#and no i will not be able to make myself breakfast now either. my morning is ruined now. so im unable to function

[twignotstick]

Broken Brothers (and How to Fix Them)

Part 1 🧡

Note: This story is based on @cupcakeslushie 's Empyrean Weeping au. These characters are not my own, and this story is in no way canon to the main story. I wrote this as my love letter to the story and the characters. Especially April :)

(And because the au comp has made me go rabid, but that's another problem 🤡)

Tags: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ROTTMNT, Mikey & April, Raph & April, NOT MY CHARACTERS, Empyrean Weeping AU, recovery, cooking, mental issues, talking it out because we're adults, sickness, sickfic (kinda)

Warnings (if there's anything I should add here, tell me please!): small physical injury, mention of past injury, description of scars

Words: 2,107

Summary: April was able to figure out her first brother easily. Now, she gets three more, with a couple more issues to worry about.

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

In the few weeks since Mikey had come home, April had been having a blast. Don't get her wrong, she loved Raph. He was her brother. Her best friend, even. But sometimes he could be a little… overbearing? Sensitive? Thought she was dying when she got her period?

Mikey was fun. He swore like a sailor, which made Raph go crazy. He loved talking and listening, even when he wasn't really interested in April's rambling. And ever since Splinter had first shown him the kitchen, they all found out that he could cook.

According to him, he had cooked some before, when he was younger. But man, once he had access to the recipes of the internet, Mikey was an incredible chef. Every morning, he'd wake up to make breakfast for everyone. April had even made a habit of showing up to eat breakfast with the mutants.

It had all been going great! Mikey was adjusting perfectly!

And then he got sick.

April figured it was probably because of the sudden change of scenery. His body was still catching up, and coming to the surface for the first time in his life didn't help either. It was at the most a bad cold, but his nose was stuffed and his throat sounded like a clogged sink. He kept getting coughing fits and dizzy spells.

April had come down to visit. She wanted to check on Mikey, and on Raph. He had gone full protective Mama Bear mode as soon as Mikey even got the slightest hint of a sniffle. April knew that if he didn't get a moment to relax and not worry about his sick brother, he'd probably pull something and get sick himself.

When she arrived to a panicked Raph tossing around couch cushions, she knew her damage control would need to be in high gear.

“Raph?” April asked quietly, dropping her backpack off her shoulder and lowering it next to the couch. “Everything alright, big guy?”

“APRIL!” Raph dropped the pillows he had been holding and whipped around to face her. “Have you seen Mikey?! I went into his room to get him up and he wasn't there. Did you see him on your way in?!”

“Uh, no?” April stepped up and placed a hand on Raph's shoulder. “Take a second and breathe, Raph. With me. In and out.”

April guided Raph's breathing until he finally looked like he had his head on straight again. “Good job,” she whispered. “Now, you said he wasn't in his room.”

“No,” Raph said quickly. “I checked there. I looked under his sheets, I know-”

“Okay, I believe you. Did you check the bathroom?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Raph.”

“I WAS FREAKING OUT! I'VE BEEN SCREAMING HIS NAME, HE SHOULD'VE-”

“Okay, okay, it's okay!” April held her hands out placatingly. “I get it. He's your brother, it's okay to be worried about him. Maybe all the gunk in his nose got up in his ears and he couldn't hear you.” She breathed deeply. “Listen, you go check the bathroom and the dojo. Even if you already checked, check again. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and make myself something, because school lunch sucked today and I'm starving.” April grabbed Raph's shaking hand. “We'll find him.”

Raph took a deep breath and released it, holding April's hand loosely. “Right. We'll find him. He's gonna be okay. Raph's gonna be okay, because Mikey's gonna be okay!”

“Yes, yes, that's right Raph.” April's tone shifted on a dime. “Now go. Shoo. Skedaddle. I got food to eat.”

Raph shooed away timidly. April knew that he was just trying to make sure his baby brother was okay, but jeez. Not even checking the bathroom first? If you're going to lose track of someone, at least start looking for them in a reasonable place.

April made it to the kitchen and stopped suddenly at the doorway, almost shouting out for Raph immediately.

Come on, Raph. There isn't even a door here. Mikey was in clear view of anyone passing by the kitchen.

She saw the scarred, scratched shell of Mikey standing at the counter. She hadn't ever seen the shell from this angle; looking at it straight on. She'd seen it from the side, but looking at it now, it looked 10 times as painful. The gouges were deep.

What kind of monster could have done that to a kid this young?

Why was that kid out of bed right now he's sick why is he-

Mikey turned away from the counter with a plate in his hand. His blurry eyes caught sight of April at the door. He sniffled quietly then rasped, “Hey April. You're here early… You hungry? I'm gonna make some-” he was interrupted by a cough- “s-some… something. I’unno yet.”

“Mikey?” April walked into the kitchen to investigate what he'd been doing. There was a small mixing bowl to the side of the sink and a cup of water. Not even a measuring cup, but one of the old plastic cups they kept in the lower cabinets with a worn cartoon graphic on the side, barely even there after years of washing. “Buddy, you don't need to do that. You're sick. What do you mean ‘early’? It's, like, 4:30.”

Mikey blinked slowly. “Y…yeah. 4:30.”

“P.M., Mike.”

“...oh.”

“Do you usually get up that early? That's not healthy, Mikey.” April started walking around the kitchen island and grabbed one of the stools to pull it out. “You should sit down.”

“Wh- wha? I don't… I don' need to sit down. I gotta make breakfast.” Mikey still clutched the plate in his hands, a shaky smile on his face.

“Mikey, it's almost 5 in the afternoon. You don't need to make breakfast. Sit down, I'm gonna make some food for myself anyway.”

Mikey looked like he was getting more confused by the second. His eyes were watering, but April couldn't tell if that was due to the sickness or him genuinely being upset. “B-but I need to make breakfast.” He turned back to his hodge-podge cooking setup, plate still in his right hand. “W-wait, I can figure out something to make.” He sniffled loudly, catching in his throat and causing him to cough. “I got it, y-you just go see R-Raph!”

“No, Mikey. You need to sit down. Please, I-”

April was cut off by the sound of Mikey sneezing loudly. The force of the sneeze caused Mikey's arm to flail, shattering the plate in his hand on the edge of the sink. His dazed eyes stared at the pieces as they scattered both in the sink and across the tile. April held her hand over her mouth.

Mikey started mumbling curses and apologies under his breath as he kneeled to the floor, picking up the porcelain shards with his bare hands.

“MIKEY!” April rushed over the wreckage, grabbing Mikey by the shoulders and lifting him up. His hands were slightly cut up already by the sharp edges he had grabbed, and his knees had hit some too. “What are you doing?! You are going to sit down now.”

“B-but- But I-”

“Mikey.”

“B-but I broke the-”

“Sit.”

Mikey's tears were almost spilling over, but with April's help, he was able to sit at the kitchen island. His hands and knees were bleeding slightly, but nothing bad. Nothing near as bad as he'd seen, April guessed.

“I'm going to grab the first aid kit. Raph should be here any minute, if he isn't already eavesdropping. While I'm cooking, you can talk to me. Tell me how to make the ramen good like you make it. I'll make it spicy to open up your nose, just how you like. That's what I need you to do today, okay Mikey?”

Mikey looked like he wanted to fidget with his hands, but he knew that wouldn't be good. Wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand, he whispered, “Okay, April.”

April walked to the door, only to find Raph hurriedly coming from the bathroom with the first aid kit already in hand. “Really, Raph?”

“I heard the plate break, what was I supposed to do?” Raph whined with a guilty look on his face.

“Not act like your brother broke, maybe.”

Raph sighed and kept moving past April, sitting down next to Mikey without saying a word. He held out a hand which Mikey met, letting Raph analyze the damage. “We've all broken plates before, it's alright Mike.”

Mikey just hummed, shaking up the phlegm in his throat and getting him coughing again. Raph's eyes widened wildly, but April stared him down the moment he tried moving toward Mikey. Despite the snapper's intimidating stature, he shrank under April's glare.

April smirked and grabbed a ramen pack from the pantry. “So, Angelo,” she said, grabbing a pot from the overhead rack and turning to the turtles, “where do we start?”

Taking a second to compose himself, Mikey started instructing. “If you're making it for both of us, use two packs. A-and don't use that stupid sauce pack stuff they include with it, use actual sauce. I put it up in the…”

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

When it was done, it was by far the best ramen April had ever made. Not the best she had ever eaten, (that prize belonged to Mikey), but it was still really good. Mikey seemed to like it too, and his gloomy demeanor was finally lessening.

Raph left the room shortly after the two started eating. Partly because he wanted to check on his dad, partly because he wanted to rest after over exerting himself in his search for Mikey, and partly because of the look April was giving him. She wanted to have a chat with Mikey, and that was apparent. 

Now, the two sat silently, eating their noodles. April sat just around the corner of the island. She didn't want to sit opposite him, but didn't feel like sitting right next to him. This just felt right.

“You know we want you here, right?” April asked softly.

“What?” Mikey's throat had cleared up just a bit, as well as his sinuses, allowing him to speak more clearly.

“We want you here. You know that, right?”

“W… w-well, yeah! I mean, Raph and Dad literally agreed to fight in the Battle Nexus to get me out! A-and you keep showing me such cool stuff, and bringing me nice things, and-”

“And we're always going to want you here,” April pressed firmly. “You don't need to worry about making us want you here.

“...what?”

“You don't need to worry about making us food, or cleaning up a mess you can't clean up on your own. Especially when you're sick. We should be taking care of you right now.”

Mikey fiddled with his chopsticks, looking back and forth from April to his noodles.

“And it doesn't matter what you do. We'll always want you here. You're family. Doesn't matter if you can't make breakfast, or if you break a plate-”

“Or if I eat the last slice of pizza?” Mikey asked timidly, simultaneously admitting to a most heinous crime.

“Even if you eat the last slice of pizza.” April smirked and pointed at Mikey. “But that's thin ice, bud.”

Mikey laughed for the first time April had heard all day. Sure, it was only a little giggle, and it kicked up another small coughing fit, but it didn't matter. The fun brother she had begun caring so deeply about was finally sitting in front of her again.

“Bad habits are tough to crack,” April sighed. “I'm gonna help you realize that, and it might take a while. Just please, don't forget we love you.”

Mikey nodded.

“You know,” April said, leaning back on her stool and swinging her legs up to sit criss-cross, “I really do love you like a brother already. And I really, really want you to stay. Sooo, imagine how Raph and Splints must feel. Outta this world love, right?”

Mikey's smile softened. “Guess you're right.”

“Course I am!” April stood up with her empty ramen bowl. “I'm gonna put this in the sink for me to wash later, and you're gonna put yours there too when you're done. How's watching some mindless cartoons sound for the rest of the afternoon? I bet I can get Splints to give up the TV.”

Mikey held his chopsticks close and gave the sweetest, most doe-eyed expression. “Do you think I could get one of Raph's plushies, too?”

April huffed a laugh. “Boy, if you asked him with that face, I think he'd give you his whole collection.”

Mikey's face morphed into a mischievous grin. “I'll take that challenge.”

○●○●○●○

The spirits of the tmnt au comp possessed me. I've already written a second part for this. You'll never guess who it's about 🔵🐢

Again, this is my love letter to EW! I am in no way involved with EW, I just wanted to write about how April could get along with her new brothers. Can't wait for the first round of voting in the comp!

Part 2 -> 💙

[skellyflowers]

Longing :The morning after.

Masterlist

The next time I open my eyes I know it's morning. The curtains are mostly closed but I can hear birds. The sliver of sunshine is the only light in the bedroom. And just as expected I am at the bottom of the cuddle pile! 

Vessel is still tucked into my neck and I can see one of the others pressed back to back with him. I can't tell who it I'd yet but I know I'll  figure it out soon enough.  I feel someone else curled around me with a hand on the leg that is still wrapped around Vessel. I can feel that the hand is too small to be III but is just as calloused so it must be IV. So II is back to back with Vessel and III is probably spooning IV behind me.

I know that I wanted to do something nice for the boys this morning but now that morning is here I don't want to get up. I want to stay wrapped up in the warmth of my lovers. I am a little surprised that they still seem to be asleep. They don't really need to sleep anymore. They don't really need to eat either.  I know that they only do those things because I still do. 

I remember the boys telling me that after I am claimed by Sleep I wouldn't need to eat or sleep too much. Far less than any other person. Her power will help sustain me, I will only need to eat or sleep for my own sake or to connect to Sleep. When I asked why they eat and sleep when I do, III said “We want to spend time with you.”

I take a moment to consider how to untangle myself from my boyfriends without waking them. I mite have been able to if Vessel wasn’t trying to fuse with me. If he wasn’t I would just need to be patient and could probably get loose. I am actually surprised that the boys haven’t started moving now that I am fully awake. They always tell me that until The Claiming they are on my daily schedule. 

Time ticks on and then maybe thirty minutes of lying awake with my thoughts I decide I’m getting up. As I start to sit up, Vessel makes a sound of disapproval. Then IV squeezes my thigh as I unwrap it from Vessel. I move to the headboard and stretch. Vessel tries to wrap his arms around me again and I crawl to the end of the bed before he can. I hear him groan at me for  leaving him. I ignore him and go to the bathroom, I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror. 

Vessel told me that after The Claiming I should expect to see changes to my body. Vessel has all black skin, II has fangs, III has bright red hands and IV has claws. I wonder what will happen but I don’t dwell on the thought, I want breakfast. As I exit the bathroom II has started spooning Vessel and III and IV have gotten out of bed.

“Good morning Beautiful” III says while giving me a hug.

“Morning III”

“Did you sleep well Dove?” asked IV while kissing my hand.

“Yes. Let's get something to eat.”

The boys nod and follow me out of the bedroom to the kitchen. I don’t want to cook anything so I check to see if we have any cereal. Once my bowl is ready to eat IV lifts me onto the kitchen counter. I boop his nose and start to eat my cereal and he puts his head in my lap. III grabs an apple and stands next to me so I put my head on his shoulder.

“Are you nervous about The Claiming?” IV asks in my head “It’s coming up soon.”

“I was, before I met all of you. Her voice was scary.” I say honestly. “But not anymore. Now I can’t wait.”

“I knew Vessel was overreacting.” III said.

III takes my now empty bowl and washes it as II comes into the kitchen dragging a grumpy Vessel behind him. I guess he still wanted us to stay in bed. II lets go of Vessel’s hand and walks over to give me a kiss on the cheek. III walks over to Vessel to give him a hug and kiss. Vessel seems a little happier after the affection, he really is a teddy bear.

“How are you this morning darling?” asks II. He rubs both my back and IV’s.

“I’m having a very good morning.” I say giving him a smile.

I cup his face and he leans into me more. I look over to Vessel and III still hugging and both looking over at my little group. I smile at them and hope they will come over and join us. IV however speaks up before I can.

“Lets go to the couch, my back is starting to ache.”

With that IV tightens his arms around my waist and lifts me off the counter. I let out an embarrassing squeak as I'm forced into his arms. The boys make room for IV to take me out of the kitchen and he brings me to the living room.  He drops me on the extra large L shaped couch.  II lifts me up a little so my back is against his chest and starts scratching my scalp. IV lies on my chest and lets out a hum.

Vessel joins us on the lounge section of the couch and leans on II’s shoulder. III is sitting on the far end of the couch next to IV’s feet. III turns on the tv and puts a nature documentary on, it’s about frogs, III’s favorite animal. I try to focus on what the narrator is saying but the nice background music, IV’s comforting weight and II giving me a scalp massage I can feel myself drifting back to sleep.

IV POV

It has been another night without our beloved V having a dream. I miss her dreams, they were fun, peaceful and vivid. I’m sure to V all her recent dreams have been unmemorable black voids, she hasn’t talked about them. We know better, V is traveling closer to Her and closer to Eden. V will travel closer to Sleep until she reaches Eden, then Sleep will claim her.

But now it’s morning and our dove is waking up. I was able to get into the bedroom before III and got to be her big spoon. The best position in the bed. She doesn't move so neither do I. I get to keep my hand on her leg. She doesn't move until her stomach growls about 30 minutes after she woke up.

As V sits up I give her leg a squeeze so she knows that I'm awake too. Vessel groans after she gets up.  II rolls over and hugs Vessel and that keeps him quiet. III gives me a squeeze before getting out of bed. I get out of bed and stretch. I take a moment to look at them until the bathroom door opens. III walks up to V and gives her a hug.

“Good morning Beautiful” III says.

“Morning III”

“Did you sleep well Dove?” I asked while kissing her hand.

“Yes. Let's get something to eat.”

V walks out of the bedroom, me and III trailing behind her.

“No! Come back!” Vessel whines. If V hears him she doesn’t react to his complaining.

We get to the kitchen and watch as V makes a bowl of cereal and when she is done I put her on the counter. We hold eye contact for a few seconds then she taps my nose. I give her a little smile and put my head in her lap. III stands next to us and I hear he is eating something. III is always mirroring her. We stay like this for a little while but I have a question.

“Are you nervous about The Claiming?” I ask “It’s coming up soon.”

“I was, before I met all of you. Her voice was scary.” She says honestly. “But not anymore. Now I can’t wait.”

I know what she means. The first time I met Sleep I was absolutely terrified. I was only truly able to relax after I was found by the boys. It is also the reason why Vessel gets so clingy, he was all alone.

“I knew Vessel was overreacting.” III said.

I do agree with III that Vessel can be overprotective of all of us, but he is really overprotective of V. Poor thing, she barely gets a moment of peace without his touching her. I don’t think she minds all that much. Our Dove lets us do whatever we want to her.

I hear III walk away from us and wash the bowl V was eating out of and II drags Vessel into the kitchen to join us. I'm a little surprised it took them so long. II must have been talking Vessel down and making sure he knows V doesn’t hate him just because she got up. Vessel can be oh so very dramatic. II walks over to the two of us so I assume that he swapped with III. 

“How are you this morning darling?” asks II. He rubs my back. His hands are warm and feel nice.

“I’m having a very good morning.” V said, I imagine that gave him a smile.

As nice as this little moment is, I don't want to stay bent over the counter. The new couch V ordered would be a much better location. The couch is big enough for all of us and very comfortable. It is our second bed on the bottom floor.

“Lets go to the couch, my back is starting to ache.” I announce to the group.

The sound that V makes as I pick her up is really cute and I try not to laugh. She knows I would never drop her. As I bring her to couch II is right on my heels. I drop V  on the couch and II moves her so he can get comfortable with her in his arms. I push her legs open so I can lay my head on her chest. Her heartbeat is very comforting and I hum with happiness and close my eyes.

III sits on the couch and turns on the t.v. another addition made by V. He turns on a nature documentary. I open one of my eyes and see a frog. III is obsessed with them so I am not surprised that he found this over one hour documentary.

After a few minutes I hear V’s heartbeat slow down. She is asleep again. I tap III with my foot. He didn’t look at me but grabbed it, clearly misunderstanding the tap.

“Turn it down, Dove is asleep.” I say.

“Again?” III asked as he turned down the t.v.

“Her time is soon.” Vessel said cryptically “Sleep approaches.”. 

[lil-spider]

So Damn Pretty

Chapter 9

Part 8 : Part 10

Pairing: Johnny Slaughter X Female Reader

Summary: Johnny is sex starved and you’re very attractive, so attractive that he doesn’t want to kill you. Instead he finds ways to keep you around longer.

Note: I wrote this while having shirtless Johnny on my tv, his muscles are the only thing I can think about 😩.

Warning: This is 18+ and please do not read if your sensitive to heavy descriptions of non/con and violence. Including bondage, blood, gore, assault, objectification and unsafe sex. For those who don’t mind, I hope you enjoy.

I stare timidly at the horribly cracked mirror, observing my naked body. It’s barely recognisable; blue and purple marks spread along my chest, hips, neck and thighs. Johnny has been getting a lot rougher during sex; ever since that night I killed that girl, he’s been more ravenous.

He’s been interrupting me from my tasks more frequently, dragging me off multiple times throughout the day to somewhere away from the house, only to bend me over whatever object he deems fit. His favourite thing to do right now is sit on a pulled-out, deteriorating car seat, drink, or smoke while I’m on my knees in the dirt, sucking him off. At least it gives my poor body a break, even though my knees are now suffering.

I take one last glance at myself before putting on a pastel blue dress decorated with cute yellow flowers. The dress is short and sleeveless. Starting high, wrapping around my neck, to just stopping at the top of my knees, simple but pretty.

Looking down in the sink, I pick up a broken-handled hairbrush and roughly begin brushing my hair. Sissy kindly gifted it to me with an apology for its damaged state, but I didn't care that it was broken; I was so grateful that I squeezed her in for a tight hug. I've been desperate to rid my hair of these nasty knots. My fingers are only able to do so much.

The bathroom is now the only place I get time to think. It used to be my room, but with late-night visits from Johnny, it's no longer available.

I put the brush back down and rummaged through Jessica's makeup bag. I was supposed to hide it originally, but I changed my mind and decided to use her stuff; it would have been wasting away and forgotten about if I hid it. Searching around, I pulled out a black mascara tube, black eyeliner, and a small brown eyeshadow palette with three shades. Having no brushes, I got to work using my fingers, delicately rubbing the pigments over my eyelids. It feels good to use makeup again, a luxury I guess I took for granted. It makes me feel better, feeling refreshed and pretty.

After applying the eyeliner along my eye shape and coating on layers of mascara, I take a second to admire myself, which is a tad difficult with a broken mirror. I won't have many chances to do this again, sadly; Jessica only carried a small bag of makeup wipes with her.

I bundle the makeup products and the broken hairbrush in my arms and swiftly leave the bathroom towards my bedroom. Pushing the door open with my foot, I place the items down gently on my bedside table, and I grab an old, ugly pair of brown sandles, sliding them on. They were perfect for getting around that house quietly without disturbing anyone; Sissy's style of barefoot isn't something I was too fond of. Buckling up the sandle straps, I march downstairs, feeling ready for today.

Reaching the dining room, I notice it's unusually quiet; there's no sign of Bubbaor Nubbins messing around; Johnny ain't here either, lacking the sound of his thundering footsteps and voice.

Did I spend so long getting ready that I missed breakfast? Hopefully, Johnny went with Drayton in the early morning. I can’t help but feel anxious thinking of what else he could be up to. It was weeks ago that he brought that woman back to purposefully antagonise me. My mouth always dries up thinking about that. Did Johnny even realise I had caught him before he brought me down to the basement? Or was that his plan to further anger me?

I don't like thinking about it, and I also can't stop. The guilt and excitement I felt were like none other. Killing her was intense. So much was happening all at once with such little consequence. It bothers me that I killed her out of petty jealousy, even more so that I'm happy she's dead. God, what is happening to me?

“Lookin’ very dolled up today, sweetie?” Sissy says with a smirk as she takes a bite from her buttered-up toast.

 

Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts instantly, and I flinch in surprise, not aware she was sitting so close. She really is the quietest out of the whole family.

 "I felt like using some makeup, just for fun.” I responded to her honestly; it was true. I just wanted to feel pretty.

“Shame Johnny ain’t here to see you all pretty this morning." She smiles at me teasingly, a glint in her dangerous eyes. Not bothered, I grab myself a plate with strawberry jam toast and take a seat in front of her.

“I didn’t do it for Johnny.” I tell her, taking a large bite of my toast. She stands after finishing her breakfeast, walking off with an unconvinced look.

I wonder if the rest of the family knows about Johnny and I’s relationship; Drayton and him did have that argument when I first arrived. Not to mention our lack of subtlety; I mean, we go off together for long periods and come back with dishevelled hair and clothes. It doesn't help that I am covered head to toe in bruises.

I nibbled on the rest of the toast while thinking. Maybe they don't care; I know Johnny doesn't lose sleep over other opinions on what he does. I am, for one, embarrassed if they know.

Am I the lucky one? Johnny has chosen me to be with him out of so many other girls; he likes me the most, or I would not be here right now, and I want to keep it that way. After everything I’ve been through, God forbid another woman tries to take that away from me. I just need more time to understand Johnny and what he truly wants from me.

