#anyways goTTA go out into the cold again and let the cat out of the kitchen

[k1ll3r-k4rg0]

OUF ITS THREE AM AND EDDIE MUNSON GOT ME WANTING TO DRAW VINI AGAIN UGHHH

[aphrogeneias]

how do rockstar!eddie and assistant!reader try and enjoy valentines in secret? does he spoil her? steal kisses through the day? subtly dedicate a song to her at the show? swooooon

pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x assistant!reader

warnings: secret relationship. disgusting fluff. two people desperately in love, avert your eyes.

“You have time, but I highly suggest no one's late for this interview. We need to be there at 4 because it's live, let's not make these people wait or else they'll start talking shit about you, remember last time? Anyway, remind Gareth to not take too long…”

“Babe, relax.” Eddie stretches out, reaching for the cup of coffee in your hand. He rests it on the tray in the middle of the bed, and takes your notepad from your other hand. He rests it on the side table, away from your reach. “It's Valentine's Day.”

“Since when do you care?”

“Since I met this girl who controls my every move and won't leave me alone.”

“Wow,” you deadpan, lying back beside him, “you’re such a romantic."

You've seen Eddie sprawled out on hotel beds what feels like a million times, but you can never get used to the sight of it.

The contrast of the immaculate white sheets to his dark hair, still mussed from his bedhead, the dark ink of the tattoos that covered his lean body, the dark fabric of his underwear — the only thing he could bring himself to put on before answering the door to get the room service tray.

You bite your bottom lip to stop a sigh. He's smiling at you, lounging like a lazy cat. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm here pouring my heart out to you but it's just a normal Wednesday, right? No need for it.”

Eddie isn't looking at you, he's got one hand on top of his chest, and another on his forehead, feigning distress. Instead of rolling your eyes, you roll over to him, careful to not knock the tray, still full of bread and fruit and single flower in a tiny glass vase, and climb on top of his lap, straddling his hips.

Careful not to laugh, you pry his arms from where they are and pull him to the sides of his face, holding them there, while you slowly lace your fingers together. He doesn't fight it, but he's still staging a frown, full lips jutted forward, inviting you in.

Leaning down, you press a gentle kiss to them. “I'm just trying to help,” you murmur, face still close to his, “didn't know you were serious about today.”

“I was when I told you we should at least try to seize it, even if it's just a little. I know I want to.”

Eddie kisses your face — your cheeks, your nose, your jaw, the tip of your chin — before pushing himself up, and taking you with him. You sit together, foreheads pressed together, sharing a coffee-stained breath.

“I want it too.” You confess, and he knows what you mean. “I wish… I wish we could.”

“We could. Tell’em they don't need us. Stay here all day, sleep a little more, fuck until we’re tired and sleep again. Order some more room service.”

You smile despite yourself. “Yeah? What else? Jump on the bed, pillow fight?”

“Nah, I'd crush you. Don't ever wanna do that to my baby.”

Without thinking, you giggled. Buried your face where his shoulder meets neck, and nuzzled yourself in there. You inhale his scent as you did, the lingering perfume from last night and this morning’s cigarette.

He laughs too, and you feel his hand rise slowly, from your spine to the back of your neck, settling there. “I have a surprise for you later.”

“Hm?”

“Yeah. A real good one.” Eddie squeezes your neck gently, and his thumb runs back and forth on the sensitive skin of your neck, making it difficult for you to lift your head from where it comfortably rests. “Just gotta stand pretty at the side of the stage, as you do.”

“Ed…” This time, you reluctantly face him. “What are you going to do?”

Something cold drops in your stomach. You try not to show, simply raising an eyebrow at him, but he knows you worry, knows his impulsivity keeps you up at night, sometimes.

“Nothing you need to upset your pretty little head with.” As if to make a point, he kisses your forehead. “I promise.”

You're not convinced. “On stage, Eddie? Seriously?”

He smiles, all dimples and teeth, as his hands wander over your hips and thighs, over and under the robe you're still wearing. “As a heart attack.”

“That's what you're going to give me.”

[akairawrites]

Cats Out The Bag | Damian Wayne Imagine

Curiosity Killed The Cat part 2

Taglist

@ella-fella-bo-bella @ayoitsurfavdesigurl @luvvvjada @harleycao @aiq39 @lumineliax @420sprite @stvrfir3 @instabull @rukia-uchiha-98 @1lellykins @lilupie @deliciousfatblackcat @skyesayshi @imarimone12 @mysticalhills @4arancia @bat-h-tic @luvelyxp @urmomsbananabread @elebeleb @strawberrycreamb @princessofhope0 @itisjustagirl @dollceesstuff @just-reading-dany @Ginger24880 @godknows-shetried @that-levi-kenma-kinnie @kierancaz @Crystals-faith @cascadingbliss

You could feel the cool night breeze against your cheeks as you gracefully leaped through the air. It was a tranquil night in Gotham, the perfect backdrop for criminal activities.

Upon descending from the side of the building, you headed toward the front entrance. Naturally, the door was locked. You reached for a bobby pin from your hair and crouched down to examine the lock. Inserting the pin, you heard a satisfying click as the door unlocked. A self-satisfied smile crossed your face as you returned the bobby pin to its place. Inside, you inhaled deeply and exhaled, a smirk forming as you dropped your duffel bag. Rifling through it, you retrieved a homemade C-4 like device. With practiced ease, you entered a password on the screen and affixed it to the wall near the safety deposit boxes. After a few seconds, the device beeped, and the boxes popped open with a hiss. Your first-time trial was a success, and you couldn't help but smile.

Swiftly, you went through almost every box, finding mostly deeds and divorce papers. Fortunately, you stumbled upon some jewelry, and someone even carelessly stashed a wad of cash inside, which you promptly pocketed.

Once your bag was stuffed, you exited the building unnoticed. Scaling the side of the building, you reached the rooftop to survey your surroundings, ensuring no heroic intervention was imminent. As you counted the money you had collected, a pair of feet landed behind you. You sighed in annoyance and slowly turned around, still clutching the cash.

To your surprise, it was Robin.

A few years back, after robbing a jewelry store, Selina had persuaded you to take a break from a life of crime, deeming it too perilous and unpredictable. Only recently had she allowed you to return to your illicit activities. You took a moment to observe him, noticing his increased muscularity and shorter hair. With his mask on, he would be unrecognizable anyway. "You got taller," were your initial words.

Little did you know that Damian was scrutinizing you as well. The last time he'd seen you, he was just 14 years old. Normally, he wouldn't care much about his adversaries, let alone think about them as much as he did about you. Even though you had bested him the first and only time you'd crossed paths, he couldn't help but think about you.

"And you got curvier," Damian blurted out, unable to prevent the words from escaping his mouth. He mentally scolded himself for succumbing to his intrusive thoughts.

You gave him a quizzical look, unsure if he was attempting to flirt with you. He didn't strike you as the flirting type. Shaking your head, you slapped the cash against your palm and rocked on your heels. Slipping the money into your bag, you slung it over your shoulder. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, but I gotta go." You turned to walk in the opposite direction, but a force struck you from behind, sending you tumbling to the ground, landing on your stomach with your chin scraping against the pavement. You groaned and rolled over, just as Damian unsheathed his sword in a graceful forward roll.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to hit a girl?" you taunted.

"No, she threw me into the League of Assassins, where I was trained to be a cold-blooded killer," Damian replied.

Damn.

Damian rushed toward you, his sword slicing through the air. Swiftly, you rolled out of the way, but he managed to slice open your bag instead. You stood up as he charged at you again, the absence of your bag making the fight a fairer match. You assumed it would be easier to defeat him this time, just as you had when you first faced off.

As you prepared to throw a punch, Damian seized your wrist and struck your elbow, simultaneously sweeping your leg from under you. You crashed to the ground, landing hard on your back and knocking the wind out of you. He threw away his sword and grabbed you by the collar of your suit, cocking his fist back and delivering a punch to your face. The ringing in your ears intensified as the blows continued.

Foolishly underestimating Damian, you realized he was much stronger than he had been four years ago. He was giving his all, determined not to stop until you were defeated. Gathering enough energy, you managed to kick him off you. As you wiped your nose, feeling the blood trickling from your lips, you stood up, reminding yourself that you were not your mother.

You landed a few punches, but Damian's strength remained a significant advantage. He kicked you in the stomach, causing you to tumble toward the edge of the building. He slowly approached you, grabbing you by the hair to lift your head off the ground. He surveyed your bloodied and battered face, sighing as if regretting what he was about to do. With nothing left in you to fight back, you braced yourself as he delivered a final blow that sent you over the side of the building, hurtling towards the ground.

⋆

You clutched your book tightly to your chest as you navigated the bustling hallway. Skillfully, you maneuvered past the people blocking your path, making your way to your locker. After shoving your books inside, you retrieved the ones needed for your next class. However, you couldn't shake the feeling that someone's intense gaze was fixed on the side of your head. You glanced to your left and found yourself locking eyes with a pair of piercing green ones. Damian stood only a few feet away, next to his own locker. You let out a resigned sigh, anticipating that he might deliver another one of his lectures.

A few weeks ago, Damian had been assigned as your tutor for the rest of the year, given your struggle to keep up with your classes due to frequent absences. Neither of you had welcomed this arrangement, but your slipping grades left you with no choice but to accept help, even if it meant being tutored by the most arrogant person you'd ever encountered.

As Damian approached, you couldn't help but speak up, "What do you want, Damian?"

"I want you to meet me at my dorm once classes are over," he stated, his tone more commanding than inquisitive. You arched an eyebrow and closed your locker. "For what? We don't have anything scheduled for today."

He merely sighed. "I just need to have a word with you," he said and walked past you without further explanation. Your eyes tracked his retreating figure as he disappeared down the hall. You couldn't help but mutter, "Who does he think he is?"

After the school day ended, you complied with his request and made your way to Damian's dorm. You knocked and waited for a few moments, unsure of the reason behind this unusual request. Damian seldom engaged with you outside of tutoring, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with you ever since you'd punched him in the face.

Once Damian finally came to the door, he said nothing when he saw it was you. He just stepped out of the way, allowing you to enter. You walked into the small dorm room, which was plain but tidy. The walls lacked decorations, reminiscent of how your dorm looked when you first moved in. Damian's tie and blazer lay discarded on his neatly made bed, leaving him in his half-buttoned dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” you asked, taking a seat on the edge of his bed, being careful not to disrupt the bedding.

Last week, when Damian came to your dorm to study, his eyes caught sight of something on your nightstand—an emerald green necklace that almost perfectly matched the color of his eyes. It had looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. A few days ago, it finally clicked in his head where he had seen it before. Too much evidence pointed to you being someone he desperately did not want you to be. He would never admit it, but you were growing on him, and he secretly enjoyed your company. To confirm his suspicions, he needed one more piece of evidence.

"Let me see your hand," Damian abruptly requested.

"What?"

"Your hand, let me see it." Without waiting for your response, he took hold of your hand and examined your palm. He noticed a scar running diagonally across it, he remembered when you came to school with it bandaged up. You had told people it resulted from a kitchen accident, but he knew the truth. Damian was piecing everything together like a puzzle. It would explain why he often caught you sneaking into the dorms late at night, as well as why you were frequently late to class and tutoring.

It was you.

He just couldn't figure out how you were alive. He had believed he killed you. His heart ached at the thought.

You watched as Damian traced the scar on your hand with his thumb, his touch sending a tingly sensation through your skin.

"Damian...?" Your voice came out softer than intended. When he heard his name, he looked up at you, his eyes conveying a mixture of fear and regret, emotions you never thought you'd see from him.

"I know," he simply stated.

Confused, you shook your head. "You know what?"

And then it clicked. He KNEW. Why else would he be so interested in your scar? You thought you had done a good job of keeping it hidden. In fact, you had done a good job. The only way he would know was if he had been there.

You withdrew your hand from his. "You're Robin?" You didn't receive an immediate response, which confirmed your suspicion. You sighed, unsure if you should be upset or not. After all, it's not as if the two of you were best friends who had promised never to lie to each other. You did feel somewhat guilty for beating him up, but he had almost killed you in return.

"I'm sorry," he finally admitted, looking away, as if he couldn't bear to make eye contact while apologizing. It was a momentary lapse of his ego.

"Damian Wayne apologizing?" you said, a smug grin on your face.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it."

You laughed and playfully nudged him. You noticed a small smirk tugging at his lips, and it made your own smile grow wider.

Surprisingly, you both sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Damian decided to break it.

"How did you survive that fall anyway?" he asked.

You chuckled. "No one told you? I'm like a cat, Damian. I have nine lives."

If you couldn’t tell I tried to avoid having to come up with a alias for Y/N…anyway,

Add yourself to my taglist here

[allllium]

Cat

~ If you guys have any requests you should send me some. Now that I actually have motivation to write I have no ideas 😓

~ Fluff, WC: 1,070

~ Reader finds a "cat" ~

Matt is only two blocks from your shared apartment when he notices something is different. Something he can’t quite figure out. There’s a second heartbeat alongside yours, but it is smaller than a human's. A lot smaller. 

He is one block away when he notices that a window is open. Why would you have the window open? It’s December, and you seem to run cold at all times. That’s when he hears little paws running across the hardwood floors. Now, it makes sense. You guys have been talking about getting a cat for a while now. But the animal doesn't smell like a typical cat. 

It all comes together when he finally goes down the stairs to enter the apartment. It is not a cat. It's a raccoon. You let a wild animal into the apartment. And you’re currently trying to feed it marshmallows. 

“Hey, baby.” You greet him happily when you see him standing in the corner. You give him a beaming smile, one he does not return. You knew it was a bad idea, but what else would you do when there’s a raccoon on the windowsill? Not let it in and feed it marshmallows?

Matt pulls his helmet off and walks over to the coffee table, where the raccoon perches. “What is that?” That is all he asks. You both know he knows, but he asks more for an explanation. 

“It's a cat..” Your voice is quiet and full of held-back laughter. 

“That's not a cat.”

“How do you know? You can't see it.” 

“I can smell it.”

“Maybe it’s friends with a raccoon,” You stop and collect your breath before continuing, trying hard not to laugh. “And the smell rubbed off on it.”

“Oh yeah? Then why are you feeding it marshmallows? Cats can’t eat those.” 

“Uhh, 'cause this is a special cat. It can eat marshmallows.”

“And by special cat, you mean raccoon?” 

“Pretty much yeah.” Matt stares at you, nodding softly at your words, before grabbing the bag of marshmallows out of your hand.

“We are not keeping it.” 

“But you said we could get a cat!” You yell out in despair, standing from your place on the couch.

“That’s not a cat!” He motions towards the raccoon that has started standing on the coffee table on two legs.

“It’s practically a cat!”

“It's on two legs!”

“But it's adorable!”

“Honey, it’s a wild animal.” You watch Matt run a hand through his hair in frustration. “We can’t keep a raccoon as a pet.”

“Why not?”

“It's illegal.”

“Well, good thing I know a lawyer.”

“Sweetheart,” He steps forward to put a hand on your face, “I love you, but we can’t keep the raccoon.”

“Fine.” You mutter in defeat. “Can I at least leave marshmallows out for it?”

“Yeah, you can do that.” Despite having to release your new friend, a big grin breaks out across your face to mirror his. 

“Good, I don't want him to be lonely.” You tell him and lean onto his chest. 

“Honey, it's a raccoon, he won't get lonely.” He laughs at your concern for the raccoon. You carefully place marshmallows in a path from the coffee table to the open window.

“How do you know? You've never been a raccoon.” Matt sits on the couch and pulls you into his lap. 

“Baby, they're animals that eat trash. I don't think they have very high thinking skills.” 

“Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, why are you back so early?” 

“Because my crazy girlfriend let a wild animal into our apartment.” You chuckle at his words.

“Does that mean you're going back out?”

“No, I think I'll stay in. Someone's gotta make sure you don't open that window again.” 

