#i did not realise how absurd that sounded until i thought it

[grimmweepers]

— ☆ 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐋𝐘

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: when you fall ill, alhaitham takes care of you for the first time and you enjoy the gentle way he shows his love when he thinks you aren’t watching

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: alhaitham x gn!reader. sfw. fluff. sick reader (nothing serious). established relationship. i get a bit yappy about him, sorry! 1k wc. masterlist | byf/dni

this piece is a submission for a flufftober event by spookuna ♡

reblogs and interactions are always appreciated ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

You lay on your side, feeling the warmth of Sumeru’s balmy sun kissing your skin as it cascaded through the windows. The faint ticking of a clock on the wall filled the quiet room while soft footsteps moved around you. 

Alhaitham. 

You could have sworn he told you he was going to leave once he readied your breakfast so you were surprised he was still here. He was careful as his feet shuffled on the floor, avoiding waking you, but his attempts at silence only made him more pronounced. 

The clink of a glass on your nightstand, the rustles of fabric that eventually dissolved to murmurs— these were the sounds you had become hyper-aware of in your pretend slumber. 

Truth is, you’d been awake for the last half hour but your eyes remained closed out of curiosity about what he would be up to when he thought you weren’t looking.

Your body felt heavy, and not just from the illness that plagued you, but from the weight of blankets he had tucked you in earlier. His attention was soothing, yet as he hovered around you, you sensed a bit of uncertainty in his movements that you found quite endearing.

Alhaitham was not one for overt displays of affection but this unspoken care was so entirely him. 

The bed dipped as he sat down and you heard a sigh escape him. It was foreign in its gentleness and spilled out of him like there was much on his mind. 

Was he… watching you? 

You were tempted to open your eyes and catch him in the act, but something told you to wait. For a moment, nothing happened until the sheets beneath you shifted.

Then, you felt it— a barely-there touch to your forehead. His fingers felt familiar and comforting while he checked your temperature, the pad of his thumb tracing light circles that made your heart ache in the sweetest way. How did it feel, you wondered, to be so utterly indifferent to the world and then to finally let his guard down around you?

It wasn’t long before you found your answer.

“You should take better care of yourself,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. There was a hint of frustration in his tone but underneath it was also something softer, more protective. “It’s unsettling seeing you this way.”

You pictured what his expression would be— furrowed brows and narrowing eyes while he tries to make sense of the emotions he’s not used to always showing. But if he knew you were awake, you’d tell him that he didn’t need to hide.

The gentle touch on your forehead moved to your cheeks, then traced the outline of your jaw, deliberately highlighting all the little features he had grown to love over the many months. 

“It’s quieter without you,” he said, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Alhaitham knew it was a bit absurd to be talking to himself but without your voice there was nothing to fill the silence. There was a faint chuckle in his words— he was beginning to understand what you meant when you told him ‘everyone is foolish when they are in love’.

You heard him shift again, and then you felt something against your lips— a light, fleeting kiss so delicate you almost thought you imagined it. But the ghost of his touch lingerered and it took almost everything in you to not break the illusion of sleep. 

He held you as if you were something precious and fragile to him but, to your dismay, he pulled away just as quickly as he had leaned in, and his immediate absence left you internally pouting.

The bed suddenly felt lighter and soon the realisation of him retreating toward the door started creeping in. But just before he stepped out, he paused.

Unbeknownst to you, he cast a sideways glance in your direction, wondering how much longer he would have to wait before you stirred. Or how much longer he had to keep talking to himself despite your telltale flinches while he caressed you.

You weren’t as sneaky as you thought so, yes, he noticed.

“It would be a shame if you remained asleep so might I tempt to wake you up and spend time with me in another way?” He called from where he was standing.

Even in your poorly state, you broke into a smile and finally let your eyes flutter open. Without hesitation and with a little triumph in his stride, Alhaitham returned to your bed, resting his hand on the blanket cocoon he had left you in. 

Before he met you, Alhaitham believed that his simple life was full and complete. Then you came along and made him realise what he had been missing all that time. You have done a lot for him but more than that, you’ve undone a lot for him, like allowing him to let go of his rigid control and embrace vulnerability.

The man who once had given you no more than a small and polite ‘Hello’ when you were acquaintances was now tending to you with such warmth that you didn’t need to hear words to feel the depths of his care— it radiated from every quiet gesture. 

Sometimes you forget that people don’t see Alhaitham the same way you do. He is stubborn, unpredictable and speaks abstrusely but to you, he is a source of unwavering support. Always in the background with a stoic but reliable presence— like a testament for the patience you’ve nurtured him with.

However, at the end of the day, you cannot describe what is indescribable and you cannot explain what there is to love about him unless you love him yourself.

“You know,” you began as your fingers slipped into his hair, “You shouldn’t have kissed me. You’ll only end up getting sick.”

“I’ll survive,” he replied with a slight shrug, dipping his head towards your lips again, “It’s a small price I’ll pay.”

And in that moment you understood that this was his way of saying he loved and missed you. Not in grand declarations but in the way he stayed, the way he cared, and the way he was always there, silently holding your world together.

a/n: i kept getting distracted while writing this because i love him so much he makes me sick.

© 2024 grimmweepers — do not repost, copy, translate, modify my work on any platform.

affiliations: @houseofsolisoccasum & @nereidsrealm

divider by @/attxnt

[novathestarrygalaxy]

Enhypen finding out that you're a dom (OT6)

Word Count:2850

Warnings:Explicit, Sub/Dom Dynamics, low self-esteem, anxiety, pet play, porn, going through S/O's laptop, punishments, Mommy kink, rough sex, Every member's reaction is written in different style since it's my first time writing reactions and it's kinda experimental, Minor DNI

So, like, imagine. Just imagine. You're in a relationship with one or more Enhypen members. But you being you, the introverted and shy person you are, don't tell him that you're a dom; fearing that your boyfriend might judge you. Your anxiety causes even the smallest might to seem really scary. Even when you know that your boyfriend(s) is the sweetest and accepting, you couldn't help worrying. So when it comes to intimacy, you pretend that you're a sub. You let them dominate you, even though you would've felt more comfortable being on top. You have always been the dominant one every time. You used to go to the night club and have weekly one night stands. But this was different. This is your boyfriend(s). What if your one night stands judged you? It didn't matter. It's not like you'll ever meet them again. Even if you do, what will happen? Nothing. But your boyfriend(s) is someone you crave validation from. You don't want to upsetthem even in the slightest. If you embarrass yourself in front of them, you'll live the rest of your life with regrets. So you just endure your sufferings just to not get judged. Until.....

Heeseung

He comes home and jumps on you. But as the night goes on, he realises that you aren't being as responsive as you usually would be. He waves it off as tiredness. But he soon realises that it's not tiredness. Heeseung being the guy he is, he thinks of this as you trying to be bratty and rile him up. As a punishment, he makes you be the dom one while he just lies there, doing nothing. Even when you're riding him, he isn't fucking you, making your high prolonged. But you completely dominate him throughout the night. The unenthusiasm from before all gone. As you guys finish and are just cuddling in each other's arms, he realises something.

"Baby?" He asks as he strokes your hair. You look at him with an hum.He looks at you."Baby, be honest. Do you enjoy being the dominant one in bed rather than the submissive one?" As he sees the blush creep up on your cheeks, yet no sign of protest, he pulls you closer to him."Awww, baby, why didn't you tell me?" You mumble while burying your face in his chest."You'd judge me..." He kisses the top of your head. He continues stroking your hair."Never, Love. I would never judge you."

From that day on, you guys took turns being the dom. Soon you realised that Hee had a cute, little praise kink and you completely used that to your advantage. He wouldn't be able to walk after the night you dominated him.

Jay

Please. We all know this man is a hard dom. He would rile you up so much....But one day, he feels too frustrated from work, and asks you if you can help him. Being the helpful girlfriend, you try to act like a service!top. But Jay is quick to notice that you're acting more like a dom. He never thought you'd dominate him. You were always so submissive and- suddenly, realisation hits him like a ton of bricks. How had he not seen it before?

He holds your hand rather tightly with a worried expression, making you look at him. "Jay? Is everything alright?"He sighs. "I should be the one asking you that." The confusion is evident on your face, so he takes a deep breath and continues,"It might sound absurd, but I have a feeling that You've been acting as a sub all these time. You have complete dom energy. Tell me the truth, Babe." Being caught, you hang your head low. You mutter,"I'm sorry." He pulls you closer and kisses you softly."No need to be sorry. But why did you act as something you weren't?" You look at him with a guilty expression."I thought you'd judge me...Think of me as weird. Many of my exes did." He cups your face."I'm not like your exes, (Name). Isn't that why we've come so far? From now on, no more secrets, okay?" You nod with a smile on your face."Okay."

Jay was surprised to find out throughout the night, you were even more rough than him. He wasn't gonna lie. Maybe being dominated by you felt good. Better than him being the dominant one....But not that he's gonna admit it anytime soon.

Jake

This cute puppy always treated you like you were made of glass, as if you'd break if he went even a bit rough on you. But he wouldn't mind going a bit further if you ever ask him to. But boy loved experimenting with new things. He had a new plan in mind.

You were just pecefully reading a book, but puppy wasn't gonna have it. He quietly stepped into the room and purred in your ears. You smile and put the book down. As you look at your boyfriend, your jaw drops. He is wearing puppy ears, a tail and a fucking collar with a nametag. Your eyes rake his body up and down. He smirked."Like my new fit, darling?"You nod hungrily.He smirks and puts a hand on your shoulder."How about you dominate me, your adorable puppy, tonight?"Your mind suddenly did a cartwheel and you took a rash decision. Now or never."Jake?" You ask nervously.He nods and flashes you a smile."Yes, Darling?"You take a deep breath."I'm actually a dom."Jake takes a few moments to comprehend what you said."Wha-You're a dom? But I thought you were a sub-"You cut him off."I know you think that I'm a sub. But I just acted like that. I wasn't ready to tell you...yet. I'm sorry."Jake sighs and sits beside you. He wraps his arms around you as he sees your guilty expression."Shhhh, Darling, it's okay. You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just happy that you trust me enough to open up. Now, shall we continue?"You smile and jump on him.

Unnecessary to say, he loved being the submissive one. Maybe he also discovered his sub tendencies with you. And unlike him, you weren't a soft one. You could leave him a mess. And he loved it. Maybe he's a submissive puppy after all.

Sunghoon

This man here is another hard dom. Maybe not as rough as Jay, but he could leave you a wreck. But he also loves to experiment a lot. Name anything, and he has or will do to you. But being the unpredictable guy he is, it didn't surprise you when he revealed that he was actually a switch. So when he asked you to be the dominant one, who were you to refuse?

"Mommy!" He cries out in pain and pleasure. You've been going at it for over an hour, and you don't show any signs of stopping. As he reaches his high for the fifth time, that's when you get off of him and collapse next to him. As he cuddles up to you, an unspoken agreement goes between you two. Maybe taking turns won't be a bad thing.

Since then, you guys always take turns. Sunghoon Had realised that night that you liked being the dominant one. He finds it incredibly hot. But he never forgets to tease you about the fact that you did hide it from him for a long time, which always ends up in him being a complete mess under you. And he's a total pillow princess.

Your Pillow Princess.

Sunoo

My boy's a total sub. Imagine how bummed out he was after your first night when he thought you were also a sub. He endured it for the next few nights you guys got intimate, but he soon realised that he couldn't endure being the dom anymore.He approached you one night.

You smile as you feel your clingy boyfriend hugging you from behind. You put your phone down and hug him back, only to find him pouting. You squeeze his cheeks and cup his face before asking,"What's wrong, Baby?" Sunoo whines at the contact and leans his face more on your hand. You boop his nose and give it a small kiss."Are you angry at me? Did I do something wrong?" Sunoo just melts and buries his face in your chest. You pull him closer and stroke his hair. He says something, which is muffled since his face is buried in your chest. You put a finger under his chin and gently raise his face up. You smile at him."What did you say?" Sunoo pouts and starts whining,"I hate you..." You freeze for a moment, before pulling him closer to you. You play with his hair and ask with a worried look,"Why, baby? What did I do wrong?" Sunoo looks like he's about to cry."You always make me do all the work!" You're really confused. You never let him do all the work. You guys always split chores and everything. You never complain when he sleeps early, tired from practice and you have to do some of his chores. Then what does he mean by that? You keep playing with his hair, silently gesturing for him to continue.Sunoo sighs and looks at with you puppy eyes, knowing that the last sentence came put wrong."I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that...I meant that, when we're getting intimate. You always make me top...But I feel way more comfortable being a sub." You stare at your boyfriend for a second, who was looking at you with the world's most adorable puppy eyes and pout, before breaking into a big smile.You squeeze your baby's cheeks and kiss his forehead."Why didn't you tell me before, Sun?" Sunoo's pout grows wider. He threw you an accusing look and said,"Because you never picked up my hints! I thought you were ignoring them..." You hold him close to you and rub his back. You murmur against his ears,"Sorry, Baby. I thought you would be like my exes. They liked being the dominant one. And can I be honest with you?" He looks up at you curiously and nods."About what?" You take a deep breath and gather the courage before speaking up."I'm actually a dom." Oh, the look on the boy's face after you explain everything to him. He instantly demands that you make it up to him...And you do.

Honestly, his pretty and loud moans would be enough to get you to cum. And Sunoo is another pillow princess....And a brat. He'll annoy you so much till you snap and fuck him to oblivion.

Jungwon

My man's a switch. He wouldn't mind being the dominant one, but occasionally he would get frustrated, knowing that he couldn't get into his subspace, since he thought of you as a sub. He wanted to make sure you get the most pleasure, so he also hid his sub tendencies. But he would never take out his frustrations on you. He's too sweet for that. Till he finds the porns and fanfics saved on your laptop.He never checked your laptop. He knows the password, but he still doesn't touch it without reason. He knew that you are a private person. He knows that You wouldn't mind him seeing your search history, accounts and stuff- But also that you'd be happier if he doesn't check.But one day, he has to use your laptop because his is broken and has to be fixed. Out of boredom and a bit of loneliness-since you've been busy the past few days- be decided to jerk off to some porn. But when he tries to log into his account, he finds your account already logged in. Out of curiosity, he checks your porn history and the things you've saved. And, oh boy, after seeing the things you've saved, his face becomes as red as a tomato. You were into the same kinks as him too? You didn't mind being a dom? You wanted to be a dom?Even though he doesn't want to check more of your stuff, his curiosity gets the better of him and he tries to check out your tumblr and stuff. But after seeing the posts you've made and liked, even the tip of his ears are red. He quickly gets out and puts your laptop back in its place, his face still flushed.

Throughout the day, he tries to pretend that everything's normal. But he's always red in the face, fidgets more than usual, can't look you in the eyes and stutters a lot. It doesn't take you too long to take notice of his unusual behaviour. After dinner, you sit down and relax on your bed, when Jungwon comes and sits next to you. You try to initiate a conversation, but he's still acting weirdly. Worried, you wrap your arms around your boyfriend and ask,"Is everything alright, Kitty?" Jungwon is just snuggling in your arms, but his face becomes flustered as soon as he hears your question.You caress his cheeks and pepper his face with kisses, trying to get him to open up. But he just gets even more red. "Baby~" You coo, trying to coax him into telling you what's wrong. But when that also goes down the drain, you sigh to yourself. You have to be cruel to your poor baby. You take a deep breath and start the attack. Jungwon's body shudders with laughter as you start tickling him. He tried hard not to laugh, but it's too hard. He keeps laughing, and seeing his laughter, you also start laughing."Hmm? Is my baby cheered up now? Mine telling me what's wrong?" As he doesn't answer and keeps laughing, you tickle him even more."Is that a no? Okay. Keep laughing then." Jungwon shakes his head violently as he keeps laughing. His mouth and stomach hurt from laughing. He manages to Choke out."Mmmph! 'M S-sorry! I-I'll t-tell y-you!" As soon as upu hear that, you stop your tickle attacks and pull your boyfriend close. You laugh as his face turns a deeper shade of red as he starts speaking."I....I might've done something wrong." You raise a brow."Something wrong?" Jungwon nods, a guilty look in his face."I went through your laptop,"he confesses."I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." You're a little shocked and disappointed. Seeing your face, Jungwon's lips quiver."I'm sorry...Please Don't be mad..I didn't mean to...I was just trying to do something and I found out one of your accounts and just couldn't hold back the curiosity to check your other accounts-" Tears start welling up in Jungwon's eyes as he apologises profusely.No matter how disappointed you are, you could never stay mad at your cute baby. You cup his face and gently kiss him, assuring him." It's alright, Love. I'm not mad at you. Just don't do that again without my permission, okay?" Jungwon nods, clearly relieved to see your smile and assuring look. He apologises again, promising not to do that ever again. But then, a thought crosses your mind. You lean in closer to his face with a soft smile and say,"What did you find though, Baby?" Seeing his face turn as red as a tomato was enough for you to understand, but you made him tell you nonetheless. As he recounted the experience, his face kept getting redder and your smile just grew. You cup his face with a mischievous grin ad he finishes."So my Kitty isn't as innocent as I thought?" He lets out a frustrated whine and buries his head into your chest."M-mommy...." He blurts out. You both stare at each other as the word "Mommy" falls from his lips, before you Burst out laughing and Jungwon whines in embarrassment. You capture his lips in a tender kiss, totally intending to dominate him tonight.

