#also WHERE ARE MY FICS I NEED A DECENT FIC WHERE I CAN SMOOCH THIS MAN CMON

[killertoons]

Y'all why can't I just have it MAGICALLY APPEAR...why is this man so Hard to DRAW...

I just wanna hold my catapillar husbands hand...maybe give a smooch. IS THAT TO MUCH TO ASK?!

Gotta do everything myself out here 😑

[silentmoths]

if it's not too much to ask, can I ask for (n)sfw hcs of itto x shy afab reader who's an oni just like him? and the reason she's reclusive and doesn't feel comfortable showing her personality is because of how people see her as aggressive due to her horns :( i just need a comforting fic ngl

OOOO BET.

Featuring: Aratakki itto x Oni AFAB Reader

Comfort, Fluff, smut/nsfw elements, improper treatment of oni horns heheheh

SFW Headcanons:

👹 The moment this dingus lays his eyes on you, he's down bad, how could he not be? when was the last time he'd seen another oni? and a GIRL no less??

👹it's basically that one bit from inside out where the boy's emotions are running around, screaming while GIRL. GIRL. GIRL. blares in the bg.

👹 He's not too offended when you shy away from him at first, his first impressions can always be a bit much, and even he knows that, he may have been especially grandiose about it because oh my god pretty oni girl.

👹 Tones it down pretty quick, gets your name, and picks up pretty quickly that you're mad shy, and that's something that takes him a long time to get used to, because he's so used to...well, himself, it's difficult for him to actually imagine an oni being shy, heck, even the blue oni are assertive in their own ways.

👹 He continues to come and see you, slowly trying to coax you out of your shell, he talks about the gang alot, telling you they'd LOVE to meet you, but doesn't try to force it, especially not when he mentions that the gang are all humans.

👹 He does not miss the way your eyes glance upwards to your own horns whenever the topic of humans come up, or the way your shoulders bunch with anxiety. He may not have many brain cells rattling around up in that gnoggin of his, but he's not a total idiot.

👹 Though, eventually he asks if he can bring Grandma Oni with him one day, explains that she's a human, but she's raised him since he was a child and you had nothing to fear from her. Which was absolutely correct.

👹 Grandma Oni, of course, absolutely adores you, adores the fact her little chaos child had found you and wasn't being too pushy (and secretly also having a proud 'my boy wanted the object of his affections to meet his mama' moment.

👹 But the way you act with itto and the way you interact with Grandma Oni are so...different, it doesn't go unnoticed by him either, the way you sit a little straighter, move a little slower, you even cut your nails? why would you need to do that? oni are meant to have pointy nails, not like cutting them does much, they regrow back into little points within the day....

👹 So when he visits next and sits down, he asks about it. The response breaks his heart a little. Not every oni could take the backlash of humans and roll with it like he does and apparently too much negative reaction from them as a child, with no one to fall back on for support like grandma oni could have some pretty serious effects on a young oni's self esteem.

👹 The moment you tell him you hate your horns and pull aside some of your hair to show him the several attempts you'd made at cracking them off over the years (with no luck save for a few score marks you'd made with a saw, but trying to get something on your head off is difficult alone) his heart shatters.

👹 This is the first time he actually bucks up the courage to kiss you. Because you're crying and sad and have so much fear and that's just not ok by him and you really looked like you needed the tightest hug and a few good smooches.

👹 To be fair he'd gone to kiss your cheek, but you'd shifted at the wrong time and ended up kissing you square on the lips, but hey, you dind't pull away instantly, that's gotta account for something, right?

👹 Dumbass makes it his personal mission to try and help you see that not all humans are scary, and in time he does finally convince you to meet the gang, as expected, they lose it, joking that the boss had finally found someone who had a decent head on her shoulders to lead the gang (Itto pretends to be huffy about it)

HERE THAR BE NSFW TERRITORY

👹It takes longer than itto would want to admit before you two get down in the sheets. Heck he thought you were adorable enough whenever he kissed you that the thought never came to mind.

👹It's one evening however as you're making dinner (you were a way better cook than he was that was for damn sure) when he finds himself staring at your horns, and a thought comes to mind, because it's something he'd always wondered, but never been able to test on his own.

👹 So right as you turn, content to let the soup simmer a while, that you find yourself caught in his strong embrace with an almost predatory look in his eyes.

👹 You're naturally confused, especially when he ducks his head forward and- oh my god he just licked one of your horns. The way his hands tighten on your hips when you gasp is all the warning you get before he chuckles and grazes teeth along the horn instead.

👹 Sir that should be illegal.

👹 It's all downhill from there, it really is stupid how easily this man can just pick you up like you weigh nothing and carries you to bed. it's especially frustrating when his mouth keeps assulting your horns, how dare he use part of you that you dislike to make you feel good, that's not fair!!

👹In itto's eyes, using your horns to make you feel good is a great thing!! especially if it's him making you feel good, so he's absolutely going to exploit the hell out of it.

👹 You hate the fact he doesnt keep this information contained to the bedroom either. In fact, he absolutely starts running his fingers along your horns as a sign of affection, which feels good yes, but it draws attention to them, something you were still very much not used to.

👹In the bedroom however, he ramps the horn play up about 10 notches, gnawing, sucking, you name it; if it's making you moan, he's gonna keep doing it. His ultimate goal? Dumbass just wants you to feel good, you deserve that much.

👹to be honest the only way you've found to keep his mouth away from your damn horns is by grabbing at his own and directing him elsewhere, and even then, that mouth o' his isn't gentle.

👹 Though you can definitely appreciate the way he actually manages to reign in his self control when it comes to actually fucking you, for as big and strong an Oni as he is, he's surprisingly gentle and doesn't just go for it without a second thought.

👹It's actually super rare for him to get rough with sex, he's more than aware that even for an Oni, he's on the large side in more than one aspect.

👹 And despite how much he hypes himself up on the daily, when he's lost in pleasure, it's all about you; how pretty you are, how glad he is to have found you, how he wants you to stay with him forever, real sappy shit.

👹 Eventually, with the help of his gang, and some silent observation, you slowly, but surely begin coming around to the idea that perhaps humans weren't all that bad anymore.

[seiyasabi]

Trouble In Paradise

(This is a Yandere Kyoutani x Cute Fem Reader x Yandere (Platonic) Older Bro Iwa-chan  fic :)) This takes place after high school, in a universe where everyone still plays volleyball. 

TW; Jealousy!, turns into dubcon/noncon!!!!, !unwanted choking!, As I’ve said in the past-every character I write for (in my head) are like two feet taller than you!, Possessive behaviour!, he’s highkey soft for u but is still a bastard lol (love him), marking kink!, creampie!, daddy kink!, mentions of Oikawa lowkey being a Yandere too, etc.. 

Kyoutan deserves the world ;)) I love him ajadskhafkah also, sorry if my use of ‘chan’ is cringey, I think it’s funny af tbh, and since I’m Japanese, I’ll do what I want lmao. Anyways, sorry if this sucks, I tried like 5 different ways to write this, and this was the only one that ended up being somewhat decent. ) 

Skipping to the loud gym, your skirt swishes against the fat of your thighs. Your cute ass can be seen peeking out from under the pleated fabric, leaving those around you to coo at your pretty self. Without meaning to, you catch the eye of those around you. 

Seeing the gym’s doors, you push them open with an excited vigour, happy to finally be with your big brother and boyfriend. 

Immediately when you enter, you see Oikawa being swarmed with his fanclub, leaving a straight shot to the rest of the team. Spotting your bad-boy bf, you squeal in delight, gunning at him at top speed. He’s currently sitting on the bleachers, your brother seemingly scolding him for his RBF and bad attitude, but his eyes snap up in an instant, recognising your voice from anywhere. 

An uncharacteristic smile is present on his pierced face, standing to his feet, he readies himself to catch you and twirl you around. That’s a plus of being in shape; picking up your supes cute gf whenever you please! 

That is, until a certain pretty boy steps in the way. 

Tooru has his arms out, in a stance that will allow him to catch you with ease. Before you could slow down and avoid him, he yoinks you up and off of the floor, holding you in a tight embrace, “(Your Name)-chan! I knew you’d come visit me! I’ve been waiting all day for you, Cutie!” The glares from your boyfriend and brother are instantaneous. 

Iwa looks ready to scalp the brunet, whilst Ken looks ready to scrap-possibly even catch a body. Oikawa’s fans look absolutely bloodthirsty, jealous of your cute self being in the arms of the equally cute male. 

Pouting, you push at the pretty boy’s chest, “Put me down! I’m not here for you!” He coos at you, moving in to kiss you on the cheek, only for you to push him away by his face, “Stop it, you’re being weird! Put me down, I wanna see Ken-Chan!” 

By this point, your boyfriend and brother have made their way to you, ready to rip him to shreds, “Put my sister down, Shittykawa! Don’t be a perv!” He karate chops the starlet on the head, causing him to drop you in surprise. 

“Iwa-Chan! You’re so mean to me! Now look what you did, (Your Name)-Chan is hurt-” Kentarou catches you in an instant, cradling you in his scarred arms. Oikawa’s mouth gapes in shock, brain not computing the fact that the dyed haired male moved at lightning speed. 

“No, she ain’t,” He gruffs out, smooching you on the cheek. You giggle, hugging the tatted male tightly. Your (size) breasts smoosh against his buff chest, as you start to pepper kisses all over his face, “She ain’t ever gettin’ hurt if I’m here,” He places a kiss on your lips, relishing how you immediately kiss back. 

“Ken-Chan! I missed you so much!” He rolls his eyes, the tips of his ears turning red. Readjusting his hold on you, he cradles your ass instead of your thighs, causing you to gasp, “Kyoutan, don’t be a perv!” 

He smirks, readying himself to respond, only for your brother to beat you to it, “Yeah, ‘Kyoutan,’ don’t be perving on my little sister!” Redirecting his smug look, he sticks his tongue out at your fuming sibling. 

“Bite me.”

The look on Hajime’s face is priceless, “Biting you isn’t the only thing you need to worry about-” 

“Haji,” His attention immediately snaps to your sweet face, which is currently pouting, “Don’t threaten him! He’s precious to me!” Before Kyoutani can say something smart, you rest your head against his neck, practically nuzzling him, which also shuts him up. 

The spikey haired ace is immediately offended, “I-wha-(Nickname), aren’t I precious to you? Aren’t I your most wonderful older brother?” You giggle, nodding your head. 

“Yes! But Ken-Chan is baby-”

“(Nickname)-Chan, aren’t I baby?! I feel so left out!” Oikawa and his fangirls are off to the side, watching the interaction. Whilst Oinks looks positively offended and left out, the girls are angry that you’ve stolen the captain’s attention. 

“No, you’re the ugly side character,” Hajime states nonchalantly. 

“Yea, yer uglier than the dirt under (Your Name)’s shoe,” Offended noises and indignant hand movements follow their words, as his fans start to shout in anger and shock. 

You lightly whack Kyoutani on the shoulder, scolding him with your eyes, “Haji, Kyoutan, don’t be mean! Tooru is pretty,” The setter preens in delight, “But, he’s dumb. So, he’s the dumb, but pretty, character!” 

His hands grasp his chest as if you’d stabbed him, “(Nickname)-Chan, my heart, it’s breaking-” He fake gags, causing your brother and boyfriend to roll their eyes, “The only way to fix it…. Is to get a kiss!” He bolts towards you, causing you to shriek in surprise. Placing you on your feet, you’re quickly placed behind the dyed haired man, ‘Mad Dog’ making an appearance. 

Practically frothing at the mouth, he snarls at Oikawa, whilst Hajime sticks out his foot, effectively tripping him. Once falling, the pierced male yanks him up by his shirt collar, and hauls him up to his feet. Now face to face with the scary male, Oikawa gulps in fear, “I’ll kill ya, put ya in the ground, Pretty Boy. Once yer dead, Iwaizumi’ll dance over yer corpse.”

“Yes, I think I will,” Hearing his bestie agree with the sentiment, Oinks finally realises that he messed around too much. 

“Now, yer gonna apologise to (Your Name), or I’ll shave yer head,” Now fully standing, Kyoutani moves out of the way, allowing the setter to apologise face-to-face. 

Dropping to his hands and knees, he starts to bow at you as if you’re royalty, “I’m sorry, (Your Name)-Chan! I promise I didn’t mean to offend you! Please don’t let Mad Dog-Chan and Iwa-Chan kill me!” Giggling at his over the top words, you nod your head. 

“It’s okay, Tooru-Chan,” You pat his head reassuringly, “I know you love your fangirls more than me,” This causes the gym to erupt into cheers, as the other girls start to swarm the male. You can hear him scream in fear, but are quickly pulled away from the crime scene, and taken out to the car park. 

Your brother holds you close to him, glaring at your boyfriend who looks equally as angry. There’s a heavy silence between the three of you, as you’re squished into a hug by your brother. 

“Haji, why’re you holding me so tight? Don’t you have to get back to practice?” He doesn’t answer, instead speaking to your boyfriend. 

“Take her home, Kyoutani. I’ll deal with him now, you can deal with him later,” He nods, taking you from your older brother’s arms, and practically carrying you to his motorcycle. Setting you on the back of the bike, he opens the back hatch of the bike, and pulls out your pastel pink helmet. Placing it onto your head tenderly, he flips the eye cover up, allowing you to see him clearly for a moment. 

Smiling up at him (he can only see your eyes crinkle), you speak, “Hi!” His pissed off face immediately dissolves, causing him to smile at your cute self. 

“Hi, Baby,” Grabbing his rough hands, you interlace your fingers between his. 

“Aren’t you going to practice, Kyo-Ken?” He rolls his eyes, but gives your hands a squeeze. 

“Nah, I gotta take my Baby Girl home, so I can show her who she belongs to,” He gives you a wink, leaving you to splutter in surprise. 

“You-you can’t say that in public!” Chuckling, he releases your hands and flips your eye cover down, before chucking on his own helmet, and settling on the front of the bike. 

