#because the way they sling nasty comments around as soon as they think they can get away with it

[thevioletcaptain]

do fandom people realize that gleefully firing off mean little zingers at the socially accepted online target of the week for clicks is functionally identical to the way high school bullies use cruelty for clout, or do they lack that level of self awareness?

[cinnamonest]

I feel like I’ve found my kin, I fell in love with Kakashi when I was like 8 LOL. Can I request some general yandere Zoro headcanons btw? I loved/still love him too 😶

Yes you may ahhh!!!! I love Zoro so much. I love writing for fandoms like this bc shounen anime are... Well, shounen, they're aimed at dudes, so they tend to not have as large of a female audience so there's not a lot of content out there. I love Luffy and there's like zero girl-targeted content for him. I swear I've spent so much time looking for wholesome, decent LuNa (my otp im sorry i just hhhh) doujins that aren't super male-oriented, and there's like... 2. For a 900+ episode anime. 2.

I also love the concept of a yandere in a situation where they CAN'T kidnap you, they're limited by their circumstances, so they have to kind of adjust or go insane. It's an interesting dynamic because it eliminates the norm for yanderes.

I think I mentioned this but I'm not 100% caught up with one piece (I mean, who is?), so I'm just keeping it simplistic and going with kinda basic Zoro and nothing with specific character developments or any spoilers other than his backstory

Yandere Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Tws: all the usuals -- yandere, noncon, kidnapping

He meets you while he's lost. I'm sorry I just. Zoro gets lost in the middle of some place they're docked, and you're just such a sweetheart, you see this guy clearly not knowing where he's going, and offer to help him. He's kind of taken aback by your softness and sweetness.

He's not easily made aware of his own feelings. He's a rough and tough sort of guy, and he has dedicated himself to swordsmanship so much that he's neglected to focus on himself and his interpersonal relationships, and he's not really self aware at all of his own feelings, very out of touch with his emotions.

Obviously, even if he tries to shove it down, Kuina weighs heavily on his mind in relation to you. He's another man that has known loss and it's dealt its damage on his psyche. He can't lose another person who's dear to him again.

This results in him becoming insanely protective, one of the most protective yans out there. He's easily one led into paranoia delusions regarding your safety. However, he's an honest and reasonable guy and can be level-headed when confronted. If someone (not yourself, as he thinks you're naive, but maybe another girl like Nami or Robin) tells him he's being overprotective and exaggerating about your safety, he may actually have a moment of self-realization and admit to it. He's capable of being reasonable enough to see it once it's pointed out to him. However... this doesn't stop him. He tries, really, he genuinely tells himself that he needs to stop. But his instincts just kind of take over. It's an impulse, to stop you from doing even the most slightly dangerous things.

Once you join the Straw Hat Crew, he just kinda... clings. It's a silent presence, but he's always there, constantly seems to show up wherever you are. Unfortunately, you can't really... get away from him per se. You're kinda limited to one ship, at least as long as you're out on the sea. Your only option for respite is going to your room or bathing, otherwise, he's gonna follow you, even if he's not saying anything and (very badly) trying to feign indifference, pretending you just happen to be going the same way all the time. He doesn't really know what to say, he's not good with these things, and often he's acting without really thinking too much about it. He won't usually strike up a conversation, he just... is there. Watches. May awkwardly ask a question or make a passing comment.

One scenario I imagine is you jokingly picking up one of his swords and wielding it around giggling and he just flips out, takes it from you and yells at you not to do that, are you an idiot? Do you want to trip and fall and have that impale you? Do you realize how easy it would be for you to slice your arm open by accident? It's startling to both you and anyone watching -- even for someone who gets yell-y as easily as him, it seems like an overreaction. He'll apologize but insist it's a safety thing, really.

And he really tries to hide his more... aggressive nature, because he thinks it will drive you away -- he's a blunt, tough guy with a short-fused temper, and he thinks that's definitely not something women like very much. He tries not to yell at you, not get mad so easy, keep his calm better around you, and might even be nicer to others so that you don't think he's mean. And for the most part, he can manage that. Except when it comes to a very specific, very problematic blonde crew member. His little conflicts with Sanji get worse, to even a point that he's snapping at him so frequently that even Sanji himself is a bit bewildered and caught off guard by it. The others notice they fight a lot more often... and Zoro always seems to instigate it, picking quarrels over the littlest things. In reality, he's afraid of the other's... sleazy nature. He can't have you falling for that bastard. He even starts to get jittery when you're in the presence of Franky, Usopp, hell even Luffy of all people. It's noticeable, and everyone kinda worries for him.

He kicks himself for it as soon as he does it, but he finds himself insulting you nonetheless. It's a terrible habit. He gets so awkward and flustered that it's second nature for him to say something snarky or even rude when you talk to him, and he immediately is just mentally screaming at himself for doing so. This will get a bit better with time, though, if you two talk more often.

Now, even if you can fight, you're never gonna really get the opportunity. In battle, he's clinging to you and protecting you at every moment, even if it costs the others some unnecessary wounds. It's highly uncharacteristic of him, and they notice. He won't leave your side, insisting that you're a weak fighter and that he has to take care of you. You just don't get it, you overestimate yourself, you underestimate your enemies, you're a girl. What, Nami and Robin? Well, they've been at this much longer than you, and they had rough upbringings. You're different. You're soft... fragile. You just can't see it. You're lucky he's here to protect your dumbass.

Due to your setup, well, he can't really kidnap you per se. He undoubtedly would if you two were somewhere else, in another life or another setting, but that's not really an option, and even as a yandere, he would never go so far as to kill or abandon his crew. So, he's stuck with just... slowly, slowly mentally deteriorating.

Now, he's not capable of kidnapping, he's not smart enough to really manipulate you into anything (although he WILL tell you that some of the other guys are out to use you), so, he's left to be the guard dog he inevitably becomes to you. If you avoid him, he'll just follow you. If you don't talk to him, that's ok. If you confront him, he'll just insist he has no idea what you're talking about, and you'll start to feel like maybe you're just paranoid. The others... don't really know what to do, to be honest. I can see Nami/Robin potentially confronting him, but in the end, they can't force him to change his behaviors, and they can't afford to lose him. This results in, gradually, everyone slowly kind of accepting your dynamic onboard. They feel bad for you, really, but... in the end, Zoro's just more valuable to the crew. Sorry. They're not gonna get rid of him, but they don't want to get rid of you either.

If you leave? It may just be one of the very very few things that could ever cause him to leave the Strawhats. It would tear him up, really, it goes against his dreams, his pride, his loyalty, but in the end... his loyalty is first and foremost to you. He'll follow you if you leave. It's a bad move on your part, because this gets rid of the only thing standing between you and kidnapping. Which, at that point, surely will happen. Like his other behaviors, he'll feel bad, he'll try and stop himself, tell himself it's wrong, but you'll end up bound in some dark basement nonetheless. He's one to take a very simple approach. Find you alone, sling you up and over his shoulder and carry you off before anyone can come.

Rejection doesn't faze him. No matter what, he'll remain by your side. Even if you never love him in return. It's just his nature, he's a guardian through and through.

In the end, he'll be right there by your side, scaring off any competitors, clinging to you like glue, ever in your presence like a shadow, forever. Whether you want him to or not. He's just an inescapable force, an unmovable object, and you're wasting your time trying to change your fate.

Now, he's very flustered with anything sexual. Highly embarrassed, lots of shame, and doesn't talk much about it. It just kind of happens. He doesn't talk much during, mostly grunts and the occasional fuck when you clamp down, occasionally asking you if you're ok, if it hurts, if it feels good. It's one of the only very soft sides of him. In the end, he really, truly loves you, and doesn't want to hurt you, he wants you to feel good and just love him. It's a very different side to him, one no one else has ever really seen, it's the most vulnerable he himself has ever been with another person.

He feels shame for it, but initially he'll definitely be one to steal your things, sit outside of your room at night, listening to you through the wall, try and get glimpses of you bathing or dressing. He really, really feels guilty, and he's one that will, once you're comfortably restrained and never going anywhere, just sit down and list out every nasty little thing he's ever done regarding you, just to get it off his chest. He understands if you react badly, and he'll apologize, which is a bit ironic considering how much worse kidnapping you is.

He'll apologize for that, too. He's actually one to do so a lot. He's normally a proud guy, but with this? He knows it's wrong, he knows it's fucked up. He knows he can't stop. And he'll be sorry to the moon and back. Just never sorry enough to stop.

He's actually a pretty vanilla guy. Hand-holding missionary type. And, despite being so embarrassed over it all, oddly romantic about it. It's one of the only things he's ever soft and gentle about, it's almost unbelievable to you that he's capable of being so gentle and slow with anything. But he'll kiss your forehead, really take his time with it all, make you cum on his fingers before ever actually fucking you. Hold your hand, look into your eyes. It would be honestly incredibly sweet if it weren't... you know, taking place in some dark sealed off room after dragging you there against your will.

If he's particularly mad, he can get rougher, but he'll apologize after. It's a lot of harsh grabbing, biting, it leaves bruises that he'll rub over softly, whispering an apology, even if a little part of him likes the way it looks on you.

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Request: Pyro/Reader--Fighting

Pyro x reader

Word Count: 1110

Request: @kyn-lyn-blog asked: Heyo may I request a john allerdyce x reader where they get into a huge fight (very angsty at first) and bother are ignoring the other and it turns into a who will give in and apologize first type thing but as it goes on it turns more and more into teasing and trying to get the other to break and goes from massive angst to playful. You can decide who gives in if any or if they just break code and make up. any time will do it doesn't matter (before he joins the BH or after ) thank you!!!

Power: Sharpshooting--the ability to shoot and always hit your target even around corners. Specific to guns. Range--one mile.

He was worried about your relationship; you could tell by the way you kept catching him looking at you with concern burning in those burning, brown eyes of his. Good. He deserved it after all the bullshit he’d put you through in the last couple weeks. How many times had he blown you off in favor of going to harass Bobby about his little crush on Rogue? Ever since she arrived at the manor, that girl had put about 17 wrenches in the way your little trio operated, and you’d tolerated it right up until the point that it started interfering with your actual relationship. 

The nonsense had to stop.

And when you’d voiced that opinion to John, of course it’d blown up into a fight. You saying you just wanted your boyfriend back; him claiming that he never left and ‘surely you’re imagining it; I only cancelled like twice!’

Needless to say, you hadn’t talked to any of them in two weeks, and honestly, it was doing wonders for your stress levels.

“Sniper!” Storm called for your attention by shouting your codename. It was simple, honest about what your powers were in a way that others like Rogue weren’t. “You’re pairing up with Pyro.”

Of fucking course.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great idea professor,” Kitty commented. “I think they’re fighting right now.”

“Even better. We have to be able to work as a team even if we don’t necessarily get along. You’re objective will be to run the course and escort a ‘civilian’ without letting them get hurt. Iceman, you’ll be the civilian. No powers.”

“This’ll end well,” Piotr muttered.

“Odds she shoots them both?” That was someone in the back; you couldn’t place who.

“Too damn high.” And that was Wolverine.

It’d been an ordeal to get the professor to allow you to keep your weapons on you when they’d first dragged you here kicking and screaming. They’d argued that you should only have them in the training room, and you weren’t really keen on being defenseless without your power in a strange environment. Guns weren’t exactly something he was keen on having in his home, but you managed to wear him down after a particularly nasty screaming deathmatch with Scott. Finally, the argument that stuck was, “How can my guns be more dangerous than a kid who can sling fire from his hands??” Still, you weren’t likely to risk having them confiscated because you decided to go wild and shoot your classmates.

“Whatever,” you muttered, pulling one of the pistols from its place on your thigh. You had two others in holsters on you: the other thigh and under your arm. You figured you probably didn’t need more than the one, though. “Let’s get this shit show going.”

The computer’s voice sounded the countdown as the doors closed behind the three of you. “Three. Two. One. Simulation start.”

And everything promptly went to shit since apparently this was a doomsday scenario where the entirety of Manhattan Island was on fire around you. Good for John, bad for your visibility.

Quickly, you popped off a couple rounds at the robots that were set up on the roof to your left. “I’m gonna get a bird’s eye view. See if I can see the finish line.”

“Great, let’s go,” John replied, immediately moving to follow.

“Uh-uh. You stay down here and deal with him. I’m not dragging your asses across the rooftops.” Honestly, John would probably be fine given his life before the school, but there was no way Bobby would be able to keep up without his powers.

“That won’t be safe,” Bobby complained. 

You shook your head. He may have been the usual leader to your little team, but not this time. “The firebug can cover you.” Fight or no, you didn’t resist the urge to give him a cheeky little wink before jogging into the nearest building.

Over the next several minutes, your plan to watch their backs from above worked brilliantly and you made quick progress towards the goal. Right up until a swarm of little buzzing robots made a beeline for you. There were too many for you to shoot even with your power; you just couldn’t pull the trigger fast enough. You were pinned with your back to the gravel roof.

Then suddenly the sky was alight above you.

As soon as it was safe, you whipped your head around to see the boys standing at the top of the stairwell about fifteen feet from you. “Well I hope you like looking at me without my eyebrows for a while,” you quipped breathlessly. The word ‘thanks’ was on the tip of your tongue, but you didn’t want to give your boyfriend the satisfaction.

“I mean, there are other things to look at than just your face,” John grinned.

“Oh, gross!” Bobby complained, walking towards the little flag on the next roof that marked the drop-off point. 

“He gets like that when you remind him that other people can actually have sex with their girlfriends,” you jabbed while he was still in earshot.

Iceman’s only retort was to give you the finger over his shoulder.

“Speaking of sex . . .”

You rolled your eyes once more. “Really, Johnny? In the middle of a simulation? In the middle of a fight?”

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Well, I was gonna apologize for the whole thing, but since you’re not interested . . .”

“John Allerdyce,” you growled.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. You were right; I shouldn’t have blown you off like that.” He smirked, pulling a little flame to him to have it dance between his fingers. “Besides, it’s so much more fun to fuck with him when you’re around.”

Snarling, you squeezed the trigger where your hand was loosely holding the gun at your side; the bullet lodged itself into the ground between his feet without you even having to aim. “Do this shit again, Johnny, and I’ll be making you dance.”

There was a lustful heat in his eyes as he stared into yours. He hadn’t even flinched at the shot; he knew you wouldn’t hurt him. “That’s kinda hot. Maybe I should piss you off more often.”

“Do it, firebug,” you challenged, annoyed despite the smirk pulling at your mouth, “and we’ll see just how good my aim really is.”

“Alright you two,” Wolverine called, breaking up the rather aggressive display of flirting, “break it up. You’re done here for the night.”

“First one to my room gets to dump water on Drake and Rogue from the second floor?” Pyro proposed. 

“Only if we put ice in it.”

“You’re on!”

[i-am-a-mes]

Blueberry Chapter 6

Summary: Y/N is fresh out of college with a small job at a newspaper, when she meets Chris Evans. They start a Sugar Daddy/Sugar baby relationship and try to navigate through their feelings, desires and personal obstacles.

Parring: AU Chris Evans x female plus size reader

Warning: Swearing, angst, shitty coworker, shitty boss, not confident reader

A/N: Hi there. So this is my first Chris Evans fic. It’s still a WIP and don’t really have that much of a plan with it. It will be a fluffy, angsty, smutty adventure spiced with some Sugar Daddy, Ddlg and D/s elements. But don’t expect that from the get go though. It’s a slow burn in some elements. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment and share!

My masterlist

Series masterlist

Chapter 6

After a sunday with relaxing, reading and getting settled in a little bit more at Chris’ place, monday rolled around, and I slowly woke up and stretched out and felt ready for a new day with a big smile on my face, as my dreams had been filled with the memory of the kiss we had shared.

Thereafter I got dressed and went to the kitchen, in the belief that I would be up before Chris, since it was a rather ungodly hour. But low and behold, there in all his perfectly tailored suited handsome glory stood Chris drinking out of a coffee mug and reading on a tablet. 

“Uhm.. good morning” I treaded lightly towards the kitchen island where he stood. He looked up and a bright smile came on his lips as he saw me.

“Good morning sweetheart!” He placed the cup and tablet down and came up to me and placed a hand on my waist and a soft kiss on my cheek. It made me blush

Because that's apparently my only reaction to him and any form for affection! Goddammit!

He went towards the fridge and grabbed a plate from it, and a mug from the cabinet, and placed it in front of me. 

“Here, have some breakfast and coffee. I need to look over some papers before we need to get going.”

“Uhm.. okay. Oh wow this looks delicious! But I don’t think I can eat it all though.” The plate he placed in front of me, was filled with fresh cut fruit, a cup with yogurt topped with some granola and some scramble eggs on the side. 

“That’s okay, just eat what you can.” Chris smiled before making his way towards the stairs, but after a couple of steps he stopped

“Oh right. Before I forget. Here” He came back to me and out from his breast pocket he fished out a key with a note hanging on it. I looked questionably at it and then at him.

“I want you to have a key to my place. And before you say anything, it is just til we find you a new place. There is also the security code and address on the tag, you know in case I’m not home.”

He just glanced back down at the tablet before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Alright" I took the keys and turned them around in my hand to inspect them. True enough an address and a 5 digit number code was written on it. 

“Thanks” I just kept sipping at my coffee.

“By the way Chris, do you know where the nearest bus stop is? I need to figure out what bus to take to work…” I looked at my phone seing the time, and tried to calculate the time of travel from here to my work

“Don’t worry about the bus. I’m driving you. So please eat.”

“But Chris, I can’t ask that of you”

“You aren’t. I’m offering” He just gave me a cheeky smile and I opened my mouth to retort but ended up shaking my head with a subtle grin on my face. So I turned around and dug into the plate of food. 

“Enjoy your breakfast baby girl” He sent me a cheeky smile before heading up the spiral staircase to his office space.

I gulped at the nickname which made my...everything tingle

Why does he have to keep calling me that?

Succeeding in eating most of the fruit and the yogurt, I began collecting my things to get ready to leave. 

A few moments later Chris came down from his office space on the balcony, and threw on a charcoal jacket over his suit. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes” I stood staring up at him with my worn sling bag across my chest, that barely held in my papers and laptop brick.

He looked me up and down

“Where’s your jacket?” 

“Uhm.. this is my jacket” I lifted the sleeve of my dark red thin jacket. It wasn’t really a warm jacket but we still weren't in the deep fall weather yet, so I could manage. Which was also the reason I had on a rather thick sweater underneath, and a button up under that.

“Hmm...Right.” He kept staring at me, before grabbing his keys. “Let’s get going”

Chris dropped me off at work, but before I could leave his sci-fi car, he turned to me

“What time do you get off work?”

“Uhm.. I don’t know actually. I usually get a lot of odd jobs throughout the day and don’t know how much time that will take, so I don’t really have an idea”

“How about you text me when you think you know? Okay?”

“Ooookay? Why though?”

“So I can pick you up of course.”

“Chris, really it’s fine. Now I got your address I can totally take the bus. You don’t need to pick me up. Besides it could be rather late.”

“And that’s exactly why I want to pick you up”

I let out a deep sigh while shaking my head “Really Chris. But I’ll text you okay?”

“Good. That’s all I’m asking” He flashed me a smile before I crawled out of the low car and hurried into the building.

As soon as I stepped into the office Jasper was all over me begging me for details about Chris and our new agreement, to which I just laughed and shook my head, and replied with a “we’ll talk later! 

My desk was filled with “Ask Helen” letters and it made my head hurt

Did I really get a degree in journalism for this?

I had slowly started to make my way through the pile, when it was announced that our boss had decided to hire a new guy to fill in the apparently open position in the investigation news department, a job I really wanted and Mr. Peterson knew that. We were all introduced to the new employee during the morning meeting. His name was Hugh Willington, who sported a fuckboy haircut and a cheesy smile, and apparently didn’t have a journalistic background or experience, but “he has a natural talent for journalism and passion like no other, so welcome to the team Hugh!” Mr. Peterson exclaimed.

What the actual fuck!

As I sent a couple of the latest edited letters of Ask Helen, my nose got a whiff of a very strong smelling cologne, you know the kind that almost burns away your nose hair. I scrunched up my nose at the scent and looked around for the source of the intruding aroma, and when I looked up I saw Hugh leaning over my cubicle sending me what I suppose was meant to be a charming smile, but came more across as a shark trying to charm his pray into his mouth. 

And it really felt like it too. Yikes!

“So… You’re Y/N? I heard you were my secretary?”

“Uhm.. hello.. What? No! I am absolutely not!”

“Well guess you got to hear it from me then little miss secretary. Listen, I got a lot on my plate, and the whole deadline thing is already making me barf. So just between you and me, how strict are they with the whole ‘must-be-on-the-deadline-thing’ around here?” 

He leaned even closer, making me almost gag with the stank that came from his nasty selected odor. 

“Well since this is a newspaper that goes out daily and people rely on it for their news, I would say pretty strict.” I glared at him as my voice was nothing but a flat line, with no sense of being nice in my tone. 

God damn this guy is the worst!

“Sure sure.. I got it. I got it…” He licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair before continuing 

“So I think you and I are gonna make a great team. You are feisty. I like that, for now” 

He winked and began laughing this obnoxious laugh I have ever heard. And just then Mr. Peterson came to see his new golden boy having a good time.

“Ah! You found Y/N! Good and she is welcoming you warmly I hope” 

“Yeah. Totally, we were just talking about how a great team we are gonna be” Hugh exclaimed before sending me another wink

“Yes yes! A good team. Y/N you are gonna be proofreading and aiding Hugh here in what he needs, so be on your toes, and make Hugh’s work top priority.”

“Well Mr.Peterson, I think Helen has seniority here…”

“Hush hush. That old lady can hardly write any more. We need new young blood like Hugh here. So make him top priority!” I could hear the firm tone in the end and knew not to argue.

Poor Helen… and poor me!

Mr. Peterson patted Hugh on the back and left us. 

“So what I was thinking sweetie, was that you could collect some articles for me about what is happening in the world right now, and then write a little.. You know.. Brief summary and get it to me by.. Let's see.” 

He looked at his ridiculous big shiny watch

“By an hour and meet me in my office. Good? Good!” 

“No not good! First of all, don’t call me sweetie! And second of all I’m not doing your research. I’m only doing your proofreading. Nothing more! Got it?!” 

I stared into his eyes with nothing but fury fuming of my body.

He shook his head and looked down before looking back up at me, with eyes as cold as a winter night and held his voice low enough so only I could hear.

“Listen here bitch! You will do as I say, or I will make sure Mr. Peterson will fire you, and make sure you wont get to work at another newspaper, magazine or website in this town! Got it!? Now get you fat ass of that seat and get to work” 

I just stared at him in shock not knowing how to process what vile things that just came out of his mouth. He straightened back up and cast me another chilling smile

“Good to hear we are on the same page Y/N. Looking forward to working with you” He turned and left.

What the actual fuck just happened here? Did he just threaten me? Practically harassed me? He can’t get away with that!

After a few minutes of collecting myself, I stood up with determination and went towards the HR office, but on my way there I saw Hugh and Mr.Peterson talking closely and laughing, before spotting me and then stopped

“Ahh Y/N, getting the research for Hugh I see?” Mr. Peterson asked

“Uhm.. no actually I was going to see Alexa. I..” Before I could say anything further Mr Peterson interrupted me

“Ah don’t bother her. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. So get your little tushy in the archives and find the research Mr. Willington, alright?”

I was in shock. I wasn’t dumb, I knew Hugh had told him all about my disagreement with him and I knew my boss was completely on his side. I couldn’t do anything

“Hi Y/N, were you coming to see me?” Alexa came out of her office and saw me in front of her office apparently talking to the two men. 

“Oh.. hi Alexa…”I looked back at them and saw a warning glare from them both. “No.. I was just asking Hugh for some follow up questions” 

Alexa looked at me and Hugh and just smiled before leaving us.

“Glad to see we are on the same page Y/N” he said as he scowled at me before loosening up his expression to a lighter one. 

I sighed in defeat (for now) and went to work on Hugh’s assignment.

So went the rest of my day. I was buried in research, trying to keep up with the douchebag’s commands on what he wanted to know, which was everything and nothing at the same time. At the end I was only being held up by coffee and the dry crackers I found at the bottom of my drawer. 

Suddenly while I was typing away on the final summary for Hugh, the lights went out

“HEY!!” I yelled and got up “I’m still here!” I flailed my arms around trying to catch anybody's attention. The light remained off, and I dumped back into my seat. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath

What time is it anyways?

I looked at the little clock on my computer screen and let out a big gasp when I saw it read 8.30 pm. 

What the fuck? How can it be so late? SHIT!

I quickly finished up the summary and sent it to Hugh’s email, before closing down and packing up. When I went to put on my jacket, I heard a faint ringing sound. I spinned around looking frantically for my phone. Finding it buried deep in my bag, not being moved since this morning. I quickly swiped to answer the call before seeing the caller id. 

“Hello?” I said almost out of breath

“Hi sweetheart”

“Who’s this?” I was so caught up in trying to get my stuff together that I didn’t recognize the voice

“It’s Chris. Are you alright Y/N?”

“Oh Chris.. Hi.. yeah yeah I’m fine”

“Sooo.. you didn’t send me a text, and now you got me nervous. So what’s up? Found another sugar daddy?” 

