#he doesn't want their help he just wants to be left alone i'm sorry quinn :'DDD

[clemencetaught]

Psst, from Quinn 💋

gossiping from the knight ( behind their back gossip meme w/ @uroborosymphony )

Send “Psst” for 10 5 Things My Muse has said About Yours Behind Their Back.

“She might have good intentions, but that doesn’t mean her actions are good. She didn’t even think about who else wouldn’t been hurt from her little stunt. No one, not even her boyfriend would've stopped her.”

“What do you mean she’s around the corner- Pawn, where is she? …Fuck.”

“She needs to go. No Rook, we’re not killing anyone- we just need to get her out of the way.” 

“She’s not dipping her paw in this case. I’m not doing damage-control today.” 

*frowns and puts coat on* “…I changed my mind; I’m leaving now.”

[vioartemis]

All I ever wanted

(g!p Sam Carpenter x fem! reader)

Summary: Sam and you had gotten into an argument, you decide to be petty and go to a party you know she told you not to go to... Warnings: (+18), smut, g!p Sam, unprotected sex, (let me know if I forgot something) Request is here :)) a/n: I uh never wrote g!p before so it might be really bad 💀 (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

A few hours ago, your girlfriend and you had a fight about one of her colleagues. Maybe you were a little jealous of Sam's coworker, and of the attention your girlfriend had been giving her lately.

You were more than a little jealous, actually. You couldn't help it.

Even though Sam had told you she didn't give a damn about the girl, your insecurities couldn't stop telling you that maybe the girl likes your girlfriend in more than a just-coworkers way. I mean who wouldn't?

You had spent the last hours on the couch while Sam went to see her therapist. You were upset, even if it wasn't totally her fault. But still. She was giving this random girl more attention than she was giving you.

And that pissed you off.

"Hey, where are you going?" you ask Tara, seeing her exiting her room in a pirate costume

"I uh... I'm going to a party"

"What party? The OKB party Sam forbid us to go to?"

Tara rolled her eyes.

"Don't start to act like her Y/n, please. I'm an adult, I can-"

"I wasn't going to prevent you from going. Actually..." you stand up and stretch "Do you mind waiting for me so I can put on a costume?"

She looked at you with wide eyes. Until then, you were always on Sam's side.

"Uh, sure..."

She's still a little shocked by your behavior when you come back five minutes later, dressed in a homemade cowgirl costume; white shirt, opened to reveal your black bra, and denim shorts that covered only what had to be covered.

"You're going to the party... like that? Don't you think it's a little... you know..."

That's the moment Quinn chose to enter the living room. She whistled at the sight of you.

"I didn't think you were the kind of person to wear that, Y/n..." the redhead said "Were are you going?"

"OKB party" you replied, buttoning your shirt up

"The one Sam told you not to go to?"

"Yeah"

"She's gonna be sooo mad..."

You didn't reply, tying your vest around your waist to cover you bottom half while you're not at the party.

"See you later Quinn" you simply said, putting your hat on your head before grabbing your keys and opening the door.

The party was great, everyone was having fun. You had left you vest to Anika and Mindy, who were sitting on a couch, and went dancing with Tara.

After a while you excused yourself and went in the kitchen to grab something to drink.

"Hey there beautiful" a voice said behind you, as a hand was placed on your shoulder

You turned around, and faced the guy, raising an eyebrow as you tried to figure out whether you knew him or not.

"What a pretty girl like you is doing here all alone, hm?"

"Just looking for something to drink" you said

"Here. I'm Frankie by the way"

The guy handed you a half full bottle, which you grabbed and poured yourself a glass.

"Thanks, Frankie"

You handed him the bottle and left the kitchen as soon as he grabbed it.

"Wait!" he said, making you roll your eyes "Why don't we stay together a little, hm? We could have fun..."

"I'm gonna have to pass"

"C'mon, don't be such a prude...!" he mumbled, grabbing your wrist and pulling you closer to him

"I'm not being a prude, I'm not interested. I have a girlfriend and love her very much. Let go of me now."

"I'm not implying any love, just a kiss. C'mon..."

He tried to kiss you, but a sudden punch in the face made him stumble away. Too busy trying to get rid of him, you hadn't noticed Sam.

She was mad. At you probably, but mostly at Frankie for now. He seemed to have had enough with that punch, and almost ran away with a bloody nose.

"What were you thinking?" Sam asked, turning to you "I told you not go to that party! It was not for you to go dressed like... that!"

"I don't need your permission, Sam! I'm not a child, I do what I want."

She didn't answer and just threw her sweater to you.

"Cover yourself up, we'll talk about that when we get home."

You were only now noticing the crowd that formed around you. The amount of pair of eyes looking at you made you a little self-conscious, and you quickly put Sam's sweater on. It was way too big for you.

As soon as you have her sweater on, you girlfriend grabbed your wrist and pulled out with her, outside of the house, where Tara and the others were already waiting.

"Sam-" Tara started

"We're going to talk about that at home." her sister answered, walking past her, still dragging you behind her

The rest of the group was forced to follow without questions, not wanting to get yelled at. But not you. You were in a kinda petty move tonight it appeared.

You had walked a few meters when you released your wrist from her grip. Immediately, she turned to face you.

"Stop trying to control us, Sam. You have to let us live our lives!" you said

"I'm not trying to control you, I just want to protect you, Y/n"

"Protect me from what? Sam, you can't live in the past like that, you need to move on!"

There's a silence between the two of you, soon broken by some random girl.

"Hey!" she said to Sam

Your girlfriend turned around, only for the girl to throw her soda on her.

"Murderer!" the girl continued

Chad and Tara pulled her back before she could push the girl away, but no one tried to hold you back. You took the opportunity to grab the girl's collar and punched her in the face.

You raised your arm to strike again, but you felt an arm wrapping around your waist, holding you back. Sam. You tried to break free, but she was too strong. The only thing you could do was glare at the other girl, who was running away.

Sam released you after the girl was out of sight, and took a look at your hand, worried you might have hurt yourself.

"... Thank you for defending me..." she said, her eyes not leaving your bruised hand "I thought..."

You shake your head, squeezing her hand gently.

"Just because we had a fight doesn't mean I'm gonna let anyone talk to you like that..."

Sam looked up, her dark eyes meeting yours.

"I'm... I'm sorry for this morning... I shouldn't have said all that..." you apologized "It's just..." you sighed "I was scared... I am scared you will lose interest and find someone better than me..."

Her expression softened at your words. She let go of your hand and cupped your cheeks, tilting your head up and pressing her lips on yours in a tender kiss.

"I will not lose interest in you, Y/n. You're all I ever wanted. I don't want anyone else"

You gave her a little smile before wrapping your arms around her and hugged her tight, whispering a 'thank you'. She hugged you back happily, caressing your hair.

"Let's go home, hm?"

You nodded, making the hug last a bit longer before letting go of her. She took your hand, giving you a warm smile, and you started to make your way home.

Once you reached the apartment, Sam and you went to your shared bedroom. As soon as you got in, she pressed another soft kiss on your lips.

"You know... I found it kinda hot when you punched that girl" she chuckled

"Well, if I'm being completely honest with you... I found it kinda hot too when you punched that guy" you replied with a smile

"You know what else I found hot tonight?" Sam asked, taking off 'your' hoodie "You in that costume"

She looked you up and down, biting her bottom lip as her eyes stopped on your bra, before going back up to your lips, against which she pressed her own in a passionate kiss.

Her hands are in your short's back pockets, grabbing your ass and pulling you close as her lips dip down to suck marks on your neck.

Your fingers were soon tangled in her soft hair, your other hand gripping her arm slightly.

"Sam…" you let out in a breath

"Hm?" she hummed against your skin, her lips now on your collarbone.

"Tara’s here, she might hear us…"

"We’ll have to keep quiet them, hm?"

Her lips came back to yours as her hands left your back pockets to take off your shirt, and the rest of your clothes.

You helped her getting rip off her clothes as well, and can’t help the wave of arousal that flooded through you at the sight of her semi hard cock, precum already forming at her tip.

"See what you do to me?" Sam said with a smirk, her hand trailing down to your pussy "My, my… seems like you’re ready for me already" her smirk grew wider "Now be a good girl and get on your hands and knees for me"

You complied, getting on all fours on the bed, exposing your already wet cunt to her. She positioned herself behind you, hands on your ass, caressing it gently as she looked at your center.

"Why are you only obedient when I'm about to fuck you, hm?"

"What...?"

"I told you not to go to this party, didn't I? And what did you do?"

Not so happy with your lack of answer, her fingers wrapped around your throat and she pulled you flush against her.

"What did you do?"

"I went to the party..." you said in a breath, trying to concentrate on something else than her front pressed against your back.

You could feel every curve of hers, from her hard nipples to her thick cock, passing by her well defined abs.

"That's right" she released your throat, causing you to fall back down on the bed "I think a punishment is needed. But as you already apologized... 6 should be enough to remind you not to disobey me"

A gasp left your throat as her hand landed on your right ass cheek. She leaned in, whispering right next to your ear.

"Remember, you have to keep quiet, or Tara might hear us..."

Not wanting to get caught in that position, you buried your face in the pillow just as Sam gave your ass another slap, harder than before. She waited a few second for the pain to disappear a bit and gave your ass a hard slap you were sure would leave a mark.

After she did the same on the other side, she rubbed your reddened skin softly to soothe the pain, planting a gentle kiss on the back of your neck.

"You did good, princess. Here comes your reward for being such a good girl..." she said gently, slipping her middle and ring fingers in your dripping cunt, eliciting a moan from you

She pumped her fingers in and out a few times before pulling them out and shoving them in her mouth. She loved the taste of you, always so sweet.

She positioned herself behind you again, lining herself up with you, before thrusting in slowly.

She started moving her hips slowly, almost teasingly. You tried to fuck her back, but she held you in place, gripping your hips tightly.

The slaps had gotten you so horny, you felt like you were already about to cum

She picked up her pace, bringing you closer to your release, and she could tel you were close, by the way your pussy tightened around her cock, and by how the pillow was having a hard time muffling the loud moans that escaped your throat.

But just as you were about to cum, she pulled out, causing you to let out a whine. She then flipped you over, so you were resting on your back.

"Why'd you stop...?"

"I want to see your pretty face when I make you cum"

Saying that, she thrusted back into you and began to move her hips at a steady pace, fucking you so good it didn't take more than a minute for you to release all over her cock with a loud moan, too lost in the pleasure to care about Tara hearing you anymore.

If you weren't so overwhelmed, you would have seen Sam biting her lip at the sight of you coming undone under her, and you would have felt her cock throbbing inside you as she fucked you through your orgasm.

As she continued to pound into you, she leaned in and wrapped her lips around your erect nipple, sucking on it, before flickering it with tongue. She had a wide grin on her face.

She leaned back again.

At this moment, all of her senses were occupied by you.

