arods-vintage-supply

[eternallovers65]

With all due respect, but race after race, bad strategy after bad strategy just keeps solidifying my feelings of hoping charles leaves ferrari. Cause it's simply not possible that this keeps happening every fucking race

[reiderwriter]

Okay but, flirty reader majority pointed at Reid, and the scene where he has to get hosed down and says "I'mma bout to get naked, I don't think you wanna see that" and reader's just like raising her hand and says "don't worry I'll stay". And after she walks out to go to the hospital and sees everyone and with an open mouth and wide eyes just goes " woah" cause big dick energy

A/N: Hi, thank you so much for your request! I've been a bit sick lately, so I haven't had a chance to write much, but this was fun and quick to write! I might do a part 2 with the actual smut in the future, so if that's something people would want let me know in the comments!!

Warnings: suggestive content, public dirty talk?

“I really want to see that.” 

You heard the words but weren't sure where they'd come from for the longest time. It had been a confusing morning, with a high alert for anthrax and your coworker trapping himself inside a contaminated lab to save you from dying a presumably very painful death, you couldn't be blamed for not realizing that you'd said the words in question. 

He'd meant the words sarcastically, of course, and they'd warned Morgan off immediately with a chuckle and a “You better survive this, kid,” but you'd stood rooted to the earth until he'd repeated them again. 

“Y/N, they're going to strip me down. You don't want to see that.” 

“I really do, though.” Your eyes unabashedly trailed down the contours of his body, soaked from the hoses currently decontaminating him. You could've sworn that he was moving in slow motion as his hand pushed back his hair and cleared his face of water. 

If there weren't this many CDC agents around, you'd have likely joined him in his impromptu shower to feel your way along the lines of his clothing, checking to see what was outline and what was the thick layers of shirt and pants that unfortunately still obstructed your view. 

Another minute of you ogling him went by before your eyes finally returned to anywhere near his, and you realized that your desire for the man could no longer pass for camaraderie. 

“You better not die, Spencer. Not before I can enjoy the meal I'm about to sample.” 

His doctors were either ignoring the conversation completely or were busy focusing on other things, and luckily, they didn't react to your words. Other than to take Spencer's temperature one more time when he flushed bright red, and stared at you slack-jawed. 

“We're going to have to speed this along, Doctor Reid. Please start unbuttoning your shirt,” one of the hazmatted men said to him, but his eyes were fixed on you. 

“Yes, please do, Spencer. It's for your own good. And mine.” 

You expected him to blush and fawn again, but his day had been as long and confusing as your own, so you were unsurprised when he looked you directly in the eye and began unbuttoning his shirt. You watched his descent, and your breath faltered, seeing the water drip down his bare skin now. 

“I'm not sure which of us is wetter right now,” you tried to joke in earnest, but you felt a sharp jolt of lust in your gut as soon as his hands reached his belt. 

“Y/N, you need to leave now. Before you make this any harder for everyone here.” The innuendo in his words were clear, but you were thankful again for the considerate and/or oblivious doctors either side of him bagging up his discarded shirt and jacket. 

“Only if you promise I can make your life as hard as I want to when you're in the clear.” You smiled again, hoping the full force of your lust would reach him. Spencer was always oblivious to genuine flirtation, you'd observed enough women throwing themselves on him (had discouraged a few too many with a hand on his arm and a finger playing with the abandoned curls at the back of his neck, too) to know that for sure. 

You needed to make your need for him explicit. 

“I mean it, Spencer. I really mean it.” 

His eyes locked with yours for the last time ad you made to turn around, doing your best to convince him without becoming distractedly horny. 

“I know. I'll see you at the hospital.” 

“At the hospital? Risky, I like it.” You winked and turned away, leaving him calling back after you as you walked over to the car Derek had pulled around the front of the property. 

“Wait, not the hospital! Those beds aren’t comfortable. Y/N! Y/N, really!” 

You giggled as you sat down in the car, but you bubbled with anticipation still. 

[itstheghostofmypast]

15.07

Choi San x (f)Reader

Summary: At this point, he didn't know who she loved more, him or Byeol, either way, he was happy. What else could Choi San ask for other than his two favourite girls in the world getting along?

Genre: PURE FLUFF

Warnings: NONE

Word Count: 2.1K

Est. Read Time: 10 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

A/N: No- see @edenesth 💗 did this to me. This timestamp is for my saviour, the one and only @edenesth 💗 , like we should totally blame San for posting such domestic core pics- no wonder we get all delulu- PS THIS COLLAB HAS ME DYING

@edenesth version: [12.58]PM

"San?" she called out, walking down the hallway as she paused in front of the wall-length mirror, fixing her hair once more and checking out her outfit, simple, crisp and a dash of purple. Very different from her usual office attire, very colourful too- after all the first time he had seen her she was in a plain suit, a white dress shirt and slacks, running around collecting printouts for the upcoming spring magazine. That also being the first time he had realised how much he loved the word 'simple'. Okay, fine, perhaps she was dressed on the softer side, but was it so bad to play cute for once? Especially, if she was doing so to please her man. Call it her way of simping.

Truth be told, she wasn't even sure if he was going to show up, after their extensive tour, when he had mentioned the upcoming off days he was to get, she had suggested going to his home town to relax, leaving the city life for a while and although it pained her to know that she would be too busy with her own work at the office, also known as the company he too worked in, she wanted him to rest and relax away from the hustle bustle of his idol life, what she did not expect that after a week of his departure to Namhae, the very next weekend her fluff of a man would be ringing her doorbell in the late hours of the weekend.

"Byeol wanted to see you and so did I, I spent a week there and I'll spend a week here."

Was all he the dimpled man had made his way inside to the living room, opening the carrier to let Byeol out, the living room already a place of her liking. She had been here with San a couple of times; she had also been a very important part of their relationship. Especially on their third date where he had delicately brought up the topic, "Are you allergic to cats?"

"No, why?"

"Do you like cats?"

"Yeah, why?"

He never really answered her question that night, only smiled at her, leaning over the table to add more meat to her plate considering the late hours of the night, her hunger had distracted her from asking more questions, already too emotional at the thought of this angel of a man sacrificing his portion of protein for her - especially after grilling it so well. The only thing that did change was that the next morning she received around 400+ pictures of San's first love, Byeol.

The first time he had brought Byeol over, he was cautious and attentive, making sure both his girls were happy. He asked her cute questions all day- maybe she just found them cute because it was him, or perhaps it was because he was letting her in, into his domain, which is the little kitty roaming around the house.

"Can I put the litter here?"

"All your windows are locked right?"

"Do you mind if I keep the food bowl next to where we eat? She feels lonely otherwise."

"Can she sleep on your bed? I brought her cat mat just in case."

"Can we leave the bedroom door open a bit, so she can come and go without waking us up?"

He stopped when he realised, she wasn't even responding, panicking he looked up from the cat supplies. Maybe she felt like he was intruding or invading her privacy but was too afraid to tell him. Maybe bringing in Byeol was a big step he shouldn't have taken so quickly. What if she meant like she liked cats, at a normal level, like 'oh a cat.'  Not like cuddling them or baby-talking to them. Turning around his eyes scanned the room to spot her holding onto Byeol, carrying her like a baby and cooing at her. It was only then he realised how loud his cat was purring loud enough for it to echo in the silent room.

"Hmmm? You say something, Sannie?" she looked up from Byeol to him, eyes as curious as a cat's, hand resting on the cat's tummy, letting Byeol grab her hand with her soft paws. His heart felt as if it were about to burst out of his ribcage, running to her and landing on her palm, beating in it with an intensity that would borderline scare her. Licking his chapped lips the feline-eyed man shook his head, a genuine dimpled smile forming, one that would send thousands flipping with joy- or in her case have her gushing over it in solitude.

Thus, giving birth to a ritual, often he would spend his free days at his own home, sometimes calling her over, and gratefully his family welcomed her with open arms. On other occasions, he’d drop by to her apartment, bringing their 'daughter' with him.

She remembers the time Byeol had gotten sick. Unfortunately, San was busy that evening, and his parents were out of town so Byeol was to stay with her. Not an issue, at least it wasn't until the third night when San checked his phone after hours of practice late at night. He had decided to stay at the dorm, travelling would be more tiring she understood, but as the man checked his phone his heart almost stopped.

"Byeol is sick, she's vomiting. "

"I'm taking her to the vet."

"She's shivering."

"Okay, my car isn't working!"

'"I ran here, dw, made it in time, they're checking her."

"They say she has a fever, some bug?"

"They want to keep her overnight, idk I mean I can't just leave her here. She looked scared."

"I'm not leaving, but she's sedated. They say she'll be fine."

"San plz reply soon."

"San I'm scared."

Choi San had never run faster in his life he was sure of it, because the moment he burst into the 24/7 pet clinic his lungs were burning worse than a forest fire, his eyes red and blurry, the world around him extremely out of focus as he stumbled to the reception, about to take the patient's name but someone called him instead.

"San!"

His head snapped in her direction, running to her, enveloping her in a tight embrace, trying to calm her down as she began to shiver in his embrace, her words coming out with choked sobs. Hand pressed against her head, he rubbed her back up and down with the other one, looking through the glass window at his cat, sprawled on the table with an IV tube attached.

"It's gonna be okay, it'll be okay."

It took almost an hour to calm her down, he had tried to convince her to go home, she had work the next day but she refused, instead blaming herself for Byeol's health. Though the doctor had assured him it was not because of her incompetency, but the cat food, the cat food Sanhad insisted on changing. Once she found that out, Choi San had to get an earful the remainder of the night, “How can you- I told you not to do that!”

“Babe I- “Don’t babe me! She doesn’t even like salmon! She prefers tuna.”

After the wonderful argument, that through the eyes of an elderly couple waiting for their dog looked like a cute domestic quarrel, came to an end. San remembered sitting next to her sulking as she gave him the silent treatment, though a few moments later her head had landed against his shoulder with a thump, followed by her snores. That night Choi San had realised two things, firstly that he was in love with her and secondly, she probably loved Byeol more than she loved him.

Hence, today they were supposed to go to a cute cafe she had been eying for a month. They had planned on taking Byeol out but since the cat had decided to stay up all night, running around the apartment she was tired today. San had just mocked her, claiming that Byeol knew it was Valentine's Day so she wanted her parents to spend the day together. However, he later countered himself with a, "Though each day is like Valentine's Day with you, love."

Clearing her throat, she dusted off the invisible dust, adjusting her cardigan before making her way to the living room once more, calling out to her significant other, "San! I'm ready to let's go." though his lack of response was confusing her, so she called out again, "Sannie where are you-" her word stopped as soon as she turned the corner, into her living room, spotting a giant starfish sprawled out on the wooden floor. Next to him was Byeol, staring down at him, San's hand pressed against his cat's back in a soothing manner, but she knew what he was doing, making sure his cat didn't move because Byeol was not only pretty but smart too, she knew what her dad was doing.

Sighing she walked closer to him, standing next to Byeol who looked up at her, blinking slowly, before turning back to stare at San. She stared down at him, arms crossed before slowly poking his side with her foot, watching him pretend and stretch, groaning as he cracked an eye open, "Oh~ you're finally done?"  

"Mhmmm." Raising a questioning brow she nodded, "And?"

"Oh, I mean" Sitting up he stretched his legs, much similar to how Byeol would do so, "Byeol said her mommy was taking so long in the shower that we fell asleep, waiting for you…" his words trailed off when he turned to look at her, his breath hitching at the sight of the soft pastels, the pretty purple, purple really was her colour. Clearing his throat he quickly got up, standing to talk in front of her, merely a few inches away from her as he stretched his arms over his head before casually bringing them down, not so discreetly wrapping them around her and slamming her into him, smirking when she whined.

"The dress will wrinkle Sannie." she tried to push him away but he pulled her closer, leaning down to peck the tip of her nose, "You can't look like a pretty pixie and not expect me to hold onto you like Captain Hook kidnapped Tinkerbell."

"What an analogy."  she mumbled, letting him squeeze her into his warm chest, feeling the vibrations as he chuckled, "You look very pretty…I like your cardigan."

"Thanks, your mom gave it to me last birthday. " Her arms wrapped around his waist, letting him gently sway them from side to side.

“Who do you think chose it?” he smiled down at her, finally meeting her with a gentle kiss, one she savoured greatly, hands fisting his shirt as his palm pressed against her back before slowly trailing down, though their little moment came to halt sudden when a high-pitched squeak caught their ears. Pulling back, she looked down at Byeol, frowning before turning to look at San, “Why isn’t she wearing her leash?” “What do you mean?”

Tutting at her gorgeous idiot of a man, she pulled away completely before crouching to grab the cat and walking towards the door where they hung coats and her leash. “I said we’re going to the café.”

“I know,” he mumbled scratching his head, a bit confused as to what she meant, “I got a booking for it, no? Why are you – we can’t take her there and it's almost time for our reservation.”

“Aww~ don’t listen to daddy, Byeol” San watched her talk to his cat instead of him, watching her put on Byeol’s harness and leash, somewhat impressed because Byeol never let him do that this easily, though the next statement had him blushing mad. “He’s a bit slow, handsome, but slow, he forgot we’re going to a cat café, you’ll have fun there~ Won’t you baby~”

Letting out a hearty chuckle he closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, of course she’d come up with this idea on her own. She had mentioned earlier how leaving Byeol home wasn’t fun especially when the cat was their ‘child’ and leaving their child unattended was cruel. He watched the cat jump off the table and onto the floor, meowing up at his lover who sent Byeol a flying kiss, San didn’t know what heaven was, but if anyone were to ask him to describe what it looked like, the view was right in front of him.

“Any kisses for me?” He asked walking up to his two girls, who were almost out the door, pausing when she winked at him, “depends big boy. Might need to send our baby back home for a while if that’s what you want.” And that had the man shivering with excitement running after her as the two made it to the elevator, already planning on asking someone or one of the guys to watch his little baby for the night, so he could have a night with his kitten.

“Don’t worry, I think that can be arranged, kitten.”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @spooo00oky @cereal-simp @yessa-vie

[somnianyx]

GN!Reader || cw: toxic relationship, Ness, yandere content and uhh thats all i can think of bc Ness itself is a warning enough, gaslighting

Synopsis: You broke up with Ness.

• You can get two types of reaction depending on how you break up with him.

• If you break up with him the angry, aggressive way. Ness would get all meek and scared. Opting to just keep quiet as you list all the reason why you're breaking up with him.

• If you choose the calm way, Ness wouldn't even hesitate to beg you to stay. His face immediately turns red, tears staining your pants as he clung to it desperately. Asking you what he did wrong and how he can fix it. Doesn't matter if its in public or private, Ness would sob till his tears turns into blood.