Pulling Your arms around his waist, he waits for you to settle against him. He relishes your tight hold, as you practically cling onto him for dear life. 

Starting up the engine, he kicks up the kick stand, and speeds off to your shared apartment. 

-

Your body bounces off of the mattress, as you let out a small scream. A giggle escapes your lips, as you smile up at Kyoutani, “Ken-Ken, are you still mad?” He nods, his hands pulling off your cropped sweater, and pushing up your skirt to expose your pastel yellow panties. 

“That ugly bastard should’a know better than t’a put his disgusting hands on ya,” He practically growls, undoing your bra and letting your pretty tits flop out. Kissing up your neck, he sucks hickies onto the previously unblemished skin. A small moan leaves your lips at the feeling, as he starts to pinch and twist your nipples. 

“Daddy!” He releases your neck with a ‘pop,’ smirking down at you. 

“Yes, Princess? Do ya need something?” He rubs the skin on the inside of your thighs, purposefully missing your dampening cunny, “Do ya need yer Daddy to touch yer Princess parts?” 

Nodding, you plead with him, “Yes! Please touch me!” 

Chuckling, he pulls your panties off of you, letting the cool air of your shared room caress your cunny. Running a single finger up your slit, he barely taps your clit, causing your hips to jerk up and off of the mattress, “Yer such a sensitive baby, I love ya so much.”

“I love you too, Daddy! Please fuck me!” He hums, mulling over your words. 

“Want me to show everyone who ya belong to?” You nod your head rapidly. 

“Yes! Yes, please!” Kissing you on the lips sloppily, he reaches down to pull out his cock from his Adidas sport shorts. His tip is pierced, and when he rubs it against your clit, you practically see stars. 

“My good, cute, polite girl,” He gathers your slick on his tip, before he pushes in. Your walls burn as you try to accommodate to his thick size, practically sucking the air from your lungs. A wanton moan is heard from you, as he waits for you to accept him comfortably, “Relax, Princess. Let me int’a yer pretty cunny.” 

“Da-Daddy,” Your arms wrap around him, clawing at his shirt covered back, “You’re too big!” He shushes you softly, rubbing your clit with two fingers. Your juices slowly drip out of you and onto his cock. After a moment, he begins to move, practically rearranging your guts. 

“You’ve taken me before, Princess. I know ya can do it, just let me in,” He starts to thrust into you at a medium speed, rubbing your clit at the same pace. Your eyes glaze over, practically rolling into the back of your head. 

His cock is heavy and girthy inside of your slick walls, spearing you open with each thrust. Moans and keens leave your throat, as you grip onto him. Your hips meet his, your juices spraying onto the both of you. 

“Look at my pretty baby, so fucked out already,” He uses the hand that’s not on your clit to grasp your throat, causing your body to go rigid and eyes to go wide. 

“Ken-” He shuts you up with a kiss, swallowing your words. You try to push his hand off, but it’s to no avail. He continues to fuck into you, your cunny still sucking him in, even as you’re scared of his actions. 

“Fuck, yer practically milking me for all I’ve got,” He removes his lips from yours, his grip becoming a bit tighter, “Ya want yer Daddy to cum in ya? Yea ya do.”

Now, you’re really pushing against him. You’re not on the pill, “Ken, pull out!” He shushes you, rubbing on your clit even harder than before, trying to make you cum before him. Kentarou relishes the small tears at the corner of your eyes, loving how cute you look. 

Without you wanting to, you cum with a small gush of liquid, a whine echoing through your chest. He follows not long after you, filling you to the brim with his virile cum. 

With a grunt and a huff, he pulls out of you, loving how his cum looks leaking out of you. Removing his hand from your throat, he looks down once more, realising that you don’t look very happy. 

“You didn’t listen to me,” You rub the hand mark around your neck, as you sit up, moving away from him. 

“Awe, don’t be like that, Baby,” He reaches out for you, but you move away from him. 

“I don’t want to be near you right now, Kyoutani. You didn’t stop…” Moving off of the bed, you stand to your feet. Going to your dresser, you grab a week’s worth of clothes, including your work uniform. Pulling on a new shirt, you fix your previous outfit, as you start to cry. 

“Wait-I-ya-ya aren’t leaving me, are ya?” For once, the spitfire male is at a loss for words. 

“No, I just need time away from you. You say that Tooru is bad, but you hurt me a lot just now. I’m calling Haji, and I’m going to stay with him for a little while,” Your brother has your daily items there, just because you’d sleep over sometimes, so you aren’t too worried about not having soap and such. 

Grabbing your phone from your purse by your bedroom door, you call him, Ken watching you with wide eyes, “Haji, please pick me up. Kyoutani and I got into a fight.”

-

Hajime helps you into his car, before turning to the still shocked male you call your boyfriend. He hasn’t said a word, if anything, he looks shocked beyond anything else. 

Shutting the car door, your brother finally speaks, “I knew you were no good for her. Your jealousy got the better of you.”

“I didn’t mean to, it-it just-”

“Got out of control?” Your brother raises an eyebrow, arms crossing over his chest, “Yeah, I’ve noticed. You hurt my little sister,” He moves closer to the dyed haired man, eyes flashing with anger, “You choked her out. Why? Because Oikawa made you jealous? Despicable.”

“It isn’t like that! We-we were having se-” He holds up a hand, stopping your boyfriend from continuing. 

“I don’t want to hear it. Just know that if you come near her without her allowing you to be in her presence, I’ll kill you. I never wanted you to be with her, and you just proved my fears correct.”

Realisation dawns on Kyoutani, “Wait- is this why ya wanted me to come home with her? So I could fuck up?” 

Hajime smirks, “Of course. My little sister is too good for you. Now, fuck off, before I do something you won’t like.” 

Ken watches as you go, tears brimming his eyes. He should’ve known your brother would find you too precious to be with him. He most likely asked Oikawa to help him, seeing as the pretty boy was in the car with you, looking as perfect as ever. 

He fucked up, and now Hajime has won their rivalry. 

[spook-central]

So you know how I said I was gonna write a short Ray fic based on that garage kiss in Some Kind of Wonderful?

GUESS WHAT I DID IT

I’ll be posting it here and on archive of our own! Find me there at egonspenglersnose and give it some love!)

It’s based on this scene and this song if you need a little more context! Enjoy!

•••

She Loves Me

Word Count: 2939

Warnings: none it’s fluffy!

The day had started off normally enough, aside from the usual craziness that often occurred around the firehouse. Spring was in the air, and after what had felt like a bleak and oppressive winter, it was finally time to open up the doors and air the place out.

It felt good, letting the spring air in, and it made your overtime far more bearable.

You often stayed late a few times a week to make sure everything was caught up on for the next day when things got busy during the work week, something which Janine always appreciated greatly. Tonight was no exception, but the sun staying out for a longer time in the evenings definitely made it more enjoyable.

It also helped that Ray had lingered behind this evening to work on the Ecto. You had always been incredibly fond of him, and it was obvious to just about everyone that a crush had blossomed on your part.

You recalled the day you had met him; they had hired you on the spot mainly because they needed the help but also because you had a fairly impressive resume, and Ray was one of the first of the guys you had been introduced to.

He was quite honestly one of the best looking men you had ever met, and so incredibly sweet. You immediately liked him and got a good feeling about him.

You loved how passionate he was about the Ecto, and his overall knowledge of cars had always impressed you. Even if you didn’t know much about them, you loved his enthusiasm for them and it easily rubbed off on you.

Now, as you finished up the last of your paperwork for the evening, you could hear him tinkering away not far from you. Ecto had her fair share of problems, but there was nothing Ray wouldn’t do for that car. It was like another member of the team, and you couldn’t imagine the guys doing anything without it.

Ray would occasionally come in from where he was working for something he needed, and your eyes would meet on occasion. You had never had the guts to tell him of your feelings. Ray was just so cute and enthusiastic about what he did that it was hard NOT to give him heart eyes 24/7.

From time to time, you would hear him shuffle in for a drink of water or a missing wrench that he had left in the lab, smiling at him as you took in the sight of his wild brown hair and big, sweet eyes. How was it fair for one human to be that cute? You felt like you were sixteen again with the way you wanted to fawn over him.

However, restraint was a quality you possessed as well, and you hoped that you had been able to be somewhat subtle around him.

Oh well, maybe someday you would have enough courage. Sighing as you finished up your paperwork for the night, you stood to stretch your back, adjusting your jeans, purse and blouse as you made your way towards the door.

“She still down and out?” You asked Ray as you came to stand carefully beside the lovely car he had so caringly constructed and repaired. It really was his baby, in a funny way, and you respected the work that had gone into it a great deal. Ecto kept the guys in one piece, and you gave the vehicle a sweet little pat on the roof as if to say thank you.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” he said, his voice echoing off of the metal interior before attempting to stand up too quickly and bumping his head on it. “Ow!”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, it always gets me like that,” he chuckled, rubbing the spot on the back of his head that had been bumped and smiling that sweet, bright smile of his at you that always made you melt. “Are you headed out for the day?”

“Yup, unless you need anything else from me that is,” truth be told, you would’ve gladly stayed all night just to hang around with him. Ray seemed hesitant to fully say Goodnight, and you couldn’t help wondering if he was thinking the same thing.

“Well, uh...hand me the socket wrench?” You had gotten a fairly decent rundown of which tools were which upon receiving your first car as a teenager thanks to your father, so luckily you knew exactly what he needed. “Thanks.”

“Sure thing,” adjusting your purse on your shoulder, you couldn’t help asking about a case that had piqued your interest. “How did that class 5 turn out?”

“The one from yesterday?”

“Yeah, that one sounded nuts!”

“It was,” he laughed, “Venkman’s aim is getting better, he didn’t make any chandeliers explode this time.”

“I thought that one was Egon?”

You both laughed, and part of you was thrilled at how naturally conversation came for the both of you.

Needing a socket wrench turned into needing pliers, but soon enough Ray ran out of tools to need and it was clear that he really just wanted to spend time with you. You weren’t about to object in the slightest, comfortably sitting on a nearby stool and watching as he worked.

Truth be told, he had liked you ever since meeting you on that first day. You were always kind to him, and listened to anything he had to say no matter how out there it was.

He also couldn’t help thinking that you were incredibly pretty and very smart, but his own shy nature prevented him from saying so the way he wanted to.

A long time passed with you talking to Ray as he worked, and it was quite nice. The sun was setting now, the light golden as it streamed in from the open door beside the Ecto, but you didn’t mind.

“So Venkman seriously busted up this woman’s entire China cabinet?” The conversation had strayed back to Venkman now, and you couldn’t help laughing. He was such an odd duck, and you always got a kick out of him and his wild antics.

“We were able to blame it on the ghost being rowdy, but my god, it was a mess!” Ray tried to smooth back his messy hair as he laughed again, his hands covered in engine grease and not helping the situation much.

“He seems like he can be a real peach when he’s not causing trouble,” you rolled your eyes, smiling as Ray closed up the Ecto’s hood.

“He teases me plenty, that’s for sure, but I love him. He’s one of my best friends,” Ray was clearly fond of Venkman, and you didn’t doubt that their bond was a special one.

“What on earth does he tease you about?”

“Mostly my luck with women. Not that his is anything to go by,” this got a gut laugh out of you, and you were surprised by how witty Ray could be at times.

“No kidding. What, does he think you haven’t got game or something?”

“He tells me women won’t want to kiss me since I smoke so much.” Ray rolled his eyes, and you couldn’t help thinking about how far from the truth that actually was. “Or he acts like I don’t know how to do it at all. I mean, sure, I spend a lot of time at work but I’m not a complete hermit.”

You both laughed again, and you sat your purse on the ground as you got a rather cheeky idea. Was it even smart to try and approach things like this? Would he go for it? God, you hoped so.

“I’m sure you know how. I mean, everybody has a general idea of how to lay a proper smooch on someone if they want to.”

He raised an eyebrow at this, thinking the phrasing was humorous and wanting to hear more from you on this subject in particular.

“A ‘proper smooch’?”

“Yeah, you know. The kiss that kills. Butterflies and rainbows and all that stuff.”

He watched you as you took a few causal steps toward the Ecto now, the gears visibly turning in his head. Was this some subtle attempt at flirting?

The nearby radio, which had been playing softly in the background the whole time, played a song that perfectly fit the mood, the lyrics softly ringing out as you contemplated what to say next.

‘Who made the rule

that I should always play the fool?

All the nights I suffered

when I need not have bothered…’

“I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those, now that I think about it,” he admitted with a half smile.

“I uh...I think I’ve gotten close, but never all the way there,” you tucked a bit of hair behind your ear, watching as Ray adjusted his uniform, which he still had on. It had smudges of engine grease on it now, and you found it endearing.

He realized that this chance was now or never, gauging by the look in your eyes that you wanted what he wanted and deciding to go for it.

“How would it work? I mean...you seem like you know more about it than me,” he took a step closer, and you knew your eyes were shining in an undeniably flirty way.

“Oh you—you want me to show you?”

“I mean...if you feel up to it. I’m no expert and I could use the help.” Cheeky man, you thought. You could certainly show him if that was what he wanted.

“Do you have your eye on somebody, Ray?”

He wiped his hands on a nearby rag, the tension heightening as you watched them and then met his eyes again. You had always had a thing for those wonderful hands of his.

“I guess you could say that, yeah,” he nodded, his big brown eyes warm and sincere and you knew what he wanted to say but didn’t right then.

Instead of pressing further, you nodded, thinking this might be the most fun lesson you ever had the pleasure of teaching anyone as you got right into it.

“Well...I mean, first you have to start off in a stationary position. That helps,” he was closer now, and your cheeks flashed a soft tinge of pink as the space between you lessened. You didn’t usually have it in you to be playful, but decided to gently hop up on the hood of the Ecto in an attempt to bring him closer. “Come a little closer than that. Can’t do a thing from that far away.”

