#chapter five

[saffusthings]

second chances

mob boss! lando norris x reader

part five: devil's in the details

word count: 1.1k

warnings: none!

four | five | six

Lando kept his left hand on the wheel, the other curled loosely around the disposable coffee cup. The warmth had mostly faded, but the scent of cinnamon and espresso still clung to the paper, a lingering reminder of the strange little encounter at Books & Brews.

The sky outside began to fade into the telltale colors of late evening, bright oranges and pinks painting the sky before settling into the beginning blues of the approaching night. The sleek metal of his car glinted with the last embers of light, the jet black sports car speeding down the main roads of the city. 

Lando was careful. Always.

Which was why it pissed him off when he realized he had made a mistake.

The Books & Brews coffee cup sat innocently in his hand as he walked into the mansion, steam still curling lazily from the lid. It wasn’t anything special —just coffee of some sort, really— but the cup was different.

He should have tossed it.

It's rubbish anyway, innit.

But he hadn’t, because he had been too focused on everything else.

Lando stepped through the grand double doors of his mansion, the weight of the day rolling off his shoulders as he exhaled, slow and measured. He loosened the cuffs of his sleeves, rolling them up just as he strode into the kitchen—only to pause at the sharp-eyed presence already waiting for him.

Max Fewtrell stood by the counter, arms crossed, a whiskey glass dangling loosely from his fingers. He didn’t say anything at first—just flicked a glance down at the coffee cup in Lando’s hand.

Lando caught it too late.

Shit.

The cup wasn’t from his usual place. It wasn’t the sleek, minimalist design of the café Max always had someone fetch coffee from. 

Instead, it was a warm beige, Books & Brews scrawled across its center in an elegant, old-timey font, with a tiny, charming illustration of a steaming mug resting on a stack of books.

It looked completely out of place here—against the modern steel and marble of his kitchen, against the reputation he carried like a second skin.

And Max, perceptive as ever, had noticed.

A different coffee place. A logo he never used. Something new.

Something noticeable.

Lando didn’t pause. Didn’t hesitate. He just kept walking, exuding the kind of effortless indifference that made people second-guess what they’d seen.

It almost worked.

Almost.

But Max wasn’t people. He was observant, sharp—the kind of person who noticed things, which was what made him a good second-in-command and an irritating presence when Lando wanted to keep something to himself.

“New coffee place?” Max asked casually, falling into step beside him.

Lando didn’t look at him. “Something like that.”

Max hummed, glancing at the cup again before furrowing his brows. “Didn’t know you were switching it up.”

“Didn’t know I had to announce it.”

Of course, he knew how to handle real threats. Rivals. Men who came too close. People who asked the wrong questions.

But this? The casual scrutiny of a man who had worked beside him for years? It was the kind of thing that required a different kind of control.

So he adjusted his stance, as if completely at ease, and took a slow sip of the coffee—nonchalant, almost lazy.

Max let out a quiet scoff. “You don’t just—” He hesitated, then exhaled through his nose. His words come out calm, even, patient. “Mate, if you wanted coffee, I would’ve sent for it. You should’ve said somethin’.”

See? That’s the problem. 

It was never just coffee with him —  Max had an annoying habit of connecting dots and unfortunately also knew Lando since before he could reach the brake pedal of a car, so this was exactly the kind of small, insignificant thing that could start to look off if Lando let it.

So Lando forced a chuckle, easy, effortless. “Didn’t realize I needed permission to pick up a fuckin’ latte, Max.”

“Just sayin’. You’re a creature of habit,” Max pointed out, watching him. “Same coffee, same places, same people. Now suddenly, you’re somewhere new?” He gave a questioning look. “What,” he laughs, “Is the barista hot or something?”

Lando let out an unimpressed breath. “You think I’d go out of my way for a barista?”

Max grinned. “Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing you’ve done.”

Lando rolled his eyes, making a point to take another sip, as if the conversation was already beneath him. “Relax, yeah? Just happened to be nearby. Thought I’d try it. That a fucking crime?”

Max held up his hands in surrender, amusement still tugging at his lips. “Alright, alright. No need to get defensive.”

“I’m not defensive.”

“Sure.”

Lando exhaled through his nose, setting the cup down on the counter with an easy, unbothered motion. He moved to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle like he wasn’t paying attention to the way Max was still staring at the damn thing.

“I’d have brought you coffee if you told me,” Max added after, like this was somehow a failing on his part. “Didn’t know you wanted one.”

“It’s coffee, Max,” Lando said smoothly, cracking the cap off his water bottle. “Not a marriage proposal.”

Max snorted. “Tell that to the way you treat your usual place.”

Lando hummed in response, rolling his eyes, forcing himself back into normalcy. This wasn’t an interrogation. Max wasn’t suspicious. He was just confused because Lando was a creature of habit, and any break in that habit caught attention.

But another thing about Max—he didn’t overthink shit.

So after a beat, he simply shrugged, letting it go. “Whatever,” he muttered, leaning back again. “Long as you’re not having a midlife crisis about coffee.”

Lando smirked. “I’ll let you know if I start journaling about it.”

Max studied him for a long moment. Lando could feel the calculation, the subtle attempt to connect and deduce.

“...Right then,” was all Max said. Then, with a shrug, he set his whiskey glass down and turned toward the fridge, retrieving a bottle of water like the moment had never happened.

But Lando didn’t move. He kept his hand wrapped loosely around the middle of the coffee cup, resisting the impulse to toss it into the sink as if it was tainted evidence.

Because it wasn’t. It certainly didn’t mean anything.

So why the hell was he still standing here, feeling like he had just dodged a bullet? (He’d know. He’s done it on more than one occasion.)

Max twisted the cap off a water bottle, taking a slow sip before raising a brow at him. “Something on your mind, mate?”

Lando finally moved, tossing the cup into the trash with casual ease. “Not at all.”

Then he walked off, back to his office, back to his life, back to business as usual.

a/n: not much in the ways of plot this time, but a bit more characterization - and you get to meet Max Fewtrell!

[ranmacapss]

[Ranma ½] ✥ Chapter 5, To the Tree-Borne Kettle-Girl

[exilethegame]

Chapter 5 - Part Two Release

Hello everyone... it's here. It's finally here! Chapter 5, pt. 2 is now out, and is 250k words of new content, meaning The Exile is now over 1 million words!

This release was... rough, to say the least, but it's all in the rear-view mirror now, thankfully. As some of you may know, this is the final chapter of the public demo. I'll make a post later on detailing what the future development of The Exile will be, but for now I just want to take in a deep breath and relax (as I fix what inevitable bugs pop up with release, that is).

Avg. Play length: 114k -> 135k Total Wordcount: 818k -> 1 mil

Some Notes:

You have to replay the entire game. Your old saves won't work. Please, for the love of the gods, do not use them. I know it's tedious to replay the entire demo sometimes, but the new release will not work properly otherwise.

I HIGHLY recommend saving at the beginning of when Esmerelda goes to visit Marcelle, or where the old demo ended. This is because when I do bug fixes (and I will have to do bug fixes), all saves that were on the file I updated cease to work properly. Saving at the scene with Esmerelda is the closest to the new content that you can save w/o having to worry about losing your save progress frequently near release. (Though I will update Chapter 5, pt. 1 at some point)

DO NOT spread info you got by code diving. Please and thank you! :)

Preferably send bugs + typos to the Discord. Otherwise, feel free to send them here! Also, keep an eye out for broken symbols next to choices! (It would help if you tell me what chapter it's in as well :))

There are two versions of The Exile on Dashingdon. The right one has [Current] next to it. The reason there are two is b/c for some reason or another, I couldn't get into my old account, and I couldn't reset the password, and it was just... a whole mess. So I couldn't delete the old demo when I uploaded the new one on my new account. Just keep this in mind if you're trying to look The Exile up right into a search engine as opposed to going through links on the Tumblr or Forum!

Play Chapter 5, Pt. 2!

[sweetprfct]

Please Please Please

Aaron Taylor-Johnson x Fem!Reader

Summary: An unexpected coffee accident turned your life upside down into a world full of glamour and flashing cameras everywhere you turned. You thought with Aaron by your side, it was going to be easy to navigate, but it turns out life in front of the flashing cameras isn't so effortless after all.