• Either way, you left him with nothing but his heart that had been crushed into dust and his obsession towards you grew.

• You were his light, his saviour, his everything. To say he can't live without you is an understatement. Ness felt his world just crumbled below him.

• Would blow up your phone 24/7, making new accounts, getting new numbers each time you block him.

• "(Y/N) please! I'm sorry for whatever I did wrong! I promise I'll change. Just give me a chance! I'll die without you" was the text you'll wake up to every morning.

• At one point, you just gave up blocking him. Opting to just mute his chat and ignoring his calls but this gave Ness some hope.

• You didn't block him this time so surely this means something right? If he's patient surely you'll warm up to the idea of letting him be yours again right?

• The more you ignore him, the more desperate each attempt of his to get your attention. Abandoning basically everything including football AND Kaiser to stalk you.

• If you do get back with him, whether its to get him to shut up or out of pure pity, Ness would completely be in your control.

• Spoiling you with lavish gifts, taking you out to some fancy dates. He'll even let you sleep with other people so long as you'll never leave him.

• Ness is completely yours to break, to use, to control and manipulate like a stupid puppet. Tell him what to eat, to drink, to wear and he'll comply so long as you let him lay his head on your lap and call him your good boy.

• If you resist him till the very end, chances are his patience are running so very thin.

• Might have to say your goodbyes because once that thin thread of sanity snapped, you'll find yourself waking up to a magenta haired man hovering above you.

• "I gave you so many chances to come back to me. I would've done anything for you but you stayed completely stubborn. Don't blame this on me. You're the one at fault here. I just love you so so much why can't you see that?"

[bumblesimagines]

