#every time I check these notes a couple of moths fly out

[clown-bug]

Maysozoic day 2: Birgeria 🐟

[the-huntress]

Little Moth - Chapter 1 - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

[Hi guys, welcome to my fanfiction. This is a Resident Evil inspired fanfiction, I wanted to incorporate a number of my favourite characters, and especially our beloved Magnet Daddy. Slow burn, soft smut impending, beyond that who knows… But to be safe I will say that this is for 18+ years of age only. Let me know if you’d liked to be on a tag list for future chapters. Masterlist is pinned. Thank you to everyone that has read so far. <3]

Masterlist

Trigger Warnings: Mention of menstruation, swearing.

Y/N Protagonist, female. Reader X Karl Heisenberg [18+]

Summary:

Your lifelong friend, Leon Kennedy, has mysteriously gone missing two years after the events of Racoon City. You make a discovery that could lead to his whereabouts; dare you enter the Village?

[Photos are my own] You weren’t sure exactly what you were looking at for a moment, arching your back forwards over the desk in the dimly lit room, the glare from the laptop the only source of light. Several windows had been left open on the screen, and despite the turmoil that Leon’s apartment had been left in, this was what had really grabbed your attention.

The most notable of which was a photo, the resolution was grainy, a scan from a black and white film photo, it looked almost like a foetus, but you couldn’t be sure. Was somebody pregnant? It was almost akin to the sort of photograph that expecting parents would show at a baby shower, but this was… different. You had a feeling of impending doom just by looking at this thing.

Next, another very grainy photo of a town, it almost looked like some of the places from back home in England; a church steeple, a castle or maybe a mansion in the distance? A quaint looking village in the snow. And lastly, a very cryptic email;

                                               10/10/2000

Leon,

Know not what I have done, but what I believe must be done now.

Half of the results of good intentions are evil; half of the results of an evil intention are good.

You have the information that you need, please make haste.

A friend.

Well, that’s ambiguous as fuck. You thought to yourself, pushing the chair back and pulling the lighter from the little band on the side of your cap. You reached to your shoulder and cursed. That’s right, you’d given up, “for health reasons”. Putting the lighter back you reached instead for your camera, a notepad and a pen. You’d been tempted to just take the laptop and the scattered papers, but after several years in the police you knew it was beneficial to leave things as they were. Your eyes flitted from paper to paper, taking notes of numbers, flights, times, place names, anything that you could until you’d filled a couple of pages. One page for practical info, and one page, now that you looked at it almost sounded like a fairy tale;

A village, four kings, four lords, and a mysterious ‘Mother Miranda’. You bit the end of the pen and pondered. It was like nothing you’d ever heard of before, what had he got himself into…

Several days ago you had received a text from the man himself;

‘Y/N I am going to be out of

town for a while, something has

come up. Please don’t worry,

will explain soon. Leon. X

P.S. I’ve left Timesplitters in

your mail box, play you again

when I get back! :] ’

And now here you were. You scoffed knowing he’d have had to pay double to send that one, but he was mad to think that you wouldn’t worry, he was like a brother to you, hell, the only family that you had. After a childhood growing up in rural England you had moved to the states with your father and stepmother when you were in those vulnerable years of your teens during the early 90s, but were lucky enough to have met Leon in school. The two of you had become best friends quickly, and even graduated from the same police academy. It was Leon that saved your butt two years ago when all hell broke loose in Racoon City, him and Claire.

You shifted on the collapsible chair in front of the usually neatly tidied desk which was now strewn with various papers and articles. Your thoughts of Claire continued, and you pulled out your Nokia, opened a message and then faltered. It was late. Later than late you realised, seeing the time; 02:08 AM. What am I doing? You didn’t want to wake her, so you put the phone back into the pocket on your belt.

You swept a strand of your hair behind your ear, the outgrown bangs jumping back in the way and you blew at them irritated. You heard a grumble and moaned, looking down at your stomach. Padding across the shiny, tiled floor you left the desk and headed to the kitchen, opening the fridge where you knew there would be left-over pizza. Sure, it was from over a week ago when you were last here hanging out, but hey, it’s pizza, right?

‘Ugh dude, always with the anchovies, why?’ you mumbled, flinging a small fish into the bin and mentally backhanding the back of Leon’s head. Of course, it was his side of the pizza that was left over, probably trying to stay in shape in case he bumped into ‘Ada’ again. You weren’t keen, but then, you didn’t trust her. You looked at your phone again, left on the desk besides the laptop, Leon would be much better off with Claire, but sadly you felt perhaps that ship had set sail long ago.

You went to sit yourself back down at the desk. CRUNCH “Shit!” Your eyes darted to your right knee. “Fuck… you’re not giving me a break are you.” Letting out a sigh you closed your eyes for a moment. Since you were a child your knee had given you problems. A few dislocations, hospital visits, insteps, braces and physiotherapy. You’d had to grit your teeth hard through every physical training session during academy, but you’d made it. Fortunately for you it wasn’t something that many people would be able to notice or spot. You could run for miles with no problem; it was the recovery time in the days that followed that was tough. You knew it was getting worse, and had been reading about how much longer you might have before you’d need a full replacement, but you knew that it could jeopardise your job, you knew you’d likely not get put on the jobs that you wanted, and the thought of being put into the office answering calls made your heart sink.

And then you spotted it, the corner of another window was sticking out from under the others, exposing the corner of a third photograph. Instantly recognising the symbol you felt as though you were falling.

“What…”

Dragging the window and clicking it to full screen you could see this photograph clearly; some kind of mural, was it in stone? It looked as though there were four crests, family crests maybe. And at the centre; “Umbrella.” You breathed. You stared at it for several minutes and quickly took a photo of the screen on your camera, no point trying to get that old thing to work, you thought, looking at the printer at the other end of the desk. You couldn’t help but smirk, memories of Leon trying to print page after page of game walk throughs, whilst trying to find all the secrets in your favourite action/ adventure game, and laughing your head off at him, mouthful of noodles spilling back out into the carton as a hundred pages shot out at him, flying all over the room with cheat codes for a scantily dressed version of the playable character.

You looked at the clock again, time to go. If you were going to do this, you needed sleep and to get going as soon as you could the next day. It might drain your bank account, but it would be worth it. You didn’t have a good feeling about any of this, and more often than not, your gut instincts were right. Grabbing your R.P.D jacket at the door, you took one last glance at the room. It really did look like a whirlwind had hit it, not like Leon when he was in a better mental state at all. You knew that when he wasn’t his best he’d reach a for a drink and then some, but you could see that nothing was broken, and it was mostly clothes scattered, some bits of equipment and where he’d clearly got the luggage bag down from on top of the wardrobe. Nothing to worry about in regard to kidnap or a break in at least; as if that was enough to stop you from worrying about whatever lay ahead in this ‘Village’.

It started to rain just as you got into your apartment building, and you smiled. You’d always liked the rain. Stopping to quickly check your pigeon-hole for mail and seeing nothing you felt something press up against you calf, rubbing itself against the tops of your boots. You looked down and grinned, scooping up a slender, black cat in one hand and kissing the top of her head. “I’m going to miss you Boo, keep an eye on my mail for me while I’m gone, you know how crammed that thing gets.” You winked at her as you set her back down outside Mrs. Little’s door and fished a sandwich bag full of the leftover pizza anchovies out of your R.P.D. bag. “You didn’t think I’d forget you, did you?” Leaving Boo hastily munching into her treats you jogged up the stairs, your knee twinged, but it wasn’t too bad. It just had its moments.

Your apartment was pretty standard for this part of the city; both you and Leon had left Racoon city some time ago, though it wasn’t far from here. It had been destroyed and bordered off and that was all there was too it. You had to tell it to yourself that way to cope. Leon’s apartment was slightly swankier, but then again, he did like his gadgets and liked to keep things tidy, when his thoughts weren’t somewhere else. You on the other hand were happy to know that while everything had its place, sometimes that place would be on the floor… next to the thingy and nestled safely under a cereal box; and that was okay! You picked up the thingy, and looked at it fondly, before folding it up and putting it away with the others.

Stretching and yawning you looked around you, making a mental note of what needed to be done; pack, shower, sleep. You’d get the tickets the next day, and some money too, you’d have to stop off at the currency exchange. What currency did they even use there? Equipment, keep it simple; knives, pistol, rounds, lighter, fluid, compass, torch, camera, medi-kit. A couple of spare pairs of clothes, and you had your light armour that also fit into the case. You knew the contents would raise suspicion, but you had your badge, at the end of the day another cop had gone missing, and your team knew too.

You whipped off the remainder of your uniform and jumped in the shower, the bathroom filling up with steam and bubbles quickly and you sang along to a few songs on the radio. Wiping the mirror to see yourself more clearly you felt all your insecurities flood to you at once, as well as seeing yourself for the natural beauty that you were. You pursed your lips, staring into your own eyes and promised you’d find him safe and bring him back. He’d yell at you for going in the first place, but you knew this wasn’t right. Something wasn’t right. Traipsing out from the bathroom, you felt the cool air attack your flushed skin. You liked it, you were always a window open kind of person, no matter the weather, the fresh air just soothed you. Of course, that meant the odd moth now and again, like now as you heard the tiny body plummet time and time again against the spherical glass shade of the dim lamp besides your bed. Snuggling up into the loose blankets you smiled at the little creature and pulled the cord on the lamp, smiling again as you felt the moth settle on the side of your head.

After that you actually fell to sleep very quickly. It had been a long day after all; a 6AM start, patrol, arresting some juvies for petty crimes, followed by yet another zombie scare, (false alarm thank God), before filing up all the paper work and heading to Leon’s. Sleep fell like a veil of cool clouds, taking you in and raising you up into the inky blue skies of the night. The next thing you knew, you were butt naked in a dark green forest, dew drops shining on moss like a trillion tiny emeralds. Mist hung thick in the air, and thousands of tiny moths flew up from the ground? No. From you. You were raising your arms up to the skies, the moss covered forest floor moist under your bare feet and between your toes. Behind you the silhouette of a deer… antlers, but much, much taller. In front of you a pair of cold silver-gold eyes in the dark. You felt drawn, ever so drawn, taking one step forward, and then another, your arms coming down now, hands outstretched in caring caress, your heart swelled, your lips bloomed, taking in a short breath, and then; blood. Gushes of it, soaking into the moss, reddening Earth’s green carpet, and dripping down the trunks of the trees, the moths falling from the air around you, their wings sticking and stopping in the thick, red mess.

“Shit!” You fell back down onto your bed, several items around you also crashing down. Hand to your head, you looked wildly about. It happened again. Whatever had fallen this time had been heavy. You turned to see half the cutlery that had been lying on the kitchen tops now on the floor, and the knives and pistol that you’d placed earlier on top of the luggage bag were now in the middle of the floor. A sudden feeling of loneliness washed over you. The same dream, but longer, and this time with blood. “Shit” again, you put a hand to your pants, pulled the covers back and saw red. “Well, that’s one more thing I need to bring with me.” You mumbled, rolling your eyes, and throwing yourself back onto the bed.

Song Suggestion: ‘The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning’ by The Smashing Pumpkins

[sinkix]

Haikyuu!!│Obsessive/Yandere HC’s │

Warning - Contains dark themes, mentions of emotional and physical abuse & sexually suggestive/explicit (18+) content, reader’s discretion is advised.

Characters - Hinata, Kuroo, Daichi, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Oikawa, Bokuto, Tendou & Kageyama.

Important Note: This is in no way romanticising or normalising toxic/abusive behaviour, you should not do as such as this is incredibly dangerous and unhealthy. If you identify any of these in your own relationships please seek help from a member of authority, counsellor or someone who can remove you from and aid in your recovery from the situation. This is a great contrast from all my other work on here so please read with caution. Stay safe <3

Hinata - The Hell-bent Visionary

Danger level: 6.5/10

So you’ve caught the eye of Karasuno’s ray of sunshine?

Bask in it’s warmth while you can, for the sun sets and leaves a chilling dark in it’s wake.

When he becomes focused on something, it’s hard to break the dedication he has. It’s unyielding, firm and persistent. Once you light a fire in him, it’s near impossible to put out.

And you didn’t just spark a flame, you formed a whole inferno.

Blowing up your phone with texts, calls and the tapping of rocks against your bedroom’s glass from late night visits to your doorstep. Greeted with the sickening scent of blood-red roses filling your nose at a reminder of how firmly he has you in his hold that will never falter. The lingering scratch marks adorning the window panes that you could have sworn were not there the night before.

 He can’t get enough of you, and the more time he spends with you, the more addictive your presence becomes.

He’s hooked, reaching the point of rivalling his sporting passion.

He learns to balance the two equally, and any second that isn’t spent practising, he is by your side or doing everything in his power to be.

It’s tunnel vision. All he sees is you, and the ball, nothing else matters. Relentlessly chasing for both long after his lungs tire and legs give out.

 He is a dark, unwavering force of nature, itching to monopolise you and eradicate any threat on what belongs to him. Yet around everyone else, he's a bundle of lovable sunshine who wouldn't dare hurt a fly, and while he doesn't show an outright aggressive nature, you know there's something sinister lurking underneath that might one day snap. 

It’s his stare that haunts you the most.

That ominous, chilling stare which pierces through your heart and impales it on a stick, out on display for him to marvel at in all it’s vulnerable beauty. The level of intensity and sheer devotion glinting in his eyes is nothing short of haunting.

Luckily for you, Hinata will not cause physical harm, but it’s his presence and ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ nature which will slowly but surely chip away at you until your sanity is reduced to dust. The worst part? Since he is loved by everyone, no one sees the twisted side you do, and as a result left permanently in a state of self-doubt and second guessing. Your mind will eventually spiral into a descent to madness until your right where he wants you.

Be careful, for even the sun’s light burns out eventually. And when it does, you’ll be swallowed by the darkness.

Kuroo - The Devil’s Reciprocal

Danger level: 9/10

Ahhh, the bad boy who smells of cigarettes and sex, the one who lurks in bars long after midnight eyeing up his prey. This man gives Satan a run for his money. I hope you’re prepared. What did you do to catch his eye, anyway? 

Whatever it was, it’s doomed you to an eternity in hell on earth.

Or heaven, if you’re a glass half full kind of person.

Kuroo drew you in like a moth to a flame, you knew he had no glinting halo, but that was his appeal.

 He was the incarnation of everything your parents warned you about, and you couldn’t get enough of it. 

Hell, you still can’t. But that doesn’t minimise the damage done to you every second he turns the light on, reeling you in once again, further and further until there’s no escape, utterly blinded by his deceiving tactics.

He has many admirers, you know. So in his eyes he feels you should be privileged to be given so much of his attention, that once received would leave any sane person running.

Unfortunately, you don’t seem to be sane enough, and he recognises this. He knows he’s got you hooked on his every word, dragging out the syllables like a lullaby that leave you entranced and begging for more.

 What can I say? The man has a way with words, and you’re totally enthralled by every sentence. 

Kuroo recklessly waves his charm like a gun, never a moment of hesitation to utilise it in order to get what he wants. 

And he always gets what he wants. 

It’s so dangerous it will leave you down on your knees in an act of submission and prepared to do anything to please him. The tip of the pistol aimed at your temple as if daring your defiance.

He revels in seeing that doe-eyed expression, fully aware of how much control he holds over every cell in your body. All of them scream out for him, for Kuroo. To kiss you, touch you and whisper sweet-nothings into your ear that linger with his hot breath scathing your neck, burning his scent into your memory until it’s one you’ll never forget. 

With all that temptation comes  consequence though, because once you give in, you’ll face the sadists horns that lurk underneath. 

Intertwining your bodies and tracing a switchblade across your jugular, he’ll stretch his lips into a wide, cunning grin, slamming into you and rutting his hips until they connect with yours. Throwing your head back in ecstasy, your whine will be stifled and cut short by the piercing slit of a blade shallowly opening the skin of your throat, the sharp sting lingering as his tongue deepens the incision with delight.

He is incredibly possessive, so anyone he deems a threat will be mercilessly eradicated, soon to be forgotten though. He will never allow your thoughts to be consumed by anything but him. 

Grinding his body against yours, the husky murmuring of pillow talk he is all too skilled at will leaves your knees trembling and buckling before him, with the one question he will only ever accept one answer to.

“Tell me sweetheart, who do you belong to...?”

Shuffling the cards and dragging cigar smoke across his lips, he’ll sip that glass of gin snidely and lock you in place with his smouldering gaze. Forever a reminder there’s no escape from his enslaving curse.

Daichi - The Despotic Protector

Danger level: 6/10

Karasuno’s father figure and reliable captain rolled into one. I hope you’re prepared for a lifetime of suffocation, because he’s never letting you go.

He takes on an almost a parental role in the relationship, and a toxic one.

Controlling, overbearing and monitoring your every move. He will never allow you to do anything without his permission out of fear for your safety.

I mean, what if something happens to you while you’re not within his peripherals? 

That’s a thought he simply couldn’t bear.

He’ll lock you in the confines of his home if he has to. But don’t get mad sweetheart, it’s because he cares for you.

Soon enough Daichi will have isolated you from the world, never seeing the shining of sunlight unless your arm is looped around his in a crushing hold. 

Friends? You can forget them, he made sure to steer you far, far away from those. He just can’t risk them laying a finger on you or putting you in harms way, he would never forgive them.

Daichi desperately tries to convince you he has your best interests at heart, and unluckily for you, you fall right into his trap.

Your whole life is consumed by him, and only him. Watching the clock tick by aimlessly until you hear his footsteps up the driveway, scurrying to the door to greet him like an obedient dog upon his arrival.

Pulling you into a loving hug that threatens to squeeze the life out of you, you can’t help but let your mind roam and ponder the question lurking at the back of your thoughts.

Has he ever killed with these hands?

They seem too crushing. Like a brute, inhuman force. You can picture his fingers wrapped around someone’s throat and draining them of oxygen almost too easily.

Little did you know, your hypothesis was painfully accurate. 

An old childhood friend of yours, currently 6 feet under in the yard. Your bare feet trampling over his grave and none the wiser every time he allows you to set foot in the garden.

You’ll never know, though. It’s not like you can check your phone without his permission anyway, he’s already blocked their contact.

Days, weeks, months pass by of his constant monitoring and controlling behaviour. The CCTV’s scattered in every corner of the house, the social deprivation and loneliness that creeps in every time he’s not there as you roam the barren household, the purple finger marks roping your wrists from when he kept you in a paralysing grip,daring your disobedience.

and you can’t help but wonder,

Maybe the person you needed protecting from was him.

Tsukishima - The Mendacious Manipulator

Danger level: 8.5/10

How unlucky you are to be paired with this mentally destroying sadist. 

At first Tsukishima’s wit, sarcasm and clever quips were what allured you, never did you think they would be used against you. Wielded like a weapon with a blade sharp enough to slice you in two.

And I’m warning you, every cut hurts.

There’s no escaping from it, a string of degrading remarks whispered cruelly in your ear while holding hands in public, appearing to be a cute and affectionate couple, but a sinister secret lurks underneath that only you know of.

He’ll treat you like a dog, expecting you to be at his every beck and call, serving on your knees with a painted smile that’s woefully forced on with every ounce of strength you have left.

You are his puppet, his useless little play thing that he makes painfully aware of how disposable they truly are.

And don’t take him for a fool, he will discard you if he sees fit.

Unmerciful, cruel, snide, are the some of many words that can describe Tsukishima, and as you’ll soon find out none of them are pleasant.

He will craftily make you open up to him. Revealing your deepest insecurities,traumas and troubles then sheath it like a sword to your neck, holding you hostage to your own weaknesses in order to gain that empowering sense of control he oh-so revels in. Endlessly striving to achieve his selfish, favourable outcome. 

This Yandere is one of most intelligent of the bunch, and unfortunately for you, does not use his intelligence for charitable or good-natured purposes.

He knows exactly what to say to leave you curled up in a ball, tears streaming and wracked in emotional agony as you plead for forgiveness on something that isn’t even your fault. He knows this, but finds it comical and all too amusing to see you so broken over something when you weren’t the one to blame. He gets off to your mental anguish.

You’ll be left stumbling the streets at 2 in the morning, contemplating your life and everything as you know it, he will warp your perception of the world until he is the only one you can crawl to. After all, it’s your fault, right? He’s the only one who could tolerate you, everyone else abandoned you because you were so insufferable.

...is what he’ll have you believe. In reality, Tsukishima was pulling strings behind the scenes to ensure you would distance yourself from friends and family, resulting in them doing the same. Wrapping you around his finger and twisting your behaviour into one that’s volatile and unapproachable, until you’re left totally alone.

You’ll never know though.

That mental fortitude will soon shatter, and when it does, he’ll cackle at it’s pathetic remains.

Yamaguchi  - The Diffident Vampire

Danger level: 5/10

I’m sad to say, but your tween Twilight fantasies will be crushed when you stumble upon this mess of a monster.

I don’t mean to say he’s a literal vampire, but you’ll understand the use of this metaphor once we delve into some of his tendencies.

He is incredibly insecure, the walking embodiment of the very word.

Now that isn’t the reason you should be warded off, everyone has self-esteem issues. However, this trait of his plays a huge part in siphoning the life out of you.

He captured your heart with his soft and sympathetic nature, easily startled and somewhat skittish.

You didn’t see what was below the iceberg however, and once you did, he sank his teeth in and began to suck before you could escape, draining you dry until you have no more left to give. Nothing to spare until he is licking his lips in satisfaction, swelled with the abundance at the emotional dependency he has built up on you.

He needs reassurance like a life line, and while some might find this endearing at first, it undoubtedly becomes highly toxic and emotionally exhausting.  

Yamaguchi is incredibly volatile with his sensitivity, you have to watch your words and be sure he doesn’t misinterpret them and become dejected. He will read into everything you say and question every little detail. 

This is one of those Yandere’s that wouldn't do it intentionally I don’t think, but by the time he catches himself it’s too late, he’s in far too deep to stop and I don’t think he ever will once he realises how addicted he is to you, your words boosting his sense of worth and being the only form of confidence he’s ever felt in his life.

It’s quite sad, really. 

Don’t pity him too much, though. That’s the trap. That’s how reels you in until the teeth marks adorning your neck are a harsh reminder that you are nothing more than food for his ego.

If you ever think about leaving, he will have no qualms grovelling at your knees, razor to his wrists and begging you to stay. A cruel memoire at what keeps you tied here in the first place.

Pity.

Care.

The mutual empathy you saw in him that drew you in was now broken and one-sided, his selfishness far outweighing this trait of his and becoming your death-sentence. 

The marks will never fade. One day you’ll collapse to your knees and cave, but he won’t stop until he has bled you bare.

Oikawa - The Venusian’s Nightmare.

Danger level: 8/10

Oh charming Oikawa. The pretty boy with enough carnal seduction to rival his greek goddess counterpart. Hair smooth as silk, eyes glinting with mischief and a smirk that could bow you down on all fours. He has everything, or so it seems.

Sanity isn’t one of them.

He is VERY demanding when he craves your attention, which let’s face it is pretty often. If he doesn’t get it? Definition of a nightmarish brat.

He will whine, complain, blow up your phone. Still not available?

He’ll simply disappear.

For how long? Who really knows. He likes the thought of you on edge and anticipating his return, thoughts of him plaguing your mind to the point you question if you’re the one who’s obsessed.

Don’t worry though, when he returns he has enough sensual suave to make you forgive him ten times over.

You may think his bratty and sulking nature is the worst of it.

Oh how wrong you are.

Push him to his limits or the closest thing to it and you’ll face a cut-throat, teasing sadist who will tie you to the bed with a sickening sparkle in his eyes, marvelling at your skin jaggedly sliced open like a sheet of paper, tracing the wounds with his tongue and lapping up the blood before pulling you into a heated kiss which seems almost loving, if it weren’t for the metallic taste intertwining your tongues as a harsh reminder that you’re not here by choice.

He is definitely the type to mock you and howl with laughter as your body spams and writhes in pain, degrading you with the most vile remarks till tears spill from your eyes.

“Awh poor (Y/N)-chan, crying like a baby. Can’t handle the pain? What a pathetic little whore. Maybe if you beg enough, I’ll ease up the pressure~”

Sometimes he’ll leave you there wrist-bound to the bed post for hours, coming back in occasionally until your level of pleading satisfies him. 

His change in treatment is paradoxical in the aftermath, he will release you from your restrains and rub your skin with such tender care, it’s agonisingly deceiving.

One of the most dangerous things about him is his intuition, it’s damn near supernatural and makes for a natural born lie detector. Oikawa will sense the slightest shift in your mood, tone and body language. He knows you like the back of his hand, making it all the more unnerving to be in his presence.

This can be a positive if he is looking to fill you with ecstasy, since he knows every sweet spot, curl of his fingers and words to whisper that leave you trembling in mind-numbing pleasure.

Though you know once coming down from your high, your moments of heaven will slip through your fingers before crashing back down to reality.

He can read you like a book that he wrote with his own hands and it’s horrifying, he can predict what you’re going to say or do before you’ve even made up your mind. Which as you can guess, makes escape or wheedling out of a threatening scenario a null alternative.

If you decide to make the suicidal mistake of lying, your body will never quite function the same once he’s through. not to mention the plethora of emotional scarring that comes along with it.

After catching you in your mendacity and deeming your punishment enough, he’ll decorate your body in cuts, bruises and hickeys that throb from the abuse of his teeth. Laying you down in bed and tucking you in gently, wrapping an arm around in an act of ‘protection’ that was formerly wrapped around your throat in an act of threatening asphyxiation.

Eyes fluttering closed hours after he drifted off beside you, your heart rate quells and the tears staining your cheeks dry, preparing for the repeated cycle when the sun rises. 

How foolish to be lured in by such a facade, even the most beautiful of creatures can be hideous. 

Bokuto -  The Volcanoes Slaughter

Danger level: 9.5/10

The ticking of a time bomb, the cracking of the ground beneath your feet.

Once you are swept up in this man’s wrath you know there will never be an escape.

and he’s fucking terrifying.

His energy and vigour were what charmed you, his upbeat enthusiasm that while volatile, was very contagious and encouraging. 

If only you had known what kind of disaster was laying low under the surface.

Akaashi had tried to warn you, but you simply never listened.

He pities you now, for you’re in the same boat as him.

Eternally putting up with his violent tempers and erratic nature, which you often get the brunt of behind closed doors, left to cover the scars with a scarf and cheap pot of concealer.

His moods switch as quick as the direction of the wind, a gust too strong that leaves you flying back like a ragdoll against the wall.

Or that may just be because he actually threw you in a fit of rage, itching to see your limp body crack against the drywall to soothe his rage. Drowning the voices in his head with the sound of your soothing whimpers filled with agony.

While he may beat you black and blue whenever the overflow of emotions take over, he still does ‘care’ for you in his own sickening way, and would never have any qualms snapping a neck or two if it prevented anyone else laying a finger on you.

Though to be honest it’s the furthest thing from care, it’s downright monopolisation of something he deems his object.

How dare they hurt his personal punching bag, don’t they know you’re his and his alone to mark up in any way he pleases?

To everyone else, he seems like a very loving and protective boyfriend who has the occasional mood swing. If only they could pick up on the flinching of your body when his voice raises even a decibel, or the way you retract in fear at the swatting of a hand too close to your face. 

The anxiety felt when in his presence is indescribable, your whole body will soon become accustomed to trembling in fear, your fight or flight kicking in at the mere mention of his name. His voice sends every hair standing on end, bracing for the impact that may or may never come from his grazed fists.

Treading on eggshells and analysing every word before you speak will become second nature, even the tone of your voice or the way you arrange a question will be heavily thought over before even daring to let it escape your mouth.

You just can’t risk it, even hearing a word he doesn’t like will result in the tectonic plates shifting, getting closer to his impending eruption.

Once you hear the rumbling, you’ll know it’s far too late to run. Burned by the raging lava and consumed whole in a flood of pain and misery, it will destroy everything in it’s wake, even you.

Tendou - The Jesters Despair

Danger level: 10/10

You really opened pandora’s box with this one.

And once you so much as cracked it for a peak, just that little inkling of curiosity, the lanky arm of a redhead yanked your wrist and dragged you in with him.

Tendou’s eccentric and offbeat disposition was something you had always admired, it was what made your heart flutter.

Now? That eccentricity is put to the most horrifying of uses.

Mind games, manipulation, and unpredictability beyond your worst nightmare.

Tendou is the type to sink a blade into your skin and cackle maniacally while you cry and plead for him to stop. Edging himself and eyeing you up greedily at the painful fear in your eyes, blood trickling down your skin with each incision.

He’ll pull your hair back and slide his tongue along the cuts, his lustful gaze boring into your own as the pooling saliva leaves a chilling feeling on your skin, nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of his DNA entering your bloodstream.

He thrives on trickery and deception. He’s the type to say something incredibly warm and soft-centred, one that makes your pupils expand in newfound hope with the question of “...really?” rolling off your tongue. That inkling of hope sparking the thought that maybe, just maybe he’s changed. 

Only to burst into a fit of laughter at your naivety, teasing you relentlessly for how gullible and moronic he thinks you are. 

This yandere is incredibly incalculable. Here one minute, gone the next. Don’t even bother trying to figure out what he’s doing or where he is, you’ll never know. It keeps you on your toes in the most negative and unnerving sense of the expression, he gets a buzz off leaving you wondering, and takes great satisfaction in knowing you’re probably thinking about him.

 However, he expects you to be there whenever he needs you, regardless of circumstance. And if you’re not? You’ll have consequences to face.

I’m sorry to say, but there is no chance in hell you’re surviving this experience, there’s no doubt you’ll be murdered eventually. 

After all, he does get bored easily. Not so much as giving it a second thought on disposing of you once you are no longer a source of fresh entertainment for his sadistic desires.

With each passing day his treatment becomes increasingly brutal, searching for new ways to fulfil that empty feeling in his heart and cold, hollow look in his eyes. Don’t even bother trying to save him, not even he would know where to start.

Every night as you shut your eyes on the hardwood floor beside his bed, you can’t help but wonder if this is the last time you’ll ever close them.

And for your sake? You’d better hope it is.

Charming you with the humour of a Jester and putting on a show, he’ll make it certain every time you laugh, will be paid back with tears twofold. 

Kageyama - The Majesties Tyrant

Danger level: 7/10

Kneel before your highness or face his wrath. Kageyama Tobio is the most commanding of them all. Permanently trapped in his dictatorship with no hope of revolt. 

He doesn’t become set on things very often, but once he does it’s something he’ll never give up until he’s conquered it wholly.

Stubborn, moody, domineering and demanding. With just enough of a soft side he uses to persuade you back again. 

Fuelled by ego, pride, and a sense of superiority, he will never stop until he has your total obedience.

Being the dense man he is, this is usually achieved through simplistic means of intimidation and threats of aggression.

Kageyama will not hesitate to raise his fist and back you into a corner, cowering in recoil at his menacing aura that itches to do damage

You will do what he says, whenever he needs it, no if’s but’s or objections.

For such a hard headed ruler, he’s surprisingly childish and unsure about how to express anything other than abuse.

I think a part of him genuinely does like you, but it’s far too clouded by his toxic nature that it could never be seen as even slightly redeemable.

The most you’ll ever get out of Kageyama is the occasional hug, in which he squeezes you far to tight and resurfaces the pain of last nights bruises.

He doesn’t resort to physical violence often, as he is always reprimanded by the team to control his anger. If only they knew what he was like behind closed doors. I suppose you could credit it to Karasuno that he hasn’t accidentally killed you yet.

Yet.

When it comes to matters in the bedroom, he is focused solely on his own gratification, yours being a second thought he never so much as acknowledges.

Collared and threaded by  chain, you will crawl beside him and take it all until you’re gasping for air. The only thing he cares about is climaxing and leaving you with the cleanup.

He’s quite self conscious, so don’t expect much physical affection unless he’s chasing a particularly intense release.

Kageyama is highly jealous and frequently painted green with envy, so expect your social life to dwindle significantly once he has his hands on you, literally and metaphorically.

Thankfully, he won’t isolate you entirely, but it’s enough to leave you feeling segregated from the rest of the world. A lone member of his regime that you are forever trapped in with no chance of escape.

Bow down with a meek mutter of “Yes...master.” His crown will twinkle in the moonlight as a symbol of your everlasting enslavement.

The king of the court, and the ruler of your heart.

[iamdunn]

Miraculous Flash Forward Part 5: Return to Paris

A Miraculous Fan-Fic

Written by 

AJ Dunn

Adrien pulled his coat on tight around his shoulders. It was a freezing winter night as he made his way back home. He avoided the urge to transform, though it would be quicker to scale the roof tops than trying to walk. It wasn’t the best idea for the tiny Kwami who was already feeling a chill. Now that Fu is gone, there was no one to heal the Kwami if he got sick. It’s not like there was a listing for guardians. 

The metro had already stopped running for the night but Adrien made his way home. Plagg didn’t waste any time flying off to sit on the heater to warm himself. Adrien pulled the Manchego from the grocery bag he was carrying and broke off a large chunk then tossed it into the air. Like magic, it disappeared into the Kwami’s mouth. Adrien tore up the package that came today It was a fleece Ladybug footed onesie with a zipper up the front. 