Jungwon is absolutely ecstatic to finally get into his subside. He loves it when you dominate him and call him kitty. He loves being praised by you, but he also has a degradation kink. You love to tease him about it, though the teasing usually ends up in one of you being on top of the other.

[boba-at-323]

[04:16AM]

Note : Hi everyone back from the writer's block!! Ignore any mistakes lol idk what this is I couldn't sleep so I wrote this for him <3!!

The dark night sky above displayed millions of stars, twinkling unusually under the absence of the moon. The most absurd hours were always the best times to find inner peace, especially on nights like these. When life seemed to be at its toughest, bringing with it countless restless nights, you had always found yourself under the open sky accompanied by a cup of tea and the silence the night brought.

Sitting in a chair on the balcony felt eerily peaceful, it seemed like today you were the closest you had ever been to the stars. It was always lonely, but you enjoyed getting to escape the stress in your life and get some time to yourself. However, tonight felt different. It felt more hollow, more empty, more lonely.

Trailing off in your thoughts with eyes glued to the sky, the click of the balcony door startles you a little. You whip your head around to check the source of the sound, only to be met with a worried silhouette.

“What are you doing up so late?” Wonbin asks quietly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

You smile at your boyfriend's barely visible sleepy state as he makes his way towards you. Even though you did feel bad for being the cause of his disrupted sleep, secretly you wished he’d wake up to find you hiding in plain sight.

“Couldn’t sleep…” you reply with a shrug, looking back at your original view.

Taking a seat next to you on the ground, his gaze follows yours to the darkness overhead. Bringing his knees to his chest, he asks with a suppressed yawn,

“Is something on your mind?”

You don’t need to tell him how you feel, somehow every time it seems like Wonbin magically already knows when you aren’t feeling your best.  

“A lot, actually”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not right now”

“I see…” His eyes make you their subject now, his arm propped up against his knee and his palm supporting his face.

You tilt your head slightly to look at him. Even in the dark of the night with no moonlight to provide a glow, he looks as ethereal as could ever look. You can barely make out his features, but his eyes are shining even through the tiredness they bore.

You don’t realise how long you’ve been staring at him until you hear a soft chuckle from him. Leaning forward to brush a few stray strands of hair away from your face, his fingers slowly trace down your face, hand eventually resting there.

The smile painted on his lips is one thickly laced with love and adoration for the person he cares about the most, you.

“You know, you can tell me when you aren’t feeling good.” He says in a quiet, yet concerned voice, “Even if I’m not much of a talker, I’ll always be here to listen.”

Your hand makes its way up to find his, gently placing itself on top to feel his warmth, his presence. You nuzzle your cheek into his touch, looking back at him with the same smile that never left your face.

“I know” you mumble softly, not wanting to disturb the peace the night bore, “For now, let’s just stay like this.”

Once again, he gently smiles at you, a nod tagging along as he obliges to your request. Pulling his hand away from your touch, he repositions himself next to you. Instead, his arm snakes around your waist, bringing you closer to his figure. In response, you lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder, the best spot to find comfort. He too, places his head on top of yours, closing his eyes to take in as much of the moment he could.

The night brought you comfort, but being in Wonbin’s embrace was your one and only safe space.

Title : [04:16AM] || Word count: 642 || Genre: comfort/fluff!! || Pairing: bf!Wonbin x implied Fem!Reader (though I tried to make it gender neutral I think)

Tagging: @armysantiny @koishua @mosviqu (hope you don't mind bae <3)

[raainberry]

Raspberry Blue Night

« silly series - 16 »

Yeji x gn!reader

synopsis - if you’re walking and Yeji is by your side, it’s a date. on this one she decides to make a pit stop in a photobooth

T/W - fluff, late spring night vibes, yeji is a little tease but also a big pouty baby, reader is a bigger tease

wordcount - 905

A/N - its been so long since i posted yeji, im so sorry to the anon(s?) i basically left on read for three weeks i promise i wasnt ignoring you😭

It was a cute spring night. Just at dawn of summer, when the air stayed warm and the trees grew into their best form and colors.

Your hand swung with hers, stirring the soft breeze around you. The shy looks you stole at each other, the giggles slipping out of your lips when you caught each other…

It all had strangers looking at you fondly as you passed them down the streets, thinking themselves a witness to the blooming of a sweet, innocent love. A first date.

It all felt like it to be fair, so you couldn’t blame them. You didn’t want to correct them, but truth was you and Yeji’s fingers combined wasn’t enough to count for the amount of dates you went on anymore.

"Oh, it's cherry!" she hummed in delight, the sweet scent of the candy wafting through the air, teasing her senses.

The heart shaped lollipop you’d bought for her at the corner bakery was blue, a color that intrigued the both of you, though not enough for you to get one as well.

You chuckled softly, gaze dancing with amusement "Are you sure?" you chuckled, and she furrowed her eyebrows at your skepticism, a playful pout forming on her lips. "I'm just saying, it seems odd."

“Here then, see for yourself.” She offered, holding the lollipop dangerously close to your lips only for you to back away from it.

You’d hesitated for a moment, and Yeji couldn’t help but giggle at the way your features scrunched up; the sound echoing off the flowery balconies surrounding you.

"What, you make out with me but you draw the line at sharing candy?" she teased, her laughter bubbling up like a spring melody.

A faint blush creeped onto your skin. Not because of her words or her teasing, but because you realised how absurd your thought process was. But again, was it really? One glance at her lips, one thought of the smile they hid and it all made sense again.

So you argued your point.

“Yes, I do. Candy’s overrated, I’d much rather kiss you.” You let your words hang in the air for a moment, so Yeji looked at you expectantly. Curious to see what you’d follow up with.

“Besides, if I kiss you I’d taste it anyway, wouldn’t I?”

Yeji suddenly came to a stop, drawing your eyes back on her. You found hers gleaming, lips curved into a sly smirk. Some playful challenge she was inviting you to.

“Seriously?” You chuckled, yet your hand never let go of hers. You still held onto her, erasing the small gap that had appeared when she’d stopped walking. You’d gotten a step ahead, like you usually turned out to be when it came to fun and games.

But she knew how to bring you to your knees.

Yeji's smile widened, turning into that grin you loved so much, a flicker of amusement dancing in her gaze as she tilted her head slightly. “What, don’t you want to find out?

Absolutely you did, so you pulled her towards you, grinning excitedly as you braced yourself to feel her lips on yours.

Those pretty shaped and full lips of hers that left more gloss and lipstick on yours than you’d ever liked but never minded. They never came.

Instead you heard a shriek, leaving your pouty lips feeling empty. You’d caught her gaze suddenly flickering behind you but thought nothing of it until she pulled her attention away from you and onto whatever had caught her eye.

Whatever it was she wasn’t going to check it out without you apparently. Her hand stayed in yours, pulling you towards what you guessed was a photobooth as you approached it.

With the way Yeji dragged you there and pushed you into the booth, you’d think she was familiar with the place.

That simply wasn’t the case.

You watched with an amused smile as she fumbled with the commands and buttons in display. “What are you doing?” you giggled, as her pouting became more and more evident on her features.

“I don’t know,” she whined. “I just hope it didn’t just swallow my coins.”

Now, you knew Yeji could be intimidating if she wanted to, but scare a machine into working? That was new. And impressive, considering the fact that she didn’t even try and was acting like a big baby this whole time.

Guess her words were enough of a threat, finally allowing you to make her money’s worth of memories.

As soon as you could see yourselves on the screen, Yeji got a hold of your cheeks, squeezing them together and molding you into the cutest thing ever in her eyes.

She made sure to call you that too, pointing it out just to see your reaction. She usually found it even cuter, the way you act like it bothers you although you secretly love it. You like that she finds you cute. You want her to. And she knows it.

So you let her coax you into a series of poses, all ranging from silly to dramatic. It’s the single most amazing and longest five minutes of your life, and it was all topped and worth it when you felt her lips on yours for the last shot.

The taste of her lips was familiar, reminding you of your banter moments ago, and you made sure to tell her as soon as you pulled away.

“Pretty sure it’s raspberry.”

[lisbeth-kk]

Sherlock fandom.

Where he goes, I follow

The first day of December arrives, not with the desired drizzle of snow, but rain, and lots of it. As the day passes a thick fog sneaks upon the city and standing by the window, I can’t even see the building across the street. The fog is almost like a living creature where it envelopes every house. I bet I could cut it with a knife. 

I sigh when I realise, I must go out to chase a probably invisible criminal through the streets, behind the madman who is now standing impatiently waiting for me to get properly dressed for a night out. 

A night out with the world’s only consulting detective, is a bit different to what most people think of when they hear the phrase. What it specifically means is to dress warm enough so you’re not freezing your balls off, with layers that aren’t making your moves stiff and uncoordinated but leaves you sufficiently agile to run freely and tackle any culprit daring to put said madman in danger. You must also be willing to follow him wherever he leads you, even if you’re sceptical and should know better. 

In short, I live by two rules on these nightly shenanigans: One - until he’s proven wrong, Sherlock Holmes is always right, and two – wherever he goes, I follow. 

***

“Come on, John! I know a shortcut,” Sherlock bellows and makes a sharp turn down a narrow alley. 

How he can even spot it in its nebulous state, is beyond me. I curse his long legs and sprint after him, trying to stay as close as possible so as not to lose sight of him. It doesn’t help matters that it’s late afternoon and no daylight either. The streetlights are few in this area, and several of them aren’t even functioning. 

I hear someone yelp in surprise, and Sherlock’s strangled voice calls my name. A fear I haven’t felt since Afghanistan, rise in me by the sound, but it’s soon replaced with ice-cold rage. I reach for my gun and when I see an unfamiliar male figure strangling Sherlock, I press the gun to his temple. 

“Drop it,” I say in a voice all the men who have served under me would know better than to argue with. 

When the culprit loosens his grip on Sherlock and tries to shove him against me to run off again, my instincts take over. I can’t see much, only shadows even this close, but my battle training surfaces, and I rotate on my right heel and gives him a blow to the back of his head with my gun. He slides down beside Sherlock and my inner doctor emerges immediately, the other man forgotten. 

“Sherlock, can you hear me?” I ask, my voice steady and clear. 

My hands search his face, head, arms and torso before he answers. 

“Did you get him?” 

His voice is hoarse after the pressure to his throat. I roll my eyes, which he probably can’t see, but my answer should give him a clue. 

“Of course, I got him, you git! Or else you wouldn’t have this conversation with me right now.”

When I realise what the last sentence actually means, the adrenaline that’s surged through my body for the last hours, suddenly fades and in its wake a stab-like pain sets in my chest. 

I could’ve lost him!

That thought is scarier than any villain we’ve ever encountered thus far. My silence seems to worry my best friend. 

“John?” he inquires softly. “What’s the matter?”

He knows me too well, but I’m tired of pretending and the eeriness of the weather gets blamed as well when I answer him, hoping that he won’t be appalled by my sentiment. 

“I could’ve lost you, Sherlock,” I whisper. “And I just can’t deal with that thought.”

Sherlock shifts and struggles to take off his right glove. Before I can scold him for such an absurd manoeuvre, his warm palm cups my cheek. 

“You won’t,” he murmurs. 

I place my hand over his and bends down to look into his remarkable eyes. 

“Promise me,” I say earnestly although I know it’s futile. 

No one can make such a promise and keep it. But of course, Sherlock is above all that and promises me anyway. 

“I promise, John Now, let’s go home and I’ll start convincing you,” Sherlock says huskily, his voice full of something new. Something I need to unravel. 

Sally and Greg arrive minutes later, and Sherlock stands close to me when he explains what’s happened, before he takes my hand and leads me out of the sinister passage to flag down a cab. 

@flashfictionfridayofficial @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @phoenix27884 @a-victorian-girl @safedistancefrombeingsmart @peanitbear @gregorovitchworld @helloliriels @raina-at @sabsi221b

[nevereverthem]

Imagine : ✨⛓️Bonnie Bennett x Kai Parker ⛓️✨

Part 3 ! (final part)

Length : 3K.7

[Part 1 here]

[Part 2 here]

After shortly debating with myself, I've decided 'F**K IT ALL' !!

This is the last part of that fic'. I've sacrificed my sleep because I wanted to finish it. Here we go !!

[Previously.... on The Vampire Diaries Imagine....]

Bonnie tentatively extends a hand and slowly lifts his shirt, revealing a white-ish fluid dripping over his lower abdomen. Kai actually just came in his pants, untouched. She, made him come.

The witch's eyes go wide, the aftershocks of her orgasm fading, realisation hitting her. What has she just done ?

[Now....]

The witch stands up abruptly, stumbling, almost falling over. She catches herself and rises up, moving away from the scene, away from him. She's talking to herself, almost whispering.

_ No, no, no, no....

Her back's turned on him. Eyes closed. Arms up. Fists on her head. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. She mouthes silent beginnings of words. It's like she's come down of a high and is now disoriented, trying to form sentences but she can't. The only things coming out of her mouth are distressed moans and shaky no's.

While Bonnie's trying to calm herself down, Kai is slowly getting back to earth. The weight on his lap has suddenly disappeared. The chains have finally stopped hurting. His vampiric healing ability does its work and all the wounds caused by the constriction vanish. His breathing's steady now, chest heaving at a normal rhythm. The remaining taste of her blood on his tongue is a sweet reminder of what's just happened. That was intense ! He licks his lips, a smile growing wide on his face. 'A worthy opponent, and a worthy partner' he tells himself.

The man raises his head to observe the chaos surrounding them. Windows, glasses, furniture.... Oh no, the karaoke ! As much as he felt an immense pleasure in the action, he hadn't realised it caused that much damage. The way their respective magic intertwined in a blissful storm.... He can't help but imagine what would have happened if they'd gone all the way. Would it make the prison world break if they actually....

At the thought, the chains instantly react.

_ No....

The man does his best to shrug the sensation away, wrinkling his nose out of pain. Not again. That's enough torture for a day.

Clearing his mind, Kai sweeps the room until his eyes fall on the witch. She seems agitated. From behind, she doesn't look as pleased as Kai is right now. And from what he can percieve with his vampy-earing, those sounds are not words of satisfaction. The man is close to disappointment.... worried, if he dared to admit.

_ Bonnie ?

_ Don't !

Eyes still closed, the witch waves a hand in his direction, urging him to shut his mouth. Unconsciously, the movement of her hand makes the chains magically fall off of Kai's body, landing on the floor. Bonnie, lost in her own head, doesn't seem to hear the sound. She's so confused that her mind itself picks out what she reacts to. Her name, his voice, that gets a reaction. But some random sound gets lost in translation.

Kai's finally free from the restraints. He lets out a contented sigh, exhaling in relief. He stretches his arms and cracks his neck. When he tries to stand up, he falls down on his knees, palms on the ground. The man is still affected by the extreme pleasure-pain he's just experienced. He chuckles at the absurdity of his state.

The cum tainting his underwear feels sticky on his skin, uncomfortable. Eyes closing, he siphons the power of his vampire side to boost his own magic. He then whispers a spell to clean himself up.

_ Better.

The short siphoning he's done got him some energy back. He mumbles something else to himself before raising his head back in the witch's direction. In a flash, he vampire-walk right in front of her, a large grin on his face.

_ Now, it's my turn.