Our Flickering Light

Part 2

Request: Yes or No

~~~

"You ever been this far from home?" 

"Ellie."

"What? I'm just asking!" 

There was something humorous in the way Ellie and Joel treated each other. The exasperation that weighed heavy on Joel's face whenever she so much as opened her mouth and the smugness that twinkled in her eyes when she saw Joel roll his eyes or purse his lips in annoyance. (Y/N) couldn't blame him much. The moment Lincoln had disappeared out of view, Ellie had leaned forward and shoved herself between the two seats, firing off question after question. For a girl with the fate of the world resting solely on her shoulders, she sure had a lot of energy and excitement. (Y/N) wondered if he'd been like her back then. Full of curiosity and awe.

"It's fine, Joel." (Y/N) dismissed with a soft chuckle and a wave of his hand. Joel glanced at him, furrowed brows full of uncertainty and even a hint of a warning of what was to come if he gave Ellie the green light to ask questions. (Y/N) smiled at the older man and Joel looked back at the road, his eyes flickering to the rearview mirror. He gave a small nod and Ellie beamed, once again wedging herself between the seats and making Joel click his tongue in disapproval. 

"So, have you?" Ellie asked, her dark brown eyes wide and full of barely contained curiosity. 

"I wasn't born in Lincoln, Ellie." (Y/N) chuckled at the quiet 'oh' that fell from her lips and her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment, one finger lifting to sheepishly scratch the side of her head. "My mom and I were originally from Frederick, Maryland. We were able to get to the Baltimore QZ before it began turning people away. It's how we met Frank. We stayed there for a good... Jesus, I don't know, four or five years?" 

"Why'd you leave?" Ellie blinked and cocked her head to the side, loose strands of her hair swaying over her pale skin. (Y/N) noticed Joel glance over Ellie's head, just as curious as the girl he'd previously scolded. (Y/N) exhaled through his nose and gazed back out to the long road ahead.

"It fell. None of us really knew why, but Frank said the day before it happened there'd been rumors about a breach in one of the walls that FEDRA couldn't be bothered to fix. The next day the QZ was in utter chaos. People were either panicking, stealing, getting trampled, or getting shot down by soldiers. Frank and his neighbor, Kelly, got us and we fled the QZ with a few other survivors." (Y/N) explained solemnly, the screams of citizens attempting to find safety still ringing as clear as day in his ears. "We traveled a week by foot trying to get to Boston since THE Philadelphia QZ only lasted two years and they were never able to clear any part of New York City to get one set up. We were a group of ten but by the time we got to Lincoln, it was only Frank, my mom, and me."

"Wait, so, you could've been in Boston with us? And you were born before the outbreak? But you look so young!" Ellie gaped at him and Joel snorted quietly, the muscles on his face straining to keep him from smiling at her words. 

"I'm only twenty-nine, Ellie." (Y/N) laughed and her eyes widened further. "I was nine when the outbreak happened."

(Y/N) watched the teen boys bounce the basketball around in the road, their laughter echoing down the street and mixing in with the distant sound of honking. His mother stood by the dining room table with her phone in hand and pressed against her ear, reciting the address to the pizza place staff member. Her other hand ran circles around the barely there bump and her attention jumped between answering questions and looking at the clock. 

"Can I go outside?" (Y/N) asked into his folded arms, his legs beginning to ache from standing at the window for so long. The basketball slammed into the board and bounced off the rim of the basket. A chorus of groans and laughter followed. "I'll stay in the driveway."

"It's dark out, sweets. Those boys will be heading to bed soon, anyway." Rose said as she set her phone on the dining table and approached him, her hand reaching out to rest on his shoulder. She smiled warmly down at him. "I'm sure if you ask Jonah tomorrow, he'll teach you how to play, alright?"

"Okay." (Y/N) sighed. "When is Brent-"

There was a sudden, distant explosion outside, close and loud enough to make the windows in the house shake and set off car alarms throughout the neighborhood. The neighborhood boys outside shouted and screamed in surprise, their long game of basketball abruptly forgotten in favor of turning around to watch a firey cloud rise into the air. Rose instinctively brought (Y/N) closer to her and grabbed the curtain to tug it further from the window. 

"Oh, my god," She whispered and took his hand, clutching it tightly as they left the kitchen and opened the front door, stepping out onto their porch. (Y/N) could hear the porch swing still creaking from the force of the explosion and he leaned into the skirt of his mother's dress, peeking out from behind her legs. "Jonah, Tyler, you boys okay?! The rest of you need to get home right now!" 

"Was that the gas station?" Jonah asked, holding his basketball tight to his chest as the rest of his friends scrambled to collect their things and call home. Tyler wasted no time in running across the street to his house and quickly heading inside the small house while his aunt's car blared in the driveway. 

"You boys get to your parents, now!" A new, deeper voice boomed from next door and (Y/N) peered around his mother to look at their next-door neighbor, an intimidating veteran whom Brent enjoyed calling a 'hermit'. (Y/N) hardly ever heard him speak seeing as the man, Steven, spent most of his time out hunting or locked away in his run-down, unkept house. Steven turned to them, his white tank top soaked in sweat, and he hurried down his creaky porch steps to approach them. 

"Steven, what's going on?"

"Rose, sweetheart, get your boy and pack some things, alright? There was a national alert on the radio-" Another explosion, one closer to the city. 

(Y/N)'s body began to tremble and he clung tighter on his mother. Rose spun on her heel and hauled (Y/N) up into her arms, everything in his sight becoming a dark blur of their familiar living room and hallway. She set him down in front of his bedroom door and hurried inside, her swift hands snatching his school backpack from the floor and turning it upside down so everything inside clattered to the floor. She grabbed fistfuls of clothes from shirts, pants, and underwear before stuffing the free pockets of small books and toys. 

"Here, baby, here." Rose returned to him and he stuck his arms through the gaps, feeling the straps weighing heavily down on his shoulders. (Y/N) watched her head down to hers and Brent's shared bedroom and heard her rummage through things as she'd done in his bedroom. Tears pricked the back of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of his pajamas. He faced his bedroom again and approached his toy box, lifting the top open and sorting through his toys until he found Mr. Flops, his old favorite stuffed bunny that he'd hidden away after hearing some boys make fun of Gracie in class for still having a teddy bear. 

"(Y/N), sweets, come on." His mother stood in the doorway with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. She extended her hand out toward him and smiled encouragingly, wiggling her fingers until he took her hand again. Rose moved down the hallway again and reached the front door before stopping to scribble something down on the notepad she kept by the key holder. (Y/N) tightened his grip on her palm when they stepped outside and spotted Steven hauling some things into the back of his truck. 

"Hurry, Rose!" He called and (Y/N)'s eyes widened at the sight of the shotgun strapped to his shoulder. Rose sighed quietly, locking the front door and gliding down the steps with her son in tow. She took the two bags and squeezed them into the small backseat, ensuring they'd remain still and not squish (Y/N) at any rapid turn during the ride.

"Where are we going?" He asked tentatively and peered up at his mother.

"I-"

"Shit," Steven hissed, and (Y/N) turned around to see Tyler rushing out of his house only to trip on the last step and fall into the grass by the driveway. His aunt staggered out of the house after him, her body movements jerky and weird, both limp and stiff. Tyler scrambled on the grass that had been wet by the sprinklers only minutes before the first explosion, the slippery grass preventing him from getting back on his feet. "Get in the truck, now."

"It's just Becca, Steven," Rose said breathlessly, her hands reaching out toward her son to pull him close. 

"No, sweetheart," Steven sighed and lifted the shotgun, pointing it directly in Mrs. Gorman's direction. His finger slipped over the trigger. "That's not her anymore."

"What happened to Steven?" Ellie asked gently, her head fully propped up on her fist as she stared at him, completely engrossed by the story. A grimace had appeared on Joel's face toward the end, an all too knowing look passing over his dark eyes. The panic, confusion, the way the world turned upside down in a matter of hours... it was something the new generation of children like Ellie never got to experience. Instead of knowing the joy of running around freely, of visiting different cities and states. All they knew was the fear and death that followed.

"I don't know," (Y/N) admitted softly. "But knowing him... he's probably still around trying to help people."

"I bet he and Joel would've been buds," Ellie said, slumping back in her seat and wiggling closer to the window, propping one arm along it and staring out at the passing scenery. (Y/N) exhaled in amusement and glanced at Joel when the older man rolled his eyes, still as silent as always. What a pair they made. A young chatterbox and an older man who could spend days without speaking. But it was part of his charm, in a way. Silent but always observing, always watching over everyone. 

"Looks like a gas station up ahead," Joel murmured gruffly, pointing out the tall sign in the distance. (Y/N) could see abandoned cars scattered around, many of them long overtaken by nature. The station itself appeared in similar conditions, worn down and overgrown. No sign of infected around. "We'll pull over for a little while and get some gas. Use the bathroom if you have to. We ain't stoppin' until we need to again, alright?"

"Yep." Ellie sighed, reaching for her backpack and slipping her arms through the straps.

Slowly pulling over and stopping the truck, the three hopped out of the truck and surveyed their surroundings. Joel cautiously stepped forward, fingers tightly wrapped around his pistol and his head on a swivel, turning sharply whenever he heard the faintest sounds. (Y/N) shifted around the strap of his sniper rifle and walked toward the gas station, hearing the soft patter of Ellie following after him. He pushed the dirty glass door open and peeked inside, waiting for movement or noise before stepping inside fully and looking around the store. It appeared largely empty and scarce, anything still up on the shelves or fallen on the ground either rotten or useless. 

(Y/N) headed further into the store and purposefully kicked a can, listening to it rattle against the tile floor and fall into silence once it hit the wall. Nothing. No sound of any animals scurrying to hide, no infected crawling out from the darkness. For safe measure, he checked each room, only finding a long-decayed corpse in the storage closet and a caved-in bathroom. With no urge to release his bladder, he turned toward Ellie and smiled. "Seems safe enough. If you need to go, go ahead. Holler if you need or see anything, 'kay?"

"Gotcha." Ellie nodded and returned the smile, sliding the backpack off her shoulders and walking further into the bathroom. She set her backpack on the sink and glanced at him as he turned to leave. "Good luck with Joel." She told him with a playful grin and unzipped her backpack.

Chuckling, (Y/N) nodded and headed back into the store, checking behind the register for anything they'd need before leaving the store completely and heading toward Joel who'd taken it upon himself to siphon gas from the old cars. (Y/N) adjusted the rifle's strap again so it hung at his side instead of his chest and squinted through the glaring sun to watch Joel work. "Ellie's using the bathroom." He informed him, hearing a soft hum of acknowledgment. 

"(Y/N)..." Joel began with a heavy sigh, pushing himself off his knee and picking up the gas canister from the ground. His lips pressed together, his tilted toward the ground as his brows furrowed once more. "I'm... I'm real sorry about your folks. They were good people." 

"And so was Tess." (Y/N) added softly and Joel's features hardened into a grimace, his head turning away from him and his chest rising and falling with a heavy sigh. He made no move to respond or even acknowledge her but (Y/N) could see the pain etched all over his face. He could see the sorrow and pain Joel fought desperately to swallow down and ignore until it faded. "She had a good heart."

"Yeah." Joel forced out and inhaled sharply, his grip on the canister tightening. (Y/N) stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Joel's shoulder, feeling the man tense at his touch and become rigidly motionless. He could only feel Joel's chest moving with each quiet breath until, after a minute of nothing, his arm moved, sliding around (Y/N)'s body loosely at first before tightening with every emotion Joel had long buried under his hardened exterior. His forearm pushed against (Y/N)'s back, pressing them tightly together as Joel buried his face into the crook of (Y/N)'s neck. In a soft, muffled yet pained voice, he spoke, "I miss her."

"Frank used to say that you honor people by living for them... by living because of them. Who else will keep their memory alive is not us, Joel?" (Y/N) told him gently, rubbing his fingertips into Joel's shoulders.

"You are..." Joel interrupted himself with a soft chuckle as he leaned back, "Far too young to be sounding so old."

"I can't help it." (Y/N) smiled, dropping his arms from Joel's shoulders and crossing them over his chest. "You should've seen the books Bill and Frank had me reading." 

"Yeah, I bet half of it was some crazy conspiracy shit." Joel snorted, his shoulders lightly shaking and a rare genuine smile spreading across his face. He had a breathy sort of withheld laugh, one that made him wonder how it'd sound when he found something especially funny, and the type of smile that made wrinkles form around his eyes. 

"You have a pretty smile, Joel. You should do it more often." (Y/N) complimented, running his hand over Joel's bicep affectionately before dropping his hand to his side and turning around. He approached the next car down the line, dipping his arm in through the window of the car and popping open the flap. He wiped his hand clean of dust and dirt with his pant leg before unscrewing the cap for Joel. He stepped aside, finally taking note of the still man. "Joel?"

Joel blinked, gaze darting over to him and flickering toward the flap. "Right. Thanks." He cleared his throat, long legs moving toward the car. He kneeled down beside it, glancing up briefly when Ellie stepped out of the store and began walking toward them. She stood beside (Y/N) and looked down at Joel, watching him begin the siphoning process. 

"We have to do this every hour?" Ellie questioned, one brow arching questioningly. It was easy to forget she hadn't been alive when cars were driven freely down the street instead of armored vehicles or tanks. She hadn't even known how to put a seatbelt on.

"Gas breaks down over time. This stuff's almost water." Joel explained. "Back in the day, we'd drive 10, 12 hours on one tank. You could go anywhere."

"So where'd you go?"

"Pretty much nowhere," Joel inhaled deeply, releasing that air into the tube. A few seconds later, gasoline poured into the other tube and down into the canister. Ellie blinked and perked up, that familiar curious twinkle appearing in her eyes again as she leaned her head forward to get a closer look.

"How does that work?" She asked, taking another step closer. 

"It's a siphon," Joel answered, looking up at her and being met with a blank stare. "It's when... liquid travels against gravity... because pressure-"

"You don't know," Ellie stated simply and giggled when Joel shot her a look. Sticking her hands in her pockets and spinning around to face (Y/N), she tilted her head. "Do you know, (Y/N)?"

The man in question blew a raspberry and shrugged. "Uh... Billy taught me how to do it once a long time ago. Something about gravity, pressure, and elevation. I was like fifteen. I didn't really get much of it but I think Joel was on the right track, actually."

"Exactly." Joel raised his brows at Ellie, almost sassily in fact, and turned his attention back to the tubes. Without having to look up at Ellie to see her expression, he spoke again. "No wondering."

Ellie clicked her tongue and tilted her head up toward the sky, lips pursing defiantly but her feet remained planted on the ground. (Y/N) couldn't help but smile, his eyes catching the wicked grin that sprung out on Ellie's face. She lowered her head and slipped her backpack off, placing her backpack on the hood of the next car with a soft thump. "This is your fault, then." Ellie laughed mischievously and tugged a book free from her backpack.

"Uh-oh." (Y/N) laughed, and then laughed again when Joel's face fell into disbelief and misery. Ellie proudly held No Pun Intended: Volume Too in her hands and loudly cleared her throat as she tossed the pages open. (Y/N) dug his teeth into his bottom lip, a few giggles escaping him as he awaited to hear stupidly cheesy puns and watch Joel's misery intensify. 

"'It doesn't matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.' " (Y/N) snorted at Joel's silence. "No Pun Intended: Volume Too by Will Livington. Volume too, you get it? Too? Like, t-o-o?"

"Jesus." Joel exhaled heavily, staggering up onto his feet as giggles left Ellie. 

"'What did the mermaid wear to her math class?'" Ellie looked up from the book at Joel, a slow grin spreading across her face. "'An algae bra!' Get it? Like algebra?" 

It took another horrible pun and a burst of giggles for Joel to tell Ellie to wait in the truck while he finished getting gas. The satisfied look on her face and the mischievous smirk spoke volumes as she headed for the truck with a skip to her step. After a few more minutes, the canister was full with gas and the two men returned to the car. (Y/N) climbed back into the passenger seat, setting his rifle between his legs alongside his backpack, while Joel filled the gas tank and set the canister in the back.  The truck rumbled to life and Joel drove them back out onto the road where lines of cars had been forced out onto the edges of the road. 

"Must've been some truck," Ellie said, propped up on her knees to watch the cars they passed by. 

"Yeah, they used to stick big-ass plows on 'em and clear the roads for their tanks and such," Joel explained grimly, glancing at the cars until the lines ended.

(Y/N) stared out into the vast emptiness around them, a stark difference from the forests he'd grown up around. He felt Ellie fiddling around in the backseat, searching around until she pulled out a cassette tape and had Joel insert it, an old country song pouring out from the speakers that (Y/N) vaguely recognized. Ellie continued her search and (Y/N) noticed her dip suddenly behind his seat, the sound of papers crinkling filling his ears. 

"Got somethin' else. It's, uh, light on the reading, but it has some interesting pictures-" 

"No, no, no. Put that back." Joel demanded and (Y/N) shifted in his seat, immediately spotting the athletically built shirtless model on the cover. His face immediately heated up and he turned back around, covering his mouth to stifle the embarrassed laughter that left him. "Ellie- Ellie, that is not for kids."

"Oh, my god. I didn't need to see that." (Y/N) whispered. "Throw that away, Ellie. It- It's not for your eyes-"

"Hold your horses! I wanna see what all the fuss is about!" Ellie laughed, continuing to flip through the pages. "Why are all these pages stuck together?"

"Ellie." 

"I'm just fuckin' with ya." Ellie giggled, smacking Joel's shoulder with the magazine before lowering the window and tossing it out into the wind. She slumped back in her seat and rolled the window back up, more laughter escaping her lips until the sights they passed captured her attention. 