“It’s here Plagg.” Adrien beamed. He had created a fake social media account and used it to message Marinette. He was surprised that she responded happily to his request for the commission of a onesie. He wanted to feel close to her again, but he couldn’t let her know it was him. He stripped down right in the seating area and slipped the fuzzy thing on. It fit perfectly. He kicked the box to the side but realized there was something else in it. He moved the tissue paper to the side and found a fleece black garment folded up. It had the red trimming same as her costume design. He pulled it out and found it was a Cat Noir footed onesie with a hood and ears. The feet even had paw prints on the bottom. 

OH Plagg.” he called holding the onesie up. “Look what I got.” waved the onesie around like a child on Christmas. A holiday he’s not had the pleasure of really celebrated since his mom went into a coma. Even while living with Amelie he had avoided it as a sad reminder of his parents. 

“Think you dropped this.” Plagg picked up a piece of paper. It was a pink polka dot stationery folded in half. He opened it up and read the note tossing the Cat onesie over his shoulder. 

“There is no Ladybug, without her Cat Noir” 

It was a simple statement, but it brought Adrien to tears. He dropped heavily onto the couch letting the letter fall from his hands. 

“You know.” Plagg started. “It’s only 5 months until the 5-year reunion. Will you go?” 

“At this point, I doubt they would want me to come.” Adrien surrendered to stood up and headed for bed. Adrien’s phone dinged a new notification as he laid silently on his bed. He picked it up. It was another post on Alya’s Lady blog. 

“It’s 5 months away from the 5 year anniversary of the defeat of Hawk Moth. Now that Paris has finally begun to heal from the pain caused by this villain, the citizens have been asking if our saviors would come together for a celebration. So I managed to rope Ladybug herself into an interview.” The camera zoomed at showing Alya sitting in a room with two armchairs and a simple round table between them. Ladybug sat next to her.

“Thank you for coming Ladybug.”

“Thank you for having me.” Ladybug smiled. She was so beautiful. Her midnight hair had grown out and was no longer in her customary pigtails. 

“First of all, the defeat of Hawk Moth was quite the feat.” 

“That is an understatement.” her serious face looked from Alya to the camera and back. 

“How well do you think the people of Paris have recovered from it? Do you think they are ready for a celebration like this?”

“I think some of us still suffer certain losses even in the wake of Hawk Moths final attack.” Ladybug was looking at the screen now. 

“Are you referring to the disappearance of Cat Noir?” Ladybug closed her eyes and drew a fist to her chest. 

“There is no Ladybug without Cat Noir.” She said looking into the camera again. “Where ever you are if you are watching. Cat it’s time to come home.” tears jerked at his heart as he tossed his phone down on the bed and walked to the railing overlooking at his seating area.

“Stayed tuned for an interview with Marinette, the class president of the class who graduated during the final attack of Hawk Moth.” Adrien turned around and found Plagg holding the phone watching the blog. 

“Must you watch that?” Adrien asked irritated.

‘What’s wrong, afraid you’ll lose the battle and get on a place?” Plagg egged him on. Adrien shook his head and turned back to his bed. He took the phone and went downstairs. Plagg turned the TV on and Adrien mirrored the phone to it. Suddenly there was Marinette on the big screen. He was wearing a cute dress, a black coated top with a flared pink Polka dot skirt. She did love her polka dots. There was a little black kitten embroidered into the skirt batting at, a ladybug? 

“Is that…” Adrien said looking closer at her skirt.

“An ode to Ladybug and Cat Noir?” Plagg finished. “I think it is.”

“Marinette, it’s been nearly 5 years since your class graduation was interrupted by the final attack of Hawk Moth, how do you think your classmates are fairing today?”

“I can’t speak for all of them, but those who I have been in contact with are really looking forward to it. In fact, they are excited and hopeful to see each other again, and the superheroes that saved us.” 

“After 5 years it’s no surprised that we have lost contact with some of our classmates, so how many have you spoken with?”

“All, but one.” the downcast look on her face spoke to her heart’s disposition regarding Adrien’s disappearance. “After that past four years, and all the searching on the internet, they have been no sign of our missing classmate. If you or anyone who know have any idea where our beloved friend has gone, please, let him know we are his family and we miss him.” Adrien turned the television off and went to bed. 

The closer it came to the reunion the more his phone alerted him to updates of Marinette and Alya preparing for the festivities. Marinette had always given her entire self to her friends, helping them, and picnics, how could Adrien have not seen what a true superhero she was and she didn’t even need a mask. 

Adrien picked up his mail in the mailroom then headed out to the school. It was spring now, and only a week away from the reunion. He noticed a thick envelope with a card inside. He opened it as he sat on the metro. It was an invitation to the reunion. Addressed to him. He checked the address and noticed a label had been placed on top of the original label. Thanks, Amelie. Or Emelie. They were both now living together, though Adrien hadn’t spoken with either. Emelie was still incoherent though conscious and living at the manor with Amelie. Adrien looked over the card again and noticed a finally written note in the corner of the card. 

“I’m still waiting for your answer.” He knew Marinette’s handwriting all too well. He smiled as his heart warmed at the message. 

“I will go,” he said out loud, hoping only Plagg heard him from his pocket. Adrien had a lot of arrangements to make if he was to go. He had grounds to maintain. He would need to put someone else in charge of these tasks. Adrien wasn’t sure how long he would stay, but he would start with a week just in case. He was surprised to find someone was at the temple when he arrived. An older man was cleaning up the grounds as Adrien walked up. 

“Laoshi Mao?” the man asked. “I am Orisuma.” 

“I thank you for your hard work, what brings you?” Adrien asked. 

“I had been noticing you doing all this work on your own. Such a hard working young man” Orisuma offered. “I have been released from my job and have nothing to do during the day.” Adrien smiled.

“You have come at the right time.” Adrien motioned for the man to follow him. He keyed open the temple and the two walked inside. 

“I have to go away for a few days, and I was just thinking to myself this morning how I need someone to tend to the grounds until I return.” Adrien walked him and around showing him all of the tasks he had to carry out every day and the onles that only needed to be done weekly. Since classes were still on hold for another couple weeks due to the mourning of Cheng Sifu, there wasn’t laundry. Many of the students left their yi-fu here. 

“I would be happy to provide this survice to you, if you will allow me to continue when you return.” Adrien smiled at him.

“I would be honored to have your aid.” Feeling at ease and knowing he had nothing else to do for the day he returned home to prepare for his trip. His excited and nerves argued in his stomach as he arranged his flight, and packed his bags.

“Felix,” He said on the phone as his cousin answered. “I’ll be on a plane this evening for Paris.” A silence on the other side of the phone told him Felix was surprised.

“Wow, what brought this on?” Felix must be so busy with work that he hasn’t been following the buzz. 

“The reunion is this Saturday, and I have been invited.” 

“Are you finally ready to face them?”

“I am not sure, but what better time to do so.” Adrien gulped trying to not lose his nerve.

“Well, are there any arrangements you would like me to make on my end?” 

“Just see that my room is ready.” 

“You plan to...stay there.” the hesitation in Felix’s voice reverberated Adrien’s own hesitation.

“It makes sense.” Adrien tried to justify it, rather then getting a motel. “People would ask to many questions why the Heir to Agreste manor stays in a hotel instead of his own home.” 

“I see your point.”

“Besides, it’s been 5 years, you’d think a man would have gotten over such a thing by now.” He wasn’t sure he was quite yet, but the prospect of finding out, while it made him wince in emotional pain, it also lightened his heart to the prospect of finally finding out who the love of his life was. His Lady.

“Pick me up at the airport.” Adrien said before they ended the call. Adrien checked the refrigerator for anything that would spoil while he was gone. Aside from cheese which would sustain, he had very little else. His evening meal was still made with Cheng Sifu. Ah, he remembered. He picked up his phone and called him.

“I will be going back to Paris for a week, so I won’t be coming in.” He heard Cheng make some sound on the other end of the line, it sounded like a cheer. 

“You say hello to my nieces for me while you are there.” Another cheer came from the other end of the line. “Before you go, I would like to send them a treat if you don’t mind picking it up.” Adrien agreed and hung up the phone. 

The box was larger than Adrien had expected, but not to large to fit in the back seat of his cab. Luckily he only carried one suitcase and a carry on bag. Mostly for the snacks Plagg would eat on the plane. It was a good thing Kwami’s couldn’t be seen or heard through technology. Otherwise there would be some explaining to do at airport security. He checked the box and suit case then found a seat at the boarding gate to wait for his boarding call. He had a while to wait as he had been in a hurry to get their that he arrived an hour early. Sitting in a nearly empty waiting area where no one else could see him he pulled out his phone holding it up to his head as he pretended to be on the phone.

“Who do you think I should visit first.” he asked Plagg as he used the voice to cover the secret conversation. 

“I’d visit the Bakery first, they have amazing snacks and or Leons Cheese store for some yummy Camembert.” Plagg was more excited than anything at the prospect of the snacks. 

“I can’t go to the bakery first” Adrien gupled. “What if Marinette is there?” 

“She said she wants you to come home.” Plagg reminded him.

“She wants answers, and I doubt my answer will be good enough, Plagg I ran away like a child.” 

“Well, you were in a very unique situation Adrien. No one would blame you for reacting like that.” Plagg was just happy to be going home. “You told Felix to stock up on cheese right.” 

“I think we can handle that on our own, we don’t need someone else doing everything for us anymore.” Adrien had made himself into an independent man. He didn’t want someone preparing his meals for him, or buying his clothes. That was Adrien Agreste and he wasn’t that man anymore. 

“I know the first person I want to see, and I know exactly how to ask her for forgiveness.” Adrien had been following the news in Paris and keeping up with everyone from a distance. It was Ladybug and Marinette he owed the most too, and he would start with Ladybug.

Adrien shoved the box into the back seat of Felix’s car then the suit case. He climbed into the front seat. His hood was still pulled over his head hiding his face. A common thing while he was in public. 

“Will be we making a formal announcement at any time.” Felix asked. 

“Is that wise?” 

“You will be attending your high school reunion. And no matter what I say, I can’t erase Adrien Agreste or take away their memory of you.” Felix had played off to the press that he was the face of the Agreste brand saying that there was no Adrien Agreste. It wasn’t a lie, Adrien Agreste no longer existed but that was only to give him the privacy to recovery form what his father had done to this city. The Graham De Vanily Brand was a refreshing new start for the former Agreste brand and they needed to make sure no scandals rose up to destroy that image. 

“Transperency is important here. If the media got wind of a secret like this, say, you showing up to a high school reunion, it could be bad for the company’s image.” 

“Can it wait until Saturday. I have some sleuthing to do without a bunch of people showing up.” Adrien asked. His stomach began to tie in knots at the thought of Nino showing up on his door, or even worse, Alya. That girl could be scary at times, and he knew Marinette would have told him about the last conversation they had. He couldn’t bear it. 

“Fine.” Felix huffed. “I will contact Marinette to arrange a formal announcement at the reunion, so you can make your return public and televised.” His face burned at the thought of such a public re-entrance as his heart skipped a beat. 

“If you insist.” He forced a smile as they pulled through the gates of the Agreste Manor. The insignia on the gate as well as all over the house spoke to Gabriel as the symbol was a G inside of a circle. 

“I wish we could change that.” Adrien said.

“As long as Emelie lives, we can’t the house is hers.” Adrien didn’t know if that made it any better. 

“She can have it.” Adrien thought. “I think I am happy in Shanghai.” 

“What if things work out with you and…” Felix stopped the car infront of the entrance. “Marinette?”

“What makes you think I even have a chance with her after all these years?” Adrien looked at him. “You said yourself she stopped asking about me awhile ago.”

“Ask the same question and get the same answer too many times, people tend to stop asking.” Felix was right. Adrien pulled his suit case out of the back seat then leaned into the open window. 

“Would you mind taking that to Tom and Sabine’s bakery, it’s a gift from Sabine’s uncle.” 

“Shall I tell them you brought it for them?” Felix gave a mischievous smile then pulled away without an answer. 

“Please don’t.” Adrien said to himself as he watched Felix drive away. He carried his bacg into the house hoping no one saw him. Felix had even excused the staff for the entire week as Adrien had requested. If Emelie never recovered, this house would become his officially, even though she was a year away from being declared dead before she was found in the basement of the manor. His bedroom was the same as the last time he had been in it. It had been cleaned but everything else was still the same. Including the fact that there were clothes still in the closets. He had bever been ablet to even pack his stuff. 

“I don’t think any of it will fit anymore.” Plagg laughed then flew to his cheese fridge. It was a small fridge and was now empty. Plagg sighed in sadness. 

“Shall we head out to Leons?” Adrien asked him. Adrien walked to the car garage. There were sever cars in their. He opened the lock box by the entry door and fished for a set of keys, there were three cars in their a tiny black coup, a silver sadan, and a black sadan. He picked up a set of keys and clicked the key fob to unlock the doors. The lights on the black sadan lit up. He clicked the lock but and put them back. Another key fob lit up the lights on the coup. He smiled then climbed inside. He had never driven this car. He had only ever been allowed to drive the silver one, but generally he always had his body guard drive him around. 

He had a little bit of shopping to do so he started with Leon’s cheese store, then went to the market to get the supplies for dinner. He intended this to be a picnic unlike anything she has ever had before. 

[imjeralee]

Wallflower: Chapter 4 - Open Me

Raihan x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Note: This is my first Pokemon fanfic. I hope you enjoy it :) Originally posted on Archive of Our Own.

Summary: You’re an unassuming Pokemon breeder who works at the nursery in the Wild Area and he’s Raihan, the fearsome gym leader of Hammerlocke who has more than a million followers.

You don’t want anything to do with him but he’s…persistent.

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Warnings: Lemon, smut, violence, language

OPEN ME

...

...

"Some time ago, this woman did this, uh.... this art performance. It was extreme art, using herself. Basically, she stood with this sign saying that she was letting the public do whatever they wanted to do with her - and she was gonna stand for seven hours and do nothing. She laid out some stuff in front of her - amongst random objects, I think there was a pen, a flower, a gun, a knife...So anyway, she stood and at first, people just stared and watched her. Someone went up to her and gave her a hug. Gave her a handshake. Someone gave her the flower to hold. Someone kissed her on the lips. The public chuckled and laughed, watching this woman stand there like a living dummy. They used the pen and drew on her or something. It began to escalate: someone started taking off her clothes. She stood semi-naked until someone covered her up. Someone slapped her. Someone punched her. I think she started crying but they didn't stop. Someone grabbed the knife and cut the side of her neck. Someone took the gun and put it in her hand, pointed it to her own head. When the time was up and the woman started moving again, the people who hurt her ran away immediately, afraid of the repercussions. When I read that article, I knew: human beings are absolutely disgusting to the core."

She lifts up a knife next. A terrified Deerling trembles in the corner of the room whilst Banette grins.

"That being said, I guess I'm no exception. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

....

Detective Looker is hard at work.

He's got a few things going on - not only has he taken over Raihan's social media account for the time being (it took a lot of persuasion but Raihan finally agreed, vexingly... if he might say so himself) and now he has taken it upon himself to personally investigate the hotel, in particular, room 241. It's Raihan's designated room should he ever visit Circhester, Spikemuth or Wyndon, and Looker's interrogated the majority of staff and checked out all CCTV. No-one reported witnessing any unauthorised persons going in and out of the room and the CCTV does not accurately show the hallway, indicating several blindspots. They also tell him a keycard went missing which was not replaced or brought to management's attention. Looker is not surprised. Of course, there's a hiccup...whilst the hotel staff apologise profusely for their blunders, Looker dismisses them. It sounds like they'll improve their security from now on.

Looker heads to the room, opening the door. Everything is evidence and should be treated with utmost care...he unleashes his Growlithe to sniff out anything. He wouldn't be surprised if Raihan and the girl were snorting up berry dust or anything. Who knows what kids these day were up to...who knows.

Upon checking the room, he stands where the camera in the DVD was facing and finds two light switches in the wall that faces the bed directly. Attempting to remove them, he gets Magnemite to ease it off using it's Magnetic Pull ability and it manages to take the cover off, revealing a square slot where any sort of camera could be placed there, perfect for recording. He takes a few snaps of it using his Rotom phone and inspects the area where the dust doesn't settle. The camera was placed here for some time (a long time, perhaps) but it's long gone now.

Someone had set up a camera way before the one night stand and removed it during the night when both were sleeping. Pretty ballsy, if Looker admits; the perp had gone into the room when Raihan and the girl were in it. But from the testimony, the young couple were drunk as fish so it's not surprising they were out cold for the rest of the night and didn’t notice. The next question is - if no-one saw anyone go in or go out, how did the culprit escape? Looker turns to the window, finds that it's easily opened and proceeds to look outside. Anyone could just use pokemon to fly out here. Also, how did the culprit know where the girl worked to be able to deliver the DVD directly to her workplace?

She probably works for Macro Cosmos. It's the perfect setup - she's Raihan's biggest fan and being an employee of Macro Cosmos, she could have access to what hotel he stays in. Macro Cosmos also has their paws stuck in the Pokemon Nurseries; they pretty much run everything in Galar. They may as well be the government, Looker thinks to himself. 

He grabs a pokeball and presses the button. "Go, Dustox." And the large moth pokemon abruptly appears and Looker issues his command: "Dust it."

Dustox flutters around, sprinkling some dust over the window pane where it reveals two handprints.

"Good job, boy." Looker says as Dustox lands atop his head and he pulls out some equipment to take prints. They look small - most likely a female's. Next, Rotom buzzes, indicating a new message. "Talk." Looker mutters, as Rotom flies out.

"Zzrt, I've got the report; I've also got the address of the fan who told Raihan to go to Spikemuth!"

"Thanks, Rotom. This is coming along nicely." He mutters to himself. Grabbing Rotom, he checks the rest of the statistics report; looks like the person has also commented on every single photo and video Raihan has uploaded since...ever. It's simple. Real simple. Just a case of blackmail and obsession after all.

...

Looker arrives in Spikemuth and looks up from his Rotom phone. He's standing in front of an apartment block that looks very rundown. Of course, everything in Spikemuth is grizzled and decrepit, but somehow this sad building really takes the cake. Rotom's provided address mentions the third floor so he quietly makes his way up and stops at the front door. This is it.

Letting go of Rotom, he makes a circle with his finger. "Scan it."

"You got it, champ." Rotom says, before he zooms into the air and a dim blue light glows. "There'zzz only one person inzzide. A man."

"Thanks, I'm going in." Looker knocks on the door and waits.

A few seconds later, the door opens and a middle-aged, bald man in a tracksuit opens it. "Whaddya want?" He slurs, clearly drunk.

Looker holds up his badge. "I'm with the police; I'm looking for - "

He doesn't even get to finish his sentence because the man yells over his shoulder, "What are you in trouble for this time?! Now the po-po's here!"

There is no response.

The man sighs, opens the door and grunts at Looker, "C'mon in."

With an eyebrow raised, Looker steps inside. The flat is in a disgusting state and there's a terrible odor. Feces, perhaps. Looker follows the man down the small hallway of the cramped apartment, stepping over heaps of trash and boxes and upturned furniture on the floor and they stop at a random door. The man proceeds to slam his huge fist over it and it rattles in the doorframe

"Hey, are you in there?!" He yells, before he tries again, but there is still no response.

Looker holds out his arm. "Stand back." With a hefty kick, the door opens violently and swings on the hinges.

Inside, it's a fairly normal room, save for the numerous posters of Raihan pasted to the walls and a bunch of magazines on the floor with Raihan's picture on it, along with the mangled carcass of a dead Deerling. The man gags and runs back towards the direction of the living room whilst Looker steps in.

"Rotom?"

"Yezzzir?"

"Let's get a team here."

"Okay-doo."

...

The Wild Area...

"I've got two wonderful arms, I've got two wonderful lips, I'm over twenty one and I'm free…Oh, I've got a hive full o' honey, for the right kind of honeybee…"

In the Rolling Fields, a young man sits in the middle of a patch of tall grass with a jar of honey in hand and a small plastic knife in his other which he's using to spread over his face.

A group of trainers pass him whilst chatting animatedly and giggling, all female - looks like they're heading to Motostoke - and they stop as soon as they spot him, eyes wide. Realising he's being watched, he grins and waves at them. "Ladies! You wanna see my Lickilicky? He's big and pink - "

"Ewww! Weirdo!" They scream loudly before quickly scampering away.

He looks upset. "What's wrong with Lickilicky?" Rummaging a hand through his pockets, he takes out a pokeball and presses the button, releasing a large pink pokemon and he continues spreading honey over his chin. "Wait," He pauses abruptly, frowning. "How does this work again? Was I meant to put honey on myself, or on a pokemon? What do you think, Licky?"

His pokemon turns to him and sticks it's massive pink tongue out in response.

"Eh, fair enough. Okay, here goes nothing. Let's give it a shot." Once he's finished giving himself a honey moustache, he moves to stand up and holds his arms out, dropping the knife to the ground - but then his phone rings and he fishes Rotom out from his pocket. "Yello."

"Um, it's me."

"What's up?"

“I...I think I have a date. Can you help me?”

“Hell yeah, I will!” He shouts down the phone before he hangs up, then - "Frick, why'd I do that? Damn, where we gonna meet?"

He immediately calls her back.

"Yeah?" She sounds exhausted.

"Where we gonna meet and when?"

"Can we meet right now? The date is tomorrow. Are you in Galar? Sorry for the short notice..."

"Nah, s'alright, I wasn't doing anything important anyway," He replies, "And yeah, I'm in the Wild Area. Meet you outside your workplace?"

"Sure."

After he hangs up a second time, there is a loud rustling noise emitting from the right. He gasps and whips his glance over over. "What was that?"

There's another loud rustle to the left which makes him leap frantically in the air.

"Huh? What? Who?"

Another rustle.

"Who goes there?"

Glancing left and right, he can't tell where the noise is coming from but then the grass parts and a dark shadow leaps out. His eyes widen.

…..

You're waiting outside the nursery as agreed, checking your phone for any messages when you see a figure sprinting towards you from the horizon. It's some dude dressed up as a Galarian Ponyta. Oh, wait. You know this dude.

"Help! Help me! Demon cat! Demon cats are chasing me!!" He yells, waving his arms around.

It's Glenn. Finally, he's here. Took him long enough. He's rushing towards the nursery with his Lickilicky waddling after him and there's something chasing him; you notice it's a couple of Purrloin that have all set their eyes on him.

Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he hisses, "Back, I say! All of you, stay back! Oh? You want a battle, do you? Fine!!" He grabs a pokeball from his belt and tosses it without looking and throws his arms in the air, "Go Kricketune! Delelele whooooop!"

You continue to watch as a large, reddish insect pokemon appears in a burst out of light and it stands its ground in front of the rampaging Purrloin - however, it's quickly pushed to the ground and trampled over.

"No!" Glenn yelps, before he spies you and proceeds to hurriedly make his way towards you, hiding behind your back, "Oh good, you're here. Do something!"

"Okay, I got this." You mutter; the Purrloin stop before you, peering up at you inquisitively whilst Glenn quivers in fear. You quickly fish out some spare berries from your bag which you keep handy for these sorts of situations and squat down to hand the fruit to them. They surround you at once and you distribute the food in an orderly fashion. "One for you...one for you.... aaaaaaaand...one for you." You mutter as they line up, single file. Once each pokemon has a berry, they purr and meow appreciatively at you before turning to leave quietly.

From behind your shoulder, you hear: "Are they gone? Are the demon cats gone?"

"Yeah."

"Phew!" Glenn pokes his head out and sighs. "Thanks for taking care of that, sis. These Purrloin walk on their hind legs! That's not normal!" He exclaims as he returns his Kricketune and Lickilicky into their pokeballs.

"It's a Galar thing." You reply, before you squint your eyes at him, "Are you high?"

"Me? High? No, of course not. I've been clean for years, sis. Years."

"Right, okay. Come on then, let's go. It's getting late."

"Sure, sure. I'm so happy you called me." He gushes, as you both begin your trek down the beaten path of the Wild Area that will lead you to Hammerlocke where you will get the train; Glenn quickly falls into the same pace as you, folding his arms behind his head - which he does all the time but suddenly it reminds you of Raihan.

Glenn is your foster brother and a self-proclaimed Pokemaniac, choosing to dress up as random pokemon depending on his mood. A week ago he was a Bidoof, a few days ago he was a Weedle. Today, he is a Galarian Ponyta, a pokemon he's been on the lookout for a long time since he read about them. He still stays in Johto somewhere in Mahogany Town, but he likes to visit you a lot on sporadic occasions and luckily for you when you called him - he was in the Wild Area. You've asked Glenn to help you choose an outfit for your date. He was responsible for picking out the black dress from Goldenrod department store - the one you wore to the club - so overall, he's good with fashion and naturally you called him first because you trust his opinions.

He was also a berry addict. Specifically, the lum. Yes, that one. Out of all the berries he could get addicted to, it had to be that one. He got addicted to lum berries at a young age and spent much of his youth going to shady places, throwing most of his cash to dealers just to snort some lum dust. He’s been clean for years, or he says, but sometimes you’re not sure. There's no telltale sign right now - no red, watery eyes and there's no distinct smell of the lum either. You guess you have to take his word for it.

"Wait, before I forget - " Glenn removes his Ponyta hood, leaving himself in his white sweater and slacks with the pink-blue edges, and he proceeds to take out two pokeballs, handing them to you, "I brought your pokemon."

You grin widely as you take the pokeballs off him. "Thanks!!" You'll let your pokemon out later, and stuff their capsules into the pocket of your bag.

"I guess the only pokemon you're missing from your team would be a Goodra, Dragonite, Kommo-o and a Hydreigon, right?"

"And a Dragapult." You remind him.

"Why do you want one so badly? Is it because they look like they're so done with life and shit?"

"Uh, no, but - hey, what happened to that Dreepy trader?"

"He said he wanted your Metagross in exchange."

You make a face. "NO."

And he snickers, crosses his arms over his chest. "Yep, I called the trade off.”

"Thanks. So, what pokemon were you looking for this time?"

"A Vespiqueen, but no luck." He says with a sigh.

"You should've dressed up as a Combee."

"I wanted to but I couldn't make the costume in time." He sighs again, "Anyway, this isn't about me. This is about you. How's it goin'? How's Galar? You got a date, right?"

You immediately throw your glance to the ground and kick a stone away from your path, cheeks going pink. "...Yeah."

"Who's the lucky dude?"

"Um...it's Raihan."

Glenn's eyes bulges for a split second but then his expression returns to normal. "Oh. Figures. He loves dragon Pokemon and you use some dragon pokemon, so you got something in common." He scratches his chin next, "Raihan, huh. He's a bit of a celebrity around here; didn't know you would like his type."

You blush furiously in response. "I don't know if I should go."

"Huh? But you called me for help, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then you should go. Give it a shot. Ahhh, my little sis is going on a date with the hot-blooded dragon tamer. That's adorable." Glenn reaches over and pulls at your cheek affectionately.

You smile awkwardly in response. There's more to it, of course, but you're reluctant to tell Glenn the entire truth. Once you're at Hammerlocke, you take the train to Wyndon - even though you're heading there tomorrow - and upon arrival, you and Glenn head to the boutique. Raihan's asked you out on short notice and you're sure there's nothing in your current wardrobe, so the Wyndon boutique will have to do. Compared to the boutiques in the region, the Wyndon store offers some of the best selection of clothing. Stepping inside, you're greeted with hundreds of clothing racks and your eyes are assaulted with dozens of colourful garb, shoes and handbags.

As you grimace under your breath, Glenn rolls his sleeves up and grins widely. "Right, let's get you sorted!"

...

Wyndon, next day.

Needless to say, you didn't get a very good night's sleep and when you had heard a Corviknight crowing, indicating it was morning, you groaned and sat up in bed, glancing over to the folded clothes on the stool which you had bought yesterday with Glenn's help. It was rather exciting at first and shopping with Glenn is very much fun and games, but now...not so much. The initial excitement is gone now, replaced with an underlying sense of dread. You're afraid. Why are you doing this? What will you say to Raihan when you see him? What will you talk about during your time together? What if it gets awkward? What if he thinks you're boring as hell and that you have nothing in common? You smacked a hand to your forehead as you slipped out of bed, full of regret and feeling sick to the stomach; it's not like you agreed to go on the date either but he's expecting you to turn up now and you're too afraid to message him saying you don't want to go anymore.

Glenn said he could wait with you at the Wyndon pokemon centre for moral support which you didn't think was necessary; it doesn't make you feel any better.

Yet, you're waiting in the Pokemon Centre; Glenn stands at the rounded table, going through photos on his phone whilst you peep outside the double glazed window. Here you are, dressed and dolled up. It took you almost three hours to get ready. You look the same as you did at the nightclub but the makeup's a bit toned down, especially with your eyeliner. There's still ten minutes to go until the date officially starts but your indication of Raihan's arrival is a cacophony of manic female screaming and cheering. People are pointing to a specific direction so you follow where their fingers are pointing to and you see that Raihan has appeared, having just arrived at the large fountain in the town square; he smiles and waves at a few shrieking fans - he's donned in a casual black t-shirt and denims (and looking very much like the way he did at that talkshow) - before he abruptly steps towards the fountain and plops himself down on an empty, dry space, bringing out his Rotom phone. High above and the sky is turning grey, indicating that it will be raining soon.

Your eyes grow wide as your Rotom phone buzzes and he flies out; you have received a photo from Raihan - he just snapped a photo of himself at the fountain and has sent it to you. The caption below says:

Doofus: I'm here :)

You don't know how to reply, your feet suddenly anchored to the spot. "...He's actually here." You croak out. "He's here, Glenn."

Glenn doesn't look up from his phone. “You thought he wasn't serious? That he was playing a cruel joke on you? This isn't prom night or high school or whatever.”

“Y-yeah...”

"Well, now that he’s here and obviously very serious, what are you waiting for? Go to him."

You shake your head furiously, taking a few steps back from the window. "Um...not yet."

"Huh?" He looks up, confused. "You're gonna make him wait?"

"...It's not that. I...I don't think I can do this."

"What do you mean?"

"This is a bad idea."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"You can't keep letting whatever you're scared of stop you from doing things, sis." Glenn says, but you don't leave the safety of the pokemon centre.

As the minutes tick by, you see Raihan occasionally checking his phone, talking to some fans who would go up to him for selfies and autographs. Once that's done, he would look up and around and check his phone again for updates from your end (but obviously there's none because you didn't reply to his message). You hear a loud booming clap of thunder overhead and it occurs to you that the weather's getting worse and soon, the window becomes streaked with droplets.

"Look, it’s raining now." Glenn adds, "And it's pretty bad. Go and get him. Go get your man."

You stare at Raihan, who is still rooted in his seat on the fountain. He hasn't moved at all. Glancing at your phone, you realise you've left Raihan waiting for almost ten minutes. And as Glenn pointed out, it's beginning to rain heavily.

"Shit. You're right. Goddamnit, he's gonna get sick." You utter under your breath, "Glenn, I'm going."

"Whoohoo! Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!”

You pull your umbrella from your bag and open it as you rush out of the pokemon centre, running over to the fountain. Raihan doesn't notice you coming and since he hasn't moved from his spot at all, he's very drenched; once you arrive, you hold the umbrella over his head and he promptly looks up.

"Sorry, I'm late!" You exclaim, "Well, no, I wasn't late, I was - uh, never mind, I-I have kept you waiting and for that I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

He stares at you from head to toe; you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt dress with a belt and black shorts underneath, along with matching black chelsea boots. After he's had a good look at you, he immediately stands up and envelopes you into a tight hug. The umbrella jiggles in your hand and almost threatens to fall but you manage to hold onto it. Despite being completely wet, his body is warm.

"It's okay, I didn't wait for long." He says, as he nuzzles you affectionately. He sounds happy.

What a doofus, he clearly did wait for a long time. 

"You came." He adds.

"O-of course I'd come." You utter, and you exhale quietly under your breath as he bundles you up in his arms and gives you a tight squeeze. "...Sorry." You mumble again, throwing your gaze to the side as your chin rests on his broad shoulder. You can't help but apologise again and again.

His arms lower from your waist, large hands resting on the sides of your legs and the contact makes you blush heavily, your fingers clinching the damp fabric of his t-shirt. “Your outfit is too short.” He murmurs as he strokes the sides of your bare thighs before he slips his fingers underneath the material of your shorts - he’s almost at your ass - and he succeeds in sending a few shivers down your spine.

”You don’t like it?”

“No,” He mutters, “But it’s dangerous to wear something like that in front of me.”

Honestly, it’s quite a tacky thing to say but somehow he can get away with it because your face ends up a thousand shades of red before you defiantly turn your head to the side. “S-shut up.” You mumble as he leans over to press his lips over your cheek and you close your eye as he begins to trail little kisses over the side of your face. What were you expecting? Heck, you are deliberately wearing a sexy outfit for this date.