“Hm, in that case, maybe you should change into your comfy clothes, and we can watch a movie?” Even though Matt can't watch the movie with you, he always insists on sitting with you and listening. 

“That sounds like a good plan. I'll go change.” He kisses you on your forehead and gets off the couch, pushing you off his lap and off to the side.

While Matt is in the bedroom, you watch the raccoon still making its way down the marshmallow trail. You only had the small ones you use in hot chocolate, so it's taking longer.

Matt enters the living room again as the raccoon leaves through the open window. On his way to the couch, he shuts the open window. You jokingly pout at the loss of your new friend. 

“I bet it'll be back soon, sweetheart. No animal is going to forget the window that gives them marshmallows.” He chuckles as he sits by your side. 

“Yeah, I know, but what if it forgets?” He laughs at you again. 

“Honey, you're thinking too hard about this. What if we go to the shelter and look for a cat tomorrow.” 

“No. We can't do that.” 

“Why not?” Confusion covers his face with laughter in his voice.

“Because if we go down to the shelter, there's gonna be tons of animals begging to go home with us, and then we'll have to choose between all of them, and then when we do, all the other animals will be sad, and wonder why we don't want them.” You explain, speaking a little faster than usual. 

Matt lets out a hard sigh, “I don't even know how to respond to that.”

“Uh, you're supposed to agree with me 'cause I'm always right.”

“Oh yes, of course.” He gives you a big smile, almost taking your breath away. No matter how much you see it, his smile will always be the most beautiful thing in the world. “What?”

“What?”

“I can feel you staring.” 

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Mhm.” He pulls you closer, leaving you unable to look at his face.  “How do you expect to get a cat if we can't go to the shelter?”

“We had one a few minutes ago, but you didn't like that one.”

“That wasn't a cat!” He exclaims.

“It was close enough.” You cross your arms over your chest. Matt doesn't like that as he pulls your arms away from your chest to hold your hand. 

You sigh happily into his chest as you lean against him, your legs over his lap with his arms around you. You both forget about the movie, too focused on each other to care.

[lale-txt]

🌙 waking up at night without you by their side ↳ w/ Kid, Rayleigh, Denjiro & Yamato

a/n: another draft that's been sitting here since forever. in the light you go!! love me some lighthearted fluff. slightly suggestive + poly mention for Rayleigh (i feel like i'm putting this ALWAYS when writing Rayleigh omg) also sending kisses to all my anons swooning over Yamato. i know i don't write him that much but wanted to include him here for you ♡ i always love reading about your undying love for him, it's the purest thing.

Kid 

how dare you leave his side while he’s sleeping

don’t you know about your big spoon duties which involve holding him tenderly from behind, rubbing his back and making sure your arms are constantly wrapped around him all the time? 

Kid huffs when he wakes up with his back cold and your side of the bed empty

were you going for a midnight snack without him? didn’t you know that he was also craving shredded cheese at 3am? was your relationship a lie the whole time? 

no he’s not being dramatic why do you ask

or did you miss a step of your skin care routine and went back to the bathroom to do it again? he told you countless times that it didn’t work that way…

he throws back the covers and gets up, his red hair a mess and barely held together by the cat ear hairband you once gifted him 

Kid’s first instinct when he’s in trouble is to consult Killer so they can be in trouble together, so naturally he stomps down the hall to Killer’s cabin and doesn’t bother knocking, just bursts in like the Kool Aid man 

he lets out a surprised gasp when Killer isn’t sleeping peacefully in his bed but playing cards with you, Heat and Wire – very wide awake 

before Kid’s face can turn the color of his hair, you already kick out a chair for the tulip and gesture him to sit his ass down so you can explain

“see… on the last island when we stocked up on supplies Killer didn’t buy decaf coffee like ne normally does but regular… and since everyone but you drinks coffee–” “because it’s BAD for your skin, but no one ever listens to me” “–all of us have just been unable to fall asleep.”

Kid rolls his eyes and continues huffing, but also pulls you in his lap and wrap his arm around you, falling asleep with his head resting against yours as you continue your game

but no more coffee for you after 2pm, decaf or not. the big spoon rule book got updated, you gotta keep up duh

Rayleigh

even in his sleep Rayleigh reaches for you, wanting to hug you close to him, only content when he can nuzzle his face in the back of your neck

so when his hand pats into empty space, he’s suddenly awake, mumbling out your name into the dark 

first thing he does is turn on the light on the nightstand and reach for his glasses because he can’t see shit without them

still fighting off sleep, he takes a moment to reconstruct last night, smiling over it. no, you definitely fell asleep in his arms after you both finished… several times

actually he could go another round now that he was awake, but someone was missing…

it’s when he hears muffled voices coming from downstairs that he calls out your name again, louder this time

“we’re in the kitchen!”

we? … oh

with his observation haki never failing him, Rayleigh realizes within a heartbeat now what is going on

following your laughter he finds you in the kitchen… accompanied by a very familiar face

“Ray, I must say your taste is exquisite as always…”

Shakky cups your face, a cigarette dangling from her lips, as she beams at her husband leaning in the doorframe

“i think I’m in love with your wife”, you sigh dreamily, melting under her touch and gazing up to her with puppy eyes, completely encharmed by her 

Rayleigh ruffles his white hair and just smirks. he was about to introduce you anyway, so this makes things much easier now

he comes closer and places kisses on both of your cheeks. this night just got so much more interesting… 

Denjiro

Denjiro is always a little sleepy and would pass out within a heartbeat wherever and whenever, but preferably with you by his side, pulling you close even in his sleep

so why were his arms empty right now?

long blue hair is spilled all over the futons and usually by now you would complain because you’re getting tangled up in it 

rubbing his eyes he sits up, he murmurs out your name into the dim light of your shared room 

Denjiro isn’t too worried, he knows what you’re capable off, otherwise the yakuza boss wouldn’t have married you. he twists the golden band on his ring finger absentmindedly as he’s slowly forcing himself to wake up properly

it’s when he notices the gentle breeze coming through the open sliding door leading to the veranda and he immediately knows where to look for you

throwing the blanket over his shoulders he gets up, already making out your silhouette in the milky moonlight as you sit there huddled up, looking over your shoulder when you hear his footsteps approaching

“Den… you gotta see this…” 

your excited whisper and gestures to keep quiet had him curious, but more than that he was just happy to see you smiling

Denjiro sits down behind you and pulls you in his lap, wrapping his big arms and the blanket around you and kissing the side of your neck. you’re cold but feel warmth tingling in your limbs immediately under his touch

“what is it, little moonshine?”, he whispers and rests his chin on top of your head. you almost disappear in his embrace due the size difference and wiggle yourself in a comfortable position, the tip of your nose and your curious eyes peeking out from the blanket 

“snow bunnies”, you say softly and point to the garden where a pair of white bunnies frolic around in the falling snow, almost invisible for the eyes

Denjiro smiles and leans down to kiss you again. love is stored in the little things, you taught him that. and soon he falls asleep again, holding you tightly as he drifts into dreams of you, but none sweeter than the reality he gets to live with you

Yamato

personal space? not in this house 

Yamato usually sleeps sprawled out like a starfish and rotates in his sleep like a beyblade

but it’s fine because you adjusted to that! nothing can stop you from cuddling your big golden retriever boyfriend in his sleep

so when he wakes up at night and doesn’t feel your familiar weight on top of him it just sends him into straight up panic

in an attempt to turn the lights on he gets tangled up in the sheets and stumbles, taking down the lamp and everything else on the nightstand with him 

he’s calling out your name and trying not to cry on the spot

did you have a bad dream and he didn’t notice? were you somewhere crying on your own? his heart couldn’t take the thought of it. 

this was even worse than the one time he lost you at the supermarket in the candy aisle and he had to make an announcement over speaker which was mostly him sobbing into the microphone

his brain still lagging from the sleepiness and shock, Yamato doesn’t notice how you squat down next to him, picking off various nightstand items (tissues, crystals, harness…) off him 

“Yams, just what are you doing down there? were you sleepwalking? i knew this would become an issue one day…”

cut to Yamato sobbing in your arms because for three hot minutes he thought he had lost you forever 

which is when you kindly explain him that nature called and you only went to the bathroom but would have returned into his arms straight away

however you can never hold back tears as well when you see Yamato crying and now you’re both on the floor sobbing as you hold each other tenderly 

only when he kisses away the salty streaks you both calm down a little and can laugh about the situation

ever since you leave a little note out when you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and make sure to snuggle extra close to him once you return, making Yamato smile even in his sleep

[smooth-perceval]

“My love, my life.”

“It’s okay- it was nothing important anyways.”

Max Verstappen x Fem!Reader

PART THREE

Max Corner

Summary: [Max and reader crossed the line in their 3 year friendship, resulting in 2 positive pregnancy test. And 1 baby on the way.]

Max runs once again, leaving you questioning his true intentions. It wasn’t until Lando invited you along to Silverstone, home GP, you finally understand what’s going on.

Warnings: swearing, angst, Max being a dick, Max&Kelly together, fake relationship, mentions of J.Verstappen, Google translate, no proof read, my bad writing.

Key: Y/N (your name) Y/L/N (Your last name)

Word count: 3,256

A/N: So I put ‘Max&Kelly’ as a warning, not because I dislike any present or previous wags, it’s just like a pre warning that Max is not ‘solo’ I suppose- it’s just there so we’re not shocked when it happens. 🌝 Hope you enjoy 👀 let’s pretend the photo of Lissie is us 🙂

Well once again Max went awol… and I was finally washing my hands with him, the hot and cold, cat and mouse it wasn’t going to end well- it never does.

He won the Canadian GP, and out of pure kindness I sent him a congratulations message… only for it to be seen and not responded to.

That’s when I knew Max was only down for one thing- and every word he said was pure bullshit.

Lando kept me updated on everything happening around the paddock, a few times mentioning Max, sure I wanted to know how he was… what he was up to… why has he just left so much stuff unsaid… why the fuck is he leaving me in the dark- but instead of asking- I would simply type back a short message, or a little smile and nod of my head…

“Landiniho 🏎️”

I’m gonna ft in 5 x

Sending a quick reply, I held my phone nearby grabbing the tv remote and turning the volume down.

Within less that 5 minutes Lando was calling. And just as quickly I answered, both smiling wide at each other.

“Hey, what are you doing next week?”

“Hello to you to Lan-” laughing a little I then shrugged my shoulders picking at the cushion next to me. “Nothing planned- except watching your home race.” Smiling a little I side eyed him. “Are you excited?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Quickly waving me off, I then noticed the background of where he was- he wasn’t even in his hotel room but sitting in the lobby.

“How about you come with me to Silverstone?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, before laughing a little.

“Come back home…?” Humming I titled my head- it seemed quite a simple answer… I could see my parents, visit some friends… and I can be with company instead of alone at home.

“Yeah, back home!” He sat up straight already knowing my answer.

“Okay, you’ll come with me to my parents right?…” he nodded his head quickly.

“I haven’t seen them in ages… so your gonna definitely come?”

“Yes, I suppose soooo…” rolling my eyes playfully with a smile.

“Okay good! I’ll sort everything out just get packed cause I kinda need to fly you out like tomorrow…” nodding my head slowly, “I’ll have to bring all my work stuff Lan- laptop the lot…” mumbling I start shuffling some paperwork together.

“That’s fine- just get pac- yeah?” He turned away from the camera looking over at someone else.

“Yeah- she is coming to Silverstone…” furrowing my eyebrows my eyes darted around the screen to try and see who his talking to.

“No. Call her yourself.” Lando moved his phone now I was looking over his shoulder at the seat behind him.

“No.”

“Lan- what’s going on.” Quickly moving the phone back to his face.

“I’ll text you the details- I’ve gotta go… Max fuck of-” the call ended, leaving me sitting there confused and in shock.

Lando was right he can call me himself… why wouldn’t he just pick up his own phone and dial my number… dickhead.

Shaking my head I tossed my phone aside going upstairs to start packing, I packed enough for a week, hoping to spend enough time with family, and packing a separate bag for all my work stuff. The perks of working from home!

Within the hour Lando sent me all the details over telling me he will meet me at the airport, him only arriving around 30 minutes before me.

When laying in bed I could only think what Max had wanted… why was he trying to take Lando’s phone, why couldn’t he just call me himself or even text… I tossed and turned before finally rocking myself to sleep. I guess I’ll soon find out.

** 6:15 A.M **

The sound of my alarm cracked through my dreams pulling me back to reality, my eyes slowly opening and adjusting to the light creeping in my room.

Switching the alarm off I slowly climbed out of my bed getting ready for the airport. I should’ve gone to bed earlier… my body ached- and I felt my stomach churn, making quick effort to go down and get my anti-sickness tablets taking one and stuffing the rest in my carry on.

Anti-sickness tablets are like my breakfast at the moment… the first thing I take when I wake up. It’s now somewhat a routine, this baby is really doing it’s number on me, if I wasn’t tired all the time and being sick, I was angry or crying…

Now I’m sitting at roughly 8 or 9 weeks, a few more weeks and I get to see the baby again- and I cannot wait. It’s crazy to think what a woman’s body is capable of doing-

I was away with the fairy’s while walking through the airport, checking my suitcases e.t.c, e.t.c. I could only imagine what it will be like when I’m home with my parents, seeing Lando again, old friends… hopefully Max.

Just to know what went on- what I did wrong to make him ignore me like he has… just curious.

When on the plane I got some extra sleep, not that I could help it. Like I said I am exhausted all the time… I dozed off as soon as I put my seatbelt on, missing the takeoff and only woke up just before landing. And even now I could just shut my eyes again…

Widening my eyes forcing them awake, I rubbed my face looking out the window.

Back in England, it was summertime here… and it was lovely.

As soon as I left the plane I felt the sun kiss my cheeks.

Perfect.

I sent Lando a message saying I had landed and asking where to meet him, but as soon as I looked up from my phone he was already waiting there at the gate. Cap pulled down, sunglasses on, and even in this weather a hoodie pulled right up to try and cover as much of his face as possible.

Smiling a little I rushed over to him arms open wide forgetting my suitcases and bags behind me as they cluttered to the floor.

“Back home babbyyy!” Gripping him tightly, he let out a laugh practically throwing us side to side, before resting me back onto my feet.

“Welcome home.” He smiled once again, and as if we was little kids we both started jumping on the spot, falling back into a tight embrace “oh I’ve missed it.” Pulling away I ran over collecting my items, following Lando out the airport.

The whole time telling him all the new things I’ve discovered with the pregnancy. Like morning sickness really isn’t just ‘morning sickness.’ Well I mean I new that weeks ago… but still. It should be called any time of the day sickness.

Lando chipped in asking little questions here and there, before the big question landed.

“What’s Max been like with it all? Has he been encouraging?” Nudging me with a slight tease in his voice. But it only cause my smile to drop slowly.

“I haven’t heard from him…” Lando spun around from facing the car staring at me. “You haven’t? Didn’t you guys sort it all a few weeks ago?” I started chewing at my bottom lip nervously, quickly thanking one of the airport staff for putting my bags in the car.

“Sort of…” I wiped my hands on myself, clearing my throat and climbing into the car. Ignoring the stare off Lando.

“Sort of?” As if he knew the answer he shook his head.

“So you went back to square one.”

“Lan I don’t need the lecture. It was my own fault this time.” Sighing I rubbed my temple leaning my head against the window.

“I’m not… okay, sorry. I’m sorry.” Touching my arm gently I turned looking at him, before he pulled me into a hug. “It’s gonna be alright you know.” I only responded with a slightly nod of my head. “Just wish he would want this as much as I do… but I can’t force him…”

Rubbing my back gently he pulled away with a reassuring smile. “His just an odd guy, I’m sure his just worried okay… but you can do this.”

Pausing for a moment “Y/N and uncle Lando right?”

Laughing a little I nod my head. “Yes, yes unless I give the rights to Charles”

Lando let out a fake gasp before leaning back in his seat. “Don’t ever threaten my uncle rights again.” Smiling to myself I looked back out the window. The driver slowly pulling away.

