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writing-whump · 9 months

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Ear infection

Isaiah reunites with his younger brother Arnie. Separation angst, ear infection, vomiting.

The university was busy before Christmas. The holidays carried many excuses for events and special offers that attracted potential students. As an assisting student at the psychology faculty, Isaiah was tasked with doing these little tours around the main university building. At regular hours, whether there was a whole high school trip of soon-to-be graduates or just a handful of interested mothers dragging their kids along. Or curious gap year takers thinking about their future plans. Since starting in the summer semester was possible at most faculties, these tours were relevant at the end of the year just as much as at its start.

Isaiah liked it. He felt a sense of beautiful responsibility that his tour and comments of the building's history and insight into student life could inspire someone to choose the main university or even his faculty. It was like watching the new generation pick its way.

"But why do not all classes occur here?" asked someone from the little crowd he gathered.

"The main university building is usually reserved for big lectures. We are talking about 300-500 people. The new university building has smaller classrooms that are more fitting for seminar settings of 20-30 people," he explained dutifully.

"So the university has more than one building?"

Yes, that was a favorite confusion question. "The university has many building complexes all over the city. The main building we are at is the largest and oldest one, but the newer ones are down both these streets. The new institute building or NIG is right next to it, where most of the faculties have their own floors and their respective teaching stuff have their offices."

"So it's like each faculty has a building or floor reserved for them? Like their own base?"

"Yes, that's a good comparison," Isaiah agreed. Base was a very wolf-related word, since each pack had their own base or layer in the city. It was correct, he just never used it in this context.

"What are you studying, sir, if I may ask?"

Isaiah was starting to be curious about the young male voice that kept asking as well, letting the group continue down the hall as he stood, trying to pick out his face.

"Psychology. Almost done with my master," he replied, turning his head.

"And you are already an assistant? That's nice for a mere student. And they don't mind you are a wolf?"

Isaiah's head jerked upright. Some people from the group hesitated mid-step to give him a confused look.

Isaiah was a wolf, a known one at that, and officially admitted at the faculty. But he prided himself in appearing completely human, in not letting his shadow act out of place. Ordinarily, he could do it with such finesse and skill, that a crowd of strangers wasn't able to recognize he was a wolf.

"Wolves can study at the university at any faculty they want," Isaiah recited automatically. "As long as they have their graduation and the wolf adult exam behind them."

"Are you saying there is no danger whatsover, when humans study with wolves?"

Isaiah could pick out a blonde head, but the boy asking was covered by a group of higher boys in front of him as they trailed after the group.

"There is danger whenever humans do anything together," Isaiah replied with a raised eyebrow. The group was almost at the end of the line,...finally the person asking came into view.

A mop of thick blond hair, carefully styled into locks. His face was long and elegant, though his cheeks still had that youthful fluffiness of teenage years. He looked a lot like Hector, just thinner and smaller, with way less muscle, but all the more cheekiness. His eyes weren't ember brown like Hector's either, but clear, bright emerald green. A colour Isaiah knew very well. It greeted him every day in the mirror.

Surprisingly enough, Arnold "Arnie" Wolfson hadn't change that much since he was 12, except his height. Lanky, cheeky and with eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I can say from experience wolves don't like humans in their packs very much, even their own family. It's funny that the tables turn at university," Arnie said with a grin, hands on his hips in challenge.

Isaiah was too stunned for words.

"What is it, mister psychology assistant? Wolf got your tongue? Or should I say shadow?" the blond teased.

"Arnie..."

"In the flesh," the blond boy said with a smile, though his eyes narrowed at him. "I'm glad you remember me."

"What are you doing here?" Was all Isaiah managed through his astonishment. It was like seeing a ghost, except the ghost grew up.

"Looking through my options, of course. I'm graduating this year and this is a famous university. Pretty high on the 100 best universities of the world list. Several lists, really. Good thing it's not that far from my base."

"Thats....ehmm...that's wonderful."

Arnie gave him a look. "So what now? Is the tour over?"

Isaiah shook himself awake, suspecting Arnie was enjoying this very much and turned back, putting his professional persona back on. He continued the tour more distracted than ever, his eyes always going back to look for Arnie in the crowd.

The next 30 minutes were torture. Isaiah couldn't focus, kept mixing up names of the auditoriums, led the group to a dead end twice until he simply let them out in the park, pointing at the Christmas market held in front of the university. That was fortunately enough of a distraction, the crowd dissolving in excitement.

When Arnie looked like he would turn and go too, Isaiah quickly hurried after him. It was like a bolt of lightning hit him in the head, but he was not about to let that bolt go now that it was there.

"Wait. Arnie, you-" he cringed at his own clumsiness. "Do you ehhh want to get lunch together? I know a good place."

Arnie gave him a toothy smile. "I thought you would never ask."

***

What do you talk about with a brother you haven't seen in last 6 years? After he left without explanation or contact information, getting exiled from the pack? Everyone called Isaiah a traitor. Their current leader, Uncle Grayson, gave an order to leave him alone, that he was no longer of interest.

Well, Arnie wasn't just a pack member. He was his brother and not a wolf to have to listen to orders. Shadows, dominance, power plays - those were wolf concerns he didn't have to worry about.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to track Isaiah on social media. Facebook page, twitter, liking university announcements and public lectures, sharing events and new publications at the faculty...

That he was an assistant already was clear as a day. A point of pride. Arnie didn't quite know how to meet him, but he figured if he hung around all those events mentioned on his profile, he was bound to meet him somewhere.

Arnie's head was still spinning from the speed at which everything was going.

After the initial shock, Isaiah settled into a polite and serious mask - all professional smiles, suit and all. He brought him to a pretty good sushi place, bombarding him with enthusiastic questions about his favourite subjects, grades, hobbies, how he was, what faculties he was considering, if he needed help with finding somewhere to live or would be staying in the Wolfson pack base.

They didn't touch the topics Arnie actually wanted to ask about. Why did you leave? What happened to you? Didn't you miss us? Didn't you miss me?

Isaiah wasn't secretive about his own passions either. He told him all about his love for psychology, his favourite professors, research he was doing about city life and mental health and atmospheres of third places or whatever that was about. He mentioned he was known for mediating conflicts between packs and that he had many contacts, offering Arnie to arrange meetings with any friend or colleague whose studies Arnie could be interested in.

It was like a very polite and eager relative. You meet once a ten years when you need something from their city, they give you recommendations, pretend to catch up and then whoosh. See you in ten years. Isaiah was talking and asking for information to last him for at least that long.

Neither of them mentioned the Wolfson pack. Isaiah didn't ask about how Uncle Grayson was doing as a leader. Nor did he ask about Father. He mentioned meeting Hector in an off-hand way, like sure, we see each other at that wolf meet or in that park sometime.

When Hector talked about Isaiah, he never sounded so nonchalant about it. He always looked on the verge of breaking something or having an angry fit.

Was this all it was going to be? Catch up, pretend interest and goodbye?

Isaiah paid for his meal without asking and then took him to the Christmas market himself. It was pretty late at that point, temperature heading towards zero. Arnie was getting cold, but he wouldn't ruin his hair with a beanie and he wouldn't give Isaiah the excuse to go home by saying he was cold.

Isaiah was all flushed with energy, not minding the cold in typical wolf fashion.

It was impossible to keep up with wolves. Arnie was used to it.

As a human in a pack of wolves, Arnie was used to being the one defined by what he lacked. Humans in wolf families were common disappointments, things to be barely tolerated by the rest. Their position, just like Arnie's, depended on the rank of the wolf members in his family and their willingness to defend him.

For a very long time, he was spared of that knowledge though.

He had his brothers to thank for that. Isaiah was a prodigy since childhood and Hector was always chasing after him with enthusiasm and energy. They were well-respected and high ranking in their pack, no problems with their shadows since he could remember.

And they have never treated him any differently for being a human. Maybe they had been more careful and gentle with their shadows, but he had actually not realized there was anything wrong with him until he went outside of the protective den of their family apartment.

When other wolf pups his age or older made fun of him for being a useless human for the first time, Hector beat them with his bare hands, no shadow needed. Isaiah had held him in a hug the whole afternoon after like he couldn't bear to let go.

Arnie slowly realized that as a human, he was never getting anyone's respect in the pack. He would always be the defective one.

But he also quickly realized that he would never be touched again. Living with wolves meant always being surrounded by violence, being on the edge of it, always ready and eager. But Arnie was never afraid, never touched, never threatened.

Other wolves did not think any more of him for it. If anything, they hated him for that position and opted to ignore him completely.

But he always had his brothers. Even and maybe more so after his mother died when he was 4 and he forgot her voice and her face. Even when father was busy or ignoring him just like everyone else was.

At home, he was a person. He was valued and wanted and listened to and Isaiah and Hector never treated him like anything less, and hardly different than they did each other. Maybe a little better.

Things changed when Isaiah's training with their father intensified and he became the executioner for the pack. That was the first time Arnie had called for his brother, expecting to be given priority over anything else Isaiah could be doing - and he got no answer. Isaiah would shut the door and not answer for days to come, leaving a hole in their lives from one day to the next.

Now Hector reacted to that in a way a wolf would - he chased after him. With anger, rivalry and jealousy, with aggression and resentment. But Arnie knew at the core of that volatile anger was hurt and yearning to be taken seriously, to be acknowledged.

Hector was reaching out to Isaiah, but he was doing it in a way Arnie couldn't follow. Of that dynamic and effort between his brothers, he was excluded for the first time.

The pack became an incredibly lonely place after that. There was no skill or talent or interest Arnie as a human could prove himself with. There were days he didn't talk with anybody, when he didn't get a single hello. When he didn't know if he even existed, if no one saw him.

What was left to him was watching. He watched and stared and noticed things in his silence and learned to read people. Understand them. Wolves had their mannerisms and tells just like witches and humans did.

And he realized knowing things like this was power. He started to see people's weaknesses and poked at them. Teased. He could look at someone and tell what would hurt them. At night he made a list in his head, going through words and facts he found out, gathering things he knew would sting. Having words that could break someone in his arsenal was a weapon, a power and something they couldn't fight against.

So Arnie talked and he got reactions out of wolves. Helpless kind of hurt and frustration because they couldn't retaliate with a fight, but their shadows made it easy to tell he hit the target on point.

He got even better at this when Isaiah left. Their father was gone from leadership and their brother left them without explanation.

Uncle Grayson took over the pack, and regularly invited him to chess to show his favour.

Hector was inconsolable, his shadow angry and out of control in a way it never had been before. But when Arnie sat down at the gym or in his room beside him, his shadow subsided. Even at his lowest, Hector could not bear to raise his shadow around him. Arnie felt a little less useless, then. Like he brought him a little comfort, even if Hector wouldn't talk and wasn't ready to listen.

Shortly after he settled down, Hector found a new goal. He filled the hole Isaiah left behind with rank, training and hunger for power and success. Again, chasing after Isaiah in a way Arnie couldn't follow. Arnie couldn't resent it, because he understood. Wolves needed a goal or they would lose control.

Hector came into the city because of Isaiah. He spent years convincing their Uncle he could handle opening a new pack branch there, selecting people to take with him, and making a plan for every step and possibility to prove himself.

Arnie wasn't on the list.

But he was 18 now and graduating. It was the year of his entering adulthood that he could choose if he would stay with the pack - which would make them responsible for his finances, give him a cushion for whatever he studied or decided to do - or live by himself. Not like he was a poor orphan. He had lots of money after his mother and father as the youngest Wolfson heir on paper and by law.

The first thing he wanted to do since he turned 18 was to find Isaiah. Hector chased after him, but he resented him. He took Isaiah leaving as a personal betrayal and betrayal of the pack. And their father, who drew back from the pack as well, living alone.

Arnie couldn't care less about the pack politics and power he had no access or influence on anyway. He couldn't care less about a father that had barely spoken three words to him all his life. What he wanted was to find some kind of closure. Confront his brother and find out. What if there was a good reason why Isaiah left? What if there were circumstances out of his control and all he needed was someone to give him a chance to explain himself?

It was just as likely that Isaiah simply wasn't interested in either of them. And that Arnie was just going to humiliate himself by asking for the attention of someone who didn't want him around. Why else not contact any of them for 6 years?

He didn't expect Isaiah to be so friendly or that distant. That they could just talk and act like nothing was amiss with those years of secrets and absence between them.

But here they were.

As the hours went, Arnie was starting to feel anxious about the day coming to an end. Would it even be real, if they never saw each other again? How would Arnie now this truly happened to him in the morning?

Arnie followed after Isaiah a little forelonely to the end of the Christmas market, sneezing discreetly into his elbow.

Isaiah turned to him in thought. "Are you cold? We could...oh." He looked at his wrist watch. It was almost 11 pm. "Everything will be closing up around now. Do you...would you like to come to my place? You can spend the night too if you'd like."

Arnie's eyes went wide in surprise.

"My pack will probably be sleeping already, but you could meet them in the morning. Besides, you don't even know my address, right?"

Arnie couldn't hide how excited and breathless that offer made him. That looked like this wasn't the end!

"Give me your phone," Isaiah bossed, taking it from him and dialing up his own number. He waited until it rang before he returned the phone to Arnie. "There. Now you also have my number. You can call me and we can...we can go get lunch again. Or coffee. Or anything you want. How does that sound?"

Arnie nodded eagerly, feeling like he could cry from happiness. "Thank you! I would like that."

Isaiah smiled, a real wide smile that lit up his whole face. "Alright. Let's go then. It's like 20 minutes from my place by foot. Or would you prefer to take a tram?"

"It's fine, we can walk," Arnie said, waving the cold away. He couldn't feel cold or uncomfortable with how fast his heart was beating or how happy he was. He all but jumped around Isaiah like a goatling as they made their way to the apartment, playing a hundred-question game.

"Your favorite season of the year?" Isaiah asked.

"Summer. Because you can go swimming anytime, anywhere. Is yours still winter?"

"Yep, winter, alright. Everything is so clean and fresh and the snow...:

Arnie laughed. That didn't change much then.

