…“

The Monkey King barked back,“Or to entertain yourself, huh?“

“No! I swear! Although, looking back, something weird occurred. Like something has stung or bitten me…“ He started pressing onto the monkey’s back and showing the fat fist into the painted face.

The massive weight created too much impact and the Sage almost lost his balance. Annoyed, he wished for the situation to pass as quickly as possible. “Fine! Shut up and get on with it! Let’s say I believe you and your idiotic mouth that you poisoned me by accident while you yourself got poisoned. Now keep your eyes open. I think I can smell Shifu. But…“

Bajie intended to demand the rest of the unfinished sentence. However, a rustling and crumbling rocky path made the boar turn around and attack whatever made its way towards the two disciples. A pig squeal and a warrior yell bounced against the tall peaks meanwhile the cudgel and rake rose up.

Sprinting towards the danger, the men stroke. Just by a hair before terrible blows landed hands gnawing on the weapons stopped. In front of them, there was good old Sha Wujing. Bare feet were covered in bulges and bruises, a large cut on top of his head was of the same colour as his beard. Both his knee-length trousers and green vest were tattered and in need of severe repair. Although the look at him was lamentable Friar Sand limped further towards his found brothers. Being only an arm’s length away he decided to ditch away the risk and threw himself forward. His seniors caught him with a worry in their eyes. On the other hand, all three of them couldn’t contain themselves.

“Ol’s Sha!“ Wukong and Bajie yelled out happily.

“Big Brother Monkey! Brother Pigsy!“ Wujing hugged them tightly. “Quickly! Let’s hide here before they find us.“

“What are you talking about, Sha Seng?“

“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything.“

Right after they hid a group of seven viper demons passed around. Snakes were yelling and tracking the runaway. The mountain trembled under their feet and the ringing of spears and swords deafened the surrounding area. Only those vultures curiously looked down on them. Glass eyes didn’t miss a single detail of the havoc below. When the kidnappers of the Mysterious White Cloud Cave disappeared, Wujing launched a great monologue and described his own escape and everything that happened in the Sage’s absence. Carefully listening to his lucky junior a plan formed in the monkey’s head. The mist in front of his eyes was beginning to dissolve and the brightness of the summer sun shone through. Not one of the three demon disciples noticed they became new targets for the vulture flock which observed them. Soon, the flock lost interest and returned to the corpse of a crane. It was time to continue in their feeding. After all, the heat’s approaching and the food in the mountains is running thin.

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

Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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

List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

[pathterri]

White pages florida

White pages florida full#

White pages florida download#

White pages florida free#

White pages florida full#

Florida white page directory listings include full name, phone number and.

White pages florida free#

I used to be a member of this club, it is a great and historic place. a 411 reverse phone lookup service is free SELECT WHITE PAGES REPORT Enter. Enlarged and cropped, in reality the pink tower is only a speck to my naked eye. I am standing on the Hillsboro Street Bridge and looking north along the intracoastal several miles to get the pink tower building in the far distance. With deep roots in the past, this completely unique Boca Raton Florida hotel is truly a destination for the future. Exquisite accommodations within this captivating Boca Raton hotel are presented within five distinct settings ranging from the ultra-luxe Beach Club to the sleek, contemporary Bungalows. This eclectic, private village offers the best of all worlds: a renowned spa, championship golf and tennis, expansive beach and luxury marina - all just steps from the guestroom door. Situated on 356 acres in fabled South Florida, Boca Raton Resort & Club carefully combines a fresh look and modern amenities, while embracing the purpose and design of the original vision of renowned architect Addison Mizner. “The Stop WOKE Act aims to forward the government’s preferred narrative of history and society and to render illegal speech that challenges that narrative,” the lawsuit says.The Boca Raton Resort & Club will become part of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection in Spring 2009. All the possible records with the same or similar names will be listed. If you do not know which city they live in, enter Florida for the location. If you do not have a first name for your inquiry, then enter an initial, last name and location.