Bonnie's taken by surprise, suddenly pulled out of her thoughts. How is he.... did she....? She doesn't have the time to object. Strong hands tightly grip her wrists, siphoning her magic. Her face constricts in pain, knees buckling, eyes pleading. Kai's sadistic smile slightly fades. Now that the witch's face is torn by suffering, and not by pleasure....

He attempts to blink the thought away. For a second, he doesn't realise he's paused siphoning her. Bonnie's panicked look is quickly replaced by an angry expression. She takes advantage of his short moment of hesitation.

_ Motus !

The witch gets him flying away, crashing on the broken tables. The man cries in pain. This time, it's not pleasurable.

Bonnie rapidly gets a hold of herself and starts running. She needs to get out of here, away from him. She's got the ascendant, her blood, and she knows where to go. It's gonna be easy to....

_ What !?

As she was trying to exit the room, she bumped into an invisible wall. It borders the whole place, preventing her from getting out. Her mouth opens a little, eyes wide, disbelieving.

_ Tut tut tut tut. Not escaping this time.

She hears Kai's irritating voice reaching her. She turns to face him, ready to fight. The man's laying on the ground, bits of broken furniture planted in his body. He grunts, pulling a piece of wood out of his stomach. Through the pain, he smiles guiltily at her enraged face. Right. The bastard had casted a room isolation spell when she accidentally freed him....

A second later, Kai is head in hands, crushed by an aneurysm.

When it stops, the man lets out a laugh, mocking her.

_ You're not in the mood anymore ? Came to the impression you wanted time to play with your toy, huh ?

The moment he finishes that sentence, another aneurysm wrecks his mind. Then it stops again. Bonnie's not playing anymore.

_ Let me out !

Kai stares at her face, escaping yet another giggle.

_ No.

The witch uses more of her power to smash his head yet again. It hurts so bad it makes his nose bleed. If he weren't half vampire he would already be unconscious. However, the man can't move from the floor. There's still shards of wood in his body that he needs to get rid of, but the constant aneurysm won't let him budge.

After a moment, it stops again. Kai quit laughing, but he doesn't spare her some smug comment.

_ You banished me here, remember ? I cannot be killed.

That's unfortunately true, Bonnie concedes. Regardless, pain is back in Kai's brain. It's not about excitement anymore. All she wants is to make him suffer. She continues until she's too exhausted to keep her magic going. She grudgingly lets her hands fall back, exasperated.

Finally released, Kai's feeling dizzy. It takes him a few seconds to realise he's able to move again. He takes the opportunity to pull the other pieces of wood out of his body, instantly healing. His time as a walking blood bag found itself useful after all.

He glances back at the witch. Bonnie's trying different spells to break the barrier. Nothing works. She's way too tired for anything to work anyway. She starts desperately punching the air before her face, her hands bouncing back to her with the force of the spell.

_ So determined.

No response.

_ You wanna get back to your friends ? See if they need another favour from you ?

_ That's none of your business !

At the tone of her voice, Kai smiles. He's definitely touched a raw nerve.

_ I thought you had enough of being used.

She turns to face him. Her eyes somehow shine from the chandeliers light, though Kai notices the rage filling them. The man's up to his feet now, watching her from a distance.

_ That's what you said before we....

He grins playfully, giving her a knowing look. No need to add another word. He eyes her with amusement, shamelessly checking her out.

Bonnie turns back to avoid his gaze, resting her head on the invisible wall.

_ Just let me out.

Her voice is now no higher than a whisper.

_ Please....

Kai surely wasn't expecting that. The witch that had no shame tying him up and using him as her boytoy was now pleading him for mercy ?

_ You're already begging me ? Is it exciting, or pathetic ? Hum.... debatable.

His dubious remark falls flat. Bonnie has no reaction. Not anymore. Not to him. Not to anything. None of this makes sense anyway. Pathetic, that's the word.

A shaky sob escapes her lips. That's the moment she breaks down. She's giving up, right in front of him. She switches position to place her back on the barrier, slowly falling to the floor. She clutches her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees, eyes closed.

She's wanted it to happen, all of it. She's released all of her frustration on him. But now that it's done..... It feels wrong. She's wanted to feel his touch even. Although the only times he did touch her were to siphon her magic. That feels so wrong....

He's right about her friends though. She's confessed it to him. Why ? As much as she loves them, she's always being called when she's of good use to fix one of their problems. At least when Kai's here, that's strictly about her. Even if he's more likely to harm her... Oh, wait ! Her friends have done it too. On some levels, Kai's not worse than the ones she dares to call her friends.

She doesn't even care that he's here, free to do as he pleases. He could hurt her. Whatever. She's just had an orgasm rubbing herself against that man. She could die right now. At least she wouldn't have to live much longer with that memory in mind. What would they have to say about that ? Her 'friends'. Stupid ? Dangerous ? Disgusting ? They would ask if she'd been under a spell. Is she...? No. She knows she's not. She's enjoyed the moment, but now.... what happens ?

Since her rambling was purely internal, Kai's been watching her silently for a moment now. He saw her crumble to the floor, inert. Then nothing.

He doesn't know what to say, what to do. He's used to people panicking about what he does to them. So, why was Bonnie panicking on her own ? He hadn't done anything.... yet.

He takes a look around. Is someone here ? Cloaking themselves to harm Bonnie before his very eyes ? That's his job by the way ! No, he doesn't feel anyone else. No witchy-woo. No other heartbeat than the witch's. There's just the two of them. After pondering a second, he cautiously approaches her.

_ Are you okay ?

No response. The only sound he catches is her sniffing.

_ Are you having allergies ?

Still nothing. He continues.

_ We're indoors, so that would be unlikely.... Is it possible to get allergies inside ? What's this thing called.... dust mite ?

The witch is not answering. No comment. No attack. She's scary silent, except from the shaky breaths escaping her mouth. In fact, the words cross Bonnie's mind. They do. But she's so out of it all that she can't react. She feels numb.

Kai would rather be fighting right now. At least, he would know what he's supposed to be doing. He's seen her break in the past, the day she tried to kill herself. He was glad to have played a part in preventing it, to be honest. A dead Bonnie wouldn't be half as much fun. Yes, he had tried to kill her himself, but you're missing the point. That's who they are, that's what they do. Fighting until one of them surrenders....

Plus, them being sort of alive led to that delectable moment of.... No pain ? Oh right, he'd forgotten he wasn't tied up anymore. It feels nice to be able to let one's mind wander.... Would it happen again ? He would definitely let it happen again, and much more. He'd be in charge this time. He'd finally feel that burning skin under his touch.... Does she have some hidden desires ? He would unravel them all if she let him. See that pretty face torn by pleasure.... Her cries.... And her blood ! There's no questioning the particularity of the Bennetts' blood. He's only had a few drops, and that's the best he's ever tasted. Was the feeling heightened by the other sensations ? Their connection ? Magic ? He has no idea. All he knows is that he'd definitely want to have another taste !

At the thought, his vampire instincts react. Eyes, veins, fangs, the whole package. It's solely the new sob escaping the witch's mouth that instantly gets the man out of his mind. He shakes his head, face back to normal.

Kai exhales, at a loss. He eventually walks up to her, contemplating her face.... what.... He seemingly points at her under-eyes, unsure.

_ There's.... water, pouring out of your eyes.... Crying ! Oh, you're crying. Knew it ! .... But, why are you crying ?

Silence.

_ The last time I saw you cry you were about to die.... Are you dying ? Doesn't look like it.

Nothing ?

_ By the way, I'm sorry about that. I suppose...

The witch huffs at his words. Finally ! He got a reaction from her. A warm smile spreads across his face. That's not enough. He wants to get her out of that stoic state. He rubs his fingers on his chin, considering....

_ I've read about it on google. That was years ago but.... Crying, crying.... Oh !

Without a second thought, he crouches down next to her.

_ You want a hug ?

Bonnie's eyes snap open. She abruptly raises her head from her knees, and turns to look straight at his face. She's absolutely shocked. She would understand him asking her about sexual intercourse or wanting to suck her blood.... but a 'hug' ? Now she's too stunned to speak.

Through watery eyes, she can see Kai's arms extended in her direction. It's almost terrifying how welcoming and friendly he appears. At that moment, she doesn't even care that he's physically close. They've been way closer a few minutes ago. She would rather be crushed by one of his spells. It would feel more right than whatever this is.

Since the witch doesn't respond to his offer, Kai slouches down on the floor beside her. He lazily rests his head on the invisible wall behind.

_ Don't aneurysm me. I just got orgasm-tortured. I'd like to have clear thoughts for a couple of minutes, if you don't mind.

The memory hits her. Bonnie blinks a few times to get it out of her mind, tears running down her cheeks. She can't deal with that right now. She's too tired to torture him again. He won't undo the spell, and she's used practically all of her powers. She needs to rest.... It can't be worse than what she was doing to him minutes ago, right ?

She sniffles a bit and wipes the water off of her face.

_ Yes.

Kai shifts on the floor, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible.

_ Thanks.

After a moment of hesitation, Bonnie whispers.

_ I mean.... yes, I want a hug.

The man's eyes snap back to her, quite surprised.

_ Come again ?

He had obviously heard her every word. He's sitting close enough, and his vampire-earing can easily catch any sound leaving her lips. She glares at him, clearly annoyed, though feeling defeated.

_ Don't make me repeat myself.

The man wears a guilty smile on his face. He does appreciate her giving in.

Bonnie hesitates an instant. A brilliant idea of hers, once again. It's not that she always comes up with awful ones. She's a rather intelligent woman most of the time. It's just.... Today.... With him.... The last hour is not the best representation of her bright mind.

She stares at his face, suspicious. Kai's waiting for her, arms open. He still looks frighteningly sincere. She takes a deep breath, and before he can retract his arms again, she slides right next to him, sides touching. The sudden contact his unsurprisingly totally awkward. Why does this feel weirder than....

Kai is freaking out. He hadn't considered how it would make him feel. He's currently realising that he should have. Physical contact without any form of violence is a complete other story. If his heart could beat like a normal human being, it would reach cardiovascular issues.

He's the one who initiated the contact. He cannot step back now. He's got his pride ! So, gathering some courage, he apprehensively envelopes the witch with his arms. The moment his hands come into contact with her skin, a red light emanates from his palms. Bonnie jerks at the burning sensation. Kai straight up removes his hands from her.

_ Oh my god ! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to....

This exact moment gets Bonnie reminiscing of what he had told her in 1903.... She feels a pang in her heart.

_ Bon ?

From the sound of his voice, the witch understands that the situation is as terrifying for her as it is for him. Perfect. Without thinking twice, she bends to the side and puts her head on his chest, eyes closed.

Kai, who hadn't moved an inch since the accidental siphoning, slowly starts to relax. She hasn't moved away. She's actually moved closer ! He smiles at the thought. Trying once again, he experimentally places a hand on her shoulder.... nothing. Just skin against skin. He exhales loudly, relieved. With much more confidence now, he envelopes her in a tight embrace. Bonnie's head is resting on his chest. He feels the anxiety of her heartbeat fade with each second that passes.

The witch listens to the slow rhythm of the vampiric heart pounding next to her ear. As she's trying to relax herself, she feels her eyes start to water once more, a sob leaving her lips yet again. This time, she doesn't hold it back. She lets it all go. Soon enough, she's weeping against Kai's shoulder, arms crossed behind his neck. Tears run down her chin, staining his shirt.

What does he do now ? There's a woman crying on him, wetting his clothes. He's got his arms wrapped around her in a hug. That's it ? Nothing more ? Did it say something about getting rid of the tears ? He can't recall. That's all he remembers from the google article. He's read it too long ago. It's also been way longer since he's hugged anyone. He's forgotten how it's supposed to go. He was forbidden to touch for so many years. It feels oddly right. He's not the one crying, but it comforts him all the same. It's like an invisible hand is wiping his own childhood ghosty-tears. He discreetly inhales Bonnie's scent. Yes. Right. Right.... The tears ! Before he can try anything, the witch is rubbing her face on his shoulder. Kai's expression freezes. Guess she found a solution to wipe her tears on her own....

After a while, Bonnie has stopped crying. She tiredly rests her head in the crook of his neck, calmly breathing. Kai has been stroking her back for god knows how long. She would never admit it to his face, but it feels good. It soothes her never-resting brain. Speaking of it, she hasn't been doubting his sincerity for a moment now. Why ? His strong arms are around her. He could easily break her, vampy-strenght helping. Still, he feels calm against her skin. He's not gonna hurt her. Not now. Now like this. She's always felt when he was up to no good. And that's most of the time. She doesn't even know if she'd care if he was. It seems out of his plan, for now. And it's all that matters.

Feeling her shift on his lap, he tries not to move, letting her sit comfortably. Kai mentally shakes his head. Who would have thought his day would be ending like this ? He went on a failed gemini slaughter spree, was sex-tortured for a while, and had finally the Bennett witch in his arms, clinging to him. Not that he's complaining. He slightly shrugs at his mental rambling, tightening his hold on the witch. Out of pure impulse, he tentatively slides a hand on her head, gently caressing.

_ You've got really nice hair.

He can't shut up, can he ? Nevermind. Bonnie hums in agreement. She's shown so much sides of her personality today.... To him ? Why ? How could she let this happen ? Acting solely on instinct and impulsivity may not be the best of choice.... But after that, there's nothing she'll ever be ashamed of. She's not sure she's ashamed of this anyway. Why would she ? She's wanted it. Done it. She broke down. And now she's cuddling with the same guy she's been fighting against. Whatever. He smells good....

Kai's restless. There's another thing he wants to try. That might ends the intimate moment they're sharing.... But since it's the first, and most likely the last they will ever share.... He got to the conclusion that he might as well take a chance. Putting any second thought aside, he turns his head to plant a subtle kiss on the witch's forehead. He expects her to flinch, to reject his affectionate gesture.... To his suprise, she doesn't move an inch away. She nuzzles against his neck, humming appreciatively. He grins uncontrollably. That was totally worth the risk ! He feels like.... Is he supposed to say 'like a child on Christmas day' ? Because it's certainly not the right expression for him.

What is she doing ? Torture, kisses, sex, fight, cries, hug.... Now this ? And she's liking it ? Can she blame it on exhaustion ? She can't, huh ? She needed a shoulder to cry on. It happened to be his. So, what ? Does she feel relaxed and at peace in his arms ? Yes. Is it freaking weird knowing all that's happened today and all the days before ? Yes. Would she do it again all the same ? Yes. Does she regret it ? Hum.... No. If there's one thing she's got to be, it's honest with herself. She likes him holding her tight. He is likeable, to some extent. She would not go as far as to say she likes him. She doesn't even trust him.... She likes what he does to her. Right now. Just now.

Kai rests his chin on her head, slowly stroking her hair. For a second, he considers stealing the ascendant, breaking the spell and running out to his escape. That would take her by suprise. She would not have the time to react and stop him.... He doesn't move. He surely doesn't plan on staying imprisoned in that place. But for now, he's here. Bonnie is in his arms. Her heart is pounding right next to his barely beating one. Her warm body pressed against his own. This situation was rather unexpected, to say the least. However, he intends to make the most of it.

Neither of them know how long they stay like this. After all that had happened, they were sharing a moment of peace. Just silence. And them. It won't last. It can't. Is it wrong ? Is it right ? It just is. And that's enough for the both of them.

The End.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Voilà, voilà.... ⛓️🩸✨🙄

Hope you enjoyed the ride of that 3 parts story.

What was once an idea of a little smutty imagine based off of a gif.... Turned into THIS. How on earth ?

It wasn't OOC, was it ? That situation would never happen. But still, I try to get their personalities on point.... Success ?

Tell me what you thought about it in the comments. ~

✨⛓️💀❤️💀❤️💀❤️💀❤️💀⛓️✨

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was writing this, I had a little micro-idea of what would happen after. It's not another part. It can be summarized in a few words.

Kai finally knocks her out. He uses a spell similar to the one Liv used on Tyler in season 6. He cuts Bonnie's palm to get her blood and snatches the ascendant....

On his way out, he changes his mind. He goes back to get Bonnie. He carries her to the celestial event linked to this new prison world (yes, he's discovered which one it was and found where its effects are the most powerful, don't get into the details).

So, he does the spell with Bonnie's blood while holding her. When they're back to the present, he leaves her at home, still unconscious (yes, it's a long lasting spell 🙄).

When she wakes up, she finds a note.