Arnie's mouth was actually hurting from smiling and his teeth were chattering as they went inside.

The apartment was dark, no one was up, as Isaiah promised. Which worked great for Arnie, since he wanted Isaiah entirely for himself.

Isaiah watched him from the side as Arnie rubbed his hands together, getting feeling back into them and went to boil in some tea.

Arnie followed him, sitting down at the round table, watching, trying to soak up every moment, every detail, anything the place could tell him about his brother.

"Are you still a neat freak?" Arnie snickered as he looked around.

Isaiah smirked. "Am not. Everyone else is just untidy."

"Where is your room?"

"At the end of the hall. I share it with Matthew."

"Who is upstairs? The witch?"

"Yes. Seline." Isaiah said her name sweetly, like taking a spoon of honey.

"Ohhh," Arnie's eyes sparkled. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Isaiah took a sharp breath, looking at him. "How did you know?"

"I'm good at reading people," Arnie bragged with a smile, propping his chin on his entwined hands. His head felt kind of heavy and his left ear burned as it warmed up.

"Which tea do you want? I got earl gray, mint, fruit, herbal-"

"Whatever you are having. And exactly like it," Arnie said.

Isaiah gave him a surprised glace and a lifted an eyebrow but complied, smiling slightly to himself.

He brought two cups with mint tea with a bit of milk inside to the table. "I will get you blankets for the sofa. It can be extended and is quite comfortable, if you don't mind it?"

Arnie pouted. "Are we going to sleep already?"

Isaiah chuckled. "You don't want to yet? What would you like to do?"

"I could spend the night talking with you," Arnie said, flushing a little at how honest that was.

Isaiah shook his head as if he couldn't believe it, brushing Arnie's arm as he went by him.

He brought the blankets and Arnie got both of their mugs and they sat on the sofa together, letting a movie play in the background. Arnie had a lot more questions about Isaiah's current favourite movies, TV stations, if studying psychology made him like psychological thrillers more...if he could bridge over the lost 6 years in one night, he would do it.

Arnie didn't notice at what point he dozed off. His eyes were heavy though and he only woke up enough to feel Isaiah taking the mug from his hands and sliding him down on a pillow.

***

Arnie woke up to piercing pain in his ear. He shot up, blinking rapidly.

It hurt in his sleep too, tender to the touch, but now it actually disturbed him enough he didn't think he could sleep.

He wasn't even lying on it, but it still hurt. It felt all stuffed up too, as if he had liquid stuck in it. Oww.

Getting up from the sofa was a slow process, since he needed a little time to orient himself in the dark, unfamiliar place. Small chance he could sleep with the way his ear hurt though.

He went to the kitchen, opening the cupboards half-heartedly to look for medication, but he couldn't find anything useful aside from mugs and plates. Maybe he should wake Isaiah up for a painkiller.

Returning to the living room, he stumbled against a chair and almost fell. The rattle would have woken a man, not just a wolf.

"Arnie? What's going on?" Isaiah's sleepy voice came from the living room. He must have fallen asleep beside him.

"Hey, Zaya? I know this is a bit stupid and I'm sorry to bother you...." He felt dizzy standing there. What was wrong with him? As if his sense of balance was shot. Arnie gripped the edge of the round table, swaying slightly.

Isaiah got up from the sofa immediately, all signs of sleep leaving his face in the few steps he took to get to Arnie. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have any painkillers here? M-my ear really hurts." Arnie tried to smile, hand hovering over the offending organ. It hurt the whole time, as if someone lit it on fire.

Isaiah's eyebrows furrowed. "Your ear? Did you get a cold?" His hand went to Arnie's forehead as if it was the normal thing to do. Arnie froze a little under the touch, but Isaiah's hand was nice and warm and he leaned into it a little, closing his eyes. He still felt weirdly dizzy and untethered, his stomach flipping inside him.

"No, don't think so. It's nothing, Zaya. Promise."

"Uh-uhm." Isaiah didn't look convinced. "You are burning up. Go back under the blankets, I'll find you something."

Arnie nodded gratefully, pushing himself away from the table only to stumble again and lose his balance. The floor came up suddenly and he prepared himself for the impact, when strong hands caught him by the waist. "What's going on with you? It's like you are drunk."

"I don't know..." Arnie blinked dizzily as Isaiah helped him straighten up, then wrapped a hand around his back and led him back to the sofa.

Everything was twirling. Arnie sat down heavily, bowing his head between his knees, taking deep breaths. Trying to calm down. This was nothing serious. He wasn't a child. Despite that, the pain in his ear felt like it was vibrating and he felt heavy and hot.

His throat closed up. He was going to ruin their happy reunion with this. Isaiah would send him home and they would never see each other again.

Isaiah came back shortly, arms stuffed with things he spread out on the table. "Hey. Arnie, lift your arm for me. I'm going to take your temperature. For now, take the ibuprofen. Should help with the pain."

Arnie didn't dare to nod with how out of focus and tilted everything was, accepting the thermometer under his arm and taking the pills with a glass of water.

His stomach wasn't very happy about that gulp, though. It flipped inside him again and he groaned, wrapping his arms around his middle.

"Arnie? Kiddo, hey..."

"Think," he gulped loudly as the nausea spiked and the water sloshed against the back of his throat, "m gonna be sick."

Arnie didn't even have time to think about how entirely embarrassing and disgusting that was and how he was going to chase Isaiah away now for sure.

Isaiah jumped to his feet and Arnie felt the swish of air as he hurried away. He trembled, his mouth flooding with saliva.

His stomach gave a twist and he felt the water shooting up his throat, but suddenly there was a trashcan in his lap. Just in time for him to gag harshly over it as the gulp of water and the painkiller came rushing up, grazing against his throat.

Arnie did not expect the gag to make the pain in his ear explode. Stupid tubes, being all connected. He whimpered as the pressure escalated and he gagged again. Another splash of water and pieces of undigested chestnuts from the market came along with it, hitting the bottom of the trash bag.

He felt tears spring up his eyes as he convulsed over it, fighting off the next gag. Anything to stop the pain in his ear from burning like that. There was drool hanging from his lips and chin and he sobbed.

Isaiah's hand was on his back that instant. He held the trashcan under his chin, murmuring something Arnie didn't understand through the buzzing in his own ears, but it was the gentlest, most soothing tone he ever heard from him. It reminded him of his childhood, how he would curl up on top of Isaiah whenever he was sick and his brother would hold him diligently, wrapping him in his warmth and reassurances.

Arnie pressed his palm against his mouth, trying to stop the next wave. The nausea was still there, made worse by the pain and now his head was pounding as well.

"Shhhh. You are okay. You are okay. Take deep breaths now."

"Hurtssss," Arnie sobbed, his other hand going to his ear as he bowed his head. The trashcan disappeared and Isaiah sat down next to him, rubbing gentle circles against his back.

"Ssshhh. I know. It will be okay. Just calm down. You probably got an ear infection. That's nothing. I'll get you some warm compress for it and it will go away in no time."

Isaiah made a move to stand. Arnie felt a wave of panic and dread rush through him, looking up and blinking rapidly against the bluriness. "No, no, no. Don't go."

"Arnie, I'll be right b-"

"Don't leave me again. Please."

"Just to get the warm compress, kiddo. It will be a second, I promise."

Isaiah left.

Arnie wanted to follow him, but his legs wouldn't hold him. He was shaking from exhaustion, his ear was hurting, and he had to fight against nausea flooding him instantly with the panic. He curled up on the sofa, hands wrapped around his stomach as he sobbed against the leather fabric.

After what felt like million years, something warm pressed against his left ear. Arnie winced, nose all clogged up from snot as he cried, each watery breath making the fire in his ear worse.

Isaiah stood above him for a bit, before he sat down, hands around Arnie. He dragged him over to his lap, letting Arnie curl up on his knees and sob against his chest. He held the warm cloth against Arnie's ear, rubbing his arm in a soothing manner.

Arnie fisted his fingers in Isaiah's shirt. He would not let him go this time around.

***

The rest of the night and early morning went like that. Isaiah held Arnie in his lap, holding the compress to his ear and talking about everything and nothing he could think of. Arnie seemed to react well to his voice.

Sometimes Arnie would sleep fitfully, only to wiggle and trash as he wanted to turn and Isaiah wouldn't let him, tightening his hold so Arnie wouldn't turn on his left ear. Sometimes it would wake him up and make him cry again.

Sometimes he would shudder and swallow heavily, which Isaiah learned by the third time that Arnie drooled all over his front that that was his cue for vomiting.

He held the kid as he vomited into the trashcan in his arms and then sagged back again. The fever was radiating off him and the little whimpers and tears that came with his ear reacting to puking were breaking Isaiah's heart. As if it wasn't broken enough.

Isaiah thought today was a gift. A unique, rare little gift. He didn't dare to contact his brothers on his own. The play pretend that he was the traitor, was important for the pack and he needed his brothers to believe it, so everyone else could believe it. At the time. Now, after years, he resented that duty.

He was also way too scared they hated him by right. Just like Hector did, blaming Isaiah for abandoning them, for putting the pack's future at risk, for choosing a different life instead of theirs...not even if Isaiah explained that every day back at the Wolfson pack was torture for him, that his heart pains were caused by it, that he hated every single second...would they want to listen?

And then Arnie came. All open and eager and giving him a chance instead of bombarding him with questions and accusations.

He needed that. Isaiah needed someone to believe in the good of him for once. It broke him a little every time Hector snarled at him, that neither of his brothers probably believed he didn't leave them willingly, that he missed them like you miss a part of yourself, how he flinched and hurt every time a wolf with a temper or a kid with blond hair passed him by...

Isaiah really let himself hope maybe this wasn't over. That's why he offered Arnie all the contact information. If the boy wanted to stay in touch, maybe Isaiah wouldn't break any promise in seeing him from time to time, even if he never told him the truth. It was too painful and messy and complicated. But if Arnie could accept him as he was, maybe they could rebuild something from there.

Arnie didn't ask why Isaiah left. Not once. Isaiah didn't know what to make of it. Did it mean he was forgiven? Or that Arnie knew something, guessed something and so he wouldn't make Isaiah talk about it?

Did it mean Arnie didn't care anymore and just wanted to check how he was doing and cut contact again? It wasn't like either Arnie or Hector looked or reached out to him, when he was away. He figured they were too hurt and disgusted with him to do so...

But Arnie got downright inconsolable, whenever Isaiah tried to get up. To change his vomit-covered shirt, to get tissues, to get water...Arnie would cry and weil and sob himself into panic Isaiah was leaving again. No matter how Isaiah explained, no matter how quickly he got back.

Matthew found him in the morning as he prepared for his regular run.

"What the fuck happened here?"

Isaiah had to admit it was a mess. There were tissues all over the place, the towels he kept soaking in warm water and held against Arnie's ear and sometimes had to sacrifice when Arnie got sick while still pressed against Isaiah's chest, the thermometer, the packages of pills Arnie couldn't hold down,...

"Hey, Matt. You met my little brother?"

Matthew's eyebrows furrowed. "I met the mean one. Which one is this?"

The kid lay completely limp against him, out of his sweaty shirt, breathing raggedly. But Isaiah thought his fever wasn't so high anymore and he actually kept a few sips of water down for the last hour. He would probably take him to a doctor today anyway, to get that ear checked out.

Isaiah caressed the center of Arnie's creased forehead. "I think this one wants to give me a chance."

---

@bellysoupset

#sickfic #emeto #vomiting #hurt/comfort #bromance #brothers #whump #emeto writing #my writing #werewolf wip #they say writing leads to more writing #I always post these so close to one another #sigh #I should pace it over the week I know #this is a long one 🙈#Arnie

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starres-stuff · 21 days

Text

Day 2- Horizon FFXIV Write 2024

Horizon: The limit of a person's mental perception, experience, or interest.

“A gil for your thoughts”

The voice had come out of nowhere shaking Dimitri from his trancelike state and turning his head where he found the emerald green eyes of his mentor, Xixa, staring back at him.

“I didn't even notice your approach” The Duskwight offered a warm smile. Xixa was very skilled at this, even when the days were dark and dismal as they had been lately.

“He thinks of you too, you know, Sonny.” Xixa patted his forearm and then let her hand rest on it while she kept talking. “I know why he is mad at you, a little bit torn on it since I don't think it is a reason to stay mad for a Moon, but at the same time if I had a life like he has I'd have been mad too.”

Dimitri sighed softly, eyes lingering on the Viera's face, he always wondered how old she was, she certainly didn't look any older than her mid-twenties but the way she spoke made it sound like she had lived for centuries. “I don't think this place is for us anymore and I don't just mean the Shroud. I mean Eorzea in general.”

Xixa fought to show no emotion regarding this. She enjoyed having both men around, they had been through a lot together, and the lump in her throat reminded her she cared a bit too much about both of them these days. “There is still tomorrow, Sonny. When all hope for today has run out, and we think there is nothing left. We just have to remind ourselves that tomorrow is a new day and we can try again. Just got to believe in what you want and who you love. They wouldn't be there if they didn't still feel the same for you.”

Dimitri raked a nervous hand through his hair then gazed out towards the meadow full of flowers she had found him sitting near. His first intention was to come here to paint the beauty of a now encroaching Shroud fall but as soon as he had his easel set up and his paints mixed he found himself wishing Laurent was there to share it with him.

“I keep having dreams of leaving this place Xixa. There is nothing left here, everyone I knew is gone. Vi has her life to live and I find myself lonely for company and friends. It is just not the same anymore, I hardly know anyone besides Qih’a but his head is in his own set of clouds.” biting his lower lip he looked towards the ground, he felt awful thinking the way he was now.

“There's always hope on the horizon. Sometimes we can't see it, sometimes we think it's over and it's not. The thing is we have to learn to love without expectations. We can put it out into the world, let it be there but people aren't content with that. They want someone to pick it up and then send it back. When all that matters is that we put ourselves out there, to begin with, we tried to connect and it's a start.” from the basket she had been carrying with her she pulled out a Pixie Apple, its bright red and waxy skin catching the light as she held it out to him; her features filled with understanding and compassion. It was his favorite fruit and she knew it too.