 

I finish my small breakfast, standing up to clean up my plate. I better hurry up; it’s my turn to feed Grandpa Sawyer, and he is most likely hungry by now.

Ironically, out of everyone in this family, Grandpa Sawyer is the most pleasant person to be around. Feeding him the vial of blood that I had once found gross has become a normal occurrence, and afterwards, I just relax in the living room, sewing or knitting near him while he sleeps; it’s peaceful.

I just started sewing and knitting as a new hobby. With the hard work Sissy and I have been doing, we were all caught up on house chores. We get them done in a couple of hours instead of a whole day. I've also finished trimming all the bushes and flowers, with nothing else important to do. Sissy has been teaching me to sew and knit to kill time while she tends to her plants in her greenhouse. So I spend my free time fixing old clothes in the living room, near Grandpa.

Now that oh so sweet, peacefulness went away as Nubbins came stomping downstairs, crashing down on the couch next to me with a heavy photo album. It’s amazing that he didn’t wake up, grandpa.

"I-I-I got some new photos I-i took with my n-n-new camera." Nubbins informs me gleefully, opening up his album.

"Ah, sure thing, yeah," I tell him, surprised by the suddenness of his appearance. He usually keeps himself locked up in his room. I put my sewing needles and the shirt I was working on to the side so I could focus my attention on him.

With beaming excitement, Nubbins flips through the photo album, going to the back to show his most recent pictures. I look at the ones he is flipping through and see a variety of shots of sunsets and sunflowers. He seems to be very passionate about his hobby. It's nice to see how he spends his free time.

It was nice until I saw pictures of mutilated animals. I cringed at the horrid sights, flicking my eyes away and swallowing my distaste. He finally gets to the page he wants. Chucking the album in my lap, he begins pointing to each picture, telling me the meaning behind each one.

 

I couldn't help but chuckle looking at the super close-up shots of Drayton's angry face. I tell Nubbins how hilarious it is, and he needs to take more close-up shots of everyone. He giggles in agreement. He flips the page over while bouncing in his seat. Thankfully, there are no more gruesome pictures; his latest ones are all beautiful and sweet. I point to the ones I like best.

One is of Sissy and Bubba dancing out in the backyard; he's adorably holding her hand up as she daintily spins. Another set of pictures I love is of Johnny in a white singlet, covered in grease stains, bent over working on a car. It follows another picture of him standing back up, turned towards the camera with a confused face, and then the last shot shows him angrily marching towards the camera, trying to grab it. It's a bit blurred; Nubbins must have started running off as he took that last picture. 

"These are really beautiful Nubbins." I tell him wholeheartedly. The pictures are well shot, and there is a loveliness to them, showing the fun side of his family. 

He grins at me in delight, and with a stutter in his voice, he asks if he could take a picture of me since I look very pretty today and will make a nice new collection. 

I nod my head. I don't see the harm in a few pictures. Nubbins quickly hops off the couch and stands in front of me, grabbing his camera that's strapped around his neck. He starts rapidly snapping pictures, the flash blinding me slightly, but I quickly compose myself and begin to smile, sitting up straighter, hopefully looking okay. I get nervous about my photo being taken.

After six or seven pictures fall from his camera, Nubbins squats down quickly, scattering them in his hands, and hobbles his way upstairs, forgetting about his photo album that is still placed on my lap.

With a morbid sense of curiosity, I flip back to see what other pictures Nubbins has taken. It consists mainly of poor dead cattle, roadkill, more of the family, and property. Until I found a picture of Johnny smiling with the corpse of a dead girl, he looked ecstatic, carrying her over his shoulder, shirtless and sweaty. It appears like he was chasing her and finally caught her. Like a wolf hunting a rabbit. Before I could turn another page, I heard Nubbins coming back downstairs.

I quickly snap the album shut and plop it next to me while grabbing my sewing needles, pretending I was focusing on something else other than his photos.

 “F-forgot this.” He mumbles under his breath, snatching the album from the couch and placing it under his arm while scuttling back to his room.

I sigh in relief at not getting caught looking through his album. I don’t know how he would react to it; it seems he takes his photography very seriously and personally. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble. Snooping like that is dangerous for me; I won’t try that again.

 

A few hours have passed since that little incident, and Sissy and I had just finished making dinner—chilli again, of course; it’s the family’s favourite. Made only how Drayton likes it, as he is the chilli expert.

I finish placing the cutlery and ceramic white plates on the dinner table just as Sissy rings the bell, signalling that food is cooked and it's time for supper. 

“Pa and Johnny should be back anytime now.” Sissy yells out to me from the kitchen, and right on cue, I hear Drayton's beat-up old truck roll up front.

Heavy doors slam, and loud voices take over the silence. The more they get closer, the easier it is to tell that an argument broke out between them—more of Drayton lecturing over Johnny. But they both come straight to the dining table, sitting in their designated spots as I take my seat.

I’m in front of Johnny. I look at his handsome face and am happy to see him. He stares back at me, making heavy eye contact with me. He looks hungry, and I don’t think it's for chilli. I cast my eyes down, not being able to keep the contact. I’ve never been good at holding eye contact; it gets too much before I start feeling embarrassed; it's easier to just look away.

Bubba comes in dressed up like an old grandma, carrying the big pot of chilli. Using a large wooden spoon, he goes around the table, serving the portions on the plates. Sissy must have given him the task when he came up from the basement. He practically lives down there, barely coming up. I guess having your own lair would be nice; it’s spacious, but I don't see the appeal; each to their own.

Sissy comes skipping in right after with a tea spoon and medium-sized bowl of sour cream, plopping them down on the table for whoever. She glances around and notices Nubbins hasn’t arrived. She sighs in annoyance, skips to the stairs, and yells out his name while also yelling that it’s dinnertime.

 

"Hurry up before it gets cold!" She yells for the last time. She comes back, smiling and taking her seat right next to me. We wait to eat until Nubbins arrives, who, of course, rushes down the stairs to take his spot. Yapping on about the new photos he took today. 

As Bubba puts the large pot down and sits, we begin to eat, and I glance back at Johnny, who is no longer staring at me but just casually eating and focusing on the others. I'm a tad jealous that he’s not focusing on me anymore. I must be showing it on my face as Johnny looks back at me with a smirk on his face. I flush red as he winks, and I look down again. I hate being so easy to read and tease. 

After finishing dinner, I was helping clean up the leftovers and dishes. Then the most odd thing happened. Johnny started to help, packing up the plates and bringing them to me. Not once since I've been here has Johnny ever helped with dishes. Placing the dirty dishes in the sink, he slides behind me, sneakily pressing himself against my ass. 

“Meet me outside near the shed. I got somethin’ for ya’." He says this quietly into my ear. With a quick kiss on my cheek, he's moves away leaving me alone and most likely heading to the shed. 

I wonder what he planned for me tonight; I have a feeling it’s not just the usual romp but something more. Taking deep breaths, I head out from the back garden to the nearby large shed. I really hope this isn't a punishment after that incident a few days ago. After I had killed that black-haired woman, I yelled at him for sleeping with her. Yes, I murdered her, but I was still pissed that he did that. I felt betrayed.

Johnny, not reacting to my anger, turned and left, leaving me baffled. It's why now I'm getting nervous as I get closer to the shed. Moonlight giving me vision in the dark while the gravel crunches underneath my shoes, sounds of crickets and leaves rustling around me as I reach my destination. 

 

Walking inside, Johnny is sitting on top of a large crater, and near him is another woman, bleeding from many cuts, gagged, and tied with an old rope to a chair. The poor thing is a sobbing mess. The outdoor lamps reflecting the wetness from her tears.

“I kept her alive just for you, sweetheart.” He says as he takes a drag from his cigarette. He stands up from the crate and saunters closer to me. 

Did you fuck this one too? I wanted to say badly, but I held my tongue. The last thing I want is to end up in the same position as the new victim. I shouldn't test him.

Johnny smiles, like he knows what I want to say, and I'm never going to be able to hide my thoughts from him. 

He wraps his muscular arm around my waist, pulling me towards him. “I know what you're thinking, sweetheart, and I didn’t put my cock any wear near her. I didn’t want you to have another temper tantrum like the other night.” He mocks me by blowing his cigarette smoke in my face. 

I crinkled my nose at the smoke, swatting its vileness away from my face. He tugs me along closer and grips my chin to my face towards the woman, who is straining her eyes at me with desperation.

“I want you to slice her up real good.” He speaks softly into my ear. Using the arm that was around my waist, he reaches to his pocket, pulling out a small switchblade and placing it in my sweaty palm. A lump swells in my throat at what he's asking me to do. I have to torture this innocent woman. I look closely at her; she seems to be in her mid-late twenties or early thirties. How am I going to do this?

He notices my hesitation, and without getting angry, he instead gently guides me closer to her. He walks behind me, pressing his large frame against me. "Let me show you." His deep voice soothes me as he holds my wrists like a puppeteer. I bite my bottom lip as he, or I guess me, presses the knife to the fat part of her cheek. Sliding it across. Ruby-red blood shines out of the gash as the woman wrestles with her restraints on the chair.

“I can’t.” I whimper at him. My hands are trembling for causing her anguish. She doesn’t deserve this; no matter who she is, this is wrong. 

“You will, or else I'll fuck her in front of you.” I'm not sure if it’s cowardice or selfishness, but I give in to him, letting him guide the knife along her delicate skin, slicing it and causing nasty red lines. We drag it down along her neck, pressing it down harder into her chest, where her heart is. I feel his hardness press into me, his hot breath along my neck, and his arm around my waist as we continue, going back up and pressing the sharp blade along her throat. 

The woman's breathing is rapid. Panting from fear. I refuse to look at her face, knowing what I'll see. Knowing she doesn't want to die. Begging for her life. 

“Do it.” He grunts, letting go of my wrist, holding me tight, waiting for me to slice her throat, wanting me to murder her on my own accord. I ignore the voices in my head as I dig the blade in deep enough. I shut my eyes as it gushes out. The woman gurgles and splatters in her gag as she chokes on her own blood.

I just killed another person, a human being. Who had a life? No, I can’t think about it; I won't. Thinking about that will get me killed. I love Johnny, and I’ll do anything for him. 

I let out a big sob, trying to calm down as Johnny turned me into his chest, hugging me. 

"You did so well, sweetheart." He assured me, patting my head. A sense of comfort swarms me as I'm held tight in his arms. 

I crane my neck up to look up at him, his dark eyes blown wide with excitement. We stare at each other as our breaths get heavy.

He dives in for a hungry kiss. I reciprocate, wanting him to devour me and to feel him inside me. Keeping me full.

Johnny pulls and tosses me against a crate. My chest squishes flat as he pulls up my dress. I wiggle my upper body, trying to adjust myself to a comfortable position. 

“Your soaked.” Johnny mocks me while gliding his fingers along my slit.

Without hesitation, I grind myself back on his hand, his thumb rubbing slow circles on my engorged clit, while two other fingers slide inside, stretching me out for his cock.

“Johnny.” I moan softly, feeling guilty as I look at the bleeding-dead woman, her limp body falling forward. 

“Don't worry, darlin', I got you." His fingers start thrusting out of me, distracting me as I clench around them, moaning. Fuck, it feels good.

 “Please, Johnny, keep going; don’t stop.” I squeezed myself again around his fingers. I'm so aroused that I could cum at any moment.

He is always so good with his fingers; he knows exactly where to put them, turning me into a moaning mess and aching for an orgasm. He presses his thumb on my clit harder, rocking it back and forth along with his other fingers. 

 

I try not to look back at the woman; the sounds of my wetness echo through the shed. A hard slap to my ass cues me to look back at Johnny in surprise; he looks annoyed.

“Don’t fuckin’ ignore me, sweetheart.” He yells angry at me for being distracted. He pulls out his fingers, drawing a gasp out of me as he flips me over.

Flatting my back on the crate, I spread my legs while the rest of my dress is dragged up over my breasts. He moves in between my legs hovering over me.

“I’m sorry, Johnny.” I moan out as he gropes and kneads my breasts. I spread my legs further to accommodate his hulking frame. My pussy aching to be touched again. He sucks on a nipple, swirling it with his tongue as I reach around, digging my nails into his soft hair. 

He stops sucking my nipples and roughly pulls my knees up to my chest so he can place his lips on my clit. He gently blows cool air on my pearl before encompassing his mouth around it, sucking and licking. I pant and squeeze his hair tighter, making him groan into my cunt. Shit, I'm going to cum soon. My cunt clenches around nothing, demanding to be filled as I reach my peak, legs shaking as I cum.

He pushes his cock inside me as I cum. We both groan in sync as he keeps going in. "Fuck your pussy feels incredible!" He groans, thrusting away.

I start moaning loudly, feeling very sensitive from my orgasm. He starts going harder, placing my calves over his shoulders. I hold on to him, trying to focus, but I'm so sensitive that I can barely keep up. 

"Johnnyyy s-so good.” I breatheless moan, barely making a full sentence as my tits swing to his pounding.

“Gonna cum, sweetheart.” He warns, pushing my legs further back, reaching deeper than before. He places his thumb on my clit, massaging it. 

I unexpectedly cum again, and my body shakes at its suddenness. Johnny moans deeply, feeling my gummy walls gush and tighten around his throbbing cock.

“Oh yeah, that’s what I love’.” He groans as he cums, squirting in me deeply, holding me still as he fills me up. I whine when he places my legs down. He watches his cum drip out of your cunt, biting his lower lip at the sight. 

"Shit darlin', I wanna' fuck again." He groans enthusiastically, slapping my thighs. 

@alurafairy : @mikaneedy

[yuzurujenn]

[2023.11.11] AERA Special Edition - 100 Q&A with Yuzuru Hanyu

1. What time do you wake up in the morning?

This morning? 12:30pm.

2. Is it always like that?

It’s usually around 6pm.

3. The first words uttered when you wake up in the morning. Is it “sleepy”?

“Sleepy” maybe.

4. The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning.

Put away the futon.

5. The last thing you ate.

Tofu! It was a cold one.

6. The ideal way to spend your holidays.

Wake up, play games, and sleep (laughs). Then, um, wake up again, eat when I’m hungry, lie down and go back to sleep again.

7. The ideal breakfast.

I wonder.. break and milk.

8. What kind of dinner makes you excited?

Gyoza!

9. What do you keep in mind to manage your physical condition?

I keep additives at a minimum. It’s hard to avoid them, but I’m trying to reduce it.

10. How do you spend your time on the shinkansen? Check SNS? Sleep?

Either.

11. A dream you had recently.

It’s a scary one, I had a dream of jumping into the lake.

12. Why the lake?

I was being chased by some scary people, their faces were covered in mosaics. Felt like these people were trying to kill me, so I jumped into a lake.

13. What would you end up buying at the convenience store?

Pudding.

14. What kind of pudding you prefer? Firm or soft?

Firm.

15. Favourite app.

App. I wonder what it is, Pass! I can’t say (laughs).

16. Do you drink alcohol?

I can’t drink alcohol. Allergy.

17. What do you want to be if you are reborn?

Human! Preferably myself.

18. Sweet things, spicy things, bitter things, and sour things. Which do you like?

I guess something sweet.

19. When you’re feeling down, what do you do?

Just dance according to the music.

20. Mountain or sea, which do you prefer?

Mountain!

21. If you could shout something from the top of the mountain?

“Yay!” Or something? Hahaha.

22. Who do you talk to when you are feeling troubled?

Myself. Or listen to music.

23. Favourite time of the day.

5 or 6 o’clock in the morning.

24. Why that time of the day?

It depends on the seasons, but the sun will rise around this time. On cloudy days, although the sun will rise, it will be a bit dim. But it’s not a sinking feeling since it’s sunrise, I like that kind of gloomy morning.

25. Frequently used emoji.

What is it? Cry 😭! (Use both hands to express). I use this a lot.

26. Favourite animal.

Cat!

27. If you were to get a cat, what name would you give it?

Milk. Because what comes to mind right now is a white cat.

28. Yuzuru Hanyu expressed in one kanji character.

Well, this is a difficult question. I’ll leave this for later!

29. What do you do to boost your spirit?

Take caffeine.

30. How do you take it?

I will drink something, like energy drink.

31. A habit you want to fix.

Staying up late.

32. What’s a word you always end up saying?

Sou desu ne (Indeed/I See).

33. Do you believe in fortune telling?

I do. Hehe.

34. A place you would like to go.

Ise Jingu and Izumo Taisha.

35. Have you been there before?

I went to Ise Jingu once on my way home from an ice show. It was amazing, I felt a lot of energy and power there. I'd like to go there again.

36. Favourite place?

Sendai.

37. What’s good about Sendai?

It’s a place where the city and forest can co-exist.

38. Speaking of Sendai?

Zunda!

39. What would you do if you had a different job for just one day?

Occupation? One day only. Um, programmer!

40. Do you have any programming experience?

I took programming classes when I was in college, and I’ve been doing it a little bit since. I think it would be fun to do something like that.

41. If you have 10 minutes free time?

Play game!

42. What game?

Now I’m playing “Fire Emblem”.

43. The best movie you’ve seen.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

44. Something that makes you think “This is just impossible”.

Bell pepper.

45. An episode with bell pepper.

During the ice show the other day the hotel caterer served us curry. Before the actual performance, I can’t eat curry at all because it’s a bit heavy for me. However, I thought I might be able to eat it before rehearsal the night before, so I went to eat it and found that it had bell pepper in it. I was in shock, I couldn’t recover from it. Even though it’s curry, it had bell pepper in it! There were only red and yellow bell peppers (laughs).

46. Do you prefer to eat your favourite food first, or last?

Divide it, and eat it the first and the last.

47. Your favourite dagashi (penny candy).

Um, gummies. Are gummies dagashi? Not sure?

48. Would you put them as dagashi?

And then, there’s that soda candy. Big one. Tastes like cola. Sometimes with gum in them. I like that.

49. Something that surprised you recently.

Nothing much. However, that dream surprised me though, I was thinking “I’m going to be killed” (laughs)

50. Is there anything surprised you in real life?

Ah yes, bugs! Just at the entrance of my house, there was a relatively rare scarab called the Polyphylla albolineata (Motschulsky). I poked it with my hand to see what it was, and it made a loud sound, which shocked me (laughs). First time seeing that kind of bug.

51. Favourite scent?

I like chamomile and jasmine.

52. Favourite bento side dish?

Karaage (fried chicken).

53. Favourite tea?

Early grey.

54. Favourite ingredient in miso soup?

Tofu.

55. Favourite onigiri filling?

Now I like kombu!

56. Favourite sandwich filling?

Tomatoes.

57. Favourite meat?

Pork belly!

58. Favourite drink?

Dr. Pepper.

59. Favourite colour?

It depends on the time and occasion, but right now it’s yellow-green.

60. Favourite manga?

What manga would I recommend. There are quite a few, but hmm, I wonder what is it now. Tokyo Ghoul, I guess.

61. Favourite flower?

I wonder... Hydrangea!

62. Artists you’re interested in recently?

I'm feeling troubled. I don’t want to say who is popular (laughs), but ah, what should I do. Mrs. GREEN APPLE!

63. Your favourite toy as a child?

Jungle gym.

64. Do you like being at the top?

I like the top. I think I fell down once when I was a kid though.

65. Were you okay?

It’s a small jungle gym for home use. I seemed to have hit somewhere. Hit the forehead.

66. Recommended Youtube channel?

“HANYU YUZURU” hahaha.

67. Important words?

Daijoubu (It’s okay).

68. The moment you felt glad that you were skating?

Probably when I could move as my heart dictates.

69. If you could only bring one thing with you to an uninhabited island?

Knife? As long as you have a knife, you can always find a way.

70. If you can take a week off starting tomorrow?

Play games!

71. If tomorrow is the end of the world, what would you want to eat?

Gyoza. It’s all about gyoza (laughs).

72. What would you buy as a gift for yourself?

Earphone.

73. Describe your personality in one word.

Well, weird. Hahaha.

74. Why do you feel you are like a weird person?

I didn’t feel like I was weird at all originally, but recently I took on a lot of various jobs, and when I was being interviewed, I thought, “I’m such a weirdo”.

75. What was the moment that you felt that being weird is good too?

Because I am weird, I think about many different things and observe and make progress from a different perspective than others. Based on this, I don’t think it is a derogatory term, but after all I was a bit shocked to realise I am different from others (laughs).

76. Favourite number.

1.

77. Favourite novel.

キマイラ (Kimaira). I don’t reach much novels, but I’ve read quite a lot of the Kimaira series.

78. How big is the largest Pooh that you own?

(Opening his arms) About this big? It should be this big. Is it about 1 meter, or 80 centimetres?

79. What about the smallest Pooh?

That would be the Tsum-Tsum, the plastic kind, there’s a very small one, almost 2cm, the stacking kind.

80. If you’re not a figure skater, what would you be?

A baseball player. I liked baseball more (laughs).

81. A costume you want to try on for Halloween.

Vampire!

82. When did you have your first cell phone?

No, I don’t have one.

83. How do you check SNS?

Although I have been using an iPod touch, it has been discontinued. Now I’m using an iPhone without a SIM card. Since I’ve never used a cell phone, I don’t have a number.

84. If you could get one thing, what would it be?

I wonder. Hmm… I guess I rather get it on my own than receiving it.

85. What kind of nerd (otaku) are you?

Audio.

86. What is your specialty dish?

Frozen gyoza (laughs).

87. What kind of illustrations are you good at?

I can’t draw Pooh. Ah, but I may have drawn all kinds of wings, and skates.

88. Things you tend to collect.

Just earphones, and gyoza (laughs).

89. Something you always keep in mind.

Never forget your original intention.

90. Words that you dislike.

Right. There is, but I wonder what it is. “Uncool” is definitely something I don’t want to be told.

91. A relaxing moment.

When I’m in the futon, lying on my stomach and squeezing the pillow.

92. How do you spend your birthday?

I was hardly in Japan for my birthday. There was always the Grand Prix Final, and when I couldn’t go, it’s usually because I was injured or sick.

93. On your 28th birthday after turning professional, how did you spend it?

I felt like it was the first time I could spend some time at home. Yeah. It’s like “I’m not fidgeting!” Moreover, I was not injured and not in a bad shape. That’s what I was thinking.

94. Were you also off work?

There’s a program called “Classic TV” with Shinya Kiyozuka, and there was a recording of it. However, even though there was a recording session, I was able to spend time at home.

95. You will be 29 years old this year. What kind of year would you like to have?

Well, for now, I would like to continue my research and study.

96. What kind of research and study?

Acting and expression techniques. I want to learn more about those things, and also learn more skating techniques.

97. What do you want to do when you turn 30?

For now, continue jumping quads. Like, “I can jump!” hahaha.

98. What will you be doing in 10 years?

I wonder if I will still be skating. My goal is to maintain my health and reduce the risk of injury as much as possible so that I can still skate 10 years from now.

99. Once again, “Yuzuru Hanyu” expressed in one kanji character.

Hmm. Core, I guess. I absolutely do not want to waver.

100. Lastly, what would you like to ask your fans?

Am I living up to your expectations?

Info: https://x.com/AERAnetjp/status/1708679949245100224

[soulofapatrick]

Perfect Date - Pedro Pascal x reader/OC

Summary: Part three to Behind The Scenes and Never Letting You Go. I might rewrite it I’m not sure

Words: 1.07k

Warnings: None 

Pedro’s POV

Filming goes on as usual but now Y/N just alternates between sleeping in her trailer with Bella or crashing in mine. It all depends on how filming was that day, like after filming the section for David and Ellie it seemed like Bella really needed her sister. It was an intense part to film, the reality of what could have happened if it were real life sitting in the air for a while. 

I watched from across the set the way Bella hugged Y/N tight and the way the beautiful woman hugged her back like she would never let anything touch Bella. Y/N met my gaze and sent me a shy smile as if she hadn’t been moaning in my ear earlier that morning. Of course I couldn’t just let her go back to set the next morning without hearing those breathtaking sounds or feel the way she writhed underneath me. We weren’t able to get breakfast but little does she know I have a date planned, I just need Gabriel and Bella to hold up their end of this and help me out. 