"'till next time Bonster"

Kai has not left her behind this time. He did not stab her. She's only got a cut on her hand. She's alive, home, and safe.

He's gone. Where ? Good question....

Tadaaaaaaa !!

✨⛓️💀❤️💀❤️💀❤️💀❤️💀⛓️✨

The Vampire Diaries Masterlist

[tears0fsatan]

Could you also do an angst/comfort oneshot with "Please don't scare me like that again. I can take alot of things, but not loosing you." And "Just get the fuck over here and let me hold you." For bottom Mammon? I modified the last quote hope you don't mind!

✦ ⊹ ˚˖ warnings... gn!reader [no pronouns used], relationship isn't specified, maybe a lil ooc [esp. towards the end but oh well], would u consider a summoning to be kidnapping, kinda sappy lololol

 :¨·.·¨ ♥︎  a.n... MY DARLINGS, MY SWEETS, MY ANGELS, REJOICE FOR I HAVE RETURNED momentarily!!!!! thank u for bein patient with me i'll do my best to sprinkle in a post here n there heh anw!! ofc i don't mind love! thank u for sending in so many submissions omg i feel so loved ;'D

the sound of your laughter could be heard bouncing off the walls of devildom's plaza, followed by the sound of the avatar of greed's yelling. you wiped away the tears that pricked the corners of your eyes, taking in shaky deep breaths in an attempt to calm yourself.

"it's not funny! i don' get why yer laughin so hard, i'm tellin ya, i nearly died!" despite his words, there was a large smile on mammon's face. he looked at you with an empty glare, but all it did was send you into another fit of laughter.

"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, it's just," you couldn't stop the giggles that bubbled out of you, "it's so funny how you thought it was a good idea to scam a high priestess."

"it wasn't funny! them witches embedded all sorta magic in their weapons after that! it was so bad that i couldn't show my face in the human world for a century! plus it wasn't a scam, it was a one-sided beneficial agreement!" mammon defended himself, though he too couldn't help but let a few chuckles slip at the absurdity of the story.

he crossed his arms in front of his chest while grumbling simultaneously, "ain't my fault the dumb bastard didn't realise." you sighed at his comment, though the ends of your lips curled up in amusement.

"good thing they didn't get you or else we wouldn't be here right now." you joked, pulling him closer to you so you could rub his head. the demon yelped and tried to escape your grasp while muttering 'hands off my noggin' under his breath, though it was obvious he enjoyed the action as he put no strength behind his attempt.

everything was going well, so well that the two of you didn't notice the magic circle that appeared below mammon's feet and the sparks that began to cover his legs. there was no noise to indicate what was happening, and the two of you didn't realise until the demon just... vanished out of thin air.

you blinked in surprise at the quick flash of light followed by mammon's sudden disappearance. your hand that had been wrapped around his shoulder limply fell down to your side. your eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion and your feet were stuck in place.

"ma-mammon?" you hesitantly called out, your eyes roamed the plaza to try and spot him. the thought of it being a joke slowly started to dissipate the longer he was gone, and a heavy weight began nestling itself within your chest.

"mammon?!" your voice holds more urgency this time, your head frantically looks around in hopes you'd spot his discernible white hair in the crowd.

you don't.

you ran around the plaza, turning over every rock you saw but no matter where you looked, he just wasn't there. the sound of your heart beating wildly rang in your ears and your vision gradually blurred to the point you could hardly make out anything through the tears, yet you still couldn't tear your mind away from the missing avatar of greed.

you tried calming yourself, taking in deep breaths in hopes it would, at the very least, help you think rationally. you shakily unlocked your DDD to try and contact him, only to no avail. it doesn't help your growing anxiety in the slightest, but it does give you time to organise your thoughts.

your thumb shakily hovered over lucifer's contact, unsure of whether to inform the oldest demon lord of what's occurred. you try to recall if any of the brothers have mentioned something like this happening, and your mind can't help but wander to the conversation you two were having before mammon poofed out of thin air.

the only reasonable explanation you could think was is a summoning, given as there was no prior warning to his abrupt disappearance. your thoughts begin to divulge into a different sort of worry with your new found knowledge, mind scrambling at the things they could be doing to him while you were stuck frozen in place.

the knowledge that you are essentially powerless in this situation leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. with a heavy mind, you make your way back to the house of lamentation.

the walk back home and the moments leading up to you burying yourself in his bed were a blur, you hadn't realised just how much time had passed by as none of the brothers came to bother you. on top of that, your DDD had been silent too, there was no sign that mammon had even received your messages.

the occasional sniffle from the lump underneath the pile of blankets was the only indication of life in mammon's cold and dark room. you weren't sure how much time had passed since the incident, not that you wanted to know anyways.

a sudden creak from the doorway has jerked you out of your reverie, your head whips toward the direction of the noise and the tears well up before you can control yourself.

the light from the hallway illuminates mammon's silhouette and you can barely make out his disheveled appearance. a sob wrecks out of your throat and you scramble off his bed. some pillows and a portion of his duvet is on the ground but you don't notice, attention solely focused on the figure leaning on the door frame.

your movements were clumsy and your limbs felt heavy after not moving for ages, but you found yourself standing in front of him soon enough.

mammon avoided your gaze, his eyes, which you noted were unusually nervous, darted around the room. he had a complicated look on his face, as if he was feeling a myriad of emotions and couldn't control them.

a shaky breath made its way past your lips as you took in the sight of him. the demon flinched at your reaction, eyes quickly glancing at you before looking around the room.

the silence constricted around your throat, which made it hard to swallow. your mouth felt dry and your thoughts were jumbled, making it difficult for you to find the right thing to say.

it was clear that mammon felt the same, so you chose to blurt out the next thing that came to mind.

"fuck- just, please- just get the fuck over here and let me hold you." you somehow managed to croak out, your throat felt as if it was closing up but you paid it no mind. the demon flinched at the roughness of your voice but slowly trudged toward you. his eyes are cast downwards, focused solely on the ground and his feather light steps.

his steps started out slow and hesitant, before he rushed into your open arms. he buried his face into the crook of your neck and your hands tightly interlocked behind his back.

you could hear him take a deep breath and his hands gripped the back of your clothes tighter than before. the tears dripped down your face before you could make a move to stop it, though by the way mammon's fists clenched around the material of your top, you assumed that he wasn't as bothered by it as you had imagined.

"please, don't- don't scare me like that again. i can take a lot of things, but not losing you." your voice wavered, displaying your desperation to mammon without him having to see your face. the demon's eyes welled up at the sincerity behind your words and he couldn't stop the tears that trickled down his cheeks.

"i know you're a powerful demon lord 'nd what not, sniffle, but i'm still gonna worry about you." you subconsciously tried to pull him impossibly closer, to which the demon didn't bother to try and fight against, he needed this as much as you did.

a muffled "'m sorry." could be heard from where mammon had his face buried in the crook of your neck, with his forehead resting against your shoulder. the material of your top grew increasingly damp, but you weren't in any place to call him out for it.

you squeezed the demon in your arms ever so slightly, "it wasn't your fault." your tone was sharp and curt, despite your shaky voice from earlier, leaving no room for mammon to refute your words.

the two of you stood at the empty doorway for a moment, simply taking the time to bask in one another's much needed presence. with him in your arms, you felt the knots in your mind slowly untangled themselves and left you feeling relieved.

of course, you still had a lot to discuss with the avatar of greed but that could wait until he was ready. although his appearance was considerably shabbier compared to how well kept he usually looked, he wasn't injured. even while holding him, you had taken the initiative to inspect now that you were closer to him.

"why don't we go lay down? i'm sure you're tired, darling." you softly muttered, not wanting to disturb the peace. you could feel his head moving up and down against your shoulder, though he made no move to lift his head.

your hands tenderly cupped his cheeks, pulling his face away from where he had hid himself. your thumbs wiped the tears that continued to run down his cheeks and all you could offer him was a small, bitter smile.

"we can deal with it tomorrow. for now, i really just want to keep you in my arms." mammon let out a watery chuckle, his sorrowful expression from earlier was nowhere to be found.

© 2022 TEARS0FSATAN. please don’t repost, modify or translate my works anywhere!

[smilingangel582]

Someone recommended this soooo enjoyyyyyy!!!

Mighty Kings fall!!!

Hiii, I'm writing another haikyuu fic. I got a lot of likes and reblogs, so thanks a lot!

As always, Lee kageyama is my only fav thing to write! Enjoy then!

Warning spoilers alert

"Truth or dare, Noya?"

Nishinoya hummed in thought, the libero grinned "Dare"

Tanaka sneered now "Oh yeah? I dare you to bounce the ball without dropping it to the ground for at least five minutes."

"So mean of ya, Tanaka!" Was the shortest fellow's response, and surprisingly, after five tries, he did manage to keep the ball stable with perfect receives to himself.

"Nice Noya! Alright, now Tsukishima..." it was Nishinoya's turn to offer either a dare or a truth to him. The libero added, however, "But you used all your three truths, so it's a dare, buddy."

Everyone snickered at Tsukki's plight as the blocker pushed his glasses irritably.

"I dare you..." Noya takes some time to consider his dare, then his eyes scan the players and noticed Kageyama, "Aha! I dare you to make Kageyama laugh -very loud!"

Tsukishima froze now, eyeing Kageyama wearily. "What regal punishment will I get to assault the king with such frivolous cause?"

"Oi!"

Noya grinned, now pushing spikes further up as he spoke, "You see... you both need to lighten up, and Kageyama could use a laugh... look at his frown..."

It's a dare after all, and Kageyama wasn't equally as thrilled as anyone else in their court.

Now Daichi watched Tanaka, Noya, Tsukishima (who was forced to the game), Hinata, Yameguchi, and Kageyama (who was also forced)...then he smiled "Seems like the kids are having fun for once"

Sugawara grinned and used a chopping hit on his head. "You sound like a Grandpa captain"

"Use jokes, Tsukki!" Hinata's expression was exaggerating, and Kageyama wondered why he was so thrilled in this."I'll make sure you win against the stoic King of the court!"

"Would you shut up!" Kageyama was ignored.

Tsukishima wondered, maybe it would be fun to see the king laugh and be embarrassed later on. Might as well try it.

But still, jokes isn't his forte. "Where do the crazy people go if they were lost?"

Kageyama answered blankly. "They are crazy so they take the psychopath"

Widening his eyes, Hinata never expected kageyama to know the answer, "Wait, you heard jokes before?"

He frowned. "My sister used to tell them they're pretty boring and common so... that was a very weak attempt..." he turned to Tsukishima with a smug look."You can't win this dare. "

Motivated Hinata turned to Noya "Can't I try! I wanna see him laugh too"

Noya thought knowing its against the rules... but then before he could refuse he heard the third years approaching "What's this? Make Kageyama burst out laughing...? Count me in"

Kageyama was shocked. "W-what? You can't do that... Tsukishima is only dared to do so..."

Noya clapped his hands in enthusiasm "Now I'm pumped let's finish him off!"

Kageyama felt like they took this way too seriously. He realised how some jokes were lame and common, especially from Tsukishima. Sugawara's had a funny sound effect, which sort of seemed funny that Hinata burst out laughing. Tanaka's absurd face contortions were out of this world. Noya joined in with equal talents as Tanaka and Hinata got worse jokes which didn't make sense to anyone at all...

Whatever obstacle they tried... nothing broke the star setter.

Tired they were, Daichi seemed to see how everyone was giving their all. But he remained watching the spectacle with interest along with Asahi, Yameguchi, and Ennoshita.

Kageyama looked at Tsukishima now with a smirk. "Seems like not even the bird brain can handle such a simple task as this"

"Yeah a Kings sense of humour is much wicked than you think"

Everyone was ready to give up but that was until Hinata whispered something to Tsukishima.

"Psst..." he rapidly began spilling the joyous secret.

Tsukishima's eyes widened. Wait...? He should've done that at first... why didn't he think of that?

He slowly sneaked a couple of fingers towards Kageyama, who was unaware of the dangers coming towards him.

A squeak.

That was all it took from him the moment Tsukki poked his side.

He glared now "Oi, four eyes don't touch me!"

Tsukishima grinned widely, kageyama froze now, seeing sinister darkness beneath his glasses. "Ah... I see now that I failed to see that someone with your personality tends to be a lot more sensitive than we think"

"H-huh...?" Kageyama was hovered over and Tsukishima was wiggling his fingers menacingly "Tell me your highness, are you ticklish?"

"No..." was a hesitant answer, and yet Kageyama clamped his arms down to avoid any room for Tsukishima to attack.

Hinata giggled brightly "Oh he is ticklish, alright! It was my idea!"

Noya snickered now "Shall we get him...?"

However or perhaps fortunately for Kageyama, Tsukishima stopped them. "This is my dare, I get to make the king lose his sanity.... you can try after I'm done."

Everyone snickered with villainy, and they were all ready to overthrow the king with his weakness.

"First I start here..."

Kageyama gasped but didn't laugh immediately when Tsukishima skillfully sneaked his long fingers on his waist, and Kageyama jolted but with no laugh still. He was squirming but also had the audacity to say, "Is that all you got skinny bastard? This is nothing!"

"Ah, ah, ah king wrong move... I was planning on going easy on you, but..." he raised his fingers as if he were playing a dramating piano piece."You are finished now..."

"Gah -wait!"

Kageyama felt those fingers now sneak at the back of his ribs he shrieked but didn't laugh immeidatelt. So Tsukishima was half satisfied with what he got, though he wanted to make him laugh more.

"I know ribs are bad for you, so maybe I got the wrong angle..." it was like a science experiment. Except he wasn't being dissected like frog... now he wished he was that frog.

"Y-you have the nerve t-toho be soho bohold!" Kageyama flinched and twitched from one side to another, he was good at concealing but he had underestimated his fellow first year.

"Andd I spy a tickle spot here!"

He certainly can tease. Kageyama broke into giggles when his higher ribs were targeted "I told you your ribs will get you in trouble!"

Hinata jumped on his butt now excited to join but remained still as the rest who were itching to join the fun.

"Laugh out loud... you are still giggling, so this doesn't count" Tsukki was already enjoying tormenting the setter. He was ready for the finale and Kageyama was anxious enough to glower at him but also fear foe the worst.

Starting him instantly, he began to flip him, realising where he was going. "OK! Wait... I give up. This has gone too, faaa-aaahahar!"

He shrieked out a laugh when a finger slid down his spine.

"Jackpot..." Tsukishima smirked "Now prepare for the hell you've been waiting for!"

He laughed. It was loud and contagious, bubbly and cute. nobody expected him to sound so cute.... not even Hinata. He heard grumpy giggles sure it was adorable too but this squeals and loud belly laughter was unfair!

"Ahhh, he's so cute..."It came from Noya, who was also waiting for his turn, "man Tsukki got the a pretty good dare I wanna mess with him Too!"

"DOHOHONT IHIHI GEHEHT A SAHAHAHAY IHIHIN THIHIHIS??" Kageyama yelled out through his laughter.

Daichi clapped now and Tuskki stopped in thst signal "I won.."

"Alright we'll mess with Kageyama after practice"

Everyone cheered on that while the youngest player was agast. "Haaah??? Captain! Nohohot you tooo!"

He was ignored yet again but ended up getting pokes from his orange friend, "Awwww, don't be upset sulky-yama shall I tickle it away?"

"Gehet off yohou human tangerine!" He pushed him off but then glowered at the guy with glasses who smirked back with a triumphant sneer."Don't let your guard down king now that your weakness is exposed"

"Bastard..." he grumbled.

[aeolianblues]

People are sharing Taskmaster clips, and John always seems so animated in them! Putting that together with the 5-minute long discussion he and Elis had the other week on air (well, 'on air'. On podcast) about how John looked back at the webcam clips posted to the 5 Live/BBC Sounds YouTube and realised he sort of has a resting poker face and tried to animate and 'look interested, curious, coy and even coquettish' to the point of creeping Elis out slightly, I wonder if he took that thought into TM as well, seeing how he's always doing something in the clips you see. Alternately, it could also be good editing and switching between cameras by someone paid way more than the BBC Radio social media team. Don't train cameras on him when he's looking intent or blank, but do when he's doing something. They also have more camera angles than the budget of a podcast can afford! (Source: I host radio sessions with musicians, our budget is $0.00 and god I wish we could use more cameras. It's all also volunteer work, so I'm just grateful we have anything at all. But of course, to compare a volunteer-run campus station to the national broadcaster of Britain is absurd.