“I tell him I love him but he doesn't say it back.” The forlorn notes in his voice were as strong as they were heartbreaking, but he reached for the offered apple, picking it gently from Xixa’s hand and holding it in his own. “I don't know if we will make it through this time, I fucked up.”

A tsk noise came from the Viera then and her free hand flicked a finger or two at his long ear. “Oh hush with that. It is a matter of perception. He comes home to you every day, words are words, Dimitri. I can spin you a pile of Chocobo shit in a single breath and mean none of it. He still loves you but you need to listen with your damn heart and soul instead of your ears. He speaks to you all the time, even if it is just handing you an apple like I just did. It's your favorite, those are the things you want to hear, which means someone paid attention to the little things.”

It was these words Xixa would leave him with this day for soon after she spoke them, she squeezed his arm and kissed his cheek then departed the meadow to continue with her day, and as the Sharlayan found himself focusing on her unsolicited advice and suddenly finding an urge to fill the canvas in front of him with his art.

#ffxiv writers #my ocs: dimitri & xixa #Day 2: Horizon #my writing #ffxivwrite2024

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pebblethestone · 9 months

Text

The Worng Deal

Halsin x warlock drow reader

Summary - it's been a while the last time you had seen the druid and happens when you cross paths again?

Masterlist

Words - 1880

Warrings - a lotta Angst??

A/n - well uhh it's been awhile I was but its done I guess I haven't read over it so there's mistakes here and there, but I enjoyed making this one

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Your eyes scan the shadowlands looking for anything useful while you're here on a quest that you stupidly got into, you follow a path your ears twitching hearing whispers in the misty air, it's been a long time since you were last somewhere that was green and living, unlike the underground there were living stuff there but now where you are you only feel so much as even more lost then you were before you made that pack with that devil.

But the more you keep walking the louder the voices get, surprisingly deciding to go towards them, they were not the whispers of the fog that is very much everywhere you go draining you. Hearing the sound of cries and weapons being used.

Your eyes find a pair of golden ones once the fog has cleared a little bit. Oh, you have not seen those eyes for decades, still the same maybe a little duller but yet still able to hold that light in them. Freezing as you remember the first time you had met the druid.

As you travel the upper lands, feeling the sun on your senses and skin after being underground for your whole life, eyes land on a patch of flowers all sorts of colours spread out ranging from reds to blues. But your eyes land on something that seems like you should not go near.

Flashback

Watching the bear sleep, staying a safe distance away before Turing to the river that was very close to where you were, seeing a fish as an idea pops into your head, you grab your long spear from your back as you walk into the water, getting ready to catch one of the fish.

After a lot of tries, you have finely caught one brings a great smile to your face as you watch as the fish stops moving, Turning around quietly and hearing a voice speak from behind you.

“You know that hunting, when a bear is around is dangerous” an elf says with amusement as he watches your eyes widen as you sheepishly smile towards him the spear still in hand with a fish on it.

“I.. it for was for the bear,” you say with a little stammer, looking to see if the bear is still there, not seeing where it is as the elf watches you.

“Do you by any chance know where the bear has gone?” you asked confused as you had not heard it leave while you had been trying to catch the fish. Hearing him let out a chuckle your eyes falling back onto him confused.

“I am Halsin a druid, I was the bear, very thoughtful about the fish I much say, but you should keep it for yourself you look like you need it more than I do,” he says to you the smile still on his face as he gets closer to you holding out his hand for a handshake as you take his warm hand with your cold ones.

“Ah thank you, Am Y/n it's nice to meet you Halsin the bear,” you say with a little smirk pulling up at the corner of your lips. As you get a better look at him, a young elf is probably around the same age as you. His eyes were a golden yellow and very bright.

“Never see drows up here, must have been a long journey?” he asks you with a tilt of his head.

“Yes quite the journey, it has been,” you say back to him.

“You must be tired, are you not?” he asks you as you nod your head at him.

“Yes I am, but I have far to travel,” you say to him as he looks at you.

“How about you stay at Emerald Grove to rest before you carry on?” he says to you as you reply to him

Back to the present

Knowing that you had stayed there longer than you had meant to by more than a couple days more by years and years until you had to leave. Seeing as the people he was with needed help.

Casting a fire spell towards a shadow as it's about to swipe towards the young half-elf with black hair, she turns to look at you in surprise. As you carry on casting spells at it until it's gone after a while the last lot of shadows have been defeated, you turn to walk off but before you get the chance to you feel a hand land on your shoulder.

Turing your head to look at who it is, as it seems it is the leader of the group, Turing around as they start to speak to you.

“Thank you for your help, how would you like to join our group, I would say it's not safe to be alone in the shadowlands” they say with a smile as open up their party to invite you, your eyes widen as their kindness.

“I couldn't possibly accept that, dear. You seem to look like you already have plenty on your plate” You stay to them as your eyes dot across each member of the group.

“nonsense, am sure that having another pair of hands would be most helpful” you hear Halsin say from behind the leader as he walks up to stand next to them, looking towards him.

“Well, I can't refuse that then can I” you say with a nervous laugh as you swallow some air. He knows who you are he remembers you.

Flashback

“Halsin, I've got to tell you something..” you say you did not want to ruin the mood but you had to tell him one way or another, letting out a sigh. As he turns to look at you his smile Turns into a frown.

“what is wrong, my love?” you feel the tears threatening to pore down your face as you take a deep breath in.

“Oh Halsin, you know that I love you very much,” you say trying to smile at him as you hug him as he gives you a quick squeeze back.

“is that what you wanted to say?” he asks as you nod your head, that's not what you wanted to say you coward as you look at him closely.

“Shall we head to bed then?” you ask as the sky has turned dark.

“yes, we should, love,” he says with a warm smile which you do not deserve, you should tell him why won't you? You much, but it hurts. But it's already too late as you both get to the shared bed as he puts his hand over you.

Still wind awake as you watch him rest, you know that you have a short time before he gets up, gently as you would you move his arm getting out of the bed and turning to look at him again as you lean in giving his forehead a small kiss moving back to look at his features close up for maybe the last time.

Moving back as you take a seat at his desk see some paper spread out with his written as you put it back in order and take a piece with nothing on it, grabbing a feather and dip it into the brownish ink as you write a letter.

Dear Halsin

I will not be here when you wake, I will be long gone so do not find me.

I'll miss you as I know you will miss me too, but I want you to move on with your life, don't stop because of me.

Goodbye, Halsin the bear.

Love Y/n

Your tears had stained the paper as you tried to rub it off you ended up smudging the ink a little on your name, deciding just to leave it as it is putting it back onto the table. Putting a hand up to a necklace that you've had when you were in the underground as you take it off and on top of the paper

Back to the present

As you lag staying at the back of the group as you follow them, the young half-elf slows down to walk with you.

“Thank you, for saving me. I would like a name” she says her voice kind.

“It's Y/n, and yours?” you ask as you move your eyes to the side to look at her, she's shorter than you but you're shorter than Halsin is.

“I am Shadowheart, it's nice to meet you, people we come across are not as willing to help as you were,” she says to you, noticing as she takes a good look at you. Knowing that she must not see drow a lot.

“It's no problem,” you say to her as the group comes to a stop at a camp filled with more people, seeing Tav head towards you learning that their name was Tav when they said to you that they wanted you in their party.

“Y/n we will take a break here and then carry on what we are doing in the morning” They say to you as you reply to them with a nod.

Your eyes fall to a fire with a log calling your name to take a seat to rest on, moving towards it, and taking the seat as you warm up. Sitting there for around 30 minutes as you feel your eyes about to close, when was the last time you took a rest? You couldn't remember.

“I didn't know you could cast spells,” you hear from behind you, now wide awake again guess you'll need to wait another time.

“Well, I can now” you say staying where you are looking forward you didn't want to look at him yet. As you hear him shuffle behind you.

“I see that you also no longer carry your spear with you,” he says as you flinch a little, it had been stolen when you fell into a trap, and the man that made the trap did not like drows very much and taken most of your stuff, and being stuck there for a bit...

“I... I missed placing it somewhere, and didn't have the time to find it,” you say to him, hearing as he takes a seat next to you as you carry on looking at the flames that dance in the fire.

“Y/n, am not angry at you, not any more, you left without a word but you did so on a piece of paper, i read that over and over, again and again I tried to understand, I looked for you, I did but then I stopped. You left for a reason, and I always had a part of you with me.” you hear him say as you finely look over at him as he holds out the necklace that you have given him. His face has a scar now on it but still the halsin you know.

“Halsin, I may not be the same drow that you met long ago, making a deal with the devil can change you for the worse or the better, it seems that I change for the worst,” you say as you move your hand over to his as you close his fingers back around the necklace, he wanted to give back.

Should there be a Part 2?

#x reader #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #reader #tav #halsin #bg3 halsin #harsin x mc #halsin x reader #bg3 drow #drow reader #drow #halsin x drow reader #bg3 x reader #bulders gate 3 #bulders gate 3 halsin

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hmshermitcraft · 1 year

Note

Enemies to lovers don’t mind if I do!

Gem hated Pearl she hated everything about her from the fact her family took over the grimm lands, outlawed obsidian magic, and worst of all turned her kind Wither Hybrids into supposed “demons” it. Made. Her. Sick! Her home was turned into a bastardized version of what it was while she was barely surviving on the streets high and mighty Pearl was eating out of the lap of luxury.

Pearl hates her family she stays in the castle ninety percent of the time never getting the chance to leave to actually see the kingdom she’s supposed to rule one day. Hell it wasn’t even originally their kingdom they took it over! Not to mention that was before she was even born. And now she’s being taught that her family were right and just rulers when Pearl knew in reality they were maniacal and egotistical she never understood why they outlawed so many of the kingdoms naturally occurring forms of magic or labeled an entire native group of people as demons it made no sense and she was gonna get to the bottom of it!

Today was the day Gem was gonna end the supposed “royal line” once and for all magic loaded, obsidian knives ready, hungry for souls and ready to devour some. The plan was simple go in kill the queen, king, and princess then pin the blame on some other noble asshole…at least that was the plan until she was caught and thrown into the dungeon. She was shackled and hungry she needed to eat something anything but nope these people called her a demon and we’re gonna treat her like one.

When Pearl heard they had a new prisoner in the dungeons a Wither hybrid no less she immediately rushed down there after the guards were gone for the night to see frankly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life. Gorgeous sunset orange hair, emerald green eyes, tanned freckled skin, twice her height by all accounts , a rack of antlers made of crying obsidian with beads and jewels hanging from them, and beautiful wither roses growing from her neck in a bush safe to say Pearl had fallen for this woman…now if only gem could say the same.

Right in front of her was the bane of her existence the person who caused her family, her people, her home to suffer! And she was just standing there like she was some sorta animal in a zoo growling before saying “so what do you want wanna see me beg? Because if so then screw off!” Gem didn’t care if this was the end of the line but she didn’t expect for her hands to suddenly be free via the pull of a lever as she looked up to see Pearl crying saying “I’m so sorry what my family has done…” and from there things only got more interesting and complicated

Over the months of Gem’s imprisonment Pearl visited every single day bringing food, water, and even a few pillows and blankets for Gem granted the first few weeks gem nearly tried to gore Pearl with her antlers or claw her. But eventually Gem realized she was just trying to help and the two started talking…and talking…and talking. Both learning things about the others life and culture that both were hooked on. Gem was legitimately surprised at how Pearl hanged onto every word of her explaining the intricacies of obsidian magic and its ties to the grimmlands. And Pearl didn’t expect Gem to cry when she described what’s normally a very boring royal ball.

And one thing led to another and a very passionate night one evening…*ahem* that made Gem realize she loved Pearl with all her heart. With the following day Pearl freeing her and the two of them throwing a Coupe against her parents with a bright future in mind for the kingdom. Well after the wedding of course.

They discovered they had... A lot more in common than they first thought. Gem, like Pearl, was born after the Grimmlands was overthrown by Pearl's family. And, if it hadn't happened, Gem would have been second in line to rule.

Instead, she and her people are demonised and live in poverty all because some assholes decided they wanted to take over the kingdom and then not even use the resources the kingdom offers! Not even try to understand its people. Then her attempt at freedom immediately fails, and she's left only with the pity of somebody she hates.

It took her a long time to come around to Pearl. She'd lived in a castle she had no rights to her entire life. It was hard for Gem to feel like she wasn't looking at her like a curiosity. Maybe it was her own prejudice, but she thinks it's a fair assumption to make.

Pearl was the one to realise Gem's links to the original royal family, though. It was by complete accident! Talking to Gem made Pearl want to learn more about the Grimmlands in its prime. This led to her researching the royal family and... Gem's name was scribbled onto the page with red ink, alongside a name Pearl didn't recognise. She asked Gem about it. Though reluctant to answer, Gem eventually tells her that's her brother.

The coup wasn't easy to accomplish. Pearl's parents have ruled with an iron fist, including their children. She isn't sad to see them lose their power. With Gem by her side, it's easy to gain the support of the people. Gaining their respect is harder, but with a plan ahead to integrate those of Pearl's people that remain whilst bringing the Grimmlands back to its technological glory - they think they've got a pretty good chance.

#hermitshipping #ask #gem tag #pearl tag #pearlgem #child abuse tw #mod 🎀#weekly theme: enemies to lovers

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harrystylesfan2686 · 9 months

Text

Angle shot A.U.

Pairing: Harry x Reader.

Summary: yn trying to have a good night but gets a blast from the past. Harry protecting 😈

Angle shot is a type of code to tell your bartender that you feel unsafe.

Neat= feel unsafe and need someone to escort to your car

With ice= need someone to call taxi

With lime= call police

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I signed while entering the bar. It was so crowded here. I'm at a local pub I heard about a couple days ago. I just had a fight with Cloe, my roommate, about maintenance fees which she isn't paying and I have to pay for her because our landlord is threatening to kick us out.