Y/N isn’t one for big public acts so a fancy dinner date is out the question and a bad idea if we don’t want the paparazzi to make up a story about me and some mystery girl. I haven’t even asked her to date me yet, I plan to do that on this date. I want to set up a picnic of all her favourite snacks and we can get Italian takeaway as I’ve noticed spaghetti bolognese being her favourite meal. Whenever we all go our at a team it’s her go to and if they don’t have that she’ll have a burger. Gabriel and Bella are going to distract her as Gabriel seems to be her best friend on set and well, Bella’s her sister. I have no idea what they’re going to do but I hope it’s enough for me to set up. 

Tomorrow’s our day off so it’s planned for then. I have all the Indiana Jones movies bought and waiting for me on the hotel TV as Y/N’s always gushing over how much she loves the movies and how she’ll always rewatch them when she’s sad. I want it to be perfect. I want her to know just how much I love and care for her. I want to show her that she is more than the mind blowing sex. 

——————

It’s finally here and everything’s perfect. The hotel gave me roses which I spread all across the bed, around the blanket laid out and the picnic basket full of all of her favourite snacks at the bottom of the bed. The takeaway spaghetti is in tupperware containers inside a heat bag or whatever they’re called. 

I’ve showered and spent hours on deciding what to wear because this… this is what makes or breaks us. I settled on some loose jeans and a button up which I only button up three quarters of the way up, making sure my hair is fluffy and curly as Y/N can’t seem to keep her hands out of it or stop complimenting the curls. I neatened up my beard and then began to light the two cherry scented candles as it’s Y/N’s favourite scent. 

There’s a knock at the door and Gabriel’s calling, “Her eyes are closed.” 

I’m throwing the door open to find Y/N standing there, Gabriel covering her eyes but I can’t help just stare at how gorgeous she looks. She’s in black and white plaid jeans that just hit her figure in all the right places as well as a baggy cream sweater and Doc Martens. Her hair is down except for two twists on either side of her head. It’s so effortless yes has me feeling like a kid with a high school crush. 

Gabriel opens his mouth to speak and I realise I’ve been starting for a few minutes so I shoo him away and replace his hands with my own, guiding her into the room and kicking the door behind me. Her breath hitches when I stop her and press my chest to her back, unable to help myself because she’s gorgeous and she’s right here and I need to feel her in my arms. 

“Surprise sweetheart.” I take my hands away and her mouth falls open before she’s spinning around to throw herself at me in a hug. I wrap my arms around her waist as she runs her fingers play with the wisps of hair at the nape of my neck and she’s mumbling ‘thank you’ over and over again until I’m pulling her away from me, “Anything for you baby girl. I promised us a date.” 

“You did, ” She’s breathless, forest green eyes bright with love as I guide her over to the bed, “How did you?” She notices the food eyes widening and head flying up to meet my gaze again as we sit. 

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out.” I send a cheeky grin her way, heart pounding because I want to ask her before we settle down and begin otherwise it’d just be so awkward, “I-I’ve been meaning to ask you something,”

“Is everything okay Pedrito?” Concern covers her soft face as I grab her hands in mine, heart swelling at the use of my nickname. Only my family and the closest people call me that. It feels like a secret the way it perfectly rolls off her tongue. 

“Willyougooutwithme?” I blurt out and she laughs lightly as I feel my face flush bright red, taking a deep breath before trying again, “Will you be my girlfriend.” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” She leans across the bed and kisses me. It makes me want to knock everything off the bed and ravish her but I want to have this date just as badly. Y/N seems to have similar thoughts because she’s breaking the kiss to kick off her boots and just as quickly as she’s gone she’s back. This time she’s straddling my lap, eyes having darkened with something more than lust as she’s holding my face in her hands and pressing a kiss to my slightly parted lips that has me weak at the knees. I grab her hips to ground myself pulling away from the kiss to risk something so very very early on: “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

[kaeyeahsworld]

Keep me in love.

Chapter 1: Sunsets

Toji woke up late that afternoon.

His practice sessions which got more rigorous day by day were starting to take a toll on him and the mandatory clubbing nights with his boxing mates up till 4 in the morning didn’t help. Toji didn’t mind though, stress busters like that were always welcome in his mundane but strangely packed life. The Toji from 10 years ago wouldn’t even have been able to dream of the word mundane.

His days were usually quite monotonous. Get up early (except for the weekends when he had no practice) cook up some grub, and clean up the already clean place. His flat was the most minimal it could be and he hadn’t bothered with any furniture besides a large couch in the living room and an expensive TV in front of it that was most certainly only there to give him some white noise on his sleepless nights. What he loved the most about his space was the tranquility that came in with the sunset of each day as the hues of orange, pink, and blue littered through the large wall-to-floor window panes. Every day after his boxing practice sessions that lasted throughout the afternoon he could come back home right at the moment to let the colors fall over him. It was his grounding moment of the day, something that told him he was alive and here, and all that was there was this moment.

After groggily loitering around his room and clearing up that space as well as the bed, he was thinking about whether to cook up something for his 3 pm breakfast, when the doorbell rang. His body prepared to leap out of pure muscle memory. He couldn’t think of anyone who would be visiting him at this hour. It was the weekend so Nanami would be off work and Shiu was in Korea. But when he opened the door, the last person he expected to stand in front of him was a girl with the most chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen and a cute little frown.

“Oh sorry! I seem to have gotten to the wrong-“

“It’s okay. This is 303, 203 is the floor below” Toji slammed the door uncaring.

The bell chimes again. Toji opens it again to the same girl.

“Hello, good sir. It appears I am where I’m supposed to be which is 303”.

“If you are looking for Fushiguro, he’s out of town-“Toji was about to slam the door once again when she yelped

“Wait a minute! This is 303 right? There is no confusion with the flat signs outside?” “Second time I am repeating myself miss, this is 303 on the third floor of Yuusei mansions”

“Right”

“Right”

Brown eyes then said something weird enough to ruin Toji’s nonexistent plans for the weekend and most importantly his bloody mood,

“You might have to move out Mr Fushiguro”

“And in the nicest way, I can ask, who the fuck are you miss?”

————————————————————————Lilly as she introduced herself at his doorway, was either not showing it or had no sense of panic about the situation at hand.

“How is it my fault that Uncle Jin isn't picking up his calls, so can you please stop shouting at me?” “Miss-“ “And isn’t it rude of you to make me stand at the doorway for 2 hours?”

The neighbours started noticing now. In reality it had been only about 20 minutes since brown eyes had started bickering with him and Jin Itadori wasn’t lifting his calls, the man that had not only previously employed him but also his landlord.

He invited her in at the moment just to shut her up. Almost as if it was her own, she started moving and looking around the place and heading towards the empty room opposite to Toji’s and before he could say anything the doorbell chimed once again and he was at it in a second. “Jin you dumb fuck” he roared as soon as he opened the door and the man's face came into view grinning mischievously.

‘why the fuck is everybody so chill about this?’

“Evening to you too Toji and where is she?” Hearing the familiar voice, Lilly popped up beside Toji’s large frame “Uncle! I think there’s been a misunderstanding” “I figured sweets. Toji, step out with me for a moment?”

————————————————————————

“And the guys must have gotten her papers wrong probably. She was supposed to move into 303 of the Yuusei’s 4th block, but it looks like they got it changed to 2nd. I don’t know for sure yet Toji and the whole process of rechecking and resubmitting her documents is gonna take some time so all I am asking for, is one month”

“No fucking way is that girl staying with me for an entire month Jin. I am not paying you so much of my bucks for stupid shit like this”

Jin snorted and quipped back “First off Toji you ain’t paying me as much as you should be but that’s on me, second of all it’s only for a month until I sort this stuff out and move her to another floor or away to another apartment itself.”

“Why can’t you do that now? Or maybe tell her to live with her family for a while. I swear to god Jin-

“She’s an orphan”

That caught Toji by surprise. He was all for assuming that she was a spoilt little daddy’s princess and the only cruelty of the world she had possibly faced was a waiter getting her order wrong “How do you know her then? And why does she call you uncle?”

Jin gave a soft smile when he heard the question but didn’t show any sign of answering him.

“You creepy fuck don’t tell me-“ “I will chop your tongue off Toji if you try finishing your sentence” “It’s not what you think. She is…like a nephew of mine. Sort off.”

Toji’s head started pounding with this one. Sort off? What was he getting himself into? More like what was Jin up to these days? But he asked the question that bothered him the most out of all

“Why is she so calm about it though?”

“Don’t ask me” Jin replied to his aloof self. “Maybe she has lived with the worst of the lot? Heard her ex was one heck of a bum. Anyway Toji, I am not taking your opinion on this one. She’s literally only going to be in her room so she won’t be taking up any of your space”

“But-“

“The living and the kitchen are the only shared space you guys have and I am sure your wonderful personality will repel her out of at least one of them for a while, you aren’t home most of the time and she isn’t either so suck it up for a month”

“One month. That’s all”