He moves towards your mouth and presses a deep kiss on your lips which kind of takes you off guard but before you can react, he pulls away and says, "What do you want to do first?"

"You're soaked." You squeak out, "I'm sorry."

He plants his hand atop your head, ruffling your head as he grins at you in response.

"Okay, I'm here and you're here. Your obsessed fan could also be here and watching us this very moment. What the hell are we doing, being in the wide open like this? This is bad. We should not be doing this." Glancing around, you see some of the Wyndon locals running for shelter from the rain, disappearing into their homes or nearby restaurants which now look pretty full. You're not too sure if it's a good idea if you should go with Raihan to such a busy place. You ponder to yourself briefly and it hits you. "Never mind; I have an idea."

....

Glimwood Tangle.

"Ahhhh. This is so much better." You sigh, wiping your brow with relief, "It's nice, dark and quiet here. No-one will see us."

The Glimwood Tangle is the perfect place - maybe not so much for a date, but if Raihan insists in spending some time with you, this is a good option. It's not raining here either, thank goodness. Of course, you're just a few paths away from Ballonlea as well, so you guess you could invite Raihan for tea or something nearer the end (and not for sex, nooo... and you hope he would respect that too). You took the Corviknight taxi - which was a bad idea because it was really cramped inside and you were both basically rubbing shoulders - which he didn't object to or anything, in fact he pretty much wanted you to sit in his lap but luckily for you and unlucky for him, there was just enough space.

You found the entire taxi ride darn near claustrophobic and he had his hand planted over your bare leg the entire time so you're relieved to have finally arrived at the woods - even when you exited the taxi, he let you go out first and the damn cramped cubicle meant when you both stood up and turned, your ass basically grinded invitingly against his hips. If it couldn't have been anymore damn obvious, there's tension between you and Raihan and you're not sure what will emerge from this.

In the woods, you look around whilst Raihan tries to get a signal on his phone. There's not many people around at all and as you mentioned, it's dark and quiet. You prefer this more than any other town or city. You take one step forwards and -

SQUELCH.

Throwing your glance down, you see your foot is stuck in thick mud, fast. "Motherfu - “

Raihan’s watching you.

”-Fuh...Furret. These are brand new."

He chuckles as you try to pull and tug your leg free but to no avail. Raihan steps over, invulnerable to the mud (but of course he is) and reaches for you, scooping you up with one hand under the back of your knees and the other around your shoulder and with unimaginable strength, he hoists you out - but now you're stuck in his hold, being carried bridal style which embarrasses you greatly.

"What are you doing?"

"Saving my princess." He replies cheerfully as he carries you through the woods. You blush the entire way; when you're away from the muddy terrain and back onto the path, you both find a large glowing mushroom and decide to sit down and Raihan looks around inquisitively. You get the feeling that he doesn't come here often, and you wonder if he has even come here before at all. He doesn't look used to his surroundings.

"Are you okay?" You ask, as Raihan looks up at the non-existent sky. "Is it too quiet here? Too dark? Some people find the Glimwood Tangle unnerving."

"It’s not so bad here.”

"Yeah, but people are rumoured to disappear or get lost for days. Weeks, even. So, not many people like passing here and as you can see, it's really dark. Like it's almost noon but it looks like it's night-time right now. It can really mess with your biological clock," You muse out loud, "N-not that I chose to stay near here because of those reasons, of course. “

You go silent; it occurs to you that he was observing you as you babbled and now you’re scared to death that you’d put him off with your ramblings. Did it make any sense? Or was it all garbage? Why did you say those things in the first place anyway? You couldn’t help it - it was like verbal diarrhoea. Have you made things awkward now?

As you worry, he asks, “Do you live in Ballonlea or Stow-on-Side?"

"Ballonlea. You can see my cottage over there." You point to the left where between some giant, neon mushrooms, you can see the roof of your cottage in-between the stems.

"Nice." He comments with a grin, before he takes off his orange sweatband which is damp with rain and as he wrings it dry, you get a rare view of Raihan without his headband, revealing the sides of his shaved head and his dreadlocks. You can feel your cheeks heating up as you look at his rugged side profile and angled jaw, the amount of manly appeal he oozes is enough to reduce you to a blushing mess. He's still fairly damp, his black t-shirt clinging to his muscles and you can see the lean outline of his biceps. Looks like he works out a lot...hot damn, you should've paid more attention to the training videos he posts up online. There's a reason they're insanely popular with fans.

You try to focus on the topic at hand here, clearing your throat, "My pokemon like it a lot here, except Espie. She prefers Johto."

"What other pokemon do you have?"

"I have a Drifloon; he's been with me for a long time. And I have a Poliwag. He refuses to evolve though, so we tied an Everstone around his tail. He lives in my bathroom."

Raihan chuckles again. Surprisingly....the conversation's been pretty fluid and he's extremely easy-going. “I got something for you.”

”Huh?”

Delving into his pocket, he takes out a pokeball with a ribbon tied neatly around the middle. Fancy. “This is for you.”

You don’t move. Your gut feels like it’s twisted into a tight knot.

”Go on, it’s yours.”

You nervously accept the pokeball from him and he gestures for you to open it, releasing whatever is inside. You press the button and a red light flashes briefly before the Pokemon appears. Your eyes widen at once. It’s a round purplish-pink blob that blinks it’s little eyes at you before opening its mouth wide. It makes a gurgling noise and your jaw drops.

”A Goomy!!?!” You exclaim, and you can’t help the smile that blossoms on your face; Raihan watches, grinning at your reaction. “But...why? You didn’t have to.”

“He needs a home and I know you’ll take good care of him.”

As the Goomy looks between you and Raihan, you hold your arms out. It slowly slithers over to you and you lift it up and into your arms. Uh, okay.... now your clothes are feeling a little damp. There’s a slime trail over your front and as Goomy gurgles happily, you smile cheerfully at it and rub at one of it’s little horns.

”Oh, so cute...” You can’t wait to raise him into a Goodra that will destroy anything and everything. Oh yeah. Turning to Raihan, you grin, “Thanks. I’ll look after him.”

He grins at you in response as you return your new Goomy into the pokeball. Shit, you didn’t get anything for Raihan. But his gift was totally unexpected! You weren’t expecting any presents!!! What are you going to do?

“What's it like being a Pokemon Breeder?" He asks, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"O-oh, well, I like it very much, I get to see lots of pokemon everyday. I look after a lot of pokemon everyday." You babble again, "I look after the babies, I look after the eggs, and I deliver eggs. For EV training, I only accept up to five pokemon; I take them to places with specific pokemon to battle for stat gain."

He rubs his chin in thought, "Where did you learn how to EV train?"

It's then you throw your glance to the ground and bring your knees to your chest. "....When I was a kid, I brought Beldum to Show and Tell. My classmates laughed at him and said mean things so I wanted to train him up to become stronger. I took him to the mountains and we battled a lot of Trapinch. Along the way, I noticed his attack stats kept increasing as I levelled him up." You mumble, "I never forgot that moment, not once."

"I know." He says nonchalantly, "You told me."

You whip your head to him in confusion as he smiles coolly at you. "When did I ever tell you that?"

"Didn't you watch the rest of the video?"

Your cheeks go red. "Uh........No." You utter, after a pregnant pause, "...No, I...I didn’t."

His expression gradually dissolves into one of disappointment and his face crumbles slightly. Oh shit, now that you think about it... you didn't finish watching it. You scratch your elbow, pondering.

"What's it like being a gym leader?" You ask timidly, and also wanting to change the subject, "And why did you decide to become one?"

"Hah, good question." He replies, "I like battling and training pokemon. Being a gym leader means I constantly get challenged by people from all across the region; there's always something new to look forward to everyday and my pokemon can get stronger. One day, when we're strong enough, we'll beat Leon."

You admire his positivity, you really do. And his energy. You give him a small smile as he grins at you again and a comfortable silence settles between the two of you; inwardly, you’re quite happy that the date seems to be going in a good direction. You muse silently whilst Raihan takes out his phone and attempts to take a selfie of himself with a green mushroom behind him. It's too dark for him to show up properly, however. You're about to say something when you hear a rustle in the grass below you and you turn your head to the source of the noise.

“Did you hear that??" You whisper, leaning over to see who or what is making the ruckus; when a pokemon emerges, your eyes widen and you unconsciously grab his arm. "Raihan, look, it's a Ponyta!"

"Hm?" He peers over the edge of the mushroom beside you.

As you point excitedly to the grass below, the small horse pokemon trots out from the undergrowth and glances around cautiously before it begins to feast on the grass. "Damn, all my pokemon are too strong. They'll just kill it - I mean, make it, er, faint - in one move."

"I'll catch it for you." Raihan says; he stuffs his headband into his pocket, hops off his seat and drops to the ground carefully and quietly before reaching for you with arms outstretched.

You swallow down slightly and gingerly slide off the mushroom, holding onto his shoulders for support; he slips his arms around your waist securely and effortlessly hoists you down and when your feet touch the ground, he's still holding you tightly and your noses are almost touching. You mutter your thanks as he lets go of you slowly before reaching for an ultra ball that's nestled behind his back. Approaching the Ponyta, he tosses the ultra ball and a large pokemon emerges - it's his Sandaconda. The Ponyta, startled, decides to face it head on. You look at it's multicoloured mane that is a beautiful shade of mixed pastel blue and pink. So adorable!!!

"Go, Sandaconda! Use headbutt!" He instructs, and the sand snake pokemon proceeds to ram itself at the pokemon. It didn't get a chance to retaliate at all! The Ponyta drops to the ground, not exactly knocked out but reeling from the impact. Weakened, Raihan grins and then grabs a spare pokeball from his pocket and throws it at the downed pokemon. You're surprised he's helping you catch it, and when the ball clicks shut successfully after wiggling around for three times, you watch numbly as Raihan collects it, returning his pokemon at the same time. With the pokeball in hands, he heads back to your direction and hands you the capsule. "There you go. She's all yours."

He’s surprising you a lot today. And he’s gotten you another Pokemon.

"Thanks, Raihan."

“Whatever Pokemon you want, I’ll get it for you.”

”You don’t have to.”

”I want to.”

Your cheeks flame up immediately.

”What’s next on your list?”

You think about Dragapult and an image of the ghost slash dragon type appears in your mind. Oh, Glenn is right. Dragapult really does look like he is done with life and shit. Now you really want one. “Dreepy....” You mutter, in a slight zombie trance.

”Okay, I’ll get you one.”

”Wha - ?! Raihan, I didn’t mean it, I was just - seriously, don’t. It’s okay.”

As you splutter, clearly flustered by his generosity, he chuckles. You give him a timid smile, throwing your glance to the pokeball in your hands, then back up at him. He hasn't looked away from you at all. It grows silent for a while between the two of you where you're both staring at each other - to your surprise, you’re able to maintain the eye contact without wanting to look or turn away.

Maybe it’s because you’re anticipating him to kiss you and as predicted, Raihan slowly begins to lean in. You freeze on the spot then, watching as his face comes closer and closer and your heart beats harder. It’s that giddy Butterfrees-in-the-stomach feeling again but this time, it’s strangely pleasant. His gaze lands on your lips and when he finally nears you; he pauses and flicks his glance up at you as though he’s waiting for something. Your permission, perhaps? When you don’t move, he closes the gap and gently pecks you on the lips, reaching for your hand and squeezing it. You force yourself not to move and discover you’re able to stand still. The corner of your lip tugs upwards against his mouth which causes him to grin in response as he smooches you again quickly.

When you both pull away, you mutter, "...Shall we head to Ballonlea?"

"Sure."

You place the pokeball with the newly captured Ponyta into your bag beside Goomy’s and once that's done, Raihan begins to guide you out of the woods. Hand in hand, you both walk towards the direction of Ballonlea where he would occasionally nudge you playfully using his shoulder and you would nudge him back. The only source of light comes from the glowing mushrooms but it's really relaxing to be here. You see some other pokemon in your path, including some Shiinotic and Morelull who all hide away from you, disappearing into the darkness. Up ahead and you see some gym challenger being pranked on by Impidimps. Soon, the town comes into view and you lead the way to your house where you see a cardboard box on your doorstep.

Huh, that wasn't there before...and it couldn't be mail, either.

Stopping directly in front of it, you and Raihan stare at the box and then look at each other. It says 'Open Me' and there's an awful stench emitting from inside. That wipes the smile clean off your face; Raihan steers you behind him and you quickly grab his arm. "Wait! No, don't open it. Call Looker."

He eyes the box cautiously, "...Yeah. You're right." Just as Raihan pulls out his phone, his screen flashes, indicating a call from the detective you had just mentioned. "You called at a great time."

"What happened?" You can hear Looker's gravelly voice from the receiver.

"I'm with her. There's a weird box outside her doorstep."

"Okay, I'm heading over. Don't open it."

"What do you think is inside?"

"...A dead pokemon, or parts of one, probably."

There's a brief silence before Raihan hangs up.

"A dead pokemon?!" You exclaim in shock; Raihan returns his phone and turns to you, then encircles his arms around your waist wordlessly and holds you tight against him; he's strong, you can't wriggle free from his embrace. "Raihan, we shouldn't have - this person knows where I live! And now this... this is awful!”

Raihan doesn't say anything except press his lips against your forehead in an effort to calm you down whilst rubbing your arm soothingly.

The wait for Looker is excruciatingly long.

[hank-mcdankblade]

I Know A Bottom When I See One Princess (Part 3)

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Summary

Chapter 1: You and Dean have been pals for as long as you can remember, practically raised together. Are things still the same as you remembered when you reconnect with him after a couple years apart? Well there is one thing you see differently and you’re about to call him out on it.

Chapter 2:  After you flirt back with Dean you start to rethink all of your life choices. Why did you flirt back instead of making fun of him? God it would be so much easier if you were just a genderless blob. Hopefully the new supernatural case a friend of your mom’s gives you will distract you from all this romance mumbo jumbo.

Chapter 3: You and Dean both start to realize your feelings are not what you both originally anticipated them to be. If only you two could actually talk like adults instead of bantering like childish 8 year olds. The case picks up when you see a certain someone’s name over every case, a certain boomer’s name.

Chapter 4: You and Dean do some sleuthing into Chrissy’s apparent death. After learning the truth your trip to Wendy’s/Jack in the Box gets interrupted by Chief douchebag. Rick takes the three of you on a nice drive to the mountains to introduce you to his daughter.

Word Count: 5,041

Warnings: Many, Many swear, Dean being a little shit, pg-13 thoughts from a certain green eyed hunter.

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      The car was quiet. You couldn’t help but wonder if maybe you were the cause of it. You reminded yourself that there were a million other reasons as to why the drive was silent. Hell there were hours spent in this car with nothing but the sound of guitars and dig of the tire against the road as background noise. All you needed was each other’s company and nothing more. The rational part of your mind was scolding you to shut the hell up about it and stop worrying, pointing out multiple pieces of evidence disproving your original theory. Meanwhile your much less rational side disagreed. She was a bit of a dumb bitch, but very persuasive. It was practically her superpower to ignore all the facts and blindly believe in her opinions.

        “Hey, sorry about springing the whole relationship thing on you. Just thought it’d be easier to fly under the radar as a couple….” You clenched your hands and wrung them together. Your eyes glanced at Dean to your left, quietly gauging his reaction. 

       “Don’t apologize, it’s ok. It was quick thinking. And who knows how suspicious detective douche would’ve been if you hadn’t.” Dean only took his eyes off the road for a moment to look over at you, lying through his damn teeth.

       “True…guess Jen was right about the cops being jumpy here.” Finally, with that off your conscience you could relax into the leather seats with ease. Things were fine. You were just putting way too much thought into this flirting with Dean thing. It was just how your relationship with him was and everything was ok. 

       You were fairing much better than Dean though. Dean’s grip on the steering wheel could be described as vice-like. The insides of his fingertips could feel the stitches in the fabric of the wheel. It felt like he had cotton shoved into his head, there was only one thing consuming his thoughts. Was he really interested in having you the way you spoke of the other night? Bent over and vulnerable while you took advantage of him? Thank god that his right foot was preoccupied with the gas pedal or his entire leg would be bouncing. 

        To you his face looked stoic, and void of emotion. Dean’s eyes were painted with a foggy filter. Mentally he was miles away from the Impala. Every couple of minutes or so he would come back and hyper focus on a different part of the reality in front of him. Dean sometimes focused on the way his joints bent or how his skin felt, and other times focused on how you were too close to him and too far away at the same time. Dean’s hand was shaking, aching to have it on your leg, give you a good squeeze or anything just something to feel you and your skin on him. He wanted to feel your firm grip on him, on his legs, his hands, around his throat. He wanted so badly for your hips to be driving his into the mattress, coming up and down bouncing on his cock until he came closer and closer…

        “Ready to head in and get some info.?” Your delicate voice slowly reintroduced him to the present. Dean looked in front of him and saw a beige building that looked like it was built in the 60s and was never remodeled since. The black letters on the brick wall by the front door read, ‘Grand Mesa County Libraries Central Library.’ His body was slowly returning to its normal temperature as he stepped out of the car. 

        “Yeah, let’s do it.” Getting back on track Dean prepared himself for the first step in every hunting trip you two took, do some re-con and get info about the case. He was gonna have to put his thoughts of you on the back burner for now, which was easier said than done. Once you passed the threshold, the smell of old carpet and moth balls slapped you in the face. It was a nostalgic potent smell that reminded you of your kindergarten years and would haunt you for the rest of your life. Looking around, the place did not seem too busy. There were a few people scattered across the building casually mulling through books and movies to check out.

        “Wanna check the newspapers and I’ll look into local lore?” You two nodded to each other and went your separate ways diving deep into yellowed paper and books with broken spines. Soon enough you could no longer hear the soft thumps of Dean’s boots.

        After scanning the isles you checked out a couple books and started a nest by the computers. The first thing you knew you had to check out was the case at hand. You tapped away at the very out of date computer keyboard.

        Disappearances Grand Mesa National Forest

        There were about a thousand hits online for disappearances. The hard part would be finding information from a reliable source. The first few minutes into researching changed your posture as your spine straightened up and mind shifted into its case-mode. Everything in the world went blurry except for the books and screen in front of you.

~~~~

        ‘Newspapers…newspapers.’ Dean’s fingertips brushed over the tops of age softened newspapers. Once you spend months in different libraries you tend to pick up what their usual lay out was, so the newspapers were an easy find. Thankfully instead of having to search through the records by hand, this library had a computer to search key words in to find articles. If Dean ever went to hell, he was sure that being forced to dig through newspapers by hand would be his torture. 

        ‘Newly-Wed couple from Illinois vanished without a trace. Last seen in Grand Mesa National Forest.’

        ‘Scouts No Longer Holding Summer Camp in Grand Mesa National Forest After Four Scouts Lost to the Curse.’

        ‘The Grand Mesa Curse strikes again with the disappearance of a family of three.’

        Seeing the pictures from the crime scenes made things real. Of course Dean knew the hidden reality that the supernatural world truly was, but sometimes it was easy to forget. It was easy to forget that there was true evil in this world, that there was evil more than just a greedy billionaire or corrupt politician, but pure evil that only sought to drag as many souls to hell as possible. There were so many families that had their loved ones ripped from them without a reason, completely unknowing of the darkness that lurked so closely to them. They would be driven mad with the lack of ‘logical’ facts in their eyes, cursed to never know what really happened and given answers that felt bitter to the taste. Others had their eyes opened unwillingly, shown what was behind the curtain before they could even sputter out an answer. Dean wondered what he would’ve chosen had he been given the choice. Would he rather know what killed his mother and spent his life fearing those that hid behind human faces? Or would he rather go on with his normal apple pie life never finding closure in the death of his mother? Neither option had more pros or cons than the other. He could spend a lifetime mulling the answer over and never find one that felt fight.

        “Excuse me, are you looking for something in specific? You look a little lost…” Dean turned his attention upwards and saw a young librarian. She looked like she was probably a couple years older than him, a native here for sure.

       “Huh?” Dean blinked a few times before really processing what she said to him while he was on autopilot. “Oh, no. I’m alright but thanks.” Dean offered her a smile before going back to flipping through the stacks of old newspapers. 

        The librarian nodded before looking at what headlines he was choosing. She raised a brow as assumptions about who this mysterious man was filled her head. “Interested in the Grand Mesa Curse huh?” Now there was something useful that he needed. 

        “Uh…yeah. Somethin’ like that. Know anything about it?” Dean leaned his arms on the newspaper stand. Any info you two could get would make this whole operation go smoother. 

       The woman let out a short breath of a laugh and shook her head. “It’d be impossible to live around here and not know about it. Around this time of year nobody really goes up into those woods, and especially near the mine shafts.” She paused for a beat and then continued. “My name’s Shan by the way.” Shan looked at Dean with an eagerness in her eyes. The gesture fell on deaf ears and Dean simply smiled back at her.

       “Dean.” He held out his hand to hers, and gave her a firm shake. “Well, I’ve got all I need for now.”

       “Feel free to call me if you need anything.”

        “Will do, thanks.” What a nice lady. 

~~~~

        After collecting a handful of articles from different newspapers, Dean headed back to you ready to get down to business. You were hunched over a loud keyboard like a goblin, typing away all the notes you were compiling for future use. There were probably about 15 tabs open on one browser and 17 pages from various books that had been dog eared. From the looks of it, Dean could tell you were already on a roll. Not wanting to disturb you, he silently pulled out a chair next to you and started to flip through and score the articles he had. 

        About an hour later you two felt confident enough in your information to start piecing something together. 

       “Hey.” An unfamiliar voice interrupted your work process forcing you out of your thought bubble. When you looked up you saw what you assumed was a librarian who worked here looking right at Dean with some form of recognition lighting up her features. “Thought I’d check in to see how you were doing with the Grand Mesa Curse.” There was something in the tone of this girl’s voice that really put you off. Instinctively you tried not to reveal your true thoughts with your facial expressions. There was nothing on her, or within her, that was tripping up your Slayer signal, so she definitely was not a monster. Regardless, something was feeling weird as you looked between the two of them.

       “Pretty good actually, just getting some basic information.” The two of them chatted for a bit before the girl eventually left to actually do her job. Ok there was a possibility that you were being harsh, but this girl was interrupting your research session so regardless she’s being a bother. Human or not.

       Ok…

                Deep breath….

       You took a moment to restart yourself in a sense. She was human, and she wasn’t even at your table for too long so why were you so on edge around her?

        Next to you, Dean felt something in the air shift and looked over to you. Your eyes were still glued to the computer screen but your vibe felt different, more ridged, and that worried him. Still looking at you, Dean nudged you with his elbow.

        “Hmm?” You hummed, still focused on your research.

       “You ok? You seem…upset.” Damn him for knowing you so well. Hunting together had given him the skill to pick up on all your tells. You didn’t know whether this was a blessing or a curse.

        “What? No I’m ok.” You spared him a moment of your attention before returning to work. Dean slowly narrowed his eyes at you. The slightly higher pitched bubbly-ness in your voice was not genuine. You were lying, but he wasn’t going to press you on it in such a public place. 

        The moments drew longer and blurred together as you two eventually got back into the swing of things, but there was something that caught your attention as the hour flew by. It happened every fifteen or so minutes when you would catch a glimpse of that girl that talked to Dean. She would linger by the book stands and rearrange the books there, giving herself an excuse to look at Dean while she ‘worked.’ With each time she stalked near, her act became less and less convincing and it was starting to tick you off. You had work to do and she couldn’t take the hint with the piles of books you two had. Not to mention how little Dean seemed to pay attention to her advances. If she was a monster, she was a very poor one at that, but if she was a human then you had an idea of what she was after. Either option made you want to pull Dean’s chair closer to you, look over his shoulder to see what he was working on even though you already knew. A burning feeling started to ignite with every trip she made past your table. 

        Annoying woman aside, you two had found some important information. The history of the Grand Mesa National Forest was pretty plain. The forest was created by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892. No amount of digging brought up any supernatural affiliation. No massacres of any kind, no Native American burials, and no cults made that forest their home either. So this meant no large scale hauntings, which honestly relieved you. This narrowed the field down. Looking over articles from books and online and newspapers brought to light what was commonly known here as the “Grand Mesa Curse.” 

        It started about two decades ago when a group of college kids traveled up into the mountains for Christmas break. According to their parents they only planned on staying for a couple of days. Things took a turn for the worse when it had been three days after the kids were supposed to be home and no one heard from them. Entire search parties of police officers, family and friends, and many other volunteers combed the forest the best that they could. No bodies were found but their campsite was destroyed and barren. The press and police chalked this up to be the fault of the bears that roamed around, and the same was happening with the most recent case. Luckily this time around there was one girl who survived the attacks, Chrissy Hamilton. 

        There had been a couple cases before this particular one as well that dealt with bear attacks and missing people, but the thing that made it stand out was that the disappearances grew in number afterwards. They were all around the same time and similar location. Something that caught your eye immediately was that a girl from the group of college kids had the same last name as the sheriff you and Dean saw. 

        Lydia Sullivan, daughter of Rick Sullivan, went missing two decades ago and was never found. Her mother, Emily Sullivan, passed away soon after not being able to handle the death of her child. “Ok so if his daughter got merked, why is Sullivan Chief of Douchebags so lax with all these cases? You’d think he’d take his time.” Your tone of voice was low and gravely coming out slowly. That ass hole’s name was popping up everywhere. Rick Sullivan oversaw every single disappearance case in the Grand Mesa National Forest district since his daughter went missing. The man was seen as a determined father that wanted to keep Colorado’s kids safe. He may not have worked every case personally, but the records stated that he went over the paperwork and guided his officers. 

        “Maybe he’s luring kids into the forest? What purpose would he have to cover all of this up though if he wasn’t involved?” Dean leaned his forearm on the back of your chair to get a closer look at what you had. 

        “Doubt it, on all their suspect lists they show alibis too and his checks out. So that means that all of this is coincidental. He could be overseeing every case because he feels guilty for letting his daughter down?” 

        “Like a coping mechanism?” Dean sat back in his chair, eyes focused on a blank part of a wall as he tried to process everything. 

        You nodded. “Yeah, those things that normal people have.” You gave Dean a smirk knowing full well that both of your coping mechanisms included heavy amounts of alcohol and repression. Dean rolled his eyes at you with a smile that mirrored yours, remembering all the countless nights where you two would stay up far too late with a bottle of whiskey. Many times at the end of those nights the thoughts and pictures that kept you up at night would tumble out from your mouths. Subconsciously the space between you two would shrink, physically and emotionally. Dean could count on his left hand how many people he trusted and felt safe enough around to be vulnerable with. After all the shit you’d been through and years you’ve known each other, if he didn’t trust you he would never trust anyone. 

        “Hey, me again. Wanted to let you know that I found a couple of stragglers for the paper you two are putting together.” Jesus Christ this librarian really couldn’t see a moment when it was right in front of her could she? You had had enough of this girl’s talking. You thin string of will power snapped and opened up the lines from your direct thoughts to your mouth.

        “Why are you here?” Your eyes narrowed. Dean was taken aback. He had seen you lose your temper before, but only on those who truly deserved it. I.E. bar assholes, clowns/mimes, and religious nuts trying to convert you. This wasn’t the usual anger he was used to seeing before you knocked someone out, it was a silent subtle kind that would creep up on you if you didn’t watch for the signals. He was seeing all of them in slow motion. 

         Your jaw was clenched, no doubt thinking of biting her head off if she didn’t scamper off back to the corner she came from. What was usually a smile was replaced with a thin line that showed no welcome. But the thing that scared him the most was your eyes, cold and distant. Those eyes had never been directed him, eyes void of compassion. 

        Shan flinched just the slightest, brows pulled together not expecting such a reaction. “Uh-um, I’m here to help. It’s kind of my job.” She bit back at the end of her sentence, though her stare was not nearly as intimidating as yours. When she talked to Dean earlier she assumed that the two of you were merely classmates or just friends, but she had a bad feeling that she barked up the wrong tree. Your aura seemed dangerous, like a crazy jealous girlfriend. 

        “It’s your job to creep around the patrons and watch them from afar while you pretend to do your job?” One brow was quirked as you leaned back with your knees open and arms crossed. The attitude you were throwing was one that would rival middle schoolers and mothers looking to talk to the manager. It was very out of character for you to be petty, it always made you feel sick afterwards.

        Shan narrowed her eyes back, cheeks flushing a deep red. “Excuse me-”

        “Listen sweetheart, my boyfriend and I have a lot of work to do and you’re being a bother. So how about you get back to your real job and stop making googly eyes at my partner huh?” Your bite was sharp as a knife, cutting deep into Shan’s emotions. She took one look at Dean, who was currently preoccupied with staring at you, and quickly scampered off. You shut your eyes and opened them with only one goal in mind. The faster you knew about this case, the faster you could get the hell out of this library.

        Those thoughts that Dean were having to put on the back burner suddenly moved to the front. “So…..was she somehow endangering our hunt that you had to cover for us again?” The smug bastard was referencing what you did because of Detective Sullivan.

        “Yes. She was endangering our efficiency.” Your fingertips flipped through a book closest to you, anything to not look at Dean. In the tone of his voice you knew he was pleased. 

        Dean was more than pleased, albeit a little confused about his feelings but pleased nonetheless. He loved hearing the commanding tone of your voice, telling some other girl to back off of him. Telling that girl to back off because he was yours. A needle pricked at the back of Dean’s mind as he replayed the rollercoaster of emotions he felt. He liked that moment. He liked your tone of voice, but why? It was because of the insinuations he could make. You wanted him. You wanted him to yourself, there was a possessiveness to what you said and how you said it. It was dominant and commanding. 

        No. Dean liked it because it meant you wanted him. He was not a bottom, and he did not like that interaction because you were possessive and domineering. 

        ……

        “Mmmhhmmmm,” Dean hummed, his inflection rising up and then down. Now it was his turn to lean back into his chair. His perfect lips were pursed with a small smirk, one brow quirked with intrigue. “You sure someone wasn’t jealous of a pretty lady giving me attention?”

        “Sorry but the only pretty lady I see in this library is me,” Your voice attempted to make you seem preoccupied with cleaning up your space. Your fingers moved a lightning speed as you emailed yourself all the notes you had taken and shut down all the programs you had opened. “So I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Your facial features moved in a comical way depicting a dramatic expression of confusion, with a hand on your hip. The table was finally free of all your possessions, the last notebook was zipped up into your backpack.

        Dean had you right where he wanted you, embarrassed and caught. He knew you would dodge and change the subject as quickly as you could if confronted with a topic you didn’t like. “I’m gonna remind you of this!” He shouted to you with his hands cupped around his mouth.

        You were already speeding off to the car, desperate to run away from this conversation and what it could come to. If anyone was going to be in control of a situation, it was going to be you and you’d fight anyone and everyone for that control with your bare hands. 

        “I’ll forget it!” You yelled back at him over your shoulder, bleaching your mind of any itchy feelings you were experiencing. 