White pages florida download#

Explore, customize, and download Census data. The printed version of the White Pages directory organizes telephone. Like the professors, a group of K-12 teachers and a student claim in a third pending lawsuit that the law violates the Constitution’s protections of free expression, academic freedom and access to information in public schools. The best way to use the Florida white pages directory is to enter as much information as you can. Learn about Americas People, Places, and Economy on the official United States Census Bureau data platform. E One specific example is that the Florida Public Service Commission ( FPSC ) has. “As a result, students are either denied access to knowledge altogether or instructors are forced to present incomplete or inaccurate information that is steered toward the Legislature’s own views.”Ĭonservatives see critical race theory less as academic inquiry into truth and history and more as the imposition of a divisive ideology stemming from Marxism that assigns people into the categories of oppressor and oppressed based on their race. “In place of free and open academic inquiry and debate, instructors fear discussing topics of oppression, privilege, and race and gender inequalities with which the Legislature disagrees,” the lawsuit says. That lawsuit says Honeyfund - which provides wedding registries - seeks to protect the rights of private employers to “engage in open and free exchange of information with employees to identify and begin to address discrimination and harm” in their organizations. Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits over such practices. It was filed by private entities, Clearwater-based and others, claiming their free speech rights are curtailed because the law infringes on company training programs stressing diversity, inclusion, elimination of bias and prevention of workplace harassment. The ruling Thursday came in one of three lawsuits challenging the Stop Woke act. It also bars the notion that a person’s status as privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by their race or gender, or that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity. The law prohibits teaching or business practices that contend members of one ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilt for past actions committed by others. DeSantis has repeatedly said any losses at the lower court level on his priorities are likely to be reversed by appeals courts that are generally more conservative. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. “But it cannot win the argument by muzzling its opponents.” White is related to Faye Ward Pages and Robert Gene Pages as well as 3 additional people. They have also lived in Lexington, KY and Thonotosassa, FL. “If Florida truly believes we live in a post-racial society, then let it make its case,” the judge wrote. Top Result for White Pages in FL 1 The best result we found for your search is White Pages age 80+ in Tampa, FL in the Virginia Park neighborhood.

[kakashibestie]

juniperbird replied to your post: i literally have to scream about hera and kanan i...

kanan 100% gets pegged

RIGHT?? RIGHT???  

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

My Greatest Accomplishment

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier

Word Count: 4122

TW: Whump, Torture, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Programing, Pain, Reader Death, Loss of Limb, Pneumonia

Note: Third-Person f!Reader

Bucky didn’t know how long he had been here, locked in this cell with a rattle in his chest and agony in his arm. His arm that was no longer there. Most of the time he forgot it was gone, the pain in the place it once had been felt as real as the time he broke it protecting Steve from the neighborhood bullies. Yet, every time he would turn his head, he was reminded of the fact that there was nothing remaining below his left elbow, except for the pain. He couldn’t even recall what happened. The last thing he remembered was Steve’s hand reaching out for him as his grip on the train faltered, and he plummeted into the unknown. After that, he woke up in this cell, cold, confused, and isolated. Guards brought him food and water twice a day and a doctor periodically changed the bandages on his arm, but besides that, he was alone. Time soon lost all meaning. Hours turned to days, days into weeks, weeks into months, until Bucky had a hard time remembering a life before this cage.

It soon began taking a toil on his body. Though he had Super Soldier Serum flowing through his veins, it could only do so much. As time lingered on in his cold, damp abode, he developed a nagging cough that at first seemed relatively harmless but soon grew into a spasm inducing affair. Curled up under his thin blanket, on a worn out cot barely big enough for his frame, Bucky prayed for this torture to end. But he should have been more specific in what he asked for.

One day, after almost a year in captivity, Bucky’s cell door swung open and a small man with glasses stepped into the cell. As he groggily stared at him, Bucky knew he recognized the man, but his frayed mind couldn’t recall from where or when. The man grinned wickedly at the prisoner before addressing him with a small tilt of his head. “Sergeant Barnes.”

And that was all. The man then signaled the guards to grab Bucky as he turned back and exited the room. Bucky flinched as the two guards grabbed him roughly under each arm and began dragging his broken-down frame across the room. It was the most human contact he had experienced in months and the whole ordeal was sending pricks of pain throughout his body.

The guards followed the man down the hall, their prisoner hauled along between them. After many twists and turns and a short elevator ride, they arrived at what looked like a laboratory of some kind. And there in the middle of the room surrounded by beakers, machinery, and what only could be described as torture devices, stood a woman in a white lab coat. Even with other scientists bustling around her, there was no doubt she was the one in charge, the leader of the group. Everything about her was steely and cold, from her piercing eyes to her freshly polished high heels. She stood straight as a rod as she moved from one experiment to the next, observing their progress. The man cleared his throat and her head immediately swiveled in his direction.

As her eyes settled on him, they narrowed slightly. “Zola. I had heard you were locked away in an American prison somewhere, left to rot for the remainder of your pitiful life.” Her voice was emotionless and harsh, with just a trace of a Russian accent.

“I had believed so as well, but it seems the Americans value power over justice. I have been recruited to assist their scientists in creating weapons and defenses against the Soviet Union.”

The leader scoffed. “And they came to you for this? And you agreed?”

“Well, it is better than life in prison. However, I do despise those arrogant Americans who ruined what could have been my greatest achievement. And as such, I have already started taking the necessary steps to take down their organization from the inside.”

“And what does any of this have to do with me?”