Toji had realized by now that Lilly was being moved into his place for a reason, he could spot a lie as good as he could tell one and he genuinely couldn’t wrap his head around as to why. But he wouldn’t ask. Simply because he did not care for the girl. Or if she was an orphan. One month will pass in a blink of an eye and he would be free again. Right?

~~~~~

[roxygen22]

Still Here (Chapter 4)

Summary: Timothée invites you and Madison out to the lake.

A/N: This Timothée variant is so dad-coded that I'm falling in love with him myself.

Catch up on previous chapters here.

You spent the next few days helping your mother clean out and rearrange your old room to be livable once again instead of a dedicated craft space. You checked your phone constantly the first couple of days after your lunch with Timothée, but slowly resigned yourself to the fact that he may not reach out after all. You wouldn't blame him if he had changed his mind. The two of you hurt each other pretty badly all of those years ago and were practically strangers again thanks to time and distance.

On the fifth day, as you were perusing job ads in the local newspaper, you heard your phone ding. You stared at the device for a moment in disbelief. Was it going to be a message from him, or just another spam text that gets your hopes up? You flipped it over and spotted:

"Want to go out to the lake on Saturday?"

You bit your lip and grinned, hugging your phone to your chest. Finally.

"Sounds fun! Let me see if my parents are available to hang out with Maddy." "She's welcome, too."

Wow. You weren't used to that. Your "friends" in California weren't much on kids tagging along on your outings. It got to a point where you didn't go out much at all because getting a sitter was too expensive.

"Really? Thanks! I think she'd enjoy getting out of the house." "Of course. Let's meet at my place early around 7am so we can have some fun before it gets hot. Do you remember how to get here?" "As long as you are still on Hawk Road, I can manage ;)" "Yep. See you in a couple of days."

<><><><><>

Saturday morning finally arrived. It was hard to convince Madison to get out of bed, but with some persuasion (i.e. favorite breakfast) she was up and dressed relatively quickly. You went through your verbal checklist to ensure you had everything you both needed for day of fun in the sun:

"Phone charger, check, snacks, check, cooler of drinks, check, sunscreen, check, spare clothes, check. Alright, I think we have everything. Let's load up!" As expected, you were able to find Timothée's place with ease. He had a small house on the same land as his parents. You had spent enough time there as a teenager that you still knew the route like the back of your hand.

Timothée was already outside packing stuff into the bed of the truck when you arrived. He turned and waved as he heard your car make its way down the gravel driveway. Once you stopped, he walked up and opened the door for you. Another gesture you weren't used to anymore.

"Good morning!" You looked up at him from your car's seat and smiled. He hugged you once you stood.

"Morning, [Y/N]." He pulled back to look at your face, smiled again, then looked to the side as he spotted movement behind the car. "Hey, Madison!"

"Hey," she replied flatly as she walked up to the two of you. You pulled the girl into your side.

"Mornings aren't her favorite. She'll warm up eventually." You looked down to give her that "mind your manners" look.

"That's alright. I'm not a morning person either, unless I'm up for something fun. Like today!" Timothée said cheerily. That's when you noticed something connected to his truck.

You leaned around him and exclaimed, "You have a boat now?!"

He chuckled. "I did grow up a little bit while you were away, [Y/N]."

You laughed awkwardly, but then quickly froze when you realized, "Oh no, we don't have life jackets. I didn't know, so I didn't plan for..."

"Don't worry, I already thought through that. I had an extra adult one on hand and borrowed a kids' life jacket from the neighbors. By the way, they have some kids around Madison's age. I think their youngest may even be in the same grade in the fall. They want to meet you both."

"Oh, it would be so great if Madison could at least know one other kid when school starts up. Are they new in the area?"

"Relatively. They moved in about five years ago," he replied.

"Ah, I see. I have a lot of catching up to do," you noted. You looked down at your daughter and squeezed her shoulder, "And we have new friends to make."

"I may not even still be here when the new school year starts, remember?" Madison grumbled.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to have some friends around when you come visit your grandparents, though, right?" Timothée chimed in.

She shrugged. "I guess not."

"Right, well, back to the fun at hand. Before I saw the boat, I was going to offer that we all pile in my car since there is more space. We can just follow you over there instead," you stated.

"Nonsense. We can all fit in my truck. Here, let me put your things in the back." You opened the trunk and allowed him to transfer your bags and cooler.

As he walked away, you bent down to talk to Madison quietly. "His truck only has one row of seats. Are you okay with sitting in the middle between us?" Just because you had known Timothée most of your life didn't mean she would (or should) be automatically comfortable around him.

"Sure, I've never ridden in a truck like this before, or in a boat!" You could tell she was starting to perk up. She ran over when Timothée opened the heavy passenger door of the old blue truck and climbed inside eagerly. "Whoa, we're so high up compared to your car, Mom!"

Once you followed suit, Timothée shut the door and ran around the front to the driver seat to join you. "Alright, everyone buckled up?" he asked. You and Madison nodded. "Then let's go!"

As he drove, you pointed out some of the places from your childhood. This triggered some reminiscing on Timothée's part about some of the shenanigans the two of you got into, which made Madison giggle. She seemed to enjoy hearing about some of your irresponsible moments. Hearing her laugh again was like music to your ears. You looked over at the two of them as they laughed together. Even though it was at your expense, you couldn't help but smile. Maybe this is what it could have been like had you stayed, the two of you together with a child in between.

Your arrival at the lake interrupted your reverie. Soon the three of you were out on the water and heading for a cove Timothée liked to frequent. Madison sat at the front of the boat with you close behind. She was nervous at first, gripping the edge of the boat, but quickly loosened up. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her as she faced into the wind. She looked back at you with a grin and yelled, "It feels like I am flying!" You laughed and waved, then looked back at Timothée, who was watching the two of you with a soft smile...

...which quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "Watch this!" he shouted. Now out on open water, he opened the throttle on the motor. The nose of the boat raised out of the water with increased speed. This time, you were the one gripping the edge of your seat while your daughter screamed, "Woohoo!" with both hands in the air. You could hear Timothée laughing behind you.

Much to Madison's disappointment, Timothée had to slow down as you neared the cove. When you approached the shore, he turned the motor off and jumped out to drag the boat to the bank. The girl jumped from the boat to the sand. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed as she shucked her lifejacket.

Timothée offered his hand to help you down then grabbed the bags and cooler. "Glad you're enjoying yourself, kiddo. Now, can you help me find a spot to set up our stuff?" he asked.

Madison ran up a small hill and quickly spied a dry grassy space to lay out the blankets. "Over here!"

"That's perfect, Maddy." You laid out a blanket. "Why don't you sit here, take your shoes off, and put sunscreen on, then you can go wade around while I get everything else set up. But no swimming until one of us can join you."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Okayyyy..."

You raised an eyebrow. "Or I could make you sit here all by your lonesome while Timothée and I swim, if you're going to be like that."

"No, no, I'm good. Shallow water only." She gestured to cross her heart then ran back down the hill.

Timothée set the cooler down beside you. "I know it wasn't part of your plan years ago, but you're really good at that."

"What's that?" You gave him a questioning look.

"The whole mom thing. You seem to have a knack for when to give her space and freedom, and when to rein it in. Oof, and that eyebrow raise. Even I stopped in my tracks."

You laughed. "Oh just wait until I have to break out her middle name. That's when it's really serious, Timothée Hal Chalamet." He playfully shuddered. "But, uh, thanks. I feel like I fail at it all the time. Especially these last few months. Parenting is supposed to be a two person job, you know. Or more. Like they say, it takes a village." You dropped your head to prevent him from seeing the tears welling up in your eyes.

Timothée reached out to lift your chin. "I think you'll find a village here to help you, if you give them a chance." He brushed a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb.

Before you could respond, Madison interrupted with a squeal. He dropped his hand and cleared his throat as you quickly turned to investigate. "A fish touched my leg!"

You both chuckled. "I guess we better get down there," you said. You both undressed down to your swimwear and joined her. The three of you played and swam for hours. Once Timothée caught you by surprise by grabbing your waist, hoisting you out of the water, and throwing you back in. Madison giggled when you came back up spluttering, then asked to be thrown next.

This continued for several rotations until he was worn out. Both you and he needed a break. Madison was still going strong but was willing to come back into the shallows if it meant staying in the water.

Timothée sat beside you on the blanket as you dried yourself off. You could tell an idea dawned on him by the look on his face.

"Is it alright if I let her drive the boat around a little when we're back in open water? With help, of course?"

"Sure. That should be incentive enough to get her out of the water." You paused. "Thank you for today. I haven't seen her smile and laugh this much in months. It's all been so hard on her."

"Oh, think nothing of it. I come out here all the time to get away from life for a bit. Based on what you told me at lunch the other day, you hadn't had a chance to just stop and have some fun. I'm glad I could offer that."

"You...you're being so sweet to me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we never talked about the way we ended things. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't important to me."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been happy for you. Instead I selfishly focused on what I was losing versus what you were gaining. After some time, when I was able to see past my own hurt and look at things more objectively, I realized how incredibly brave you were to pack up and chase your dreams," he replied.

"I didn't reach them, though," you said sadly.

"Yet. You still have time," he said matter of factly.

You scoffed. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but life is too crazy right now to even think about finishing school."

"Well, just don't lose sight of it. K?" You nodded. "So shall we pack up and head back?" He stood and offered you his hand.

"All good things must come to an end, sadly," you replied, allowing him to help you stand. The two of you folded up the blankets and hauled the stuff back to the boat.

As you predicted, Madison whined when she saw what was going on. "I don't want to go yet!"

You smirked and looked over at Timothée. "I got this," he muttered to you under his breath. "Hey, kiddo, would you want to go if I let you drive the boat?"

"Really?!"

Timothée nodded. "Only when we get out in open water, but yes, I'll show you how to steer."

Madison looked at you with big puppy dog eyes. "Can I really drive it, Mom?"

"Hmm," you put your finger and thumb on your chin to look deep in thought. "I suppose so."

"Yes!" She jumped up and down and pumped her fist in the air.

"Now go get your shoes and lifejacket back on," you instructed. You all loaded up in the boat and set on your way. Madison was visibly vibrating with excitement as she sat beside Timothée next to the motor.

"Ready?" he asked once out of the cove. She nodded emphatically. "Alright, we're not going to go as fast as we did on our way out here, ok? Now, you have to face forward, but put your hand here on the handle behind you. Good. You will need to push or pull the handle in the direction you want to go. If you want to head right, push right. Left, pull left."

"Got it. Right is right, left is left."

"Ok. I am going to twist the handle to get us going again. You focus on where we're heading." She looked at him very seriously and nodded. Timothée slowly increased the speed. Madison looked nervous for a brief moment as she experimented with how far to push or pull to get the boat to move.

"You're already a pro!" Timothée shouted.

"Look Mom, I'm doing it!" She beamed. It was a beautiful sight. You pulled out your phone and took their picture. You made a mental note to send it to Timothée later.

Madison steered the boat almost the entire way back to the boat ramp, then. Timothée took over. After he expertly brought the boat to rest at the dock, you and Madison unloaded your belongings while he got the truck. After loading up and heading out, Madison fell asleep against your shoulder before you even got to the highway. You rested your cheek on her head, reveling in the closeness. She didn't come to you for cuddles like she used to.

The girl stayed asleep even once you arrived back at Timothée's house. He gently picked her up and carried her to your car.

"Thank you for your help," you said softly as you stood by the car door. "And thank you again for today."

"I enjoyed it. Hopefully we can do it again sometime this summer."

"I'd like that, and I think it's safe to say she would, too." You grabbed the door handle and turned. "Hey, uh, want to grab dinner sometime this week?"

Timothée smiled. "Yes."

<><><><><>

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

[tftjaspasaur]

silly pup~ showering together wouldn’t be complete without a little fun under the water… kissing made even sloppier, suds everywhere… pretty sure I wouldn’t need permission to pet you the rest of the time anyway, but especially when it’s just us under the spray… slippery and wet and clean for once but still having tons of fun… hopefully we can keep ourselves upright, hmm? … and I’m so glad you’re here for the biting and sleepy sex too… hard to keep my hands off you… want to prop you up just right, still snoozing away, and get off with your body… ride different parts of your body (thigh, stomach~) until it’s sticky (are you hairy? adds to the texture, but means I have to be wetter to start properly… im definitely on the hairer side myself;)… keep your hands just right to use them as a custom toy, all for me…. id love to sit on your handsome face, but probably better to do that with you awake hehe… and dont you dare stop when you do wake up either… i expect lots of sleepy confusion turning to excitement… after all, its play time puppy and you've got some catching up to do💖💖💖

(im thinking collars and harnesses next, tho how do we feel about knotting and double ended toys for us to play with~?)

love waking up to more of your asks ccnsjcjcn wanna kiss you so bad under the spray of the shower.. just want you so bad you’re making me so desperate and needy please? promise I’ll be so good for you!! don’t need permission to play with me I’m just your free use puppy to use anytime you want promise !! I’ll always be slick and ready.. I’m a heavy sleeper so it wouldn’t be hard to get me into whatever position you wanted for you to use my body, and I am a bit hairy yes bchsjd need to wake up confused why I’m all sticky when I took a shower the night before to then realizing I got used by you in my sleep.. would be such a huge turn on.. and if I do wake up I’d just be whining and begging for more once I realized what happened.. might take be a bit because I’m a dumb slut but I’ll get there I promise!! would love to wake up and you immediately use my face, would be my favorite breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day after all.. just not sure I’d be able to stop myself from rutting into you after making you release on my face a few times.. noises would be so sweet in the morning I bet.. would you like that, puppy? promise I’ll make it all up to you once I’m awake, need to make sure you know just how happy it makes me to be used whenever you need.. makes me feel so special to be your free use slut whenever you need.. would always be ready for you and thank you for using me..!

(Cnsnjxjdjd please please please yes yes yes to if all please please knot me please fuck need that so bad please please can use whatever you want on me please god need it so bad behxjd gonna get off to the thought of you knotting me alone now fuck.. love waking up to your asks and the first thing I do is read them and get off.. perfect way to start my day~)

[mymoodwriting]

11.7k, yandere, vampires, memory manipulation, drugs, disassociation, needles, kidnapping, self-inflicted wounds, restraints, knives, blood (@starillusion13)

Welcome to Happy Vampire Village

    The name was silly, but you understood why they had chosen it. When the vampires revealed themselves to the world, everything changed. They were no longer a fairy tale, but a very real being that had quietly lived alongside humans for centuries. It wouldn’t be so easy to hide in the modern world, but they also saw that humans had changed. Now all they wanted was to peacefully coexist without either side living in fear of the other. Of course that was easier said than done, so this lovely little place had been set up. A small village where vampires and humans could live together, to show that they weren’t bad.

    You couldn’t really remember why you had agreed to it, but here you were. The idea was to live with them in this village for a few months and then share your experiences with the world. Although it was just you, one human living with eleven other vampires. The first few weeks were certainly awkward on your end. The boys were all very friendly with you, too friendly, in their attempts to ease your worries. Honestly you didn’t really believe they were vampires at first until you stayed up late one night with them and saw more than you were ready to handle. It seemed they came alive once the sunset.

    Their eyes had a crimson glow, and they proudly showed you their fangs. You understood they could still eat human food, and enjoy it, but their main food source was blood. They had their own specialized food and drinks that were laced with blood, as they didn’t want to straight up drink blood in front of you. Once you got to really see them as what they really were, it really helped break the tension. They were like you, they just had a different diet, and could do things that you couldn’t. Looking at it that way, you found yourself coming to terms with the fact vampires were real, and for the next few months they’d be your next door neighbors.

“Morning, y/n!”

“Morning, Sangyeon!”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yup. My arm feels a bit sore, but otherwise I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear. Breakfast is all set out so you can come join us.”

“Great.”

    Since the idea was for everyone to get along, you shared all your meals together. There was a big open area behind one of the houses with multiple tables put together. Everyone took turns cooking throughout the day, getting help from others as well. Although they were all way better cooks than you, which was funny considering they didn’t need human food. Still, it was a great talking point and something to make you feel more at ease around them. If you didn’t know they were vampires, you’d probably never figure it out.

“How are you guys so good at cooking? You don’t even need human food.”

“But we still enjoy it.” Juyeon explained. “Not to mention we lace it with blood, so it’s important to know how to make it right.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“You’re a pretty good cook yourself.”

“Thanks. I had to teach myself to cook if I was gonna be able to live on my own.”

“How long have you had your own place?”

“Uh, a while now. I’ve lived alone since my second year of Uni.”

“And what were you studying?” Eric asked. “Perhaps the arts so you could be a TV star?”

“I don’t think I’m made for TV.”

“You never know.”

“Eric.” Sangyeon hissed. “Behave.”

“I know, I know, I was just saying.”

“What about you guys? I know it’d be silly to ask how old you are, but what exactly did you get up to while in hiding? What did you do to pass the time?”

“Everything and anything.” Kevin began. “Study, learn to play instruments, or sports. With practically endless time you can fully invest yourself in anything of your choosing.”

“Lucky. I wish I could do as I please, but I was wondering if you had a job or something.”

“It’s difficult for us to have a job.” Jacob added. “We have to constantly hide our true selves, and it wouldn’t be easy to socialize with other humans.”

“You have a point. It sounds lonely though.”

“We had each other.”

    After breakfast you helped wash the dishes. There were plenty of group activities to participate in to pass the time. Although, since quite some time had passed, Sangyeon suggested fixing up the houses. A new coat of paint, adding some lights, a big group project for everyone to participate and show their personalities through their preferences. You were excited as you had never done something like this before. The first day of the project you all figured out how you wanted to proceed, picking out the colors and planning what to put where.

    When you actually started you decided to work on the painting. At first you painted the outside walls with Younghoon, both of you making conversation. He seemed to have experience in all this so he guided you on how to do it properly and have fun with it. Of course the harder to reach parts required a smaller tool. Once the walls had dried you got on a ladder to paint the undersides of the roof. You were humming and in your own little world, not aware that the ladder was unstable, not until you lost your footing. You yelled, expecting to hit the ground, but instead found yourself in someone’s arms.

“Hyunjae?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah, thanks.”

“You should be more careful, we wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

“But I’m okay thanks to you.”

“True.”

    No one allowed you back up on a ladder, so you stuck to the groundwork for the rest of the day. Good progress had been made so you had a campfire at night to celebrate. After roasting marshmallows you all sat around. Haknyeon handed you a glass of lemonade to cool down. The afternoons were hot, and even if the nights were cool, you could always use something more to wind down. The lemonade was always delicious, and you wished Jacob would share his secret with you. He wouldn’t but he assured you it was safe for you to drink.

“You guys live in big houses don’t you?”

“Yup.” Juyeon said. “Why do you ask?”

“You must have done a lot of redecorating over the years as new trends came to be and all that.”

“Oh yeah, it was always a hassle but fun too, just like this.”

“It’s getting late.” Sangyeon mentioned. “You should get to sleep y/n.”

“Yeah, you’re right, busy day tomorrow.”

    You smiled and wished everyone a good night, heading back to your own little house. It was easy to fall asleep as you were tired and looking forward to tomorrow. The night was peaceful and you were ready for the morning. Once again no one let you on a ladder, but there was still plenty to do. Some things were being torn down and rebuilt, so without realizing you ended up nicking the palm of your hand on something. You yelled, and then immediately started worrying. This was the first time you had hurt yourself here, and it was probably the first time they had smelled fresh blood in a while.

    You were scared, and quickly wanted to get back to your place so you could clean yourself up. As you rounded a corner though you came face to face with Chanhee, his eyes glowing red which you knew wasn’t normal during the day. His gaze was only on you for a moment before he looked over at your hand. You pulled it close to your chest, taking a few hurried steps back. You thought of running only to bump into someone else, Sunwoo. His eyes were red as well, making you all the more fearful. You wanted to say something but it was all getting caught in your throat.

“Y/n.”

    Sangyeon suddenly appeared and pulled you closer to him. He glared at the other two, baring his fangs and hissing at them. Before you knew it you were inside one of the houses, not yours, and were in the bathroom, Sangyeon having you run your hand under warm water.

“Are you okay?”

“I… yeah… I’m sorry…”

“For what?”

“My hand…”

“Are you saying you cut yourself on purpose?”

“No! But… fresh blood… Chanhee and Sunwoo…”

“I will scold them over that later.”

“Sorry…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It would have been a miracle to make it through all of this and not have you get hurt.”

“Still…”

“They’re still young, and fresh blood is always tempting. So don’t apologize for their lack of control. I smelled the blood immediately and would have stopped them.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s disinfect the wound and then wrap it up.”

    Since Sangyeon seemed to know where everything was, you figured this was his place. He sat you down while he gently treated your wound and bandaged it up.

“Stay here for a bit while the blood flow slows down. I’ll have a word with the others.”

“Okay.”

    You didn’t hear anything about your injury since then, but on occasion you’d catch some of them staring at your bandages. You didn’t say anything about it either, not wanting to get any one in trouble. Things were as they were with no real changes, but celebrating a vampire’s birthday was something very unexpected. They didn’t share their age with you, but it was a good night for celebrations anyway.

“Happy Birthday to you!”

    Everyone cheered as the candles were blown out. It was gonna be a little bit of a celebratory night. You probably would have been up for hours if Haknyeon didn’t wind up bumping into you, causing you to spill your lemonade all over yourself.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine.”

“Probably need to call it a night.” Changmin commented as he came over with a rag. “You shouldn’t be in these kinds of clothes for long.”

“Yeah, I guess I should go to sleep. Don’t stay up and make so much noise.”

“We won’t.”

    You said your good nights and went home to shower and get to bed. You were tired from the day so you fell asleep easily, although you wound up waking up in the middle of the night. This was a first for you, and you were so groggy. You lazily got up and went to one of the windows that showed you the front. You could see the boys moving about, and you went over to the front door. You barely took a few steps outside before someone noticed you.

“Y/n, what are you doing awake?” Kevin asked. “You should be sleeping.”

“I… um… I don’t…”

“We’ll be quiet, okay, let’s get you back to bed.”

    Kevin gently led you back inside and into bed. He tucked you in and pressed a kiss to your head. You swore you saw a bit of red, but exhaustion pulled you under and you went back to sleep with ease.

❤

    The next morning felt like any other, and you didn’t really recall your late night stroll. No one else brought it up either, so it felt more like a dream. Everything else continued on as normal, and you forgot about the incident. That is until your next strange night. You were up late with the boys, having a bit of a festival. Jacob had given you a glass of lemonade to cool down with after some dancing, but before you could take a sip Chanhee pulled you away for more dancing. Another hour or so later you finally decide to call it a night, heading to bed. You were exhausted enough to fall asleep quickly, but woke up randomly a few hours later.

    You didn’t think too much of it, simply getting up and going to the kitchen to get yourself a glass of water. As you drank you stared out the window, doing a double take when you saw two people floating in the air. You nearly panicked before remembering that vampires could fly, they just didn’t do that when you were around. You watched them for a while, wondering what they were doing when a knock on the glass pulled you back down. Eric was standing outside with a smile on his face. He waved at you and motioned for you to open the window for him.

“What are you doing up?”

“No idea, I was thirsty though.”

“Well you should get back to sleep, don’t want you tired in the morning.”

“I could just sleep in.”

“The others would miss you.”

“As if you aren’t nocturnal creatures.”

“But we’re all together here and it’s important to socialize. This is all about you, remember?”

“Yeah… I’ll go back to bed, don’t worry.”

“Alright. Sweet dreams.”

    The glowing red eyes were something you had gotten used to, but not the flash of red. It always made you a bit dizzy, but it was nothing harmful. You went back to sleep with ease, but come morning there was something on your mind. In all the weeks you had been there so far you hadn’t had trouble sleeping until now. Even at the beginning when you were nervous to be around them you could still fall asleep with ease and get plenty of rest. Nothing had happened as of late that should affect your sleep. If anything things had gotten better, so it made this all the more troubling. It had been on your mind all day, and of course that wasn’t gonna go unnoticed.

“What’s on your mind?” Haknyeon asked. “You seem very quiet today.”

“Oh it’s nothing, just trying to figure something out.”

“Which is? Perhaps I could help?”

“Doubtful. Just had some weird nights and was trying to figure out why.”

“Maybe you slept on your arm or something, nothing to worry about really.”

“Don’t you all sleep in coffins though?”

“Occasionally… but you won’t find those here, I promise.”

You chuckled. “Would have been cool to see.”

“Speaking of cool.” Haknyeon disappeared for a moment. “Here. A little something to cool off.”

“Lemonade is the staple of this little village, huh?”

“Our special recipe.”

“Thanks.”

    Usually you get sick of things when you have them every day, but the lemonade was always refreshing and tasty. You tried not to focus on your sleep habits and enjoy the rest of the day. You turned in early, and thankfully had a peaceful night of sleep. Everyone had their sleepless nights, if anything it would be weird if you always slept well, so you stopped worrying about those nights. Even if you had troubles, you didn’t have any responsibilities that needed you to be well rested. You could always sleep during the day like a vampire if anything.

“How about a movie night?”

“Huh?”

“We haven’t had one in a while.” Younghoon explained. “Is there a movie you want to see, we can get it all set up for tomorrow night.”

“Not a bad idea, nothing scary though.”

“Fair.”

“But… how about an old vampire movie?”

“Seriously? You want to embarrass us?”

“I want your commentary.”

“Okay. I’ll ask Sangyeon and hopefully he won’t say no.”

“I’d be very upset if he did.”

“Noted.”

    You two got some lemonade and made a toast for good luck with tomorrow’s movie night. You drank first, Younghoon watching you before taking a sip of his drink. You were excited for the next night, managing to sleep well and wake up with a lot of energy. Sangyeon had agreed to your movie suggestion although the others weren’t aware of the film until it started and they all quickly looked over at you. A shy smile was on your face, but they could see that you were going to enjoy the night. Even though you had seen the movie before, you were so immersed because it was a new experience. You didn’t touch the popcorn or lemonade, just asking questions and listening intently as you got a glimpse into the vampire world.

    It was definitely a stay up late kind of night so at some point you ended up falling asleep. When you woke up you saw that you were still outside, and were all bundled up in a blanket. You looked around but didn’t see anyone else around. You managed to get up, keeping the blanket around you. Once you got up you knocked over the lemonade and popcorn around you. It had remained completely untouched so the smallest of movements made it fall over. Now that you were up you felt a bit thirsty, seeing other lemonades around and grabbing one. You only took a few sips before realizing it had a different taste. You were getting worried when a voice suddenly caught your attention.

“Y/n? What are you doing awake?”