        “Constantly!” Dean yelled back, only to receive the bird from you. He laughed and tumbled after you, happy to finally have some new material to ruin your day with. 

~~~~

        After five minutes of Dean looking like the cat who got the cream, white all over his smug stupid whiskers, you arrived at a locally owned diner. If you rolled your eyes anymore you were certain that you would go blind, and yet it would still be worth it just to let Dean know that you were mildly inconvenienced by his existence. The hum of the impala came to a soft halt. With the combination of Dean teasing you and your hunger, you may have strangled someone if you didn’t get fries in you soon. 

        A bell attached to the door rang out once you two stepped foot inside. Only the waitress on staff bothered to look up from her post behind a counter, the other employees were too engrossed in just making it through another eight hour shift without losing their minds.

        “Seat yourself wherever you like, I’ll be with you in a second!” She flashed a bright smile before dipping into the back of the kitchen. You and Dean nodded before following her directions and finding the corner booth in the back, cause that’s where all the cool kids sit. And with you two sitting there, only the coolest of kids sat there. 

        Dean leaned his chin on his hand and gazed at you. “So do you wanna talk more about how you secretly have a crush on me?”

        “No.”

        “Maybe about how you were totally going to duel that hot librarian for my hand?”

        “Rot in hell.”

        “Oh! Oh! Maybe we can discuss your feelings on a certain other topic that’s definitely unrelated.”

        Your unamused eyes continued to look at him, giving him no response hoping that he’d take the FUCKING hint. “Oh yeah? And what topic would that be?”

        “Me, and my cute face.” Dean winked and did his signature blue steel look. With a loud bang you hit your head on the table, laying your arms on the table around your head limp.

        “Deaaannn, I swear to god I will strangle you until the last breath from your lung is used.”

        “So what you’re saying is that you want your hands on me? You want to touch me?” Dean leaned closer and dropped his voice as low as he could go with every word that came out of his mouth just egging you on to do something. “You wanna put your hands all over my body?” 

        You whipped your head up, eyes wild and craving revenge, and you were just about to open your mouth and verbally destroy this stupid boy’s whole career when your waitress popped herself in front of the table. 

        “Hi! I’m Audrey, and I’ll be taking care you guys tonight. Have you been here before?” She had the whole speech memorized and recited it off as she handed you both a menu. 

        “Why no we haven’t! Darling aren’t you so excited to be here?” Dean grabbed your hand across the table affectionately with a huge fake smile. The weird vibe Audrey got from this table was throwing her off but regardless she had a job to do. 

        ‘Some of us will never eat again…’ You thought to yourself, thinking of all the places you could stab Dean with a fork. 

        “Thrilled.” You stated, pointedly glaring at Dean and his boyish charm getting the best of you. Audrey smiled to herself and started to understand what was going on and dismissed her earlier thoughts. After getting you two started with drinks she left you to look over the food options. 

        “Can I guess what you’re gonna get?”

        “As long as I get serve you cyanide afterwards.” 

        Dean settled into the booth and looked off into the distance to pretend to think very hard. “You are gonna get a cheeseburger with everything on it, as rare as they serve it. Side of fries and a large lemonade because even at age 23, you’re still an 8 year old.” 

        Damnit he was right. 

        You shared Dean’s smug look, ready to dish back what you were served. “Ok fine, you’re going to get the most overloaded bacon burger in order to cash in on that heart attack you’ve been waiting for forever, but hold all the vegetables because we want this one to be a big one. Side of fries and a shitty great value coke.”

        Dean nodded slightly and clapped quietly for you. “Right you are.” A moment was spent in silence, just the two of you laughing at each other smiling like love struck idiots. Your eyes tore away first, landing on a newspaper that was from today. The headline was the real reason you decided to pick it up.

        Local Crazy Believes Creature of the Night Kills Friend

        You flipped through the pages to find the story. It was published today and showed a picture of your sole survivor, Chrissy Hamilton.

        In a sad attempt to get some attention, Chrissy Hamilton offers her break out story. 

        “It was like my friends’ voices were coming from two different directions!”

       “This thing was too fast to see…”

       Clearly this is just another example of our country’s failed mental health system…

        “I wouldn’t spend too much time reading that malarkey…” Audrey said with her eyebrows pulled together, eyes cast down as she refilled your water glasses. 

        “Do you know her?” You asked, laying the paper flat on the table for Dean to see too.

        Audrey sighed as she stood back up, water pitcher straining her left wrist. “She’s my best friend. I’m not sure what really happened up there, but the newspaper doesn’t have to ruin her reputation like this and publish a drag story.” Her jaw clenched at the mention of the newspaper.

        “Does she have any enemies at the newspaper, maybe that would want to defame her?” Dean spoke up. Audrey eyed Dean caught up in her own thoughts.

        “We’re trying to run a counter story to get the Denver Times to redact the article.” You butted in, if this girl was going to give you anything it had to seem like she wasn’t gossiping with customers but giving info to fellow truth seekers. 

        Audrey pursed her lips in thought for a moment. “No, but the police chief doesn’t seem to like her. I don’t have any evidence to back it up, but I’m pretty sure he went to the head news correspondent and told him to run the article.” As more information poured in, the two of you couldn’t seem to figure out what the hell this cop’s problem was. He seemed to do everything in his power to derail this investigation, the dude was definitely hiding something. 

        “You’re pretty sure?”

        “Yeah…they’re drinking buddies so it wouldn’t surprise me.” Audrey’s attention was pulled away when the bell at the front door rang again. “If you guys have any more questions I can answer them after my shift.” 

        You and Dean shared a look. “The same voice coming from two different directions and super fast? I think I have an idea of what we’re looking for…”

        “Can we please talk to that Hamilton lady first, I’d very much like to drag this out before I freeze my balls off…”

_______________________________________________________________________

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[crazycat-88]

Male Spider Monster Silus x Gender Neutral Reader (SFW)

Note: This is my first piece of writing in a very long time and my first exophilia story. Written for the awesome OkCryptid Collab. Its also the first instalment of a series of stories I’m currently working on.

A huge thanks goes to @thetravelerwrites for proofreading/editing this piece. She’s an absolute star and fantastic writer, who dedicates a lot of her time to this community, supporting other writers and helping readers find exophilia works by maintaining both the OkCryptid Masterlist & the Exophilia Creators Masterlist. So go give her your love and support over on her blog.

Without further ado, here’s 4,124 words of human/monster romance. Hope you enjoy it.

Sitting at your desk, trying to write the newest chapter of your latest novel, you sigh when you her a ping from your mobile. In all honesty, the distraction is welcome; you’ve been suffering from a major case of writer's block and you’d take any excuse to put your work aside.

Checking your notifications, you sigh again when you see it’s from OkCryptid, the monster and cryptid dating app created to help monsters find mates, that you’d downloaded a couple of weeks beforehand. You had hoped it would give you a better chance at finding the one but so far you’d had the same amount of luck that you had with every other app on the market. Which was none.

You hadn’t been on a date in months. Your last relationship was over three years ago and so far things weren’t looking very positive with this new dating app. Since joining, there were very few matches and all the messages you’d received were either from men just looking to hook up for that night or they were dick pics. You couldn’t fathom why anyone thought that sending a picture of their dick would somehow seduce you but they did it anyway.

Taking a deep breath, you check to see what it’s notifying you off and you see that you have a new match and have been sent a new message from a user named Silus. Swearing to yourself that if it’s another unsolicited picture you were deleting the app, you open the message first without bothering to check his profile. No point in getting your hopes up before seeing what he’s sent you.

[Sent: 2:47pm] Silus: Hey, how are you today? I’ve recently just moved to the area and we’ve matched… So I thought I’d just say hi…

Well, that was a good start. It's certainly the nicest message you’ve received so far. Deciding to check his profile, you gasp, seeing that he’s an arachnid, specifically a spider type, which you’d never seen before.

Most arachnids chose to avoid the city, mainly due to their size and their preference for solitude. They weren’t known to be the most social of creatures and, despite being known to the general public for a couple of centuries, were one of the few species that shunned modern society, choosing to remain in forests or caves far from civilization. You weren’t sure if this was because of their nature or due to the fact that they were one of the few monsters many humans, and even some other monsters, still feared. Even those who weren’t outright scared of arachnid type monsters were still wary and uncomfortable around them.

You’re not sure how you feel about them, never having actually met one but you’re not exactly a fan of spiders. While you aren’t scared of them, they did make you squeamish. Shuddering thinking of the large spider you had to remove from your flat the day before, you decide to at least check over Silus’s profile and pictures.

His profile bio was short and sweet: he stated his name, age, and sexual orientation before going on to say that he loved plants and flowers, music, poetry and going for walks in the moonlight. He’d also added that he had just moved to the city and was looking to make new friends and hopefully find a mate. He had a gallery full of pictures, which were mostly pictures of various types of flowers, but he had a couple of himself.

Enlarging the first picture of himself, which was a selfie of just his face and torso, you were pleasantly surprised to find that you didn’t mind his spider features. His head and body was humanoid in shape, his skin incredibly pale and his very long, very straight hair was a shiny white. He had four eyes that were completely black with no sclera, those eyes sat in a row, with two larger in the centre and two smaller either side of those. His mouth was wide and in the photo he was grinning, showing that he had nothing but two large fangs in his upper jaw. His shoulders were broad and his torso was well built, with clearly defined muscles though he wasn’t overly muscular.

Swiping through his photos, you find another picture of him, this one being a full body shot which was clearly taken from a small distance. Here you could see his lower body where is torso ended and joined with his spider half, which looked large and bulbous, black in colour but covered in fine white hair which looked fuzzy. Attached to this body were eight long jointed legs which were also covered in fine white hairs. His legs looked as thick as tree trunks and you couldn’t be sure from looking at the photo but he looked huge.

This part of his body did make you apprehensive, and the more you look at it the worse you feel. Flicking between the two pictures you couldn’t decide if you were attracted to him or not. On one hand you found him incredibly beautiful, with his large pitch black eyes that you could easily get lost in and his gorgeous sleek looking hair and toned upper body. He also seemed sweet natured and had a lovely smile despite the fangs.

On the other hand, his spider lower half gave you the shivers and those long legs creeped you out. You cringed looking at them again and even thinking about those legs in motion made you shudder. Chewing on your lip you debated with yourself; you’d matched with him so obviously you had things in common and you didn’t have to jump into a relationship with him. You could always be friends first and see if it went anywhere. You just weren’t sure you could get over those eight legs…

Ping.

Startled, you look back at your phone which had gone to sleep at some point during your mental debate, and you see you have received another message from Silus.

[Sent: 3:16pm] Silus: I like your profile by the way, you’re very beautiful.... We must have a lot in common, I’ve been using this app for over a year now and I’ve never seen such a high percentage match...

Checking you see that he’s right, you’ve matched with him eighty-eight percent which was much higher than any other match you’d had and from everything you’d heard it was really rare to get a match that high. It was just your luck he had to be an arachnid, he seemed really nice too. Deciding to think further on it and make a decision later, you go back to writing, after all your novel wasn’t going to write itself.

A couple of hours later, feeling like you’ve made a lot of progress, you decide it’s time for some food. However a quick search around the kitchen reminds you that you’ve not been shopping in days. Take-away it is then.

Ping!

Frowning you see you’ve gotten another message from Silus, thinking he’s getting a little pushy, you open it to read.

[Sent: 5:30pm] Silus: Hey again, so I was thinking… I would understand if your not interested, many people don’t like arachnids…. I know a lot of people, especially humans are scared of my kind… But I hope you’ll give me a chance and see I’m not scary at all… or maybe your just busy or at work... Sorry...

Crap! You’d forgotten that your settings had been set to send read receipts. He knows you’ve read his messages and now thinks you’re ignoring him. You wonder how often that happens to him, he sounds so dejected and now you feel bad. He’d said in his earlier message that he’d been using the app for over a year so that meant he’d not had much luck finding someone. A bit like me then, thinking to yourself. Looking at his pictures again, you come to a decision.

[Sent: 5:32pm] You: Hi Silus, I’m good thanks and I was working… I am interested but to be honest I’ve never met an arachnid before and I’m unsure how I feel about it.

Silus: Oh my gosh, you replied :-) Thank you! It’s okay that you feel that way, at least you’re willing to give me a chance…

Silus: Lots of people are afraid of spiders and by extension spider monsters but honestly I wouldn’t hurt a fly…

Silus: …Well that’s a lie and probably a bad example, but really I’m not scary in the slightest…

Chuckling, you rather like Silus’s sense of humour though you’re not sure he was aiming to be funny. He was so sweet and seemed really surprised that you’d replied. Makes you wonder again how many people have ignored him just because of what he is.

You: Lol! I’m not scared of spiders exactly but they do make me uncomfortable… I’d like to get to know you though...

You: So… how are liking city life?

*************

You and Silus spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. You learn that he works as a florist, that he’s renting a flat in the city centre and is flat sharing with a moth monster. Which did surprise you as you thought that their two species have a turbulent history. He asks what you do for work and then about the novel you’re currently writing.

The two of you end up talking long into the night and at some point you fall asleep still mid conversation. As soon as you wake up you're checking your phone for messages from Silus. You have two, the first answering the question you’d asked just before falling asleep and a second twenty minutes later where he says that he assumes you’ve falling asleep and to have sweet dreams.

Smiling to yourself, you send him a message confirming that you did in fact fall asleep and that you’re sorry about that. You then decide to get up and start your day. An hour later Silus is messaging you good morning and telling you not to worry about it. The two of you spend the rest of the morning chatting until he has to go to work. He messages again once he’s home from work and you spend the evening in the same manner as the night before.

The rest of the week followed the same pattern, work, eat and chat to Silus. By this point the two of you had swapped mobile numbers and were now communicating via both text and call. He had the loveliest voice and often during calls you forgot that you had to respond. Meeting in person wasn't a subject brought up until exactly one week after you’d first started chatting.

You were just sitting, eating lunch when you heard the ping of your mobile.

[Sent: 2:13pm] Silus: Afternoon gorgeous, are you free this evening? If you are, would you like to get a drink in town?

Taking a deep breath, you think it over, you really liked Silus and were pretty confident now that the two of you could really have something good together. Him being an arachnid no longer made you uncomfortable, at least in theory, but you were incredibly nervous. What if you saw him in person and you couldn’t see past those eight legs, you didn’t want to hurt him. Or what if when he saw you, he thought you weren’t as attractive in person. A previous date had told you that you looked thinner in your photos after all. You sigh, either way you had to know, for both your sakes.

You: Afternoon, I am free tonight and that would be lovely. Where were you thinking?

Silus: Great! :-D My flatmate works in this bar and restaurant which caters for folks like us, called The Bears Den, does that sound okay to you? It’s in city centre.

You: Yes of course! What time?

Silus: 6pm? Shall I come pick you up or would you rather we meet there?

You: 6 works for me. I’ll just meet you there, no point in you leaving the city centre to come collect me :-) I’ll get the bus, will only take me twenty minutes.

Silus: If you’re sure, I don’t mind the extra journey, I’d travel hours to pick you up ;-)

You: Lol, your so sweet but yes I’m sure. I’ll see you there at 6.

Silus: Alright then, I’ll meet you outside the bar. See you later gorgeous… can’t wait.

You: Me either! See you soon!

Checking the clock, you see that it was already 2:30pm and you had no idea what you were going to wear. Deciding your best bet would be to call your fashion-forward best friend and get her advice, your frustrated when she doesn’t answer. Oh well best go raid your wardrobe.

************

Your shaking with nerves by the time you get there and of course your twenty minutes early. Standing outside the bar feeling like an utter twit, you inspect the building. The outside is painted a glossy black and the name of the bar is painted in gold cursive above the very wide, very tall doors. It looked nice. Through the glass in the doors you could see the place already had a good number of patrons despite the early time.

You’re surprised and jump in shock when you hear your name spoken softly from behind you. Spinning around you come face to face with Silus, well more accurately you came face to stomach with Silus, because he was huge. Your breath catches in your throat and you gaze in astonishment at his form.

His large spider lower body was lowered to just inches off the ground and his long legs were arched upwards, their height reached to his human torso before coming back down to the ground. This close you could see that he had three claws at the end of each of those legs. Shifting your gaze back up, you took notice that he was wearing a smart midnight blue shirt before your attention was brought to his hands, which he was wringing togethering in nervousness. Looking to his face you could see that he looked wary but his mouth was turned up into a tentative smile.

It’s only when he quietly says your name and asks if you're alright that you realise that you’ve stood there just staring at him for the past two minutes. Giving yourself a mental shake you manage to give him a nod.

‘‘Yes! I’m good, thanks! Um... hi...’’ you giggle nervously.

‘‘Hi...’’ he replies, smile widening. ‘You still want to do this?’’

‘‘Yes, of course, sorry! Shall we go in?’’ You stammer.

Holding the door open for you, he shakes his head ‘‘No need to be sorry, I know I’m a lot to process.’’

‘‘Um... just a bit, I wasn’t expecting you to be so... big,’’ you stammer, as you pass under his arm into the bar.

‘‘Does it bother you?’’ He asks, as you make your way to the bar.

Shaking your head and giving him a smile over shoulder, you glance around the bar and see the vast majority of patrons are other non-humans. Behind the bar serving you spot a lizardfolk, who looks like a leopard gecko and a white tiger rakshasa. The rakshasa looks your way and raises a brow when he clocks Silus at your side. Making his way down the bar with a large grin on his face, you hear Silus let out a groan and suddenly he leans down to whisper in your ear, ‘‘He’s a harmless flirt.’’

‘‘What?’’ You stammer, but before he can say anything else the Rakshasa is standing in front of you and leaning over the bar to clasp Silus’s hand.

‘‘Ayaan,’’ Silus nods.

‘‘Silus,’’ rumbles the rakshasa, ‘‘It’s been awhile. Who’s your cute friend?’’ He says looking at you and giving you a wink.

Silus makes the introductions and as you give Ayaan your hand to shake, he leans down to kiss the back of your hand and gives you a cheeky grin. You understand now what Silus meant. Turning to Silus, Ayaan asks ‘‘Does Rowan know you’re out on a date?’’

‘‘Yes, and he’s upset he’s not here to see it’’ Silus replies, laughing. You give him a questioning look, but he just shakes his head at you and mouth’s later.

Turning back to Ayaan and ordering your drinks you head to a table towards the back of the bar where it’s quieter. Whilst you sit on a chair, Silus pushes the chair opposite you towards another table and lowers his spider body to the floor shifting his legs to a comfortable position. As you watch him do this, it occurs to you that your not feeling squeamish like you feared you might. In fact, your itching to lean over and see if those hairs are as fuzzy as they look. Giving Silus a smile, you see that he’s gazing just as intensely at you.

‘‘You’re very beautiful,’’ he says, swallowing nervously.

‘‘Thank you. So are you,’’ you reply, blushing.

‘‘No I’m not,’’ he says sadly, fixing you a look. ‘‘I look monstrous, I know that… but thank you for saying it anyway.”

Shaking your head you reply, ‘‘Yes, you are! You’re gorgeous, Silus…. at least you are to me, anyway,’’ you mumble shyly, reaching over the table to grasp his hand and squeezing it briefly.

Silus blushes prettily, looking at your hands shyly. Turning his hand around to clasp yours in a soft hold. ‘‘Thank you,’’ he says, sounding choked.

Hoping to distract him, you ask ‘‘So.. Is Ayaan a good friend of yours?’’

‘‘Oh yeah,’’ he replies shaking his head as if coming out of a daze, ‘‘I met him through Rowan.’’

‘‘And Rowan is? And why is he upset that he’s not here?’’ You ask raising a brow.

Chucking he replies, ‘‘Sorry, Rowans my flatmate and he’s upset because he thinks I’m probably going to make a fool of myself and he’s not here to see it…’’

‘‘Oh. Well... you haven’t, so he’s not missing anything,’’ you smile. “Is it his night off then?’’ You ask.

Shaking his head, ‘‘Nope, he would usually be working now but he’s gone home to West Oaks to attend one of his sister's wedding.’’

‘‘West Oaks? That’s where your from too right?’’ You ask.

Nodding, ‘‘Yeah... we grew up together, best friends since school. Neighbours too. We were both the youngest of all our many siblings so we spent our childhood bemoaning our lot in life.’’ He had a fond smile on his face.

‘‘You have a lot of siblings?’’ You ask sipping at your drink.

‘‘Yep! I’m one of twenty-six.’’ He grins.

‘‘No. Way.’’ you reply, sputtering.

Laughing, Silus nods ‘‘Arachnids tend to lay a lot of eggs... Moths do too, actually, Rowan is one of thirty.’’

‘‘Oh wow! No wonder the two of you banded together,’’ You say stunned.

‘‘Yeah, so when Ro decided he wanted to move to the city, I told him I was coming with,’’ Silus chuckles.

‘‘And.. do you like it here?’’

‘‘Yeah, it’s nice,’’ he tells you nodding. ‘‘Very different from living rurally, of course, and I miss the forest sometimes, but there’s a lot of good things about living in the city.’’

Before you can reply to that, Ayaan is suddenly at your table with a massive grin on his face, startling you both. Silus jerks so badly four of his legs flick out causing Ayaan to snicker loudly.

‘‘You two looked liked you were having fun, so I thought I’d offer table service’’ he says putting another two drinks down on the table. ‘‘Drink up,’’ he says and salutes before strolling back to the bar. You see the gecko behind the bar shaking his head at Ayaan’s antics, catching your eye he gives you an apologetic look before turning to serve another customer.

‘He’s a character,’’ You laughingly say, looking back at Silus.

‘‘That’s one word to describe him,’’ he chuckles jokingly.

You and Silus spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, as he tells you stories from his childhood and teenage years where he and Rowan would get themselves into trouble. You tell him some of your own stories in return, telling him of the shenanigans that you and your best friend regularly got up to.

The two of you are so absorbed in each other that you don’t realise how late it has gotten until you hear a loud bellow from the otherside of the bar. Glancing around you see that the place is now packed full of boisterous patrons and that you have somehow missed the fact there is now a live band on stage. Over by the pool tables there is a large minotaur and a small goblin having a tussle over a pool cue and a very large orc with a dark scowl, who is obviously security is headed their way. Behind the bar both the gecko and Ayaan are looking harried and have been joined by a harpy and some type of avian.

You and Silus come to a mutual agreement that it’s time to call it a night. As Silus leads the way out of the bar, the other patrons quickly shift out of his way and a few of them stare openly, looking wary. Whilst you enjoy the fact that no one is in your personal space and you have room to move, you also feel sad that people look at him like he might turn around and eat them. You glare fiercely at one particular customer that’s standing staring rudely open mouthed, seeing your scowl they suddenly about-turn and run in the opposite direction.

Outside, you take in a deep breath of fresh air, glad to be out in the quiet. Turning to Silus you see that he’s watching you, a soft smile on his face.

‘‘Is it always like that in there?’’ You ask.

Shaking his head in the negative he replies, ‘‘Not really. It only tends to get that busy at weekends.’’

Nodding, you began speaking only to stop suddenly seeing that another orc, who looks like the double of the one inside, working the door watching you both with a sly grin. Smiling awkwardly, you and Silus start walking in a random direction.

‘‘So... what were you going to say?’’ He asks as he looks down at you.

‘‘Oh,’’ you smile, ‘‘Just that I had a really good time tonight.’’

‘‘So did I,’’ Silus blushes. “Perhaps we could do this again sometime?’’

‘‘Definitely,’’ you grin.

‘‘Would you.. like a ride home?’’

‘‘You drive?’’ You ask incredulously, looking at his spider lower half trying to work out the logistics of that.

‘‘No...’’ he chuckles. “I meant would you like to ride me?’’

Looking at him wide eyed, you suddenly break down snorting in laugher. Confused Silus raises a questioning brow.

‘‘What?’’ He asks completely befuddled.

Trying to calm yourself, you breath in deeply and ask, “Ride you? Talk about innuendo...’’ you grin.

Frowning it takes him a second to register. “Oh! I didn’t mean…’’ he groans. ‘I just meant… um… never mind,’’ he says, shaking his head with cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

‘‘Maybe another time,’’ you smile eyeing his large lower body. ‘I’ll take a taxi tonight.’’ You nod towards the taxi rank across the road.

‘‘Right, well. I guess I have to say goodnight then,’’ he replies, smiling wistfully.

Nodding, you glance between his eyes and mouth, getting the hint he leans down and stops a hair width distance giving you the opportunity to change your mind. You don’t. Closing the distance between you, your eyes close as your lips meet his.

A quick peck leads to another, and then another, before you know it your tongue is in his mouth and you’re carefully exploring his mouth, being mindful with his fangs. One of his hands cradles your head as the other traces patterns on your back. Both your hands start on his shoulders before slowly roaming downwards. As you reach the point where his human torso meets his spider half, you softly stoke him there, feeling his soft hair tickle your hands. Silus suddening pulls away, panting harshly.

‘‘We have to stop,’’ he gasps.

You nod, agreeing and inhaling deeply.

‘‘Text me when you’re home?’’ He asks, searching your face.

Promising him that you would, you wish him goodnight moving quickly and getting in the first taxi. Silus gives a wave as the taxi pulls away and you see him watching you until your no longer in sight. Sitting back in the seat, you touch your fingertips to your lips.

Wow. That was some kiss.

——————————————————————

That’s all folks. If you enjoyed this, please reblog. Comments/likes are always appreciated too. Thanks!

My Masterlist

[darlinrogue]

"You know,"—Kenny lifts his head, weary, from the window and glimpses Adam, exhausted as he drives through the vacant streets of whatever city he'd managed to drive to without Kenny noticing—"you mentioned a girlfriend before?" An incongruous question, perhaps, but Kenny, truthfully, has wondered often about Adam's sexuality. And at three o'clock in the morning, he and Adam have to stay awake somehow: introspection it is. "Do you, uh, only like women? You don't have to answer—"

Comfort for Sol after the Dec 2. Dynamite We NEED IT

Adam and Kenny

A light waltz rolled from the radio in three-four time. A Strauss, Künstlerleben op. 316, written in 1867, a jovial, ‘gay,’ piece. Interjected into a Vienne at the edge of disaster as Austria crumbled around the carnival city. The song infused with a melancholic melody and yearning string instruments. The decaying nobility dreams of a glory day long past and danced the inevitable fall of their dynasty away. So, explained the smooth voiced disc jockey that introduced the piece with all the confidence of a history nerd who probably got shoved in a locker in high-school. Adam wouldn’t pretend he was smart like that, this station wasn’t his first choice. After five hours in the car they had cycled through: Adam’s playlists, Kenny’s playlist, and every other radio station on air. Thirty minutes into a marathon of Norteña music, Adam cracked first and turned on the benign classical music, played on a public air wave. All just to eke out some variety from the bland monotonous strips of American highway and interstate. Besides, no words, and especially no Spanish that he only half-understood in his current state, meant it required less brain power to process. A resource that was in dwindling supply for Adam. 

Adam tapped his finger against the steering wheel in time with the waltz. Apparently, this was like old fashioned twerking. A dramatic, intimate dance where partners held each other close and danced vigorously. Despite the song being undeniably wonder bread white, Adam found a natural ebb and flow that sparked a desire to move in some way. Bob his head a little bit, tap his foot, all as he nudged the cruise control-up another notch. The car engine revved and the speedometer edged in at a solid eighty miles an hour. With no one else on the road Adam dominated the left lane. It was a pure head rush, breaking the speed limit with no restrictions and no witnesses. All while listening to a playful violin trill. Brights on, illuminating the tall cedar, oaks, and pines, twined with dense underbrush on the sides of the road. The, black, ominous trees walled the interstate, trapping them, forcing them the only way forward. The white and yellow marked pavement extended far into the twisted dark, with hints of gentle turns far off. A couple miles down the road, twin red taillights glowed like angry eyes. The mapping program on his phone noted their exit was next. He compressed the breaks, the cruise control flicked off and Adam coasted onto the ramp. 

Kenny shifted, and the movement drew Adam’s attention for a split second. Kenny sat in shotgun with the chair leaned back. His hands threaded through his hair and rubbed at his eyes. Best as Adam could tell he had spent the past three hours passed out and had not even been roused when Adam smack him for snoring. In a moment or two he was upright and alert, peering-out the window, his curly hair like the silhouette of a mop. Adam explained they were taking a diversion into Knoxville for the sole reason that Adam had to go pee. Kenny muttered his assent. 

Google Maps took them to a beat-up 24/7 gas station at the edge of the city. Moth riddled, flickering and humming, fluorescent lights illuminated the cracked pavement of the parking lot. Lined beneath the front windows was stacks of firewood, an ice machine, and a tire pressure gauge. Adam left Kenny to fill-up the tank while Adam lunged out of the car to make use of the facilities. Inside, an exhausted looking twenty-something attended the counter and her phone. Over the top of the rows of junk food riddled shelves, Adam saw the bathroom. After taking care of his physical needs, on his way-out he perused the aisle while Kenny took his turn in the Powder room. He bough a couple packages of cookies, crackers, and bags of chips. Then, a coffee from himself from a somewhat suspect machine and a bottle of 2% from the fridge, for Kenny. Adam paid at the register and sipped on his caffeine as he stepped-off the curb outside the station. Cars rolled by on the road, whispering with the heated Summer wind. Kenny, already back outside, stretched-out beside the car, his gold hair white-washed by the lights. Sliding into the front seat, Adam offered Kenny the milk on one stipulation: Adam could use it to thin his coffee. It turned-out that he had purchased mud water. Kenny agreed and they were back on the trail, navigating the downtown and suburbia, in search of the road North. The street lights faded, and into this darkness, as Adam waited for a red light to turn green, Kenny began his thought: 

You know. 

Green light, go, Adam hit the gas, and rolled through. For a second, once through the intersection, he glanced at Kenny. In the dark car, lit by the thin dashboard glow, Kenny peered at him, curious, bur not pressing. There was a glimmer in his blue eyes. Adam returned his gaze to the windshield and the passing silver screen of Knoxville scenery. A right took them back onto the highway and Adam merged with the sparse traffic as he processed what Kenny asked him. You mentioned a girlfriend before? Do you only like women? Back on the smooth sailing of the interstate, Adam sunk back in his seat and sought comfort from the shitty coffee. It tasted bitter and yet smoother with the milk. 

“You asked me two questions, there,” Adam observed, lifting a corresponding number of fingers. It’d be easy to only answer one, Kenny wouldn’t force it. He resolved, tongue darting over his chapped lips, to answer both. He reached-out and turned down the radio to but a couple notches. “And uh, well, I guess, the answer to both is it’s complicated.”

“I mean, yeah, these things usually are,” Kenny joked, he leaned back his seat a little bit and propped a foot on the dash. He glanced at the mapping program on Adam’s phone and the oppressive number of hours left, “We got time though, so take as much as you need. Like, I’m just curious is all, and if I keep sleeping in this chair I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow, Piz.”

“Well, to answer the first question,” Adam chuckled. “I did have a girlfriend, once, back in college.”

“Ah, a college sweetheart--” Kenny teased. “That’s classic.”

“Yeah,” Adam chuckled. A fond smile spread on his lips. Like those arrogant, dancing nobles in Vienne, he thought of a time long gone. “We’re still friends, you know, we talk every now and then, meet-up for lunch or something, she’s married now, pregnant, with her first kid.”

“Okay, but that’s all past tense, what happened? Give me the details, man,” Kenny said. He interlaced his hands behind his head, shifting in the car seat. “I mean, if it’s not too hard, or anything.”

Adam shrugged, one shoulder-up to his ear with casual dismissal. Maybe a few years ago it would’ve been 'hard’ but things had changed. He had changed-- or rather, something had changed around him. There was someone else now for him to be heartbroken over. The old stuff were all scars now, not wounds that leaked with the slightest prod. Not like they used to. 

“So, the deal is I went into college with like, two years of credit, yeah?” Adam said, he checked over at Kenny to make sure he was following. “You can imagine this kinda put me in a weird spot. I was a Freshman but also basically a Junior and I was taking the classes in my major right away. I didn’t make a lot of friends that way, though. So, yeah, she was a little older than me and her name was Amanda. Long black hair, dark eyes, kinda short, but pretty, she was an art student, so we met in like this advanced drawing class. And Kenny, holy shit, I have to show you pictures of some of the stuff she does, when we get to the hotel, it’s nuts. Like these hyper realistic watercolor and oil paint portraits, that look even better than the actual thing. She works as a like, a background artist in L.A., now, so she’s legit. Way better than anything I could do.”

Kenny hummed, low in his throat, and Adam took that as a cue to continue.

“So, we met in class, and, over the course of the next semester we got to know each other, really well,” he said. “Like, I was hanging-out in her apartment to do projects and she was hanging-out in my dorm. I moved in with her for my Senior year, after she graduated. She just needed a roommate, you know? And not long after that we just, kinda started dating. I don’t know, it’s-- it’s hard to describe, even now, how I felt about her. Like, just this intensity I never experienced before. I really thought I was sick, actually-- like my stomach hurt. I called my mom and she told me I was a dumbass, and that I had a crush. It’s just that I was never interested in dating in high school, like I talked to girls and stuff, went to prom with one of my friends, but nothing like, you know?” Adam made an almost helpless gesture with his hand.

He rested his palm against his thigh. His other hand guided the steering wheel. Then, real quick, Adam focused on setting-up the cruise control again. If he had to compress the gas for the whole trip, his right hip would be sore as hell by the time they reach their destination. A couple nudges and they were flying at a clean eighty again. Adam took that time to organize his thoughts. Kenny didn’t say a word, but Adam could tell he was waiting for the elaboration.