Author's Note: Chapter Five, enjoy! ;)

Wordcount: 5.9K

Disclaimer: 18+, smut

chapter one - chapter two - chapter three - chapter four - chapter five - chapter six - chapter seven - chapter eight - chapter nine - chapter ten - chapter eleven - chapter twelve - epilogue

“Hey, Asher. Can you please watch the temperature of my reaction?” You asked, looking at Asher who was standing a few feet away from you. 

“I haven’t taken my break yet.” You added, organizing your reports before looking up and saw that Asher was completely ignoring you. 

He continued to focus his attention on the material that he was weighing on the scale sitting in front of him. He hasn’t talked to you, and he has been so distant ever since you went out with Aaron. That was weeks ago, and you have been seeing Aaron whenever he had time after doing all his press tours. 

Everything had been great. 

Aaron had been sweet, and you would spend your time with him at his house. He had met Sara once for dinner, and she was starstruck by him. She couldn’t even take her eyes off of him the whole time because she kept saying how he looked unreal. He had taken you out for another date and this time, he told you that he wanted to give you the cliché date, so he took you to a nice steak dinner in Malibu.

“So, this is the boring date that you were talking about when I mentioned Hannah's dates?” You teased him, chuckling softly. 

“Yeah, but I’m your date, so it isn’t boring.” He winked before taking a sip of his wine. 

You couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy the little safe bubble that you both have at the moment. You knew soon enough that it wasn’t going to last long, especially since he was an actor. 

On the other hand, there was another person who seemed to be so affected by this. Snapping out of your thoughts, you called Asher’s name again, but he turned around and walked towards the oven to set the dish inside. You knew that he was hurting, but he was acting like a child. You shifted your eyes towards Luca, whose desk was across the lab from you. 

He shook his head and stalked towards your desk, saying, “I’ll handle it.” 

“Thanks, Luca. I won’t be long.” You gave him a small, soft smile. 

“He’ll get over it,” Luca whispered as you nodded your head and walked out of the lab. 

This was the last thing you wanted to do. Even if Asher could be so childish, you never wanted to hurt him or hurt his feelings. At the same time, you knew you had tried your best to let him know for years now that you weren’t interested. Sighing, you slipped your lab coat off, hung it on the wall and walked towards the break room. 

You greeted a smile as you passed by a few of the employees as soon as you entered the break room. You made your way to the kitchen and found Keith brewing some coffee. Your eyes shifted towards the mug he was holding, making you smile. It was the mug you gave him last Christmas. It said, “Chaos Coordinator” on it, and you thought it fitted him perfectly. 

“Good morning, sir.” You smiled, grabbing a paper cup from the counter. 

“Hello.” He smiled, giving you a curt nod. 

“How are you?” You asked, leaning your back against the counter as you both waited for the coffee to finish brewing. 

He stifled a sigh as he said, “Oh, you know… busy. As always.” 

You chuckled softly and said, “Well, just hang in there. I know things have been piling up again.”

Keith grabbed the coffee pot and set it on the other counter. He gestured for you to go first. 

“Thanks.” You murmured, pouring the coffee into your paper cup. 

You made your way to the fridge and grabbed the creamer, pouring a little bit of it on your coffee. You took a sip of your fresh hot coffee, letting the hot delicious liquid consume you and sighed happily. 

“How’s production going in the lab?” Keith asked, sipping his black coffee.

Good, but Asher’s being an ass.

“It’s fine.” You shrugged, “It’s more extra work, but I think we can handle it since there are no rush orders anyway.”

Keith stared at you like he wasn’t believing what you just told him. There was a crease between his brows as he silently took a long, deep breath.

What was up with people and those looks lately? 

“You know my office door is always open if you need to talk, right?” He said.

There it was. You knew it! 

You didn’t even have to guess what he was thinking because you could see it by his reaction. He didn’t believe your reply to him. Honestly, you wouldn’t either, but you couldn’t help but wonder if it was your facial expression that was giving away your lies. 

Everything was fine, technically. It was just that… Asher was being an ass lately, and the guilt was slowly crawling into your insides and scratching up the surface. 

“Yes, of course.” You gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you.”

“How’s Asher?” Keith tilted his head at you, curious. 

Did he know something? You felt your heart race because if you lied to him, and he knew the truth then you would also be caught in a lie. There was no way Keith knew something, right? He didn’t come into the lab much, and you haven’t said anything to Max that the word could travel to Keith.

“He’s… He’s fine.” You stuttered. “He’s doing his job.”

Now, you could see why he didn’t believe you. You were such a bad liar.

You gave him a simple answer where he couldn’t ask any more questions. You couldn’t help but mentally chuckle at yourself because Keith trained you to be like this whenever people came to visit the site for inspections. 

“Okay,” Keith lifted his arm to look at the time on his watch as he nodded his head. “Well, if there’s a problem, please don’t hesitate to come and talk to me.”

“Thank you.” You forced a smile. 

“I have another meeting in five minutes so have a good day.” He gave you a curt nod again and a polite smile before walking out of the break room. 

That was… weird.

“Shit.” You whispered to yourself as you walked out of the break room.

He definitely knew something. 

________

“Okay, but that’s different, Sara,” Luca argued. “Eli has a normal life, and he’s literally sweet from the way you talked about him. He seemed different from your other toxic exes.” 

Ivy nodded her head, “Remember Jude?”

Luca scrunched up his face and made a disgusting look on his face. “Ew. He was the worst out of your three exes.”

“I heard he’s married now.” Sara played with the fork that was on her plate. 

“Well, thoughts and prayers for his new wife.” Luca raised his glass in the air before taking a sip. “But honestly, give Eli a chance. He seems so sweet and understanding.”

You slowly tuned out the conversation between your friends as you shifted your eyes toward Asher in the corner. He had been quiet all night, and he was on his fourth whiskey already. That guilty feeling slowly crept up on you again as you watched him take a sip of his drink and look out the window. 

“Right?” Luca elbowed your arm. 

“Huh?” You blinked repeatedly, snapping out of your thoughts. 

“I was saying how Sara has a different situation because if it doesn’t work out with Eli, he still works in a different department from her but with yours, you would still be all over the internet,” Luca explained, tucking a hair behind his ear. 

“Is Aaron bad news or something?” You asked, your voice almost a whisper. 

From everyone’s reactions, you seem to doubt everything that was happening in your life. Maybe you weren’t seeing something that everyone else was. Luca and Sara's mouths were gaped to answer your question when you all turned your heads towards Asher, who scoffed. He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his whiskey. 

You saw the way Luca gave him a murderous stare before turning to you and said, “Just be careful, hun. He’s an actor after all, but we’re happy for you.” 

You knew how your friends felt about Aaron. You knew they were hesitant, but you also knew that they only wanted to make you happy, so they were trying to be supportive. One of them, however, had been slowly getting on your nerves. Ignoring what Luca said, you felt anger boiling inside of you. Asher was looking out the window, his face all scrunched up like he just wanted to throw something at someone. 

“What the fuck is your problem lately?” You turned to face him, your voice snapping in anger. 

You saw from the corner of your eyes how Luca, Ivy, and Sara had looked at you with wide eyes, their eyebrows shooting up to their forehead. You never snap like this. The last time you did was when you were a teenager, and your parents kept arguing with you about the career path you needed to go to. Although, that wasn’t something you wanted to look back on right now. 

“Really? ATJ?” Asher replied, his voice sounding like he wanted to vomit Aaron’s name. 

“What about him? What’s your problem?” You asked, gritting your teeth. 

Asher shook his head, drowning down the rest of his drink. He looked out the window and rolled his teeth over his bottom lip. He looked like he wanted to just say what he had been feeling, but he seemed to stop himself from spitting the words. You heard Luca let out a long sigh and set his drink down a little too hard that it clinked loudly on the wooden table. 

“Stop being such a baby, Asher. If you have a problem, just say it.” Luca snapped. 

Tension had blanketed the table, and everyone was uncomfortable in their seats. Asher was still silent for a brief moment before he exhaled a sharp breath. He turned to face everyone on the table, his eyes shifting towards every one of your friends before landing directly on you. You could see the smoke that was coming out from his nose and ears, his face was red, and his eyes were glassy. He swallowed all the emotions that were surfacing before he pushed his chair and stood up, grabbing his jacket that was hanging at the back of it. 

“I’m not dealing with this,” Asher murmured, slipping on his jacket. “I’m not going to sit here and have you all surround me with stupid accusations.”

He slipped out his wallet from his back pocket, grabbed a couple of twenty-dollar bills and threw it on the table before storming out of the restaurant. Your nostrils flared from anger as you also pushed your chair back and got up. Your friends gazed up at you with worried expressions as you held up your hand. 