Edit: I've put the campus radio trivia under the cut, I won't spam you all.

It's a fun fact to me that my campus radio station and the BBC are almost exactly the same age, both began in October 1922, and we went 'on air' first: them in Nov 1922, whereas we, as an experimental academic experiment, were dipping our toes into broadcasts in 1918. We also weren't as continuously on air until the 80s or even later, because it depended on having volunteers willing to broadcast overnight, since 6 hours of magnetic tape to play prerecorded material overnight was Expensive. Most of our prerecords were either 'carts' or 0.5-2min stings that played ads and jingles, or hour-long prerecords, which were still rare. You'd rather have a fellow DJ sit in for you. Of course, in the 80s and 90s as 'college rock' boomed, so did the college radio broadcasting it, and the 12-3 am slot was Popular. Less so nowadays, many late night shows are digital prerecords, and most shows I can think of that are live are done by 2. No more broadcasting until 5 am. I can't say for sure, but the BBC might have been a 24 hour station way earlier than us. But why am I telling you the history of old radio stations??)

[sequinsmile-x]

The Fall - Part Three: Aaron & Emily

It sneaks up on him. Quiet and unassuming until it catches up with him, tapping him on the shoulder just before he’s pulled under by it.

For her it's fast. Every moment she's overlooked, wilfully ignorant of them or not, hit her all at once, knocking all the breath from her lungs.

An exploration into how Aaron and Emily fall in love with each other.

Part 1 -x- Part 2

-x-

Hi friends!

Thank you so much for the love on this little fic, I really hope you like this last chapter <3

-x-

Words: 2.6k

Warnings:

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

It’s all-consuming. Overwhelming in a way that feels absurd. It makes her want to distance herself from him so she can get her bearings, so she can regain some sense of normality, but that also feels unattainable. Her need to be near him, to spend time with him, stronger than it had ever been. The moments she spent with him and Jack were even more precious than they had been before, as if she was suddenly seeing everything as it always should have been. The realisation that she was in love with Aaron finally shifting it all into focus. 

She knows she has to speak to him about it, that she can’t live in this strange limbo she’d been thrust into accidentally on an otherwise normal Thursday, but they are almost immediately pulled away on a case. She finds herself standing in the kitchen of a police precinct in a town she knows she’ll forget the name of in weeks to come, mindlessly stirring Splenda into a cup of coffee as she watches him from across the room. Her eyes drift to his hands, focusing on how absurdly small his phone looks in comparison to them as he talks to Penelope. When she looks back up at his face, her eyes meet his and he smiles softly at her, a flash of the Aaron she knew from outside of work peeking out from underneath the Hotch mask he always wore so effortlessly. 

“You ok, Bella?” Dave asks, appearing next to her from seemingly nowhere, his smile as she jumps slightly annoying as she rolls her eyes at him, returning her attention to her coffee. 

“I’m fine, Dave,” she replies, dropping the spoon in her hands into the sink as she lifts her coffee, “You?” 

He watches as she takes a sip of her coffee, chuckling as she grimaces, her face screwed up at the overly sweet drink. 

“I’m fine,” his smile deepens as he leans in, lowering his voice as he tilts his head towards her coffee, speaking as if he was sharing some great conspiracy with her, “I did, however, just watch you dump six Splendas into your coffee whilst you tried not to stare at our illustrious leader.” 

She stares at him for a second before she takes another sip of her coffee, an attempt to buy herself some time to come up with a response. She grimaces again, having forgotten how disgusting the coffee was, and she dumps it down the sink before she accidentally has any more. 

“I wasn’t staring at him,” she says, aware that it sounds weak even to her own ears. Dave’s smirk only spreads further across his face and he shrugs, leaning against the counter next to her.

“Ah, I see,” he says, seemingly letting it go as she pours herself another cup of coffee, “I just thought it may have something to do with the fact you’re in love with him.” 

She almost drops the coffee pot as she puts it back down, the loud clang enough to make everyone in the precinct, Aaron included, look over at her. She mumbles an apology and smiles when Aaron furrows his brow at her, a silent check-in from across the room that she waves off. She turns back to look at Dave who is looking far too proud of himself for her liking and she clenches her teeth, her hand wrapped around his arm as she pulls him slightly further away from anyone, his chuckle echoing in her ears. 

“Can you be quiet?” She asks, her cheeks flushed in a way she knows he can see, her embarrassment undeniable even for her, the once so-called queen of compartmentalisation. 

He nods, putting his hand up in surrender, “Sorry,” he says, clearly not apologetic at all, “I’m just thrilled you’ve finally caught up with the rest of us.” 

She frowns, her mouth dropping open as she looks around the room and then back at him, “The rest of you?” She pushes out through her teeth, “Everyone knows?” 

He places his hand on her shoulder and squeezes, his smirk turning sympathetic, “Tesoro, le uniche persone che non conoscono te e Aaron vi amate, siete tu e Aaron.” 

She sighs and closes her eyes, shaking her head at herself as a laugh catches in her throat. She wonders how long she’d been blind for, how long her friends had known before she had that she was in love with a man she now could see was in love with her too. It’s absurd, almost embarrassing given her chosen career, but she shakes it. Giving herself some grace for not allowing herself to see it, for letting herself start to heal from everything she’d been through in the last year. 

Aaron had been through so much too since they’d met, and whilst she liked to think they could have saved each other from some of the pain they’d endured, or at the very least walked through it together. She thinks that if they had started dating years ago, giving into feelings she was slowly recognising had always been there, initially disguised as irritation and dislike, it would likely have all fallen apart around them. She was choosing to believe that the timing was finally right for them. 

Life had rarely been that kind to her, but maybe, just this once, it would be. 

She looks back up at Dave and narrows her eyes at his smirk that had returned in full force, and she pushes at his shoulder, her palm flat against his jacket. 

“Perché non me l'hai detto, stronzo.” 

___

He’s worried. She’s been acting strangely for days, somehow able to distance herself from him whilst standing right next to him. Her gaze fixed on him whenever she thinks he isn’t looking, a look in her eyes he can’t quite place. It sets off alarm bells in his head, an echo of the last time she was acting strangely reverberating around his skull. He wonders if he’ll ever stop hyper-analysing her behaviour. If he’ll ever forgive himself for missing the signs when she was being hunted by Doyle, her eyes wide like a deer in headlights, stuck in place and doomed to accept her fate. 

At first, he lets it go. Assumes it’s an after-effect of her appointment, the details of which he still didn’t fully know. Then her behaviour, on edge, almost twitchy at times, continues into the case they go on. His concern spikes when she draws attention to herself in a way she never does, almost breaking a coffee pot in the process. He leaves it until they get back to DC, purposely ignoring the strange glances Dave sends him the entire trip, having been his friend long enough to know he simply didn’t want to know.

Aaron sends the rest of the team home as soon as they land, Emily included. She almost says something to him but stops herself, her arms tight around her chest as she tells him it doesn’t matter and heads to her apartment. He can’t concentrate on his paperwork and texts Jessica to let her know he’d get Jack in the morning, determined to make sure that Emily is okay.

That the woman he loves is okay. 

He makes quick work of getting to her apartment, the journey as familiar as the one to his own, and gives himself a moment before he knocks on her door. Drawing in a slow breath to steady himself, to push his love for her down.

When she answers the door she looks surprised to see him, her eyes wide as she adjusts her pjyama shirt, unintentionally drawing his attention to the matching shorts and her bare, long legs. 

“Aaron,” she says, breathing out his name and stepping back to let him in, “What are you doing here?” It isn’t lost on her that this is the second time she’s asked him that question in the last week, his appearance at her apartment tonight as unexpected as his appearance outside the hospital. As pleased as she is to see him, as much as it makes her feel warm from the inside out, she felt like she needs the reprieve from it. From him. A night alone to gain some of her sanity back and, if he continued to text her littles quips as he had been, time to plan her revenge on Dave. “Is everything okay?”

He chuckles as her front door closes behind him and he takes a couple of steps towards her, “Actually, that’s what I came here to ask you.”

“Me?” She asks, clearing her throat in an attempt to cover the shake in it, averting her gaze as he takes a step closer and she takes one backwards, sure if he got closer, if she smelt his cologne, she’d forget why it wasn’t a good idea to just yell her love at him.

He nods, frowning as she steps back again, the action of her putting more space between them hurting more than he knows it should. 

“Yeah, you, swe- Emily,” he quickly corrects himself, hoping she hasn’t picked up on the slipup, on the near use of the nickname he’d been swallowing down for weeks, “You’ve been acting strangely for days and I want to know you’re okay.”

She sighs, guilt for making him worry whilst she figured out how she wanted to handle this makes her chest feel tight, “Aaron-”

“If something is wrong I can help you. You can tell me anything, you know that. Even if it’s something you think is bad we can work it out-”

She snaps, cutting him off before he can carry on, unable to bear listening to him thinking something was wrong when, for the first time ever, everything felt right. 

“I love you, you…idiot,” she shouts, her hands on her hips as she looks at him, “I love you because you’re you, and you do ridiculously sweet things like wait for me outside a hospital because I have an appointment,” she shakes her head and laughs mirthlessly, the fact he was now frozen to the spot, his eyes wide open in shock, seemingly passing her by, “And I feel like a teenager who has fallen in love for the first time, and it’s driving me insane because it is all I can think about all the time. And-”

This time he cuts her off, making it across the room before she realises what is happening, his lips against hers and his hands on her cheeks, holding her in place as if she’d want to pull back. She sighs into the kiss, her hands reaching to grab at his wrists, everything else but him and his lips against hers disappearing. Her world shrinks down to this moment.

It’s better than he imagined it to be, all the fantasies of her, the nights he’d wondered what she would taste like, not living up to the reality. He should have known really. She’d been blowing his expectations out of the water since the moment they met. 

She pulls back and rests her forehead against his, sucking in much-needed air, her breath stuttering across his skin as she huffs out a laugh. 

“I love you too,” he replies, pulling back to smile wryly at her, his hands still on her cheeks, “You idiot.” 

She laughs, the sound wet as it catches on a sob in her chest, and her tongue sneaks out to lick her lower lip, catching the residual taste of him. “Is that any way to speak to the woman you love?” 

He smiles, stamping a quick kiss against her lips, “You’re right,” he kisses her forehead, stroking his thumb over her cheekbone before he pulls back, putting a tiny bit of space between them. “We should talk.”

She nods, dropping her hand from his wrist and linking their fingers together, not wanting to lose the connection with him as they walk to the couch. She sits down, pressing herself against him as he joins her, their linked hands in her lap, and she smiles shyly at him. 

“I…I don’t know where to start.” 

Aaron squeezes her hand, the fact he was able to do so slightly surreal, and he shrugs, “How about at the beginning?”

She does just that. She tells him how it had hit her all at once, how she’d spent the last week desperately trying to get her around it before she did something about it. That she never wanted him to think it was out of anything but how she loves him. When she’s done he tells her his side of the story, how he’d known for a long time that he loved her, that burying her had confirmed it for him. She kisses him when he says that, her thumb pressing into one of his dimples, an apology that she’s not sure she’ll ever stop owing him pressed against his lips. 

They speak for what feels like hours, slowly getting more tangled up in each other on the couch, exchanging assurances and kisses in the infinite number they came in. Their love for each other, and the future they both knew they wanted, were clear. 

“Will you stay tonight?” She asks quietly, her thumb against his lower lip as she presses into it, committing the plushness of it to memory, something she hopes one day she’ll know so well she won’t remember a time she didn’t know it. He smiles, an edge of mischief to it she once thought he wouldn’t be capable of, and she rolls her eyes, “Not like that,” she says, raising her eyebrow at him, “Unless…”

“I’d like to take you on a date first,” he says, squeezing her hip, smiling when she rolls her eyes again. 

“Of course you would,” she mutters, resting her head against his shoulder and settling in, the kiss she presses against his neck both a confirmation that she wasn’t really mad at him, and a punishment for denying her what she wanted, “You’ll still stay though, right?” She asks, tilting her head to look up at him, a smile he could only describe as vulnerable on her face, “I don’t want you to go.” 

He cups the back of her head and pulls her in for a kiss, his forehead against hers, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

They get married 18 months later. Aaron tells everyone, much to his new wife’s chagrin, that the first time she told him she loved him she’d yelled it, a story all of their loved ones had heard several times since they got together. Dave, during his best man speech, tells a dramatised version of his conversation with Emily in the town none of them remembered the name of.

Emily smiles and shakes her head, one of her hands wrapped around her husband’s as they listen to Dave speak, and the other pressed against her abdomen, covering the slight bump and the closely guarded secret only she and Aaron knew about. 

That night, wrapped up in her husband's arms and exhausted from the day and the pregnancy she still couldn’t quite believe was real, she falls asleep slowly, safe in the knowledge that she was loved and always would be. 

-x-

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[big19boss-blog]

THE TRUTH ABOUT TIA

~ Perez and Florentia

(Manhwa One Shot PT 1)

------------

Until find a new source to read TCF. Here's a little one shot from I'll be the Matriach in this life/ I will be the head in this life.

-----------

Spoilers ahead

Perez knew he was dreaming, he had to be. Because he was seeing such an absurd scenario that it was only possible in his worst nightmare. He looks at the dream Perez walk past a black-haired Tia in civilian clothes not even sparing her a glance. And the dream Tia shoots his dream version a glare.

He then sees himself asking Chaton Soseue why he was late, to which he realised his carriage hit someone as his horse went out of control. His dream self doesn’t pay much attention to it. But Chaton still continues telling how a woman was killed in the accident and that it was the last surviving Lombardi, Florentia Lombardi.

And his dream self doesn’t respond to it. Again. At this point, Perez hopes to wake up from this nightmare but he can’t. His dream self looks broken and all he wants to do is shake him up and tell him to go look for Tia, there is no way Tia died.

He screams in frustration. It does the trick and he wakes up with a jolt.

The room is still dark, but there is no mistaking it, its Tia’s room at the empress palace. The same room where he has spent every possible night.

He looks at Tia, fast asleep beside him and quickly gathers her in his arms, fearing someone would take her away from him, just like they did in the dream. But he isn’t careful in his desperation and Tia wakes up.

“Perez?” comes her muffled voice.

“Sleep.” He tells her.

“Perez, why are you sweating so much, why is your heart beating so fast? What’s wrong?” Tia’s voice rises in octaves as she tries to struggle out of his arms to look at him.

“I will tell you in the morning Tia. Sleep. Please.”

“Okay. Just tell me you are okay. Or should I send for Estria?” She answers.

“No no, I am fine. I am fine because you are with me, Tia. Now please sleep.” Perez reassures her, rubbing her back so she goes back to sleep.

“Okay okay. But you better tell me in the morning.” She warns him and snuggles more into him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

IN THE MORNING

As Perez comes out of the bath, he sees a massive feast in Tia’s room. He knows Tia’s worried about his behaviour last night. He can feel her gaze follow him from where she is waiting on the table as he gets dressed.

On their days off, like today, they try to spend the morning together and then spend time with their kids and family.

“Perez, come fast.” Tia orders sounding every bit worried and annoyed.

Perez laughs and throws the comb, knowing that Tia would love him even though his hair’s a little mess.

“Don’t worry Tia, it was just a nightmare. I am fine.” He explains trying not to worry her further.

“Perez, whatever it was, it scared you badly. I haven’t seen you that afraid in years.”

Seeing her green eyes, silently begging him to tell her, he gives in and narrates almost everything. He won’t tell her how his dream self reacted to her accident. He himself wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

He thought he did job being vague but the pensive look on Tia’s told him a different story.

“Tia?” He calls her.

“Should I tell you? I should tell you.” She mumbles to herself.

“Tia? What is it? You can tell me anything. I won’t let anything to you. You know I am the Emperor I can keep you safe from any harm.”

But Tia didn’t reply and continued staring at him troubled. Perez couldn’t take it anymore so he rose from his seat and kneeled in front of hers, drawing her hands to himself.

After a beat of silence, Tia said. “What I am about to tell you is very absurd okay? I hope you believe.”

“Every word you say is gold for me Tia. Please, tell me.” He tries his best to reassure her.

“So you know how my mother is from a tribe, right? Well her tribe has a secret. They all are born with different superpowers.” Tia pauses as if to let it sink in and then she continues seeing the utmost trust in Perez’s eyes.