His tone was light, but I could still hear edges of concern in his voice

“What no!? I can hardly keep up with having you as one! But yeah sorry, I’m just finishing up now. I’m just gonna take a bus back to my place. I don’t want to bother you tonight”

“You are just finishing up now? For real?...Just stay there for a couple of minutes and I’ll be there.”

“Well I gotta stay outside. They are closing up the building for the night.”

“Okay. Just wait outside for a few minutes and I’ll come get you”

“Really Chris, you don’t have to! I’ll just go back to my place…”

“Y/N! Stop! I said I don’t want you back there, and I meant it. Now go outside and wait for me. Okay baby girl?”

I wisably gulped at his tone and the nickname

“Uhm.. okay?”

“Good girl.”

Sporting another trademark blush on my face and feeling all tingly inside by his praise, I went outside and waited for Chris.

A while after Chris rolled up in front of me, getting out of the car to greet me with a kiss on my cheek. 

“Hi sweetheart. Let’s get you home”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders after taking my bag and guided me to the passenger seat, where he buckled me in. Soon we were driving towards his place

“So that was a pretty late night? Does that uhm… happen often with your work?” 

“No.. well.. Sometimes, but mostly for the main writers or editors. It’s this new assignment…” I drifted on as a headache began making its way to the forefront of my head

“What does this assignment entail since it’s keeping you so late?” Chris questioned as he turned down the street of his apartment building.

“It’s just the first day of figuring everything out and the head journalist is new so we just had to learn to work together, you know?” 

I know it’s not the complete truth, but honestly I just can’t deal thinking about this day any more

Once we got inside of his apartment I immediately began walking towards my room

“Hey, where are you going sweety?”

“I’m just gonna go to bed. I’m really tired”

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” 

Just as he mentioned food, my stomach began grumbling making me place hands on it and looked back up at Chris with wide eyes

He just gave a little chuckle and made his way towards the kitchen

“Let me make you something. Why don’t you go have a seat on the sofa and find something on Netflix to watch.”

I just nodded and did as he said, and after a couple of minutes of browsing the streaming app, I landed on some random sitcom show. A little bit later Chris came over with a plate with some chicken and veggies and rice. 

“Here.. eat something, then you can go to bed” He smiled at me before sitting besides me. I began digging in the simple but yummy dinner. The more I ate the more I realised how hungry I really was, and within a few bites I had devoured the entire plate, almost licking it clean.

“Wow, that was delicious. Thank you” I smiled sheepishly at him. He just looked at me with a puzzled look

“What? I got something in my teeth?” My tongue went over my teeth

“Nothing. You were really hungry huh?”

“Oh.. yeah. Apparently” I shrugged and turned my attention to the tv

“Didn’t get a big lunch then?” He questioned further

“No.. actually I didn’t eat lunch today. Just some crackers I had at my desk.” I didn’t notice the furrowed brow Chris was sporting and just kept my eyes on the tv, not really seeing what the big deal was.

“Does that happen often?”

“What does?”

“You don’t eat during the day?” Chris had now turned his body so it was facing mine, and I could feel a change in the conversation, so I turned slightly to look at him. When I saw his serious face I gulped and drew my knees to my chest

“Well.. most days I eat a small lunch. Mainly fruit or some granola bars.” I began fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

“What about breakfast and dinner?” 

I felt I was being scolded under his intense gaze

“Breakfast is usually cereal and at dinner I try to make something, but sometimes...most times it’s just more cereal. Mainly because Allie often takes the food I buy.” My voice became smaller and smaller with each passing word. Chris clenched his jaw at the mention of my roommate.

“Listen I want you to remember to eat proper meals, okay? Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ideally also some in between snacks”

“Yeah that would be optimal, but Chris I don’t have money for “proper” meals. So I take what I can get.”

My shoulders slumped in defeat and I let out a big sigh

God this is so embarrassing! But at last with my barely there diet I get to lose some weight. He must find that a positive thing.

“You don’t have to worry about the money. Just promise you will take care of yourself and eat, okay? We don’t want you to lose those beautiful curves” 

I did a double look at him, wondering if I heard correctly, but he just smiled and placed his hand on the top of my knee. 

“Really.. You think they are beautiful?” 

“Of course. Every inch of you are”

I just looked at his hand and tried desperately to keep the pink colour on my cheeks at bay.

“Thank you...I guess.”

“You are really not used to somebody taking care of you or complimenting you, are you?” He said after studying me for a moment. I let out a exasperated sigh

“No. I really am not. I have always been the one taking care of others first and then myself. This thing between us is so out of my realm of possibilities that I couldn’t even fantasize about it. You are so handsome and could have any girl and I am just me.. Y/N. Just a girl trying her hardest to become a journalist reporter and do something with her life. Why you even bother with me is incomprehensible. But here we are. You want me to be your sugar baby and I have absolutely no clue how to be that, or deal with any of this” I gestured out indicating to his place and yeah..everything about his lifestyle, and then let my arms and demeanor fall in defeat.

He shook his head and squeezed my knee. 

“Come here” He pulled me tightly against his side and placed his arm around me making me feel his touch seeping through my skin spreading tiny tingles up my arm.

“I know this is very strange for you. And I understand it will take some time for you to get used to, but do you trust me?” His clear blue eyes caught mine and I fell into the deep waters of his irises. 

“Yes. Yes I do. I don’t know why, but I do”

“Then trust me on taking care of you. Please”

“Okay Chris”

He smiled and let his index finger caress my cheek while he looked over me before ending his stare on my lips. Under his gaze I couldn’t help the goosebumps spreading over my body and when I saw he was looking at my lips, I involuntarily wetted them with my tongue. The action caught his attention and soon he leaned forward and placed his plumb soft lips on mine. As soon as they landed, I melted into him. Our tongues quickly began a dance of passion and as my fingers found their way to his hair and began weaving their way through his locks, he pulled me up so I was sitting across his lap. His hands were around my waist and soon landed down on my hips, drawing me even closer. I felt like puddy in his hands and just let myself be pressed closer to him. When we finally stopped, desperately seeking air to our lungs, he just sported a small smile on his kiss swollen lips. I let my fingers trace soft patterns around his neck, up his jaw line, tangled softly in his trimmed beard and ending up on his cheek bones. 

“You have the bluest eyes in the world.”

“And you have the sweetest lips”

He pulled me in for another mind blowing, knock your socks off kiss, and after an intense make out session on his sofa, he led me to my room and said goodnight. 

“Aren't you coming in?” I questioned him with a tilt of my head

“Not tonight sweetheart. You need your sleep” He took a step forward and whispered in my ear

“And when we get to that part, I want you fully rested cause I’m not gonna go easy on you my baby girl”

I visibly gulped and he left with a kiss just below my ear making my knees buckle.

Let’s just say that my dreams were anything but sweet that night. 

Taglist:

@thejemersoninferno​ @lickmymelaninn​ @fanfictionaddiction99​ @sebbystanlover-vk​ @smoothdogsgirl​ - RPF fics @stankface​ @superanastasia1981 @anastasiasromanov​ - Everything but the kitchen sink @fiercedeception

[ghostiewriter]

chapter one | tale of a slightly unstable teen hero

Summary: JJ is starting to gain recognition around New York as the new hero in town. However, some complications arise with his new chemistry partner. Oh, and turns out he isn’t the only bloke around here with powers.

Warnings: John B is a simp, I feel like that needs a warning tbh. Umm there’s a lot of swearing (I’m Scottish, don’t judge), again some violence and fighting, also some cute ass moments between JJ and his mum so enjoy that

Word Count: 8.1K

A/N: Sooo there’s finally some Jiara in this chapter!! Hope you enjoy👀and I’m not responsible for any feels caused by JJ and Georgia Maybank!!

masterlist // taglist // ao3

“Spider-Man does it again! Report of our favourite web-slinging hero saving the day once again after a fatal accident left an apartment complex on the corner of 5th and 36th street in flames. The teen hero arrived at the scene not long after the distress call was made to the local fire department and managed to rescue over twelve people that were trapped on the top floor. New York thanks Spider-Man once again.”

JJ grinned as he leaned back in his seat, sparing a smug look towards John B in the driver’s seat. JJ didn’t usually carpool with John B but it was getting colder and his extra-curricular activities were wearing him exhausted by morning. Plus, the last time JJ skated to school when he was half asleep, Pope had to pull him out of a trash can. Turns out raccoons can be very territorial and did not appreciate the blond taking a small visit into their home. He was pretty sure he still had scars on his back from some of those little bastards.

“Three weeks on the job and you already have a little fanbase,” John B commented, reaching over to turn the radio down a little since the reporter moved onto some irrelevant news neither of the boys cared about. “Soon you’ll have a swarm of fangirls chasing after you while you fight crime.”

“Don’t be jealous, JB,” JJ grinned, both arms behind his head as he looked at the passing view. “I’m sure one of my groupies will slum it down for you.” He teased, only laughing when he felt the flick on his forehead.

As much as he hated to admit it, JJ had seriously enjoyed the past three weeks. They were intense, impulsive and unpredictable. Just how JJ liked his life to be. It wasn’t easy at first though, it took a good few attempts before the people of New York actually labelled him as a hero. Maybe it was because he was some young bloke who popped out of nowhere with abilities that no could really understand. Or maybe it was because he was going around in a red ski mask, blue shirt, a red vest with an awfully drawn spider on it and some blue joggers. He looked like a right on idiot, especially with the chunky goggles Pope added to his costume. But if it kept his identity secret, then so be it. The last thing JJ wanted was a bunch of journalists swarming his apartment, especially since he wanted to keep this whole alter ego away from his parents. In fact, he wanted to keep it away from anyone who wasn’t John B or Pope.

It was safer that way.

“At least that’s one more that Pope.” John B said nonchalantly.

“As if, dude!” JJ scoffed, grinning at the distressed—and fairly high pitched—‘WHAT’ that came from the brunette. “Oh, c’mon, Pope created a whole ass bat signal for me! You just sit there and look pretty! Pope gets at least two groupies.” He said with a shrug.

It was true. JJ knew Pope was smart, but this was next level. After realising that JJ wasn’t getting the recognition he needed to be labelled a ‘superhero’, Pope had come up with the ingenuous idea to infiltrate the police radio stations. Not only did they have full access to updates on crimes around the city, but Pope even felt a little fancy and made it so JJ would get a notification sent to his phone the second there was a job for Spider-Man. That boy was way too smart for his own good, but JJ was grateful for it.

“Aw, you think I’m pretty?” John B asked with a teasing grin.

“Yeah,” JJ smiled, reaching to place his hand on John B’s shoulder with a squeeze. “Pretty fucking ugly.”

John B’s smile instantly dropped as he scowled at JJ, who was happily snickering at the sudden change in mood. “Whatever, Spider-boy.”

“Yikes, low blow.”

The rest of the journey was spent in a similar vibe, except with JJ checking his phone every five minutes. He couldn’t help it, but the past three weeks had been some of the most exciting in his life. JJ had been labelled the troublemaker his whole life, the one that was throwing pencils into Mrs Ramirez’s curls because they looked like little hoops. Or even just doing his damn best to avoid the work he was given. It was a force of habit. JJ’s brain was running at a million miles a second. Nothing could hold him down, keep him entertained for longer than thirty minutes at most. And his teachers had constantly reminded him that his impulsive nature and high energy would lead him nowhere good in life.

All JJ had to say to them now was a massive ‘FUCK YOU!’ because how wrong they were. It was those qualities that made JJ the perfect hero. He could react quick to a sudden change, he was always on his feet, he had found something that not only could he channel all his energy into—but he was damn good at it as well. John B and Pope had warned him that it was best to keep himself humble, to not get too arrogant. But who was he kidding? JJ made a pretty fucking bomb superhero and everyone loved him. It seemed like he deserved to feel arrogant, to soak in his time in the spotlight. He enjoyed every single second.

So, can you really blame JJ for checking his phone, wanting an excuse to put that mask on and do the one thing he is good at? Except for skateboarding. Everyone knew JJ was the best skater in Queens.

Unfortunately, there was no sudden crimes that JJ could use as excuse to ditch school. A true tragedy, if you asked him. It seems like he will just have to suffer through another day of learning things that either happened way too long ago, didn’t make sense to him or he just truly didn’t care about. Which just happened to be basically every subject—excluding wood-shop. Except he was taken out of the class because apparently making mini bongs for birds is not okay. Who would’ve thought.

“I don’t see what the issue is—it’s a fool-proof plan!” John B argued as the two boys made their way through the corridors of Midtown High. Only stopping once they reached John B’s locker where he exchanged his books and JJ checked out the hallway for anything that caught his eye.

“Bro, you have a ten-year plan to end up with Sarah Cameron,” JJ stated bluntly. “And even then, you end up as her second husband—“

“No one can prove what happened to the first.”

“It’s fucking sad, JB.”

“It’s a solid plan.” John B stated simply and shrugged his shoulders, deciding to ignore JJ as he rolled his eyes, muttering something about John B being a ‘hopeless fool’. John B only grinned wider and glanced at his watch before whispering a small ‘shit’ to himself. “I gotta go, see you at lunch.” And with that, John B was zooming his way down the corridor.

“You know it’s really creepy that you plan when you bump into her!” JJ called down the corridor, but he doubted John B heard him. “Like really fucking creepy…like restraining order level creepy!

Once he noticed John B’s head turn the corner, undoubtedly on his way to ‘coincidentally’ bump into Sarah Cameron, JJ calmly made his way to his first period class, not in a big rush to get there.

**********

You see, after the incident in wood shop and many others after that, the school had taken the decision to move JJ into a class they deemed more valuable of his time. Chemistry. Stick the ADHD kid in a room full of chemicals…seemed about right. However, JJ was being transferred half way through the term with absolutely no knowledge in chemistry other than how to make a Molotov cocktail. Therefore, he didn’t really see an issue in showing up to a class he was already hopeless in. His teacher disagreed.

“Mr Maybank, it’s nice of you to finally join us.” Mr Marino—a middle-aged bald man who had looked as though he had been through one too many divorces and contained most of his knowledge in the form of his beer belly—commented as JJ entered the class.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe what happened to me!” JJ sighed dramatically.

“Let me guess: your alarm didn’t go off.”

“It was my pet monkey, sir. Has a mind of its own.”

“Your pet monkey?”

“Yup, his name is JB. Nasty wee guy but I keep him around, he’s a good laugh. Could do with a shower though.”

“Take a seat, Maybank.”

“I can feel the love.” JJ grinned before he turned to look at the class. It was set up with eight workbenches, two seats at each. His eyes scanned over each one before he caught an empty seat at the back-left workbench, the only empty seat—and just his luck it was next to the curly haired beauty for the trip.

JJ was starting to think he might actually enjoy this class.

“We just keep meeting, sweetheart. I think it’s a sign.” JJ whispered to her as he took his seat next to her, definitely sitting a little closer than he had to. He tried not to smirk when he noticed her subtly moving away from him. JJ always loved a challenge.

“Or a punishment.” She replied bluntly, not even sparing JJ a glance.

“Aw, is this how it’s going to be for the rest of the year, princess?” JJ muttered with a pout. He tried not to smile when she finally turned to look at him.

“Rafe got a concussion.” She hissed.

“So?” JJ frowned.

“So? You caused it!”

“And I should care because?”

“He is banned from the football team for six weeks!”

JJ stared at her blankly. “And…?”

“He is the captain!”

“Boohoo, they’ll survive without him.” JJ shrugged, leaning back in his stool as he flashed her one of his usual girl-charming smiles. “But hey, if you’re really stressed out about it, I’m sure I can help you find a way to relax.”

“You’re a pig.” She stated with a small huff, stubbornly turning to face the front, planning to not even give him the chance to redeem himself. Trust me when I say Kiara is an open person, always there to give people a second chance. But JJ Maybank was not one of those people. In the three times she had met him, he had been nothing but a shameless flirt who had no care for the world beyond his sex life. She could be judging him too quickly, but in her defence, he hadn’t given her anything else to work with.

However, Kiara assumed her behaviour was clear enough that she didn’t want to talk to him, that she could gladly go the rest of the year without willingly speaking to him. But this is JJ. Hyperactive, unable to sit still JJ. He didn’t get the hint.

“So, do anything interesting this weekend?” JJ asked her, that classic smirk of his on his lips. But she didn’t answer him. Instead, she kept her gaze on Mr Marino and his oh-so interesting talk on bond orbitals within an atom.

JJ raised his eyebrows when he received no reply from her. “Giving me the silent treatment now? That’s a bit rude.” He commented.

“So is giving someone a concussion.” She stated.

“Do you want to know what I did?” JJ asked.

“No.”

“Geez, princess, no one ever taught you manners?” He teased, taking the pen he was spinning between his fingers to gently poke her arm. She only huffed and moved her seat further away.

“Okay, alright, fine! I get it…” JJ trailed off, and Kiara couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. But she spoke to soon. She heard the scrape of a chair and suddenly she could feel the warmth of JJ right beside her, their elbows just touching.

“Is there an issue, Mr Maybank?” She heard Mr Marino call out but the boy next to her just shook his head, that mischievous glint shining in his eyes.

“No, please carry on, Alan.” The blond replied, his fingers tapping against the worktop counter.

Kiara sighed. She knew very well that she could put her hand up and complain, or even ask Mr Marino to change seats after class ended. But she was stubborn, and she would be damned if she gave JJ that satisfaction of knowing that he got under her skin.

This was going to be a long year.

**********

“She called me JB! That basically takes three years off my plan!”

“Dude, I don’t know if this is really sad or creepy now…” JJ grimaced. He had spent the last fifteen minutes listening to John B and his ‘coincidental’ encounter with Sarah Cameron. And if he was being honest, he was concerned for his friend. And his stomach…this boy needed to let JJ eat his lunch before he had to hear one more comment about how ‘yellow is totally her colour’.

“I mean, it just compliments her complexion so well! C’mon, how many people do you know that can pull of yellow and not looked totally washed out!” John B argued. But JJ just met him with a blank stare.

“When the fuck did you become a fashion expert?” JJ spoke up, his nose scrunched in confusion.

“I took a class once.”

JJ looked at him with his mouth agape. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Piss off, I wanted to learn how to dress better.”

“Says the guy that wears horrible thrifted Hawaiian shirts.” JJ deadpanned. John B only rolled his eyes and turned his attention back onto Sarah.

JJ followed his line of sight towards Sarah Cameron and her group, and he was shocked at the sight. He noticed the usual people in their uptown outfits and obnoxious laughs he could unfortunately hear from his seat. But it was the sight of his chemistry partner looking quite cosy under Rafe’s arm that caught him off-guard. His eyebrows furrowed a little, but hey, JJ should have seen this coming. The uptown kids like to stick with each other. Yet, JJ couldn’t help but find the sight quite uncomfortable to look at—Rafe had that effect on people. It was a surprise he managed to score…JJ paused. He had spent a whole hour with her and yet, he didn’t even know her name.

He nudged John B, yet neither one of them looked away from the group. “Hey JB, who’s Sarah’s new chick?”

“Who?”

“The pretty curly haired one standing next to her, dumbass.”

“Oh…I don’t actually know—“

“—Kiara Carrera. Relocated here from Kernersville, North Carolina. Her father owns a large chain of restaurants around the country. She is also the only junior other than yours truly doing three AP classes, including environmental science, biology and English.” Pope finished, panting a little considering he had literally just ran into the cafeteria and heard the last few words of their conversation.

JJ looked up at Pope with a mix of awe and fear. “What, you forgot her national insurance number as well? How the fuck do you know all that?”

“The school files.” Pope answered easily as he turned his laptop around and with the screen facing them, JJ decided he was definitely a little scared of Pope.

“Those are meant to be locked away in some super, secret network thing!” JJ hissed, only to be met with a smirking Pope.

“As if, it’s easy as fuck to hack something as amateur as the school’s firewall. Could do it with my eyes closed.” He grinned at the two of them. “Why, JJ? Hiding something from us like…I don’t know…your middle name being Belinda.” He snickered.

“YOUR NAME IS BELINDA?!” John B gasped, looking at JJ with wide eyes.

“Shut up, would you!” JJ hissed at the both of them, leaning over the table to flick John B on the forehead. “I was named after my grandmother.”

“Aww, Grammie Belinda.” John B cooed. JJ only glared at him.

“Hey, Grammie Belinda was a saint, don’t disrespect her like that.” JJ huffed, pointing a finger towards John B. He then turned to Pope who had made himself comfortable in the seat next to him.

“Why were you asking about Kiara?” Pope asked JJ, snatching a few chips from his plate. JJ swatted his hand away but didn’t stop Pope from doing it again. “Does JJ have a little crush?” He teased, pouting a little.

“Piss off,” JJ laughed as he nudged Pope with his shoulder. “She’s just my chemistry partner.”

“Ooh, so you guys have chemistry together?” John B grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck off, JB. Go back to stalking your little uptown princess.” JJ commented, returning the grin as both friends shook their head. They both knew the other meant no harm.

“Well, if you two little lovebirds are done having your moment,” Pope piped up, both boys looking over at him. “I need you to meet me on your rooftop at nine sharp tonight.”

“Damn, Pope, finally taking me out?”

“You wish, Spider-Boy,” He grinned, but the look he was giving made JJ a little nervous for what Pope had hidden up his sleeve. It could honestly range from a pet raccoon he befriended to creating some weird Frankenstein bug. “Just be there.”

John B pouted. “What about me?! Is this where I become the third-wheel?”

**********

“Mama?”

“In here!”

JJ dropped his bag by the couch as he made his way to the kitchen, the soft sound of the click telling him the door shut behind him. He sniffed the air as he walked in, seeing his mum at the stove and grinned a little, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“What’s for dinner?” He asked, peeking over her shoulder.

“Spaghetti,” She hummed, a soft smile on her lips as she peeked a glance at her son. “How was school?”

“The usual,” He answered with a shrug as he made his way to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water before heading towards his usual spot on the counter. “Teachers still don’t appreciate my comments, Pope said smart things I didn’t understand and JB was a love-sick puppy.”

She grinned, shaking her head a little. “I find John B’s attempts to woo that girl quite admirable actually,” She commented. “It wouldn’t kill you to be a hopeless romantic every once in a while.” Yet, she only laughed when she saw JJ’s face scrunch up in disgust.

Despite JJ’s reputation for being an adrenaline junkie who loves to live life on the edge, these were actually his favourite moments. The little moments he shared with his mum, just the two of them. It is one of the few moments in his life where he feels relaxed, no expectations or pressures. And as sappy as it sounded—and no offence to John B and Pope—but JJ wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was one of his best friends, one of the few people in his life he truly cared about. People like her are the reason he enjoys being Spider-Man, because despite the shit people in the world, there were some genuinely good people out there, like Georgia Maybank.

It was hard to believe JJ and Georgia Maybank were related. She was a sweetheart, the type of woman who would take time out of her own life to volunteer at local food shelters despite having just done a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. She is the type of woman to buy flowers and hand them to strangers on the street just to brighten someone’s day. She is the type of woman who would work her ass off to give her son all that she could, despite the struggles she faced with the bills and rent because her son was her life. She was the opposite of JJ’s hyperactive self.

But boy, did they look very similar. From the sandy blonde hair the two of them shared, to the bright blue eyes, to even the exact same smile. JJ really was a carbon copy of his mother. And there was a small part of her, one she would never outwardly admit, that adored the fact JJ looked so much like her. Like a primal mother instinct, she loved her son and she loved that everyone knew he was her son. She would be damned if someone ever asked her to hide that.

Georgia was the type of mother that had that warm aura around her, the one that made you just trust her with your life. The hugs she gives just makes you want to stay in her arms forever, because everything is just better with Georgia Maybank. JJ knew that and he always reminded himself of that. No matter what shit he gets into, no matter how much he may envy the uptown kids—none of them will ever have Georgia Maybank and he would gladly flaunt that.

He may not have designer clothes or a fancy car to drive to school. But they don’t have Georgia Maybank, dancing around barefoot in the kitchen while she badly sings along to some old 80s song that is playing on the radio, just to make him crack a smile.

JJ grinned as his mother grabbed his hand, pulling off the counter before they jokingly began to waltz around the small kitchen, some classical song playing from the small radio that sat on the counter by the stove. JJ only laughed as he apologized for stepping on her toes again, but she didn’t mind. She just smiled and continued to dance.

“Why do I have to do this? I’m starving, woman!” He whined playfully as he twirled his mum around a few times.

“Because, JJ, one day you’re going to have a beautiful girl—or boy, I won’t assume—that will somehow fall for that charm of yours,” She spoke softly, placing a hand on her son’s cheek, a proud glint in her eyes when he rolled his eyes at her statement but still had a small smile on his face. “And I will be damned if I don’t teach my son how to sweep a girl off her feet.”

“Nothing says romantic like stepping on a girl’s toes.” He stated bluntly.

Georgia only laughed and ruffled his hair before she turned back to the stove. She grabbed two plates, putting in a larger portion for JJ—which with his new transformation wouldn’t actually be enough but he will sneak out during the night to eat the leftovers when she’s asleep—before placing them on the small dining table in the corner, gesturing for him to join her.