The sight of you, under her, skin glistening with sweat, back arched, head thrown back; the moans that slipped out of your mouth, the way you moaned her name, begging her to go faster, the sound of skin slapping; the smell of you all over her, everywhere in the room; the taste of you, still on her tongue from earlier; the way you felt around her, so tight, so warm, taking her in perfectly, almost as if you were meant to haver inside of you.

All of this drove her crazy. She wanted to make you feel so good the only thing you would remember would be her name. She wanted to make you hers. Because you were. hers. Hers to love, hers to kiss, hers to fuck. You were her soulmate; she was sure of that.

It's with that thought in mind that she came deep inside of you, filling you up with her warm seed. The feeling made you cum again, eyes rolling to the back of your head, moaning her name repeatedly like a mantra.

She pulled out after a few more lazy thrusts, watching as her cum drip from your hole onto the sheets with a wide grin. She laid beside you on the bed, wrapping her arms around your waist, pulling you close, and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"Is everything okay? Was I too harsh with the slaps...?"

"Not at all! It was perfect, Sam, really" you replied reassuringly, tilting your head up to kiss her on the lips "You're perfect. You're all I ever wanted, but better. Sometimes I feel like we're meant to be..." you confessed

"Really? I feel that too. Maybe... maybe we're soulmates"

"I didn't think you believed in soulmates...! But I'm glad you do. I hope we are. I hope we're soulmates. I-"

"You got cut off by Tara and Quinn's voices in the hall.

"And they say I'm loud..."

"Do you know how much it would cost to have the walls insulated?"

Sam chuckled as she heard the conversation, and you both blushed in embarrassment.

"I told you to keep quiet, baby..."

You rolled your eyes with a smile, and playfully smacked her arm.

You wished to have the chance to live more moments like this with her, laughing, smiling, crying even, as long as you were together.

[albatris]

I'm mixing up names and pronouns so sorry about that but can I please hear more about the vampire who thought they were hungry for someone's baking when they were really thirsty for blood 🥺that excerpt was so neat

:D yay I'm glad you liked it!! thank u for the kind words...!!

that's Nat! poor guy. he recently woke up on the side of the road covered in mud in his rental car with no memory of the past ten days... oh, and he's somehow turning into a vampire now! surprise!

so ya, he has no reason initially to suspect the mystery delicious scent he keeps smelling is human blood.... he doesn't know vampires exist let alone that he is one!! he's just broke n hungry n thinkin about sweet baked goods......

he's an anxious, awkward lad with a big heart and lots of feelings about things. he loves animals! especially cats! and in the story will soon come into possession of a very odd ugly scrungly rescue cat named Grub, who is the light of his life c: he's a vegetarian and an excellent cook, and shows his love for others by cooking their favourite dishes :3 he is incredibly smart and did well back in high school, but as an adult he's rather apathetic and unmotivated, n struggles with his self-esteem quite a bit 😔

Nat works (mostly) night shifts at dodgy petrol station chain Stop 'N' Go, where he takes naps on the clock and encourages shoplifting. he becomes a manager in book two purely by accident, but doesn't stick at it very long

he has schizotypal personality disorder too (like me!), which means he struggles a lot with paranoid ideation and social situations, as well as some mild psychosis. he struggles to make and keep friends, but he really does love people and being included in a friendship group, even if he's pretty nervous. his desperation for friendship often leads to him overextending himself though - kiddo will do almost anything to feel useful and liked :c

Nat's character arc mostly focuses on him learning his place in the world and becoming steadfast in his own values, and LEARNING what those values are n not letting himself get pushed around so much. he's an earnest, kind-hearted dude who wants to do good in the world, and he's trying to balance this with the fact that he now has to feed on human life to survive

he's also trying to solve the mystery of what happened during his ten day disappearance...... aaaand he might end up on a quest to kill and eat the centre of the giant vampire hivemind known as "the Garble" at some point. nbd <3

Nat's vampirism comes with a monster mode! it kicks in when he's extremely stressed or extremely hungry, and has rather too many mouths and eyes and claws. in this state, he is still able to recognise friends, but it takes him a lot more effort and concentration, and he's unable to understand unfamiliar humans or vampires as anything other than food, threats, or resources. it's a painful transformation and Nat really doesn't like going monster mode. it's very scary for him and can be very dangerous for others around him. his partner Quinn and his friends Alex and Zeke can usually calm him down though..... his other friend Yvonne will stay as far away from monster mode Nat as possible, thank you very much

Nat's preferred prey is abusive bosses and dirtbag CEOs and rich pricks, etc etc etc, all of which his own personal rich prick, Quinn, helps him track down and access. he is also not above eating particularly awful customers hahaha. like. if someone is screaming in his face for no reason or it's some creepy dude harassing one of his younger female co-workers, yeah, he might just go for a little spontaneous snack. can you blame him

so yeah! that's a lil about my boy Nat! he's the protagonist and main viewpoint character of "a rental car takes a left down rake street and disappears", the horror trilogy I'm working on atm :D

[dastardlydandelion]

i’ve honestly always wholeheartedly adored kirby tbh. i’ll never forget seeing scream 4 at a formative age and wanting to be just half as cool as her so bad lmaoo. i don’t know if this is really related at all but i think at least in 4, she was a little more flawed as a person than some people really pick up on. and i think those flaws genuinely make her a more interesting character. she’s a little rude, blunt, callous, whatever. doesn’t outwardly care too much about her friend getting brutally murdered right in front of her. still goes to stab-a-thon, has a good time, flirts with charlie, hosts an after party, brags about her movie knowledge. which good for her with the last one ❤️ but she does come off a little self involved. she’s also a teenager so. fair enough. but she obviously has a lot of good moments as well. she seems to care deeply for jill and shows a lot of courage, heart, and vulnerability in that final scene trying to save charlie’s life. she wasn’t perfect and that’s what makes her pretty compelling to me. i think mindy shares a lot of these qualities as well but she didn’t really get a heart and vulnerability moment like kirby did with the trying to save charlie debacle. i feel like she’ll be getting one in 6 though, not gonna lie. idk but i do love them both and i’m excited to see them again <3

agreed in full, buddy, agreed in full!!

and to be fair, as self-involved and blunt as she comes across, uh, even kirby's more callous lines don't compare to robbie tbh. iirc like, olivia's body is barely cold and he refers to her as "the girl who'll now never date me," or if not that exactly, something to the effect of it (now i have to re-watch scre4m yet again). like. fuck man.

also when kirby tried to save charlie (as far as she knew) and started shakily rattling off whatever remake come to mind, hayden panettiere's performance was so raw and compelling that on the first watch i didn't even realize it's supposed to be the film taking a crack at how derivative and lazy so many remakes are!! the commentary totally flew over my head bc i was so wrapped up in her urgency and desperation.

although my favorite kirby moment will always be when she yells at trevor after her interrupts her and charlie. her face is a whole mood, i swear if this movie had come out a handful of years later than it did kirby prolly would've become a reaction gif. 😂

and mindy! yes, ofc i adore mindy. and she is similarly kind of harsh. like when she refuses to go with richie to the basement and he goes alone and like, as soon as the door shuts behind him she's all, "well he's dead," and shoves her hand in a bag of chips. LMAO. to be fair tho, to be fair richie is irritating af and that prolly would've been my reaction too. anonymoose friend, i am sorry if u like richie but he just aggravates me, personally, he was getting on my nerves the whole movie.

i do feel we'll be getting more vulnerability from mindy come scream vi tho, more development for her character in general. jasmin savoy brown has the range!!! and already the super bowl ad heavily suggests her girlfriend is going to get killed.

i keep re-watching it (and all the other ads, ngl) trying to work out the mechanics of that scene.

it looks like anika is already wounded? she's covered in blood. yes, it could be someone else's blood but i'm thinking it's hers bc in the one shot it looks like mindy is helping her on the floor? it's blink-and-miss-it, but it's there, for the life of me tho, which trailer or tv spot was it in?? i don't remember, they're all blurring together. but also it seems that mindy gets on the ladder before anika does, that she's left her in the bloody bedroom (quinn's bedroom?) and that makes me wonder if the plan is for mindy to go first bc anika could potentially successfully play dead if ghostface enters the room, given that she's already injured. if that is the plan it clearly doesn't work, but. still.

anyway, yes, i love kirby and mindy and i'm very excited to see them both again and hopefully we'll get some good interactions between them too!!

[caseyqdilla]

My Theory for Eddie Munson

This is inspired by that look that Joseph Quinn gave in one of the interviews in Brazil when the interviewer at the end, I don't remember the person's name, says they hope Eddie is alive and he looks like he KNOWS something.

Warnings: Season 4 spoilers, mentions of blood, mentions of death, mentions of grieving, mentions of burning, and if there's anything else I will definitely make sure to add it before posting it.

Eddie lay there amongst the demobats that viciously attacked him, biting through his signature Hellfire shirt; nearly killing him. Nearly, but something in the way Dustin looked at him as Eddie finally brought himself to tell someone other than Wayne that he loved him. How could he not? The kid had become his shadow as soon as he brought him under his wing, hell he raced back into a demonic hellscape to try and save him. Something in the way he clutched to him, in what he thought were his final moments, urged him on, urged him to fight. To fight like he'd fought against all odds, against all the naysayers that expected him to be some kind of monster. A monster he fought so hard to never become and to his merit, he never did. Eddie is a kind and gentle soul, sure he's different but he never let what people said about him or to him change the way he was.

He gasped as he rolled over slightly to cough the blood out of his throat, he knew his friends would be gone, but that just made him more determined to fight and get back to them. Unbeknownst to him though, Vecna lived; their plan to kill the bastard had only weakened him momentarily, but he lurked in the shadows gaining back his strength and formulating a new plan. A plan that would involve the loveable metal head that is trapped here in his domain.

Back in Hawkins the group would mourn in secret, not having the heart to tell Wayne what really happened Dustin told him he died during the 'earthquake', but that he died saving him. It broke Dustin to have to say those words, still not wanting to believe them even though his best friend, the closest thing to a big brother he'd had, died in his arms. The group met up almost weekly, sometimes twice depending on how they were coping or if they had nightmares. When they met up, they did have fun just as they did beforehand, but when no one was in the mood to talk, they'd just sit there in comfortable silence supporting each other with reassuring glances and soft embraces. They tried not to force him to talk about it until he was ready and initiated the conversation.

Time in the Upside Down seemed to move differently when you're stuck with no way out. Then as he's wandering around trying to see what seems familiar from the time he was here with Steve, Robin, and Nancy, he sees Chrissy; at least what he believes to be a hallucination of Chrissy. He smiles sadly and as if she were actually there with him he speaks to her, "I'm so sorry Chrissy...I'm so sorry I ran, I just left you there alone Chrissy. I could have..I should have called someone for help."

In the shadows, Vecna uses Chrissy as his puppet, like a sadistic puppeteer. "But you did leave me Eddie."