“The greater the power they have, the tougher the consequences were. For example, my mother could see the future. She knew when she had me she would pass away, but she loved me and my dad enough to go through with it. Her lifespan was affected by her choices. As her daughter, I had powers too. But since I was born half between her and my father, my powers come with less scope and close to no consequences.”

“Do you want to know my power, Perez?” She questions, knowing full well he is a sucker for anything from her. But she needed to see his desire to continue this, to know that-

“I won’t stop loving no matter what it is.” He responds as if he knows what she wants to hear.

Florentia takes a deep breath, “I have lived three lives.”

Perez was ready to hear anything and not show any shock to his Tia. But this was beyond his wildest dream. He never let go of Tia’s hand, but his brain was running faster than ever. Slowly a lot of Tia makes more sense to him.

“So did you marry me in all three of them?” He asked.

“Is- Is that’s what you curious about?” Florentia felt it was so absurd that she burst out laughing.

“Yaa its important to me.”

“No,” she answered after composing herself, “I had lived a life in a different world. And I have lived once as Florentia once too. This is my final life and I choose to live this with you.”

“Tia I am so happy you wanted to live with me.” Perez had a renewed will to make this life of Tia the best one she had. She should never regret choosing him.

“And your dream was how I died in my last life.” She muttered begrudgingly.

Perez paused. All plans to sweep Tia off her halting. His eyes shook and his body went rigid on the floor.

“Wh- what?”

----------------------------------------------

Should I continue this?

[squeamishnerd]

The Brights

Chapter 20: About the Past, Part 3

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Link to master post with all chapters

⠀

Melon: Welcome home… You look down. Are you okay?

Beren: No.

⠀

Melon: Can I help you somehow?

Beren: You know what, maybe you can. Are you a good listener?

Melon: At least I could give it a try.

⠀

Beren: I really hope you're okay with listening, this might get a bit long.

Melon: That is not a problem. Take all the time you need, to say what you want to say.

⠀

Beren: At Bot Savants' meeting today, Cassandra said that people don't harm others with their beliefs... But I've experienced first hand what others' beliefs can do to you, especially if you don't have autonomy, or knowledge of what the world is like outside of your own bubble.

⠀

Beren: You see… Those who raised me, they had very strong beliefs, and those beliefs were out of the ordinary. I didn't know that it was out of the ordinary until I was 16, they kept me in the dark about it. Realising that they were wrong was a relief, but also very confusing.

⠀

Melon: What kinds of things did they believe in?

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Beren: Well, for example, they didn't believe in science, and they definitely didn't believe in individuality. Everything was always for "the greater good", I wasn't allowed to make my own choices in anything.

⠀

Beren: I love science, everything science is my biggest interest. And I love men.

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Melon: What do men have to do with this?

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Beren: They believed that a family has to consist of one man, one woman, and their biological children.

⠀

Melon: Wait. I have a hard time comprehending this.

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Melon: I cannot find any information about any beliefs like that in my database. It sounds absolutely absurd to me.

Beren: I know right, absolutely absurd, but it's true.

⠀

Beren: I never told them about my personal feelings, but it hurt to know that they would've thought I was, I dunno, wired wrong, I guess. Not that they'd use that expression, they had issues with wires. At least I was lucky to learn science in high school, and health class taught me that I'm normal.

⠀

Melon: Is this why you distract yourself so much?

Beren: Exactly.

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Beren: I've been trying to suppress my thoughts about this ever since I moved away from them, but now I lose my temper too easily instead.

⠀

Melon: I have never seen you losing your temper.

⠀

Beren: I've lashed out at Ned a few times.

⠀

Melon: I understand why you want to distract yourself from thoughts, but there are better ways than overworking yourself. How about we try to always have fun things planned? Together with friends or just the two of us.

Beren: I'd appreciate that. Thanks.

⠀

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Link to master post with all chapters

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

I know I just sent an ask telling you to rest but since you'll answer these later anyway I couldn't resist sending this in because of something that happened sjsjsj

What happened is irrelevant, it just made me come on here- and I apologize in advance because this will be kinda long

I'm honestly so tired of people defending bakugou's (no capital B for you mf) actions, comparing it to their own and making it sound as though it's okay (baby you make yourself look even worse) and making absurd theories about his reasons for bullying Izuku that I didn't even know existed until I came across this blog and as a former bully (who deeply regrets it and hates bullying of any sort) I'm here to give my two cents. Forgive me if it's horribly structured and/or incoherent because I'm exhausted as well. I'll also be comparing him to me, and while I know everyone's different, this is mostly just to show what could have happened

To the people who say bakugou's changed for the better, you're entitled to your opinion so here's mine- no he hasn't. He really hasn't. He hasn't even tried. If I could half ass an effort with half an ass of half an ass it wouldn't come near the fraction of an assed effort he's made, if he's made any at all. He's just a bit mellower if you can even call it that, and he's been told he's a bitch with a garbage personality. Nobody told me that, I saw what I was because I met people that set a better example for me- I compared their behaviour to my own and got over myself. I realised what I was doing to the people I loved- if it could even be called love- and I consciously mended my behaviour, for months, because I had to. My vocabulary changed, my body language changed, the way I spoke changed, my tone changed, my texting style changed, my perspective changed and (most importantly) my reactions changed. And I'm honestly much happier now. I'm terrified of relapses even though it was years ago. I'm a pretty sunshiny person tbh, I shit glitter and everything, I'm your free therapist but yeah, that was me and I hate it. And if I'd been told my personality was garbage the way bakugou has been, I'd have taken at least a moment to reflect.

After I decided to mend myself, I'd recoil whenever I did something harsh, or said something harsh, no matter how lighthearted. Seeing my friends turn nervous or prepare themselves for an argument broke my heart because I caused it. I apologised multiple times, with long paragraphs, because I wanted to let them know in any way I could that I really am trying and I really did love them.

And you know what? At first it was so tempting to relapse when things got hard. I knew what to do to manipulate them. I knew what to do to scare them. I know how to do it all and I loathe myself for not being a person of comfort.

At first it was tempting, because it was so much easier. It would have been so lazy to do it. bakugou is so, so lazy for not even trying. I felt as though I could control anything. I thought I could always keep them the way I wanted. The amount of control you can have over people frankly gets to your head- and for the people who argue that Bakugou was abused, I've been abused and bullied as well and it is not. An. Excuse.

For the people who like to think he did it to protect Izuku- please. Please. Even you can't think that's true. You're entitled to what you think, but for me and the bullies I know that was never the reason. A friend once told me he was mean to me to rein in my behaviour because I'd just get bullied again, that he was doing it to protect me and I laughed in his face because both of us know that both of us know it's not true.

bakugou liked the kick he got out of feeling superior, smarter, faster, more influential, more confident and that was it. bakugou enjoyed it because it was easy. It was easy to not feel like crap when all he had to do was bully some kid to assure himself and that was it. He's lazy.

And honestly- being a nice person is a discipline. *That* is not easy. Izuki is amazing for what he does. It's hard for me to know what to say. It's hard for me to manage my time to I have enough to help others. It's hard for me to see others in pain. I've caused so much suffering and suffered so much I can't stand to say any more of it. It sucks because my empathy causes troubles for me- but I'd rather deal with that than being an asshole

And change is entirely possible y'know? I mean yeah, if Izuku wants bakugou out of his life he should absolutely cut him off, but if he wishes to allow bakugou to remain with him he absolutely can. And bakugou (I'm getting tired of spelling his name out, I feel very petty sjsjsjs) can change so much more than this. I went from being a bkg to being the complete opposite and it didn't take as long as you'd think tbh. It's just that bkg does not regret his actions enough, if he regrets them at all. I've cried and tried and come out a very different person and it's frustrating to see someone so stagnant- and worse, so loved.

I have a massive migraine so I can't go on much further, my apologies :'). I also won't proofread this and I have a lot more to say, but I can't recollect it all. It's just so goddamn frustrating to see this guy pop up onscreen eVERYWHERE. He is so loved, Hori spoils him djsjjs

I just want to watch the anime for the sassy blond, not the blond bully sheesh 😩

Anyway, drink lots of water and rest. I hope you feel way better <33

100% agree on all of this. Also, it may not mean much coming from a faceless stranger, but I’m proud of you for your growth 😊. I’m glad you’ve taken the time to really reflect on yourself and your relationships. I hope you continue down this path because great things will happen to you.

[flame-x]

The One Where Victoria Is In Denial

Summary: Angst and fluff. Lots of pining. Mungotoria aplenty. They drive Rumpleteazer crackers.

Warnings: discussion of past abuse (emotional and physical) and manipulation, discussion of betrayal, injury (not too detailed),

Apologies in advance to the Plato lovers.

“You’re staring at him again,” Rumpleteazer said.

“I am not,” Victoria replied, “Simply gazed over in a direction and he was there.”

“Then why was The Look on your face again?”

“What look?” Victoria looked at her childhood friend in puzzlement. 

“You get a certain expression on your face when you see him,” Rumple informed her from her place next to her on their favourite perch, an old couch about 6 tail lengths above the ground. The sun was shining and it was an unusually warm spring day. All around the Junkyard cats were basking in the heat. “You look at him and it’s like you’re staring at the moon.”

“I do not. And so what if I did?”

Rumple looked at her paws and shuffled them awkwardly. Victoria fell into a contemplative quiet.

She could remember the first time she saw Mungojerrie. He and Rumple had been standing in the middle of the Junkyard with their ears flat and their tails between their legs. Victoria had been awoken from her peaceful dozing by the commotion that had arisen after Alonzo and Admetus brought them to the home of the tribe. She still remembered how he wasn’t afraid to stand tall and protectively by his sister’s side. 

But she’d always found him irrationally annoying. Oh, she found him charming sometimes —there was no doubt about that— like when he helped her down a step, or when he danced, or when he assumed a protective stance over Rumple, but other times he was just downright annoying. It was absurd. Mungo never did anything to explicitly annoy her, he was just dumb and cute and good and it annoyed her to no end. 

But after the disaster that had been her relationship with Plato, Victoria was scared. She was scared to give her heart to somecat else. 

But… she did know he would make a wonderful father someday. He was kind, mischievous, patient, careful, protective— stop that! She huffed in irritation. Everlasting cat, she was starting to sound like Tugger talking about Misto! 

A giggle from Rumple brought her out of her thoughts abruptly. Victoria glared at her once she realised what the calico queenkitten was laughing at. “I am not staring at your brother.”

“You’ve got The Look on your face again, though.”

“Maybe I was thinking about the moon,” Victoria sniffed with great dignity.

“Or maybe you were thinking about my oh-so-dreamy brother,” Rumple muttered, not unkindly. The two queenkittens fell silent once more and Victoria focused on the scene below her.

Mungojerrie was chatting animatedly with Rum Tum Tugger about something. His paws were gesturing wildly (Which was something he did a lot. Not that she’d noticed, of course) and he was grinning. Victoria's chest tightened as she took in the way his green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm in the sunlight. By the Heaviside Layer… 

Victoria let out a sigh and glanced at her best friend. Did Rumple really have to bring that up right now? She’d been hoping to nap, but now she knew she wouldn’t be able to until she’d set her head somewhat straight. Everlasting cat.

Rumpleteazer was right. Victoria does love the moon. (As a kitten she had once sworn to follow wherever it went, which led to one worried half to death Munkustrap and an annoyed and worried Alonzo finding her nearly halfway across London on one foggy Wednesday dawn, but that was a story for another day). She loved the way it made her coat shine, the way she knew it made her eyes sparkle and her heart feel light. The moon made her feel beautiful, enchanting, and invigorated.

She’d thought Plato had made her feel the same way the moon did —entranced— but he’d mislead her. He had made her feel like the dirt under his paws. He’d been manipulative and controlling and she knew that he’d damaged her ability to be able to trust any cat with her heart ever again. 

Victoria wanted to be able to trust Mungo with her heart, her vulnerabilities. Everlasting cat, he was different to Plato, and she knew this. He’s a good cat. But the painful truth was that Victoria was too frightened of her heart being broken again. 

Then again… she was tired of being afraid, of always looking over her shoulder for Plato, of denying her heart what it wanted. I should listen to my heart, she realised.

Victoria let out another sigh, a happier one. 

“So you’ve finally admitted it to yourself, then?” Rumpleteazer asked quietly. Victoria looked at her wearily.

“If I say no, will you just leave it be?” 

“Victoria.”

“Fine,” the white cat sighed. “Yes, everlasting cat, yes, I have feelings for your brother. Confusing, overwhelming feelings that are much, much too soon.”

Rumpleteazer flicked her tail, not without an element of satisfaction. “That’s all I wanted to hear. Though I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

Victoria, who was well used to her friend’s odd ways, just let out another sigh.

~~~

Rumpleteazer flicked her tail again. Phase One of her simple, simple plan was complete— get Victoria to admit her feelings for Mungo to herself. Time for Phase Two, Double Whammy: Get her dumb brother to realise his feelings for her best friend while simultaneously making the white cat jealous. 

She glanced over at her companion, who was sound asleep. Perfect. Maybe even purrfect. The calico queenkitten cackled quietly to herself as she stood up before quietly stepping over her sleeping friend and making her way quickly and carefully down the rubbish heap their perch was on. 

She reached the bottom and immediately began her search for her latest partner in crime. “Cettie?” Rumple hissed. “Etcetera!” 

Munkustrap glanced up sleepily from where he was dozing on his favourite car boot with Alonzo and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “You’d better not be getting up to mischief, Rumple. It’s far too warm today to be dealing with your shenanigans.”

The queenkitten gave her best angelic smile. “Trust me, o wise leader, you’ll thank me for this specific piece of mischief,” She replied before scampering off. (Munk put his head in his paws despairingly, eliciting a sympathetic pat from a sleepy Alonzo.)

Rumple eventually located Etcetera visiting in the nursery. “Feeling nostalgic?” She teased. 

Etcetera stuck out her tongue. “What do you want, anyway?”

Rumple grinned. “Operation: Mungotoria is underway. Phase One is complete.”

The other queenkitten’s jaw dropped. “By the Heaviside Layer! Vic actually admitted it then?” 

The calico nodded. “Witnessed it myself. Phase Two is a-go.”

A wide grin spread across Etcetera’s face. 

~~~

Now, Victoria didn’t consider herself to be a stupid cat, but she could not for the life of her figure out what was going on. 

She did know she didn’t like it, though.

The queenkitten found herself tracking every little movement Etcetera made— every giggle, every time her lips turned up at the corner, every time she batted her eyelashes— at Mungojerrie. 

Victoria was utterly confused. Cettie, who’d never shown even the smallest hint of interest in Mungojerrie— Everlasting cat, she’d called him an idiot many times (but was it affectionate? Victoria was questioning all their interactions now)— Cettie was flirting with Mungojerrie.

And the white cat did not like it one bit. But she decided to play it cool. Pretend you don’t even notice, she told herself, act totally unbothered. 

She thought she was doing a pretty good job of seeming unbothered, but Mistoffelees had always been able to see through her. He stretched out beside her on the tire she was currently lying moodily on and followed her gaze to where Etcetera was still flirting with Mungojerrie.

“A few cats other than myself can tell you’re jealous,” Misto told her quietly. Victoria looked at him.

“Am I at least doing a good job of not looking like it?” She asked him grouchily, not trying to deny it. Her adopted brother would call her out on the lie before she could finish the sentence.

Misto tilted his head thoughtfully, keeping his gaze trained on the cats on the other side of the Junkyard. “A cat who knew you well could tell.”

Victoria sighed and looked back towards Mungojerrie and Etcetera again, “Great, that means Rumpleteazer can tell.”

Misto chuckled. “So can Munkustrap and Alonzo,” he informed her, looking over to his left. Victoria craned her neck around him and caught sight of the two toms watching them. Victoria groaned. 

“Is Munk worried?” The grey tabby was overprotective on a good day. Since her disastrous relationship with Plato, he was worse than ever and while she knew he only wanted her to be safe and happy, she wasn’t a kitten anymore— nor was she fragile enough for Plato to break her.

“I think Mungo is too far away to tell though,” Misto said with mock disappointment, shaking his head — but she didn’t miss that he ignored the question. She swatted at his ears, causing him to duck away laughing. 

He looked back towards Etcetera, who was currently giggling and swatting a playful paw at Mungojerrie and his brows furrowed with concern. “He seems rather uncomfortable.”