This was her 3th time not paying. She doesn't have money because she is unemployed. I hate it. I am the one always paying for everything like our maintenance, groceries, light bill, water bill, everything! I'm so mad at her.

Today, I had enough and confronted her about it. She ignored me and locked herself in the room as if what I say just doesn't matter. I got so mad and left the house yelling that either she is leaving or I am.

So here I am sitting in a bar deciding if I should drink or not since I'll be the one driving me home later. You know what, Fuck it. I'm drinking.

"Bartender" I called out.

"And what can I get for you, ma'am" a tall guy came in front of me. I could clearly hear the british accent in his words. Wow he's really hot. 6ft, green eyes, sharp jaw, totally my type.

"One sex on the beach, please"

"Going for the easy stuff I see" the guy smirked at me.

"Yeah well, not really in the mood to get drunk tonight"

The guy hummed and put a napkin that was in his hands on his shoulder. He turned around to get the liquor from the shelf behind him while I opened my purse to get my ID. When I was searching for it I realized I forgot my phone. Shit.

I put my ID on the table the same time the green-eyed hottie turned back to face me. He looked at my ID and nodded. He started making my drink while I used the time to observe him. I looked at his pin and read his name. Harry.

Now that I see him clearly, he had emerald green eyes. Dark brown curls that I just know are soft, I wanna run my hand through them. He had tattoos all over his left arm but not many in his right. And his hands, God! his hands are so big and amazing, I'm suddenly thinking of how they would feel wrapped around my throat.

I forced myself to get those dirty thought out of my mind and concentrate. I heard someone next to me call his name. He slid my drink to me and went to pay attention to them. I took a sip from my drink feeling bored now that he's gone.

I looked around the club. There are a lot of people here. Some teenagers playing poll at the right conner with girls all around them. There was a karaoke in the left conner and some girl was singing to the audience around her. And in the middle was the dance floor filled with people that are probably drunk on it.

I slowly started to look for a person I would like in the crowd. The thing is almost every guy was wearing black leather jacket with wet hair look and girls with makeup more then a kg applied on their face. I don't like anyone.

In the crowd I saw a familiar face. I boy. Probably my age. He was looking at me. When he noticed that I was looking at him, a big and disgusting smile formed on his face. Who is he? I've seen him before.

He has bright blue eyes, so bright that I can see them from this far. Black long hair that reached his shoulders, colored blonde at the end. The smile he was giving me was making me feel really uncomfortable.

Where have I see him?? Maybe on my Instagram or in my college camp-

Fuck! Jake! Fuck!!

I widden my eyes in realisation and which seems to have pleased him because he enlarged his smile. I quickly broke the eye contact and faced the bar now feeling unsafe.

Jake is my well, not technically but stalker. He has been following me for the last four months. He was everywhere, on my social media accounts, my classes, my house. I tried to file a report against him but turns out his father in the head chief of our area's police station. It didn't matter what I did. I tried to comfront him but then he said that I'll have to date him to stop the stalking. I told him no but he won't listen.

Last month I went to a club with my friends to celebrate our exams amazing results. We were all pretty intoxicated except my best friend, Liam. Everyone was having fun and everything was going great but then I noticed Jake was there too. I told Liam about that and he got really mad but I made him promise me not to do anything that would cause a scene. All was ok until Jake tried to touch me and dance with me. Liam saw that and got so mad. He beat the shit out of Jake and that almost got him in jail. None of them are allowed in that club now.

Jake was MIA for the next week after that but the messages started coming again 2 weeks ago. Why is he here?!

I look back in hopes he would be gone but he was still looking at me. I saw him take a step and start walking towards me.

Oh No.

I didn't even bring me phone!!!

I can walk straight out of here and get the car and but the parking is a bit far from this pub and I don't know if I want to be alone right now. I was thinking about what I can do when I suddenly remembered.

"Harry"

He came and looked at me with a smile. He was shaking a glass probably making a drink.

"One Neat angle shot, please"

I saw his smile disappear and his face harden. He put down his glass and looked at me with a protective gaze.

"Which one?"

I looked behind me to find Jake but he was suddenly besides me. I got stratled by his presence. I looked at Harry and motioned my eyes towards Jake. He saw him and frowned. Harry told someone to cover his shift and got out of the bar table.

"Come on" He said.

The both of us walked out of the club without giving another glance at Jake. I took out my keys and unlocked my car.

I opened my car and got in. Harry was here without saying or doing anything which was exactly what I needed right now.

"Thank you so much" I said to him after I sat down.

"It's ok you don't need to thank me" He said giving me a small smile. I returned it but surly he could tell it was fake.

"Also uh, here" He gave me a chit. I opened it and saw a phone number. "If you ever need it. Just call me or text it's ok"

I smiled real this time and said "thank you, Harry"

He nodded and wished me good night.

I said good night and turned on my car.

This was an eventful night. From the fight with Cloe to the bar to Jake and Harry. Harry is good I like him. Hopefully I won't need his number for anything; And if I do, hopefully it's for asking him to date me.

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#harry styles #harry styles fandom #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles au #bartender harry

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beautiful-songbird · 1 year

Text

A Kiss Under the Moon

Pairing: Idol!Hobi x OC

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: none

Summary: Yuna plans a special early birthday celebration for Hobi, and perhaps she has more than one surprise in store for him.

Hobi was all grins the day Yuna took him to the nail salon. It had been a while since he’d gotten his nails done, and when he’d mentioned it, she’d been quick to recommend going to the salon together. She didn’t get her nails done often, but she’d gladly do it if it was with him.

“You pick the color for me,” Hobi requested as the two of them stared at the shelves of color.

She glanced over at him, not expecting the request. “Oh…uh.” Her eyes found the different colors again and ran over them repeatedly, unsure what to tell him. “Anything specific you want?”

“No. You choose! I trust your judgement.”

After careful consideration, she pulled a polish off the shelf that was a muted blue with a touch of green in it. “How’s this one?”

He grinned. “I love it!”

She smiled. “Good. I tried.”

Her words went over his head as he walked away from her hurriedly, leaving her to choose her own nail color alone. She didn’t mind much, though. This entire thing had been an early birthday present for him, so as long as he was enjoying himself, she was happy.

“Hey! What color did you get?” he asked when she sat down.

“Emerald,” she replied, holding it up for him to see. “We can sort of match for Valentine’s Day.”

He smiled. “It’s pretty!” he held up his left hand, which had already been painted. He wiggled his fingers. “Look at this! Isn’t it pretty? You did a great job choosing this color.”

“I’m glad you like it,” she replied with a laugh.

“I’m not sure I would’ve chosen this color. I usually do bright colors.”

“Oh, really?” she asked.

He nodded. “Why this color?”

She shrugged, trying to hide her smile. “It’s just pretty. Besides…I wanted to match, and dark colors are more my style.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” he teased, motioning to her outfit that consisted of multiple different dark colors.

“Hey, you know what they say, opposites attract.”

He laughed. “Is that what they say? Explain Yoongi and Rosa, then.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people need someone very similar.”

“Namjoon and Esme?”

She nodded.

“Jin and Jasmine?”

“Eh…I wouldn’t say they’re that similar. More similar than we are, I suppose.”

“Tae and Zelda?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re the same person.”

He snorted. “Really? I think they’re night and day.”

She hummed. “Well, Yoongi and Rosaelia best describe the idea of similar people attracting. I feel like neither of them really talk about themselves at all, and they’re both workaholics.”

He nodded. “Definitely.” He paused for a few seconds. “What do you want to do when we’re done here?”

“We have dinner plans,” she informed him.

“Oh?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “You went all out?”

“Hey, tonight is your birthday celebration. Of course I went all out!”

“Celebrating my birthday on Valentine’s Day is an interesting idea.”

“How so?”

“Well…doesn’t it mean a lot of places have been booked full?”

She nodded. “It does. Had someone at the company help me.”

“Ah. Of course, that makes sense. So…where is this secret place that we’re going?”

She smiled over at him. “It’s a secret, remember?”

He grumbled. “That’s no fun. I don’t like secrets.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tonight. I will not reveal my plans.”

He pouted. “Not any of them?”

“Nope. I already told you everything I’m going to tell you.” She glanced over at him then to find him still pouting, and she smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll know everything by the end of the night.”

“Is that a promise?”

She shook her head. “Hobi, you act like tonight won’t be over tonight.”

“Well, how am I supposed to know? Maybe it won’t be!”

“I’ll let you know what’s going on if tonight doesn’t end tonight, ok?”

◇◆◇◆◇

Hobi’s expectations for dinner were blown out of the water when they arrived at their table. It was a private seating area inside one of the more expensive restaurants downtown.

“This…is not what I expected,” he laughed nervously as the two of them sat down. “I would’ve dressed up a bit more if I’d known we were coming here.”

She motioned to her outfit. “Are you kidding me? Look at what I’m wearing! If anything, you’re more dressed up than I am.”

“I guess,” he smiled. “I’m just used to putting on a show no matter where I go.”

“Well,” she scooted closer to him, lacing his fingers through her own. “It’s just the two of us tonight…and the waiter.”

He lowered his face towards hers. “Just us, eh?”

She smiled. “Yes. What do you think of that?”

“I like that very much,” he muttered.

He ran his thumb along her jaw then, and their lips met.

The door clicked a moment later, and someone stepped in.

“Oh- I’m sorry. Am I interrupting?”

The two of them pulled away from each other to glance up at the waiter. Whatever moment they’d been having was now ruined, and this entire exchange had just become awkward.

“No, not at all,” Hobi responded, pulling away from Yuna.

Their alone time would just have to wait.

Dinner dragged on for quite a bit longer than Yuna had expected, the waiter being increasingly insistent on them trying just about everything on the menu. It was great food, but Yuna was getting full and antsy. Eventually, she grabbed Hobi’s hand and dragged him out onto the balcony.

The balcony, like the rest of the area they’d been eating in, was curtained off, leaving them alone with the stars. The moon was a little over halfway to being full on this particular night, and Hobi couldn’t help but grin.

“You can see the sky a little better from up here,” he commented.

“You can. I bet you we can see it even better in Jeju, though.”

He chuckled. “Are you suggesting that we should go there?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

He laughed, and then the two of them stood in silence for a few moments as they looked up at the sky.

Yuna patted the pocket of her pants, making sure she hadn’t dropped the thing she’d been so carefully protecting before she started talking. Then she turned to look up at him.

“Hey, Hobi?”

He looked down at her with a smile. “Hm?”

She simply stared up at him for a few moments before smiling. “I love you.”

He grinned. “I love you too. Why so suddenly, though?”

She stared up at him for a few moments. “I have something to ask you,” she blurted out suddenly.

“Oh?” he asked, surprised. “Ask away.”

She felt frozen, unable to move even as her entire body itched to. She wanted to do this. She knew he was hesitant, so she wanted him to know that she wanted it.

She turned fully towards him then, grasping his hands so he’d turn towards her too. His eyebrows furrowed.

“What is it, Yuna?”

“Please don’t say no,” she whispered softly.

“What?” he asked.

She slowly dropped to her knee in front of him, digging that box out of her pocket. A ring box. His eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.

“I’m a bit short to do this,” she laughed, but she still popped the ring box open. “Hobi…I…I know I’ve been hesitant throughout our whole relationship. I’ve been scared that I’m going to be tossed out again and realize you were just using me, but I know I won’t. I know how much you love me, and I realized that I need to make a move to let you know I trust you. So…this is it. I want to marry you. I think I’ve wanted to since our first date. I love you so much, and I never want to let you go. Hobi, will you marry me?”

Hobi had settled his hand over his mouth, eyes wide as she spoke. For the first time in their relationship, she realized that she couldn’t read the expression on his face. He was usually an open book, but today, he wasn’t. He looked stunned, and she didn’t know if it was in a good or bad way.

But then, a grin lit up his eyes, and he giggled. He looked so elated, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him this happy before.

“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

She stood to her feet immediately and jumped into his arms, crushing him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, grinning from ear to ear.

“I thought you weren’t ready,” he laughed. “I never expected this.”

“I know. That’s why I did it. I wanted you to know I was ready.”

He pressed a kiss into her cheek before muttering, “can I see the ring again?”

She laughed and set her feet back on the ground, holding the ring box up so he could see the ring properly. There wasn’t much lighting, but there was just enough that he could get an idea of what it looked like. It wasn’t just a regular old band. Nestled onto it was a gem, and from what he could see it appeared a faded blue. Around it were a few other tiny gems, but they were hard to see in the dark.

“I love it,” he breathed.

“Do you?” she asked. “I’m glad. Tae and Yoongi helped me pick it out, but I couldn’t be completely sure I should trust their judgement.”

He grinned. “Well, apparently you can.” He held out his hand. “Do you want to put it on me?”

She smiled and pulled it out of the box, taking his hand in hers and sliding the ring onto his ring finger.

“I’m sure it looks better in good lighting.”

“Are you kidding? It already looks amazing!” He wrapped his arms around her waist then, pulling her up against him. He nuzzled his nose against hers. “I love it. I love you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling. “I love you too.”

He tilted his head ever so slightly then so that he could kiss her, grinning against her mouth all the while.

“You don’t know how happy I am,” he told her.

“You can’t stop grinning. I’d say you’re pretty happy,” she giggled.

“I am. I love you.” His grin grew wider. “We’re engaged, aren’t we?”

She nodded. “We are.”

He pulled her up into his arms and spun her around. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

This is part of the Dad!BTS series that can be found here

A/N: Heheheheehehheheheheheheh 3/7 engagements down now :3 also lowkey had to rewrite something I wrote in their Valentine's story for this one to happen because originally he was going to propose

It would be greatly appreciated if you reblogged the story if you liked it!

Taglist: @jiminie-and-his-pinky-finger @jinnie-forthe-winnie @thornedswan @fly-you-dam-fools @aianloveseven @lvoekook @kookstempo

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furinana · 4 months

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Reviewing SMT's 30th Anniversary Event in Yokohama

In 2023 (the year of Nanashi's birthday!) I spent some months in Japan so I lucked out when they announced a Megaten concert right before my departure.