“Don’t follow me.” You said. “I’ll be right back.”

You ran out of the restaurant, pushed the double doors and found Asher walking down the street. The city was bustling with crowds and cars. The cool air breeze blew through your hair as you tried to catch up to him. He had longer legs than you, but you were able to finally walk up behind him and grab his wrist. You turn him around, trying to catch your breath as you look at him with hurtful, angry eyes. 

“What the fuck is your problem?” You exclaimed. “For once, stop ignoring me and talk to me!”

Asher’s nostrils flared, and unshed tears filled his eyes as he said, “You want me to talk? Fine!”

You stood there, your body frozen as you waited for him to say what he needed to say. You felt your heart race as you stared at him, feeling like an eternity had passed. You didn’t want to hurt Asher like this, but you also couldn’t babysit his feelings anymore. You couldn’t stop yourself from being happy with someone because he would get hurt. He needed to move on. He needed to let you go. 

“Really? You’re dating him?” He exclaimed, flinging his arm in the air in frustration. “How many more guys are you going to give a chance before you see me? I’ve been trying to give you everything! I’ve been trying to make you happy since we met at CalTech, but it’s always never enough!” 

You felt the tears welled up in your eyes as you took a step forward. Asher’s eyes were full of anger, disappointment, and hurt. You didn’t want to break his heart like this. You never wanted to hurt him, but you just couldn’t see him that way. It would be unfair that you couldn’t give him more than what he deserved. 

“Asher…” You reached for his arm, but he was quick to pull it away. 

“No.” He said, shaking his head. A tear slipped down his cheek as he quickly wiped it away. “You don’t get to do that! I was fine when you were going out with Jack last time because I knew he couldn’t give you everything from the beginning! So maybe, you'll finally see that I’m right for you!” 

You let out a soft gasp as Asher grabbed your hand and squeezed it gently, setting it on his chest on top of where his heart was. 

“Please give me a chance. Just once.” He cupped your face with his hand, brushing your cheek gently with his thumb.

You looked away, holding in your tears as you slid his hand away from your face. You took a step back, shaking your head. 

“I can’t…” You whispered, staring into his eyes. “I don’t feel that way about you, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship with this.”

Asher looked at you, his eyes darkening. “Then have fun spreading your legs in Hollywood. Don’t come crawling back when you finally realize who’s right for you.”

Just like that, he walked away, leaving you speechless in the middle of the sidewalk. His words felt like a bullet in your heart as you felt it slowly die inside your chest. A tear rolled down your cheek, your body was frozen as you watched him turn around the corner and disappear from your sight. 

________

Aaron’s house was dark. The lights weren’t on, and the gate was closed. You have been in his house a couple of times before, but you didn’t know if this was a good idea or not. You have been sitting inside your car that was parked on the side of the road for about an hour now. You thought maybe seeing him would make you feel a little better but now, you didn’t know if you should have come here. 

Your thoughts were interrupted when you saw Aaron’s car passed by and the gate opened. Immediately, he saw you in his rearview mirror and parked his car. He walked towards your car as you rolled down your window.

“Hi.” You whispered, staring up at him.

Aaron didn’t say anything as he reached over the window and unlocked your door. He took your hand in his and led you inside his house. Aaron didn’t say anything as he kicked off his shoes and led you to his living room. You settled onto his sofa, while he walked into his kitchen. You heard the water running before he came back with a glass of water in his hand. 

“How long have you been waiting?” He asked, handing you the glass and kneeling in front of you. 

“Not long. I was about to leave.” You took a sip, letting the cold water cool off the rest of your body. 

You have been trying to push Asher’s words that were repeatedly echoing in your head. You shed your tears earlier today, and you didn’t need to shed anymore. You kept telling yourself that you didn’t owe him anything, especially because you never led him on since the beginning. You hated the fact that you hurt him, but you needed to set him straight or he could never move on from you. Asher deserved someone who could give him the same love back. 

That was just not you.

“You should have called. I would have come sooner.” Aaron took your hand in his and caressed his thumb on the back of your hand. “Is everything okay?”

“Just my friend.” You let out a sharp, long breath. “He was being an ass.”

Aaron reached for your cheek and softly brushed it with his thumb as he cupped your face. You knew he could see the red rims around your eyes from your crying earlier. You were okay now, but you couldn’t lie how much his words hurt you too. Asher was still your friend, after all. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aaron asked. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

“He’s always been like that.” You shrugged. “Part of it is my fault.”

“If he was your friend, he shouldn’t be treating you like that.” 

You squeezed his hand and said, “He liked me since college, and he is having a hard time accepting that I’m dating you.”

You watched as Aaron stared at you, a brief silence between the two of you. You watched as his throat worked as he swallowed whatever he was thinking and feeling. His eyes suddenly dimmed a little bit, a bit of fire burning in his eyes. 

“Do you feel something for him?” He asked, his voice low and his jaw ticking. 

You couldn’t help but let a small smile tug on your lips, reaching for his cheek and cupping it gently. You pushed his chin up with your thumb, so he could look you in your eyes. 

“Never. He’s just a friend. I just hate that I hurt him.” You said. “I had told him that since the beginning, but he can’t seem to accept it and move on.”

“This is not your fault, I hope you know that,” Aaron murmured. “He has to move on if you have told him multiple times that you weren’t interested.”

“I know.” You murmured, brushing the back of your fingers against his jaw, feeling his soft beard. 

Aaron’s lips tugged into a soft smile as he melted into your touch. You felt your stomach turned when you heard him sigh in relief. You couldn’t help but smile and leaned in closer, pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love it when you do that.” You murmured. 

“Do what?”

“Sigh in relief. Like everything around you just disappears, and you relax.” You pressed another soft kiss on his lips, making him smile. 

“It’s because it does when you’re around. You make everything lighter.”

Looking into his ocean-blue eyes, you let your fingers lightly brush the skin of his cheek before kissing him passionately. Aaron let out a small moan as you tugged him to stand up. He moved himself to the sofa without letting go of the kiss, while you straddled his lap and kissed him deeply. You grind your hips slowly against him, making him groan softly and pull away from the kiss.

Breathlessly, he leaned his forehead against yours, closing his eyes like he was in pain. 

“Love…” He whispered. 

“Hm?” You hummed, trailing your lips on the line of his jaw and down his neck. 

You could feel his cock straining against his pants as you continued to pepper some kisses on his neck, your fingers finding the buttons of his shirt.

“Darling,” He said firmly this time, taking your hand in his and pulling away to look at you. “You’re upset.”

“I’m fine.” You murmured, kissing him again.

For a moment, Aaron’s lips moved against yours, his hand sliding around your waist but once your fingers started continuing to unbutton the buttons of his shirt, he let out a small groan again.

“Love,” He whispered, cupping one cheek with his hand. “I don’t want our first time to be like this.”

Slumping your shoulders, you let out a deep sigh and lowered your eyes to his lap. You rolled your teeth on your bottom lip and nodded your head. 

“Right, sorry.” Your voice was almost a whisper. 

“Hey,” Aaron lifted your chin with his index finger to look into your eyes. “Why don’t we relax for a little, hm?”

A small smile tugged on your lips as you laid your head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck and inhaling his minty and fresh scent. 

“What the fuck did I do to deserve you?” You murmured through his skin. 

You could feel him smile as his warm hand slid down your back, rubbing it softly and pulling you close to his chest. You felt warm, safe and protected in his arms, and you never wanted to leave. His warmth engulfed you as he let his fingers softly brush up and down your arm, sending a warm feeling to your stomach.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart.” He whispered, kissing the top of your head. “Don’t forget that.”

You let out a soft hum, your lashes tickling Aaron’s neck as silence blanketed the room for a moment. His soft touch was still gently rubbing your arm, and he could tell by your soft breathing that you were starting to doze off. 

“Stay for tonight?” He murmured through your hair. 

You nodded your head as he lifted both of you from the sofa. You tangled your arms around his neck as Aaron made his way upstairs, down the hall and into his bedroom. Setting you on the edge of his bed, you ran your fingers through your hair as he opened one of his drawers and grabbed a t-shirt and sweats for you. 

“I’ll just go and freshen up. Thank you.” You smiled as Aaron leaned down to kiss your cheek. 