Eddie's head snaps up to meet her scrutinizing gaze, "After all the people in your life left you, you still chose to run." Guilt hit him like a sucker punch, twisting his gut into knots. He knows what he did, he knows he put his self preservation first, he let his fear control his actions; after all he knew how it would look even if he did the right thing.

"I'm sorry." he drops his eyes to the ground as it comes out small and broken, but lord knows how much he means it, not that it matters, it doesn't change anything. Vecna smirks, his plan is working; why hadn't he targeted this boy before?

The scrutiny in Chrissy's gaze softly disappears as she makes her way to Eddie. He's shocked when he feels the softness of her hand on his chin as she brings his eyes to meet hers. "Come with me Eddie. I can help end your pain. End your suffering." she says barely above a whisper. Without realizing what he's doing Eddie nods his head as Vecna uses Chrissy to lead the boy where he can use his vines and the newer powers that he'd acquired to put his plan in motion. As the unlikely pair make their way, Eddie realizes too late as Chrissy suddenly disappears that it's a trap. He tries to run only to be grabbed by vines and fall to the ground knocking the wind out of him and making his injuries from the bats ache and he winces in pain. He's lifted up by the vines and brought to meet Vecna's eyes, tears begin to fall from Eddie's eyes; memories of seeing Chrissy being snapped like a pretzle and drained of life flashing before his eyes as he clamps them shut awaiting the end.

To his surprise and horror, Vecna approaches him, this is the first time seeing the creature up close and terror grips him.

"Join me Eddie." Vecna croaks out in a bone chilling growl.

Eddie can't speak so he shakes his head violently, mind flashing to his friends and sheep that needed his guidance knowing he'd face this hellish nightmare thing a thousand times over to keep them safe.

Vecna lets out a low chuckle that sends shivers of terror down Eddie's spine as he brings his grotesque hand up to force new thoughts in his mind; much like he did with Nancy before they got out of the Upside Down the first time. He saw flashes of his friends, his uncle Wayne, Dustin all writhing in pain and screaming for his help. Eddie cries out in pain at seeing them like that and hangs his head low, hoping that if he gives himself to Vecna that he will truly leave them alone and find a new hell hole to terrorize instead of Hawkins. "Okay." he says so quietly that if you hadn't been right next to him you'd miss it.

At hearing this Vecna smiles wickedly as the vines that held Eddie begin to engulf him, searing Eddie's skin causing him to scream in pain. Vecna laughs maniacally as he begins to transform Eddie into a new minion to do his bidding. Eddie falls to the ground, breathing heavily, his eyes open to see his reflection in a puddle on the ground seeing that in a cruel twist of irony Vecna has turned him into a horrible hybrid of human and demobat; the same vile flying creatures that nearly took his life. He hates that he still vaugly resembles himself, the bat tattoo on his arm still plastered on alabaster skin, the Hellfire logo now etched into the skin of his torso, and his hair still an unkempt mess of curls. He's got wings now, his legs resemble those of a werewolf's, the rest of his skin charred aside from where his tattoos lie most of them now presented on graying skin. As Vecna starts to put other pawns into place, Eddie remains staring at this new version of himself. Tears, somehow hotter than the vines that had just released him, now flow down his face as he realizes that he looks like a devilish creature. He's now become exactly what the majority of Hawkins had expected him to be.

Listen here okay, I'M SORRY. I didn't want my brain to go there, but alas here we are. I'm not happy about it either...

[whimsicallyreading]

For Day 29 of Rowaelin Month

“A song fic-“

The song- “Always Been You” by Quinn XCII

CW- Mentions of miscarriage and divorce

"I can't believe you right now."

Rowan looks at his wife in frustration. She's sitting at the end of their bed, staring listlessly at the wall. The skirt of the red dress she's wearing is wrinkled, and his heart aches when he notices the mascara marks on her cheeks.

"Aelin," Rowan tries again to reach for her, but she leans away from his grasp.

"No, Rowan. I'm done."

Rowan takes a long swing from the beer in front of him. The time on his phone alerts him that he's spent most of the evening sulking at his bar.

The guys had invited him to dinner, but Rowan hadn't felt like going in light of his current situation. Instead, choosing to meander to the shady little pub they'd passed by coming from the airport.

His lawyer had sent him numerous emails. Documents to sign, agreements to approve, and papers he needed to read through before sending them to the judge.

Divorce was a pain, and Aelin wasn't making it easy.

"Hey, bud. I thought I might find you here." Fenrys slides onto the barstool next to his.

Rowan sighs and rubs the lines forming on his forehead. "Well, I thought it was obvious I didn't want company."

"Too bad. Drinking alone isn't a good look on you." Fenrys raises a hand and motions for another round of beers. "How are things going with ya know?"

"Shitty. She's never paid a dime of rent on that apartment, but she wants the lease signed into her name and for me to front the first four months of rent." Rowan cracks a peanut between his finger. He has no intent to eat the growing pile in front of him. He just craved the satisfaction of breaking something.

"Well, have you talked to her about that?" Fenrys frowns in sympathy, knowing how equally attached both parties were to the little rental.

Rowan laughs mirthlessly. "No, she said that it was better if our conversations were mediated. I always knew Aelin was catty, but she's acting like such a-"

"Don't." Fenrys gives Rowan a severe look. "I know you are upset, but don't start saying shit you'll regret."

Rowan pauses and reluctantly nods his agreement. It's the alcohol talking. He knew the problems that had festered his marriage were predominantly his responsibility.

He takes a deep breath, but a heaviness seems to keep the air from reaching his lungs fully. The weight was slowly becoming too familiar, starting the day Aelin had presented him with the papers.

Rowan wishes he'd done more. Wishes he'd paid more attention and seen the signs of Aelin's unhappiness.

The day Aelin had broken down in their bedroom had been a cold wake-up call but by then? It was already too late.

"You missed our anniversary Rowan." Aelin shouts and pulls her heels off angrily.

Rowan picks up a shoe and tries to hand it back to her. "I know. I'm sorry. It's not too late, though. We can still go out? There's still time to salvage-"

Aelin turns away from him and seems to fold in on herself. Rowan wants to reach out. He wants to hold her, but something dark is building in the air.

"I don't want your leftovers, Rowan," Aelin whispers. "That's all I get anymore—your leftover time. Your leftover attention. Whatever leftover resentment you bring home from work."

"Aelin-" he tries to cut off her depressive spiral, but she's not finished.

"You used to call me during the day." Aelin's voice cracks, and he realizes she's crying. "Every day, you would call me on your break. Now you don't even call when you leave town."

"Baby, just listen to me." He puts his hands on her shoulders, but Aelin breaks his grasp to turn around and look at him.

"Is there someone else?" Her eyes are wide and vulnerable. So unlike his regular Aelin."

"What?" His brain is struggling even to formulate a reply. Rowan's lack of response only causes Aelin to worry more.

Something in her cracks. There's a quiver to her lips, and her face drains of color. "Oh. Oh no."

"Aelin. I swear there is no one else." Rowan finally says, but it's too late.

"Is," Aelin presses the heels of her hands against her eyes. "Is it because I lost the baby?" She sucks in a hiccupping breath. "You've always wanted kids. So did I, but my fucking body doesn't work."

Aelin closes her eyes, and Rowan knows she's speaking more to herself than him, but her words gut him just the same. "My body doesn't work right. I keep giving us false hopes and wasting money on pregnancy tests. Of course, you would look for a woman who can give you what you want."

He's surprised by the sudden flare of anger in him. "Don't put words in my mouth. That will never be your fault."

They'd known right from the start their journey to parenthood would be a long one. Aelin had a family history of complicated fertility. It had seemed so trivial when they got married. Yet even knowing there could be issues, nothing quite prepared them for the pain of a miscarriage.

Aelin sniffles, unable to force back her grief, "But you resent me. Don't you?"

Rowan doesn't reply.

"It's rough," Rowan admits out loud. "I let a lot get left unsaid. I was hurt and pushed her away. Now she won't even speak to me without a lawyer present."

Fenrys nods, "It's all probably for the best. Once this is over, you guys can put this drama behind you."

"I wish it were that easy," Rowan knocks back the rest of his beer. He grimaces at the drink. It's not taking hold quickly enough.

Fenrys raises an eyebrow. "You both will be able to shut the book on this chapter of your lives and move on? Considering how bloody you two have been fighting, it sounds ideal."

They sit in silence. Fenrys takes the peanut basket away from Rowan and picks at the shells. The bartender comes by, and disgruntledly eyes Rowan's pile of crumbs as he orders a whiskey neat.

Fen was like his little brother, but Rowan found it hard to admit his real problem to him aloud. "I still love her."

The basket goes flying over the side of the counter, and Fenrys chokes on his beer. "What?"

Rowan can't look him in the eye, "We lost a baby. It was early. Aelin didn't want to tell everyone. Three years we tried to get pregnant, and finally, a test comes back positive. She was so happy."

"Shit," Fenrys says quietly. "I'm so sorry."

"It was there, and then it was gone. I thought Aelin was fine. She cried for a week, but then it was like a switch flipped, and she was back to normal." Rowan clenches a napkin in his fist. "I was devastated. It hurt like hell, but I didn't want to send her back into a depression." Rowan shakes his head at how stupid he'd been. "So I put some distance between us. I didn't want her to think I was upset with her."

"I didn't feel better," Rowan sips the whiskey, relishing the warmth. "It made me mad that she got over it so quickly, and I couldn't. I didn't realize that I was growing that space between us. I didn't understand how much guilt she harbored and that she tried to be strong for me. Not until she broke."

"We fought. I said all the wrong things. Aelin couldn't take it anymore, she left, and I didn't stop her." Rowan leans his head on his hands and elbows against the counter. "She's the love of my life, and I watched her walk out the door."

Fenrys sucks in a breath and sighs. "You are my best friend, and I mean this in the most loving way possible. Why the hell are you here?"

"What?" Rowan looks at Fenrys annoyed face.

"Get out of here. Go. I'll tell the boss you have ebola or some shit." Fenrys fishes his wallet out and throws cash on the bar. "I'll even cover the tab. Just leave. Now."

"What? I don't understand?"

Fenrys looks at Rowan like he's stupid. "No offense, but you are about as interesting as a brick wall. The fact you caught a girl like Aelin is astonishing. If you love her, are you honestly going to let her go on being miserable?"

"She's not miserable," Rowan scoffs.

Fenrys laughs bitterly. "You forget I'm pals with Aedion too? Aelin winds up at his house almost every evening crying her eyes out. You two are still hopelessly in love. You're just dumb and badly in need of a good conversation."

"Aelin is upset?" A sense of disbelief washes over him.

"Yes! She misses you, but she's under the impression you are off sleeping around." His face saddens. "I told Aedion you weren't. He knows I go on all of these trips with you. Aelin's just upset you're gone and needs to believe in something that can help her let go."

Rowan stands up, swaying. "I have to go."

"Hell yeah, you do. Give Aelin my love," Fenrys waves as Rowan vates the bar like a hawk out of hell.