Lando slept most of the journey- and sure I was a little nosey when his phone kept going off… side eyeing it, I see Max blowing his phone up… and I could only wish it was mine- even at the sight of his name, I felt tingles all over my body. Like his touched had once burned on me.

Sighing at myself, I shuffled closer to Lando resting my head against his shoulder. Slowly closing my eyes and letting my worries got with it.

My worries being facing Max.

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N-” repeatedly with each time he said my name Lando poked my forehead.

Flinching slightly when he poked again I sat up slowly rubbing my eyes.

“Your so fucking annoying…” my voice was hoarse and barely audible from the sleep.

“We’re here!” Smiling excitedly he climbs out the car quickly, first thought was him going over to fans and taking photos.

Sighing once again I make sure I looked like hadn’t just woken up- before climbing out behind him, I start helping getting out bags out, when Lando comes over quickly grabbing both the heavy suitcases.

“You can’t lift heavy things remember-”

Rolling my eyes and smiling, I pull the handle of my suitcases up and roll into the hotel, giving a few small waves to shouting fans of Lando’s.

Finally getting up to my room, Lando only a few doors down. I flopped onto the bed letting out a happy groan, from my aching body.

Pulling my phone out I read some messages, before going into insta and putting a post up.

@YOURINSTAGRAMNAME.

Liked by landonorris and 244,873 others

@YOURINSTAGRAMNAME. -

Sky was painted for you Landiniho 🧡

Comments have been turned off.

And finally I was able to relax, I planned on visiting my parents after Sundays race, as everything leading up to then is crazy- and I didn’t want to drag Lando down to them while the weekend commenced.

It wasn’t long before Lando was knocking the door and demanding I opened it.

“What?” Annoyed I glared at him the door nearly hitting the wall as I pulled it open.

“I’m hungry, let’s go eat-” if he wasn’t offering food I probably would have strangled him… however he did, so he dodge a bullet.

In silence I grabbed my room key, phone, and other necessities before following Lando down to the elevator. “Can we go to the lovely restaurant down the road?” Looking over at Lando excitedly, smiling he nodded his head pressing for the ground floor. And as if on cue my belly started to grumble. Which only made us both burst into laughter.

Dinner was lovely, me and Lan spent the evening joking around and just enjoying company of one another- it washed away all my nerves, and I finally felt at ease being back home.

With arms linked we took a slow walk back to the hotel, and just for once I felt like the world seemed to get off my shoulders.

“Don’t you ever think to move back home? And raise the baby here?”

I come to an abrupt stop before continuing to walk with him- like I was reseted. “I never thought of it…” mumbling quietly to him I rest my head against his arm. “Monaco is my home too-”

“But- I mean this in the nicest way…”

Stopping himself he turns looking down at me. “You have nobody in Monaco.”

And there it was, the weight of the world again, I know he means well but it was sure a kick in the gut when he said it…

“I have you?”

“I’m not always there-”

“I’m fine, by myself.”

“But what about if you ever need anyone? What about when you go into labour?” Lando started walking again arm slung over my shoulders.

“I do have some friends there.”

“Friends that you can trust with your baby?”

Humming, I look down at the floor as we walk, he had a point… who am I trying to kid- I wouldn’t trust anyone but him or family with my baby… let alone some friends I see once in a blue moon.

“Maybe it’s something to think about…” sighing I then look up at the stars in the sky, questioning which person I have pissed off to cause this much chaos in my life.

“I just want you to be happy Y/N” he gestured for me to go into the lobby first before following behind. “That’s all I ever want for you.” Smiling over my shoulder at him j waisted for him to walk next to me before bumping shoulders.

“As do I, you deserve the world Lan.”

We finally separated at our doors, Lando disappearing down the hall once I was in my room- I took a shower and got into bed ready for this weekend and what it’s to bring, because I got myself a friend called Lando, and with Lando I felt okay.

**FRIDAY FREE PRACTICE**

I was panicking, I could potentially bump into Max today- and the way my hormones are going I’d probably end up crying if I even catch a glance of him…

Staring at myself in the mirror, I smoothed out my orange shorts, tilting my head before turning to the side. Shaking my head smiling to myself- I leave the bathroom grabbing my bag, phone, room key- and whatever else I thought may come in handy.

Agreeing to meet Lando in reception, I made my way out to the elevator trying to be as quiet as possible- seeing as how early it was in the morning.

Humming quietly to myself I waited for the elevator to arrive. Swaying slightly to my own song in my head-

“Oh hi-” glancing over my shoulder there he was.

In all his glory- Max.

And weirdly enough I felt nothing… I felt no anger, no sadness, no happiness. Nothing for him right now. So with a tight lipped smile, I whispered a hello before turning back to the elevator.

“I’ve er- I’ve wanted to talk to you…” he stepped forward standing next to me, at a distance that screams more than friendship-

“Oh really? What about?” Biting my lip praying the elevator arrives sooner rather that later.

“It’s more of a private matter…” looking around as if he was nervous of getting caught- which only caused me to look around also.

“Well, I’m sure it was nothing important otherwise you would’ve-” my voice soon trailed off and my mouth just went slack. Behind Max slowly walking towards us was her… and just like that a fire ignited within me.

My eyes had the same fire burning in them as I glared back at Max, who’s colour was slowly draining from his face. “Never mind I can see now you’ve been occupied.” Looking back over at Kelly, who only had a lovely smile on her face as she linked her arm with Max.

The elevator pinged, breaking the silence- moving myself forward to step in I look over at max and Kelly before taking a large step back.

“You both take this one- I just realised I’ve lost something…” tapping over myself, trying to seem like I was genuine. Kelly only smiled once more before stepping in.

“You need help finding it?” Kelly looked around the elevator floor, as Max stood outside- eyes still glued onto me.

Looking over at her I offered her a smile and shake of my head- then turning to look at Max. Eyes fixated onto each other.

“It’s okay- it was nothing important anyways.” I felt my lip tremble slightly, quickly biting down on it and rushing away with my head down.

Clearly he found his distraction… and was it weird that I wanted it to be me?

Rushing to the stairs I raced down praying I would beat the elevator.

Out of breath and panting I ran over to Lando in reception grabbing his arm and dragging him to the exit.

“Y/N slow down-” laughing a little Lando pulled back- which only made me tug harder at his arms-

The elevator ping sounded through reception- my eyes focused on the doors as Max hurriedly stepped out leaving Kelly behind.

“Please Lando can we just g-”

“Y/N I need to talk to you.” As if in sync me and Lando both looking over at max, who was practically jogging through reception.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Giving up with Lando I hurriedly walked away towards the exit. Why did it hurt so much that he was with Kelly?

Because there’s no way you kiss someone the way he kisses me and it not mean anything- yet being with found with another woman probably giving her the same bullshit excuses… was a kick to the gut.

I knew he was chasing me- even if he was a few feet behind I felt his presence- the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. My heart was telling me to stop running from him and let him talk. But my head told me to keep going- and I did.

I got into the car that was waiting on me and Lando locking the door behind me and leaning over locking the drivers side.

Until he finally gave up. Well I say gave up Lando practically forced him away. And once he was out of sight I finally opened the door again for Lando.

“Can we not talk about him.” Looking at the dash in front of me. I felt sick, maybe even numb at this point. We spent two unforgettable nights with one another, his been one of my closest friends for years- maybe a warning would’ve been nice that it didn’t mean as much to him as it did me- then I wouldn’t of had my flame of hope burned out- and reigniting with anger and jealousy.

I hate her- I hate that he chose her, what was so wrong about me? Why doesn’t he want me the same way I want him? I can’t force him to love me- so why am I so worked up over something so stupid?

“Let’s get the race weekend started aye?” Looking over at Lando he offered an encouraging smile- hand reaching over snd squeezing mine.

Lando is like a comfort blanket- or a teddy bear, you know the type you get when your young and you find yourself seeking it out every single night and day for solitary comfort. Lando was my teddy bear.

“Let’s go get you your win.” Squeezing his hand back I smiled up at him- sure the smile didn’t reach my eyes- and my eyes they didn’t twinkle like diamonds- but he knew I meant what I said and he knew I was there supporting him no matter what.

And Max? Pft what’s the point of crying over something that wasn’t even mine in the first place.

A/N: Soooooo I don’t know- it was long awaited that’s for sure I just had terrible writers block- and you can even tell in some parts I wasn’t giving enough- buttttt on with the next chapter.

FYI MAX REDEEMS HIMSELF.

Masterlist

[cinnamonsakura666]

The holidays had finally started to arrive, mountains of snow appeared all over the land and a group of toons decided to spend their holiday together this year. They all spent time with each other a lot but also, complications for some would come up and this kind of gathering wasn't always as easy to do. So, here they were now, making snow sculptures and throwing snowballs.

"Cuuupheeeeaaaadd….." A lil' devil named Bendy said through a shivering tone. Cuphead, as his name implies, turned to see his friend, chilled to the core, walked up behind him and rested his head on his shoulder, the other male flinching at the sudden contact. "I'm coooollldd…."

Cuphead stopped making a snowball for a second. "Oh yeah…..Yer a demon so you musta be freezin' because you ain't use ta' it!"

"Of course he is, Cuphead!" Mugman, Cuphead's twin sibling, stated. "Even I knew that! That's why I suggested he stay inside!"

"Well, excuuuuuuuse me! I wanted ta' have em' join in on ta' fun!"

"Cuppy~" Bendy cooed, Cuphead flared up at the contact, feeling like he was grinning like an idiot as Bendy traced his shoulder. "Come on~ Let's go inside, please?~" Cuphead immediately nodded a yes, looking at Mugman.

"Ya heard em', Mugsy! He's cold! We gotta take em' in!" The red male decided to pull Bendy in for a hug in-order to keep him warm, Bendy happily returning the embrace. "We can continue ta' snowball fight later!"

Mugman tried to protest but was stopped by another person speaking.

"Leave em', Mugman. No use arguing against em' at this moment." Oswald the Lucky Rabbit said, alongside with his brother, Mickey placing the top hat on top of the snowman he and Oswald were working on.

Mugman sighed, understanding what the rabbit had said. Mugman swore that everytime Cuphead and Bendy came into contact with each other, Cuphead would be more willing to listen to Bendy than his own brother. It was slightly getting annoying at this point.

"Yes, Mugman, it's about time we went inside anyway." Mickey, Oswald's younger brother and main voice of reason among the group, responded, having finished the snowman.

The three headed inside, the house that the holiday festivities were held at was Mickey and Oswald’s home (For Oswald, it acted more as a temporary place to stay while in the toon world and not in Wasteland).

“Hey! Welcome back! How was it out there?” Felix the Cat turned the corner, holding a small tray with three decorative glasses, a dark liquid in them, as he greeted the three who were now inside, taking off the extra layers of clothing by the door.

“Cold.” Mickey chuckled, taking a glass before handing it carefully to Mugman and then to Oswald. Finally, with all drinks distributed, the mouse took one for himself.

Felix snorted at the response; “Cuphead and Bendy mentioned it being cold outside when they came in.”

“Where did they go, anyway?” Mugman asked.

Felix nodded towards the couch, Mugman walking over to peer over it. There the two were, Cuphead, looking completely out of it and Bendy laying on his body, head resting on Cuphead’s shoulder as the two were cuddling close to each other, watching a Christmas themed movie.

The blue male returned to the kitchen, looking back with a feeling that felt familiar but foreign at the same time. 

“Hey, Mugs, why don’t you help me out with making cookies?” Felix called out to Mugman. The younger toon came over to help, putting on an apron. “So…..” Felix began; “What’s got you looking that way?” 

Mugman glanced back over through the doorway. He could see the couch Bendy and his brother was on but couldn’t see over it. “Mmm…..I dunno….Bendy is the only person Cuphead easily got along with other than me when it came to seeing that person over and over again but as much as I trust them, I can’t help but distrust Bendy’s intentions with Cup. It’s confusing….” 

“How so?” 

“Bendy is a demon and from the books I’ve read through to study how to deal with demons since me and Cuphead have run into a few different ones, it mentioned that the type of demon Bendy is, an imp, it’s said that many of them are succubi, demons who feed off affection and love. I feel like that when Bendy comes near Cuphead and uses his charms, Cuphead can barely speak and goes along with everything Bendy says! It’s crazy! He barely listens to anybody, why would he listen to him?!” Mugman explained. 

Felix didn’t respond, simply smirking to himself as he snickered. “No, I get that feeling of worry but honestly, you don’t have anything to worry about! It’s completely normal!” Felix handed some raw gingerbread dough to Mugman and the latter got to work on kneading the dough. Felix, meanwhile, mixed the new batch. 

“Alright, Alright. If it makes ya feel better, I’ll monitor em’ ta’ make sure no funny business goes on for yer sake, Mugman.” Oswald walked up behind the young cup sibling and took a gingerbread man to snack on. “Oh! By ta’ way, great cocoa an’ cookies, Feels. Tastes great!” Oswald followed that up with putting a hand on the cat’s shoulder, squeezing it beneath his grasp.

Mugman almost laughed at the fact that once Oswald had fully gotten out of the kitchen, Felix reacted the exact same way his sibling did near the lil’ devil.

Mickey seemed to have noticed as well, covering his mouth so he wouldn’t laugh out loud.

“See? Perfectly normal for everyone! No magic involved, just love for someone.”

Mugman chuckled, acknowledging that fact but the doubt still lingered. “I got it, Mr. Mickey.”

Mickey smiled and patted the young toon on the head with a smile. “You’re a good brother, Mugs.” Mickey wandered back into the living room, not before he tapped Felix on the shoulder. “Back to earth, Felix.” Felix shook his head, realizing that he was just standing there, lost in his thoughts.

“Heheh, sorry! Anyway, where were we, Mugman?”

The two fixed more cookies as the Disney siblings hung out in the living room, glancing every so often at Cuphead and Bendy, asleep and warm.

“They’re kinda cute, aren’t they?” Mickey whispered to Oswald. Oswald nodded in agreement, returning to whisper in Mickey’s ear. “Yeah but ya heard ta’ blue mug.”

Mickey smiles as he nods. "Yeah. I did. Just something I thought about."

Sooner or later, Felix and Mugman finished up, heading out to the living room. Felix hesitantly sits next to Oswald, glancing at the rabbit to see if he's going to be pushed away.

"Excuse me, Oswald. M-May I share the blanket with you and Mickey? And Mugman would like that too…." Felix blushes as he looks at Oswald.

Oswald looks at him, curious but he eventually sighs and offers his blanket to the two. Felix gets close to Oswald but the rabbit pulls the toon cat closer with an eyeroll.

"Come 'ere. I won't bite." Oswald mutters. Felix looks away, extremely flustered as Mugman cozies up to Felix. The mug snorts at Felix's reaction.

He really had nothing to worry about, did he?

(Btw, Bonus pic! Bendy got a Tattletail for X-Mas this year. He named it "Furball", "Furby" for short.)

[teaberrii]

Chapter Six: Can We Make a Deal?

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about her.”

Kaveh had dropped by his place again. Alhaitham, sitting on the adjacent couch from his friend, sighs. "Why are you bringing her up?"

Kaveh leans forward. “Don’t you think it’s time to start getting some answers?”

“...Like what kind of answers?”

Kaveh rolls his eyes. “Like why she’s apparently the only person who can change you back? Aren’t you curious?”

“Oh, I don't know," Alhaitham deadpans. "Didn’t you say she was my ‘soulmate’?”

“Do you actually believe that?” No. Alhaitham doesn’t believe in something as abstract as that. “Did she kiss you again?”

Alhaitham stands to get more tea. “No. Why would she?”

Kaveh smirks. “Are you disappointed?”

“What are you trying to get at?”

Kaveh follows his friend to the kitchen. “What if… it was just a fluke? You should get her to kiss you more to make sure she really is your miracle cure.”