The rest of the dinner was fairly uneventful, simply just JJ telling her about John B’s updated seven-year plan with Sarah Cameron and Georgia sharing any particularly interesting stories about patients she had to deal with during her shift. JJ really let this dinner sink in. As much as he loved his mother, her inability to say ‘no’ and be so giving kind of bothered him. Because she had taken up extra shifts for a few of her colleagues due to something about the ‘stress of wedding planning’. JJ had been seeing her less and less—and though it was good for his recent Spider-Man shenanigans—this dinner made him realise just how much he missed her. Just a nice, wee dinner with his mum, nothing else. And everything seemed to be going well, until he heard the radio presenter’s voice flowing through the kitchen.

“Locals say that Spider-Man is the next best thing to happen to New York since deep-fried pizza! But I don’t know, Janet. I mean, who is this kid? Where did he come from? There just seems to be a lot of unanswered questions with this so-called hero. Can we really trust some prepubescent boy who probably spends his day with his head in a textbook? It just doesn’t seem—“

The radio presenter was cut off by Georgia turning the volume down. “People can’t appreciate a good gesture anymore.” She huffed. JJ watched her closely as she finished off washing the last of the dishes before turning to face him, a small frown on her lips.

“I think he’s doing the city a favour.” JJ said half-heartedly with a shrug.

Georgia nodded, her fingers gently fiddling with chain around her neck, well more specifically the gold ring attached to it. “I know but,” She sighed. “What a shame, putting all this pressure on a poor teenage boy. Oh, I feel bad for his parents!”

JJ coughed a little. “It could be his decision, you know.”

Georgia continued as though she hadn’t heard him. “I could only imagine how stressful it would be have your son out there, throwing himself at danger.” She shook her head as she made her way to where JJ still sat at the dining table. “Promise me you wouldn’t do something so careless?” She asked sweetly, gently cupping his face in her hands as she looked down at him.

Now, JJ knew there was a teasing tone to her words. She wasn’t being serious because, how could she? Her son being a superhero with crazy powers? Not possible. She and JJ shared everything and it was because of that he couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him. He hated lying to his mum, he hated keeping secrets from her. They were always close, JJ never felt the need to hide things from her. There was always such a comfortable vibe between them. But he knew how she would react if he told her the truth. He knew she would freak out and make him stop. And JJ didn’t want to stop. As much as he hated the guilt that bubbled inside him, he pushed it away and gave her a grin.

“Of course not, I would come up with a better name than Spider-Man.” He joked lightly and closed his eyes when he felt his mum press a kiss to his forehead. He nuzzled his head slightly as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against her stomach. He smiled softly when he felt her hands running through his hair, just like the way she used to do when he was younger and struggling to fall asleep. He tried to hold back a yawn.

“That’s my baby boy.” She said with a gentle laugh.

“Mama, I’m a not a baby! I’m a man now.” He whined but he didn’t pull away from her grip just yet. He missed his mum’s hugs, sue him.

“You’ll always be my baby boy.” She commented with a small shrug.

“Yeah, yeah,” He murmured. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at her, giving the best puppy-dog eyes he could. She was always a sucker for those. “Can I go hang out with JB and Pope tonight?” He asked with a sweet smile.

She rolled her eyes but nodded. “Just be back before your father gets home.”

**********

JJ rubbed his hands together as he stared at the view from the roof. New York looked absolutely stunning this time of year, especially at night. The sky was pitch black, and it should’ve seemed daunting. But the bright lights of the city illuminated everything. It was mesmerising, a sight that JJ would never get tired of seeing. And with his newly discovered powers, he found something therapeutic about swinging around the city and being surrounded those bright lights. It felt like he was swinging through the stars—he obviously didn’t share that with the boys, they would take the piss out of him. Speaking of which…

“Where the fuck is he?” JJ hissed, turning to look at John B who only shrugged in response. As much as JJ liked New York at night, it was cold. The lower body temperature caused by the spider bite really didn’t help the situation. He had a hoodie and a jacket on and still the light breeze was making his teeth chatter.

“I don’t know.” John B shrugged. JJ rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was 9:15pm and JJ was about five minutes away from freezing to death.

Just then, the rooftop door opened and a wild Pope was sprinting towards then, panting heavily as he ripped his backpack off and quickly unzipped it. Words were leaving his lips but between the panting, neither of them could work out what he was saying.

“Dude, calm down, breathe!” John B exclaimed. Pope nodded and took a minute to catch himself.

“Your lives are gonna change forever!” He grinned before looking at JJ. “Strip.”

JJ raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“Strip.”

“Dude, it’s like fifty fucking degrees, I am not gonna fucking strip!”

“Stop whining and do it!”

JJ huffed and started to take his clothes off, muttering some very…colourful phrases towards Pope. However, he didn’t get much time to question his friend’s demands because the second he was stripped down to his boxers, he had a bunch of fabric thrown at him.

“Wait…is this…?” He trailed off, looking at Pope with a new look of excitement shining in his eyes.

“You bet,” Pope grinned. “Say hello to your brand-new suit, Spider-Man.”

JJ excitedly began to pull the suit on, suddenly forgetting all about his theatrics with the cold. But Pope wasn’t done with his surprise.

“The suit is a total upgrade!” He began, his hands moving wildly as he spoke. “The fabric is strong but flexible. I have added small web-shooters to go over your spinneret glands so you can have a more direct shots. There are a few extra things I’ve added like a small heater to keep you warm and a few sensors, so we can keep track of your vitals. Oh, and for us—” He paused before handing John B a silver bracelet.

John B looked at the bracelet in confusion. “Uh, thanks?”

Pope only grinned and showed John B that he was wearing a similar bracelet. He slipped it off before unclipping a small oval shaped device from the middle of the bracelet. “This is the coolest part,” He nodded for John B to copy his movements. “To be honest, these took the longest. I had JJ’s suit done like two weeks ago but—”

“And you made me wait this long? Dude, I looked like a weirdo running around in joggers!” JJ groaned, but there was no real hostility in his voice.

“Just put on your mask, dude!”

JJ rolled his eyes but didn’t answer as he slipped the mask over his face. He was a bit surprised at how easily he could see through it, way better than the goggles he had before. The suit was a perfect fit—props to Pope after it took an hour to get all of JJ’s measurements. The material was tight and breathable, practically clinging onto JJ like a second skin. Oddly enough, he felt far more comfortable in it than his last costume. Pope clearly liked the colour scheme, having kept the red and blue palette but with a massive spider on his chest, with lines wrapping around him to look like a web. He looked totally badass, he felt badass. He felt like a proper hero from one of those comic books and posters Pope has around his room.

“So, how do I look?” JJ asked, flexing as he gave the boys a little spin. Pope only grinned, proud of his creation. John B gasped, clearly just as hyped as JJ was.

“Dude, your ass looks great.” John B commented, causing JJ to snort.

“When does it not look great?”

“Guys! The last surprise!” Pope piped up, causing both boys to stop staring at JJ’s ass and instead turn to him.

“These little guys,” He said, nodding between the small oval devices in his and John B’s hands. “Are gonna help us keep in contact with you while you’re swinging around. Little ear pieces so we can help you out and keep tabs on you if you need any help.”

“Where’s my bracelet?” JJ frowned beneath the mask.

“You don’t need one, dumbass. Your ear piece is connected into your mask!” Pope grinned proudly. JJ let out a scoff, shaking his head.

“Pope, you fucking genius!” He yelled, and he pulled his friend into a tight hug. John B, feeling a little left out, quickly joined the hug.

“This is so cool, dude, now we are like an actual team!” John B grinned.

Pope was the first to pull back, looking at JJ with a wild look in his eyes. “I think it’s time for Spider-Man to show the city his new look.”

JJ grinned under the mask, already beginning to take a few steps back. “I think you’re right.” And without a second thought, he left himself fall off the edge of the building.

On that October night, New York watched their own hero swing through the streets, letting the cheers and whoops of the strangers sink in. They watched their hero in a new light, a more professional one. The next day, he was no longer that kid running around like some wannabe. He was Spider-Man, the new saviour of New York and a beloved hero.

It was wild what a good new suit could do for your reputation.

**********

“Did you see the pictures The Daily Bugle released?”

“He looked so hot!”

“I’d let him save me any day!”

“You don’t even know what he looks like…”

“So? Have you seen those arms? Nothing else matters!”

JJ couldn’t help but let the smirk on his face grow as he walked through the corridors of the school. It was the day after his new suit reveal and he wasn’t going to lie, he was soaking in all the attention. He was particularly enjoying the twitter thread that was made about his ass. John B didn’t lie, his ass did look good in this new suit.

He continued his way through the sea of students before he made it to his chemistry class, not surprised that people were still talking about Spider-Man. His eyes instantly glanced over at Kiara, who was sitting at their workbench scrolling through her phone.

He grinned as he quickly past the other students and sat quite comfortably in his seat. His eyebrows raised slightly when she didn’t react at first to his appearance. His curiosity got the best of him as he leaned towards her, peeking over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. Now, JJ won’t lie to you, but when he saw her staring at pictures of Spider-Man, his ego definitely inflated a little. Okay, maybe more than a little but you get the point.

“You a fan?” He couldn’t help but ask, trying to keep his smirk to himself.

Kiara quickly snapped her head to look at him, slamming her phone down screen first onto the desk. “Can you mind your business?” She huffed, trying to calm her heartbeat a little. She didn’t even hear him come in, which is odd since usually you could hear JJ from a mile away.

“Aw, c’mon, Kiara! I thought we were besties now.” He grinned to her, wiggling his eyebrows a little. He leaned forward on the desk, bringing him a little closer to her. His forearms were pressed against the desk, his body leaning on them. She noticed how close their hands were. But after yesterday, she refused to left JJ get under her skin again. Or at least let him see how much he is bothering her. So, she stayed where she was, not moving back like he expected.

“You know my name.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement.

“Surprised?” He whispered, smirking a little when he noticed he wasn’t moving away. JJ risked it a little more and moved a bit closer.

“Took you long enough.” She replied with a shrug. JJ’s grin only widened.

“Oh yeah, counting down the days, princess?” He raised an eyebrow. He noticed her lips quirk a little, like she was fighting back a smile.

“You wish, pretty boy.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

“Shut up.”

“I think someone has a little crush, Kiara.” He grinned at her, only to witness her roll her eyes and push him away.

“In your dreams, Maybank.”

“Oh, you’re definitely in my dreams, Kiara.”

She rolled her eyes again but didn’t bother replying this time. She instead focused her gaze on the front of the class as Mr Marino entered the room, beginning the lesson. But if she had glanced over to the blond sitting on his right, she would’ve seen he was smiling throughout the whole lesson.

**********

“Thank you, dear!”

JJ nodded his head a little in acknowledgement and gave the older woman a small salute. “Always here to help, ma’am.” He said, handing her the small handbag that he had just rescued from the hands of some man who had tried to steal it from her.

“Aw, you’re really starting to win over the senior citizens.”

JJ rolled his eyes when he heard Pope’s voice through his earpiece. “Dude, I think she pinched my ass.”

“Lucky you, older woman, that’s hot.”

“JB, shut up.”

JJ snorted a little at the bickering, extending his arm out before he was swinging between the buildings with no trouble. He had been using any free time he had lately to be out in his suit, getting used to all the cool, extra bits that Pope had added. And he won’t lie, the boy really outdid himself. JJ felt like a total badass, being able to swing around and save people and feel like a real hero. He also enjoyed the change in attitude people had with him. He was Spider-Man, the city hero. He was appreciated. He was wanted. Not something JJ felt very often.

“Anything happening around town?” JJ asked, his eyes scanning the streets below, waiting to see any conflict. He couldn’t help but feel as though there was a part of him that was on edge. He couldn’t really explain it, it was like a bad shiver down his spine. It was a similar feeling he felt before that bank robbery fiasco a few weeks ago. It was a nasty wee feeling, one that had him on alert. Something was wrong, he didn’t know what. But he could sense it.

“Nah, everything seems to be fine. Maybe you should take a break, you’ve been swinging around for, like, three hours. You need to rest, dude.”

“What?” JJ muttered, so quiet that the boys on the other side barely heard him. That couldn’t be right, he can feel it. Something isn’t right, something bad is going to happen. “Guys, are you—”

He was cut off by a series of screams.

JJ’s body was reacting way before his brain did, like his hero side just leaped into action at the alert of any distress. He was swinging as fast as he could, his arms burning a little as he got closer and closer to the sound of those screams. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears, could feel his heart rate pick up. The adrenaline coursing through him, making him forget about the burning in his muscles from the three hours of patrolling he had done.

“That’s fucking weird, there is no police reports coming through.”

JJ ignored the voices coming through the earpiece, his whole body feeling rigid as he crouched on top of a building, looking at the carnage below. There, in the middle of the square stood what looked like a moving black cloud. Civilians were screaming and running away, but the black cloud just remained. His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was waiting for it to do something, to lash out. But it didn’t. He opened his mouth, ready to ask Pope if he was just imagining something when he heard the black cloud speak.

“Spider-Man, oh Spider-Man! Come out, come out wherever you are!” It spoke in a raspy, demonic voice. Whatever this way, it wasn’t human. JJ may have failed biology, but he knew that for sure.

“JJ, don’t. We are have no idea what this thing is. It could be a trap—”

“I got this, Pope.” JJ muttered, ignoring his friends’ pleas to think this through as he swung down, landing a couple of feet away from the black cloud. “You called?”

Suddenly, in the middle of the cloud, JJ swore he could see lips begin to materialise. He frowned beneath the mask but didn’t move away. His fist was clenched at the side, ready to react if the cloud tried anything.

“Ah, we finally meet, Spider-Man.” The cloud spoke again. The voice sent shivers down his spine. JJ pushed away that feeling of discomfort. Something about the cloud felt familiar, but he couldn’t tell what. It was like an annoying itch he couldn’t reach.

“Am I supposed to know who you are?” JJ questioned. “Look, dude, if you’re a fan, I appreciate it, but you don’t need to scare away a whole block of people to get my attention. You can just ask for an autograph like everyone else.”

“JJ stop provoking it!”

“You’ll know me soon enough.” The voice replied ambiguously. JJ furrowed his eyebrows together. Whatever this cloud was, it was being far too vague for JJ’s liking.

“PEOPLE OF NEW YORK, I SPEAK OUT TO YOU!”

JJ winced, clutching his ears. His body was on high-alert, his ears sensitive to pick out any small noise or rustle. He looked at the cloud and then at his surroundings, noticing how every screen—every phone, every billboard, every electrical compliance in this vicinity that he could see—was projecting the black cloud. It was broadcasting to the whole city. JJ couldn’t help but wonder where the fuck the hidden camera was. How was it doing this?

“YOU LABEL THIS KID AS YOUR HERO! YOU TRUST THIS CHILD WITH YOUR LIVES! YOU ARE FOOLISH!” The voice boomed, suddenly the black cloud began to form tentacles that were slithering from whatever was at the centre of it. “LET ME SHOW YOU THE TRUTH! LET ME SHOW YOU WHO YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOU!”

JJ was a little too distracted by the concept of a cloud broadcasting to the city that he didn’t even notice one of the tentacles slithering towards him. It wrapped itself around his leg before swinging him into the nearest building.

JJ let out a small oomph as his body made contact with the brick wall. He could hear yelling in the distance, the sounds of people screaming. But nothing was overpowering the ringing in his ears as he slowly dragged himself to stand up.

“JJ, GET UP! JJ!”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” He muttered, blinking a few times before he turned back to look at the cloud. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and quickly rolled over to the side, the tentacle that threw him smashing into the wall not even a second later. That rush of adrenaline hitting JJ again as he quickly swung out of there, not even looking behind him until he knew he was a good distance away to assess the situation.

“IS THIS WHO YOU WANT PROTECTING YOU? A COWARDLY TEENAGER? C’MON, SPIDER-MAN! LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’VE GOT!”

JJ swore under his breath, trying to catch up with his thoughts as he watched more tentacles appear from the cloud. “Where the fuck are they coming from?” He muttered before swinging down to a lower building rooftop, crouching at the edge. He narrowed his eyes as he extended his hand out, shooting a web towards the centre of the cloud. There had to be something solid within this thing, something he can grip on to, something he can fight. But he was met with nothing. “Fuck.” He frowned before he began to crawl down the side of the building.

“You seem a bit jealous, mate!” JJ called out, watching as all eight of the tentacles seemed to snap their attention towards him. God, that was scary. “Don’t you have to tell me some wild origin story before you kill me?”

“MY AIM ISN’T TO KILL YOU, SPIDER-MAN. NOT YET!”

“Oh, that’s really reassuring, thank you so much.”

“I WANT NEW YORK TO SEE HOW PATHETIC YOU ARE. HOW USELESS THEIR SAVIOUR IS.”

“A bit of an odd wish, if you ask me.” He murmured to himself, quickly snapping his wrist before swinging around the black cloud. He watched as the tentacles reached out for him, just grazing him as he swung between the buildings.

“JJ, FIGHT BACK!”

“How the fuck do I fight something that isn’t solid? Get a vacuum? If you have one big enough, please do share. Call the ghostbusters or something!”

He heard more screams, some closer than he expected. He assumed everyone ran off, but when he turned his head to the side, he noticed a man standing there, frozen in fear. More importantly, he saw a car heading straight towards the scared man.

“Shit, shit, shit,” JJ yelled as he quickly yanked his web, spinning around and landing in front of the man, his hands extended out in front of him. Seconds later he felt the impact of the car, the weight and momentum it came crashing in at hit him strong enough to make him slide back a few feet. “Go, dude!” He yelled at the man, who had finally come to his senses and thanked JJ profusely before sprinting away. JJ groaned and threw the car away from him, huffing slightly.

“HOLY SHIT, JJ! THAT WAS A CAR!”

“Oh, no shit, Sherlock! I thought it was Barbie’s Dreamhouse.” Only JJ would be sarcastic while his life is in threat.

But it was that sarcasm that distracted him long enough for one of the tentacles wrap around his ankle, yanking him down from the small jump he had taken so the web he was currently gripping snapped with ease, preventing him a quick escape like he planned. He didn’t even have time to scream before he noticed the tentacle bringing him closer to the middle of the cloud, his eyes widening slightly.

He wiggled around in the tentacle’s grip, trying to find a way out but it was relentless. He wasn’t sure what was real or not, not sure if he imagined screaming in his head or if he actually did as he was dropped into the centre of the cloud.

Then, he felt nothing.

JJ was vaguely aware of his surroundings. He didn’t know if his eyes were open or not, but it was dark. He tried to move his arm, but it felt constricted, like he was swimming in something really thick. His brain was screaming at him to call out for Pope and John B, to move his hands and swing out of here, to do something. But another part of JJ felt completely content in this situation. He couldn’t explain it, but something washed over him, like a massive electric shock that made him aware of just how…familiar this seemed. It was similar to the feeling he had earlier.

He felt safe, understood.

And then that feeling was gone.

Suddenly, JJ found himself being thrown around in circles, something holding a tight grip on his ankle. But soon enough, that let go too and JJ was soon flying through the air, too out of it to even react fast enough to web onto something or soften his eventual crash.

JJ felt the air be completely knocked out of him, his body bouncing off the concrete a couple of times before he rolled over. It took him a few attempts to finally open his eyes, take in his surroundings, to see he was in some dingy alleyway. He turned his head to the side, briefly seeing a black blob in the distance. He could hear some muffled yelling.

“HEED THIS AS A WARNING, SPIDER-MAN. NEXT TIME WE MEET, IT WILL BE OUR LAST!”

JJ vaguely furrowed his eyebrows together before turning his head to stare at the blue sky above instead. When the ringing and the muffling was over, he could hear the screams of his friends coming through the earpiece.

“JJ! JJ, PLEASE FUCKING ANSWER, DUDE!”

“JJ, ARE YOU DEAD?!”

“WHY WOULD HE FUCKING ANSWER IF HE WAS DEAD!”

“SHUT UP, I’M FLUSTERED!”

JJ frowned a little, his whole throat felt dry and numb. There was also a metallic taste in his mouth that told him he must’ve bitten his tongue at some point. God, he hated the taste of blood. “It…It felt…”

“OH MY GOD, JJ!”

“IT FELT LIKE WHAT BUD? YOU GOOD?”

“It felt just like me.” He finally got out.

Then everything went black.

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

do you have a curtis fic with the tenderly wiping the blood off? because if not can i request one? but if you don’t have could i have it with chris or ari? or curtis is fine but you know my love for ari haha sorry i’m just rambling now😂💕

Trust Me

A/N- I really liked how this one came out, so it gets a title. No real warnings. Thanks for sending this in babes! I did Ari cause well, I havent yet written for him and I know you love him. Thank You @official-and-unstable-satan for reading over what I had last night and giving it a thumbs up. Love you babes. 

Red Sea Diving Resort, 70 kilometers from Port Sudan

You paced by the radio, it was silent. So silent, you just wished it would cackle and Sammy would come over in that garbled sound all radios make, letting them know they were successful, on there way back to the resort. But nothing. Occasionally Ethans voice would break through, making you jump in anticipation each time. He would ask for an answer, but there was nothing. Rachael hugged herself as she waited, nearby, ready to answer when needed.

“They will be okay Y/N, its not like Ari hasnt had them go radio silence before.”

You knew your friend was trying to assure you, but it was hard when your heart was wedged in your throat, waiting to bottom out. Here you and Sammy were similar, sometimes you thought the worst although you hoped for the best. How many times had Ari, cupped your face and made you look at him.

“Trust me Y/N” he would say.

Okay Ari, Im trusting you...

Then there was the cackle, and Sammys voice broke through. “On our way back, successful.” Both you and Rachael took relieved sighs and she answered right away. “Loud and Clear guys, see you soon.” You rubbed your face in relief and she came over to give you a squeeze around the shoulders. “Told you, its all gonna be good.”

Ari drove the truck with its ruined shocks, bouncing all over the road. It had been touch and go, but they managed to get the latest round of refugees out to safety in record time, and at the rate they were going, in just another week, they could be making this trip again.

“Can you slow it down?” Sammy asked, bouncing in his own seat, holding onto the ‘oh shit’ handle on the side. “Were not carrying refuges anymore if they stop us.”

Ari eased up. Barely, he was ready to get back to the resort, take some pain killers, crash for a couple good hours before going back to making more plans, and playing host to there current round of resort guests.

“I also wish you would let me look at where you cracked your head. Seriously Ari, only you man.”

Reaching up, he winced where his head clipped off the side of the trucks frame helping people climb out the back. It was a rushed moment, since Jake warned them that he saw headlights off in the distance, and they still had a truck full of people to get on the rafts. It wasnt his finest moment, but they got the job done and were able to hide the trucks off the beach. Once the armed men, no doubt some of Ahmed’s men, passed on by, they split out of there. Driving by moonlight till the beach was far off in the rear view. They got lucky, again.

Ari always seemed to get lucky, Sammy would sarcastically comment at times.

“Dont worry Sammy, Im fine. I will have Y/N take a look at it before we go to sleep.” Ari remarked, and his friend rolled his eyes and sighed in discouragement with his stubbornness. Ari continued on excitedly though. “It went pretty good I thought, considering they were patrolling. Everyone out, no one got injured. If we plan it right, we can go out next week, as long as Kabede can get them out of camp.”

Sammy wrinkled his brow, worry etching over his face. “You dont think thats pushing it a bit close? Ahmed is already suspicious as it is”

Ari smirked and looked over at Sam “Trust Me.”

Hours later the two trucks pulled up alongside of the resort, you and Rachael waiting just outside the main entrance to greet them back, also to find out about  why radio silence. Your hands wrung together and you blew out some hot air in a huff that fluffed your bangs. Rachael chuckled softly at your nerves and leaned in close to whisper to you. “See, its all good.” You smiled at her, an apology for your nerves, and went to greet the men.

Jake and Max came around, from one of the trucks with big grins on there faces.

“Like a charm Doll” Max said, slinging an arm around your shoulder. His good mood was infectious and you relaxed in his hold, your arm slinging around his waist with affection.

“So the radio silence was just for...?” You asked and from behind you, you heard Ari came up on your other side, carrying some of Sammys equipment, startling you. As big as Ari was, he was quiet. A skill he had picked up over the years of military training.

“There were patrols out, not far from us. We went entirely dark for a time while unloading, and had to hide the trucks.” You reached to take some of what he was carrying and caught sight of his face, near his temple was a line of dried blood, leading up to a nasty looking scrapped bruise.

Rachael caught sight of it to, wincing as she reached out to take the stuff from Ari. “Here, let me take that, and you should have Sam take a look at that.” Max collected what you had to, offering to help. Ari started to protest the two of them, when you gave him a gentle push to get him headed into the hotel.

“Shes right, come on.” you insisted, and he didnt fight you. Cutting through the lobby, the two of you skirted around the counter that was the check in, and headed into the employees only section. In the back rooms, Ari leaned lightly against the table watching you as you searched out the first aide kit. “Tomorrow Im going to go into the refuge camp, see if  Kabede is ready to bring the next group out, I know its soon, but if they can have to rescue boat back here by beginning of next week, we could start doing this alot faster.”

Ari continued on with what he was hoping for, and tidbits from tonight, while you sought through the bottom cupboard, and finally found the bright red cross case that was your first aide kit. Bringing it over to the table, and flipping it open, your ‘Mmhm’ sounding once in a while to show you were still listening, he reached over to grasp your wrist. “Y/N, whats wrong sweetheart?”