Padding down to his bathroom, you set the clothes on top of the counter and stared at yourself in the mirror. Red rims surrounded your eyes from when you cried earlier. You have pushed the thought of Asher after you had let out all your emotions earlier. You reminded yourself again that you didn’t do anything wrong. You reminded yourself that you didn’t owe Asher anything. 

Grabbing a fresh toothbrush from under the sink, you brushed your teeth, washed your face with cold water and changed into Aaron’s t-shirt that landed perfectly around your thighs. Opting out the sweats, you opened the bathroom door and found Aaron shirtless and wearing gray sweatpants. His hair was damped from the shower, and he was sitting at the edge of the bed, waiting for you. 

You saw the way his breath hitched the moment he saw you standing under the doorway. His eyes traveled from your eyes, down to your body and your bare thighs. His eyes darkened from the view he was looking at as he reached one arm for you. Barefoot, you walked towards him, feeling the cool wooden floors under your feet. The light in his room had dimmed, only the lamp on either side of his bed was illuminating the room. 

Your fingers slipped through his hand as he pulled you to him, standing between his legs. He gazed up at you, caressing your cheek with his thumb. 

“You’re so beautiful, love.” He whispered. 

Your fingers softly brushed his beard as you let your fingers dance across his jaw. Aaron let out a soft breath, closing his eyes and leaning against your touch. Your eyes studied his face carefully. Long lashes, soft beard, and freckles peppered across his skin. He looked so handsome under the warm light of his bedroom. You leaned down and kissed him softly, his lips brushing against yours. He slipped his hands on your waist, pulling you close to him as you tangled and raked your nails through his scalp. 

“Aaron, please.” You whispered as he pulled away. 

His blue eyes were almost black as he studied the expression on your face. Your fingers brushed his cheek as he let you push him onto the bed and straddled his hips. His hands slipped under his t-shirt that you were wearing, your flushed skin under his touch as he held on to your waist. 

“Are you sure?” He asked concern etched on his face. 

“Yes.” You answered firmly. 

It didn’t take him a second to crash his lips against yours, sliding one of his hands out from under your shirt and sliding it through your hair. You pressed your palms against his hard, bare chest, your tongue brushing on his lower lip. Aaron opened his mouth to grant you access and both of your tongues danced together. You felt the control that Aaron was letting you have tonight as you continued to kiss him deeply, your hands sliding down his bare chest and onto the hills and valleys of his abs. 

A soft gasp escaped your lips when Aaron pulled away from the kiss, his lips kissing and sucking the line of your jaw. His tongue slid down your neck as you let out a soft moan the moment he kissed and sucked at the one spot behind your ear.

“You like that?” He whispered breathlessly.

“Yes.” You breathlessly answered, your fingers digging into his broad shoulders. 

Aaron continued to suck into the one spot behind your ear and his tongue licking the sore spot before trailing his lips down your neck again. He pulled the hem of your shirt, and you didn’t hesitate to pull it over your head, leaving you there only in your underwear. He sucked in a breath as he pulled back and studied your body. With the way Aaron was looking at you, it made you feel confident. You never felt like this before even when you were with Jack. He always made you feel insecure with your body.

“Jesus Christ, darling,” Aaron whispered. “You’re so hot.”

Heat crept up in your cheeks, making you smile shyly before kissing him again. Aaron flipped the two of you over and hovered over you. His lips found yours again, kissing you deeply and you could feel his hard cock against your thigh. Another soft moan escaped your lips as Aaron kissed across your collarbone, down to the swell of your breast, and sucked on your nipple. His other hand was playing with the other one, pinching and twisting it.

You lifted your hips, grinding up against him, trying to find something to soothe the throbbing ache that was between your legs.

“Easy, love,” Aaron smirked, his brows creating a line between his forehead. “Impatient tonight, are we?”

“Yes.” You kissed the line of his jaw, your hands feeling all his hard muscles in his arms before sliding it between the two of you.

A low groan vibrated from Aaron’s belly as you cupped him through his sweatpants. You bit your bottom lip, failing to hide your smile as you caressed him through the fabric. You watched as he scrunched his face as if he was in pain before grabbing your hand and pinning both of them above your head. 

“Tell me what you want,” Aaron whispered, licking and sucking your nipples again.

Your back arched, letting him know that you wanted more as he gazed up at you, letting one of his hands slowly dance around your stomach just right above the waistband of your underwear.

“You.” You gasped. “I want you inside me.”

A smirk plastered on his face again before sliding his hand beneath the fabric of your underwear. You felt his finger rubbing your clit slowly, making you moan loudly. 

“You’re so wet for me already.” He said, “Lift your hips for me, darling.” His lips trailed down your stomach as you lifted your hips, and he used his fingers to drag down your underwear.

Soon, the small piece of fabric had joined your clothes on the floor and you were lying naked in front of him. 

“Aaron.” You whimpered as he continued to draw circles on your clit. 

Taking both of your legs, he set them on his shoulders and kissed your inner thigh slowly to tease you even more. You groan impatiently as you hear him chuckle under your skin. Before you could even moan his name again, a loud gasp came out of your mouth when you felt his warm tongue lick you in one swipe.

“Hm…” He gazed up through his lashes. “So sweet.”

Before you could even comprehend one thought, you felt his tongue lapping on your clit, making you moan his name. Your hands turned into a fist, bunching up the bedsheet under your hands. You couldn't describe the pleasure that was spreading all over your body as Aaron continued to suck and lick your clit. Your back arched, feeling the pleasure on your lower belly, and Aaron must have known that you were close because he did one more lap on your clit before sucking it hard, making your pleasure explode, and making you feel it all the way to your toes.

“Oh.. my god!” You cried out as Aaron smiled, licking you one more time until your waves of orgasm were finished.

Crawling up to you, he kissed you passionately, tasting yourself in his tongue. You reached for his sweatpants and pulled them down, while Aaron helped you and threw them on the floor. You looked down with wide eyes as you saw his cock resting on your stomach.

“Holy shit.” You murmured, taking his cock in your hand and pumping it lightly.

Aaron growled in your ear as he thrust his hips, groaning from the feeling of your hand.

“If you keep doing that, I will come immediately, love.” He said, sucking on that one spot behind your ear again that shot pleasure down your body.

“I need you.” You murmured, rubbing the tip of his cock on your entrance.

“Hold on.” He said, reaching over to his bedside table and pulling out a condom. Sitting up, you took it from him and slid it over his hard cock before he pushed you gently on the bed again. 

“I’m all yours, sweetheart.” He murmured as you let him slowly enter you inch by inch.

You buried your face on his shoulder as you felt him slowly fill you, and you could already feel your walls tightening around him. You felt so full until he was seated fully inside of you, feeling your chest heave heavily.

“Are you okay?” Aaron’s voice was low and raspy.

You nodded your head, letting yourself get used to his size for a moment. Slowly, Aaron began to pull out before pushing himself back in again. A groan vibrated through his body as he continued to thrust in and out of you, picking up his pace slowly.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, your heels digging into his back as you whispered, “More.”

“Fuck.” Aaron moaned as he picked up his pace.

You dug your nails on his back as you moaned and whimpered his name, feeling the pleasure at the edge of your spine. You threw your head back on the pillow, beads of sweat covering your forehead as Aaron kissed you deeply. He brushed his tongue on your lower lip before entering your mouth. Both of your tongues tangled together as Aaron continued to thrust deep inside you, hitting the right spot and making your toes curl from the delicious pleasure that was vibrating through your body.

“I’m… close.” You murmured. “Aaron.”

Aaron slipped his hand between you and started rubbing your clit, increasing your pleasure that was building up. 

“Oh, fuck!” You screamed, your walls tightening around him.

“Fuck, love. I’m close.” Aaron buried his face on your shoulder and thrust himself deeper, his finger still rubbing your swollen clit.

“Aaron—!” You cried out.

Your legs trembled as you pulsated around him, letting your orgasm wash over you before unwrapping your legs from Aaron’s waist. He continued to thrust a few more times until his orgasm took over him.

“Fucckk.” He growled. 

Slowing his pace, he gazed down at you and saw your heavy, hazy eyes looking up at him. You gave him a small, tired smile as he gently pressed a soft kiss on your forehead. He slowly pulled out and made his way towards the bathroom. You were so exhausted, that your eyes were already closing when you felt him clean you up. 

“You’re amazing, darling.” He murmured, pressing a soft kiss on your temple.

Opening your eyes, you pushed yourself off the bed and went to use the bathroom before the two of you came back to bed. Aaron pulled you close in his arms. Your one arm was wrapped around his torso, while your leg was tangled with his. 