…Right. A conversation like that is bound to go smoothly. Alhaitham can just imagine the look on your face if he were ever to ask you to kiss him again as a cat. Of course, you'd probably give some witty response to fluster him. But, maybe you'd ask for something in return. Regardless, the two of you have only just established your friendship. Now is probably not the time to escalate to… kissing. Even if it's just a peck on his fluffy, little head.

“You know… maybe there’s something else you can try.”

“...Do I want to know?” Alhaitham deadpans, pouring the hot water into the teapot.

“What if… it’s a certain type of girl who can change you back? You said her sister kissed you, right? But you didn’t turn back. Do they look alike? Similar personalities?”

All Kaveh gets is an are-you-kidding stare.

“You have to keep your options open, Haitham. Besides, what if she gets a boyfriend? Are you going to ask her to kiss you then?”

Alhaitham doesn’t want to think about that.

“If she really is your only hope, you gotta know why! And… you better figure something out. Unless you want to keep turning into a cat when you’re like sixty.”

While Alhaitham doesn't want to admit it, Kaveh has a point. It's best to figure out why early. What if… you do get a boyfriend? What if… you got married?

Alhaitham almost screams when he feels the hot water on his skin. He drops the kettle, which lands with a thud on the counter.

"Geezus, Haitham." Kaveh smiles as he watches his friend run his hand under cold water. "What were you thinking about?"

“...Nothing.”

Kaveh opens a top counter and grabs the first-aid kit. “Anyway, she’s going to be living across from you, right? It’s your chance!”

“I’m not going to ask her to kiss me.”

“Well, maybe not in the beginning,” Kaveh says, smiling, as he opens the kit. “But… it doesn’t hurt to get to know her better. Y’know… for research purposes.” When Alhaitham gives Kaveh a deadpan look, he laughs. “Take it as you will.”

Well, it’s not like Alhaitham doesn’t want to do that already.

That night, Alhaitham is lying on his bed, his tail swishing upwards as he thinks about you. Then, Kaveh's words echo in his mind: What if she gets a boyfriend? Are you going to ask her to kiss you then? Alhaitham remembers the matchmaking party. While he knows you don't want to go, there's still a small chance you might go to please your mother. The faces. The titles. Everything that he saw in that bright pink pamphlet came rushing back.

Alhaitham shakes his head.

No. He won’t let you get taken away. Not when there’s still work to be done.

◆◆◆

The next morning, Alhaitham visits his grandfather at the hospital before work.

As soon as Alhaitham opens the door, his grandfather looks up from the book he’s reading and smiles. “Haitham? What are you doing here? Don’t you have work?”

"I just got off a call." Alhaitham walks over to the side of the bed. "Thought I'd visit to see how you were doing."

“Well, you came at a good time! There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Alhaitham has a hunch. He pulls up a chair and sits. “I do too.”

“Oh? You do? Is it about work?”

“Not exactly.”

His grandfather closes his book and puts it on the nightstand. “Well, you first.”

"It's about Layla." Alhaitham leans back. "I don't want any misunderstandings, so I want to hear from you directly. What are your reasons for putting us back in touch again?"

His grandfather sighs. “I… think she’s a woman who would suit you very well. She’s sophisticated, educated, and has a respectable family background. You’re also at that age, Haitham. Don’t you want to settle down with someone?”

“If it ever comes to that. But, I’d rather have things happen naturally.”

“I’m only giving you a little push.”

“...I’d rather you not.”

His grandfather narrows his eyes. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

Many things. His strange feelings toward you. His fluffy situation. There are too many unanswered questions, and adding Layla to the picture complicates things further.

"I see Layla as just a friend. It's been so long since we last talked. So if I ever see her, I don't want things to be awkward."

“He already relayed the message to me,” his grandfather says. Alhaitham assumes he’s referring to his secretary. “If you insist, I won’t say anything more.”

Alhaitham visibly relaxes.

“...But on one condition.”

Oh, great.

“Spend a little time with her. She’s… been through a lot lately.”

Alhaitham raises a brow. “How do you know?”

“Her parents came to visit me the other day.” His grandfather nods toward the flowers. “Those flowers were from them.”

“...I don’t want to sound… rude, but don’t you think this act of kindness might mean they want something from you?”

“As of now, there’s no hint of that. Besides, I think spending some time with their daughter is harmless. You two already know each other.”

Alhaitham sighs but gives in. “...Alright.”

“Excellent!”

Before Alhaitham leaves, he gets an update on his grandfather's condition. Then, as he exits the room, he sees someone struggling to carry three large boxes stacked on each other. It's so high that he can't see the person behind them.

The top box is about to fall until Alhaitham catches it. That’s when a girl peeks out behind and gasps.

“Oh, my gosh! Thank you.”

Alhaitham looks at her, and his eyes almost widen. It’s your sister. Lumine, is it?

“Would you like some help?” Alhaitham asks.

“Ah, it’s okay! I’m almost there.” She nods toward the room next to his grandfather’s. “My brother’s room is right there.”

Your brother… is in the hospital?

“Let me help you carry this one, at least.”

Lumine smiles shyly. “Okay… thank you!”

Alhaitham walks with Lumine toward your brother’s room and opens the door for her. There, he sees a boy around Lumine’s age on the bed. His leg is lifted and in a cast.

“You’re finally here!” Then, he sees Alhaitham. “Um… who’s this?”

Lumine drops the boxes onto an armchair. “The man who helped me carry your freaking three large boxes of games so you won’t get bored. You’d better thank him!”

“Why didn’t you just carry them one at a time?”

“Excuse me? You’re welcome for helping to bring your stuff here in the first place!”

“Okay, okay. Thank you, Lumine, and”—he looks at Alhaitham—”mysterious stranger.”

“Alhaitham.”

“Ooh, what a fancy name.”

“Please forgive my brother,” Lumine says to Alhaitham. “He meant that in the best way possible.”

"No offence taken."

“Wait… Alhaitham?” Lumine mutters. “Where have I heard that name before?”

Aether snaps his fingers. “Are you the hot neighbour?”

“Aether!”

“What?” Aether asks, looking at his twin sister. “It’s pretty much what mom described him as.”

Lumine immediately turns to Alhaitham. “You’re friends with our sister!”

“Thank God,” Aether says. “She needs more guys around her other than the flirting ginger.”

“What are you talking about? Sis has plenty of suitors.”

Is that true? Alhaitham clears his throat, and the twins look at him. “I don’t think I got your names yet.”

“Yeah, Lumine, how rude of you.”

Lumine rolls her eyes at her brother's remark. “My name is Lumine.” She gestures to her brother. “This… idiot is my brother, Aether.”

“If I’m an idiot, then so are you.”

“Shut up.”

Alhaitham chuckles. “Seems like you two get along well.”

“We do not!”

Their synchronization makes him smile.

"Um, what are you doing at the hospital, Alhaitham?" Aether asks.

“Visiting my grandfather. He’s staying in the room next door.”

“Oh, really? Maybe I should go say hi!”

“Um, no, you really shouldn’t,” Lumine deadpans. 

Alhaitham puts the box on a small table. “I need to get to work. It was nice meeting the two of you.”

“Say hi to Sis for us,” Aether says.

Lumine smiles. "Let's surprise her with a selfie!"

◆◆◆

You're still half asleep when walking into the office building until you feel your phone buzz inside your pocket. You pull out your phone and open the message from your sister. Your eyes widen when you see a photo. Your sister is the one taking it. With her free hand, she's making a peace sign. Your brother makes a funny face on the bed while Alhaitham stands near the window with a hand in his pocket.

What in the world?

Lumine: WE MET HOTTIE NEIGHBOUR. His grandfather’s staying in the room next to Aether’s ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

You’re still processing the whole thing when you see another message from her.

Lumine: If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.

You roll your eyes.

Lumine: Just kidding. Maybe.

You know your siblings are bound to meet Alhaitham one day now that he's your neighbour. You just never thought it would be this quickly. Then, your phone buzzes again; you're expecting Lumine's text, but it's Alhaitham instead.

Catman: I hope that didn’t surprise you too much.

You’re standing in front of the elevators as you quickly type a reply.

A completely random selfie of you and my siblings? Nah. That’s exactly what I was expecting to see at the end of the week.

“Morning!”

You turn and see Tighnari.

“Hey, Nari.”

“Guess who has a date for Zhongli’s wedding?”

You gasp. “Oh, do tell.”

He winks at you. “It’s a surprise.”

“I never thought you’d pull a Childe on me.”

Tighnari laughs. “He does like to keep people in the dark when he wants to, huh?”

You hear your phone buzz but don't get time to check it as the crowd pushes you into the open elevator.

Once you and Tighnari are the only ones left, he turns to you. “So… Childe told me about what happened with Alhaitham the other day. Is something… going on?”

“No. Nothing.”

“...You sure?”

“I’m positive.”

Tighnari watches you closely. "But, if you didn't sort of like him… you wouldn't have gone with him, right?"

“We’re friends. That’s it.”

“Oh…”

You glance at him. “Why do you sound so sad?”

“Well, you’d be retiring from your title!”

“...Title?”

Tighnari smiles. “You wouldn’t be a professional bachelorette anymore. Oh, but don’t get me wrong! It’s not like it’s a bad thing.”

You sigh. “There’s no way I can date Alhaitham.”

“Why not?”

“He’s our CEO,” you say flatly. “That’s… no.”

“Well, I do see how that would cause issues. But… the heart wants what it wants.”

The elevator doors open. As you and Tighnari walk out, you finally check your phone and see the message from Alhaitham.

Catman: You should be in the picture next time.

This reply will be your last.

Pass. Not very photogenic.

When you arrive at your desk, you glance at your phone and roll your eyes… with a smile.

Catman: I respectfully disagree.

You have to put your phone away so you won’t get distracted.

◆◆◆

You lean back in your chair and stretch as you look at the outline you plan to propose to the leadership team in the next couple of weeks. Things are going well, and your team is also working together nicely. You scoot your chair toward your desk, ready to get back to it when your phone buzzes.

Catman: Can we talk after work today if you’re free?

You pick up your phone, staring at the message. It must not be work-related if he’s messaging you using his personal number. But what could it be about?

Catman: We can meet in my office.

That’d definitely help avoid any prying eyes.

No pop quiz, right?

His reply comes faster than you anticipated.

Catman: You’d pass with flying colours anyway.

“...Hey!” You immediately look toward your subordinate sitting at the desk across from you. She looks from your phone to you. “What are you smiling at?”

Are you smiling? You haven't noticed.

“Uh, nothing.” You quickly put your phone on the table with the screen facing down. “Did you need something?”

Your colleague gives you a suspicious smile. “Is it… a guy?”

You stand and look her in the eyes. “Do you need help with something?”

She laughs. “Okay, okay. I’ll drop it. I’m having some trouble with the dialogue for this scene. Could you take a look and give me some feedback?”

You walk over, your mind doing a complete switch to work. Not even Alhaitham is going to distract you, but he’s doing a damn good job of trying.

After work, you make your way up to Alhaitham's office. As you stare at your clear reflection in the elevator doors, you suddenly want to fix your hair. So, just before you reach the floor, you fix a few strands and confidently walk out.

You knock on the door, and the secretary opens it for you. As you walk in, you almost forget to thank him as you marvel at the size and decor of the room.

“Nice place you got here.”

“It’s not mine, technically,” Alhaitham says, walking over to you. He looks at his secretary, and the man walks out. Then, Alhaitham gestures for you to sit on the couch. You do, and he sits across from you.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Is your family helping you with your move?”

“Yeah. But… why do you ask?”

“I wanted to ask if you needed help. Or… if my presence would make you uncomfortable.”

You haven't thought about asking Alhaitham for help. You don't want to deal with your family making casual jokes about how the two of you should be dating or something similar. It's awkward... and something he doesn't need to deal with.

“I think I’ll be okay,” you say. “Besides, I don’t think you want to deal with them trying to hook us up. I know how uncomfortable that would be.”

“I wouldn’t offer to help you if that were the case.”

The silence is a little too loud.

Alhaitham lightly clears his throat. “The real reason I called you here... is to offer you a deal.”

“Should I be leaving right about now?”

Alhaitham picks up on your joking tone. "Besides Kaveh, you are the only one who knows about my secret. As I said, I've been trying to figure out the reason and cause behind it for many years."

You nod.

"I still don't know why you were the one that changed me back… and with a kiss, no doubt. But you are my only hope right now."

You hold his stare.

"...I'd like you to keep changing me back until I find the reason and a permanent solution to my problem. In return… I can help you get out of those matchmaking parties you hate so much."

“...And how are you going help me do that?” you ask cautiously.

“By acting as your boyfriend.”

If you're drinking water, you will have choked.

“...Only in front of your family,” Alhaitham clarifies. “Or else, the purpose is lost.”

You stand. "So… let me get this straight. What we know so far is that you changed back when I kissed you. Now, for research purposes, you want me to… keep kissing you as a cat to change you back. In return, you’ll be my fake boyfriend in front of my family to get my mother to stop nagging me about me being single.”

“That’s another way to put it.”

You scoff. “That’s… that’s ridiculous!”

Alhaitham stands and puts his hands on the table. “Please. I need you.”

Why does he have to look at you like that? You just can't look away.

"I need to find out the root cause of my curse. If us dating makes you uncomfortable, you can suggest something else. It's just… I'd like to offer something in return if you help me."

"...Well, no one wants to live the kitty life forever, I suppose." Then, a small sigh. "How are you going to go about finding this root cause?"

“I’d like to experiment.” Your eyes widen, and Alhaitham quickly adds. “As in… would it work if I kissed you instead?”

You’re starting to feel faint.

"...If we end up in a fake relationship," Alhaitham continues, "you can call it off whenever you want."

“That sounds like it’s a bit unfair to you."

Alhaitham sighs softly. "We would be entering a contract, one that restricts you from entering romantic relationships with others. So I understand I'd be taking away your freedom in that regard."

“...So, are you saying that I can call it off if I meet someone I want to actually date?”

Alhaitham can’t ignore how the thought annoys him. “I’d like to find an answer to my problem before then.”

“Well, the same can go for you,” you say, looking away. “What if… during this time, you also meet someone you want to date?”

"For our sake, I don't intend to drag this out."

This is happening way too fast. Didn’t you just become friends? And now… a fake relationship?

“You don’t have to give me an answer now,” Alhaitham says. “It’s a lot to take in, I know.”

You almost crack a smile. "Don't tell me you wanted to be friends just so you could ask me this."

“If I said no, would you believe me?”

You shrug. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m… not blaming you. I can’t relate to your situation, but I would probably do the same.” You sit and cross one leg over the other. “But, I’d like to hear what other things you tried to get rid of your curse.”

Alhaitham sits across from you. “It’ll take some time.”

“Well, the fact I’m still sitting here means I’m fitting it into my schedule.”

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

◆◆◆

It’s finally the weekend, and you’ve been busy the entire day with the move. However, you can’t get the conversation with Alhaitham at his office out of your head.

"...That's impressive," you said, after hearing all the interesting theories and experiments he tried to get rid of his transformation.

“But I’ve yet to find an answer.”

“Still… that’s very interesting. I wonder if it could happen to anyone… even to me. Have you met anyone else like you?”

Alhaitham shook his head.

“Well, um, going back to your offer… can I think about it? I’ll give you an answer before next week.”

“Of course.”

A… fake relationship. One that only happens around your family. It sounds like the plot of a drama you wrote years ago.

“Who’s Catman?”

You've just finished adjusting the coffee table in your new place when you hear your sister ask the unexpected question. Your mother went out to grab some food while you and Lumine finished cleaning up your new place. You quickly walk up and see Lumine going through the people in your Contacts list.

“Really, Lumine?” You take your phone from her. “Why are you looking through my phone?”

“Just curious if you have Mr. Hottie saved on your phone.”

“Why are you so curious?”

"Weeelll, maybe you might need his help one day. It doesn't hurt to be on good terms with your neighbours."

“I wonder what you mean by good terms,” you say, rolling your eyes.