Zola chucked softly. “Well, my dear, you have always been one of my most valuable and talented scientists. And as such, I have brought you a gift.”

He signaled to the guards who dragged Bucky’s limp form into the room before tossing him at the woman’s feet. The impact with the hard ground shook loose some of the congestion in his chest and he broke down into a horrendous fit of painful coughing. The leader just stared blankly down at him, clearly unimpressed with the so-called gift. “And why would you bring me this inferior subject?”

“Ah, my dear, he is more than he seems. This is the only surviving recipient of my Super Soldier Serum.”

For the first time, Bucky saw a spark in the leader’s eyes. The cold indifference that she had been showing him transformed into savage fascination.

Using the tip of her toe, she tilted Bucky’s head back to get a better look at him. “Really? Huh, it seems I was wrong…. This is quite a gift after all.” She nudged his arm just above the amputation. “Though something will have to be done about this.”

Bucky jerked away sharply, a snarl on his face. The leader’s smirk grew larger. “Ah, and he still has some fight left in him. Good, it will make things more exciting.”

“That is why I am giving you full control over this project. If anyone can tame this wild stallion, it is you. Do what you feel is necessary but remember, we need him in his peak condition by the end. I have big plans for him. He is to be the new fist of HYDRA.”

“I understand.” She scrutinized Bucky as if she were a cat eyeing its prey. “It will take time, but every man breaks…. eventually.”

And break he did. Although he managed to fight longer than anyone had expected him to, she had been right. There was only so much a man could take before he was forced to submit.

Surprisingly, the first thing the leader had done in his transformation process was to treat his severe case of pneumonia. After being relocated to a cell that was much clearer, warmer, and dryer than the one he had been held in for all those months, Bucky was given antibiotics, pain pills, and an IV drip. To any outside observer, it might have appeared to be her way of softening him up or gaining his trust. However both she and Bucky knew the truth. He was no good to her in this weakened state. And by giving him the time to heal, she was able to set the next stage of her project into motion.

As soon as his breathing had improved and his chest was clear, Bucky was dragged back into the lab where he had first met the leader. But before he could even ask what was happening, an oxygen mask was strapped tightly over his mouth as he was strapped down to a table. He struggled as his shirt was cut from his body, leaving his upper half exposed. Scientists buzzed around him, prepping what looked like surgical knives and tools. But as he looked around, his head started getting fuzzy and his eyelids grew heavy. His last coherent thought before he drifted off was this isn’t oxygen in this mask.

As he slowly clawed his way back to consciousness, Bucky immediately could tell something had changed even before he opened his eyes. The constant ache in the spot where his arm had once been was gone. However, in its place was a searing burning sensation across his left shoulder. As he tried to shift to get a better look, a slight gleaming caught his eye and he froze.

Hands. He had two of them again, but the left one…. Oh god. He stared in horror at the silver fingers that danced in front of his eyes. Somehow he was moving them just as he would his normal hand. As one of the scientists approached, he shot out the metal monstrosity and wrapped the fingers around the man’s throat. As he began to squeeze, more men rushed over and tried to pry his grip loose, but they were no match for the power of his enhanced limb. Finally, one scientist jammed a needle deep into Bucky’s chest. As his strength gave out and the new arm clanged to the table below him, he caught one last look at the leader before blacking out again. She was grinning from ear to ear.

The next time Bucky woke up, he was strapped to a chair with a metal halo hanging high above him. His new arm was chained tightly with yards of thick chain. As he flexed the thick muscle in his upper arm, he wagered he could snap the confines given enough time. But before he could attempt his escape, the leader entered the room. She had an unfamiliar red book in her hand.

As she approached, Bucky jerked his arm sharply, hoping to frighten her. Instead, her eyes grew wide and bright with joy. “Ah, Sergeant Barnes. I am glad to see you are awake. Good. We have much to do. First, how is the arm functioning? I assume you are grateful to have both of your limbs back, yes?”

Bucky jerked against the chains once again. “Let me out of here and I can show you how grateful I am,” he snarked.

But she shook her head with a smirk. “I’m afraid I cannot do that. At least not until we successfully complete step two.”

Bucky felt an uneasy twinge in the pit of his stomach. “Step two? What the hell is step two?”

She walked over to the computer set up next to his chair. “You see, Doctor Zola has tasked me into turning you into a weapon for HYDRA. Now, on weaker men, this would not be a difficult task, but with you… You are quite the fighter, Sergeant. And you will make an excellent addition to our organization. But first, we have to ensure your loyalty. Which is where we come to step two.”

She nodded to a man on the other side of the machine. With the press of a button, the halo slowly lowered down until it was just over Bucky’s head.