You moved to scoot nearer to the edge of the hood, willing Ray closer and practically beaming as he closed the space between you both more and more with each step.

Had anyone else sat on the hood like this, Ray might have gotten finicky, but the sight of you so close to the car he loved so much actually only ended up getting him going even more.

“It definitely helps,” he rubbed the back of his neck now, seeing that this had clearly turned into something beyond just a lesson in kissing techniques. You could smell his cologne now that he was so close, which only seemed to set your senses on overdrive even further.

“Now, uh...do you know where your hands go?”

His eyebrows raised in what seemed like a mix of curiosity and confusion, and you couldn’t help the way your breath hitched now that he stood directly in front of you.

“My hands?”

“Yeah. They go on the hips of whoever you’re kissing,” the mood had certainly shifted now, and you felt more daring than you ever had before. A timid smile crossed your face as Ray allowed you to guide his hands to the appropriate place, and the realization that this was definitely about to happen made your stomach do leaps.

“Hips, got it.” God, his hands were so strong and steady and you didn’t even care if this got engine grease on your jeans, it was just thrilling to have him this close.

“Okay, now look into my eyes. Eye contact is important.” The both of you gave a shy, breathy chuckle as your eyes met, and you playfully shoved Ray’s chest. “Come on, we’ve gotta take this seriously if you want to learn anything.”

“Sorry, I get a little skittish with these things,” he admitted, and you shook your head with a smile.

“It’s okay, but the lesson isn’t quite over yet,” you said, your cheeks noticeably warmer. The tension was enough to make your heart race.

“Alright, and uh...after that?”

“Well, uh...my hands go here,” you reached up to loop your arms around his neck, inevitably bringing him directly between your legs and causing Ray to clear his throat.

“How do you, uh...I mean, how do you know that that happens every time?”

“I watch a lot of TV, I guess,” you managed a soft laugh with this, “now, uh...close your eyes.”

Ray’s heart was pounding. Was this seriously about to happen?

“Close my—? Oh, yeah, okay.” He nodded a bit, doing as you said and knowing he had wanted this for what felt like forever. He was so handsome up close, and you couldn’t believe your luck.

It was time to go in for the kill, and you didn’t waste a second.

Leaning in, the first contact was soft and exploratory, and it took Ray a moment to figure out exactly how to respond. But once he got the angle right, it was everything you had described and more.

The music swelled on the radio nearby, and you thought you could’ve melted right then and there.

‘The minutes that we missed

idle lips that should’ve kissed

and now gently together

The first kiss lasts forever

She loves me, she loves me

Oh and she loves me, all the time…’

Tilting his head a bit, Ray found just the right angle, and one kiss turned into what felt like a million. Your hands made their way into his hair, that hair you loved so much that often seemed to fly out in all directions.

His lips were soft and very pleasant to kiss, and it occurred to you that he must use lip balm of some kind. Ray himself couldn’t believe this was happening. He honestly couldn’t fathom how he had been lucky enough to end up kissing you like this, but he was, and he was putting everything he had into it.

Ray’s mind moved at a million miles a minute. All he could think about was how it felt when you moved in a rhythm with him, how soft your lips were, your soft body, and how GOOD you smelled—

He nearly sighed as he felt your leg brace around him to bring him in as close as possible, gripping your jeans to pull you close by your hips in return.

You nearly melted into a puddle on the floor at the feeling of his grip, so strong and firm on you like he couldn’t bear to leave any space between the two of you at all.

He must have shaved that morning, you thought, having expected him to have at least a little stubble and feeling surprised that there was none. Where on earth had Ray learned to kiss so well? Boy would Venkman have egg on his face if he knew about THIS.

Unfortunately for you both, you had to break away and breathe at some point, just looking at each other until you finally managed to speak.

“Well, uh...Venkman was wrong. Way wrong. Wow.”

“It was...I mean, was it like you said? Butterflies and—and all that for you too?”

“Are you kidding?” You laughed, “sheesh, I didn’t know you had that in you. You wouldn’t have any trouble hooking any woman you wanted if you kissed her like that.”

He seemed surprised and incredibly flattered, looking down and then back up at you with a grin and eager brown eyes.

“Was it obvious at all that I was referring to you?”

“I kind of hoped that was the case,” both of you grinned then, the final chorus of the song fading out in the background as the spring breeze blew in once more.

‘She loves me, she loves me

Oh and she loves me all the time…’

You couldn’t resist leaving a sweet peck on Ray’s cheek just because you could, earning a bright smile from him as he got a somewhat playful gleam in his eye.

“The guys are gonna be gone for the rest of the evening, and I don’t have anything else planned...would you want to grab some dinner with me?”

“Sure, but only if we can do more of this afterwards,” you giggled, and Ray helped you off the hood of the Ecto to stand you up and kiss you so that he could press you flush against him now. You were sure you looked like a cartoon character with birds chirping around your head as he pulled away.

“You drive a hard bargain,” Ray said, unable to keep from grinning as he took your hand, “but you’ve got yourself a deal.”

What a lesson to teach with anyone, you thought. He was a fast learner, that was for sure.

Picking up your purse, the two of you headed out, and you couldn’t help humming that lovely chorus to yourself one last time.

‘She loves me, she loves me

Oh and she loves me all the time…’

[just-a-creep-babe]

Kinktober Day 1

BEN Drowned: Silly Sweet Sex

Gee gOLLY I am so not used to super fluffy smut, idk how this turned out lmfaoo

This one isn’t super smutty just cause I’m not sure how to go about writing sweet sex, but I hope ya can enjoy what I came up with regardless uwu

Also!! Since kinktober = a lot of fics (seriously, sO many hours went into making these, I’m 💀💀) I wasn’t able to make them all as long as this one :”) Some are decently lengthy, others are short and others are even shorter. They’re definitely not my best works either, but I’m super glad I was able to challenge myself like this either way :>

But without further ado, I hope y’all enjoy this lil month filled with smut <33

~Requests are closed~

Masterlist: x

Any tips are greatly appreciated! 

“(Y/n), I’m bored~”

The blond throws his arms around your form and nestles his face into the crook of your neck

“Wait, I’m—I’m so close—“

Your fingers work furiously against the controller as you chew your lip, brows furrowing in concentration

He huffs, blowing warm air against your skin, and then his lips slowly curl into a devious smirk

You should’ve known by then to kiss your sweet, sweet progress goodbye

Because he suddenly yanks you back and you’re sent toppling over and out of view of the high definition screen above the bed

“N-no, BEN!”

You shriek his name, frantically mashing buttons in a last-ditch effort to save your dying character

But you’re all-too late as the obnoxiously familiar Game Over music sounds out

“I was so close” you whine

You squirm in his grasp and pout, letting the controller fall from your death-grip and onto the floor with a lame thunk

He has the audacity to “awh” at you

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it next time,” he reassures, “But right now, I wanna hang out with my lovely girlfriend whom I love oh so very much~”

He smooches your forehead and it has you rolling your eyes, a reluctant smile tugging at your lips despite yourself

“Yeah, yeah—ok, whatever. What do you wanna do then?”

You shift on top of him and manage to pull yourself up into a sitting position, with your legs now straddling his thighs

He grins, satisfied with his victory, and props his head up into his hands

“Mmh, I dunno, baby. What do you wanna do?”

“I wanna finish my level~” you tease

He groans, sitting himself up as well, and you giggle at the way it almost has you falling off of him

He wraps his hands around your waist, tugging you closer to him so his lips are inches from yours

And with a content hum, he places a chaste kiss to your bottom lip—not nearly enough contact to satiate your sudden urge for more

“First you make me lose my game and now you try to tease me” you huff

He laughs, pulling away, but not before giving a quick “boop” to your nose

“You’re so adorable, how could I resist?~”

“I am not adorable! I live in a mansion full of demons and serial killers. I’m a menace to society”

There’s a brief injection of silence as the both of you stare one another down

And then the corners of his mouth twitch, his lips quirking, and you can tell he can’t hold back any longer

His composure breaks, shattering in a fit of boyish giggles

You’re about to say something but he reaches for your sides to tickle you and it has you shrieking our his name again

“You’re too cute, (y/n)~”

You fall back, forced into a burst of uncontrollable laughter as his fingers mercilessly run up and down your soft spots

“O-ok! Ok—I give up! You win!!”

You manage to wheeze the words out between yelps and giggles, tears already springing to your eyes

“Nuh-uh! Say you’re cute! Say that you’re a cutie and I’ll stop!”

“Ok! I’m cute!! I’m a cutie—s-stop it!!”

His onslaught finally relents, leaving you breathless with your hands pressing to his chest as you try to regain a hold on yourself

And, of course, he chuckles at how flushed you look beneath him, his canines tantalizingly sharp and pearly white beneath his lips

One of his hands encircles your wrists and he plants a kiss just below the inside of your palm

“Aw, see? That wasn’t so hard to admit, was it?”

You stick your tongue out at him

He laughs, and then he’s nuzzling into the crook of your neck and sighing

“Y’know, I think I thought of something I wanna do”

“Yeah? What’s that?” you hum, fingers absent-mindedly brushing through his hair

He slyly rolls his pelvis into you—and you can feel his hard-on pressing between your legs

When he hears your breath catching in your throat, he pulls back to look at you, grinning wolfishly

“You wanna play with my Master Sword, baby?” he croons, his brows wriggling suggestively

“You’re such a dork!”

You give him a light smack, and he gasps in feigned offence before that damn smirk returns to his annoyingly pretty lips

“You’re just jealous of me, baby”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah”

You tilt your head to the side

“And what exactly am I jealous of, hm? I thought I was the cute one”

“Mmm…” he bites his lip, smiling “you’re right—you are” he gives in, kissing your nose before adding, “But I bet you’d look even cuter riding my dick~”

You roll your eyes, bringing your hands to his chest, which has him moving away to let you sit up

“Alright, you win. Again” you sigh a little too dramatically

His face cracks up into that damn smile again, and you really can’t help but give a quick kiss to his cheek

He doesn’t hesitate to tug his shirt over his torso—briefly fumbling as his head gets trapped halfway through the material—before emerging with a stupid grin on his face and his hair all tussled up

“Dork” you laugh

You push him down and settle on top of him, this time parting your legs so that his growing bulge is settled neatly right where you need it the most

“Mmh, you loooove me~” he teases

You roll your eyes again

And then you lean down, capturing his lips, savoring the kiss and the way he quietly moans against you—how warm and soft his mouth feels before parting and letting his tongue taste you entirely

He wraps his hands around your hips and guides your body to move in tandem with his, all while keeping your mouth busy with his own

Nimble fingers tug at the hem of your shirt, so you pull away to slip the material off, and when you look back down at him, he’s got a big, stupid grin on his face

“What?” you ask

He shrugs

“Nothing”

Your gaze narrows, a knowing smile at your lips

“I‘m not gonna take my bra off if you’re gonna be a doofus about it”

His lips part in shock, feigning innocence

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean”

He tries, very briefly, to keep the act up, but the look you’re giving him has him laughing openly again

“Ok, ok, I swear I’ll behave”

You shake your head, biting back a grin as you unclasp your bra and let it drop from the swell of your tits

He bites his lip, eyes darkening as he stares at your chest and grinds up into you

“Y’know, I like your pants, too. Were they on sale? Cause they’re 100% off at—“

You slap a hand over his mouth

“I swear to god, you absolute dork, you’re not getting any action tonight if you finish that sentence”

You can feel his broad grin beneath you hand

And just as you’re about to remove it, you feel the warm, wet flat of his tongue as he licks a long stripe up your palm

“BEN!”

You shriek his name, and as you’re caught off guard, he moves up and traps you beneath him

He chuckles, kissing up your neck

“What’s wrong, baby?” he laughs “You didn’t seem to mind my tongue a few seconds ago when it was in your mouth~”

Your face flushes

“I-I just wasn’t expecting it!”

He laughs again, but then he’s back to nipping at your neck, and you’re whining beneath him, and his hands are fumbling with the zipper of your pants

He helps you wriggle your way out of them before tossing them to the floor

Then he looks back at you, grinning widely

“100% off at my place!!”

You don’t have time to answer before he’s cutting you off with another kiss, to which you groan against him but don’t bother pushing him away

He pulls your panties to the side, exposing your slick, throbbing cunt to him so he can lazily stroke up and down your slit, making your hips buckle up into him

“A-ah, BEN~”

Your back arches as he dips a finger between your puffy folds, your entrance already tightening around him, relishing his digit dragging along your sensitive nerves

You clamp your teeth down on your lip, gazing up at him through furrowed brows

And it has him adding a finger, twisting them both so your fluttering walls are wrapping even tighter around him

“God, look at how cute you are, (y/n)~”

Your face flushes at the way he looks down at you—like you’re a goddess at the beckon of his fingers—and the attention is almost embarrassing

“W-will you just shut up and kiss me again?”

He chuckles, no doubt enjoying how flustered and riled-up he’s already gotten you

“Anything for you, little cutie~”

[megatowonus]

>.> <.< [slips you a note with 'MegaWave' written on it]

Send me a ship and I'll answer three questions based on if I ship it or not.

hbghbkghk oh,,.,i wonder,,,.,,it is a mystery,,,,,,,

Ship It

What made you ship it?

well, when little baby fio was just getting into the fandom via prime, soundwave was my absolute fave and i thought someone should give him a smooch. then i started learning more about their backstory and dynamic and wen’t ���oh, megatron should give him a smooch.’ and the rest is history

i’ve just always loved them in pretty much every continuity, aha. i love that even at their lowest they can always lean on each other, and soundwave is just about always the backbone of the cause just as much as megs is. neither of them are the type to talk about their feelings but they just plain get each other anyways, and i think that’s really sexy in a relationship.