Lumine smiles widely.

A knock comes at your door, and you open it. But the smell of hot food is lost on you as you're staring into Alhaitham's eyes again.

“I bumped into him on the way up,” your mother says. “So, I invited him to have dinner with us!”

Your mother walks into your place just as Alhaitham asks, “...May I come in?”

"Of course you can!"

You look over your shoulder at Lumine, who's giving Alhaitham a small wave.

It doesn't seem like you have a choice, and it isn't because of your sister or because Alhaitham is your CEO. But it's those turquoise eyes of his that shine differently when he looks at you.

Chapter Seven

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @sakiimeo @ashtree-and-the-cats @ceylestia @forsh4dow @deathkat657 @kalpie @elernity @sentieence @chichibleeps @sunsethw4 @hjjks

[notwarriorswiki]

Knot, please enlighten me with this Ravenpaw. He looks amazing

In Po12, Tigerclaw attempts to kill Ravenpaw rather soon after Firepaw joins ThunderClan, rather than allowing him to lurk around for moons. Firepaw even thinks Tigerclaw successfully killed his new friend, and Tigerclaw belives Ravenpaw bled out after all the injuries he sustained. But in truth, he was found by Scourge.

"Should I send you to join your clanmates?" "No! Please! Anything but that!" Ravenpaw cried out. The black tom seemed to pause, icy blue eyes widening faintly. "Don't send me back. I don't want to go back to ThunderClan. Please, I can't go back!" Ravenpaw dug his face into his paws, practically able to taste the dirt as the thick stench of blood wafted on his pelt. His breathing was growing slower, eyes becoming heavier, his voice but a timid murmur in the cold darkness of twolegplace. "Please, I don't want... clan..."

Scourge saw himself in that quivering cat that day. He brought him back to be tended to by their medic, and outfitted Ravenpaw with everything he'd need to be a thriving member of his clan - BloodClan. There Ravenpaw took on the name Raven, and met Barley, Scratch, and other kind cats.

It was no secret to the other BloodClan cats that Raven received special treatment from Scourge. He became practically like a son to the BloodClan leader, who involved him in all aspects of leadership in the territory. Unknowingly, Raven was being primed to take over Scourge's role one day.

Raven was indoctrinated with all of the loyal and active BloodClan cats. From what he saw, they took care of each other, and it was like he found a new home that was safe and away from Tigerclaw. That changed though when he encountered Brownpaw of ShadowClan.

"Ravenpaw! Is it really you? Bluestar said you ran away, but I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes!" Brownpaw chirped. The small apprentice lashed his tail with a chuckle. "So you did become a kittypet, huh?" Raven curled back his lip with a shake of his head. "This collar isn't from a twoleg. It's from my new clan, and you're in our territory." He straightened up and flicked his ear. "What are you doing in twolegplace anyway?" Brownpaw frowned and tilted his head. "New... clan? Whatever - look I got lost chasing some mice, ok. Your territory smells anyway. I don't want to be here, so could you point me back the way I came?" With a small huff, Raven nodded. He supposed ShadowClan cats did have to hunt in odd and smelly places. He couldn't blame Brownpaw, after all it had taken himself some time to get used to the alleyways of twolegplace. He flicked his tail and nodded back. "You take a right just the way you came. When you see that house with the pine trees, that's your sign you've reached the territory. Turn right again and you'll find the forest in no time. Now get out of here, ok?" He paused. "And don't tell anyone you saw me." Brownpaw scoffed. "Why should I?" Raven opened his mouth to protest, but Brownpaw chuckled and shook his head. "I'm kidding. I wouldn't want to be in ThunderClan either. I gotta get back before I get in trouble. See you, kittypet!" "I'm not a kittypet!" Raven protested. But Brownpaw was already gone, disappearing out of sight to return to the forest he called home.

But Brownpaw never made it home.

Upon returning from patrol, Raven found the ShadowClan apprentice's body strewn over the gathering grounds of Scourge's Alley. The tower of boxes were the throne of the black cat who reminded his cats what they did to any clan cats they encountered.

"The Clans must be eradicated."

And thus Raven slowly began to uncover the world Scourge hadn't let him see before. The cats who didn't ally themselves with his cause, who were forced to pay dues or risk being punished within their own gardens. The spread of hate for those outside BloodClan's walls, breeding an "Us against Everyone" mentality. It was familiar, yet just as horrifying. Just as the Clans hated outsiders, so too did BloodClan - and the Clans were those outsiders.

"Why didn't you kill me that day?" Raven quietly asked. Scourge blinked, surprised by the young tom's question. He almost looked as if he might ask why he asked such a question, but the way his ears fell back told Raven he didn't need to. He looked away, raising his head high. "Because I saw myself in you, Raven." It was his turn to blink back in surprise. "What?" "You're not like them." Scourge flicked his tail, blue eyes looking down upon Raven from his perch atop his throne. "You're not a clan cat." "B-But I was-" "No. You weren't."

He may not have been a clan cat anymore, but Raven knew clan cats who he still cared about. The Clans were flawed, yes, but he didn't think everyone apart of them deserved to die.

Raven ends up discovering later that Barley too isn't so happy with Scourge's rule. His sister wasn't willing to fight against clan cats, and as such she was called a traitor by Scourge and nearly killed. She was believed to be dead, but Barley took her into hiding, and brings her food so she can remain undetected. At first he thinks Raven will out him, but Raven does not. Instead he wishes to change BloodClan and twolegplace. He realizes that while he's grateful to Scourge, that this cannot continue.

Raven and Barley have their own story, changing BloodClan from the inside and building up a supportive group that wants change. Raven even reunites with Fireheart and Graystripe later, collaborating as they exchange intel on Tigerstar. They learn Tigerstar has learned to communicate and guide the dogs through the knowledge he has learned through Scourge, and that the BloodClan leader is helping Tigerstar to get close to him so he can launch his war against the Clans.

When the war happens, BloodClan is split, Raven and Barley revealing their own forces as much of Scourge's army takes their side. They wanted to live their lives in Twolegplace in peace, without thinking about the Clans. This new clan would no longer be BloodClan, eating dirt off the ground. Rather they would be SkyClan, who look up towards the future.

When Scourge is killed by Firestar, Raven takes back his old name of Ravenpaw. He collects Scourge's severed collar, gingerly removing the dog teeth that no doubt jabbed into his throat every day - Ravenpaw knew the feeling fell at this point. He remembered when Scourge told him how he was reminded of himself when he found him. Ravenpaw wishes he could've known that Scourge, before draping the broken collar over his shoulders.

He'd always love Scourge like a father, and would carry his memory with him all of his life. He would be like Scourge - the old Scourge. He would be Ravenpaw.

[kupkate04]

A Hapless Endearment || Creepypasta x F. Reader || Chapter 2 - Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

It’s hard to perceive anything around her. The static in her mind is almost crippling and blocks out all her thoughts. Distant whispers erupt throughout the world of endless greys and blacks. It’s like she’s fallen into a void and cannot escape.

A gust of air crashes into her; burning yet ice-cold at the same time. It induces terror; utter fear that grips her heart and compresses her lungs. She finds it hard to breathe and looks around frantically. It’s the same. Everything is the same. She can’t even see the floor beneath her feet, but she knows it’s there. It has to be there. What else would she be standing on?

The static grows stronger, and louder, overwhelming her senses and making her grab at her head in a desperate effort to cut it off. The breeze billows and the voices become more distinct, but she still can’t hear what they’re saying. Are they even saying anything, or are they simply murmurs of agony riding the wind with no further significance?

“Y/n...”

That voice. Something about that voice sends shivers down her spine and prompts her heart to speed up at an unhealthy rate. Her gaze shifts around, trying to locate a source, though ultimately failing.

“Child...come.”

“Come”? Come where? The grating static somehow thickens and stills at the same time, and she furrows her brows. A fog kisses her feet as it rolls across the invisible ground, bringing the inescapable threat of impending doom with it. She stumbles back, finding it does nothing, as the area surrounding her leads nowhere.

“Come to us...”

“Who are you?!” she yells, immediately tensing. She can’t hear herself. She's been...muted. The noise continues to get stronger, and she hits the side of her head, trying to make it stop. It cancels out her thoughts, making her feel helpless. All while a suffocating sensation settles in her chest and it becomes more and more difficult to collect oxygen.

“Join me... Come...”

～

Her grip on the sheets covering her torso tightens as she shoots up in bed, instantly greeted by light from the morning sun shining in through the window and being forced to squint her eyes. She sucks in deep breaths, savoring the air invading her lungs as she tries to calm her rapid heartbeat.

She has had a lot of weird dreams before, but none compare to the one she just woke up from. She stares at nothing, in particular, blinking away the tears that formed in her eyes and refusing to cry. Taking notice of the fluffy feline curled up on her thighs and looking up at her with startled eyes, clearly not happy about being disturbed, she lets out a soft sigh and strokes his back, finally able to steady her nerves and focus on more positive things.

“Sorry I ruined your precious beauty sleep,” she mutters sarcastically, wiping her eyes to get herself awake. She tries to brush the dream off as nothing; just stress creeping its way into her head and injecting her with freaky thoughts. But something about it...unnerves her; like it's much more serious than what she’ll give it credit for.

Leaning her back against the wall of her bed, she runs her hands through her messy hair and releases a yawn, rubbing her eyes before grabbing her phone off of the stool that she had pushed up beside her bed the previous night and turning it on, curious to see if anybody sent her a message, wanting to get her mind off of the nightmare.

None. She drops her phone by her side and slumps down, disheartened. I guess nobody cares anymore. Then again, who can blame them? I’m just an inconvenience, anyway.

She managed to catch a glimpse of the time in the top right corner of her phone before she turned it off, discovering that it’s around 9:40 in the morning. “Sorry, buddy. I’ve gotta get up,” she says, looking down at the cat in her lap that’s gotten settled and is now trying to go back to sleep. His ear twitches in recognition, and she runs her fingers through his thick fur before gently sliding him off of her and standing up.

When her bare feet touch the chilled hardwood floor, she flinches and jumps onto the fuzzy rug in the room’s center, trying to get used to the surface in her mind’s still hazy state. She glances back at the bed, and her e/c eyes land on Marshmallow, who is looking at her in obvious distaste. She narrows them.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s not like you can’t sleep any other time of the day.” He blinks and stands, stretching for a moment before turning away from her and lying back down. “Okay fine, be that way. Drama queen...”

With that, she looks at the closet, then down at the floor, knowing what needs to be done and mentally preparing herself for it. C’mon Y/n, it’s just a floor. A floor made of ice...but a floor, nonetheless. Quit being a wuss and go.

Inhaling to encourage herself, she steps onto the wood and lets out a squeak, her pace quickening the closer she gets to the closet. “Right about now would be a good time to have slippers,” she murmurs to herself, opening the door and stepping inside. She sifts through the different clothes, contemplating what she wants to wear and not having to search for long.

She throws on some shorts and a t-shirt, socks, and a pair of tennis shoes before stepping back out and heading toward the bathroom, hoping that nobody else is occupying it at the moment. To her luck, once she’s out of her room, she finds it empty and strolls inside, closing the door behind her and flicking the light switch up.

After flushing the toilet and washing her hands, she does everything in her morning routine before walking out into the hall and heading down the stairs, instantly catching the whiff of a pleasant scent wafting from the kitchen. Farrah takes notice of her granddaughter entering the doorway and sends her a welcoming smile as she takes a pan of biscuits out of the oven.

“Good morning, hun,” she chirps, removing her oven mitts and turning to face her. “How did you sleep?” Y/n walks closer and shrugs, remembering the endless, dull scenery and the eerie voice whispering those words to her in her head.

“I mean...I had a pretty unsettling dream but, other than that, I slept fine.” Farrah hums and tilts her head. “What about you, Nana?”

“A lot more peaceful now that I know you’re here under the same roof,” she replies, giving her a brief hug, which Y/n gladly returns. “So, you hungry? I made breakfast!” She glances over at the stovetop and nearly drools when she sees freshly-cooked bacon resting on a plate, scrambled eggs in a skillet, and that same pan of biscuits placed beside them. She can feel her stomach rumble as she stares at it, so she nods over-enthusiastically and goes to retrieve a plate and fork from where they were set on the island in preparation.

“This all looks delicious, Nana,” she comments, scooping some eggs onto her plate after gathering several pieces of fried pork. Her eyes meet Farrah’s, and she shoots her a grateful expression. “Thanks for making it.”

“Oh, it was no trouble at all—just like you, my dear, are no trouble at all.” She pats her affectionately on the head before sliding her hand down to cup her cheek, and smiles. “Now go eat your food and enjoy it.” Y/n nods, taking a step back and laying the plate full of food on the counter, aiming to get butter and jelly out of the fridge. She also grabs a spoon and butter knife afterward, using them to smear the two substances across the soft inside of her biscuits before grabbing her plate once again and strolling through the living area until she reaches the dining room.

She pulls a chair out from under the table and takes her seat, anxious to get some food in her stomach and start her day. Farrah soon appears with her own platter of breakfast and sits beside her, the two chatting about various things as they eat, and the time flies by like a flock of birds. At around 10:25, Y/n rises from the chair and heads back to the kitchen, feeling properly filled up as she rinses her dishes.

Her eyes move to the window above the sink, being greeted by the bright morning sunlight and the colorful scenery that she doesn’t get the advantage of witnessing in the city. She spots her grandfather, sitting in an old chair out on the lawn and admiring nature at its finest, lost in thought.

Allowing a fond smile to stretch across her face, she dries her hands on a towel hanging from a rack before poking her head back into the living room. “Hey, Nana...”

“Yes, hun?” She twists her body around to meet Y/n’s eyes in curiosity, and the h/c grips the door frame with her hand and leans forward, letting her arm keep her stabilized so she doesn’t fall over.

“I think I’m gonna go outside for a while if you don’t need me here for anything.” Farrah nods.

“That’s a good idea. Marshmallow needs to be let out, anyway.” As if on cue, the fluffy feline walks down the stairs, tail high in the air and head raised as he jumps to the floor and stops in front of the closed door, sitting down and looking at Y/n expectantly. “Where are you gonna go?”

“I dunno.” She shrugs, glancing down at Marshmallow and meeting his blue-grey eyes. “I was just thinking about going on a walk or something.”

“Yes, some fresh air will do you good after breathing all of that polluted city stuff.” She takes a sip of her coffee thoughtfully. “Just be careful and keep an eye out for bears. Or anything dangerous, for that matter.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nods in understanding and steps over to the door, opening both it and the screen and allowing Marshmallow to prance through and onto the porch, likely eager to go about his daily hunt and roam. Following him and shutting the door behind her, a warm, familiar breeze hits her in the face as she does so, and she once again carries her gaze over to Phil. “Good morning, Pops.” Her voice raises just enough to get his attention, and sure enough, his head turns in her direction before one corner of his lips quirk upward in a cheery half-smile.

“Mornin', hummingbird! Did you sleep okay?” She bites the inside of her cheek and leisurely makes her way down the stone path leading toward the gate. Thinking back to her eldritch dream, she shoves her hands in her pockets and answers quietly.

“As well as I could, I guess...” Though when he doesn’t seem to hear her, she rephrases her sentence and speaks up. “I slept fine. What about you?”

“Ah, well. You know how it is with all these old joints and bones. They never give you a break.”

“Sorry.” She breathes a sympathetic laugh. “But I can’t say I have any experience in that field.” He snorts in response and leans back in the old patio chair, raising a thick, bushy eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you’re a spring chicken. Trust me darlin’, the years will catch up to you eventually. And then you’ll look like me.” He pats his rotund belly for emphasis. She rolls her eyes playfully and can’t stop the amused huff from exiting her lips.

“We'll see, Pops.”

“Where are ya going?” She unlatches the gate and glances at him before nodding her head in the direction of the opaque forest surrounding the quaint property.