Aelin sets the stack of papers in front of him.

Rowan had been camping out in his office ever since there disaster of an anniversary. He'd texted a few times, but every time they talked, it was like relighting a fuze. Things weren't getting better.

"What are these?" Rowan asks without looking up from his screen.

"Your ticket to freedom," Aelin sits in the chair across from him.

She looks thin, thinner than she did when Arobynn was her foster father. It physically hurts Rowan that he's causing her that kind of stress. Glancing at the papers, she slapped in front of him. His blood becomes like an ice river through his body. "Aelin-"

"I'm not the one for you. That's apparent now. I won't hold you hostage in a marriage that you aren't happy in." Aelin blinks, and a tear slides down her face. He wants to wipe it away, but he's beyond angry. She was giving up on them.

"If this is what you want," Rowan slides the papers towards him and pulls out a pen.

Rowan is racing the familiar paths to their apartment. He doesn't care that it's almost four in the morning. The plane ride between Perranth and Ornyth is mercifully short, but he can't force himself to wait another minute.

"Aelin," he yells through their door. "Baby, answer me. Open the door."

Rowan's fists tap a consistent rhythm on the door, and his heart skips a beat when a bedraggled Aelin finally appears. "Rowan, do you know what time it is?"

She's in a pair of grey flannel pajamas, not one of her usual silky numbers. Aelin's eyes are red around the edges, and her face is still dewy from the excessive amount of lotion he knows she loves to put on. Rowan knows all of her routines. All of her favorite outfits, comfort movies, and best memories. He knows the scar she has on her left hand from an abusive foster father. Rowan remembers how the bridge of her nose wrinkles when she's upset in the same spot her cousin's does.

He knows everything about her, because not only were they husband and wife, they were best friends.

How could he have let that go?

Before Aelin can ask any more questions, Rowan has swept her into his arms. "I missed you so damn much."

"Rowan, have you been drinking?" Aelin asks in a voice cracked with emotion.

His hands are running up her back, and his knows burrows into her hair. He's always loved the smell of her jasmine shampoo. "Fireheart, I never resented you for losing the baby."

"Rowan, I don't want to talk about this," Aelin tries to push him away, but he squeezes her into his chest, and she melts.

That had been his mistake. He should have held Aelik like this and never let her go on pretending to be happy. How could he know everything about this woman and not have seen past her facade? She'd suffered. His own pain had blinded him.

"Aelin, I've made so many mistakes lately." Rowan rubs the back of Aelin's neck the way she likes, and he can feel the sobs starting to build up inside of her. "But the greatest shame of my life is not being there for you when you needed me. I was stupid, Fireheart. I'm not going to be stupid any longer. This separation can't go on, we aren't any happier for it, and I can't live knowing I'm away from the other half of my soul."

Aelin cracks, and he can feel the tears wetting the front of his shoulder. "You were never home. I thought there was someone else, someone who could give you the things you wanted because I can't."

Her whole form is shuddering his arms, and Rowan squeezes tighter as if he can hold her broken pieces together. "It's always been you. I don't care if we adopt or never have any kids at all. All I need is you, baby. You are all I've ever needed."

Suddenly, hands are in Rowan's hair as Aelin crushes their lips together. The kiss is frantic, a relief of the stress they'd carried upon their shoulders.

"I missed you too," Aelin whispers in between kisses. “Gods I mussed you so much.”

The rest of their night is filled with soothing words, frantic kissing, and murmured apologies. Rowan kisses the tears from her cheeks and Aelin looks into his eyes like she’s home. Nail dig into skin as they promise never to be apart again.

For the first time in months they sleep in the same bed. Rowan sinks into a deep restful sleep with his wife in his arms once more. He loves the way her cold toes search out his heat. How Aelin fits so perfectly against his chest. When he wakes up and she’s still there, his heart nearly features from relief.

After months of pain, it's the beginning of their walk towards healing.

The days after aren't perfect. They had legal issues to sort back out, more problems to lay bare to the sunlight. There was arguing, but it lacked actual heat, and they didn't walk away feeling unloved at the end. No longer did they fight to land barbs. Their bickering now served to work towards solutions and to express needs.

Between struggles, the love began to grow back. Rowan kept his job at work, and when he was home, it was about them. He started calling her on his breaks again, and it always astonished him how much he missed the sound of her voice. They both strived to communicate their feelings better and actually listen instead of reacting.

Aelin surprised him with romantic dates, and Rowan read pages of her favorite books to her at night. They danced in the kitchen and laughed at their favorite shows.

Fixing their marriage was hard work, but Rowan and Aelin didn't mind. The separation proved that neither of them wanted a life without the other. It was to whatever end, and they wouldn't accept anything less for them.

On one Sunday morning, Rowan opens his eyes and realizes that Aelin isn't on her side of the bed. Panic surges in him, and he looks around to make sure her things are still there.

They are, and the tension eases from his shoulders until he hears soft crying from the bathroom. Darting out of bed, he grabs Aelin's bathrobe and knocks on their bathroom door. "Aelin, what's wrong?"

Had he screwed something up? Was she sick?

The lock clicks, granting him silent permission for him to come inside. Rowan pushes the door open and finds Aelin crying on the side of the tup. With gentle hands, he wraps her robe around her and throws an arm over her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Aelin looks up at him, a radiant smile on her face. "Look."

Rowan glances down to her clenched fists and-

He blinks, once, twice. Aelin laughs at his dumbfounded face, and it breaks his paralysis. Rowan grabs her around the waist and spins her around the cramped bathroom, the positive pregnancy test clattering to the floor.

Aelin's arms wrap around his neck. The emotion in the room is raw and bittersweet, but there's a hopefulness that can't be denied. Rowan holds her tight as they process the news. When they break apart, the love between them is palpable. They had another shot at this, a fresh start.

Hards times would come and go, but good days were never far behind for them. Because for Aelin and Rowan, it's always been them.

And that's all they needed.

[theskythatwritesofthisplace]

Amongst Hellhounds: Old Friend

As Quinn maintained the domain. Nyx was itching to get home. To get to her pair, her child's creature. Both needed protecting she thought. When ever she had to, she jumped to the queen's side in her factual world.. with Rogue's help of course. She stayed within the Hellhounds kingdom otherwise, as she promised. "She doesn't go crazy with you doing that? I remember it did.. quite a bit actually." Syn said, spooking Nyx as she appeared a way from Rogue. "Are gonna always pop up like that!? I hate that shit!!" She screamed in pure paranoia. "It would appear you don't like a lot of things anymore. Sit with me for a moment." Said gesturing to sit on one of the couches. He motioned for her to sit close. She sat on the couch opposite of him.

"What are you looking to know..?" She asked dryly. "My father.. he speaks of you in such high regard.. it would seem you're all grown up. Understand I understood what happened." Syn whispered. She sat still and said "Syn I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. He figured her out. We said no!" "I know." He answered trying to calm her. "He possessed me!!" She screamed in tears. "He made me relive it!!" She cried holding herself up right. He ran to her and held her close. He whispered "I told you I understood. It's okay now." "How's.. your dad doing. He's protective huh?" She asked quickly wiping away her tears.

"You were meant for great pain little one. Who knew you could suppress it just like that?" He asked. "..You know, I've finally felt a day that required no pain. None! But there's always a painful part to be had. I won't get that again." Nyx explained with a blank face. "Tell me about it?" He asked. "She was able to travel. Able to feel the way she wanted to. And for the first time.. exude us. We were at least in part.. fully in her world. Happy." Nyx explained. She told him of her adventures. How certain choices may have changed her, but she was no less.. was thriving. To a point of confusion. She explained how Ann did everything she could to perfection, only to be cast aside.

"Why continue if you keep losing?" Syn asked "Because she finds herself blessed yet cursed being able to get here. Death is different here. She could make peace in a way humans literally have to die to do. And.. us." She answered "Us?" He pried. "Oh!! Quinn." she said with a prideful smile. She stood up, began to pace back and forth comfortably. "You saw the owl. You saw her just sitting and watching. Never doing anything. But even that got us in trouble. Remember?" She asked. "Of course." He answered.

"The owl herself is the beast. Melinoe. But Quinn.. she's.. she's the logic, the strategy, the memory. She has a voice now.. a beautiful one." Nyx explained. "When did you hear it first?" Syn asked. "When she flatlined.. when.. we flatlined." She answered. Syn's face grew somber. He knew 'We' meant they almost died in both worlds. "He left you to die?" He pried in sorrow. "I took on too much damage. Since it was only me and her, I was trying my best to do two parts instead of one. I had to. Ann was giving birth! He left me alone within Ann. I could feel us going under." She told him. She stopped looking straight at him with dark green eyes and said "I saw the owl bolt to us. It biting at us. Chirping as if it had a message. But we could not move. Ann was quiet."

"She has her own young now?" Syn whispered. "Yes. So much has happened old friend. So much." She replied finally sitting next to him. She told him of Sol and Warden. How they each were opposite of each other, but matching without knowing. How Ann holds whispers for her oldest. "So much indeed." Syn finally said taking everything in. "So what's the deal with this fox? Father keeps bringing him up like he's the final ingredient to a bomb." He asked.

"He's hard to explain. I feel like he killed the fool in me. Can I truly punish someone for making me wiser? I feel like he killed the philosopher in Quinn. Can I really punish him for making her deadly again? I don't know. I have been meaning to ask for your help with him. Your father saw me try to attack Felix.. using a glamor to look like him." She explained feeling odd, pointing to the glass box with Renegade floating inside. Not only could she not lie to the fox, she could not lie about him.. unlike the fox. "He has her claim doesn't he?" Syn said in worry. "Yes. But more so.. ours. I need you to help me take me and Quinn's claim. Maybe that way.. he could have a clean slate." She answered.

He stood astonished at the request he was given. Pacing wondering how to go about it. He stopped and said "Father has his creature embedded in him doesn't he?" Nyx nodded yes. "We would be killing him in this realm, you understand that!?" He questioned. Nyx rose from the couch staring at him with black eyes and said grimly "The Body's 1st objective: No king stands before her."

[bangtancentricsblog]

Eccentric Halloween Special

affiliated works here

listen up, so this is first and foremost for my amazing friend and bestest hype woman @boymeetsweevil but imma call her my wife from now on because she is my biggest supporter and i love and appreaciate her wholeheartedly! thank you for always being there for me and keeping me motivated to write even when i think my ideas are dumpster fires and not worth finishing.

Warnings: mentions of past emotional and verbal abuse, there is smut (but like ion if everyone will like it lol) sexual jokes in reference to halloween songs, alcohol consumption, mentions of drug use (its just weed nothing big) let me know if i missed anything!

there are easter eggs so if you find them/think you found one feel free to come chat my ask box is always open!