His arms felt like a safe place you didn’t know you needed until now. It was the kind of place you just wanted to go to after a long day. He made it seem so easy even if you two had only just started dating for a few weeks. 

Everything was just lighter with Aaron.

________

The sunlight peeked through the curtains as Aaron fluttered his eyes open. Aaron had been sleeping in this bed of his for years but somehow, this morning, it felt like he was lying on a cloud. Turning, he found your flushed body next to his. Your hair fanned out all over the pillow, and you were sleeping peacefully.

He couldn't help but smile and softly brushed his fingers against your soft cheek, gentle enough that he didn’t want to wake you. Hearing his phone buzzed on the table, he snapped out of his trance and picked up his phone. He saw his publicist's name, Celeste, on the screen.

Celeste: Care to explain this? 

Clicking the link, he saw an article of him on the DeuxMoi website when he had taken you to Griffith for your first date. DeuxMoi was never reliable when it came to celebrity news, so he knew that so far, this was all just a rumor. Sure, there was a picture, but it was the two of you walking together. That was all. 

Even though the date and rumor were totally true.

Aaron: I’ll explain when I see you. Please don’t comment on anything yet. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He heard your soft, sleepy voice as he set his phone on the bedside table.

“Hey,” Aaron plastered a fake smile. “How are you, love?”

“Amazing.” You smiled, stretching your arms out and sitting up on the bed, pulling the covers close to your chest. 

“You look worried.” You murmured, cupping his cheek. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “Just some stupid article on the internet.”

You furrowed your brows, tilting your head as you waited for him to explain what he was talking about. Aaron exhaled a deep breath and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close to his chest. He explained the article and how DeuxMoi was asking if he was dating someone or not. 

The gears in your head started shifting as he continued to explain and comfort you that everything was okay, and that he’d handle it with his publicist. You knew this news was going to spread like wildfire, but you were so caught up in your safe bubble that you didn’t realize this was going to blow up in your face sooner than you thought.

How naive.

“I’m not scared to tell the world about you, love,” Aaron reassured you, kissing your temple.

But somehow, your heart couldn't stop racing.

__________________________________________________________

Taglist:

@acourtofpenandpaper, @metal-redcherries, @n0rdicmaiden, @galadoesart, @dare-writes

[fatal-error-blog]

Poll: Which comic should I start working on first?

Okay so I've taken some time to get a bit organized and remember where I left things off. For the story to progress, I need to complete Chapter Five and also the first part of a new side comic called Bluescreen. It doesn't matter which one gets completed first but both need to get done before Chapter Six can start. So as a thank you for everyone's immense patience, if you'd like to vote on which one should get done first, here's your chance :) A little info about your options: Finish Chapter Five - Last we left off, our two glitchy brothers were about to try finding a Papyrus within Aftertale, per Patch's suggestion. So it was a bit of a cliffhanger. The rest of Chapter Five continues to explores a bit more of their relationship together. Release Bluescreen Part 1 - It's been a while since we've heard about US sans, specifically the one stuck in Error's Anti-Void. This side comic explores a bit more about his and Fatal's time together during Chapter Two. Most importantly, it's told from US sans' perspective. Which might change yours as well. Like I said, both will get done, but if there's one you want to see first, let me know! I'll check the poll in a few days and announce the winner. Happy voting! https://poll-maker.com/poll4993115x17584059-153

[dawntilduskclan]

What an incredibly normal thing to say around your young impressionable daughter, I'm sure this conversation won't impact her later in life.

Haretail has a lot baggage she's carrying and unfortunately it tends to rub off in some unsavory ways :// This won't be the last time

Also Sparrowspots is here! My sweet country farmcat. They are agender and use they/them pronouns, it's just that Oriolepaw is forming gender opinions for the first time give her some slack. Also, some more backstory crumbs! I wonder what it all means...

Previous / Next

[night-market-if]

Geezz that chapter... everyone is in such a bad place and mood everyone needs a vacation, and hugs cuz damn where does nightmarket even start for helping everyone especially when they are in need of healing themsleves 🥺

Soft bella 🥰 *swoons* but still mc and her cant touch *bombastic side eye*

Ngl i was very disspointed with the whole hazel bit, not in terms of quality but cuz i wanted a happy reuinion with her!!! With hugs, sweetness, and laughs plus some good food! You cruel woman!! 😩

I think the Hazel route was one of the toughest to deal with in this chapter. Especially if you use the key at Lucinda's. If anyone wants to have the feeling of the rug being ripped out from under them, go do that route.

Then do the soft Bella route so you can get some sweet moments with our local vamp.

[sylkiddsey]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62727703/chapters/162455494

Chapter Five 🏠💣💋😬😬

[badkitty3000]

☂️Chapter Five Posted ☂️

Chapters: 5/? Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)/You Characters: Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Reader, Diego Hargreeves, Lila Pitts, Dr. Pogo (Umbrella Academy), Reginald Hargreeves, The Hargreeves | Umbrella Academy Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 03, The Umbrella Academy (TV) Season 4 Fix-It, Season 3 and Season 4 AU, Number Five | The Boy-centric, Good Sibling Number Five | The Boy, BAMF Number Five | The Boy, soul mates, Bad Parent Reginald Hargreeves, Soft Number Five | The Boy, Saving the World, Sex, Smut, Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, some tags left off to avoid spoilers, Grinding Summary:

Four years after Reginald's reset of the universe, Five still cannot rest. Working with Diego for the CIA, he is convinced the new world is a simulation designed and controlled by their former father, and he devotes his entire life to gathering the evidence. When an inexplicable force leads Five directly to you, the two of you become bonded in a way you never thought possible. Unfortunately, your bond may be the beginning of the end.

Now Five has a new mission: save your love and save the world

*A Season 3/Season 4 mash-up AU*

[fixomnia-scribble]

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Five

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Whitecloud’s kindly-delivered orders could only do so much, ultimately. Fireheart and Greystripe didn’t stalk their friend around the territory, at least, nor did they offer advice (since, really, what advice could they give in this situation?) or cheers every time Ravenwing succeeded in a small mentoring task. They did, however, “accidentally” wander by the training hollow and just decide to pop in for a small visit and check on how “all of the apprentices” were doing. If that happened a little more often than it should have, no one said. Mousefur would give them a dry look every time they poked their heads out of the woods and made a pathetic attempt to strike up conversation with her and the others, their eyes glued to Ravenwing and his little white apprentice.

As it turned out, Whitecloud was right. With every visit and reunion in camp, they watched in awe as Ravenwing’s eyes steadily glowed brighter and brighter with focus and energy. He came home and brought Snowpaw to the prey-pile, then greeted his friends with a shaky sigh and a weak twitch of the whiskers, but these gestures graduated from stress to a more satisfied exhaustion.

“How was tonight?” Fireheart would ask, or Greystripe.

Ravenwing would plop down beside them and half-chuff, saying something like, “Snowpaw’s quieter than you’d expect on dry leaves,” or “I can’t even count how many times we had to redo that battle move; he is definitely not a fighter” (that one always cheered Fireheart immensely). Sometimes Snowpaw would come over and drop a woodrat at Ravenwing’s feet, and sometimes he would just bump his head on his mentor’s before trotting off merrily to join his siblings where they sat and ate.

“He’s smart,” Fireheart remarked one night after Snowpaw had pushed a skinny squirrel into Ravenwing’s reach and went back to get prey of his own. “He knows better than we do what to give you after a night of training.”

“And boundless with his energy.” Ravenwing purred and pulled the squirrel closer to his chest. “I swear he got body language down without me having to teach him. Stars, I hardly have to correct him when he’s hunting—he just looks right at me, and I look at his belly or tail, whatever he needs to fix, and he corrects his posture without me saying anything.”

Greystripe’s eyes widened and he craned his head to look at Snowpaw in respect. “You got a way easier apprentice than I think any of us expected.”

“Well, it’s not all that simple,” Ravenwing said, following Greystripe’s line of sight. “He’s still deaf. Tonight he nearly walked right into Snakerocks because he couldn’t hear me. I had to catch him and lead him away before he woke up an adder.” His eyes were affectionate regardless. “And we’re still figuring out how to communicate more easily. I have to do a lot of exaggerated poses and faces, and sometimes he gets confused anyway.” With his jaws halfway open to bite down on the squirrel, he looked back to his friends. “Actually, that reminds me: what do you think says ‘badger’ more? This—��� he wrinkled his brow and set his head level with his shoulders, his ears perked upright “—or this?” He flattened his ears sideways and uncreased his forehead. “I’m trying to get the look of a badger’s head, I think that’ll make it easier to understand.”