(also the scene in mtmte where megs leaves the cons always read as a breakup scene to me and you can’t change my mind)

What are your favorite things about the ship?

in prime: i love how snarky and confident this soundwave is (giving the bots the middle finger before dumping all his info and taking a nap? king) and i love the inherent homoeroticism present in a good duel. there’s a level of intimacy and understanding between these two that isn’t present in the other continuities and i would kill for more interaction between them.

in g1: the inherent homoeroticism involved in supporting your partner’s idiocy and also in trying to be a decent stepdad to your partner’s terrible terrible kids

in idw: i love that soundwave is once again the right hand of megs’s revolution, i love that they both started as the absolute dregs of society (laid-off miner, disposable outlier) and raised each other up to become two of the most terrifying mechs in the war, and i love that rumble and frenzy were megs’s friends before they were soundwave’s. give me the fic where the twins scheme to get them together so they can consolidate their bosses into co-bosses, please

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

enough fics where megs uses soundwave as a placeholder for op/starscream/whoever, society has moved past the need for fics where megs uses soundwave as a placeholder for op/starscream/whoever. make them a polycule or go home

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

with you [1/6]

Summary: Clementine pops the question.

Preview: 

Mitch frowns, holding up the ring, “Then, why the stupid ring? It doesn’t mean anything. Wearing this and saying you’re married doesn’t change anything, so why bother?”

“It means something to me, okay?” Clementine snaps. “I don’t care if it’s ‘not a thing’ anymore. Is it so wrong that maybe I want to try and give him something that most of us thought was long dead? That I want something like that?” She snatches the ring away from him. “Yesterday, AJ found a wedding photo that belonged to this walker couple, and Louis explained what it meant and I just… I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I didn’t ask you to understand what I want to do. I asked you if you could adjust the ring for me.”

Mitch eyes her quietly. Then, he straightens up. “Fine,” he says, holding out his hand, “I’ll fix your fucking ring.”

Warnings:  There’s a little dirty talk but it’s just Mitch, no actual sexual content, just some good ‘ol smooching. Ruby’s a fucking sweetheart. Mitch is Clem’s tsundere best friend. Violet’s pretty angsty. Nightmares occur. This is long, sorry.

Author’s Note:  Hey so episode 3 has killed me and I’m coping by writing some overly gushy Clouis even though I should be finishing up the final part of my Aasim story but it’s fine. I got this asks months ago requesting some married!clouis where Louis proposes to Clem, but then I thought, “Know what’s even better?? Clementine proposing to Louis” because my boy needs some real love and I’m a ho for this concept. 

Also, Mitch is alive in this because fuck Lilly I miss my boy my fic my rules

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Read on AO3

---

It was back in the train station that the thought ever crossed her mind. Which is actually kind of strange to think about, Clementine realizes as she examines the small box in her hand.

She feels Louis shift beside her, turning over to sleep on his side facing her. She sits at the edge of the bed, peering over her shoulder at him. He’s quiet tonight with a calm face. He nuzzles closer into his pillow as his near silent sigh escapes his lips.

Clementine smiles to herself. She opens the box, setting the lid on her desk and pulls out two freshly polished rings. She lets the larger one fall down her pointer finger as she examines it, twisting it around until she finds the detail she’s looking for, and she smiles again.

Then, she turns to the sleeping boy beside her. One arm is tucked under his pillow while the other rests close to his chest. Clementine holds her breath as she carefully, gently pulls his hand closer to her. He doesn’t move or wake.

She easily slips the band onto his ring finger and lets out her breath.

It actually fits. Not too loose, not too tight, but snug enough that it’ll only come off with a little force. And it does. She slides the ring off and places it back in the box. Her heart beats loud in her chest and she recognizes the fluttering and tightening in her gut.

Tomorrow evening.

It’s so close.

And to think had AJ not rummaged through that walker’s pockets, she probably wouldn’t be holding this box in her hands.

---

Two Weeks Earlier...

A supply run to the train station was a spur of the moment thing when the three of them were out hunting. They’d only caught three full-grown rabbits when Louis mentioned that it wasn’t too far away. AJ had been all for the idea, and Clementine figured it wouldn’t be so awful to go back and collect anything they might’ve missed from their previous trip.  

Up ahead, but not too far, Louis is telling some crazy, exaggerated story that left AJ hanging onto every single word.

Clementine spots a walker from the corner of her eye lingering in the trees, it’s head twitching with interest at the sound of Louis’ laughter. It’s the first one they’ve spotted in the time they’ve traveled, likely due to James doing his part of their arrangement.

They’ve worked out a decent system; anywhere they plan to hunt or scavenge, they let James know in advance so he can gather and lead stray walkers away, making trips a lot easier and a lot quicker. In exchange, he’s welcome to come and stay in a room and eat with them whenever he wants. He didn’t often stay many nights in a row, but Clementine’s just glad to see him opening up with the others and making friends.

Clementine picks up a large rock and chucks it. The walker follows the noise.

The decrepit train station is empty. When they enter, there sat the dead couple, slumped over and still tied to their chairs. Everything looks the same as they left it last. They gather as much as they can, like leftover food and duct tape and a few bandages.

“Oh-ho!” Louis calls out from behind the counter. “Looks like I found your secret stash.”

Clem quirks a brow and leans over the counter to peer down at him. He flashes her a bright smile and waves a beaten up chocolate bar.

“Seriously?” When she tries to reach for it, he teasingly jerks it away.

“I don’t think so, darling,” he pockets the bar. “Gotta save stuff like that for a special occasion.”

“Special occasion,” she scoffs. “Like?”

“Like when it’s your birthday, or if it’s someone else’s birthday and you forgot to get them a present,” Louis then glances away, “or, y’know, for date night.”

“Date night, huh?” Clementine smirks.

“Woah...”

From behind her, Clementine hears AJ shuffling around the dead couple. He’s unfolding something small and gray curiously. Upon a closer look, Clementine can tell it’s a wallet, and from it, AJ pulls out a five-dollar bill to study it.

“Look at that,” Louis approaches the boy, “looks like dinner’s on AJ.”

“Huh?”

Louis takes the wallet and pulls out some credit cards. “By the looks of it, we’re getting a three-course meal.”

“With extra dessert,” Clementine smiles.

AJ looks between the two of them, clearly confused. “I don’t get it.”

“Money,” he explains. When he turns it around, something falls out and Louis pauses. “...Huh.”  He bends down to pick it up. He flips it around and a smile tugs at his lips.

“What is it?” AJ asked.

Louis motions to the couple. “It’s, uhm... their wedding photo.” He hands it over to AJ.

“Wedding photo?” AJ studies the picture. Clementine moves around them to look as well.

It’s jarring, the idea that the young couple are the same people as the decaying bodies in the chairs before them. They’re both so clean and happy with wide smiles.

The woman’s beautiful, Clementine thinks, with her hair pulled back into a bun of curls and her cheeks a pretty pink. Her dress is white with glittering details, and her diamond ring is visible on her hand resting against her husband's chest.

“They look...” AJ’s mouth twists as he searches for the right word.

“Happy?” Louis offers.

“Well, yeah, they’re smiling, but...” AJ looks at the dead bodies. “I don’t know. It’s weird. Why’re they dressed like that?”

Louis laughs. “Well, little dude, back before the walkers came, people used to get married. It was a pretty big deal, and when they did, they’d have a wedding. Think of it like a huge party with lots and lots of people to celebrate the couple getting married.”

“Okay, but,” AJ says, “but what does it mean? To be married?”

“Uh, well,” Louis scratches his neck, “it’s what people used to do to prove they really loved each other, I guess. It was, like, a big step to take to marry someone and call them your wife, or your husband.”

“And anyone can do it? Even me?” asks AJ. “I can get married?”

Clementine smiles, and says, “You’re a little young for that right now.”

AJ frowns and crosses his arms. “How old do I gotta be?”

“Well, there isn’t really a set age, I guess-”

“And I can marry who I want?”

“Yes, but,” Clementine shoots Louis, who’s completely amused by the conversation, a glance as if looking for help with an explanation, “it’s not really something people do anymore.”

“Why not? I mean, you just throw a party, right? And I can marry whoever I love? Like you, right?”

At that, Louis laughs. Clementine sighs. “Uh...”

“Well, little dude, marriage wasn’t for that kind of love,” Louis says, “it’s a bit more complicated than that.” He puts the picture back into the wallet and tucks it back into the dead man’s pocket. “These two didn’t love each other like you and Clem do. They got married because...” Louis’ smile almost turns sad, “they were in love, as a couple.”

“Oh...” AJ thinks, “oh, like, a kissing love.”

“A kissing love,” Louis agrees. He winks at Clementine, and her heart flutters.

“Like you and Clem?”

Blood rushes to Clementine’s cheeks as a loud, nervous laugh escapes Louis.

Before AJ can ask his next question, there’s a soft bang against the door. The conversation’s forgotten as they get low and carefully maneuver close to the door. AJ peeks out the window.

“Monster.”

Clementine nods. They all stand, relaxing a little. The door’s closed so one walker isn’t a threat.

Louis hauls a large bag over his shoulder. “Well, I think we’ve gotten all we can get,” he says, “should head back before dark.”

Clementine nods. “Right.”

But, she doesn’t move. She watches Louis and AJ leave, and hears the walker being dealt with. Clementine turns back to the couple, her eyes glancing down at the man’s rotten hand.

He still has his ring on.

“Clem?”

“...Coming.”

---

It stuck with her the rest of the day. From when they entered the gates of the school again and all throughout dinner.

Marriage wasn’t something she ever thought of. Sure, there had been that dumb “marry, ‘flip’, kill” question that seemed to come up during their card games, and sure, from all the groups she’d been in, some have had married couples.

Like Kenny and Katjaa.

Like Christa and Omid.

Like David and Kate.

...Like Rebecca and Alvin.

And before the walkers, her parents had been married. Happily married. She didn’t remember a lot about them, but there were things that stood out in her brain when she concentrated her thoughts.

Like how her father would always kiss her mother’s cheek before going to work and after coming home. It didn’t matter if she was cooking, or still in bed, or working on a project, or on the phone, he always kissed her, like it was some unspoken rule.

And how they laughed together. Her father had this deep, rumbling voice that practically shook the house when he laughed, and his laugh only made her mother laugh harder.

And the cute names they called each other. Honeybun. That’s what her father called her mother. Honeybun.

But, marriage wasn’t something that stuck in her brain, not something she actively thought about. However, seeing that wedding photo, the couple who died together tied to those chairs, and actually talking about it, hearing Louis talk about it... it stuck with her.

AJ had let the conversation go after Louis moved onto another topic. She knew that he was trying to avoid the obvious question on AJ’s mind.

“Like you and Clem?”

Like Louis and her...

“Yoo-hoo?”

A hand waves in front of her face. She blinks and turns to Louis. They’re on the outside couch sitting in front of a fire. His arm rests comfortably behind her.

He grins. “Where’d you go?”

“Nowhere.”

“You went somewhere.”

Clementine sighs. “Just thinking, I guess.”

“You got watch, Lou,” Ruby says, approaching them. “You and Aasim.”

“Aw, seriously?” Louis sighs before grinning. “Hey, wanna switch? I can take your morning shift and you can go with Aasim tonight?”

“Nope,” Ruby shook her head and points back at the tower. “Get goin.’“

Louis slouches, mumbling quietly, “I tried, my dude...” Clementine rolls her eyes and elbows him.

“Don’t keep him waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis stands, reaching his arms high over his head to stretch out his body. He lets out a satisfied groan as his arms fall back to his sides. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Ruby nods and walks off.

His foot taps hers. “Guess I’ll see you tonight,” he says. Then, he leans forward. His fingers caress her jawline as he lightly pulls her towards him and places a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’ll try not to wake you.”

“Goodnight,” is all she can muster up to say.

“Goodnight, darling.” He leaves her with a smile.

And as she watches him walk away, it occurs to her with a single, strange thought.

I want to marry that boy.

---

Clementine tries to fall asleep, but she’s restless. She doesn’t know how long she’s laid there, but no position, no angle allows sleep to take her.

AJ snores quietly in his bed on the other side of the room. Louis still won’t be back for a few hours.

So, she gets up and leaves. As she’s quietly closing the door behind her, she hears footsteps. Instinctively, she turns to see who it is.

Violet keeps her eyes forward as she walks down the hall, not giving Clementine any acknowledgment.

It’d been awful between the two of them ever since the delta fight two years ago. She couldn’t even breathe in Violet’s direction without getting ‘fuck you’ eyes, and talking was completely out of question. Not that Clementine didn’t still try, but it seems that Violet’s determined to keep herself in the shadows of the school, only talking to Tenn and Louis, and on rare occasions Ruby, Omar, and Aasim.

Louis once tried to help them patch things up. It didn’t go over well.

What else could she do, though? Clementine can’t force their friendship back together. Not after everything.

Clementine tries to put it out of her mind as she moves down the opposite direction. Down by the entrance doors, she finds Ruby grimacing at something in her hands.

“Hi, Ruby,” she greets.

“Oh, hi, Clem,” Ruby smiles. “Thought you went off ‘ta bed?”

“Can’t sleep.”

Ruby nods understandingly. “Well, you wanna help me fix Willy’s shirt?” she holds up a dirty blue shirt with a tear along the side. “Got it caught again and didn’t bother stopin’ to untangle himself.”

“Of course.”

Clementine kept the shirt still and flattened out while Ruby went to work.

“Wish that runt would be more careful,” murmurs Ruby, “always tearing his clothes up. What’ll happen if he ruins all of ‘em? That boy’ll be in nothin’ but rags.”

“You could have him sew his own stuff.”

Ruby scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

Clementine watches her steady hand as she sews in a comfortable silence. Being around Ruby like this is peaceful. The two had gotten close over the years, and for that, she’s grateful. She adores Ruby.

Clementine glances around and decides to just go for it while it was just the two of them. ”Hey, Ruby, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, hon,” Ruby smiles. “What’s on yer mind?”

“Uh, well...” Clementine starts. “Have you... ever liked someone?” Ruby stops her needlework and perks a brow. “Like, had a crush?”

The redness on Ruby’s cheeks brighten. “I-uh- what in the world are ya asking me that for?”