The music is loud, bass thumping through the floor and in your ears with what you know to be a kpop song by a boy group that’s pretty catchy and says something about being an underdog. This reminds you of college and even if that shit was terrible and you never finished this atmosphere was very college like. Taehyung had left you alone some time ago whispering a soft ‘make some friends’ into your temple with a kiss, you’d gawked at his back because who did he think you were? Last you checked you weren’t rainbow fucking bright and you’d been dragged to this party for a, as he called it a ‘surprise’. The living room floor was overflowing with girls all dressed as slutty bees and butterflies, slutty anything really and you rolled your eyes because yeah this was exactly like a college party. The jungle juice didn't help, it tasted like ass but it did the trick you guess. You’d caught a glimpse of Jungkook not too long ago his hair had grown out, now long enough that he’d tied it up into a messy bun. He’d been dragging a girl behind him, one you’d seen once or twice wrapped around his form on your late night munchies run to the convenience store. 

He’s a great guy so you’re happy for him, a little too wild but still a great guy. You’ve been here for the better part of an hour just people watching from your seat on a bar stool sitting at the kitchen island of whoevers house this is. It’s a decent spot you think as you catch glimpses of people you’ve met before and have come to call acquaintances, like Lisa who’s laughing with a group of girls in the far corner by the gaudy faux leather couch. Johnny’s here too, body molded to the back of some petite brunette dressed as what you’re pretty sure is an American Horror Story witch. Hoseok is here too swapping spit with his best friend turned girlfriend, and you consider tracking Jungkook down to see if he has any space sticks on him, or at least his pen because this party sucks and Taehyung left you by yourself and if you have to do this alone you might as well be high too. 

The idea is very appealing, you chew on your lower lip weighing your options because there’s a high chance that Jungkook is fucking his cute little girlfriend in the backyard or you could find Jackson and see if he has anything on him even if his weed is shit and makes you feel sick most of the time. You groan because both those options are crap and for some fucking reason Macarena has come on and the drunks on the dance floor have begun to whoop in excitement. You refill your cup taking a sip, the mix is bitter on your tongue and you want to gag a little bit because whoever mixed it was terrible at it. God you miss Taehyung, you really want to go home to fuck him because it’s halloween and your horny but mostly because he’s got a big dick and you like the way he manhandles you. A small whine slides past your lips catching movement to your right, you peek at the couple that's just come from the hallway that you're pretty sure leads to another bathroom and the laundry room. The girl is cute, cheeks soft looking and tinted a lovely shade of ‘my boyfriend just ate my pussy’ pink. The lucky bitch you think with an internal groan. Her hair is done up in pigtails in a style you recognize automatically since Harley Quinn’s been one of your women crushes the entirety of your life, along with Lucy Lui.

Her boyfriend is sporting what looks like mint hair and a smirk you think could rival Taehyung’s. He’s kinda hot if you look closely which you aren’t because his nose doesn’t have the elegant slope that Tae’s does and neither does he have the little beauty mark. It's the alcohol you reason for the way you're comparing this very committed stranger to your very loving missing boyfriend. You just want to go home, and get some dick is that too much to ask? Thriller has played for the third time tonight when you feel the tap on your shoulder cup at your lips. You’re brows furrow,  irritation sweeping over your body at being touched so casually by someone who isn’t your boyfriend or Jungkook. It's the mint haired guy you note quirking your head slightly to better hear him over the music. 

“Hey, you’re ____, right?” 

“Piss off fuck boy, find someone else’s leg to hump.” you say around the lip of your plastic cup. A snort comes from behind him, as Harley Quinn brings her hand up to cover her mouth. He scowls at her pinching her side and she laughs harder smiling up at him, before turning her attention to you instead.

“Sorry, we should’ve introduced ourselves first.” She smiles at you, eyes creasing in a way that rings familiar in your head but can’t pinpoint at the moment. You nod anyways since Taehyung did say to make friends. 

“I’m Sweetpea and this is Yoongi, we’re friends of Tae’s.” she says hand out and you take it shaking it and Yoongi’s before pulling yours back and discreetly wiping it on your skirt. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m ____, Taehyung’s girlfriend.” you say a little sheepish since he’s usually beside you when you meet more of his friends. 

“Is Tae not here?” Sweetpea asks her voice lilting in a way that you wish yours would. 

“He’s making his rounds, I’m just waiting til he’s done catching up with everyone.” you smile it feels forced but you’re really trying.

“Does he still do that, I'd thought he’d stopped by now.” Yoongi says wrapping an arm around Sweetpea’s waist and pulling her close. You don’t mean to be, but you're jealous of Sweetpea right now, her boyfriend holds her so tenderly and the affection in his eyes is evident. Monster Mash has been replayed a second time and you really wish your boyfriend’s monster cock was smashing the shit out of your pussy right about now. Tears prick at the back of your eyes because you just want to go home, and Taehyung has seemingly abandoned you for far too long. 

“What are you dressed as anyways?” Yoongi asks, snapping you out of your little tantrum, your eyes narrowing because is he serious right now? 

“Are you, like, serious?” you say with as much ditsy tv show white girl you can muster. 

“Yeah, don't get me wrong you’ve got a nice face but it’s halloween you didn't have to dress as a nun.” he laughs and Sweetpea gives him this look. 

“I’m not a nun.” 

“Y’look like a nun to me.” 

“But I’m not, I'm dressed as Sypha from Castlevania.” you say with as much annoyance as you feel, but realize that you shouldn't have to explain your costume to him. Your cheeks feel warm with embarrassment because how dare Taehyung leave you to fend for yourself against this douche. 

“I mean anyone with a brain could put that together,” you scoff looking him up and down “what are you supposed to be, bargain bin Joker? Couldn't have mustered enough fucks to at least try?” you spit mentally shriviling up because wow how did you manage to fuck this up? Sweetpea is looking between you and Yoongi and you don’t blame her, here you were a near perfect stranger attacking her boyfriend when they’d been nice enough to pull you out of your little bubble. To your surprise Yoongi laughs, teeth and gums on display. It's kind of cute, you think, his laugh that is not him. 

“Thats a good one, couples costumes are kinda pointless. Tae wasn’t kidding when he said you were kinda surly.” 

“M’not surly, people just get on my nerves.” you pout, reaching across the island to refill your cup. If your embarrassment doesn't kill you this jungle juice will, the cup is half full when you bring it back to your lips, moving to get off your seat. Fuck it, if you have to see Jungkook’s bare ass to have a decent smoke then so be it. 

“Hey, were you going?” Sweetpea asks eyes wide, god she's pretty and she kinda reminds you of Jimin but that can’t be right. 

“Smoke, this was fun and all but my quota for meeting new people has reached its limit. See you around or something.” you say heading into the crowd of people on the dance floor because it was simpler to go through it than around them. Johnny shoots you a wink as you pass while the girl from earlier glares at you. There’s a throb growing in your temple, as the base of a new song vibrates from the floor and through your body. Lisa see’s you waving enthusiastically as you hand her your drink because you’re sure it's the toxic concoction making your head hurt. She smiles gratefully as you finally make it out the back door and much to your surprise Jungkook is seated at a patio set with the girl from the convenience store in his lap. 

The heavy base of Freaks Come Out at Night drifts out the open doors and to your left somewhere you can hear breathy moans, a voice that sounds like Hoseok encouraging his girlfriend. You purse your lips because Hoseok came off as a bit of a prude but hey it's Halloween and at least someone’s having fun. It's much colder outside than it is in the house, but you’ll make due with the warmth of what you can make out is the stench of weed in the air. Jungkook is occupied whispering things into the girls ears as you plant your ass on the chair opposite him, he pulls away from her eyes glazed over and droopy. 

“Hey where you been, we’ve been waiting for ya. You remember Shrimp right?” he asks patting Peewee’s thigh. 

“Vaguely, nice to meet you.” you say and Shrimp smiles over at you, her smile is tight and you don’t want to think too much into it. 

“So what have you guys been up to, you didn't bring her out here in the cold to fuck did’ya?” 

“Course not, too many people inside and we didn't wanna share our chocolate.” he laughs pulling a bag of Reese's peanut butter cups from beside him.

“Kook, you said Tae told you to wait out here.” Shrimp says eyes narrowed and moving to stand from her seat in his lap. 

“Don’t move you’re keeping my dick warm.” he laughs as she smacks his shoulder playfully. You’ve perked up because this is the first time all night you’ve gotten any type of word that Taehyung hadn’t just ditched you at this party. 

“Look here twerp, where the hell is my shithead boyfriend?” you ask and both Jungkook and Shrimp look thoroughly chastised even though you were only talking to the former. He widens his eyes at you tilting his head to the side in a way he does when he wants to pretend he knows nothing. 

“I don’t know what you mean, he’s around here somewhere. I’m sure he is, maybe Hoseok might know?” he breathes eyes darting to Shrimp who sits pretty in his lap like some sort of doll. 

“Okay what the actual fuck? I just wanna go home to fuck my boyfriend and he’s playing some weird game of hide and seek.” you grunt exasperated because this was weird as fuck and Tae and his friends were getting on your last nerve. You don’t mean to cry, you really don’t, but you're frustrated and your period is just around the corner and all your friends are being weird and your boyfriend is being a shithead. 

“If that's all you wanted you could've said so, but that would’ve ruined the surprise.” Taehyung says in that tone he uses when you’re on the brink of tears or already crying. Your gaze shoots over to him in an instant, tears already spilling over your cheeks flushed red in anger. He looks sheepish, but it doesn’t make you feel better. 

“Go away, I don’t wanna see you.” you say planting your head on the table to hide your face. 

“C’mon you don’t mean that.” he says, slowly lifting your face to meet your gaze. He’s standing between your thighs cupping your cheeks before he slowly moves to straddle your lap, a giggle comes from the couple in the other chair. 

“Yes I do.” you sniff the chorus of Somebody's Watching Me ringing in your ears. He chuckles at you tilting your head up, nose nuzzling yours softly before he’s molding his lips to yours. It’s always the butterflies in your tummy that surprise you, because by now you’d hoped to be used to this feeling but you’re not. You’ve never loved someone like you do Taehyung, and it's weird because before him you were sure you just weren’t made to be loved. You’d long since opened up to him of your reasons for being so detached, cold even with anyone and everyone. It’d been hard to trust people after the various years of both verbal and emotional abuse, hell even at home it wasn’t all that great. When you’d moved to Taehyung’s peaceful little neighborhood you had made sure to keep people far away from you, that way they wouldn’t be able to hurt you. No backstabbing friends and no cheating boyfriends, just you all on your lonesome. And yet Taehyung had broken through your walls and made himself a cozy little home in your heart. 

It was because of him that you were able to make progress with your therapist who was no longer your therapist and more a friend. Namjoon was a nice guy and if he hadn’t been busy tonight you would’ve invited him to this party, but he had plans with his girlfriend Bubbles. Hell you’d been shocked to learn he’d gone to school with Taehyung, because by now you were sure he was friends with pretty much everyone in town. He pulls away from the kiss forehead pressed to yours and you whine softly eyes still closed because you were sure you were dreaming. Nothing this amazing ever happened, least of all to you. 