They continued driving down the countryside, passing by a multitude of things. From a bison herd to an old overgrown rollercoaster, they drove until the countryside faded into lush forests and roads slowly overgrown with foliage that led to formerly populated areas. They stopped for gas one more time, listening to a few more puns from Ellie that had Joel contemplating his life and (Y/N) cracking up before hitting the road again. (Y/N) enjoyed looking out the window and imagining what the towns must've looked like before nature retook what was once hers. Of course, from time to time they'd pass old machinery where the army had attempted to fight back, whether against the infected or people, (Y/N) couldn't be sure but an uneasiness filled him whenever he spotted a tank or armored truck. 

"Alright, that's enough for today," Joel murmured, turning the truck onto a grassy field and into a thick forest with tall trees where they'd be hidden away from anyone passing by. He parked the truck once satisfied with the spot and got out, collecting the small stove and setting it down on the ground while Ellie explored their camping spot for the night. 

Stirring around the contents from a Chef Boyardee can, (Y/N) poured even servings into three plates and sat back against a mossy rock to eat. For an expired can of ravioli, it surprisingly still tasted good, though his thoughts drifted back to Bill's cooking. He pushed around the ravioli with his fork, idly listening to Ellie and Joel chat about their meal and plans. He couldn't help but think about them, about their last days spent together, about the short and sweet wedding. The urge to eat numbed quickly.

"Here, Ellie." (Y/N) murmured, scraping the remainder of his meal onto her plate and wiping his plate clean to use another time. (Y/N) stood up from the rock and tucked the plate and utensils away. He could feel Joel's stare burning a hole into his back and gave the man a smile to soften his worry. It hardly helped so (Y/N) focused on getting their sleeping bags out of the truck as the sky above them began to darken with night fast approaching. 

With two lanterns, he sat one down between Ellie and Joel's sleeping bags and took the last one for himself. "I'll keep watch." He told them, slipping the rifle strap around his shoulder and patting Ellie's head as she lowered down to wiggle into her sleeping bag. She swatted playfully at his hand and chuckled, pulling the pun book and a flashlight out of her backpack before using it as a pillow. Joel glanced at him and stiffly nodded, settling into his own sleeping bag and watching him walk a few feet away. 

(Y/N) leaned back against a tree trunk and set his lantern down by his feet, taking the strap off his shoulder and holding the rifle. His eyes trailed down the gun until they found the words engraved just above the trigger. B&F. His thumb ran over the rough letters, pressing into them until they left an imprint on his skin. He took a deep breath and raised his head, scanning the area around him. With everything falling into darkness, he was left to depend on his hearing for any sign of something amiss. But all he heard was the rustling of leaves above him and the occasional call of an owl. Fabric rustled behind him and the light from Ellie and Joel's lantern faded, leaving him with his thoughts while they dozed off into slumber.

About twenty minutes passed before he heard the fabric rustling again and peered over his shoulder to see Joel's dark figure getting up. Likely off to use the bathroom, he assumed and looked forward again, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the letters. His teeth nibbled lightly on his bottom lip and he could feel hunger slowly creep in, poking around as it made its presence known. A twig behind him snapped and he turned, finding Joel approaching him. 

"You should be sleeping."

"And you should've eaten." Joel lifted his brows and took his wrist, placing two granola bars and an apple in his hand. He nodded to them and carefully took the gun from him, surveying the area in a glance before looking back at him. "Eat. I'll keep watch 'til you're done."

"Joel-"

"Eat." Joel urged gently, a surprisingly soft look falling over his features. "I have to take care of you, too, alright? Stop actin' stubborn and eat."

[gaypyro]

To be honest, in EPIC I think the takes I like the least are the ones trying to absolve Odysseus of Guilt or defend his actions.

Is Odysseus a sympathetic character in over his head who gets screwed by circumstances? Absolutely! But often eh screws himself by leading to those Circumstances by his Pride and obsession with finding the perfect solution. The man is a great tragic hero! But like... a tragic hero often is responsible for their own downfall.

Odysseus has a tendency to think he knows better then anyone else; and its only when faces with an overwhelming force that he stops. This tends to make him operate on a perfectionism that makes it so he tries to find a perfect solution; when pursuing such a solution often just makes it worse.

"The Blood on Your Hands Is Something You Won't Lose, All You Can Choose is Who's" is a very important line as it defines the central themes of the Musical. Odysseus is a military leader and King, who needs to make tough decisions, and trying to stick to his guns and perfectionism instead of actually making sacrifices, until it's to late, bites him in the ass.

Polyphemus, Circe, Poseidon and Zeus, all these threats attack Odysseus over what his decisions lead to in order to either get revenge on those important to them, or keep them safe.

Odysseus never apologizes outside of to the infant he is about to kill. He never expresses genuine remorse for the terrible shit he does, as he is, even from the start, to caught up in his own hype to do so. Polyphemus was attacking him not because he was hungry, or because he broke into his house, but because the sheep were his close friends. If Odysseus simply ransacked his home for food, that would be a thing he'd need to sort over but theoretically defendable with Odysseus' defense of "I was Hungry, here I'll pay you back." When Poseidon orders Odysseus to Apologize for leaving his son blind (Instead of killing him), Odysseus just tries to explain why he blinded him, as if Poseidon is an idiot who can't pick up context clues. And while he doesn't defend himself for sacrificing his men to Scylla, he also doesn't express any remorse for it. While apologizing likely wouldn't fix these issues, it stems from his Pride and later on, desperation.

And Odysseus' Pride doesn't just stop there, it also causes him to think he needs to get as many people out alive as possible before the Thunder Saga. If he killed Polyphemus, or at least didn't try to teach him Mercy and reveal his name; he could have gotten home scot free. If he chose to either brave the storm despite the risk of losing a few ships, or just kill people who tried to open the Bag, he'd not have lost his entire fleet. Odysseus only successfully got everyone out alive when he had literal Divine Intervention from Hermes, who was impressed with his speech.

And when he did start to embrace Ruthlessness, he did so at the cost of his followers, instead of for them! Something no one else was doing. The Cyclops attacked to defend his flock, Circe cursed them to keep her Nymphs safe, the Siren begged for her Sisters lives, Zeus attacked only after he broke a divine law, and even Poseidon, though he lacked the love the other 3 had, still attacked Odysseus for his son's sake. It's little wonder Ares and Aphrodite are so unsympathetic to Ody, by the time he started being willing to go killing people to keep his men safe he also reached the point were he stopped caring for his men. He was a coward in there eyes, and they only let him go when Athena told them he would cause a Bloodbath for the only people he cared about left.

It's easy to blame Athena for "Provoking" Odysseus into revealing his name, even if she really, really didn't and he was doing it entirely of his own volition. Similarly, it's easy to blame Eurylochus for opening the bag and being a coward; but unlike Odysseus he tried to actually apologize at the first opportunity (It's what he wanted to talk about at the start of Circe) and had actual regrets. Every problem that plagued Odysseus often was made worse by his Pride, and to try to blame others for them ignores the fact Odysseus has agency, and is smart enough to know better. It's what makes him so interesting as a protagonist; that Odysseus is at the end of the "Selfish and Prideful and Vain." The musical is a tragedy, and his tragic flaw has fueled much of the conflict. He's not an idiot, but he also isn't some victim of fate.

[kyoung86]

I didn't expect my camping trip to be the nightmare that it was. My high school friend Mark and I have had this tradition of hiking up and camping at Mount Alto in our old hometown since we both turned eighteen. It was a bit of a hassle to plan it every year now that we were adults and had to work around our jobs, but we always pulled it off. We both thought this visit was the most needed out of all of them though. 

Three months ago, Mark's mother succumbed to the cancer that was eating away at her pancreas, and just a few weeks ago my live-in girlfriend Andrea and I decided not only did our ship sail, but it crashed on the rocks. I moved back home with my dad as it was Andrea's apartment I was staying in, and Mark also moved back in with his father in his time of grief, since he was an only child and there was no one else to be around him. 

   It had been a while since our last discussion about it, but we were finally able to pack all of our camping gear into Mark's truck and head down the old dirt road that led to the mountain. I can still feel the refreshing breeze of the hot summer air on my face as we rolled down the windows and Mark lowered the volume of the 90s grunge rock music blaring from the truck radio to flash me a grin.

"We made it, just a few more minutes and we'll be at Camp Shangri-la. You did remember to bring toilet paper this time, right?" He chuckled, his southern accent adding to the light-heartedness of the moment as he jokingly slapped my thigh. I let out a groan and shot him a playful smirk in return, tired of hearing the same old joke.

"Four years ago, man, four years. You're not going to let me live down the whole poison ivy incident, huh?" I jokingly echoed his playful pat on the leg. "I'll make you a deal, buddy. I'll hide the toilet paper this time. That way, you can experience what it's like to have a swollen, blistering, asscrack." 

We both shared a laugh and carried on with our banter, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the recent turmoil between my girlfriend and me. It had only been a few weeks since everything happened, and I knew that healing would take time. The wound in my heart was still fresh, and the shock of it all lingered in my mind. We had been inseparable, crazy about each other. Six years back, we were just two carefree youngsters who crossed paths at a dive bar during a friend's gig. A few coffee dates later, and sparks flew between us. She was the one person who truly got me, and we had a seamless companionship. But when an unexpected pregnancy led to a heartbreaking miscarriage, everything changed. Grief wedged its way between us, causing a gradual drift. I couldn't pinpoint blame on either of us, but the shared loss acted as a silent barrier, pushing us apart.

I glanced over at Mark, his gaze fixed on the rough dirt road ahead as we ascended the familiar hill. His thoughts, however, seemed to have drifted back to the music playing on the radio, evidenced by his off-key singing. As I observed him, I couldn't help but admire his ability to push aside any emotional turmoil, even if it was just for a weekend. The pain of losing a girlfriend paled in comparison to the devastating loss of his mother, who had been a beacon of love and support not just for him, but for all his friends who visited their home. I remember a time from our childhood when we were both twelve years old and faced a bully at school; while my parents were unable to intervene due to work commitments, Mark's mother fearlessly confronted the issue with the school administration on our behalf. 

However, fate was cruel, and within a short period after being diagnosed with cancer, she succumbed to the illness, leaving a void in their family that could never be filled. The cancer had snatched away a truly remarkable soul. As I dwelled on these memories, lost in my thoughts, I suddenly realized that Mark had brought the truck to a stop, silencing the engine.

"We've arrived, dude," he exclaimed, his grin spreading from ear to ear. Tossing his sandy blonde locks back from his face, he retrieved some of the smaller camping bags from the backseat. I gazed out the window, unfastening my seatbelt, feeling a wave of peace wash over me as I took in the forested area on my right. This was our sanctuary, our escape from the world. Stepping out of the car, I planted a foot on the pine cone and bark-strewn ground, immediately greeted by the symphony of birdsong and the sweet scent of nature. A sense of serenity enveloped me as I surveyed the woods that now surrounded us. Over by the flatbed of the truck, I could hear Mark grunting as he struggled with our larger bags, tossing them to the ground. I glanced back at him, seeing him haul out the massive bag containing our tent.

"Hey, Mark, I'm gonna take a little walk around here while we're here and take a leak. I'll lend a hand in a bit," I called out, already making my way towards a tree to do so.

"Sure thing" I heard Mark call out as I strode down the gentle slope into the forest. "Take it all in and let it all out," he added with a chuckle, amused by his own words. I couldn't help but grin at his usual antics, shaking my head as I continued, enjoying the crackling of twigs and pine needles under my boots. Reaching the base of the hill, I sought out a tree away from our campsite and began to relieve myself. Suddenly, a sound pricked my ears, a faint gasping coming from the nearby creek. It sounded like something struggling to catch their breath but trying to remain silent. Hastily finishing up, I zipped up my pants and cautiously made my way toward the source of the noise.

I could sense that the sound was coming from behind a large rock near the creek bed. However, as I approached, the noise surprisingly grew fainter instead of louder. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the tragic scene before me - a young fawn, mutilated and gasping for air. The deer's wide eyes held a look of fear and desperation as it struggled for breath. The lower half of its body was completely missing, with its entrails scattered on the ground and attracting flies. The remaining top half of the fawn bore small, bloody circular wounds that seemed to be from some sort of sharp object. Feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, I called out for Mark. Even though I couldn't tear my eyes away from the horrific sight, I could hear the sound of Mark racing down the hill towards me.

"What the fuck?" Mark exclaimed as he stood beside me, his voice trembling as he gazed at the gruesome sight before us.

"What should we do?" I struggled to articulate, a wave of nausea washing over me as I observed the unfortunate creature. Mark scanned the area and located a hefty rock, lifting it above his head.

"We need to end its suffering," he gruffly declared, "you might want to turn away." I averted my gaze from the injured animal for the first time, and the sound of the rock Mark wielded striking the deer echoed through the air, putting an end to its agony.

"Jesus!" Mark's exclamation startled me, prompting me to gaze back at the gruesome sight. Instead of a deer's head, all that remained was a flattened mass of flesh, teeth, and brains, with bright purple wriggling worms squirming within the brain tissue. These chubby purple creatures were nestled in the brain matter of the once-vibrant animal, moving their hairy, gelatinous bodies in a dance like they were at a party or in the throes of merriment.

"What in the hell are those?" I shouted, taken aback by the unnerving sight of the worms. Mark stood there, wide-eyed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I don't know. Perhaps some kind of parasite? I've heard that deer can contract a parasite that devours their brain, causing them to behave strangely," Mark mused. I turned away, unable to stomach the grotesque scene, and vomited, but Mark continued to talk as if oblivious to my distress. "As for what may have happened, it could have been wolves. Not a bear, though. We don't have those in this area," he remarked, finally noticing my vomiting and offering a comforting pat on the back. "I've made some progress with setting up the tent. Why don't you take a walk and gather firewood while I finish up? It might help you get some fresh air."

I nodded, still hunched over and wiping away the drool from my mouth. "Yeah, sure," I managed to say through a few more coughs. After ensuring that nothing else was going to come out of my stomach, I forced myself to move away. The nauseating sensation continued to permeate my body, my face flushing with heat and my stomach threatening to empty itself again. My arms felt heavy, and I had to will my legs to keep moving. It was like wading through thick water.

 I couldn't deny Mark's suggestion about those strange purple worms, but they were unlike anything I had ever encountered before. My knowledge of parasites was limited, but it just felt unnatural for something so repulsive and hairy to exist. Mark, being a veterinarian's assistant, had a good understanding of animals.

I recall visiting the clinic one day to have a lunch break with Mark. He introduced me to the doctor he had been assisting, and as soon as Mark spotted me, he hurriedly led me past the waiting room filled with people and their sick pets. We entered the doctor's office, where he introduced us to Doctor Albright. While Doctor Albright seemed friendly enough, the sight of a jar on his desk containing a dog's heart infested with heartworms was quite unsettling. I understood the concept of showcasing the reason behind the work being done, but the display had a disturbing quality that reminded me of scenes from a horror movie. Despite this, the shocking sight of the infected heart paled in comparison to the unsettling creature Mark and I had just witnessed emerging from the deer's head.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted as I stumbled, my foot catching on a tree root along the edge of the creek. I tumbled to the ground, my head striking a rock. A flash of white light enveloped my vision, prompting me to shut my eyes against the pulsating pain. Tentatively reaching up to touch the point of impact on my forehead, I felt the dampness of a trickle of blood – just what I needed. Opening my eyes, I discovered that I hadn't collided with a rock, but rather a metal surface. Before me lay a sizable square concrete foundation encasing a large metal circular lid, reminiscent of a manhole cover, complete with handles on the sides.

"What in the fuck?" I muttered aloud, struggling to stand up after the impact that left me disoriented. Bending down, I peered closer at the curious vent opening. Between the handles, which appeared designed for accessing whatever was concealed beneath, was a string of numbers and letters: '17439-HP10-4A'. Instead of clarifying its purpose, this alphanumeric sequence only piqued my interest further, compelling me to reach for one of the handles.

"Are you alright?" Mark's concerned voice behind me interrupted my contemplation, causing me to turn and motion him over.

"Come take a look at this, I found something," I called back, gesturing towards the mysterious lid. As Mark approached and observed the unusual opening, a look of bewilderment crossed his face.

"I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling whatever is below is just waiting for us to dive in on an adventure," I said with a touch of cheesy excitement. Mark chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes, motioning to grab the handle on the opposite side of me. Without hesitation, I reached out for the handle on my side as we both silently counted down from three, preparing to lift.