You glance at him while prepping a cloth to wipe away the blood and around the wound. “Ari... It sounds like it was a close call. If you all get caught, lets be real about this. They wont just throw you in some jail cell if your caught with truckloads of refugees.” You didnt mention the last part, the very first day you all arrived, there was an execution style killing going on right outside the window as he was negotiating just to get this place. That was a year and a half ago.

“What are you saying Y/N? You want us to stop? Were saving so many lives.”

Guilt crossed your face as you heard him, it was true. So far you all have managed to smuggle out hundreds of people, slowly emptying the refugee camps. But even in that there wasnt a end in sight. They would just keep coming, desperate and barely hanging onto the promise of freedom and safety.

“I know... I know... “ You say softly while he pulled out a chair and sat down on it so you could clean him up, thighs spreading so you could stand in close where you need to be, and tip his face slightly. “Just hearing how close they were tonight, you going radio silence. It scared me Ari. There is nothing we could do to save you guys.”

His hands moved to the back of your thighs, rubbing your tensed muscles through your pants and grasped lightly under the cheeks while you gently wiped at his cheek, the dried blood flaking off and making your way up the trail. “We have to be smart about this Ari, know when weve played our hand as much as we can without getting ourselves caught.”

Quiet for a time while you dabbed at his face softly, he finally spoke up. “Trust me Y/N, I know it. No one was more worried then I was that we were gonna be found. I drove like a fucking bat outta hell to put distance between us. I cant stop though, not right now... I wont. This works, what were doing works.”

And this was always how it was with Ari, forever will he put everyone else before himself. You knew this the day you agreed to join them on this mission, and to ask him to change? You knew he wouldnt give this up. Not for Sam, not for you, not for the family he left behind ages ago. It was a bitter pill to swallow at times, but at the same time, isnt that why you cared for him more then you should have, His selflessness?

So you set it aside for now, your fingers gentle as the trace over his bearded jawline to tilt his face further, and now careful clean up the actual cut. Its not as bad as it looked, and you change the subject. “How did this happen anyways?”

“Smashed it upside the back end helping people down. I was pulling myself up and clipped it.” Ari rolled his eyes at himself and you chuckled softly hearing it, brushing your fingers through his hair out of his eyes.

“Well fuck Ari, I apparently cant even leave you in the capable hands of Sammy to keep you out of trouble.” You tossed the cloth in the nearby sink now that he was cleaned up, and dabbed just a light amount of ointment on it to keep it clean. When you finished by rubbing your hands together quickly to clear away the rest of the ointment, he tightened his grip on your thighs and pulled one leg up, then the other to straddle him, wrapping one arm around your waist so you could brace back lightly against his arm.

“Not like you could keep me out of it either, dont worry Honey, we got this. We will stop when it gets to be to dangerous.” Your fingers brushed through his hair once more, giving it the lightest teasing tug before wrapping your arms around his neck, and giving him an doubtful smile. You knew it was a lie, he wouldnt. But right now this was another problem, another day, another worry for another time.  

Wrapping his free hand around the back of your neck and dragging you forward, his lips connecting with yours and the wild taste of sea salt, hints of nicotine, and something just him drew out a soft moan from you, a tip of the head and he was able to draw you in deeper till you were leaning in against his chest, and with a light bite, he drew away, his long fingers lightly pressing in against the back of your neck.

“Ive got you, trust me.”

You didnt want to, but deep down, you always did. 

tagging-  @jtargaryen18 @what-is-your-plan-today @p8tn0lish @stardancerluv @princess-evans-addict @patzammit

[thewritingcaptain]

The Internship: Chapter 2

Yet maybe why that was exactly why he shouldn’t have applied. Because they had that connection. And because Peter genuinely had something to hide.

Notes: So it has occurred to me as I was going back through my blog to make sure everything else is up to date that I posted the first chapter of this here and never the rest of it because I’m a fecking idiot. Like really, this is my most popular story, and I just... left it off my writeblr? Unacceptable. So here it is. I hope you enjoy, and let me know if anyone wants to be on the taglist for this piece. 

And in case my stupidity means you need to see chapter one again, you can find it here. 

His senses were tingling. 

That was Peter’s only thought as he walked out of the interview. His Spider sense was going off the charts right now, which was absolutely ridiculous. He knew as well as anyone else that he was in the presence of another hero; part of the reason he’d applied for this internship was because of his alter ego, and because of what he knew of Tony’s. Iron Man had been someone he admired for years before he’d ever become Spider-Man, and yet....

Yet maybe why that was exactly why he shouldn’t have applied. Because they had that connection. And because Peter genuinely had something to hide. 

As he rode home in a cab, he chewed over the interview in his head. It had gone well enough, he thought. He was honestly kind of relieved when Tony hadn’t been paying a whole lot of attention to it. He was incredibly intimidating in person, and… well. There was their previous encounter to think about. 

Stupid. So stupid. This was an unnecessary risk, he knew, but it was also such a good opportunity. And he couldn’t deny that he would learn a lot from this summer internship, were he to get it - not just about being a hero, but from Tony, in general. The man was a genius after all; there was no denying that. And what he had told Miss Potts was completely true. This was exactly what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Tony’s achievements had been an influence on that. Just being in his presence was enough to give him the urge to do something, anything, in suit or out of it. 

But he also was smart enough to know that this was exactly why his senses were tingling, too. Stark had a good poker face, but he’d caught the way he’d been studying him when he thought he wasn’t looking. He knew something was up, or he had a hunch, at least. The man’s instincts were sharp, and with good reason. 

He tried to tell himself it didn’t matter. There had been hundreds of candidates in and out of there. He had to try, just to be able to say he did, but the likelihood he would have gotten it was so low that he had no reason to worry. And after Mr. Stark had heard him make a comment about needing someone to check his work, and he’d actually had the audacity to point it out to the man himself? Yeah right. His chances were probably laughable after that. Even if he’d been right - which he wasn’t even sure that he was - nobody took well to being corrected, especially when the person in question was Tony Stark. Taking criticism graciously seemed like an unlikely personality trait for him. 

He sighed as the cab pulled up at his apartment building, handing the driver his money and getting out. Oh well. At least he still had dinner with May to look forward to, and now that school was done for the summer - the tail end of this week had been the end of his exams; he wouldn’t even have thought about trying to do all of this while school was in session - he had all of the summer to look forward to hanging around town and slinging some webs whenever he felt like it. May still had to work normal hours during the week, so he would basically be free to do whatever he wanted all summer and not have to worry about hiding his comings and goings from her near as much. He could be Spider-Man as often as he wanted to - except on the weekends.

When he entered the apartment that he shared with his aunt, the first thing that caught his attention was the smell of food. Something different, as he couldn’t quite pinpoint what type of food it was, but maybe that had something to do with the fact it smelled… well, like it was burning. And it reeked to his heightened senses. 

“May?” Peter stepped inside, closing the door and plugging his nose. 

Her head popped out from around the corner. “Hey kiddo. How was the interview? Did it go well?” 

Peter walked deeper inside cautiously, looking around. Now that he was where he could see past the wall, he could see that the kitchen area had filled with some nasty dark smoke, and he raised an eyebrow at her. “It was great, yeah. I think I did okay. You, uh…” he gestured to the stove, where a pan sitting on top appeared to be the source of the smoke, although whatever was in it was unrecognizable to him. “Trying to cook again?” 

May sighed, brushing past him into the living area to open their two tiny windows. “Yeah. I just wanted to try to make you a nice meal, you know, to celebrate, but… I’m still working on my array of dishes, you know, and this was definitely a failed experiment.” She turned back to him once she’d opened them both, putting her hands on her hips. “So, my nerves are officially shot for the night, but we can do some takeout or something instead. Wherever you want to go, just let me know.” 

He laughed a little, feeling a burst of affection for his aunt. He gave her a quick hug, to which she blinked, surprised, before hugging him back. “Sounds good, May. Thank you. I’ll- I’ll let you know where I want to go shortly. I just want to shower and get out of this suit, if you don’t mind.” 

“Not at all. Just let me know whenever you’re ready.” 

Peter nodded, releasing her and heading back to his room. As soon as the door had closed behind him, he pulled off his tie, beginning to strip off the suit. It was nice, granted, and it wasn’t exactly completely uncomfortable, but it wasn’t comfy, either. He didn’t know how people like Tony could practically live in these things some days. Course, it probably helped that Tony had the money for a nice suit, and his wasn’t a cheap, itchy knockoff from a downtown thrift store. Oh well. 

He hung it back up in his closet, then went to shower and change for dinner. He was going to have a good night with his aunt and put all these thoughts and worries behind him. Whatever happened was going to happen, and it was out of his hands now. He’d find out soon enough. 

[chimswae]

BTS Caretaker CH8

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 2,008

- Author Note: Finally update on time! i appreciate your feedback and comment, just drop in my ASK BOX :)

Previous | Next

Chapter 8

“Why are you in rush?” the older guy blinks confusedly at the sight before him. Seul was struggling with her aprons as a frustrated sigh escaped her mouth “I have another work to catch on” untangling the dangling knots around her, Wongeun shook his head in amusement.

He took a few steps closer to Seul, grabbing her shoulders while leaning down to her level “Let me help you with that” Seul froze at the close proximity. A wisp of Wongeun scent reminded her of the supposed-to-be-forgotten-Min-Yoongi, and it was horrible to have him in her mind again.

“Don’t overwork yourself Seul-ah. You are still young” his fingers were fidgeting with the knots around her waist. He carefully untangled it as he smiles bashfully. God, Seul really hated this kind of gesture by a guy like Wongeun. It is troublesome for her heart.

Seul felt a heavy lump on her throat, as she forced out the words coming out from her mouth without sounding like she’s screeching. “Thank you oppa for your concern but I will be fine. I am doing this for my mother after all” she was grateful of the attention that he showed her. Sometimes her colleagues mistaken his kind gesture as a flirt when she tried to push that thoughts far away from her. Just because it was ethically wrong to have a feeling for her employer.

He removed the pink apron gracefully and took few steps back with a soft smile that could melt many hearts “I know you are a good daughter but don’t forget people around you. They care for you. I am sure your mother doesn’t want to see you like this either” Wongeun tucked strand of hair behind her ears.

“Alright alright, what is with this super serious talk. That doesn’t fit you” she chortled, jabbing his arm playfully.

“I am being serious. Okay, I am still worried that your workplace has no female but bunch of hormonal teenagers” his brow flinched together with a hint of concern.

Seul snorted “They are young adults. It is totally different from teenagers. Man, this is so unnecessary. I got to go, I don’t want to bump into any of those babytans” she slipped her phone inside her sling bag, taking all her stuffs in the locker.

“You even have a nickname for them” he pointed out shooting a sly smile.

“WHAT?!” Seul flustered causing her cheeks to reddened turning her into a ripe tomato. She just disliked the mention of their names being associated with her, god knows how she hated herself for letting this thing affect her brain.

“See you tomorrow” she scurried off putting a stop to Wongeun teasing. What a trickster.

 ------------------

Jimin rolled off from his bed and went straight to the bathroom. He was taking a short nap and like a flash all the members disappeared in thin air. Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon went to the company few hours ago like they usually did whilst Jimin chose to stay at home since he already spent 18 hours in the studio yesterday.

Taehyung was not at home either since afternoon, as soon as their Busan’s schedule got cancelled earlier this morning, he went to watch his friend’s musical show. He offered to take Jimin along, but he was dead tired to even get off from his comfortable bed. Taking a nap supposed to help rejuvenating his body and mind a little until he noticed no one was at home but him.

He took a quick shower before coming out shirtless feeling refresh and alive. Not long after, his ears caught the sound of the door being opened, it made him skipped a little in his stance “They are here already? THAT WAS FAST!” he grabbed random shirts from his closet.

“ugh they wont leave me alone right?” Jimin turned into a real klutz as he grabbed his phone and wallet before making his way outside his room. “You said eight minutes” said Jimin who had been busy forcing himself into the grey shirt.

Seul’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her. It made her mind fuzzy, blood rushing in her system and to her astonishment the figure in front of her got Seul losing her ability to talk. To be frank, her knees weakened, and she was screaming mentality.

Jimin noticed the heavy atmosphere making him uneasy for no reason and with that he quickly slipped the shirt over his head. “OH SHIT” his eyes shot opened. He gasped in sheer horror scanning Seul from head to toes.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU” he breathed deeply, taking a step back. Seul could see him blushing deeply mainly due to the way him welcoming her with his toned body. Why must she have a weird encounter with this babytan? Crazy much.

Seul averted her eyes from meeting his shy gaze and cleared her throat in process “Why no one inform me that you will be around at this time?” she mumbled in frustration. This should not be happening since her last encounter with Yoongi was not that good either.

“ARE YOU A…SASAENG PERHAPS?” Jimin clutches onto his phone tight, staring at her way with a bewildered look. His mind was plotting something nasty and cruel, yet he didn’t know if he could execute it. Before things turned bad, he must save himself first and contacted anyone like Kim Seokjin because after all he was on his way there.  

“Were you the girl that Yoongi hyung mentioned before?”

“The one who pretended to be the caretaker ahjumma? When you are not?”

“OH MY GOD. YOU ARE REAL! HYUNG WAS NOT LYING AFTER ALL” his voice croaked at the end indicating his fear and nervousness. The words coming out from his mouth was distorted but sounded cute to Seul. Even though it was not the time to mentally squeal over his cuteness, Jimin is undeniably cute indeed.

“Don’t bore me with your false assumptions. That guy has been getting it all wrong” Seul rummaged through her bag finding her mother’s staff id as a proof so it could shut this tiny guy instantly. However, as a self-defence Jimin took few steps back afraid Seul pulled out guns or blades from her bags.

Rolling her eyes, Seul flashed the card “There you go.. it is my mother’s staff id. Can you trust me now?” she pressed.

He glanced at the staff id in Seul’s hand “Are you sure that is your mother?”

“Duh, yes? People said I take after her. Can’t you see the obvious?” Seul shot him a disapproval look. Maybe, Jimin is cute but he aint anymore when he inquired her like a legit policeman.

Jimin then took the chance to scrutinize Seul’s face start from her eyebrows along her crescent moon eyes that practically shoots dagger at his way making him flustered immediately. Coughing away to ease the awkwardness, Jimin eyes land on his pink lips that purses up showing off her annoyance.

“Are you seriously creeping on me right now?” her voice brought him out from his trance when the reality finally hits him hard. Shit, what am I doing. Jimin bit his lower lips surpassing the urge to cuss out loud.

Seul grew quiet for few seconds gathering the sense of humanity in her before beating the crap out of him “I am here to work, and I don’t have time to explain to someone who refuse to believe what I am saying at first place. I am sure that hyung of yours have already told you what I said to him weeks ago. So, can you just digest it and embrace the reality that I am here to work not to stare at you” distressed Jimin had no idea how to react to this. Should he just run off and find help or should he just let her do the works and wait until Jin and Jungkook came to the rescue?

“I am beginning to be vexed with you, gosh” she stared boringly at his way.

He pressed his lips together trying to steady his breathing “That doesn’t prove anything… mmm…i.. think you are dangerous. I will just…” Jimin strutted to his room and locked the door behind him. Seul grunted under her breath, it was an unexpected meeting again. If this kept going, she would end up embarrassing herself in front of the whole population of babytans.

She felt a small smile crept up at the corner of her lips ‘Except for him. He doesn’t look that baby after all’ she blushed madly upon the image of shirtless Jimin creeping in. Considering Jimin is around, Seul decided to settle things quick and leave as soon as possible. She didn’t know who else would come in few minutes, every second is precious. On top of all, she didn’t want to meet Min Yoongi again. Worst case of scenario.

 --------------

Pacing back and forth anxiously was Park Jimin. He blamed himself for turning himself into a real fool. What was he thinking? Showing off his skin in front of stranger who could possibly hurt him or even sexually harassed him? Was there any case whereby man got raped by a woman? Negativity only to bring unnecessary panic.

Think rational.

Calm down.

Inhaling a deep breath, Jimin took his phone and his fingers clumsily typed a quick message to Jin asking his whereabouts. He clearly said it was only eight minutes, but this took forever.

Releasing a sigh of relief, Jimin finally felt less helpless at the moment. He did not even dare to go beyond the door. No one knew what she could possibly plan in that brain of hers. Another thing was that she looked pretty decent to be referred as a murderer or kidnapper however anything could happen in one night.

He sunk on his bed, squeezing his eyes together ‘Why is she here. Is she real’ he raked fingers in his damp hair angrily.

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

Drumming his fingers against the glass table, Yoongi concentrated on mixing the tunes that came into his mind earlier with the new verse that Hoseok suggested. He had been busy producing new songs for their upcoming comeback and this was just beginning. Out of all time that he had in this world, he loved those days when he could spend all day in his studio making music, getting new inspirations and let the idea flow beautifully.

Staring blankly at the cold ceiling, his mind drifted off to the kisses that he had with Seul few weeks ago. His brows clenched together, protesting the dull ache that was beginning to grow in his temple “Screw that woman” he scowled.

The beep coming from his phone diverted his attention from thinking of Seul again, thankfully. A message from Jimin was unusual unless it was really important.

He arose from his seat, shutting down all the equipment. His determination to catch Seul again today doubled “I will make sure to catch you this time” he grinded his teeth together. As he was about to exit his room, he bumped into clueless Hoseok right in front of his studio “Are you heading back already?” the younger guy blinked at his hyung unusual behaviour.

Min PD won’t be back home not until he was summoned by Jin. When this happened, it simply means Jin was annoyed of Yoongi overwork himself to the extent of neglecting his meals and rest.

“I will be back later.. I have something important to do” said Yoongi flatly avoiding Hoseok judgemental round eyes.

“And? Why you look irritated? Did something bothering you” Hoseok used his luck to pry answers from him.

“Later. Tell Namjoon, the song demo is on his desk” giving Hoseok a light pat on the back, he brushed pass him without looking back. This was it, he had no time to waste or else he would be losing her again. It was already hard to predict her shift every day, he was not planning to waste the chances.

Hoseok watched his small figure disappeared “Is hyung dating someone? Not that I remember”

  This work belongs to  Chimswae © 2020. All Rights Reserved.

[gayllamafromspace]

Embrace Your Chaos

(Tissaia De Vries/Reader)

Chapter 5: Master Manipulator

I did not go to sleep, I couldn't. Not with all of the thoughts in my head. I feel like I've made a mistake. I should have lied, but I didn't, and I have no idea what she thinks of me now. It's fine, it will be okay. This just gives me the perfect opportunity to do the spell. I open the book I found the spell in to the bookmarked page. Reading through it, I grab everything I need. Roses, a bowl of water, candles, parchment paper, and a wiring utensil. Carefully, I set up a sort of alter. In the center of the desk is the bowl of water, in a crescent like shape, the candles are above it. Below the bowl to the left are the rose petals, and to the right is the parchment.

Taking a moment to ground myself, as instructed by the book, I close my eyes and take deep breaths. Thinking of nothing, focusing on my breathing, and of clearing my mind. That is very difficult, especially if you have a very active imagination. Eventually, after failing miserably, I imagine myself in a forest, sitting in front of a large tree. In my mind I can smell the damp dirt, hear the slight rustle of leaves, and feel a cool breeze on my skin. It's surreal, and beautiful. There's most, ivy, and beautiful flowers climbing up the trunk of the massive tree before me. The bark twists and bends in intricate waves, up until they're hidden by the leaves and branches. Underneath and around me are leaves, moss, and grass. I feel myself settle, and a peaceful calm comes over me. I open my eyes and smile serenely to myself. I will definetly be doing that more often.

I grab a match and light the four candles from left to right, thinking of my intention. Once all of the candles are lit, I put out the match and grab the piece of paper. Focusing on my intent, I write it down and gently place the paper in the water, letting it sink to the bottom of the bowl in it's own time. Once it has touched the bottom, I pick up the rose petals and begin placing them into the water. As the spell instructed, I held each petal to my chest, whispering Tissia's name and that she will heal. Then I kissed the petal and placed it in water, letting them float on the surface.

Once I finished that, I closed my eyes and recited the old elvin word that the book told me to say. I could feel my energy starting to drain, so I focused on the vase of roses, willing the energy to be taken from them. I feel the energy in the room settle, and I open my eyes. Glancing quickly over at the vase, I see that only 3 out of 8 of them are still alive. It worked. Carefully, I lick my fingers and whisper thanks to the candles, putting them out from right to left.

Being careful not to spill the water, I lift the bowl and carry it over to Tissia, placing it on the bedside table. I gently lift her arm, and remove the bandage. There's some blood still seeping through, but it's still not as bad as the first day. She's been doing surprisingly well considering the extent of the damage done to her arm. Once the bandage was completely removed, I dipped my fingers in the water and held my hand over the gash, letting the water drip into the wound. She stirs, and I look up to see her brows furrow slightly, but she isn't awake. Dipping my hand in the water again, I repeat the process 3 more times.

After that, I take the rose petals and gingerly place them over the wound. Taking a deep breath in, I mutter my intention and the elvin word once more. The rose petals glow a faint gold and then return to normal. The spell is complete, I just need to wrap her back up and wait. Tying the wrap back around her cut, I put her arm back down. I linger slightly, feeling the soft skin of her arm, but I quickly pull my hand away. 'Idiot' I think to myself, walking over to my chair and sitting down. I look out the window at the stars, there are some clouds floating around, but it's relatively clear. Laying my head back, I pull my thin blanket over myself and try to drift off to sleep. It takes a while, the thoughts from before creeping back into my head, but eventually I drift off to sleep.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

I wake up to a strange tingly sensation in my arm. I look over, after adjusting to the morning sun pouring through the window, and see that there's a new bandage on my arm. But unlike the last few times (Y/N) had changed it, there wasn't blood. So, either she just changed it, or she did something… either way, I'm glad I'm not wearing a nasty bandage. Looking over to her I rule out one of the options, she's dead asleep. If I couldn't see her breathing I'd think she was.

So the only logical explanation is that she did something. Carefully, I get up and stretch. Then look around. I notice a bowl of water on the bedside table, 4 slightly burned candles on the desk, and an open book. Like any sensible person, I go over to the desk and read the book. It's open on a healing spell that requires the subject to be asleep… that explains it. So she did a healing spell last night. Looking over to the roses, I notice that there are only 3 left alive… a spell like that should have killed all of them. Well, she finally did something! Took her long enouph.

She does look exhausted… but healthy. That's just what happens when an inexperienced sorceress does spells, they are bound to mess something up. Considering who in fact did it, it's unsurprising that she did something wrong. (Y/N) seems to have a knack for messing things up, it's like a special talent of hers. But at least she tried, and it seems she did a good job.

I go over to the bed and pick up the book I was reading last night. If I'm going to be awake, I may as well educate myself. Flipping to the page I left off on, I continue reading. Many of the beasts in this book are just foul, absolutely horrendous. It's a good thing witchers exist, or they'd be running amok. There are a few though that pique my interest, some that aren't even all the horrible.

I spend about an hour reading, but eventually I get bored of that as well. Being cooped up in the room is horrible… I may actually go exploring, maybe find some food for (Y/N) and I. I'll do that, it's best to stretch my legs anyway.

I created a sort of sling for my arm, which is very difficult considering I can only use one of them. I make due though. Eventually, after a lot of struggling, I'm ready, and I make my way out the door. It doesn't take very long for me to run onto a servant. So, I asked them if they could help me to the kitchens to get some food.

The hallways are made entirely of stone, hunks of rock expertly placed together. The servant stayed quiet, so the only sounds that echoed through the hall were our footsteps. Well, at least they are, until the older woman walking beside me decided to make conversation.

"You're one of the Novice mages right?" The woman asks, looking down at me from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, am I expected to be anything else?" I say. I'm curious, but I don't take kindly to being mistaken for a servant girl, if that is what's happening here. The elder woman is quick to remedy her mistake.

"Oh no miss, not at all. It's just unusual to see the Novices wandering the halls alone so early in their time here." She says, a small smile on her face. "You must be one of her top students." I frown at this comment, because I know it's not true. I haven't gotten to learn anything about chaos and magic since I've been here, because someone just had to challenge the Rectoress.

The servant notices the slight change in my facial expression and a look of clarity comes over her face. She looks almost sympathetic, which irritates me. I shouldn't need sympathy, it's unnecessary. The only person who's going to need sympathy is (Y/N) when I'm through with her. She may have been a generous and kind host… and she may seem good at heart… but she is the reason ik in this mess. I mustn't forget that.

"So you're the student that caused trouble then?" The servant says, a small smile on her face. It's quickly wiped away when I glare up at her, hatred burning in my eyes. She mistook me for that dim witted twat?! Really?

"I most certainly am not!" I sneer through barbed teeth. It's outrageous, me? A trouble maker? Not in this lifetime, or any other for that matter. After a moment though, I almost feel bad. A blank look has over cast her features, but I can see the regret in her eyes. She looks me up and down, her eyes lingering on my arm. She hesitates, but eventually she does speak again.

"My apologies miss, I should have payed more attention… I'd forgotten there were two of you." She says, carefully choosing her words. There's a long moment of silence as we continue walking. I can hear clattering and the sounds of people yelling in the distance. The smell of warm food is unmistakable, we've almost arrived at the kitchens.

"You seem like you hate this girl… how have you not killed her yet?" The servant asks me, stopping just before the kitchen doors and turning to me. I turn to face her as well, giving a curt and monotonous answer.

"I do not wish to kill her. I want to get away from her as soon as possible," the woman nods and I continue.

"The only way to get what I want is to pretend that I don't hate her. The sooner I'm healed, the sooner I get to learn. She has to believe she can do magic to be able to heal me."

"So you're manipulating her?" The servant says, a look of concern on her face. I breathe in and nod.

"Yes, I am. If she thinks that I trust her, she will do better. She needs validation." I say matter-of-factly. The servant nods, looking almost saddened. I don't care though, her opinion is insignificant, I have my own problems to deal with.

We enter the kitchens and she tells the cooks to fix some food for me and (Y/N). They don't take too horribly long, apparently they'd still had left over from breakfast. It's not too long until me and the servant woman are on our way back to the room. The walk back is silent the whole way, the servant clearly stuck in her own head.

[saintheartwing]

The Karma Circle: Sister Dearest

Welcome, children. Welcome…to the KARMA CIRCLE.

I take you to a simple town with simple people. McKeesport. A quiet town, filled with quiet people, kindly people. Away from the hustle and bustle of the big city of Pittsburgh, Dibbun Membrane lives with his sister and his father, having been at long last freed from his greatest concern: an annoying alien that finally blew himself and his base up, leaving a VERY helpful and playful robot behind for Dib to play with.

And Dib looks upon this new companion as a true comfort, for his father is never, ever around when he needs him, and his sister is beastly and cruel. Dib ¬simply does not have it in him to fight back against her, for she terrifies him to the very core…

Even more so than the haunted house by Emmett's Pond. He passes it by every day on his way back from school...unaware that that which is dead does not lie still. It lies in wait. Seeking what it lost.

…and it will soon strike. For the Piper is about to be paid.

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

Throughout the town's history, several fires tore through McKeesport. The greatest of all took place on May 21, 1976. Fire had spread from the town's most enormous department store downtown, fourteen buildings going up in a blaze. Striffler's Funeral Home, Kadar's Clothing Store, Oddo's Hobby Shop, the Coney Grill Restaurant…

And the Emmett Family home. It had been especially tragic…a young, sweet child had run out of her burning family home after the flames had spread, rushing away desperately to get help, for there were only two ways to get to town, one by the road, the other by a small lake that led to another road into town. She'd supposedly been trying to get help, for the first path was alit with flames, and had hoped to cross the lake…only to drown in the middle of the lake instead.

The poor little girl had failed her family, and legend had it that she still cannot rest. At sunset, you'll see the smoke drifting through the trees though it's been a CENTURY since she drowned…and if you're wise, you'll RUN! For that's when her ghost rises from the dark lake in which she'd drowned. She searches and searches for her baby brother, her father, her mother, but will never find them…and you had best take care she doesn't find you.

Dib believed in ghosts, of course. He was twelve years old and had seen more than most his age. He'd seen demons and spirits flying through the skies. He'd seen beings from beyond the stretches of Earth. And his new "little brother" of sorts, his best friend and confidant, was a robot with a head full of garbage, paper clips and-

"Ba-doompa-doompa-bubble gum! Ba-doompa-doompa-bubble gum! Ba-doompa-doompa-bubble gum! I'm gonna buy some bubble gum!" GIR the robot sang out, waving his tiny little robot hands in the air, his cyan eyes glittering as he bounced about the kitchen, Dib smiling a bit as he munched on his "Choco-Flakes" cereal.

There was an article in the paper about someone supposedly seeing the "Departed Soul of Emmett Lake". And, of course, it had the famous rhyme that you were meant to sing as you ran by it, the magic charm. "Departed Soul of Emmett Lake, Come not Night for Mercy's Sake! For when the sun hangs in the sky then we shall safely pass you by".

Gaz probably believed in ghosts too, deep down. But she didn't know nor would she have cared about the haunted lake. Gaz didn't care about much that didn't immediately gratify her, like a Poop Cola or "Piggy Hunter May Cry 5". It was, in a way, amazing that Gaz could be so different from their mother even though the two were almost equal in appearance to their respective parents. Dib had his father's scythe-like hair and pale skin, and both had their mother's amber/gold eyes…but Gazlene, unlike Peggy Membrane, had eyes sharp like a hawk, her arms thin and her expression usually bitter, and when she DID smile, it was a grin like stretched elastic.

She only ever really smiled when Professor Membrane was in the house. Then she'd call Dib by his actual name and would calmly smile over at Dib in a faux-friendly fashion. But once their dad had left, the smile would vanish, she'd punch or hit him somehow for taking a soda she felt belonged to her, or would, occasionally, lock Dib in the cellar for taking what she felt was a slice of HER pizza.

Not that Dib and GIR really minded being in the cellar too much. Because Dib had just decided to move a great deal of his stuff downstairs, including a Papier-mâché version of people's heads, toy soldiers…GIR liked to play with the red ones…and a Tallest Red and Purple series of puppets that GIR had made. GIR especially liked to act out the "what happened when the Tallest decided to check that odd speck in the distance out the window". The "odd speck" turning out to be a tiny black hole. Zim, watching it all from his end, had evidently been mortified. Maybe THAT'S why he hadn't been paying attention to the explosive experiment that finally did him in!

"What the hell is that? That's gotta be the weirdest thing I ever seen in my life!"

"Man what the hell IS that?"

"Say Red, think we oughta check that thing out?"

"I dunno, Pur, why not-AAAAA! AAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAA!" GIR cried out, waving the Red and Purple puppets about in the air as Dib held up the black hole he'd made from Papier-mâché as GIR "tossed" the puppets through it. There came a loud KLOKKA-KLOK and the doorway opened up, Gaz glaring down at them.

"Shut up. You'll make me lose my concentration on Vampire Piggy Hunter X." She snapped, slamming the door shut as Dib glared up at her as she re-locked the cellar door. Good thing he'd snuck down some circus peanuts today.

"I could cut her up into little pieces and feed her to Mr. Tiddles." GIR cheerily offered, Dib frowning a bit.

"For one, Mr. Tiddles has been dead since Gaz sacrificed him to get those gummy bears that feed on human flesh." He sighed. "And TWO, I'd just get sent to prison. Everyone knows I hate her…they'd blame me for sure." He mumbled, taking his glasses off and rubbing some gunk off of the lenses.

"Can'tcha…y'know…just tell your dad she's a meany head, Mary?" GIR asked, scratching his bucket-esque head as Dib shook his head back and forth.

"Dad wouldn't believe me. She always acts reaaaal nice around him and she doesn't leave bruises on me that leave actual marks. Besides, I don't think he WANTS to believe me. He wants to believe his children get on just fine so he can just keep working at the lab." Dib insisted, shaking his head again. "She'll be back in ten minutes. Remember, look SAD." He insisted, GIR taking his lips and turning the smile into a deliberate frown. "Good. If she thinks we're having fun down here, she'll just think of a worse punishment. Probably one that'll hurt."

"Like…goin' down to the lake?" GIR mumbled out, eyes widening slightly in fear.

"Zim told you about it?" Dib asked, raising an eyebrow up in the air…and though GIR was silent…Dib could guess what the answer was.

…

…

…

…then came September, and Professor Membrane had to be called away to a peace conference at the United Nations. Dib, of course, had tried to beg to come with him, but Professor Membrane had just good-naturedly laughed and patted his son on his head, saying Gaz would take good care of him before heading out the door. Gaz had IMMEDIATELY barricaded Dib in his room and he'd been almost without food had he not thought to keep Premium Saltines and peanut butter cups under his bed. Why? So she could eat all the pizza and keep HIM from taking it.

"I'm wise to all your tricks." She told him calmly. "And don't complain. Whiner." She'd added, slamming the door in his face when he'd asked to use the bathroom. Good thing the window could be opened enough.

"I wonder why Memby never notices the rose bushes under your window don't ever bloom." GIR asked as Dib did his business and then closed the window, Dib sighing as he plopped down on the bed and glanced over at the calendar on the wall.

"Oh. Good! Tomorrow's Wednesday!"

Indeed. The next day was Wednesday, and that meant that Gaz was chatting it up with her friend Tak, another Irken alien just like Zim had been who'd been considerably more…calmed down…over the years. With Zim dead, what psychosis she'd had had faded a bit into just occasional coldness and vaguely British snarkiness that always manifested whenever Gaz was compelled to drag Dib along with her to Tak's house down the street to play "Grand Theft Piggy 5: New Pork City" in Co-Op. Tak and Gaz both seemed to be made of the same material…that is, a big block of granite left in the middle of a Minnesota winter.

But hey, GIR and Dib could sneak Reeses Pieces from a small glass cup that Tak kept by the living room cupboard whilst Tak and Gaz played before Tak's big screen TV and they could ignore the nasty comments the two girls would sling their way whilst carjacking little old virtual ladies.

"Honestly, my brother is SUCH a whiner." Gaz muttered. "He keeps insisting I can't take the car. That "I'm too young". I could drive it just fine."

"You ALWAYS walk here?" Tak asked.

Dib paled. Oh crap. Ohhhhhh crap.

For you see, there were two ways to get to school AND to Tak's house, which was right BY the school. One was by the hill, and the other…well…the "shortcut" by the lake. The haunted lake.

"Yeah, it's a long walk up the hill to get to the stupid school-" Gaz mumbled as GIR's mouth hung slightly open, finally processing what Gaz and Tak were about to say, his eyes becoming tiny pinpricks. Oh no. Ohhhhh no!

"Why don't you just take the shortcut through the woods? Y'know, the one that has the lake nearby?" Tak asked.

"Huh?" Gaz blinked, pausing the game and putting the controller down as she scratched the purple hair atop her head, her amber/brown eyes turning to look at GIR and Dib as her tone became quiet and dangerous. "You KNEW about a shortcut?!"

"Everyone in town knows. Lemme guess. You didn't tell her about the shortcut because you're scaaaared of da spooooky ghoooosties!" Tak said, throwing her head back and laughing hysterically, antennae flopping about as GIR clung tightly to Dib, letting out a panicked squeak. "I'm sure your sister will be happy to cure you of such a silly fancy. It's just an urban legend. Supposedly this young girl's family burned to death and SHE drowned in the lake, and should you see smoke rising from the woods, you'd best RUN! It's all so silly." She said, her voice as sweet as honey from a wasp.

"You're a bad, BAD girl! You won't make us go past the lake! Not at sunset!" GIR yelled out.

"A GHOST? Really?! You didn't tell me about this shortcut because some GHOST is supposed to haunt it?!" Gaz snapped. "Gimme a break, like I should be scared of a stupid specter." She muttered, folding her arms across her chest and shaking her head back and forth. "While I'm doing IMPORTANT things you're picking your nose, laughing on how you make me walk three miles every day just to get to school! And all cuz of some dumb urban legend! Lemme guess, a headless lumberjack'll pop outta the woods and cut my head off?!"

"I wish." Dib muttered.

Gaz IMMEDIATELY launched the wireless controller she had in her hand at him and it smacked into his forehead, a bloody cut trickling down it as he flopped to the ground, Dib glaring triumphantly up at her as he picked up his dropped-down glasses. "Now I've got a cut, a scar to show Dad when he comes back." He told her.

"Shut up or you'll get worse than that!" Gaz told him sharply, grabbing him and GIR by the wrists, dragging them out of the house, heading for the woods…heading for the lake…

As sun was beginning to set, crimson rays being cast overhead. She continued dragging them along the path, over dead leaves and fallen sticks, a long shadow being cast behind her smallish frame, the setting sun glowing almost as brightly as her hateful eyes, the dark pond slowly coming into sight off in the distance.

"Maybe she's a witch?" GIR whispered to Dib. "You think she's a witch?"

"Shhh!" Dib hissed back. The charm. The magic charm. "Departed Soul of Emmett Lake, Come not Night for Mercy's Sake! For when the sun hangs in the sky-"

"What're you two whispering about?" Gaz snapped out.

"Nothing!" Dib said quickly, gulping a bit as the wind began to wrap itself around him, digging its claws into him.

It was no good. The charm only worked during the DAY, when the sun was up and now the sun had fallen past the gnarled and now-barren trees, the sky looking like it was lit up with burning flames as…as pale wisps of smoke came curling and creeping under the ground, like blind fingers searching…

"The smoke. The SMOKE!" Dib whispered out, eyes widening in horror. "The smoke from the burning house! It was there!

"Are you kidding me?" Gaz groaned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously? Smoke?!" She muttered, dragging them towards the lake, GIR trying to break free in desperation before Gaz tossed him away, shoving her brother towards the lake, sticking his head down towards it, shaking him a bit. "LOOK!" She yelled out. "There's nothing there at all! It's just mist rising off the water!"

She was looking at Dib when she spoke…and did not see what was rising out of the reeds nearby, making it's way towards her as she glared back at GIR, who was gasping in horror at what drew ever-closer. Something dark and wet and tiny, a figure made of rotted-away flesh and water and reeds. Greenish/brown muck clung to the decayed flesh and slightly-cracked bones, a frog stuck in one eye, calmly breathing and staring back from the empty socket. Its eyes were silver like the scales of a fish, it's mouth turning from a slight smile to a furious, baleful glare as it saw Gaz shake Dib again, threatening to drop him in the lake as she yelled at GIR.

"WELL?! You cowards, I can't believe you're scared of some stupid girly ghost, there's nothing-"

The ghost GRABBED her, Dib breaking free and scrambling back as Gaz and the figure went into the lake an instant later, dark water frothing about as the two figures struggled, snarls and screams filling the air, Gaz and the figure sinking down in a boil of bubbles.

"G-g-g-g-g-GHOST!" GIR screamed out, Dib and GIR immediately racing off down the path, heading for home as fast as their legs could carry them, but GIR's leg had been injured when Gaz had thrown him, and there was a KRAKKA-KRKK sound as he fell to the forest floor, letting out a yelp. Dib quickly knelt down by him, trying to help GIR up as they heard the bushes and bramble being pushed aside, the two rooted to the spot in sheer terror, white nests of toadstools around them as they clung together in fear…

And then Gaz burst through the bushes, looking…oddly nice. She'd evidently run so fast her clothes had dried on her body, and her cheeks now had a bit of a blush to them, her hair now falling around her head almost like a halo as she blinked a bit at the sight of the two.

"Are you alright, guys?" She asked.

…GUYS?!

"That was an awful stumble, huh? Oh and look at you, Dib, you're shivering!"

DIB?! Calling him DIB and not "Hey, you"?

"Lemme give you a piggyback ride, GIR." She offered, helping GIR onto her back and cheerily smiling at Dib. "I think there's some pizza left over I can heat up at home, okay?" She asked Dib as she calmly walked off down the path, whistling.

WHISTLING!

"Who are you and what have you done with Gaz?" Dib muttered a bit, walking alongside her, scratching his head in surprise.

…

…

…

…true to her word, Gaz heated up the leftover pizza in the microwave and poured them all some Poop Cola, breaking out the big, fizzy straws from the cupboard, smiling as she watched them eat, staying silent before heading to her own room, Dib and GIR going back up to Dib's room, the two sitting on Dib's bed as Dib nervously chewed on his lip, glancing over at GIR.

"Did…did that just happen?" GIR asked. "She's all…y'know. Cheery."

"Yeah, it's weird." Dib murmured, scratching his head in confusion. "But…you saw it, right? At the lake?"

"Yes. And she fell in, right?" GIR wanted to know. "I don't get it, why…why's she being so nice? It's weird, Mary. Really weird. She's so different!"

"I thought she'd be dead, but…" Dib trailed off. "…I hope dad comes back soon." He finally sighed. "Hopefully things'll be back to normal soon."

And so the two went to sleep, GIR plopping down in the corner underneath a poster of the X-Files whilst Dib laid back in his bed, listening to Gaz walk about downstairs, slowly and uncertainly, as if she'd lost her way.

Within a few days though, it became clear Gaz had changed since falling into the lake, as if all the unpleasantness had been washed right out of her. The house was now bright and cheerful, Gaz now happily sharing her pizza and soda with the two and never raising her voice. She let Dib play with her Game Slave and even Tak didn't seem to mind this new Gaz as much, because this new one was far more cooperative in co-op. She doodled with Dib during the evening, chatted with him as they looked at old corny B-movies on the TV. And above all, she never ever hit them or yelled at them anymore!

Dib and GIR started calling her "Gazzy", and Dib would stargaze with her on the roof of their house at night, looking up silently at the stars, resting one hand atop hers as they contemplated the majesty beyond.

"Dad's gonna be home tomorrow." Dib said one night. "You remember, right?"

"Yes, Matthew."

"It's just "Dad", really."

"Alright. Dad."

"…how long will you be staying?" Dib wanted to know, tilting his head slightly to the side as Gaz rubbed her chin and raised an eyebrow up.

"However long would you want me here?" She wanted to ask. "If…if you wouldn't mind, could…" She began to say before Dib smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

"I want you to stay with us." Dib insisted. "Okay?"

"…I'd like that." She admitted with a smile, wrapping her arms around her brother and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Dib." She said, a single tear trickling down her cheek and onto the roof below.

…

…

…

… it was about two years before Dib made his way back to Emmett's Lake, going in broad daylight on a sunny Saturday in June, down the winding forest path to the dark lake where tragedy had struck o'er a century ago. The lake was peaceful now, tiny little tadpoles flittering about as butterflies flew overhead. He calmly sat at the end of the lake, on a tree stump as a water boatman skittered across the lake, leaving behind a small silver wake as Dib waited.

Sure enough, a few bubbles began to rise up to disturb the surface of the quiet water, small fish darting away as a scum of mud and filthy rose up slowly from the bottom of the lake, taking the vague shape of someone all-too-familiar who was scowling angrily.

"Dib, gemme out! She took my body that stupid little bitch! Look, if you bring her down here, I'll give you fifty bucks! I'll bring you chocolate every day to your room for breakfast, I'll-I'll wash your feet and never yell at you again, I promise, I-"

"Goodbye, Gaz." Dib firmly remarked, sitting up and walking away.

And that was the last time Dib ever walked by the lake ever again.

[chaoticneutralwriter]

Thirty Second Heartbreak

You think you’re doing pretty well for a human being who has to deal with two demonic entities in your life, to the point where you think you’ve become unfazed by them (maybe even prefer them over dealing with the arguably more trivial things in your life, like working customer service). But alas, you are still only human and humans grieve over the darnest things.

guardian demon! Jimin x reader

genre: fluff, comedy, slice of life, supernatural, aspects of slow burn

word count: 8.6k

Related works: see masterlist under guardian demon!jimin section

Story progression from Worlds Collide

A/N: Oh my God, the struggle to start this was fdskgh but probably because there was no way I could avoid a more ‘slower’ installment this time compared to the previous ones. BUT! All necessary! Don’t want to jump to the....exciting bits so soon. :D I hope you enjoy...while you can. (LOLL i kid idk i’m just gassing yall up).

The sound of the door unlocking, opening and then closing brings your attention away from your screen momentarily, spotting the familiar figure of Jaehee as she throws her shoes off, clearly disgruntled. You turn back to the video you’re watching just as she ambles over to your place on the living couch, collapsing onto the other end in a mess of limbs.

Taking out an earbud, you comment. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

“Ugh don’t even get me started.” She groans back, rubbing at her temple before she spills her guts. “I’ve been trying to help Jason look for a place with his roommate since the place they’re renting now is so dingy. I don’t know how many viewings I’ve been to now but every time I think we’ve found a decent enough place, they complain about the stupidest thing!”

“Such as?”

“How it’s ‘too far’ from their school and work.” She air quotes it before squawking incredulously. “It’s literally a five minute bus ride away! How is that far?!”

You snort with a shake of your head. “Yeah, that’s like, nothing? What are they expecting, especially living in the city here?” 



“Exactly! Not only did they want to a nice, cheap place but somewhere close to one of the busiest parts of the city? Nah uh, not happening.”

“So? What are you gonna do about it?”

Jaehee lets out a heavy sigh, exasperation lacing her every word as she lets her head flop back against the couch. “They still haven’t decided on a place, and I’m making his roommate look for some himself but they got about half a month left to find one because the idiot—!” She interrupts herself by making a strangled, growling noise that expresses her restrained frustration (for her boyfriend or his roommate, you’re not too sure at this point), “Put in his notice already! Like I get you have to let the landlord know two weeks ahead of time but were they really that confident in finding a place by then?!”

You grimace at your friend’s predicament because it really does sound like a pain in the ass.

“You working any time this week?” Jaehee asks after a moment. You pause your video to think about it.

“Hmm, I only work this Tuesday and Wednesday. Why?”

“Let’s go out for lunch or something — check out some of the cafes I have saved from Instagram.”

You hum in consent; it’s been a while since you’ve been out (besides for work) anyways so you’re okay with a little outing. “Sure, how about this weekend?”

“Sounds good!”

-

“Have a good day!” You say cheerily, waving off the customer you just cashed out. As soon as they’ve walked away from your register, your smile immediately drops, eyes whipping to the time before immediately you’re pressing the button for the mic on your radio. “I’m going to take my break. The line’s dead.”

“Yeah go ahead, Alicia will cover you.”

“Thanks.”

You don’t hesitate to speed walk out from behind the cashier counter and beeline your way to the very back of the store where the staff lunchroom is, all the while dodging the few customers lingering in your path. You will not be stopped here if you can so help it. Punching in the code on the security pad in record timing, you fling open the door while tearing the earpiece off to place on the communal table then heading over to the fridge to grab the large iced latte you had bought before going into your shift today.

And thank god you did because you don’t think you would be able to make it through the day without it. It’s your first shift of the week and being that it fell on a weekday, the store isn’t so busy. It’s great on your part because then you don’t have to deal with talking to customers and putting up a fake smile but it makes for the shift, however short it may be,  feel ten times longer than it is.

You’re only here for four and a half hours but you already feel like dying.

As you settle into a chair, you pull out your phone to scroll through your social medias as well as take the time to reply to messages in your group chat. You’re sipping on your drink when a sudden chill overtakes the room. Before you can so much as shiver, a voice nearly makes you shriek.

“So this is where you work? Man, how depressing.”

You nearly fall off your chair at how hard you flinched, managing to stifle your would-be shriek into a more controlled yelp. It’s only when you recover were you able to shoot the intruder a hard glare.

“Jungkook! What are you doing here?!” You hiss, trying to keep your voice down. The offending demon merely shrugs nonchalantly from across you, leaning back in his own seat in a very impossible way where he should’ve tipped over but he doesn’t.

“I was bored and decided to follow you — find out any of your dark secrets you might be hiding.”

“You know even Jimin doesn’t stalk me as much as you’re doing right now.”

“He’s boring; doesn’t know how to have fun anymore.” Jungkook sighs almost tragically as he gets up to stride around the room. You watch, a little thrown off by the juxtapose this demon-disguised-as-an-idol has to his surroundings. He’s got on a black hoodie that has bold white letters on the front that spell out Balenciaga, Kappa sweatpants and Puma runners; casual yet so bougie at the same time, it’s painfully obvious that Jungkook does not belong here, a lunchroom of a minimum wage job and that’s not taking into account his good looks either.

You sigh out in both annoyance at the scene and at Jungkook’s unannounced appearance.

“Look, I don’t have time to entertain you so I think it’s best if you —“

It’s quiet but you distinctly hear the trill of the lock pad being woken up and the numbers being punched in, announcing the arrival of a co-worker. You immediately clamp your mouth shut, eyes darting to see who would walk through the door. Not like it would matter because the more worrying issue here is that Jungkook has not left yet. The door clicks open and in walks Emily, a girl who usually helps out around the floor.

“Hey!” She greets you cheerily, none the wiser of the demon standing just mere feet in front of her.

“H-Hey…” You reply back, trying hard to be casual and maintain your attention on her rather than on Jungkook who’s grinning so widely, you think his cheeks would split. “Done for the day?”

“Yeah, thank god! I’ve been here since twelve.”

“Wow….but lucky you, at least you’re leaving.”

It’s currently seven in the evening, you started at five today and are scheduled until closing which was nine-thirty. You envy her for getting to leave, regardless of your otherwise short shift. Emily clocks out at the computer, taking off her work vest, walkie and headset, placing them back in the appropriate charge holders. It’s then that Jungkook decides to saunter over, silent as a ghost to peer curiously at the equipment and hover over your co-worker as she opens her locker to grab her bag and other belongings.

You try to grab his attention to get back, facial expression doing the talking for you but all he does is bunny grin at your cartoonishly angry faces.

“You’re part of the closing team today right?”

You instantly school your expression as Emily shuts her cubby locker, turning your way to head over to the wall hooks to grab her jacket.

“Y-Yeah. I hope we get out early since everyone’s been working on the go-backs as much as they can so cleaning shouldn’t be so bad…” Your voice comes out higher than normal, and though you technically have nothing to worry about (his demon visa only allows for you and supernatural beings to see him after all), it’s still hard to ignore a begrudgingly handsome 5’10” man. Actually, you think it’s even more frustrating because you’re the only one who can see him. And that doesn’t add to the fact that he’s being a total little shit right now — what is he doing with those radios? You try to subtly lean your head to get a better look but your co-worker speaks, pulling your gaze away from the mischievous demon.

“Yeah, it has been pretty slow too but you know how it gets when we’re just about to close; they all come swarming into the place out of nowhere.”

“Damn it you’re right….” You groan, the thought effectively distracts you from your demon problem momentarily. You let your head flop back, eyes looking skyward as if to pray to the retail Gods to have mercy. Emily pulls on her jacket, fixing it into place while slinging her bag over her shoulder to throw one last pitying look your way.

“Well, fingers crossed it doesn’t happen. I’ll see you—“

A piercing screech erupts in the room, causing both of you to wince and whip your head towards the rows of radios by the computer desk. Emily’s confused while you’re not impressed because she can’t see the stupid, wide eyed look Jungkook has on his face, mouth shaped into a perfect ‘O’ and looking like he just discovered the next best thing after Nutella, finger poised just inches from a walkie.

“Did someone forget to turn off their radio? That was a nasty feedback.” Emily remarks, shuffling over to take a quick peek only to walk away with a puzzled shake of her head. “Weird.”

“Y-Yeah…” You agree uneasily, shooting up from your seat and attempting to change the subject. “Weird—anyways! I should probably head back out there, get this done and over with.”

“Ha ha, yeah you’re right. I need to get going too; I’ll see tomorrow then!” Emily smiles, waving at you before she hurries out the door, finally leaving you to be able to openly glare at Jungkook.

“What did you do?!” You hiss, pulling on your own walkie and shoving your phone away into your back pocket.

“I don’t know! But it was cool!” He squeals, giddy as a kid on Christmas. It makes your head begin to pound and you just know that you’ll end up with a headache if you stay here any longer. But the conundrum here is that you don’t want to leave to finish the remainder of your shift, and not because you don’t want to work. No, you’ve found yourself a bigger problem.

“Look,” You say sternly, “I better not see you in and around the store doing…whatever the hell you just did there!”

“Hmm, can’t promise you that poppet.” Jungkook grins, wiggling his eyebrows. “I’m a free demon, tied down by no contract or mortal so you have no power over me.”

You huff, aghast at his declaration because you cannot have him running around causing a mess in the store (that’s more work for you!). Your mind races before the thought strikes you and you stick your nose in the air, challenging. “I’ll tell Jimin.”

You almost smirk in triumph at the way Jungkook’s snarky grin falters, eyes flickering as you see him consider his options and when you think you got him beat, he squares up again, mirroring your stance only it’s annoyingly more effective with his height advantage.

“Go ahead — I’ll have you know that he loves me too much to do serious harm to me.”

You don’t know if he’s bluffing or not but you really have no time for this; you already hear your manager asking if you’re back from your break yet over your headset. You answer that you’re on your way back out now before shooting Jungkook one last warning glare.

“Just. Leave. Or at least stay here!”

His only response is to continue to look like that meme of the cat with a knife pointed at it. Begrudgingly, you turn to leave, already feeling your blood pressure skyrocket.

You continue to work as the cashier for the remainder of the night, keeping up an impressive front that everything is fine and you’re not beside yourself with anxiety at the thought of whether that troublemaker of a demon had pity on you to leave you alone or not. So far, you’ve not heard a peep of any supernatural business coming from anywhere around the store. Your hope runs higher once the clock reaches nine and you only have half an hour left on shift to clean up with your co-workers before you can finally head home.

“Alright guys, how are you sections doing?” You hear your on-duty manager ask over the radio.

“Still got some stuff to put back.” Someone replies.

“Any up at the front?”

You turn your gaze from dumping the trash in the smaller bins by each register into the larger garbage bag, bringing up your mic to speak into, “There’s a couple of stuff here.”

“I’ll go grab them.”

Things were going pretty well, you manage to finish emptying the trash bins and as you’re tying the bag up, that’s when you hear it — a static noise coming through your headset but before you can make anything of it, it’s gone. Not a minute later you hear one of your co-workers, Daniel, say over the headset, “Stephanie where are you?”

“I’m in aisle 48, why?”

“Did you say you need help?”

“….No?”

A pause.

“….Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then who said they needed help then?”

You chime in after a moment of your own puzzlement. “No one said they needed help.”

“Yeah I didn’t hear anyone say they needed help.” Your manager adds in as well too. You see her coming up to where you’re standing by the return bins behind the register, shooting you her own pinched look of confusion. You can only shrug, just as lost.

“I swear I heard someone say they needed help….Or I’m going crazy.” Daniel responds, sounding unsettled. You honestly don’t know what to make of it either…..unless……

“I think the store might be haunted.” Your manager comments as she begins to unload the assortment of items left in the return bins.

“…..What makes you say that?” You ask nervously though the thought of a possible poltergeist isn’t what got you sweating.

“The last store I worked at, we actually had some unexplained things happen — all caught on camera by the way. Like, stuff being knocked over with no one there to cause it, or hearing people when there’s no one there just like now.” She says this all in a really light-hearted tone, even adds in, giggling, “Whenever we had to close the store, everyone would be so scared to go to the back by themselves; we would all just move in a group.”

You give your own stiff laugh, glancing out onto the store floor in hopes that a certain demon didn’t hear that and get any ideas. Your manager shuffles off with the items in a cart, off to put them back in their appropriate spots which allows for you to begin dragging the garbage bag and grab the handful of damaged items to put in the back. You nearly break out into a run to get these tasks done because your mind is set on another goal: find out where the hell Jungkook had gone off to.

You pass by Daniel who, on meeting your eyes, only shakes his head in disbelief, still not over what had just happened.

“I swear I heard someone….” He begins to defend himself and though you would’ve loved to validate him that it’s most likely true, you don’t for various reasons.

“I think that’s a sign that we should all go home soon.” You teasingly say instead. He laughs as you scurry past him to fling back the ‘Employees Only’ double doors, throw the trash bag by the door that lead out to the dumpster and deposit the damaged items in the designated racks. You swear you do it in record timing, you’re left slightly panting by the time you barrel out of the flapping doors of the back room area, but before you can begin to think of where one might find a demon lurking in a department store, you hear a loud crash.

“What was that?” Your manager asks over walkie.

“I don’t know, but something big fell over around aisle 50-56….”

You hurry on over to the scene of the crime, arriving fourth among your co-workers who had thought to do the same thing. From the end of aisles 52, you hear a very loud gasp, followed by a barrage of concerned remarks.

“Oh my God, what is this even doing here?!”

“Didn’t we sell this?”


“Okay, I’m low-key a little spooked and it doesn’t help that this was the Halloween decoration.”

Sure enough, your eyes travel downwards to see a massive dark shape lying on the ground. Once you’ve approached the group, they’ve already propped it back up again to reveal that it was a six feet tall witch, abnormally pallid face haggard and twisted into a wicked, gnarled grin, complete with rows of sharp teeth and wispy, long white hair. You grimace, metaphorical hackles raised as you stand at a safe distance away from her outstretched, clawed hands. You’re not a big fan of anything horror to begin with, but at least before, you would’ve still been assured that this was just a mannequin-like, overgrown store centrepiece …..and not something that could possibly be possessed if given the chance. 

That being said, your eyes nervously dart around but find no signs of the demon on the loose.

“Rachel, didn’t we move this to the back? What’s it doing out here still?” Daniel asks your approaching manager on duty.

“I….thought so too?” is her puzzled reply. She does a once over on the witch, trying to think of whether or not maybe the other managers have forgotten about it and had left her here in the corner to rot but it all doesn’t seem plausible; the store is very strict on moving out seasonal items once the occasion is over and Halloween was well over at this point.

After coming up short on an explanation, Rachel shrugs, “Either way, we have to move it to the back. It doesn’t belong here anymore. Anthony and Daniel can you do two do that while we do final touches?”

“Sure.”


“Yeah.”

Your two male co-workers go to grab a side on the witch to lift her up but as soon as they touch her, she comes to life, shrieking and cackling while waving her arms around and everyone present find themselves shrieking along with her.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Stephanie wails, hand pressed over her heart. “I NEARLY FUCKING DIED!!”

You can’t voice your own agreement with her, too preoccupied trying to calm your own racing heart after nearly jumping into the shelves of clothes behind you. Amidst the loud complaints of the near death experience, you faintly hear another set of cackling that wasn’t coming from the witch. Rachel eventually reels everyone back in once everyone’s general panic has died down to hearty laughs. The boys get set back to the original task and the rest of you were given the duty to put back the remaining straggler of items from the return bins earlier.

But once again, not even a minute goes by before you hear another startled shout coming from back room.

“Guys everything okay?” You hear Rachel ask over walkie.

“Oh my God, I think this store might actually be haunted!” Daniel’s voice cuts through, pitch a tad high from whatever encounter he just had. “The lights just turned off in here, we’re leaving right. NOW.”

You distantly hear a swoosh of air from the force the back doors swing open, followed by a garble mixture of nervous laughing and rapid talking.

“Okay guys if everything’s fairly clean then we can definitely head out now and put the remainder of the stuff back early morning.”

You check your watch and see that it’s 9:15, which by your work standard is a way early wrap up time for a closing shift — but you’re not about to complain. You’ve got a demon to catch and the faster you get out here, the better. So you race back to the lunchroom where mostly everyone was already gathered, taking off their headset, vests, and clocking out on the computer before grabbing their things from their cubby lockers.

“You need to get a priest in here and bless this place or something Rachel.” Daniel half jokes but you think underneath it all, he’s actually pretty serious. Everyone else seems to agree and you can only offer a wry smile, not sure if that would actually keep Jungkook away from causing any more trouble, or if an exorcist is a better option. Either way, everyone seems more antsier to leave than usual, even if they seem like they’re not taking these supernatural activities too seriously. You all move out of the lunchroom in a group, hastily making your way to the front entrance in hopes that you don’t encounter any more spooks. Your manager reaches up to the panel by the sliding doors, punching in the alarm code with speedy fingers and once the initial beep has sounded, she pulls open the doors and everyone goes rushing out into the cool night air.

“Goodnight everyone!” You hear a chorus voices call out and you return your own before you start making your way to the bus stop, bag strap clutching tightly in your grip. You arrive to the little shelter, huddling yourself into the seat in the farthest corner, leg bouncing in a mixture of impatience and jitters. Naturally, you swivel your head to either side of you to check on your surroundings but find that no other soul to be approaching or presently with you. You swallow, breathing out deeply while rolling your shoulders a little to finally settle back in your seat. Maybe Jungkook got bored after everyone left the store, off to find some other unfortunate being to —

“Y/N!”

“GYAK—GOD!”

The brunette throws his head back to let out a boisterous laugh, leaving you practically clinging to the bus advertisement panel for dear life. After a few breaths, you shake yourself from your frozen state to shove Jungkook by the shoulder. He only continues to laugh, clutching his sides and curling up on himself.

“You—! That was you in the store wasn’t it?!” You accuse right off the bat, eyes glaring as he calms himself finally to breathy giggles. Once he’s reigned in those too, he looks at you square in the face, dead serious.

“No, it was bloody Mary, come back to take revenge because you didn’t let her use her coupon six times.”

Your mouth hangs agape, so caught off guard by his answer but when it actually registers, you wheeze. Now it’s your turn to throw your head back and laugh. Vaguely, you remember that you probably look really crazy right now because no one other than yourself can see Jungkook, sitting beside you but you don’t care; it’s late and if anyone has caught sight of it then all the more reason for them to leave you alone, just like how you want it. Eventually, you calm yourself, catching your breath and with a sniffle, you half-heartedly slap the demon’s arm.

“You’re awful.” You say weakly, failing to keep the lingering mirth out of your voice. “You didn’t have to scare my co-workers and in turn, me, half to death.”

“But it got you out early, didn’t it?”

You go to argue but find that you can’t. Jungkook sees and isn’t afraid to let you know he’s got you beat with a smug smirk and quirked eyebrow.

Well played, you think, well played.

-

The weekend couldn’t come any sooner and you find the joy in not having to set up an alarm all the more sweeter. It puts you in a better mood knowing that you can finally sleep in and wake up when you actually feel rejuvenated enough. Which is why you’re feeling more energized to be out and about with Jaehee as you two make your way to one of the cafes she had bookmarked. It took a bit of searching (the cafe, evidently enough, was located on the other side of the plaza you were in, facing out towards the busy roads rather than grouped together in the inner circle like the rest of the other establishments), but you were settled into a cozy cute booth of the aesthetically pleasing cafe, iced latte and an assortment of fancy pastries to try out in no time.

You and Jaehee catch up for the first couple of minutes while sampling the little cakes in between conversations. After you finish two of the four you both bought, you ask Jaehee about her impromptu real estate agent job she’s taken on for her boyfriend and his roommate. Instantly, she lets out a groan of irritation at the mere memory of it.

“God, it’s still a mess. I actually have a scheduled viewing later today; I was wondering if you’re okay to tag along. It won’t take long.”

You nod your head, sipping on your latte. “Yeah it’s fine, I don’t got anything else planned for the day.”

Jaehee nods, slouching in her seat a bit as she pulls out her phone. “Good, I might just need the moral support. Like, the roommate was also supposed to come too since Jason’s at work and because, well, he’s the one looking for a place right?! But ugh! He’s like, ‘I’m too lazy’. I’m ‘bout to drag his ass if I have to at this point.”

“Gosh, you’re honestly doing the most right now and I don’t even know what for.” You say, frowning at how this situation sounds to be more and more of headache the more she talked about it. That’s what you kind of admire about Jaehee; she’s willing to go through such lengths for the people she cares about the most but at the same time, you really wished she knew when it starts to get too ridiculous. Even if he was busy with work and school, Jason or at least his roommate should still try to make an effort in apartment hunting instead of leaving it all to Jaehee (regardless of any amount of compensation that was probably offered).

“I know, it’s because they think they can get a place so easily when it comes down to it but it’s not. Like, we were lucky enough to score the place we live in now but that was before the housing market really went to shit.” She says, firing off a text message (most likely to her boyfriend’s roommate). “I honestly would’ve left it up to them too but….” Jaehee grimaces with a shake of her head. “Some of the places his roommate sent to me to check were so sub par for the offered price, like, you can get a much better place for the same price and also if they’re willing to dish out another $75 on top of their budget.”

“Huh.” You reply, not sure what to say to that but also thinking that the whole situation speaks for itself. You’re low-key glad that it’s not you that has to deal with this all, considering the fact that you have enough on your plate. On second thought, you think crazily enough, having to deal with two demons doesn’t seem so bad compared to what Jaehee’s doing — at least they leave you alone for the most part, save for Jungkook’s random bouts of shit disturbing but overall, they’re not bad company; just enough spice to your otherwise mundane life. The notion makes a wry smile begin to tug at the corner of your lips.

“By the way, how’s it going with Julien?”

“Huh? Wh— Oh! Yeah, Julien….Um…Good? I guess?”

Things have been….interesting between you and Jimin. He still goes out nightly to do….God knows what but you’d rather remain ignorant to whatever demonic activities he gets up to but when he does come around to pester you, it’s very much ‘the usual’; a lot of bickering and pranking (mainly on his part) where often times it leaves you fuming and red-faced and him smirking triumphantly or in a fit of giggles. Despite your indignation though, you surprisingly don’t mind it….that much. It’s a weird push and pull with you two, where even though it seems like he shows up just to judge your choices, poke fun at your human first world problems, you’ll still be able to find him standing at the end of your street, waiting to walk you back home after a late night shift so that you don’t have to face the convenience store corner alone without fail. On the rarer occasions, you’ve caught him humming parts of the ‘The Truth Untold’ during late night showers where you wake to get yourself a glass of water and the first time you did, you had stood in the hallway, completely mesmerized (you told yourself it was the good acoustics, you know, to help you sleep at night).

A puff of air releases from your nose quietly, unconsciously; the beginnings of a chortle bubbling up in your chest as you muse about your aloof guardian demon who looks like your idol crush. He’s started out to be such an anomaly, a disturbance to your normalcy, but now, you’re starting to see how interwoven he’s become in your life — settling into an empty space you hadn’t quite noticed until now and making it into his own.

“Uh…Y/N? You okay?”

“Huh….?”

“You like, spaced out on me.”

“O-Oh…Sorry, was just thinking about something…”

“Julien….?” Jaehee teases with a waggles of her eyebrows.

“Oh my God, you’re annoying.”

Jaehee only laughs, scooping up another forkful of the pink decorated cake. “We should finish up here and get going, I’ve finally convinced Jason’s roommate to get his lazy ass up and go to this viewing with us so we gotta go meet up with him.”

“Yeah, sure.”

You both finish off the rest of the cakes and you your latte before leaving the cute little cafe. After a quick subway ride, you arrive in the area where Jason’s university is; a hub of students walking around either on campus or around the neighbouring streets leading to downtown. You and Jaehee head off in the direction where a small residential area is located by the school, just a block around the corner, an admittedly convenient place to live in for those attending the school but also understandably not the best of living spaces. Right off the bat, you could tell that this is a very old neighbourhood, one that has probably been around since the building of the university. Many of the small bungalows look cramped beside each other with their collective, muted grey, brown and off white colour schemes, facing out with even smaller yards with overgrown lawns and low chain linked fences, all rusted and has seen better days.

Subsequently, Jason’s place falls in with the monogamous look the neighbourhood has taken and you can’t help but grimace when you and Jaehee step up the small wooden patio of the front entrance, noticing how badly chipped the white paint is. It makes you wonder if the interior is as dismal as the exterior, and if that was the case, then you can see the reason why they would want to find a new place despite how convenient the location is.

Jaehee gives the doorbell a ring, quickly growing impatient as a minute passes and your third companion doesn’t answer the door. You shift idly in place, but then decide against it as a loud creak gives off from the old wood — best to stand still lest you wanted the entire patio to give out on you, seeing that it very well may if you so much as sneeze on it. You both wait a bit more until finally you hear shuffling from inside and the locks click, door finally swinging open to reveal what you assume to be Jason’s roommate.

Personally, you’ve never met him until this moment but you can’t help being a little bemused; the guy looked like he straight just rolled out of bed and put on the nearest clothes he could grab.

“Took you long enough Henry.” Jaehee snaps, already heading back down the steps towards the little driveway. You follow after her without so much of a word or second glance at the male to see if he would follow. 
“We need to start heading to the viewing, it’s literally just down another block across the street.”

“I just got up…”

Well that solves that mystery, you think wryly. You stop by Jaehee’s side as she stands at the end of the driveway, looking back to see Henry locking the front door and closing the screen one in front of it afterwards. He shuffles on down in his sweatpants and university hoodie, ball cap on over his head to no doubt hide any unruly bed hair. It makes you glance down at your own outfit for the day through the lenses of your shades, it’s one of those days where you’re actually coordinated and looking pretty cute, if you do say so yourself (self pat on the back).

When he finally catches up to you, Jaehee takes the time to formally introduce you. “This is my bestie and roommate, Y/N.”

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Henry greets, offering a small smile. You return it with a simple hi and a small wave before Jaehee ushers the both of you to start making your way. The weather is nice and clear, sun beaming in a fairly cloudless sky but has yet to reach the point where you can feel the heat bearing down on you. A perfect temperature where it’s not too hot, not too cold and all you need is a light jacket. The air feels fresh, promised with the coming of spring soon along with the budding of leaves sprinkled on the branches of the trees you pass by. You inhale deeply, enjoying the breeze and the way the sunshine makes everything seem a little more vibrant.

You take it back when you reach the so-called apartment. Well, you had expected it to be an apartment but it’s another one of those small bungalow houses, the only difference is that this one is a lot better kept on the outside; grass trimmed with a small garden and even had an overhang on the side that separates the garage, leading to what you assume is the backyard. You spot a figure standing on the sidewalk just outside the home, in the middle of stubbing out a cigarette. It made you and Jaehee pause to look at each other, wondering if this is the owner waiting on you to arrive. It’s Jaehee that speaks up first.

“Hi there, we’re here for the viewing…?”

The man turns, lanky with a scruffy beard, dressed in a plain grey t-shirt and jeans with a baseball cap. He gives you both a wry smile.

“Funny, because so am I. It seems that the guy is showing someone else around right now.”

“Oh! Okay…”

And so you have no choice but to wait around outside until the person who had arrived first was finished with their viewing. It doesn’t leave much for you to do, and you find yourself pulling out your phone to scroll idly through your social medias. You get pulled into conversations with the other two but for the most part, Jaehee and Henry are discussing about other possible viewings they should see with Jaehee pushing Henry (and through him, Jason) to get some of the required paperwork when signing the rent for a place (i.e. credit scores).

You’re bored by the time the man in the grey t-shirt gets his turn. Sighing, you tuck your phone back into your pocket and glance around, actually seeing more people approaching the home most likely for a viewing as well. As your eyes scan over the patrons, they lock onto a figure standing right across the street from you, casually leaning against a lamp post, staring right at you through their own pair of dark shades. You had to lower your own to make sure you weren’t seeing things but nope, there he is, in all of his dark denim glory and you just know he’s smirking (honestly when is he not). Before you can even sputter, you see him reach into his back pocket, pulling out his phone and fingers making quick work on it. Not a moment later, your own phone vibrates.

It’s only then that you tear your gaze away to avoid looking suspicious (or crazy, who knows; you can never tell if you’re the only one who sees him or not), pulling out your own phone to see a text notification. You swipe your lock pattern, quickly tapping to open the message.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

You hate how you just read that in his voice, teasing lilt spot on. Your fingers fly to reply back.

“I should be asking you that, aren’t you allergic to the sun nowadays?”

Instinctively, you glance back at him to see his reaction but should’ve known to be disappointed because he only coolly inclines his head downwards to read your text off his phone before you see deft fingers work on a reply.

“I’m a demon, not a vampire. Besides, what is this haunting of a department store I keep hearing about going around?”

You suck in a breath, glancing up nervously to see if he’s caught wind (being a demon and all). You duck down when you catch sight of the those dark shades locking onto you, even when you can’t even see his piercing eyes behind the lenses. You could only hope your own shades hide the way your eyes shift briefly with unease.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about but considering the fact that I have a literal guardian demon, this shouldn’t even be that concerning?”

“Y/N! It’s our turn now!” Jaehee calls, pulling your attention away from the demon.

“Oh, yeah coming!” You scurry after the duo who had walked up the length of the driveway to meet with the agent doing the viewing. He introduces himself, shakes all of your hands and then leads you under the overhang to a door on the side of the house. Upon opening it, you realize that the space up for rent was the finished basement of the home, not the actual house itself as the door leads to a pair of stairs going downwards and straight into a small, tiled kitchen. It’s simple, open spaced with two bedrooms (one on each side of the living room area), one bathroom down the hallway leading from the kitchen and a laundry room. It’s adequate enough for two male students to live in.

Jaehee seems to think the same, nodding her head in approval as she directs Henry to ‘take a good look’ around. You hang off near the entrance seeing as how you’re just here for the shits and giggles, which allows for you to resume your conversation with Jimin. When you pull out your phone, you see a string of messages.

“You’re funny doll but you’re not dumb.

This has Jungkook’s name written all over it.

So have you been talking to that brat? I thought I told you not to.”

You roll your eyes, shooting off a reply.

“Hey man, he’s the one who follows me. Not like I willingly go out and look for him.

If it bothers you so much, then why don’t you just do some demon voodoo magic to ward him off?”

You don’t get an immediate response and it makes you smirk triumphantly for once. Yeah, you know him by now that whenever he brings up Jungkook and how you should stay away from him, his tone never gets stern enough to where he would personally go out and burn the younger demon with hell fire. In fact, you want to go as far as to say he’s using Jungkook as an extension of keeping his eye on you without actually having to constantly shadow you. You don’t mind, but you still find it funny that as loathing as he seems to be of his junior, Jimin undeniably has a soft spot for him…. or at least some semblance of trust, which is a good sign right?

Your phone vibrates and you glance down to read the new texts.

“What are you even doing there anyways? Don’t tell me you’re downgrading….

Please don’t.

No offence but this house looks ugly and I just saw you go through a side door that leads down to the basement of it.

That’s never a good sign.”

You actually snort to yourself, smile wide on your face as you go to reply but then back track a couple of times, debating on whether or not you should take this opportunity to mess with him. Unfortunately before you get the chance to decide, Jaehee, Henry and the sales agent are shuffling over to where you’re standing, looking about ready to leave.

“So I will definitely send you the paperwork that you need to fill out through the email you gave me and if you have any questions, feel free to email me as well.”

“Sounds good! Thank you so much!” Jaehee smiles, nodding to the agent before turning to you. “We’re ready to go, sorry if you got bored.”

“Nah, it’s all good.” You reassure as you follow her out with Henry. When you emerge back outside, your eyes instinctively go to the lamp post where you last saw your guardian demon, but find that he’s no longer there. Figures.

You shrug it off (you’ll probably see him later tonight anyways), turning back to Jaehee who’s talking to Henry about how they should take the place because this is the best one she’s seen so far in terms of meeting their requirements. Henry nods, seemingly agreeing with her and says he would let Jason know about it. The look of relief washes over your friend instantaneously and you just know that she’s glad that this headache will be settled once and for all.

“Make sure you tell him! You guys seriously only have less than half a month left before you get evicted!”

“Okay, okay!” Henry’s smiling good-naturedly, clearly not letting that looming fact dampen his spirits. It’s commendable because if it were you, you would be a hair away from a mental breakdown. His easy-going response makes Jaehee’s smile falter a little and you can only send a helpless sorry look to her; seems like she’s not quite out of the woods yet.

“Anyways, we’re gonna head home now since all of this has made me tired so bye.” She’s turning away in a huff, not so much as another glance at Henry. You smile awkwardly, sending a hesitant wave before following after your friend.

“I swear to God they better take that place like, I’m so over everything.” You hear Jaehee mutter under her breath as she rapidly types out a message, probably to Jason because you get the feeling that she’s lost faith in Henry to do something as simple as that.

“I think it’s a pretty good place for them too. And it’s only slightly farther from where they live right now anyways so there shouldn’t be any commuting ‘problems’.” You add in half to placate her and half in honesty.

“Exactly, and the rent is around what they pay for already.”

Your discussion carries on to Jaehee telling you about the places she has seen in the past weeks (quote, ‘it was the saddest and dinkiest place I’ve ever seen’) to how she’s also received some pretty shady emails from landlords about possible viewings. You make it back home in no time, the both of you taking off into your rooms to change into something more comfortable as well as wipe off all your make-up. No sooner had you closed your bedroom door and flopped back onto your bed, flinging your bag and sunglasses off to the end of your bed, completely worn out for the day did a familiar face pop up to hover over yours, brown eyes looking none too pleased, arms crossed. It’s then you realize he’s lost the dark denim jacket you last saw him in, revealing the simple black fitted t-shirt underneath, which showed off nicely toned biceps. His sudden appearance had made you flinch in surprise, but find that you’re too tired to care, settling back into your mattress unperturbed.

“You never answered my question.”

“Hello Jimin, I’m doing great too.”

“Not funny. I need to know so I can make sure I won’t be caught dead going into a shack of a house.”

His words make you perk up, giving him a cheeky look. “So if I said I was downgrading, you’ll move out?”

The words fly out of your mouth before you even register what you just said. For a fleeting moment, Jimin’s face takes on an unreadable expression but it was enough for a dull ache to start blooming in your chest and in its centre, regret. It was meant to be a light-hearted, teasing jab, like the ones you always engage in with Jimin but you find yourself wanting to backtrack because, even when you won’t admit it out loud, you don’t actually mean it. Besides, it’s not like you see him on a daily basis to begin with, so you’re not particularly sick of seeing his face every day…. And last you heard, demons don’t need sleep so what’s the point in getting his own place when he won’t even use it that often?

You’re about a breath away from blurting out your own poorly constructed ‘psyche!’ moment when, in a blink of an eye, the air around him shifts, a dangerous gleam in his gaze. He moves slowly, deliberately, arms uncoiling like a snake ready to strike and it makes you tense up, effectively pulling you out of your head. His hands come down on either side of your head, caging you in as he lets out a dark, breathy chuckle.

“Oh, my darling Y/N….” He leans in close, voice but a low rasp that actually sends goosebumps along your skin. “Have you forgotten that it was you who bound your soul to me?”

Oh shoot…. By technicality, he’s right; as if you can even forget about the night you first met him anyways. You have no arguments there, and his smirk widens knowingly as he watches you chew on your lower lip nervously. You hate how you get the feeling that one of his favourite hobbies is making you squirm and when he catches you in those moments, he likes to milk it as much as he can. Point proven when he doesn’t let up in iterating his point.

“Or….” He continues purring with a languid tilt of his head, “Do I need to remind you so you won’t forget…?” He trails off vaguely enough to have your imagination running wild without your permission.

Like a nail in the coffin, your face instantly flushes, indignantly or from being extremely flustered — or maybe a combination of both. Either way, you feel like you wished the bed would swallow you whole but Jimin, ever so cunning and sly, always knows when to rile you up only to have it all come crashing down on you. It’s the same old trick, but you always manage to fall for it so his next words knock you right out of the spell.

“Besides, I know you’ll miss me too much to let me leave.”

Instantly, your face morphs to one of disgust, the teasing tone that replaces his seductive one acts like the bucket of cold water you had desperately needed.

“You’re insufferable.” is the only thing you can manage to seethe out but it comes off more of a pout, cheeks still burning strongly. His face breaks into a huge grin, eyes disappearing as he throws his head back to laugh, finally easing off on you to a comfortable proximity but still keeping his hands firm on either side of your head. You choose to petulantly turn your face to the side, refusing to be subjected to this humiliation any longer.

Thankfully the chiming of your phone allows you that moment of escape, hand eagerly bringing up the phone to address the notification and when you get a glance, it nearly makes your eyes pop out. Faster than you thought possible, you whip into a sitting position and it’s only thanks to Jimin’s inhuman reflexes that saves the both of you from causing each other’s concussions.

“Woah, if that was your plan on trying to kill me, you’re gonna have to do better.”

You ignore him in favour of the news you received in your group chat in the form of a video trailer. More specifically, a trailer for BTS. Concert. TOUR. DATES.

You’re silently screaming, heart pounding so hard you think it might explode out of your chest as fingers tap furiously to open the link, all the while in your mind you are chanting;

Please let it be in my city, please let it be in my city, please let it be in my city, please let it be in my city, please —

Your eyes are laser focused, the new title track blasting through your phone’s speakers as clips of past concerts flit by in rapid succession. Bold words flash by in accompaniment with keywords being ‘BTS’, ‘WORLD TOUR’, ‘LOVE YOURSELF’. It all further adds to the buzzing live wire your body has become and it reaches the apex once you see the name of the first city and date flash across the screen. You swear you stop breathing.

Moment of truth.

Time seems to slow for you, but the names go by within seconds and then...the video ends. 

It takes some time before you think you finally let out a slow, deep breath, the buzz dying out of you just as quickly as it had come like being on a roller coaster.

Your arms drop from holding the phone up so close to your face and you can’t help your heart from doing the same.

“Ah...So they’re going on a world tour....” You hear your guardian demon muse airily from beside you. “Aren’t you excited?”

Shoulders slumping, you bring your group chat to type back a response, saying the words aloud for him to hear as well.

“They’re not coming.”

[whirlybirbs]

When I requested “miss Turner blushing” I did not mean for it to end like that! Omg I’m sad now 😔 Hope, unfuck this mess!!! (But do really really love what you wrote and now I’m excited for what’s to come

a/n: here’s part two! to the blushing drabble -- you and arthur have a spat, he says something nasty and hosea steps in. you’re both sent on errands, conflict still hanging in the air. an apology and a gift right things between you and the outlaw. i love these two. 

“Mr. Morgan --”

“Not now, Miss Turner.”

You could pull your hair out.

He’s unbearable to be around.

Plainly so.

I mean, even Hosea -- a man with so much patience he could be revered as a Saint -- can’t stand being around the outlaw for more than five minutes at a time. And that’s saying something. Hosea nearly raised the unruly boy. This new stretch of attitude has him biting off heads at the slightest convenience. 

Christ, he’d snapped at Javier for brushing Sugarcube. 

Not that you’d know -- after all, Arthur has ignored you outright for the last three days straight. Hasn’t said a word, save for a biting little comment at dinner the other night about you bein’ in his way. 

It puts you in a bad spot for a day or so -- guilt is heavy in your gut at the realization that your words about him not bein’ your type were far from the truth. The girls are nice enough to see it too, and... even Grimshaw tries her best to get you and Arthur in the same place to at least talk about it. 

Dutch is the one that jokes Arthur’s mood brings in three days of late-night, summer storms. The heavy heat is dampened with the cool air the thunderheads roll in on, leaving the camp scrambling for cover at the first crack of lightning.

Last night, the winds had been so bad, they’d sent Pearson’s tent into the lake.

Just... up and lifted and threw the whole thing.

So, here you are, deciding that if Arthur Morgan wants to ignore your very existence, you’re going to make it mighty hard for him to do just that. You are, plain and simple, sick of moping about.

You follow him as he storms about, following the source of the commotion by the lakeside. It’s Pearson, swearing up a storm about his tent. Dutch is trying to calm the navy-man down, but it’s Arthur who ditches his boots and traipses right into the lake. Always the fixer.

You, hellbent on not letting him off the hook, hop out of your own boots and follow.

And, half an hour later, here you are.

"Jus’... pull, will you?”

“M’ tryin’.”

“Well,” Arthur snaps, “Try harder, Miss Turner, I’m gettin’ soggy.”

You’re waist deep in the lake when he starts in, arm dove deep beneath the water as you try to unwrap the tacking from a piece of rotting wood on the bottom of the beach -- the red clay has you sinking in and you teeter, one hand gathering your skirt and the other trying to dislodge the knot.  

At his comment, you serve him a look.

“I don’t see you over here,” you snap, “Up to your shoulder in muck, Mr. Morgan.”

He’s about to open his mouth, about to dig in, about to the the dynamite struck on an open flame, when Dutch cuts him off.

“I believe it may be a lost cause, you two,” the leader yells, parsing a hand through dark hair, “I think it best a run into town is made. No doubt the Rhodes’ General Store has some tent supplies.”

You stagger out of the water, skirt weighed down and mud up to your knees. You’re soaked, hair hanging in your face -- the front of your blouse clings to you and if you weren’t so irritated with Arthur Morgan, maybe you’d be happy to be cooled off for once. 

“Both of you,” Dutch says slowly, “Get changed and take the wagon --”

“Oh, no, no, Dutch. I don’t think tha’s a good idea --”

You narrow your eyes as Arthur turns, leaning in to give your back a hearty pat -- it lacks any affection, though. You stagger forward a bit, biting your tongue. His words fly out with malice and that same gut-wrenching guilt you’d sworn you were going to try and beat surges back up in your belly. 

Blue eyes dart between you both. Faux-amusement is written there.

“Y’see, I’m not Miss Turner’s type.”

It’s like a tea kettle has hit it’s boiling point. You give a strangled shriek, annoyance spurring your fists to ball up.

“You are insufferable!”

"You’ve already made your feelings for me painfully clear --”

He starts up the hill through the camp and you, so hellbent in anger, follow him with wide strides. He’s already working at the buttons on his soaked through shirt, ignoring the beating of the hot sun on his back. If anything, your glare is just as hot. You catch up to him by the stew pot, snagging his arm.

“Will you just listen t’ me?!”

He shrugs you off, muddy finger pointing in your face.

“I’ve heard plenty.”

You don’t let up, though, following him all the way to his tent and stopping short with your hands on your waist. 

“I’ve been tryna talk t’ you for the last three days an’ --”

“ -- An’ I don’t wanna hear it.”

He shirks his clay-caked, navy dress shirt onto his cot, snapping his suspenders down to hang low around his thighs. He turns his back to you as he does so and for one moment, you get a glance at his back -- it’s littered with jagged and long and bullet-shaped scars. The sight shuts you up for a breath and you swallow down the want to reach out and touch him. 

Not now.

Arthur takes note of your silence and laughs bitterly. “Y’ say m’ not yer type but you’re awfully keen on ogglin’.”

“That -- it’s not -- I...” you gape, eyes turning up to the ceiling of his tent, “You misunderstand me, Mr. Morgan.”

“Did I now?”

“Yes,” you grit, “Quite.”

He’s working on another shirt, this one is white -- and leans, tucking in the hem to his pants. He doesn’t bother to change his jeans. In this heat, they’ll dry soon enough. Arthur lands on his cot, calloused fingers working the buttons into the eyelets. He’s keen on ignoring you; mostly because the hope that he really had gotten this all wrong with you is blinding. He has spent the last three days trying to shut it all out and --

“I’m awfully sorry I ain’t some rich, old railroad magnate, Miss Turner,” Arthur’s voice rises into somethings awfully sharp and angry, then, driving the knife into an already open wound, “So you best find yourself a man who can replace good ol’ Waylon Robbins, certainly that’s your type --”

That. That hurts. 

You aren’t sure what to say -- you really are speechless, left fumbling over the hard punch to the chest his words mimic. To use that against you is... unfair. And rude and mean and awful and terribly unlike the Arthur Morgan you’d gotten to know and you must have looked like you were one beat from crying because suddenly:

“You best get changed, Miss Turner.”

It’s Hosea.

Your eyes hit the ground. At the gentle touch of the mentor’s hand, you nod -- quickly pulling away from Arthur’s orbit and heading back towards your own tent. 

It’s only until you’re out of earshot that Hosea speaks again, this time with the sternness of a father.

“You are going to take her into town, get the tent supplies,” he says, “And you are going to apologize.”

“I ain’t doin’ no such thing.”

“Yes, you are, Arthur Morgan,” Hosea hisses, jabbing a finger into the outlaw’s chest as he stands, “What has gotten into you? I know you’re dumb, but god -- can’t you see she’s trying to explain herself?”

“What is there t’ explain, Hosea?” Arthur stands, face twisted into a sadder sort of anger, “She made her feelings clear --”

“Did she?” his father-figure jests, “Are we callin’ eavesdropping clear now-a-days? You’re actin’ as if she turned down your hand in marriage, my boy --”

“Yeah, well,” Arthur grumbles, raising a hand as he leans to pull his boots on, “I’ve been there -- I ain’t goin’ down that road again.”

Hosea sighs. His hand is gentle on the blonde’s shoulder. “The girls pulled me aside, you know, asked if I could do anything -- they were ribbing her over chores, y’know, about you two. Karen thinks she... well, thinks Miss Turner was tryin’ t’ be modest.”

“Modest.”

A bitter laugh.

“You know how it is,” Hosea shrugs, “....High-class ladies and their modesty.”

Arthur, from across camp, catches you emerging from your tent. You’re sweeping your hair up, penning it tight and high away from your neck in a neat bun. You’ve changed into a lighter cotton dress, light blue with delicate floral patterning. It’s Sadie, the recently addition to the gun-slinging gang, that offers you her hat. 

You look beautiful. 

Arthur hates himself. He’s a fool.

Hosea can see it.

“Just... talk to her, will y’, Arthur?”

“Alrigh’, alrigh’.”

And so, you and Arthur Morgan saddle up, ready to make your way to Rhodes for supplies. You’re quiet on approach and he’s just as bad -- not daring open his mouth thanks to the sudden realization that he really did hurt your feelings. Your eyes are watery. 

Guilt bites him in the heart.

You decide it’s best to ignore it. If this is what he’s after... making you hate him, then so be it. Maybe it’s better that way.

He offers to help you up into the wagon.

Much like the day you met him, you swat his hand away.

The first few minutes of the ride are unbearable and Arthur is suddenly very aware of how, with the cold shoulder reversed, miserable this is. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and... well, he deserved it.

Finally, after he’d spurred the horses into a trot and onto the main road, he speaks.

“... I’m sorry.”

You’re not sure you heard him.

You spare him a side-ward glance and grip your satchel a bit tighter.

Arthur sighs. “I am -- I... That was rude of me t’ say back there.”

“It was.”

“And --”

“And cruel,” you snap, voice wavering, “And unfair.”

“I said I was sorry --”

“And I don’t want an apology Hosea is forcing out of you, Mr. Morgan,” you say, “If you’re so keen on hating me, then so be it.”

“I ain’t keen on hatin’ you.”

Arthur sighs, then, disparagingly so. You cross your arms, turning and crossing your legs as the wagon rocks. You make due with the view of the bayous around the trail. You’re sure if you look at him, you’re resolve will just... snap in half.

Another few moments of silence pass between you both and Arthur thinks this is what hell is like. It’s torture. Suddenly, three days worth of shutting it all out is falling apart. After all, how could he push past the feelings he’d realized with you beside him? Pretty and poised in a sundress -- looking awfully angry but awfully beautiful. 

God, he’s got it bad.

Finally, he speaks again.

His bitter, rugged facade falls -- if just for a moment.

“It hurt my feelings.”

It’s so quiet, it’s nearly a whisper.

You blink, then, eyeing the slumped posture of the outlaw beside you.

“...What?”

“It hurt my feelings,” he says again, louder this time, “T’ hear y’ say that -- the bit about me not bein’ yer type.”

You wring your hands. “Well, you aren’t.”

Arthur blinks. Hurt flies across his face.

“-- You’re different from any other man I’ve ever met, is what I meant,” you continue, nervousness not letting you look at him, “It’s not a bad thing -- not a... condemning notion. I just... where I’m from, there aren’t any cowboys or outlaws or highwaymen. It’s... It’s all weak-chinned men who talk the talk but -- I don’t know. I ain’t never had a type like you. Not that my previous type was anything special.” 

More silence.

Arthur heart is hammering so loud in his chest it’s like the strike of a sledgehammer on a railroad track. He feels -- like all at once -- his breath has been stolen from him. His eyes are stuck on you, attention diverted from the road. 

“So...” you twiddle your thumbs, sparing him a doe-eyed look.

“... I was an ass.”

“A dumb-ass,” you correct, “A baboon’s ass, even.”

Finally, he laughs. Finally, and you feel like smiling again. 

You move, then, leaning and muscling around in your satchel.

You pull out a leather-bound journal. Pulled across the binding is a deep, rich, black leather -- the pages are crisp and fresh, a stark comparison to the one in Arthur’s bag. He hit the end of the pages the night before last, scribbling angry notes about how love is one hell of an illness. 

Blue eyes cast across your face, trying to read the emotion there.

“I was gunna give you this, I been carryin’ it around,” you say, “I picked it up in Saint Denis, but... Well, you were busy givin’ me the cold shoulder. It had to wait.”

Arthur blinks, shifting the reigns into one hand. He takes the journal, eyeing the thick pages. Gratefulness shines in the tender way he holds it.

“... You didn’t --”

“I did,” you chirp, “I mean, I didn’t buy it --”

Arthur laughs then, booming and full and happy and it’s like a sun-storm. Your face splits into a grin, finally, after three days of no sun. You bask in it, happy to sail onto better seas. The outlaw’s thumb grazes the cover. You stole. For him.

It means a lot.

“Thank you.”

“Take it as an apology,” you say, patting his knee, “For hurtin’ your delicate feelings, Mr. Morgan.”

He shoulders you, pulling a laugh out of your chest. 

“C’mon,” he drawls, “Don’t want the others t’ think y’ broke my heart an’ left me for dead.”

Onward and upward, straight into the sweetness of feelings. 

[simplywylan]

16 for the angst pls

Oh I like this one

ANGST - 16: “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face?”

-

The hospital had always been a safe place for Nico. 

Until today, at least. 

There really was nothing like coming to work and getting smacked in the face by a drunk patient. Granted, he didn’t mean to hit Nico, he was just completely intoxicated and unaware of his surroundings. And his strength. 

It took five people to finally get the guy to calm down, yet Nico was the only one who got smacked. The initial hit had caught him right in the nose, which resulted in a rather nasty nosebleed. Owen had managed to get him whisked away to an empty room so he could have some privacy and get cleaned up. Of course, Owen stayed by his side, just in case he needed any help. 

“This won’t be your first rodeo.” Owen handed Nico another tissue, taking the bloodied one and discarding of it. Nico was sat on the end of the bed, leaning forward as he waited for the bleeding to subside. 

Nico tried to laugh at Owen’s comment, but it hurt. He really hoped his nose hadn’t been broken. It didn’t feel it, at least. Owen searched through the drawers, eventually pulling out on of the icepacks they had. he smacked his hand against it, activating it before he handed it to Nico. 

After the initial hit, the guy had managed to catch Nico again, which had knocked him into a wall. It really wasn’t his day today. He had quite the bruise forming on his forehead already, but that wasn’t his biggest worry. Right now, he was just thinking about how Levi would react to all of this. 

“Sit up,” Owen instructed, to which Nico did. Owen gently pulled Nico’s hand away from his face, so he could see the full extent of his injuries. Thankfully, the bleeding had pretty much stopped now. “Bleeding has calmed down. How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” Nico glanced down at his hands, which were covered in his own blood, as were his scrubs. He sighed, knowing he’d have to go and change. He also knew he’d have to phone Levi, let him know that he was hurt at work and not jumped by some thugs. 

“It doesn’t look broken to me. I suggest going home and resting, Nico. You’re probably going to be pretty out of it from the blood loss and the bump to your head.” Though Owen had Nico’s best interest at heart, Nco didn’t really want to leave. He didn’t want to have to deal with Levi worrying over him. He was fine. 

“I’ll be fine,” Nico disagreed with Owen, pushing himself off the end of the bed. As soon as his feet hit the floor, a sudden rush of dizziness hit him. He stumbled a little, placing his hand back on the bed to catch himself. Owen raised a brow at him, silently telling him ‘I told you so.’ “Okay, yeah. I’ll need to call Levi.” 

Owen chuckled as he took the last of the bloodied tissue from Nico’s hands, discarding of it. Nico pressed the icepack in his hand against his head, the cooling sensation helping to relieve the pain he was experiencing. Nico thanked Owen before he left the room, heading to the lounge so he could change and call Levi. 

Levi was meant to be having a relaxing day off, and now he was going to have to come to the hospital to pick Nico up because he had been hit by a patient he was only trying to help. Nico was sure Levi would laugh at him in the end, it was just the initial moment of shock he didn’t want to experience. 

He reached the lounge and entered, making his way over to his locker. He was thankful there was no one else currently in there with him. Nico placed the ice pack down on the bench behind him as he opened his locker, reaching in to get his clothes. 

Just as Nico was about to place his clothes down on the bench, his phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him to an incoming call. He reached into his pocket, digging his phone out to check who it was. To no surprise, it was Levi. He sighed, sliding his thumb across the screen as he raised the phone to his ear. 

“What do you want?” Nico muttered, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he placed his clothes down. 

“Someone is in a good mood,” Levi scoffed down the phone. Nico rolled his eyes, sitting down on the bench, starting to feel dizzy again. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Lie. “No, no. I, um, had an accident.”

The other end of the phone was silent for a moment. Nico could tell that Levi had stopped whatever he was doing, waiting for Nico to tell him what had happened. After another moment of silence, Levi finally spoke up. “Accident as in you peed yourself accident, or accident as in you’ve been hurt?” 

“It’s not a big deal, but Owen isn’t allowing me to work, so-”

“Right, then I’m coming to get you. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Nico went to reply but Levi hung up before he could even get the chance. With a sharp sigh, Nico lowered his phone and locked it, placing it down next to him. He just couldn’t wait until Levi got there, ready to chew his ear off for being so clumsy. 

-

Nico was just making his way out of the lounge when Levi suddenly appeared around the corner. AS Levi spotted him, he signaled for Nico to turn back around and walk back into the lounge. The expression he wore was less than impressed. 

This was surely going to be fun.

Nico dragged himself back into the lounge and let out a huff as he sat back down on the bench, the now slightly warmed icepack held against his head. Levi stormed into the room, closing the door behind them before he turned to face Nico, arms folded across his chest. Neither of the said anything to each other. In fact, Nico couldn’t even look up at Levi. 

“What the hell happened?” The tone of Levi’s voice was more worried then it was mad, which was not something Nico had expected. 

“A drunk patient was going mad and I just happened to get in the way. I’m fine!” Nico removed the icepack from his face, holding it in his hand as he leaned his arms on his knees. 

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Then why are there bruises all over your face?” Levi was quick to snap back, moving so he was knelt down in front of Nico. He raised his hand, his fingers gently ghosting over the tender skin on Nico’s forehead. Nico flinched at the contact, pulling back from Levi’s hand. 

Nico swatted Levi’s hand away when he tried once again to examine the wound, placing the icepack back on the sore area. Levi frowned, a deep line etched between his brows. 

“Nico,” Levi exhaled, resting his hands in his lap. “Let me worry and fuss over you, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I know,” Nico grumbled, catching Levi's eye. He lowered the icepack again, this time discarding of it to the side. It was practically room-temperature now, so it wasn’t much help anymore. “I’m fine though, honestly. I was lucky.”

“As long as you’re okay, then I’m happy. Now, how about we get home and, I don’t know, order some food and watch a movie?”

Nico lit up at Levi’s suggestion, nodding his head briskly, only to wince and press his hand against his head when he realized how much it hurt to do that. Levi chuckled to himself as he stood up from where he was knelt, holding out a hand for Nico to take. 

“That sounds great. I get to choose the movie though.” Nico took Levi’s hand and pulled himself up, stumbling slightly, dizziness hitting him yet again. Levi instantly wrapped an arm around his waist, helping Nico steady himself. Levi also took Nico’s bag from him, slinging it over his shoulder so Nico didn’t have to carry the heavy load. 

The two of them headed out of the lounge together, Levi tucked into Nico’s side to help keep him from getting too dizzy. Levi was just glad that Nico was okay, that he hadn’t been hurt even worse than he was. 

As they were making their way down the hall, Nico stopped, raising his hand to his head. Levi stopped along with his, brows furrowed as he looked up at Nico, concern fiddling his face. He slipped the bag off his shoulder and let it drop to the floor so he could help Nico, as it was clear he wasn’t okay. 

“Nico?” Levi tried to get Nico to answer him, but it wasn’t working. Nico had his eyes squeezed shut, hand pressed against his head, unable to hold himself up. Levi was the only thing keeping him from falling right now. 

It all happened so abruptly that Levi almost couldn’t believe it happened. Nico collapsed, Levi only just managing to catch him and keep him from hitting the floor. He’d been fine just moments ago and now he was laying on the floor, completely unresponsive. 

“Oh my God,” Levi muttered to himself, panic beginning to set in. In these situations, he was usually calm and collected, able to work quickly. Now that it was Nico who needed help, he seemed to forget everything he’d been taught. Levi looked up and looked around, the halls being completely empty. Of course, this would happen now. “Nico, can you hear me?”

Levi managed to get Nico onto his back, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he checked for a pulse. He was breathing, but it was shallow, which wasn’t good. Levi knew he couldn’t leave Nico’s side now. 

Just as he was about to call out for someone, a familiar face rounded the corner, like an angel in disguise. 

“Link!” Levi called out, waving him over. Link froze when he heard his name being called, glancing around until he spotted Levi on the floor, next to an unconscious Nico. He instantly rushed over to his side, eyes wide in panic as he wondered what had happened. 

“What happened?” Link questioned, trying to stay as calm as he could, as not to upset Levi more than he already was. 

“I-I don’t know! He was fine, then he just stopped and collapsed!” Levi explained, though he was frantic. Link cursed under his breath, looking around the hallways before getting up from where he was knelt next to Levi, rushing off to find some help.

Within a few seconds, Link was back with a small team of nurses and a gurney, ready to get Nico the help he so desperately needed. Levi stood up, taking a step back as he let Link and the nurses do what the needed to do. Of course, he stayed right by Nico’s side as they rushed him off. 

Everything had been fine one minute and the next, Levi felt as if his world had collapsed around him. It didn’t feel real. It couldn’t be real. Before he knew it, Nico was being torn away from him, without an explanation as to why. 

[quxntumvandyne]

Baby Blues (Bucky Barnes x 40’sNurse!Reader)

Pre-Captain America TFA

Word Count: 1.5k 

Warnings: intense fluff

Requested: yes by my lovely wife @galaxy-parker

Summary: Back in the ‘40s, you’re an Army nurse and one of the patients just happens to be the oh so famous Bucky Barnes. You knew he had a way with ladies, but what if you took the reins for a day? 

A/N: okay I’ve had this ask for a bit AND I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE IT BUT ILY AND BUCKY THANK YOU DEAR WIFEY

MASTERLIST

“Wow.”

You were in the middle of finishing your most recent patient’s paperwork when you heard a man, who seemed not much older than you, speak quietly on a table near your station. You looked up at him from the nurse’s station and immediately made eye contact with the scruffy man with an obviously broken wrist, some scrapes, bruises, and a black eye.

As soon as you made eye contact, a shiver went down your spine and goosebumps spread across every inch of your frame. You could feel the blush rising in your cheeks solely because of the way he was staring at you and every attempt at composing yourself was a true failure.

There was no denying that he was incredibly cute. But of course, he became your responsibility as soon as he came in, being placed in your area for inspection and treatment.

You walk over to the man, with his jaw hanging open and used his obvious attraction to you to your advantage. Why not have a little fun at work today, especially with a handsome fella like him? you thought.

 “Oh goodness, poor baby can’t keep his mouth shut can he?” You tease, closing his mouth back together for him.

You wink at him, before gently lifting his wrist up to get a better look at the break. He winced slightly, with guilt rising in your chest for hurting him more but you pushed that aside. He seemed to have been in a fight of some sort, either wise he wouldn’t have scrapes or a black eye to accompany the broken wrist.

You convinced yourself you wouldn’t let his looks get in the way of you doing your job, but boy was he giving you a run for your money and he had only said one word.

“Well why should I when I got the most stunning girl in Brooklyn I ever seen right in front of me?” he smirked. There was not a doubt in your mind that he was flirting harder than you’d ever seen any man flirt right now, but he seemed to be pulling it off without seeming desperate.

“Can’t be catching flies now can ya? Wouldn’t want anything else to happen to ya, you’re already in bad shape,” you reply, looking at his cuts.

“I would’ve fought that punk sooner if it meant getting to sit in front of those baby blues.” He said, referring to your eyes. “Ya know, those scrubs really make em pop, don’t they? I’d love to see what else you got in that closet of yours.”

“Oh, nothing special, especially nothing you’d want to see. Now, I’ll start treating those cuts on your legs and arms because you got some nasty ones and we’ll save that arm for last okay?” you reply, ignoring his comment about your clothing choices.

He smiles back at you, showing off his straight & perfect white teeth. “Whatever you say, sweetheart. As long as I get to stare at this face the whole time, I won’t feel a thing.”

“Oh hush.” You walk off to get supplies to clean his cuts, feeling his eyes watch you as you walk off until your out of sight.

 “OUCH! Goodness gracious, sugar you’re killing me.”

“You won’t feel a thing, huh?” You mock him as a small pink blush rises on his cheeks at your comment. He tries to play it off, but you know what you saw. You finished bandaging the last cut right on the same wrist he broke and began to pack up supplies from bandaging his cuts and get some extra help to put his wrist back in place. Thankfully for you and him, it looked like a clean snap so placing it back and wrapping it up shouldn’t be as bad as it could.

“Hey hun, I didn’t catch your name? Can’t leave until at least finding out that this gorgeous doll as a name that’s just as beautiful as the rest of her,” he says, gesturing to you as a whole.

You weren’t quite sure what he saw in you, your baby blue scrub shirt and skirt, your hair pulled up into your nurse hat and some white shoes. Surely your hair was a mess from working all day so far and no doubt your clothes were in tangles from trying to keep this guy under control, but you were wondering even more whether or not you should tell him your name. You both have been flirting for a while and he seems like a really sweet and outgoing guy, but you were never open in the past to men because of focusing on work. Maybe this is your chance to start finding someone to share life with, you thought.

“Y/N. That’s my actual name but you, sweet thing, can call me Y/N/N.” His eyes widened at your new name for him but before he could say anything else, you headed off to grab more supplies for his wrist.

Oh, you were having way too much fun messing with this poor guy.

 Once it was finally time to put his wrist back into place, you could see a bit of fear in the man’s eyes and decided to distract him by asking why exactly he got himself into this mess.

“Oh you know, just watching out for an ol’ buddy of mine. Always getting himself into trouble, even though he’s as scrawny as they come. He’s got a good heart but doesn’t always think before he acts.”

“Seems like a nice guy?” You attempt to continue the conversation while preparing both him and yourself to snap it back in place.

“Yeah, he’s nice and sweet but can’t seem to find himself a girl. I’m actually having the same problem myself currently, can’t find anybody who I find either interesting or fun to be around. What do you think sugar, could you help me oOOOOOUUUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!”

The young man shrieked loudly in your ear as you snapped the bone back in place quickly, successfully distracting him long enough to do so without his attention on his arm.

He sighed in relief after his shock wore off, obviously feeling much better but still in some pain, no doubt from other injuries. You wrapped his arm up in a sling and got him so fresh clothes, since his robes were now dirty and his clothes from before had so many rips, they were basically in shreds.

 “Well, I guess this is goodbye, Y/N/N.” He grabbed your right hand in his left and gave the softest and warm kiss to the back of your hand, you could almost imagine what they would feel like on your own. Relationships had never been a focus in the past but the more time you spent with him flirting and talking today, the more you saw yourself spending more time with him.

“I guess so. I never actually got your name either, sir,” you say, realizing you never actually asked him.

He gasped, letting go of your hand to holding his own to his chest, your palm already feeling colder.

“All this time we’ve spent together and you don’t even know my name? Doll, I am truly hurt by this news, and we both know that I’ve been hurt many times over today.”

You smiled at him, the first time you had smiled in his presence since you first met him and he smiled right back at you, his eyes never leaving yours. And you were okay with it.

“James Buchanan Barnes, love. Most people call me Bucky but you, sweetheart, can call me James.”

“What an honor it is to meet you, James.” He stepped closer to you, bent down and whispered in your ear; “The pleasure is all mine, Y/N.”

He looked down at you, smirked at the sight of your obviously flushed face and softly kissed your cheek. You blushed even harder when he pulled away, feeling his lips so close to you that you almost melted right into your shoes. Man, he is one hell of a fella.

“So Mr. Barnes, is there anything else I can do for you today?”

“Well, more like I can do something for you Y/N. How about I take you out next Friday night for a nice dinner and a short walk?” He waited for a response, with a small sense of fear in his gut, knowing you could easily refuse his question.

“Can’t pass up on another opportunity to this pretty face, can I?” you say, with a wave of shock rolling over his scruffy facial features quickly, but turning into a grin, before you walk straight past him, giving him a small wave and making him wait to talk to you once again until next week.

 Little did you know, as soon as you were out of sight, he walked outside feeling better than ever and couldn’t get you outta his head. Later on that week, he would show up to the hospital two more times before the date to say hello because he just couldn’t get you off his mind.

And the feeling was mutual.

 Permanent Taglist:

@holland-haven @magic-marvel @sunflowerannawrites @secondsineternity @minnie-marvel @peter-prkers @signed-potato

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[jojo-lity]

Specularity

to @ocean0flove​, thank you for the commission!! and to everyone else, sorry i haven’t been doing much, i hope to get back to requests soon!

pairing: jotaro kujo/ocean0flove word count: 2514 rating: sfw

ao3 link

Attempt One.

Jotaro suddenly feels like an idiot for even writing that down. The pencil in his hand quivers a little bit (he’s more willing to believe in a pencil’s sudden rise to sentience than any weakness in his grip), alerting him to the urge to just toss it away. But he’s in the middle of a classroom, full of people that would get hurt if he launched a tiny wooden missile in their direction. Instead, he just scribbles the words out, taking some satisfaction in making each character unrecognisable.

Whatever. He doesn’t need to write anything down. He doesn’t even need a plan. He knows Jay, and they know him, as much as he’ll let anyone get to know him. Stupid as it is for him to have feelings like this (for the first person at school to treat him like a human being, no less), it’s not as if they’ll hate him for it.

In case he needed any evidence of not being hated, they don’t hesitate to drag their chair over to his desk at lunchtime. “So I found something you’re gonna love.”

“Really.” He folds his arms, keeping them loose to avoid a confrontational posture. While the classroom’s still full, he can’t open up as much as he might like to, so he takes what he can get.

“Really.” Seemingly not so worried, they lean closer, hovering at the edge of his personal space. How can he not appreciate that kind of consideration? “I was on the beach, that one near my house, and there was a boat, just sitting right there. I don’t know if it washed up, or someone left it there or whatever, but I left it a few days and no one came to get it.”

“So it’s yours now.” He’s not so much guessing as advising. Come on, it’s a free boat, he would have taken it way sooner.

“I guess! Well, it’s ours now, is what I was thinking.” Is it possible to fall for someone twice? Jotaro thinks he might have. “It’s small, but the motor runs. We could take it a few places, after school-“

“Let’s go now.” There’s only a few classes left, and really, screw school. He doubts he would even show up if not for Jay, and for science class, which is in the morning anyway. The teachers are used to him just giving up and leaving halfway through the day, and are mostly resigned to how little they can do to stop him.

Jay might be a little less casual about walking out, but it’s a beautiful day outside, and in the end, the temptation to spend time alone with Jotaro wins out. “All right, but we’re not gonna do this every day.”

“We’ll see.” He exits the room with his usual carelessness, not bothering to look at the teacher. If anyone sees him smuggle Jay out with him, hidden underneath his jacket, they know better than to say anything about it.

—

Sure enough, the boat’s engine starts easily, though it’s not very fast with both of them in it. Once they’re a decent distance from the shore, they’re content to just drift for a while, trailing their fingertips through the cool water whenever the urge strikes them.

He wants to say it, he really does. No matter how catastrophically he fails to transform what he’s feeling into the right words, and no matter how much he struggles to spit each of those inadequate words from his mouth, they would probably somehow get the message anyway, because that’s just how ridiculously understanding they are. After all, it’s their understanding of what he would like that led him to this moment in the first place.

In their temporary escape from the rest of humanity, shielded and cradled by the gentle waves, the atmosphere’s too perfect to spoil with a stumbling mess of a confession. It’s not that he’s giving up, it just has to be at the right time.

“Hey.” Jay’s voice brings Jotaro’s consciousness back into his body, dredged up from the depths below them. “I just thought of something. Do crabs think fish can fly?”

“That… huh. Maybe they do.” He points down, at the flickers of sunlight reflected on the scales of passing fish. “There they are, flying.”

Their answering laugh soothes something deep inside his heart, leaving him full of the feeling of having done something right. “They’re pretty. If I was getting fish, they’d have to sparkle like that.”

“Maybe I’ll get one now.” Jokes came much more easily to him in his uncommonly peaceful mood. “Just, grab it.”

Another laugh. There couldn’t be any prize in the world that felt better to receive. “I don’t know, aren’t they too slippery?”

“Doesn’t matter. If it’s for you, I could do anything.” The realisation that he did, in fact, say that out loud is quick to shatter his flawless calm. Dragging himself to his feet, he wastes no time in stepping directly over the side of the boat.

“Jotaro?!?” To Jay’s relief, he resurfaces within a few seconds, drenched hat stubbornly pulled down over his eyes. He has to be coaxed back into the boat, because they’re pretty sure he really will just try to swim to shore on his own, but they resist the temptation to make any comment on the way back home.

Attempt One is a resounding failure, but there’s always tomorrow.

—

The next day, day of the theoretical Attempt Two, is shot to hell before Jotaro can even start thinking about it. Some punks start hassling him on the way to school, and halfway through his response, he realises his own two fists aren’t the only participants.

A Stand. That’s what he has now, and it creeps him out, but at least he doesn’t have to spend much time looking at it. What would Jay think of it, the spectral warrior that’s supposedly his inner self but doesn’t seem to do much besides glare and punch?

If he’s lucky, he’ll just be able to forget about it. He’s never been so eager to get to school, just to have something normal to sink all his energy into.

Getting a nasty cut on his leg and falling down the stairs (in that order, strangely enough) isn’t the greatest of omens. At least Jay’s with him, their presence does a bit to deter girls from crowding around him. It’s not as if he needs help getting to the nurse’s office, but he’s not in any hurry to tell them to get lost.

They’re just outside the door when Jay stops, a conflicted expression briefly evident. “Hey, Jotaro… could you close your eyes for a second?”

Weird request, and not something he would trust coming from anyone else, but he’s willing to believe there’s a good reason for it. Still, because he can’t completely fight his instincts, he keeps one eye just barely open. The image is fuzzy, so it takes a second for him to completely focus on Jay, and the shape materialising next to them- Wait.

As much as he wants to open his eyes and ask what the hell’s going on, he decides to wait and see what happens. The shape, which might look human if it didn’t appear to be made of water, inches closer until it directly faces him. Nearby, Jay’s expression is one of deep concentration. What are they doing? He’s already sure that this is a Stand, but it doesn’t look anything like his own. Its abilities must be completely different.

“You know, now that I’m looking at it, there’s barely even a scratch. I think I just panicked when you fell.” Calm as can be, they move inward to take the place of their Stand when it vanishes. “Oh yeah, you can open your eyes now.”

He does, not that they were ever completely closed, and he checks his knee. Where he swears he saw an open wound just a minute ago, the skin is, in fact, barely scratched. So… a healing Stand, huh? That’s convenient. Maybe he would ask about it later, but they had to get to class-

A loud thump sounds from within the nurse’s office, followed by a woman’s screams. Before thinking about it, he’s already forcing the door open, to be confronted by the sight of glowing green tendrils disappearing inside of a convulsing nurse.

The fight that ensues is tough, and more than once he orders Jay to run, but every time they completely ignore him. Though it’s not worth the risk of them getting hurt, the healing does help him subdue Kakyoin a little faster than he otherwise might have been able to. Once he’s unconscious, Jay moves over to his crumpled form.

“You sure?”

“It’s okay, he won’t wake up.” Sure enough, the healing leaves him undisturbed. “So you have one too. I guess I should be surprised, but… I don’t know. It kind of suits you.”

“Suits me? That’s a surprise, I only got it yesterday.” Kakyoin proves difficult to pick up, not because of his weight, but because his long limbs keep getting in the way. It doesn’t take long for Jotaro to give up and just sling him over his shoulder. It’s not as if he has any right to complain. “Come on. We’re taking him home, he probably knows something.”

—

What he knows ends up bringing them on a journey, one that he’s barely been able to enjoy between the perilous fights and hasty travel arrangements. This barbershop in the middle of Egypt, with its surprisingly comfortable seats, might be one of the most peaceful places he’s been since leaving Japan. For once, going with Polnareff seems to have been the less stressful option.

With Jay sleeping in the chair next to him, he even feels safe enough for the rare luxury of a book. He got it from the library just before leaving, so if he’s going to have to pay one hell of an overdue fine, he may as well read it. After nearly dying a few dozen times, octopus anatomy feels like a nice break.

“Is that an octopus?” Apparently Jay wasn’t as asleep as he thought. He tilts the book slightly so they can see.

“Hapalochlaena. Some of the most venomous in the world.” He pauses. “Sometimes people don’t even know they’ve been bitten until it paralyses them.”

“Piss it off too much and you die, huh…” They scoot their chair a little closer, enough for Jotaro to suddenly be far too aware of their presence. “But it only bites if it’s in danger. Mostly it just wants to hide between rocks, right?”

He nods, moving his head slowly, but not too slowly. “You know a lot.”

“I guess. It’s just something I really like, you know? Marine life and stuff.” The sincerity in their voice is tempered by the slightest edge of vulnerability, as if they’re admitting something deeply personal that has a chance of not being received well. It’s the type of thing Jotaro would usually miss, coming from anyone else, perhaps only because he wouldn’t know what to look for.

“Me too.” Maybe he would have said more, if Polnareff hadn’t screeched and leapt out of his seat at that moment, but probably not. He was never one to say more than he needed to.

“Okay, don’t move, I’m going to pull them out.” He hisses when a few remnants of Anubis’ shattered blade slide out of his stomach, but manages to keep still as Fountain of Youth’s water washes out the wound. He’s well-acquainted with that feeling by now.

Maybe he should say it, what he’s been wanting to say since before they left. If the rest of the enemy Stands are this tough, it might be a long time before he gets another chance. There might not be another chance, he almost thinks, crushing the thought without mercy before it actually gets to insinuate itself into any part of his psyche.

On the other hand, they might both be better off if he keeps that particular Pandora’s box of unexplored emotion closed for the time being. It’s worked out for him well enough so far- if Jay’s noticed any change in his behaviour, it hasn’t been anything worth commenting on. It’s enough to make him feel almost optimistic.

—

Standing over Jay’s unmoving body, he doesn’t think he could feel any less optimistic.

His heart spasms in a worrying way for a boy his age when they stir slightly, steady breaths warming his hand. Unconscious, and likely to stay that way for some time, but decidedly alive.

Dio’s nowhere to be seen, the bastard, but Jotaro’s certain he’s nearby. He can feel those eyes on him, empty of anything but a fierce, unshakeable, joyful bloodlust. Probably waiting for him to try and run.

He won’t run. He’ll stand right here and do what he does best: fight for the people he loves.

—

They get a flight home before midday. After parting with Avdol, Polnareff, and Iggy at the airport, they board a plane, patiently waiting for takeoff with the prospect of plenty of uninterrupted rest ahead.

“So… we made it.” The words on Jotaro’s tongue don’t quite feel like words. He might need sleep more than he thought he did. “Took long enough.”

“I guess! It’s weird of me to say this, but…” Jay leans a little closer, careful not to strain their seatbelt. “I think I’m going to miss it, just a little.” His feelings on that must be obvious, because they rush to clarify. “I mean, obviously there’s some parts I wouldn’t miss! But we had some good times, right?”

He just shakes his head. “Give me a break. You could have died. Then what?”

“Then what? I guess I’d be a ghost, heheh… oh.” They take a closer look at his face. “You were really worried, weren’t you?”

Then there’s nothing left he can do to express the ridiculously obvious answer to that question. They let out a little noise of surprise when they’re pulled into his arms, but offer absolutely no resistance. Then, because they know him almost too well, they ask: “How long?”

This would be the time that he gives up on words completely and kisses them, but there’s enough people around to make his skin crawl a little at the thought. “Too damn long.” Then they’re taking off, and it’s when he can see the ocean glittering below them that it really hits him: They’re going home. It’s hard to think about how they’ll go back to school after this, but Jay’s going to be with him. It’ll be worth it just for that.

He expects them to slip out of the hug eventually, but they only get closer, head coming to rest securely on his chest. Their warm, gentle closeness puts him in danger of succumbing to his fatigue, a fight he eventually loses. He might have felt a bit of regret for missing out on such a special moment, if it wasn’t the first of many more.

[timjob]

Unwitting Fairy Godmother

The Huntress:

The town of Devonshire was a pretty big city as far as cities went. It was no where near as big as the capital was, but that was the capital after all. The town made most of it's money from the river that was near by. the merchants would use it to get all sorts of goods all across the province.

I made my way through town and greeted people along her way. Most of the townsfolk knew me and if they didn't they knew of me. I was by far the best hunter that this town had ever seen. I had trapped or killed just about anything that the sprawling forest could throw at me. I sold the furs and donated most of the meat to the local church.

Over all, it would be a very good place to be, if it weren't for that damn hedgewitch. Her and all of her magic were messing with the animals and that meant that I would have to spend days knowing the game trails again. That is if they didn't totally run off anyway. Not to worry though, I had a plan to deal with her.

It was a short walk to where I had set up my traps yesterday, and I could hear the squealing of an animal that had been trapped. Sure enough, I got closer and I could see a big skunk trapped in one of my cages. There was a squeal of delight as I carefully take it and pick it up making sure not to scare it.

It is another short walk to the cottage of the witch and once I ma there, I place the little guy down in front of the door and run off and hide behind a tree. I take out my bow and draw and arrow back as I can't help but to smile from ear to ear. The plan is to shot my arrow into the door, then the witch comes out to see what it is, and then upsets the skunk on her stoop and gets sprayed.

I loose the arrow and I hear a solid thud as I knew that it hit it's mark. There was no chance that I had missed. I take off running back to town as I have to try not to laugh the whole way. And of course I had to sign my master plan too. Around the shaft, there was a little note with just a heart in blood on it.

I don't hear any screams or cries as I run a safe distance away from the cottage and that begins to worry me because the poor little skunk must have been terrified and looking for any excuse to let off his stink. I turn back and go to investigate and try to think up a new plan.

I get back to the clearing that the little house is on and I don't smell anything which is weird. I move in closer and closer, but it is as if nothing has ever happened here. Eventually I sling my bow and knock on the door to the little house and put on my nicest smile. "Excuse me, You really shouldn't live here." I call out. "I hear there is a nasty old hag who is messing with the game" I say as I knock harder on the door.

The Fairy:

"Oh, come now, little one," the old hag cajoled, smiling with crooked teeth through withered lips. "I just need some of your dust for my spells. You're quite full of magic." She taps the gilded iron cage holding me hostage, making me jump back from her questing fingers. I feel some of my dust flutter off my wings, settling through the holes in the floor into the collection cage below. I huffed, crossing my arms under my relatively large bust in an attempt to make my diminutive frame more intimidating.

"If you let me out now, I will give you a taste of my dust," I say menacingly. "In fact, you're welcome to eat it while I fly away," I finish, grinning at my clever pun.

The hag merely shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I need more of your dust than that." She hobbles over to a crude wooden table with a wide array of tools. Searching through the disordered pile, she pulls out a pair of long iron forceps. She hobbles back over to my cage. I slink to the back of the cage, but there's only so far I can go, and there's no real escape. "Let's get out more of that dust, little one." She slips the forceps through some of the holes in my cage. With shocking speed, she snags my wrists with each of them, lifting me off the floor of the cage and shaking me. The world wobbles as I try to maintain my focus, but I can feel my fairy dust bleeding off of me all over, and I feel dizzy and faint. My beautiful magical essence falls gracefully through the bottom of the cage into her collection plate, creating a glittering pile as she shakes me around.

Suddenly, as I feel I'm about to pass out, there's a thump on the door. A sour look flashes across the hag's face, but she drops me regardless, tossing a cloth over my cage. "I'll be right back, little one," she says as I try to get my bearings in my suddenly dark prison. I feel like the world is spinning around me, and I sit on the floor to try to catch my breath.

From within my cage, I hear the door open, and here a surprised yelp from an animal. The yelps are followed by quiet, soothing whispers, and I can tell they're magic, although not faerie magic like mine. I listen for movement as the hag closes the door and comes back inside. Soon, I hear a knock on the door. "Excuse me, your really shouldn't live here. I hear there is a nasty old hag who is messing with the game."

The hag sighs. "The prankster returns. Let's see the owner of this bloody heart." I feel a weird shake as the collection plate is removed from under my cage before being replaced with just a pinch of my precious dust missing from the mound. The door opens a crack, sending a ray of light onto the cloth covering my cage. It gives me just enough light to see silhouettes. I see the crooked old hag blow something through the door and shout out more words in that magic language from before. Suddenly, I can see a powerful aura, even through the cloth, coming from outside the door.

"Oh no," I whisper, as the voice from outside starts up again.

Hey, y’all! My first story seed! I wrote the Fairy section, and someone else (who I won’t name for their privacy) wrote the Huntress section. This was part of an /r/dirtypenpals roleplay over on reddit. We didn’t get very far, but I liked where we were going so I decided to post it as a story seed. I didn’t do much editing since I’m super tired today so please excuse typos and stuff that doesn’t make sense due to it being a roleplay. Here’s the link to the prompt for more context: https://old.reddit.com/r/dirtypenpals/comments/8g0z11/nb4a_f_preferred_not_what_you_expected_from_your/?st=jjfrn2wr&sh=5e47ca3b

Since this is the first one, I would like to take a second to explain what a story seed is. Basically, I have a lot of good (at least I think so) ideas for stories that I would love to tell, but I don’t have the dedication to be a writer. So, I’ve decided to take some of my ideas, write them out into little vignettes or story beginnings or whatever and post them on tumblr for other, better writers to work with. If this prompt inspired you to write anything, I would love it if you tag me in it so I can see!