“Just curious if anyone ever caught your fancy,” Clementine replies. She didn’t think the question would actually make Ruby flustered.

Ruby pokes herself with the needle, hissing a cuss.

“Well,” she says, “hate ta disappoint you, but no.”

“Never?”

Ruby shakes her head. “Nu-uh.”

Clementine thinks back to Aasim and Louis’ constant teasing of the poor boy.

“You don’t like anyone here like that? Not even a little?”

Ruby hesitates. “No.” She finishes sewing up the shirt and holds it up in front of her. “Why the sudden question?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” Clementine answers honestly.

Ruby shifts her weight onto one foot and scratches at her arm. After an awkward silence. “Well... alright, can ya keep a secret?”

Clementine perks up. “Yes.”

Ruby shakes her head. “Don’t get excited. He, uh, he’s not real.”

“What?”

Ruby’s blush deepens. “Sometime, after all the adults left, I had a hard time sleepin’ at night. Ms. Martin was startin’ ta worry ‘bout me. She told me I should try readin’, and I remember tellin’ her how stupid that was. But...” Ruby sighs, “I still let her read ta me before bed one night. A love story called ‘The Woodsman.’ Well, kinda a love story. She read it so well and,” she grins, “I guess I kinda fell in love with Milo.”

Clementine smiles back. “And, why’s that?”

“Milo’s this handsome woodsman doin’ everythin’ he can to help support him and his family, right. He’s kind, like, genuine kind. And the way he describes and talks about Abigail just is enough ta melt your heart. Or make ya cry.”

“Do they end up together?” asks Clementine.

Ruby shakes her head. “No. Ya see, Abigail’s taken and forced ta live on top this big ‘ol mountain by this old, ugly witch as punishment fer Milo killin’ one of her wolves.” She runs her fingers over the fresh stitching in Willy’s shirt and sighs. “Milo tries and tries again ta climb the mountain and save her, but every time he gets a little bit closer, he slips and tumbles down.”

“Shit,” Clementine says.

“Everything he does, he does it fer her. To free her of that witch’s cruelty. And the crazy part’s that he doesn’t even know if she loves him back. He don’t care if she does or not, he keeps climbin’ anyway and it eventually kills him,” Ruby shakes her head. “Never makes it back to Abigail.”

“That’s...” Clementine frowns, “awful.”

“Can’t tell ya how many times that part’s made me cry,” Ruby laughs, “and it’s even worse ‘cause as he’s laying at the bottom dyin’ he still thinkin’ ‘bout how only he knows she’s up there and only he can save her and... he dies. He dies and becomes a star.”

“A star?”

“In the sky. High up there and he watches and protects her from the witch until eventually, Abigail dies, too.”

“And becomes a star, too, right?”

Ruby nods. “Right.” She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Guess I always liked the idea of someone lovin’ me that much, enough ta fall down a mountain over and over again just ta save me. It’s silly, ‘cause I know someone like that doesn’t exist, but… thinkin’ they do still helps me sleep at night.” She begins to fold up the shirt. “After we lost Ms. Martin, I went through some of her things and found the book. Can’t tell ya how many times I’ve read it.” Ruby gives her a sheepish grin. “Huh… never told that ta anyone before.”

“That’s...” Clementine reaches out and touches Ruby’s shoulder, “really sweet, actually.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Ruby smirks. “Don’t want anyone ta think I’m too soft.”

Clementine laughs. “I promise.”

Ruby yawns then, and says, “Well, sorry I blabbered so much. Think it’s time I hit the hay. Thanks fer helpin’ me and... fer listenin.’”

“It sounds like a good read,” Clementine says.

“I’d let you borrow it if ya want.”

“I think I’d like that.”

Ruby beams at her, smile wide across her face. She gathers all her things and is just about to walk back to her room when Clementine stops her.

“Ruby?”

“Hm?”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Don’t hafta,” Ruby says. “Just ‘cause I shared, I mean.”

Clementine shakes her head. “I know.”

“Well, alright, then.”

Clementine hesitates, and in a whisper, she says, “I think I’m in love with Louis.”

Ruby laughs. “Oh, hon, that ain’t no secret,” she grins, “it’s all over yer face when yer together. His, too.”

“No, I mean...I’m in love with him.” Clementine meets Ruby’s eye. “If Louis were cursed by some witch and put on top of a mountain, I’d never stop climbing to get him back.”

Ruby’s grin falters as her eyes widen a bit with shock at the realization of Clementine’s words. “Oh...”

“Is that crazy?”

“No,” Ruby walks toward her, reaching down to grab her hands. “Not at all.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Ruby says firmly. “In fact, you should tell him that.”

“Yeah?” Clementine smirks. “’Hey, Louis, by the way, if you ever happen to get cursed and kidnapped by a witch I promise to save you.’”

That makes Ruby giggle. “Well, if any one of us were ta get cursed...” The two laugh together. Ruby lets go of her hands. “Serious, though? Tell him you love him. Ya never know in this world... don’t want any more regrets than we already got.”

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

---

Clementine’s still awake when Louis sneaks in. He tries his best to be quiet, tiptoeing around before slowly sliding into bed with her with a huff.

Clem lifts her head off the pillow. “Hey,” she whispers.

“Shit didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” she sighs. “Been in and out.”

Louis scoots closer to her so that her chin presses against his shoulder. He entwines their fingers and brings their hands to rest against his chest. He’s freezing from being outside.

“How was watch?” she asks.

“Same ‘ol, same ‘ol,” he replies. “Convinced Aasim to play go-fish with a twist ‘til he got mad,” he yawns, “and threatened to throw my deck away.”

Clementine smirks. “Sounds about right.” She gets comfortable, pressing her body against his side. He kisses the back of her hand. She sees his eyes fluttering shut as the day's exhaustion catches up with him.

“How’s your night?” he asks.

“Good, but better now.” She watches the corner of his mouth twitch into a grin.

Clementine watches their hands raise and fall with every breath he takes, and soon he’s fast asleep. His heartbeat is soft against her hand. She keeps herself awake a little while longer to make sure he remains peaceful. And he does.

As she runs her thumb over his, she wonders if the couple if the train station were holding hands when they died. She wonders what their last kiss was like, what their final words to each other were. She wonders if there were a lot of things left unspoken, things that wanted to be said, needed to be said.

She squeezes his hand and allows her eyes to rest.

---

In the morning, Clementine’s determined to find James.

She sneaks out, leaving Louis in bed. AJ’s already up, walking around on patrol. She makes sure to tell the others she’s going out to find James, making up an excuse, saying she’s worried that he hasn’t been back in a week.

AJ insists that he go with her, but Clem manages to convince him that she’ll just walk the perimeter since that’s usually where James sticks around. That calms him down, but he still mumbles about never going alone. So, Clementine takes Rosie with her. After all, Rosie could use the walk.

After she’s left, she wanders around to his usual spots close to the school, letting Rosie sniff around and chew up some sticks. She eventually finds him near his barn full of walkers.

When he sees her, he slips his mask off. “Clementine,” he greets softly. Rosie comes up to him and licks his hand. He softly pats her head. “Ah, Rosie.”

“James, you’re okay.”

“Yes,” he says. “You were worried?”

“Just haven’t seen you in a while. Wanted to check up on you.”

He smiles. “You’re very kind,” he says. He stands from the log he’s sitting on and says, “It’s been peaceful out here. And cool. Sleeping outdoors when it’s like this always makes me feel good.”

“I can see that. Just, don’t forget to check in with us, okay? Willy’s been asking about you.”

That makes James smile.

Clementine crosses her arms and takes a breath to steady her quick pulse. “Actually, there's another reason I wanted to find you.”

“Oh?” he asks. “What is it?”

“Well, uhm,” Clementine looks up at the barn. It’s faint, but she can hear them shuffling around and groaning inside. “Of the walkers you’ve found, do any of them happen to be wearing a ring?”

James cocks his head to the side. “That’s a strange question.”

“I know,” Clementine admits.

“What do you need a ring for?”

Clementine doesn’t reply. She tries to think of an excuse, to hide her true intentions, but her mind’s suddenly gone blank.

“Clementine?”

“I just... need a ring. Nothing fancy.”

James doesn’t push. He slips his mask on and as he walks over to the barn, he says, “I’ll look.”

He’s inside for a long time. Long enough that Clementine starts to get anxious. She wanders about, kicking at rocks and watching for stray walkers. She throws a stick for Rosie a few times.

Eventually, he does come out, and Clementine is right there, eager to see his findings.

James shakes his head. “Sorry.”

She gives a disappointed sigh.

She was hoping that she wouldn’t have to go back to the train station. It’s out of the way, and with only Rosie...

Actually...

“That’s okay,” she says. “Mind tagging along with me, then?”

“Where?”

“There’s a train station a little ways away,” she explains. “There’s a ring  there.”

He’s curious, but again, he doesn’t push. “Okay.”

They don’t speak much as they walk. Clementine’s a little glad, it gives her a moment to really think about what she’s doing.

It’s odd that she’s considering the “feelings” of the dead walkers left in the train station, but she keeps telling herself they’re dead, they don’t need their wedding rings anymore. If anything, they'd be glad their rings could be used again for their intended purpose, right?

Then again, the couple had made a request to be left alone, one that Clementine didn’t honor. Perhaps they wouldn’t be too thrilled with her stealing from them after all.

The area around the train station is clear, just like it was yesterday. Once inside, they approach the couple. Clementine bends down and slips the gold ring off the male walker’s finger, wiping it off on her jacket. She studies it, and something occurs to her.

What if it doesn’t fit?

She slips it onto her ring finger. It’s a little loose. When she looks at it, she realizes it might even be too small for Louis. His hands are bigger than hers and if it’s only a little loose on her...

She turns back to James. “Try this on.”

“Uhm, what?” He blinks down at her.

“Your hands are bigger. I just need to see if it’ll fit.”

James’ eyes dart between her and the ring. “Clementine... you- you’re not... uhm, asking...”

She stares at his suddenly terrified face and it hits her. “No! No, I’m not- no!”

“I-It’s just, um, Tennessee once told me-”

“I’m not proposing to you!” She exclaims that way louder than she probably should have. This causes Rosie to bark.

James visibly relaxes. “Oh,” he says, “then why do you need me to wear it?”

“Because I...” Clem lowers her head, weighing her options here. She decides that James is trustworthy and that the truth is the best answer. “Because you have bigger hands than me and... I need to see if this will fit Louis.”

The surprise is clear in his expression even though his face is covered by his mask.

“I see,” he says. “When did this happen?”

“Nothing’s ‘happened,’ really. Not yet.”

“He asked you...?”

“No,” Clem shakes her head. “He... actually has no idea about this.”

James smiles slightly. “Oh.”

“So,” Clementine’s face is warm when she offers him the ring. “Will you just try it on?”

James takes the ring, but when he tries to slip it on, it barely goes past the mid-knuckle. “Seems he has smaller hands than me,” he says, referring to the walker.

“Shit. It probably won’t fit Louis then, either.”

Well, there went her plan.

“Keep it anyway,” James hands it back to her, “in case you can’t find anything else. I’ll keep an eye out for any walkers I come across, see what I can collect.”

“Thank you.”

An awkward silence falls over them, so Clem decides to check the lady walker, only to find her ring missing.

“Well... I might need not any rings. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?” she half-jokes.

“Giving up so quick is unlike you,” says James. “His hands aren’t mine. It might fit.”

“I guess.”

“At least keep it as a symbol of what you’re asking. It’ll mean a lot to him, regardless.”

Clementine runs a finger over the smooth band. It almost feels heavy, not physically, but with all the intentions behind it.

“Did you ever think about these things with Charlie?”

“...At one time, yes.” He says nothing more.

With the ring in her possession, Clementine leaves the couple behind once more.

She fumbles with the ring secured in her pocket. “Maybe there’s a way to change it? Stretch it, maybe?”

“I wouldn’t know,” James says. “Maybe ask Mitch. He has plenty of tools. Maybe he could help.”

Clementine hadn’t thought of that.

Their tool collection doubled after they took down the raiders and stole most of their supplies. Plenty of things used for building or repairing or breaking things down. Mitch and Willy were thrilled when they dragged it all back to the school. They kept most of it hidden away in the basement. Maybe they did have something that could help.

---

James comes back with her to the school. Once they’re through the gates, he takes off his mask and is nearly run into by Willy and AJ.

“James!”

“You’re back!”

“Good to see you’re not dead,” Mitch says, approaching and knocking James’ shoulder with his fist.

“Yes,” James replies awkwardly, rubbing at his arm where Mitch punched him.

Ruby comes over to greet them, too.

“James, you hungry? I can have Omar whip you up something.”

“No, thank you, I’m alright-”

Willy grabs a hold of his arm and drags James over to one of the tables. “C’mon! Look what I did to this crossbow!”

“It’s super cool!” AJ exclaims.

“Oh-okay!”

Clementine grins before turning to Mitch and Ruby.

“He stayin’ a while this time?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” replies Clementine. “Hopefully.”

“Louis was asking for you earlier,” Mitch says. “Something about tuning the piano or some shit.”

Clementine smiles. ‘Tuning the piano’ meant piano lessons. He’d been teaching her to play for a few months now, insisting she learns so they can do duets together. She isn’t great, but she’s improving.

Ruby giggles at the expression Clementine’s face. She snaps out of it and says, “Okay, I will go find him.”

Mitch rolls his eyes and walks away.

Before Clementine can call after him, Ruby says, “I left ‘The Woodsman’ in yer room fer ya.”

“Thanks,” she says. “Can’t wait to read it.”

“Enjoy tuning the piano,” Ruby smiles before walking off.

Clementine decides that Louis can wait a little longer. She spots Mitch over on the couch, sharpening his knife with some handheld tool.

“Hey,” she greets. He barely looks up from his work.

“What’s up?”

“I need your help with something.”

“Oh, do you?” he says flatly.