“Walking. I thought I’d try to familiarize myself with this place, again.” She notices when his expression softens, and he briefly looks past the many tall trees, into the shaded woods, and lets a breath slip through his nose before meeting her gaze once more.

“I’m sorry you haven’t been here to visit, Y/n.” Her chest constricts and her eyes drop to the ground uncomfortably. “It’s not right for your dad—your parents—to put themselves before you. They shouldn’t treat you the way they do. I wish you’d let me do something about it.” She shrugs solemnly, her decent mood doing a one-eighty in an instant, though she tries to mask it and instead forces a smile on her face that she hopes is reassuring.

“It isn’t your fault. Dad’s just...just selfish and Mom is...” It’s difficult to find the correct words to describe her mother, and after a moment to think, shakes her head dismissively. “They—they have issues. But yeah, don’t be sorry, I’m okay. Two more years and I’ll be outta there, anyway.”

“Well...you’re more than welcome to stay here, for as long as you need. It gets lonely around here without anyone visiting us.” She brushes a strand of h/c hair out of her eyes and tilts her head curiously.

“Nobody visits you? What about Aunt Darcy?” Her stomach does a concerned flip when she sees his facial expression contort from mildly sympathetic to alarmed in the span of half a second, and her eyebrows furrow, questions zipping through her mind at lightning speed. His hands, she notes, clench the arms of the chair, and his breathing quickens, if only slightly. “Pops...?”

“I—I, uh...” He lets an anxious breath flow out of his mouth as he runs his wrinkled fingers through his hair. “Yeah, no, your aunt and them don't come. They haven't, not in a while...” Y/n can detect the tension in this conversation and how strange Phil’s sudden change in behavior is. Hesitantly, she speaks, her voice low.

“Why? Did you guys fight or something?” Although she hasn’t seen her aunt or her family in over five years, she still remembers her clearly, and she knows that she wouldn’t ever willingly avoid Phil and Farrah. Unlike Darcy’s brother, she isn’t a sour person and wouldn’t let something as ridiculous as a disagreement stand in the way of their relationship, especially since her son Wyatt always loved hanging around here.

“No.” He shakes his head lightly and refuses to meet the e/c eyes of the girl as he collects his thoughts and stitches them into words. “Look...we’ll talk about it later, alright? You just go and enjoy your walk.” He discharges her with a wave of his hand, though she doesn’t move, and stares at him with an obscured look painted across her face.

“What’s wrong, Pops? Did something...bad, happen?”

“It’s fine, sweetheart,” he reassures, his tone vagarious. “Be careful out there. Don’t want to get mauled by a bear, do ya?”

Gee, what a pleasant thought, she thinks sarcastically, figuring that he isn’t going to give her the answers that she so desperately craves at this point. I’ll try my luck with Nana when I get back. She gives a dismayed sigh before stepping through the gate and locking it back. “No, sir. I’ll be careful.”

When she receives no response, she turns on her heel and heads toward where she remembers the old trail used to be, the previous subject heavy on her mind. That was weird.

Has Darcy really not come to visit her parents at all? For how long? She supposes that she has been gone for a prolonged amount of time and she’s sure to have missed some things, but just how important are these ‘things’? Something obviously happened between her grandparents and her aunt. But what? Hopefully, she’ll get a logical answer when she returns.

She walks under the willow tree in front of the cottage and is unable to stop herself from glancing down the road, where her mom and dad brought her to and from many times in the past, back when they got along with Nana and Pops. And now her father absolutely refuses to talk to, reconnect with them in any way, all because of a petty argument.

Nah. She narrows her eyes in indignation. He’s just always been self-absorbed. And unfair. And a terrible person. That ‘argument’ was just what pushed him over the edge. 

What even was their argument about? She's speculated, of course, but she can't know for certain without a genuine explanation from one of her parents, but neither of them will do so. In fact, the only time Dad graced her with an answer at all was when she reeled in the courage to ask him why they hadn’t visited Nana and Pops in so long. She believes that she had just turned twelve a few weeks prior when she became curious about it and walked up to him one day in the living room.

“Hey, Dad?” He hadn’t even looked up at her. Didn’t give any indication that he acknowledged his child. “Daddy?”

“What do you want.” It came out as more of a demand than an actual question. Still, he didn’t look up at her, and she had taken a seat beside him on the couch.

“Um, I was just wondering, well... We haven’t seen Nana and Pops in a while—” 

She cut herself off when she was met with the sharp, threatening glare of her father, becoming immediately tense as she stared back uncertainly. It had taken her off-guard, as she had never seen her dad’s eyes as cold as they were at that moment; especially when they were directed at her.

“I don’t want to hear anything about those two.” The way he had said that sentence made her heart drop in concern, and she flashed him a bewildered look.

“...What? Wh-why?”

“Don’t ask questions. Just don’t mention them.” Puzzled would have been a good word for how Y/n was feeling at that moment. Thoughts were swarming her mind, and despite the hard, final tone of voice her father held, she continued.

“But...they’re your parents? A-and I miss them. Don’t you miss them, too? It’s been almost a year...”

“What’d I say?” He snapped at her, his lips pressed together into a firm, angered line. “Don’t. Mention. Them.”

“Dad—”

“My God, you’re more persistent than your mother.” He shot her a disappointed look, though she only craned her neck to the side.

“What’s wrong...?”

“Arguments, Y/n. Arguments about crap that don't concern you.” She couldn’t stop herself from flinching at the harshness of his words.

“Dad...”

“Stop talking and go to your room.” When she stayed still, watching him with wide, inquisitive eyes, he released a huff of irritation. “Now.”

Shaking her head disapprovingly at the distant memory, she eventually rediscovers the path that she traversed down so many times, back when she was merely a child; before she had so many issues weaved into her life. It appears to have not been used in quite a while, as there are weeds growing up from the ground and low-hanging branches swooping down and entangling together, making an archway of sorts. With immensely overgrown grass, she would guess that each blade would have to be around three feet high.

She looks down at her bare legs, a little nervous about stepping through, as it is likely traced with thorns and ticks and chiggers. Maybe I should’ve worn jeans instead... Letting out a defeated sigh, she cautiously steps through the tall, twisty foliage, trying her best to avoid getting scratched by a briar or catching her foot in a weed and tripping.

She glances ahead of her, relieved that the shrubbery thins out a few feet down the path and should be easily manageable. She just has to get there in one piece. Carefully, she takes several slow steps forward, the grass tickling her legs each time she moves, though she ignores it and focuses on making it through.

Should’ve asked if they have branch cutters or something. After a couple of minutes, she arrives in a less hazardous area, and instinctively reaches down to brush her legs and feet off, in the instance that some unspecified insects latched on and are taking refuge on them, though to her ease, finds none. Her hands fall into her pockets and she continues her stroll through the peaceful forest, savoring the natural sounds harmonizing from all around her.

The chirps of the birds and rustling of leaves create a relaxing cadence; a sound that she rarely ever gets the pleasure of hearing. She realizes how much she missed being here, able to roam around and enjoy the area without the interruption of her parents, city life, or drama. Letting out a tranquil sigh, she reflects on how different this summer will be from the ones she's grown accustomed to. She's used to being away from her parents, but she isn't used to spending her time with relatives who want her around. She's barely been here a day and already doesn't want to leave.

Exactly when will her parents be back? It isn’t like they care about her absence anyway, that much is apparent. The only reason they’ll show back up at all is because their work will summon them elsewhere; their fancy jobs with some heartless, billion-dollar company that Y/n couldn’t care less about. Sure, they make a good living off of it, and it isn’t the worst job in the world, but it takes up all of their life. At least when she was little, they made time for her, but now? They don’t even bat an eye in her direction.

Do they even still love me? It’s a question she’s struggled with a multitude of times throughout the last few months, but the answer was always too painful to accept. They haven’t said it since...since I turned fourteen. She remembers it clearly. It was her birthday, they had a cool party, her best friends came—back when she still had some, that is—and her parents took a little time to make her feel special, which, even at that point, was a rare trait to exhibit. But they did it.

Her father had hugged her and told her he was proud of the young woman she was becoming and her mother had stroked her hair, explaining how much she meant to her. That she loved her. It was the last wholesome moment they shared, and thinking about that makes her chest ache with loneliness. Although she wants to think that she still holds a special place in their hearts, she knows the odds aren’t in her favor.

She allows a sad chuckle to exit her lips and shakes her head. Oh, well. A girl can dream, right?

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

The masked male walks hurriedly through the dense forest, staying attentive as he listens to the surrounding happenings. The quiet tweets of blue jays, the swishing of leaves, the flow of a nearby stream—all normal, which is good. That means nothing out-of-the-ordinary is lurking about, following him. If they are, they’re doing a good job at remaining silent, though he’s grown customary to the environment and is confident that he’d be able to recognize a threat, whatever form it may take, from wherever it may be hiding.

Mud cakes his boots and the air is thick and muggy as a result of the recently subdued rainstorm. Droplets of water cling to hydrated plants and dampen his clothing every time he brushes against them, though it isn't really a bother to him. Nature is a part of his life and he developed a sort of kinship with it a long time ago.

He feels his phone vibrate from within the confines of his pocket and inwardly rolls his eyes. That’s the fifth time in the last three minutes Ben has texted him. He’s sure that he’s still going on about how something is “urgent” and that he has to “get here ASAP”. What does he think he’s doing? Moving at a snail’s pace? Ben’s house is over half a mile away from his own, and he’s only been walking for about five minutes. No matter how speedy and agile he is, he doesn’t possess the abilities of Superman. Shouldn’t Ben know that? Progressing from one place to another takes time.

After around two more minutes, he finally sees the old cabin come into view, shrouded by vines, weeds, and various other greenery. To oblivious, inexperienced eyes, it’s nearly undetectable, which is perfect. It doesn’t draw attention, and that’s the local preference. Any poor soul that may wander this far into the woods and come across its dilapidated-looking structure, or any of the others, will be taken care of. Immediately. They can’t take a risk; it would be too dangerous.

By the time the phone buzzes a sixth time, he’s already coming to a stop in front of the rustic door that’s made of the same taupe ash wood as the rest of the house, with some minor improvements to better ensure safety. The whole place, whether one’s standing from afar or looking at it close-up, seems like it would be very insubstantial and a hazard to be around, much less live in. But in all reality, it makes quite a good home for the two that take residence there, and it’s most definitely more secure than how it may first appear, thanks to a couple of key individuals and their useful carpenter prowess.

He knocks quietly on the hard surface, stuffing his hands inside of his pockets and waiting patiently for Ben to stop hounding him with text messages, notice that he’s right outside, and allow him in. Shouldn’t he already know where he is? That’s why he installed cameras around the area, right? To observe what’s happening without having to leave the comfort of his chair? Or perhaps that’s what he wants to see Brian about; complain that his cameras are malfunctioning and ask for assistance. He doesn’t know how much he’ll be able to assist him because he doesn’t have half the knowledge that Ben has regarding electronics, but he’ll do what he can if it means getting one of their main lines of defense up and running again.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts when yet another message comes through his phone and vibrates against his leg; a feeling he’s beginning to get irked by. Releasing a muffled sigh and deciding it would be better to check whatever text he received instead of ignoring it altogether, he pulls out the small device and swipes down on the notification tab, seeing not six, but ten unread messages from the teenager himself, all of which consist of either “where are you?”, “you gotta get here quickly”, or “hurry up, you anti-social son of a cracker”. 

“Ah, screw you, too,” he mutters to the screen, knowing well that its target won’t hear him unless he has the audio turned on and is secretly listening to him talk. The little creep, he can’t help but think before he finally reaches the last and most recent message:

Just come in, the door’s unlocked

Complying with the invite, he grips the knob of the door with his gloved hand and gives it one swift turn, pushing once he hears a quiet click and entering the household while shoving his phone into the back pocket of his jeans where it rightfully belongs. The interior is nothing special; a kitchen with a small bar and plenty of counter space to spare to the right; a living room with an old, dingy-looking sofa; a recliner; a small table in front of the said sofa; and a narrow hallway straight ahead that has five different doors leading to five different places. Two of them lead to bedrooms, one a bathroom, one a laundry room, and the one at the very end is an entrance into the basement, also known as Ben’s honorary office.

Shutting the door behind him, he ventures farther into the familiar area, counting on the sunbeams currently shining through the dirty blankets covering the windows to light his path and guide him to his destination. Where is his destination? Not able to see Ben nor his roommate anywhere, he assumes one is in the basement and the other is out patrolling, so he begins his trek through the darkened hall until he reaches the closed door, once again wrapping his hand around the metal knob and giving it a firm twist before it creaks open, gifting him access into the electronically lit room below.

He can hear faint voices getting louder; one reasonably deep and the other a few pitches higher as he calmly walks down the staircase. He descends until he reaches the ground, glancing to his left and being met with two easily recognizable figures.

One of them is sitting rather comfortably in a computer chair that was stolen from Amazon, his blond hair swept to the side in a messy, boyish style and his irises a pretty shade of hazel. He sports a pair of Velcro sandals, mutely colored, knee-length swim trunks, a Camp Winnamocka t-shirt, and a backward-facing baseball cap. His appearance is deceptively normal, if one isn't taking into account the deathly pale tone of his skin.

Stood leaning against the wall next to him is someone many feet taller than Ben, body clothed in all black save for the navy blue mask that covers his face and the strands of copper-brown hair sticking out from under his hood. His eyes are nothing but soulless, empty pits that replace where his once chestnut ones used to be, the sockets occasionally leaking a thick black substance similar to that of tar and leaving unwashable stains wherever they travel.

Both heads crane to look at Brian when he appears behind them, and Ben instantly jumps up, his shorter-than-average height noticeable, especially when compared to tall ones like Jack. “It’s about time you get here, slowpoke!”

Ignoring the comment, the man clad in a beige hoodie crosses his arms impatiently and eyes the one in the room’s corner for a moment before turning his attention back on the blond in front of him. “Now, what exactly was so important that it couldn’t wait a couple hours?” His voice is low and pacific, but authoritative, and Ben glances at Jack anxiously.

“We think egghead is going after someone else to make his slave.” Brian raises a brow beneath his makeshift ski mask and gazes down at the boy curiously.

“How do you know?”

“Cause Jack’s been getting all these funky feelings again for a while, I think. And he walked by somebody while he and Otis were trying to find the Entrance, and he said they emitted a really strong, like, odor? Or something? And then—”

“Ben,” Brian says, cutting the boy off in the middle of his sentence and ultimately silencing him, “just let Jack explain it.” His lips part to say something, though he only lets out a quiet huff after a moment before plopping back down in front of the multiple monitors of different areas in the forest and leaning backward in a sulking manner. “Right.” He sighs and signals for Jack to begin speaking, to which he nods and obliges.

“I’ve been feeling strange, lately,” he says, his voice deep and muffled though decipherable nonetheless. He cradles his hands in the pocket of his hoodie as he lightly boosts himself off of the wall with his foot and stands at his full height. “A weird, ominous sort of...tingling, in my chest and mind. I know that means something awful is gonna happen, but I couldn't tell you when that will be.”

Brian processes this newly received information and listens with keen ears, inquisitively waiting for Jack to continue.

“Earlier today, around noon, this feeling got a lot stronger. And it was really sudden; it just hit me with no warning. I looked around a bit and noticed someone walking down a grown-out path. Right when I saw her, I knew that she was the one in trouble.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ben interrupts, holding out his hands in a silencing gesture. “It was a girl? You didn’t tell me that.”

“Because I was waiting to inform the more mature ones who actually focus on the situation rather than something as ridiculous as gender,” he remarks, making Ben scoff. Brian, ignoring Ben altogether, turns to face Jack in order to further question him about the matter, neck tilted to the side slightly.

“And you’re absolutely certain that this is connected to it?”

“Yes.” He nods in confirmation. “Something sinister is going on and that feeling I’ve been getting over the past couple of days is definitely coming from her. An evil, dangerous aura surrounded her, which is why I’m sure that he’s involved.” Brian rubs his head, finding it difficult to doubt a single word that Jack’s saying; he’s never been one to lie, after all, and his supernatural intuition isn't present for no reason.