The lid was incredibly heavy, causing us to strain and grunt as we attempted to budge the metal covering. I felt a trickle of sweat mix with the blood from the small cut above my eyebrow, but the adrenaline kept me pushing forward. As we continued to heave the weighty object, it eventually gave way and lifted, leaving Mark and me holding it just a few inches above the opening.

With a final effort, we carefully shifted the cover to the side of the ground, revealing the hidden depths beneath. Peering into the darkness, we both felt a surge of curiosity and anticipation.

In front of us, a gaping hole revealed a stainless steel staircase descending into darkness. The pitch-black surroundings made it difficult to make out many details, but the sunlight above hinted at an arching passageway just past the stairs leading further underground. I caught Mark's eyes, and he returned the silent exchange before gesturing for me to go first.

Turning to my pocket, I pulled out my cellphone and turned on the flashlight, disregarding the lack of service bars on my home screen. Stepping onto the metal staircase, each clang resonated loudly as I descended, Mark's steady steps echoing mine a few paces behind. His phone illuminated the space above my head as we ventured downward.

As I neared the bottom, my light swept over the doorless, expansive hallway, revealing only mundane concrete walls with a peculiar touch of black paint on either side of the entrance. The markings read "SITE 17439-HP10-4A-A1," leaving us to wonder what awaited beyond.

I glanced back at Mark, who had his light fixed on the same lettering, shaking his head in bewilderment like me. Moving down the hallway, the feeble glow from my phone revealed a plain wooden door at the far end, adorned with a glass panel window that hinted at an office beyond, though visibility was scarce. My hand reached for the doorknob just as Mark's voice gave me pause.

"Wait." I turned to find him standing behind me, the brightness of his phone obscuring his features. "Maybe we should reconsider. This seems more heavy than we thought," he hesitated, "like it could involve some shady government stuff. I don't want to get mixed up in legal trouble."

I scoffed, "Seriously? We've come this far, and besides, look inside." Gesturing with my phone towards the window, I continued, "It's just as dark in there as it is out here." I turned the knob, feeling the door unlatch from the concrete wall. "This place is deserted. No one knows we're here in the middle of nowhere in buttfuck Georgia, exploring some mysterious underground bunker," I declared, already stepping through the doorway.

Surveying the room, the once typical reception area now appeared desolate, as if hastily vacated. The sizable white desk, hosting two now-disconnected computers, had its drawers forcibly yanked open, eerily empty. The towers of the machines had been stripped bare, bereft of their hardware, leaving only hollow shells behind. A noticeable absence of grime on the walls hinted at where frames once held portraits or artworks now absent. Dark hallways stretched into the underground facility from each side, the darkness impenetrable from our vantage point.

 Adjacent to one corridor lay three overturned filing cabinets. Intrigued, I cautiously advanced further into the room, and my steps echoed in the unsettling silence. A damp squelch underfoot drew my attention downwards, and pointing my phone to the floor with my light, I discovered a small pool of a peculiar, gel-like substance. As I tried to lift my foot, the liquid resisted, its surface teeming with tiny, shifting bubbles. Examining my boot, I noticed a similar layer coating the sole, mirroring the bubbling activity beneath. Alerting Mark to the unusual sight, I directed his attention to the odd liquid clinging to my boot, seeking his thoughts.

"What's your take on this?" I asked, prompting him to abandon the filing cabinets he was standing over and scrutinize the mysterious substance. His response was punctuated by a contemplative hum, suggesting deep thought.

"I don't know. It seems to look like the mucus left by a snail, but I can't be certain. Better not touch it," Mark cautioned, his eyes scanning the room for clues. "I spotted something similar on one of the  filing cabinets, but I sure as hell didn't touch it."

Directing my phone's light towards the cabinets he mentioned, I asked, "Did you find anything in there?"

"No," he replied tersely. "There wasn't a single file folder inside. What's even more peculiar is how spotless this place appears, despite its emptiness."

Mark's observation was astute; the reception area, apart from the strange liquid I had encountered, was unusually clean for an abandoned location. There wasn't any dust, as if it had only been empty a short time, but suddenly a noise emanated from one of the hallways, jolting us from our thoughts. The sound of someone struggling for breath and grunting in pain reverberated through the silent air, prompting Mark to cast me an alarmed glance.

"Someone is still here" Mark exclaimed urgently. Before I had a chance to reply, he sprinted down the hallway in the direction of the distressing sounds. I followed suit, trying to keep pace with him, but he had a significant advantage in speed, being a track team member back in school.

"Mark, hold on!" I shouted, struggling to close the gap between us, but his agility outmatched mine, compounded by his initial head start.

"Someone is injured, Luke!" he called out as he neared the corner where the cries echoed from. Determined to catch up, I pushed myself harder, yet I couldn't reach him in speed.

As I approached, my heart sank at the sight before me. Mark had reached the hallway's corner just as a figure pounced on him from the darkness. He staggered backward, pinned against the wall by the assailant. Drawing closer, I discerned the figure latched onto Mark was a man. His khaki pants were drenched in the strange liquid I had encountered, bubbles forming amidst the dampness. His torn lab coat, covered with vomit, revealed the familiar purple worms from those on the deer we saw earlier.

With a desperate gaze, the man peered up at Mark through shattered eyeglasses, one eye infested with wriggling worms protruding from his pupil, waving left and right trying to reach out to Mark.

"Please..." the stranger pleaded with Mark, who attempted to pull away from his grip. "We were mistaken. It cannot die. It refuses to let us die" His voice was chilling, a cacophony of two distinct tones speaking simultaneously. One voice filled with anguish, the other eerily serene. With each word he spoke, more of those grotesque worms spilled out of his mouth and onto Mark's waist. Mark managed to deliver a knee to the man's chest, dislodging his grip, before bolting back in the direction we had come from, grasping my arm in the process.

"GO!" Mark bellowed, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. Without hesitation, I pivoted on my heels and sprinted after him, my heart pounding in my chest. Behind us, the man's desperate gasps and moans echoed down the corridor. I glanced back to see the man on his knees, retching up a grotesque mass of worms onto the floor. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered apologies into the darkness, his voice raw with desperation, and those same dual voices.

 There was no time for sympathy as I turned my attention back to Mark, my muscles straining as I pushed myself to keep pace. Just as I thought we might escape, a door swung open with a deafening crash, slamming into my face with brutal force. Agony exploded through my skull as I stumbled backward and crashed to the ground just as everything around me went dark. 

As my eyes fluttered open, I was met with a wave of excruciating pain that threatened to consume me. My head pounded relentlessly, my ears rang with a deafening sound. Blood dripped down my face, mingling with my tears as I lay on my back, disoriented and lost.

The surrounding chaos blurred into indiscernible shapes and shadows, but the agonizing cries of wounded animals echoed through the darkness. Staring at the ceiling I could tell I was no longer in the hallway, but in a different room. With a heavy groan, I mustered all of my strength to roll onto my side, only to discover my cell phone lying next to me, its flashlight casting a glow.

Barely able to lift myself to my knees, I grasped the phone and brought it closer to my face. Through the haze, I saw a message displayed on the screen - a cryptic warning was left in the body of a text from myself with no recipient.

 "Sorry about knocking you out, "but there's no time. It's loose, and they're coming. Find the key in your pocket, take a left, and head for the stairs. I'm already gone, you won't find me. Tell them what you saw."

As the gravity of the situation sunk in, I realized that I needed to hurry. I groaned more as I pulled myself to my feet. Shining my phone ahead of me to get an understanding of where I was. In front of me was a large metal table, littered with broken vials and scattered papers covered in some kind of chemical. To the left of the table were large kennels stacked on top of each other; I walked over to them and was startled to see the animals that were inside. In one was a brown falcon lying on its side and flailing its wing and legs; those hairy purple worms were covering its body, digging in and back out of holes covering its body, its flailing wing had several of them nestled in between its feathers, some of them were flying off with every flap. 

In another kennel was a small bulldog, dripping out of the mouth with worms; it lunged towards the door of the kennel, barking at me, trying to break free. Another kennel had another baby deer that was constantly screaming; both its eyes were gone, and in its place were just mounds of wriggling, purple, hairy worms. I stepped backward away from the horrible site, backing into the table, my hand bracing on one of the wet pieces of paper on the table. I moved my light over it and could make some of it out, but the chemical poured over it made it difficult to read. 

**The study of (illegible) infestations has taken a terrifying turn as we observe the takeover of hosts by these new entities that grant them incredible strength, dexterity, and unyielding resistance to conventional forms of (illegible). As the impending threat of human testing looms, ethical concerns abound as we witness the monstrous transformation of subjects into seemingly unkillable beings.

Methods: Subjects were exposed to parasitic infestation through controlled ingestion of contaminated food sources. Observations were made over an extended period to assess the progression of the infestation and its effects on host physiology.

Results: The parasitic infestation led to a nightmarish transformation in hosts, as they exhibited unprecedented muscle growth, enhanced dexterity, and an alarming increase in cell growth that rendered them impervious to traditional methods of treatment. Subjects displayed a terrifying hostility towards researchers and demonstrated a chilling ability to survive lethal doses of eradication attempts.

Discussion: The findings of this study reveal a sinister power within the parasitic entities that take control of hosts, granting them superhuman (illegible) and an unnerving resilience to harm. The ethical implications of continuing such experiments on human subjects are deeply troubling, as the potential consequences of unleashing these monstrous capabilities are beyond comprehension.

Conclusion: The parasitic infestation has unleashed a (illegible) within our research facility, as hosts are transformed into terrifying beings with incomprehensible strength, dexterity, and invulnerability. The looming specter of human testing raises grave concerns about the ethical boundaries we are willing to cross in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. As a researcher haunted by the horrors I have witnessed, I fear the horrors that may be unleashed if we continue down this treacherous path.**

I dropped the soggy paper back down on the table, inclining that whoever had written this report may be the person who dragged me into this room. I started towards the open doorway of the room, even more eager than before to leave. I stood in the hallway and recognized the staircase leading up the phone message must have been referring to 50 or so yards to my left, but a wet growling noise to my right caught my attention. Turning around, my heart froze at the sight of a large, humanoid creature clinging to the side of the wall on all fours. 

The purple-skinned humanoid creature loomed before me, its lab coat and khakis in shreds and tatters. Its broken frame eyeglasses were askew on its large, yellow, predatory eyes that seemed to pierce through my very soul with a malevolent glow. Its muscular arms and legs were elongated and sinewy, with patches of dark hairs erupting from its sickly violet skin. The creature's bald head was adorned with a writhing mass of long, purple, worm-like tendrils that cascaded down its spine, wriggling and squirming in a grotesque display.

And from its twisted, contorted mouth hung the gruesome visage of my friend Mark's decapitated head, blood still oozing from the severed neck, the lifeless eyes staring blankly ahead. The creature stood there in eerie silence, a nightmarish amalgamation of horror and desolation, its presence sending chills down my spine as I struggled to comprehend the unimaginable sight before me. It opened its mouth and let out another wet growl, dropping Mark's head to the ground in the process. I was no longer frozen in place, it seemed as if my body moved on its own as I turned around and began racing for the staircase.

 I could hear the creature behind me running along the walls in hot pursuit of me. Every fiber of my body screamed in pain as I struggled to run across the concrete ground, hearing the beast pounce from wall to wall in its attempt to catch me, bellowing out an unearthly scream in its frustration. 

My legs seemed to find new strength while I ran up the cold staircase, and I propelled my whole body up into the double door covering that was at the very end of the staircase. Standing once again in the woods of Mount Alto, I looked around for something to keep the doors closed and quickly found a heavy tree branch just lying a few feet away from me. Hurriedly, I grabbed it, dragged it back to the doorway, and wedged it under the handle of the doors just as the creature threw itself into them, causing the doors to budge slightly and the branch to crack a little. 

I turned away and started running along the creek bed, seeing the familiar hill Mark parked on just up ahead. My lungs felt like they were about to explode from the amount I was exerting myself as I passed the metal covering Mark and I used to enter the underground lab, but I couldn't slow down, not even as I passed the fawn we saw earlier, trying to push itself up on its remaining two legs despite not having a lower body or head. 

I fell to my hands and knees, hearing the roar of the creature in the distance as I climbed the hill without falling, standing up, and throwing myself into Mark's truck once I made it to the top. I cussed as my nervous hands struggled to turn the key in the ignition, but settled myself once I heard the truck pur to life. As quickly as I could I made a sharp U-turn and began speeding off back to town on the bumpy dirt road that got us here. Along the way, I could hear helicopters above tearing through the sky, but I felt comfortable that they couldn't see the truck through the canopy of trees. 

That was three days ago. Despite seeing several strange armored jeeps heading in the direction of Mount Alto, and occasionally seeing helicopters flying overhead in town, there has been complete media silence. I haven't been able to sleep, and I'm afraid of leaving my home. I don't know what was going on in that bunker, but whatever they were working on, is out now. 

[ravenwitch45]

What if Blitzo's human s/o was killed and turned into a sinner demon along leaving him to take care of their cambion baby because the mother ended up being sent to Hazbin Hotel?

Oh joy Blitz loses another loved one, not like that's the entire basis of his avoidant behavior and would further traumatize him... But, the child is a new factor so I suppose I'll explore it a little, still after my last thing with Blitz I'll give him a break in the end.

Blitz's human S/O getting killed leaving him to take care of their baby alone.

No matter what happened, this poor man is in shock.

His S/O, the person he fell in love with depsite all the walls he put up, the person he had a child with, the person he wanted to have family with, is gone, and there's nothing he can do about it.

He should have been able to protect you, to stop this from happening but he failed, and he'd blame himself even more if you got killed by something because of him and I.M.P.

He gives the kid to M&M for the time being, knowing he's not in the headspace to take care of a child, and just sulks for a while, he runs the company as usual, and when anyone tries to bring it up, either that he needs to mourne, or his kid, he'll stop them right there or leave the room.

Everyone at least tries to talk and help him, but this is Blitz so he hardly listens. M&M, Loona, Stolas, they all get tuned out completely

Eventually everyone get's fed up and Millie brings the kid into work one day and drags Blitz out of his office so he can keep an eye on his baby while everyone else goes on a hit, he's reluctant but it is Millie so her boss or not he listens to her if she insists.

He tries his best to ignore the kid, but he's still a father at heart so he tries his best to help if they whine, eventually fully looking at them, seeing all the things they got from you, and his chest warms in a way he hasn't felt in a long time.

When everyone comes back they see Blitz cradling his baby crying his eyes out, but smiling, cause he still has a bit of you with him, and he's not losing that no matter what.

He's a lot better after that, trying his best to raise the kid, and make sure they have a happy life, while also fixing up his own, apoligizing to everyone for his behavior. Even confessing to Stolas, remembering you had been trying to psyche him up for it before you died.

Years pass, his kid grows up a little, and even if there still young he couldn't be prouder of them. Telling them stories of you to remember you by, sad they'll never get to know their mother, but trying his best to move on.

But one day, he's shopping over in Pentagram city, and bumps into you, while your putting up fliers, immediately dropping the bags he's carrying and tackles you in a hug, confused but he's so happy, excitedly asking how your here and then it turns into you too telling eachother what's been going on in your lives, both happy to see things going decently well for the both of you.

Something to explain to your kid for sure, but any tears Blitz cries that day will be tears of joy.

[midnightmajick]

Get Your Freak On

Mike Schmidt x fem reader

Warnings: Smut, porn with (basically) no plot, literally takes place in a strip club so...

18+ only, Minors DNI

Word count: 1,691 words

Wrote this to "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott, I'll put the Spotify link below this.

It was 11pm, and Micheal Schmidt was in his own personal hell. Most guys would enjoy tonight, but Mike wasn’t most guys. If he had known this bachelor party were at a strip club, he probably wouldn’t have gone. Yeah, Mark was his best friend, but this was a line Mike wouldn’t willingly cross. He hated the idea of being there. He didn’t mind hookups, but full-on strip clubs were not his idea of fun. He sighed as he remembered he actually paid someone to watch Abby. Only to find out he would be spending the entire night here, where it reeked of sex.

All of his friends knew Mike wasn’t into this kind of thing either. No wonder they wouldn’t tell him where they were going until it was too late for him to weasel his way out of being there. So he sat in the corner, trying his best to ignore everyone and everything.

He was doing fine until you walked over to him. He wasn’t interested in you, but you found it strange how a man could be so cross at a place like this. “Hey there big boy, want me to cheer you up?” You asked in a sultry tone. Obviously this guy wasn’t happy to be here, and your boss would kill you if you didn’t try to fix it. It didn’t hurt that he was hot. Not in the typical fuck-boy way; in fact, he almost had a softer look to him. Well, despite the unwavering scowl on his face.