This is a compilation of thoughts from tweets and messages I sent to friends that I decided to turn into a public post for archival purposes.

Disclaimer: unless stated otherwise, none of the pictures I'm using here are mine. Most of them were taken from the event's official account.

May 6th. From Kyoto (the city I was staying) to Yokohama was approx. two hours by Shinkansen. Like how a close friend of mine says, "The thing about Japan is that you ride one train and you just become the biggest car hater immediately".

[I ended up taking an overnight bus for the back trip however, took around 7 hours. Cramped on your legs but your pockets hurt way less]

How is Yokohama at the moment? A bright sunny noon and like this user illustrated, windy as hell (my cap came off once and I had to run in the middle of the street to rescue it).

[KT Zepp Yokohama]

I arrived 4 hours before the concert's schedule so I fucked around Yokohama's cozy Chinatown for a bit, among other places I don't remember. I didn't take into account that you could arrive hours prior to the event to purchase the limited merch line and stare at concept art of mainline games in an exhibiton placed in the entrance. The merch would get sold out in a matter of minutes in the gap between the opening and when the concert would start! Don't underestimate scalpers, folks.

A beginner's mistake, this is how life teaches you to be smart.

[For every 5,000 yen you spent, you got the chance of receiving a colored bookmark of one of the protagonists. A lot of items involved abysmal luck to get. Fortunately I was able to grab what I set my eyes on in the later online raffle so things turned out fine on my end (although I'm currently having to deal with a lot of dupes much to my annoyance. But hey, I have official merch of Flynn and Nanashi now)]

Regarding the exhibition: Not a lot of stuff to comment on. They made a timeline of sorts for each mainline title (except the NES games because fuck 'em I guess) and pretty much most of it was available in official artbooks published previously. Nocturne for example, they displayed the writing process & how they sketched cutscenes and attacks prior to making them 3D etc, which was no-news if you browsed the Ayakashi Monthly book before.

[We weren't allowed to take pictures so I can only show the previews from the official account. We had to stay at a long line to look at each piece in a chronological way so it felt particularly... uncomfortable. I don't like the feeling that I might be slowing down other people so I end up rushing what was supposed to be a serene activity]

The actual exclusive never-seen-before art was regarding beta character & demons concepts from SMT4A:

[Top: Drawn from memory by me. Bottom: The "mermaid" is a reference to the Starbucks logo that interestingly, is also present in Nanashi's room (which could mean there was an intention of Nanashi's only reference of a mermaid being the logo of a cafe that wouldn't exist in-universe anymore. For those unaware, the mermaid in question is actually a siren!]

Here are the descriptions I typed on my phone right after I exited the exhibition (and would use as base for my own sketches a day later):

Chironnupu had two beta forms with the face as it is now where one walked on four legs and the other his legs faded out in a ghost-like manner. He also had a third and more distinct from his current design where he was dressed in Ainu attire on 2 legs and was smiling to the viewer (a Youkai Watch sort of vibe, very cute).

Nanashi had an unseen sketch where Doi drew him with a suspiciously big waist. Yeah, I know it's minor but I wanted to comment on how unhinged Doi is in drawing girly boys. Go off king

Cleopatra had a form where she had dark skin, dark green hair and emerald green eyes (...huh? I just realized I painted her hair with brown instead of green lmao I became fixated in making her look similar to Maria Torres from Trauma Team). Considering how some demons get color variations (such as Vishnu or Moh Shuvuu), some even getting darker skin in adaptations (take Rama in the Devil Survivor 2 anime), perhaps Cleopatra getting an alt that is closer to this beta depiction isn't an impossibility. I can dream

Vishnu-Flynn had a version where his face was the same as how Flynn normally is.

Mermaid had a form where she was supposed to resemble the Starbucks logo where her palette was red&other color (I don't remember if it was blue or green) and showed an alluring evil smile.

Now let's talk about the concert. The structure of how it went was basically alternating between the band playing remixes of soundtracks with gameplay videos on the screen and then pausing for the hosts to talk with the audience and share some free-talks with the musicians that worked on the titles.

Fans used this menorah they sold in the booth as a glow stick (the ones you see in idol events).

[Event announcers Mafia Kajita and Chiaki Matsuzawa in day 1 and 2]

At the end there was a little quiz with gameplay-specific questions, for example what a certain skill does. You had to answer with this little cardboard thing that had a Jack Frost in one side and Black Frost in the other.

Regarding the free-talks, a summary of what I was able to get (take those with a grain of salt):

Kozuka never played any Megaten before composing for the games (he thought they were too dangerous)

SJR composer played all of them

Tsukasa said the songs for the SNES games were a lot longer and better-sounding but unfortunately they had to chop off a lot

Meguro makes sound effects before making the music, finished SMT2 before starting composing but doesn't play games anymore

By the end, Kajita wishes Megaten games were released more often so events like this could happen frequently and Matsuzawa says she's a big Digital Devil Saga fan.

By the way, you could easily recognize the western fans from the audience from how louder and cheerier they were compared to the local ones. Japanese fans are the types that respect silence to a scary degree. For another example, I was able to watch The Boy and the Heron right in the opening week and nobody from the session I went to laughed or made any perceptible reaction to other viewers. The only one laughing in the entire room was my, notably, non-JPN roommate.

When the concert was nearing its end however, the hosts allowed everyone to be as loud as they wanted to thus letting the atmosphere at long last turn closer to the spirit of Megaten... chaotic.

[Going personally to the concert was a totally unique experience compared to seeing it from a screen with diluted audio. You truly had to be there to have your stomach twisting from the echoes coming from the band's instruments]

My personal favorite remixes:

SMT1's Ginza

SMT2's Disco Theme

SMT4's Boss Theme & Map theme

SMT4A's f6 Godslayer (when they showed Vishnu-Flynn on the big screen... 😳)

#personal #shin megami tensei #smtiva #shin megami tensei iv apocalypse #translation

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tarithenurse · 2 years

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Bookish - Epilogue

Fandom: MCU AU Pairing: Loki x fem!reader Content: Wedding fluff, and smut. Lots of smut. In fact 2/3 of this is smut. A/N: I was asked to and liked the idea of writing and epilogue to Bookish...but thi really is the end of the story.

Epilogue – The Wedding(night)

Looking at yourself in the mirror makes it even harder to believe that it really is happening.

“Is this the one?” Frigga asks with baited breath, eyes twinkling with excitement at the vision before her.

She and your own mother are sitting on a low couch behind you, both equally obsessed with the idea that you’re trying on wedding dresses. Personally you’re thrumming with anticipation of what’s to come.

Looking at the dress, you like the way the fabric flows and falls from your hips after having hugged the curves of your torso. The back is bare, making you feel sexy although a bit exposed. Maybe it’s too much? You like that the fabric is not bright white (as many of the previous wedding dresses you’ve tried on have been) but rather slightly broken, creamy. Tiny emerald crystals embellish the bodice, growing denser and bigger to highlight you waist, a nod to your betrothed's favourite colour and it’s one of the reasons you had picked the dress. Turning again to see your reflection from the back, you trace the green trail that drips down the skirt, the distance increasing between the fragments the further your eyes descend along the expanse of fabric. Carefully, you begin to twirl, feeling the swish of the silk and real organza.

“Oh, darling,” your mother gushes, fishing out a tissue from the box on the table next to the couch and rushing over with it, “here you go.”

Surprised, you dab under your eyes and find the tissue wet with tears of joy. This is the one.

...

You kept the secret about the wedding dress throughout the planning of the wedding (long live the competent wedding planner Loki had insisted on hiring). There were a few compromises along the way but Loki basically let you arrange your dream/princess wedding exactly the way you liked it. That had brought you to finding pictures on the internet from London where the most perfect venue resided with a large park and Loki just smiled and said ‘of course’ when you, as a joke, suggested the place. You took a trip to London simply to survey the place and talk with the catering there before finding possible accommodations for your families.

And now...now you’re ready to pass through the doors of the venue to enter the chapel and stride up the isle towards Loki. You love the place because of the birch and maple that are visible through the tall windows, the summer’s golden light that enters passing through the green leaves and granting an ethereal atmosphere...but right now all you can think of is your husband to be.

“Are you ready?” the ceremony master, your best friend Natasha, whispers behind you as she begins to arrange your veil.

“Yes.”

There’s no waver in your answer, no doubt in your heart. That is not to say that your heart isn’t beating rapidly in your chest and your hands that are clutching the bouquet are sweaty...but this is what you want. At the other end of the isle stands Loki, your love through the last five years and many more to come, you’re sure.

“Okay,” Natasha smiles, “I’ll go ahead and you come after the first refrain of the song.”

As if you don’t know the plan. After all, you’ve rehearsed it, practised walking just right so it fit with the music and for the song to come to an end when you reached the centrepiece and Loki. As Natasha slips in you can hear the murmur of people quiet because they’re just waiting for you now.

Okay...this is it.

You wriggle your toes in the pretty green pumps, happy to have found something that’s actually comfortable to wear for the entirety of the event. Looking down at your hands, the long stems of white orchids bow to you, as if nodding their acceptance and comfort. Then the music starts. The doors open. And all you can see is Loki waiting for you with a huge smile in his eyes as he gasps at the sight of you.

You’ve chosen to walk the isle alone, breaking with tradition yet again. First you abandoned the stark white of the virgin, now the notion of someone having the power to give your away. No. You’re going to Loki of your own volition and this is the way of showing it although the first steps are made on wobbly knees until the power of the music grants you strength. Its all you can do not to rush to Loki’s side, but take your time instead to parade past the rows of chairs, each adorned with clusters of orchids and emerald ribbons.

Everything is a blur and you’re surprised as the wedding officiant “suddenly” asks you if you would take Loki Laufeyson to be your wedded husband. You look into Loki’s eyes, taking your time to feel the moment as it rushes in over you.

“I do.”

There’s a smattering of applause.

“Do you, Loki Laufeyson, take [Y/N Y/L/N] to be your lawful wedded wife?”

A tear is glimmering on Loki’s cheek as he looks upon you. “I do.”

“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant declares.

The kiss starts chaste enough although soon Loki pulls you flush against him, sweeping his tongue past your lips as a low hum that only you can hear rips from his chest.

...

“Now I got you all to myself, Mrs Laufeyson” Loki purrs as he closes the hotel room’s door behind you.

It has been a long day but a perfect one. Everything had gone according to plan and thankfully everyone had gotten along well.

Now your feet are sore after dancing and you’re tempted to plump onto the bed unceremoniously.

But not yet. “Why, yes you do...dear husband.” You like the way the word tastes in your mouth.

Reaching for his emerald tie, you pull him in for a searing kiss, finally no longer having to be chaste for the sake of the wedding guests. Now it’s fiery enough to distract you from the nimble fingers that begin to search for a way into the dress.

“Mmm-no,” you pull away, playfully slapping at Loki’s hands before he can succeed.

“But darling,” he complains bewildered.

“You first, babe.”

He allows you to pull of the slate grey suit jacket. Underneath await a vest but you know how to deal with that quickly and Loki helps as best he can because you keep promising him that he’ll get to undress you once he’s naked..however that means that his own disrobing is a bit hasty.

“I’m not gonna run away,” you mumble in between kisses as you slide the shirt off his shoulders.

“No,” he admits, “but you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I got plans for you for tonight.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

You can feel him smile against your throat. “Yes, Mrs Laufeyson.”

So do I. Sinking to your knees before him, you unbuckle the belt and open the pants to slide them down his legs, reluctantly waiting for the man to step out of them before you, quite literally, grab him by the balls to guide him closer to you. Already, his cock is half-hard and it fits snugly in your mouth and responds happily to the kitten licks you bestow it.

“Oh fuck,” Loki groans above you.

Getting there. Perhaps it’s a good thing your mouth is getting full or the pun would have slipped out. Instead you just hum around his cock and roll his balls gently in your fingers. You can sense that he’s trying to find purchase, something to steady himself by and you release him with a wet pop.

“Sit on the bed,” you order and he complies.

Lifting the skirt around you, you crawl between his knees and continue where you’d let go. You slide a hand up his thigh and over the sharp hip bone, trail across the tensed abdomen until you finally reach his chest...and then you push, ensuring that he has to lean back on his elbows and granting you better access. Forcing yourself a bit, you manage to take his cock past your gag reflex.

“Damn, it feels so good, babe.”

You can only hum in response which makes Loki groan louder.

Carefully, you take him deep again and again, before returning to the more shallow sucking where there’s room to run your tongue along the shaft and flick to the frenulum when you almost pull off.

Loki’s hands have found the covers of the bed and are wringing them tightly. You know his tells, knows the signs of when he’s close to coming and it only takes a few minutes before all of his body is thrumming with the energy of being right on the edge. You pull away, placing a last sweet kiss to the weeping head of his cock, and wipe your mouth before standing up.

“Darling?” he pouts but then he’s smiling at you too, knowing he finally gets to see you undress.

Smiling, you twirl one last time before him before you stop with your back to him, showing how you slowly pull the little zipper the rest of the way down. It’s a considerable amount of gravity-defying goodwill that has kept the dress in place all day so it’s easy to let the bodice fall forward leaving you upper body free in the cooler air.

You can hear Loki gasp behind you, and you glance over the shoulder to see him fisting himself in pure anticipation. You smirk. Then you drop the dress completely, revealing what little you’re wearing underneath: emerald string and garter belt to hold up the sheer stockings.

Stepping out of the cream fabrics that have pooled by your feet, you know you look sexy because Loki has gone completely still. Bending down with your ass to him, you pick up the dress and lay it over a chair before finally, finally turning to face him.

“Are you okay, love?” you ask him sugar sweet. His sitting with open mouth, just staring at you and completely forgotten about the cock that’s twitching in his hand. “Loki?” He’s in front of you quicker than the blink of an eye, hands and twitching finger inches from your skin as if he’s waiting for permission to touch you. “You like?”

“Very,” he sighs, fingertips brushing the smooth material around your hips, “I like it very much...in fact...you’re not taking this off...but this...” He slips a digit under the silk of your string, gently stroking towards your clit and you can feel the anticipation building.