    You dropped the drink from the fright and Juyeon quickly picked you up in his arms. His fast movements startled you, but you were alright for the most part. You were feeling a bit dizzy though, grabbing onto Juyeon.

“Easy there, are you alright?”

“Yeah… just… dizzy…”

“You should go back to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Hm…”

    You looked up at Juyeon to see his red glowing eyes, leaning against him. You weren’t feeling so good and shut your eyes. Some sleep would do you good, and hopefully you’d feel better tomorrow. That was the idea but you certainly felt sore in the morning. When you woke up you just stayed in bed for a while. You didn’t want to get up just yet, but you were also thinking about something else. The lemonade you had last night was different than what you were used to. Maybe it was because it had been left out for a couple hours, but something said there was more to it. There was only one way to find out really.

“Jacob.”

    After getting out of bed you went out to find Jacob. He was setting up his cute little stand so you were just in time.

“Hey, good morning, did you sleep well?”

“For the most part. I’m a bit sore but I’m okay.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“So, I was wondering if I could help you with your lemonade stand. You make lemonade for us every day and I haven’t had a chance to help you yet.”

“If you want to, I don’t mind the help.”

“Awesome.”

    You helped squeeze the lemons, although Jacob was still secretive with his recipe.  Before you even knew it he had made the lemonade, and came over to hand you a glass.

“Here you go. For all your help.”

“Thanks.”

    You gave Jacob a big smile, and took a sip. It tasted just like usual, and that’s what you expected. There were more glasses on the table, and when Jacob stepped away you went over and took one. As you feared it tasted different, but before you could really think about it Jacob came over and took the glass from your hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Why does it taste different?”

“Huh?”

“The lemonade. The one you gave me and the ones on the table have a different taste.”

“I… uh… there’s blood in it…” Jacob mumbled.

“What?”

“There’s blood… in the lemonade… except yours… the one specially made for you… that’s why it tastes different…”

“Oh…”

    You started feeling a bit sick over what you had tasted, running off before Jacob could say anything. Not to mention scolding yourself over jumping to conclusions. You weren’t alone for long before Chanhee found you. He had overheard everything, not surprising actually, the others probably knew too.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine… just feeling silly…”

“We probably should have mentioned it earlier. We just wanted the lemonade to be something we all shared naturally, but of course with our diets it would still be different.”

“I know… I just had other things in my head… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”

“You’d never do such a thing.”

    Even if you slept well you still felt silly over the whole lemonade incident. Although you didn’t really want to drink it anymore. The next day you played games all day, and focused on that. You were offered some lemonade multiple times but you never really drank it. You had lots of fun though, so by nightfall you were very exhausted. You would have thought you’d sleep through the night but instead you woke up. It was probably stress and the whole incident, but you tried to move past it. You got up and got a glass of water. As you looked out the window you didn’t see anyone around, so you decided to sneak out.

    You went over to the hillside, wanting to stargaze, but when you looked up there was a starless sky. It was all black, the only light coming from the lights by the houses. It was weird though, cause you could have sworn you’ve seen stars in the sky before. The last movie night you had came to mind, but maybe you were imagining things. You still stayed where you were, laying back on the grass and looking up at the sky. It was a peaceful night, and you were lost in your own head that you didn’t notice someone approaching. Not until they laid down next to you, looking over at you.

“Hello.”

“Sangyeon…”

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to stargaze, but there are no stars… I could have sworn there was.”

“Maybe you’re confusing it with a movie.”

“I think so too.”

“Anyway, you shouldn’t sleep out here. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

    Sangyeon didn’t hesitate to pick you up in his arms, carrying you bridal style back to your place. You could never really get used to the red eyes, but you had to admit they looked nice. Something soothing to see before you fall asleep.

❤

    The next morning your arm felt sore, but you didn’t mind it. This time around you’d be helping out with breakfast, which was always quite a lot since it was for twelve. You were so busy that when you got thirsty you just grabbed the nearest drink and chugged it down. Then you grabbed another until you finally realized the taste. This wasn’t your lemonade, and the realization made you faint. By the time you came to you were in bed, and it seemed to be dark out. You looked over and saw Hyunjae and Changmin at your bedside. When they saw you were awake they jumped up.

“Y/n! Are you okay?”

“We were so worried about you.”

“Hm… what happened?”

“We don’t know, you just suddenly collapsed.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you guys. I was just lost in thought and ended up drinking your lemonade… when I realized I kind of freaked out…”

“Gosh, you really scared us.”

“Sorry…”

“As long as you’re okay.”

“Yeah… I should probably go back to sleep though.”

“We’ll let the others know you’re okay.” 

“Hold on a second.” Changmin went to get you a glass of water. “Here. You should have some water since you didn’t have much all day.”

“Thanks.”

    As you drank the water you noticed a strange taste similar to that of the lemonades. You didn’t say anything though and just thanked the two and went to sleep. Come morning your mind went back to the same issue about the lemonade. Something was wrong. You got out of bed and got yourself a glass of water. It tasted nothing like what you had last night, but presumably you got it from the same place. You couldn’t really go to any of them with your concerns, so just kept it to yourself. As you thought it over you looked back on the nights you had woken up, and if there was anything in common.

    You basically had lemonade every day, it was a staple in the little village, but now that you think about it, you didn’t actually drink it on the days you woke up in the middle of the night. It could just be a coincidence, but every other time you slept fine you could recall drinking the lemonade. This all sounded crazy to you, but there was a way for you to test it. That day you got your special glass of lemonade but you didn’t drink it, spilling it out onto the yard when no one was looking. As you feared you wound up waking up that night. It could be a one off, you needed to run more tests, so you decided to go back to sleep on your own.

    You were drifting off when you suddenly felt hands grab you. A loud scream ripped from your throat as you got up, seeing Sunwoo in your room. He screamed as well when you did, quickly apologizing though. That didn’t change the fact you were freaking out. There was no reason for him to be in your room, and all the yelling attracted attention. Soon enough the others had gathered as well, but you were still freaking out and yelling incoherently. Sangyeon came to your side and grabbed your shoulders, getting you to focus on him. As always those glowing eyes were mesmerizing, and he was getting you to do some breathing exercises with him so you could calm down.

“Are you okay?”

“I… I think so…”

“Good. Do you think you can explain to me what’s going on?”

“I… I don’t really know… I was trying to go back to sleep when I felt Sunwoo grab me…”

“Did he now? The boy must have been sleepy and thought this was his bed.”

“I… I guess…”

“He didn’t mean to scare you. Sunwoo apologize.”

“I’m so sorry…” Sunwoo apologized. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Okay… apology accepted…”

“There, see, nothing to worry about. Get back to bed okay.”

    Sangyeon tucked you in while the others headed out, some scolding Sunwoo under their breath. You were feeling sleepy so it was easy to just close your eyes and drift off. Although come morning, when you hadn’t woken up in a panic, and could properly put the pieces together. Something was wrong here. Last night, the incident with Sunwoo, was very strange and was making you feel uneasy. You couldn’t let anyone else know, so you did you best to act normal. You avoided the lemonade again, and just went about the day as usual. No one seems to suspect anything, and you decided to turn in early that day. You only pretend to go to sleep, waiting for the night to become quiet.

    Once you felt it was safe you snuck out. You didn’t see anyone around at all so you went out to the hillside. Truth was you didn’t trust this place anymore, you didn’t trust them. You kept low, carefully looking back to make sure you weren’t noticed. You had dressed in some sweatpants and a hoodie, hoping that would be alright. As you made your way down the hill you suddenly came to a stop. The sight before you terrified you. At the bottom of the hill, the grass just ended, the road ahead just smooth concrete leading into darkness. This didn’t make any sense, causing you to question everything you had known, but you couldn’t go back.

    You swallowed your fear and stepped onto the concrete. You gave it a moment to see if something happened, but nothing, so then it was just one foot after the other. After a bit of waking you get your phone out. There wasn’t much signal in the village, and you didn’t seem to have any here either, but at least you could use your flashlight. Before doing so you looked back, but it was mostly darkness. You turned the flashlight on and aimed it at the ground, moving slowly. You weren’t sure for how long you were walking for but eventually you came to some sort of wall. You slowly lifted up the light, seeing what appeared to be metal. You carefully reached out to touch it confirming it was real. It was a wall, which didn’t make sense, but surely there was a door somewhere.

    You picked a direction and followed it. You were scared with every step, wondering if you would find what you were looking for or not. When the structure suddenly changed you took a step back and could make out a door. You reached for the handle, feeling that this was a sliding door. You looked around in the darkness for a moment before carefully sliding it open. You didn’t know what awaited you on the other side, but it brought you to tears. Beyond the door was an empty lot, and as you stepped out you could see other buildings, but most of all you could see the sky. Stars and clouds hung above you as the tears slid down your cheeks. You looked back at the huge building you had just exited, feeling such panic rise in you. All you could do was run.

    You turned around and ran, wanting to get as far away from that place as possible. All this, being out here, those monsters had kept you locked up like some animal, playing house and acting like you were friends. For who knows how long you had been living a lie, and you had no idea how you wound up in their grasp. You just kept running, beyond the lot and finding a small town nearby. You could see cars driving on the streets, buildings, and people walking around. There was life there, although you were still too much in shock to just ask for help. You pulled up your hood and made your way over to the town, keeping your head low and looking around. Everyone seemed normal, going about their lives as if you hadn’t been held hostage nearby. Since nothing appeared out of the ordinary you thought it would be safe to find the nearest police station, but then you froze in your tracks.

“I don’t think I’m made for TV.”

    Hearing your own voice sent shivers down your spine. You looked around for the source, finding a bunch of kids gathered outside a store window. They were looking at the TVs on display in the store and you cautiously walked over to see what was playing. As you got closer you could make out the images, coming to see yourself on the screen, along with the other boys. As this scene played out you began to remember that day, mumbling the next words spoken to yourself before hearing them from the TV. This whole time your life had been filmed, and now it was on TV for everyone else’s entertainment. You couldn’t believe what you were seeing. You took a step back, feeling as if reality was fading in and out. Nothing made sense.

“Are you the girl from TV?”

    One of the kids who had been watching the TV had noticed you. He approached you, and soon the others were aware of you too. They all got closer, and one of them even leaned in to smell you.

“You are! You must be the human from TV!”

    The kids eagerly crowd around you and that’s when you finally realize their eyes were red. That shock gave you the energy to run and you bolted down the street, not looking back. You weren’t paying attention though and wound up running into a couple. You stumbled to the ground and your hood fell back, revealing your face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you- wait, are you… oh my gosh! Could I have a bite?”

    This time you were well aware of the red eyes the two individuals had. You ignored their words and quickly scrambled to your feet and ran off again. You had to get away from such a public area so you bolted into the nearest alleyway, but ended up tripping over something. When you looked back you saw a human leaning against the wall next to a trash bin. You both stared at each other and you noticed they didn’t have glowing eyes.

“Are you… are you human?”

“What? Never seen a homeless human before?”

    You didn’t think twice about rushing over to them, which greatly startled them. You didn’t mean to and quickly put your hands up.

“I… I’m sorry… I just… what is going on here… there are vampires… everywhere and… I don’t understand…”

“Where have you been living?”

    Even with the strange question, you got an answer. Vampires had revealed themselves to the world, but not in the way you had believed. They took over, seeing themselves as superior and basically turning humans into cattle. Some were even pets, and that seemed to answer the question of what you were.

“If humans got… taken away then how are you still on the streets?”

“We’ve avoided the hunters.” Another person popped out of the trash bin. “That’s the only way to stay out of those care homes and keep our freedom.”

“You two are together?”

“Yup. I’m Shane, and that’s Pete.”

“How long have you been on the streets?”

“A couple months now… maybe longer, honestly lost track of time.”

“So how… how do you survive out here? Can you help me?”

“Where are you from?” Pete asked. 

“It’s… it’s complicated…”

“It won’t be easy to feed another mouth.” Shane commented. “We barely manage on our own.”

“Please, I don’t have anywhere else to go…”

“Alright, fine.” Shane hops out of the trash bin and pulls up your hood. “Stay warm. We gotta lay low, that’s the most important.”

“Okay…”

“Come on then, we can stay out in the open like this for too long.”

    You didn’t really hesitate to follow them deeper into the alley. They led you into an abandoned building. They found a place to start a fire, safely as they explained to you, and settled around it. You helped find some cardboard and newspaper, needing something to sit on besides the cold floor.

“Here.” Pete offered you bread. “You need to eat.”

    This wasn’t what you were used to, but you were grateful. It was better than nothing. You took the bread and thanked him. As you ate and stared at the fire you couldn’t help but think back to the campfires you used to sit around. The fire itself was the same, burning bright and hot, but your circumstances had changed. You really tried not to cry but you couldn’t help the tears. Once you finished eating you laid down on the cardboard, watching the fire and slowly dozing off. Then you suddenly jumped up as you felt a pinch around your neck. You looked around in a panic thinking something had bit you, but then you realized you were completely alone.

    The other two were gone, as were the belongings they had with them. You pulled your legs up to your chest, feeling that fear of being alone, and worst of all abandoned. There was nowhere else for you to go and now you were really on your own. You noticed a small bag next to the fire and reached over to it, finding some food inside and a note. It explained that they couldn’t risk having someone else with them, but that they wished you luck. They don’t know what your situation was but they told you there wasn’t any shame in surrendering to the hunters and going to a care house.

    The problem was you didn’t want to go back with any vampires, so you were going to have to figure out how to survive on the streets all on your own. You really did need to sleep though, so you laid back down, trying to get comfortable when you heard a noise. Now you were on alert and looking around. You got up and found something to swing like a bat, carefully taking in your surroundings. When you suddenly felt a presence behind you, there was no hesitation in your swing. You were worried about hurting someone, but you weren’t expecting the person to catch your weapon, let alone be a familiar face.

“Haknyeon…”

    He ripped the weapon away from you, and then he had his hand around your throat. His grip was firm, and you soon found it difficult to breathe.

“You my dear, are in a world of trouble for the stunt you’ve pulled.”

“Let her go.” Sangyeon ordered. “It’s not your turn.”

    Just as he was told, Haknyeon let you go and you collapsed to the ground catching your breath. You were gasping in air when you were suddenly grabbed. For a moment you stared into Sangyeon’s red eyes, and then he was on your neck. You felt a pinch and yelled from the initial sting before you were suddenly overwhelmed by this euphoric feeling. The scream died down, replaced by a ragged moan and a dizzy feeling.

“There, that should keep her docile. Let’s go.”

“But what about-”

“Later, Chanhee. We should get home first.”

    Your vision was a blur, but you could vaguely make out Jacob picking you up in his arms. You had no idea where this home was, although all that came to mind was the village. You were taken out of the building and into another alleyway. Jacob was careful to put you into the back seat of a car, having you rest against Kevin’s shoulder. You could feel the car move beneath you, vaguely making out the world outside the window. At first you could see buildings but then that all turned to trees and soon enough you had arrived. This time Changmin got you out of the car and you found yourself before a very big house.

“… where…”

“Sh, we’re home now.” Changmin assured.

“You know where to take her.” Sangyeon said.

“Of course.”

    Everything felt like a dream as you were carried up the steps and through the front door. The house was just as big on the inside, like a mansion. You didn’t know much about luxury, but from what you could see, this place was fancy. You were taken into a room and laid down on some kind of medical table. Before you could really process you felt your arms and legs being strapped down.

“… wait… wait…”

“Just calm down, we’re not gonna hurt you.”

    Those words didn’t really provide comfort. Especially once you saw the needle and watched it go into your arm. You started pulling on your restraints then, only for them to take advantage of your distracted state and push a gel pill into your mouth. It dissolved on your tongue, and you froze upon recognizing the taste. You had this before in every glass of lemonade they had made for you. This was what they had been giving you for weeks.

“Sorry, but you need to take that.”

    You wanted to say something to them, even yell, but you were starting to feel drowsy. Without wanting to, your body relaxed against the table, and you began to have trouble keeping your eyes open. Soon enough you drifted off to sleep in a very unfamiliar place. You didn’t know how long you were out for, but when you regained consciousness your vision wasn’t as blurry. That’s when you noticed the blood bags, and looked down at your arm. They had been drawing blood from you this whole time, every night as far as you knew. It didn’t even make sense, it shouldn’t be possible.

“Oh, I see someone’s awake.” Eric smiled. “Hi beautiful.”

“… what… what is this…”

“Don’t worry, it’s just routine, but you don’t remember that right now.”

    Younghoon came over to your side and removed the needle, placing a soft kiss on your arm where a drop of blood bloomed. He liked his lips and smiled at you, sending shivers down your spine. Juyeon then came over and undid your restraints, pulling you into his arms. He carried you out of the room and to another one. It seemed like a bedroom, and you were placed down on the bed. He was going to leave you to rest but you grabbed onto his arm.

“… what’s going on… why did you lie to me… what… what’s real…”

“Sangyeon can answer all your questions after you eat.”

    A while after Juyeon left, Eric came in with a food cart. He had you sit back on the bed, placing a tray in front of you. As you moved to lift your arm you got a familiar sore feeling, further confirmation as to what they had been doing with you. Eric noticed you were struggling and decided to feed you himself, which you accepted. It was weird, but you were hungry, and feeling so weak from the blood loss. When you had your fill Eric tried to get you to sleep but you refused. You wanted to talk to Sangyeon before anything else.

“You should really get some sleep.”

“I feel like I’m always sleeping…”

“Touché. I’m rather busy, but I always have time for you.” Sangyeon sat down at your bedside. “So what is it you want to ask?”

“I want you to explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Everything.”

“Well, where do I even start?”

“You could start by telling me if anything of what I believe is real.”

“Good choice.”

    Sangyeon was honest with you, or at least you believed he was, there was no way for you to know otherwise. He told you that vampires had been living in hiding for hundreds of years, but decided to make their presence known as it was becoming clear to them humans couldn’t take care of themselves, or the planet. They’re not monsters so their methods were kind, and humans were now well taken care of and the planet itself was also thriving.

“So we’re your pets.”

“Not quiet. You’re more like-”

“Cattle?”

“You are really trying to make us out as monsters.”

“Isn’t blood your food source? Doesn’t that just make us cattle to you.”

“But you’re not animals. It’s true we do need your blood, but why would we be so cruel to our food source? Humans are well cared for. If you’d like I could perhaps arrange a visit to a care house and you could see for yourself.”

“This isn’t a care house, is it? So what am I?”

“You, well, you are our pet.” Sangyeon gently caressed your cheek. “Not every vampire can have one, but we can. You’re our special little girl.”

“Is that why I’m on TV?”

“Hm? Who told you that?”

“I saw it! My face on a screen with the rest of you! My life on display for entertainment!”

“Easy now, there’s no harm-”

“Why does that exist!?”

“Why else? We like to show you off, and it’s good money. Everyone has fun, and your blood.” Sangyeon took your hand and kissed your wrist. “It’s worth quite a lot. You’re famous.”

“So my whole life… it’s been a lie…”

“Not quiet. We’ve simply made it so you believed what we wanted you too. It’s very important as it makes the show, and your performance, all the more authentic.”

“You’re a monster.”

“You don’t mean that. You don’t even remember what your life is actually like.”

“Make me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Why!?”

“We still have a lot of work to do since our filming schedule has been interrupted. It’s better for you to remain this way until we wrap everything up.” Sangyeon took a breath. “You have caused quite a lot of trouble, but perhaps something good can come out of it. But first, I need to know how you realized you were on a set.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

    A moment ago you were just having a conversation, but now Sangyeon was glaring at you with glowing red eyes. It sent a chill down your spine, making you very nervous.

“It was the lemonade.”

“What?”

“It had a weird taste… and my sleep schedule was questionable… then there was the incident with Sunwoo… and the lack of stars in the sky… I knew there was something wrong…”

“Hm. Impressive. You picked up on a bunch of little things out of the ordinary and put the pieces together. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How did you find me though… I was only gone for a few hours…”

“It was at night. We clean up at the end of the day and take you home. It wasn’t long before we realized no one had gotten you. We searched all over, and then found one of the back doors opened. We could have just tracked you by scent but with your memories things would be more troublesome, so we used the tracking chip.”

    Instinctively you reached up to your neck, remembering that jolt of pain you had back in the abandoned building.

“I’m not some animal!”

“But you’re our pet, and plenty of owners tag their pets. We wouldn’t want to lose you now would we. You’re too precious and valuable.” Sangyeon chuckled and pet your head. “Thankfully you’re not on the news or social media, so this wasn’t as big of a mess as it could have been. You should get some sleep though, you still need to recover from the blood loss.”

    You didn’t have much of a choice as Sangyeon tucked you into bed, giving you a kiss on your head before leaving you to rest. You laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering what had happened to the world, and what had happened to you. Even if you didn’t want to sleep you couldn’t deny the fact you were still tired. You weren’t going to go anywhere, so you might as well use this chance to sleep and gather your strength.

❤

    When you woke up later you were feeling better, so you got out of bed. You looked around the room, opening the closet to find it filled with all kinds of luxury clothes and accessories. It was all your size too which made it more creepy. You quickly shut the door, not wanting to see any of that. You also didn’t want to stay in this room, so you carefully peeked out into the hall, seeing that it was empty. You made your way out, wandering around. The place was pretty huge, although you stopped to stare at a picture on the wall. The picture was of you and the boys, and you had a big smile on your face.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

    You jumped as Hyunjae startled you, having found some way to sneak up on you. Then again as a vampire it was probably easy for him to move around undetected, not to mention you were distracted.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve slept enough.”

“Then how about some snacks. There’s-”

“Who is she?”

“What?”

“Her.” You pointed at yourself in the picture. “Who is she? Where is she!?”

“Hm… well I guess you can say she’s sleeping…”

“Wake her up!”

“I can’t.”

“What is wrong with you? All of you? Did she agree to this, to be-”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“You, or I guess her, she did agree to this.” 

“…”

“What? You think we just rearranged your memories cause we can? No, this was a group decision. Even though this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Obviously. I still can’t believe I agreed to something like this.”

“Then how about a snack to take your mind off it.”

    Before you could object Hyunjae took your hand and dragged you over to the kitchen. It was just as big as you would expect in this place. You felt like you had snuck into a restaurant kitchen. As you looked around Hyunjae rummaged through the cabinets until he found some snacks, handing them over to you, which was surprising.

“What? The snacks were for you, not me.”

“Oh… I… I thought… you were gonna… you know…”

“We can’t all feed off you, but we can draw blood.”

“That doesn’t make sense… you drew blood from me practically every night… that’s not possible.”

“It’s cause of that pill you took.”

“What?”

“It makes you sleepy but also helps replenish your blood faster. Perfectly harmless and very effective. We can draw blood more than once every two months, and no we didn’t do it every night either.”

    Hyunjae went over to the fridge and grabbed a blood, opening it up and then hopping onto the counter top. He took a big sip and let out a content sigh.

“Your blood is so sweet.”

“Is that why you chose me?”

“No. It’s just a bonus.”

“Then… why…”

“You were very cute. We went to a care house because we wanted someone here with us since it didn’t have to be just us anymore.” Hyunjae took another sip from the blood bag. “It wasn’t easy though. The amount of paperwork we had to do just to get into the building and see you all.”

“What papers?”

“The basics, like proof that we could care for a human. That we’d be able to provide a good and healthy diet, as well as clothed them, and that we had a good environment for them to live in. Along with other things depending on the human. We had specialists all over the house inspecting it to make sure we were responsible and not lying on the papers.”

“I didn’t know you had to go through all that just to have a pet human…”

“Not everyone can just have one. It’s a big responsibility, and not all vampires have good self control. It is just our nature, and all the more reason to keep your kind safe.” Hyunjae smiled at you. “With all that done we finally got a chance to look around. That’s when we found you, all quiet and alone, sitting in the corner reading a book. When we approached you seemed so uninterested in us. You weren’t scared or anything like that. You seemed to be quite happy since you had all this time for yourself to do as you pleased. We offered you a comfy home so you could have all that and more. So you asked your cute little questions. If you could read all the books you wanted, or paint out in a garden, or watch TV all day or spend a whole day sleeping. Of course the answer to all that was yes, and you know what you said?”

“What?”

“I’ll think about it. We were all so surprised, but it made us all the more interested in you. So one of us went by to see you every day until you finally decided to come home with us. Gosh, the look on your face when you say this place, you were so in love. You had so much space, and such luxurious things. If you weren’t busy with something we would always find you wandering around the halls. Tell me, does any of that sound like you?”

“… maybe… but what about the show?”

“Ah, that. Sunwoo wanted to do something in film, and you suggested a comedy.”

“Wait, it was my idea?”

“More or less. You figured it would be fun if the theme was like a human living with a bunch of vampires and the shenanigans that would come from it.”

“No way…”

“Yeah, and it’s a big hit. Happy Vampire Village. We all did it more for fun but it was a big hit. Everyone adores you.”

“So… I’m famous?”

“Yup. And since you’re around right now, Sangyeon was thinking of taking you to this gala thing that’s coming up.”

“No thanks…”

“Well it’s not entirely up to you.”

“Yo.” Kevin poked his head into the kitchen. “What are you two doing?”

“Just snacking.” Hyunjae answered. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wondering if you wanted to hang out. I was gonna get some snacks and watch TV, you in?”

“Absolutely.”

    Kevin and Hyunjae grabbed some more snacks and then took you into this home theater room. They were channel surfing and you were vaguely paying attention until you saw yourself on screen. You asked to go back, watching yourself for a moment, remembering everything you saw since this was your life. You couldn’t do it for long though, excusing yourself cause you wanted to be alone. You wandered the halls, figuring you’d find your way back to your room eventually. Although you noticed a door open and heard some clicking noises.

    You slowly approached and poked your head into the room. There was low light and you saw Chanhee sitting in front of a monitor. As you looked closer you realized you were on the screen again, and apparently he was editing footage. You caught glimpses of this behind the scenes stuff. To a degree it was interesting, but horrifying as well. Every moment you had spent in the village was recorded. You had no privacy at all. That realization brought tears to your eyes and you ran off to hide, just wanting to be away from any lights or prying eyes.

“I’m sorry we can’t play hide and seek.”

    You had been curled up on the floor, hugging your knees to your chest and hiding your face when you heard a voice.  You didn’t even look at them, but could feel their presence as they sat down next to you.

“Cause of the chip?”

“Your heartbeat.”

“I hate this place.” You looked up to see Jacob. “It’s like a bad dream.”

“Sorry. We should have done better to make sure this never happened in the first place.” Jacob softly pet your head. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Well, I don’t want to do it.”