Fireheart hummed thoughtfully. “Well, the wrinkling does look like their head-stripes a bit.”

“I’d say do the latter,” Greystripe replied. “That forehead thing’s hard to do. You want everyone to be able to sign it, right?”

“Good point.” Fireheart nodded and said to Ravenwing, “Do the latter, then.”

“Thanks.” Ravenwing pulled off a bit of meat and chewed, then swallowed, adding, “Earlier, he scented a badger by the border and wanted to know what it was. I couldn’t exactly just walk him up to the thing, but I didn’t know what to call it. And mouth-movement is hard for him to follow if you’re talking too quickly or you’re saying a word he doesn’t know.”

Greystripe grunted, his mouth full of pigeon. He barely swallowed it down before talking. “It seems like you’re having fun, honestly. Are you?”

Ravenwing’s eyes unfocused for a moment as he thought the question over. After a bit of silence, he looked back to his friends, eyes bright again. “Honestly? Kind of, yeah. I mean– like– I’ve been watching everyone else really closely, to see how they teach, and I get stressed when it’s something new I have to show him, especially when I’m not good at it. But it’s, like, a fun kind of stress? Like I’ve been given a riddle and I have to solve it before midday. Does that make sense?”

“That makes total sense,” Fireheart said, his relief stretching his face into a beam at his friend. “We’ve been worried that this was too much for you.”

“I mean it was, initially, but…” Ravenwing let out a breath that was much steadier than normal. “It’s just gotten easier. Watching Mousefur and Dustpelt do it helped. They’re both really good for first-time mentors.”

“What about Willowpelt?” asked Greystripe.

Ravenwing looked around camp cautiously and leaned in to his friends, keeping his voice low. “She’s fine, but it’s pretty obvious she’d prefer to be doing something else. I don’t think Brackenpaw has noticed yet, thankfully. He’s just enamored with the forest. And always asking when we can visit the other territories. It’s a miracle Willowpelt can get him to come home and not jump in the river to see where it goes.”

Fireheart snorted and Greystripe shook his head in amusement, saying, “That little ant is going to get in trouble one of these nights.”

“Oh, Brightpaw is way worse.” Ravenwing dropped his voice even further into a gossipy whisper. “Always trying to sprint after a deer or chase fox-scent to fight its owner. She and Thornpaw are very into battle-training, and they just keep tackling each other when we have downtime. And you should see Brightpaw try to climb every tree we pass by. She’s awful at it, honestly, but it’s really funny. Poor Mousefur can’t relax for a moment. But I think she likes it. She always looks really amused when chasing after her.”

Greystripe snickered. “Where did these two get that energy? Frostfur and Lionface weren’t exactly adventurous.”

“Maybe they—” started Fireheart, but a noise interrupted him. He turned his head to the nursery.

For the first time in a month, a massive golden molly was straining to squeeze out of its entrance.

“There she is!” Greystripe said, and immediately gave Fireheart a tickled look as he jumped to his feet and darted across camp, leaving his half-eaten prey behind.

“Mira!” he called, barely remembering to slow down and stop.

The matriarch, Goldenflower, didn’t waste any time either, crying, “Honeymouse!” and greeting him by rubbing her cheek on top of his head, purring loud enough to drown out the rest of camp that was trying to greet Goldenflower as well.

Fireheart drew back to look up at her, tail curling. “It’s been forever! You must be excited to be outside again.”

“Oh, I’d live my life entirely in the nursery if I could.” Goldenflower gave him a lick on his ear. “But then I wouldn’t see you, would I?”

“Good to see you!” Speckletail called, approaching with Teaselfoot behind her.

Teaselfoot cocked his head teasingly. “Your kits finally forced you out of there, huh?”

Goldenflower twitched her whiskers. “They’re ready to come outside and meet their Clanmates.” Her voice leaned into sternness. “Be kind to them, alright?”

Teaselfoot blinked in surprise. “Of course!”

Fireheart caught a glance at Frostfur, and her face was… oddly tense. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she looked a little afraid. Afraid of what?

Goldenflower turned her head back to the nursery’s entrance and murmured something sweetly into the darkness of the den. An indistinct voice, high and soft, answered her, followed by scuffling of the densely-packed soil as a pair of kits came out, one after the other. The first was an impressively big tortoiseshell-tabby covered in splashes of pale ginger and warm brown, with an already-bold face and immensely fluffy fur. The second…

The second…

Fireheart stared as a dark brown tabby, solidly built and with big paws, carefully maneuvered around his mother. He had stark stripes and his claws, almost too long to be fully retracted, curled on the sand and parted it neatly into lines.

He looks exactly like his father.

Fireheart chanced a look at his Clanmates. Even Teaselfoot was stiff in shock, all jovial warmth gone from his face. Speckletail stood still, and when Fireheart looked at his friends, they stared with open mouths. Frostfur had her head ducked in discomfort.

Goldenflower had a face of very thin happiness, poorly concealing a protective glaring light in her eyes. The molly, the tortoiseshell, stood beside her, looking up at her in confusion, while the tom hid a bit behind his sister, the many eyes on him turning him shy.

Fireheart didn’t let the silence continue any further; he stepped towards the kits and bent down to their eye level, purring. “So you’re my brother and sister!”

Goldenflower’s glare blew out and she looked down at him gratefully. “Bramblekit, Tawnykit, this is Fireheart. He’s your big brother.”

Tawnykit did not look particularly impressed, going by her eyes scanning Fireheart flatly, but Bramblekit cautiously stepped out from behind his sister and sniffed Fireheart’s nose, his voice almost as soft as his brother’s when he murmured, “Hello.”

Fireheart immediately lowered his own voice and kept his eyes creased and friendly, careful not to make direct eye contact, as Bramblekit shrank away a bit when he did. “I’m really happy to meet you at last. I’ve been waiting since you were born—I didn’t get to visit you before now.”

Bramblekit tilted his head. “Why?”

Fireheart’s mind scrambled for a reason that wasn’t the true, dark one. “Well, too many cats in the nursery can upset the kittens and the mothers. Even someone as small as me makes it too crowded.”

Tawnykit eyed Fireheart, like she was scrutinizing him. Bramblekit, at least, seemed content with the answer and nodded, mumbling, “Okay.”

Fireheart glanced back at his Clanmates. Their initial shock seemed to have worn off, though a few still looked a bit disturbed. Several cats slowly approached as Goldenflower gently nudged her kits forward, some greeting the twins and some speaking to Goldenflower herself.

Fireheart, relieved, backed up a bit to give them all room. Bramblekit watched him go with wide eyes, but Tawnykit came to stand by him and nosed his ear, making him straighten up some and respond to the adults in a slightly louder voice.

They’re Goldenflower’s, alright, Fireheart thought affectionately. Big and fluffy. They’re going to be taller than me by the time they become apprentices. I wonder who will mentor…

With a feeling like spider crawling up his spine, Fireheart sensed eyes on him. He looked this way and that, trying to find the cat responsible. His eyes settled on the most shaded part of camp, and glinting in the dark were a pair of furiously blazing yellow eyes.

Darkstripe, once again. He glared directly at Fireheart, tail twitching.

Fireheart grimaced. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to Darkstripe glaring at him with all the hatred he could muster. This time, it was just his happiness draining out of him and into the sand, when he had been so excited to see his Clan family.

I get it, he thought, stifling his irritation at the drastic shift in mood. You hate my guts. Could you at least try to be more subtle about it?

Out loud, he said (a bit loudly so he could be heard from a distance), “Nice to see the kits, huh? I’ve missed Goldenflower.”

Darkstripe’s lip twitched now. He lowered himself into a half-crouch, his fur flared.

Fireheart half-anticipated being attacked, so he simply gave the warrior a nod and returned to Goldenflower as the crowd dispersed one by one. Bramblekit noticed Fireheart first as he hid behind Tawnykit, emerging with a look of relief.

“It’s a lot, I know,” Fireheart said kindly when he was close enough and the Clan had spread out again. “But you’ll like it when you get older. We’re all just very excited to meet you both.”

Tawnykit yawned. “I’m hungry.” She pawed her mother. “I want a mouse.”

Bramblekit brightened up immediately. “Yeah. Can we have a mouse, mi?”

Goldenflower looked down at them lovingly. “Just a couple bites, loves. You need to chew it.”