One by one, he unclasps the garters, allowing him to pull down the underwear to your knees before he reattaches the stockings. Only then does he slide the string down to you ankles and lift your feet, one at a time, to step out of them.

“Ahh,” he presses the emerald silk to his nose, “how I’ve longed for this scent.”

“Well then...come and get a taste too.”

You walk past him, making sure to sway your hips more than normal, and lie down on the bed. Beckoning for him to come to you, you spread your legs to show your glistening arousal and he looks like a thirsting man who finally has found water.

Crawling between your legs, he kisses his way up. Small nibbles at the ankles, wet and sucking kisses on your inner thighs before he finally places a chaste kiss on your bud. It sends shivers racing through your body.

He looks up at you with lust-blown eyes. “Please allow me, Mrs Laufeyson?”

And of course you nod your approval hands already reaching for his locks in the hope of somehow finding anchor through what is about to happen.

Your husband’s skills are golden, lapping with broad strokes as he hums into your cunt in delight. Kitten licks, flicks with the strong tip of the tongue, and sucking on the clit. You’re hurdling towards the precipice when Loki inserts a couple of fingers, bending and wriggling them until he finds the right spot and he has to hold you down because you’re thrashing at the heavenly sensation.

All of you is burning with desire and the knot in your womb is growing, hot and heavy and ready to burst if he’d only allow you...but instead he stills. Languidly, he licks around your clit, too slow to tumble you over the edge while his fingers are immobile within you. You wine and beg, but he just chuckles at your desperation.

“Please,” you cry out, pulling a bit harsher at his raven strands which makes him growl, “I’ll do anything!”

That gets his attention and he lifts his head to study your features. “Really?” A thumb rolls over your clit, sending new waves of pleasure through you.

“Yes, gods, please!”

“Will you promise me to go shopping for new toys with me?” he asks without batting an eye but while wriggling the fingers against your g-spot.

Of course you agree. How could you not?

But as a reward for your acceptance and obedience, Loki takes to lapping at your cunt and clit once more, fingers pumping in and out, sure to rub against the sweet spot. It doesn’t take long before you quake and moan once more and as he latches on to your clit, sucking and flicking harshly against it with the tip of his tongue, you cum with his name tumbling from your lips.

He rides you through it, allows for you to breathe as he eases his finger out and licks them clean. He gets to his knees, proudly showing his weeping erection and already your body yearns for him again so you don’t protest as he pulls you towards him with a strong grip.

Lifting your hips, he can lower himself enough to meet you and for his cock to brush through your folds with a promise of filling you up.

“Please, Loki,” you whisper.

He fits you perfectly even though the first inch or two always makes you gasp at his size. After that, you’re gasping at the satisfaction it brings to have him sheathed within you.

“So tight,” he groans.

His hands find your hips and he moves you back and forth on his cock, using you as a fuck-doll to derive his satisfaction from and you can see he quickly gets close as your cunt flutter around him with the promise of another orgasm.

“Almost,” you moan, hand reaching for where his cock slips in and out.

“Don’t touch yourself,” he growls.

A bit disappointed, you remove your fingers that just had connected with your clit...but then he angles you differently and his cock keeps gliding over the perfect spot just like his fingers had and you find you don’t need to help the orgasm on the way.

Your eyes roll back and your body locks up as you cum. Vaguely, you can hear Loki swearing as he pulls out, but you’re still riding the high and can barely find it in you to whimper at the emptiness.

But you must have, because he whispers in your ear: “Does my love want more? Then I’ll give you more.”

Flipping you, you have the wherewithal to brace yourself against the headrest of the bed seconds before he rams into you, his hand snaking around to find your clit.

It’s not that you come again. No. He rather prolongs the orgasms by rutting into you hard, cussing every other time as your cunts flutters to try to milk him. His hips stutter but you have plans and so you collapse forward, effectively sliding off his cock.

“Not like that, hon,” you explain with a smirk to him, “lie down.”

Loki complies, lying down with his hands behind the head as he looks up at you. His chest is rising and falling rapidly, beads of sweat adorning the muscles.

Slowly, you crawl over his body and bend to kiss him, savouring the lingering taste of yourself on his lips. And as you kiss him, you reach a hand between your thighs to grab his cock, guiding it as you sink down upon him. You can feel him gasp into your mouth as you do so.

Slowly but surely, you begin to ride him, fighting against the urge to solely focus on whatever pleasure you can obtain but rather what has Loki gasping and groaning beneath you. Your hands are fondling your breasts, tweaking the already pert nipples and sending little ripples of delight into your stomach. It makes your thighs shiver and protest because you’re already thoroughly fucked but you persevere, riding Loki to his own brink.

Pleading eyes look up at you. “Please...cum with me?”

You don’t have the air to answer, so you have to make do with nodding and you snake a hand between your legs to play with yourself. Delighted, Loki grasps your hips and begins to buck up into you.

“Count me down, love,” he gasps.

“Three,” you moan.

The knot in your womb is tightening again and your pearl is throbbing.

“Two.”

For a moment your cunt relaxes, allowing Loki to enter deeper, completely bottoming out and finding a spot that has you seeing stars. His eyebrow crease as he tries to restrain himself just a bit longer.

“One.”

Your fingers are moving rapidly, rolling and tweaking your clit.

“Fuck!” You groan in unison.

Loki’s hips stutter as your cunt clenches again, milking every last drop from him while your backs arch. For a moment you can’t move, can’t free yourself from the bruising hold Loki has on you...but you don’t want to either because all you care about is the blinding bliss that is surging through you.

When you finally do come to your senses, you collapse onto Loki’s form and nuzzle into his neck, content to feel his spent cock within you as it still twitches, dragging out the time you need as you come down.

“I have plans for you, dear wife,” Loki confesses in a murmur against your hair.

“Kinky plans?” you mumble with hope.

“Oh, yes.” He kisses your nose. “But for now...let me help get you cleaned up and ready for bed, my love.”

#Bookish fanfiction series #Loki AU #Loki MCU #Loki smut #Loki x reader #Loki x you #Loki Y/N #Loki Sugardaddy #Bookish #loki fluff #Loki fanfiction #Loki fanfic #Loki #Loki Laufeyson #fanfiction #fanfic #writing

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laniuchiha7 · 2 years

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To He, Who Hung the Stars: Ch 1

Flower Festival

SasuSakuBlankPeriod2023

Petals float through the air, carrying their soft scent and bringing the joy of summer with them. Enthusiastic shouts and yells from children running through the designated paths of the rolling hills of Hanagakure, as the sun shines down, parents chasing behind to ensure they behave are close to follow, causing Sakura to let out a light laugh at the sight. Wearing an emerald green yukata designed with blooming blossoms that match her namesake, she wanders through the people in search for her companion.

“Excuse me, Miss?” She turns to find a young man, likely around the same age as her, standing there with his hands behind his back, possibly holding something she can’t see. Bright blue eyes shift between her and the dirt bath, cheeks flushed but from what she’s not too sure. It is a hot day so it could easily be from heat exhaustion, making her worry for his well being.

“Yes?” Sakura says in return, wishing she had her bag which holds her water canteen so she could give it to him.

“I – um,” he stutters as she tilts her head to the side. “I wanted to give –” The man stops speaking, now glancing over her shoulder and eyes widening in response. His face somehow grows more red. “Oh…I didn’t realize. My apologies,” he bows, then turns around before returning to his friends. Sakura vaguely notices the item he was holding to be a red lily.

Out of curiosity she shifts her attention and looks over her shoulder to find what he has seen, however she notices her friend standing a few paces away. Sakura’s expression lights up upon seeing him, lips curving into a warm smile and the pitter patter in her chest increasing tenfold watching the wind cause his raven locks to sway. There’s a certain level of annoyance written in his features, a sight she’s no stranger to, but can’t help wondering about the cause, however she doesn’t have much time to dwell about it when mere seconds later it shifts back to his neutral look of indifference.

It had been his idea to come here, mentioning that someone suggested he see the sight which made the Land of Flowers famous at some point, although she ponders if he hadn’t considered the overwhelming crowd of other travelers which would also be present.

Striding over to him, she says, “there’s a lot of people here, huh? Do you want to find a more private spot?” Once she receives a nod they make their way up the path.

Traveling with Sasuke has been a learning experience of sorts, getting to know him again after spending a chunk of their adolescent years apart. Picking up on his silent language, the subtle changes in his facial expressions and posture – how his shoulders tense and relax, the soft look in his eyes versus when he’s on guard, how he’ll loom closer to her when they’re traveling through a packed area – along with the meaning hidden beneath some of actions.

He’s always been a man of few words, even back in their academy days, yet very methodical and deliberate in what he does – albeit not always the most rational as Saske does tend to jump from one extreme to the next, there’s at least some logic behind his reasoning.

Sakura swears she’s noticed his visual prowess come to life occasionally during their journey, when there’s no danger present, as if he’s taking a quick snapshot of that moment; such as when she first came out of their room at the inn wearing her yukata.

They reach the top of the hill, where no one else seems to be, turning back around to see all the people frolicking with their friends and families. Watching them with amusement, Sakura turns to her companion to find the corners of his mouth curved ever so slightly up, making her cheeks heat up.

“Thank you, Sasuke-kun,” she says, her eyes lowering a bit but she can feel his gaze on her. “For bringing me here, and inviting me on this journey. These last few months with you have made me really happy!” Sakura beams brightly at him.

Not expecting a response from him, she goes back to observing the crowd, however there’s a new tension in between them now. She said it because it’s true; Sakura is grateful Sasuke asked her to join him and has relished their trip thus far. Since rising in ranks at the hospital and opening the Children’s Mental Health Clinic, the amount of missions she’s gone on has dwindled to almost none, there’s no other way for her to travel or leisurely see the world aside from now.

Sakura doesn’t know why he asked her but doesn’t seem to be bothered by her presence, she might go as far to say he enjoys having her around – they are friends after all, that much she’s confident in. Practically aware of the tentative itinerary Sasuke has for them, some spots he wants to visit when they get to those locations, he consistently consults her opinion for where to go next. Of course they have their disagreements from time to time but never once has he made her feel unwelcome.

There’s a certain air around Sasuke she’s come to realize as they continue together, how calm and much more free he seems compared to when he’s in Konoha. It brings a slight pang to her chest, knowing where they grew up will never be home for him, yet can’t fault him either. She’s still unaware of the full story of what happened to his family, only knowing bits and pieces she heard from Kakashi and Naruto, if Sasuke wants to tell her eventually then she’ll listen and won’t breach the subject until he chooses. When she inevitably returns to their village, will Sasuke choose to stay and put down roots or will he set off on another journey? There’s no knowing until the time comes, so for now she’ll savor the time they spend in each other’s company.

His hand brushes hers and Sakura is sure it’s accidental however he doesn’t pull away. Almost hesitantly she feels Sasuke interlock his fingers with hers, tightening his grip a little to convey his intention of doing this.

“Sakura,” he says, causing her to look at him. “I feel the same.” It’s unclear if his words were meant to be a confession, at least in the way her heart hopes, or if he’s simply sharing his appreciation to have someone with him on this trip, but the tender way Sasuke gazes at her and the delicate tone of his voice tells her all she needs to know.

Sakura returns his gesture, gently squeezing his hand as her response, tilting the edges of her lips up.

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44478805/chapters/111876142

#sasusaku #uchiha sasuke #haruno sakura #sasuke uchiha #sakura uchiha #blank period #ssblankperiodweek #ssblankperiod2023 #canon compliant #fanfic

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ibrithir-was-here · 2 years

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( i cant belive there are only three of these left after this one...I've had this one in my head for a while now as a coda to the series, and even though its not the last one technically the word prompt was too perfect not to use for this. So here's the chronological ending of Endless Heirs AU, even though there will be three more drabbles after to fill out the month. Thank you so much to everyone who has commented and liked and enjoyed the series!)

Utopia

Dream of the Endless walks in the garden of his palace in the Dreaming, his white hair and white robes reflecting the bright sunshine that warms the air around him, the air rich with the scent of roses, gardenias, lilies and a thousand other blooms; the perfect dream of a perfect summer's day.

Dream runs his hand over the flowers as he walks, enjoying the moment, letting his mind wander and relax, his bare feet brushing through grass as green as his emerald and as soft as the clouds above.

He stops as he rounds a corner, seeing that this area of the garden has a visitor, though it's not a dreamer.

They're sitting on a bench with Their back towards him, bent over reading a book, but he'd know Them anywhere, even without Their dark curls flashing golden in the light, and the golden wings cascading down Their bare back.

He calls to them, hand raised in greeting and a smile igniting the stars in his eyes.

They turn towards him at his call and a smile as bright as the sunshine breaks out upon Their face in return, and Dream feels his heart beat happily in Their chest as Their's beats in his.

"Hello my Sweet Dream" Desire says coming up to him, and there is only kindness and affection in Their tone, not a hint of irony in the endearment.

"Hello yourself" He says, offering his sibling his arm to walk alongside him.

"Dad and Hob invited me over for dinner this weekend, are you free to come? I think Hob's starship is supposed to be passing Saturn at this point on their way back home, so we'll have a spectacular view."

"That sounds lovely, I'd love to come" They say, taking the proffered arm.

"Speaking of family dinners by the way--" Desire begins, and Dream makes a mock groan.

"Oh don't tell me it's my turn to host?"

"No, it's mine." Desire says with a laugh and a reassuring pat to his arm. "But I could use your help getting things set up. You know how Destiny always fusses over everything being 'just so' now that we don't just do them at his place. You remember what happened when The Prodigal hosted back in 2245?"

"Oh that was a good time." Dream says with a wry grin, remembering the raucous party that had ensued, they'd broken the table from the dancing.

"Is Despair bringing all her rats?" Dream asks as they cross over a footbridge, the water bubbling up a song after them.

🎶'--like roses and clover, then tell him that his lonely nights are over…'🎶

"Last time we spoke yes, so if you could start people dreaming of lots of cheese and very small tables I'd be eternally grateful. It'll be so much easier to get them from here."