“Y/n-”

“How long is that show supposed to go for anyway?”

“Well, going along with your memory, I think there’s only like a month or two left. This was always a side project anyway.”

“And when it’s over? Then what?”

“We have to finish up the show first. We’ll end up erasing your memories to do that.” 

“So all this explaining is kind of pointless.” 

“Yeah, but it’s important that you feel at ease.”

“I feel like I’m gonna die.”

“I’m sorry… we didn’t mean to make things scary.”

    Jacob sat with you for a while before convincing you to go back to your room. It was probably better to be there anyway. Soon enough you were alone again just laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. You thought back on what you had been told, trying to make sense of it. Truth was that the world was so scary to you because it was foreign. Nothing really seemed to be bad. Nobody tried to hurt you, or was mean to you while you were on the streets. Then again you weren’t out there for long. Even now you were living quite comfortably, so you couldn’t know for sure what the world was like.

    You wanted to know, to see for yourself, but it was kinda pointless. Apparently you were happy here, but you just don’t remember. You were nervous and scared now, but deep down you had this sense of ease, making you wonder if you should trust the boys. While lost in thought Haknyeon suddenly came into your room. He let you know that you would be attending a gala tomorrow so they needed to figure out your outfit. You didn’t have a say in the matter as he pulled you out of bed and had you stand in front of the mirror. He went through your closet picking out some dresses and seeing what looks best.

“Do I have to go?”

“Yes. Everyone wants to see you, and you don’t have to worry about anything. Just smile and be positive. You can’t talk about the show anyway since we’re not done filming.”

“So I’m just arm candy?”

“Not exactly, but I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

“Doubtful, but I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

    The next day you were up early as you had a lot to prepare for. You were given a bath first thing. It was a deep clean and very relaxing, you honestly didn’t want to get out of the tub. Breakfast was a delight, and very filling, kind of reminding you of the good times back at the village. Although there wasn’t much time for reminiscing as you had to get your hair done, and get dressed, along with makeup and accessories. You never really had a moment to catch your breath until later in the evening. 

    The boys were all dressed in suits, looking very handsome. You thought you’d ride in one of their cars, but should have realized you’d be taking a limo. Even though you didn’t want to go, you were nervous about this whole event. You weren’t a random guest, but someone many were looking forward to seeing. As you arrived at the venue it became more apparent. All the boys reassured you that you looked amazing, and to not be nervous. Just smile and be polite, and no spoilers. The boys stepped out of the limo first, and you were the last, taking Sangyeon’s hand and being met by the flashing lights of the cameras.

    It caught you off guard at first but once you adjusted you could see more of your surroundings. As far as you could tell the venue was this museum, and the red carpet led you up the stairs towards the entrance. Many were calling your name and asking you to look towards them with a smile. You weren’t sure if you were smiling, but Sangyeon wasn’t really letting you stop to pose for a photo. You did manage to wave though, and that seemed to be good enough. Although once you entered the museum the atmosphere changed.

    The other attendees were happy to see you and said hello, but they mostly seemed interested in the boys. It made sense, they were of the same species and in here you really were more of a pet than some celebrity. You shook some hands and kept a smile, also being reminded not to give spoilers. Still, after the initial greetings the boys just kept you close while they mingled with others. Some calm music filled the air, along with business chatter. You didn’t care for any of it, but you were kind of hungry. As you reached for something on the table Changmin was quick to stop you.

“That’s not for you, sweetie.”

“Huh?”

“Vampire food isn’t good for you. I should probably take you over with the others.” Changmin took your hand in his. “Come now.”

    You were confused, but you followed behind Changmin. He took you to another part of the museum. You came across some security guards, which was strange to you, and then you found yourself in this smaller area. It seemed just like the main area, but with fewer people. Before you could ask what this was you got your answer.

“These are the other humans in attendance tonight. So mingle and have fun.”

    So this was basically the pet daycare. It annoyed you, but you wanted food more than anything so you went to get some. You feared maybe you’d get some attention here, but besides the occasional glance in your direction, no one paid you much attention. You were thankful for that, these types of things weren’t your scene. So you just sat quietly at an empty table and kept to yourself. You wished you had something to distract yourself with besides food, but soon enough you had company. Another woman came over to your side and sat next to you.

“You’re pretty quiet for a celebrity.”

“I don’t really feel like one…”

“Your fame is rather complicated.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It is weird though, isn’t it, for us all to be here. All the humans gathered in one place while the vampires have their party too.”

“Well, we are their pets after all.”

“And that’s not right. Just because those creatures think they’re better than us, doesn’t mean they are.”

“I mean… they’re pretty powerful.”

“But not immortal. They can still die.”

“Huh… you’re pretty hostile for a pet…”

“Wanna know a secret.” She leaned in close. “I’m not a pet.”

“If… if you’re not a pet… then how… what-”

“You think humans have just given up? There is still a resistance out there. We shouldn’t be living like this. We were once top of the food chain, and now this? We could have been equals with vampires but they chose to take over. They’re cruel creatures who claim to care for humans but I don’t buy it.” She leaned close and tapped your neck. “You know that’s not just some tracking chip in you.”

“What?”

    As you processed her words she took your hand and led you out of the room into the hall. It was just the two of you. Before you could ask she told you not to worry about security. They don’t see you as a problem or a threat so they won’t care about you two being out here. She stopped over by some statue, getting something from a hidden compartment. You didn’t recognize the device in her hand but you took a step back.

“What… what is that…”

“It won’t hurt much.”

    You don’t know what she did but you suddenly felt a pinch on your neck, reaching over to the area of pain.

“What did you do!?”

“I disabled your chip. Besides tracking you like some dog, it also functioned as an inhibitor. Makes it very hard to have any negative emotions or complex thinking with that thing. It keeps you docile and happy, like some kind of lobotomy.”

“No… no the wouldn’t…”

“You should come with me.”

“What… why?”

“I’m not some pet, I snuck into this event to find you, to help you.”

“… wa… what does that mean?”

“The vamps always parade you around, and with all your popularity you’re basically the face of human subjugation. You’re not some show dog.” Hearing all that started to make you feel guilty. “You can get away from this all and be free.”

“I… I don’t know… they’ve messed with my memories and I’m not sure about all this…”

“Really? That’s all the more reason to get away.”

“But I agreed to it…”

“Sure you did. Not like they have the power to compel you.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come with me. You can’t really make decisions for yourself with those creatures around you.”

    You were honestly considering her proposition. When you first discovered you were living in a false reality you wanted to run away. They caught you and took you back to a world you were unfamiliar with and this was your chance to get back out there and see the truth for yourself. You weren’t sure what the right thing to do was, and as you thought it over you heard your name being called.

“Y/n!”

    You jumped at the sound of your own name, and before you knew it the girl you were with was tackled to the ground. The security guard was pinning her down when you were suddenly flipped around.

“Are you okay?”

“I… how did you find me…”

“What?” Sunwoo questioned. “After your little stunt did you think we wouldn’t be keeping a close eye on your chip?”

“I-”

    Before you could say anything you heard a yell and looked back to find a surprising scene. The women had broken away from the guard, a silver blade in each hand. Once she was on her feet she didn’t hesitate to throw a blade in your direction. You screamed but Sunwoo pulled you into his embrace and turned you around to protect you. He held you tightly and after a moment pulled back.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… yeah…”

“Go after her!” Sunwoo yelled. “Now.”

“Sir-”

“I’ll be fine!”

    The security guard chased after the woman, but you were wondering what the other meant. That’s when you noticed a blade sticking out of Sunwoo’s back. You screamed and started to worry, but he told you to calm down.

“You’re hurt…”

“It’s okay, it’s nothing serious.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

“Still…”

“Come on, let’s get back to the others.”

    Even though he said he was alright you could tell he wasn’t. He was hunching over and leaning against you.

“Sunwoo…”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look it… you need blood… don’t you?”

“Y/n…”

    You didn’t really listen to him, helping him down onto his knees. You apologized before grabbing the blade and pulling it out. Sunwoo yelled and threw a glare at you, eyes glowing red. He grabbed your arm holding the blame.

“Don’t… I’ll be fine…”

“I don’t trust that…”

    You pulled away from Sunwoo’s grasp. You wiped the blood of the blade and took a moment to prepare yourself before slicing open your palm. You winced from the pain, but held out your hand for him. He didn’t want it, but you knew he would need it, so you pressed your bloody palm against his wrist. Once he tasted blood he couldn’t help himself. He drank, grabbing a hold of your arm and holding you close. When he pulled back to catch his breath you could already see he was better. Although before you could say anything he lunged at you and pinned you to the ground.

“Sunwoo-”

    He sunk his fangs into your neck, making you yell before this feeling of ecstasy began to take over. You wrapped your arms around Sunwoo, your vision beginning to fade as your head swam. You tried to speak but you didn’t have the strength to form words and slowly, your world became black.

❤

“What the hell were you thinking!”

    You began to regain consciousness as sounds of yelling filled your ears. You looked around, vaguely able to make out the limo you were in, and felt the rumbling of movement.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be she-”

“That’s not an excuse!”

“… sorry…” You mumbled. “… my fault…”

“Y/n, you’re awake.”

    You had been sitting on the floor, in between Sangyeon’s legs and resting your head on his thigh. Once he realized you were awake he gently caressed your cheek.

“Are you alright?”

“Hm… I was… just trying… to help…”

“Your actions were crazy. You should never do something like that.”

“Sorry…”

“Just take it easy, you’re okay.”

“… what… the other…”

“She got away, but she’s not your concern.”

“Okay…”

“You just rest and focus on getting better.”

    The next couple of days you did spend in bed. Since you hadn’t taken the pill, and Sunwoo went a bit overboard, your body had to go about recovery the natural way. You ate in your room, getting help until you could feed yourself. Once you could get out of bed you were able to walk around the house, with some help of course. You were told that the events at the gala were kept under wraps, so there was nothing to worry about in regards to that.

“I want to go to a care house.”

“What?”

“I want to see what it looks like.”

“You’re not in a condition to be going out.”

“But I need to know.”

“Hm…” Sangyeon pondered it over. “Fine.”

    You still had to wait until you were capable of walking on your own before Sangyeon would keep his word. You weren’t sure what to expect, so it was all quite a surprise. The facility was huge, and you basically went on a tour. You saw how everyone had their own room, and a few items as well. They were given so many activities to fill their time with, both indoor and outdoor. This whole place seemed like a community home.

“Vampires mostly leave the humans to themselves. We only draw blood from them once a week.”

    Everything seemed to be well, and everyone seemed happy. You didn’t see an issue here but then you remembered the chip in your neck. You reached up to touch the area, feeling a bit uneasy. They were stronger than you but from what you had seen so far they didn’t mean any harm. Humans seemed to be okay, and you saw no reason to mess with it. On the ride home you stared out the window, thinking about the world you had been discovering.

“Are you okay?” Chanhee asked.

“Yeah… it just feels like I’m so new to the world…”

“It’s cute. You’re just like when we first brought you home.”

“But I don’t get to continue like this…”

“It is upsetting, but you’re practically at the point where you originally wanted to do the show.”

“Yeah.”

    You recovered for a few more days, and once you were better you were taken back to the village. It was weird going back to that lot, no longer afraid but having a new perspective. You followed the boys into the building you had run out of once upon a time. Except this time you were going in through the front entrance. You were only in the dark for a bit before you came upon a familiar scene. The village was the same as you remembered it, but you could see it in a new light now. Suddenly all the cameras and stage lights were visible, and you could see this place for what it really was. Makebelieve. 

“How did I not see all this…”

“Cause we made it so you wouldn’t.” Juyeon explained. “Since that’s the point of all this.”

“Right.”

“Are you ready to go back?” Younghoon asked. 

“Yeah. I should see this to end. Besides, you have all put so much work into this.”

“You have as well.”

“All the more reason.”

    You walked through the village, seeing all the things that you weren’t aware of before. It was kind of funny, making you wonder how you would feel in the future looking back on all of this. When you were satisfied you went off to find Sangyeon.

“You good?”

“Yup.” You smiled. “I’m good.”

“Come on then.”

    Sangyeon held out his hand and you gladly took it. You waved goodbye to the other boys, seeing all the smiles on their faces too.

“See you tomorrow.”

[ashlingiswriting]

do i know you? chapter three

[ 3k words ] [ prev chapters: one, two ] [ masterlist ] "it’s an unfamiliar sensation, not being able to completely read him. it skitters over you like static electricity." richie jerimovich x reader, past mikey berzatto x reader, slow burn

you’re on call every day from eight at night to eight in the morning, so by the time richie rolls up, you’ve usually just eaten a late breakfast and he’s heading home after work. there’s a consistency to his late night appearances, a rhythm that becomes comforting.

there’s no pretending and no politeness—what would be the point? they should invent a word for this. maybe childhood-friend-in-law would do, except you had a snowball’s chance in hell of ever marrying michael and you always knew it. that’s the feeling, though. familiarity comes built in. even when he gets truly infuriating, you don’t leave feeling worse than you did. more pissed off, sure, but never worse. it’s a distinction worth noticing. 

some nights are easy. you talk about questionable obscure music in which you really do not overlap or middling mainstream music in which you do, running out of concerts and context. sometimes it’s pure bullshit, gossip or make believe, starting up elaborate jokes too lame to admit to in front of anyone else, then discarding them when they’re outworn. sometimes it’s old stories, sometimes it’s pure speculation.

hand to god, some nights are good.

and then there’s this night.

.

.

.

you’re barely out the front door when richie calls out, hey. where the hell were you?

you got called in real early yesterday, so you missed seeing him last night. but that’s no cause for him to yell, the entitled little jerk. you shoot him a baleful glare. then, as you take in the sight of him, you settle a little.

he’s not truly angry. you’ve spent enough time with him now, you’d know.

with a shrug, you shove your hands deep in your pockets and come stand beside him. 

last night i had to smoke all by myself like a fuckin loser, he says. 

that's your cue to say, you are a fuckin loser, but you don't take it.

he offers you a drag on his own cigarette, and you shake your head. you want it bad, but you can’t. you all but smoked yourself to death between crises yesterday, and you’re trying to convince yourself now that giving it up will somehow fix things. 

but nothing will be fixed, and it’s not your responsibility anyhow. this is not your city. you’ve felt that acutely of late, as each of your last links to it is broken one by one. coke or the cops, what difference does it make? the caruso kid didn’t listen to you, didn’t listen to anyone, and once his infection got bad enough, his wife called an ambulance. it’ll be the cops for him if he survives, and his father after that, the next domino to fall. you yourself are somewhere in that long line, just waiting for your turn. 

work sucks, huh, richie says. 

you look over at him to find that he’s already looking back at you, a little sleepy but not good enough an actor to hide the keenness in his observing eyes. it’s dangerous that he noticed you were gone and it’s dangerous that he’s noticing you now, but it feels really, really fucking good. 

yeah, you say. i thank god every day that i am a woman of leisure.

he laughs. well, i’m just grateful that you allow yourself to associate out with me, you know. me in my rags and you in your pearls and finery. he gestures at your sweatpants and gigantic parka.

once my tiara’s back from the cleaner’s, it’s over for you, you say.

sure, and i’ll be crying my eyes out in a pint of cherry chocolate chip. 

with that, he launches into a long, winding tale about the shenanigans he pulled at the beef today, installment nine hundred and seventeen of his neverending battle with a guy named fak. you’re not following, but you’re not trying to follow particularly hard, either. you’re too tired, and you’ve got other shit on your mind.

that’s the closest richie has gotten to mentioning your job in weeks. 

used to be that he’d poke around with dogged persistence, as though he thought he could needle you into submission. he asked after your boss’s health, your credit score, your childhood high school. he complained he had to take a shit or that it was too cold out to stand around. all that. anything to invade, get inside, get a little more information. 

michael was like that, too. the difference between the two is that michael won. conquered you, most if not all of your secrets, and fell asleep in your bed long before even a month had passed. but richie’s been at it for a few months now and he seems to have given up. he doesn’t know your job, your last name, or your phone number. he could pick you out of a lineup but he could never track you down. and he’s decided to let that go.

it’s just as well. you’ve got leftover dim sum in the minifridge right now, and if he pushed hard enough, you’re pretty sure you’d take him up to share it. siu mai re-steamed and slices of lo bak goh re-fried in hot oil in a pan, savory and delicious, nothing better. you can’t cook, but you’d still feed him well if given half the chance. you’d arrange the table with takeout napkins and your only two sets of matching cutlery, you’d—

the real richie rudely interrupts your thoughts. 

you’re not even listening to me, are you, he says. 

no, i’m not, you admit without an ounce of compunction.

just like everyone else, hey? fan-tastic. there’s a real bite to the way he breaks the word in half.

you look at him, startled and stung. don’t be such a fucking baby.

man, fuck you, he says. real anger, rocketing out from his chest. 

fuck you! you stare at him, legitimately astonished. maybe it’s your fault for not paying attention, but you really have no idea where this is coming from. you’ve been good. maybe your mind strayed for a while tonight, but what about every other night? you’ve always listened, or at least pretended to listen, to the travails of his divorce, his money problems, his insane workplace, his dysfunctional quasi-adopted family. and there’s a hell of a lot of it. you’ve been really fucking good!

apparently, not only has he not noticed this, but he thinks he’s entitled to even more.

you say, what do you expect here when you’re going on for eons like fucking always. do you think this is fun for me?

well, someone has to talk since you won’t say shit about shit with that paranoid secret agent—

oh, fuck. something about the way richie cuts himself off. you dread whatever he’s got to say next.

he says, what’s that supposed to mean, do you think this is fun for me?

jesus christ. you fumble in your coat, only to remember that you threw away your last pack. i don’t speak in fucking riddles, richie, this is not that type of situation.

then what type of, like. his face wrinkles in horror and disgust. am i a charity project? 

this is like having a migraine, but worse. i never said… truly, what the hell is going on? how did you even get here? 

dredging up the last of your energy, the emergency fund, you turn it into bravado, your default response to an unexpectedly angry man. you give it your all cause that’s the only way to do it, turning and facing him head on, putting your shoulders back and standing square over your own two feet. 

what is this, richie? you wanna fight? you really wanna fight?

yeah, i think i do actually, says richie, alarmingly ready. i think i really fuckin do. 

fine, you spit. 

you tilt your chin up so you can look him square in the eye and you give him the worst you got, spiteful already, and then you start trying to anticipate his next move.

there’s a lot of things he could say, as it turns out, a lot of things that only he could say, because he was there for everything. he witnessed the aftermath and attended the funeral. he could have you skinned like a caught rabbit given half the chance, and you just handed it to him on a silver platter. 

besides, he has a right. he loved michael even more than you did.

the realization dawns on you far too late, and then the dread sets in. can he see it in your face? when he opens his mouth, you’re setting your jaw so you don’t flinch. 

forget it, he says flatly. he turns away a little, steps back to lean against the building, and in the shadow of the building all you can see is the shape of him. if you concentrate, you can make out his profile against the gray concrete. 

.

.

.

at first, you can’t quite believe it. it’s mercy, after all, and that’s rarely reliable. but after his last cigarette, richie folds his arms tight across his chest and tilts his head back, eyes looking up towards stars that neither of you can see through the city lights.

eventually, you do start to think the mercy is real. you test it.

can i have one? you say.

richie doesn’t even hesitate. he reaches into the left pocket of his tracksuit pants, produces a pack, and hands it over. it turns out to be brand-new box of menthols. 

you look at it for a moment. your throat’s doing that thing again. he really did notice that you weren’t here last night, huh.

i don’t do charity, you say, after a second.

it’s fine, forget it, he says. 

i don’t, though. you don’t know what to say, but you know you can’t leave things there, so you keep pushing, and the words just come out. richie, i’m—i’m really a piece of shit. 

he looks at you directly again, but this time it’s a question. he doesn’t try to negate it with a brainless autoresponse like ‘no you’re not.’ he just listens, plain and simple. for a second, you’re at a loss. 

sudden and frightening as a car crash at the next intersection, the impulse flashes through you: tell him the truth, the whole truth. test him for real, watch that mercy melt away, inevitable as ice on hot pavement. teach him to hate you like he should. it’s like strong hands digging their fingers into your shoulders, the thought, and you’re reeling.

i… you swallow, smash it down, yank the car back onto the road. i hate ice cream and babies and long walks on the beach, i hate old ladies and libraries. you look over at him. i kick dogs every chance i get. 

there it is, at the corners of his mouth.

heartened, you go on, nearly tripping over your words. like, small dogs, richie. puppies. right in the head, i kick them. 

now you’re both smiling, and the relief is so fucking crazy. you’ve fought with him so many times before, but you’ve never gotten scared by it before. this is a first, and you have no idea what to do. all you can do is repeat, i don’t do charity.

okay, he says. okay.

you lean against the wall, and you’re absurdly heartened when he does the same right next to you. something about the symmetry, something about the weight off. you finally light up one of the menthols, and you have the night with richie back again. the breeze brushes by, chilly but not unbearable. it’s perfect.

what happened today? you say.

i thought you’d like it, he says. it was funny. 

go on, then. 

you wonder if richie might try to make you say please, but he doesn’t. he walks you through the whole day of catastrophes, from the broken toilet to the loss of electricity, from the loss of electricity to the fucked-up fridge, from the fucked-up fridge to the outdoor grill—

that’s really cool, you say.

he grins. right? 

whose idea?

from his crooked, exasperated smile, you know it wasn’t his. 

syd’s, he admits.

you raise an eyebrow. so i take it the culinary institute is good for something.

he scoffs. no way they taught her that. that—he points at you—was pure chicago.

oh okay, so we’re giving the credit to the city.

yeah, we are, cause it’s like—

the city, not the woman.

it was very chicago of her! that’s a compliment. don’t make it a feminism thing. his voice matches yours, a near-laugh ribboning through it like fudge in ice cream.

alright, okay. you’re smiling like a fool and you couldn’t care less. so then what?

so turns out fak’s connect isn’t much of a connect, surprise surprise, and it’s gonna cost us fifty-five hundred just to get the fridge back up and running. so he and carmy come to me, all hat in hand, and they’re like—shit. i didn’t tell you about the dealing, did i? you got me all turned around.

didn’t tell me bout the what now?

fak snitched on me earlier, told carmy i was dealing in the alley back behind the beef. i’m not moving much weight, just like. he gestures vaguely. covid, he adds, like that’s an explanation. please don’t have a fit about this, i’ve had all i can take from carmy already.

you shake your head once, thinking hard, processing. the more you think on it, the more it unsettles you. 

i knew he was dealing, obviously, but i didn’t know about you, you say. after a second, you add, richard edgar jerimovich?

jesus, he mutters.

is that right?

and here i thought carmy was going full mom. edgar, jesus fucking christ. richie’s torn between aghast and amused. where’d you get that from?

that’s your middle name?

yeah, but—

you hold up a hand, not rude, just asking him silently to let you finish, and he does. 

richie, you broke your wrist when you were twelve trying to play tackle football with the big boys on asphalt. at some point in your thirties, you started getting a rash every time you ate shellfish, but you still do it anyways, ‘cause fuck it’. and to this day you hate nightmare on elm street cause he convinced you to watch it with him when you were both way too young. 

none of this richie told you himself. it all came straight from michael. 

you say, how do i know all that, but i didn’t know you were dealing? 

richie says nothing, so you look over and find him watching you already. it’s an unfamiliar sensation, not being able to completely read him. it skitters over you like static electricity. 

you got a pretty good memory there, huh, he says.

it’s coke, right?

it’s just coke, yeah. was coke. it’s over now. richie shrugs wearily, turns away, and stubs out his spent cigarette on the concrete wall. mikey and his fucking secrets. i don’t know what to tell you. 

you can say that again. 

richie says nothing for a beat, then: mikey and his fucking secrets, i don’t—

okay, okay. 

he breaks into a small smile as you watch him, and then you keep on looking at him even as the smile subsides. a car goes by, and you look down at the pavement as the headlights sweet over both your faces, only looking back up at him once the car is gone.

the thing is, you really did think you knew him. what a crazy thing to think, when this is a mistake you’ve already made before with michael. you thought you knew him too. 

there could be so much of richie you don’t know, because michael didn’t know—or because michael didn’t tell. and yet richie isn’t a stranger. at any moment you could close your eyes and picture his face, imagine his voice. he’s in you that much, at least.

so here he is, through your own eyes. you’re determined to fix him in your mind, not richie from the stories, but richie as he really is. his hair is dark and close-cut, his beard too. his eyebrows are scant, and there’s a ridge on his forehead as if to make up for it. his nose is straight and straightforward. there are bags under his eyes, because of course there are, but his eyes themselves are as blue as summer, so blue they’re barely believable. that’s him, that’s his face.

then there’s the eternal black leather jacket, oversized and complete with unnecessary shoulder straps for all the bags he’ll never carry. he stinks of kitchen in general and arby’s curly fries in specific. he’s allowing you to stare at him, an indulgence that you can’t question without being a dick. he makes you want to not be a dick. all this is here, all this is real. 

he rubs his nose with the side of his wrist. 

you must be tired, you say quietly.

when he smiles like that, it’s almost like you can look down past a few decades and see the teenager you never got to meet. i’m never tired, he says.

he’s always tired, you realize. of course he would be. you only ever see him after his long-ass shifts. go to bed, richie.

that was too gentle for sure, because he says a little curiously, getting some real weird vibes off you right now.

you take one last drag, then push off the side of the building, gathering yourself to go. you want normal, don’t come to me. 

heard, he says with a chuckle. g’night.

goodnight.

.

.

.

[ chapter four ] [ masterlist ]

.

.

.

@garbinge, @narcolini, @drabbles-mc, @beingalive1 — if anyone else wants a tag, let me know.

[mj-iza-writer]

Pet whump... can't stop myself 👀

Whumpee lowered themselves closer to the floor to be able to drink from their water dish. Whumper walked by as they lapped up the drink.

"Such a good pet", Whumper smiled and patted their head.

Whumpee smiled weakly. They had finally given in to this role that Whumper wanted. It had taken a long time, but Whumper patiently worked through everything Whumpee had done to get out of it, some of it more painful than others.

They stretched out their knees, crawling around was becoming more painful. As they wandered around the home, having some freedom now they realized Whumper had left the front door open. They glanced outside, not having seen outside in forever. Glancing back, they realized Whumper wasn't in sight.

"I wonder", they whispered to themselves. In a second of bravery, they crashed out of the door and started to run, they didn't know where too, there was nothing out here.

Suddenly, they heard a beeping noise, and a shock wave went through their body, sending them to the ground. It stopped. They looked back at the house, Whumper was in the door way smiling.

"How about you come back here", Whumper yelled to them, "I'm not coming to get you."

Whumpee stayed on the ground. They were shaking, not sure if it was anger or the shock waves, but they didn't want to move.

"I'll shock you again if you don't get over here", Whumper yelled from the porch. They pressed the button for a warning beep.

"Fuck, I'm coming, geesh", Whumpee shot their head up and yelled.

"Hurry up", Whumper beeped the collar again.

When Whumpee made it to the porch, Whumper shook their head, "I didn't know dogs could walk on two feet, I suggest you get on all fours."

Whumpee mumbled under their breath but got down.