The man from before stepped forward and tried to jam something into Bucky’s mouth. Jerking his head away, Bucky spat in the man. A sharp slap stung his face as his head snapped to the side. Wide-eyed, he stared up at the leader who was standing calmly in front of him once more, with almost no indication she had ever moved.

“You would do well not to resist, Sergeant. This is going to be a painful enough experience for you as it is. Take what little comforts we provide you. You will want them.” She held out the rubber mouth guard the man had tried to put in between his teeth. This time he opened his mouth to allow it, eyes blazing with furry.

Just as she was about to place the piece between his teeth, Bucky lunged at her, teeth gnawing at her fingers. But she had expected another rebellious act, so she managed to grab his cheeks between her fingers. Squeezing forcefully enough to bring tears to his eyes, she coldly said, “One more try and I will break your jaw. The choice is yours.”

Releasing his face, she approached with the rubber piece once more. This time, Bucky didn’t fight back. He didn’t doubt she would stay true to her word, and he had learned long ago how to pick his battles.

Satisfied he was prepared, the leader nodded once again at the scientist. Pressing another button, the halo began to turn and lower once again. But suddenly, the straps around his arms tightened and sharp needles pierced the skin on his flesh limb, injecting him with a burning liquid. He winced and jerked but the straps were too tight. As the halo descended lower and lower, Bucky watched in horror as two arms unfolded from the device, electricity surging between them. He struggled desperately to pull away, but the arms soon clamped tightly against each side of his face. He could feel the electricity flowing just below the surface of the metal plates and he suddenly flashed back to years ago, to another prison. When Zola had experimented on him once before. When he had been given the Super Soldier Serum. He remembered a device similar to this being used on him. But that had been much smaller and less sophisticated….. Oh god….

The leader must have noticed some sort of recognition in his face. “I believe you are familiar with Dr. Zola’s earlier model of this machine. I have since taken his designs and perfected them. I call it the memory suppression machine. You see, a man who has something worth fighting for would rather die than submit. He is unable to be swayed or corrupted unless in very specific circumstances. However, a man who knows nothing, who has no beliefs or ties to the outside world, can be molded into any shape I wish. And this, my dear sergeant, is what will happen to you. As with before, you will try to resist but the end result will be the same. So make this easier on all of us, and just give in.”

Bucky tried to put on a brave face, but he knew his terror was shinning through. As he felt the electric surge start to grow stronger, he tried to think of all the people he desperately wanted to remember. His parents, his sister, the Howling Commandos…. Steve. But in the next instant, every thought was ripped from his head.

Bucky convulsed forcefully as electricity flowed through his body. Every nerve, every synapse lit up all at once. He felt like he was burning from the inside out. The pain was so intense, so consuming, he didn’t even have the ability to think that he was supposed to think about his life. The only though in his head was pain, agony, torture, MAKE IT STOP!

“Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car. Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car. Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car.”

Over and over again, the leader chanted the Russian words from her red book. Bucky could barely hear them as his screams of agony worked around the mouth guard but yet, he could feel them worming into his fried brain, taking root as the rest of him faded away. Over and over again, the words rang out.

“Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car. Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car. Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car.”

Then, just as the soldier in the chair began to slip into unconsciousness, the leader, his leader stepped forward. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered a phrase that was so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. But before he could try to remember, he slipped into the darkness.

It had taken almost a month of conditioning but the project had been a complete success. The man who stood before her now was everything she had hoped for and more. She had done test after test, pushing him to the very limits, but he never regained the knowledge of who he once was when confronted with the truth. Her proudest day had been when she showed him a newspaper article with a photo of him and Captain America, and he didn’t so much as blink.

However, the conditioning did falter over time. There had been a close call after four days without the machine when he suddenly stopped in the middle of training. With a far off look in his eyes and confusion written all over his face, he had stammered out, “Bu-buck? Bucky?” He had been back in the chair within five minutes.

But the constant sessions were coming with their own set of problems. The machine basically worked by frying his brain and with day after day of this, he was starting to show damage in his cognitive and reactionary skills as well. Something had to be done.

And so, with much reluctance, she had called Zola. The man had been like a father to her…and she hated her father. But still, she knew of no other scientific mind that she would ever consider her equal. Plus, as the head of the undercover HYDRA operations, he had to make the final call.

So when he arrived, and after an impressive demonstration of the work she had accomplished with her subject, she finally broached the issue that was troubling her.

“As you can see, he is a very impressive specimen. However, when it comes to his memory, I can only do so much long term. The longer he is awake and conscious, the more his memory will try to creep back in. And while the memory suppression machine can wipe his brain again and again, I can not prevent it from causing permanent damage over time.”

“Then what do you suggest, doctor?”

She stared at her silent soldier. “We keep him in stasis until he is needed. That procedure has its own complications as well, but I believe dangers of frequent memory wipes are far greater than the dangers of stasis.”