"Ah the truth comes out! You only like me for the Dreaming's easy access to food and home decor, I'm just a convenient IKEA to you"

Desire snorts and aims a playful kick at his legs and Dream laughs aloud.

"I'll see what I can do. Aunt Delight's still set to do the invitations?"

"Always, though I hope the next ones are a bit easier to read"

"Aw I kind of liked the shower of rose petals spelling the invitations in mid air"

"You would"

They walk off together further into the garden, arm in arm, smiles bright and hearts full, at peace with themselves and each other.

From high above, stopping to rest on a pinnacle of the Castle of Dreams before she continues her rounds, Death looks down at the pair, and smiles.

#my writing #endless heirs au #dream of the endless #daniel hall #desire of the endless #wish of the endless #death of the endless #dreamling #morpheus #hob gadling #destiny of the endless #destruction of the endless #despair of the endless #delirium of the endless #delight of the endless #the sandman #sandman #sandman fic

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hers1ut · 2 years

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Professor Romanoff chapter 1

Meeting The Hot Redhead

-Warnings: SMUT

-Translations: котенок - Kitten

малышка - Babygirl

-Word count: 1604

Nobody's POV:

It was the last day of summer and you were still unpacking a few boxes for your new apartment in NYC. The first time you walked into that apartment you were shocked and in awe because of the view from your window.

Time passed by pretty quick and you were getting bored of sitting around so you thought it would be a good idea to head out and go to a near by bar maybe make some new friends since New York was your new home after all and you didn't want to be a loner. Although you had to get up early in the morning for classes.

Y/N's POV:

"Hmm okay what should I wear"

You tried your hardest to find something cute but because you couldn't bring a lot of stuff with you since you had a lot of clothes back home and you thought you might go back and visit on weekends well try. you were tossing all your clothes out of your closet just trying to find something nice.

"OMG YESS THIS. THIS IS PERFECT"

(You wore this, sorry if you don't like it)

"Hmm ok wait, is this too dressy for a bar" you thought to yourself

You couldn't find anything else so you just stuck to the red dress it was cute anyway. As you were about to grab your purse and shoes your phone lit up. It was a text from your dad

Dad:

Hiya sweetheart, just checking in making sure you are okay.

You:

Aww hi dad yes I'm okay. I'm just heading out actually.

Dad:

Oh really where you going?

You:

Just to a little small bar down the road.

To maybe try meet some people that go to the college and make friends so I'm not so alone there

Dad:

Aww good well be safe please okay it's late

You:

I will dad I promise x

Dad:

Okay good well it's time for me to head to sleep. Goodnight sweetheart I love you xxx

You:

Goodnight dad I love you too xxx

Walking down the stairs and out of your building you were searching for Nearby Bar/Club's since you didn't actually know where the bar was.

"Oo okay I found it. It looks nice i guess but I'm definitely too dressed up for this but oh well" you thought to yourself

Time passes by and you are now sitting at the bar drinking some vodka you were part russian so it went down pretty easily and wasn't as strong tasting either. Nobody caught your eye until you saw a beautiful redhead with bright green emerald eyes she was wearing black skinny jeans, black top that hugged her curves perfectly and a black leather jacket. You were practically drooling over her and didn't realise that she started staring at you.

And then she came over and sat on the empty stool next to you.

Nat's POV:

"Hey котенок I saw you looking at me and I thought I should introduce myself"

"I'm Natasha but everyone calls me Nat"

Y/N's POV:

"Uh h-hi I'm y/n nice to meet you Nat.."

She was so beautiful you couldn't even get your words out properly

Nat's POV:

"Aww what's wrong, you nervous around me" she laughs

Y/N's POV:

"Did she just say I'm nervous around her. I- we have only just met and she's the one flirting with me so obviously IM FUCKING NERVOUS. she is pretty hot though like oh my god, but COME ON Y/N GET IT TOGETHER" you thought to yourself

"What no- no I'm not nervous" you laugh off

"you're just really ho- I mean pretty"

Nat's POV:

"You think I'm pretty"

Y/N's POV:

"Yeah.."

She smile smirks at you so you smile back at her but god that smirk she did made you worse

Nat's POV:

"you know. The drink you are drinking is a strong alcohol"

Y/N's POV:

"Yeah yeah I know but I'm fine"

"just like how you are so god damn fine miss natasha" you whisper under your breath but you know she heard you

Time has passed by and suddenly you feel a hand on your thigh as Nat whispers into your ear

Nat's POV:

"котенок how about I go walk into that bathroom over there and in 5 minutes you walk in and we have a bit of fun"

you could see the smirk on her lips as you bit your own

Y/N's POV:

You couldn't really say anything as you were scared of what would come out of your mouth so you just nodded

5 minutes had passed and you were getting really nervous

As you walked into the bathroom Nat pinned you up to the door and put a strand of your hair behind your ear while locking the door so nobody could disturb your "fun"

Nat's POV:

"You really think I didn't hear you малышка 'just like how you are so god damn fine miss natasha' you should've just said it"

Y/N's POV:

"I- I just I didn't know how to say that but it's true"

After hearing that Nat crashed her lips into yours. It was slow at first but then turned into a hot make out.

You both pull away for a breather

Nat's POV:

"Fuck"

Y/N's POV:

"Me"

Nat's POV:

"As you wish котенок"

Suddenly Nat reaches back into kissing you. you both make out as Nat lifts your leg up. Slowly she starts to kiss down to your neck you try your hardest to not make any noises but Natasha wasn't having it

Nat's POV:

"Hey don't hold them back I wanna hear them pretty noises you make"

Y/N's POV:

"B-but I don't want people hearing us"

Nat's POV:

"No buts котенок"

Nat goes back to kissing your neck hoping you don't hold back and she got what she wanted

Y/N's POV:

"Mmm Nat more please" you moan out

Nat's POV:

"Patients don't worry I'll give you what you want"

Nat goes back to your lips slipping her tongue inside and fighting for dominance which she obviously won while her hand was sliding down to your thigh. She finally reaches the hem of your panties slipping her hand in without you even realising as she starts to draw small circles over your clit waiting for a response out of you. Suddenly you become a moaning mess as she slipped her fingers inside of you.

Nat's POV:

"Mm you're already so wet for me котенок"

You could feel your high approaching so you bit your lip to muffle your moans since you were scared of everyone outside hearing. But Nat didn't like that She wanted to hear you scream her name

Nat's POV:

"No no, no holding back them pretty noises"

Y/N's POV:

"But Natty I don't want people hearing"

Nat's POV:

"I wanna hear you scream my name. I want them to know who you belong to"

Your high approached and you could feel your juices dripping down your leg, Nat carried out your high and then pulled her fingers out of you with a pop bringing her fingers up to her mouth and licking off all your juices. Then kissing you so you can taste yourself

Nat's POV:

"Mmm god you taste so good" she said with a smirk on her face

You couldn't say anything because you were too flustered with her still standing Infront of you.

As you were about to walk out Nat stops you and hands you a piece of paper with her number on it and something written

The note:

Here's my number котенок

I hope this isn't the last time I'll see you ;)

You immediately blush reading the note and tried to hide that from her before leaving she gives you a quick peck on your lips and says goodnight

You arrive back at your apartment and still couldn't comprehend what had happened at the bar: Seeing her, her flirting, the sex, the note. It was all so much and you could still picture everything in your mind. You just wanted that to happen again and again

The next morning

You woke up to your alarm and you didn't even know when you fell asleep all you remember was walking into the apartment door. You thought everything was just a dream.

Then you remembered everything: Seeing Nat, her flirting, the sex, the note she gave you. you didn't even add her number yet into your contacts so you did after you woke yourself up more. You put her under Hot Redhead ;) you thought maybe it would be a good idea to text her so you did.

You:

Hey Nat it's y/n :)

Hot Redhead ;):

Hey котенок last night was fun maybe we should do that again ;)

You didn't answer her as you looked at your clock it read 10:30 am

"shit I'm late on my first day"

"Well what a good way to make a great impression. This will be fun"

#natasha romanoff #lesbian #gxg smut #smut #natasha romanoff fanfic

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addictedtooverwatch · 2 years

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Short Story - If a Tree Falls...

Alright, this is the first short story I've written in a while. I wrote this for my English class and I think it's good enough to share here. The main story and epilogue will not be in one big post, but this post and a reblog because this is pretty long for a single post.

Word Count of Main Story + Epilogue = 3,054 words.

Trigger Warnings (I've never done anything like this, so if there are any other warning you want me to add, let me know and I will):

Violence - I don't explain any injuries in much detail, but part of the climax scene could be a little disturbing as the main character is attacked and briefly gagged.

Death - No one explictly dies, but a dead character is discussed.

Aftermath of attack - Again, this isn't too bad, but the main character ends up passing out.

This isn't a trigger warning, but I would like to mention that the epilogue is a bit of a silly riff on Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural. I was watching it while I was editing and I decided to write an epilogue based on it... Anways, I had a lot of fun writing this and am really happy with it, but if you have some, constructive critism is always welcome. I hope you enjoy! ~ Nova.

If a Tree Falls…

When I was little, Nana Delilah always told me to never go into the Green Byerl Growth. She said it was infested with things we shouldn’t mess with. She said that the forest could truly come alive, but she would never say exactly what would happen there. I would ask her, “Isn’t the forest already alive?”

“Technically, it is,” she would say, “but you’ve never seen it truly alive. Alive in a way that would make you never want to leave the house again. Alive in a way that would lead to you never getting a wink of sleep again. It’d scare you so much that you’d forever feel like it was watching you.”

“How do you know that, Nana?”

“I had to learn that because of your father.” The conversations would always end like that. I’ve always wondered what he was like, my father that is. Nana never has any photos of him around our cottage, the ash walls barren and the granite countertops empty, but she said I looked a lot like him with the field of freckles across my face and my short cinnamon brown hair that, unwashed, would look like a bird’s nest. That would be all she ever commented on though, she would never mention where I got my emerald eyes or lanky limbs from. I assume it's from my mother, but I think Nana would rather die than talk about her. All she would ever say about my mom is, “Your mother is the reason you’re stuck with me.”

I wish she had told me what that really meant (it would have saved me a lot of confusion).

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

It was a sunny day on June 28th, 1961 which was quite normal. The weather was always nice in Rosary Valley, no matter the season. It was our paradise sitting in a little pocket of North Carolina. You could grow pretty much anything you wanted here, but cypress trees happened to especially love the area. They permeated through the entire town and surrounding area mixed in with yew and wych elm trees. Nana and I grew a lot of plants in the area around our house. We mainly grew crops, but I loved our flowers. My favorites were the hyacinths, chrysanthemums, and lilies. Our plants always grew a little faster than normal, always looking brighter and more alive than usual, but they made good money for us so I would never ask about it (I should have). From what I could remember, Nana never got along with people that actually lived in town. That’s why I was the person to set up my white plywood cart in the center of town, selling whatever we harvested from our small fields or garden that day along with whatever photos I had recently taken.

I won a polaroid camera by playing Mama Said by The Shirelles on my guitar at a school talent show. The camera was a light cream color, like the color that coffee turns to with enough milk, with a rainbow stripe right down the middle and a bright red button. I had been using it a lot since the school year had ended, taking photos of things I found in our garden. People had really loved the pictures I had taken of butterflies. I found a Pearl Crescent resting on a Blazing Star, a Black Swallowtail perched on a Bloodroot, an American Lady on a beautiful Eastern Blue Star, and a Mourning Cloak laying on some Foxglove Beardtongue. I had also taken some photos of the three churches in town, each very different looking with walls of gilded blackstone, colored cinder blocks, and stained glass. I got paid a good amount for those photos. The churches also bought me more film to take pictures from the town’s post office once I had finished with their pictures.

On that day, I had 12 photos for sale. Three were of the town’s broken clock tower at dusk the night before, four were images of a melanistic herd of deer in one of our broccoli patches, six were of a late clear night when I saw a myriad of fireflies, one was of a discolored midnight black rose, and one was of a Carolina Swamp Snake that was sunning itself contently on a rock near the Green Byerl Growth. I was able to sell most of them except the pictures of the rose and snake. While I was rearranging the remaining flowers I had, Ashur and a younger boy stolled over to my stand.

“Hey Allie, this is Jacob. I’m watching him for Mrs. Straus. Anyways, what are you going to be submitting to the art show next week?” Ashur asked. Ashur was one of my few friends. We went to school together and shared a love of being outside, but he was alway busy with work or babysitting. So, we never hung out much aside from during school, but people still thought we were siblings with how tall both of us were. Sighing, I replied, “I’m probably just going to bring some of my butterfly pictures. Or maybe I’ll bring these.” I handed them my remaining photos.

“Oh, but that’s boring!” Jacob squawked as he shuffled between the pictures before handing them back to me. Humming, I took the photos, “What do you think I should bring then?”

“You should bring a photo of that rock in Poppy Acres!”

“No!” “What?” Ashur and I simultaneously said. Jacob leaned over one of the handles of my cart and continued, “You know that Poppy Acres is in the center of the Growth.” Ashur and I nodded.

“Well,” continued Jacob, “there’s a big rock in the center of the Poppy Acres that has some type of writing on it that no one has ever been able to read. You should take a picture of that for the art show, you’d win for— ”

“Yeah, but there’s a reason no one has ever read it,” Ashur interrupted harshly. He ran his hands through his wavy caramel hair, “Poppy Acres is in the middle of the Growth and doesn’t your grandma like, never want you to go in there?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, “I think something bad happened to her there and she doesn’t want me to get hurt.” Something also happened to Dad there, but I doubt she’d tell me that. Jacob groaned and shook his head, “But it’d be so cool! You're the best photographer in town, so you could make it look really awesome and you’d win like $150!”

“I would?” “She would?” We asked Jacob simultaneously and he nodded his head. $150 would be a lot of money to win by just taking some cool pictures, I could get some really nice equipment with that money.

“Allie, you can’t do it,” Ashur pleads.