"You failed your test", Whumper frowned, "did you really think it was going to be that easy to escape? Plus, where were you going? We are quite literally in the middle of nowhere."

"I had to try", Whumpee whispered, fighting back tears.

"Well, you bought yourself a punishment. Go to your cage, I'll be there shortly", Whumper held the door open and watched them disappear down the hall.

The rest of the day, into the next morning, Whumpee stayed locked in that cage. They had received a whipping, and was put in there right after.

Whumper came in, and unlatched the cage. "Come out, we'll try this again. Your breakfast is already served, get cleaned up, then eat."

"Yes sir, thankyou sir."

"Yep"

After breakfast, Whumpee saw the door was opened again, Whumper was outside drinking their coffee.

They sat at the door, honestly just wishing to be outside. They hadn't been out in months. They couldn't believe they used to hate being outside, it's all they wanted right now.

They pressed their luck and tapped on the glass to get Whumper's attention.

Whumper came to the door and opened it, "are you okay?"

"May I, may I come outside, just to sit either on the porch or in the grass, I don't care which, please can I just come outside", a tear streamed down their face, "I won't run."

"Yes, you can come out", Whumper stood aside, and let them come out. "You can stay on the porch, but if you want to be in the grass you can, you're not allowed to go past my truck though."

"Yes sir, thankyou sir", Whumpee looked around and started to crawl towards the grass.

"You're welcome", Whumper went back to their coffee. They grinned when they saw Whumpee flop into the grass.

Whumpee rolled over to look up at the sky, "oh yeah, the sky is blue", they whispered. They rolled back over, and noticed some flowers, "I haven't smelt flowers in a long time either."

They crawled to the flowers. Catching Whumper's eyes, and looked away quickly. This still felt embarrassing to them and they didn't want to be watched so closely.

Whumper grinned. They knew they still had a lot of work, but they were making some headway.

[i-was-a-well-kid-once]

“When the lights go out (and the walls come down)”

Most of our mornings were slow. We’d get home from a case sometime early in the morning, so most of us would end up sleeping in, sometimes until noon. Most days we’ll wake up, and Holly will already be here, tidying up, doing paperwork, or taking calls. Out of the three of us that lived here,  Lockwood was usually up first, already in the kitchen with the kettle on, reading the morning newspaper or the latest magazine. The next to wake up was George, who joins Lockwood in the kitchen and usually starts making some breakfast. Then finally, I traipsed into the kitchen still half asleep and in great need of some tea. 

The thing is, I usually don’t remember actually going to bed most nights. I’ll usually be so tired from whatever case we just got back from, that it has become routine to tramp up to my attic and plop onto my bed, some nights, too tired to even change into actual pajamas. 

Nights when I am plagued by particularly horrifying nightmares, I normally wake up and have trouble falling back asleep, so I’ll make the trek down to the kitchen, carefully avoiding those areas of the floor that creak, so as to not wake up either of the boys, and I’ll make myself some tea, or sneak some biscuits out of rotation. 

Some nights, I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. I would sneak down to the kitchen, bleary eyed, moments of vulnerability still flashing through my mind, and would find Lockwood with a cup of tea at the kitchen table, or his favorite armchair in the library. 

Some nights it would make me feel better just sitting with him, drinking tea, while I sketch and he reads. Some nights, we’ll find it in ourselves to fall back asleep, whether we would return to our respective rooms, or maybe we would cross over the line of friendship, putting pause on the unceasing dance that was the dance around our true feelings, wants, and wishes; because in the hazy hours of the late night or early morning, it was never the same. When the lights were low, walls would come down and secrets would be shared. Which is exactly why, some mornings, I would find myself safely tucked into Lockwood’s arms, curled together underneath a warm duvet, either mine or Lockwood’s, usually depending on who needed to be comforted the most. 

This time, however, I awoke to the orange glow of dawn coming through the curtained windows of the library, on the floral printed sofa, a duvet draped somewhat messily over us. 

As I blinked open my eyes—which struggled to adjust to the bright light—and assessed the situation, I was able to register that this was a risky place to be sleeping, as George or Holly could find us like this and we would never be able to hear the end of it. 

I lay on my side, next to Lockwood’s sleeping figure, arms wrapped around his waist, my ear against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. His arms were wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close to him. Our legs were entangled together, and I realized there would be no way to untangle myself from him with him stirring. 

I thought back to last night. I remembered waking up in a cold sweat, after watching another alternative of our trip to the Other-Side play out inside my head. These nightmares would always feel so real, it was getting hard to convince myself, in the nights and mornings that I would wake up to, that everyone is fine. We all made it out; we’re all alive. 

Eyes still red, cheeks wet with streaks of tears, I crept down to the kitchen, searching for some solace, some relief in the form of a cup of tea to warm the cold numbness I felt inside. A feeling I feel a little too often now, since my two trips to the Other-Side: a feeling of a coldness that can never be broken or thawed. 

When I found Lockwood in there, feeling relieved rather than surprised, I gratefully accepted the tea he poured for me, and when he had led me into the library and sat me down, still in a daze, I had let him pull me into his arms and hold me. I found his heartbeat and focused on the sound of it; the steady rhythm; the reassurance that he is alive. We’re alive. I let it lull me to sleep. 

Now, lying here, I felt warm and safe. I felt whole in a way I had never thought was possible. No, I’ve never been held like this before by anyone else, I’ve never felt this cared about by anyone else; I’ve never felt this safe. 

I felt Lockwood stir as I shifted my legs slightly underneath the duvet. I wondered what time it was, having a feeling it’s been a long time since Lockwood had slept in this late. He didn’t seem to get enough sleep, but I was glad he was resting well now. 

“Luce?” I felt the hum of his words against my cheek. His voice was hoarse from sleep.

“Mhm?” I hummed in response, finding my voice to be just as raspy. 

“Your feet are freezing.” He said, moving his legs around, away from my feet, as if to prove his point.

I let out a soft giggle at that, resisting the urge to press them against his skin again, just to mess with him. “M’sorry, what do you suppose I do about it, it’s not my fault.” I mumbled, teasingly. 

“Mm.” He hummed. “Could try wearing socks.”

Now I did press my feet to his skin, a sleepy grin spreading across my face after hearing him hiss in protest.

“Geez,” he hissed, pushing my feet away with his own. “What are they, made of ice cubes?” 

I scoffed at him, playfully. “You’re so dramatic.” 

“Hmm.” He mumbled into my hair, tightening his hold around my shoulders, bringing me just a little closer. 

I melted into his embrace, closing my eyes. We were silent for a few minutes, listening to each other’s breathing. I figured Lockwood had fallen back asleep until he started tracing soft circles along my arm with his thumb. 

“Do you feel any better now?”

It took me a moment to realize he was referring to my nightmare I had last night. I tried to recall what I had told him about it, if anything, but I hardly remembered anything about last night. 

“M’alright.” I really feel a lot better now. I had almost entirely forgotten about it until now. Opening my eyes, I rested my gaze on the colorful rug that lay in the center of the room.

“Do you want to talk about it?” His voice was gentle, still husky from sleep, but so warm. 

“There’s not much to say, really. Same as it usually is.” I said into his chest, focusing on his calloused fingers tracing light patterns on my skin. 

“You were back there again?” His hand moved into my hair and he began to slowly card his fingers through it, no doubt finding the streaks of white that had been left in there. Essentially they were scars, I suppose, a reminder that we’ve been there. Not that we needed any more reminders. 

When I didn’t answer, he only continued to finger his way through my tangles, every now and then massaging towards my scalp. “I know you don’t like them, but I think these white strands look pretty with your brown hair.” 

I gave a small grunt at that. He was right about me not liking them. I had considered dying them, hiding them away, but something had always stopped me from going through with that. 

“No, really, Luce.” He pressed his mouth to my hair. “You’re beautiful with or without them.” 

Doing my best to ignore the warmth creeping onto my cheeks and neck, I sighed and quietly added, “I like yours, too.” 

“They do make me all the more charming, don’t they?” He teased, lifting his chin off of my head. And though I couldn’t see him, I knew he was grinning.

“Maybe they do,”—a chuckle from him—“but don’t let that go to your head.” I said, lifting my head so I could see him, vainly hoping he wouldn’t notice the red tint of my cheeks. 

Grinning, he tapped my nose softly with his finger. “Too late.” 

I rolled my eyes, fighting unsuccessfully to keep a grin off my own face. How could I when he smiles at me like that? I put my head back against his chest, again, finding comfort in his heart beat. 

We fell into a comfortable silence that lasted for about two minutes. 

“Luce,” 

“Yeah?” 

“How do your feet get so cold?” 

“I don’t know, Lockwood.” 

“Maybe you can wrap them in the blanket, or put some socks on for heaven’s sake.” Lockwood shifted his legs so they would be free of my cold grasp.

“Maybe some tea would warm me up.” I said, innocently. Not that I really wanted him to get up, but—per usual—I could really go for some tea. 

He sighed, dramatically, resting his chin against my hair. “I suppose.” He began to shift around and eventually untangled himself and sat up on the edge of the couch. “I’ll put the kettle on, as long as you’re still here when I get back.” 

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

I don’t hate you (Emily x Reader)

This was requested by an anon so I can’t tag you, but I hope you like it. I got a bit carried away and reached 5k words. 

Request: Can I request something with a shy reader who has a crush on Sonnett but she's intimidated by her extroverted personality so Emily thinks the reader doesn't really like her. Just lots of fluff and pining?

"Hey Y/n," Emily greeted flopping down on the chair next to me. As usual I froze. Just being near her was enough to make me clam up, seemingly losing all ability to speak or do anything really. Somehow I managed to wave slightly, never looking up from my sketch book. It's not that I didn't want to talk to her or be around her. Emily was very outgoing, very extroverted. She loves talking to people, going out and doing things where as I'm the complete opposite. Talking to people I don't know makes me incredibly nervous, I'm at my happiest at home with my sketch book or with a few close friends even then I'm a quiet person, I prefer listening over talking. The girls and I were close, it took a while for me to feel comfortable around them, but they had become like family. Emily was the only person I was never able to talk to properly outside of games. I would never admit it, but her extrovertedness intimidated me, made me freeze and run away at the same time. The massive crush I may or may not have had on her didn't help either.

Emily sighed, "Nice chat," She muttered before turning to talk to Lindsey. I watched her for a few seconds before I got up and left the room. I hated that no matter how hard I tried I couldn't talk to her or even look at her when she was looking at me.

I was stuck in my head again thinking about Emily. It wasn't uncommon, I thought about her a lot, but this was different. After walking out this morning, I had avoided everyone until lunch. Then before I could go into the meal room, I had overheard the conversation they were having. Emily was asking what she had done wrong, why I hated her, while the other girls were trying to reassure her that I probably didn't or that she should just straight up ask me. I felt horrible. I never wanted Emily to think I didn't like her, but I also didn't know how to stop freezing and actually talk to her. Hearing the conversation had made tears start to form. I wasn't a crier, but I just felt overwhelmed by everything I was feeling and that I was hurting Emily. Hurting her was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

That's how I ended up sitting on the floor of the hotel room, staring at the wall. I don't know how long I had been sitting there, my phone was somewhere in the room on silent so I could ignore everyone.

"Are you okay Y/n?" A voice asked, making me jump and whip around to the source.

Alyssa was standing next to me, concern evident, "I'm fine, why?"

"You left breakfast rather abruptly this morning, you missed lunch, now you are sitting on the floor staring into space."

I shrugged turning back to the wall, "I'm just thinking."

She sat down next to me, nudging my shoulder gently, "About Emily?"

"W-what? H-ow did-"

"You left breakfast after she talked to you. You always get super quiet around her, never look at her or talk to her. Did she do something that made you not like her?"

"Is that what everyone thinks? That I don't like her?"

"Well yeah. It's kind of the vibe you give off. Look, if she did something, it probably wasn't intentional. I'm sure if you just talked to her, you'd be able to work it out."

"It's not that, I-I d-don't, I l-lik-"

Alyssa put her hand on my arm, making me stop talking, "Hey, just take a breath. Whatever you tell me Y/n, I swear it'll stay in this room."

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowing to calm myself down. I debated if I should tell her or not. On one hand, I knew talking about it might help, but I was also scared of other people finding out. I had no doubt that Alyssa was someone that could be trusted if I just let myself. So I decided to just say fuck it.

"I like her, I do. It's just I can't talk to her. I try, believe me, but I physically cannot get the words out. Whenever she's around, I just freeze. I can't talk to her or even look at her if she's looking at me."

"You like her." I nodded, playing with my fingers. "By the sounds of it, you like her as more than a friend."

"Maybe."

"It's okay you know, to have feelings for her."

Tears welled up again, this time I pushed them away, I didn't want to cry in front of Alyssa, "I wished I didn't. Maybe I'd actually be able to talk to her, not make her think I hate her. I know she won't feel the same, but it would be nice to actually be friends with her."

"Is it just the crush that's stopping you? Is there something else about her?"

"Maybe, I don't know. She's kind of intimidating. She's so outgoing, so extroverted. The complete opposite to me. I've never been very good around people like that, then add the crush on top of it and I'm useless."

"I get it. Believe it or not Emily does have a quiet side. Maybe in times when she is more quiet, you could try talking to her, even a simple 'hi' to start with."

"I don't think I've ever seen her quiet."

"Try when she's alone or after a game, that's when she's most quiet."

"Thank you Alyssa."

---

We had just won the game. It was a very physical and everyone was exhausted. I knew there would be celebrations later, but right now we all just wanted to shower. Emily had ended up walking next to me in the tunnel. She wasn't talking or making jokes, it was weird to see her so quiet. I thought back to what Alyssa had said, about starting slowly. I took a breath and glanced at Emily quickly to find her already looking at me. We both looked away quickly.

"You uh played amazing today," I said quietly, making sure to avoid her gaze otherwise I knew I would freeze again.

"Thank you, so did you."

I managed to send her a small smile before quickly looking away again. We made it to the locker room where everyone went their own ways. Emily went to shower while I sat down next to Alyssa, taking off my cleats. Alyssa lifted her hand for a high-five, I was confused, but returned it anyway. She leaned closer to whisper, "It's a start."

---

Emily was dancing around the locker room with Rose and Mal to some random song. I couldn't help watching her. Despite her loudness, her goofiness and terrible jokes, she was absolutely beautiful. From her eyes, smile, freckles and laugh to her personality. The way she cares so deeply for the people she loves, always trying to cheer people up if they're down, her dedication to the team and the game. Everything about her was beautiful.

Emily looked back at me, making me look away quickly, cheeks heating up. When I looked back at her, I found she was already looking at me, a somewhat sad smile on her face. It was Emily that looked away this time. This seemed to become a pattern. I would look at her, then look away as fast as possible when she would glance at me, only to find her watching me when I looked back at her. Sometimes I managed to hold eye contact for a second, but not often.

"She's looking at you," Alyssa told me quietly. I glanced quickly to where Emily was to find her already looking at me. She looked away quickly, but I kept watching her, "You know she does that a lot."

"I know."

"Maybe she-"

"Bus is leaving in 5." Coach entered the locker room, cutting Alyssa off. I was kind of glad he did, I don't know if I wanted to hear what she was going to say. I was slightly worried, Alyssa was going to suggest that Emily knew about my feelings and that was not something I wanted to face right now. The music was turned off and everyone started to pack their stuff. Emily's locker was next to mine, I glanced at her to once again find her looking at me. She sent me a small smile which I actually managed to return before looking away. It was brief, but it was progress.  

---

Emily sat down next to me on the floor, her shoulder just touching mine. I tensed slightly at the touch before relaxing. There was something about her touch that was warming, relaxing even despite my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest. It had been a long day so we had decided on a movie night for team bonding. Emily must have been pretty tired or something because she was quiet again even when they were picking the movie. Normally, there would be fights between Emily, Rose, Kelley and a few of the other girls about the movie choice. Emily didn't join in this time, it made me briefly think that something was wrong. I wanted to ask, but knew it wasn't my place, I'm pretty sure Emily still thought I hated her. I hadn't said anything to her since after the game.

When they picked a horror I couldn't help tuck my legs against my chest, hiding my face in my knees. Horror movies were something I couldn't do at all, they freaked me out more than I had ever admitted to anyone. There was no way for me to watch them without getting nightmares for days.

"Hey, let's pick a different movie. I'm not in the mood for a horror tonight," Emily spoke up, discreetly placing her hand on my back. Some of the girls groaned, but agreed and settled on a romance instead.

I leaned into her a bit so I could whisper without anyone hearing, "Thank you."

"Of course, are you okay?"

"Not a fan of horrors."

As the movie went on, I found myself leaning closer to Emily until eventually my head was leaning on her shoulder. Her head rested on top of mine, neither of us acknowledged the position we were in. There was a disappointment I couldn't push away as I watched the movie, as I watched the couple dance around the kitchen cooking dinner, going on dates and just having normal conversations. It was what I wanted with Emily, even as little as being able to have a proper conversation with her would be enough. "I don't hate you." I whispered before I could stop myself. Emily didn't say anything, but the light squeeze of my arm told me she heard it.

---

"Hey Y/n, come for a walk with me?" Emily asked quietly as we were leaving the meal room. I didn't say anything, but after a moment of hesitation followed her. If I wanted to be able to be friends with her, then I needed to push past the things that made me uncomfortable and unable to interact with her.

We walked down the street in silence, though despite everything it was comfortable. The last couple of weeks I had seen the more calm and quiet side of Emily, the side of her I seemed to be more comfortable with for the time being. Over time I hoped to become more comfortable with the extroverted side of her. "You say you don't hate me, why don't you talk to me?"

After a couple of minutes without replying, Emily spoke up again, "You don't have to tell me, I know there's a reason, there has to be, but if you're not ready then I understand."

"I um, I don't um do well with e-e-extrovertedness."

"I'm not the only extrovert on the team."

I couldn't tell her the real reason. I thought about just doing it, but I physically couldn't. So I went with telling a small lie instead. It didn't feel good. Emily was being so understanding, so patient and I couldn't even be honest about not being ready to tell her. "I know. I-I don't know why you're the one I can't talk to properly."

"That's okay Y/n, I'm just glad you're actually talking to me at all. It sucked thinking you hated me and not knowing why."

"I'm sorry. I am working on it. It uh helps when you're calmer."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that. Look, if you're trying then I'll try harder. Maybe we can hang out more, I won't be so-"

A small, teasing smile made it's way onto my face, "Crazy?"

Emily snorted, nudging my shoulder, "Something like that."

---

"So you and Emily went for a walk? By yourselves? Did you talk?"

"Um yeah, we talked a little bit. I told her at the movie night that I didn't hate her and she asked today why I don't talk to her if I don't hate her." I filled her in on the rest of what we talked about, about wanting to tell her what I felt, but not being able to.

"You're making great progress Y/n, sure it's slow, but it's something. Maybe one day you'll be able to tell her how you feel."

"Honestly, Alyssa I don't see the point in telling her, she won't feel the same way. I'm happy just being friends with her."

"Y/n, she stares at you all the time. Either you are really interesting, have something on your face all the time or she likes you."

I laughed quietly at her face comment before sighing, "I doubt it. Up until like yesterday Emily thought I hated her, there's no way she likes me."

"Just, don't completely throw out the possibility of her liking you back."

My phone buzzed, a smile appearing when I saw Emily's name. Alyssa raised her eyebrow at me, but I ignored her to read Emily's text.

Emily: Hey, since you have trouble talking to me in person I thought maybe we could try texting?

Y/n: I think that might be okay

"Emily I take it?"

"She decided texting would be the way to go since I can't talk to her."

---

It had been a few days since Emily first texted me. Since then we had been texting pretty much every chance we got even when we were in the same room. We talked about a lot of different things, from our childhoods, dreams and random things like what happened that day. The more I got to know her, the more I seemed to fall for her and the more I disliked myself for not being able to talk to her properly. I had been able to talk to her a few more times in person, they weren't long conversations, but it was something. I was able to text her when she was being hyperactive, but I still couldn't talk to her. It was late, Alyssa was asleep and it was an off day tomorrow so Emily and I were still texting.

Y/n: I saw a bird dive at a kid today, is it bad that I laughed so hard at it?

Emily: Maybe, but honestly I laughed hard just thinking about it. I got to pat an adorable puppy today.

Y/n: You know that's kind of what you remind me of

Emily: A puppy? I'm not sure if that's a good thing....

Y/n: I don't mean it in a bad way. You're just always overly excited, love attention, cute and love sleep.

Emily: Did you call me cute?

Y/n: Maybe...

Emily: Do you think you can tell me now why you can't talk to me?

Emily: You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I know you weren't telling me the truth when you said you didn't know why. I could tell by the look on your face.  

I had gotten bold and look where that got me. What if she knew that I liked her? I didn't know what to do, I could just do it now and get it over with. I mean if she knew then it wouldn't matter when she found out. I would likely lose her anyway. It would avoid more heartbreak then necessary. Before I could overthink it I wrote the text and sent it then froze with fear as I realised what I had done.

Y/n: I like you Em, more than friends.

With each passing second I started panicking more, everything that she could be thinking running through my head. Also, wondering what the heck I was thinking by telling her over text about my feelings. Emily deserved to be told in person, not in a bloody text, but I didn't even have the guts to do that. Hell, I could still barely talk to her in person, yet I had just confessed to liking her.  

Emily: Can you meet me in the hallway?

After a minute of debating, I decided to just face whatever was coming. I slowly snuck out of the room to find Emily standing outside the door. Before I could say anything she cupped my cheeks and connected our lips. Of course I froze. Emily pulled back, thumb stroking my cheek. I lent into her touch, eyes closed to avoid looking at her.

"Hey, don't freak out, don't overthink. It's okay, I've got you. I promise you I feel the same Y/n."

I nodded as Emily pulled me into her arms, "I've got you."

After a minute or so Emily pulled away to cup my cheek again, I nodded, leaning in slightly. Emily closed the rest, our lips connecting again. This time I relaxed into her, enjoying the way her lips felt against mine. The softness of her hand on my cheek, the gentleness of her touch, the small smile on her lips as she pulled away. I looked at her, my own smile forming. Out of everything I had imagined would happen, this was the last one I expected to actually happen. I still wasn't sure that this wasn't a dream.

Emily chuckled, "I think this is the longest you've ever looked at me."

"Well, longest with you looking back. That sounds creepy, um I-"

"Don't worry, I was doing the same thing. I'm sorry for kissing you straight away, it know it was out of no where, but I saw your expression and knew you were freaking out."

"I'm glad you did Em, I was completely freaking out. Look um I don't know how I'll be around you when you're hyperactive, I'm not someone who talks to random people or likes to hang out with lots of people."

She stroked my cheek softly before placing a quick peck to my lips, "I know. I get that Y/n, really I do. I don't expect you to be the same as me, I like you the way you are. We'll work this out together."

---

Emily and I were sitting on the floor in a secluded corner of the hotel floor. I was leaning against her, head resting on her shoulder with her arm around me, "You're comfy."

Emily laughed, pressing a kiss to my head, "I'm glad. We can't stay here all night though."

"I know, you could come stay with me," I mumbled quietly. Now she was cuddled up with me, I didn't want it to end. She was warm and made me feel safe. It was everything I wanted since I met her.

"You have a roommate."

"Alyssa knows about my feelings for you, she's the one who convinced me to try harder with talking to you."

"Guess I should be thanking her then. I love that you're talking to me now, all it took was a kiss," She laughed, holding me a bit closer, "I can come cuddle for a bit, but I'll need to get back before Lindsey wakes up."

"You uh don't have to if you don't want to. I was mostly kidding."

Emily tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, "Trust me, there's nothing else I want."

We snuck back into the room being careful not to wake Alyssa. I place a few kisses kisses to Emily's lips before cuddling into her, a huge smile present. Who would have thought a second of boldness would end up with this happening? I still found it a bit hard to believe that Emily liked me considering I hardly ever talked to her, but I decided to push that away and just enjoy being with her. I must have fallen asleep because when I was woken up by Alyssa moving around the room. Emily was gone, but that was to be expected. I checked my phone to find a text from her.

Emily: Good morning beautiful, I hope you slept well ❤️ I snuck back to my room. You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to wake you. I'm going to sleep a little longer, but do you want to get brunch with me this morning?

Y/n: Good morning Em, I slept amazing (think you had something to do with that) I'd love to get brunch with you. Text me when you wake up :)

"So Emily stayed over last night," Alyssa stated nonchalantly making me look up.

"Uh yeah. I don't want to say you were right, but she knows how I feel and we may have kissed."

"No fucking way, you told her? Y/n, I'm so happy for you."

"I may have told her over text."

"Hey, that's better than nothing I suppose."

---

"You ready?" I asked walking up to Emily who was waiting in the lobby.

"Let's go." As we walked Emily was going on excitedly about some show her and Lindsey had watched. I wasn't really listening, more so enjoying listening to her talk. This was the first step in getting used to her hyperactive and overly excited side. "You okay babe?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"You just seem quiet."

I chuckled, "I'm always quiet."

Emily rolled her eyes, nudging my shoulder, "Well yeah, but you just seem quieter. Am I being too loud? Talking too much? I can stop."

I stopped, turning to face her. I never wanted Emily to think she was too much. Sure, it was an adjustment since I had never dated an extrovert, but I would get there. I mean I could handle being around extroverts everyday with the team so it would be fine dating her, "No, please don't think or worry about that Em. I don't want you to change who you are because of me, I like who you are. I've always been a listener more than a talker, I like listening to you talk. Now, let's go eat, I'm starving."

Emily was looking at me with a dopey smile which made me feel a little bit self conscious, "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just happy. Happy that we're here, happy that we're together and you're talking to me."

"Can I ask you something? How do you like me when you thought I hated you?"

"At first I just thought you were beautiful, then you started being more comfortable around the team and started showing who you were. Even though you didn't talk to me, I could see how kind you were, how much you cared about everyone, how funny you were. Then when we started texting and I got to know you more, I knew I was screwed. I didn't need to talk to you, to like you." I reached over to take her hand. It made me feel better hearing her say why she liked me. It was one of those things that I had been overthinking since we got together.

---

Emily came skipping up to me, holding her hand out, "Dance with me."

"W-what?"

She knelt down in front of me, lacing her fingers with mine, "You don't have to, but I would really like it if you would. I even played a slower song."

I took a deep breath before standing up, my free hand going to her hip, "I'm leading."

Emily laughed, her free arm wrapping around my shoulder. Everyone else was dancing all over the place while Emily and I danced slowly. I was nervous, this wasn't something I did, especially not in a locker room filled with people. Emily made me feel safe though, safe enough to speed up our dancing a bit until we were dancing more like the rest of the girls. Our hands never disconnected as we danced. I admit that I was having at least a little bit of fun. Eventually it was time to shower so I squeezed her hand and left. After my shower, I stopped by the door when I overheard yet another conversation.

"Are we missing something?" What sounded like Kelley asked.

"Yeah, when did you and Y/n get close? I thought Y/n hated you Emily?" Lindsey added. I was interested to see what Emily was say about it. Would she tell them about our relationship or some other excuse. I'm not sure what I wanted her to tell them, was I ready for everyone to know? Was Emily ready for them to know?

"She never hated me, it was just a misunderstanding. We talked it out. I just need to be a little less crazy around her sometimes." I guess she wasn't ready to tell them yet. I decided it was time to come back out. Emily sent me a smile which I returned with a small one of my own.