Zola considered for a moment before nodding. “I trust your judgement. If you believe this is the best solution, then put him on ice.” He turned and left the room without another word.

She signaled to the guards standing on either side of her prized possession. Mechanically, he allowed the men to lead him over to the prepared chamber. Not even flinching at the cold, the soldier entered the tube with no resistance.

As the door shut, she stared through the window with a smug smirk, “A fitting solution, wouldn’t you say, Winter Soldier.” She had always hated that name, but it now seemed to be more prophetic than anyone could have realized. Placing her hand against the glass, she murmured. “Ah,… sleep well, moy soldat. You have a marvelous future ahead of you.”

She basked in her accomplishment as the once fierce warrior stared docilely back at her. As she signaled her team to pull the switch and the ice overtook his body, he had just enough time to rest his metal fingers against his side of the window, the thin glass the only thing separating their two hands. But then, he was gone. An icy statue was all that remained. Without a second glance, she turned to her men, “Come. We have work to do.”

Years passed in an instant for the weapon who was once Sergeant Bucky Barnes. All he knew now of life was murder, and pain, and her. They were the only three constants that remained with him even after his memories were wiped again and again. They were the three things he clung to, to keep even the smallest shred of himself. But, nothing lasts forever.

By 1972, the Winter Soldier became one of HYDRA’s greatest weapons. From surviving fights with Super Soldiers to assassinating U.S. Presidents, he had become a thing of legends and ghost stories. And even within the organization itself, few people knew the entire truth.

Which was why it came as such a surprise when an entire squadron of men burst into the lab one day. The asset had just returned from a mission and had yet to be wiped or placed back in stasis. As the intruders surrounded him, guns raised, he looked to his leader for his command, but she just soft shook her head. Even with his incredible skill, he couldn’t take on this many armed gunmen at once without massive casualties to the scientists. And she did not plan on becoming a casualty.

Once everything was secured, a man in an expensive suit strolled into the lab. The leader’s face turned deadly as she glared daggers at the newcomer.

“Pierce.” She growled.

“Good morning, Doctor. I have come to take possession of my property.” He motioned to the soldier standing silently behind her.

She shifted slightly, placing herself more squarely in front of him. “What the hell are you talking about? He is mine. Zola gave him to me years ago back when he was nothing but a whimpering, pathetic reject. I am the one who programmed him! I am the one who trained him! I am the one who gave him his greatest weapon! You cannot just walk in here and take him now!”

It was the first time the soldier had seen her get angry like this. She grew angry at him all the time, especially at the beginning. But this… he had never seen. The color rising in her cheeks as spit flew from her snarled lips, hands trembling in fury. Actual hate-filled emotions. And for the first time in many years, he felt a twinge of something in his chest.

Pierce smiled smugly. “That is true, and HYDRA thanks you for your years of hard work and service. However, I am in charge now and I will be taking him from here.”

“That is a lie. There is no way Zola would ever-

“Zola is dead, doctor.”

Her face faltered for a second. “No… I knew he was ill but dead…” However, she soon steeled her face once more. “It makes no difference. I have been the head of the Winter Soldier program since its inception. I will not allow it to be taken from me!”

Pierce nodded. “I figured you might feel that way.”

Before anyone could react, he pulled out a gun and shot her in the stomach. With a gasp of pained astonishment, she stumbled back. But the soldier caught her before she could hit the floor. Gathering her up in his powerful arms, he turned and bolted from the room, ignoring as a bullet lodged itself into his shoulder. His first directive, the one no one knew about, had always been to keep her safe and alive. But even he had not been fast enough to save her this time.

After carrying her into her office and setting her down gently on top of her desk, the soldier turned to lock the door behind them.

“All of my work, all of my achievements, all of my loyalty, and this is how I am repaid….” She glared angrily at the ceiling. But then her gaze shifted to the lone figure by the door. She motioned for him, and he was at her side in seconds.

For the first time in almost thirty years, she addressed him as a person instead of the tool she had crafted. “I read the notebook you had with you when they pulled you from that river all those years ago. I know about your friend…their super soldier.” She spat out the words in disgust before a spasm of pain ripped through her body. Blood was gushing from the bullet wound in her stomach, but the soldier made no move to try and stop the flow. They both knew there was nothing he could do at that point.

Licking her lips, she continued. “Every program needs a deactivation phrase. It’s just how it works. I chose one from your book. One I assumed no one would ever accidentally stumble upon.” She peered up at him, eyes slightly glassy but still shining with pride. Reaching up, she softly rested her hand on his face though he just stared back with the same indifference he always had. The irony was not lost on her that the one time in her life she was craving affection and care, she was left only with the shell of a man she had created.