“No, I’m good thanks,” the man grumbled. This clearly wasn’t going to be easy. “Okay, but can you at least try not to look so angry? Between you and me, my boss isn’t exactly happy you’re sitting here in this kind of mood. He says it’s bad for business,” you reasoned with him. But you might as well have been grasping at straws. “Look, if I could leave, I would. It’s my best friend’s bachelor party; he and the rest of our friends tricked me into coming. I don’t want to be here. Nothing personal,” he growled.

“They tricked you into coming? That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah. And I can’t go home cause that would be rude. Plus I already paid the babysitter.”

“You have a kid?”

“No, I take care of my sister. I just hope she doesn’t find out this is where I was, cause she’s fucking ten.”

“Oh, damn. I honestly don’t blame you for being pissed. I’d be mad too.”

“Really?” his scowl evaporated. Finally, someone that understood how fucked up this entire situation was. And actually cared enough to listen to how he felt. “Yeah, I’m sorry they pulled that on you, that’s just a dick move.”

“No kidding.”

A pause.

“I’m Mike.”

“Y/N,” you responded.

Mike smiled. Not a forced smile, but a genuine one. For the first time tonight, he had a reason to. Sure, he hated being here, but at least you weren’t too bad. You were definitely easy on the eyes. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as he thought. He was suddenly aware of the fact that you were barely wearing anything, and a blush covered his face.

Before he noticed what he was doing, Mike’s eyes looked you up and down lecherously. You immediately took notice of how he was gaping at you, and a knot instantly formed in your stomach. Damn, Mike was making you feel all kinds of things you didn’t normally feel when you were working.

Maybe it was those big doe eyes of his that looked up at you, now glazed over with want. Or his strong hands that you just wanted to have touch you all over. But you had a feeling that the real reason you felt this way is because you could tell he saw you as more than an object, but as a human being. Just like him.

“Like what you see Mike?” you teased. Immediately, Mike broke out of his trance and blinked, a bright red blush covering his face. Clearly he was embarassed, but you reassured him, “No, it’s okay, take it all in, hun.” His eyes instantly snapped up to yours, searching for any doubt or discomfort in your expression.

When he failed to find any, his hands slid up your thighs and onto your waist, instantly earning a sigh from you. “That’s it hun, go ahead, take what you want.” You didn’t have to tell him twice. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he knew you’d gladly give it to him. He guided you down onto his lap, and if it wasn’t clear before how much he needed you, it was now. You could feel his cock pressing against his jeans, begging for release. The release you would give to him. You dragged your barely-clothed cunt over his crotch, eliciting a groan from his lips instantly. His hands kneaded at your hips, and you let out a low moan.

“Feel good, Princess?” he growled lustfully. God, this was going to be good. “Mike...” is all you could manage as he continued to grab at you. He was ensnared in your web, but that was okay with him. He wanted, no, needed, you so bad that he didn’t care how desperate he came across.

“Wanna head somewhere more-fuuuck-private?” you asked, your gaze pleading with him to fuck you already as he grasped at your soft skin. He grinned devilishly, and you knew exactly where to take him. You snagged his hand and led him to the back of the club, where you opened the back door. “I know a place, follow me.”

A few minutes later, you had brought him to your apartment. Normally you wouldn’t have taken him here, but something was different about him. You needed somewhere private so he could take you, and none of the rooms in the club you worked in were available. That, and they were kind of gross anyway. At least, in your opinion.

As soon as he walked in, a wave of shyness washed over Mike. This was your apartment, he didn’t really feel as if he belonged here, and he needed to be respectful. You sensed his cocky attitude shift, and as you led him to your bedroom, you knew you had to do something to keep him from bolting. So you tackled him onto the bed. His eyes widened in surprise, he wasn’t expecting it, but he wasn’t going to complain.

Before you had a chance to start doing what you had planned to, he flipped you over, sandwiching you between his body and the bed. You instantly moaned, completely caught off guard. His body was pressed on top of yours, and you could feel his hot breath on your neck.

You were about to beg him to do something, anything, but you never got the chance. His lips sucked on your neck, evoking a whimper from you. “Mike, fuuuck...” you whined, the tone of your voice an indicator of your arousal. “Come on, be my good girl now...” he mumbled, lost in a world of ardor.

His hips began jutting up into yours, and you both groaned in response. As he snapped up against you, his hands fumbled around for the clasps on your top. After unhooking them, he tore the revealing garment off of your chest. He stared at you salaciously, practically drooling over himself. How had he gotten so lucky?

He clawed at your bottoms desperately, and once he had them off, his eyes were glued to your pussy and how wet you were for him. Without delay, you started yanking his clothes off as well. As soon as you pulled his boxers off, his cock sprang free of its restraints, leaking a bit of pre-cum at its tip. Fuck, he was huge. If you weren’t used to this kind of thing, you would have wondered if you could take him.

Before you had time to react, Mike shoved himself inside of your cunt. You squealed in arousal and surprise as he began to fuck into you like a madman. It was clear he hadn’t done this in a while, he was completely desperate to ravage you, but you weren’t complaining. Whines spilled from your lips and his name rolled off of your tongue along with a string of obscenities and moans about how good his dick felt inside of you.

He pounded into you with fervor, hips snapping up into you and filling you up. His hand snaked down to your clit, and he began to rub circles against the sensitive flesh. You moaned loudly, unable to control the volume of your voice. The feeling of his dick as it pistoned up into you with accuracy and precision was incredible. He was hitting your G-spot over and over, and as his hand continually grazed over your clit, you knew you were done for. It wouldn’t be long now.

As you came, a guttural cry echoed throughout your apartment. Mike continued fucking into you, chasing his own release. He finally erupted, his breath hitching as you felt his cum paint your insides white. “Damn... That was the best sex I’ve ever had,” you panted. Your hair clung to your face from the layer of sweat that covered your body, which gave a slight sheen to your skin. “Me too,” Mike agreed.

“By the way, today was my last day. Glad it wasn’t yesterday,” you mused aloud. “I’m really glad too,” Mike replied, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. That’s when you realized. That he felt the same way you did. You had a feeling there was a connection before everything got so... sexual, but you weren’t sure if it was just you wanting it to be true so bad you believed it, or if it was actually real.

But now, based on that little display of affection, that little kiss he gave you a few moments ago, you knew. You were swept away inside your mind, but before you had a chance to continue your train of thought, Mike interrupted you. “By the way, could I have your number?”

[blvckqwz]

3. Every Man For Himself

The excitement about the new world was quick to die, replaced instead by new problems. Evelyn didn’t want to go anywhere near the rest of the delinquents as she was pretty sure that they would jump her the second they saw her.

It was complicated.

She wasn’t like Clarke or Wells, because they were stuck up assholes, but she wasn’t like those other beasts either. She just decided to keep for herself until the rest of the Ark came down.

And then what?

She was supposed to be dead in a week, and now there she was, on Earth. All by herself. Footsteps’ sound came from behind her as the girl raised her head from the ground where she had sat, bored out of her mind.

“Something tells me that there is bad news behind the corner, isn't there?” Evelyn asked as she eyed the pair coming towards her. “Yes, there is.” Clarke replied, looking worried “We landed here, and Mount Weather is there.” The blonde started to point somewhere behind the forest, “So we need to make our way there if we want to get that food. It’s probably going to take all day to hike there.” She explained. 

Evelyn stayed quiet, the little excitement left from before vanished before she could even enjoy it.

“The communication system is also dead. I went to the roof, heat fried the wires.” Wells added.

Great, just fucking great.

"Well, all that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather.” The blonde stated, not missing the confused glance the brunette beside her shot her, “ See?” She crouched down on the floor to draw something on a map Evelyn didn’t care enough to look at, “Look. This is us. This is where we need to get to if we want to survive." Clarke replied while shooting an annoyed look at the boy. Wells obviously missed it, but Evelyn surely didn't.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Wells asked, as if he couldn’t make the situation anymore tense. 

Clarke coughed and shifted on her feets awkwardly.

”Your father…” He realized. Wells looked like he wanted to say something else but Evelyn pipped in, while glaring at him. 

“What does this stuff have to do to me? In case you missed it I left the magic wand at home.” She said, getting up and wiping her dirty hands on her discolored jeans, “And sure as hell not hiking in a radioactive forest.”  

“We need the supplies.” Clarke sounded annoyed, which made the other girl roll her eyes, “Then let’s go hunting, or the hell I don’t know, let’s go fucking picking berries.” Evelyn shot back. “Half of us didn’t even pass basic Earth Skills’s class.” Wells objected.

“Us?” Evelyn chuckled, “There is not us. These people wouldn’t spit on you even if you were on fire, trust me, as soon as something goes wrong they will blame us.” She spat, “Is every man for himself Jaha, it has always been.” 

Wells's face contorted in a mask of worry as he eyed the girl next to him. But Clarke’s eyes were fixed on Evelyn with an unreadable expression. 

“Hey” a voice called. 

Evelyn shot one last glance to the pair before swiveling around and saw Jasper walking towards her alongside Monty. “I just wanted to say that what you did to that guard was cool.” He said 

“Thanks.” She replied. His blood was still stuck on her hand, now dried and peeling off. He thought it was cool, not gross. Sometimes Evelyn tended to forget that not everyone came from the Phoenix, where a thing like that would simply be insane. “Hey, cool, a map.” he continued, trying to flirt with Clarke. “They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you two ladies a beer.” he smirked, leaving Clarke flustered. Evelyn thought it was funny but Wells clearly didn’t agree. “You mind?” He snarled to Jasper, grabbing his arm. Evelyn knew the feelings Wells held for the blonde a bit too well, so she understood his reaction, as idiotic as it was, but before her or Clarke could stop him another boy jumped in the conversation, followed by a lot of other delinquents. 

“Hey, hey, hey, hands off him. He's with us.” He barked at Wells. 

Mop of brown hair with blue eyes. Crooked nose. Not give half a fuck attitude. Evelyn instantly recognized John Murphy, much to her annoyment. Their cells were on the same floor, so she often heard him fighting with the guards for whatever reason. Her father floated his a few years back for something Evelyn was too young to remember. 

He hated her. The feeling was very much reciprocated.

“Relax. We're just trying to figure out where we are." Wells replied, trying to sound calm. But Evelyn noticed how his eyes flickered to look at the crowd that was forming around them. He was scared. The girl sighed, knowing damn well that if it came down to a fight she would have his back. Every man for himself was just an utopia. "We're on the ground. That is not good enough for you?" Bellamy said from afar, making his way with Octavia towards the crowd. "Thanks captain obvious but I don't think that's what Wells ment." Evelyn replied, annoyed. Why couldn't anyone just mind their own fucking bussines, she thought. "Exactly." Wells responded, giving Evelyn a silent thank you which made her roll her eyes, "We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority." He announced.

Great, now that Jaha was brought into the conversation they were going to get beaten up for sure. Evelyn had read enough history books to know what happens to the aristocrats in the middle of riots. The crowd started whispering, worried that they weren't going to survive. What a bunch of sheeps. "Screw your father." Octavia retorted. "What, you think you're in charge here, you and your little Princesses?" Here comes another idiot, Evelyn thought. She had enough of this bullshit, "No one fucking cares about who is in charge. We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be." She replied before she could even realize what she was saying. "Evelyn is right. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now." Clarke added, shooting the brunette a confused expression. "I got a better idea. You three go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." Bellamy said, causing Evelyn to roll her eyes. That boy was seriously starting to get on her nerves. "You're not listening. We all need to go." Wells basically begged. The girl was tired of this dumb argument. It was her first day on Earth, she wasn't going to spend it with a group of imbeciles. But just as she was going away, someone pushed Wells from behind. 

"Look at this, everybody… The Chancellor of Earth." Murphy said.

As if her day couldn’t get even brighter.

The crowd immediately started cheering, clearly wanting the two of them to fight. Evelyn wasted no time jumping in the middle of the people, shoving a few guys that weren’t smart enough to let her pass away. 

“You think that's funny?” Wells spat as the other boy circled him.

Murphy pushed Wells, causing him to fall and twist his ankle. But he immediately got up, even though he was clearly hurt.

“No, but that was.” He said as he came closer to the stumbling boy.

“What kind of coward are you, jumping a single boy while you are what? Ten people?” Evelyn spat as she finally broke free from the crowd squeezing her, “Even a neanderthal like you should know that it isn’t right.” 

“No way, we even got the Vice. Did I miss the council memo?” Murphy barked, the crowd around him chuckling. 

“Step away.” The girl stood her ground, crossing her arms, “Or it will be two against ten, and I promise that I don't go easy.” 

The crowd started cheering and clapping. Evelyn caught a glimpse of Clarke’s disappointed expression among them. She had to fight the urge to scoff. The little princess could be as disappointed as she wanted, but it was Evelyn who stepped up to help a limping boy, not her. 

The promise of a good fight was just a bonus.

"Kid's got one leg. How about you wait until it's a fair fight?" Another boy jumped in, getting between Wells and the delinquent. Evelyn recognized him as the spacewalker who wasted a month's worth of oxygen. 

A thick silence shifted on the crowd but she didn't care. She shot Murphy a death glare and hurried by Wells’s side, trying to help him get away from the fight.

“C’mon, we don’t have all day.” The brunette hurried in a whisper as Wells stumbled behind her.

“Why did you do that?” He asked once they were far enough from the crowd.

“Survival. Now you owe me.” She explained with a stern tone as she looked around, “Sit.” She ordered once she saw a fallen log near them.

Wells wordlessy obeyed, “You’ll come with us to Mount Weather?” He asked once he had sitten down. 

“Absolutely no. That would be stupid.” Evelyn replied. 

“Why not? You even have a knife, most of us don’t.” He questioned.

“What?” Her brows furrowed in confusion, “I don’t have a knife.” 

“You do, it’s in your pocket I think. I could feel it while you dragged me away.” He explained with a shrug, “Hey I don’t care that you have it, y’know? It’s good.” But Evelyn wasn’t listening to him rambling, instead she reached her pocket and pulled out a shiny cold steel knife. Not one of those rusty boot knives she saw when she worked at the Walden, no, that was an expensive knife for sure. 

Evelyn was surprised that it didn’t impale her while she was on the drop ship. But how did it end up there? She was sure that she would have known if she was carrying around a knife. 

“Lyn!” A high pitched voice called from afar, snapping the brunette from her thoughts. Her head shot up to look at the source of the noise. A shot, scrawny girl was running towards her. Her hair was a light blonde collected in a ponytail with the usual braid in them. Evelyn was the one to teach her how to do it, because the rich girls in the Phoenix carried their hair like that. But while on their hair it looked elegant, in the girl’s crazy hair it just made her look even more juvenile. 

“Charlie!” Evelyn shouted as she got up, tucking her knife in her waistband and hiding it with her jacket. She turned out to look at Wells, her expression cold again as she brought her finger to her lips in a shushing motion. “You owe me.” She mouthed to him, making him nod.

The blonde had now reached them, her big blue eyes looking up at Evelyn as she held her in a crushing hug, “I thought they had floated you.” 

“Nah, they knew better.” The older girl shook her head as she looked down at her old roommate.

She didn’t know what having a sister meant, no one from the Ark except for the Blakes knew, but Charlie was her sister. Their bond was stronger than blood.

Suddenly everything shifted. It couldn’t be everyman for himself, because Charlie was there, which made her Evelyn’s responsibility. She was too young, too inexperienced to be out there with those brutus. Too naive, too kind. 

Evelyn pulled away to study her face, holding it in her fingers. There was a nasty cut on her forehead, probably due the abrupt landing, and she still looked sick. Her pale skin was sweaty and dark bags stood under her big eyes.

“We are okay now, we are together.” Evelyn reassured the young girl. 

Her eyes fell on Wells, who was watching her with a surprised expression. It must be weird to see that caring side of the Kane girl, she thought as she turned to him, “This is Charlie, she was in the same cell as me for a while.” She explained, “This is Wells, Jaha’s son.” She introduced to the young girl. 

“Hi.” The girl shyly waved from behind Evelyn as she blushed. A smirk grew on the brunette’s face as she shook her head.

Evelyn felt Charlie pulling her sleeve, and when she looked around to ask her what was wrong she noticed her pointing towards a figure coming towards them. Clarke.

“It’s okay, it’s just Clarke.” Evelyn assured the young girl. She didn’t handle crowds well, so it was quite a surprise how easily she bonded with the older girl.

“Hey.” Clarke greeted, “How’s your ankle?” She asked Wells.

Right, Evelyn thought, she had completely forgotten about his injury.

“Better.” Wells nodded, “So Mount Weather. When do we leave?" 

"Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food." Clarke replied.

"Do you think you can stand up?" Evelyn asked Wells. 

Wells was like her brother before she got locked up, and even though they weren’t friends anymore she still worried for him sometimes.

"Yeah yeah, don't worry, I've got this." Wells said, giving her a small smile.

"Don't even think about it. You aren't coming." Clarke instructed, then turned to Evelyn, “Changed your mind?” The girl glanced at Charlie behind her. She could hunt for two, and Charlie was really smart, they didn’t need the Ark’s food, not anymore. 

“No, we are staying here, where it is safe.” She stated. 

“Safe? Have you seen those guys?” Finn nodded towards Bellamy’s pack, who was also eyeing them.

“You should really come, we need as many arms as we can.” Clarke ignored Finn’s comment, “We have to stick together.” 