“Ready for your surprise?” he asks breath fanning over your lips and cheeks, your eyes open then curiosity swirling in their depths and it makes Taehyung smile. He pecks your lips a few times before sliding off your lap and helping you to your feet. Jungkook and Shrimp are no longer sitting in the chair, the music has stopped too and it unnerves you a little. 

“You’re not gonna scare me are you?” you murmur voice sounding small and unsure of yourself because you will cry if he scares you. 

“No, just relax, I wouldn’t do that to you.” he laughs, arms wrapping around your shoulders. You’re still hesitant though, he’s leading you to the house where you were sure a party was in full swing not too long ago. The lights are off inside and if this is the day you die then so be it, but you’d be damned if you don't go down fighting. You’re fists clench and unclench palms growing clammy as your nerves begin to get the better of you, your glance at him from the side maybe you can still make a run for it. Taehyung seems to read your mind because in the next moment he’s standing behind you gently pushing you forward through the door and into the dark of what’s the living room. Your heart is pounding against your ribs and you’re sure you're about to die because this is too scary. 

“Ready?” He asks and a strangled noise comes from your throat in an answer. Your breathing grows heavy, lungs not taking in enough air. The lights come on as a chorus of voices yell ‘Happy Birthday’ a scream comes from your mouth followed by a loud sob, because there in the middle of what used to be the dance floor is a giant sheet cake decorated in the colors of the holiday a giant happy birthday ____ in the middle made of fondant. You’re sobbing, tears rolling down your cheeks as your friends and the crowd of strangers coo at the scene. Taehyung pulls you into a hug swaying you softly as your hands clutch at his shirt, he’s placing kisses to the crown of your head, whispering loving words into your hair. 

“We got you, didn’t we.” Jungkook giggles with a present bag in hand, in fact your small group of friends all have colorfully wrapped gifts. Your sobs have turned into soft hiccups and you smile at Jungkook with a nod. 

“My birthday was two weeks ago, why would you?” 

“Because I promised you we would celebrate but we had work and you haven't had a party since you were five. I wanted you to have some new happy memories for your birthday.” Taehyung says with a smile. Your cheeks grow warm, heart swelling in your chest, and you think to yourself that maybe coming out to this party wasn’t so bad. The cake is cute and Taehyung had told you how it took him a whole week to plan this party. He’d gotten the cake from a pastry shop owned by his friend Jin, and when he’d mention the name you’d been shocked. Illusion had been all the rave since the pastries were delicious and affordable, the best part was that the owner was rumored to be extremely handsome. You chose not to open any of the gifts because you wanted to be able to fully enjoy them, the cake was cut and you’d enjoyed all the slices you’d eaten of the devils food cake. Yoongi and Sweetpea hugged you as they handed you your gift  apologizing for anything Yoongi might’ve said to offend you. You’d laughed it off, saying that it was okay and that he hadn’t.

“So what is Taehyung exactly?” Yoongi asks playfully, smirking at you and you roll your eyes god he needed to educate himself. 

The party ended early, well for you anyways after the cake you’d dance a few songs with Taehyung’s dick pressed to the small of your back, you’d made friends with Sweetpea and Yoongi. Jimin had stopped by as they were leaving and had hugged Sweetpea so tight (which you later learned was his sister), he’d brought along a ‘friend’ who was a medical examiner in the morgue of the police station he worked at. You’d nearly choked seeing her, she introduced herself as Dove who enjoyed scaring Jimin and worked with dead people she explained. She’d come as Strawberry Shortcake, her wig a bubblegum pink and her outfit intricate with lace and frills. She talked fast which normally would've been fine but the jungle juice had been too much. Jimin had steered her away from you as you looked sleepily to Taehyung, packing up as much cake as you thought you could eat. The night however hadn’t ended with the party. Taehyung had driven you to his house which he liked to think was closer than yours, and now here you were giggling up a storm as he did his best impression of Trevor Belmont from Castlevania. 

“What say you Speaker, do you think you could handle Taehyung Belmont’s thick length?” you snort.

“Length? Who even says that?” he’s laughing body molded to yours still dressed in his costume, and you feel the laugh more than hear it. You’d been lazily kissing on his bed not long ago, making up for all the time you hadn’t kissed him earlier when you’d asked him if you could have his Magic Stick. He’d pulled away from your lips an elegant brow raised in question, you’d giggled first encouraging him into an all out cringe war. 

“Okay, enough of that.” he says going back to your neck nipping gently before smoothing his tongue over the irritated skin. He's careful to pull your costume off, hands meeting the warmth of your skin after discarding each item. You shiver the cool air nipping at your heated skin, as Taehyung trails kisses down your neck to your chest. 

“Tae.” you whine as he kisses one of your tits then the other.

“S’okay baby, I got you.” he whispers, taking a nipple in his mouth. He’s careful with you today and for some reason it warms your insides. One of his hands has trailed down your body cupping your pussy, he runs his fingers over your lips testing your wetness. A moan slips from your mouth because it never takes long to work you up, he chuckles against your tit. He teases your entrance with the tip of his finger before dragging it to your clit and applying a little bit of pressure. You’re pussy clenches growing wetter with every circle off his fingers on your clit, he slides his fingers back down slowly slipping in a single digit. It feels good, the angle just barely manages to scrape against that spot only he’s ever found. 

“Oh god” you cry softly as he slowly slides another finger in, he shushes you with a kiss to your cheek.

“You’re doing so good baby, can you take another?” 

“Y-yes, please.” Taehyung sighs into your skin adding a third finger and thrusting a little faster into your pussy. There’s a soft squelching sound as more of your slick gushes from your entrance, coating his fingers as they continue to pump in and out of your pussy. You’ve started to shift your hips thrusting into his fingers to add to the grown friction, a coil pulling tanut in your belly. A warmth settles in the low of your belly growing as you swivel your hips to meet his pace, you’ve lost the ability to think as Taehyung pulls his finger from you rubbing at your clit with his slicked up fingers and groaning as your hips jolt off the bed. 

“Tell me what you want.” he says, pulling his fingers away from your clit making you whine at the loss. 

“Want your cock.” 

“Think you’re pretty pussy can take me baby?”

“Yes, please, please.” Your eyes are glazed as you watch him pull off his shirt tossing it to the side, then yanking down his pants boxers and all. He wraps a hand around his cock pumping a few times spreading the precum that's beaded at the tip. He’s reaching over to the nightstand, when you place a hand to his arm. His eyes meet yours in a question, one that makes your cheeks heat further.  

“I want to like this.” you say suddenly shy, eyes darting away from his. He smiles softly using his clean hand to bring your gaze back to his. 

“Are you sure?” he asks, you nod spreading your legs wider to better fit his hips. He kisses you soft, just the way you like as he slides his cock through your slick and lining himself to your entrance. He’s sliding in slowly filling your pussy inch by inch watching your expression and the way he disappears inside you. He starts off slow sliding in and out of you in a way that you know is his way of making you feel every inch of him. His cock hits deep like this, it’s your favorite position because you’re surrounded by him. His hair is hanging in his face, brows furrowed, as he thrust a little faster into your heat, your pussy clenches every time his cock hits that spongy bundle of nerves his finger barely managed to scrape.

“Yes, right there” you sigh letting your eyes slip closed as he pumps his hips faster into your pussy. The squelch grows louder as do your cries, taehyung grunts at the way your pussy tightens around his cock, your chest is flushed and your hands scramble to find something to hold on to. There’s tears at your lash line pooling at the corner of your eyes ready to fall but haven’t. He drops his weight wrapping his arms around your body and switching your positions. Your eyes have fluttered open with a gasp, his cock hitting that much deeper with you on top, you feel shy again as his gaze travels over your naked chest falling to where he’s inside you. 

“C’mon baby fuck me, fuck yourself on my cock.” he says taking hold of your hands intertwining your finger and bringing them to his lips. You lift your hips dropping them quickly, your breaths are shaky as the warmth grows, you swivel your hips grinding your clit against his pelvis. Your hands are rested on your hips still intertwined with his as he thrusts up to add to the friction. The tears finally fall, your cries increase as you cum, your pussy clamping down on Taehyung's cock as he pumps his hips to prolong your high and find his own, you’ve stopped moving thighs twitching as your walls pulse around him. Your head is buried in his chest and you manage to shift your hips slightly when his muttered curses finally make it into your ears. You’re sensitive, but you’ll be damned if he doesn’t cum in you the first time you go sans condom. 

“Fuck yeah, just like that.” he groans as a new warmth fills you, he’s panting hands settled on your hips while you lay limp against his chest. 

“I love you.” you mumble against his skin feeling him stiffen beneath you.

“W-what?” he asks, you shift sitting up and lovingly gazing down at him. 

“I love you.” you repeat as he gazes at you with love in his eyes and smiles.  It’s the first time you’ve said it and its not because of the sex, but because you’re finally ready to give your heart away again, this time though you know for sure its in good hands. 

[doyelikehaggis]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Carenzo | Caroline Forbes x Enzo St. John (The Vampire Diaries)

"Thinking of jumping down and trying to walk across it?" Enzo asks from Caroline's right, sitting beside her on the stairwell. His tone is light, joking, one that she hadn't quite realized she'd missed all these months they've spent apart. 

She sniffs, sucking in a deep breath that only makes her chest hurt, and lifts her head up. She keeps her eyes straight ahead, staring at the buildings stretching out in front of her as far as she can see before the snow makes it impossible. 

"The thought crossed my mind," she admits, cracking a slight smile. "With vamp speed, we could probably get to the airport just in time. Compel a pilot if the flight's cancelled." She looks at him, blinking once or twice to see him better as she pulls a teasing look, nudging his shoulder. "Or we could just get you to fly it, Captain Lorenzo."

Enzo chuckles at the emphasis she puts on his name. It eases a little bit of the twisting in her stomach, her smile a little more genuine as she watches him duck his head for a moment.

"I actually didn't go by my right name back then," he tells her, and she raises her eyebrows, but he shakes it off. His eyes and his smile turns sad as he gazes at her. "I'm sorry about all of this, Caroline. I know you wanted to be on that flight."

She did. She needed to be on it. Lizzie and Josie are counting on her. Were counting on her, and now she's probably going to have to let them down. Again. She had told herself she would be there, especially after everything that's happened with them lately. 

"It just wasn't supposed to be like this," she says, shaking her head. "I was only supposed to be gone a few months. I wasn't—wasn't supposed to miss Christmas, or their birthday, or—"

She clamps her mouth shut, her throat aching like it's made of sandpaper.

"I just wanted to be there."

There are only so many holidays she's going to get with them. Even without the merge, she was always going to outlive them, and she's hated the thought since the day they were born. But it's so much worse now. 