“How did you know I was thinking about doing it?”

“Because you get a certain look in your eyes when you are contemplating doing something stupid.”

“It wouldn’t be stupid!” Jacob roared. He spun around to look at the clock tower, “If you left now, you could go there and back before sunset.”

“You think so?” I asked. Jacob nodded enthusiastically, “I’d be awesome! Also, if you go, could you take some photos of bees for me? I heard there’s really friendly bees in the Growth and I want some proof so I can get my Mom to let me go in there.”

“You’re ten Jacob. Your mom isn’t going to let you go anywhere near the Growth until you’re older,” Ashur bluntly stated.

“Well, then I want to go home! Take me home Ashur and let me know if you get the bee photos Allie!” Jacob exclaimed.

“Okay! I’ll let you know when I get them Jacob,” I chuckled while Jacob started pulling Ashur away. Ashur started following Jacob with a frown painted across his face, he yelled back to me, “If you’re going, be careful Allie. I don’t want to lose my best friend to a stupid art contest.” I hollered back, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!” And with that, I started packing up my cart. They disappeared behind a corner and suddenly, I was alone.

From there, I quickly packed everything up, pulled it along the red brick road home, and placed it back in its spot under a weeping willow that guards the front of Nana’s house. She wasn’t inside, she was probably out picking peaches since they were in season. I left a note saying,

“I sold everything I could at the town center. I’m going to go take some photos outside for the art show since I don’t have anything I want to submit right now. I’ll be back before dark.

Love you,

Allie.”

Once the note was placed on her desk, underneath a green crystal paper weight, I grabbed my polaroid camera and placed it in my sage green backpack. I put my lucky emerald earrings on which were supposedly from my mom and I headed northeast, towards the Green Byerl Growth.

It was just after 2 o’clock when I reached the entrance to the Growth. It was made of two flint colored columns, connected by an overgrown gold arch that had the words, “The light awakens the Ovlumber when the sun reaches the earth” engraved into it, though it took me a few minutes to figure out what it said. As I passed through the gate, I felt a sudden sense of guilt. I was doing the one thing that Nana had told me to never do… But it didn’t matter (at the time), I was going to make a shit ton of money off of these pictures (no, I wasn’t). She’d see that it was worth it when we’d be able to buy more camera equipment and whatever gardening related items she wanted. It’d be worth it. So, I continued on the cobblestone and coarse dirt pathway that never seemed to end, surrounded by the dense (impenetrable, really) forest made of sky-scraping redwoods, yews that held their hands out to you, wych elms with green hair, and oddly well-groomed cypresses.

I walked and walked, moving further (too far) into the thicket when I finally reached the edge of Poppy Acres. It was odd (it was a sign), the unruly flora forming an almost perfect circle around the blanket of poppies which surrounded the aforementioned rock with only the dirt path leading up to the stone acting as a disturbance to the symmetry. It felt daunting to walk on the small path up to the stone (I should have just turned back), so I chose to look around the field first, avoiding the inevitable, and I realized a few things. One, it was much later than it should have been which meant I had been walking for longer than I intended to. It looked like the sun had fallen over, leaving a bloody trail of light on the upcoming night sky. Two, I don’t know if I found the bees that Jacob was talking about, but I did take some pictures of a bee sleeping in a poppy. Three, since it was definitely too late for me to be out alone in the middle of the Green Byerl Growth, I needed to hurry the hell up and take a picture of the rock.

So, I mustered up the courage and started drifting over to the stone, but I realized that it just wasn’t just some engraved stone in the middle of the forest. It was a tombstone. It was a pearly white marble with streaks of gold and light orange covered by vines and weeds that made it look eroded and decayed. It was cold to the touch which was strange considering the past few day’s high temperature. Gently, I moved some of its greenery aside to read what was carved into it and what it said sent a shiver down my spine, “Here forever rests Damien Alexander Lorelai - You made the forest weep.” I repeated the name over and over and over (he had my last name). I finally understood what Nana meant when she talked about Dad. I let out a wet breath, I needed to take the photo and leave. I shakily stepped back, making sure I had a good 50 feet between myself and the tombstone. Kneeling down, I held my camera to my eye, angling the lens to capture the entire gravestone of my late father. With a quick flash of light, the photo was taken, and Nana’s stories all came true.

The surrounding trees burst into action, unrooting themselves and closing in around me, using their branches to drag themselves closer, creating deep gashes in the ground. The poppies at my feet tried to pull me to the ground, winding themselves around my ankles, similar to how tomatoes wrap around their cages. I shot up and swiftly stumbled towards the center of the field (towards the gravestone), ripping up the red flowers as I went, creating a path of crimson red petals. My vision became blurry as I panicked. Unable to control my rapid breathing, I bumped into the tombstone, my back hitting the cold hard marble. Immediately, the previously unanimated flora that encircled the stone, reached around my neck and chest, securing me against the only reminder of where my father had been laid to rest. I began screaming and shouting for Nana, Ashur, Jacob, anybody that could help me (but it wouldn’t have really done anything in the end). I kept yelling and I would have continued until I was hoarse if a vine hadn’t shoved itself into my mouth, effectively stopping my desperate pleas for another person. Once I was muffled, I began crying. As tears dripped down my face, I silently hoped that if the forest killed me it would, at the very least, make it quick. Branches wrapped around my arms and legs, rough bark cutting my skin, and the vines’ flowers wrapped themselves around my face.

As my vision began to fade and I began to sink into absolute nothingness, a voice yelled, “ENOUGH!” With that only word, the trees and flowers returned to their homes of dirt, their roots sinking themselves back into their places, leaving Poppy Acres the way it was before I took that godforsaken picture. All that remained was me and a tall woman, who I assumed to be my savior, quietly staring at each other as I panted loudly. That was until she asked, with a honeyed voice, “Where did you get those earrings from?” I couldn’t remember what I was wearing, after the whole ‘almost being killed by fucking trees’ thing, so I took my earrings out then whispered, “My mom, I think.”

“You think?” the woman tilted her head. I shook my head and slowly stood up, “That’s what my grandma told me. I’ve never met either of my parents. Well, I’ve never met them alive at least.” She stepped closer to me as my legs shook like a fawn’s. My savior held her hands out and let me sink into their gentle embrace (there’s another reason I immediately felt so safe).

“What do you mean by that?” I emitted a shaky sigh and pointed to the gravestone, “I think that’s my father’s grave.” She let out a quiet, “Oh,” and hugged me. So many thoughts were racing through my head, but they all became foggy. I didn’t want her to let go, but I needed to go home.

“What time is it?” I asked, looking right into her glowing emerald eyes.

“Very late.”

“I need to get home.” The woman hummed, “Alright, I’ll take you home, Alastor.” I didn’t remember telling her my name (I didn’t need to), but I trusted her.

“Ok,” I replied, “can I sleep?” The woman picked me up, slipping her arms around my legs while I put my arms around her neck, “Yes, go to sleep, honey.” With that, I let the darkness which now draped itself around me like a soft blanket, take over. I fell asleep.

Epilogue: Does it Make a Sound?

“This week on Behind the Crime we are covering the Disappearance of the Rosary Valley Photographer,” began Bryan. Zayne raised his eyebrows, “That is very specific.”

“I know, now let me explain. On June 28th, 1961, fourteen-year-old Alastor “Allie” Lorelai went missing. Allie’s Grandmother, Delilah Lorelai, had found a note that day from Allie saying that they would be back later that night, but they never came back.”

“Did the note say where they were going?” asked Zayne.

“All it said was that they sold what they could at the market that day and were going out to take photos.”

“Ohh, so that’s where the photographer part came from.”

“Yes, that’s where it’s from.”

“They didn’t say where they were going?” asked Zayne.

“No, I literally just said what the note said,” Bryan responded, exasperated.

“Ok, well why wouldn’t they say where they were going?”

“I don’t know, it was like 1961, people just did shit like that! Anyways, all that has been found in relation to the case was the following: a broken white and rainbow polaroid camera, four pictures of a bee laying on a poppy, one undeveloped picture, and a set of emerald earrings. Two boys, Ashur Lake and Jacob Straus, said that the last time they saw of Allie, they were going to be going to take photos in the nearby Green Byerl Growth for an upcoming art contest.”

“So… Allie disappeared in the forest, right?” questioned Zayne.

“We’re pretty sure, yeah.” answered Bryan.

“And the items found were definitely from Allie, right?”

“Yeah. It was their stuff and they planned to take pictures of some bees for Jacob.”

“One, how did they get the items back? And two, it’s Jacob’s fault then, right?”

“I wouldn’t say it was Jacob’s fault,” Bryan laughed, “but people think that a forest spirit took Allie and returned their items as a way to let people know to not come into the Green Byerl Growth.”

“So, that’s why we’re here,” Zayne groaned.

“Yup,” cheerly replied Bryan, “today we are going to walk around the Green Byerl Growth here in Rosary Valley, North Carolina to investigate our ongoing question of, are ghosts real?” Bryan paused, looked behind him at the overgrown arch, then looked back to Zayne and asked, “Shall we?”

#writing #original story #original work #short story

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stardusthalos · 2 years

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[eyes] all muses?

[eyes]: not just the colour, but the shape, the length of their eyelashes, whether they’re alert or usually half-closed, large or small, sunken into the face, ringed by bags, etc.

*cracks my knuckles* here we go. I'm just gonna do the main 9! Also here is where I admit that my doing the picrews was to assist in understanding their eyes lmao.

Raziel

Raziel's eyes shift between being: Black Holes and full of stars.. The full of stars are in his human form, and though they appear to be black, when he wears glasses, you can see what appears to be brightly colored, flickering flecks within and occasionally shooting across his irises (he's got no pupils). Those are, for all intents and purposes, stars. Just in there because he contains multitudes. The black holes come about when he's in battle mode, or when he needs to be a little terrifying. You can shine a light on those bad boys and not a single reflection will be there.

In general, his gaze is relaxed, jovial even. And when he's working he's got that kind Librarian air to his looks, and when he looks over his glasses you know you need to shape up!!!

Rhemiel

Rhemiel's eyes are a dark dark brown, almost black. And they look such a lush color in the light. They're slightly deeper set, but no less comforting. The reason for this is because it's very rare that his gaze isn't just calm or soft. Being looked at by him definitely feels like you're the only focus he has...and that applies even more if you're the reason why he's upset or angry. Eyelashes are lovely but not especially long or thick.

Kariel

Her eyes are almond shaped and a beautiful hazel, mostly with green and a ring of amber around the pupil. Whenever she goes out she does do kohl liner and it makes her eyes even more prominent. I would hazard saying that her natural gaze is neutral, but that's mostly because it's just...one step above that in the intensity category. Even though she's shorter than you, the feeling that she's looking down at you is palpable. However, if she loves you, her eyes seem to brighten just seeing you.

Athriel

Athriel is an interesting one. They have sweet, honey colored eyes that always seem to be happy to see you, even if they're meeting for the first time. Because the apples of their cheeks keep their eyes almost eternally half or partially closed in a smile, to see their full, wide eyed stare is more of a rarity than one might realize. They do have long lashes, and they take very good care of themselves.

Maroon

Oof. Maroon is...a lot. They decided to keep their eyes from Home as a reminder of who they were, what they've done, and that's what they hide behind their bangs. A set of four eyes that seem to be glowing, bright gold, yellow and white, swirling and prone to actually getting set aflame whenever they experience intense emotion, but especially intense anger. Most people (note: mortal) who look directly at them cry, or feel overwhelmed.

Uzzeth

Okay this one takes the cake for longest, thickest eyelashes. Uzzeth has eyelashes that are the envy of anyone who sees them. I cannot stress enough how pretty this man's eyes are. They are downturned, a little hooded and have a bit of bag under them, but my god. Fucking stunning. They are a bold, deep emerald green and because of his internal flame there seems to be flecks of iridescent color within them. 90% of the time they seem to be focused nowhere in particular and are almost in a thousand yard stare, but when they focus on someone or something, the intensity can catch you off guard.

Atem

Can we get another oof for this bad boy? Atem used to have stunning golden eyes, but since his fall they appear to be tarnished, faded in color and hazy. There's intense scarring around them as well, thankfully faded some but still nasty looking. Atem is one that has chronic resting bitch face, and so his eyes are almost always giving the vibe of being annoyed. If he cares for you, or about you, his eyes will soften and give way to an extremely expressive side that very few get to see. His eyes are still the windows to his soul, as they were a big part of his job when he was in heaven, and so they remain even now.

Austen

We had to have one heterochromatic nerd and here he is!! His left eye is the Hazel one, and is a good blend of soft, pale green and amber, the right one is a lovely brown. He does have thick lashes, and is prone to fluttering them to get his way when he's definitely done an oopsie. He cannot look at someone in the eye whenever he talks to them, not to be rude but because it makes him uncomfortable, and that is the number one expression that comes through them, nervousness.

Xi also has dark brown eyes, and they look eternally tired. She's got gucci bags under her eyes and a slight pink tint to them from the amount of time she spends not sleeping, and prominent eyelashes she got from her father's side of the family. They are a little more wide set than others, slightly upturned, and always watching. Even when she is by herself she is scanning whatever space she's in. When she's not making sure there is nothing pressing in her environment, she is lazer focused on her spells and projects to the point where if you disturb her, her next gaze can probably kill at ten paces.

Yarrow

Yarrow has the funky little trait of seasonal eyes! During the spring and summer their eyes are stunning shades of green, in spring the accent color is what appears to be pink, while during summer it's a deep yellow. During fall and winter their eye colors go from amber to black, no accent colors to be had with these. If you've ever wondered how an author can ever overuse 'their eyes narrowed' when writing, this is the character that does it. Yarrow always has an air of studying and incredulity coming from them, and that never really changes. They use glamours to lengthen and thicken their lashes as well as add little decorations and glitter to them, but normally they're pretty average.

#asked & answered #nykrose #im patting myself on the back for this one lads #raziel related #rhemiel related #kariel related #athriel related #maroon related #uzzeth related #atem related #xi related #austen related #yarrow related

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