“I think that we are both capable of making our decisions for ourselves, thank you." Evelyn replied and she felt Charlie shift on her feet behind her. If there was one thing that Evelyn definitely didn't need was following someone else's orders. "We'll need more people." Clarke said, ignoring Evelyn’s comment. 

She knew that her and the brunette weren't exactly friends anymore, but she didn't expect her to be so hostile. It hurted a bit, but Evelyn wasn’t nice to anyone so Clarke didn’t take it too personally. 

Finn grabbed Monty and Jasper and turned back to Clarke "Four of us. Can we go now?"

"Sounds like a party. Make it five." Octavia said as she got close to the group. 

Great, Evelyn thought, now what was next? The other Blake?

“Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?” 

Speak of the devil…

“Going for a walk.” Octavia shrugged.

Evelyn had to admit that she liked her style, if only she wasn’t Bellamy’s sister she would actually find her tolerable.

“Hey, were you trying to take this off?” Clarke’s voice snapped her back from the siblings’ discussion. 

“Yeah, so?” Finn asked as he fidgeted with the wristband on his arm. A piece of metal was missing and there were a few scratches on it.

Evelyn didn’t think anything about it. Maybe it was to locate them or something, but she doubted that the people up there cared enough to know where their dear lab rats went.

“So this wristband transmits your vital signs to The Ark. Take it off, and they'll think you're dead.” Clarke replied.

Of course, that was why. They needed data to go on with their little experiment. An idea came in the back of Evelyn’s mind. She also had a wristband. And a knife. And an asshole father that was for sure watching those monitors.

“Should I care?” Finn asked. 

“Well, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying.” The blonde replied one last time before turning her back at him and focussing on Wells’s ankle one last time.

Would her father care if she died? Evelyn doubted it. He probably had an expensive bottle of liquor hidden somewhere for when she finally decided to snuff it. 

"Ok then let's go." Clarke said.

“Wait.” A voice called from behind her, “I want to come too.” Charlie spoke for the first time.

Evelyn turned around to face the young girl, “No you don’t.” 

“I do.” Charlie’s voice didn’t quiver as she raised her chin, “I want to go. I want to be useful.” 

“You are already useful.” The brunette insisted, “You can’t go there, what if…” She lowered her voice, “What if you have another crisis?” She whispered so that only the other girl could hear her.

“I don’t want to sit here and wait for the Ark to save us, knowing that I didn’t help.” Charlie said, “I don’t want to be like that for my whole life. Afraid.” 

Evelyn studied the girl for a few moments, but she knew deep down that there was no way she could convince her. It wouldn’t be fair. This was also her space odyssey, she deserved to see the world.

“Be careful.” She said as she placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.” The blonde threw herself in the older girl’s arms, “Thank you.” She mumbled.

Evelyn just nodded, “Don’t trust anyone. Stay with Clarke. Don’t be a hero. Eat what they eat.” She whispered as she held the girl close, “Your life is more worthy than theirs. Come back alive. Whatever it takes.”

She could feel Charlie shake a bit in her arms, but Evelyn had to let her know those things. If she was there she would put her and Charlie’s lifes first, even if it meant letting the others fend for themself.

So she watched the group disappear in the woods, biting her lip. Clarke turned around for one second to glance at the brunette, and for a second she thought that she smiled, but it was probably her imagination.

The last thing she felt was another pair of eyes fixed on her as she made her way back to the dropship. She glanced towards the margin of the forest and her eyes met Bellamy’s curious ones. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes before completely disappearing inside the ship. 

[richonnesbitch]

I think ultimately the problem for me is not even people being mad at Michonne per se but it’s the time jump of it all that just makes it too much.

*cautiously whispers* I get why they might be mad actually. Because the whole thing with not killing Negan was about being better and thinking of the future and building that better future even if it meant doing something as painful as not killing him and that’s gonna make them stronger and unify them in the long run (see also: the bridge) bla bla bla And actually even if I obviously can’t support how they went about it and all that, I really don’t think Daryl, Maggie and co were wrong either about being pissed at Rick and Michonne. As much as I wanna be you’ve never done anything wrong in your life ever about them… come on. They (well, Rick but Michonne immediately backed him up) completely kinda f_cked every one else over for something they wanted and something they felt was necessary and something they needed to honor Carl… Idk, I think it’s fair that the others are like ok we get that but sorry f_ck that, that’s not what we agreed on, that’s not why we went to war for etc etc… So they started this thing with Negan that they (well, Michonne) then drops and stops when sh_t hit the fan. And she then gets to be yeah all that communities kumbaya sh_t f_ck all that I’m done… when they kinda were the ones who started it. As much as I get (from their perspective) why they did what they did and then stopped… I also get why from everybody else’s perspective it seems, if nothing else, at the very least, selfish! And why that pissed everybody off.

However the thing that screws it all up for me is the time jump. Because you’re telling me it’s 6 years later and no one made any effort to fix the situation? And that all of that anger is still placed on Michonne? With a time jump that long that makes no sense. Because if it was that important to everybody they should have had an agreement between all the other communities and just leave Alexandria out of it etc etc. But they did none of that. Just stayed in their own respective corners and blamed everything that went wrong for them on Michonne. And yeah, that makes no sense.

Being mad at Michonne (and before that, Rick and Michonne) makes sense to me! I may not like it but it does. In theory. It’s how that storyline was executed where they lose me. For it to be the way it still was after 6 years, if nothing else, I would have needed more info on the whole situation because yeah, after 6 years, am I looking at it like… and you’re still this mad at Michonne/this is is Michonne’s fault because…??? GTFOH

(That was just my more rational, objective side talking really because I’m team Rick and Michonne have never done anything wrong in their life actually idc idc 😎🤪)

I'll never understand the writing team's decision to keep Negan around. The worst mistake the show has ever made! Besides killing Carl. Actually... keeping Negan around and using Carl/Judith to try and redeem Negan are their top two worst decisions lol. He will never be redeemed in my eyes. Really, he's not even a good villain. Even if they had successfully redeemed him he still wouldn't be a thrilling villain. Like... you want me to fear a man who makes dick jokes? OK! And regardless... he's just not a very good character in general. Boo hoo hoo I cheated on my wife who was dying with cancer 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 and I named a bat after her that I used to ruthlessly kill hundreds of innocent people in front of their helpless families 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 boo hoo hoo 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[incesthemes]

Happy Wincest Wednesday Ciel!!!

If you have time and you'd like to ramble, what are your thoughts on how the story would've been affected by the brothers swapping ages, as in Sam was born first and Dean was born second?

You've got a lot of opinions and they're interesting opinions and this is something I think about a lot so I was curious whether you had any opinions on role/age swaps basically

(but like don't feel pressured to answer this today or whatever /gen)

hi cass!!!! happy wincest wednesday!!!!!! 🥳 i always have time for you. and for wincest of course.

this is such a good au and i love swaps of ALL kinds... i'll admit i've only ever given age swap cursory thought before, but it's SO appealing to consider so i definitely have things to say. i'm going to assume you mean that sam is still azazel's specialest little boy king and dean is just there 🧍‍♂️

overall i can see john being much more distant with sam and dean growing up. i'm pulling inspiration from lucas in 1x03—if sam was old enough to really understand what happened to his mother, i can see him turning out like lucas for a while (especially considering dean did too, apparently). and if he showed signs of psychic powers during that time, as sam alluded to and lucas exhibited, i think john would be particularly wary of opening up to his oldest kid—sam is the one in danger, sam is the one he has to protect, so he can't confide in him. i can see this isolating john not only from his kids but also everyone else, unless he found someone to trust early on. maybe at the roadhouse—maybe jo's dad. or maybe he didn't have anyone and he hardened himself instead.

either way, he doesn't have a kid he can confide in, and as a result a rift would naturally grow between him and his kids. i think at sam's age, he would be cognizant of both john's warmth and love prior to the fire and john's distance and secrecy after the fire. it would be only natural, i assume for sam to blame himself for this, and i think he would internalize it: it was his fault he was attacked, he's the reason mom died, dad hates him for killing mom, and he deserves this hatred. if you combine that with john's inevitable harsh training, i think you can breed a self-loathing in sam that's incredibly strong, incredibly internalized and suppressed, and incredibly defining of his character. it might, i think, manifest in similar ways to canonverse dean's self-loathing, but without the manic protectiveness toward his brother. it's much more turned into himself, because there's no object (person) onto which he can cope with that loathing in an attempt to reconcile his feelings. it's all him, baby.

as a result i think he might cope by being a kiss-ass. a quiet and submissive yes man out of a desperation to regain his father's favor, and by the time he's ever conscious of this effort being futile, it would be way too late to fix that behavior. it's habit now, and he falls in line at the snap of a finger. you get a similar conflict between canon dean and sam in season 1, but it's different. canon dean obeys john because he's afraid of losing sam; this sam would obey john because he wants john to love him again.

because of this difference i don't think this sam could truly start to extricate himself from john until after his death, when dad's love is entirely off the table for him. you could probably start to see the healing process start once they meet up circa 1x20 and john finally starts closing the distance, but it would be a monumental thing.

dean is actually where i struggle most with this swap. canon gives them very distinct roles, but swapping their ages pushes almost all of the responsibility onto sam's shoulders and leaves dean without much of anything. i think he'd be nearly as sheltered as sam was in canon, being the youngest, the weakest, and the most vulnerable. keep him out of the loop for as long as possible and keep him safe.

a way i can see out of this is by emphasizing early on his role as michael's sword. if his mythological role is more evident or as evident as sam's, that can generate some conflict that keeps dean relevant and indeed prominent in their story. it would be something to motivate john away from confiding in dean even after he gets older, something to motivate his protectiveness of both his kids because he can sense the danger they're in and the predators out to get them. i could speculate on this more but then i'd just be talking about a different au i already want to write lmao.

either way, i don't think dean would feel quite so excluded from the family as canon sam did because this sam is in the same boat with him. it's a problem with their father, not them. i think this could foster an early codependency between sam and dean because they have no one else to confide in, and they're equally excluded from the family. so while sam would probably not have the same formative experiences as dean that led to an intense protectiveness over sam (a la 1x18), i do think they would form a strong bond nonetheless through their mutual isolation. maybe sam isn't so much interested in protecting dean as he is in caring for him (or simply just caring about him), and through this shifted dynamic they might have a more equal, sibling relationship as well, rather than a parentified one with sam feeling responsible for dean's life.

i'm almost sure that dean would be driven to a life of rebellion toward john without his oppressive loyalty and fear driving him to obey his father. given how he reacts once he begins to extricate himself from john in canonverse, i think this dean might even be more rebellious than canon sam was (especially since canon sam wasn't actually all that rebellious and his rebellions were more so instigated by john than anything). he might harbor a deep grudge for john and possibly urge sam to take his side in matters, only to feel deeply betrayed when sam clung desperately to dad instead. all this to say i can definitely see dean packing up and leaving for college the moment he turns 18, probably without any intention of ever returning. get the hell out of that family and never look back (except on the too-frequent nights when he's sorely missing his big brother).

as for the story itself, i think sam would probably remain to be somewhat fragile—in the sense that without john around, he has nothing to stop him from falling apart. he would likely quickly buckle under the immense responsibilities he has, especially with the rapid development of his powers, and without dean as a steady rock he can share that burden with, he might even descend into evil just as foretold by his destiny. it seems that the majority of the other special kids embraced their powers because they lacked a proper support network or a loved one to share the burden with and keep them on the right path—dean is a good brother, but without a lifetime of responsibility to protect his brother driving him forward, i can't see him rising to the occasion in a way that would actually save sam. so it would be pretty interesting, i think, if this age swap resulted in them actually fulfilling their destinies, becoming the vessels they were born to be, and seeing the apocalypse through. there are other ways it could play out of course, but i'm feeling very partial to this :3

anyway i've probably written enough (lord) so i'll stop here. thank you cass and happy wincest wednesday again. you're so good to me 💞💞💞

[kazunara]

14-Truth at my fingertips ➤ friends? lovers?

shikanoin heizou x gn! reader smau

sigh

the red head layed down on his bed, thinking about the conversation he just had with his friends. he had just returned back from his walk to cool his head.

perhaps kazuha was right?

The boy began to think about his past actions. maybe he should have actually talked to them.

i should have just talked to them, maybe then i wouldn't have fucked up our friendship or future relationship...

Heizou began to blame himself more. however he knew that laying here and just blaming himself will do absolutely nothing to fix the mess he had gotten himself in.

so he picked up his phone and texted his friend, to call off his plan that failed miserably. As she doesn't know if the plan had failed or not.

heizou put his phone down and continued to lay in bed. he thought about how exactly he planned to talk to his soulmate tomorrow...hopefully they will accept his apology

although he doubts they will. . .

the following day he found them, standing by their classroom, on her phone presumably talking to one of their friends.

he decided to wait until they finish their call to approach and talk to them.

Heizou felt more nervous than ever, he could only see this ending in two ways. Either his soulmate accepting his apology or not accepting his apology and him losing them forever.

This scared him, he didn't want to lose them. Although he wasn't going to back down.

by the time Heizou was done mentally preparing himself and going over all the possible outcomes, Y/n had finished the call.

this was Heizou's que to go talk to them.

"Deep breaths heizou you got this" he somewhat pep talked himself before walking up to them.

"y/n we need to talk" y/n looked at the man and raised their eyebrow.

"...about what.. exactly?" they asked, seemingly confused.

heizou took another deep breath "I'm.. sorry" this seemed to confuse them more. Heizou realised this and began to emphasise on his statement. "I'm sorry for hurting you, i thought you'd somehow know that i was merely pretending to be with amy to make you jealous"

"so that you'd just date me already....i know i shouldn't have done it now and i am sorry for breaking your heart. however you don't have to accept my apology i.." Heizou paused to see if they would say anything, although y/n was quiet and was waiting for heizou to finish his side of the story.

Heizou sighed before continuing. "i know I've probably fucked up my chances of having a friendship or a relationship with you, so I'll be leaving now"

He turned around to leave. Although he was stopped by you, who held on to his hand. heizou looks at you, wondering what you're going to say next.

"hold on... you mean you wanted me to get jealous?" the red head stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.

"well.. it certainly worked" you shrug awkwardly smiling a bit at heizou "buttt you went with it the wrong way! you made it seem like you were taken...who-" tears begin to form on your eyes.

"..who was i to take you away from her... you made it look like you moved on so quickly from me.. i thought you never really liked me" you looked away from him after saying this, as you didn't want to see his reaction.

Whilst heizou was shocked to hear this. He didn't even stop to think that this would be a possibility of how you would see him for his actions.

heizou walked closer to you, thus closing the distance between you both. he cupped your cheek and moved your head so that you are looking at him.

"hey.. don't cry.. if you came up to me and took me away from her, I'd go with you in a heartbeat...i really do like you a lot, if i didn't.. would i be here trying to clear this misunderstanding up?" heizou wiped your tears with his thumb and smiled.

you nod. "you're right, if you didn't like me you'd already be with amy or some other girl by now.."

"yeah..." he then leans in and whispers into your ear. "although why would i do that.. when i have you?"you punched his shoulder lightly.

"Stop it will you. " You look away once more, attempting to hide your blush. Why does this man know how to give you butterflies so easily..

heizou laughs, seeing your face. finally you were taking to him again after a week or so of ignoring him. "soo we are cool then?" You raise your eyebrow "i mean you still want to be my friend despite all that?"

"why not, i suppose i could give you one more chance.. call it a soulmate privilege if you will" you slightly tease the man. you really missed this. talking to each other, teasing each other, a bit of flirting here and there...

The past week was so depressing for you without him, which sort of made you realise how big of an impact he had in your life.

"a soulmate privilege eh? alright then, i promise i won't ever mess up this time." heizou smiles to which you smile back at him.

you missed him. . . so so much

"so i suppose i can do this now?" heizou moves closer and closer to you, he then held your chin with one hand and leaned in.

you closed your eyes, not resisting as you see no point. you loved him, he loved you. why not just kiss already.

his lips eventually came in contact with yours as both shared your first kiss together. it was by far the best kiss you've gotten even though your body felt like a mess with your stomach doing flips and your heart thumping like crazy.

You really fell hard for this man and you couldn't help it.

chapters || prev || next