“I really thought,” Adam murmured, his voice softened, wistful. “That I was going to marry her. Like, I was going to jewlery stores, looking at engagement rings, trying to figure-out how to save-up.”

“What, really?” Kenny asked, he leaned forward in his chair, elbows digging into the arm rest. “Seriously, man?”

“Yeah, we dated for almost two years after I graduated,” Adam said. “I was working as a teacher and she was a freelance artist, it was really great. Of course, I was traveling a lot-- on account of the wrestling thing, and she came to some shows, I don’t think she really got it? Amanda was sensitive, wouldn’t hurt a fly and she didn’t really vibe with fighting. Which, is fine, I was fine with it. I mean she watched these soap operas that I didn’t get, so it was kinda even, you know? But I think all that time away from home didn’t do a lot of good for our relationship. You know I was young, Kenny, like twenty-two? And she-- she got a job in California, and we talked about it, and--”

“Just didn’t work-out, huh?” Kenny asked, voice low. 

Adam shook his head, lips pressing together into a thin line. He still recalled that conversation over the dinning room table. His hands interlaced in front of him, her on the other side, going through the logistics. She was so good at that, planning. That was something they shared in common, overthinking. This move was a dead necessity for her career. Texas just didn’t have the same opportunities that the City of Angels did. Except, Adam was training in Texas, fighting in Texas, teaching in Texas. It was the middle of the school year during his internship. He couldn’t pack-up and leave. The suggestion she came to was obvious but it didn’t make it easy. They break-up, go their separate ways, not try to force all of this to work to the determent of them both. For years Adam cursed himself for agreeing. He believed, as he laid in bed alone and cold, ruminating on his failures, he should’ve fought harder. Fought harder for them. Hung-up on what could’ve and should’ve been. It hurt more when she found a new guy in California. He still went to her wedding and was her best man. Because Adam still loved Amanda and he always would. 

And he was okay with being next to her, because their relationship, their bond, was more important than his wounded pride. 

“Yeah, it didn’t work-out,” Adam agreed. “I was, upset, for a while. A long while, actually, like, I really thought I’d never get another chance like her again, but--”

He paused, and ended the thought there. Amanda was so amazing, so brilliant, so awesome, and funny, and caring and kind, and she loved cats. She picked out local art for their apartment. Yet, Adam also remembered her occasional moods where she just couldn’t be talked to until the storm passed. The way she set her mind on things was sometimes endearing, sometimes frustrating. She wasn’t perfect, but she was great. It was apples-to-oranges, to compare her and Kenny. They were completely different people and Adam loved different things about them-- yet, it was still love. It couldn’t be measured or quantified. The only time he had ever felt this intensity before was with Amanda. He really didn’t think there was another person on this planet who could steal his heart like Amanda did. Then he met Kenny, and fell in love with Kenny.

And whoops, there was at least one other. 

“You know, you live, you grow, you move-on,” Adam said, he shrugged again and nodded to himself. “If we hadn’t split I probably never would’ve gone to Japan, or met you and the Bucks. Or, joined AEW, never been tag-team champion. It’s a real Robert Frost poem, I could be a teacher in L.A. right now, instead of-- well, driving eight hours to Chicago in the middle of the night, but my point stands! I-I imagine you get it, picking between your career and well, sometimes relationships.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get,” Kenny muttered. He looked out the window. His nails scrapped against his jeans. “You know how it was with me and Ibushi. How leaving Japan felt. Especially, after we reconciled after so many years-- but that’s how it is.” He trailed off, leaving the thought behind.

“So, like, were you two ever,” Adam interjected. He glanced over at the same time Kenny did. Adam darted his gaze back to the red, feeling his cheeks heat and rosette. A deep appreciation for the late hour filled him. “I mean, like, I don’t know how to ask this. Were, you and Ibushi, you know, together? Like, together, together. Obviously, it’s not my business, but I’m just, just curious, is all. Like, the Golden Lovers, man? There’s some crazy rumors out there.”

Kenny laughed, a full chuckle that churned Adam’s stomach and yet set his face on fire. That sound made Adam feel warm, he wanted to hear it again desperately. “Yeah, Kota and I dated. We were together for like six years, and yeah, like you, if same-sex marriage was legal in Japan, I would’ve married him.”

It was such an upfront statement. a matter of fact If he could, he would, but the lack of gold ring on Kenny’s left finger told Adam he didn’t. Kenny nodded to himself but the silence lingered, the sentence wasn’t finished. The clock turned over to 3:23 and they passed an exit with bleeding, gold lights, with hotels, restaurants, and street lamps. 

Kenny continued, but his voice was softer and more raw. “But then-- well, I screwed it up. I mean, I really messed-up. It wasn’t like you and your girl, where it was a pretty understanding with a clean break. I didn’t trust him, like I should. I thought he was going to leave me and so, I left first. Then like an idiot, I lashed-out, and ruined everything we built, and it ended. Just. Like. That--” Kenny snapped his fingers-- “We never got back together but, we’re friends again, we made-up, you know that, but the things I did, the things I did to Kota-- it's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life.”

The night hid Adam’s expression. The darkness was a comfort. It hid the monsters in the back seat. The purr of the engine whispered in the absence of Kenny’s scathing indictment of himself. Like, he was judge, jury, and executioner, of his own tarnished soul. Adam could imagine what Kenny saw. His face in profile, the tree line whipping by the car windows, an impassive, emotionless, and neutral party, listening without comment to Kenny’s story. He wouldn’t  see the slight grimace or twisting of Adam’s lips. Remembering all the shit Cody said about Ibushi. Adam, twisting Ibushi, Kenny’s arms back, while Cody reared with a chair. Holy fuck, was he such an embarrassing idiot, a complete moron, a destructive piece of shit. If Kenny saw the guilt in Adam’s eyes their conversation would screech to a sudden halt. Akin to if Adam slammed the breaks on the car right now. Instead, Adam allowed Kenny to mourn and didn’t derail to his own bullshit. It was the only way he would’ve heard the next bit, whispered into open air. 

“He really was the first man I loved.”

Kenny sighed and leaned back into his seat, defeated, limp. Now, Adam realized, was definitely time to shift gears. Car analogies aside, Kenny couldn’t be left to ruminate. If there was a person who understood how much it sucked to obsess over an old ex, it was Adam Page. 

“So, you’re like, gay?” Adam asked. He placed both of his hands on the wheel. Shifting, he rubbed his fingers over the rubber and plastic, feeling the coarse texture. Sweat pricked his palms and he heard his pulse skip, skip, and then it was off to the races. “That’s cool by the way, I’m totally cool with that, I mean--”

“Close, but actually, I’m bi,” Kenny said. He chuckled and then nudged Adam’s elbow with his hands. The brief, familiar contact enabled Adam to crack a grin. “Bisexual, guys, gals, non-binary pals, it’s all good to me. I know I don’t talk about it a lot. It’s not something I really like to have out there, circulating. It could cause problems in Japan, and it could be a whole thing, but I trust you. We’re partners, and, it’s kinda something I want you to know, actually.”

Adam grinned to himself and nodded along with Kenny points. He straightened in his seat, wiggling his butt back so his shoulders were flush with the chair. With a crick of his neck he popped a vertebrae with a satisfying ‘clunk.’ 

“Yeah, I was, actually going to say,” Adam began, he swallowed. “I uh-- I am too, bi, I mean, like I think I am. I haven’t tested it but, I’m, pretty sure. I haven’t... done anything, with a guy, before? I just have these feelings? Right, you know how it is.”

“Yeah,” Kenny said, drawing-out the syllable. Adam could hear the smile in his voice. “I know how it is. I know, I get it, it’s all in your chest, right?” Kenny moved his hand over his heart to indicate what he meant. “You see a guy and it all kinda clicks in your brain, same way it does for a girl. I get it.”

“You know I don’t think I’ve ever really told anyone that,” Adam said, a little breathless. 

Kenny shifted and his chair cranked upright. A fleeting, fluttering touch on his left elbow drew Adam’s gaze down. Kenny placed his hand on the center console between them, palm-up. He wiggled his fingers, an expectant invitation. Adam steadied his grip on the steering wheel and wiped his right hand down his jeans to clean the sweat off. He laid his hand in Kenny’s and Kenny interlaced their fingers, then squeezed. Adam wondered if Kenny could feel his stuttering pulse through the connected vital points of their wrists. Or, if he minded that Adam’s hands were damp. Yet, his nerves and troubled thoughts soothed, mostly to a stream of ecstatic proclamations about how he was holding hands with Kenny. 

“I appreciate you being honest, Piz,” Kenny said. “I know it’s hard. Especially, when maybe you don’t have all the answers, but I’m glad you’ve figured some of it out. I don’t think I knew until I was in my twenties-- how about you?”

“Not long,” Adam admitted. Feelings, ideas since he was in high school, but nowadays he was totally certain. he rubbed his thumb over Kenny’s knuckles. Kenny had long, thin fingers, but a strong grip. Adam could feel his coarse callouses. The warmth of his hand. “In a way I always knew, this has always been a part of me. It was Amanda who helped me figure out the name for it, though.”

So, you’re bi, Amanda had said and Adam had stared at her like he was an idiot. Anytime Adam was around Amanda he felt like an idiot, but only because she was so smart. She had laughed at him and sipped on her beer. They sat outside on the porch, in cool Spring air, a rare balmy day at the outskirts of Los Angeles. She told him she was pregnant. He told her about Kenny. It was a fair exchange-- until Amanda asked him to be her kids godfather, or something similar, or whatever. And Adam had actually started crying, like a total sap. Yeah, yeah of course, that kid’ll be the best fucking horse rider this side of the Mississippi. She patted him on the shoulder and told him she’ll be cheering for him and Kenny. Next time she watched AEW-- because she did that every now and then these days. 

She really liked Sonny Kiss-- Adam always knew she had good taste.

“She sounds great,” Kenny noted.

“She is,” Adam agreed, nodding. “If you ever get to meet her, I’d think you’d like her.”

Adam cocked a slight grin. Something was lighter in him, the air a little clear. It felt better, it felt right, to say it. Adam Page is bisexual, he likes guys and girls, and other stripes of human beings. It was the only way he could feel what he felt for Kenny. Exactly like it was for Amanda. Stomach full of butterflies, every emotion magnified to a soul-aching need, so Adam was raw and on edge. This terror, nausea, built like a screaming tea-kettle, into agony the demanded a release to relieve the pressure. This time, though, Adam found no outlet. Amanda was the one asked him out first, to the movies, to see The Avengers. He remembered sitting in the darkness of the theater, alone and sweaty, until she laid her head on his shoulder. Amanda who confessed first and who drew-out of Adam the depth of his feelings. Now that Adam thought about it, it was Amanda who texted first, Amanda who called first, Amanda who kissed first. Amanda who broke it off first. Adam Page was not known for taking the initiative in his relationships. Yet, he always figured it out, caught-up learned, and followed her lead. If he could just do the same for him and Kenny-- that was a pipe dream so obscure it almost made Adam scoff.

He couldn’t ruin another good friendship, he just couldn’t. 

Adam was running out of bridges to burn. 

“You know, it’s weird,” Adam said. “Because it’s like, I’ve never done anything, with a uh, you know-- a man before. The opportunity has never really come-up. I just kinda wonder, how am I supposed to know these feelings are real?”

“Well, I don’t know if I can answer that one for you, Page,” Kenny said. “But I definitely didn’t know until I met Ibushi. Then, it was real obvious. Yet, I always had a sense of it.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Adam murmured. He squeezed Kenny’s hand and Kenny squeezed back. 

He definitely got it. At first, in the infancy of these feelings he’d thought they’d die or go away, like a bad head cold. Because Kenny Fucking Omega, could never love Adam Page. They were not in the same league, the best wrestler in the world and the weak link of the Elite. Then they were tag-team partners, and absence is not what makes a heart grow fonder, presence is. Long car drives,  where they shot the breeze about anything and everything-- just like this. Hours spent chilling in the same hotel room, showing each other stupid memes, or watching TV together. Plane rides with their heads stacked on each other and complaining about the pressure change. Working-out in the weight rooms and spotting for each other. Training together, practicing the Last Call ‘till they got it right and didn’t fucking hit each other anymore. The longer Adam spent with Kenny Omega, the more certain he was that he loved him. 

Loved him in a way he’d only felt once before. Loved him in a way that was different than how Adam felt about his mother. It was love, 100% all the way, love. True love-- wove, twue wove, to quote a good movie. Love that had all sorts of implications not just for his relationship with Kenny but Adam’s relationship with himself. How he understood himself and who he was. At twenty-nine years he was uncovering more and more about the person of Adam Page, the Hangman. Most of it, Adam didn’t like. Some of it, he did like, and he did like loving Kenny. Even if all he got to do was hold hands and talk. 

“There’s a pool at the hotel,” Kenny said, suddenly, breaking Adam from his introspection.

“Yeah?” Adam asked. 

“Yeah, I checked it out earlier,” Kenny said. “Listen, after we pass-out for a few hours-- you wanna go swimming? Of course, there’s the weight room and all that, we can do a few sets, blah, blah, blah-- but I wanna go swimming too.”

“I didn’t pack swim shorts-- did you?” Adam laughed. He had to wiggle his hand free, unfortunately, from Kenny’s grip so he could make a lane change. 

“Bro,” Kenny stated, and Adam could feel Kenny’s eyes drilling into the side of his face. Intent, focused, and dead serious, “We have large, ample salaries as the Tag-Team Champions of AEW that can fix that problem.”

“Fair point,” Adam admitted. He shuffled his hands on the wheel a little bit and then cracked a big grin. “But yeah, I’m down to work-out, I need to work on my bi-ceps.”

Silence, total silence, Adam shot Kenny the most shit eating grin. For a moment Kenny stared at him, wordless, as if processing that nuclear bomb. Adam had to return his eyes to the road. Then, Kenny smacked Adam’s shoulder. Adam laughed and then laughed harder, when he heard Kenny break into chuckles. 

“Do you think Tony Khan will let us change our team name to the Bisons?” Adam asked.

“No,” Kenny wheezed, his voice strained. He covered his eyes with his hands, shoulders shaking. “No, I don’t think so.”

In the wake of the laughter, Adam settled. Kenny leaned back his seat and despite his fear of cramps, was dozing in a few minutes. Dawn broke before they hit Cincinnati, a brilliant glow of purple, pinks, and golds on a distant blue horizon. It was right to Adam, to park on the 3rd level of the deck and to haul all their shit out of the car. Check-in, bleary eyed at the front desk, and then shuffle into the elevator, with a bagel, stolen from the breakfast, wedged in his mouth. Brush his teeth in the bathroom, kick off his shoes and pants, and then flop into bed. He vaguely recalled Kenny telling him good morning before they fell asleep. 

[smkkbert]

Do you remember (1/13)

Eight years after Oliver and Felicity became teenage parents, they have everything they could have ever hoped for and more. They have a good life in a nice house. Their marriage is happy, and a second baby is on its way. The calm they have settled in is interrupted abruptly when a stalker starts terrorizing Felicity.

Previous installments in this series:  - The best mistake - In my daughter’s eyes

- To make you feel my love

Rating: Teen

Author’s note: This fic is different than any other I have written. There are a lot of ups and downs. It’s not as even in pacing as you might be used to from my stories. Chapters will hopefully be posted every Sunday. Enjoy the ride!

The moment she stepped through the door and saw the sign with the smiling cloud of smoke that was carrying a crown, the pleasant feeling of being home spread in Felicity’s chest.

It was Oliver, who saw her first. A warm expression showed in his eyes, and it was mirrored in the smile that formed on his lips. Felicity felt her stomach starting to tingle in the way it always did when Oliver looked at her with that special smile that she knew was reserved just for his two girls – his wife and his daughter.

Felicity’s hand moved to her rounded belly on its own accord. She could feel her unborn baby moving under the palm of her hand, kicking against her fingers with much more strength than you thought such a tiny human being could have, and she couldn’t help but smile at the feeling. Soon, this baby would enjoy that special smile of Oliver’s too.

As Felicity took a few steps forward, clearing the doorway for the other passengers, she watched Oliver bending down until his eyes were on one level with Mae’s. He squeezed her small shoulders and nodded towards Felicity as soon as Mae was able to look away from the puppy at the other end of the hall. He whispered something into her ear, and only a second later Mae turned her head towards Felicity. It took her another three seconds to find her mother in the crowd, but, as soon as their eyes locked, a wide smile spread on Mae’s face.

“Mommy!”

Chuckling, Felicity took a few more steps forward, making sure she wasn’t standing in the way of anyone. Just as she had spread her arms, Mae reached her. She didn’t stop soon enough, so Felicity actually stumbled three steps back when her daughter just threw herself at her, but she already wrapped her arms around her little girl and held her to her tightly.

“God, I am so glad to be back home.”

“But you are not home yet,” Mae said, angling her head back to look at her mother with an amused grin. “You are still at the airport.”

Felicity chuckled. Her daughter was a little smartass, something Oliver insisted she had inherited from her rather than him. Felicity didn’t mind.

“Is it the baby that makes you forget these things again?”

Chuckling wholeheartedly, Felicity let her head fall back for a moment. She tightened her arms around Mae, keeping her as close as possible to her.

At the beginning of her pregnancy, she had indeed been a little forgetful. Well, actually she had been more than just a little forgetful. She had been so forgetful that she and Oliver had made an appointment with a neurologist to make sure there weren’t any medical reasons for that. It had indeed just been the pregnancy though.

“No, the baby is not making me forget anything right now because you are right. We still are at the airport,” Felicity said, “but I am with you and daddy, and that is all that makes a home for me.”

“Not our house?”

“Not as much as you and daddy,” Felicity replied.

Mae seemed to struggle with that answer. For an eight-year-old, Felicity guessed it was hard to understand that home didn’t have to be a place. Sometimes, home was just where the people you loved were.

Still not saying a word, Mae tried to make her arms as long as possible. Felicity knew she trying to let her fingertips brush together behind her mother’s back. Since Mae had learned about the pregnancy, she had eagerly waited for the moment her arms weren’t long enough to encompass her mother’s belly anymore. Now she checked every day possible if the span between her fingers had increased since the last time she had hugged Felicity.

“Did you bring me something?”

Felicity chuckled at the sudden change of topic. She rubbed her hands over her daughter’s back for a moment before she leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. With a sigh, she let go of her and nodded towards her suitcase then.

“Of course I did,” she replied with a smile. “It’s in the front pocket.”

“I wanna see it,” Mae said, the excitement audible in her voice. “Please.”

Felicity smiled and nodded her head. She pulled her suitcase closer and unzipped the front pocket. She pulled the neatly wrapped gift she had stuffed inside out and handed it to Mae, who started ripping away the paper quickly. As she held the unwrapped gift in her hands, Mae frowned and lifted her gaze to her mother.

“Mommy, what is that?”

“It’s a kite,” Felicity explained. “The toy you can let fly when there is wind, you know? Grandpa gave you one last year before he and grandma got on their world cruise, but a gust of wind took it away.”

“That was fun.”

Mae chuckled, turning the gift around in her hands a couple of times. When she saw the photo that showed what the kite would look like once it would fly, her eyes started sparkling. Felicity smiled. She had been sure that, if the kite itself might not be the best gift for her, it’s form would certainly thrill her daughter.

“Does it look like a shark?”

“Exactly,” Felicity told her. “I thought you’d like that.”

“I love it.”

The enthusiasm in Mae’s voice left no doubt that she really meant it. With a wide smile on her lips, she threw herself back at her mother and hugged her so tightly that Felicity almost stumbled back another step. She managed to keep her balance though and just wrapped her arms back around Mae just as tightly.

It was crazy. She had only been in Gotham City for three days, but it almost felt like it had been forever. Being away from her family, even if it was just for a couple of days, always felt weird. Having her unborn baby to take with her wherever she went did offer a little comfort, but it hadn’t made her miss her husband and daughter any less.

The thought made Felicity tighten her arms around Mae’s small frame once more. She angled her head forward and kissed the crown of her daughter’s head. Pushing her nose against her hairline, she breathed her daughter in.

The sound of a voice being cleared very close made Felicity finally look up again. Her eyes met Oliver’s gaze, and she felt a warm shiver running down her spine. Her stomach started to tingle and her heart skipped a beat before it started racing in her chest.

How was it possible to still be so madly in love with someone you had shared almost a decade of your life with?

“I think it’s my turn to welcome mommy back home now.”

Mae chuckled. “What if I just never let go of her?”

“Oh, you are going to get to know a really different side of daddy then,” Oliver growled teasingly. “A much darker side.”

Mae laughed, not believing her dad. Oliver didn’t hesitate to prove how serious he was about that though. With a little growl, he lifted Mae into his arms upside down. Her head was resting against his hip and her feet were dangling over his shoulder. Mae screeched with amusement, holding her kite against her safely. Oliver turned around from Felicity briefly. He set Mae back down on the floor then standing between Mae and her now, he turned back around to Felicity.

“My turn,” he whispered.

With that, he lifted his hands and cupped Felicity’s cheek. Smiling, he leaned in and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Felicity sighed into it, leaning against Oliver and wrapping her arms around his chest.

Sometimes, in moments like these, she felt like she was addicted to kissing Oliver. The way his lips moved against hers in the perfect rhythm and the way the taste of his tongue made her forget everything around her just felt like a high she didn’t want to come down from.

“Dad, did you see the gift mommy brought me?”

With an inaudible sigh falling from his lips, Oliver broke the kiss. He shot Felicity a brief glance that made her chuckle and drop her forehead against his chest for a moment. She knew how much he loved being a daddy, but she also knew how frustrated he could get when he was interrupted while kissing her.

“No,” he said eventually. “Show me. What did mommy bring you?”

“A kite!” Mae said, her voice full of excitement. “It looks like a shark. Can we let it fly today, daddy? Please!”

Oliver chuckled. “Let’s delay that till tomorrow. We gotta make sure mommy gets some rest before our big event this evening.”

Mae didn’t seem exactly pleased about the answer. She pushed her bottom lip forward and scrunched up her nose. With sadness in her eyes, she looked at the kite in her hands.

“It’s just one day, Mae,” Oliver told her. “Do you want to push mommy’s suitcase to the car?”

“Okay.”

Felicity pressed her lips together, biting back a chuckle. Luckily, Mae was distracted pretty easily so far. She could only hope that it would stay like that for a while longer. It made their life a lot easier.

“Do you want me to take your kite?”

Oliver had already reached out his hand for the gift, but Mae held it out of his reach quickly. She tightened her hold on it, pressing it close to her chest. Pushing it under her left arm, she grabbed her mother’s suitcase and shot her father a pointed glare then.

“I can do both, daddy. I am not a baby anymore.”

“Well, excuse me,” Oliver said pointedly.

Mae got the hint that her behavior hadn’t been exactly the best because she quickly put on an apologetic smile. Luckily, Oliver was never unforgiving when it came to her. He winked, letting her know that it was all forgotten already, and tousled her blonde hair briefly. When Mae giggled, trying to duck away, Oliver nodded towards the exit. Mae quickly tightened her grip on her mother’s suitcase and walked ahead. Meanwhile Oliver rested his arm around Felicity’s shoulder to pull her closer to his side and followed their daughter. Felicity rested her head against her head against his shoulder with a sigh.

“How did your appointment go?” Oliver asked eventually and kissed Felicity’s temple. “Was your trip at least worth it?”

“It was. Everything went well.” Smiling, Felicity stroked her hand up and down his abs and smiled at her husband. “Don’t be mad at me for going on that trip.”

Oliver grumbled some words Felicity didn’t understand, but she was sure that he hadn’t meant for her to hear them anyway. He had probably just expressed his dislike for her business trip once more.

She knew that he had been anything but delighted when Felicity had told him that she was going to go on one last business trip before the baby was born. Given the bad luck they had had during their first years together, though mostly a result of bad decisions they had made because they had just been too young, Felicity had understood his reluctance. She had managed to convince him that everything was going to be okay though, so he had agreed to let her go to Gotham. Otherwise, Felicity wouldn’t have gone.

“The flight was okay too?”

“Let’s say I was shaken thoroughly, but it’s okay.”

From the corner of her eyes, Felicity could see Oliver watching her. She turned her head, observing his face. She could see the worry in his eyes, and quickly leaned more against him. Smiling at him comfortingly, she moved her hand higher on his chest and spread her fingers over his heart.

“I am fine,” she promised, “and the baby is too. Remember what the doctor said. I am a perfectly healthy woman at the perfect age to have a baby, and the baby is just the right size and just the right weight too. We are perfect.”

Felicity could feel Oliver taking in a deep breath and holding it in his lungs for a couple of seconds. When he released the breath with a little sigh, he nodded his head. Angling his head forward, he brushed his lips against her temple and tightened his arm around her shoulders.

For Oliver, the fear of things going wrong was much more omnipresent than it was for Felicity. He had missed so much time with Mae while Felicity had been pregnant and during the first two years of her life. The baby they would have in a couple of weeks was Oliver’s second chance. He didn’t want to miss a single moment with this baby. At the same time, he was so very scared that history would just repeat itself again and bring the same or new troubles that threatened to rip their family apart.

Of course Felicity understood why he was feeling again. Life had thrown quite the hurdles at them, and they had been too young to deal with that the right way. She knew that was different now though. She and Oliver had both grown as individuals and as a couple. They could take whatever struggles would come their way.

Hopefully, life would also help and just be a little kinder to them.

“Do you want to grab some lunch on our way home?” Oliver asked when they left the building and headed to the parking lot. “We could go to the supermarket, so you can pick everything you would like, and I will cook you something nice with that.”

“No, I had lunch on the flight.”

Oliver looked at her with an incredulous expression on his face. Felicity pressed her lips together and rolled them into her mouth, shooting Oliver an innocent and yet apologetic glance. She had known that he wouldn’t be pleased if he heard about it.

“Really?” he asked, “You are married to one of the best chefs on the west coast and you just eat on your flight?”

“Since I am sure that you will spoil me with all of the best food in the world for the next few months, I thought that eating on the flight was a good way to say goodbye to bad food for a while.”

Frowning, Felicity turned her head and rested her chin against Oliver’s shoulder. She watched his face thoroughly, trying to find out what he was thinking. The muscles in his face were relaxed. There was no sadness or even tension. He really looked peaceful.

“Are you sure you really want to close the restaurant and reject all orders for show-cooking for the next few months?” Felicity asked, rubbing her hand over his heart. “I know how much you love cooking and creating new dishes. It challenges you, and it relaxes you. It’s who you are.”

“Hey, I will still cook a lot the following months,” Oliver replied, smiling at Felicity. “Someone’s gotta spoil our family with all the good food after all.”

“It’s not going to be the same though.”

Oliver nodded slowly. He turned his head and looked ahead of him for a long moment. His eyes were focused on the back of Mae’s head, and Felicity could see the corners of his lips twitching at whatever he was thinking.

“I love cooking,” Oliver said after a while, a content smile on his lips, “but I am really, really looking forward to being a stay-at-home dad. I can’t imagine any better way to spend the next few months than being at home and taking care of my family. That is if you don’t mind keeping me.”

There was no doubt in Oliver’s eyes. Actually, there was a deep contentedness in there, showing that he really meant it. He really couldn’t think of anything better to do with his life than letting everything he did revolve around his family. He really wanted that. No objections. No doubts. Nothing.

Felicity smiled warmly. “I think I am able to deal with that.”

*****

“We are too late, mommy,” Mae said with a sigh. “Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Laurel and Uncle Tommy are already there. You see?”

Felicity’s gaze followed the direction Mae’s forefinger pointed to. Through the large glass windows, she could look inside Oliver’s restaurant and see that her daughter was actually right. Everyone else, at least all the special guests Oliver had invited for the evening, were already gathered together.

“We might be a little late, but we are not too late,” Felicity explained. She stroked her hand over her belly. “Besides, everyone will forgive us anyway.”

“Because we are Queens and the Queens are never late?” Mae asked. “Everyone else is just early?”

“I know your dad told you that Queen Clarisse said so because of us, but, really, dad was just using that as an excuse because he is always late, Mae,” Felicity replied and tapped her forefinger against the tip of her daughter’s nose. “You know you can take after your dad as much as you want, but please don’t take after him in that.”

Mae giggled.

“We will be forgiven because mommy’s carrying a baby, and nobody is angry at women who are having a baby soon.”

Without another word, Mae opened the door to the restaurant. She was holding it open for Felicity despite the heavy weight, so Felicity slipped into the restaurant quickly. Well, she stepped into it as quickly as she could given all the weight she had gained in the pregnancy.

“We are here!”

Everyone turned around to them, and Moira approached them immediately. With spread arms and a warm smile on her lips, she hugged Felicity and kissed her cheek.

“Felicity, my dear,” she said and held her hands when she pulled out of the hug. “I am so relieved to see you are back. How are you?”

“I am fine.” Felicity squeezed Moira’s hands comfortingly. “I told you not to let Oliver make you feel guilty for asking me to go on that business trip to Gotham.”

“Easier said than done.” Moira sighed before she smiled and linked her arm with Felicity’s and beckoned for someone to come closer. “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

Perking up her eyebrows, Felicity looked back over her shoulder. A tall man with broad shoulders and a really handsome face was approaching them. With the serious look in his eyes and the tense body posture, she was almost sure that she knew why Moira wanted to introduce him. Besides, the gun in the holster at his hip was quite helpful to give her an idea too.

“Felicity, this is Adrian Chase,” Moira explained. “Mr. Chase took over the position as the head of security for our family.”

Moira had been looking for an appropriate candidate to replace their last head of security for months now. Since the last head of security had handed in his resignation because as a father-to-be he had wanted a job with more regular working hours and safer work conditions, she had interviewed at least fifteen applicants, but neither had met her requirements. If she had finally found someone for the job, he had had to be a really skilled person.

“It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Smoak-Queen.”

Felicity smiled and shook Mr. Chase’s hand. “It’s a responsible task that you have taken on here, Mr. Chase.”

“Please just call me Adrian,” he asked, “and I will do my best to keep you and your family safe.”

“That’s all you can do.” Felicity smiled. “Luckily, you won’t have much to do there.”

Admittedly, Felicity had no idea if the last head of security had really felt unsafe in his job or if maybe meeting Moira’s high requirements had just been a little bit too much for him. In all the years Felicity had known the Queens, they had never been attacked. The most a head of security had to do for them was managing the working hours of the other security staff, making sure the alarm system was checked regularly and keeping paparazzi away. The job was much more about driving Moira through the city than about taking a bullet for anyone.

Adrian smiled. When he turned his head slightly, his smile widened, and he lifted his fingers for a little wave. Felicity followed his gaze to see Mae, who was leaning back against Walter’s legs, was smiling and waving at him. Felicity guessed that she had already met Adrian while Felicity had been in Gotham, since she had certainly spent a lot of time at the Queens’ mansion with her Grandmother.

“Thank you, Mr. Chase. You can take the rest of the night off now,” Moira told him. “I just wanted to introduce you to my daughter-in-law. My husband and I will take a cab home.”

“Alright, Mrs. Queen.” Adrian nodded. “Have a nice evening.”

“You too.”

Felicity waited until Adrian was out of reach before she leaned against her mother-in-law a little and whispered, “He’s handsome.”

“Indeed.”

Moira looked at Felicity, and they both started chuckling.

As Adrian Chase left the restaurant, Moira led Felicity to where the others were waiting for them. Felicity was welcomed with warm hugs and brief kisses to the cheek, almost like she had been gone for a month. She didn’t mind though. It was always a good feeling to know you were missed. When she stepped back next to Moira, her mother-in-law linked their arms once more. Felicity squeezed her hand and shot her a comforting smile.

Felicity knew that, just like for Oliver, this baby was also a second chance for Moira. The bond between her and Felicity had become a lot stronger over the years, especially during the year they had thought Oliver was dead and now that Thea was off to a boarding school in Europe. Still, Moira regretted thoroughly that she had once offered Felicity money to take Mae and disappear from Oliver’s life. She wanted to make things better this time around even though that incident was long forgotten for Felicity already.

“You look really great by the way.”

After smiling at her mother-in-law briefly, Felicity lowered her eyes to look down at herself. She was wearing a red dress that fitted around her round belly perfectly. It was an off-shoulder-dress because she knew Oliver had a thing for shoulders, and she loved the look on his face when he saw her wearing something that he knew she was wearing just for him. From what she had seen in the mirror before leaving, Moira was probably right and she did look great or at least okay.

“I feel like I am going to explode any second.”

“Which is why you are no longer allowed in my car,” Tommy said and pointed at her pregnant belly with his glass of whiskey. “Until this baby is born, you are not even going anywhere close to my car.”

While Laurel slapped his chest playfully, telling him not to speak to her sister that way, Felicity just rolled her eyes. She doubted Tommy would ever get over the expensive Porsche that had been ruined when Felicity’s water had broke while she had been sitting on the passenger seat. Instead of taking Oliver’s offer to just let him pay the cleansing of the car, Tommy had actually given the car to them as a gift for Mae’s birth. That two-seater might not have been the best gift to give to young parents hadn’t occurred to him.

“Is that because I was almost born in your car, Uncle Tommy?”

“Exactly.”

Tommy beckoned for Mae to come to him, and she let go of Walter’s hand quickly to grab Tommy’s instead. With a little pirouette, she leaned against him and looked at him with her big, blue eyes.

“You look really beautiful tonight, you know that?” he told her. “You are without any doubt the most beautiful woman in this room.”

“Well, you should have proposed to me.”

Everyone around chuckled. It was no secret that Mae had been a little disappointed when Tommy had announced that he was getting married to Laurel. She had known that he would propose to her since he had actually practiced for the proposal by proposing to Mae. Still, Mae hadn’t been too fond of the news at the end. She just loved her uncle a lot, and she didn’t like sharing him.

She’d get over it as soon as Laurel would ask her to help picking a wedding dress though. Felicity knew her daughter.

“Wanna know a secret?” Tommy crouched down in front of Mae and leaned in very close, so the words he whispered next were barely audible for anyone but her. “You have actually been my first choice. I would have proposed to you, but I was sure your dad would kill me if I did.”

“Very true.”