Victoria looked at Mungo in surprise. “Really?” The calico tom was too far away for her to tell, but Misto could sense emotions, she knew. 

“Yeah. Maybe we should—” Misto broke off as Electra appeared on the other side of the Junkyard. The queenkitten chatted to Mungo and Etcetera for a few moments before dragging the latter off, leaving Mungo behind. He shrugged and wandered off in the other direction. Misto and Victoria followed him with their eyes until he disappeared around a corner. 

“Well how about that,” Misto said after a few beats of silence, looking at her. Victoria said nothing, her eyes lingering on the spot where Mungo had disappeared. Misto shook his head and sighed at her. 

“I think you should give him a chance, Vic. He’s a good cat.” Unlike Plato was left unsaid. The white cat remained silent. 

“I’ll set Munk on you,” Misto joked, but still the queenkitten didn’t respond. Misto sighed again and dropped a swift kiss on her head before standing up.

“I wasn’t kidding, I am going to send Munkustrap over here,” he attempted one last time. Victoria just lowered her head onto her paws, still staring, seemingly lost in thought— but Misto knew better. She was trying not to cry. She listened to him leave, and if she strained her ears, she could catch a few words of a muffled conversation between him, Munkustrap and Alonzo. “Vic… Mungojerrie… fine… jealous… Plato again? …good cat, Munk… heart… protect her… I know… frightened…”

Victoria tuned them out. She continued gazing at the spot she’d last seen Mungo. Now she’d admitted her feelings to herself, she found herself constantly aware of his presence, and missing him when he wasn’t around. She was constantly keeping an eye and an ear out for him, content just to be in his vicinity and listen to his voice.  It was almost eerie how she was able to pick out his breathing and his footsteps from other cats. Her favourite part of acknowledging her feelings though— well, parts— were his laugh (it was her favourite sound) and how when their eyes met, her heart fluttered and her stomach leapt. 

Plato had never made her feel like that. Sure, her heart beat faster, and her tail tingled— but it wasn’t how Mungojerrie made her feel. It was… different. It paled in comparison to how she felt around Mungojerrie.

“Oh, Victoria,” Munkustrap’s gentle voice cut through her thoughts, startling her. She was half sitting up, lips pulled back in a snarl and claws out before she realised who it was. The grey tabby pulled back in alarm, paws up in surrender.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Dove,” he told her. The use of the old nickname helped to relax her. Munk had begun calling her that when she first arrived as a kitten, and the nickname had stuck. When she eventually asked him why, he told her it was because she reminded him of a dove —sweet, pure, innocent— and of course, because of her white coat.

Her fur flattened and she settled back down. Munk lay down beside her, pressing against her side comfortingly.

“It's been a long time since you called me that,” Victoria said in wonder. Munkustrap smiled at her, and Victoria felt herself relax even more. Her father had always been able to bring her a sense of peace and safety unmatched by any other. 

“Well, to be perfectly honest, it just popped out,” he chuckled. Victoria chuckled along with him, but soon she found her eyes wandering to the spot where she’d last seen Mungo again. Munk, of course, noticed.

“Oh, Victoria,” he said again, nuzzling her head. She leaned into his touch. They so rarely spent time together anymore, when had that happened? 

“Help me sort my thoughts out, Dad,” she whispered. He’d always been so good at that. When she was very young and her head felt like it was exploding, when she was crying and banging her head on the wall or into her pillow and Demeter couldn’t get her to calm down, they’d wait until Munkustrap came home and he’d sit down cross-legged in front and talk her through her thoughts. If there were problems, they’d come up with solutions for them together. If there were worries, ones she considered silly or not, he’d reassure her they weren’t silly and discuss them seriously with her. She’d grown out of it as she got older— there was now no banging her head on walls— but sometimes her head was still a mess. Usually she could figure it out on her own, but this time…

“Always, Dove,” he replied quietly. He shifted their position slightly so he could look at her face more clearly. “Where do you want to start?”

Victoria avoided looking him in the eye as she pondered the question, instead choosing to keep staring at that everlasting-damned spot. 

“I don’t know… ask me a question?” she responded unsurely. 

“Alright then. How did Plato make you feel?” 

Victoria winced. “Did you really have to start there?”

“I have always been a direct and straight to the point cat.” 

“That’s a lie and you know it.” She snorted.

Munk smiled. “Perhaps.”

She sighed. “How did Plato make me feel? Mostly entranced, I suppose. Excited. They were new, different feelings.” 

Munk nodded and prompted, “And how does Mungojerrie make you feel?”

Victoria let out another sigh, but this time it was a dreamy one. “Different. So, so different. Mungo makes me feel alive in a way only dancing under the Jellicle moon does. I— I can’t even begin to describe it. How I felt around Plato pales in comparison. I think— I think that was only attraction. Or mostly attraction, anyway. He was charming.”

“Too charming. It’s not your fault you fell for his tricks, Victoria. We all did. None of us suspected he was working with Macavity all along.” Munk broached the subject tentatively. None of them had really spoken about it. 

“But I should have,” Victoria whispered, “I should have. Everlasting, I was living with him.”

“He controlled you, Dove, it wasn’t your fault.”

Victoria felt the tears build up behind her eyes again. “How do you know? Maybe it was. It could have been. Maybe I’m working for Macavity.”

Munk turned her chin to force her to look him in the eye. “Dove, I trust you. I know you. You’d rather die than work for Macavity. I believe in you. What Plato did, any of it, it wasn’t your fault. I promise, and you know I’d never lie to you, Dove.”

“I’m so sorry, Dad!” Victoria whispered, tears leaking down her cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry!” Munk rubbed her back.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he repeated over and over, “You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have noticed. We all should have noticed that something was wrong, that we didn’t see you as often, and that when we did, you were acting differently. I’m sorry.”

Eventually Victoria pulled back and wiped her eyes. “By the Heaviside Layer, I had not expected to be talking about that when I woke up this morning,” She let out a shaky chuckle. Munk chuckled as well, drying his own eyes. The two sat in silence for a time, contemplating the situation. 

“Do you think it’s too soon for me to—” Victoria broke off, trying to find the words, “—take a chance on Mungo?”

Munk thought about the question. “I think the right time to ‘take a chance’ on Mungojerrie, as you put it, is whenever you’re ready.”

Victoria considered his answer, finding her eyes wandering to that spot again as she did so. “I’m scared, Dad,” she said finally. Munkustrap said nothing, a silent encouragement to keep going. 

“I’m frightened. I’m afraid my heart will be broken again. He’s different from Plato, I know. But he could break it in a different way.”

Munk mulled this over for a few moments before answering, “Or, he could love you with all his heart.” 

Victoria let out a despondent sigh. “I don’t even know if he feels the same way, Dad.”

“Do you love him?” 

Victoria hesitated. “I think so.”

“Then I think you should give him a chance. He’s a good cat,” Munkustrap said quietly.

“That's what everyone seems to be telling me,” Victoria murmured. 

“Well maybe ‘everyone’ is right,” he teased.

“Oh, shush.” 

~~~

Mungojerrie would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little relieved when Electra dragged Etcetera off. He didn’t have anything against the queenkitten, but by the Heaviside Layer, what in the name of the everlasting cat just happened? 

Shrugging, he made his way around the corner and wandered idly towards his crate. Queens are so odd. The thought turned his mind towards the young queen constantly on his mind since… well, a long time by now. 

Victoria. Etcetera was… a character, for sure, but she didn’t hold a candle to Victoria. Victoria, who was as gentle as she was graceful. Kind, beautiful (inside and out, might he add), Victoria, who didn’t deserve what that bastard Plato had done to her. 

Mungo’s head snapped up suddenly as he caught the scent of his sister. Rumple slinked around a rubbish heap towards him and he waved his tail in greeting. 

“Flirting with Etcetera, I see?” She said smoothly, falling into step beside him.

“Not even a ‘Hello, how are you?’ then?” Mungo huffed. Rumple smirked. 

“Hello, how are you? Flirting with Etcetera, I see?” 

Mungo rolled his eyes. “Is that what it was? I just thought she was being weird.” Rumple closed her eyes in frustration, but as even Mungo knew, walking with your eyes shut is never a good idea. 

“Ouch!” The queenkitten hissed, stubbing her toe on a stray rock. 

“You okay?” Mungo was a few paces ahead of her, looking back. She looked up from where she was examining her foot gingerly. 

“I’ll be fine.” They continued walking in companionable silence, but Mungojerrie could feel impatience radiating off her. He stopped again and stared at her.

“Just spit it out, Teaz.”

The young queen bit her lip, but then just couldn’t hold it in anymore. “You’re so oblivious, Mungo!” She exclaimed, arms flung out.

Mungo blinked at her. “Come again?”

Rumple exploded. “You’re oblivious! Couldn’t you tell Etcetera was flirting with you? Didn’t you realise that Vic was jealous out of her mind? Do you even know she’s head over tail for you? Isn't it obvious to you that you feel the same way? Even the rats and mice can tell!”

Mungo blinked again, in surprise. “What- you think Victoria feels the same way? About me?”

Rumple’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, you've realised how you feel about Vic?”

Mungo chuckled and put his arm around Rumple’s shoulders and pulled her forward. “I’ve known how I feel about Victoria for a long time now, Teaz. I never said anything because, well, she never noticed me. She saw me as her best friend’s brother. In fact, I didn’t think she liked me very much. But then Plato happened and well… you know.”

Rumple snorted, ducking out from under his arm. “Vic’s been in denial the entire time. She stares at you, you know.”

“I thought she was thinking about her third name,” he said, head tilted in bafflement. 

Rumple sighed and shook her head. “No, my poor, sweet, oblivious brother. She was just plain staring, Jer.”

“...huh.”

“Yeah.” They continued walking in silence, until Rumple (predictably) broke it. 

“I think you should tell her.”

“Absolutely not!”

“But why?!” Mungo could tell his sister’s patience was wearing thin.

“Many reasons. Surely it’s too soon for her after Plato, right?”

Rumple stopped and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Mungo, Mungo, Mungo. First of all, you do not get to make that decision for her. Maybe she’s ready, maybe she’s not. Second of all, don’t let your fears get in the way of something you truly want. Finally, believe me when I say that cat is head over tail for you.”

He was silent for a moment, considering. But I’m scared I’m not good enough for her. 

“Of course you’re good enough for her, you doofus!” Rumple exclaimed, and he realised he’d said that part out loud.

“But I’m not, Teaz,” He said, pained. “I worked for Macavity. Do you really think she needs me as a living reminder of what she suffered through with Plato?”

“So did I! Do you think she holds it against me?” Mungo opened his mouth to reply, but Rumple didn’t let him.

“No! No she doesn’t. So what would make it different for you?” So many things. I’m not good enough for her, she could reject me, I’d be scared to lose her, I don’t want to ruin the friendship we do have— 

Again, Rumple didn’t let him answer. “Please Mungo. Say you’ll tell her, please. For both of your sakes.” It was so rare he heard Rumpleteazer beg for anything, he almost immediately agreed. They stopped outside his den and leaned against it.

“I love her, you know,” he told her quietly, “I have for a long time. Since before Plato.” He leaned his head against the old oven and shut his eyes. “She’s so elegant and beautiful. When she smiles, I smile too. She’s quiet and shy, and she doesn’t laugh that often, but you can tell when she’s amused by the way her eyes sparkle and the left one crinkles as the corner of her lips turn up.” He chuckled, knowing Rumple was probably making a face of disgust at his sappiness. 3, 2, 1…

“Gross. All everlasting, you’re a pair of romantic saps. Practically perfect for each other.” There it is.

“Charming.” He said, opening his eyes and turning to look at her. As predicted, she looked unimpressed. 

“What have you got to lose in telling Vic you love her?”

“I could lose her.”

“ALL EVERLASTING, SHE LOVES YOU! SHE TOLD ME HERSELF! JUST TELL HER, YOU RIDICULOUS TOM!”

“But… are you sure?” Mungo asked quietly, nervously. Rumple’s eyes softened.

“Yes, Jer, I’m sure. I pawmise you.” She grinned at his subsequent groan. 

“Is now really the time for puns, Teaz?”

“It’s always the time for fur puns.”

He bit his lip. “Cats would talk. Cats do talk about us. I don’t want to bring Vic into that. The last thing I would want for her is the whispers, the mistrust.”

Rumple smiled sadly at him. “You forget she already went through that when Plato’s betrayal was exposed. The whispers, the looks, the mistrust, everything. She’s tougher than she looks, you know.”

“Knowing that they would talk about her like that makes me sick,” Mungo murmured, “She’s never been anything but loyal.”

“I know, I know,” She said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. “But cats talk. We all love a bit of gossip now and then.” 

Mungo chuckled. “That we do.” Maybe Rumple’s right. 

~~~

A few days later, Victoria’s tail was twitching nervously. The brief warmth of the last few days had dissipated, bringing the usual April rain. The Junkyard was mostly empty, but when she did see a cat, they were usually dashing from one place to another with their paws covering their heads, sheltering themselves from the seemingly neverending downpour. 

But apparently not Mungojerrie. Her tail twitched nervously again. No, he was hurrying towards her secluded little spot, nestled nicely into a junkpile so she was protected from the rain. Ever since Rumple had forced her to admit her feelings to herself, she’d been awkward in the tom’s presence. But why is he coming over to me now? He’s hardly coming to confront me about that right now. Shouldn’t he be sheltering somewhere like everycat else?

She watched him approach until he was in earshot. “What brings you out in this weather?” 

Mungo ducked into her nook and shook himself off hastily. Victoria huffed as some of the drops landed on her coat. “There isn’t really enough room in here for two, Mungo.” 

The calico tom looked her in the eye for the first time since he’d arrived. He looked uncharacteristically serious, she noted. She also noticed he didn’t sit down, and in fact seemed worried. “It’s Alonzo,” he said gravely, “He’s been injured. Munkustrap sent me to fetch you.” The next moment they were both out in the rain, rushing across the Junkyard. 

“What happened?” Victoria yelled to him over the sound of the steadily worsening downpour. 

“Macavity! Admetus and I were with him!” They skidded to a stop outside Alonzo’s crate. Victoria turned to Mungo and started checking him over frantically.

He gently caught her paws where they were patting down his chest desperately. “I’m fine, Vic. Alonzo and Admetus were the injured ones, not me.”

“Thank the Everlasting cat,” she exhaled. He looked surprised, but he pushed her towards the entrance to Alonzo’s crate gently.

“Go on, they need your help.” Victoria hesitated, looking into his eyes briefly before turning away and ducking through the entrance, leaving Mungo outside. 

“Is he stable?” She demanded, going straight into healer mode. Munkustrap looked up with relief in his eyes. He and Cassandra were sitting by Alonzo, who was unconscious in his nest of blankets.

“Yeah, he’ll be alright. Jenny patched him up. He’ll be ok.” Victoria sighed, the tension and fear lifting from her shoulders. Then she noticed the number of cats in the small space. 

“All Everlasting, how is he supposed to get any rest with all of you in here? Where’s Jenny and how come she didn’t shoo you all out?”

“She went to go get cleaned up. Admetus went with her. Few scratches, nothing serious,” Munk answered.

“Right, Cassandra and Munkustrap can stay, but the rest of you– out!” Tugger, Demeter, Sillabub, Jemima and Misto all filed out, the last sticking his tongue out at her teasingly. She turned her attention back to Munkustrap. “Do we know what exactly happened?” 

Munk nodded and turned back to look at Alonzo. “Mungo and Admetus told us. They split up on patrol —understandable, it’s utterly miserable out— and Macavity’s henchcats attacked Alonzo. Admetus was closest, he got to Alonzo before they could kill him. Vic…” Munkustrap looked her in the eye. “He said Plato was there.”

Victoria felt her stomach drop. She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded at Munk to continue. The grey tom exchanged a look with Cassandra. “Mungo arrived after Admetus and Alonzo fought off the hench cats and helped Admetus carry Alonzo back.”

Victoria sat down beside Cassandra. “I’m going to kill him,” she whispered. If he’d killed Alonzo… she shuddered.

“Normally I look down on murder, but this time I’ll turn a blind eye,” Cassandra muttered. “He deserves it, and not just because of what he did to Alonzo.” She looked at Victoria sympathetically. 

Munk opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by a groan from a stirring Alonzo. The black and white tom opened his eyes and fixed them blearily on his best friend. “My ribs feel like they’re about to… I don’t know, burst out of my chest or something.”