“Yes,” Clementine frowns. “In the basement.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Mitch examines his freshly sharpened knife. “...Fine. I was going down there anyway.” He tucks his weapon away and moves over to the basement doors. Clementine follows close behind. Mitch yanks open the doors with a grunt, and as they go down the stairs, he asks, “What’ja need?”

They stop at one of the work desks. Clem pulls out the ring. “Is there anyway you can make this bigger?”

Mitch stares at the ring with a deadpan expression.

“Serious?”

“Is that a no?” Clementine asks.

Mitch snatches the ring out of her hand. “Make it bigger?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“That’s for me to know.”

He shoots her another look. He taps the ring on the desk a few times then examines it again. Then, he bites it.

“Look, if you can’t do anything, just say so,” Clementine says, annoyed.

Mitch quirks a brow at her. “Fine,” he leans against the counter, holding the ring up, “I’ll see what I can do… if you tell me what it’s for.”

Clementine’s insides tighten. She knows he won’t give in, as stubborn as he tends to be, and if she wants his help, she’d have to give in. Not point in fighting.

“Fine, fuck it,” she says. “You’re going to find out anyway, might as well tell you now.” She crosses her arms and leans against the table as well. “But, you gotta keep it to yourself, at least for right now. Got it?”

“Fine.”

“It’s for Louis.”

“Louis?”

“Yeah, I’m…” she closes her eyes and takes a breath, “I’m asking him to marry me.”

Wow, saying it out loud is… strange.

When Mitch doesn’t say anything, she looks up at him. His expression is almost funny.

“...Why?” he finally asks.

Clementine shrugs, saying, “Because I love him.”

“Gross.”

She elbows him.

“Wait, you’re asking him to marry you? You know that’s not even a thing anymore, right?” Mitch asks. “That shit doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe not to everyone, and, honestly, it didn’t matter to me either until now,” she explains. “And it’s not a big deal, I just… want to let him know how I feel and I need a ring to give to him.”

“So, what? You’re gonna have a wedding?”

“I-I don’t know,” she admits.”I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

Mitch’s brows furrow as he eyes her and Clementine can see the gears turning in his head. She figured he wouldn’t understand what she wants to do, or that he’d call her an idiot, or-

“Are you doing this so you two can fuck?” Mitch asks bluntly.

It feels like her heart stops in her chest as her eyes pop wide open. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t gotta be married to screw around. I’m not saying that you should or anything, though. These walls are fucking thin,” Mitch explains.

Clementine’s mouth moves but no words came out. She shakes her head. “No, that’s not- we’re not- just-”

“Y’know,” Mitch ignores her stuttering, “My grams used to tell us we’d go to Hell if we had sex before we were married and all kinds of stupid shit. Yet, here we are, literally living in hell, and I doubt it’s because some idiots fucked before someone ‘officially’ declared them married,” Mitch says.

“That’s not why I’m doing this!” Clementine manages. “That’s not even- It’s not your business, anyway!”

Mitch frowns, holding up the ring, “Then, why the stupid ring? It doesn’t mean anything. Wearing this and saying you’re married doesn’t change anything, so why bother?”

“It means something to me, okay?” Clementine snaps. “I don’t care if it’s ‘not a thing’ anymore. Is it so wrong that maybe I want to try and give him something that most of us thought was long dead? That I want something like that?” She snatches the ring away from him. “Yesterday, AJ found a wedding photo that belonged to this walker couple, and Louis explained what it meant and I just… I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I didn’t ask you to understand what I want to do. I asked you if you could adjust the ring for me.”

Mitch eyes her quietly. Then, he straightens up. “Fine,” he says, holding out his hand, “I’ll fix your fucking ring.”

She hesitates but hands it back in his palm. Then, he searches around in one of the drawers and pulls out some string. “Gimme your hand,” he demands.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

She does so, and he wraps the string around her ring finger. He pinches it and slides it off, then cuts it with his knife. He gives her the rest of the string. “Measure his finger and get back to me.”

“Uhm?”

“Do it when he’s asleep or something.”

Clementine watches as he starts darting around, pulling tools off shelves and digging around in drawers, muttering to himself. When he notices she’s still standing there, he says, “Don’t you gotta meet your husband-to-be?”

Shit, she almost forgot.

“Right, the piano,” she says.

Then, Mitch tenses. “Wait…” his face twists in disgust, “Oh, God, is ‘tuning the piano’ code for...?”

It takes her a second to get what he’s talking about.

“Mitch, I will stab you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t wanna hear about it anyway,” he waves her off. “Go do your gross stuff.”

She leaves the basement flustered and ready to strangle Mitch. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and looks around for AJ. He’s still over sitting with James, Willy and Tenn. Determining he’s in good hands, she goes into the school.

---

A week passes before she's able to figure out how to measure Louis' finger.

She comes in after her night shift to see him and AJ still awake and reading a book together. She recognizes the cover as the one Ruby gave her.

"That was so cool!" AJ exclaims. "That wolf came outta nowhere and swish! Off goes its head!"

Louis laughs as AJ chops his hands through the air and jumps off the bed.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Clementine asks.

AJ freezes. "Oh, I couldn't sleep."

"I thought maybe a story would calm him down but it seems that backfired," Louis explains. He closes the book and sets it on the nightstand. This causes AJ to pout.

"C'mon, one more chapter?"

"Sorry, little dude, it's time to get some shut eye."

"But, I'm not tired!"

"We can read some more tomorrow night, okay?"

"Promise?" AJ holds out his pinky, expression serious. Louis hooks their pinkies together.

"Promise."

Then, AJ turns to Clementine. "I'm still not tired, though. Can I go check and see if Tenn's still awake? I'll go on patrol if he's not."

Clementine sighs. "Fine, just don't cause too much trouble."

"I won't!"

He grabs his box of crayons off his desk and hurries out the door.

Louis slips off his jacket and flops down onto their bed. "Now that the small child is gone, and we're alone..." he trails off. Clementine feels her pulse quicken at the suggestive look on his face, but then rolls her eyes when he pulls out his deck of cards from his pocket. “How about we play a game?”

“Another card game, hm?”

“Don’t sound so thrilled,” he laughs. He shuffles through his deck, flipping and rearranging them. She joins him on the bed, sitting across from him with her legs crossed. She reaches over and plucks the deck out of his hands.

“How about we mix it up?” She sets the cards on the table.

"What did you have in mind?” he asks.

She smirks. “Close your eyes.”

Louis raises a curious brow up at her. “Don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”

“Just do it,” she says.

“And what happens when I do?”

“You’ll have to close them and see.”

She can see his confidence starting to bend, but he rearranges his position on the bed to be more comfortable and clears his throat to try and hide it. Then, he closes his eyes.

“Keep them closed,” she says. “And no peeking.”

“A little peeking?”

“Nope,” she pinches his arm. “Peek and you lose.” She keeps an eye on his somewhat nervous face as she grabs his hand with the palm facing upwards.

“Uh, remind me,” he blurts out, “what-uh, what are the rules of this game, exactly?”

“You keep your eyes closed,” she says. She uses her pointer finger to trace an L on his palm. Almost immediately, he closes his fist and jerks it away. He covers up a laugh with a cough.

“What-!?”

“Eyes closed!” Clem presses her other hand over his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to spell something out on your hand,” she explains, “and when I’m done you tell me what it is. And you can’t look or pull away.”

“Seriously?” he asks. “Do you have any idea how much that tickles?”

“Well, I didn’t think you were ticklish,” she teases.

“I’m not!” he objects.

She grabs his hand again. “I’ll give you an easy one to start, okay?”

She tries to move as little as possible to pull the string out of her pocket. She traces the L again. His fingers twitch and he grows tense with keeping the laughter bottled up inside him. She carefully spells the rest of his name as well as wraps the string lightly around his ring finger before quickly pulling it off.

“Don’t open them,” she says.

When she’s done, he pulls away again and rubs his hands together. He keeps his eyes closed.

“What did I spell?” she asks him. She ties the string at the measurement mark.

“Louis.”

“Are you sure?” she teases.

“I think I know how to spell my own name, thank you,” he says. “Even with whatever sneaky finger trick you’re trying to pull.”

“Well, I guess you win.”

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“No.”

“What? Isn’t it your turn?”

“Nope.”

“Darling, I’m starting to think this game’s a little rigged.”

Clementine takes a moment to glance over his face. His brows are knitted with concentration, and she can tell he’s biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She pockets the sting and reaches for his hand again. She absently traces the lines along his palm. His hand twitches again.

“Okay, that’s not even a word,” he complains.

She brings his hand up and kisses his knuckles.

Then, she leans over and kisses his chin, then his cheek. His breath stops before coming out shaky. She kisses his jaw. She lets go of his hand and runs her fingers over the thin fabric of his shirt. They move to his collarbone and his neck. She presses her thumb lightly against his pulse point. It beats hard. His skin is warm.

He carefully grabs her waist.

She traces a heart over his chest.

He tightens his grip on her.

And she finally presses her lips to his with a satisfied sigh.

---

The world’s a blur when her eyes flutter open.

She feels relaxed, calm as she weaves in and out of dreamless sleep.  The body wrapped around her is warm, tight... and trembling? 

And suddenly, she’s cold and awake, and Louis is gasping for air.

Fear runs through her veins as she jolts up. Louis has his head tucked between his knees, shaking and trying to breathe. All that escapes his lungs are short puffs. Her hands are on him immediately, pulling him close even when he flinches away.

“No-” he whimpers.

“Louis,” she whispers, pushing his dreads away from his face, “it’s okay, it’s me.”

He shakes his head. “Shit-” he sobs. He cries are muffled by his arm but Clementine can see how red and wet his eyes are. “-I’m sorry-” she hears him cry, “-I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

She holds him tight against her.

He’d been sleeping so calmly these past few weeks. But, even so, the nightmares always back. They always did for her, too. But, that’s where she and Louis differed. Clementine’s nightmares have become a natural, accepted part of her life. She knows there’s no escape from them.

But Louis… even now, two years later, he still dreams of that woman. Shit, Clementine couldn’t even remember her name or what she looked like, but she knew Louis did. Her name engraved itself into his brain the moment he heard Minerva’s distressed cry at seeing her fall over dead.

She’s tried telling him over and over again that what he did was self-defense, that if he hadn’t done what he did, that woman wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. Fuck, that woman wouldn’t have hesitated to cut off his hand had AJ not attacked her. In her mind, Louis had no reason to feel so horrified, so ashamed.

“-I didn’t mean to-”

But he did feel those things and she wouldn’t ever ignore that. She wouldn’t ever belittle that.

So, she holds him and let him quietly weep until he physically can’t anymore.  She rubs his back and his arms to try and calm his shaking. She whispers comforting words into his ear and kisses his temple, his cheek. She wipes the cold sweat off his brow.

And when they wake up tomorrow morning, she doesn’t say anything.

She watches him move about the room, gathering up his boots and sitting on the bed. He laces them up and rests his elbows on his knees. She doesn’t need to see his face to tell he’s exhausted. 

“Clementine?” he whispers.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

And like that, any doubts about what she wants are gone.

“I love you, too.”

[sickjoonie]

fic recs for each ship

i love every ship and read fics for each ship... so i made a masterlist of my favorite fics for every ship lol. also i apologize in advance because i read really long fics

yoonjin

Precisely When Somebody Shows You to the Ocean - 21k - M

The longer Yoongi hangs around the tank in the aquarium, the more he thinks that Seokjin is, in fact, a real mermaid.

“You’re really real,” he says, keeping his voice neutral. “You’re not acting, are you?”

Seokjin smiles, yet it’s the saddest Yoongi has seen him. “I am acting, though. I’m pretending to pretend to be a mermaid.”

(we love a chaotic but soft duo)

2seok

hashtag trashbag - 15k - T

Hoseok plays video games for a living. Also, he's gay. Like, so deep in the gay, dicks in his mouth kinda gay.

(this one is fucking hilarious. i love reading it)

namjin

cotton candies and sugar addicts - 6k - T

In a final, desperate attempt to get Seokjin to notice him, Namjoon dyes his hair pink. However, Seokjin avoids him more than ever and Namjoon doesn't know what he did wrong.

(namjoon is an angsty overgrown teen but it’s okay jin loves him anyways)

jinmin

The Golden Rule of Love Curses - 16k - G

A comprehensive list of things Seokjin expected when he took a job at the library:

a decent paycheck to mitigate his growing student loan debt

time to catch up on his reading

and by "reading" he means his DS. He's going to play video games.

admittedly this is bordering on ironic seeing as he's a librarian but a chef's life isn't all about food, so he figures a librarian can enjoy other pursuits.

his would be, though. If he was a chef, it would be all food, all the time.

An incomprehensive list of things Seokjin did not expect when he took a job at the library:

a talking seagull.

did he mention the talking seagull, because he feels like no one is properly panicking about a talking seagull?

oh, and also a wizard places him under a curse.

sorry, correction, a wizard places him under a spell. There is obviously a very significant difference, apologies Jimin. A spell is so much better than a curse.

(put the two sassiest members together and you get this)

taejin

i put the EEL in fEELings - 11k - T

"Average person expresses 3 genuine feelings a day" factoid actually just statistical error. Average person expresses 10 genuine feelings per day. Spiders Seokjin, who lives in a dorm and expresses -10,000 feelings each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

(Wherein Taehyung woos Seokjin with flowers, cooking, RJ heads, and a potato, and Seokjin... totally doesn't have a meltdown. Ever.)

(ao3 tag seokjin is bad at feelings but taehyung is a good boy)

jinkook

Fake Sugar - 87k - E

Hedge Fund wunderkind and Certified Awkward Gay Jungkook needs a sugar baby to show off at work, and Professional Competitive Eater and Objectively Beautiful Human Jin just wants to stop working shitty side-jobs. Fake Sugar Daddy AU. A trope and a half.

(this is so long but so funny but also so sad. love it. seokjin eats a lot)

yoonseok

could roses bloom - 5k - NR

Yoongi looks up and finds himself staring at a gorgeous stranger with dyed brown hair and dark circles under his eyes. He startles a bit and watches as this other man sets a glass of lukewarm water in front of him.