“Oh!” Fireheart straightened his posture. “I can get it. I think I saw a fresh one earlier.”

“We’ll go with you,” Goldenflower said, and stood, touching her nose to Fireheart’s forehead. “I’ll admit, it’s nice to walk around again.”

“I can imagine!” Fireheart walked with her, the kits waddling along at their hocks. “You must take up half the space in the nursery.”

Goldenflower chuffed. “I’m not that fat, honeymouse.”

“I just mean you’re, well, generally big. Fur and muscle and motherly plush.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Goldenflower stopped as they reached the prey-pile and looked at her kits, down at her front legs. “Now, let Fireheart pick out the mouse, okay?”

At the prompt, Fireheart hurried forward and scanned the admittedly-small pile. He found the mouse he’d mentioned, still fresh and soft, and picked it up by the tail. He turned around, stepped up to his siblings and gently lowered it at their feet. They sniffed it with sparkling eyes and then looked up at Goldenflower.

“You have to peel off the fur to get to the meat,” she explained, a look of serene delight on her face. “Can you do it?”

“I can,” Tawnykit said immediately. She gripped the side of the mouse with her tiny, tiny teeth and yanked. The mouse flopped onto its other side and she dropped it with a frown.

“Go like this,” Fireheart said, putting a paw on the mouse and miming biting it. “Hold it in place.”

Tawnykit nodded gravely, like he had just given her the most important task in the world, and copied him. Bramblekit helped by putting his wide paw on the mouse as well, and with the combined efforts, Tawnykit succeeded in stripping a wide chunk of the skin and fur off of the prey. The kits took a heartbeat to sniff the meat before hesitantly tasting with a lick, and then chomping down ferociously.

“Not too fast, loves, you’ll give yourself a stomachache!” Goldenflower leaned in and carefully pawed their backs. “Only a couple bites, now.”

As the kits ignored her, the sound of shuffling hit Fireheart’s ear. He looked up from the scene to see Bluestar entering camp and blinking wearily.

“Evening!” he said brightly. “Bluestar, come look.”

The leader squinted at him, but padded over to him. “What do I need to see?”

Fireheart drew back and gestured with his paw to the gobbling kits.

He expected some sort of reaction—it was hard to ignore Bramblekit’s appearance. He did not expect Bluestar to flinch so hard that she almost lost power in her back legs and stare at Bramblekit in horror. Her fur along her spine and tail bristled.

“Bluestar?” Fireheart asked hesitantly. “Are you alright?”

Goldenflower’s eyes snapped up to her leader. She shuffled a bit closer to her kits, a defensive near-glare zeroed in on Bluestar.

Bluestar did not appear to notice her. She was staring at Bramblekit, mouth slightly open like she was trying to speak.

Fireheart, not sure exactly what to do but desperate to do something, hurried up to her and positioned himself to block her view. He spoke a bit louder. “Everything alright, ma’am?”

That seemed to do the trick. Slowly, Bluestar settled down, her eyes finding Fireheart’s. He gave her a pointed-but-sympathetic gaze. With that, her fur flattened and she cleared her throat.

“It’s good to see you, Goldenflower,” she said slowly, looking at the matriarch. “Your kits… your kits are lovely.”

Before either of them could respond, she nabbed a vole and turned, trotting with some speed away from the little family and back out of camp, a few uncomfortable and confused faces watching her go. The apprentices whispered to each other and Speckletail murmured something to Teaselfoot.

Fireheart bit the inside of his cheek.

Oh, boy.

[ranmacapss]

[Ranma ½] ✥ Chapter 5, To the Tree-Borne Kettle-Girl

[ineruditehills]

its onto page 42-43 of Chapter Five - A Traveling Story!!!

Comicfury | Tapas | Webtoons

new crew new crew

The Inerudite Hills web comic updates post at 2:10 PM EST on THURSDAYS!!

Support via Ko-fi for sketch requests or Patreon, the latter of which has HD & Textless downloads, misc. art + other benefits! Temporarily without early access, but I am slowly working on it! Soon!!! I have it all planned out and will be several weeks ahead for Patreon actually

[keeping-writing-frosty]

Cara and the Will-o'-the-Wisp

Chapter One - A New, Weird Home

Chapter Two - Once Upon A Cat

Chapter Three - A Bully This Way Comes

Chapter Four - An Unfamiliar, Familiar Place

Chapter Five - What's In The Woods?

In Cara’s life, only one person had ever truly believed her, especially when it involved her more peculiar and weird experiences—she passed away, unfortunately. Mother wouldn’t believe anything without overwhelming evidence, while father encouraged her creativity and imagination. At least until the day she met Rowan, who Cara saw sitting on the edge of her porch with those long legs swaying back and forth, her gaze affixed into the forest at the edge of the property. Lost in her thoughts, as she seemed to be whenever it didn’t involve soccer.

As the sun ascended in the cloudless sky, painting a golden hue over the lingering coolness of the morning air, Cara strolled by the garden. There, Mr. Jakub Kaczmarek lounged with Gruby, his round blue-gray feline companion. The gentle rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds filled the tranquil atmosphere and seemed to accentuate the weirdness of the night before. Blooming flowers wafted through the air, tinged with the earthy fragrance of the leaves that covered the ground. Cara could feel a sense of peace and contentment settling over her as she passed by the serene scene. Even the demon-mouse on her shoulder seemed beyond content at the moment.

“Good morning, little Cora!” Mr. Kaczmarek waved with an enormous smile across his fleshy face.

She returned the wave but stopped herself from going to visit with Gruby. Who knew if she could see the mouse on Cara’s shoulder, as the blue-gray blob stared at her with yellow-green eyes. An itty, bitty pinprick of nerves lingered deep in her stomach. Just enough for Cara to walk a smidge faster than she already was.

Rowan seemed oblivious to everything as Cara approached, who waved had hand in front of her friend’s face, and she question, “are you there? Hey Ro.”

“Oh! Shit, yeah, sorry. Hey Cara, how’s it going?” Rowan glanced over at her friend; a puzzle expression colored her face. “When did you get a pet mouse?”

The little demon-mouse perched on Cara’s shoulder, which hung onto her shirt with three paws as the fourth cleaned its face. Cara cocked her head, hand cocked on her hip. “Wait a minute, you can see it too? I just passed Mr. Kaczmarek, who obviously didn’t see it. Though, I suspect that fat cat saw this little mouse.”

“Oh, so it’s a special mouse, eh? Does it have a name?” As Rowan inquired, she offered her hand for the mouse to climb on, but the demon-mouse was far from interested in doing so.

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped Cara, dramatic as she could, while plopping down beside Rowan and softly-leaned against the taller girl. “It’s a long, crazy story, and you might think I’m fucking crazy. And no, not yet. What the heck do you name a demon-house?”

“Never, not ‘bout stuff like that. Man, this island has secrets.” Rowan took a deep breath before she continued, “The island is alive with weirdness that abounds everywhere.”

There came a silence between them; as a wind danced about, which made the colorful leaves to twirl and swirl in the air before taking off towards wherever. “Should name the mouse Cheese,” Rowan broke the silence with a snorting chuckle. “I always thought that’d be a great name for a mouse.”

Cara smirked at the mouse on her shoulder. “Okay, Cheese it is. I originally wanted to name ‘em Squeakers but didn’t mention it to ‘em yet.”

After a long beat, Cara took another drawn-out sigh before she explained everything that had happened the evening before. From the shadow-mouse waking her up and following it back downstairs. And her time spent in that never-ending void, the utter fear that had overcome her when she thought she would be stuck there forever. How she ended up back in her old home in Oregon, and when she got to it—the mouse on her shoulder—was some kind of demon that had existed on the land since the beginning of time. The demon-mouse did not interject or add to it yet just watched and listened very much like Rowan herself.

“Then it said I had something called The Sight,” Cara finished her thought with an exasperated gesture. “I never heard of that before, but it would also make sense of the shit I’ve seen my entire life.”

Rowan brushed a stray orange curl from out of her eyes. “Most of the women in my family had The Sight. My grandmother did,” Rowan mentioned as casually as if they were talking about some book they both wanted to read. “So can I, in fact. It’s how we can see the wisps, my brothers nor father would be able to see it.”

“Does your mother?” Cara inquired.

“I am not sure. I don’t think so. If she does, she hides it well. Same with my aunt. Just think it might have jumped a generation.” Being as a more touchy-feely type, Rowan pulled Cara into a tight, friendly hug. “Also, why we both can see the little mouse and no one else can. Probably.”