At the sound of Oliver’s voice, Felicity turned around. Oliver stepped right behind her and kissed her shoulder before he put his hands on her hips and smiled at her softly.

“You look beautiful.”

Felicity smiled, feeling herself blush. No matter how many times Oliver had said this to her yet, she would never get tired of hearing it. Coming from him, it would always mean the most to her. When she turned around in his arms, Oliver brushed his fingertips over her cheek, only increasing her blush more. It made him smile because he just loved seeing her blush.

“Are you nervous?” Felicity asked.

Oliver took in a deep breath and looked away for a moment. His eyes were shining with love when he looked back at her though. It was weird how it still surprised him at times that Felicity could read almost everything he felt from his face.

“A little,” he admitted eventually, nodding his head, “but it’s already better now that you are here.”

Felicity smiled and straightened up onto the tip of her toes to brush her lips against Oliver’s. She knew a kiss was more encouraging than anything she could say. Lowering herself back onto her heels, she saw that she had been right. Oliver’s face did look a little bit more relaxed. Maybe, it was just because his fingers were spread on the side of her belly, feeling the soft kicks of their baby against the palm of his hand.

“He is falling asleep,” Felicity told him, putting her hand over his.

“That’s good.” Oliver smiled. “It means she will let you enjoy your dinner instead of playing football with your organs.”

“He already played football with my bladder, so Mae and I were almost late for dinner. I had to pee at least fifteen times in thirty minutes.”

“Almost being the keyword.” Oliver kissed the tip of Felicity’s nose playfully. “Come on, I will lead my three girls to the table.”

Oliver laced his fingers with Felicity’s and tugged at her hand to make him follow. Felicity went with him willingly, smiling to herself. She already knew that she and Oliver would continue playing this game where she’d insist on the baby being a boy and he’d object to it for the rest of the pregnancy. She just hoped Oliver wouldn’t be too disappointed when the baby was going to be a boy at the end. Felicity had a feeling that it really was going to be a boy.

When they reached a table in the middle of the room, Oliver held out the chair for her. Soon after her, everyone else was taking their seats. Apart from the family, Oliver had invited around twenty of their closest friends and his most loyal clients. It was a nice group, perfect for the occasion.

With one last kiss to her lips, Oliver stepped in front of the bar. He made a simple gesture, but it was enough to cause silence to spread in the room.

“Is daddy going to give a speech now?” Mae asked.

Felicity nodded her head. “I think so.”

Mae pulled her legs onto the chair, sitting back on her heels. She straightened up as much as possible, trying to get a better look at her daddy. For a brief moment, she glanced at Felicity’s thighs like she considered climbing onto her lap. With the pregnant belly in the way, she probably knew that there wouldn’t be room for her though.

“Thanks everyone for coming,” Oliver said. “I am very grateful to get the chance of celebrating with you today. These last three years since I opened this restaurant was a lot of fun. I love this place. I love my work here. I love the people here.”

Saying that, his eyes met Felicity’s. She smiled, encouraging him without saying a word the same way he had done all those times she had given a speech at Queen Consolidated.

“This place has become a second home for me, a place I can really be myself at,” he continued. “I will miss being here at five out of seven days each week. I know that I won’t have much time to wallow in any self-pity though because the restaurant will only be closed for less than a year. Besides, I am already sure that my time away from this place will be filled with new tasks and new responsibilities since, as you all know, Felicity and I are expecting our second child.”

Everyone that was present applauded. Moira reached out a hand and squeezed Felicity’s shoulder, making her smile.

“I cannot wait to meet the newest family member, and I cannot wait to spend every single minute of every single day with her.”

“Him,” Felicity shouted, making everyone chuckle.

“Or him,” Oliver said, winking at her. “I couldn’t have built up Verdant without the support and the love of my family. They had a lot of understanding for the amount of time I put into this project, and they always had my back. Now I cannot wait to give this love and support back and spend more time with my family again. So, please raise your glasses to my family, who made these last three years possible, and to this evening that won’t be a goodbye forever. It’s just a temporary goodbye, and I will be happy to invite you all back here for the reopening in a few months. Until then, I will enjoy the happiest time of being a stay-at-home dad. Cheers.”

“Cheers,” everyone said in chorus, raising their glasses.

Felicity sipped at her ice tea, watching Oliver over the rim of her glass. He blew her a kiss, making her smile, before he disappeared into the kitchen.

“For the record,” Tommy said, “I will invite myself over to dinner at your place at least five times each week from now on.”

Felicity chuckled. “You are always welcome at our place. I am sure we can use the help when this little nugget here is born.”

“Oh, I am not coming to help,” Tommy said. “I am just coming for Oliver’s cooking.”

He took the menu card and read it thoroughly. Felicity didn’t need to read it to know what it said. Oliver had thought about which dishes to serve for dinner today thoroughly, and he had asked for her opinion at least ten times. When Oliver did something, he didn’t do it half-heartedly. He always put all his energy and all his heart into it.

The thought made her smile since Felicity already knew it would be the same when he was a stay-at-home dad. He would be the perfect father and husband, well, even more perfect than he already was if that was possible at all.

*****

With a content smile on his lips, Oliver watched Mae sleeping. Her chest rose and fell in a slow but even rhythm. The corners of her lips twitched slightly like she was trying to smile in her sleep, and it made Oliver’s smile widen.

He remembered a time, the first two years after he had come back from the island actually, that he had sat at Mae’s bedside and watched her sleeping for hours every night. Back then, he hadn’t been able to understand how he had been so lucky to get a second chance with his family. Sometimes, in moments like these, he still had trouble understanding.

Oliver shook his head quickly, taking in a deep breath. He had had a great time tonight, filled with love and wonderful memories. Those memories of the island, memories of cold nights and hunger, had taken too many wonderful moments and covered them with a feeling of sorrow. That wouldn’t happen to this night. He wouldn’t allow the dark memories he carried with him every day to ruin this day for him.

Brushing some strands of her hair out of her face, Oliver leaned down and kissed Mae’s temple. Usually, she would whisper that she loved him in her sleep, but she seemed to be too tired for that tonight. Oliver wasn’t worried though. It had been a long night for her, and she had actually fallen asleep on the way home from Verdant already.

“Sleep tight, Sweetie.”

Just when Oliver was about to pull away, Mae grabbed his hand. When he looked at her face, he saw that she was looking at him with her big, blue eyes. There was a little bit of sadness or fear or maybe something else there. Whatever it was made Oliver frown and stroke his hand over her hair though.

“Daddy?”

“What’s wrong, Mae?” Oliver asked. “Did you have a nightmare?”

For a long moment, Mae didn’t answer. She just looked at Oliver, making him only worry more.

“Daddy, are you going to love the baby more than me?”

For a split second, Oliver’s frown deepened. He had expected a lot of different answers, but he hadn’t expected this. Mae had been looking forward to have a sibling even before Felicity had been pregnant. Since she knew that her dream was coming true, she had told everyone everything she knew about the baby. She had been as excited as he and Felicity had been, so this seemed to come out of nowhere.

Stroking his hand over Mae’s hair once more, Oliver thought about it a little bit more thoroughly. He remembered that, when Felicity had surprised him with the news during his last birthday, he had started crying. He just been so overwhelmed since there had been a time that he had thought he was going to die. Mae hadn’t understood this reaction since she herself had been so excited about the news already. Felicity had told her that he just hoped that everything would be alright this time because he had missed so much time when Mae had been a baby or a toddler.

Of course that had been a lot for a girl her age to understand, but Oliver and Felicity had always played with open cards. Mae couldn’t remember that he hadn’t been actively in her life between her first and her second birthday. She had been too young to remember. Felicity and Oliver had made sure that Mae understood that there had been a time like that though. They didn’t keep that from her because it was an important truth that still had ramifications on their life now.

Oliver smiled at Mae softly.

“Why do you think that?” he asked her with a low whisper. “Is it because mommy and I told you that I am really excited about this baby because I will get to spend a lot more time with her or with him than I got to spend with you?”

Mae hesitated briefly before she nodded her head. “Yes.”

With a low sigh, Oliver lay down in bed next to Mae. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her safely like he never wanted to let her go again, and kissed the crown of her head. Mae giggled as her hair got caught in his stubble a little bit. She angled her head back, looking at him with much more joy in her eyes again.

“I am really excited about this baby,” Oliver explained to her, “because mommy and I talked about having another baby for really long before we decided that we are really ready to have one. I know I will spend a lot more time with this baby than I got to spend with when you were that tiny. Just because I get to spend more time with this baby now, it doesn’t mean that this baby will be more important to me than you are though.”

Mae looked up at him for a long moment. He knew her words had reached her, but she still needed a little bit more encouragement.

“I love you, Mae,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. “I love you so much, and I love this baby so much too. No matter what happens, I will love you and the baby and every possible sibling that might come after that just the same – not more, but also not less.”

He looked at her urgently, making sure she really understood that he meant it just like that. Eventually, Mae nodded her head. With a smile on her lips, she snuggled closer to him, rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Oliver released a breath of relief and tightened his arms around her once more.

Sometimes, most of the time actually, it was hard for Oliver to believe that he and Mae hadn’t been close once upon a time. These days, they were almost like inseparable, and Oliver knew their bond would only become stronger when he was going to be a stay-at-home dad now.

It took less than three minutes for Mae to fall back asleep in his arms. Oliver kissed Mae’s forehead before he slipped his arms away from under her body as carefully as possible and climbed out of bed. At the door, he turned around once more and only left Mae’s room once he was sure that she was fast asleep.

Rolling his shoulders, Oliver went towards the stairs. He hadn’t known how tense he had been at the prospect of the dinner tonight. Now that all the tension had fallen off, he noticed how tense he had really been through.

Oliver had just reached the foot of the stairs when he heard a distinctly familiar sound coming from the living room. A warm feeling settled in his chest though he still didn’t know where he knew that melody from. There was just some subconscious memory linked to it that made him feel so comfortable.

He walked towards the living room quietly. Peaking a look into the room through the open door, a wide smile spread on his lips. Without making a sound, so Felicity wouldn’t notice him, he leaned into the frame of the door and just took in the scene in front of him.

Felicity was lying stretched-out on the couch. She was using her right hand as a pillow. Her left hand was stroking up and down her belly slowly. Her phone was resting on the top of her baby bump, playing the soft melody. Only now Oliver remembered where he had heard it before as it had been the melody of a Hebrew lullaby that Donna had sung when Mae had been a baby.

His heart filled with so much love. Just seeing Felicity lying there and relaxing was enough to make a thousand butterflies flutter in the pit of his stomach. In almost ten years, there hadn’t been a day that Oliver hadn’t fallen in love with Felicity all over again. It seemed like every single day there was a new part of him that fell in love with her.

“Instead of standing there and watching me, you could make yourself useful and massage my feet,” Felicity said without opening her eyes. “They are carrying two people now after all, and one of them is your son.”

“The feet that carry my daughter,” Oliver replied and only now Felicity blinked at him through one eye, “are feet I just have to massage.”

Chuckling, Oliver crossed the distance towards the couch. He sat down at the end of the couch and pulled her feet into his lap. Without hesitation, he started massaging her right foot. Felicity responded to it with a content smile.

A long moment passed in silence. Oliver just massaged Felicity’s feet and watched her face. She probably looked relaxed to someone who didn’t know her that well. Since Oliver knew her better than anyone else did, he didn’t miss that she was doing that thing with her eyebrows that she always did when she wasn’t relaxed.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

Felicity sighed. “Just exhausted.”

Oliver puckered his lips. He told himself not to say it out loud, but he just couldn’t help himself.

“One more reason why you shouldn’t have gone on that business trip.”

Felicity opened her eyes and shot him a pointed glared. When she kicked his chest lightly, Oliver gasped for breath. He was already chuckling in the next moment though.

“You shouldn’t have made your mother feel guilty for asking me to go on that trip to Gotham?”

“Oh really?” Oliver asked. “You are pregnant. What’s her excuse?”

“Maybe her wedding anniversary with your father,” Felicity replied, “that she wanted to spent as home with Walter at her side rather than a foreign city.”

Oliver felt a pain in his chest. He hadn’t known about that wedding anniversary, or maybe he had known but completely forgotten. All he had been able to think of was that Felicity, his pregnant wife, was going to leave her home for a business trip that could have easily been done by anyone else than her.

Sometimes her forgot that he hadn’t been the only one who had been traumatized by what had happened. He knew that seeing his father shooting himself in front of his eyes and spending one year just trying to survive had been traumatizing for him. There were just times that it was the only way he could see the sinking of the Gambit when, actually, he knew that his mother and Felicity had been just as deeply hurt by what had happened. They had lost the men they had loved, and it had been hard for them to pick themselves up after that even though Felicity had gotten him back a year later.

“Okay, I would really like to hug you now, but I can’t get up,” Felicity said and reached out her hands for him. “Please help me up.”

Despite knowing how badly he had screwed up, Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle. He grabbed Felicity’s hands and pulled her into a sitting position. Felicity sighed, rubbing her hands over her back for a moment before she climbed onto his lap as much as possible. Her baby bump pressed against his abs, and Oliver could feel their baby kicking. He wrapped his arms around her waist, angling his head back to look at her face.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Felicity told him. “Your mother knows that you have other things on your mind right now.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Her head rested on his shoulder as she rocked him from side to side slowly. Oliver sighed and closed his eyes, letting her words wash over him.

“I still shouldn’t have blamed her.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Felicity whispered and kissed the shell of his ear. “You can right this later.”

With another sigh, Oliver closed his eyes. He rested his head against her shoulder and pressed his nose to the side of Felicity’s neck. He couldn’t get enough from the scent of her skin. It was something to get addicted to since it always reminded him of home, and, hence, calmed him down.

The longer they sat in silence, holding onto each other and just swinging from side to side, the more comfortable Oliver felt. He felt calm and relaxed, a feeling he only ever had at home.

Opening his eyes, Oliver looked around the room. He still remembered when he and Felicity had bought this home. It had been shortly after Mae’s forth birthday. Felicity had just graduated from MIT after she had raced through her Master’s degree in no time. They had known that they wanted to go back to Starling, so they had hired a realtor. She had shown them at least a dozen houses before they had found this and immediately felt home. Oliver couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

When Felicity’s phone beeped, Oliver reached into the edge of the couch where it had slipped to when she had climbed onto his lap. With a smile, he handed it to her and watched the amused smile spreading on her lips when she looked at the display.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“Someone seems to miss me,” Felicity replied with a chuckle and turned her phone around for Oliver to read the text she had received from an unknown number. “Look.”

UN: I miss you.

“What, you got a lover now?”

Felicity chuckled. “When would I have time for a lover?”

“Never,” Oliver replied and tightened his arms around her. His lips brushed against the underside of her jaw. “Luckily.”

“Someone must have the wrong number.”

She texted back quickly and put the phone on the couch table. With a little sigh, she turned back towards him then. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned forward and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. A soft smile was playing on her lips when she pulled back, looking at Oliver with so much love in her eyes.

“When will you have to leave?”

Oliver sighed, tightening his hold on Felicity once more. “Early tomorrow. You will probably still be asleep when I leave. Don’t argue with me about it. You need your sleep.”

Felicity released a quiet grumble, telling him that she would have most likely fought him on that if he hadn’t objected to it already. Oliver chuckled, kissing the side of Felicity’s neck. He was really grateful for the fact that she wanted to get up and say goodbye although he knew that she just needed every minute of sleep she got right now.

“I am going to miss you,” she said eventually, releasing a sigh. “I just got you back, and I already have to say goodbye to you again.”

“I know,” Oliver whispered, “but it’s just for a few hours. I will be back tomorrow night.”

“Still,” Felicity replied with a sigh. She pressed a kiss to his pulse point. “I won’t be able to pick you up from the airport by the way. I’m going shopping with Laurel.”

“Good because I didn’t want you to drive anywhere.”

Oliver couldn’t see it, but he was sure that Felicity was rolling her eyes. He knew that she didn’t want him to be overprotective, but Oliver just couldn’t help himself.

“You know that means that we will be separated for a few hours more, right?”

Oliver smiled at the grumpiness in her voice. Rubbing his hands over her back soothingly, he whispered, “It’s the last order for show cooking. After that, I am all yours.”

Felicity chuckled, pulling back a little. Her hands massaged his tensed neck while she was looking at him. Amusement sparkled in her eyes, and Oliver was almost sure that it was mirrored in his eyes too.

“Oliver, your ass has been mine for years now,” she told him and poked her forefinger against his chest. “Don’t ever doubt that.”

Oliver smiled. He knew she was right. From the moment she had spilled her coffee over him and his laptop at Queen Consolidated, he had been all hers. He might have not seen it back then already, but he had been hopelessly in love with her from that moment on. Nothing had ever changed that.

“I love you,” Oliver whispered. “I love you so much.”

Felicity smiled. She framed his face with her hands and moved her fingertips through his stubble slowly. Taking in a deep breath, Felicity leaned in. Her lips brushed against his briefly before she closed the distance completely. It was a slow and gentle kiss, one that knew no hurry and consisted of so much love.

As their lips parted now and Felicity pulled back, Oliver opened his eyes to look at her. Her pupils were blown wide, her iris darkened. Hunger was written into her eyes, and Oliver could feel it in the way her hips shifted slightly too.

“I think we should use tonight to” – Felicity cleared her throat – “be together.”

Oliver smiled. “Yeah?”

Felicity nodded, and no other words were needed. Their lips met in another kiss, and their bodies just took over from there. 

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HC: Science TA Geno History Student Sid

The second these photos came out we were like IT’S TIME. So HERE. WE. GO:

Imagine a universe in which Sid and Geno are separated by a few more years but not enough for it to be weird and Sid is a history major/gym addict (we just can’t picture him without the lower body) who has put off his science requirements for his degree until the very last possible time to do them. So there he is, 21/22 with a bunch of 18y/o freshmen in first year chem, looking mildly confused three times a week in lecture with his biceps threatening to burst through his intramural hockey tees, carefully seated 2/3 of the way up the lecture hall for maximum anonymity.

Sid does not like science very much. At least, not advanced science; he has no need for it beyond understanding the theory and the basics. He has no burning need to know the world’s innermost workings, and he thinks stoichiometry should go die in a fire.

But he’s also not going to let his GPA suffer because of this stupid class. He has a hard time focusing because he has so many other MORE IMPORTANT things he could be doing with his time so he gets lost easily and feels like he’s floundering and it’s ridiculous and embarrassing.

So, like a good and diligent student he goes to the TA office hours with his last quiz, bracing himself for an hour with some bored grad-school chem major to try and get a handle on the last module before it’s too far into the semester to catch up, and immediately has to squint at the name Evgeni Malkin on the door. He’s not even sure how to pronounce that. Eff-Jenny? Eve Genie? Veg-inni? He knows enough to parse out that it’s Russian and he immediately flashes to a nerdy Russian stereotype playing chess in his office behind thick glasses and a really tragic knit sweater. Sid is prepared to have the WORST time with a hardcore nerd who probably thinks a BA jock like Sid shouldn’t even be in his class - LET ALONE the fact Sid doesn’t want to be there and doesn’t get it and really doesn’t care.

Geno doesn’t make much better of a first impression. BUT to be fair:

The smell in his shared office is vinegary from the eco-friendly cleaning solution that he used to clean up an unfortunate sour cream incident in his small ancient TA office microwave. And it’s also a little like BO because...well because he smells like BO because he hasn’t been home for more than 20 minutes in weeks working on a breakthrough in his thesis. And let’s be fair, all the tiny shitty basements TAs get shoved into smell a little funky. He can’t be blamed!

Re: the point of hasn’t been home in weeks, his clothes are thoroughly dirty, we’re talking food stains, ink stains, lab stains of who knows what that soaked through his labcoat and smeared on his shirt cuffs. Also the clothes he’s wearing are his warmest and most comfortable. Oversized university sweatshirt (he’s so cold always), beanie (covering up greasy hair), his glasses because he hasn’t had time to order new contacts, extra cardigan over the back of his chair for when it gets particularly drafty after dark.

There are a LOT of mugs, and cups, and takeout containers where there aren’t stacks of papers upon papers upon textbooks. Listen, office hours are boring and any time he can get for his thesis is welcome. Cleaning isn’t high on his list of things to do currently.

So anyway, imagine Geno highly sleep deprived (who needs sleep when you have CHEMISTRY), and probably lacking a nutritionally balanced meal and hopped up on caffeine looking up at the knock to his door and seeing the most beautiful man possibly EVER standing in the doorway. He looks wary and faintly disgusted, but he also looks like he smells good, and his hair is a little damp, like he’d just come from the gym or something.

Geno legitimately thinks he's starting to hallucinate beautiful men. But then Sid opens his mouth and Geno recoils because no cute angels actually sound like that, so he must be a student.

And then Sid's asking about his quiz and he's so DETERMINED AND BRIGHT but clearly hating chem and just trying to like STRONG-ARM IT INTO OBEYING HIM. And you know what, this Geno legitimately loves chemistry; the way it underpins all of nature and all of biology, the way you can add one thing to another and get something totally surprising seemingly out of nowhere, the way equations balance out so beautifully when you get them right - the way it’s a whole language that makes perfect and total sense, unlike the confusing jumble of English he’s been putting up with since he moved here for school. He DOES want to help students learn to understand it - to love it like he does, ideally.

Geno probably pulls the test closer for a look and faintly remembers Sid seeing him up close. In class he’d never looked like much, usually wearing a ball cap that kept his beautiful face in shadow and from 40ft away in an auditorium he looked like every other university freshman, not this stacked slice of yum (on second thought, judging by the quality of his internal monologue, Geno is starting to think maybe he really does need to get some sleep).

Looking at the quiz is a little painful in some places though. Geno points out that Sid’s not dumb, but he’s careless with his work.

"This inattentiveness kill you in lab."

"I don't like science, I don't particularly want to be here, but I need this requirement and I'm not going to fly by with a C and let it tank my GPA. SO. we're going over every single one of these quiz questions."

"...You got most right though."

"Still, I could hear a repeat of the concepts, cramming doesn’t help anyone.”

So Sid sits gingerly in the moth-eaten chair in the cramped office while Geno (greasy, owlish with lack of sleep, a little too enthusiastic) tries to impress upon him the BEAUTY of Chemistry and Sid tries to dedicate himself to remembering anything at all while his brain keeps reflexively blanking out every time Geno mentions equilibriums. He’s doing better one on one, but he knew that, he always did better with a focused point for his attention.

Anyway so Sid walks out thinking the TA is like kind of a Russian Science Gremlin Nerd who chats on forums and has never eaten anything other than cheetos (judging by the contents of the wastebasket by the door). And Geno watches the door close probably thinking someone who wears as much athleisure wear and is as jacked as Sid, not to mention was only 70% successful in hiding his general disdain for THE GLORY OF STOICH, is kind of a meathead.

But Sid learned some things and Geno’s a patient if slightly judgy teacher, and Geno knows not everyone can truly understand his love of chem, so they both come out with not...100% accurate impressions of each other, but with a kind of alliance? An understanding? The usual academic relationship you might have with a TA. They're both students, the difference being one gives a shit about the topic and grades the other one’s work. Sid checks in a couple more times with questions and Geno clears up some desk space to help out if he can. 

SO THEN. The semester ends, Sid passes chem, Geno gives him a high five when he hands back his final exam, which has a sticker of a cat with pom-poms saying PURR-FECT on it. Geno loves weird animal stickers (Geno is the weirdest person Sid has ever met maybe).

The next time Geno sees Sid is in the library of all places. Geno would have never thought Sid would be caught dead in a uni library. Like that doesn’t actually make sense the more he thinks about it, but it’s true, he thought maybe Sid’s intensity about his GPA was sport-team related. But here he is stationed at a carrel that is just covered in organized stacks of books, meticulous notes, colour coded even! Sid is hyper-focused on what he’s doing, flipping through a book with one hand and jotting down notes with the other.

Geno: Oh shit I'm getting a competence boner, SID IS REALLY SMART OH NO, HE’S SO ORGANIZED AND DEDICATED. LOOK AT ALL THE TABS IN THAT TEXTBOOK.

He’s beautiful and brilliant RIP G. So then Geno kind of low-key follows Sid's academic career - sees/stalks/stares in the library if he has occasion to be there (SID IS THERE SO OFTEN OH NO), immediately ducking between a couple of shelves whenever Sid looks up or stretches. He finds too many reasons to hang out in the Russian history section, probably bothering Ovi who is actually taking history courses and has a reason to be there and actually knows Sid, much to his disgust with Zhenya when he finds out what’s happening (why not a good Russian history undergrad Zhenya??). Geno has studying to do too! The library is an ideal place to study! What’s that you say, the whole catalogue is even easier to navigate digitally? Shush, you.

The next time Sid sees Geno after the semester ends is in the biggest campus gym. One time he was running on the track for a cool-down and saw Geno swimming in the lane pool below through the windows.

Initially Sid was like "good for him, he doesn't go outside enough, lil russian potted plant/cheeto gremlin."

And then Geno grabs hold of the side of the pool and lifts himself out and Sid almost runs off the track, stumbling hard. Geno doesn't have the soft and furry pale body that Sid was expecting - he's all clean angles with an even tan and the shoulder-to-waist ratio OF A DORITO. He looks insanely long and lean, just legs for days. Sid tries to recollect if he’d ever seen Geno standing before and honestly can’t remember. But watching him wiping the water out of his eyes and walk over to joke and laugh with the lifeguard on her stand, he has to be over six feet, EASILY. He just looked so small hunched in his little office in his sweaters! His face is so angular without the glasses!

So then Sid kind of gets just as creepy as G is in the library and figures out when Geno frequents the gym and starts attending at the same time to creep. The track is raised! It overlooks the pool and he’s a frequent runner! It goes on like that for some time, some mutual creeping in the way you do when you’re on a campus with 20,000 (or w/e) people and you see a familiar face but it would be weird to say hi and so you just keep going about your day/occasionally creeping as one does.

It all comes to a head fortunately one Friday night in late January. Sid gets knocked on his ass yet again at the campus pub one night when he finds out that G doesn't always dress like a soviet grandpa or a mostly-nude glistening adonis. He’s all legs a mile long in jeans laughing with his Russian TA bros, gold chains and a bright graphic tee. He looks so at ease in his clothing the way that Sid never does, because Sid is so sold, blocky, muscular - he always looks like he's 5 seconds from hulking out in his clothing or like he's swimming in his dad's suit, there's no medium. The best he can usually manage is looking like he works in a sporting goods store with an unflattering polo shirt and some track pants. And here’s Geno all handsome and tall and easy confidence with his friends, and Sid KNOWS he’s brilliant too, like this is a disaster.

Meanwhile Geno is IN LOVE with how Sid always looks like he’s going to bust out of whatever he’s wearing but this is just because Sid is still young and hasn't grown into his face/lost some childhood fat and like learned how sleek he can look in well-tailored clothing.

(Brief moment of silent thanks for his current tailor)

G probably sees Sid at the bar as well, looking flushed pink from his drink and giggling atrociously/attractively with his friends. His lips are bright pink and the flush looks so good on those cheekbones and someone’s obviously convinced him to ditch the athleisure and dress like a normal guy for the night. And if Sid is old enough to get into the bar that's not creepy right? They're no longer teacher/student and Sid looks so so so pretty. Geno might be a little drunk and narrating all of this to a very unimpressed Gonch.

(Gonch is a PHD student who is like taking 800 years to do his work because like he's also working a day job because he has a wife and kids)

There are some glances back and forth for a bit, and eventually they can both tell the other is looking looking. Geno is just tipsy enough he plucks up the courage to go over to Sid. And Sid, seeing him approaching, catching his eye, distances himself from his history nerd friends (WE’RE LOOKING AT YOU JACK JOHNSON).

So they meet up in a little nook along the bar, and exchange smiles/greetings (Sid looking up, up, up at him and feeling his flush getting DEEPER). And then the awkwardness sets in HARD. The problem being it's kind of loud in the bar, because they always are, and Sid has trouble with accents most of the time and so does Geno, plus they've both had a few beers.

They end up 100% not understanding anything the other is saying and doing that weird smile-and-nod but not-knowing-what-to-say thing that keeps your convos stilted and awkward with a few “SORRY?”s thrown in for good measure.

They’re still both a little blushy and a little mortified about not understanding. Geno feels like he understood more the first day he came to America he's like "How have I regressed to literally zero English. I don’t remember ANY ENGLISH WORDS."

Meanwhile Sid has realized they can’t really understand each other and the beer has loosened his lips enough that he’s taking advantage of the situation and blurting a lot of awkward stuff he’s way too embarrassed to actually say.

Unfortunately there’s one of those LULLS in the bar where everyone stops talking and the music is between songs and Sid just yells "I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE HOT AT FIRST."

Cue an few cackles from the wings and Sid’s instant mortification. Geno’s face is doing something between fighting a smirk of amusement and being confused/concerned.

Mostly Geno realizes that this is going to spiral out of control very quickly and tugs Sid’s elbow until they’re stepping outside together in the freezing night where their shouts will actually reach each other’s ears.

Basically they end up in a Denny’s at 2 am blushing at each other. Geno getting his flirt on, because once he feels like Sid’s into him he is all confident body language and jokes, getting into Sid’s personal space with his impossibly long limbs. Sid relaxes into being kinda snarky and snide, but so quick-witted and kind, the side of him that Geno had only briefly glimpsed during their office hour conversations. And that’s all it really takes, because they both are the type to go for what they want, and the interest is clearly mutual, and it turns out they already know a bit too much about each other’s schedules and they just make it work in the best ways.

They quickly turn into THAT COUPLE that makes all their friends roll their eyes, and Geno never stops chirping Sid for “I didn’t think you were hot at first.” both in front of other people and while Sid is trying desperately to wrestle G’s jeans off (“oh, I’m hot enough now, Sid?” “shut UP Geno and lift up your hips!!”).

Of course being the academic doorknobs they are, neither of them realize that this is an everlasting permanent kind of love, a LEGIT COLLEGE SWEETHEART KIND OF LOVE until like Sid meal preps Geno's entire week without asking whenever he knows that there's a big assignment coming up and he's never gonna get out of the lab, so he like keeps eating vegetables and not just cheetos and potato-based dishes.

Geno adopts all Sid's weird little rituals in his spaces because he respects that Sid has a system and is serious about his studies and has witnessed the meltdowns that can occur when too big a wrench gets thrown into Sid’s day. He never bothers Sid while he’s studying, but working out a system to ask unobtrusively if he wants a snack.

Geno willingly gets pranked by Flower because there’s HAZING when it comes to roommate’s significant others showering in their bathroom.

Sid has an intimidating family dinner with the Gonchars he was in no way prepared for, but gamely shows up with a bottle of wine and a button down shirt that is still creased from the packaging.

By the time Geno is cheering in the crowd at Sid’s graduation they’re maybe getting an inkling what their future looks like, full of too many bookshelves, messy stacks of papers and notebooks, missed anniversaries for papers and research but made up with good sex and take out, lumpy knit sweaters over the backs of chairs and ugly but charming antique furniture. Full of each other.

[weakeninghope]

Rituals

Pairing: Ash Lynx/Eiji Okumura

Rating: Teen

AO3 link here

Summary:   And like every little gesture that started spontaneously, if this were to become a ritual between them, Eiji wouldn’t mind in the slightest.

Notes: Two fics in less than 24 hours wow you sure will get tired of meI felt really bad for writing all that angst yesterday and had to write something cute, and I'm proud of the result! I hope you guys have liked this and please, kudos and comments are much appreciated. I'm an insecure person and I really want to know if you enjoy what I do.Hope you liked this <3 also i have a lot of fics to read since I've had a hectic week hehe don't worry because I'll do it soon and shower you all with love *^*

fic under the cut!

After the moth incident, the unspoken closeness and love between Ash and Eiji began growing more evident and less unspoken between the two.

 Ash would still come home late but Eiji would wait for him, awake, lamp on. No moth was flying around their room, hopefully. Their “I’m home” and “welcome” were also there, but followed by a tiny blush on both of their faces. The night of the moth incident had meant something for both of them. Those lingering touches and the night they spent together cuddling in Eiji’s bed wasn’t solely out of the latter’s fear and hatred for moths.

 Both Eiji and Ash knew that they could have solved the incident without having to be that close to each other but they were anyway. Maybe the moth thing had been kind of like an excuse to ignite all the affection that was laying hidden under their jokes and precious moments together?

 Eiji hadn’t joked nor bluffed when he said and promised himself that he would stay forever with Ash. He knew that those small moments of living together were fleeting, ephemeral. There wasn’t a place they could stay in most of the time, but it didn’t matter to him. To Eiji, his home was right next to Ash, the person he was truly in love with.