"In case you get thirsty," the man smiles and it's like a fragment from a dream.

(this one is kind of like a sickfic and i think that’s mainly why it’s my fav lmao)

namgi

what rhymes with pug me - 62k - T

namjoon and yoongi share a sweater (and also some feelings)

(JTOWEFWJFIWOEJF IF CUKING LOVE THIS FIC ITS MY FAVORITE AND I LOVE NAMGI OWJEFO)

yoonmin

You’re a Flame In My Heart - 29k - T

Yoongi is a permanently exhausted part-timer in a flower shop who hates flowers, and Jimin is a dancer that is allergic to pollen and needs a better boyfriend. Yoongi thinks Jimin might be his favorite flower, and he's biologically human, what the fuck.

(yoonmin often has yoongi as this cold, edgy guy. this fic accurately portrays them. also some soft, caring yoongi heals the soul)

taegi

my heart flutters from the sugar high - 5k - M

Yoongi and Taehyung sneak around together, cheating on their diets. The group? They've drawn different conclusions.

(also fucking hilarious. they’re oblivious)

yoonkook

let the light in - 65k - T

There is magic in the world, but for years Jungkook has shied away from his gift. (It's intrusive, unwelcome, dangerous.) Now, he's in New York City, battling loneliness and a college course he hates. Until on one particularly bad day, he turns down a side street in East Village and his life changes forever.

(you think you won’t cry but you will. you WILL.)

namseok

tadhana - 32k - E

The site was in English, and Namjoon really should've checked it over before Hoseok booked the room, but there's nothing to be done about it now.

They've got a ten day honeymoon package on a beautiful island, and they're going to make the most of it. Even if it means pretending they're newlyweds to win extra prizes from the resort.

(probs the least angsty fake dating au. i feel like this is the most accurate portrayal of them)

jihope

out of the blue and into my world, you could be the making of me - 23k - E

jimin and hoseok are spies who are deep undercover. everyone thinks they're happily married and at some point, the two just stopped pretending.

(wholesome soft husbands. also there are kittens, that’s important)

vope

Vortex of Death - 16k - M

Jung Hoseok is mortally afraid of roller-coasters and water-slides. He’s also fatally attracted to the boy who works as a lifeguard at the theme park’s greatest attraction: the Vortex of Death.

(hoseok gay panicking for 16k words)

hopekook

DOES/DOES NOT - 20k - G

Jeongguk thinks Hoseok likes him. Hoseok thinks Jeongguk does not like him.

They are both wrong and get yelled at by Yoongi.

(character developement....chef’s kiss)

minjoon

of dogs & men - 20k - T

I work at a vet clinic and you work for the mafia. You started coming in to get patched up and threatened me to not to turn you into the police. Little do you know that I remember you as my high school crush, and you have no need to threaten me, because I'm still charmed by you

(an ACCURATE mafia au. mafias aren’t sexy and this depicts what it is actually like. namjoon isn’t too deep involved, just as a spoiler)

vmon

i see the sun in your ocean eyes - 14k - T

Taehyung is a selkie who wants to live in the human world; Namjoon is a boy who doesn't know how to. They figure it out together on an island off the coast of Jeju.

(this is soft and sad. good for rainy days)

namkook

bees, knees, and emotional crises - 20k - T

Jungkook and Namjoon meet at the weekly farmer's market where Namjoon sells honey that he makes himself, and Jungkook has a crush the size of Pangea and also cries about bees a few times because they're important, damn it

(bees. bees! BEES!)

vmin

we feel the same within our veins - 12k - T

the au where taehyung wakes up glowing, jimin is probably his soulmate, and everyone is reasonably concerned

(WE ALL KNOW VMIN ARE SOULMATES OKAY. OKAY??? THIS IS SOFT)

jikook

oh boy (will you awaken the hidden me?) - 6k - T

Jimin thinks he's lucid dreaming and kisses Jeongguk.

(shy jungkook is my aesthetic. they do some smooching)

taekook

Cinnamon Crisp - 21k - M

Jungkook needs his daily dose of cuddles and Taehyung likes to wear Jungkook's clothes. They don't care that alphas and omegas aren't supposed to be best friends.

(if you want non traditional/toxic abo fic... with soft taekook cuddles.... and soft warm fuzzy love...this is it)

[callunavulgari]

Year-In-Fic | 2018

How many fics did you write this year? What was your total wordcount? This year I wrote... 12 fics. Bit of a letdown, really, but I mean. I didn’t write much. I wrote what I did whenever a plot bunny really seized hold of me, but I didn’t go out of my way to write this year. Which is sad. But I mean, shit happens. 55,519 words, which isn’t completely terrible for 12 fics. It helps that a couple of them were in the 8-9k range.

Fic Roundup!

Everybody’s Looking For Something | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 4,790 words | On the third weekend of May during their last year at Hawkins High, Steve Harrington throws a party.Billy crashes it.

taste you on my tongue | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 2,290 words | “You’ve never felt pleasure like it, Steve,” an old girlfriend had told him once, her eyes bright with memory. Steve shrugged. “No vampires here, though.”

Home | Star Wars | Reylo | 1,670 words | “Rey,” he says into the quiet. “Just drive.”

hits like a drum | Stargate Atlantis | Mcshep | 3,507 words | “Believe it or not, having something with sharp teeth breathing down your neck is not actually conducive to one’s thought process.” John barks out a loud, abrupt noise that might be laughter, his breath tickling the hairs at the base of Rodney’s neck. “I’d have thought it would be good motivation.”

feed the hunger | Stranger Things | Steve/Billy | 1,792 words | “Thought you wanted to fuck me, Hargrove,” Steve whispers, and presses a sweet kiss to the hinge of Billy’s jaw. “Now’s your chance.”

Apotheosis | Marvel - INFINITY WAR | Thor/Loki, Steve/Pepper/Tony | 4,450 words | Grief, a story told in three parts.

and i’m always tired, but never of you | The Bright Sessions | Sam/Damien/Mark | 10,405 words | Sam runs into Damien at the grocery store two years later. It changes everything.

tides will bring me back to you | Kingdom Hearts | Axel/Roxas | 7,383 words | When Axel was sixteen, he did something stupid. 

Smallest Light | Stranger Things | Gen, El & Will | 5,165 words | In the summer of 1986, Will’s mom marries Jim Hopper. OR, Will and El learn how to be real people again together.

i don’t want to rest in peace, we can haunt each other’s dreams | EOS 10 | Ryan/Akmazian | 1,520 words |  In the dream, Ryan wakes up and Akmazian is there.

Looking For Atlantis | SGA | Mcshep | 4,632 words | Hey Rodney, the postcard reads. Go see a movie.

keep your heart open (i’ll keep mine open too) | Stranger Things | Harringrove | 7,915 words | “Did you even like me before you found out I was your soulmate?” Billy murmurs as he kisses a line down Steve’s throat.

Best story I wrote this year: and i’m always tired, but never of you. It was that one fic that I wrote because I just couldn’t stand the idea of Mark, Sam, and Damien not having a happy ending. Because I realized there was no poly fic for them on ao3 and I thought that was a travesty. So I wrote 10k in like two days and it’s soft and sweet and the happy ending that I wanted to see, so I freaking wrote it.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest. Honestly?  Home. It’s only 1600 words, and it’s Reylo, which I wasn’t even feeling that much this year, but it’s just the story that I set out to write. The night that I wrote it I’d had the shittiest day at work and came home wanting to write about someone being angry and sad and driving really fast. Originally I think I’d been planning on the story being Harringrove, but modern day Skywalkers just kind of spilled out of me.

Okay, NOW your most popular story. feed the hunger, my harringrove fic that I wanted to write the entire time I was in South Carolina, where Steve is a little bit messy and he and Billy fuck around for a bit and catch feelings comes in first with 339 kudos and 2731 hits, but taste you on my tongue, my harringrove vampire au technically beats it in the bookmarks department. Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Yeah, probably Home. I’m always a little bummed when the stories that I like the most don’t get much attention, but well, I mean. It’s a modern day Reylo fic that I wrote a while after The Last Jedi craze settled down, so it’s whatever. 

Most fun story to write: Definitely and i’m always tired, but never of you. It was so much fun to write and was so freaking easy too. Every line flowed smoothly. Even the editing didn’t trip me up much. 

Story that could have been better? hits like a drum was the wraith!John AU that I had such a hard time with last year. It was supposed to be at least another 5 or 6k and feature John coming to Rodney’s rescue and becoming slowly integrated into Atlantis. It was supposed to work it’s way into something smart and plotty, and yes, eventually Rodney would have gotten to smooch the wraith. But I hit a snag and never really recovered, so I just cleaned it up and posted it as is.

Story I wrote to fix things: Technically Apotheosis, and i’m always tired, but never of you, and i don’t want to rest in peace, we can haunt each other’s dreams were all written as fix-it fics in their own way. Apotheosis was my way of dealing with Infinity War and featured Thor, Steve, and Tony dreaming about people they lost. Bright Sessions domestic poly fic was written because I wanted Damien to have some semblance of happy ending, preferably with Mark, and that last one with the super long title was written because I was trying to cope with EOS 10. Technically it wasn’t a fix-it because nothing was really fixed, but it helped fix me.

Longest completed fic this year: and i’m always tired, but never of you. Just over 10k, it’s definitely my longest this year.

Fandom you enjoyed writing for most this year: I wrote a decent chunk of Stranger Things this year and had fun with all of them, but I still think the most fun I had was with the Bright Sessions fic.

Favorite character you wrote this year: I actually really liked writing Will and El in Smallest Light. I got kind of stuck halfway into that fic, so it wasn’t always the smoothest, but Will and El were both very strange and good to write.

Most memorable comment this year: So, keep your heart open (i’ll keep mine open too) was my entry for the harringrove secret santa and I recently got a comment from my giftee that was just, the best thing to wake up to ever. I haven’t gotten the chance to reply yet, mostly because I have been ridiculously busy, but it was such a long, thorough comment and I’m just so glad they appreciated it.

Additionally, the same fic also produced a comment that started with “My Sterek bitch!!” and it just fucking tickled the hell out of me.

Fics you wanted to write but didn’t: I think I’m going to have to give up on writing the Sabriel AU. I mean, unless the Episode 9 comes out and blows me out of the water, I’m not hopeful. The Last Jedi jossed too much, even in an AU, and it made things a little complicated to move forward. I still need to finish that fic where John dies and Rodney ends up raising his daughter, and the Enjolras/Grantaire fic, and the giant Dishonored fic that I still desperately want to write. The bodyswapping Reylo, the girl Cisco AU, the Sterek Bioshock Infinite AU, the dozens of other Sterek fics that I started two or three years ago and never finished, including the Carmilla AU.

More recently, I’ve got a Castlevania OT3 fic that I’ve been working on and a different flavor of Harringrove soulmate AU that wasn’t angsty enough to be my entry for the secret santa. I have the giant canon-divergent Bright Sessions AU where years after the series ends, Mark ends up running into Damien again in a small town in the middle of nowhere only to realize that he has a daughter, a farm, a life, and is just so drawn to it that he keeps coming back. I have the Wolf 359 post-canon fic where everyone has feelings and found family is a general theme and maybe Eiffel smooches an AI. I also have the smuttier Wolf 359 fic that’s been lurking in the back of my head for months where Eiffel and Kepler er, basically eiffel tower Jacobi. 

Oh, and I have the Reylo fic where Rey (and Ben, through the bond) sit through General Organa’s funeral and keep coming back to each other afterwards. And shit, I also started that Final Fantasy 15 fic where Dino and Noctis do the nasty.

Oddest story: Probably hits like a drum. I know Atlantis fics are weird, but John as a wraith is something that I hadn’t seen before. Hardest story to do: I think the only finished fic that gave me any resistance was Smallest Light, which probably wouldn’t have ever been finished if I didn’t go back and fill in the gaps with El’s part. Easiest story to write? I mean, most of these were easy. See, when you only write when you really feel the pull of something, it all comes easy. The Bright Sessions poly fic was the easiest, but all of the Harringrove ones were easy too.

Most mining of your own history in one story: Weirdly enough, tides will bring me back to you. Yeah, the story about the man-eating merman. The graffiti on the side of Axel’s building was a guy who tagged all over our neighborhood. The mermaid statue was my grandmother’s. Axel’s cat is basically my cat, but she’s been cleverly disguised because I called her gray once in the story. And like, that’s kind of it? I mean, the cove is something I came up with, but it’s heavily based on the years I spent at the beach. 

Themes, or absence thereof: Atmosphere, mostly. Want. Need. Daddy issues and forever kind of loves. Soft. Where did you publish/archive your stories? Ao3, as per usual. Story I haven’t yet written, but intend to: I want to write a few things in the new year, but mostly I want to write that Dishonored fic and a couple original stories that have been percolating in my brain for a year or two.

Sexiest moment (excerpt): “Damien,” Mark breathes against his lips, and pulls back to suck a bruise into the side of Damien’s neck.

“Please,” Damien is saying, high and needy, and doesn’t know what he’s asking for, just knows that he’s desperate to have it. He slides his fingers into Mark’s hair and gives it an insistent tug, mouthing sloppily at the corner of his jaw. He spreads his thighs wider. “Please, please, please.”

“Yes,” Mark hisses, and hauls him in for a deeper kiss, yanking Damien into him until they’re so close that Damien can feel him everywhere. Mark presses against him, the weight of him settling between Damien’s spread thighs. He gives Damien a hot look and rocks their hips together. Damien makes another tiny noise, his head tilted back, mouth open. It’s probably an embarrassing sound. Mark gets his teeth on his throat, and Damien stops caring.