“Young lady, I am a being of incredible power!” The mouse spoke despite its mouth not moving as it stood up on its hind legs in a failing attempt to seem imposing. “But you do have The Sight. Beyond that” — it pointed a paw at Rowan — “I can smell the darkness on you. You went into the forest last night. Where the veil between worlds is thin.”

Cara stood up and crossed her arms. “Wait, what? Why would you do something so dangerous?”

“Says the girl who visited with a demon in a freakin’ void.” Rowan cocked an eyebrow. Then she stood up beside her friend and offered her hand. “There’s something I need to show you out there in the forest. If you trust me, that is.”

“Of course I do.” Cara took Rowan’s hand, her palm was soft, almost caring against Cara’s own.

“Good, its further into the woods than where I’ve taken you before.” Rowan hummed as she led Cara toward the property line, and into the woods where the temperature dropped quite noticeably from the warm sun ahead. Now to the wet, cool air covered by the thick, multicolored canopy above. Which sent a little shiver through Cara, and she rubbed her arms.

The demon-mouse climbed up onto Cara’s head, hanging on with all four paws. “I haven’t been in the forest for generations,” it declared in a voice that surprised Rowan with its deepness. “There’s some old magic here.”

Past the giant tree stump, the throne of the forest, and headed west instead of east, they came across another fairy ring just through the line of trees. Where a rather giant hare sat within, whose eyes stared at the young pre-teens as they walked by. After a long bend, the temperature grew colder and colder, where they could see their breaths formed into tiny clouds of mist. Then stirred a peaceful breeze that grew and grew into a strong gale that rustled the leaves above head and caused the branches to dance above, almost in a choreographed manner.

Instantly, the hair stood up on the back of Cara’s neck and across the tops of her arms, while the light had dimmed into shadows. Rowan took several steps forward without hesitation, letting Cara’s hand drop as a figure appeared at the end of the trail off in the distance, yet close enough to be distinctive and for it to be more than just a mere outline.

Standing as tall as two Rowans, though Cara suspected it was even taller than that. With a stag's skull that covered its head, of which protruded two long, gnarled antlers that went off in opposite directions. Dark fiery orangish-red orbs where its eyes should have been, and it stood on spindly, elongated limbs far too long for a creature even of its size. It stood with its mouth open, before out came a soul-rendering scream that had both young pre-teens down on their knees. The soft soil dirtied and wet Cara’s knees, and it took everything in her to not just give up and cower in front of whatever this being was.

As it broke the scream, and the forest went back to silence, it seemed to wait for something. Cara’s fear all but gone by this point; her confidence returned as she stood full and tall. Rowan seemed less affected by it than Cara, as she was already on her feet.

“That’s a wraith,” the mouse uttered with a tinge of fear in its voice as it cleaned its face. “Something more than just a spirit or a wisp.”

The silence hung heavily in the air as the being seemed to wait. “There’s no need for that,” Rowan spoke in such a manner as one would for a parent whose temper could easily fly off the handle. “I told you I was going to bring my best, closest friend Cara, remember? She has The Sight, like I do, and maybe can help you more than I could.”

“Cara,” as the wraith spoke, the very air seemed to vibrate. “I have felt you here since you stepped foot on the island months ago. You could see my wisp, then. Why did you never follow?”

“Really?” Cara scoffed. “Are you really asking why I didn’t follow the little balls of flame into the deep, dark forest?”

It gestured with a long arm. “Nothing here would harm you,” it intoned. “For now. Maybe not then.”

“And what do you need help with?” Cara took a tentative step up beside Rowan, and once again took her hand. “Or, at least, what is your story?”

It waved its hand, which seemed to turn the forest’s many noises and natural songs into utter silence. Before the wraith explained, Rowan raised her hand. “I’ll tell ‘er, okay? Save your strength,” she said as soft as one would to a child and turned to face her friend. “Remember that Christopher Columbus wasn’t the first white dude here in North America?”

“Yeah, the Vikings arrived way before he did.” Cara nodded, but after a moment, she inquired, “did they do something here?”

“Rot,” the wraith intoned in a slow speech. “They brought with them rot. The yellow-haired-folk brought gods with them.”

Rowan glanced at the wraith, which silenced the thing. Before she turned her attention back to Cara. “Like it said, when the Vikings settled north in Newfoundland. They sent scouting ships up and down the coast. With one particular finding a small fishing village on Mount Desert Island, one of the first to be destroyed by the natives. The people of the Dawnland.”

“Ah, was a good time for feasting, though. So, so, so many sacrifices back then,” the mouse added.

“Creepy.” Cara plucked the demon-mouse from the top of her head and back onto her shoulder. “Anyway, so what is happening? Is the island suffering? What needs to be done?”

“Well, at first it started as a small thing,” Rowan answered. “Then it resurfaced when the French first came here and then grew more and more. Especially as the people of the Dawnland had mostly left. Their shamans and witches helped keep it at bay.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t answer what we need to do.” Cara cocked a hand on her hip. “Does it even know?”

Rowan shook her head. “I don’t think it does.”

“So, what are we to do?” Cara replied.

Neither girl had an answer for that.

“Beneath the ground. The Great Tree’s roots wither and die. You must find a tender of the roots and of the soil to fix the rot,” after the wraith spoke, it disappeared and the forest around the girls returned to its relative normalcy.

 “A tender of the roots?” Cara whispered under her breath.

Rowan gazed at her friend; her eyes lingered for a bit too long in that moment in the forest. The rustling leaves whispered above them as they strolled hand-in-hand back to the open sunlight. A relative normalcy had crept up between the two of them again before they exited the woods. The warmth of the sun embraced them, dispelling the lingering chill of the shadows. Silence enveloped them, broken only by the soft sounds of nature. Each shared glances and unspoken moments which spoke volumes in the tranquil air.

That as they crossed the property line and out of the woods, Rowan spotted Steven and Sam sitting in the back of their father’s car. Waiting, as they did every Saturday, to Haven Bay for the weekly shopping, and for the young men, a chance to hang out with some friends from school. Anything less boring than out here, or so the twins always made it sound like.

“Yeah, Cara in the front and Rowan can sit between us,” Sam added between laughs.

Rowan stuck out her tongue. “As if I wanted to be between you two stink bugs,” she joked as the pair walked by.

"Have fun, girls. Missus Clarke will be gone as well, so the house is all yours. No wild parties while we’re gone.” Mr. Clarke walked on by as his big brown eyes shone with the good mirth and nature that he always seemed to have.

The Clarke house enveloped Cara in a warm embrace, with the scent of fresh cookies which lingered in the air.

“Mother likes to bake cookies. Even if it is the dough you buy in the cooler section. Still damn good,” Rowan spoke between bites of a delicious peanut butter cookie.

From the moment she met Rowan, it had felt like a second home to her, a feeling that Rowan’s whole family, including Missus Clarke, who hurriedly greeted her, had made sure to nurture and always embraced Cara as Rowan’s best friend, despite the relatively short amount of time they had been friends.

Now, with cookies in both hands, Cara sat on the foot of Rowan’s bed munching on both while a thought kept playing through her head—who was the tender of roots and soil?—if the wraith meant a gardener there would be only one answer.

Rowan looked over her shoulder, as she had spent the last couple of minutes trying to find the perfect song on her laptop, and replied, “oh, that’s right. Plus, he seems like the type to know more than what he seems. Okay, we’ll go find him. See what he knows. At least it is a place to start.”

****

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[darwinquark]

“Every other story feels dead center. Visceral. There’s no distance—reading it feels like your head’s submerged and someone’s holding you down by the neck, you know? You eat the words. It’s so loud and immediate that it’s screaming, even the silences.” “Okay.” “And then you get to Death of a Townsman, and suddenly you’re just a spectator. You’re on a boat with a pair of binoculars, watching a tragedy happening a town away. You can’t taste anything. You can’t hear anything. It’s just—” “Muffled.” “Yes.” She glances up at him. He’s studying her. “And you want me to get closer.” She shrugs. “I want you inside it.”

you ever accidentally fuck through a work conversation

[saquesha13]

Chapter Five of Ride the Lightning is now up!

Had to add some sort of drama & angst since i’m unhinged & keep writing more than I bargained for. Anyway, chapter six will be the last one & if for some reason i’m adding a seventh chapter, feel free to run me over with Steve’s car 😉 iykyk