"They have six years left," she says quietly, her voice shaking and her chin wobbling. "And I am running out of options. I just—I just wanted to be there, you know? For one day, at least. To see their faces light up. To watch them just be happy, without having to worry about any of this, to just—to just be there with them, as a family, and I—I just wish I had my mom because I am so lost and I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

She breaks down completely, sobs racking her body in a matter of seconds. Enzo's quick to pull her in, his arms wrapping around her as she closes her eyes against the tears and all of it. It's too much, too overwhelming. Everything hurts too much and she hates it, and why does this keep happening? Why can't something just go the way it was supposed to, why can't she be allowed to be happy?

"It's alright," Enzo murmurs into her hair, one hand stroking her back, her face buried in his chest and hands clinging to him. His voice cracks ever so slightly, and he tries to clear it. "Let it all out, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

She can't begin to express how much relief the last part brings her, even if it fills her with so much dread as well. Everyone who promises they aren't leaving her finds a way in the end. Even the immortal ones. She just hugs him tighter, letting herself believe it for this one moment, because she needs this. She needs him.

They just sit there. She doesn't know for how long, but Enzo never once stops talking to her, his voice soft and soothing. Slowly, the bubbling of pain and guilt and too many other things that are tearing her apart from the inside starts to ease until it's a gentle simmering. Her sobs turn to sniffles, the tears eventually dry, the shaking in her body turns to shivers. 

Enzo pauses, and she can't see him but she can feel his chin move from her head and assumes he's looking at her. "Cold?" he asks her with concern in his voice.

Caroline huffs out a soft laugh that holds the smallest fragment of humour. "Freezing. So much for vampires being immune to everything."

Enzo chuckles along with her, one of his hands moving to her arm, rubbing through her thin coat. She curls in closer to him.

"We still function as humans," he reminds her. "Even we're not immune to frostbite. Immune to dying from it, yes, but getting all of the symptoms of it where our hands go numb and can't move? Unfortunately, no. Probably not the best idea to be sitting outside in the coldest weather of the century."

Caroline hums her agreement. Her throat is still aching, rubbing raw every time she talks. 

"Here."

She feels Enzo move again and pulls back slightly to look at him. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as he produces a scarf seemingly out of nowhere.

"When you came up here, I was going to follow you but figured you'd end up on the balcony in our room," he explains as he winds it around her neck, adjusting it to wrap it around and back down. "But then I remembered the key, and I saw the door coming out here open. You've always had a thing for being outside when you're upset."

Despite all of the crumbled, broken pieces inside of her, she smiles a little. He pauses, checking to make sure the scarf looks okay. She just gazes at him as he gently moves a few strands of her hair until he pulls his hand back. Alarm rises in her as he begins slipping his arm out of his own jacket.

"What are you doing?" she asks him as he takes it off. 

"You need it more than I do," he simply says. 

Caroline starts to protest, but he's already wrapping it around her shoulders, seemingly unfazed that he's now sitting in the middle of a snowstorm in nothing thicker than a flimsy long-sleeved t-shirt. 

"But you just said—"

"Darling, I meant you're not immune to the cold," he cuts her off, shaking his head. He has a faint smile as he adjusts the jacket, pulling it closed around her. "I've endured much worse than a chill. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine. I can barely feel it anymore."

Caroline's heart sinks. It always does when she knows he's referencing his past in Augustine but trying to veer around actually saying it. She watches his face as he continues playing with the jacket, and then the scarf, making sure they're both just right enough to keep her warm. 

"I'm glad you're here," she tells him softly, making his hand falter and his eyes move back up to hers. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You would get through this," he says, completely serious and sincere. His hand is still hovering next to her, a few strands of hair between his fingers. "You would be upset, but you would pull yourself together, and you would find a way to get on that plane. Even if it meant you had to march right through this snow and demand that the plane takes off otherwise you'll fly it yourself if you have to."

Caroline can't help but laugh softly at his exaggerated tone, his intentions clearly to make her do just that as his eyes sparkle with a flicker of happiness. She knows he's right, of course. It would feel so much harder if she was here all alone, stranded with little hope of getting home, but she wouldn't stop trying to find a way to make it happen.

She sighs, wiping her eyes, feeling the dried tracks on her cheeks. "Well, it's a good thing you're here then, because putting me in control of a plane definitely wouldn't get us home."

"Nonsense," Enzo says, grinning, wrapping an arm back around her shoulders. "You'd make a damn good pilot. With some supervision."

"Oh, high praise from an ex-captain," she jokes, then pauses. "It is ex-captain, right?"

Enzo nods. "Yes. That whole part of my life is in the past."

Caroline just nods back as he shifts to lean against the wall behind him, pulling her closer. She settles against his side, tucked under his arm, her head on his shoulder. There's no hope of the snow stopping any time soon, and by the looks of it, they don't have much of a reason to be in any rush anymore. 

A beat passes, silence falling over them like the snow blankets the ground. She listens to the beating of his heart as her own finally slows back to an even pace, the anger and frustration and guilt seeping out of her, leaving her nothing but exhausted. 

"Can I at least ask what your alias was?" she asks softly, her curiosity poking at her as she looks up at him with a slight raise of her eyebrows. 

Enzo glances at her, then smiles.

"Michael Quinn," he answers with a strange raise in his accent, slipping from the gruff, charming British one she's used to, to a slightly softer American one.

He gives a laugh at her obvious surprise and confusion, and his voice goes back to normal.

"I adopted a completely different identity back then. Faked an accent, pretended to be American. It was easier to blend in."

"That makes sense," Caroline agrees, but can't quite wrap her head around the idea of an American Enzo, even if just for an act. 

"I started off a pilot in '42, because of World War One," he continues, to her surprise. "By '52, I was made a Captain of the US Air Force. I ended up working with the government. Shocker, I know."

Caroline's definitely thrown, that's for sure. "I thought you weren't allowed to talk about this?" she questions. 

"Well, considering all of the people I worked with back then are more than likely dead now, I think I'm safe," Enzo says, shrugging. 

Caroline nods slowly. His logic makes sense. And if he thinks it's safe to talk about then who is she to argue? It's not as if she wouldn't like to know more about this secret part of his past.

"So, the government?" she asks, twisting around in his arms and resting her chin on his shoulder. "What, did they have some shady secrets? Oh, did it involve alien conspiracies? Please, Captain Quinn, tell me this story has aliens."

Enzo laughs, and it makes her feel a little more at home for a brief moment. This storm will pass, she thinks. In all senses.

She'll call Alaric, somehow, and let him know what's going on if he hasn't already been filled in. They'll work something out. She will find a way back to Mystic Falls, even if she does have to compel someone to fly them home.

[elusive---ivory]

Little Clown pt 1

Yes, yes, yes oh, boy. Here we are!! The Sequel to TWIV. It took me a while to finish this first part, hopefully y'all enjoy it 💖💖

PAIRING: Arthur Fleck x Oc/Joker x Oc

WARNING: Unrequited Love, Child Endangerment

Part 1

Taglist:

@gloomyladyy @princessgeekface @memory-mortis (ps I apologize if I left some people out. Just message me again if I forgot)

"Mommy, I don't want a clown at my birthday party." A little girl said, troubled.

"I know, sweetheart, but clowns aren't so scary. Could you please try for me?" Her mother said, holding her hand.

It was 1993 in Gotham City. It had been 12 years since the incarceration of The Joker. Chaos was still rapid in Gotham, but the police didn't seem to care.

Sandy Fleck was one of Gotham's notorious villains, who rose to the top in popularity. Half her popularity came from followers of The Joker, hoping to seek guidance from her. The other half came from the angry mob of Gotham City, who were still hurt by the damage. For those who knew her on the streets, She was known as Dolly. She had the city tight around her finger. The only thing she was missing was Arthur.

Her daughter looked up at her. "I'm not afraid of clowns, Mommy. I just don't like them. The news doesn't like them, so why should I?" The little girl frowned. Her green emerald eyes were staring into Sandy.

"Ruthie, not everything on the news is trustworthy. Besides, I'm pretty sure your will love it." Sandy said.

"What friends, Mommy?" Ruth replied, monotonous.

Ruth Quinn Fleck wasn't like most kids her age. She was very smart, but not so sociable young girl. From the age of 5, Ruth was diagnosed by a medical professional that she had Asperger's Syndrome. Her doctors were still confused about Ruth's behavior, hoping that maybe by the time she was 8, Ruth could grow out of it. Ruth was nearing the age of 10, with her birthday being a couple days away.

The two crossed the crowded street. Ruth held onto her mother closely, as they walked into their small, yet, comfortable apartment complex.

Sandy didn't move from the old apartment complex. After all that happened, she decided that the best place for her little girl was the complex. Sure, it was an awful complex, but there was something about it that felt so warm and familiar.

As they walked up to their apartment, Sandy walked past a certain apartment door, flooding memories of someone she missed.

Sandy unlocked her apartment door, placing the groceries on the kitchen counter.

Ruth took a small juice box from the fridge, and darted for the living room. Ruth turned the TV on, and switched it to the news.

Sandy giggled to herself. "Why do you only watch the news?"

"I dunno. I like the news. It's interesting." Ruth sipped on her juice box.

Sandy smiled, washing her hands in the kitchen sink and preparing dinner.

"Twelve years ago to this day, Thomas Wayne was killed outside the Monarch Theater. In remembrance of him, we've gathered here at the theater with the young Bruce Wayne, Boy Billionaire over night."

Sandy rolled her eyes. "Ruthie, don't watch this crap. All they talk about is Bruce Wayne."

"Not all the time. They also talk about Joker." Ruth replied.

Dishes clanked in the sink, causing Sandy to break a mug, cutting her finger.

"Ruth. We don't talk about Joker, okay?" Sandy said through her teeth.

"Why not?" Ruth inquired.

"Because," Sandy rose her voice, then closed her eyes before calming down. "Because, I said so." Sandy spoke softly.

Ruth looked down at the floor. "I didn't mean to upset you, Mommy."

Sandy rubbed her temples in frustration. "I know, baby. I know."

The telephone rang on the kitchen counter. Sandy rushed over to get it.

"Hello?" Sandy answered.

"Hey, Dolly. We got ourselves another client. Do ya think you can meet us downtown at 5 o'clock?" A gruff voice said over the phone.

"I'll see, Rudy. Where is the meeting at?" Sandy turned towards her daughter, who was focused on the TV.

"Roxy's Cabaret. Our client also said he wanted to met Joker in person." Rudy explained.

"Well, he's gonna be surprised. Joker is still incarcerated, remember?" Sandy replied.

"Dolly, my hands are tied here. It was the only fib I could use to get him to see us. Anyway, do you wanna take the job or not?" Rudy said, impatiently.

"You haven't even told me the job, yet." Sandy scoffed.

"Look, I don't got time for this, Dolly. Just be here by 5 o'clock." Rudy hung up the phone.

"Who does that lowlife fucker think he is?" Sandy grumbled to herself.

As it was nearing 5, Sandy did her makeup in a small vanity mirror.