From very far away, he becomes aware of a door opening somewhere, but it’s so far down on his current list of priorities that he doesn’t even register why this could be a problem until he hears Sam’s voice. Damien swallows around a gasp, his glassy eyes refocusing. She’s standing about a foot or so away in the open doorway, a startled flush on her cheeks, her hair windswept. There’s a package in her arms. She arches an eyebrow in Mark’s direction.

Mark, who still hasn’t pulled away from Damien, whose teeth are still working another mark into the fragile skin at the join of his shoulder and throat. Damien swallows hard and has to close his eyes and fight down a whimper when Mark, still distracted, grinds their hips together.

“Slow, huh, Mark?” Sam asks, setting the package and her keys down on the table next to her.

Mark winces at her voice and pulls back ever so slightly, just enough to free up his mouth, not enough to drag them away from the heat of each other’s bodies. He doesn’t seem surprised enough. Doesn’t even seem to care that his girlfriend just caught them necking in her apartment. He just grins at her, helpless and a little flushed, his lips red and wet, and says, “Sorry, Sam.”

.

Ryan bites down on a smile, and takes another daring step forward. “Do you have standards?”

Akmazian blinks, then groans, slumping back against the desk. He looks at Ryan, and while there’s a hint of good humor, there’s also something else. Resignation, maybe. Disappointment. He laughs it off, flicking his cloak to the side, a sardonic little grin on his face, but it’s there.

“You know me, darlin’,” he says, and it sounds like a joke, but it rings true. Ryan does know him. He knows Akmazian - knows that he’s good down to the heavy muscle of his heart, knows that he’s been dealt a shitty hand in life and that he’d live that shit all over again to have the world know the truth.

Ryan knows him. Maybe that’s why he does it.

Akmazian makes a lovely, startled little noise in the back of his throat when Ryan takes both hands and draws Akmazian down to meet him, his fingers sliding into the spaces where his jaw’s gone slack. He strokes there, hesitantly, with his thumbs, and when he tugs Akmazian forward those last few inches, he is utterly sure of what he wants.

Akmazian’s lips are dry and a little chapped, but they’re plush and part easily around a groan when Ryan takes the kiss deeper, makes it a little wetter, a little more wanting. The room is quiet around them, this little echoing piece of space that is theirs alone. He can hear his own breathing, soft but steady, and Akmazian’s over that, just a little uneven. He lets out a quiet groan as his entire body relaxes into the kiss, slumping forward into Akmazian’s arms, pressing closer until they’re both half on, half off of the desk. He kisses slow and deep and a little bit sloppy, until his lips feel bruised and wet. His eyes drift closed and when Akmazian lets out a soft murmur, Ryan tips his head back to make room for Akmazian’s mouth on his throat.

He can be greedy for this, Ryan thinks as Akmazian leaves a trail of kisses up the length of his throat. He’s allowed to want this.

When he pulls back, Akmazian is looking at him with faint wonder. His hand reaches out to touch the curve of Ryan’s cheek.

���Darlin’,” he breathes, and swallows hard around the words that might have come next.

Crackiest moment (excerpt): He makes it to the last showing of Aquaman twenty minutes late, which fortunately for him means that after collecting his popcorn and slushie from the surly looking teenager manning the concession stand, he walks into the theater just as the movie is starting.

It isn’t a full theater by any means. A group college students take up a couple of the middle rows, only recognizable by their colorful array of hairstyles and the semi-permanent air of exhaustion that lingers around them like some kind of miasma. There’s an older gentlemen near the back noisily slurping a fountain drink who looks as if he hasn’t been out of the house since the 90’s. And then there’s a couple kids who look about twelve snickering and throwing popcorn at each other in the top most row.

Rodney chooses one of the first rows he sees, not necessarily because he’s enamored with the idea of being so close to the screen, but because he doesn’t want to be anywhere near the crossfire when those kids realize that there are other targets in the theater besides their friends. With a heavy sigh, he collapses onto an off-colored seat cushion that he thinks may have been mauve in a former life. The whole thing creaks alarmingly under him, and he spends a good thirty seconds arranging himself so that the arms aren’t pinching uncomfortably at his waistband.

The movie isn’t horrible, much to his surprise. It’s not great, but it’s moderately engaging, and has two relatively attractive human beings gracing the screen ninety percent of the time. It’s engaging enough that he barely notices when the twelve year olds incite a some kind of farting competition amongst themselves that a couple of the college kids decide that it’s in their best interest to escalate. He’s still half asleep in his popcorn, but staring mindlessly into a bright rectangle helps.

Maybe half an hour into the movie he notices someone slinking into the theater out of the corner of his eye, but is too invested in licking the salt and butter off of his fingers to really notice. If they want to movie hop, then whatever. Props to them. He does notice at least a little bit when they take the seat directly behind him.

Then the guy starts kicking the back of his chair.

It isn’t a constant thing. The first kick Rodney writes off as an accident. Everyone does it at some point, especially with seats as small as these. He’s probably just rearranging, and then he’ll lay off. The second and the third time? Okay, whatever. Annoying, but ultimately not worth starting something over.But the guy just keeps doing it. Every five to ten minutes, like clockwork, just as the action is starting to ramp up on screen, his knees will dig into the back of Rodney’s chair. Or his heels will scrabble against the arm rests, like he’s trying to put his feet up on Rodney’s chair. And okay, nobody has ever called Rodney patient. Nobody ever will call Rodney patient. The very idea is laughable.

He’s grinding his teeth, this close to snapping, when he hears the guy lean forward in his seat, close enough that Rodney can feel his breath on the back of his neck. The guy breathes a little loudly for a moment, and then he says, “That guy kind of looks like Ronon, don’t you think?”

Favorite dialogue (excerpt): In the dream, Loki smiles at him. They’re on Asgard, in what were once Loki’s quarters. His body reclines loosely across a chaise that he had favored, one knee hooked over the arm. As Thor watches, he stretches - a languid, rippling motion that seems to start from his toes and end in his shoulders.

“Brother,” he says in welcome, his face open and content.

“You mean to torture me,” Thor says dully, licking his chapped lips.

Loki’s face crumples, the beatific smile going dim. The sunlight coming in through the windows behind him is all Asgard, golden and warm. If he touched Loki now, he thinks he would feel an echo of that warmth, the heat of it having seeped into Loki’s shoulders and back.

At last, Loki says, “You torture yourself, Thor.”

“Only because you are not here to do it for me,” Thor replies, taking a step forward as if pulled in by some great, magnetic force.

Loki sighs, his dangling leg swinging in idle irritation. “Perhaps I am here, truly. Would it be so hard to imagine that a piece of me lives on within you?”

“No,” Thor whispers, and feels a tear drip down his cheek. “It would not. I have always held you here, in my heart.”

Loki looks at him, all the mirth gone from his face. “You cradled my body when I was gone. You pulled me close and waited for that explosion. You were to die, with me. With our people. You meant to. The last of the Aesir.”

Thor reaches the chaise, and sinks to his knees before him. Loki touches him gently, cool fingertips tracing his face from temple to jaw.

“Tell me, brother,” Loki asks him softly. “When you woke, did it pain you? Did you look for me? For my corpse?”

“Yes,” Thor tells him. He had woken disoriented, surrounded by strangers, the memory of rage lighting him up from the inside out, the ghost of Loki’s touch still against him. He’d thought of vengeance, of a burial that he would never have, and he had hurt. He’d gone chasing after death, and hoped it would take him.

He’d told the rabbit that he had nothing left to lose. It turned out that he was wrong. There was always more left to lose.He chokes on a sob, and Loki shushes him.

“You will do this, brother. I know you will.” The corners of Loki’s lips quirk upwards into an impossible smile. Perfect in its replication. “You and Stark, your Avengers. You will beat Thanos.”

Loki’s smile goes sadder, and he touches Thor the way that Thor used to touch him, a hand reaching out to clasp the hinge of Thor's jaw, thumb stroking his cheek. “You don’t know how to lose, Thor. You never did.”

“And if I can’t bring you back?”

Loki shrugs. “Then you dream of me. Whenever you think to miss me.”

Thor chokes on a watery laugh. “I will always be dreaming of you, then.”

One last touch. A kiss, light as a feather, first to his brow and then to his lips. A tear slips from Loki’s chin and lands on Thor’s cheek. Loki is still smiling, his eyes wet. “Then, I will welcome your company.”

Favorite lines (excerpt):

Damien is wearing dark jeans, and though there are holes at the knees, they seem to be of the ‘artfully distressed’ sort rather than the too-lazy-to-patch-up variety. He’s got a decent jacket hugging his shoulders, and under that, she’s pretty sure she spies a Nirvana shirt. His shaggy hair is pulled back into a half-assed bun and there’s a day or two worth of stubble clinging to his jaw, but he looks okay. Good. A little too grunge to be on this side of the millenium, and hopelessly confused by the third bag of chicken nuggets he’s picked up, but good.

She bites her lip, and considers her options.

Two years ago, she’d be hightailing it out of this grocery store as quickly as possible, packing Mark into the nearest suitcase, and skipping town to go find backup. But for some reason, she doesn’t think that Damien’s followed them here. More likely, is that they accidentally followed him here.

Before she has the chance to second-guess herself, Sam takes a deep breath and strides firmly into the aisle, shopping basket swaying at her side. She comes to a stop right beside him, and for a moment, he doesn’t seem to notice her. He’s squinting at the nutrition facts on another bag of chicken nuggets. There's ramen and a pack of energy drinks in his basket.

“Those probably aren’t great for you,” she tells him, wrinkling her nose.

“Did I ask you?” Damien sing-songs, still not looking away from the nuggets. He hmphs at it, and muses, possibly to himself, “A hundred and seventy calories for five pieces. Not bad.”

“Yeah, but how much of that is actually chicken?”

Damien blinks, and tears his eyes away from the bag. He looks up at her, his face stuck in an expression that seems to be at least two-thirds disdain, the rest of it being absolute incredulity, as if he’s appalled that some stranger in the grocery store is insisting on lecturing him about his taste in chicken nuggets - which, fair. Because Sam’s looking for it, she can pinpoint the exact moment that he places her, his eyes going ever so slightly wider. He blinks and shuffles backwards half a step, and then the surprise is gone, leaving behind a smooth mask of general douchebaggery. She remembers that mask - the slimy smirk and the too-cool-for-you-slouch.

He leans against the freezer door, and regards her coolly.

Apathetic. Smooth. Unphased.

Yeah, right.

“Saaaaaaam,” he drawls, eying her up and down. One sharp eyebrow quirks upwards, his gaze lingering on the Care Bear t-shirt that she’d thrown on over the tattered, holey tanktop she’d worn to bed the night before. The t-shirt is just as old and worn as the tank top is, and she immediately has to struggle against the urge to check herself for pizza stains. After all, it’s not like the shirt was exactly clean when she’d grabbed it out of the laundry pile. It was just the best looking of the bunch.

She wasn’t actually supposed to run into people that she knew at the freaking grocery store. And definitely not on laundry day. That was just rude.

The smirk ticks ever higher. Damien nods at her shirt. “Cute.”

Sam flexes her fingers, and wonders with an idle sort of curiosity if it would be worth the pain to punch him again. No. Fuck that. Two can play at this game.

“I thought so,” she says with an indifferent shrug and a chipper little smile.

(or)

Do you miss him, she thinks, and has to bite down hard on her lip to keep the question from slipping out. God, how stupid. He’s all pathetic and droopy now, of course he misses Mark. He takes a deep breath, and she watches him pull himself back together. It’s not a very convincing charade, but she lets him have it.

“Anyway,” he says brightly, and pushes off of the freezer. “Things to do, puppies to terrorize, you know the deal.”

He looks at her with that same careful consideration she’d given him a moment ago, and makes his face do something that she thinks is supposed to be an amiable smile. It mostly just looks like he’s trying too hard.

He holds out his hand. “Sam.”

Reluctantly, she takes it. His hand is chilly and a little damp, but he has a surprisingly strong grip. “Damien.”

The grin that he flashes her is still just this side of wrong, too showy, not enough mean.

“It’s been real, but I gotta go.” Damien hesitates, and just when she thinks he’s gonna let it go, he leans in and brushes a careful kiss to her cheek. His lips are warm. They linger for a moment over the swell of her cheekbone, and she wonders why that is. If it’s because of Mark, or her, or the sheer unexpected delight of human contact. When he pulls back, there’s a flush of red across his cheeks, and an unsure, painfully earnest smile on his lips.

His voice is soft, tellingly so when he murmurs, “Give Mark my love, okay?”

Sam swallows, her heart thundering in her chest. And, because she’s still caught off guard, she smiles back, and says, “Okay.”

(or)

“I swear to god, Ben-”

Ben sighs heavily, laying an arm down on the rest between them. He turns to her, and for the first time all day, he really looks. Her hair is frizzing where its come loose from her bun, and there’s engine oil beneath her fingernails. Her dress, modest enough when standing, is riding up her thighs, the cut scandalously short for a funeral. He would bet money that she didn’t pick it out herself.

Her eyes scald him - all the anger and accusation that he’s been avoiding for the last few years narrowed down to a single point. Her brow is pulled tight into a frown and she- she’s itching for this. He knows she is, because even if he hasn’t seen her in six years, Ben grew up alongside of her. He’d been there for her early years, when just keeping her from running was hard enough.

He’d chased her across state lines, kept her from hopping busses, dragged her kicking and screaming to return every stolen car.

He knew the fire in her. He had it, too.

And he knew that it was burning.

“Rey,” he says into the quiet. “Just drive.”

She bares her teeth again, lip curled into an effortless, vicious snarl. Her eyes narrow. Around them, the car hums with power. It sounds as angry as she does.

“You’ll regret that,” she warns, and when he says nothing, she makes a quiet irritated noise and slams the car into reverse, peeling explosively out of the lot. Dust clouds the road behind them. He can smell the burning rubber.

Fic goals: I did absolutely none of the goals I set last year. Nothing novel length, nothing original, very few original characters, and I almost made it to 60k, but not quite. My only goal for next year is to write something that’s all mine. That’s it, Heather. Write a story, make it yours.