Emily dropped back beside me as we walked to the bus, nudging my shoulder with hers, "You heard that?"

"I did. You didn't tell them about us. Which is okay by the way, we can wait until you're ready."

"It's not that Y/n. I just didn't know how you feel about them knowing yet. Thought we should talk about it first."

Our fingers intertwined discreetly between us, "I'm not opposed to it Em, it's just a bit scary."

"What's scary about it?"

"You know the girls. They'll get excited, they'll have so many questions."

"They'll bombard us, that's the part that scares you?" I nodded, "I'll always be by your side Y/n, if they get to much then I'll tell them to back off."

"I know you will. I'm ready if you are." I pulled Emily closer, letting her close the gap between us if she was ready. She smiled, connecting our lips in a quick kiss. We pulled away to find no one, but Alyssa had even noticed, all caught up in the conversations they were having. "I was sure that would work."

Emily smirked, "Let's have some fun, see how long it takes them to notice."

It took about 3 days until everyone finally noticed and we weren't being subtle about it. We would hold hands, cuddle, leave kisses on each others cheeks, even the occasional peck on the lips. A few of the girls such as Ali, Ash and Alex had noticed quite quickly, but had played along, even making bets on how long it would take. I was right, we were bombarded with questions as soon as everyone noticed. I managed to handle most of them, but Emily cut them off when I started to play with her fingers and bouncing my knee. There was still the occasional question, though it settled down pretty quickly.

The day they found out about us, I went back to my room to find Alyssa packing her bags. "What are you doing?"

"We're swapping rooms. I'll be rooming with Lindsey, Emily will move over here."

"Thank you Lys."

"Don't get used to it, but given how you two were before the other night, I think it will help you two start your relationship properly, so you can get more comfortable with her. I'm so proud of how far you've come Y/n."

"Things changed when she kissed me. Its still hard sometimes, there's a lot I need to work on, but I feel safe with her."

Emily knocked on the door, leaving a quick kiss on my lips before turning to Alyssa and thanking her. Alyssa pulled her into a hug. She probably didn't mean for me to hear what she whispered, but I did, "You hurt her and I will hurt you worse, understand?"

Emily nodded frantically, pulling away and standing next to me. Alyssa smiled, pulling me into a quick hug, "Have fun, see you at dinner."

Once Alyssa had left, I burst out laughing making Emily pout, "You looked terrified."

"You're mean. Alyssa is scary."

I pulled her in, connecting our lips in a lingering kiss, "Sorry Em."

Her arms crossed over her chest, pout returning, "Nope, apology not accepted."

I connected our lips in a slightly longer kiss this time, tongue running along her lips as I pulled away, "What about now?"

"Almost."

I smirked, connecting our lips again while guiding her back until she fell back on the bed. I straddled her waist, tongue slipping into her mouth. She let out a quiet moan which I think just became my second favourite sound after her laugh. I pulled away, leaving a few kisses in her neck, "Am I forgiven now?"

"Y-yes." Emily went to flip us over, but I wouldn't let her. I laced our fingers together, pinning them above her head. I may be shy and introverted, but I was not one to be told what to do.

"Nuh uh," I whispered, leaning down to connect our lips again. My hands slipped under her shirt, running along her stomach. Emily pulled away, stopping my hands.

"Y-Y/n, I-I can't, I-I'm not-"

"Shh it's okay, we don't have to go past this yet if you're not ready."

Her hands slipped under my shirt, tracing small circles, "It's not that, believe me. I got my period this morning so we have to wait."

"That's okay baby. Let me know if I can do anything. Let's watch a movie and cuddle."

Emily kissed me again before I moved off her to sit against the headboard. She lay with her head in my lap as I ran my fingers through her hair. Emily picked a random movie, I didn't really care, I was just content being with her. Things had changed so quickly, it was still scary, but I was happy.

[blocked-zombieartist]

Bad Shellfish

Part one.

  Today Avery forced me out of the office at 3. Three PM! Absolutely absurd. She had my work accounts frozen for the day, forcing an inability to do anything remotely productive. I walked out of the front doors of the Foundation building and adjusted my suit cuffs. What to do… I pondered the question as I strolled to my car. I settled behind the wheel of my chrome silver Jaguar and strapped myself in, reaching to start the ignition. Just then, my stomach rumbled. Reaching for my coffee cup, I discovered it was empty. Shit. No work, no good coffee, empty stomach. This was not my day. 

  I pulled out of the parking lot and got on the road. I mentally flipped through local cuisine and settled on a high end seafood restaurant that was only about fifteen minutes from my current location. I drove there and was immediately recognized and tended to by the staff. They escorted me to the back to a private dining area with many fish tanks full of exotic species. Is that what they mean by, “Served fresh daily”? 

  I ordered some shrimp scampi and a side of sushi, and was not disappointed in both the speed of delivery and the quality of the food. It was delicious. The first real lunch I’d had in a while, and soon I finished. After lunch, I paid my bill and drove back to Hawthorne House. The remainder of my day passed without much event.

  The following morning, I woke up and noticed that I felt… off. My muscles ached slightly, and it felt different than the typical soreness after some heavy swimming. Had it been those post-swim aches, I’d have been able to tell, as I was well acquainted with those. However, this was different. I couldn’t quite place it. I sat up and got out of bed with a groan and a shiver. What on earth? I shouldn’t be cold either. One of the staff comes in before I wake up every morning and lights a fire in my room’s fireplace, and today’s was burning pleasantly. I shook it off and proceeded with my morning, showering, getting dressed and heading downstairs to our immaculate dining room for breakfast. 

  To my surprise, no one was at the table. Usually at the very least Nash and Xander were there by the time I arrived at breakfast. And the food was still lain out, but plenty of people had clearly already eaten. I glanced at my watch. Good lord. It was 9:23 AM! How on earth?? I was never late to breakfast, and certainly never this late! I must have slept in somehow. But how?? I don’t feel like I slept in. I’m quite tired still. I didn’t stay up that late reading. I automatically sat at the table and made my plate as my brain tried to make sense of what on earth is going on with me. By the time I actually registered the food now piled on my plate, my stomach revolted with a churn. I pushed my plate away with a glare of distaste. I stood and went to make myself a cup of coffee. 

   Once it was brewed, I carried it upstairs to my office and checked on my work accounts. Unshackled. Finally. I took a seat at my desk after turning the heat up and did some work. After a couple hours, the coffee had spurned a love hate relationship in me. I was only becoming more tired, which prompted me to drink the caffeinated beverage, but my stomach was now starting a rebellion. I leaned back in my chair, officially nauseous. A clenched fist to my mouth, I attempted to swallow a gag. What the hell was this? I was nauseated, cold despite the heat being well on, tired, and achy. I never felt this way! It’s like I was sick. But that was impossible. Hawthornes don’t get sick. We stand and tolerate an off day.

  “I’m fine,” I gritted to no one but myself. 

  Five minutes later I was on the cold bathroom tile, over a toilet losing the coffee I’d drank. My throat now burned from the stomach acid as I made my way back to my office. My phone was lit up with a missed call notification. Nash. I picked up the phone and called him back. 

  “Hello?” I grimaced slightly as I heard how my voice sounded off. Not shocking, but certainly a potential give away to my ever perceptive big brother that I was feeling ill. 

  “Gray?” he drawled on the other end of the line. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” 

  “Liar. You said hello. Everyone who’s ever talked to you on the phone twice knows you don’t do that. What’s up with your voice? And why were you late to breakfast? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just-“ I hurriedly stifled a gag. “Just busy.” 

  He knew something was up then. “Gray,” he warned. When I refused to respond, he hung up the phone. I rolled my eyes in spite of a forming headache. Knowing him, he was coming to find me. I huffed before clutching my stomach and rushing back into the bathroom.

[mytheoristavenue]

OP Usopp x Sick!Reader - What would you say?

Summary: Usopp, wondering why he hadn't seen you all day, finds you very ill in the girls' quarters. After taking you to the sickbay to see Chopper, he refuses to leaver your side.

Warnings: A lot of fluff, a bit of angst, sick comfort.

You groaned, brows knit and chest heaving as you rolled over to face the door of the girls' bedroom. Pulling the covers over your shoulder and against your face, you couldn't help but huff. Why was it so goddamned hot in here? Loosening the tuck of your blanket, you were immediately stung by freezing air, opting to just suffer under the heat of your quilt, than the agonizing needles of the air. What the hell was going on?

Elsewhere, Usopp sat at the dining table eating breakfast with a few other crew members, who lounged as they usually did on a sunny Sunday morning. "Hey, Robin," he asked, breaking the tranquil quiet that seemed to blanket the entire ship. She looked up from the novel she was reading, glancing up at him, and using the break of focus as an excuse to take a sip of tea. "Have you seen (Y/N) today? She never sleeps this late." He wondered, noting that they hadn't docked in weeks, and that they weren't even close to land, so she couldn't have gone on an errand without him knowing.

"I'm not sure she feels well today." Robin answer with a kind smile. "She was still asleep when I got up, and when I offered to bring her anything she declined." Usopp thought on her answer for a moment before she continued. "I touched her forehead and she seemed warmer than usual, so I asked Sanji to brew her some tea that might help a fever come down."

"That's really sweet of you," the sniper remarked, silently worried over his friend's well being. As if on cue, the chef walked over to the table, setting down and small tray holding a cup of steaming tea, and a jammed biscuit on a saucer.

"Here it is now, thank you Sanji," the ravenette nodded to the blonde appreciatively.

"Hey, wait," Usopp interjected as Sanji began to exit the kitchen, tray in hand. "I'll take it to her. I was gonna go check on her anyways." The chef quirked a brow at his friend's sudden willingness to help, but ultimately passed the it over.

"Just make sure she drinks that tea, I hand picked all the herbs myself and I don't want my time going to waste." Sanji advised, turning back to what he was doing before the request. "And you better not drop that, either."

Usopp simply rolled his eyes at his uptightness, descending the hall toward the sleeping quarters. When he arrived at the door of the girls' room, the carefully held the tray in one hand and knocked with the other, wanting to make sure no one else was there. When he got no response, he cautiously twisted the knob and opened the door to reveal you in the first bunk he found, curled up in a pitiful little ball.

"(Y/N), you okay?" he asked inching towards you timidly. "I brought you something from Sanji." You failed to respond, simply panting from under your blanket. Setting the tray down on another bunk, he slowly made his way to your bedside, laying the back of his hand on your forehead. "Shit, you are hot." he remarked, a bit surprised that what Robin had said earlier was true.

"'M fine...go away." you finally mumbled, rolling away from him to face the wall. Usopp sat beside you on the bed, his hand once again against your head, to gauge just how bad your fever was.

"Maybe you should go see Chopper." he suggested, brows knit with concern. "You seem pretty sick." You growled in annoyance, forcing yourself to sit up, and eventually dragging yourself out of bed, standing on the terribly cold floor. He watched you as you walked over to your dresser, picking out your clothes for the day with a worried expression. "I think you should lay back down,"

"I've got too much to do today to just lay in bed all day. I told you I'm...I'm fi...ne..." With that, you instantly hit the floor, fainting in the middle of the room. Usopp bolted up to catch you, but was unfortunately not able to get to you in time.

"(Y/N)! Are you okay? Please wake up!" he panicked, shaking you gently as he cradled you in his lap. When you came to seconds later, you looking up at him, confused and delirious.

"Usopp...what are you doing in here, this is the girls' room..." His face paled as he struggled to find an answer, befuddled that you'd forgotten that he was even there.

"I've gotta get you to Chopper, he'll know what to do." he concluded, trying his best to calm himself down, before scooping you up into his arms and carrying you out of them room. On the way to the sick bay, he noticed you fading in and out of consciousness, your head occasionally slumping to fall limp off the side of his forearm. Once he reached the doctor's office, he immediately burst into the room.

"There's something wrong with (Y/N)!" he shouted to the small doctor, who instructed him to lay you down in one of the beds that lined the west wall.

-----

Some time later, your eyes fluttered open to see that your surroundings were different from how you'd left them. Almost instantly, you were hit with an absolutely splitting headache, surely a side effect of the pressure in your sinuses, and the time unconscious certainly couldn't have helped.

"Oh, (Y/N), I'm so glad you're awake." a shrill voice voice called, accompanied by cloven footsteps making their way over. "You really had me worried." You rolled over to find the Straw Hats' doctor strolling to your bedside, a clipboard in hand.

"Chopper...?" you verbally noted, deducing that if he was here, you must be in the infirmary. "How'd I get here?" you asked, sitting up a bit and looking around.

"Please don't try to get up," he advised, gently pushing you back down. "Usopp said you fainted in your room, and he carried you here." You blushed a bit at the thought, more embarrassed than anything else. You probably looked like such a mess. "Don't worry, though, you haven't been out very long."

"How long exactly?" you wondered, tilting your head a bit, only to correct it, finding that the action made your migraine worsen.

"Almost four hours."

"Four hours?!" you panicked, jumping out of bed, looking all around for your shoes, only to remember you probably hadn't worn any to begin with.

"Please calm down!" Chopper stressed, running to the door to try and block you from it, and pressing his hooves to your shins, in an effort to force you back into bed with his little brute strength. "You're still sick, you shouldn't be out of bed!" Just as you reached the door, you were able to step over him and the corners of your vision began to darken. The last thing you felt was the doctor tugging backward on your left leg, before both buckled under your weight.

Luckily for you, Usopp opened the door just in time for you to slump forward into his arms. He thanked his lucky stars he was able to catch you this time, now maybe he wouldn't feel so bad for the last. Your eyes had hardly even shut before they fluttered open again, gazing up hazily at the sniper for the second time today. "Usoppppp," Chopper whined. "Tell her to stay in bed, she won't listen to me!"

The man's eyes softened exponentially when they shifted back to your sleepy face and he sighed with a kind smile. "You really should rest," he said lightly, helping you back over to your bed and getting you laid down. The small reindeer huffed with crossed arms as he followed the two of you, taking his chart into his hooves again.

"You might as well get comfortable," he pouted, still upset at your lack of care for his professional opinion. "I'm gonna have to keep you overnight, possibly longer."

This perked your interest and you snapped your head to him as he began to read off your chart. "Wait, all night? Why, it's just a little fever, right?" your fretted. "Right?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." he sighed, flipping through the pages on his clip board. "(Y/N), have you ever eaten a Devil Fruit before?"

Your eyes widened at the question. Of course you hadn't, you were just a normal person! You didn't have any powers! "No, I think I'd know if I had, Chopper." you rolled your eyes. "What could possibly make you think that?"

"I didn't understand it at first, but your symptoms all align with sea water poisoning, but that could only be the case if you were a Devil Fruit user." He explained, offering for you to look at some of his notes. "Is it possible that you have been in contact with and sea water lately?"

"No, but it wouldn't matter if I had," you answered flatly. "I'm not a Devil Fruit user." Chopper sighed with frustration, rubbing his head and walking away to sit down and review his notes.

"I'm sorry, maybe I made a mistake, I haven't been feeling very good either." he confessed with little energy.

Usopp sat and thought for a moment, looking around for a clue as to what could help solve the mystery. He eventually took to looking you up and down. Maybe you'd been bitten by something and they'd just glossed over it? That's when he noticed how swollen your feet looked. He curiously stood up and studied your soles, which didn't go unnoticed. "Hey, what are you looking at my feet for, you creep?!" you shrieked, pulling your legs up to hug them and hiding your feet.

He simply tilted his head in confusion. "What are those on the bottom of your feet?" He asked causing you to blush with embarrassment. This caught Chopper's attention, who wandered over to see what the fuss was about.

"What's wrong with my feet, huh?" you defended, still hiding them and refusing when the doctor asked to see. After a bit more prodding, you hesitantly, and humiliatingly let the two study your soles for any potential clues.

"They're almost like the pads on cats' paws," Usopp remarked, poking one, causing you to squirm.

"You've had these all your life?" Chopper asked, finally ending his observation and walking to your bedside.

"I wasn't born with them, no, but I've had them since I was little," you answered, still pouting over the whole ordeal. "They just kind of showed up one day. You mean you guys don't have them?"

That's when the pieces fell together for the reindeer. "That's why your steps don't make noise when you walk!" he exclaimed, finally solving the puzzle. "You must have eaten the Shh Shh fruit as a child! It grants the power of stealth, but you've never needed to use it, so you never knew you had it!"

"But I don't ever remember eating a special fruit?" you asked, puzzled by this new revelation.

"Some fruits can look really mundane, or even disguise themselves!" he explain, retrieving a large book and setting it onto your lap, open to a very specific page. "And look! It says here that it was last seen on the island you grew up on!"

You were having a hard time wrapping your head around what he was telling you. You had powers and you never even knew? That seems a little far fetched. "That still doesn't explain why I feel so bad." You reminded him. Chopper thought for a moment before his eyes widened and locked onto the necklace you were wearing.

"When did you find that stone?" he asked, pointing to the pendent.

"Last time we docked, why?" you cocked a brow, holding it close to your chest, afraid he might confiscate it.

"But when did you start wearing it around your neck?" he pressed.

"I just put it on the chord last night, and then I wore it to bed. Again, why?" You were beginning to get irritated with his interrogation. "Chopper, just tell me what's going on."

"That's a seastone." he said so matter of factly. "It has to be. It has the same effect as sea water on Devil Fruit users. That explains why I've been feeling so tired since you came in. You have to take it off."

You hesitated, having grown attached to rock, unwilling to just throw it away, it was special to you. With a bit more persuasion, you reluctantly took it off, dropping it into Usopp's waiting hand, who then pocketed it to keep it from falling into unexpecting possession.

Instant you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. The entire room felt lighter, and your throat ached a bit less. "Now that that's out of the way, we can get you better!" The doctor chirped, already feeling much better himself.

-----

Nearly an hour had passed since your diagnosis with seastone poisoning, and you were still in bed, only this time with a tray of delicious food, curtesy of Sanji, who'd forgiven you for wasting his time by not drinking his tea. Usopp had also left for a bit to take the rock to his workshop, thinking that the shavings from of it might make for a useful bullet for his Kabuto. Chopper had taken this time to fashion a regiment of treatment for your sickness, which consisted of rest, fluids, hearty foods, and a special cocktail of medicines which he made himself. He also recommended you still stay with him until you were better so he could monitor you.

Now that you were fed and hydrated, and had had the first dose of your medicine, all that was left was to rest. A part of you was nervous about spending the night alone in the sick bay. You had gotten so used to sleeping with others in the room through bunking with the girls that you had forgotten what true silence sounded like.

Chopper had long since retired to his sleeping area, a small closet conjoined to the infirmary, and you laid wide awake, staring at the wooden ceiling, wondering when you'd finally fall asleep. A small creak startled you and you shot up to find the door slowly creeping ajar, before you began to make out a long nosed figure peaking in. "You can come in, Usopp."

He accepted your offer, quietly shutting the door behind him, as if he could disturb any other other patients. Tip-toeing, he made his way over to you and sat down at the foot of your bed. "How do you feel?" he asked softly glancing over to you.

"Better." you answered blandly. A beat of silence passed between the two of you before you spoke up again. "I just wanted to say...thank you for bringing me here. You probably saved my life."

Blood rushed to his face as he smiled, a part of him wanting to boisterously accept your thanks, shrugging it off as what any hero would do, but for whatever reason, it didn't feel right in this case. "You're welcome, I was pretty worried about you, ya know?" You nodded in response. This felt so awkward, Usopp could hardly stand it. "Well, it's getting late and you're probably tired so-"

"I can't sleep." You corrected him, looking more passed him than at him. You were incredibly tired, but your anxieties wouldn't allow you and rest.

"Oh," he stiffened at your sudden melancholy, before softening with pity. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I just don't want to be alone." you muttered somberly, pulling your blanket higher over your legs.

"Well," he cleared his throat, looking to the ceiling with a slight blush. "M-Maybe I can sleep with you tonight?" His eyes widened when he realized his poor choice of words and he immediately back tracked. "N-Not like with you, with you, of course! Like in the next bed, I mean. Or in the farthest one if that's what you want, or not at all or-"

"Would you please?" The tenderness and desperation in your voice was almost enough to startle him. "Please, I just won't want to be alone."

His gaze softened as he cast it over you. "S-sure." He confirmed, standing to set himself up in the adjacent bed. As he sat down, untying his hair and kicking out of his shoes, you took a second to take him in. You rarely got to see him in anything casual, let alone pajamas. His hair was wild and free, yet well maintained, forming a spherical mass of coils that spilled from a shallow widow's peak. He lacked any of his common accessories, only dressed in a baggy tan t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked so comfortable as he massaged his fingers into his scalp, releasing some of the residual tension from his ponytail.

Without noticing your admiration, he easily slid beneath the quilt on his bed, snuggling down onto his side, facing you with a kind smile. "Goodnight, (Y/N)." he cooed, letting his eyes fall heavy.

"Usopp?" you whispered guiltily. He had just tried to go to sleep and you were already waking him. He popped one eye open with a snicker, only to have his expression fall into frozen shock when he found you, scooted as far away as you could, holding your blanket up, inviting him into your bed.

"Y-You want me to..." he stammered, failing to find appropriate words for the situation. He didn't want to admit to having the wrong idea.

"Can you could sleep with me?" you asked timidly, unknowingly batting your lashes. "It's just that...my bunk is a little smaller than this so the bed feels so big."

"I could take up some space. I-If that'll help you, I mean." he answered, already sitting up. Before long, he was in your bed, laying on his back, stiff as a board. You wanted so badly to lay your head against his chest. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. "Are you sure this is okay? 't's a little cramped." he admitted with a nervous laugh. Your cheeks burned from embarrassment with the possibility that you were making him uncoverable.

"I'm sorry, I just want to be close to you." you confessed, the urge to cry welling up in your chest, though you suppressed it.

"Really...?" he asked, in awe that someone like you wanted to be near someone like him so badly. You nodded bashfully, before rolling over, already too humiliated to deal with his need for validation. A moment later, you gasped, feeling his strong arms encase you in a loving cage, pressing your back to his chest. "Is this okay?"

You nodded again, feeling your heart swell in your chest. "That feels really nice, actually." you sighed, shimmying your shoulders to be even closer to him. "If I told you I liked you right now, would you leave?"

"No," he confirmed, nuzzling his forehead against the back of your scalp. "If I told you that I think you're the most dazzling woman I've ever met, would you still want me here?"

"I would," you answered, bringing your hands to cover your face, as it was glowing far too bright for your own good. "If you said that, would you mean it?"

"Every word. I wish I could tell you that you're the most inspirational person in my life, that just looking at you're pretty smile makes me want to be the best man I can be." he confessed, his finger tips gently tracing up your arm to find your hand and interlacing with yours. "But I'm worried you'll think I'm a creep."

"I wouldn't think that." you mumbled, pecking a kiss onto the back of his hand. "Would you think I was a creep if I told you that I've wanted to kiss you since the day we met?"

"No," Usopp grinned form behind you, gently breaking away from you to pull you back to face him. "Would you think I was a creep if I told you I wanted to kiss you right now?" You breathlessly shook your head, looking into his eyes as both his hands came up to cup your cheeks, sweetly connecting his lips to yours. Though the contact was short lived, the meaning behind it spoke volumes. He held you like this for a moment, his thumbs just caressing your cheeks lovingly.

"If I told you I loved you, what would you say?" you finally asked, entirely entranced in him.

"I'd tell you it's about time."

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #132

I did a few things today. But as per usual, I started today with making a mug of tea. Today's was genmaicha; mine is loose-leaf:

...This means you gotta stick it in a tea ball. The glass mug is about 2 cups, so 2tsp of leaves have to go into the tea ball:

...Hunter is blurry, but he follows me literally everywhere I go, and looks on with great interest as I do most anything in the kitchen, haha! My tea ball is really old. I've had it since before this shop called Teavana stopped being a thing. As far as I know, it was bought out by a bigger corporation and then ruined, so now all the wonderful tea flavors they used to make, like "strawberry misaki blooming tea" and "tiramisu" are nothing but distant memories now.

...That strawberry misaki blooming tea... I think you really would have liked that one. I surely would have enjoyed taking pictures of it for you...

In any case, you pour the boiling water over the tea ball like this:

...And you wait for it to brew...

Today I thought it might be neat to add buckwheat honey to the tea. This is very dark, somewhat bitter honey that tastes somewhat like how dried hay smells. And... yes, I realize that I probably described it in the least appetizing way possible, but I promise you, it's actually pretty good - it's just that a little goes a long way.

...Unfortunately, it's been so long since I've had it in the house that I may have forgotten that little detail...

Well. One of the things I got at the co-op yesterday was a half gallon of goat milk. I used that in today's tea:

Milk swirls in the cup a little differently than cream does, but I still think it's kinda neat:

...Shortly after this, J asked for me to come along as emotional support while he talked to the local airplane mechanic about the plane we crashed in recently. As it turns out, the cost of materials and labor would exceed the price of the plane itself, so it is likely going to be scrapped. It's a shame, but it is what it is, and it's important to remember that J and I are extremely lucky to have walked away from what happened without even getting injured. Everything else is kinda small potatoes by comparison, ya know?

On the way there, I managed to snag this picture of a bird-of-prey for you; maybe you'll think it's neat:

I had intended to make myself a breakfast in the morning, but I waited until J and I got back from the airplane mechanic before doing that.

I started by cooking some rice:

From there, I cooked some garlic-and-wine sausages that I got from the co-op yesterday:

As you can see, once they were done, they left behind a lot of delicious juices in the pan:

...I cooked some duck eggs in those juices.

...I wonder if you might be able to see where this is going! Haha! Yesterday, I found fresh natto, and black garlic kimchi at the co-op:

...From there, with all the assembled ingredients, it becomes easy to throw together a pretty epic and wholesome rice bowl!

...I know, I know, using a fork for this is probably blasphemy, hahaha! Suppose I just didn't really wanna dirty some chopsticks when the fork I used in order to pull out some kimchi was just as usable.

In my experience, the best thing to do is to mix the ingredients in the bowl together in order to get a balanced flavor:

...It was delicious!! But I felt like it was still missing something, so I fixed it by adding a little bit of cheese (also blasphemy, I know, hahaha! but blasphemy can be delicious, I promise!):

...As per usual, I find myself wishing I could have shared this epic concoction with you. It tasted amazing. I wish you were here.

...Today was mostly another chill day. I mostly did leisure writing instead of productive writing. So unfortunately, I don't have anything insightful or profound to say to you today, either - just good tea and tasty snacks. But I like to think that these are just as valuable, especially on an empty stomach and a lonely heart.

...I used the salt and oil trick on the pan again to make the eggs. I let it sit on the heat for a long time. Perhaps a little too long; it smoked mightily, and it was enough to make my eyes water and make it hard for me to breathe (asthma is another one of my numerous physical glitches...). I got really dizzy at one point. It was super dumb.

I took the pan outside to cool off, opened all the windows, and flapped a towel around to try to get the smoke from the oil and salt out of the house. I got somewhat lightheaded in the process, and my head still feels kinda weird and fuzzy, even though this took place hours ago by now...

...Those eggs didn't stick though. Not this time. Not even a tiny little bit. It seems almost impossible - like a dream; I wonder what the physics are that make this trick work...

Hey, Sephiroth? My head still feels really weird and it's kind of hard to write (I wonder if you can tell? Hmm...). So I suppose I'll end this one here.

I love you. I wish more than anything that you were here so you could experience all the wholesome and awesome things at my house. Please stay safe at least until my next letter; you can expect another one tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine