#came back home from work though and was immediately reminded like there was some sort of miasma left behind

[marginal-effect]

hacking gagging choking

[bbkoolkatz]

you're pregnant... katsuki made sure to remind you every single time you leaned/bent over to pick something up, when you attempted to cook something for him before he gets back from work, or even if you tried to make the bed in the mornings... he fussed over the littlest things, refusing to let you exert yourself in any manner, other than the exercises he planned out for you...

then front door burst open, and katsuki stomped in, arms loaded with grocery bags, as he kicked off his boots. his gaze immediately moved from the smiled you greeted him with on your face, to the vacuum cleaner, still on, in your hand.

"the hell d'ya think yer doin'?" he barked, dumping the bags onto the kitchen counter. before you could even open your mouth to respond, he was already striding across the room, snatching the vacuum from your hands like it was some sort of threat. "are ya' outta yer damn mind?"

you blinked at him, caught completely off guard by his sudden outburst. "i was just cleaning, katsuki... relax."

"relax?" his voice jumped an octave, disbelief dripping from his tone. he jabbed a finger toward your growing belly, to remind you yet again, as if you weren't walking around with all day. "y' shouldn't be messin' with this crap!"

crossing your arms, you fought to keep calm. "babe i'm pregnant, not incapable... the living room was a disaster, and i wanted to do something about it."

"i don't give a damn about the livin' room!" he fired back, his hands flying as he gestured. "what if you tripped? or hurt yourself? or—"

"or what? did something to pass time until you came home?" you cut in, narrowing your eyes. "i wasn't doing anything dangerous, katsuki. it's vacuuming, not weightlifting."

his jaw tightened, the muscles visibly straining as his teeth ground together. "doesn't matter. this ain't happenin' again."

you raised a brow, letting out a disbelieving scoff. "oh, really?" you grabbed a pillow from the couch and lobbed it at him, square in the chest, and he caught it, his expression a mix of shock and annoyance. "you're being ridiculous!"

"ridiculous?" he repeated, his tone dropping into that familiar low growl that always made your heart skip. tossing the pillow aside, he pointed firmly at the couch. "sit. down. now."

you held your ground, the heat of irritation flaring up again. "katsuki—"

"don't 'katsuki' me!" he snapped, his stance shifting as his hands found his hips, and he watched you up and down, with that stubborn glint in his eyes... "you either sit, or i make you."

"you wouldn't dare," you shot back, glaring at him.

"wanna test me?" he challenged, stepping closer, daring you to defy him.

the sheer intensity of his protectiveness was as frustrating as it was endearing. with an exaggerated sigh, you flopped onto the couch. "there. happy?"

"for now," he grumbled, shooting you a final warning glance before heading toward the coffee table to start tidying up the clutter.

leaning back against the cushions, you watched him work, your earlier irritation slowly fading away, taking in the tension in his shoulders, the tight set of his jaw—he wasn't just being overbearing. he was scared, though he'd never admit it.

"you're way more stressed about this whole pregnancy thing than i am." you teased, breaking the silence.

"yeah, well," he muttered without looking at you, stacking magazines with unnecessary force, "i can't do much else, so i'm makin' sure you don' screw anythin' up."

a soft chuckle escaped your lips, "you're impossible," you teased, picking up a pillow to hold it against your belly.

"yeah, yeah," he replied, his tone softer now. he glanced your way briefly, the worry in his eyes undeniable. "i just don' want anythin' happenin' t' ya' or our kid."

your heart softened at his honesty. "i get it, kats."

"good." he said, returning to his self-appointed task. "now shut up 'n let me finish this. i'll do it better anyway."

you gasped dramatically, by the jab at your cleaning skills, and threw another pillow at him, landing it against the side of his face, the shocked glare that followed was sooo worth it. and he just watched as you held his brat in your belly, laughing at him.

mlist!

[hgfictionwriter]

Revelations: Part Six

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Jessie’s been part of your daily life for years. She’s been your partner; your future. You try to find a way to let go without losing her altogether.

Warnings: Angst.

A/N: Rest of the series is here.

You sighed heavily as you stared up at the darkened ceiling of your new apartment. It had been a busy week of unpacking, cleaning, getting settled and sorted. The days had been so full on between work and the move that most nights you more or less collapsed into bed in sheer exhaustion.

Even then though, the stillness and quiet of your new apartment weighed on you. The unfamiliarity - the loneliness - of your current living arrangement caused your insides to twist incessantly and sleep eluded you.

You'd hoped that the weeks you and Jessie lived together while broken up would've dulled the harshness of this transition, but it seems that had been a foolish thought.

You absently and habitually played with your ring finger, dull realization setting in yet again that your ring - Jessie's - was long gone. She'd wanted you to keep it; adamantly so, but you forced her to take it back.

Hardly realizing it, you hand palmed your nightstand and you retrieved your phone.

1:45 am.

You released another restless sigh and automatically opened up your conversation with Jessie.

"This might be a record for me. I just finished a whole season of Alone in one night. At this point I feel like I could compete on the next season."

You couldn't help but chuckle faintly. She'd texted you that an hour ago - clearly she was having trouble sleeping as well.

You two may have been broken up, but you were still talking daily.

You still weren't sure you could be her friend or even if you wanted to be, but to go from being so deeply connected with someone, to live with them for years, to sleep next to them nearly every night, your lives, moments and dreams, entwined, from seeing reminders and tokens of them throughout your entire home, to none at all, it was even harder than you'd anticipated.

Being so busy and preoccupied helped keep it minimal during the days, but at night? You both seemed to gravitate to one another despite your situation.

Your cheeks puffed out in a weary exhale. A voice in the back of your head told you to close the conversation, your phone, do anything else, but instead you texted her.

"I bet you'd do very well on that show. I can actually picture it lol. Me? Not so much. Besides, beats the trash I've been watching."

You immediately closed out of the conversation the second you sent it as if that'd somehow erase your wrongdoing.

You'd barely opened up a different app when a notification from her came through. You may have stopped going to her games - watching them in any sense, it was just too painful - but you still knew her training schedule. She'd have to be up in a few short hours. She really must be having trouble sleeping, too.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. You're resourceful and smart. You'd do just fine. And I definitely want to know what so-called trash you've been watching."

"You don't. Believe me. It's bad."

You hesitated before sending a hurried follow-up.

"Consider yourself lucky that you're not being subjected to it"

You saw the text bubbles pop up for a couple of seconds before disappearing. You stared at the screen for several moments, pulse starting to quicken and only increasing further as she started typing anew.

"I definitely wouldn't say that."

You saw a false-start of a new message from her again and you waited. When it seemed like she thought better than to send through anything more, she added:

"I'd love to be together watching some shitty tv show. I'd give anything for that."

Your eyes snapped up to the ceiling with a shaky breath as you pushed the back of your head deeper into the pillow. They fell shut as a rush of emotions came over you. A deep frown was etched on your forehead as you tried to get your feelings back under control.

Your phone buzzed in your hand.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Another weary sigh escaped you. You hated this.

"Don't be."

"I want the same. And it fucking sucks."

"The days are hard. Horrible. But the nights are unbearable."

"I wake up looking for you. Assuming I ever actually fall asleep."

Your chest expanded with another shaky breath.

"I know the feeling."

You rubbed your eyes in agitation before hurriedly writing another message.

"I miss you."

Your shoulders fell as soon as you sent it. You were weak. So weak.

Your breath hitched as your screen lit up with a call from her. You stared at it as your phone continued to buzz in your hand. Your lips were parted as your breathing grew quick and shallow.

You answered.

"Hello?"

A beat passed and her voice filtered into your ear.

"Hey."

Your eyes fell shut and you felt your throat tighten with emotion immediately. You subconsciously leaned your head into the phone and towards her voice as a swirling mix of comfort and longing swept over you.

"I-" She paused as she gathered her words, "I just thought I should call you," she finished quietly; apologetically even.

"I miss you too," she whispered, but even through the tinny quality of the phone, you could hear her emotion. "So much."

You took a steadying breath as you looked up at the ceiling.

"I hate this," you said, voice growing hoarse.

"I know, baby. Me too," she said softly, the pet name causing your lip to nearly quiver and your eyes to sting with tears. You didn't say anything and she carried on longingly. "I wish I was with you right now."

Another shuddering breath escaped you as you covered your eyes with your free hand.

"God, Jess," you managed to say, your voice pleading for so many things. You sighed in defeat and rubbed harshly at your face. "You have no idea how much I want that too."

You heard a quick sigh on her end.

"I'd come over in a heartbeat if you wanted me to," she said.

You didn't say 'no'. You didn't say anything at all.

"I-I could be there in, like, 20."

"Jess...," you said, both in want and warning.

"I'm coming over," she declared gently and you heard rustling on her end of the call.

You listened wordlessly for several moments and could hear her moving about and gathering up her things.

"You shouldn't. We shouldn't," you said weakly and with little conviction. By the jingle of her keys, it seemed you weren't fooling her either.

"I'll stay on the line," she told you unwaveringly.

Her effort and longing for you validated an ache and hollow in you. You wanted her here. You wanted her arms around you. You wanted her to speak declarations of love and devotion in your ear that would make everything else go away.

You heard the elevator ding.

Your eyes opened and you let your hand fall from your face to your side. Her wanting you, her loving you, wasn't the issue. Falling asleep in her arms wasn't going to fix anything - it hadn't all of those nights before.

You were hurting yourself, and her.

"Jess."

She didn't reply.

"Jess. Stop," you told her with quiet authority. "We can't do this. You know we can't."

"Y/N..."

"Jessie. I love you so much. But, we can't do this," you said regretfully, though with no room to debate it. "Please turn around. Please go back upstairs," you instructed gently.

The line was quiet for several seconds.

"Okay," she accepted, the disappointment in her voice still detectable. "I'm sorry," she added meekly.

The elevator dinged again and soon you heard her keys in the lock of your old front door.

"I can't sleep without you," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. She sniffled. "I don't know how to do this," she went on, voice high and tight.

You stifled a sob at hearing this woman who, to most, was reserved and kept her emotions close to her chest, expressing such hurt and vulnerability with you.

When you spoke, your voice was tight and you blinked through tears.

"Me neither."

--------

The very next morning you booked a trip home to London. Surely, going home - seeing your family and old friends - would cure you and provide comfort and relief.

While it was lovely - and needed - to see them all again, something about it didn't feel the same as it did before. You also lamented the fact that you couldn't catch up with Niamh or Sam or any of the Chelsea crew. You loved them, but they were Jessie's friends.

And despite your efforts, you couldn't help but hone in on - even over here - families and kids everywhere. It's like your subconscious was hyperfocused. Waves of loss came over you, but you also had flickers of thoughts about what it could've been like to bring Zoie here with Jessie.

Any time the notion broached your mind though, you were quick to banish it.

After a couple of weeks you actually felt a bit antsy and unsettled. You desperately wanted to feel safety and comfort and familiarity here, but it just didn't feel right. It wasn't what you were looking for.

What was that saying? 'You can never go home again'? It resounded in your mind because it felt painfully true.

Truth was, you enjoyed your career in Portland, you liked the lifestyle, the weather, and though you loved your old friends, you missed your new ones too. Beyond Jessie, there were reasons you were open to moving; leaving your home. So even if it looked different now, you still liked the life you'd built in Portland; maybe more than you realized.

Maybe someday you’d reflect on this and realize something else was fueling this decision - maybe pride, maybe plain old stubbornness - but some deep seated part of you felt you needed to see things out in Portland. You didn't want to run away.

So though you didn't feel overly content in either place right now, you felt strangely ready to go back.

The hardest part about coming back might've actually been that you had less distractions from Jessie's texts. When you were away, it was easier to disconnect and you started to put more emotional space between you two.

When you got there, she was still texting you daily - a good morning text with wishes of a good day, an inquiry or two about your day, a good night text, and the odd text in between with a picture or comment about things that must've reminded her of you.

As your responses slowed, Jessie adjusted slightly, but was undeterred in many ways. She still at least wished you a good day every day. If she was put off by your delay, she didn't show it because she responded promptly if she wasn't training or at a game. She even asked on a couple of occasions - when you were more responsive than other times - if you'd be interested in grabbing coffee or lunch together. As friends of course.

Now that you were back and in your routine again, it was harder to resist picking up your phone and texting her back.

It was hard, so hard, talking with her and trying to walk this line of friendship. It felt so unnatural to politely inquire about one another's day but not come home to each other, to not make plans together, or think of things as 'we' or 'us'.

You wanted to know about her life - what was she up to, what things were new, what things were the same - but it made your chest tight every time. It was so stupid and frustrating, you'd initiated this, you wanted her to live her life and for you to live yours, but it still hurt to be nothing more than a peripheral observer these days.

This couldn't be how it was meant to be.

"What are you up to this weekend?"

"If you have some time and you're open to it, maybe we could meet for coffee?"

You pressed your lips together tersely as you contemplated your response. You scrolled up through your conversation with her.

It was friendly enough, but neither of you were being truly open and honest as you texted back and forth. You were both just treading water - and for what?

You took a deep breath and replied.

"Sure. We can meet for a bit. When?"

You could've said more. But what you needed to say to her you wanted to say in person. It seemed the decent thing to do, but you'd be lying if you didn't admit that you also just wanted to see her - maybe one last time.

----------

When you rounded the corner to the coffee shop you spotted Jessie right away, standing there waiting. She anxiously gnawed at the corner of her thumb while restlessly shifting from foot to foot and scrolling on her phone.

You were readying yourself to greet her when her head snapped up, somehow picking out your steps amongst all the others that crossed back and forth in this area.

You hadn't seen her since the night she helped you move in. Your pulse was already pounding loudly in your head before you saw her, but now it quickened further and it took very conscious effort to keep your breathing controlled.

Her posture immediately straightened and she dropped her hands stiffly to her sides, almost standing at attention as you approached. A warm smile tentatively crossed her face. She went to take a step towards you, arms coming out slightly telegraphing a hug, but hesitated and remained rooted to her spot instead.

"Hi," she greeted, quieting her smile in an effort to seem casual. She looked you up and down quickly and said, "You look good." She immediately averted her gaze and began blushing. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave a single shake of her head. "Sorry. I, um, I don't know why I said that. It seemed like the polite thing to do - not that I don't think you look good! But like, not in a disrespectful or inappropriate way. I-"

"It's fine," you cut her off with a faint laugh and offering her a reassuring smile. You smirked. "You look good too. And 'hi'."

She gave you a grateful smile, shoulders relaxing at your reprieve before she stood confidently once more and offered a smile that seemed more natural, easy.

"Wanna head inside?" She asked as she gestured to the doors with her thumb. You nodded and she opened the door, standing aside for you as she held it. "What can I get you?" She asked next.

"Jess," you chided as you gave her a look. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Come on. It's coffee," she said pointedly.

You wanted to make a flirty crack about how that's how it always starts; it did for you two. You gave her your order instead and she looked so pleased that it hurt your heart.

"There's a table over there," Jessie noted as she nodded towards the other side of the shop when you both had your drinks in hand.

It was tempting. In this moment it would be so easy to sit down in this cozy cafe, chat the afternoon away and fall back into old habits. Being with her in person was like a jolt to your system. Even your memories didn't do justice to how easy it was to want her; love her.

"Actually," you interjected, some of your apprehension returning, "I was hoping we could go for a walk."

"Okay," she agreed easily. "Sounds great."

Again, she trotted a few steps ahead to open the door for you. You offered a tight smile as you stepped through.

You breathed easier as soon as you were outside.

You eased in. Asked her how she was, how were things. How was Zoie.

She lit up. The look of gratitude she gave you over the question made you feel guilty for how taboo you'd apparently made mention of her.

"She's doing well. Really well. She's in summer camps and loving it. She's really taken to anything science related, which, you know, I think is great."

She quieted and became aware of how you were watching her. Zoie really did brighten up her life and brought her so much joy. Maybe it was because of the distance or time passed, but it felt easier to just appreciate this. It still ached, but it was duller. It was countered with a warmth in your chest at seeing Jessie like this and imagining the happiness on Zoie's face at how much more love was in her life now.

Jessie took a sip of her drink and gave you a cursory glance before she cleared her throat.

"She asks about you," she said, pausing as if she was testing the waters. "She misses you."

You gave her a fleeting smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.

"She's really sweet," you said. "I miss her too." Now you cleared your throat, offering her a small smile. "And no surprise she's into science," you gave a faint, forced laugh. "That's great. We need more girls in STEM," you added with another chuckle in hopes of diffusing any mounting tension.

Jessie chuckled and soon started inquiring about your life.

"Yeah, I'm good," you answered simply. There was really no good or easy way to transition into this. Might as well dive in.

"Um, I, uh, actually agreed to meet with you because, I...," you trailed off, your eyes shifting to a low wall at the edge of the walking path you were on. You nodded towards it, "Let's sit down."

"Oh," Jessie commented, her tone dropping before she offered a breathy laugh. "One of these talks, huh?" She joked half-heartedly though she complied and took a seat on the ledge. Her shoulders her hunched over as she held her coffee tightly in both hands while her eyes stared distractedly at the ground.

You took a seat a few inches from her and she looked up at you, a worried frown etched across her forehead already. You gave her a small smile as if that would somehow soothe her.

"Um," you started again as you determinedly picked at the sleeve of your cup. You wracked your mind for the script you'd practiced over and over in your head, but the words were a jumbled mess in this moment.

You let out a nervous laugh and somehow you felt a calming presence coming from her. You turned your head to look at her, now her being the one to offer you a small smile of reassurance despite the sadness growing in her eyes.

"It's okay," she said gently. "Take your time. And say what you need to." Her head dipped slightly, but she maintained her smile.

You blew out a breath, gaze shifting to the sky as you felt tears starting to burn behind your eyes already.

"Shit," you laughed as you tried to suppress the tightness that was forming in your throat.

"It's okay," she repeated.

She was kind. And sweet. And generous. And you loved her so. Your instinct was to lean into her, seek her embrace. In this moment as you looked at her, it was so clear that you would never not want that from her. That you'd be satisfied with less.

"Some people aren't meant to be friends," you lamented as your gaze fell to the ground.

"S-sorry?"

You gave her a regretful look.

"It's been over a month since I moved out. Two since we broke up," you said in near exasperation, "and I don't miss you any less."

You caught the flash of hope in her eyes snuff out the sadness that had been there moments before. It pushed you to get on with it. You'd been dragging things on long enough.

"I've been trying to find a way to be your friend. To stay in each other's lives. Find some way to hold on. But I just can't do it," you said with measured certainty. You voice dropped to just above a whisper, as it would lessen the weight of your words. "We can't be friends, Jess." You felt her eyes on you. "And we can't be more, so..."

You turned to her with a steadying breath.

“Since I met you, there’s been this undeniable, innate desire to get closer. Always wanting more with you. So now needing to do the opposite? It’s been brutal. And so unnatural.

"It's too hard. Hearing from you, talking with you and just orbiting around the edge of your life. One foot in, one foot out. I don't know how to be your friend, and I don't know deep down if I really want to be. How can I know and experience what we had together and just pretend that a fraction of that is enough? I can't picture my feelings for you being anything less than romantic. Anything less than love-of-my-life."

You saw her face fall and it caused a mirrored reaction in you.

"I can't build a new life with you around. Even if it's just in texts," you said sorrowfully. "I can't keep sitting around, distracting myself until the next notification from you. Mapping out how to respond. When. It's - it's too much. I need for us to be apart - truly apart, to move on." Your throat felt dry. "I hope you understand."

Jessie’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears and with the way her shoulders rounded and had her hands tucked between her knees she looked so defeated.

She didn’t speak for several seconds and eventually her shoulders fell further with an empty sigh.

“I’m sorry I’ve made things harder,” she said.

“You-”

“I can text less,” she sat up as she offered it hopefully. She saw the silent sigh you released and her posture fell once more and she ran a hand through her hair. “I understand,” she offered, voice thin.

She wiped at her nose quickly and let out a shuddering sigh as she sat back.

“It’s been hard for me too. I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to know you’ve been pulling away. And of course it makes sense. We’re supposed to. I just-,” she laughed feebly with a cursory glance, “I don’t want to lose you. Completely.”

Her gaze fell and she reached out to gently grasp your hand, her thumb delicately grazing your skin. Your features immediately flickered with emotions, as did hers - you didn’t pull away though, instead relishing this moment.

“I can’t think of you as anything less either,” she admitted in a low voice. She took a deep breath and looked up at you, a couple of tears now staining her cheeks. “Is…this goodbye? Will I ever get to talk to you again?”

You couldn’t will yourself to close things so unequivocally.

You caressed the back of her hand much the way she did yours.

“I’m still here. I don’t want to pretend that you don’t exist and I don’t want you to have to do that either. But keeping up with each other doesn’t work either. Trying to stay active in each other’s lives isn’t sustainable. I want to respect what we had, and I think leaving things as they were, not trying to drag this out or turn it into something we’re not meant to be…I think that’s the best way we can do that.

“You know I think the world of you. But we can’t be friends.”

You gave a pained laugh. “At the same time, the thought of never hearing from you again…” You gave a weak shake of your head. “I can’t bear that either. I’m sure there’s the odd thing where it makes sense that we can reach out. But nothing - consistent? I guess?” You sighed listlessly. “I don’t know. I know that doesn’t give you clarity. But I don’t know how else to define things.”

She gave a series of slow nods and eventually gave your hand a gentle squeeze. She mustered up a smile for you.

“I think I understand,” she said softly.

You two sat together in silence. She squeezed your hand again and you found yourself moving in, resting your head on her shoulder. Her arm immediately came up around you and she hugged you to her side as she laid a lingering kiss atop your head.

You sat there for several minutes together, taking this moment and each other in.

Eventually, you disengaged, immediately feeling cold outside of her embrace. You two walked back to where you started and stood before one another.

“If you ever need anything, don’t ever hesitate,” Jessie said. You nodded.

“Same,” you reciprocated though your thoughts swirled with insecurity - she didn’t need you like you needed her. You pushed them aside.

“I love you,” Jessie said with a broken smile and a wavering voice. She blinked back tears again and tried to laugh. “Had to say it just one more time.”

“I love you, too.” Your gaze fell briefly as you choked up. “I don’t regret any of it. I’m so grateful for everything we had and to be loved by you.” You tried to swallow the lump in your throat. “Being with you has been the best part of my life.”

Jessie’s face collapsed with emotion. “I’m always going to be yours, you know. Regardless. You made me love and feel loved in a way I didn’t know was possible. I-” She paused with a slow shake of her head and a heartbroken smile pulling at her lips. “Words aren’t enough.”

Moments passed as you held each other’s gaze.

You had no idea a heart could break so deeply so many times.

“Bye, Jess.”

——————

A/N: I’m sorry. I know this isn’t any happier. Please be patient…!

A/Nx2: Life has been rough for me today. Being able to share this chapter with you is a highlight for me though. So thank you so much for the interest and support. It’s making me weepy today 😭

Tag requests: @marvelwomen-simp @valuyhh

[mrsshabana]

Hi Mrs. Shabana!!!! I’ve had this request for a while because I’m a big fan of Gyutaro and the way you write him :D if you want, could you make an inceltaro fic and it’s established relationship too if it’s okay. Idk just daily life with him and if you feel comfortable could it be smut? (I have never requested anything before please forgive me 🤧 also I added the cat so things would be less dry I hope u appreciate this)

𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥!𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧!𝐆𝐲𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ‧₊˚⋆

꒦꒷‧₊ Content Gyutaroxfemale!reader, 18+ MDNI, modern au, Gyutaro is an incel and a demon, smut, vaginal sex, creampie ꒦꒷‧₊ Note 1.3k words. I know you didn't ask for a demon version of incel Gyutaro but I had the idea and really wanted to write it! I haven't written for demon Gyutaro much so I've been craving it lately. I hope you still like it tho! And tysm for the ask ♡

Your boyfriend is a really strange guy. Your friends warned you that he was a creep before you started dating, but you didn't care. You thought his social ineptitude was charming.

Sure, maybe he was a bit of a stalker before you started dating. But can you blame him? You were super pretty, and the way that you smiled at him made his knees weak.

He didn't understand how or why a woman could have this effect on him. In his eyes, women were lesser creatures designed to serve men's needs. Cooking, cleaning, sex, that sort of stuff.

Or at least that's what he learned from Reddit and 4chan.

He rarely left his room or talked to people in person so it was only a matter of time until he clung to some extremist online society. It was easier to blame everyone else for his problems instead of taking accountability for his own attitude and situation.

He was just a horny, unemployed neet that's obsessed with video games and hentai.

But one day when he was checking his mail in the mailroom of his apartment building, you accidentally bumped into him. You smiled at him and profusely apologized. It wasn't a strange or unusual encounter by any means, but for Gyutaro it was the first (if not only) positive interaction he had with a woman other than his sister. So to say it affected him would be an understatement.

He immediately got hard as he watched you walk away. Unable to resist temptation as he followed you to see which apartment unit you lived in. It was just down the hall from his.

And that's how his obsession began. He memorized your work schedule and would try to always catch you on your way to and from your apartment. Then while you were at work he'd go back to his room and jerk off until his dick was raw.

It wasn't healthy, but he didn't care.

Eventually one thing led to another and the two of you would talk on occasion. Leading to a few dates. Then boom, he became your boyfriend.

You love Gyutaro for his personality and his uniqueness. He's actually really funny sometimes and you love how much he cares about you. Sometimes it's borderline obsessive but you rather have someone be obsessed with you than not give a shit.

Plus you think he's so handsome. Maybe not conventionally attractive, but he's attractive to you. Those birthmarks on his face are beautiful, and you make sure to remind him of that every time you see him.

He'll put up a front like he doesn't care or can't be bothered, but as you kiss his birthmarks his cheeks begin to turn a light shade of pink. And suddenly he wants to lie in bed and cuddle you all evening.

He's a good boyfriend, though he has some downsides. He was often rude to other people, especially women. His apartment was a mess, he refused to clean up his hair, and his personal hygiene was subpar.

But those flaws could never prepare you for the real secret that he had been hiding this whole time.

You had to work overtime one night so you came home super late, but you really wanted to see Gyutaro so you went into his apartment, expecting him to be in his room playing video games. But no, instead you found him sitting on the living room couch with a severed arm in his hand. Casually munching down on the bloody flesh.

He looked at you with wide eyes that didn't look like the soft blue ones you had become accustomed to. Instead they were an unnatural red and green, his clear scleras now a sickly yellow.

"Um... I can explain," he muttered as he swallowed the wad of flesh.

So yeah, not only were you dating an incel but he also happened to be a demon! Just your luck, right?

You panicked and freaked out initially, which is completely understandable. But when you gave Gyutaro the chance to explain himself, everything began to make sense.

Being a demon, he can't go out during the day and needs to stay secluded as to not draw in too much attention. He was basically forced into solitude, in turn resulting in him becoming an incel. He couldn't just go out and have a normal life like a human could.

As he explained his situation, you began to feel bad for him. It really wasn't his fault that he turned out this way.

He was on the verge of tears as he tried to explain things to you. The thought of you being afraid of him broke his heart. He would rather face death than accept that you no longer love him.

So he definitely didn't expect you to be so accepting of his situation, but you were. And it only made him love you even more.

Apparently demons have been around for a very long time. And over the years they have adapted to living in a more modern society. Like how Gyutaro could change his appearance to match more of what he looked like before he became a demon. Though now that you know the truth, he doesn't hide his true nature from you.

Is it bad that you like him better this way?

Maybe it's because he can truly be himself now with nothing to hide. But you find this new Gyutaro so fucking attractive. Suddenly his less than ideal hygiene isn't so bad.

Before he met you, he would mainly target women that annoyed him. Women who were beautiful, had lots of friends, or successful careers. Sometimes he'd target men too if they sparked his jealousy. Especially if the guy was very popular with the ladies, that made Gyutaro's blood boil and they'd quickly become his next meal.

But now that he's in a happy relationship, his outbursts of jealousy aren't as bad.

Now that you know the truth, he doesn't hold anything back in the bedroom. Gyutaro will literally go for HOURS if you let him. Fucking you relentlessly, spilling load after load inside of you. He knows you can only handle so much since you're just a human but sometimes he just can't help himself.

His favorite thing is to hold you down and push his cock even deeper inside of you after he's filled you to the brim with his semen. Watching you struggle beneath him is the cutest thing in his eyes.

You claim that you need to clean up and you feel dirty, but he loves that dirty feeling. He wants to watch you writhe in the mess he's created. Just smelling his scent all over you like that drives him mad. Even after you clean it off, his scent is never truly gone because he forced you to sit in it for so long.

He's rough and sadistic during sex, teasing you constantly. Withholding your orgasm while he reaches his over and over again. You're like his human toy that he can play with as he pleases.

But when it comes down to it, he genuinely loves and cherishes you. He acts like he's in control, but if you legitimately wanted him to stop, he would. He would even get on his knees and lick the bottom of your shoes if you asked. He'd never admit it to anyone else. But for you he'd do anything.

The love he has for you knows no bounds. You aren't just his girlfriend, you're his soulmate. He's convinced of it. The two of you are so different, but maybe that's why you work so well together.

He's depraved, filthy, and disgraceful. But you love him that way and wouldn't change him for the world.

[your-unfriendlyghost]

Stares at you and very politely requests for some transfem soda headcanons

Oh hell yeah I’d love to

(tw for mentions of period-typical transphobia)

Transfem Soda h/cs

-She keeps the name Sodapop.

-She worries sometimes that Mom and Dad would be disappointed in her, to which Pony or Darry will remind her that “Mom and Dad always said they wanted a girl, they’d be proud.”

-She loves to dress all feminine and whatever, but on a day to day basis she dresses more or less like she always has.

-Tulsa is big enough that outside of their neighborhood/school, most people don’t know her as she was before. So on dates, Steve likes to take her to the other side of town, away from all the people who know her as “Soda the boy”. She loves it, it’s so freeing to have folks see her as herself. 

-Speaking of Steve- he’d just finally accepted that he was gay when Soda started experimenting w/ gender stuff. (Turns out he wasn’t gay, he was bi and so in love with Soda that he couldn’t like anyone else, girl or guy.) But it definitely sends him spiraling into another crisis for a bit- he’s supposed to be gay, why’s the thought of Soda as a chick so hot?!

-Steve’s real supportive tho. Back when Soda was just calling it “crossdressing” he’d buy her things to experiment with- yk, like dresses, heels, makeup, etc. Part of that was selfish since Steve was sorta (very) into it, but it mainly stemmed from an earnest hope that Soda would feel more like herself

-That “crossdressing” phase lasted a few months, so when she eventually did come out to him as a girl, he wasn’t completely surprised. He’s who she came out to first, and it means a lot to him that she trusts him so much.

-Coming out to Darry and Pony tho is…harder. She knows they’ll always love her, but she feels like they’ll see her differently. 

-She tells Darry on accident. She’d just come home from work, feeling shitty because someone called her “such a nice young man”. She was tearing up about it, which made her feel worse, and then Darry showed up, home from work early. He got her to explain what happened, and the interaction went like this:

“Wait…so you don’t want folks to call you nice??”

“...I don’t want them to call me a man…”

Darry hugged her and said “Soda…you got somethin’ you wanna tell me?”

And it was all over from there. She just spilled.

-When Ponyboy gets home, he’s surprised, a little weirded out, but mostly glad Soda’s happy. Neither him or Darry really get it at first, but they know she’s happy so they’re happy. Over time though, they understand more and more, till they understand her as well as she understands herself.

-Coming out to the gang is straightforward enough. Two-Bit started to make an iffy comment as a joke, but Steve threatened him till he shut up. Two-Bit’s supportive though- the way he sees it, the world always needs more hot chicks. Johnny goes to her for advice about girls, which he knows makes her feel validated. And Dally pretty much immediately starts flirting with her, partially out of his instinctual need to harass women and partially because it riles Steve up and Dally likes riling Steve up. Two-Bit flirts with her too- she’s hot, blond, and it pisses Steve off, so yeah, win-win.

-Darry worries about her sometimes. He does the protective older brother bit only half-jokingly, and it sort of annoys Soda because Darry was never this worried about her before she came out. She also sort of likes it, because yk, it feels affirming. So she’s got mixed feelings about that.

-Darry threatens to kill Steve if he hurts her. And sure, Darry did that back when stevepop first got together too, but now it feels even more pointed. Steve is a little scared of Darry in a way that he wasn’t before.

-Ponyboy straight up gaslights Curly Shepard, Mark Jennings, and half the kids at school into thinking Soda was always a girl, just a tomboy. “Jesus, you thought I had two brothers? Hell no, I’ve always had a brother and a sister. Soda just looked like a boy as a kid ‘cos she had to wear Darry’s hand-me-downs you fuckin’ idiots.”

-After seeing Ponyboy’s success at that, Two-Bit, Johnny, Dally, and Steve try to do the same with the other hoods. Tim Shepard doesn’t fall for it, but when Dally begrudgingly explains the situation, Tim supports it too. Not because he particularly likes Soda or trans people as a whole- he actually thinks she’s kind of a freak tbh- but because she’s a Curtis. Darry’s his friend, and she’s Darry’s kid sister. Besides, it’s what he’d do if Angela was trans. (this ain’t a great pov to have obviously! But yk, I’m aiming for realism.)

-Steve is saving up money to get Soda HRT. He hasn’t told her, but everytime he gets five bucks from his dad, it goes to the secret estrogen fund. He tells Darry about it, and Darry starts adding a small portion to it monthly too.

-She looks even more like her mom now. Sometimes, Pony will wake up from a nightmare and in his sleepy haze, he’ll momentarily think she is Mrs. Curtis. He’s never told Soda this before and never will. It’d make her feel guilty, and he doesn’t want that,

-It feels lousy living in Tulsa sometimes, where folks often misgender her and bring her down. So when she and Steve get older, they move to a nearby city where everyone who meets her meets her as Sodapop- Steve’s girlfriend, the Curtis sister, a young woman who’s fantastic with cars and even better with horses.

[ellieslittlewh0re]

hi shelby! i love everything you write, you’re incredible. could you maybe write something where abby x reader are in a super toxic relationship but reader keeps coming back because the sex is too good? (even though reader swears it’s the last time)

heartbeat - abby anderson x fem! reader

(yes this is named after the childish gambino song lol)

a/n - ahhhh!! my first request! I hope it’s okay :(((

wk - 1.7k

additional tags - toxic relationship, heated argument, strap on usage (reader receiving) , abby calls reader mommy (pls bare w me), doggy style bc I’m a whore, happy ending, dom abby, sub reader, SMUT!!

“So what, you’re seriously going to leave again?” Abby yells, her hands waving in the air before coming down to slam against her thighs.

You roll your eyes, trying to block out the sound of her anger induced voice that you’ve come to know so well.

Three fucking years of this shit, constant fighting and endless cycles. Everything you two did, was passionate, from fucking to screaming matches and everything in between. It definitely wasn’t all Abby’s doing, you had your contribution to this toxic relationship, but the only difference is, you were always the one to leave when shit got bad. You’d tell yourself, this is the last time, that you finally had enough of her overbearing protective behavior, but you always found yourself coming back, practically begging at her feet.

You turn away from your bag that you messily packing, clothes hanging out the sides.

“Fuck you.” You spit, not at all hiding your contempt for your girlfriend in that moment.

She scoffs, roiling her eyes- and wait… was she smiling?

Your anger grew from her lack to ever take you seriously when you threatened that you’d leave, but she knew you better than that, after all.. she knows you best.

“You’re not leaving y/n.” She mocked, a grin still pressed on her face.

You shake your head to yourself, turning back around to finish stuffing clothes into the suitcase when hands on the back of your hips stopped you.

“Don’t be like this, baby… jus’ come to bed and I’ll help you forget that this ever happened.” She breathed into your neck, placing soft kisses to the spot just below your ear that never failed to make you go weak.

“M’ not doing this abs, not again.” You try to focus on the clothes, your hands started to move slower against the textiles.

Her arms slither between yours, moving to hold your back firmly against her tight chest.

“Just give in, you know you want to.” You can practically feel her smirk against your neck, her teeth grazing the delicate skin.

She tightened her grip on you, pulling you closer to her. The strap she wore under her sweatpants bumped against your ass with this movement, almost making you moan.

You turn around, pushing against her chest to create some distance.

“I mean it abs..” you try to sound stern, but it comes off meek and unconvincing.

She doesn’t reply, instead her fingers traced along your sides, dipping down to the hem your tank top, slightly moving it to expose the skin on your hip.

You stopped breathing for a second and are instantly reminded why you always come back. Abby had a power over you, a spell of some sort.

“I know you do babe, lemme say I’m sorry.” Her hands found your face, cupping it harshly and pulling you in for a kiss. It was ravenous, but she kept her composure, you on the other hand? Not so much.

You moaned into her, your hand pulling her closer by her hip, feeling her strap brush against your lower stomach.

“That’s it, baby.. atta girl.” She praised between open mouth kisses, her hand coming down to your throat to squeeze it, not too hard, but just hard enough to where she knew you liked it.

Almost immediately, you forgot why you were so mad in the first place, something to do with her getting mad at you because you came home late? Whatever..

"Fuu- Abby..." you roll your head to the side, giving her full access to your neck, which she went to work on, sucking the skin and pulling at it gently with her teeth, making sure to leave maroon splotches to mark you as hers.

"You still want to leave, huh?" She retorted, placing breathy kisses between each word while her moved down your torso, slipping past the waistband of your shorts and panties.

Your knees also give out when her fingers came in contact with your pussy, gliding her middle finger between you folds, collecting the slick.

"I've barely touched you, and you're already this wet? Fuck.. baby." Her tone indicated a hit of humiliation, her finger entering, curving inside, but not all the way.

She repeated this torture, kissing your neck, holding you in place by your jaw, and her finger only slipping in to the first knuckle. She preferred to get you like, all dumb and jelly in her hands, all the while doing the bare minimum. She wanted to tease you, give you a fraction of what you really wanted, and you'd beg her for more.

"A-abs please.." You use the dinning table behind you as support, practically sitting on it to prevent yourself from falling.

Abby chucked at your pathetic state, feeling pleased by how easy you gave in to her.

"Just say the words mommy, and I'll give it to you how you like it."

You shudder, goosebumps erupting across your skin, and who are you to neglect your needs.

"F-fuckin'- jus' touch me.. please." You barely manage through heavy breaths, and Abby couldn't be more eager to fulfill your needs.

She muttered praises, calling you "good girl" and "m' gonna take care of you" as her big, strong hands turn you around in one swift motion, gripping your hips, pressing the silicone against your ass. She ground it in place, looking down at how eagerly your back arched, pushing your ass against it.

You whine from the lack of fullness in your tummy, and your cunt clenching around nothing.

She took her time riling you up, her hands wonder underneath the thin fabric of your tank top, cupping your tits with her calloused hands, rolling the hardened peak between her fingers.

You begged, your body contorting beneath her. She finally gave in to you, her fingers crudely yanked down your shorts, not even bothering to take them off completely.

She bent you over the table, the back of her hand squeezing the nape of your neck to keep you in place, your face squished against the oak table.

You cry out a yelp of surprise and anticipation, your cunt dripping with instinct.

"You gonna let me take care of you, huh? gonna let me use you, mommy?" She said, sounding eerily calm as her fingers messily spread your slick down your inner thighs and ass.

You couldn't even speak, too lust drunk to form a sentence, instead you just meekly nod your head against the wood.

Abby tugged her sweatpants down to her mid thighs, just enough to free her strap. She picked this one out specifically for you, knowing it was your favorite. It was black, 7.5 inches and girthy. It filled you up just right, not leaving any empty space when it was buried inside you.

She slipped her middle finger inside, her wrist bumping against your ass as she curled it, adding a second finger and scissoring them inside you.

You whine, a pool of spit collecting on the table from your parted lips.

"Just- fuck... jus' fuck me already." You begged, needing her inside you now or you felt like you combust.

"S' gonna hurt, baby... gotta make sure you're ready." as strong as she was, she never wanted to actually harm you.

You object, shaking your head.

"D-don't care.."

Abby, being the obeying girlfriend she is.. she did what she was told, holding the base of the strap and sunk it into you, pausing halfway to let your walls mold and relax around it before furthering it inside, letting it disappear inside your cunt.

You sigh in relief as the discomfort is replaced with ecstasy, feeling her cock bump against your g-spot.

"Mm- fuck.. y-yeah jus' like that abs.." you moan, bitting down on your bottom lip hard enough to taste iron.

The fat on your ass ricocheting against her hips as she thrusted into you, sent Abby into a spiral. She quickened her pace, getting more animalistic with her movements, small moans escaping her own mouth from the harness tightening, bumping into her clit.

She was growing impatient, frustrated even, her hand grabbed your wrist, bringing it behind and securing it on your lower back, while the other fisted your ass, and her hips snapping against you.

You whine and whimper, jaw open and your eyes rolled back into your head. The whole scene was disgusting, your tank top was was in disarray on your body, pushed up to expose your tits that were pressed against the table, your body limp and your mind completely fucking dumb, wrist starting to hurt from her strong grip while your other hand clawed weakly at the grain.

This is what always kept you coming back- the way your girlfriend always knew how you wanted to be treated. Sure, there were times it was sweet, and tender, but she knew when you wanted to be treated like a toy.

"G-gonna cum, m' gonna cum.." you barely make out, no more than a chanted whisper.

M-me to- fuck... jus' hang on for me baby." She moaned, breathing heavily and intensifying her movements as she chased her own building release, pistoning each blow against your cervix.

Your body tenses, stiffening your hips, jaw slack and eyes squeezing shut as you came undone. Abbys eyebrows furrowed upwards, lips parted as she selfishly continued on your aching cunt, muttering "I'm sorrys" and "so close" through thick breaths.

You cry out, your pussy aching, but you took it.

With a few more thrusts, abby moans, high pitched and sounding so sweet as she peaks, slowing her movements before slowly slipping out, a stream of your slick dripping down your thighs as she does so.

You stay bent over the table for a few seconds, catching your breath before finally standing and fixing yourself, pulling up your shorts and straightening your top.

You turn to face your girlfriend, her face sympathetic and adorn with a layer or sweat. Her hands come up to hold your upper arms, rubbing the skin gently before cupping your face. She kisses you, the sweetest you've ever been kissed, full of love and worship.

Maybe you will stay this time.

[blorboblorbs]

Hot water bottle conversation

It’s my first fan fiction ever. Nothing amazing, but I’m happy to have written something. Originally this was supposed to be shard on Friday the Thirteenth, but some weird stuff came up - one could call it bad luck. Anyway, here it is. You can also find this on AO3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61310602

A/N: fluff, domestic fluff, SFW, gn!reader x Kakashi Hatake

’I’ll be home in a few minutes. Could you turn on the kettle and prepare me a hot water bottle, please?’

You turn off your phone and throw it into the tote bag with groceries.

Sighing, you sling your work bag over your shoulder and readjust your scarf. After a deep breath in to mentally prepare you for the walk home, you grab the handles of the tote and step outside.

Immediately your holds tighten around the bags and your eyes squint against the icy wind. You try to make your way as quickly as possible around the other shoppers, concentrating on the white clouds of your breath that immediately disappear behind your head, rather than the cold that bites the skin of your cheeks.

Happy new year it reads on a banner you quickly pass by. The letters flap wildly in the strong wind, still you know what’s written there. Just like on all the other posters, advertising for New Year’s Eve parties and special discounts.

Turning into the next alley the wind lessens. Finally you can open your eyes completely. In the span of a few minutes outside your hands and face already turned uncomfortably numb. Luckily your apartment isn’t far from the grocery store. It’s only the winter market on the square that hinders you from getting home quickly. Normally you’d enjoy the clear air and look at all the things people have to offer in their nicely decorated booths but today you can’t concentrate. The numbness of your cheeks helps a little bit but it’s only a matter of time until the pain comes back.

In front of your apartment complex a man and his two children stand on the curb. He puts gloves on his youngest kid’s hands whilst their sibling enjoy the wind. They have spread their arms and lean into it, eyes closed, grinning widely.

’Hey, …, waiting for your wife?’ ‘Oh, hey! No, we were actually going to the market. You know, picking out some gifts for her. So, if you see her…’ he grins conspiratorially. ‘Of course, I’ll tell her you went to the playground at the park’ you answer with a wink.

The older child runs over to you. ‘Will you come with us? You promised the last time you came over to play with us. You promised!’ ‘Yeah, we will go the next time I come over. But today, your dad wants to spend some time with you. And I have someone waiting for me upstairs today’ you smile, patting his head.

Pouting the kid opens the front door for you. You thank him and wish them a pleasant day out before making your way inside an up a few flights of stairs, the bags still tightly gripped.

———————————————————-

Huffing, you enter your apartment. You hang the keys up on the little board with some wooden dogs sitting on it and bring the groceries inside from the hallway. You close the door behind you and take off your shoes. The scarf and jacket you hang up on the peg in the wall besides the wall length mirror.

You follow the smell of dinner and bring the groceries in the kitchen. On your way there you throw your work bag on the floor next to the sofa.

In the kitchen stands Kakashi with an apron around his hips. It was the first present you gave him. The little dogs on it just reminded you of him and his ninken. Honestly, in this moment you’re very proud. It was the best investment you could have made. Kakashi turns and greets you with a smile, a spoon to taste the sauce for the vegetables in his hand.

You fish the packet of coriander out of the bag and hand it to him.

’Sorry for forgetting. I should have checked before I invited you over’ you mumble.

’No worries, you brought it just in time. The cold just keeps it fresh. Even though you look like a popsicle.’

You sort away the other stuff you bought and turn to your boyfriend with a one-sided smile.

He sets the spoon aside and takes a few steps towards you. He puts his warm hands on your cheeks and kisses your nose, grinning stupidly. You probably have a bright red nose that could guide all the other reindeer right through a winter storm.

When you try to hold his face to kiss him back he catches your hands in one of his and laughs. His are comfortably warm yet wet from washing the coriander. All the while yours are probably still ice cold.

’Just wait a second’ he chuckles. You hum, disappointed and walk back to the sofa. As soon as you put your work things away you return to the kitchen.

‘Your hot water bottle, my lady.’

You thank Kakashi, relishing the warmth in your hands for a moment.

’So what is it? Can’t your weary body fight off the harsh winter or is your back hurting again?’ he asks. Kakashi isn’t really worried but he doesn’t like you being uncomfortable in any way.

‘None of it. It’s not a big deal, really. Just my jaw.’ At that last part, Kakashi raises his eyebrows in surprise.

‘Your jaw?’

’It's a stupid story’ you mumble. Opening your mouth just makes the pain more intense.

You press the hot water bottle against your cheek and lean forward., forehead resting on the dinner table.

Kakashi takes a long look at you and turns back to the stove to taste the sauce.

——————————————————

After a pretty quiet dinner you go lay down on the sofa. Kakashi loads the dishwasher. There are some vegetables left on your plate that you couldn’t cut any smaller and had to leave. He eats your leftovers and wipes down the table, then he hangs up the rag next to the apron.

Seeing you snuggled up on the sofa with the warm water bottle back on your face he smiles. Even in these moments you manage to lighten up his life.

You feel Kakashi lifting up your legs so he can sit down on the couch with you.

’You know, I need to hear every story about you’ he whispers. You want to protest but he immediately goes on ‘and especially the stupid ones.’

You know he won’t let you go without knowing the whole background. Honestly, after he patiently answered all the questions you asked him regarding his scars, you probably should be telling him that one story. Of course some things are still kept secret between you two. Especially scars are a very sensitive subject and you’re not that far into your relationship yet. It’s understandable to you that he wouldn’t want to share with you all the cruel things he had to endure as an elite ninja. At least you’re slowly building up the foundations for all these talks in the future.

But today it’s your turn. You fidget with the hem of your shirt as you begin to talk.

’When I was a kid, my teeth were crooked. Not just a little wonky, I looked more like a vampire with my canines growing pretty much in front of my incisors. So naturally, I got braces.’ You stopped. You could practically hear Kakashi grin. By lifting the water bottle from your eyes and peeking up to him, you confirmed him smiling. ‘What’s so funny about that?’ you ask.

’Oh, nothing. It’s just’ he falls into silence. You raise an eyebrow at him. ‘Imagining you with braces is kind of cute. You don’t happen to have some pictures of you back then lying around?’

‘I’d only show them if I wanted you to break up with me. I had my big glow up pretty recently and don’t want to start the new year single’ you scoff, jokingly.

‘Ah, you know I wouldn’t want to risk your wrath’ he retorts. You let the water bottle fold back on your face, ready to continue the story. Kakashi starts massaging your legs.

‘So anyway’ you leave a little pause, ‘one summer a friend of mine invited me on a group trip. We traveled 28 hours by bus. Already a wild ride, since I only knew my friend and her siblings in that group. But, as you can guess, at some point even I had to sleep.’ Once again, a chuckle escaped Kakashi. There were nights where even he fell asleep before you did. You battled with insomnia almost every night.

You choose to ignore him this time. ‘I fell asleep in my seat. I only had a small pillow with me. The window was cold so I propped it up against it but at some point in the night, it slipped down. Stupid me ignored it and went back to sleep.’ You lift your hands to your head and massage your scalp, still frustrated at the memory.

Meanwhile Kakashi’s fingers started tracing invisible patterns over your legs and up your hips.

’What happened?’

’Don’t know. I just woke up not much later and couldn’t open my mouth. My orthodontist wanted me to put in small rubber bands into my braces to help straighten my teeth. When i tried to remove them to open my mouth wider I realized it was just my jaw. It was pretty much locked in place. Rubber bands or not. It was the middle of the night, around me mostly people I have never met before and I could barely move my mouth.’

’Sounds awful’ Kakashi whispers in sympathy. He shifts his position a little bit, his warm fingers making their way under your shirt, still tracing those lines.

‘There was nothing I could do, so I waited for it to get better. During our trip there were a few meals I didn’t really enjoy. Every time I moved it, my jaw cracked uncomfortably. And in my head it was so loud. It was a real pain.

That was seven years ago. To this day my jaw cracks. Not as loudly anymore and it doesn’t lock my mouth in place fortunately.’ You take a deep breath, relaxing deeper into the cushions.

Kakashi shifts again so that he can rest his head on your chest. One hand he tucks under your body. The fingers of his free hand are still making their way up and down your sides. Goosebumps cover your body because of it but it’s a comfortable chill.

’Nobody was able to help you?’

’I guess. Actually it was more like nobody believed me. My orthodontist didn’t even care. When my braces got removed I had some diagnostics done. You know, check the functions of the jaw and all that. They make you open and close your mouth lots of times until you feel like a stupid fish that is stranded in an orthodontist’s office. On the last exercise my jaw cracked loudly. Even in my ears it was extreme. But it was only then that my orthodontist turned to her assistant and asked her “did you hear that” in that horrified tone. I felt like scratching her eyes out. She didn’t even remember what had happened. She thought it was in some kind of camper van.’

’At least she remembered you were traveling’ Kakashi answered. You let the water bottle slide from your face onto the sofa. The warmth from it was almost gone and your jaw felt better anyway. Kakashi had his eyes closed and seemed to be perfectly content with being your human heater. There was no way for you to get out under him if he fell asleep like this.

’Kashi, no, don’t cut her any slack. That woman was the bane of my existence back then!’ you groan. You put one hand in his fluffy hair, stroking it and watching the light reflect in the silver strands. Your other hand now rests above your head and plays with the tassels on one of your couch cushions.

You begin to ramble ‘actually, did I ever tell you, she’s also responsible for putting screws into the roof of my mouth? Not once, not twice but three times there were two screws twisted into my palate! I still have the scars from that. Sometimes I can feel my pulse in there and then I have to sneeze. Did it help? No, of course not. In the end they had to remove two of my teeth to make enough space for the braces in the first place. That’s also why I don’t like the taste of pineapple…’ you fall silent.

Lifting your head up from the sofa you see Kakashi’s face. He’s sleeping peacefully, his one hand still moving a little bit. Even whilst sleeping he soothes you. You smile and grab the cushion above your head. You lie your head back and get comfortable. From experience you know that Kakashi functioning as your weighted blanket can get you to sleep in no time.

In that moment you can’t imagine anything more relaxing than napping on the couch with your boyfriend while the wind outside sings you a lullaby. Your other hand comes down to also stroke Kakashi’s hair. You close your eyes, ready to drift off, smiling just like Kakashi is in his sleep.

[dreamyinception-world]

𝔹𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕖 𝕀𝕥

pairing: Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Kang Yeosang

w/c: 2.3k

Genre: Partial Office AU, Smut, Established Relationship, Friends with Benefits, Threesome(ish)

Summary: Hongjoong always looks forward to his calls with Yeosang to cheer him up, make him smile or laugh during his break time at work. However, feeling particularly bold one day, Yeosang decides to plan something a little more..fun for their midday Facetime call. 

Tws: Swearing/Foul Language

Sws: Consensual Impact Play (face slaps), Lingerie, Sex Toys (vibrator/butt plug), POV Blowjobs, Exhibitionism, Hair pulling, Handjobs, Face Fucking, Cum Swallowing, Cum Facial, Hickies, Voyeurism, Light Subspace Slipping (if you squint), Gagging, Crying, Drooling, Hints of Dom/Sub Play

Rating: 18+

𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣'𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖:: Hello everyone! It's been a while! I hope all of you have been doing well! Today I present to you a fic that came to my mind in some haze of a dream and something i saw online hehe. I hope you all enjoy it! If you notice any tags that were left out, please message me so I can add them! Thank you!

𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕞. 𝕄𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕒𝕕𝕕𝕖𝕕!

As a reminder, my work is only for those who are eighteen years or older. Anyone who attempts to interact with my work or blog who is underage will be blocked immediately. You have been warned. 

©𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 2024 || 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ♡

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“Can he see me?”

“Mhm, you’re in perfect view.”

“Holy fuck-“

Crouched in the corner of the office bathroom, Hongjoong sunk into a blind spot of the stall with a hand covering his mouth. 

This isn’t happening, this can’t be real.

It was normal for Yeosang to call him throughout the day to check on him. He knew that his favorite person in the world was often tense as the day grew on in the office. It wasn’t the worst job in the world to have, but it certainly was Hongjoong’s first choice.

“I know you work so hard, so I’ll try my best to cheer you up any way that I can, okay?”

That was the promise that his adorable boyfriend made to him a couple of months ago, yet he always took care of him even before that.

The calls were meant to be cute, making him laugh or smile— only to keep his mood up until he got back home to spend the rest of his evening with him.

So, imagine his surprise when his phone rang in the middle of the break room and Yeosang stared back at him, legs spread wide and pale fingertips ghosting down his pectorals. 

Not to mention he had on some sort of lingerie with baby yellow petals decorating the entirety of it. 

That’s how he ended up here, after excusing himself abruptly to take a 20, airpods secured tightly in his burning red ears.

Yeosang let out a short chuckle at his boyfriend’s expression, pulling the collar of the high necked fabric between his teeth. The lace bunched around his semi hard cock, sticking to his tip as he smiled prettily to the camera.

“Why don’t you show him more of what you have?” Seonghwa pushed, biting back a groan from the feverish expression on the brunette’s face as he nodded. 

Hongjoong held his phone in a vice grip as Yeosang slowly turned around, ass held high in the air. With a small whimper, Seonghwa’s hand came into frame, pushing the fabric to the side and revealing a toy, encrusted in lavender and maroon misshapen jewels.

“Isn’t it just breathtaking to look at?” 

It’s fucking torturous, that’s fucking what. Hongjoong complained to himself, letting out a huff. 

How the hell was he meant to survive the rest of the day knowing that his boyfriend is plugged up and looking like that?!

He frustratingly pulled back his sleeve. He has 15 minutes.

Maybe he could leave early, say he had an emergency and has to go home. I mean it would be partially true, though he was sure his boss wouldn’t want to know what kind of “emergency” he was having at the moment.

Or that anybody else in the office would let alone see it.

“B-Baby?” Hongjoong jolted out of his thoughts, guilt overcoming him at Yeosang’s worried eyes.

“I-I’m sorry—”

“N-No, I shouldn’t have tried to do this while you’re at work.” Yeosang’s cheeks flushed, biting the corner of his lips with eyes falling on Seonghwa. Though the office worker couldn’t see it from his position, the eldest looked almost especially guilty.

It was Yeosang’s idea to be a little bit naughty today, but it wouldn’t be fun or enjoyable at Hongjoong’s expense if the man in question couldn’t enjoy it the way that they had intended him to. 

Really, it was their fault for not warning him ahead of time, despite it being a surprise.

Just as he was about to hand the phone to Seonghwa, a chill went up his spine at the near sinister laugh that spilled out of his boyfriend. Yeosang snapped his eyes back down to the screen, feeling himself twitch through his lingerie.

Hongjoong merely cocked his head to the side, popping the collar of his shirt. “So then, shouldn’t you get started on it quickly? I only have ten minutes left, Sangie.” 

Out of view from the camera, the office man pushed his pants and boxers halfway down his ass, slowly fisting himself off beat. Heated puffs fell from his parted lips as he met Yeosang’s eyes again, smirking at the deer in headlights look he gave back.

“Why are you sitting there? Get to it. Hwa grab the phone from him would, ya? Let me see him get you off.”

The two barely wasted any time with discarding any garments that were in the way before Yeosang made his place on the floor in front of their eldest friend, who kept the camera steady on his face.

Every ounce of the brunette’s body vibrated.

From this position alone was enough to make him feel small, bordering on insignificant, solely for the purpose of bringing his hyung to fruition. 

Add the knowledge of his boyfriend eyeing him down, watching his every move with the utmost accuracy and, above all, hearing the sound of him enjoying himself because of him? Yeosang could almost barely contain his eagerness to divulge himself in his lustful desires. 

But he has to wait. This is about making Hongjoong feel better. He comes first above all else. 

Yeosang locked his eyes on the camera, cupping the front side of his hyung’s cock for the perfect angle of his tongue running up the side. The trail glistened off of the reflection of the lamp, drawing a short groan from Seonghwa and a hum from the speaker of the phone. The corner of his lips curled up, short enough for only Seonghwa to catch the end of it, moving his tongue in circles around the tip. 

This is exactly how you like it. Do you like what you see, baby?

“Wah~ Sang really wants to put on a show for you Joong. I wonder how it would feel if his mouth was on you instead of me?” Seonghwa taunted, a deep hum trailing off the end as Yeosang slid him halfway into his mouth. 

The weight of his cock on his tongue was damn near intoxicating, mixed in with the smell of his cologne that was all too familiar to him and sweat drove the brunette’s head down further. He let his jaw hang slacked until the tip of his nose barely touched him, constricting his throat and drawing a long low moan from Seonghwa, relenting and slurping noisily back to the tip. 

On the other end, Hongjoong let his head rest against the wall tile. Although his pumps were slow and steadied, every small slurp and gag had heavy pants leaving his mouth. Only in a matter of seconds had Yeosang managed to dishevel him, to the point that he almost forgot where he was. 

Tucking his phone in between his raised knees, he pulled off his tie completely, folded it over twice, and slotted it into his mouth. 

Better for the others to not hear what’s going on, and the subtle reminder that he was still, in fact, at work. 

Seonghwa combed his fingers along Yeosang’s scalp towards the back of his head, barely moving the boy’s head back and forth. Yet, the action made Yeosang keen and bob his head for more, ignoring the string of spit that was falling down and dirtying his lingerie. He braced one hand against the bedroom wall, the other gliding up the side of Seonghwa’s thigh. The way they tensed with each subtle roll of his hips had his fingers trembling, swallowing around him with every touch to the back of his throat. 

“Mm~, Mmmm”

“So messy~” His voice dripped with lust and want, using his free hand to smear some of the drool up his face onto his cheek, all before planting a small, yet firm clap to the side of his cheek, reveling in the constriction of Yeosang’s throat from the slap. He met his hyung with wide eyes, a keen unexpectedly rumbling from him. Instead of teasing him, Seonghwa broadened his stance, sending a small apology to Hongjoong through the phone as he placed the camera down on the side table. 

He oh so conveniently made sure the camera was angled downward, obscuring Seonghwa’s upper body. Though his groans drew out deeper than his own, Hongjoong’s mind had already slipped, imagining himself in the taller boy’s place.

Those doe eyes staring up at him, completely at his will and running his tongue along every place that would egg him on to fuck his throat harder, deeper, faster. 

He was so good to him. So, so good. 

“You want more, baby? Take it, I know you can.” Seonghwa’s voice blended into his own in his head, using the leverage of his precum to jack himself off faster, moaning desperately into his tie. 

On command, Yeosang kept himself completely still and at the will of Seonghwa’s dick pistoning off beat down his throat. The firmness of his large hands on the side of his head sent a delicious pleasure down to his cock and a blur through his head. The further he brought him down, every inch of veins that his tongue managed to touch had Yeosang a moaning mess. 

So..good~

I feel so good~

Can he feel it? Can he feel how good I feel~?

“Do you see how good he looks, Joong?” Seonghwa gritted out with his eyes trained on Yeosang’s face, though he was sure that the boy was barely with them. 

He lacked complete regard for his appearance, tears streaming slowly and freely down his face mixing in with the small amount of makeup that was left over. The bottom of his skirt had become a mess, having been moved to the side at some point, along with the fabric that kept the brunette’s dick in place. Without being asked or told, he jerked himself off in intervals, cocking his head to the side when Seonghwa’s thighs began to tremble.

 “Y-Yeo you better not cum before we do or you’ll be feeling your punishment all day tomorrow.” Hongjoong feebly tried to threaten after removing the tie from between his teeth, though the quiver in his voice as he edged closer defied him. He didn’t bother to correct himself, only noticing that he was five minutes past his break time.

Incoming text message: Joong, where the hell are you? Our meeting is starting in five minutes!

Yeosang’s lips curled up into a smirk as much as they possibly could, mouth hanging open to curl against the underside of Seonghwa’s cock in a “come hither” motion. Seonghwa cursed under his breath, pushing the brunette’s sweat slicked bangs back with a vice as pearls of cum shot onto Yeosang’s tongue, lips and a small droplet curling down his chin. 

Once he was completely spent, he loosened his grip onto Yeosang, the boy’s head falling to the side cutely in contrast with lustful, yet doe eyes holding contact and tongue lazily dragging against his slit. Seonghwa reached for the camera, angling it down as Yeosang stuck his tongue out to show his prize. 

Sealing the deal, his fingers curled around the base of the tall man’s cock, pumping one last small pearl out onto the tongue and giving the tip one last kitten lick. A wicked smile crossed his face, blowing a light pulse of cold air on it. 

“F-Fuck!” Hongjoong’s lower body jerked, cum drooling all over his wrist. He gritted his teeth at the small amount that got onto his pants, but quickly had to ignore it as he tried to recollect himself. 

A few minutes later, he stood to his feet, adjusting his tie and making sure his blazer fell low enough to cover his sweat stained and clearly white freckled side of his slacks. Yeosang had made himself comfortable against Seonghwa’s chest, with the eldest drawing close mouthed figure eights on the dip in his neck with his tongue.

He bit the inside of his lip, knowing better than to let any noise slip out of him. It didn’t fucking help that Seonghwa clearly had other plans, adding on to his already torturous actions by twisting the plug leisurely in and out of him. 

“I might have to stay a bit late tonight, Yeo.” Hongjoong slid the lock open to the stall, checking himself in the mirror. Yeosang’s whine came out louder than expected, Seonghwa humming as he bit down on the side of his neck, leaving a small dark mark. The brunette’s lips pressed together instantly when met with a sharp look from his boyfriend. 

“You can take care of him well, right Hwa?” 

The taller male’s fingers curled around the base of Yeosang’s chin, having a good look over him to make sure that he was still present enough to continue before firming his hold, tongue slipping out to lick the corner of his mouth. Yeosang’s hips jerked up from the naughty hand caressing his inner thigh. 

“Of course. He deserves only the best.”

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𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥: @atiny-piratequeen @little-lazuli @atiny-dazzlinglight @kimnamshiks

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[x-just-another-fanfic-writer-x]

The Neighbour Down The Hall

Chapter 13

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary: You finally see what's behind Bucky's glove

Word count: 2.4k

AO3

As soon as you knew Anna was awake, you texted to tell her your plan had been successful. You got Justin out. You could practically feel her relief through the screen. She wanted to see you after work but you told her you had plans. After forcing you to reveal with whom, she sent many excited emojis before putting her sensible hat on and warning you not to rebound.

You insisted it wasn’t that, he was just looking out for you, especially as he had been around when you kicked Justin out.

Anna didn’t reply after that, her job meant she couldn’t check her phone often, which also meant it was almost time to call in sick to yours. You could count on one hand how many times you'd done that since working your current job. And you felt guilty for each one, including this.

The tea Bucky made had calmed your nerves slightly, so once the phone call was out of the way, you managed to get a few hours sleep on your sofa. When you woke disorientated to find the sun higher in the sky than expected, what happened came crashing down around you again.

You started to cry into the cushion of the sofa. Then it turned into wailing. 

How had your relationship ended like this? How had Justin turned out like this?

It’s all so fucked.

When you could no longer breathe from all the snot, you sat up and forced yourself to calm down to clear your sinuses. But checking your phone to see a text from the man in question set you right off again.

“I’m at my parents and I want my stuff back.”

Through blurry eyes you typed back. “I’ll get round to it.”

He replied immediately. “Today, Jess.”

You started to feel panicky, then reminded yourself of Bucky’s promise. But what if Justin came back when Bucky wasn’t around?

“I need to pack it up,” you typed back. 

“How long will it take?”

“As long as I need. Unless you want to come and get it yourself?” you taunted.

After a solid minute, he typed back. “Fine, I’ll wait.”

A tiny relieved laugh escaped your lips, then you felt resigned to the fact you actually did have to sort out all of his belongings. You groaned as you glanced around the room. The knickknacks, the photos, the memorabilia.

You’d never had to do this before. How would you even decide whose was whose? Would it even be that bad to let Justin back into the apartment to get his stuff? Justin wouldn’t actually hurt you though, right?

You shook your head, it didn’t really matter anyway. It would be easier doing it yourself. You checked the time again, you had four hours. Bucky had said to rest, he even said ‘shopping’. He just didn’t specify where.

You blew your nose again then got ready and dressed into something comfortably decent to wear outside. Ten minutes later you were walking down the stairs. It was weird to be out and about before 5 pm on a Tuesday afternoon. It felt naughty in that sort of truant kind of way. Especially when the bus journey to your nearest B&Q was filled with high school children.

Once safely in the store and away from their annoying antics, you bee lined to the relevant aisle and grabbed as many un-assembled moving boxes you could fit under your armpit, along with a roll of duct tape. You had to circle back when you remembered you should get bubble wrap too. You must have looked ridiculous struggling to carry the items to the checkout. You decided the staff seemed to be getting younger and younger as you awkwardly placed each item down. The checkout boy barely said a word as he scanned everything. You almost gawped when he told you the total however, but being polite, you paid it with a fake smile on your face and thanked him.

“Fifty quid,” you muttered to yourself as you left the shop. “Fifty bloody quid for some bloody boxes. I swear to god this economy’s in shambles.”

You grumbled and made your way straight home, which, laden with a large bag, was difficult on the now crowded rush hour bus. You apologised profusely every time the bag blocked someone’s way or they knocked into it walking past. But two stops before yours, you felt something worse than embarrassment. 

A man who looked just like Justin walked past from the seats behind, and off the bus. Your muscles tensed, your breath hitched, your stomach churned.

This was genuine fear.

But why were you scared? It wasn’t him, but even if it was, why were you scared?

Justin hadn’t done anything to make you scared. Yes he’d grabbed you, yes he'd dragged you, but that was it. You were ready to throw punches in that instant if it came down to it, you weren’t scared during the moment.

So why, if for a split second you thought you saw Justin, were you scared? 

You shook your head and tried to forget about the feeling, focusing on the lovely scenery outside. The lovely overflowing litter bins, the atmospheric flickering lampposts, the tastefully graffitied wheelie bins haphazardly stood in the middle of the pavement. 

You rolled your eyes. Lovely.

You stared at the pole in the middle of the bus until your stop was finally up, then lugged your bag back up to the apartment.

You had two hours until dinner. You spent twenty minutes crying again as you lamented what you’d lost. Then you buried that feeling down and spent an hour making boxes and packing Justin’s shit. You didn’t understand how such few items could fit into what appeared to be such a large box. You’d filled three by the time you absolutely had to start to get ready.

Then you regretted not giving yourself more time to actually decide on what to bloody wear.

It was just dinner, right? Dinner at a friend’s- neighbours- acquaintances? Fuck it, dinner at Bucky’s apartment.

A frantic half hour later and a few panicked texts to Anna seeking reassurance you looked okay, you knocked on his door. When he opened it he looked you up and down at the same time you did the same to him. Yep, you were overdressed. Whilst he was wearing dark jeans, a black jumper and those same damn gloves, you were wearing a long form fitting grey knitted dress coupled with heeled brown boots, and gold jewelry, and the neatest makeup you’ve done in weeks. Whilst he looked casual, with an increasingly amused expression on his face, you realised you were showing off your figure far too much and definitely felt the rising worry on your own face.

“Now I feel underdressed.”

“I feel over.”

He snorted, and stepped aside to let you in. 

You could change. Your wardrobe was less than fifty feet away.

“You look good, though,” he commented as you stepped further in.

You don’t need to change. “Thanks,” you said as the smell of- “What are you cooking?”

“Shnitzel.” 

“It smells heavenly.”

He smiled at your compliment. “Can I get you a drink?” 

“Water’s good.”

Bucky nodded, then walked into his kitchen. You decided to follow. He had already filled a glass with water as you stepped into the room, then handed it to you.

“Dinner won’t be long,” he commented, turning his attention to the stove. It was nice watching him cook. He looked good. It was nice having someone do the cooking and not make jabs about how he’s only doing it because you’re rubbish at cooking that dish yourself. It was nice watching someone who wasn’t slowly becoming a potat- He caught you staring. 

You cleared your throat uncomfortably, looking away whilst he put the schnitzel onto a paper towel lined plate. “How was work?” you asked innocently. 

“Fine,” he replied. You waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. 

“Just fine?” 

“Yeah just fine,” he replied as served up the schnitzel. You didn’t push, you watched as he plated the meat along with a side of green beans and fries. Then he picked up both plates. “Grab some cutlery,” he instructed, nodding towards the draws as he walked towards his dining table, swiping a bottle of beer from the counter as he went by.

Wow. There were literally just two sets in his draw.

“I take it you don’t have dinner parties,” you commented dryly as you sat down.

He shot you a look as you handed him a knife and fork. Neither of you said anything until you moaned obscenely loudly at the first bite of schnitzel.

“That tastes so good,” you complimented. “Where’d you learn to cook that?”

He shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Picked it up in Germany.”

“That’s cool, I’ve been there a couple of times. Which part did you visit?”

“Just here and there,” he said vaguely, digging into his fries.

“What, like, interrailing or?”

“No, I was deployed there for a time.”

Deployed?

“For… what?” you asked, a green bean dangling from your raised fork.

He didn’t reply.

“Come on, you can’t leave me hanging like that.”

A few seconds later, once he’d finished his own bite of green beans, he answered. “I was in the army for a time.”

“You’re ex military? I had no idea,” you murmured. Bucky took a long gulp from his beer bottle. “So should I be calling you Officer Bucky?”

A slightly exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “I was Sergeant. Sergeant Barnes.”

“Wait, Buchanan’s not your actual last name?”

He shook his head, stabbing into his schnitzel particularly forcefully. The two of you ate in comfortable silence for a moment as you digested that piece of information, storing it away for Google later. But before you could ask a follow up probing question, he spoke. “So what’d you do today? Heard from your ex?”

“Uh yeah actually, he wanted his stuff back so I told him I needed some time.”

“And did he accept that?”

“He did once I taunted him to come to the flat to get it himself,” you said, a smug smile on your lips before taking another bite of your dinner. Bucky just snorted. “Other than that I napped and I went to the shop to get some boxes and then I packed three boxes of his stuff.”

“That doesn’t sound that restful.”

“Well I felt like doing it,” you shrugged.

“You know, I’m not sure you deserve dessert,” he said, though the teasing glint in his eyes was obvious.

“Hey I napped okay, I rested,” you said, smiling.

He tutted playfully, shaking his head. “I dunno doll, I wouldn’t class packing my ex’s stuff in a box as resting.”

“Do you have an ex?”

“I’ve been around,” he replied coolly.

You took another bite of your dinner before commenting, “Have you met anyone since moving to London?”

“There is actually someone.”

“Oh?” you replied neutrally, trying to keep the slightly jealous tone from your voice.

“But I don’t think it’ll go anywhere like that.”

“Why’s that?” you answered, praying the hopeful tone of your voice isn’t noticed either.

“Well aside from being a bit of a pain in the ass, she’s got some kinda heavy stuff going on,” he said softly. “And to be honest I think what she needs the most right now is a friend,” he continued, looking up at you. 

Your brows furrowed and you began to frown, feeling bad for the girl. Whereas a bemused expression slowly formed on Bucky’s face.

It took you far too long to realise what he meant.

“Oh…”

He chuckled gently then took a swig of his beer.

“Well one can never have too many friends,” you replied, scolding yourself internally as soon as the words left your mouth for how awkward you sounded. You busied your mouth by taking a last large bite of schnitzel and chewing for a long time, ignoring the continued smirk on Bucky’s face as he finished off his food.

“You going to see your friends soon?” Bucky finally asked, saving you from stewing too long in your own awkwardness. 

You nodded. “Yeah I’ll arrange to see them. Probably have a girls night out.”

“Please don’t get shit faced and locked out again,” he requested sincerely.

You chuckled as you put your cutlery down. “I won’t, promise.”

“I’m holding you to that,” he noted, then stood and reached out to remove your plates.

“No lemme get that,” you reached out too, wanting to help. But in doing so, your knuckles knocked into his forearm, and despite the thin jumper he was wearing, it felt… weird. Cold. Oddly… firm. 

You looked up into his piercing blue eyes for a long moment, trying to gauge his expression. You thought he looked startled, but Bucky didn’t seem the type to get startled. Not from an accidental touch.

At that moment, the pieces seemed to fit together all at once. 

He lost his arm in the military. It must be a prosthetic!

But just as you were trying your best to smile to make him feel more at ease, a second revelation came upon you.

How can it be a prosthetic with the way his fingers move?

Your gaze flitted down to his arm just as he pulled back, shoving his hand into his pocket. 

“So how about dessert, huh?” he asked, his tone uncharacteristically uncomfortable. 

“Uhhh, yeah I'd like that,” you replied absentmindedly, your gaze fixed on his arm. “I didn't mean to...”

“To what?" 

You sighed. “But can I ask about...”

Then he sighed. “I lost it, in the army."

You glanced back up at him. “I'm sorry,” you murmured.

Then he glanced away. “It's... it was a long time ago now.”

You looked back down at his arm, his hand still hidden in his pocket. “But your fingers they...”

“It's state of the art.”

You regretted the question before it even finished leaving your lips. “Can I see?”

Was that rude to ask? Were you offending him? Was your curiosity finally going too far?

Your questions didn't matter in the end. Bucky reached down and finally peeled off his left glove, allowing you to view a sleek yet highly realistic dark metal hand.

Holy. Shit.

Next chapter

[sparklypinkflightsuit]

The Outsider: Part 2

Hasil Farrell x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Swearing, Alcohol (Mostly Farrell Wine) Violence, Broken Established Relationship, Cheating, Domestic Violence

- Part 1 Here -

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18+ Only

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You stood staring at your husband as he walked through the front door, your eyes the size of saucers and your heart in your throat.

You had been caught red handed with another man in the house, and no matter how innocent it may have been, he wouldn’t see if that way.

You knew what this meant for you and you swallowed down your building fear as you waited during that split second for him to look up at you and Hasil.

Wyatt fiddled with the lock as he closed the door, kicking off his shoes and then he looked up at you, and your heart stopped.

“Hey honey, office is closed today, there was a leak and it’s flooded the entire downstairs, so I’ll be workin’ from home today.”

He walked towards you a placed a kiss on your forehead before moving passed you to the living room.

You had to remind yourself to breath, and you quickly looked around, Hasil nowhere to be found.

Snap out of it, Y/N. He’s going to know somethings up.

“Uh… that’s crazy, that the office flooded. Nice that you’re home though.” You lied, quickly dipping your head into the kitchen in search for the man who’d vanished into thin air.

“Yeah, not gonna lie I’m quite happy to be home. Think I’m coming down with somethin’.” Wyatt’s voice appeared behind you as he brushed passed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

“You spilled some ice, babe.” He pointed out, kicking a cube out of the way.

“Sorry.” You mumbled, quickly crossing to the opposite counter to hide the second coffee cup, sliding it over to the sink and stashing it within the dirty dishes. “Did you want a coffee, or a hot honey and lemon?”

“Honey-lemon, thanks babe.” Wyatt walked out of the kitchen and you immediately started checking the cupboards, making sure Hasil hadn’t somehow crawled up in one.

You let out a shaky breath and listened, the sound of the tv flicking on putting your mind at some sort of ease as Wyatt relaxed into “working from home”.

You quickly made him his drink and placed it on the coffee table.

“You been gardenin’?” He pointed out your dirty dress.

“Yeah, sorry. I haven’t had time to get cleaned up.”

“It’s fine, I know I’m home early. Sorry if I surprised you.”

But you were the one who was surprised, the soft tone of his voice one you didn’t often get the privilege of hearing.

You cracked a soft smile.

“I’m happy you’re home. I’m gonna finish up some gardening, if that’s ok? While you work.”

“Ok honey, don’t be too long, I’m hungry.”

——————————

You’d snuck out of the back yard and over the stream boundary, desperately hoping Hasil was outside and not still stuck somewhere in the house.

“Hasil?” You whispered, weaving carefully through trees and bush as you climbed the steep mountain behind your house.

You’d already thought of an excuse if Wyatt came looking and found you further out than you’d meant to be.

“Oh I saw a baby deer, I thought it was hurt, had to make sure.”

Sure, he’d buy that, you were a sucker for animals, the one thing about you that didn’t seem to anger him.

“Hasil? Are you out here?” You whispered again into the trees.

A crack of a stick echoed behind you, and you swung around in the fear it was your husband and he’d caught you calling after another man.

Your whole body slumped with relief as the long curly brown locks and soft blue eyes met yours.

“Oh thank god…” you breathed, “I’m so sorry.”

“You ain’t got nothing to be sorry for, Y/N.” He started to edge closer to you, but his usual smile was nowhere to be found.

“Are you okay?” You asked hesitantly.

“You said he wasn’t a bad man, why’d you lie?”

You were slightly taken aback, “I didn’t.”

“Then why were you so damn scared when he came home? I’ve only ever seen fear like that once before, and it was in the eyes of an animal that knew it were pray. I hated seeing that look in your eyes.”

You blinked away tears and your jaw visibly clenched.

Hasil edged closer, “What would he do… if he found us together, hmm?”

You shuddered at the thought, and your arms wrapped around yourself in a desperate attempt to calm the anxiety you felt.

“He’d… he’d probably kill me, Hasil. Or he’d certainly try.”

Hasil flinched, and you thought for a second that anger flashed behind his eyes. “You don’t deserve this, Y/N.”

“Yeah, well…” you scoffed, your hands falling to your side in defeat. “There’s not much I can do about it, other than keep sweet, and sometimes even then it doesn’t work.”

“Then leave him.” Hasil’s hands landed on his hips, and it came out more as an instruction than a suggestion.

“It’s not that easy.” You turned and started making your way back down the mountain, more than eager to be done with this conversation now that you knew Hasil was safe.

One you’d had with yourself time and time and time again.

“Y/N-“ he called after you, following closely.

“No, Hasil!” You turned back around and hissed.

“You don’t know me, you don’t know Wyatt, it’s not black and white, if it were I would have left years ago, but I can’t, okay? I have nowhere to go, you don’t how it is!”

“I know enough, I know what I need to know!” He hissed back, “I know that ain’t no right way to treat a lady!”

“You don’t know anything, Hasil. Just… leave me alone, this was a mistake.”

Turning on your heel, you left Hasil to stew up on the mountain as you tried to catch your breath and calm your composure.

You were shaking with adrenaline just from having spoken up, but guilt from knowing deep down you’d spoken up to the wrong person.

You knew he was just trying to help, but it wasn’t his place.

That night, you tossed and turned as Wyatt snored away next to you, the conversation with Hasil playing on your mind.

You felt guilty, you wished you hadn’t spoken to him that way. You wished you knew how to find him to apologise.

Frustrated with the lack of sleep, you got up and pulled your robe on, making your way to the kitchen.

You poured a glass of water and slid onto a stool behind your kitchen island. The kitchen was dark apart from the full moon shining through and reflecting against the polished oak counters.

You zoned out and bit your thumbnail as you thought back over what Hasil had said.

“Then leave him.” His voice echoed in your head, over and over.

“I wish it were that simple.” You whispered to yourself in the dark.

You could hear Wyatt snoring from all the way in the other end of the house upstairs, something that you once found endearing but now irritating you to the point of sleepless nights.

You wondered if Hasil looked as pretty asleep as he did awake.

Screwing your eyes shut, you cursed yourself for your impure thoughts. “Stop… nothing good can come if this.” You whispered, but you longed for the kind mountain man who’d burrowed himself into your mind and heart so quickly.

Almost as if the universe had read your mind, a tapping noise, so soft you barely heard it at first, came from the kitchen window. You jumped as a silhouette appeared outside and had to steady the glass of water you’d accidentally nearly knocked over.

Clasping your hand over your mouth to silence your gasp, you ran to the light switch and flicked it on, blinking quickly at the window.

“Fuck sake.” You sighed, turning the light back off and hurrying to the back door.

“What are you doing?” You hissed quietly into the night.

“I’m sorry, I… I needed to see you, I didn’t like how we left things earlier.” Hasil wrung his hands out apologetically.

You looked at him for a long while, chewing your lip, the moonlight reflecting off of his shiny locks, the dark patterns of his various tattoos like black oil against the silver ocean of his skin.

Your heart thudded, yearning to be held by him again.

“No… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. But Hasil you can’t just show up here, if Wyatt found you we’d both be dead.”

He stepped closer, a calloused hand gently rubbing your arm sympathetically.

“I wouldn’t let that happen, don’t you worry.” He sounded so certain it almost made you believe him. “Can we go for a walk? Or will he wake easy?”

You ducked your head back inside and listened, the snoring a steady stream from the bedroom upstairs indicating a deep sleep.

You nodded at Hasil and pulled your robe around you tighter, stepping out barefoot.

You walked through the dark woods in silence for what felt like an hour, but the way the moon barely shifted in the sky you knew it probably wasn’t that long.

Your feet began to hurt, the cold, sharp gravel and sticks that decorated the soil of the mountain digging in, and you stopped to sit on a rock for a moment.

You lifted your foot up on your knee, dusting small stones from between your toes and in your heel, wiggling your toes to get the blood flowing.

“Your feet cold?” Hasil asked, kneeling in the dirt in front of you.

You didn’t answer, but your eyes locked with his and it almost took your breath away how beautiful he was.

He took your foot in his hands and rubbed it gently to warm it, resting it on his knee.

Your heart was caught in your throat, and you swallowed hard.

His thumb rubbed slow circles into your ankle, a simple action that held so much gentle care it took your breath away.

“Hasil…” you breathed.

He straightened up on his knees in front of you, rising to eye level, hands steadying himself on the rock either side of you.

His face was so close you could smell the valerian and lavender on his breath, so soothing it lured you in. His hand cupped your face and his thumb stroked your cheekbone as if you were some delicate thing he was scared to break.

“Come with me, I can keep you safe.” He whispered.

“I can’t…” you lowered your head in defeat, and Hasil dipped down, his face appearing in front of yours again to look up at you.

“Look, I ain’t gonna fight with you, but I need you to know that I’m gonna do what I can to keep you safe, even if that means I gotta fight that devil himself.”

You sniffed and lifted your head, “It’s not safe, you don’t know what he can do.”

Hasil let out an exasperated chuckle, “You think that scares me? What scares me is the idea of you held up in that house with him, while I’m all the way up on the mountain with no way to get to you. If you just come with me-“

“I can’t, Hasil.” You stood to your feet, Hasil falling onto his bum on the ground as he watched you walk to the cliffs edge. “I think you’re sweet for offering, but I’m not yours to worry about.”

You looked over it, offering a view of Blackburg below, beautiful at night, a stark contrast to it during the day.

“Hasil?” You croaked, your arms tightening around you to stave off the cold breeze.

You felt his hand squeeze your shoulder, you hadn’t heard him get up but still it didn’t startle you.

“I know I can’t go, but what’s it like up there? Where you live?”

You heard him take a deep breath in through his nostrils, “It’s beautiful. Peaceful. Ain’t no men like your husband up there, not really anyway. It’s like this here-“ he pointed up at the stars and at the trees, the silence that filled the air apart from insects and night creatures, “only clearer, more pure. You’d love it, Y/N.”

You turned your head to look at him over your shoulder, and you opened your mouth to speak.

“Y/N!” A voice, distant but clear enough, called from the bottom of the mountain. Your heart stopped. “Where the fuck are you?!”

Your eyes widened “Oh my god…” you stroked Hasil’s cheek quickly, desperate for once last touch, looking at him once more, “I have to go, Hasil. Don’t follow me.”

And then you began to run.

You ran as quick as your feet would take you, sharp sticks and stones digging into the flesh as you tried hard to maintain speed as you dodged trees and rocks and hidden cliff sides.

“Y/N!” Wyatt’s voice roared out in the dark, louder now, you were getting close.

Better practice your excuse, he’ll be waiting.

You could hear Hasil’s soft footsteps behind you, you weren’t sure how far but you couldn’t stop to check.

You stumbled in front of the stream and came to an abrupt halt as your eyes landed on your husband, face red and bare chest heaving angrily.

He stormed over to you, his feet crashing through the water without a care and he grabbed your hair without even giving you a chance to explain.

“Wyatt!” You cried as he dragged you across the stream, his large hand tangled in your hair.

You tried to unpry his hands but his grip was like a vice, and you thought he could easily tear your hair from your scalp if he so pleased.

Wyatt threw you effortlessly against the back wall of the house, his hand slipping under your chin and tightening around your neck, holding you up to look at him. “Where the fuck were you sneaking off to, huh?”

“No… nowhere-“ you choked and spluttered.

“Don’t you fucking lie to me!” He lifted you and slammed your head back against the wall, and you cried out as a sharp pain flew down from your head to your spine.

“I- couldn’t sleep… went for a… walk.” You gasped.

“I’ve had just about enough of your games!”

Your eyes widened as Hasil stormed across your back yard, as silent as a bird but face as angry as thunder.

“No-“ You barely had a second to choke out a warning, before Hasil had Wyatt by the hair, pulling him onto the ground on his back.

“What the fuck-“

Hasil’s fist connected with Wyatt’s nose with a deafening crunch, punch after punch becoming more and more frenzied until you found the strength to peel yourself off the wall.

“Stop! Hasil, stop!” You grabbed his fist as it raised in the air for another punch, Wyatt bloodied but still conscious on the ground.

Hasil turned to look at you over his shoulder, his eyes wild and it scared you.

You let go of his hand, stepping back startled, and Hasil’s face softened immediately as he got up off of Wyatt.

“Y/N, I’m sorry...”

You edged back until you were pressed up against the wall.

He held his hands up defensively.

“I couldn’t stand by and watch-“

“Hasil you’ve ruined things for me! I had it handled, okay? Now…” you looked down at Wyatt as he rolled around on the ground, dizzily clutching at his nose. “Just go, please.”

Hasil stepped back, eyes brimming. “Come with me.”

“No! What is wrong with you? I can’t just run away with you Hasil, I barely know you. Just go!” You yelled.

Hasil looked hurt by your words, speechless, unsure he could leave but he knew you would never follow, so he eventually nodded, hands on his hips and he backed away slowly.

“I’m sorry.”

As Hasil disappeared into the night, you dropped down at Wyatt’s side. “Baby? Hey, look at me…”

“Who… the fuck was that? He clutched his broken nose and pushed himself off of the ground, blood dripping everywhere.

“I’ll… I’ll explain inside. Let’s get you in.”

——————————

Much on your side of luck, Wyatt was too hurt and too exhausted to do much other than listen when you told him you’d befriended a mountain man.

You could see the hatred and disappointment in his eyes, but you promised it was innocent.

“It’s my fault.” He’d said, “I leave you here all alone all day, of course you’re gonna go off and do such a thing. That’ll all be different now.”

He’d mumbled as he dragged himself to bed.

The next day, he’d installed security cameras at the front, side and back of the house. Indoor cameras were places strategically facing the front door, in the living room, and in the kitchen.

No where to run, nowhere to hide.

You were grateful he hadn’t laid his heavy hand on you yet, but you knew if you dared step out of line again, it wouldn’t take much for him to snap, to punish you like you do deserved.

Days passed and you walked around the house aimlessly like you had a stick in your back.

Terrified to put a foot wrong, a mechanical doll doing her duties on an automated route day after day. Doing nothing that you couldn’t give an excuse for, doing nothing he would cock an eyebrow at.

A perfect little housewife, numb and calculated in her every action.

Surprisingly, Wyatt was softer to you now that you acted this way. The way he’d wanted you to act all along, pliable and mouldable, the perfect wife.

“Dinner was delicious, thank you honey.” He kissed your neck as you washed the dishes. “You know what, I think I will get you a dishwasher after all, you deserve it.”

“Thank you.” You nodded, emotionless.

Wyatt smacked your ass and retreated back to the living room to watch tv, and you stared out into the garden with watery eyes.

After, you excused yourself to go for a shower, and you crawled into bed early.

Wyatt came to find you, leaning against the door frame as he watched your stony, emotionless face.

“Maybe if we had a baby, you wouldn’t be so bored all day. You’d have a purpose.” He’d said.

You turned your head to look at him, and your stomach twisted at the idea of being even more chained to him than you already were.

But you didn’t say anything, you just stared at him.

He undressed, a cocky grin on his face as he climbed on top of you, kissing your neck. “A baby would keep you busy, and wouldn’t it be so nice to have a mini me?”

He did all the right things, the things you’d usually enjoy, but you couldn’t bring yourself to want this, still, you lay there until he had satisfied his own needs, and then you rolled over to sleep.

You dreamed about Hasil that night as you had every night before, and you wondered if you had made a mistake, and maybe you should have followed him after all.

———————————

- Part 3 Here -

[uvobreakmylegs]

When Push Comes to Shove

first Shoot fic :D

Warnings: stalking, depictions of violence, kidnapping

Word count: 4.9k

The apartment was largely empty; the walls were bare and the only pieces of furniture within the unit were a small table, a chair and a sleeping bag that stayed out in the living room area as opposed to the bedroom. The only other pieces of miscellaneous objects was the phone that was currently plugged into a charger, a bag and a small pile of laundry that had yet to be washed. Other than those things, there was little else in the apartment unit.

Aside from Shoot himself.

Currently he was standing near the window that looked over a parking lot and a different apartment building across the way, peering through the glass as he watched his current target.

….. Using the word target didn't feel quite right in this situation. Even if it was accurate. Even if the person he was watching was one that he'd been watching for months now.

No, 'watching' wasn't the correct term; what he was doing was stalking.

But it was different, he told himself.

After all, Shoot didn't mean you any harm. He just wanted you to be with him.

But actually going through and making that desire a reality was where he was slipping up.

In his role of a Beast Hunter, Shoot had faced down hordes of charging animals and encountered all sorts of shady characters in the most hostile of environments, but somehow the thought of taking you, a defenseless civilian, felt like the more difficult task. As usual, his cowardice would show its face at the worst possible time.

He sighed to himself, and then looked back again to a particular window in the apartment building across from his.

You were in the same place: on the couch in your living room with your laptop, your eyes focused on the screen and your mouth set in a slight frown.

No doubt you were looking through available job listings.

The company you had worked at previously had downsized, causing a fair amount of employees to be laid off. Unfortunately, you were among those that were deemed to be expendable.

All that had happened a few months prior, and you had since gotten a temporary job. It wasn't one that you liked, however, and you had told everyone around you that it was just something to keep yourself afloat until you found something better. Except the 'something better' that you were looking for had yet to reveal itself to you, so you'd been scouring job sites and putting in your resume where you could, though it wasn't going as well as you'd hoped. You were still stuck with a job you didn't like, and came back home after every shift exhausted and stressed.

Shoot had been keeping an eye on you since you'd gotten back today, and some time had now passed since you first opened up your laptop in search of a job better suited to you. Though it seemed as if you were finishing up with the job search tonight, as he watched while you sighed to yourself and then shut the laptop closed, stretching your arms out over your head after. It was confirmed to him when you pulled out your phone and began scrolling through it aimlessly.

No luck tonight, but you'd try again tomorrow. That was most likely your line of thinking.

He hoped you'd eat something soon, though. Since getting back, you all you had done was take a shower and then immediately after went on the job search, and the only thing he'd seen you consume during that time was a single glass of water.

You needed to take better care of yourself.

But as much as he wished he could head over to your unit and remind you to eat something, all that would result in was you becoming afraid of him when you realized that he had been watching you. Plus some possible issues with law enforcement if you were to go to the police. Though with his Hunter license on hand, they wouldn't be able to do much of anything even if they did manage to come across him. But it would no doubt cause you stress.

That worry about your well-being was also why he was in this current predicament:

As much as Shoot wanted you, he worried about how well you would take it if he went through with kidnapping you. No matter what, your mental state would suffer and you would definitely hate him in the beginning.

Shoot sighed again, chiding himself internally. There had been a time when needing to take you wouldn't have been necessary, when he could've possibly approached you and started up a relationship in a 'normal' way. But every time he had tried, he always ended up psyching himself out and running off before you could even lay eyes on him.

And every time after, as he berated himself while staring at you from the apartment he rented for the sole purpose of keeping an eye on you, he told himself that he could try again next time, and that he'd be successful then. That he had as much time as he needed to accomplish that.

What a stupid thought.

He should've known better. Not just as a Hunter, but as someone with common sense. He should've known that he couldn't have expected that things would always stay the same with you, that you would magically stay single until he finally built up the nerve to speak to you.

Shoot noticed when the screen of your phone suddenly lit up as you received a phone call, and after reading the name on the screen, you smiled to yourself.

Based on that reaction, Shoot already had an idea as to who was calling, and his suspicions were confirmed when you answered the phone and he read your lips as you greeted the caller with a 'hey babe'.

The only person you would speak to like that was Kian.

Your boyfriend.

The two of you had only been going out for over a month now, but it seemed to be going well for you. And despite the short amount of time together, you always seemed so happy whenever you spoke to him after a difficult day.

Just like now, when he saw you smiling at something Kian had said and observed the way the tension left your shoulders. Just because of a few words from him.

…..

… Ah, damn.

Shoot realized that he was grinding his teeth again. It was a bad habit that he'd begun only recently, coinciding with when you started dating Kian. Just knowing that another man was spending time with you like that frustrated Shoot more than he thought possible.

It was even worse to see another man touching you.

Though that was his own fault, he reminded himself. For never getting up the courage to approach you and telling himself that it was fine to continue hanging back and watching you from afar. That cowardice of his had cost him his opportunity, and now he was forced to watch you go on dates and being affectionate with your boyfriend.

Despite that, Shoot couldn't bring himself to do anything to your boyfriend. Not only because he truly didn't enjoy hurting others, but he was aware that Kian hadn't done anything wrong. Even if he frustrated Shoot just by the way he spoke to you, you had chosen him, so it was natural that he would be loving towards you and that you would respond in kind.

Shoot simply disagreed with your choice.

You were still on the phone with Kian, and Shoot could tell most of what you were saying by reading your lip movements, though you occasionally made it difficult whenever you turned your head away from the direction of the window. The topic was your job search and how you still hadn't heard anything from any of the places you'd applied to.

After you said that, your expression fell slightly, and your demeanor was more in line with what he'd seen when you were on those job sites earlier. But that changed when your boyfriend said something to you, and there was a smile on your face once more. It looked like you were agreeing with him.

I sent in an application to Motoba, too. Maybe they'll like my resume.

That was the last thing he could decipher before you changed the topic away from the job hunt and instead asked your boyfriend how his day had been. After that, you were mostly quiet, only piping in occasionally with some comment to whatever your boyfriend was saying.

All Shoot could hope for was that this wouldn't be a call that lasted hours again. It wasn't terribly late, but you had a tendency to talk for a long time with Kian. And you still hadn't eaten.

Tell him that you need to hang up, Shoot silently urged you. That you need to do the bare minimum in taking care of yourself. If he really cares about you, he'll respect that.

All you did was reach for the glass of water you'd gotten for yourself earlier and drink what little was still left in it.

And the phone call was still ongoing.

Shoot sighed.

Once again, all he could do was watch. Watch and wait until you were done talking with him, and then hope that you'd get some dinner before you eventually went to bed. At least you could get a decent rest tonight, he thought to himself. Your job had scheduled you to work in the early afternoon tomorrow, so you could sleep in if you needed to.

That would likely be the only highlight, however. After that, it would be another day where you worked hard at a job you hated before returning home to continue your unsuccessful search for one that would be better for you. All because Shoot couldn't bring himself to follow through.

Because every time he felt like he could go to you and catch you off-guard, a voice in his head would give him some reason as to why he shouldn't.

Breaking in would make too much noise and leave too much damage.

You would fight him and he'd need to use more force than he wanted.

There were too many bystanders in the area that would either act as would-be rescuers or potential witnesses to your kidnapping.

Every time, lines of reasoning like that would pop into his head, and his cowardice would reappear as he once again did nothing to put an end to the limbo he'd created for himself.

And that was the case now, it seemed.

It was unlikely that anything more would happen tonight. Once again he was disappointed in himself for having squandered another chance to take you, but he countered that by telling himself that it would be fine; he'd follow through once he worked himself up to it.

….. Wasn't that mentality the reason he was in this predicament in the first place?

He found that he wanted to assure himself that it'd be different tomorrow, that he would finally follow through and make his desire to have you for himself a reality.

Unfortunately, that was also something he'd said to himself far too often.

Shoot glanced over to you again, just in time to see that you were now speaking, and he read the words on your lips again.

Yeah, that sounds great! I work later tomorrow, anyway.

Shoot's brows furrowed.

What had you just agreed to?

You stood up and turned around as you ended the call, inadvertently keeping Shoot from being able to tell what you said to your boyfriend before hanging up. Then you walked away from the window, heading towards your bedroom.

A pit formed in Shoot's stomach; it felt like something was going to happen that he wouldn't like.

When you walked back into view, you were carrying a small backpack, finishing up in stuffing extra clothes inside before tossing the backpack onto the couch and collecting your shoes from the other side of the room.

You were going over to spend the night with him, Shoot realized.

All the signs were pointing to that, and he felt his teeth grinding again.

….. No.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

But what could he do to stop you? Your boyfriend was expecting you and he would quickly notice that you were missing when you didn't show up at his place if Shoot chose to take you then. At the very least the Hunter wanted a few hours head start before anyone realized you were gone. That couldn't be accomplished at the moment.

It likely wouldn't be questioned it if you canceled on those plans, though. But the only way Shoot could see that happening was if he grabbed you on your way out and forced you to call up your boyfriend to tell him that you weren't going over. That would probably require threatening you, something Shoot didn't think he could do even if he didn't mean it. And it still ran the risk of you blurting out something over the phone and thereby making his efforts pointless.

No, the safest way would be if you canceled on your own.

But was there any way he could get you to do that?

Not sure of what to do, Shoot looked about his own unit, if there was possibly anything in there that could help him. That was when he caught sight of his phone, still plugged in and fully charged, and a thought struck him.

It was a bit late, but not so late that it would be outrageous if you were to get a call from one of the companies you applied to. Even if it was still odd, you were probably desperate enough to not question it.

And the name you had mentioned during your call... It was Motoba, wasn't it?

Taking in a deep breath after retrieving his phone, Shoot typed in the number to call your cellphone, a number he had learned and memorized a while ago but never had any reason to use. He then put the phone up to his ear, and listened as the line began to ring.

So much time spent watching you, but it was only now, when he felt that his back was up against the wall that he'd managed to make himself go forward with something.

Not the best tendency to have, but at least it was some assurance for himself: when push came to shove, Shoot could do what needed to be done.

He moved towards the window again, peeking out of it to see if he might see you again. Sadly, there was no sign of you in the window of your apartment, but after the phone rang twice, he heard you pick up.

“Hello?”

Your voice came through the phone's speaker, and Shoot felt as though his heart was fluttering at the sound. Realization hit him that this was the first time the two of you would exchange words.

Trying to keep his tone level, he addressed you by your first and last name as he asked if that was who he was speaking to. He needed to do his best to keep from messing this up.

“Who is this?” you asked.

The next attempt at speaking to you failed, and he needed to clear his throat again before he could get the words out. There was a time where he'd needed to impersonate a company worker and convince the manager in charge of an oil rig to allow Morel and Knuckle access when the management on said rig had refused to be accommodating towards the Hunters. As long as he put himself in the same mindset that he had for that job, he could pull this off too.

“I work for Motoba,” Shoot began, “I'm calling about the application you sent in.”

“Oh!”

There was more of a cheerful tone to your voice now, and he heard you walking about the apartment as you spoke again. He still didn't see you – you must've been in your bedroom.

“For the assistant position?” you asked.

“Yes, the position you applied for.”

Shoot immediately felt awkward answering like that and added “I wanted to know if you could come in tomorrow for an interview.”

“Tomorrow?” you asked.

There was a hint of surprise in your voice, as if you weren't expecting an interview to be scheduled so soon.

Stay in that mindset, he told himself. Play it off like it's normal.

“Is that a problem?” he asked.

“No no. That's completely fine,” you quickly answered, “Sorry, I just didn't expect to hear anything so fast.”

“Of course,” Shoot replied, “I'm sorry if I'm calling too late.”

“Oh no, not at all! I'm really glad to hear from you.”

With his eyes still on your window, he saw when you finally walked back into view, the phone up to your ear while you looked ready to head out. He had called just in time, then.

“What time would you like me to come in?” you asked.

“Does eight in the morning work for you?”

“Yes, that should be-”

You stopped speaking when your eyes happened to look out the window. For a brief moment, your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at the apartment across from you.

The one where Shoot was currently standing at the window.

Only for a brief moment, however, for as soon as he saw your eyes catching sight of his form, he moved to the side and out of view.

His palms were starting to sweat, but he kept himself calm.

“Is everything alright?” he asked you.

His question brought your attention back to the call, and you stammered out “y-yeah. Sorry. It's fine. Eight is just fine.”

“Good. And you know where the main building is?” he asked.

“I believe it's off of Continental Street?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes, I know where to go,” you replied. In the background, Shoot could hear you doing something, though he wasn't certain what exactly that was just from the noise alone.

“We'll see you tomorrow, then,” Shoot told you.

“Yeah- yes! I'll see you tomorrow at eight,” you said, trying to keep your words professional as you added “thank you for calling me.”

“Of course.”

The phone call ended shortly after, leaving Shoot to stare at his phone screen.

Your voice sounded warm during those last moments of the call, and Shoot imagined you smiling when you spoke to him, like he'd made you happy. Though part of him was fully aware that you were happy for the opportunity he told you of and that you felt nothing for him. Certainly not from a phone call that didn't even last five minutes.

Still, he chose to imagine that it had brought you a little bit of happiness. Largely because he knew it would take some time for you to feel happy again after tomorrow. It would be a long period of distress and anger on your part once you realized what he did, and it would likely stress you out even more than your current situation was doing to you.

But it would work out for the best, he told himself.

Shoot then peeked out his window to look at you again, but he was disappointed when he found that the blinds to your window had been closed.

So that was what he'd heard you doing at the end of the call.

Still, it could've been worse; you could've been heading out to be with your boyfriend right now. And as Shoot watched your front door for several minutes and saw that it stayed closed, he felt some relief. The need to get up early in the morning kept you from going to spend a late night out at your boyfriend's place.

At least he had put a stop to that.

The next few hours passed by without any incident. You stayed inside, though because of the blinds that now covered the windows, he only had an idea of what you were doing based on what he had seen of your previous habits. Eventually the lights in your apartment turned dark, signaling that you'd gone to bed so you could get up early to be ready in time for your interview. Once that happened, Shoot sat down, leaning against the wall as he went over everything in his head.

There was no backing out of this now.

No matter what happened tomorrow morning, he couldn't back down again. Even if things went wrong. That internal voice of his would need to keep its mouth shut.

And finally, the limbo would come to an end.

In the early hours of the morning, when the light of the sun was only barely brightening up the sky, Shoot was waiting for you.

Standing at the end of the walkway, his eyes were fixed on your front door as he waited for the moment where you left.

You hadn't left yet, though he assumed that you would soon in order to make it to your eight o'clock interview. With the distance and how bad traffic could get, you would want to make sure that you had plenty of time to get to the Motoba building.

He would strike when you stepped out, when your back was turned and you were focused on locking up the door behind you. And even if Shoot wasn't the strongest Hunter around, subduing you wouldn't be an issue for him. Compared to some of the jobs he had taken, it would be incredibly easy.

As long as he didn't psych himself out in the middle of it.

No, that wouldn't happen. Like he had told himself last night: when push came to shove, he could do it. And as long as he moved fast and quiet, everything would go as he hoped.

A click from the door sounded as the lock was undone.

Anticipation caused his heart to beat harder when he heard that.

The door opened, and there you were. Wearing a set of nice clothes that you typically used for instances like job interviews when you wanted to make a good first impression. As expected, you were distracted when you stepped out, your attention on the door as you began to close it.

He moved.

Reaching you in moments, he clamped his hand over your mouth. He then pushed against you, forcing the door to crash open while you were forced back into your unit. And once the both of you were inside, he used his foot to shut the door behind him.

Now there would be no witnesses.

Initially, you didn't fight back. Perhaps it was shock combined with how fast it had all happened that left you pliant as he forced his way in after you. But at the sound of the slamming door you began to struggle and pull at his arm, a muffled screaming coming from beneath his palm as you tried to make as much noise as possible. And when that didn't work, you began to try your hardest to bite and scratch at him.

Shoot's left sleeve slipped off, falling to the floor.

You didn't notice the hands at first, too focused on gouging your nails into your attacker's arm to get him off of you. But you became aware when two of them grabbed ahold of your wrists and forced them away from his arm. For a brief moment, your cries stopped and you looked on in shock as you saw that you were being further restrained by a pair of floating hands.

Then you started to hyperventilate, taking in harsh breaths as you tried to comprehend the situation. Without a knowledge of nen, you couldn't understand it.

Shoot had been watching your expressions during this whole time, and when you looked up at him as the tears started to form in your eyes, he felt his resolve falter slightly.

He could stop this.

He could end this before it went any further and leave you alone. Leave the area completely and never come back, and if by some strange chance he was identified as being the one who attacked you, his Hunter status would still protect him. This could end here and there wouldn't be any affect on his life as it was right now.

For you, the situation was one that was terrifying and the aftermath would leave you shaken and confused, but if it stopped here it would leave you relatively unharmed. All you would need to deal with would be police reports and therapy sessions, and you would no doubt have some trauma that would cause you to be more aware of your surroundings, but that would be it.

Shoot could leave, and then all he would be to you was just a terrifyingly bad memory.

A bad memory....

…. And then what, you would go to your boyfriend for comfort every time that memory surfaced? Forever viewing Shoot as the monster while you stayed with a man who wasn't right for you?

Shoot's jaw clenched as he steeled himself. This needed to happen.

“I'm sorry,” he told you, “but this will be for the best.”

You were trying to shake your head 'no', trying to convince him without the use of your words that what he was doing was wrong. You were so focused on trying to appeal to him that you didn't notice the third floating hand that hovered in front of you and clenched itself into a fist.

You weren't aware of it until it slammed into your stomach.

Your eyes widened further for a moment before they fell shut, and you became limp in his grasp. Now you were unconscious, something he was grateful for as Shoot had no desire for you to be awake as he began the process of placing you within Hotel Rafflesia. There was now a hole of black mist in the area where he had hit you, and when the hands on your wrists squeezed hard to cause just enough pain to meet his requirements, those areas of your body also disappeared, replaced by the black mist while they were sent to the birdcage that stood next to him.

No, you didn't need to see any of that.

Minutes later and now Shoot was the only figure standing in the apartment, his heart still beating wildly, this time from the knowledge that he'd actually done it. He had you. Not that he was in any position to be celebrating; he could still be discovered if he hung around here too long. Best to leave sooner rather than later.

But as he picked up his sleeve that had fallen earlier, his attention went back to the small cage before him. Hotel Rafflesia now housed all of you, and you were now sprawled out on the floor of the cage. You would likely be out for some time. That was what Shoot hoped for, at least. You hadn't understood his conjured hands from earlier, and you definitely wouldn't understand if you woke up while still being trapped in his ability. It would be for the best if you slept through all of that.

You'd be sore all over when you woke up, but all the injuries you'd gotten from him would be easily healed.

Less easy would be the state you would be in mentally, but he chose not to think about that for now. That would be a bridge Shoot would cross when he came to it.

As for now, he needed to leave.

With the cage and his conjured hands hidden within the long cloth of his sleeve, he quietly shut the apartment door behind him before heading back towards the stairs. He couldn't hear anything odd coming from any of the units he passed by as he descended, no signs that anyone noticed something amiss. A majority of them were either asleep or too focused on their morning routines to notice the slight disturbance from moments ago.

Good. That was what he'd hoped for.

When he exited the property line of the apartment complex was when Shoot allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief. He had gotten you out without incident, though he was well aware that it was still too early to celebrate. You were now out of the apartment, and now he needed to get you out of the city, preferably before you woke up.

That part would be easier, all things considered, as it would take a bit of time before anyone was aware that you were missing. He knew for certain that you weren't expected anywhere until the early afternoon, and even if you had made plans to meet up with anyone for immediately after your 'interview', he still had plenty of time to leave before any alarm could be raised on that front. It would all work in his favor.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he remembered the way you looked at him before he knocked you out. The terrified look in your eyes as you started to cry, convinced that he was going to do something horrible to you.

…. In fairness, you weren't wrong – he had hurt you. But he did it because he needed to. Not just as a way to keep you from the other man, but because things couldn't continue as they were any longer. He couldn't keep watching you and doing nothing as you went on with your life, but he couldn't imagine leaving you behind.

It would take some time before you could trust him, no doubt. But again, he told himself to only worry about that when the time came.

And again he told himself that when it really mattered, Shoot could go through with anything.

Getting you to love him back would be no different.

[in-memoriam-tgwk]

“Are you busy, Cliffclaw?”

Mottledwhisker’s voice echoes within the rocky hollow space, which acts as both the grey tom’s den and his personal workspace. It smells sharply of herbs and dust, slightly sweet sickness, and an underlying iron tang of old blood. It reminds Mottledwhisker of his first stretch of days with the Colony, cooped up within these walls while his lungs were clotted with what Cliffclaw called ‘greencough’. It took quite a few more sunrises before he could sufficiently rid the scent from his nose, and standing in the thick of it trudges up the unpleasant memory.

Between Cliffclaw’s long fur, dense build, and somewhat prickly attitude, he can be quite intimidating in the right circumstance. Living in close quarters with him has worn some of his thorns down for Mottledwhisker, but he still hesitates to take the older tom away from a task he’s committed to, fearing imaginary repercussions or a generous string of colorful curses. Mottledwhisker has only witnessed the latter; he’s not entirely sure he’s ever seen Cliffclaw lift a paw at another cat. Even still, his paw pads prickle with nervous anticipation.

The older tom lifts his head from where he’s hunched, tucked over himself as he goes about sorting identical leaves into separate piles. His ever-changing eyes shift from yellow to green in the dim den light.

“Not terribly,” he says, his voice rattling deep and gravelly in his chest. He furrows two fuzzy brows in his direction, and then arches one curiously. “Why?”

Mottledwhisker’s ear twitches. “Nothing serious, I assure you,” he replies, stepping through the threshold of the medicine den once he’s not immediately shooed away. “I’m looking for your insight on some thing.”

Cliffclaw’s face softens, and he pushes the dry herbs aside with a large paw. “Insight is a tall order, Moxy. Despite my age I have little of that to offer.”

The smirk creeping up his face reveals the dry humor in his words. Mottledwhisker returns it in kind.

“Perhaps just some information then,” he says, sweeping his tail to neatly curl over his paws. “While I was in your care, you mentioned someone in passing. That ‘she’ told you where to find me. Am I misremembering?”

That talk with Cliffclaw has been clinging to him over the past moon. He was told that Cliffclaw and the Colony’s leader Glowstar were the ones to bring him back to camp, something that Cliffclaw himself explained when Mottledwhisker was conscious enough to hold a conversation. Asking around only confirmed this; no one else had been with them, and the others were hardly aware of Mottledwhisker until he was carried in over two sets of shoulders. He needs to know who this ‘she’ is, at the very least to ease his mind.

The thought hangs for a moment before Cliffclaw answers. “I did say as much, yes. What about it?”

“What about it?” Mottledwhisker echoes with a frown. “I’d like to know what you meant by that. You told me that only you and Glowstar brought me to the cliffs, and no one else had any idea I was out there. Who is ‘she’?”

Cliffclaw shrugs. “Fate, of course.”

“Fate?”

“Yes, Fate. She Who Dictates Fate, Order, and Chaos, formally. The white cat?”

The white cat. Mottledwhisker’s eyes widen to two round moons of copper. “The… The cat from my dream? You’re saying she’s real?”

Cliffclaw nods sagely.

“But how can that be?” Mottledwhisker says. “Have you seen her too?”

Cliffclaw nods again. “I have, yes. Quite a few times in fact.” He rolls his shoulders, as though to loosen some invisible strain causing an ache. “Fate came to all of us in a dream. She offered Her old home to us— the Colony territory— in exchange for peace and unity. We will be provided for as long as we live and work for one another instead of against.”

“But what about me?” Mottledwhisker asks. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than glad to be here! But I wasn’t led here by a dream. My Twolegs dumped me on the side of the Thunderpath. I didn’t choose to come here.”

There’s a brief pause, and Mottledwhisker almost apologizes for it before Cliffclaw answers.

“Most cats believe that bad situations are out of our control, which is true to an extent— there are limitations to what we can do with our lives. But every life is tethered to the sky, and to the ground, to those we cross paths with and to every breath we breathe in these bodies. An invisible force tug us in every direction until a choice is made, whether we do it consciously or not. Fate is that invisible force. She leads us towards the result of those choices in life.”

As he speaks, Cliffclaw rises to his paws and begins to walk out of his den, encouraging Mottledwhisker to follow suit. He leads the younger cat up the small path to the top of the sheer drop off, to where Glowstar often stands to share news with the Colony. Dusk has slowly faded into night, and the twinkling lights in the deep expanse of a navy horizon begin to show.

Mottledwhisker latches onto every word, equal parts baffled and in awe of the revelation. It’s as though he himself can feel the tether Cliffclaw speaks of; he feels the sandstone beneath his paws, the cool night air tickling his nose, the sounds of an evening forest down below.

Cliffclaw continues without pause.

“Fate is the reason for us being here, atop the cliffside. She led us here through our dreams. She led me to you, knowing you were sick and knowing I could help. And when our time is done, She will pluck our tethers, and will lead us into the night sky to become a Watcher.”

He’s looking to the sky, and Mottledwhisker follows his gaze. “All of those up there are Watchers?” he asks, tilting his head. His mother had said they were nothing more than the lights of a very distant Twolegplace.

Cliffclaw nods. “That’s where you and I will be, one day,” he replies, his whiskers quivering with a sudden chilly breeze. “It’s a kindness Fate gives for living a life of good. She allows us to watch over our kin, and their kin, until they join us just the same. It’s why we say, ‘May Fate be kind to you’. To bless you with good fortune in your final days.”

- - -

Mottledwhisker recalls the recent memory like a freshly-healed scar, still tender and throbbing with the right kind of pressure put upon it.

Shinefreckle has been inconsolable all morning. News of Cliffclaw’s lifeless body being discovered next to the river has made its rounds through the Colony, with whispers of sadness and speculation rumbling just beneath the surface. He lies near the edge of camp now, carried there by Heatherdash and Hollyspeckle, and Shinefreckle hasn’t stopped fussing over him since he’d arrived. She lies next to him with her nose buried into his neck fur, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs of anguish and despair. Iciclestalk hovers nearby with a poorly-concealed grimace.

Cliffclaw looked peaceful when he was brought in, much to Mottledwhisker’s surprise. He’d expected a look of terror, or perhaps pain. Some sort of explanation to his sudden demise. As it stands, it looks as though he’s simply asleep beneath Shinefreckle’s body, stuck in a lovely dream that he has no intention of waking from. Mottledwhisker finds a strange sort of comfort in that. He hopes it’s as lovely as he imagines.

When the light of day fades into an evening blue, Cliffclaw is taken to be buried at the base of the cliff. Glowstar and Iciclestalk help Shinefreckle back to the Warrior’s den on shaky legs. Instead of going to bed, Mottledwhisker climbs to the highest point of the cliff, to the exact spot he and the old medicine cat sat. He sits down, curls his tail over his paws, and quietly scans the night sky for a new light.

[magical-regical]

Continuing my L&DS hyperfixation but also because Owl City just released a new single, here are some owl city songs that remind me of each LI and Caleb

Go under the cut if you want some extremely long commentary on why I picked the songs I did. If you don't care what I have to say, please peruse this TLDR;

Xavier: If My Heart Was a House

Zayne: Car Trouble

Rafayel: My Muse, Rainbow Veins

Caleb: Hot Air Balloon, The Bird and The Worm

Ah you're still here. A few disclaimers before you continue:

Whenever I mention MC in this, I will be using she/her pronouns.

I haven't listened to every owl city song in existence and some songs didn't stick with me the way the songs listed here did so if you think my takes are garbage and I'm a big dumb stupid idiot for not considering the song you're thinking of, uh, feel free to make your own post abt it.

I know sweet f a abt music theory so I'm just going based off vibes and lyrics not composition.

I haven't read Xavier's or Zayne's myth stories to completion and haven't read Rafayel's at all.

Anyway, without further ado, enjoy my lukewarm takes.

Xavier

This song makes me so soft and it's way too easy to imagine Xavier and MC dancing to this. The first lines sound like he's reminiscing of the time he had with MC in her past lives,

You're the sky that I fell through, and I remember the view whenever I'm holding you

The sun hung from a string, looking down on the world as it warmed over everything.

Chills run down my spine as our fingers entwine and your sighs harmonize with mine.

Unmistakably, I can still feel your heart beat fast when you dance with me.

He pulls her in closer as the first pre-chorus plays. And the two pre-chorus' in this song sound like a conversation between him and his memory of past!MC.

The first one:

We got older and I should've known,

Do you feel alive?

That I'd feel colder when I walk alone

Oh, but you'll survive

The second one:

I walk slowly when I'm on my own

Do you feel alive?

Yea but frankly, I still feel alone.

Oh, but you'll survive

And then the chorus hits and the vibes are immaculate. It feels like you're floating on air and imagine how Xavier looks at MC when the last few lines play,

Risk it all 'cuz I'll catch you if you fall,

Wherever you go,

If my heart was a house, you'd be home.

Because she is the celestial body that orbits around him, his north, his guiding star, and his heart will always be her home.

Zayne

And you can't convince me this isn't one of the songs that plays at their wedding.

This is the catalyst of this post's creation. As of writing this, it's the newest single and I am obsessed with it. So strap in folks, I have a lot to say.

First of all, the first thirty seconds of this song was released as a preview titled 'Floppy Fish' that came out ten years ago and we didn't hear anything else about it until suddenly we get a tweet about it four days ago (as of writing this part) and then this masterpiece. I think it reflects Zayne and MCs relationship quite well, they were childhood friends, lost contact for a while, and now they're reunited to build another beautiful relationship.

On to the song itself, the overall song is about going back to see the person you love even through all sorts of car troubles. The car theme immediately screamed 'Zayne' to me because out of all the boys we see him drive MC around the most.

It's a very upbeat song which contrasts Zayne's stoic personality but the whole song is something I can imagine actually happening to him.

I see the first verse as Zayne trying his damndest to finish up work instead of having actual car troubles,

I've been driving all afternoon, but I hate to say it, I won't be there soon = him working all afternoon and still having to do overtime

And though I'm late you know I just can't wait to come home to my slice of heaven on toast.

But my GrandPrix broke down without fail, another flat tire and another nail = the 'tire' being the hearts he has to operate on and 'another nail' referring to his surgeon's tools (even though the nail in the song is the thing that broke the tire in the first place not the thing fixing the flat)

I miss your smile but this could take a while 'cause this 'road closed' sign says there's no way around. = he can't just ditch work, obviously.

The second verse and chorus is him actually running out of gas on his way back from Akso and just describes his situation. Walking through the rain, only stopping to buy flowers for her.

Hey, it's kinda crazy what daisies jasmines can do.

And then these lines from the third verse,

I'd hand you a coffee right when you woke up

and

... all I find is all these highways wind and lead back to my slice of heaven on toast.

are so cute. Especially the 'slice of heaven on toast' thing since I imagine a slice of heaven on toast would taste sweet.

But wait, it gets better. Because the chorus that comes after goes,

Oh would your heart kind of glow if I held your hand and I promised to stay home?

Hey, when I blow in that's the first thing I'll do

It might take me forever

It might take me forever

But I love you forever and I can't wait to see you.

I'm dead. I'm deceased. I am a puddle of goo on the ground.

The bridge is the most upbeat part of the song and I imagine that's when he gets a call from MC because she's worried about him. Because honestly the line, 'Am I unavoidably detained or extremely fashionably late?' sounds like the kind of dry humor he'd enjoy.

And the song ends as he hangs up and continues his long journey on public transport to come home to her.

Rafayel

Now, fish boy gets two songs because I associate each one with what I like to call 'light mode' and 'dark mode' Rafayel.

I chose both songs because they had like, a lot of imagery involved in them and lean heavily into his whole artist job. So this isn't going to be as in depth as Zayne's lol.

Anyway,

This is light mode Rafayel. The whole song is him talking to MC. He's all happy-go-lucky and filled with inspiration. With how important color is to his current career the song just felt perfect.

The chorus also adds a few nice tidbits of his character,

Cheer up and dry your damp eyes, and tell me when it rains

And I'll blend up that rainbow above you and shoot it through your veins

'Cause your heart has a lack of color and we should've known

That we'd grow up sooner or later, 'cause we wasted all our free time alone

The first two lines sound like something he'd actually say when he's trying to comfort MC.

The line 'we wasted all our free time alone' sticks out to me because you ever notice this guy doesn't have any friends? Like, Xavier has Jeremiah and the countless old people he's made friends with when they're in their youth and Zayne has his coworkers at the hospital and his old profs. Raffy doesn't really have anyone like that? Sure he has Thomas and his Aunt Talia but judging by how fast they hung up on him after barely wishing him a happy birthday, I can't in good conscience call them his friends.

So yea maybe our boy was so focused on finding MC again he wasted all his free time alone.

Then we have dark mode Rafayel. And no I don't mean dark as in Rafayel when he's in revenge plot mode (whatever that is I don't have enough brain cells to comprehend what his plan could possibly be). I mean dark mode as in it's quite literally night time and he is left with nothing but his own thoughts. MC fell asleep at his place again and he's wistfully staring at her sleeping figure. This is the song in those moments.

Like Xavier, he's reminiscing about the past lives and past MCs. He's remembering the first time he met and the moment he decided she was the one. She was his bride. He's listing all the things he loves about her (which basically boils down to 'everything!'). She is his muse, now and forever.

And then the song ends with:

So I'll say it now before we're at the door that someday we'll walk through,

And if I'm the only one left in the room...

There's nowhere else I'd rather be than home with you.

Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart cracking in two. He will sing you this last line as he pulls you closer, pressing your forehead against his before giving you a nice, long kiss.

Honorable mention goes to the song 'Sunburn' because it's about meeting someone, falling in love, and having to separate in the end (hence, 'she got a tan and I got a sunburn' and 'as we parted ways, she held my gaze and left an imprint on my mind'). I could go deeper and analyze each line like I did w/ Zayne but I've kept the Caleb girlies waiting long enough so we'll stop Raffy's part here.

Caleb

Caleb also gets two songs I chose two songs that have heavy 'childhood friends to lovers' vibes and fitting imagery and I told myself this one was gonna be short and sweet because we don't have as much depth abt his relationship w/ the MC compared to the current LIs but welp, I lied.

'Hot Air Balloon' is the most childhood friends song ever. Every single lyric is just every adventure these two went on when they were children. Writing their own fairy tales, making a racetrack around the kitchen chairs, going on a picnic to a nearby lake and getting a stomachache because you drank lake water even though Grandma Josephine told you specifically not to do that, the list just goes on and on.

It's them. It's little MC and Caleb with lightning in their veins and stars in their eyes as they explore the world around them, not a care in the world because the possibilities are quite literally endless when they have the other person by their side.

And then if 'Hot Air Balloon' was 'childhood friends—', 'The Bird And The Worm' adds on the '—to lovers' part of the trope.

I mean the entire first verse reads like the two kids playing pretend (because let's face it you've had one or two weirdly morbid play pretend sessions when you were a kid) with little Caleb saying he's the bird because of his evol and then little MC's like "then what does that make me?" And little Caleb's like "you're the worm ofc!"

Esp the part about throwing a party and greeting undersea friends (hi Raffy). I could imagine little MC telling little Caleb how she's going to invite the mermaid she made friends with at the beach to their 'party' and Caleb just not having any of it.

I'll throw a party and greet my undersea friends

(it depends)

As they arrive,

(if they arrive)

Then the chorus reads like a time skip. They're adults reminiscing about their childhood at one of the rare moments their schedules align,

You and I left our troubles far behind,

But I still have just one more question on my mind

For all my pals who live in the oceans and the seas

With friends like these well, who needs enemies?

In that moment they're back to being just MC and Caleb, not a hunter and a fighter pilot. And the last two lines sound like they're trading workplace gossip. Caleb tells her about the shenanigans his colleagues get up to and MC telling him about all the...'quirky' people she's been running into (hi Xav) and then being cheeky and going 'with friends like these, who needs enemies?'

And then you move to the second verse and it's them on a date. It's them on the most damn wholesome date you can imagine, I'm sorry I don't make the rules.

Like first they go apple picking,

If I'm your boy, we'll take a short cut we remember and we'll enjoy—

—picking apples in late September like we've done for years.

We'll take a long walk through the cornfield and I'll kiss you between the ears.

Then they come home and cook together (maybe make a pie with the apples they just picked or some other apple based dish?),

And as we twirl, the glow in the dark stars on your ceiling will shine for us

If you're my girl, swirl me around your room with feeling

As love sweeps over the room cuz' we tend to make, each other blush

(you make me blush)

They're so used to each other's presence even in a kitchen that can be considered a little cramped, they can perfectly navigate around each other.

After the two had eaten a delicious dinner, they are now cuddled on the couch with a blanket over the two of them, some movie playing on the TV. MC starts nodding off so Caleb picks her up and moves her to the bedroom, letting her snuggle against him. He brushes some loose strands of hair away so he can kiss her forehead,

"Love ya pipsqueak, sleep well."

And before drifting off he hears MC mumble a sleepy "I love you too..."

And that's how their perfect day ends.

You're the bird, I'm the worm and it's plain to see,

That we were meant to be.

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

Author's rambling

Haaaa, I finally finished it yay! If you're reading this, thanks for reading this far! (or if you're a Caleb stan and just decided to read his part only, hello!)

I hope you enjoyed my takes. This was fun, I loved breaking down each song and just rambling my heart out over why each song gives me vibes for which character.

[crushedsweets]

I know you spoke about how things would "end" for Toby and Nat if O/S ever came together again, but what about Nina and Kate? I figure things would be hard for Kate seeing as she's been there for like a decade.🤔 maybe they will move to NYC idk

did you reference nyc cuz u remembered that one ask... if yes that made me smile. also u guys asking for these sort of 'good' endings remind me of Laundry & Taxes so u guys should go read it..

anyway, it is probably the hardest for kate. she has an 8th grade education, only shreds of humanity, blood on her hands, and no clue where her family is. she can't remember a single address or phone number.

just maybe, and this is difficult for me to imagine, nina could convince her to call a police department. she's been a missing person, not a wanted criminal - her family and friends all assumed she was kidnapped and killed long ago. so maybe she could go in, tell the police her name, have them search a database or two, figure SOMETHING out. go back to her dad. . .make up some story, claim amnesia of the last decade. use this a chance to get her GED and a job. but that's such an unlikely path for kate, i rlly struggle to imagine it...

so, like toby, she'd probably stick around that farm. work with toby.

i could see her asking BEN for one last bit of help, see if he could somehow go through whatever database that could get her SSN and whatnot, so she could get a job on her own . . without having to go home. maybe i should have BEN just create/steal one for Toby... regardless, she'd try to get some sort of stable footing. i could only see her working pretty physical jobs, not customer service or anything like that. maybe a job at a morgue... graveyard shifts and the sort... fitting for her.

in this circumstance, kate would try to stay with toby as long as he'd let her. but if he's with clocky, things would be pretty cramped, and get tense. so maybe she'd go live with jack for a long while... quiet, peaceful, familiar.

if nina and kate were together(or getting there), then i think . .

nina would beg kate to move in with her, stay full time at the apartment. it'd be hard at first, only to get even more difficult. they'd start arguing, kate would leave for days. not because she's angry with nina, but she's scared that if kate cant keep her emotions in check, the O/S syndrome will set right back in and make kate a danger.

but then she'd come back in the middle of the night, climbing into bed with an exhausted nina, pretending nothing bad happened. and then nina would wake up and she'd have to ask why kate left and kate would be like ? isnt it obvious. we were arguing. and ninas like BUT THATS NOT THE POINT and they'd get overwhelmed and have to deal with it again. cuz ninas not letting kate go. and kate doesn't wanna go.

once kate starts getting paychecks, she's terrible at saving. immediately blows it on nina, as thanks for all nina's done. buying her dresses, jewelry, ordering meals, skincare, spending hours going thru the magazines nina has around. nina would ask her to save a bit more, and she would listen, and then realize it's probably more helpful to buy things like groceries, pay bills, etc. but money doesn't hold much meaning to her, she never attributed her terrible life to a lack of money, so she's still quick to throw it away to make nina happy . . but nina would start sitting her down and being like STOP WASTING UR MONEY!!!! . oddly enough kate finds comfort in being told what to do. feels like guidance, in a way? especially because she KNOWS nina does it with love. not so kate does what she wants

and eventually, they'd be able to save to move. regrettably, not to NYC, because that's too expensive for either of them. but somewhere nice... a quiet neighborhood, preferably only a 20-ish minute drive from any fun attraction nina wants to visit. i could see them agreeing on somewhere near a beach(though that'd be far in the future cuz expensive..). the forest was so suffocating to kate, so the openness of the ocean would be a good change of pace

i think kate just wants to lay on a bed with blankets fresh out the dryer.

[sunshinesfm]

*ೃ༄ 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑫𝑼𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑮 .... 𝑰𝑺𝑨𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑨 '𝑩𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑨' 𝑳𝑼𝑪𝑬𝑹𝑶.

[ … ] ❀ you’re not from around here , are you? i figured because you totally just missed { ISABELLA 'BELLA' LUCERO } walking by. don’t tell me you don’t know who { SHE } is ? they kind of look like { MAIA REFICCO } and i could be wrong but i think that they might be { TWENY FOUR } years old right now. they’ve been living in palmview for the last { TEN YEARS }. and i don’t know if anyone has ever told them this before but they kind of remind me of { PEYTON SAWYER } from { ONE TREE HILL }. if you stick around the town long enough you might catch them in action working at { THE SALTY SAILOR BAR } as a { BARTENDER }. you see this town isn’t really that big of a place, some folks like to call them the { CRESTFALLEN } of palmview! they took a liking to the name too after a while, go figure. oh crap, they must have heard me yapping. they’re coming this way. i got to warn you though, rumor has it they can pretty { IMPULSIVE } at times. i wouldn’t take it too seriously though, from the times i’ve spoken to them they seemed pretty { DRIVEN } to me. we see each other all the time since they live in that { 3 BEDROOM } apartment beside me over in { OCEAN'S EDGE }. i better leave you to it. it was nice meeting you!  { NIC. 27. SHE / HER. EST TIMEZONE. }

information:

full name: isabella 'bella' lucero.

age: 24.

occupation: bartender.

residence: ocean's landing.

family: dad ( had never met ), mom, 2 sisters.

favorite color: pink and red.

label: the crestfallen.

hometown: palmview grove, florida.

hobbies: online shopping, going on adventures, spending time at the beach, journaling.

pets: one dog, one cat.

nickname: is, bella, belle, bells.

hair color: black.

eye color: brown.

works at: the salty sailor bar.

counterpart: peyton sawyer.

birthdate: june 13th 1996.

star sign: gemini.

sexuality: bisexual.

pronouns: she / her.

martial status: single.

traits: decietful and charming.

TW WARNING: before reading the rest of the bio, please be aware that there's a mention of a parental death and abandonment. and if you wish to pause here, feel free.

..............................................................................................................................

about bella:

bella wasn't really someone that you wanted to mess with first. unless you were able to handle it being given back to you. while she wasn't the type to start trouble first, she certainly would be the one to end it first. for the most part, she has a nice demeanor but she keeps herself guarded and and alert. when it had came to her home life, she never met her father because her parents spilt up when she was younger and he never came back around to meet the family. so she never had any sort of contact with him and is unsure of where he'd been. and because of that fact, her mother worked longer hours and it never felt like she had time for her children. so, with that, it felt as though bella needed to step up a lot more and that's what she had done. after about three years, it was said that her biological father had passed on. since she never met him to begin with she didn't have any feelings towards him, besides for feeling sad about the fact that they never got to really meet. that he never seemed to want to be apart of her life or get to know his children. bella wasn't the only one her parents would've had together. they had her and her two sisters before the spilt. now, her mother is happier than ever and recently remarried with another child on the way. and truthfully, bella couldn't be more happy for her. the man that her mom found had made their family feel like one again. though, bella did have some flaws. whenever she was known to be upset she would immediately push those emotions down. further and further down until she couldn't anymore. these feelings would more than likely be written down in her journal or she would do her best to express herself through her artwork. she loved painting and getting herself lost within her own little world. if you see her around alone, then more than likely you'd catch her with headphones in her ears and her trying to drown out all of the noise. when she's not working at the salty sailor bar, then you'll probably catch her creating a new sketch or putting out some newer artwork. showing people her art? that wasn't exactly something that she was a fan of. a lot of the time she preferred to keep this kind of stuff private. you'd have to be really special or close to her to get a sneak preview at the things that she'd been working on. even if it was old or new, she liked to keep it hidden away until she was finished or her idea was done. bella has always been the type of person to be cautious of the people that she was letting into her life. mainly due to the fact that keeping her circle small was better than too much drama occurring in her life. bella has found that that's had been what's working to be best for her.

headcanons:

bella never had much of a family. she lived at home with a single mother and her siblings.

never had much of a consistent support system due to the fact that her mother was always working and majority of the time it was just her and her sisters at home.

because she felt like no one had cared about her, she soon developed quite the 'i don't care about anything else either.' kind of attitude also.

the person she is the most protective of is her sisters.

she works as a bartender at the salty sailor bar but mostly works during the weekdays.

she really wants to pursue her art one day but has decided to do this first before that.

she's vowed to never abandon her own family if she was to have one one day.

she loves the idea of being adventurous as well as being spontaneous.

bella does not like it when people question her or underestimate her. she knows what she's been through and what she's capable of.

when she says she's going to do something, she usually ends up going through with it.

she is usually seen around palmview with a sketchpad and a pencil with her headphones in her ears.

and that means usually not to bother her because she's do deep into thought or sketching.

[bl3ss3dbyt1amat]

OC ASK THINGIE!! tagged by @tadpole-apocalypse

name: malas!! (formerly "of the bhaal temple", currently "of... my house?" he doesnt get it at all but hes got the spirit)

nickname(s): mal (astarion), arthax dus (by lae'zel, roughly translates to "utter moron" in draconic. theyre besties trust), evae (astarion, tranlsates to "love" in elvish), dragonbro (karlach), bhaalbud (wyll and karlach)

pronouns: he/him very loosely. sometimes he just drops shit like "i wish i were a girl" and everyone in the party has to deal with that for a second before moving on.

star sign: i would imagine capricorn with maybe something in cancer? hes a very responsible "big brother" quiet type but can absolutely be emotional. just like. in private. and then he immediately pretends like nothing happened. IM SORRY IM OVERTHINKING

height: 7'0 (okay last tangent but ironically i was actually working on a drawing of all the companions with my height and body type companions for them. so this was something i was very prepared for)

orientation: gay and asexual!! (he doesnt MIND sex and was totally chill with being intimate with astarion on the grave and shit, he just also doesnt really seek it out or desire it. ALSO i feel like he probably had a phase where he dated girls and kept trying to convince people/himself he wasnt gay)

race: white dragonborn! though in my head hes more of like. a hunk of bhaal's flesh in the vague shape of a white dragonborn. i think actual dragonborn might get an uncanny valley vibe from him if they look at him too long

romancing: astarion :DDDD

fave fruit: im really amused by the idea of this big hulking dragon guy very delicately picking some razzberries or blackberries to eat. so im gonna go with that (someone remind me to draw that later!!)

fave season: winter probably! i like to think that he absolutely thrives in the cold, being (sort of) a white dragonborn

fave flower: canada thistle! technically not a flower but a weed. i have a headcanon that poor malas just destroys every single plant he even considers going near. canada thistle is a very hard to get rid of weed, so i think he would be delighted to find a "flower" that could put up with his creepy death vibes

fave scent: this is gonna sound so weird but like? cooked meat? and rice and that sort of thing. the smell of a home cooked meal is the general vibe (i dont feel like the bhaal temple was super hospitable when it came to making nice food? malas loses his memory and is like "i dont know why but i feel like i prefer this curry so strongly to like. human fingers")

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: secret third thing called i think malas would be indecisive and slowly drink all of them. like back to back. over the span of an hour to try in avoid anyone catching on (astarion is so onto him)

average sleep hours: i think it really depends on the day. like 4-6 days out of the week hes too paranoid and restless to sleep at all/more than like 2 hours a night (concerning all of the elves in the party who can absolutely hear him). and then the other days of the week hes so stressed from questing and staying up the previous nights he just storms into camp and sleeps from then until he is forced out of bed

dogs or cats: dogs but more accurately worgs and owlbears. i feel like he just wants a pet thats also a bit of a feral sweetheart. also big fluffy guy you can ride!! whats not to love?? malas is probably one of those guys who inexplicably gets every cat ever to hate him within seconds of meeting them. and is also probably very upset by this

dream trip: LITERALLY ANYWHERE! malas just wants to see all the shit hes never seen before/doesnt remember. ideally after finding a way for astarion to walk in the sun.

amount of blankets: i think probably none to maybe one or a sheet? hes probably overheating for most of the game, being meant for colder climates and junk

random fact(s): - as bhaal's chosen, malas was much more into the preaching aspect of things. he would still probably be a good preacher if he worshipped any gods - malas can speak draconic as well as a bit of undercommon and deep speech. i feel like he had to like. hear people talk in these languages to even remember he spoke them post-amnesia though - that comic about malas having a giant journal full of everyones bullshit wasnt a joke. hes got a scrapbook full of quests, stickynotes, drawings, diary-type entries, and probably a good few mental breakdowns - this is more of a headcanon abt dragonborns in general but i think hes got a little hoard of pretty doo-dads.

(im so sorry if the images made this unreadable it looks fine to me on computer??? i dont know how to make them smaller either sob) IVE NEVER DONE A TAG THING SO I HOPE ITS NOT JUST SUPPOSED TO BE MUTUALS MOSTLY CAUSE I HAVE TWO ONE OF WHICH TAGGED ME ORIGINALLY tagging @venusmage @mooreaux @grandmother-goblin (i wish i had seen this tav when i did my tav appreciation post!! so cool!!) @ppilotco (AGAIN WISH I HAD SEEN THEM SOONER) @divorcedwife ANDD UUHH everyone else ever forever praying i did this right