He stands there quietly as his mind swarms with questions before he looks at the navy blue mask, having to avoid direct eye contact with its empty sockets for his own comfort—not that the subtle action is identified, anyway. “Um...alright, well. What do you suggest we do about it?” He earns an unsure shrug in response.

“I guess we could just...eliminate her. It would throw off whatever his plan is and get her out of the cycle before she inevitably gets hurt.”

“Unless it brings her back,” he points out, the idea of murdering someone who’s not at fault for anything leaving a foul taste on his tongue. “Then she’d be more powerful, and we’d have another one to fight against.”

“That...does make sense. But we can’t just leave her there to become a victim. Either she’ll accept him or he kills her. Which would just be one more innocent wiped out by his hands.”

“We could bring her back here!” Ben speaks up, once again rising out of his seat and painting a confident look across his ghostly features. “I mean, she wouldn’t be in immediate danger and we could tell her what’s going on, so she knows what to do and avoid.”

“But then she’d be endangering us.” He shoves his hands back into his pockets and takes a step closer. “And what if she doesn't listen and manages to escape? She'd lead the cops right to us and there’s no way we’re strong enough, nor do we have the numbers to fight off dozens of people.”

“Yeah, but what if she doesn't? I mean, it isn’t like you haven’t let outsiders in before, and, well, most of them turned out to be trustworthy! We need the extra set of hands, anyway. She could prove to be useful!”

“Firstly, those situations were much different—”

“Not really. We all needed a safe place to hide away from the public and any other potential threats. I was one of those people, if you remember correctly. How is that any different from this?”

“Because...” Brian stares at him thoughtfully, trying to come up with a decent argument, though fails to. “...Fine. You’ve made your point.” Grinning proudly like he just won the World Cup, Ben opens his mouth to respond, though Brian beats him to it. “But we would at least need to search her background for anything suspicious because she could easily cost everyone here their lives and freedom. It would be foolish to invite her in knowing nothing about her. You can’t tell me it wouldn’t.”

“Jack!” Ben turns his attention to the tall, lanky man standing silent, hoping to get somewhere with him. “You’re the all-knowing demon here. Is she dangerous?” He plants his masked face in the palm of his hand in the universal sign of 'wow, you’re an idiot' before answering, his voice low.

“I don’t know, Ben. She seemed normal, but I didn’t get a very good look.”

“There ya go, boomer.” His red pupils shift back up to look at Brian, his eyebrows raised. “She’s not dangerous, and therefore, isn’t a risk to us.”

“For the record, I’m not that much older than you,” he starts, attempting to bite down his exasperation with the teenager and speaking with a level tone, to which he receives an eye roll, “and Jack didn’t say she wasn’t dangerous, he just said she looked normal. They’re two totally different things.”

“Whatever.” He places his hands behind his head carelessly. “I still vote we bring her here.”

“We’ll ask the others and get their opinions. Jack” —his head turns to look at the mentioned boy—“is there anything else I should know about these feelings or the girl you saw?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay then. Ben, call everyone and tell them to meet up at my place within the next thirty minutes.” The tone of his voice leaves no room for argument, and without question, Ben whips out his, now slightly outdated, cellphone and begins to text each person in his contacts exactly what Brian told him to say.

“Oh, by the way, here’s the phone I so generously fixed for you.” He pulls out an iPhone X from his pocket and tosses it to Jack; he effortlessly catches and slides it into his pocket, muttering a ‘thanks’ while he does so. Brian turns to leave, though before he climbs the stairs he speaks once more.

“You both need to come, too. We all should discuss this and figure something out before tomorrow.” They nod in reply, and he disappears from their sight.

[helenofsimblr]

Cat: It's one STUPID fucking sentence and I won't add it in! They want the piece to conform to the newest fad and much like Nickie Catzenberg, I've had my fill of people telling me what to say, when to say it, and how to fucking say it!

Elita: Lyra blinks a bit, somewhat surprised by the venom in Cat's voice. And can you blame her? Cat had always been a very kind and soft spoken woman, today, she was spitting nails.

Lyra: Yeah well, you've got a lot going on right now.

Cat: The sentence does not add anything worthy to the piece. I'm not doing it... we can take it as high as she wants... I will not damn well budge on it. Sorry, I'm just really tired and sore is all…

Lyra: No need to apologise Cat, sometimes we gotta get stuff off our chest, and we both know you  have a lot to think about. Sorry to sidetrack Cat, is it ok if I can have a cigarette? Or would you prefer me to go outside? 

****

Elita: Cat in fairness knew she couldn’t exile her pregnant friend into the cold. Lyra only had a T shirt on because of how hot it was in the car. Heater was bust and stuck on to full power.

Cat: It’s freezing out there,  smoke in here... the fumes from the car usually overpowers any other smells in here. Sal seems to forget that I'm up here and starts the car in the morning and the fumes seem to leak up here. I'm hoping the floor guy can figure out how to stop it.

Lyra: Let's hope there's no gasoline then and I blow us up! 

Elita: No laugh… tough room. I thought that was funny.

Cat: Shouldn't be, but I plan on getting a monoxide meter just in case she's secretly working for Kali and trying to kill me.

Lyra: You probably need a floor liner or something to trap it down below. Or Sal needs a better car…

****

Cat: The car is actually pretty nice, she's just not taking care of the maintenance. Not sure why.

Lyra: So, uh, you mentioned sore... did you hurt yourself? 

Cat *sighs*: I didn't think so, but since sleeping on that wretched thing that passes as a bed... I wake up with sore hips and headaches too... and I'm really fucking irritable because I'm tired all the time. I have yet to make the appointments for a check in... just to make sure it's not something medical. I just don't have time to deal with it and watch for Kali... get a divorce, keep my job and remodel this place. I'm worried the nightmares will start up again. I keep waking up naked... and I never sleep like that. Always worried about having to run and don't want to do it naked… Not that I could outrun a fucking super solider anyway!

Elita: Lyra cleared her throat then took another drag on her cig and exhaled. Cat was in a bad mood. Her language was not the best, and she had a very aggressive tone to her. Does that sound like Cat to you? Because it doesn’t to me.

Lyra: Not much longer now Cat, I'm sure Stella will send you somebody up to the task. She got Judith off when she was guilty as fuck, your divorce is going to be fine. I think a lot of it is stress honey.

[petitelepus]

A Loner's Unexpected Journey, Part 9

Kimetsu Academy!Genya Shinazugawa X Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Genya live together now so you gotta make some rules and lunch.

Warnings: None

A/N: Modern!AU, Kimetsu Academy, Female Reader, Genya Shinazugawa

PART 1 II PART 2 II PART 3 II PART 4 II PART 5 II PART 6 II PART 7 II PART 8 II PART 9 II PART 10 II PART 11 II PART 12 II PART 13 II PART 14 II PART 15 II PART 16 II PART 17 II PART 18

"Are you sure I can use all this space?" Genya asked as he watched you one by one throw some of your clothes out of your closet.

The two of you had just arrived back at your apartment that you now shared with Genya, your best friend and first boyfriend ever and the first thing you wanted to do was to make room for his clothes and stuff.

"Of course!" You nodded as you threw a pair of jeans over your shoulder, "I wanted to clean my closet either way so I'm killing two birds with one stone."

"What about all your clothes?" The young man asked as he watched the pile of clothes on your bed. You glanced at him over your shoulder, "Oh, those are all clothes I don't use anymore so I'm going to give them to charity."

"You're so kind and generous." He thought out loud, much to your embarrassment.

You blushed, "I… Anyway, here." You stepped aside and showed Genya an almost empty closet, "You can use this room as much as you want."

"Thank you," Your partner nodded as he picked up his suitcase and was getting ready to empty it, but you quickly added, "What would you like to eat?"

"Huh?"

"It's lunchtime and my fridge is empty. Wanna order some pizza?" You offered and Genya nodded, "I don't mind, thank you."

"What kind of pizza do you want?"

Genya asked for meat lover's pizza and you nodded as you went to pick up your phone and called the pizzeria. While you were ordering in the living room, Genya was emptying his suitcase's contents into the closet.

…But he couldn't help but glance at all the clothes you were going to give away and a thought briefly came to his mind. He looked at the door and listened, but he heard you baby talk so you were probably playing with Lady.

Genya moved quickly as he grabbed a shirt from your charity pile and he quickly pressed his face against the fabric. It smelled sweet and warm, just like you did and he loved it. He wondered if you would miss one shirt, but then he understood how creepy it could be so he put the shirt back on the pile and just in time as you walked into the room.

"Hey Genya-!" You called, and you startled the poor man nearly out of his skin. That was a close one!

"W- what is it?"

"Pizza is on its way." You said and he nodded, "Oh, okay, Thanks for letting me know."

"Anytime. Is everything otherwise okay? Do you need more room for your stuff?"

"N- no, this is plenty enough!"

"Good good." You nodded, "I'll let you know when pizza gets here."

Genya nodded and you left him alone again, but he had no courage or need to go sniff your clothes anymore. Instead, he emptied his suitcase diligently and he was about done when he heard the doorbell ring and you shout, "Pizza's here!"

The young man walked out of your bedroom and he managed to see a glimpse of the pizza delivery guy before you closed the door with your hips as your hands were full. Genya swallowed nervously. That was pretty hot.

"Ouch, these are hot!" You said as you quickly walked to the couch and set the pizza boxes down on the coffee table, "Let's dig in. Would you like some Cola, Genya?"

"Uh, yes please?" He nodded as he sat on the couch and you quickly got two huge glasses and filled them with cold Cola from your fridge.

"Here," You pushed his glass to him and he thanked you again. That being said and done, the two of you grabbed slices of your own pizzas and ate them happily with a little small talk.

Suddenly Lady meowed as she jumped on the table and sniffed your pizzas but you quickly pushed her off the table, "No, Lady, no pizza for you!"

"Yeah, you could get sick," Genya backed you up and the grey cat meowed as she turned and left since there was no food for her. You and Genya ate your pizzas and you were both stuffed after them.

"I ate too much…" You groaned weakly, your stomach feeling like a balloon. Genya nodded as he took a sip of what was left of his glass of Cola, "Thanks, they were delicious."

"You're welcome." You grinned, but then you turned a little more serious, "Now that we live together, we might need to make some rules to follow. What do you think?"

"That sounds reasonable," Genya said and you hummed thoughtfully as you tried to think of anything you would need to make as a rule. "Now what should we think about…"

"How about food?" Genya suggested.

"Oh, that's good!" You nodded with a smile, "How about if we go grocery shopping together when needed?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." He nodded also and you added, "We could also take turns when it comes to cooking dinner or lunch at weekends."

"I've learned some things from Haganezuka's classes." Genya said proudly, "So I should be able to cook something good for you!"

"Aww, thank you! That makes me really excited," You smiled, "I'm eager to cook for you too."

Hearing this made poor man blush, and that was when you came up with a new rule, "I got an idea about cleaning! How about this, when you cook I vacuum, clean, and clean after Lady, and then the other way around when I cook?"

"That sounds reasonable also."

"Alright, that should be it, right?"

"I think so?" Genya nodded and you hummed, "You know, now would be the best time to visit the grocery store?"

"Why?"

"We aren't hungry now so we won't do any hasty or hunger-based shopping." You said, "Also, the only thing in the fridge is my Cola and some eggs."

"In that case, should we head out right away?"

"Yes, we can go right now! Let's take the empty pizza boxes out while we are at it," You smiled as you grabbed the boxes and you and Genya got dressed and left the apartment while dropping your garbage into the dumpster.

The two of you walked to the closest grocery store there was and you both took your separate shopping baskets in case you wanted something for only yourselves. The two of you went through the store together, thinking and suggesting different meals for dinner and meals for Sunday. As you shopped you noticed that your partner had stopped to check out the convenience food section.

"What you got there, Genya?" You asked as you walked up to him and he glanced at you over his shoulder.

"While we are here, should we grab our usual lunch boxes for Monday?" He asked and you hummed a little when an idea popped into your mind.

"Hey, uh…" You frowned as you averted your gaze in an attempt to stop yourself from blushing. What you were about to say was so silly and made you feel weird, "Now that we live together… Would you like me to prepare a bento for you?"

"You…!" Genya blinked in shock before his whole face turned red, "Y- you would make me lunch?"

"Well, I could make myself some also and we can save money with it?" You tried to reason, but the truth was that you really just wanted to spoil Genya and make him something better than your usual meat-on-rice boxes.

"Then… I would love to receive a lunch made by you," He said and you blushed as you nodded, "Then I will make you the best lunch I possibly can!"

Secretly Genya was so happy. He would happily eat anything you would make him, but hearing you say that you wanted to prepare lunch for him made his heart skip a beat. You were honestly so kind, Gods, he loved you so much! Just like you loved him.

"I'm going to grab some lunch ingredients. I'm gonna make you my supreme surprise lunch." You said as you corrected your hold on your shopping basket and left to find something to put into your partner's box.

Once you were both done with your groceries, you split the bill, but you were definitely hiding most of your groceries as you wanted to surprise Genya with his lunch and he could tell that.

The young man could barely wait for Monday and once it came, he couldn't help but notice a delicious smell in the apartment as you had woken early to cook for him. While Genya made and turned his bed into a couch again, you packed his lunch in a box.

"Alright, your lunch is ready." You said as you put the surprisingly big box on the table before asking, "How would you like your breakfast?"

"Can I have some toast?" He asked and you nodded as you turned to put some bread into the toaster, and while you were doing that, Genya went to the bathroom to wash his face and teeth, and change into his uniform.

Once this was done, he came to the kitchen and sat by the table and you placed perfectly toasted bread before him, with butter and some ham, "Please ask if you want more?"

"Thank you," Genya nodded and he truly was thankful for you waking up early to make him something. There was just one thing, "You do know that you don't need to coddle me? I'm a grown man."

"I know." You nodded as you blushed softly, before admitting, "I just like doing it."

Hearing you confess that made the poor young man blush also and the two of you could barely look at each other during the whole breakfast. Finally, you were done and you started to leave so you could make it to the school in time.

"Here," You handed Genya his lunch box and he weighed the box in his hands. It felt pretty heavy, just what had you put in there?

"You did make yourself something too, right?" He asked and you nodded as you showed him your box, "Of course."

"Alright, that's good."

"Yes… I do have a request though?"

"What is it?"

"Can you wait for me in our usual spot before you open your box? I would like to see your reaction?"

What an interesting request, but Genya was more than happy to wait for you. "Of course! I'll wait for you there!"

You smiled and the two of you bid Lady farewell as you headed to the school. While you weren't in the same classes, you were still in each others' minds.

And when lunchtime came, Genya and you met at your usual spot. You were running a little late, but Genya waited for you as he promised.

"You waited," You sounded a little surprised and the young man nodded, "Of course? I did promise, right?"

"I…" You smiled a little as you sat next to him, "Thank you. You're really sweet."

This made poor Genya blush as he turned to look at the box before him, "M- may I open it now?"

"Yes, go ahead," You grinned, "I'm excited to see how you like it."

Genya nodded and carefully lifted the lid and he could barely believe what he saw. You had made him a bacon-wrapped chicken on rice, with fresh cherry tomatoes and cucumber on the side.

"T- this looks so amazing!" Genya stuttered and you smiled, "I thought you might like meaty lunch since you did order that meat lover's pizza. I also added cucumber since it's a good palate cleanser and cherry tomatoes since they are delicious."

"Can I really eat this?" He asked and you smiled as you nodded, "Please do!"

Genya took out his utensils and used them to take a bite out of the meat and his eyes widened as the food made contact with his tongue. The bacon was just perfect and the chicken was juicy, and they both went well with rice and veggies.

"It's absolutely delicious…!" He moaned with his mouth half full. Hearing him compliment and truly like your cooking made you so happy that you actually smiled so hard that the corners of your mouth hurt.