"Mommy, do you really have to go?" Ruth said, standing in the doorway of her mother's bedroom.

Sandy sighed, putting on a strapless dress. "Yes, sweetheart."

Ruth looked up at her mother, disappointed, but her lack of emotion on her face couldn't show it.

"Sugar, I know you're upset, but I swear I'll be home by 11. Please don't do what you did with the last babysitter." Sandy finished the rest of her clown like makeup.

Ruth still kept her disappointed eyes on Sandy.

She heard a knock on the door. "Could you get that, sweetheart?"

Ruth huffed nodding.

A tall blonde woman in her twenties appeared that the door. "Hiya! Is ya mommy home?" The woman smiled, cheerfully.

Ruth glared and nodded.

"Well, aren't ya gonna invite me in?" The woman asked.

"I don't like you." Ruth said, still glaring at the woman.

The women's cheerful demeanor disappeared completely. "Maybe I don't like you either."

Sandy headed towards the door. "Hi. Thank you so much for coming. I was worried that I was going to have to leave her alone." She sighed in relief.

The woman brought up her false happy demeanor again. "No problem. I'm Harley. Very nice to meet ya."

"Sandy. It's a pleasure. Emergency contacts are on the fridge. She needs to be in bed before 8." Sandy kneeled down to Ruth's level. "Promise me, you'll be good."

"I promise, Mommy." Ruth kissed her mother on her forehead.

"I love you. I'll be back." Sandy walked out the door, putting on her coat, heading to the elevator.

Ruth turned on the TV, turning up the news.

"Does ya mother always looks like a circus act or does she have some type of gig?" Harley asked, rummaging through the fridge.

Ruth didn't answer her eyes were glued to the TV.

"Breaking news: Just a few minutes ago all of Arkham's electricity turned off, then back on again, but 10 inmates were reported escaped from the facility, including the most infamous clown, Joker. One female inmate was also released from the scene, most known as Harleen Quinzel. The police have speculated that the two were working together, and helped each other escape. In further new-" Harley unplugged the TV.

Ruth looked up at her, confused.

"That's enough of that. You're mommy's gonna be quite surprised when she gets here. Mr J has been dying to see her again. It's a shame that she's had you, isn't it? Mr. J isn't gonna be so thrilled to see you up and about." Harley sneered.

Ruth turned towards her. "I hate you. You're mean."

Harley stuck her tongue out. "That makes two of us. Now, Mr. J told me to call him once I got her and I said I would so, beat it."

Ruth grabbed Harley by waist and tackled her to the ground.

"Get the hell off me, twerp." Harley yelled, throwing Ruth around.

Harley threw Ruth to the ground. "Now, listen here, you little shit. I told Joker I wouldn't hurt you, but I'm sure he'll make an exception." Harley pulled a small dagger out of her pocket. She hovered over Ruth, about to lay the knife on her.

A man in a red suit and clown makeup walked through the door. He pulled Harley off of Ruth.

"Mr. J, I'm sorry. She wasn't cooperating with me, so I did what I had to do." Harley said, feigning her innocence.

The man glared at her. "Leave, Harley."

"What?" Harley spoke quietly.

"I said, Leave. I don't need you anymore. I found what I've been looking for." The man said, looking over at the little girl who had no expression on her face.

"But, Mr. J, I thought we-" Harley was cut off by a laugh.

"We what? What did you possibly think we were? I told you our deal was simple. I helped you out of Arkham, then you were to help me find Sandy. You helped me, and I helped you. I've had enough of your services." The man turned over to Ruth.

Harley glared at Joker, then bolted out of the apartment.

Ruth got up and looked up at the man. "You're the Joker, aren't you?"

The man chuckled. "I wasn't always called Joker. My real name is Arthur."

"My name is Ruth." Her emerald eyes were the same as Arthur's as they stared at each other.

"That's a nice name. Who's your dad?" Arthur asked, kneeling down to her level.

"I never had a daddy. My mommy says that my daddy was a kind man, until he changed." Ruth looked away from him.

Arthur frowned. "I understand how you feel. I never knew my dad. My mother lied to me for all my life. Your mother taught me things I could never forget. Where is your mother now?"

"She's at work." Ruth yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Arthur smiled slightly. "Someone's tired." He picked Ruth up in his arms, and carried her to her bedroom.

"I like you, Joker, unlike the news." Ruth said, half asleep.

Arthur smiled, placing the small girl in her bed.

[mrslaufeyson002]

No Longer Daddy’s Girl Chapter 9. New Friends And A Reunion

The team called a meeting in the high-tech lab in the basement of Stark Towers (Avengers H.Q). There are two labs. There is a lab almost like a hospital and a lab for high-tech research or making weapons. Loki and I walked into the elevator and pushed the button to take us to the lab. We walked out of the elevator to see the Avengers, Director and Agent Fury, Agent Hill, Agent Coulson, and others I didn't know. "Agent Coulson, could you please introduce your crew?" Tony asks, and I look towards Coulson. "The people with me who volunteered to help are Sky, Fitz-Simmons, Agent Melinda May, Agent Triplett, and Scarlet Queen, also known as Scar. She is one of our top Assassins in Shield."

"Hey Tony, where's Jarvis?" Scarlet asks.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that Vision is Jarvis. It happened while taking down Ultron." Tony responds."I've meant to install a new A.I, but I never got to it."

"Well...since Director Fury wants me to join the Avengers Initiative, I brought my A. I and I were wondering if I could install Violet?"

"Sure. How did you create Violet? It took me years to figure out how to create Jarvis."

"I had a great science mentor, and before I left for Shield...I definitely did not hack into your computer."

"I am surprisingly more impressed than upset that you were able to hack me." Tony says while typing some stuff. "Done. It shouldn't be long before she's fully installed."

"Hello Scar, I have sensed several unknown people in your area. Should I put the building under lockdown?" A female British voice asks. "No, Violet. We just have made some new friends." Scarlet says as she's typing and pressing multiple buttons on a high-tech iPad-like device. "I am going to need your fingerprints and a picture of yourself so that Violet can know each one of you, or she thinks your a threat." When everyone put in their fingerprints and took their picture, we started to talk about the mission in tiny detail.

"We are going to be leaving once our other friends are here. When we leave, we'll be on our way to Tokyo, Japan. There is a lab there, being run by members of Hydra, and they are still going along with the Centipede protocol." Agent Coulson says, looking very uncomfortable about the situation. “What's the big deal with Hydra and you guys?" I ask curiously. "For many years Hydra's Centipede Protocol has had their members trick people with superpowers into allowing them to experiment on them, promising them anything they want. They have also tricked people into letting them put a high-tech device that almost looks like a centipede on them and gives them superhuman strength. We have destroyed a lot of their facilities and labs, but they always relocate."

"How are we getting to Japan?" I ask curiously about Transportation. "We will be riding on The Bus. It's parked upon landing." Skye pipes in. "How did you get a bus on the roof?" Bruce asks. "How are we getting to Japan on a bus?" Sam asks equally as confused. "You'll have to wait and see. When the others are here, I want everyone ready to board The Bus." Coulson says, and everyone leaves to pack. I head to my room, and I start packing; I'm almost done when Fitz-Simmons and Skye come into my room to help. "How do you guys know each other?" I ask, very curious. “May and Fitz-Simmons were a part of SHIELD. I was a part of the Rising-Tide that was trying to get rid of SHIELD. Coulson found me and gave me a position in SHIELD for the skills I possess, I am the best hacker they have." Skye says with a triumphant smile. "Ok, done. I think we're meeting in the living area."

We walk out to find everyone sitting around waiting, and I sat down between Coulson and May. "I heard from Hill and Director Fury that after The Battle of New York, you survived and vacationed in Tahiti. How was it?" Tony asks Coulson, and I see that Coulson had shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment. "Let's not talk about that?" Coulson says as he looked down to the floor, trying to escape the conversation. There was a thud on the roof, and everyone seemed to think our other friends are there. We all head up and see my sisters, my niece, Mantis, Groot, and the other jerks.

"Aunt Galaxy!" My niece Starla yells as she runs into my arms. "I haven't seen you in a while. I missed you." I say, hugging her. When I let go of the hug, she put her arms up in the air. I picked her up even though she was 6 years old (Earth years). "Hey, Galaxy. I'm glad you switched sides. I hope the Avengers are treating you well." Gamora says, and I nod. "It's good to see guys. I'm just wondering if it was vital to bring your husband along and the two other jerks." I say, pretty upset."We insisted on coming alone, but the others wouldn't stay; I even threatened them with a gun. I got it taken away, though." Nebula says, and I start laughing out loud. "Coulson, where's the bus?" I ask him once I had stopped laughing.

"It's right in front of you." Coulson says and starts walking over to a plane. I follow him up onto the plane. There is a black van and an old red car. When everyone is in, the ramp closes. Tony looks at the old cherry red car, he moves closer to the car, and he was about to touch it. "Stark, don't you dare touch it." Coulson says, and Tony stops what he was about to do. "Nobody is allowed to touch Lola." Coulson walks us over to a lab with some high-tech devices.

"This is the only lab on the plane. Stark and Banner, feel free to come down here and work with Fitz-Simmons anytime you like." He says, and we head out of the lab and up a spiral staircase. "There is a small bar over in the corner." We walk into a small room that is separated by a glass wall. "Here is where everyone meets for mission meetings and updates." We walk into a kitchen area, and Coulson doesn't explain that it's a kitchen because everyone should know that (I mean, there's a fridge, counters, cabinets, and a coffee machine). Coulson shows us to our pretty nice rooms. "That is all; we're gonna let you guys settle in." Agent Coulson says, and Director Nick Fury and Hill get off the plane.

I finally settle in; I see Fitz, Triplett, Skye, Coulson, and Steve sitting around a table. I walk over and join them, I sit beside Fitz, and we start talking and laughing. We stopped once we saw that Loki and Tony were walking out of the kitchen area to join us. Loki sat beside me, and Tony sat beside Steve.

"Can you talk about Tahiti now?" Tony asks Coulson, and once again, I see him tense up. "Director Fury said that anytime someone would ask you about it, your answer was?" Tony was trying to get Coulson to say something specific. "I used to say that Tahiti was a magical place, but that was because I didn't know that truth. Tahiti isn't real, I was dead for days, and they brought me back to life with a drug called GH-325.....I was awake when they used machines to give me fake memories of Tahiti. I begged them to let me die. It was a painful experience."

"I was also brought back to life with the same drug after Ian Quinn shot me in the gut twice." Skye pipes on the conversation. "I wasn't dead like Coulson, though."

"I'm sorry." I said, not knowing what else to say. I couldn't imagine being shot in the gut twice. "Galaxy, Starla won't go to sleep. She said that she wants you to sing her to sleep, like when she was little." Gamora says, and I nod; getting up I head to Starla's room. "Aunt Galaxy, can you sing me to sleep?" She asks me, and I nod my head yes. "Close your eyes." I say and get ready to sing her old lullaby to her.