 Eiji Okumura treasured every morning he had to wake Ash up, dragging him out of bed, sometimes making him fall on the floor with a hard thump. He loved tickling Ash and stifling a soft laughter out of him -even though Ash was quick to fall asleep again-. He loved grabbing his bowl of natto and bringing it straight under Ash’s nose, prompting the American to sneeze and pour the whole dish on Eiji’s face, because that woke Ash up immediately and made him Laugh.

 He had seen Ash cry countless times, and the first time he did, he swore he didn’t want to see it again. It kept happening, though, and Eiji was always fast to try comforting him if he had the chance.

 When he heard and saw Ash’s genuine laugh for the first time he was rendered speechless. Hypnotized. He sounded and looked like an angel. At that moment, Eiji became awfully angry at the world and at all the people that made Ash think what he thought of himself. Ash was the most wonderful human being he had ever met. He was broken, sure, he was forced to be this genius gang-leader, but deep inside, he was still Aslan Jade Callenreesse, a teenager with too much to offer and so little to enjoy.

 Eiji decided he would not only protect Ash, but also make him feel happy, loved. Just as he had felt the night of the moth. He genuinely felt protected and loved by Ash. He knew that the latter had issues with physical contact, that when they slept together more than one sob escaped his mouth. At that, Eiji couldn’t do anything that to hold Ash tighter, and that would seem to calm him.

 Their small moments together when Ash had nothing to do were also full of first times.

 There was one afternoon when Ash received a call from Alex. Apparently, something urgent was going on, so their small chat had to cease.

 If Eiji was disappointed, he kept it for himself.

 Ash was nervous and started fumbling all around their apartment, as if looking for something. The first thing he did was bringing himself to the door, examining the keyhole. He then moved and started searching in the kitchen; he moved every chair, even the table. He looked in the pantry, where the food was. The soft sunrays entering the apartment through the half open window made his focused expression truly beautiful, Eiji thought.

 As Ash’s search in the kitchen was fruitless, he began searching in the living room. He lifted every cushion of the couch, only to find nothing and to mutter an angry shit.

 That was when Eiji got a clue of what was happening; the keys. The night before, Eiji had been in his dark room working at some pictures that Ash had ask him to take, and the blond had been there with him. There were also pictures of Ash himself in the camera, since one day Ash told him that he could take pictures of him (one of the happiest days of Eiji’s life). There were pictures of Ash making pancakes for breakfast (breakfast an 13Pm because that was when Ash woke up despite Eiji’s efforts. He had been trying since 10AM.)

 There were times that instead of taking pictures, he would get close to Ash and tiptoe to see what he was doing. Then he hesitantly prompted himself closer to Ash and hugged his half naked torso from behind when he was cooking.

 There were times when Ash swatted him away, and Eiji accepted it. However, when Ash accepted his embrace and chuckled, Eiji thought everything could be alright.

 Whatever, Ash’s keys where in Eiji’s dark room, and he didn’t seem to remember it. As Ash was furious and had already gave up, he didn’t check there.

 “Haven’t you forgotten anything?” Eiji asked in a teasing demeanor, hiding the keys behind his back. Ash was at the door, ready to cross the threshold, but turn around to Eiji when he heard the Japanese’s words.

 He didn’t say anything, he just blushed, took a few rushed steps towards Eiji, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and muttered a soft, nervous “Ittekimasu”, another word that Eiji had taught him -he pronounced it just fine this time-.

 Before Ash left, Eiji had to quickly answer him.

 “I meant this, but thanks” He said, and gave him the keys. “Itterashai” he whispered.

 They didn’t look at each other, both too flustered to say anything or to even hold their stares.

 After Ash left, Eiji put his right hand on his right cheek (the one Ash kissed) and stayed where he was, agape, blushing furiously. It wasn’t the first time Ash kissed him; he kissed him full on the mouth on the prison after all, but somehow this felt more of a first kiss than the actual first one they shared.

 When Ash got home that night, they slept on separate beds, they were both so… embarrassed. But why did a little kiss on the cheek made them both feel so flustered when they had been living like a married couple already?

 A married couple. That thought set Eiji’s heart and cheeks ablaze. Imagining a future together with Ash, with no guns, no gangs, no death… being together with his husband, holding him, kissing him, loving him without feeling this strange… it had to be wonderful.

 From that day onwards, that became another ritual. Ash would kiss Eiji on the cheek every time he left, but Eiji didn’t reply because he didn’t feel… ready.

 Until one day he replied and instead of letting Ash kissing his cheek, he hugged him, put himself on his tiptoes and asked a can I…? that died at his throat when Ash kissed him on the lips, chaste, soft and sweet.

 And like every little gesture that started spontaneously, if this were to become a ritual between them, Eiji wouldn’t mind in the slightest.

[dontlookatmeitwashim]

Bad Luck: Six

Chapter One    Chapter Two   Chapter Three   Chapter Four   Chapter Five

Yeah, Im getting tired of leaving author notes.... But enjoy. 

The ball had gone and past. Alya was the one to tell Marinette that she could still participate, but the designer surprising withdrew her submission: that was two days ago. Adrien didn’t even bother getting out of his bed for it or even school the next day.

He hadn’t even gone to see Marinette for the past four days, he was so riddled with guilt and shame that he couldn’t bring himself to go. He had Alya and Nino tell her that his father had reconsidered and is letting her still compete in the contest, but they did it reluctantly. They had begged him to come with them, saying that the designer would love to see him; but Adrien just couldn’t…

For the past two days, Adrien had ignored everyone and kept to himself; eating alone during lunch. He received texts Alya and Nino informing him how Marinette was doing, but he never replied and after the second day he just stopped checking them. He barely even slept, too guilt-ridden to sleep. When he was done with school? He just went straight home and buried his face in his pillow, wondering how he could let such a horrible thing happen to Marinette.

Because of him? She had to endure a whole two hours of pain while the doctors dug the glass out of her back; the drugs not kicking in until after they were done. Because of him? She would wake up in pain, tears forming in her eyes. She was in so much pain because of him and it made Adrien sick to his stomach just thinking about it.

“He looks so miserable…” Alya whispered as she and Nino stood to the side of the library and watched the blonde mope around. Everyone was getting very worried about Adrien, they were concerned that he was going to do something that would harm himself.

Nino sighed, turning away from the scene. He couldn’t stand to see his best friend looking like that and it hurt him, even more, to know that there wasn’t anything he could really do. “He blames himself for what happened to Marinette… that’s a heavy burden to carry around.”

“But, Marinette doesn’t blame him for what happened at all! She knows that it was because of Hawk Moth taking advantage of her dark feelings that she was akumatized!” She stomped her foot, looking like a child who was about to throw a tantrum.

“We know that. Marinette knows that, but I think Adrien has forgotten.” He finally turned around to look at the blonde, sighing once again as he did. He hated that his best friend was hurting like this and he always hated that Adrien had closed himself off from everyone else. Making up his mind, Nino took Alya by the hand and walked towards the blonde. “Come on, let’s do it like we practiced.”

Yes, the couple had practiced what they were going to say to Adrien. It was too delicate of a situation not to be absolutely sure about what you are going to say. They spent the whole day talking about and coming up with ideas about how to fix the blonde model. And when they finally settled on one? They searched the whole school until they found him here in the library.

Getting to the table, Nino threw his backpack in front of Adrien causing him to jump at the sound. The blonde looked and was surprised to see his best friend pulling out a chair next to him.  He was too surprised at the appearance of Nino that he didn’t notice Alya coming around to his other side.

“Dude, come on, you gotta stop blaming yourself.” Nino sat down next to him and placed a hand on his back. “Marinette doesn’t.”

Alya nudged shoulders with the blonde, smiling when he turned to look at her. She laughed at his shocked face and ruffled his hair. “She’s been asking for you by the way, every time someone who visits her? She immediately asks when you’re coming; you have to go see her.”

Adrien swatted the blogger’s hand away and sighed, not meeting either of their eyes. He could still see her horrified look as she realized that Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the one in the same, he could still hear her screams as the broken glass pierced her skin and he could still feel her blood on his hands. No, he couldn’t face her, not after all that. “I can’t… I just can’t okay?”

Nino and Alya shared a look that meant it was step two in their plant to ‘fix’ Adrien. The DJ leaned closer to his best friend so that no one else around could hear him as he said the next words, knowing full well that is would hurt Adrien deeply, but he knew it was a necessary evil. “Look, buddy, I don’t want to say this but… Aren’t you being a little selfish?”

“What?!” The blonde whipped around to look at Nino, his voice echoing in the library.

“What do you mean ‘what’? You’re not thinking about how Marinette is feeling right now or how your selfish behavior is affecting her!” He yelled back, standing up from his seat. This was the second time Adrien had witnessed Nino angry and it wasn’t a pleasant thing. “She’s worried about you, man! She knows that you're blaming yourself and it’s killing her!”

‘It’s killing her.’ Suddenly Adrien was reminded of how close he was to losing Marinette. His heart pounding in his chest, his lungs stopped working properly and his eyes became wide with panic. Nino immediately backed down when he saw how panicked his best friend became and reached his hand out to help calm him down, but the blonde shoved him away: a little too hard. Adrien accidentally shoved him into a chair.

Alya rushed over to the DJ who was hissing in pain, glaring at Adrien. “What’s your problem, Adrien?! It was just days ago that your head over heels for Marinette, now you're chickening out because of one little Akuma? Jeez, I don’t know what happened to you but honestly? I don’t care. Just go see her or so help me God, Agreste, I’ll make you suffer.”

They gathered their things and walked away, conversation over. Adrien stared after them, not knowing what to do. He looked down at bandaged his hand and groaned. Why had he shoved Nino away? Why was he being like this? All he wanted was to be with Marinette, but he was terrified to face her. He couldn’t help bit to laugh at himself. What a sad fate that was, scared of the thing he loved most. He would be heartbroken because of his own cowardliness, he would never know true happiness and he would never look at his love… what a pathetic existence.

“Adrien, please, I miss Marinette and only you can take me!” Tikki cried, her voice bringing him back to the real world. She was peeking out from his shirt, looking up with her big blue eyes.

He looked down at her for a moment, thinking about if he should go or not; but any intelligent thought dissipated when he watched a tear spill down Tikki’s small face. His heart broke at the sight: he was beaten. “I’ll drop you off but nothing else, okay?”

She nodded silently, going back to her hiding place with Plagg while Adrien grabbed his things and made his way out of the school. He walked all the way to the hospital, fueled by sheer guilt from Tikki. When he got into the hospital, he decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator because it meant more time before having to face Marinette. But as he came to her floor? He just stared at it.

Was he really prepared to be in the same room as Marinette? No, not at all. He was terrified in fact. He was so scared of what she might say to him… but with one look at the teary-eyed Tikki? He knew he had to see her for the sake of returning her Kwami and Miraculous at least.

There wasn’t anyone in the room but her. She was lying on her side, curled into a ball as she watched tv. Her hair was let out of their usual pigtails and remained wild. She had her blankets pulled up to her waist and she had pushed aside the tray of unfinished food. IVs and wires were connected to her and peeking through her patient gown were all the bandaged that covered up the multiple wounds.

Marinette still hadn’t noticed him standing in the doorway of her room, so he just stood there watching her. But Tikki was impatient to return to her friend and flew out of her hiding spot. “Marinette!”

“Tikki?” She finally looked over to the door, only see her kwami flying over to her and hugging her cheek. The red kwami was sobbing, telling her how much she missed her and how worried she was. “It’s okay, I’m okay. There isn’t anything to worry about now, we’re together now.”

The red kwami looked up at her miraculous holder and wiped away her tears. “Thanks to Adrien, he brought me!”

Marinette froze. Slowly, she turned around and saw him standing at the door with his head down. She knew all about how he had been closing himself off from everyone, Alya was sure to keep her informed about everything that was going at school, but she wasn’t expecting him to look so broken… he looked more broken than the day he gave her his umbrella.  

“Adrien, please look at me.”

He swallowed hard but did as he was told. Marinette had sat up and was now fully facing him, her hair framing her face in loose waves. She held out her hand as a silent command and merely waited for Adrien to take it before she started to speak. “This is not your fault and it will never be your fault, Adrien Agreste. There is no one to blame but Hawk Moth.”

“Marinette.” He looked on the verge of breaking as his free hand cupped Marinette’s face, lightly caressing her cheek.  Tears pooled in his eyes, his voice thick with emotion as he spoke. “I couldn’t be sorrier for what I did to you. I wish I could go back in time and never show my father your designs, then you would have won the competition instead of Juliet and you wouldn’t be in a hospital.”

“And in the end? I’m happy that you did.” This caught Adrien off by total surprise. Marinette laughed at his face, he was looking at her like she lost her mind, but she didn’t mind. Standing up from her hospital bed, the designer wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. “If this hadn’t happened? I wouldn’t have found out that the guy I had been crushing on since he gave me his umbrella and my best friend were the same person. I love you, even more than before.”

Adrien was fully crying now. With just a few sentences, she was able to take the world off his shoulders and allow him to breathe again. He still felt that guilt, but he knew that will never truly go away. He held Marinette at her waist, careful not to touch any of her injuries and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

All he could think about was how much he loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ever since finding out she and Ladybug were the same person, he couldn’t help but find humor in the fact that he fell in love with the same person twice. And now, he comes to find out that she is as big as fool as he is. Yes, Adrien had to be the luckiest guy in the world if he was able to have a girl like Marinette and Ladybug love him.

“I love you, Marinette.”

She chuckled, her fingers gently combing through his hair. She enjoyed holding and him holding her, but her back was starting to hurt from standing so much. “Adrien, can we lay down on my bed, please? My back is starting to hurt.”

“Yes!” Adrien pulled away instantly, not really hearing what she said and helped her to get back in the hospital bed. He awkwardly stood there as she laid on her side and looked up at him. He blushed as he climbed in beside her, their bodies only an inch or two apart from each other. It was just enough room so that they could look at each other’s eyes without being too close. “So, does this mean that we’re dating? Because I really want to date you, Marinette.”

Her cheeks turned red but smiled. “We did kind of confess to one another, I think it would only be natural.”

“Good,” He returned the smile.

It was a very sweet moment, a very sweet moment that was ruined by a cheese-loving kwami. “Does this mean I get more cheese or less cheese than usual?”

Rolling his eyes, Adrien looked over Marinette at his kwami who was certainly sharing a meal with his counterpart on the rolling tray. “Plagg, you glutton.”

“What? It’s a fair question!” He yelled back as Tikki laughed at his antics. It was obvious that this was Plagg just showing off because the red kwami was there.

Adrien would have yelled back at his kwami, but Marinette had grabbed him by his chin and forced him to look back at her. She smiled up at him sweetly, content with being with him. He put all the things that were still haunting him and pushed them to the back of his mind, he didn’t want to ruin the moment with Marinette and he wished that he could have done this earlier. No, that’s not quite right. He wished that he and Marinette had told each other that they were Ladybug and Chat Noir because none of this would have happened.

But life would be miserable if you keep thinking about what if or what could have been, so Adrien carefully held his girlfriend and closed his eyes; choosing to be happy with all that happened.

Like it? Tell me and give suggestions! Ignore the typos and all that fun stuff. I don’t really have enough time to properly edit this and the next person who critiques my writing I might explode. But  anyway, I hope you liked it.

[not-so-innocent-bi-sander]

On Powerful Wings

So… I’ve wanted to write a Wings AU since i’ve been seeing all these beautiful drawings of the sides with wings (i’m looking at you @randomslasher and @artistwave!! Everyone else also go look at them. I am. They are sooo talented oh my gosh.) I was stuck on what to write about for a long long time until it hit me to try and write wings that weren’t bird wings. So… this is what came of that.

Another Polysanders. Apparently it’s my thing now.

Wing AU!!!!!

(I made a part 2! Here!)

Logan groaned as he sat up in his bed. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to today. One of his boyfriends was dragging the rest of them to a party. They had all been dating for a long while now, but they only had been living together for a short time. He was in his own room, they agreed it would be nice for each of them to have their own space, even if a good portion of the time they tended to fall asleep in each other’s beds anyway. As he swung his legs over the edge he began to stretch. His wings unfolded out from behind him as he let them get some air. One of the problems with wings was definitely waking up in the morning and finding you had slept on one of them weird.

He yawned as his arms and wings fully extended, the slightly leathery skin of the wings awkwardly unsticking from itself. He managed to grimace his way through the moderately uncomfortable sensation of his skin unsticking.  It was one of the worst things about his type of wings. While everyone had wings, he felt his type was probably the most unsightly. He grabbed his glasses and glanced at himself in the mirror. His hair was ruffled from sleep and his wings were still fanned out slightly. Retracting them back in, he watched how they folded. His medium-sized and bat-like wings folded neatly against him, reaching down to about his waist. They were of average strength as far as wings went, the main benefit being he was better than most at gliding and he was strong enough to carry relatively heavy things and still maintain flight. There was also the fact that when his wings were wet, he wasn’t completely grounded. He could fly with relative ease in the rain, which most wings were not capable of accomplishing.

He wandered down stairs, smelling breakfast. As he reached the landing he saw one of his boyfriends out on the balcony. Patton was smiling and watching the clouds, something he always did in the mornings. After his shower, Patton’s wings were essentially useless. So he took time to dry them every morning before breakfast which took him anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. But man… His wings.

Logan watched Patton’s beautiful wings fluttering behind him, the iridescent colors shimmering in the morning light. They were almost opaque with how delicate their coloring was… Like stained glass. While Patton’s wing type was considered generally the prettiest, they were also the weakest and most delicate. His type of wings was mainly considered to be “Butterfly” but a lot of people referred to people with these wings as Fairies. Logan wasn’t sure if this was an insult or a compliment, but knowing Patton, he would definitely choose the latter. A smile spread across Logan’s face as he watched his moral love a moment longer before turning his gaze to the kitchen.

Standing behind a pan on the stove was one of his remaining loves. The gorgeous Roman. He was muscular, robust… And seemed to be rather frustrated. His feathery angel’s wings rustled anxiously behind him, apparently breakfast wasn’t cooperating with him. Roman’s wings were the grandest of all of them, highlighting his general extravagance. They were covered in beautiful feathers that shown in the sunlight. Nothing was quite as grand as fully extended angel wings. They had the benefit of being one of the strongest wing types but if he would be grounded pretty quickly if his feathers got wet.

Logan’s smile faltered only a moment at Roman’s obvious displeasure. An idea popped into his head, turning back to Patton, his wings still lightly opening and closing in the sunlight.

“Patton?” Logan called gently, smiling when the fatherly one turned to see him with a smile.

“Good Morning Logan!” Patton flitted over to Logan and gave him a good morning hug and kiss.

“Good Morning, Pat. Could you go assist Roman? Breakfast seems to be giving him trouble. I’ll go check on Virgil.” Logan asked. Patton nodded happily and skipped off the kitchen.

“Oh my angeeeeeeeel….” Logan heard Patton calling to Roman over his shoulder, chuckling because he knew only Patton could get away with that particular nickname. Logan wandered up the stairs, coming to stop in front of Virgil’s door. He knocked gently on the door.

“Virgil? Breakfast should be ready soon, would you like to accompany us?” Logan asked through the door. He heard a strange *WOOSH* sound and the rustling of fabric before the door opened about a minute later.

“Morning, specs. I’m ready.” Virgil stepped through his door and closed it behind him.

He was wearing his signature trench coat, which none of the other three had ever seen him without. While everyone was born with wings, some people chose to wear special garments that concealed their’s. Virgil was apparently one of these people. None of them had any idea what Virgil’s wings could be like. Logan surmised his wings couldn't be like Patton’s. Delicate wings like that would be extremely uncomfortable to conceal and that such a heavy coat would actually damage them. But beyond that, none of them had any idea. They didn’t want to push the issue, they were sure they would learn whatever Virgil wanted to share as soon as he decided to share it.

The two of them made their way downstairs while and found their two other loves just setting breakfast out. They all sat down at the table and ate their breakfast.

“Thank you for breakfast, Roman. It is quite good.” Logan piped up. A light blush spread across the royal’s cheeks.

“You should really thank Padre. He saved the whole thing.”

“Nonsense! I just helped a little bit!” They made some general small talk for a bit before Roman brought up their plans for that evening.

“Ok! So we are going to my castmate’s party. Its up on top of that apartment building off of 6th street. There is also going to be a pool! So bring your swim suits!” Roman explained excitedly, his feathers rustling about. Patton clapped happily while Virgil simply raised an incredulous eyebrow.

“Understood.” Logan said, not looking up from his meal. Roman wasn’t upset by Virgil and Logan’s reactions, he was confident they would have a good time. And if they didn’t, he wouldn’t put them in this situation again. But he thought it would be nice to get them out of their comfort zone a bit.

They had a relatively slow day, just lounging about and relaxing. After dinner they went up to their rooms to change for the party. Patton came down cheerily in his light blue swim trunks and a light tank top. Logan was dressed normally, but he had a small bag with a swimsuit in it incase, however unlikely, he changed his mind. Virgil, unsurprisingly, was dressed in his coat with no sign that he planned to swim. And Roman had red swim trunks with golden swirls of design all around them.

They stepped outside to fly off the party, noting that there were some dark clouds in the sky.

“Hmm. Roman, if it begins to rain I will carry Patton home and you can take Virgil.” Logan suggested, eliciting an eye roll from Virgil.

“You know I don’t like when he carries me like a bride.” He laughed.  

“Nah, you love it my little Angry Bird.” Roman laughed and grabbed one of Virgil’s hands while Logan grabbed the other. The four of them rose into the sky, Virgil between his two stronger-winged boyfriends while Patton trailed along behind them. Luckily the party wasn’t too far from their place.

They landed gently on the roof, Logan and Roman expertly placing Virgil down before softly landing on either side of him. They looked around to make sure that Patton was still behind them, the wind was not his friend, and sighed in relief when he landed a moment later.

Roman stepped ahead of them and began introducing them to all of his friends. His castmates were so excited to finally have faces to put to all of Roman’s stories of these wonderful boyfriends he always talked about. It was going well and they were all enjoying mingling with this surprisingly welcoming group of people.

Logan noted that the vast majority of them either had butterfly wings like Patton or Angel wings like Roman. There were other’s as well, some different types of bird’s wings, a very small handful of bat wings like his own, and even a couple moths. But it made sense to Logan that most actors would have the types of wings regarded as the most beautiful. He found himself sitting off to the side at a table with Virgil while essentially everyone else was in the pool. Which was fine with him, he didn’t really care for swimming and he was happy to keep Virgil company.

It wasn’t too long before the clouds began to darken even more so and Logan swore he saw Virgil’s coat twitch.

“Is everything alright, Virgil?” Logan raised an eyebrow. Virgil was looking up at the sky.

“I.. I just have a really bad feeling all of a sudden.” Logan looked up as well, the clouds beginning to gently drop water on them. A moment later they heard a boom of thunder and everyone began vacating the pool to head indoors. Virgil stood, scanning wildly for Roman and Patton amongst the chaos of the large pool. Logan saw his trench coat twitch once more. They spotted Roman, walking toward the two of them, probably to make sure they were ok. But where was Patton?

Roman reached them and realized their moral boyfriend was missing. He turned to help them look, everyone else facing the opposite way as they ran indoors. Patton was standing on the edge of the pool, opening and closing his wings trying to shake off excess water. The wind began to pick up, Roman and Logan instinctively pulling their wings in tightly to avoid being blown over. All of their eyes widened, looking at Patton. He was still sopping wet and his wings were spread wide. Before Roman or Logan could form a thought, Virgil had taken off at a full sprint towards Patton. Before he could reach him, Patton had begun sliding backwards toward the edge of the roof and was easily thrown right off the edge.

“PATTON!” The logical and creative ones yelled as he disappeared from their sight. Virgil had reached the edge and didn’t even stop to think. He had ripped his coat open while he was running, the buttons flying in all directions. He leapt off the edge, his arms straight up, causing his coat to blow off and land on the roof.

The two of them stood there, completely in shock at what they had just witnessed. But before they could process what had happened, Patton rose up from the side. They could see hands around his ankles that placed him firmly on the ground. The hands disappeared as soon as Patton was safe. Roman and Logan ran forward, pulling Patton into them and hugging him against them. They collapsed into a pile on the floor, so happy that he was alright. But Virgil never appeared.

They managed to calm down after a little bit and Logan scooped up Virgil’s discarded coat. He examined it a bit and found that the inside was scratched horribly. He saved his pondering for a later time as they needed to go find their missing love. They took the elevator inside down to the ground and ran home as fast as they could.

Busting through the front door, they saw wet footprints that trailed all the way upstairs. Breathing a sigh of relief that at least he made it home, they ran upstairs and knocked on his door.

“Virgil?!” Patton knocked on his door, concern still in his voice. They heard a small sniffle from inside.

“Virge? Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” Roman added, getting more worried by the moment.

“…I’m fine…” they barely heard.

“Virgil. I have your coat. Would you like it? You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to. But please know that we love and accept you no matter what.” Logan explained. “I can leave your coat on your door if you would like us to leave so you can retrieve it.” Patton and Roman looked up at Logan, realization spreading across their faces.

“We will be downstairs, Virgil. Please, we just want to know that you are ok.” Logan placed the coat on Virgil’s doorknob and the three of them went downstairs. They immediately turned and headed downstairs, Logan grabbing fuzzy towels and wrapping up Patton and Roman. They sat, huddled together on the couch for a while just enjoying being safe together at home. They heard Virgil’s door creak open. There was a pause, then steps very tentatively coming down the stairs. They looked up expectantly, seeing Virgil approaching.

He plopped himself down on the bottom stair, his broken trench coat on but hanging open, which they had never seen before. He sighed and cradled his head in his hands.

“Virgil… Can I ask why you don’t let anyone see your wings? You… Don’t have to show us if you don’t want. But.. I just.. I wonder why?” Patton suddenly asked, Virgil looked up at them, three sets of big gorgeous eyes on him. He slowly let out another shaky breath and his coat shifted about.

“I… am.. embarrassed. You all have such nice wings. They suit you. They make sense. Mine…” He trailed off, looking behind his back at his coat. “What do you mean, Virgil? I…” Logan trailed off, looking back at his wings. “I do not understand.”

“Logan, your wings are more understated. They aren’t big and attention grabbing. They are practical and strong and will always be there for you in a tight spot. They are accountable and trustworthy. Just like you. You might not like them, but I love them.” Virgil was hugging his knees at this point. “Patton, your wings are delicate and pretty. They make us all smile when we look at them and they are so unique. You do your absolute best at every turn and even when someone thinks you might not be able to handle something, you show them you can. You never let other people’s opinions or judgments stop you from being you.” Patton blushed, his wings fluttering behind him. “And Ro… Where do I even start? Your wings are gorgeous, they are strong. They make heads turn when you walk by and they have a confidence I’ll never understand. You make jaws drop and everyone who sees you either wants to be you or to be with you. They are expressive and when you wrap me up in them I know that I am in the only thing that matters and that you will keep me safe.” Virgil was nearly crying.

“Virge… You are our protector. You look out for us and keep us all safe. We may have never seen your wings, but they are fast and they are strong. You… saved me.” Patton choked a little as he spoke.

“Neither Roman or I would have been able to accomplish that task, Virgil. You have a reaction time and, apparently, a strength and power none of us could ever dream of possessing.” Logan added.

“Virge.. You say my wings make you feel safe. But you are the one who does that for us. Just being near us makes all feel… at home.” Roman smiled.

Virgil’s coat was twitching again. A blush was spreading across his face as he gently stood and moved to sit on the floor in front of them on the couch. He slowly lowered the coat to his shoulders, looking up at them with fear still in his eyes.

“Virgil, you don’t have to. No matter if we know or we don’t, we love you for everything that you are.” Logan quickly reassured him. Virgil paused a moment before pulling his arms out of the sleeve of his coat and letting it fall to the ground. His head dropped to his chest as he fully extended his wings.

The others gasped. They had never seen wings like this in person. His wings were simply enormous. They spread easily the width of the living room and were coated in shining black scales. They even had a large horn on each one. Virgil had dragon’s wings. His head remained hung to his chest and his eyes were shut. He was waiting for them to freak out or…. break up with him. He suddenly felt warm hands touching his wings, causing them to twitch in surprise.

“Fascinating…”

“Astounding!”

“Whoa…”

He looked up and saw his three boyfriends inspecting his great wings. Patton was running his hand over the smooth scales. Roman was looking at his great pointed horns. Logan seemed to looking back and forth between Virgil and his discarded coat.

“How did you ever manage to conceal such magnificent wings?!” Roman asked, spreading his out to compare wingspans, where of course Virgil had him beat by a long shot.

“Indeed… Theres no way such large wings should be able to hide inside a coat.” Logan added. Virgil actually laughed.

“Um.. I guess you never would have noticed before? But… I’m really skinny?”  Virgil chuckled. He retracted one wing and pulled it tight to his body. He made a valid point, his body was much thinner than they ever would have guessed beneath his trench coat. With his tucked in wing, he only looked a little thicker than an average person.

“Wait… That’s all you are wondering? Not… why is this demon in our house?” Virgil suddenly spoke, his voice trailing off as he spoke. His last couple words were hardly above a whisper. The other slowly began to embrace him, pulling him into a group hug. His cheeks flooded red and for the first time, he allowed his wings to wrap around all of them, fully encompassing them all in a kind of security blanket that they had never experienced before. He truly was their protector.

@twentyoneparades-to-panic-at @celiawhatsherlastname @de-is-me @authordreaming13 @introverts-assemble @lilylunalovegood2002 @musicwitchthomas @didsomeonesayprince @heracaine @freepaperie081 @loverofpizzaandallthingssweet @cefmua56 @justanotherpurplebutterfly @kittyboof8

[doublerumnukacola]

Prelude to a party

The Old State House was quiet, as usual. Only the occasional chat between Neighborhood watchmen was heard. It was one of the few things Goodneighbor and Diamond city had in common; their guards spent more time trading gossip than doing their jobs, left a lot of slack for Fahrenheit to pick up. 

The air in Hancock’s office was musty and damp, the few sunbeams filtering through thick moth-eaten curtains were thick with dust motes and smoke. Fahrenheit sat at the desk, holding her cigarette in one hand, and writing notes with the other. Hancock woke up on his couch, listening to the scratching of pen on paper, the long sighs of smoke, and the occasional murmur of something chess related.

    He stretched out his sore limbs, hearing the familiar pops and creaks of his joints. He sat up slowly, propping his feet on the ground. His head was already starting to ache, he needed a hit of something. Jet was the obvious solution.

He rummaged around in the couch cushions, there was always a spare canister wedged in there. He struck gold as his finger wrapped around a dusty jet canister. He gave it an experimental puff to clear out anything stuck in the mouthpiece, last thing he needed was to choke on a piece of lint while inhaling brahmin dung fumes. He took a long hit, the chems burning into his lungs, spreading a shock of energy throughout his body.

“Why don't you just drink coffee like the rest of us?” Fahrenheit asked in her usual monotone.

“You kidding? You know how bad caffeine is for you?” He joked, “My Uncle had a coffee everyday since he was ten, dropped dead of a heart attack at twenty.”

“And coffee was what killed him?” She asked, a skeptical smile on her face.

“No, he was sleeping with some married dame in the stands, had the heart attack when her husband came home early. But the coffee didn't help.” She smiled, which was as close to rip-roaring laughter as he was going to get. She looked down at her notes for a moment.

“A few things happened while you were out, but nothing too noteworthy.” Fahrenheit mused. Hancock leant back and groaned. He hated these long reports he took another hit of jet, which wasn’t smart, it would only make the lecture seem longer. “A caravan came in for Daisy, a few packages came for Doctor Amari, and piles of super mutant corpses are dotted around Goodneighbor.” Hancock coughed mid-hit as she finished her notes.

“What?!” He spluttered through coughing fits. She looked down at her papers again.

“The Vault dweller, also the general of the minute men, also the Silver Shroud, killed no less than eighty-two Super Mutants,  judging by the amount of semi-intact corpses.” Hancock rubbed his skull, he could feel the headache starting to come back.

“Any reason why?” He asked, it felt as though there was something he was forgetting but it wasn't quite coming back to him….

“Because you asked.” A voice answered behind him.

“Pawn takes king…” Fahrenheit muttered to herself in amusement. Hancock stood up slowly, grinning at Sole who was standing in the doorway, looking particularly chipper.

“Right on cue, Sister.” He greeted, but the gaps in his memory were still bugging him. “But catch me up on when exactly I set you up on this little job.” Sole frowned.

“The other night, at the Third Rail when I… Never mind. It's done anyway.” She started, but thought better of finishing the story. “Consider it my way of being a good Neighbor.” She winked, before turning to leave.

“Hey, where’re you going, killer?” Hancock called after her.

“Got business with Kleo. Bullets don’t buy themselves.” She called back. He had to smile at that. He heard the State House door shut behind her and turned to face Fahrenheit.

“How long was I out?” He asked seriously.