“That would be because you’ve got a bone deep wound there, ‘Lonz,” Munk informed him drily. The other tom groaned. 

“Plato, that asshole,” he grumbled. “He knew I’d go straight for him because of what he did to Vic.” Munkustrap cleared his throat and Victoria leaned forward so she was in Alonzo’s line of vision.

“Next time I’d prefer if you didn’t almost get yourself killed on my behalf, ‘Zo.” 

The tom cracked a sheepish smile at her. “Hey, Tori. Patched me up, did you?” 

The white cat sniffed at him. “No, Jenny did. Mungo couldn’t find me fast enough, but Demeter found Jenny.”

“You’re lucky we could find either of them,” Cassandra said, leaning forward. “If it wasn’t for Jenny, you’d be a goner.” Alonzo seemed to smile even brighter when he saw his mate. 

“Don’t worry about me, Cass. I’m tougher than I look.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Not hard at the moment.” He pouted up at her. Victoria exchanged a look with Munkustrap. If Alonzo was able to flirt with his mate, he was definitely feeling much better than he looked. Then again, Alonzo probably flirted in his sleep. 

Munkustrap sighed. “Seriously Alonzo, you’ll need to work on keeping a clear head in future scuffles with Plato.” Victoria shifted uncomfortably. “What good are you to me —to the tribe— if you get yourself killed because you’re angry at him? You’re usually more careful than this!”

Alonzo frowned. “I know, but it’s just… the three of them attacked me anyway, so…” Munkustrap raised an eyebrow and Alonzo sighed. “Yes, I know that’s no excuse, no need to scold me. My temper got the better of me this time.” The two toms stared each other down before Alonzo eventually yielded. 

“Next time I’ll wait until Mungo and Admetus reach me before trying to rip his pelt off,” Alonzo grumbled, “It’s not worth the scolding I get from you, you mother-hen.” 

The white cat stood up and stretched, deciding that Alonzo was stable enough to no longer need the constant presence of a healer. “One cat should watch over him at all times, to make sure he doesn’t get feverish. If he does, come and get myself and Jenny immediately. That means an infection’s set in and no one’s going to get any sleep. I’ll sleep next door, Munk, is that okay?” The tabby tom nodded and she ducked out of Alonzo and Cassandra’s crate out back out into the rain. To her immense surprise, she found Mungojerrie waiting for her outside. 

“Mungo, what are you doing out here? You’ll catch a cold!” She ushered him into Munk’s den next door. The tom scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“I was waiting for you.” Victoria felt her cheeks burn under her fur, and she busied herself by sitting down and beginning to dry her fur. “Is Alonzo alright?” he continued, sitting down opposite her and beginning to dry his own fur.

She sighed. “The next few hours will be crucial. An infection is almost inevitable. It’ll be a miracle if he manages not to get one, considering how serious that wound is. Since it’s so deep Jenny may not have been able to clean it all thoroughly, and with the timeframe— well, we’ll just have to wait and see.” 

“We just have to wait and see,” Mungo repeated in a murmur. They dried themselves in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Victoria was still wondering why Mungo had been waiting for her. Could he feel the same way? She wondered, then instantly felt guilty. Alonzo nearly died today— because of your ex mate!— and you’re here fussing over a tom, she scolded herself. 

Abruptly, she realised Mungo was just standing there awkwardly, having finished drying himself. Victoria laughed nervously and finished drying her foot.

“Sorry, I got lost in thought.”

“So… where are Demeter, Jemima and Sillabub?” Mungojerrie asked, trying to start a conversation to fill the awkward silence. 

“Oh, they probably went to stay with Bomba, Electra and Etcetera for the night, their den is bigger. I wouldn’t be surprised if Demeter wanted to get Jemima as far away from Alonzo as possible. They’re close, and Jemima is probably very upset. Electra and Etcetera will cheer her up in no time.” Victoria yawned and made her way over to Munkustrap and Demeter’s nest and sat, curling up comfortably. She eyed Mungo hovering awkwardly by the door, and made a sudden decision. She reached out a paw and patted the space next to her. 

“There’s plenty of room, if you don’t want to go back out in the rain. Besides, aren’t you tired?” she whispered shyly. The calico tom swallowed audibly and made his way over. He carefully, hesitantly lowered himself, as if he was afraid she’d suddenly change her mind and tell him to leave. She snuggled up next to him as soon as he got comfortable. He stiffened and she giggled. 

“Much better don’t you think?” She looked up at him happily. He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. She’d never quite realised just how much bigger than her he actually was. 

“You’re going to kill me, Vic,” he whispered after a little while, eyes still closed. She looked at him in confusion and opened her mouth to respond but he shushed her.

“No, don’t. I’ve spent a few days trying to figure out how to say this the perfect way. But I think what makes it perfect is when you say it, if that makes sense. The moment makes it.” Victoria held her breath. 

“Since we came in here I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you, and fussing over the words I’d picked out in my head. But… everlasting cat Victoria, I’m sleepy, comfortable and relaxed. I don’t have the energy to be nervous or to overthink it anymore. Vic… I love you. I have for— for a long time, now. And everlasting cat, Teazer can and probably will tell you about my doubts and insecurities about not being good enough for you. She’ll have a great laugh while doing so, too.” He opened his eyes and looked down at her. His green eyes were brimming with love and adoration and nervousness. 

“I can’t find the words to express how happy it makes me to hear that,” Victoria said softly, brushing her nose against his, “but I’m going to try. Right now, I feel safer and happier than I ever have in my life. I love you so, so much. I denied that for a long time— drove Rumple crazy. But I was just so scared, after Plato. I was scared you’d break my heart, but now I know you won’t. And I’ve never felt happier.”

Mungo rested his head on hers once more. “We owe Teaz a care package,” He chuckled. The chuckle reverberated through Victoria, reminding her how close they were. It was the best feeling. She grinned and joined him in his laughter— her favourite sound in the world. 

“Yeah, we do.” She purred. They enjoyed the moment for a bit, purring happily, until Mungojerrie sighed heavily. 

“I should warn you, you’ll lose the favour of some cats if you were to ever become my mate,” He said, lifting his head. She shivered at the cold from the sudden loss of contact. “They’ll talk, you know. Some of the older ones. And they’ll be even worse after this attack. They’ll question how I came away unscathed while Alonzo nearly died.”

Victoria’s eyes flashed angrily. “If any of them so much as imply you’re working for Macavity I’ll skin them.”

Mungo chuckled lowly. “It’ll happen. And they’ll talk about you, too,” he paused awkwardly, one ear twitching.

“Just spit it out.” 

He sighed. “They’ll talk about how both of the mates you’ve had work for Macavity, or have in the past.” 

“I don’t care. I love you, and I’m on your side. You left Macavity a long time ago. Besides, I can talk to Munkustrap about dealing with cats who imply you —or me, or Rumple— work for Macavity. There are some perks to having your mate’s father be the head protector of the tribe,” She teased him. Truly, she knew it was a serious problem. But right now, she didn’t think anything could bring down her mood. She brushed her nose against his again. “Stop worrying and let’s get some sleep, okay?”

Mungo chuckled again. “I can’t help it, I have someone besides Rumpleteazer to worry about now.” Victoria stopped up short. While she had a large support network of cats who loved her and she was close to, Mungojerrie had only really ever had Rumpleteazer. Sure, there were cats he was friendly with, such as Tugger, but he was only close to Rumple. 

“Yes, you have me now. And I’m not going anywhere. Ever.” 

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

A visitor.

Summary: Raven always figured the whole “Spirits cross over to the living world” thing in Halloween was just a story. Turns out fate has one hell of a sense of humour. 

Surprisingly, Raven didn’t have many opinions about Halloween. Sure it was nice that she could decorate a little especially since she had her own place now and it was an excuse to take a break and watch old movies. But she wasn’t too attached to trick or treaters or people knocking on her door.

There was also the disadvantage of loneliness but that’s something to think about tomorrow. For now she was sitting on the couch with a bowl of assorted sweets. Hopefully whatever was on TV would put her to sleep.

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

Raven opened the door. 

It was Kelly. She was smiling.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

Raven was motionless with her mouth agape. She took steps back. This couldn’t be real. She had lost it, this was a dream, people don’t come back. She doesn’t come back. Kelly walked forward, that just made things worse until Kelly touched her face.

“Hey, hey. It’s me. I’m real.”

Raven was In disbelief. No way this was real. But she looked so real and sounded so real that she realised she didn’t care if it was real or not. Her mouth finally found words to speak as they spilled out of her mouth.

‘How... What... Why?”

Kelly held up a finger as she explained. Just like she used to back when... 

Before.

“The how is because apparently I get to visit once a year. The what is that I’m a ghost. The why is... I’m sure you already know.”

Placing her hand back down, Kelly looked around her surroundings. She hummed in approval.

“Nice place. Had a feeling you’d get festive.”

Raven rolled her eyes, feeling like the old days. She had indeed adorned her house with decorations. Nothing outside, the last thing she wants is annoying kids and religious parents knocking on her door.

“You’d do the same thing.”

A shrug.

“Fair.”

“Okay, so what are the ghost rules?”

Kelly raised an eyebrow.

“Ghost rules?”

“Yeah, like what can or can’t you do? Are we going off of Daniel spectre rules or Shadow of the soul rules?”

Kelly took a moment to think before answering.

“For starters I can float through walls and move things with my mind.”

As if to demonstrate she lounged back against the wall and fell through. She then levitated a coffee cup with her hand.

“Also, I can touch people but they can’t touch me. So I can do this…”

Kelly rubbed her hand across Raven’s face. She then picked up Ravens hand and brought it to her face. The hand went through her face with no discomfort or sense of touch beyond a slight chill.

“But you can’t do this.”

With her suspicions dismissed Raven took a breath and fired her shot.

“So, while you’re here... Wanna watch a movie?”

The smile warmed Raven’s guarded heart just a little.

“Thought you’d never ask, Rave.”

The movie was fun. Cheesy, over-acted, stupid fun. But that’s what they needed. They sat close to each other on the couch and Kelly turned to Raven as the credits rolled.

“Hey... I was watching when you gave that speech to my grave. You know, confessing your love?”

Try as she might Raven couldn’t supress the subtle red from appearing on her cheeks. Luckily the room was dark otherwise she’d never live it down.

“What about it?”

Kelly’s lips met Raven’s and all the pain of the past seemed to wash away as she enveloped herself in this moment. After a minute Kelly pulled back with a smile.

‘You’re not the only one with an epiphany.”

Did she just...

She totally did.

Leave it to Kelly to pick just the right moment for our first kiss. 

Raven finally found her words and didn’t fight the smile that grew on her face.

“You’ve been practicing that?”

Kelly spied the clock. Eleven thirty.

“Thirty minutes left. Any idea what to do?”

“How about we just stay here?”

Raven felt her hand being gripped.

“I’m cool with that.”

They laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Your best friend visits you on Halloween as a ghost and ending up together on the couch.

Romance novel bullshit.

“I missed this.”

“Me too.”

When Raven woke up the next morning Kelly was gone. She was about to brush it off as fate throwing her a bone for once before she noticed the letter on the table.

“See you next year. PS, if you see my parents I want you to give them the finger for me. Love, Kelly”

Raven smiled as she walked up to her room. She placed the letter on her clothes drawer.

See you next year.

[greywritesrandom]

Companion

Ever since he was a child, he had a companion—someone he called a friend—who would appear by his side each evening. This friend would arrive as the day faded into dusk, stay with him through the night, and then vanish with the first light of morning. It happened every day without fail. But once a month, his friend wouldn’t appear, leaving him anxious and unsettled at first. Over time, though, he grew accustomed to these nights of solitude.

He looked up to his friend, both literally and figuratively. He would share his deepest thoughts, recount the events of his day, talk about his troubles, or simply indulge in random chatter. It brought him a sense of satisfaction, a comforting, pleasant feeling that came from knowing someone was there to listen, even if that someone was a silent presence in the night. 

The time he spent with his friend was precious. Over the years, this companion had always been there, watching over him, listening to his endless chatter, and simply being present. Sometimes they would walk together in silence, with him just savouring the comfort of the other’s company. More often, though, he would lie on the roof with his legs dangling beyond the safety railing, gazing up at his friend. They would just watch each other, the quiet night wrapped around them, as he softly sang along to the music playing in the background. Those moments felt timeless, filled with a calm that words could never capture.

Sometimes, they were joined by his dog, whom he affectionately called his younger brother. His brother would slowly make his way up the stairs, nails scraping softly against the floor, until he reached him. With a contented sigh, the dog would settle down next to him, resting his head on his brother’s leg. Together, they would lie there in the quiet night, sharing a wordless bond, until sleep began to gently tug at his eyelids.

He remembered one night when he had fallen asleep on the roof in the chilly air, only to be jolted awake by the loud, thundering sound of sheets crashing against the neighbour’s fence. It was 4 a.m., dark and foggy. His dog was no longer by his side. Sitting up with crossed legs, he realised it was a bit colder than he’d anticipated. He had come up here at 10 p.m. the night before, and now, a bit surprised that no one had searched for him, he felt a wave of relief. 

He looked up at his friend, who was still there, watching over him. Rubbing his arms to warm himself, he noticed how the cold was beginning to seep in. The dense fog around him blocked his view of anything beyond a few feet. Straightening his back, he sat still and began a slow breathing technique he’d practised every time the cold got to him. It was always an effective way to spread warmth through his body. After a minute or two of this focused breathing, the shivering ceased, and the cold atmosphere around him began to feel normal again.

This faithful companion of his was, and always had been, the moon. While he found comfort in the moon’s presence, feeling satisfied that it was always there to listen whenever he needed someone to talk to, there was a lingering disappointment that tugged at him. The moon never spoke back. That silence sometimes made him feel a little sad. Of course, he knew it was absurd to expect the moon to talk—if it did, he’d either be witnessing a miracle or questioning his grip on reality. But even in his understanding of what was real, he couldn’t help but wish for more. Still, as long as the moon was there, he knew he would continue to do what he’d always done.

Each time he saw the moon, he’d greet it like an old friend, and before bed, he’d bid it goodnight. Yet, that sadness, born from the one-sidedness of his conversations, was something he couldn’t quite shake. It wasn’t just the moon; it was the same with people. Although he spoke less to them, people often made him feel unreliable, and that drove him to distance himself from as many as he could. He was there when needed, but he kept his interactions limited. He’d smile and tell himself it was meant to be that way, accepting it with a resigned heart. But through it all, his companion—the moon—remained a constant presence in his life, and for that, he was grateful.

Sometimes, his friend, the moon, was replaced by the darkening night as clouds covered the sky, hiding the moon’s light. On those nights, a cool wind would begin to blow, and soon after, a light drizzle would start, bringing with it the fresh, earthy scent of wet mud. This scent always calmed him, soothing his restless thoughts. As the world around him grew quieter, the usual noises of the night were drowned out by the soft crashing of raindrops on various surfaces. 

He wasn’t bothered by the absence of the moon. Despite his mother’s scoldings, he’d stay out in the rain, letting each droplet sweep through him. Sometimes, he would simply stand still, other times he’d take a walk or ride his bicycle through the downpour until the rain finally ceased. The feeling of rain pouring down on him was refreshing, as if every drop washed away his negative thoughts, emotions, and worries, leaving him renewed. It was a form of therapy he cherished.

There was a superstition that made these rainy nights even more enticing to him: “A lone child in the rain is more likely to be struck by lightning.” As absurd as it sounded, it added a sense of thrill to the experience. He knew it was just a superstition, but the rumble of thunder and the occasional flash of lightning only heightened the excitement. To him, the rain was a cleansing ritual, one that brought him peace and a renewed sense of self. 

He had spent countless days in the rain while everyone else sought shelter, turning the rain into another companion—a friend he cherished. Unlike the moon, the rain seemed to reciprocate his feelings. Every time he willingly stepped into it, he felt a deep connection, savouring every moment as the droplets soaked him. He’d do it over and over again, standing or walking for hours, completely drenched, yet he never once fell ill. After all, who would get sick from spending time with a friend? 

The rain was never too cold, nor was it harsh; it was always just right, a gentle embrace from nature. He began to find comfort in nature more deeply than he ever had with any person. The rain wasn’t just a downpour; it was a presence that made him feel understood and alive, offering a solace that human connections often failed to provide.

-Grey