“I am tempted to say it now, you know, to release you from your mental prison before Pierce can get his hands on you. But I am too selfish for that, even now. You are my greatest accomplishment, and I cannot just throw away my life’s work. But maybe, someday, you’ll find someone who can do what I cannot. I wish you luck... moy soldat... and stay strong.”

Her hand fell from his face as her heart slowed its beating. And just as she slipped into the eternal darkness, she thought, Maybe he’ll get lucky one day…. Then again, what are the chances someone near him will use the phrase ‘Til the end of the line’….

[christinebloodwrittings]

May I request a sequel to Fashion Changes please where some jealous ladies, jotun and asgardian who fancy Loki and take notice of his wardrobe change and gossip about it and Loki's relationship with y/n, Loki hears and is not happy.

You ask I write! Thank you so much for your request!

I hope you like this one, it's going to be divided in two parts though.

*My requests are open*

Pairing: Jotun Loki x Fem!Reader

Words: 1813

Summary: After the engagement was announced rumors about the future king of Jotunheim and his queen started to rise.

Warnings: NSFW.

Loki Taglist: @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @high-functioning-lokipath @thereadinggeek @lucky-foxface

Ex's and Oh's

His queen, his love, his life.

There was nothing that Loki was not willing to do for you, the commitment was official a month after putting the kingdom in its place. Loki imposed an air of respect and humility at the same time as fear, his people had finally recognized him as a decent prince.

A great celebration was made in honor of the future kings, Laufey even gave his blessing, to you and the future grandchildren that you would give him, the thought itself brought you a huge blush as you hid your face in Loki’s furry cloak.

The ring on your finger was silver with a bluish diamond in the center. In the morning it was what woke him up, the brightness of the sun against the diamond was reflected towards his eyes, however it did not bother him in the least, it made him very happy because he remembered when you agreed to spend your life with him in the gardens.

“Y/n, I know that I am not the best man, nor the noblest. My life has been full of mistakes from which I have learned important lessons, which led me to meet you, the love of my life, the woman who helps me to be better every day, without you I would not have achieved it” he looked at the floor, but noticed you weren’t high enough so he softly placed you on the edge of the fountain, and then he got down on one knee.

“I love taking care of you, taking you to meetings with me, spending time with you, I love your laugh, your kisses, your caresses, all the love you give me, it is impossible for me to ever think of waking up without you by my side, that is why I am here, on my knees... Y/n would you marry me?” he gave you the biggest smile when you literally jumped on him, spreading kisses all over his face.

“Yes, a thousand times yes!” you giggled while he held you on his palms.

A few days later it was announced the dates for the Summer Solstice Ball, hosted by the king and queen of Asgard in their own realm. It was to begin on the twenty-first of December and end on the twenty-third, so the invitation also included lodging in the kingdom. Thor made sure that in your case it is inside the palace, since most of the guests used to sleep in the fancy boats and ships in which they arrived.

“This is going to be so fun, and I’ll get to see Jane!” You moved around the room packing your bags, throwing clothes inside whenever you found something worthy of a party. "It depresses me that I won't have to wear my coats, because it's hot there and I won't be able to keep you warm" he pouted as he zipped her suitcase.

"But your body in warmer temperatures is colder, you can protect me from a heat stroke” you kissed his cheek before zipping your bag, “My queen is so smart, I love you” There was no way that a heatstroke would happen to you while there, Asgard did not have such drastic temperatures, but Loki cared little about that detail, he was happy to do things for you, it was his love language.

The day had come. Suitcases ready and formal clothes on the bed, while the minutes went by quickly, especially with your fiancé on his knees again.

You had gotten into the shower while he was trying to get the slumber out of his body, or at least it was what he had said, but a little you expected him to come in and do that exactly.

He didn’t let you turn around, he bent down as his mouth let a trail of kisses down your spine, he only stopped to caress your ass and gave one cheek a light bite, making you loudly moan and gasp. Once his knees hit the tiles, he secured your legs slightly apart with his hands and used his tongue to give a long brushstroke to your folds.

“Loki!” you let out a shaky moan, his face was fully in contact with your ass, his mouth constantly nibbling and sucking your clit plus his hands squeezing your thighs sent you over the edge, “Tell me, who do you belong to?” the heat ran through your body like a wave, his tongue was cold as ice, but his breath once he spoke with that possessive tone that you like so much mixed the temperatures. your eyes fell to his, he admired the lust on your face, how just a few minutes eating you left you so at his mercy.

Given your lack of response, Loki carelessly bit the inside of your left thigh, your words escaping from your throat like a scream of pleasure, “You! I belong to you!” he grinned, getting himself on his feet again to position his big fingers on your wet slit, you took two inside easily which made him purr.