⤿ synopsis;; a soulmate au where anything you write on your body also appears on your s/o’s body. so what happens when y/n l/n is a forgetful mess and begins to write important information on their body? and what happens when heizou starts to decipher these small bits of information?

a/n: imagine if i just end it here jk jk.... unless 😏😏

⤿taglist: @raideneiari @samyayaya @milza12 @duckyyyx @bubiblossom @pyrrhicgaze @sketcheeee @4leyn3 @kunikuzushisbeloved @urlocalheizousimp @swivy123 bold = can't tag for some reason.

[alumort]

Ao3

First of the request fics until i hit 100! For a friend :3

Nothing went wrong that day. He was going to stay with Naruto for a couple of weeks, finally unbothered by political nonsense, and he was happy– but one of his mind’s hobbies was ruining everything, and he couldn’t blame it all on Shukaku anymore. His thoughts were his own, the hatred towards the world was a product of his rotten heart and nothing else, of a sudden anger that had risen in his soul with no reason at all.

Gaara wanted to scream at everything and nothing at all, his jaw tensing up without him even realizing it– nowadays he was better at managing his wrath, yet it still made him sick in his stomach, leaving him unable to eat anything else he would end up vomiting without any warning at all. He should be happy; he had a small break from his duties as the Kazekage, and every single day would be spent by his boyfriend, who always remained by his side for an unknown reason the redhead had been unable to comprehend.

In the outside, he was calm with his eyes closed, trying to meditate by Naruto’s side who couldn’t keep still and moved around and talked with that joyful voice of his–

He hated his brain. Gaara knew his anger would pass, but it made him hate the same things he loved about the blond, and no amount of relaxing exercises would help him avoid his uncontrollable thoughts; Naruto seemed to realize something was going on for he stopped talking, instead deciding to carefully place a hand on his partner’s shoulder before speaking in a barely audible whisper.

"Love, is everything alright? You look angry… did I do something wrong?" the blonde mumbled, but for once his gentle voice wasn't enough to soothe his hatred towards–

Towards what, exactly? Gaara only wanted to destroy everything around him without control, allow himself to be dominated by his most instinctual desires and bloodlust. And at the same time he restricted himself, playing with his fingers to distract himself from what his mind told him. Naruto didn't deserve his anger, or to feel like he was a hindrance when it was quite the opposite.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just…" Gaara reassured his boyfriend before trailing off, though his tone was filled with annoyance. He tried speaking once again and he could manage to sound less annoyed. "It just happens. I'm just angry at everything. You did nothing wrong, Naru."

There was a short silence in which the blond clearly was struggling to pick his words, and it was adorable– he let out a soft smile as he figured out what to say, always being gentle with his tone and words.

"Can I do something to help? I'll do whatever if it'll make you feel better, believe it!"

The Kazekage knew he would probably snap if he replied, ears already stinging by the sudden change of voice level– and so, he just leaned into his partner, who didn't think twice before wrapping him with his arms and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

Without even realizing it, Gaara could feel himself being picked up by the other man, who swiftly sat down on the border of his bed so they would be more comfortable without chances of either of them falling to the ground. The redhead would have protested had Naruto not hugged him again, and it was like his soul had been soothed if only slightly– Naruto was always kind with him, always remaining by his side no matter how annoyed he got at nothing in particular, hugging and kissing his worries away.

"... why are you still here?" Gaara mumbled, not letting go of the blond as he talked.

"Eh? Well, this is my home! I like it here, even if it's a bit small… it's charming!"

The years would pass, and Naruto would still be oblivious to most things. It was a miracle that he had picked up that Gaara was flirting with him back before the fourth ninja war took place.

"That's not what I mean, Naruto," he said, his gaze fixed on the ground at all times. His mind knew he was being dramatic, but he still wanted to ask. "Why are you still with me? I'm not… the best. There's other people you could have chosen instead of me."

Silence. Oh, Naruto would definitely get mad– he shouldn't have asked anything like that. The anger that boiled his blood now felt like guilt, and an awful sensation appeared on his throat, guilt of being rude without realizing it just like he always did.

Soon the redhead felt a careful hand beginning to caress his hair, so gently he could fall asleep right there and win against insomnia for once.

"I love you, Gaara. You make me happy, you understand me– for me, you are the best! I wouldn't like to be with anyone else but you," Naruto exclaimed, and something inside Gaara cracked, allowing countless tears to fall from his eyes without control. The blond tried to clean them all with a soft smile on his face, trying to soothe the pain in his soul without words.

Talking wasn't necessary between them, but it was nice to hear Naruto's joyful voice when he visited him, or when he gifted him things as little surprises that made him smile widely.

"I love you too, Naru," Gaara mumbled between sobs, which soon ceased as the blond placed countless kisses all around his face. His tears were quickly replaced with chuckles, and it was as if he had never been sad to begin with.

His mind liked to play tricks with him, yet he would be alright as long as Naruto decided to remain by his side. And it seemed like he wouldn't leave anytime soon.

[delirious-robot]

It's really hard to get myself out of this mental mind fuck... this loop... I go through these feelings of anger, hurt, WTF, and just depressed loss... it's like an everlasting never ending ache or stab in the heart, which can never be fixed, in the chest, and if I don't do something I feel like I'll explode... and then I do something (or substitute or get busy) and think "everything's gonna be great" again... and then either minutes or hours or the next day, another tidal wave of pain and frustration and just complete rage... you realize, I haven't said jealousy? No. It's not that. Its the fact of being betrayed and lied to. I could have dealt with it if it had been given to me as a disclosure. Like, right after he told me how much he wanted me, oh by the way, I've scheduled a dinner date this Sunday night. Just letting you know. That way - I could go, ok, cool. We don't need to talk anymore. And no drama, no calling him out, no nothing. Just, ok. Sure, I'd quietly go off by myself and suck my thumb for a bit, but it wouldn't be like being led on and being given the FULL impression that he was really still into me and wanted to come out here and see me, and then finding out he's scheduling meeting with other ladies behind my back. (We were broken up for a bit but kept talking, and then he let me know he was still interested in me, reaching for me) It would not be as bad. At least I would have known. It just makes me wonder, how much else was going on if he thought he could deceive me so easily?

Don't get super close to me, convince me you love me and I'm the only one for you and your special person, and talk to me almost every day for 5+ years (and about 15 visits months at a time sometimes) and then get on my bad side by lying to me and basically cheating and deceiving me. Not a good idea.

I just can't get out of this loop of ruminating, but I'm trying. Really trying. Each time it comes up, I have to do something to let it out.

And yes, that includes expressing it in writing somewhere or recording myself talking about it or something... I'm still just so shocked. I never thought I would be deceived like this by THAT guy.

It is really ineffective for me to just write it to myself in a written journal. Gives me no satisfaction at all.

But I know I will never get any apology, closure, explanation, admittance of responsibility. He can't face the shame, and he's devalued me so much from his own transgressions and secrets and lies that he thinks it doesn't matter any way.

He's never been on my bad side until now. Until I caught him lying and hiding, and I am sure that it's not the first time because I've seen this type of behavior before. But before, it's always been me trying to say, oh we can work it out, I'll take responsibility, I'll fix it, everything will be okay, I'll help, I'll be there for you when you need me...

Man, I really just hate being lied to and led on...

I just really feel like I can never be close to anyone ever again, never can trust again. Most people just leave or betray. I have to just go... oh well... I am still alive and dying doesn't feel good so I have to live so... I will survive to my best... maybe make something of my life now huh!

I wrote this below earlier. Just to get it out of my head. How I hate it and wish it would end. All of the pain. Endless sleepless nights. The crying every day in quiet alone moments. I am trying my best to just go after the things I love and things that make me happy. Tomorrow I'm going to the zoo with the kids.

***

my heart is broken beyond repair... shattered into a million pieces. And yet, he just doesn't care, and I'm to blame for "asking too many questions" (even though before that we were talking in "normal" condition and he was telling me how he was still trying to figure out solutions to getting out here - on March 8 2023) when he admitted seeing someone else for a dinner date, and then told me he'd never speak to me again if I didn't stop asking any questions about it. right after sending me lewd messages days earlier, along with giving me the impression it was safe to talk with him because he had deleted dating apps and "would be nice if we could have worked" because he couldn't find better... I'm not your back up plan.

and won't be your "side chick" or be downgraded like you think I will hang around while you go test the waters elsewhere. fuck you weak ass man, liar, how dare you play around with my heart and intimacy like that and use me for your "supply". You could have just told me BEFORE it.

I will walk alone through this life, and be the strongest fucking warrior woman to ever have as an ally if I am yours.

I'll try not to post anything anymore about it.

Wondering if he has any "flying monkeys" spying on me lol. Whatever. Probably going out to see more lady friends or friend this weekend too. It just torments me. I thought what we had really was special, and that I was the one and only like he told me. It's just really hurts to know that he's sharing himself with other women "friends" giving them the impression he's on the market, after only days of sending me intimate messages and telling me he wanted to work out a solution.

[cherrykindness]

wild tweets |

pairing: Harry Styles x Actress!Reader

summary: as newlyweds, you and harry read thirsty comments for buzzfeed.

warning: it's thirsty tweets, so below there is adult humor 😳

"It's a bright, sunny morning in Los Angeles, and there's nothing I want more than to be on BuzzFeed and read wild tweets alongside my husband."

"Thirsty tweets, babe." Harry corrected, laughing out loud with the producers behind the cameras.

"Thirsty Tweets." You said quickly, putting your hand over your mouth to stifle a giggle. "I'm terrible at that, I'm sorry. Can we start over?"

"Let's take a break for one to two minutes. You've given us a great introduction, Y/N."

You shook your head, smiling shyly before turning to Harry, who was already watching you with that easy smile at the corner of his lips. You liked how his hand remained firmly on yours, making those circular movements with the thumb that always served as a natural medice for your anxiety.

"You look so fucking beautiful."

The pleated dress with flounce sleeves fit you like a glove. You had made peace with the various shades of white since the wedding and knew that Harry liked to see you in that color too.

"Thank you, you're not too bad either, Styles."

You intimately suspected that Harry would always seem far beyond that "not bad" that came out as a euphemism from your mouth. He wore nothing but a pair of bell-bottom pants in a strong shade of blue and a soft vest printed with fluffy little sheep on a striped American collared shirt - in your opinion, no one could look better in farm animal clothing than Harry Styles and Princess Diana with her red "Black Sheep" sweater in the 1980s. In contrast, you knew your husband well enough to know that he was arrogant and knew exactly how hot he looked - you also made your thoughts clear enough when you kept him backstage beyond ten minutes in a rather heated kissing session.

"Are you anxious?" you asked curiously, remaining with downcast eyes fixed on the strokes that remained assiduous on your warm skin. "To read about how the whole internet dreams of fucking my wife?! Of course." Harry joked, leaning over to leave a small one on your cheek. "We agree on that, don't we? Although I'm a little nervous, I'm really interested to know all the crazy things they say about you. Everyone knows you're mine at the end of the day, that's enough."

At the end of the break, you and Harry made a silent agreement that you should be the first to pick up one of the scattered papers in the red pot. There were quite a significant amount of tweets, and as much as you were used to reading rather sordid things about your husband on the Internet, the excitement was there as if you were wading into uncharted territory.

"I would be a good girl all year round if Santa guaranteed me a threesome with Harry and Y/N Styles on Christmas Eve." You laughed, Harry staring at the camera with an expression close to the meme of the surprised Pikachu. "You guys are incredibly nasty, I love it."

"If that was the first one, I'm really worried about the next ones." Harry commented with a little corner smile, picking the next tweet out of the bucket. "I have an entire folder on Pinterest dedicated to Harry Styles' hands, and let me tell you why: those hands are art, and art needs to be recognized."

"What- Guys, you promised you wouldn't post my anonymous tweets here." You quipped with false reproach, laughing at your own stupid joke while everyone else in the studio did the same. "But I can't blame her, honestly." Shaking your shoulders, you opened another piece of paper. "Harry Styles finally confessed that he wrote Watermelon Sugar for Y/N!!!! Are you guys imagining the same thing as me?!!!!!! 🥵🍆💦"

"Exhausted emoji, eggplant emoji, and water emoji?" Harry frowned, staring at the tweet you held up. "I imagine you're in need of a vacation somewhere refreshing and you're craving a fruit that everyone eats like it's really a vegetable."

"That reminded me of that story-" You laughed, hiding your face on the table as Harry continued to offer a poker face to the camera, struggling not to keep up with you laughter. "I'm sorry, lovie, I have to share this with the rest of the world." You stated, wiping a few tears from the corner of your eyes. "Harry always wears those fancy suits to concerts, right?! Right! Turns out he looks really hot in some, like his ass molds perfectly into those tight pants and everything. I was home that night because I wasn't feeling well enough to face the big crowds, but I was still following everything on twitter. It was a concert in London, not so far from where we lived at the time, so it was obvious that he would come home after it was over. I follow some portals that do really fast updates of pictures, videos, etc; everything that happened at Harry's concert was on my timeline in a matter of seconds. When one of these profiles uploaded a picture of him with his back to the camera in a heavily accentuated black and white suit, I quickly sent him the image along with a peach emoji and then wrote "looks good tonight". He didn't reply to me until a few hours later, of course, but I obviously didn't expect a "ready for a Fifth Avenue peach salad for dinner?" and numerous cutlery emojis."

Harry rolled his eyes comically, indulging in laughter as did everyone else who occupied the backstage area.

"I'm against the eroticization of emojis." He said between uncompensated breaths, shaking his head negatively. "Let's go to the next ones, please, I'm already feeling exposed enough here."

"I like your old-fashioned spirit, baby." You assured him with a smile, laying on the sturdy shoulder hidden under the fluffy fabric.

Harry chuckled low, leaving a little kiss on the top of your head before selecting the next paper. The fans would die when that video aired, everyone was sure. You two easily forgot the cameras when you were side by side, and the public display of affection had never been a problem.

"My life mission is to look at someone the way Harry looks at Y/N and be reciprocated the way Y/N looks at Harry, then I could die happy." Harry read. "That was very good and healthy, thank you!" He smiled. "But don't settle for death in that case, please. Just make sure to keep that person around forever."

"Awn, we got so sweet now." You made a pout. "Thank you for sending us something so cute! I really hope you find the right person soon." Sending a kiss to the camera, you moved on to the next tweet. "I wouldn't want to get a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka's factory, I would like to get a golden ticket to actively participate in Y/N and Harry Styles' Honeymoon.

"That was creative, so I will disregard the fact that you removed my last name from my wife's name." Harry joked.

"I will always be an Y/L/N." You flashed the tongue. "We had a great Honeymoon, but I know you guys already know all about it because there are pictures all over the internet of outings that I don't even remember existed."

"Even though we chose a rather reserved city, many paparazzi still managed to photograph some of our nights there." Harry agreed. "There was one particular day when we opted to have dinner at a restaurant near the beach. Y/N had found it even before the trip, it was pretty laid back and we could spend the evening at karaoke. I don't really remember what happened, but we woke up the next day with a terrible hangover, still wearing the clothes from the dinner and with several headlines saying that I was cheating on my wife in the middle of our Honeymoon with a blue-haired italian girl."

"That wig made me sexy, man." You blinked, laughing as you remembered the situation. "It's a shame the paparazzi only got low quality images, but I swear I looked really amazing that night. Italy, I miss you."

"We're coming to the end and I haven't had to ask production for a glass of water yet, thank you to whoever selected these tweets." Harry raised his thumb to the camera, smiling before turning his gaze back to the small paper he had chosen. "Y/N could literally punch me in the face and I would just bow down and thank them for it." He laughed. "She has heavy hands, so I would rethink that choice."

"It takes strong hands to be a superheroine." You blinked gracefully, referring to your works as a Marvel actress. "I move around a lot during the night, so I'll take this lovely opportunity to say that twitter can dismiss all the malicious theories about Harry always show up with a new bruise all over his body."

"Please stop making indecent assumptions while Y/N is aggressive with me at night only unconsciously, her father has access to social media."

You laughed, clearing your throat before reading the next obscenity aloud.

"I would sell all my possessions to have Y/N sitting on my lap for ten seconds."

"Oh my God." Harry laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "I should have said that in our wedding vows."

You shook your head, laughing low as you set the tweet aside.

"That was pretty funny and cheeky, I approve."

"Okay, looks like we finally got to the last one." Harry announced, waving the paper in the air dramatically before opening it. "Harry could literally crush me with those boots while fuc- I need that glass of water." He said dumbfounded, hiding his face between his hands after throwing the tweet over his shoulder. You laughed out loud next to the organizers, and meanwhile Harry leaned his head on your bust, staring at you still with wide eyes. "Please promise that we will be careful with our future children on the internet."