“Since I found you passed out on this sofa, it's been about a day and a half. Not the longest you've ever been out, but it's up there.” She replied, glancing at her notes again. “Last reports show you leaving the Third Rail, the Vault dweller hanging on you, heading towards the Rexford Hotel, entering the hotel, and you leaving a while after that alone.” Hancock fought through the fog, trying to remember. He vaguely remembered speaking to Charlie….

“Take a mentat, usually jogs your memory.” Fahrenheit advised. It irked him, but she was right. He popped open the tin, only a few left. He dumped the contents into his mouth, crunching the mints into a peppermint paste. He could feel the fog instantly clear. It came back to him in a flash.

“Oh shit I did ask her to do that.” He grumbled, “Why did I think that was a good idea?” She checked her notes again.

“We discussed the growing Super Mutant problem three days ago.” Fahrenheit explained. “I suggested a perimeter of plasma mines to deter them, but you made the point that it would also deter caravans and drifters coming in. Your solution was to send someone to take out the closer nests, without getting attention from the larger ones. In addition, we both noted that some were necessary to keep the raider population distracted.”

“I don't remember that last part…” Hancock cut in. Fahrenheit looked up from her papers.

“I noted that at this point you’d already had two tins of mentats. You were ‘delightfully rational’. That’s a quote.” Hancock shuddered. Two tins was a lot, even for him. He'd have to take it easy.

“Fine, and I guess we decided to send in our personal atom-bomb as a solution?” He hazarded a guess. She shook her head.

“You just said you’d take care of it. Next thing I hear is that everything within a miles radius of Goodneighbor has been shot, blown to pieces, or in one instance permanently spasming in in a pile of garbage.” Hancock gave her a confused look. She looked down at her notes.

“Yeah, says right here: ‘permanently spasming in a pile of garbage’. She shrugged her shoulders. Hancock adjusted his hat, pulling it further up his brow.

“Well, gives the Raiders something to… She killed them too. Didn't she?” Hancock asked tiredly. She nodded.

“There's good news, though.” She added. “The lack of threats was what brought in the ‘packages’ to Doctor Amari. Got a lot of positive attention from our friends on the freedom trail. The bald one in sunglasses has been snooping around more than usual. I suppose he likes to think that drifter outfit is fooling someone.” She smirked. “On top of that, the Vault dweller hauled enough guns and armour to weaponize every drifter and Watchmen for a year. Kleo is still leaking lubricant over the hoard she’s brought in.”

“Hold it…” Hancock cut in. “If she's already shown Kleo a good time, why did she say she was going there just now?” Fahrenheit shrugged.

“I suppose she lied.” Fahrenheit hazarded a guess. Hancock’s head was working overtime. Why would she lie…? Shit, Daisy….

“Where did that caravan blow in from?” Hancock asked frantically. Fahrenheit looked down at her notes, then frowned.

“Some place called…” She squinted at the writing. “The Republic of… Dave? It's somewhere in the-”

“Capital Wasteland.” Hancock finished for her, already flying down the stairs.

“-Sorry, sugar, I haven't seen head or tails of him since he left weeks back.” Daisy apologised.

“Are you sure he hasn't… hasn't even sent a letter?” Sole pressed, her voice lowered to just a hoarse whisper. Daisy shook her head, a sad look in her eyes… A sad guilty look.

Hancock watched from the doorway, caught between wanting to give Sole space, and wanting to investigate what Daisy was hiding himself. He compromised, knocking on the doorway to announce his presence. The two women looked up, Sole pausing to clear her throat and wipe the corners of her eyes. Funny, this was the same woman who left at least eighty-two Super Mutants dismembered at his doorstep.

“Hate to Interrupt, but word on the street is there there’s going to be a pretty groovy shindig at the Third Rail tonight, thought I’d extend an invitation to a few lovely ladies.” Hancock grinned, strolling into Daisy’s store.

“Why?” Sole asked, coughing again to mend the cracks in her voice.

“Oh well, I find if I don't go out of my way to invite the fairer sex, the parties tend to be very sausage heavy…” Hancock started to explain.

“No, I mean what’s the occasion?” Sole asked impatiently. “Isn't everyday with you a party?”

“Flattering, but there’s a good reason for it. It's a farewell party.” He explained. Sole opened her mouth to ask more, but Hancock gave a wave of his hand. “Working out party details with Fahrenheit, but I’ll be back to see you later, Daisy. To sort out some, ‘party supplies’.” He finished, eyeing Daisy, who refused to meet his gaze. With that he turned and strode off, head already starting to fog up. He was going to need to be at the top of his game tonight. He was so distracted, he didn't even notice the drifter eavesdropping outside.

So I feel like I dropped the ball on this one a little, but that’s only because it’s a sort of connecting scene to a couple of other things. I’d like to do some other stuff relating to it soon. 

For the start of this train wreck, click here!

For a flashback that sort of also has to do with things, click here

For any other enquiries, please hold for an operator. 

[new2otomelol]

Mystic Messenger - Angel

This is a fanfction story re: Mystic Messenger. Cheritz owns all the rights. Please give my story some love if you like it! :-)

Yoosung – I’m so excited to work with you! I don’t know if I’ll get any sleep tonight.

Zen – Make sure you get some dinner before bed.

Jaehee – I look forward to working with you.

Jumin – Looking forward to your productivity as well.

Seven – Laterzzzz

End of conversation… RFA records

And just like that, I’m part of a secret organization. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up being in such a predicament. I awoke this morning with a mission to get my life in order, it hasn’t been easy for me, my mind is so muddled.  Why did it have to be my phone? What would “unknown” want with me?

My phone suddenly vibrates and a picture of a young man wearing red and orange colored glasses appears. I ignore the phone, I can’t answer if I don’t have a voice. Once the person gives up, I receive a slew of text messages. “There is something we need to discuss, please answer the phone… this is Seven.” I immediately text back, “I’m sorry, but, I can’t talk, I haven’t been able to since I was found.” There’s a moment of silence for a couple of minutes until the phone goes off again. “I saw in your records that you have amnesia, but nothing else was noted. Thank you for being honest. So, you can’t remember anything at all since before you were 15, correct?” I sigh in relief, I’m glad that at least he understands. “Yes, nothing whatsoever. I came to this city to try and start a new life. Is it okay for me to leave this apartment?” Another couple of minutes pass and finally he responds “It’s best if you don’t. I see that you start a new job tomorrow and that it is a ‘work from home’ position, which helps incredibly. Order your groceries and everything you need from your laptop. The apartment was left in great condition, so you should be fine. If you need to leave, let me know and I will make sure you’re safe.” Well, it’s not great, but it’s not bad either; I’m a hermit anyways. “Roger that, I’ll stay in.” “OOookay! Welcome again, and don’t worry, I’ll notify the other members not to call you. I’ll let you explain that when you’re ready.” That makes me feel a little better, “thank you Seven! I’ll be in touch!”

 For years my past has plagued my every waking moment. Who was I? What happened to me? Who did this to me? I walk to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I take off my shirt and gaze at my reflection. Are there any others like me? I turn my back to the mirror and two giant wings spring out from two elongated cuts on my back. I stretch one wing at a time due to the limited space, but it feels amazing. I wonder how people would react if they knew I can fly? Would they call me a freak? Luckily, my wings didn’t sprout until a year after I was found, I can only envision what incredulous experiments the government could have in store for someone like me.

 I take a long shower and decide to take it easy for the night. I know that there are CCTV cameras around the apartment, so I’ll have to be weary.  Checking on the messages and chat rooms, everything seems to be going well. I start my contact with a few of the guest suggestions and chat with the others.

 A few days pass by and unfortunately for Zen, a young singer has caused a bit of a blow to his reputation. This is not including the fact that Jaehee is also weary of a “romantic” relationship developing between me and Zen. I really respect her and see where she is coming from, but I can’t help but want to help him and get to know him, but then again, should I? My life is not exactly normal

I open the chat room for a little bit and notice that Zen is logged in.

Zen: Alex, what are you doing up so late?

Alex: Just had a few work things to wrap up. How are you doing Zenny?

Zen: I love it when you call me by that name.

Alex: *blush*

Zen: I’ve been meaning to ask… Seven asked not to call you, but I want to hear you, NO, more than anything I want to see you.

Alex: Zen, I can’t…

Zen: You can’t?

Alex: I can’t talk. I’ve tried, but no voice will come out.

Zen: WHAT?

Alex: Doctors told me it was due to a traumatic experience, but I can’t remember, thanks to my amnesia.

Zen: I’m sorry babe

Alex: 😊 Not a problem, please don’t worry. I work on it every day. I would love to see though!

Zen: We can make it happen, I’m sure.

Yoosung has entered.

Yoosung: WHAT? You can’t talk? Alex, what in the?

Alex: It’s quite alright Yoosung, at least I can communicate this way.

Zen: How long have you been this way?

Alex: Since I was 15. There are times I feel it coming to me, but I can’t make it work. But enough of that, it will return sooner or later, I’m sure of it.

Zen: That’s my girl, always positive!

Yoosung: Good going Alex!

Alex: I’m more worried for you Zen. Are you alright?

Zen: You’re an A.N.G.E.L! Thinking of me at a time like this!

Alex: Oh crap! LOL, I have to go, need to wake up early for a work-related event online.  Please text me should you need anything. Take care you two!

Zen: Goodnight babe!

Yoosung: Goodnight Alex!

End of conversation – RFA records

 Oh boy, I almost had a heart attack with Zen’s “A.N.G.E.L.” comment.  I really do wish to see him, but I would not be able to show him my wings or explain much; I need not get him involved. I mean, nothing has happened to me in the last few years, but what if someone is looking for me? I need to tread carefully.

 The following day Jumin arranges it for me to meet with Zen in hopes of convincing him to be a model for his company. I feel stuck in the apartment and can’t wait to finally meet the one person that really seems to worry and care for me. I make it over to a building where a driver picks me up and takes me to Zen’s place. Once he opens the door, he stands there and stares at me, his jaw slightly drops. “Oh my, you’re Alex?” I get a bit scared that he might not be what he pictured, but quickly take out my phone and type the words “I am” and show him the screen as I smile. He quickly smiles and urges me inside dismissing the driver. “Now that you are here, I don’t want to let you go! Say you’ll spend the night!” I smile and nod.

 Zen spoke of his childhood, his family and of the problems he had been going through. I tried my best to support him and, in the end, he did seem to have a more positive disposition. “Alex, I just, I wish I could hear your voice. But I’m so incredibly glad that you’re here and that you’re supporting me every step of the way. I promise to return the favor.” I smile at him and pat his hand; his cheeks immediately turn pink and quickly helps me up and back inside his apartment. “I need you to go home… I’m afraid I can’t control the beast inside… you know, you truly are beautiful!” He smiles with a bit of an embarrassed spark glinting on his handsome features. I quickly type on my phone, “say no more, I totally understand.” He smiles and lets the driver take me home.

 The days that follow our fateful encounter bring about harder times for Zen. As if like moths to a flame, issues keep piling in. I wish I could help him, but I have heard less of him since last we met; he must be really conflicted. Judging from the chat rooms, I think Jumin will meet with him soon and help him, I dearly hope so. All I can do is wait to hear from them.

 It’s nightfall already and a couple of days before the party starts. I head to the restroom for my nightly ritual of stretching my wings, this time, I notice that they seem to have gotten larger. Once I ready myself for bed, a red blinking light on my phone calls my attention, maybe someone is online? I check in and see that I have new messages, not in the RFA, but to my personal account. I open the messenger program and pictures immediately begin to download from an anonymous person. My heart sinks and tears flow as I see myself in the pictures smiling happily with an older couple. In the pictures I look like I may have been 13 or so and the couple are hugging me and kissing me on either cheek. Could they have been my parents? Another picture loads and this time I am a bit older surrounded by a group of 3 other kids around my age and they have wings! I’m not alone! My heart races at the sight and another picture emerges with the same group of people and X’s marked on their faces; one face is circled, mine, and the words “You’re next!” written on it. Oh no!

 Fear overtakes me, and I shake uncontrollably. Who would want me gone? Why? Ugh, I need to remember who I am. Just then, an alarm goes off and a woman’s voice reverberates around the apartment “special security system armed.” What in the? I need to contact Seven. I pick up my phone and notice I had missed messages from Zen telling me that he was doing better, apologizing for his absence in maintaining contact and receiving help from Jumin; I’m so relieved, one problem out of the way, two to go! Right… I need to contact seven. I enter a chat room and speaking of the devil, he’s logged in. He’s apologizing profusely for there being a bomb in my apartment and Zen is trying to help me but is concerned about a “prophetic” dream he had. Wait, A BOMB?! Way to add more to the problems piling in!

 Zen: Give me the address to her apartment right now! I need to save her!

Seven: I can’t, but I’ll keep her safe, I’ll check in on her through the CCTV cameras

Zen: That is not good enough! I can’t believe the RFA would be okay with this!

Alex: Please guys, I’m okay right now and Seven, I now you’re trying to help me. Zen, you are my night in shining armor, but we have to calm down and think of a good plan together. Any word from V?

 Their chat continues for a minute and I hear a noise outside… something inside awakens in me and I feel light headed. I run to the restroom with my phone in hand and throw some water on my face with my free hand. My vision blurs and I manage to re-adjust, my… my EYES! They look like they’re golden… but I can see so much more detail. My ears perk up and I hear someone trying to open the window to the apartment. My phone continues to buzz… the guys...

Zen: Alex, I promise you I will keep you safe!

Seven: Please hang in there, I don’t see anything on the CCTV’s cameras.

Alex: Zen, Seven, it’s too late, someone’s here. Send only Jumin’s guards, no police, we can’t trust them. Something else is going on and I can’t explain. The total guest tally right now is at 40 and I forwarded that information to you this morning. If you can’t find me, carry on without me; I’ll fight my way back to you guys. Wish me luck!

I place the phone on my pocket, throw on my hoodie and step outside to face the hacker. “Ah there you are my silent little pawn; are you ready for paradise?” I give him a wry smile, write a note on a piece of paper, crumble it and throw it at him. “Oh buddy, I used to be scared of this day happening, but now I have bigger problems than even you. So, now that this distraction is over, look up cutie pie.” As soon as he picks up his head again I smack him hard with a baseball bat to the head. I hoped it would have knocked him out, but he simply shook his head and tried to re-steady himself. I run out of the apartment and head for the stairs, but something grabs my hair and pulls me so hard I fall backwards. Right then my head pounds with pain and memories surge.

**

“Alex, we have to train again or you know the consequences.” I sigh “Josh, I’m just tired of this. The four of us were born different, but that doesn’t give these bastards the right to torture us and conduct experiments. We need to get out of here.” Josh pats my head as well as he can with chains weighing down his hand. I feel anger surge “this is no way to live and I promise you, we’ll make it out.” The memory blurs and another one comes to the surface. This time I’m running, covered with blood, I try to fly, but one of my wings is injured. “Alex~ I know you’re here somewhere… come to your dear old brother… I just want to hold you~” I feel sick to my stomach and I take out my sai “fight me you bastard! How could you? they were your flesh and blood!” We fight for what seems forever, but I manage to knock him out. In the end, I can’t kill him. I retract my wings and forge ahead in the middle of the night in a forest. Rain hits hard in the cold night and I slip and fall down the side of a cliff, that’s, that’s how it all happened… I remember!!!

**

I feel as if I’m being carried… muffled voices surround me… “ex… ke up! Alex!” I shake my head and open my eyes, Zen’s beautiful face is right above me. “Alex? Oh thank God, Alex, you’re awake!” I shake my head and feel pain behind my neck, I reach back and check my hand only to find blood. Zen’s heart beats faster, it is then that I realize he’s carrying me bridal style. “Oh no, Alex, you’re hurt much worse than I thought. Hang in there, please.” He places me on a bench and I realize, we’re still near the apartment complex… “Ngghh… Z… Zee… Zen…” I manage to use my voice, for the first time in seven years. Zen cries suddenly and hugs me close, “Oh my God babe, you’re talking!” I can’t believe it! Wait! This is no time to rejoice “unk…nown… where?” Zen caresses my hair and pulls me in for a hug. “I showed up as the bastard was dragging you down the stairs by your hair. I fought him, but he managed to get away. You’ve only been out for 5 minutes. But I’m taking you to the hospital, let’s go.”

 I feel a strong presence nearby… we could always feel each other, my brothers and me. I close my eyes and sense that he’s near. “Zen, you have to go. Please, I need you to be safe.” Zen gives me a confused stare. “Alex, we’re fine, don’t worry, plus, I’m never letting you go.” Tears fall, and I hug him, “trust me, someone is coming, and he is relentless, cunning and strong. I can take him, but you can’t, he’ll kill you!” Zen’s features contort, and I can tell he is worried “Alex, you’re not making sense, now let’s go, we have to get you better.” He quickly helps me to his motorcycle and hands me a helmet. I hop on in hopes that we can make it away at least for tonight, but my fears are realized as I catch a dark figure flying above us in the dark night. Jin, my youngest brother. He swoops down and tries to take a swipe at Zen, but he dodges it. Jin’s attacks continue for a few minutes and before you know it, we’re facing the side of a cliff and Zen can’t control the motorcycle anymore. I take off my helmet and throw it. I let go of Zen’s waist and take off my hoodie. “Zen, do you trust me?” I yell to him, he quickly responds “with my life!” I hold on to his chest and let my wings slip out. I can hear a faint gasp from Zen as I fly us off his bike. It’s been a while since I’ve flown and the added weight puts a strain on my wings, but I muster through.

I can make out a dark alleyway in between some older buildings and land there in hopes of hiding. I take a few cautious steps in front of Zen, praying that he’s not scared of me “Zen, I promise I’ll explain it all later, but please, don’t freak out on me, Zen?” He stares at me with his mouth agape and a hint of a smile. I wave my hand in front of him to try and snap him out of it. He shakes his head and a wide grin spreads across his face “Alex, you’re beautiful… you’re like an angel... no, you ARE an angel! How is it possible? God has blessed me with good looks and now with my own angel….” I laugh and cover his mouth. “Shhhhh…. Zen, this is no time for that. Someone is after me and wants to kill me. His name is Jin and I can feel him getting closer. This man, he’s my brother and he killed our older brothers…” tears fall and I feel Zen’s warm hand wiping them away. I lean in to his touch. “Jin… he wanted to keep me for himself, he… said I was his bride. One day, after an arduous slew of experimental testing, I was taken back to our cell, but… there was blood everywhere, my brothers, doctors… so many bodies… they were scattered throughout the facility. Within seconds, Jin killed the guard holding me and then tried to force himself on me, but I fought him and nearly died… hence my amnesia.” Zen pulls me in by the waist and hugs me tight. “Alex, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe you’ve been through so much.” I smile and pull back so that I can see him. “It’s okay. I didn’t know any of this until just a short while ago. Now, do me a favor and stay hidden, I have to face my brother.” I step away from him and look around for something that can serve as a weapon.

 Zen follows me “Alex, I can’t let you do this on your own, I will protect you.” I retract my wings and notice two metal pipes on the side of the pavement, perfect! I run to the side and pick them up. “Zen, I know you want to, but my brother has incredible strength and the only one that can take him down is me… I don’t want to lose you.” Oh no, I can feel Jin and he is incredibly close. I take out my phone and plug in my headphones. I set up my playlist and find my favorite ‘kick-ass’ song, No Leaf Clover by Metallica. I put the headphones on Zen “listen to me please, stay here, I will push play as soon as Jin gets here and I promise you that by the time the song is done, I will be right in front of you again.” Zen tries to persuade me to have him help me, but I shake my head when I hear a wicked laugh reverberate throughout the alley way. “Alex, my love!”

 I turn around and face Jin. “If it isn’t my brother, the murderer!” He takes a few steps forward and see his beautiful face and long wings that drag behind him as he walks. “I did it for you Alex, you belong to me.” I feel sick to my stomach, “have you heard of incest?” He laughs “we have to continue our species, we’re the only ones of our kind and you just matured darling, just look at your eyes… its time to mate.” I turn around and face Zen. “Don’t interfere, no matter what and remember my promise.” I push play and Zen hides behind a dumpster. I take out the two metal pipes and twirl them around as I let my wings come out and spread out fully. “Beautiful!” I hear Zen remark behind me. I smile and close my eyes. I can do this.

 I keep the beat of the music I my mind as I approach Jin and time my attacks. He takes out a sword and swings at me, I evade him and manage to land a few strikes with the pipes. He quickly flies to the sky and I follow, twirling my pipes, gaining speed enough to hit him hard. He comes at me and I dodge his sword attack once again, however, I leave a small opening for him and he knees me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me. I begin to fall but manage to regain my stability and land on one knee in the alley way. I raise my wings again and lift my head to see Zen running towards me; I have to keep him safe. I lift my wings high and push myself off the ground as hard and fast as I can, gaining momentum and hitting Jin’s wings with my pipes. I hear a loud cracking noise and know I have hurt him. I yell as loud as I can “you demented monster! You will never harm anyone again!” He falls to the ground hitting the pavement with a sickening sound. I fly down and land near him. Blood begins to pool from underneath Jin, but he manages to slowly stand up. He stumbles towards me and we fight with our weapons. The sound of steel clashing echoes throughout the alleyway for a minute, but I manage to find an opening and I take Jin’s sword from him and turn around and impale him. “Nggghh… I… should have known… you were always the strongest one of the bunch…” Jin states as his eyes roll back and falls to the ground.

 I stand there in shock, he’s dead, he’s gone… brothers, you may rest in peace now. I try to control my shaking but can’t seem to stop it. Suddenly, I feel hands hold my shoulders and I am slowly turned around “Alex, are you okay?” Zen’s loving red eyes stare at me and I pull him in for a hug as I sob uncontrollably. I retract my wings and his arms embrace me tightly. “I can’t believe it… it’s all over… why? Why did he have to be this way?” Zen strokes my hair and tries to console me “I’m not sure, but you’re safe now... I thought at one moment for sure that I lost you, but you kept your promise, you finished the fight in time and came back to me…” I pull back from Zen’s hold and dry my tears. “What do we do now?” As soon as I blurted out those words, black cars pull up and Jumin and a few of his guards come out.

 “Alex, Zen, are you guys okay?” I shake my head and respond, “as good as can be.” Jumin smiles and comes close to us. “Alex, I saw part of the fight, I had to follow you to ensure the both of you were safe. Now… go, don’t worry about this man, we’ll handle the police on this matter. I promise that your secret will be safe with the R.F.A” I bow to Jumin “thank you, for your help and for accepting me.” Jumin sighs and heads towards Jin’s body. “I’m only doing what I must; that bomb shouldn’t have been planted in the apartment in the first place and your life shouldn’t have been in danger. Now this matter…” he says as he points to Jin’s body… “is something else altogether, but I will help you, we owe you for all that you’ve done.” As he prepares to enter his car again, Jin’s wings retract into his body, I guess it’s like a postmortem movement. Jimin smirks, “well, that’ll make things a lot easier for us. We’ll air on the side of self-defense on this one. Now go you guys.” I bow once again to him “thank you Jumin. We’ll see you at the party.” He smiles and directs his driver to take us to Zen’s apartment.

 As soon as we enter the apartment, Zen hugs me tightly once again. “Alex, I know we’ve only known each other for a small period of time, but I feel as if I’ve known you forever.” I smile and hug him back, “I feel the same.” My head lays on his chest and I can hear his heart beating faster. “You supported me through my dark times and I never once knew you had so much going on… I want to be there for you from now on, just like you’ve been there for me. I want us to be together from now on; please be my girlfriend.” My heart catches up with his in rhythm and I feel joy rise within me. “Of course, I will! I know we can overcome anything together.” Zen quickly pulls back and smiles so brightly that I feel a tear of happiness form in the corner of my eye. He places his finger under my chin and moves my head to meet up with his and kisses me, softly at first, with a very tender kiss and then it intensifies. I feel a heat surge within me and then it happens, my wings burst out from my back; I gasp as a result and Zen takes advantage by deepening the kiss and pitting me against the wall. The moment is so intense that I end up enclosing us with my wings. A few seconds after that Zen finally gives me room to breathe. As I stand there panting, Zen gazes at me with half-lidded eyes. “Oh my God Alex, you are so beautiful, but I must control the beast.” He laughs and stands back a little. “Can… can I touch your wings?” I laugh, “sure, go ahead.” I extend my wings fully and he gently touches the edges of the wings, caressing the feathers. “Mmmmhh…” I let out a moan by accident, I can’t help it if it feels good. Zen’s face reddens a little and quickly withdraws his hands. “Careful Alex, anymore beautiful noises like that and I won’t be able to control myself.” I laugh and put my hands in the air. “No, no, no! I need to shower, and we need to rest! This night has been insane! My memories coming back, the bomb, my brother, getting my voice back, you helping me…” Zen smiles gently and heads to his room coming back a few seconds later with a fresh change of clothes. “For you my angel, now go take a shower while I make us some tea.” I kiss him and run off to the bathroom.

 The warm water feels amazing on my sore muscles and wings. I can’t believe everything that has happened. Why did my brother do this? We could have all survived and escaped from the facility that we were being held in and maybe lived a better life. The organization that had us, killed my parents and kept us there since childhood; my brothers, they were all I had. I turn off the water and dry myself. I can’t take the blame for Jin’s death, I had to defend myself and Zen; he would have never stopped until he got what he wanted. Still, it hurts, this all hurts so damn much, but I have to move on and live my life.

 I change into zen’s pajamas and notice he cut two slits on the back of the shirt, he’s so sweet. I head to the living room and find him sitting there, waiting for me with a cup of tea. “Alex? Come here babe, you’re crying. Please, sit next to me, let me hold you.” I touch my cheek and feel fresh tears, I didn’t realize I had been crying. I sit next to Zen and he lays me on his chest, holding me tight. “I know, this is difficult, but it will pass, things will get better. Plus, the party is the day after tomorrow; let’s take the day off and rest.” I smile and drink the tea “Zen, thank you for everything.” He kisses my forehead and holds me tight “Alex, I love you, we’ll figure this out together, I promise.”

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

It’s a mystery in many houses – where in tarnation do the odd socks go? In others, there’s people like me who have a special ability to wear and snag holes … in just one sock … at a ridiculous rate.

This leaves many sad, lonely “survivor” socks waiting for their mate to appear, or hoping the next ripped sock matches it.  Then, commonly, after ages spent waiting with other sad, lonely survivors accumulating beside them, they’re sent to the landfill.

   Happily, it doesn’t have to be so. Those socks have massive potential for increasing our preparedness.

They can save us money and effort now, and they can be especially useful in a protracted crisis! Unmatched socks have a place from our kitchens and baths, to our gardens and back, winter and summer.

Garden Tie-Ups

One of the best-known uses for socks in in the garden is as ties for our vining plants like tomatoes and heavier squash or melons. They can be used whole and as-is, although that can be bulky. They can be split longwise down to the toe to create longer lengths, or cut off in rings or shorter strips.

Socks can also help us by holding the fruit itself. We can split them and tie them at the center to make a 4- or 6-strand “X” that we tie up from around the bottom of fruits to suspend from a trellis, enabling us to grow vertically and save space. Doing so can also limits some of the garden munchers.

Alternatively, with thick-stemmed autumn-winter squashes and melons, ties can be suspended from near the base of the fruit to the supporting rack. (Psst … check to see if they’re ready to slip regularly.)

I also use socks to tie and cover the plastic bundle I make when I propagate by air layering, to tie young trees and shrubs to their protective posts, and when I create limb spreaders for young trees or am creating an espalier or diagonal cordon fruit tree.

While they do hold more moisture than garden twine, they’re also less abrasive. I like the fact that they have some elasticity, too. Instead of snapping, they bend like a willow in the wind, and in some cases, because of the “give”, they can absorb some of the damage we get from summer and winter storms.

Pollination Protectors

If we’re gardening with a long-term disaster or instability in mind, eventually we turn to seed saving. Many of our garden plants are promiscuous, which can present challenges. To keep seeds true for another season, we can cover up flowers before they open (to include corn) and hand pollinate. Hose and dress socks excel here, ensuring we have another harvest we can count on from our efforts.

If flowers are delicate, we can slice up yogurt cups, plastic bottles, seed tray cups; bend wire clothes hangers into spirals; or create a couple thin willow rings to form a hollowed-out frame and keep our thin socks and hose from putting too much pressure on our forming flowers and their young fruits.

(Full disclosure: Pro’s actually use paper bags for breeding corn – zero chance of pollen seeping through the weave.)

Pest Barriers

Socks and hose can also help save our fruits from predation. As with breeding stock, some fruits may benefit from a ring or frame that keeps the cloth from making direct contact.

Coddling moth on tree fruit is the most common foe defeated this way, but it can help with everything from birds and bramble berry bunches, to tomatoes and hornworms. Cloth socks can also be substituted for newspaper when protecting transplants from cutworms.

  Wicking with Socks

Heard of Earthboxes, or sub-irrigated planters and beds (sometimes called self-watering)?

DIYs from buckets, storage totes, and 2L bottles regularly call for a wick. There’s no need to buy mops or pond baskets, though. A polyester sock filled with coir, wood chips, or your planting soil will work just as well and last nearly as long. Cotton and wool socks can be cut into strips to perform the same functions for smaller containers.

On a different note, farmers and gardeners have started cutting up cleaned waste wool pieces from shearing, and tilling it into gardens or sticking it near root zones, especially for particularly thirsty crops. The wool absorbs water, keeping it available to plants longer. Natural-fiber sock pieces can do the same.

Allium Chains

Never really got the hang of braiding garlic and onions into chains for storage? No big deal. Thin dress socks or hose can make it faster and easier to accomplish the same.

Once cured, just bundle them up. You can use bread ties, paper clips, or clothespins to separate bulbs in a chain instead of tying knots, or you can cut right below the knot. (Remember to save the “toe” for flower & fruit protectors.)

Goo Grabbers

Got any bottles of oil in the kitchen – or one of those oil sprayers to replace Spam? Get any dribbles down them?

No? Can you teach my entire family how to not do this?

If you do, or if you have slick stuff it’s tough to grab in the kitchen or shed, socks can help. Cut the toe off, slide it over, fold over if desired. Dribbles will catch in the sock, not pool under the sprayer or bottle, and you can gain a little extra traction on those bottles.

Their ability to prevent accidental splatter or drippage also extends to paint cans and shoes.

When you’re ready to paint, roll or twist your sock(s) into a thin rope, and tie it around the can. As with the oil, it’ll catch any drips from the rim.

When you’re painting and staining and priming, you can also slide mismatched and sole-survivor socks over your shoes (and your hands) to help limit any drips or side spray from making contact.

   Washing Up

Got a carpet mess to clean up? Stick bar soap in one of those sole survivors of the laundry, dunk, scrub, repeat. Bar soap in a sock will also make it easier if you’re planning to hand-scrub your laundry at some point, with or without a board.

Tired of losing those little slivers of bar soaps, or of dealing with the mushy mess?

Stick them in a sock, and hang the sock from a hook. You could hang it to drip into the sink, but for even less waste, set it up so it drips onto a sponge or the floor-scrubby louffa squash you grew.

(Psst … that sock thing also makes it fast and easy to wash hands over a catch bucket while camping.)

When it comes to cleaning up, we can also repurpose lone socks as reusable “Swiffer” pads for dusting, sweeping, and spot mopping.

Socks also make excellent dip stick wipers (and “hot pot holders”) to tuck along the inside rim of a vehicle hood. Tuck a few in with your air compressor to save your hands (and knees) there, too, so you spend a little less time using soap, scrubbing stains, and patching holes with them.

     Critter Care

Got a small dog or pup prone to getting super cold in winter? Piglets or rabbits that need a sweater? Doggy child like to dip its ears in its dinner? Or shake them after an injury?

Socks can be the answer.

With a few snips we can create hoods and sweaters for our pets, as well as some of our small livestock.

They can also be turned into chicken vests, or used to create stockings and suspenders to keep animals from reopening leg wounds or chewing “hot spots” that may develop from allergies to grasses and insect bites.

A quick knot, piece of Velcro, or old belt can work to hold them over the shoulder, or you can use some garden twine to tie off between their shoulders or to a harness.

Those stockings can also be used in winter to help dogs gain some traction on ice. There’s some limited assistance for dogs that end up with balls of packs snow between their toes, too.

The biggie for me in winter, though, was always in limiting how much deicer ended up on their feet and in the house. It only works for front paws, but since that’s what mine will sit there and lick most often, that’s a win.

Every tiny speck that turns their socks crunchy-crispy is a speck they’re not consuming, so it was worth it to me even not being a perfect “boot”. A quick coat of spray sizing or waterproofing limits that exposure further.

Hoofstock can have fitted socks used to replace light brush guards as well as help keep them from messing with an injury. Socks can also be soaked as fly repellents, or help keep a heat rub or anti-inflammatory dressing in place.

If socks aren’t big enough to slide over a hoof, we can still use them instead of ACE type flex-compression bandages. As with garden supports, we can slice them long wise from the opening to the toe and use them as a wrap.

Just make sure they fit well, won’t slide off, and that we use tape or a salvaged piece of Velcro, especially for animals we won’t be watching – constantly and closely.

Applying a medical aid does little good if Rin Tin Tin or Silver manage to swallow an ACE clip or step on a safety pin. (That goes for brand-new, purpose-specific items, too, not just repurposed items.)

   Solar Boosts

Got a water bottle that boils in summer? Pull a white sock over it. Want to help water absorb solar rays, either to stay warmer in winter or cut down on boiling time for instant meals in summer? Sheath it in a black sock instead.

The black sock trick can also be used as a heat sink for winter plants, with cans, bottles or emptied jars.

Socks as Saviors

We spend enough money on preparedness. Save it where you can. There are all sorts of things that can be given new life. Unmatched socks in particular are pretty useful around a home and yards – and we barely brushed the surface of their potential.

From feminine hygiene to small pouches, mittens to coin-roll saps, homemade draft rolls and dusting gloves, even as a washable alternative to paper for windows and mirrors – it’s a pretty big list, with pretty wide applications. They don’t have to cycle from waiting to the trash.

Go ahead and stash some back for hard times, but get started seeing nothing as a waste product now, too.

  The post The Lone Sock appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

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