“I’m going to stretch this tight little pussy of yours so much, you won’t be able to forget that” he took his fingers out of you, then got hold of your hips and pulled you close to him suddenly, causing you to gasp and whimper due to the emptiness.

“Not a single sound Y/n, or I won’t let you cum” he threatened as he ran his tongue from your shoulder to your ear in a long stroke, he felt you shudder as you felt his words and his dick being positioned on your entrance.

A loud moan got caught in your throat as you felt him slid inside you, hitting every single spot on the way, the bulge over your stomach noticeable. “I love you my love, you’re all mine, my little one” he was rough with every thrust, but gentle and loving with his hands, specially feeling the indentations his teeth left on your thigh. She felt guilty that you couldn't wear the dress you wanted, yet you had another one with the opposite leg slit, so you would still look sexy and beautiful, as always.

You were trying not to scream when his member hit your cervix as if trying to force its way through it, and you barely managed it, until he placed his lips back to your ear "Let it out my love, you can release it now" you let out a loud moan and a gasp, then you felt him move his hand away from your body to turn on the water on the bath side, “We still have four hours, let me take care of you my queen”.

After helping cleaning you up, Loki braided your hair in the traditional way, although his hands were big, it didn't mean that he was less skilled.

But when it was the time for you to get dressed you noticed the huge bite on your leg. "Loki! I was distracted by your techniques, but now this is unacceptable, you can't bite me like you want to rip a piece off me!" he laughed proudly at the brand, yet embarrassed, "I'm sorry love, I'll bandage your thigh, it's just that I couldn't resist".

You rolled your eyes as you took the blue dress with the high slit on the right leg, “You look astounding, beautiful goddess, I should rip that dress now” he praised to take your pouting attitude away, it did made you laugh as he grunted like an animal in heat and pretended to faint at your feet.

“Ok, don’t be silly we’re going to be late love” Hand in hand you walked alongside him towards the point where the Bifrost beam would fall, when it did Loki hugged you to avoid losing you as you two were pulled from the ground to the sky.

Colored lights blinded you for a moment, you closed your eyes tightly hugging his neck until the sudden movements stopped, "Welcome to Asgard, prince and princess to-be of Jotunheim" Heimdall saluted with a smile, “Good evening gatekeeper” Loki spoke lowering your body to cradle you in his arm, “Are you ok my love?” you were still dizzy and nauseous so you shook your head and kept holding onto his chest, “Is alright darling, I got you” you took in his cologne before drifting a little bit.

But it was impossible to rest, it was like when you are drunk, you closed your eyes and suddenly everything starts spinning fast, then you open them and it’s like stepping on the brakes of a car too harshly.

"Did you hear? Prince Loki is engaged" Hearing a whisper you opened your eyes to realize you were in the palace. "What, no! You're kidding", said another person, "Yes, and with a human no less" The first woman had said it like it was a bad thing, "Not that he even wore warm clothes for her? Ha! This will end badly" the second woman spoke again, poison in every word, "What a waste honestly, he is so handsome" Waste? were they talking about you? "And she is so little, how do you think they do it?" 'oh my god' you opened your eyes and looked at the women, but they were out of your vision range as Loki was still walking while apparently talking to Thor.

"My love?" you stirred in his arm calling his attention, "Do you feel better my queen?" you nodded feeling his lips against your temple, “Y/n, I’m so glad to see you okay, welcome to Asgard" Thor hugged you as soon as Loki put you down, squeezing the air out of you.

“Enough brother, let her breathe” Loki rushed to take you away from him, however he kept a calm tone while doing so, taking you back to his side with one hand pressing gently on your back while you fixed your dress.

“We are going to have the best bonfire this year, and the banquet” Thor was pretty excited, this year all the courts of the nine kingdoms were going to be present, “Thor keeps going to the kitchen to steal pancakes, the queen already has him with a restraining spell” Jane walked to your side, rolling her eyes at the blonde god.

“Honestly I’m not surprised, how are you doing?” you asked locking your arm with hers, “I’m more concerned about you Y/n, with all these rumors going on about you two, how are you handling?”.

"What rumors? What are you talking about?" You asked feigning disbelief, the conversation of the women from before had already given you an idea, "About the change of Loki around you, the commitment, the fur coats" how did they know all that? "You really didn't know?" you looked at Loki from the distance and then at Jane, "Tell me everything".

Part 2

[xnchxntmxnt]

Emerald Eyes

Fandom: Kuroko’s Basketball

Character: Midorima Shintarou

Warnings: the end cold be taken a tiny bit suggestive but its really not meant to be. not proofread

Notes: second one tonight bc the other one was stress writing this one was something ive been working on for a few days. this is the namesake of my theme <333

gn!reader!

Reblogs > likes

Taglist form

I've spent a thousand nights Lost in your emerald eyes Lost in a place where I know you can see my soul

Midorima has never been one for romantics.