"I'm so happy you like it!" You said and you really were happy to see him enjoy your cooking like that. He nodded eagerly and as soon as he swallowed his mouthful he looked at you.

"Can you make me more someday?" He asked and you absolutely beamed, "Of course!"

"I must make you something also!" Genya said, and you smiled, "I would love it."

[disneyanddisneyships]

@gyubby99 okay I'm writing aponi telling alastor about what happened.

Trigger warning: mentions of rape, violence, blood, depression, suicide.

The panic attack Aponi had the other day was by far the worst one she's had since she got down here.

All those memories.

50 years and she still wasn't healed from it.

How could she be?

Sometimes in her darkest hours she wondered if it was her fault.... maybe she had lead him on.... he had gotten her into drugs and drinking, and when she tried to be sober, all he did was berate her for it until one thing lead to another and in his own drunken state.....

Aponi shook her head and wiped the memories from it for now.

She fiddled with the choker she wore on her neck, gifted to her by Alastor the morning after her little episode.

She hadnt seen him since, and all she wanted to do was Apologize for what he saw.

She had promised herself she'd never let another person see her that vulnerable ever again, and of course the one who saw it was one of the most powerful beings down here.

Aponi wiped the tured from her eyes as she sat on the bar stool where husk was cleaning some shot glasses.

"You look like you need a beer," Husk offered.

"You know I don't drink. You have any coffee?" She asked as she yawned.

"Yea I do. Tough night?" Husk made conversation as he got her a mug of fresh coffee.

"Better than yesterday," she stated as she sipped the warm drink.

Angel walked into the room then, just getting back from work.

"Hey Angie. How was work?" Aponi asked as she sat up straight.

"Eh ya know how it is. Demons here, demons there. How was your night, toots?" He asked as he sat next to her on one of the other bar stools.

"Better than the other night. That's for sure," she replied as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Seems like it. Anyways. I gotta go. I'm tired as fuck. See ya later," Angel stated as he got up and walked to his room.

"What happened the other night?" Husk asked.

"Oh.. just a panic attack," Aponi replied. "Thanks for the coffee. Have you seen Alastor around?" She asked.

"Uh yeah. He went out this morning. Should be back at around noon," Husk answered.

"Okay. Thanks. I'll see you later!" Aponi called as she walked back to her room.

She was met with her support cat at the door, waiting for his food bowl to be filled.

She obliged, but when she walked across the floor she let out a hiss.

"Damnit. I thought I cleaned all the glass up!" She whispered to herself before hobbling over to her bed and sitting there to look at her foot.

A bit of blood spilled out of the wound when she removed the glass shard.

"I knew I smelled blood somewhere!" A staticky voice came from her door.

"Oh! Hey Alastor. Could you get me a wet paper towel from my bathroom?" Aponi asked.

Alastor raised an eyebrow before obliging.

When he was in there he examined her apartment.

All of the pictures she had recovered of herself from when she was alive had someone scratched out.

Alastor walked out with the paper towel and handed it to her.

A bit of blood had dropped onto the white rug she had there.

"You're going to need help with that rug!" Alastor exclaimed.

"Hm? Oh. Nah. I'll just run it under cold water and run it in the washing machine. No big whoop," Aponi replied.

The bleeding in her foot stopped and she stood up to get her vacuum, and a large bandaid.

"Oh no need for the vacuum, my dear!" Alastor exclaimed before snapping his fingers. "No more glass!"

"Thanks. A lot less work for me to do," she chuckled as she put the vacuum away.

"I see you've been wearing the gift I gave!" Alastor stated cheerily.

"Oh! Yeah. Thanks for that by the way... I'd also like to apologize," she stated.

"What for, darling?" He asked with a small head tilt.

"For the other day... you never should have had to see me like that," she explained.

"Oh don't worry! I quite enjoyed figuring out what you were upset about. The mark on your neck truly is strange," Alastor stated.

"Yes.... although the mark on my neck only triggered the memories," Aponi replied.

"Memories of what?" Alastor asked, his smile and tone remaining the same.

"Uh... would you like a drink or anything?" Aponi asked.

"Oh no thank you. I must ask, what made such a beautiful woman such as yourself want to hang herself?" Alastor asked.

Aponi stood there for a moment, thinking about what she should say.

She sighed and sat on her bed.

"If I tell you then you'd be the second person to know and that woykd have to stay that way," Aponi muttered.

"My word is my bond, darling Aponi!" Alastor exclaimed.

Aponi smiled sadly before taking a deep breath.

"I ran away from home with my boyfriend. I thought we'd be so happy together.... but then he started doing drugs, and drinking, and staying out late only to come home smelling like someone else.... then he got me into the drugs and drinking...." aponi started.

Alastor listened intently.

"After a few years it was ruining my health... so I decided I wanted to get clean and be sober. He never liked the idea but it's not like he stopped me... anyways... one night I was at home making dinner when he came in drunk and clearly on something.... I took him to our room to help clean him up bit when we got there he....." aponi stuttered a bit and trailed off.

"What happened, darling?" Alastor asked.

"He was bigger than me... and somehow with all the drugs and alcohol he was stronger too.... he pinned me down and...." she trailed off again as she remembered her own screams. "That night when he passed out on the bed I tied some of his old ties together and I hung myself.... I ended up down here because of it," she finished.

Alastor's smile had gotten darker and angrier.

"Well no worries dear! He can't hurt you down here!" Alastor exclaimed.

"Nope. But the memories can. You and Angel are the only ones who know," Aponi stated.

"Not to worry. Come with me! We can take a walk in the park!" Alastor exclaimed before hooking his qrm with hers and leading her away.

[lake-archive]

Drabblecember Day 14 - Stealing One's Sweater

Or jacket but details

Prompt List - Fling Posse Selfship / Yumeship Masterlist

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Characters: Dice Arisugawa, Ann Wolff (OC), Eli (OC) (by @watersofcamelot), Ole (OC) (mentioned)

Pairing: Diceann (Dice/Ann)

Words: 700

Sometimes the days had gotten so cold that it was unbearable to sleep outside, even with a coat and several cheap and dirty blankets (picked from some street corner… If lucky a worn out mattress would be part of the package though) were not enough to keep a man warm. So a Plan B was always necessary or else Dice would freeze his ass off! Luckily, there was just the guy who would take him in… After pestering him a little bit of course and clarifying that the gambler wasn’t there to borrow money this time… Maybe another day though.

“Ok fine. You can crash on the couch or something. But you gotta talk it out with Ole first… or fight for it with him, I don’t care. That couch ain’t my territory anymore.” Eli would respond, at first always across those lines at least. “But take a shower. You smell like dogshit… No, literally. Oh, and wash your clothes. I’m not letting you sit anywhere if you keep smelling like that.” – “Dude, I don’t have spare clothes on–” – “I’ll let you borrow some… But return them once your stuff’s dry.” – “Wait for reals? Thanks man! You’re a true buddy!”

Eli would only roll his own eyes at those words, he always did. It was as if he refused to accept it. “I’m not. I just know that you won’t stop pestering me if I kick you out. I know you.” Would be his excuse all the time, even now. Though he stepped aside shortly after, making enough space. “Anyway, come in. I’m in the middle of preparing dinner anyway.” That was how this usually went, Dice happening to invade Eli’s home… Which he apparently shared with Ann and their cat! ‘cuz apparently Ole belonged to them and not Eli.

But anyway, that was how Dice ended up at that place, he often did, and it was one of the few times where he could also just run around in his jeans and shirt… After they were washed of course. And after some dinner and a fierce battle for the couch, battling that old man of a cat for the most space (only to end up both on the couch and sleeping next to each other) a new morning would arise and Dice was ready to hit the streets yet again! Well… He would be but… Something had gone missing.

“Where the hell’s my jacket?” He mumbled to himself, going through the pile of jackets hanging on the clothes rail. He couldn’t ask Eli, he was gone for his job. Ole? The old timer was nowhere to be found yet he might be sleeping somewhere around the house. As for Ann… If he found them. Apparently they had a free day from uni so there was a chance for them to be around. Yet he hadn’t seen them. Were they still sleeping? It’s almost 3 pm last time he checked. Talk about a long sleeper. And he wasn’t even wrong.

Yet not in the way he had experienced. Because the moment he reentered the living room he spotted someone on the couch, curled up in his jacket. They had their eyes shut and were laying down with their back, wearing it while snoring very lightly. It was no other than Ann, to his surprise, and it left Dice a little dumbfounded. “Wh… When…” He thought a little out loud while stepping a little closer. And actually… Once he got a clearer view of them he found himself getting a little distracted. It was a sight he never knew he needed.

Ann curled up in his jacket and nuzzled against parts of his hood with their head, as if laying on some fluffy pillow. They had gotten comfortable and chuckled sometimes in their sleep. Waking them up would be a shame. And thus instead of yelling he kneeled down, right next to them to have a closer look. And in the end he couldn’t help it, softly poking one of their cheeks which made them move their head a bit to the side, mumbling something, though the exact words were unknown to him. Yet, he couldn’t help it… “Heh, lucky me.”

[faofinn]

Day 19 - Emergency Room

@mediwhumpmay

Fao loved being at home with his family. Christmas was his favourite time of year, too. He supposed that was not having much of a childhood, but he was still like a kid in the buildup, enjoying watching the lights and decorations going up. He loved the cold, too, the frosty mornings as they got closer to the end of December. 

In his final year at uni now, he was so close to qualifying he could almost taste it. That came with its own stress, trying to sort out dates for Sandhurst and planning his career. Not to mention having to deal with all the exams, the pressure, the placements. So when Christmas rolled around that year he was thrilled, already tired despite only having been at uni since September. 

Getting home was a relief, able to put aside studying and placement and everything and just focus on spending time with family for a few days. It was Finn’s birthday, too, which meant extra festivities and spending time with his little brother, which Fao adored anyway.

They’d started the tradition of going down to his big house for Christmas, which was nice. Fao could fill it with good memories again, and it meant they had all the countryside to enjoy over the holiday. Apollo even loved it, though he wasn’t allowed out of the house. It was big enough he didn’t need to, often caught chasing moths upstairs or curled up in front of the fireplace. They’d bought a couple of big trees, one for the hall and one for the living room, and Fao and Finn had had great fun decorating them together. 

Come Christmas Eve, Fao was doing some prep for Christmas Dinner, making life easier for them the next day. He had festive songs blaring, singing along as he chopped veg. He’d had a glass or two of mulled wine, and was certainly feeling festive. 

He’d set his knife down to grab another carrot, but knocked it off of with his elbow. Acting on instinct alone, he went to catch it, trying not to let it hit the floor - he didn’t want to have to wash it up. But he kept his knives sharp, and as he caught the knife the sharp blade bit into his skin and he dropped it with a clatter. 

“Fuck!” He exclaimed, blood welling up in the cut almost immediately, dripping on the floor surprisingly fast. He quickly ran it under the tap, swearing as it made the pain worse. He was bleeding a decent amount, and the cut looked deep. Shakily, he reached for a tea towel, wrapping it around his hand and picking up the knife. Last thing they needed was someone else getting hurt. Feeling more than just tipsy, he leaned against the counter, forcing himself to take a deep breath. 

Sheila had been pottering around the house, making sure the place was completely perfect for Christmas day, when she heard Fao's shout. For once, it wasn't Finn, but that didn't make it better. 

"Fao? What have you done?" She called, rushing through.

“I just cut myself.” He mumbled.

She sighed. "Let me see?"

He delicately peeled back the tea towel. “It’s deep.” He said. “Tried to catch a knife.”

She winced. "Oh, Fao. That's going to need stitches."

“I know.” He grumbled. “Fucking hurts.”

"Come on, I've not had a glass yet."

“‘M not sure I can move.” Fao admitted, aware the counter was basically holding him up. He was shaking, he knew, but that was the shock more than anything. 

"Alright, that's okay. Let’s sit on the floor for a mo, eh?" She gently steered him down, pulling him close. "You're okay."

He nodded. “It surprised me, is all.”

"Of course it did. It would have surprised me."

He forced a deep breath. “Yeah. Whoops.”

She had to laugh. "That's about right."

“Shouldn’t have tried to catch it. Didn’t want to wash it up.”

"You're an idiot. I love you, but all I've got is idiots in this house, the cat included."

“Sounds about right. And now I’ve gotta sit in A&E all evening on fucking Christmas Eve.” 

"Hopefully we won't be there forever."

The shakiness was starting to subside a little, replaced by pain. “Help me up? Sooner we go sooner we get home.”

"Take another minute?"

“Mm.”

"Just so you don't fall on me."

“It’s jus’ the shock, I feel okay.”

"I know, I know."

He sighed. “Sorry.”

"Don't be. It was either gonna be you or Finn."

“Didn’t mean to scare you.”

"The joys of having kids."

Fao managed a laugh, and then the pair of them got up off the floor. He was pleasantly surprised he didn’t pass out when he stood, but felt relatively okay, and quickly swapped the used tea towel for a clean one. They’d probably be waiting a while. 

He leaned on Sheila on the way to the car, and again from the car to A&E. Once they were checked in and sat, he rested his head against her, feeling tired and miserable.

"You're gonna be okay." She murmured, holding him close. "We'll be home before Christmas morning."

“Hope so. It hurts.” He said softly, glad of the comfort.

"Want me to go see if you can have anything?"

“Mm. I don’t know, they’ll probably just want me to wait.”

"Are you sure?"

“I just want to go home.” 

"I know."

He sighed, silent for a moment. “Mum?”

"What's wrong?"

“Love you. Sorry you always end up in A&E waiting rooms wit’ me.”

She hummed. "As long as you're still here, I don’t care where we are."

“Feels like I spend my life in A&E sometimes. At least this makes a difference from London, change of scenery an’ all.”

She had to laugh at that. "Oh, I guess that's true."

“Never a dull moment.”

"With you three? Not a chance."

[mew-f-0]

I just wrote like a 10 minute vent post and it didnt load.. Maybe for the best.

It was just about having bad christmas and ptsd feelings and panic attacks coming back out of no where. :c

Even tumblr doesnt wanna hear my b.s. lol

Edit: im trying again anyway

I had the worst xmas eve and xmas in a long time.. I was gonna go see my mom and sister but they didnt tell me my abusive dad was gonna be there and i had a meltdown

My friend was gonna give me a ride but we didnt make it 10 miles out when the car didnt start again. He was gonna try to get a oil change but it didnt need it and the meter was broken and then it didnt start so we spent like 6+ hours waiting for help and stuff. He eventually got it going. Weird how i was kinda protected from having to see my abusive dad.. Maybe it was the interdimensional alien guardians heh. Once i found out that he was gonna be there i had a little panic attack melt down. For some reason my anxiety has been acting up, hasnt been this bad since high school.

Also i didnt get to drop of presents to pubby-chan that was lame i felt bad but it will be ok i will mail them later. I wish i could of seen her for a second at least. I only have 2 friends in this big bad world and she is one of them :3

At least i got to spend some time with my other friend even tho we were stuck in the cold, we both just played switch waiting for help to come it was ok

I dunno why my hell brain is acting up again i jus wanna he normal q.q. i have a doctor appointment late january it seems like so far off i hope they can help me get on new meds or soemthing. My mom said she had similar thing happen at my age like just anxiety flare up out of nowhere. They gave her klonopin idk what that is but if it help her maybe it help me.

I just gotta not let the intrusive thoughts win and focua on what makes me happy.

Cats, good friends in my life, video games, music, anime, arts and crafts.. Good nature n such. Just wish i could go back to normal hopefully soon.. I cant even enjoy weed anymore it just makes me anxious .. Just out of nowhere it started doing that must be something going on i dont know about. Solar flares maybe or planetary alignments.

I spent all christmas making a shiny zangoose perler. Its the biggest one i ever made and it took forever cos i kept messing up! But i was determined and like 10 hours later i finished it.

It took longer making that than it did finding one in game lol. The shiny sandwiches rly worked for me tho! I found a shiny zangoose first try :3