It’s not in his nature and he’d never found any interest in it. There was no point.

You changed that.

The longer he knew you, the more time he wanted to spend with you. There were some days you were his lucky item, even if Oha Asa didn’t say so. He was always better around you. Lighter, more carefree, less feeling like he had to be perfect. Takao joked that he was less arrogant when you were around, too, and he’d never admit it, but he agreed.

He found himself with a nervous feeling in his stomach when you brushed hair out of his face and a tightness in his chest when you smiled. It was a good tightness, though. He almost liked it.

You made him smile. That was a feat few achieved, but you managed to do it easily. A simple text, a phone call, an offer to study together, it all mattered to him more than anyone ever had before.

So when he (very messily) confessed these feelings for you, he was terrified. And when you admitted you felt the same way, he couldn’t believe your words.

Nearly a year had passed since then. You were both in your third year of high school and with your busy schedules, you’d barely had time to spend time together. He always made sure to text you good morning—5:30 every weekday morning, 7:30 every weekend, like clockwork. It was the first thing he did each day. Other than a quick good morning, goodnight, or hello in the hallway, you rarely got to talk.

After weeks of this, it got frustrating. He never got a chance to see you and he should be able to spend some quality time with his partner, no? So a Saturday night when he didn’t have anything going on the following morning (and hoped you didn’t, too), he called you and woke you up.

“Shin…?” you asked, rubbing your eyes. “Shin, it’s late, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“You’re not doing anything, are you?”

“Not at…what, after midnight? No, I’m not doing anything.”

“Ok, good. Get dressed and meet me outside your place in 20 minutes. I have a surprise for you.”

He hung up after that, not waiting for a reply. He knew you’d listen…or at least, he hoped. It was a good surprise after all, one he knew you’d enjoy.

Just like he said, about 20 minutes later, he showed up outside your place, getting out of his car to meet you. He smiled slightly when you walked outside, pulling a sweater (that he recognized as his) over your shoulders.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but why this late?” you complained while he greeted you with a kiss on the cheek. “But…I did miss you, Shintaro.”

He loved the way his name sounded when you said it—something about it was so special, and he was sure it was because of you. “I missed you too. And I’m sorry about waking you up so late, but I promise there's a good reason behind it.”

“So what’s this surprise?”

Midorima walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for you, gesturing for you to get in. He wasn’t going to tell you until you got there, and soon you’d figure that out.

You smiled at him as you walked past him, getting in the car. He did, too, a moment later. His hand took its place in yours, just like always, as he drove down the dimly-lit street.

The two of you arrived at your destination; he stopped at a park just outside town. He got out and opened the door for you, leading you to join him sitting on the hood.

“Why’re we all the way out here?” you ask, leaning your head against his shoulder. “You’re not usually one for random trips like this, Shin.”

He shrugged and pressed a gentle kiss to your head. It was out of the ordinary for him, sure, but sometimes a little surprise was nice. He surprised himself, too, with this. Everything he did was planned and precise, usually with the advice of Oha Asa, but this was…new. Nothing was scripted, nothing was planned, and it felt a little more natural.

“As I said,” he replied, taking your hand. “I missed you. It’s been too long since we’ve done this.”

“Well we’ve never done this, but I like it.”

It was quiet. For a while, actually. It was a comfortable quiet for the two of you, though—it was never awkward between the two of you. He felt you turn his face, ever-so-gently to face you. Your touch was always like that—soft and utterly exhilarating. Whether it was a simple hand in his or you playing with his hair, it was wonderful.

He leaned towards you mumbling, “kiss me,” against your lips. You closed the gap between the two of you, and he felt like you were trying to kiss his breath out of him. He’d gladly take his last if that’s how he could go out. There was so much to leave unsaid behind that one action—there was love, longing, that feeling of craving the other one’s touch. It made his heart race.

When he pulled away for air, he pulled you closer, turning so you could face him more. He took a moment to remove his glasses before kissing you again. This kiss was deeper, stronger—more held behind it. He smiled as you played with the short hair at the base of his neck, and then even wider when you made a noise of surprise when he pulled you closer.

You moved back briefly and leaned your head against his, his eyes fluttering open slowly. You still sat together in a mess of limbs: one of your legs over his, his arm around your waist, your hand playing with his hair. It was one of the most wonderful feelings he thought he could ever experience, holding you like that.

“I love you,” he whispered, punctuating his promise with another quick kiss. Because he did—he loved you with everything he had, and there was nothing that could change that.

Make me lose track of time You and your emerald eyes Finally found a place that I can call my home

taglist

@emswordss + @kodzukoi you arent on my taglist for knb however i feel like you might like this. idk if you like shin tho lmao