#i hope the story makes sense as a standalone but the description is there to assist

[pureblisswrites]

A guide to accidental murder and cover up 101

"Because then I'll have to kill you." He whispered in that scary, serious voice of his. You knew by now that he was probably just joking again.

"Can you not joke about killing me all the time?" You rolled your eyes.

"Who said I was joking?"

Pairing: Uni Student! Reader x Hwang Hyunjin

Word count: 4k

Genre: Crime, mafia au, eventual romance, Rom-com (I hope)

Warnings: Attempted sexual assault although nothing graphic, unintentional murder, general blood and gore descriptions, minor character death, criminal activities

Summary: You didn't think you'll become a murderer on a particularly slow night at the convenience store while trying to complete your uni essay that was due tomorrow. And you definitely didn't think an angel of a man would help you clean up the crime scene out of nowhere. Did people this kind really still exist in the world? Spoiler alert: Of course not. Because the reason he's helping you goes far deeper than the kindness of his heart.

This story takes place in the same universe as "A guide to being kidnapped and escaping 101" but with a different reader. I suggest you can read that too if these kind of stories are your type. But both can be read as standalones too.

You were in deep.

Like a million feet deep in a dark, cold ocean. That's why you felt like you couldn't breathe at all. That's why water was leaking from your eyes like a never ending waterfall. That's why you couldn't see anything past the salty tears and everything was blurry, you didn't know if it was your eyes or the world. You hoped for the latter but felt it would be the former, and it was.

It was an accident. A mistake. You didn't mean to do it. No, you wouldn't have ever done something like this even in your dreams much less in real life. You had just murdered someone.

It had all happened so quickly, you didn't have time to process anything. One minute you were trying to type your essay on playwriting and dramaturgy that was due tomorrow on your phone on a particularly slow night in the convenience store, the next you were getting the man jelly beans from the third aisle that apparently his daughter loved and the next minute he was pushing you into the wall, trying to take your clothes off. You panicked. As one does...you think? No one ever taught how to deal with a situation like this in school. You wanted to mock Mrs Lee now who had told you maths would help you in every situation, sure it will. You just flailed your hands, took the can opener from the desk and stabbed it into his neck.

It was a sight you never wanted to see again. Blood spurting from his throat, him choking on his own blood and trying to say something you couldn't make out even if you tried. He struggled for two minutes you think, for you it felt like two decades. You had never seen this much blood. Ever. And finally, he fell back on the floor knocking the milk cartons. Great now you'll have to arrange those again. What the fuck? Were you thinking about milk cartons right now? Really? Yeah you were.

You knew it'll take you some time for you to process this, start crying properly and think rationally. Till then you had to clean this puddle of blood. The metallic smell was slowly starting to take over you senses. You felt so dizzy. Taking a bottle of bleach and scrubs from the fifth aisle you started scrubbing the blood before it dries, or atleast tried to.

You totally did not forgot to turn the open sign on the door to closed and someone totally wasn't standing in front of you looking at you trying to clean a murder scene, your mind tried to convince you.

You looked up to see probably the most beautiful man to walk on this earth. His eyes were a bit wide but definitely not wide enough for someone who was looking at a crime scene for the first time. Shit he was a police officer or detective, wasn't he?

"Uh, hi... Can I help you?" You mentally facepalmed for asking this question in such a situation.

"Looks like you need more help than me right now." He stated simply. He walked towards you and plucked out a chocolate bar from the stand beside you. "That bleach you're using won't remove the stains completely. Do you have any oxygen producing detergents here?" He asked while unwrapping the chocolate.

He seemed causal about this. Too causal. Like he just walked in his friend's get together party instead of a place where there was a crime scene. You know you should be alarmed as to why he isn't alarmed or maybe why does he have this knowledge but you think you're not in the position to be asking questions right now. Maybe he's a medical student or something? That's plausible.

When you just looked at him without saying anything, he understood that you didn't understand anything he said. "Do you have any detergents like vanish or something around here?" He asked in simpler language, now taking a bite from the chocolate. You nodded standing up to get it.

He was looking around like he was searching for something so you asked "Do you need anything?"

"Nah. Just looking for security cameras." He answered while going to the door and turning the sign to "closed" and closing the blinds.

"We don't have those here." You said.

"Is that so?" He asked squinting at the mirror behind the cashier's desk, your desk. He touched his finger on the mirror and looked behind it. You didn't know what he was doing so you turned to scrubbing the stains again. By now the bleeding from the man's neck had almost stopped and the puddle had gotten bigger.

"Gotcha." He whistled. Just as you were about to ask what did he get, he took the paperweight from the desk and smashed it in the mirror.

"Are you fucking insane!?" You exclaimed. Did he just break Mr Choi's favourite mirror? Yes he did. Did he just double the mess you'll have to clean up now? Yes he fucking did.

"Might be." He took out a little circular chip with a beeping red light on it. The red light died slowly as he crushed it under the weight of his long fingers "Who's the owner of this store? Jaehyun Choi right?" He asked.

"Jaewon Choi." You corrected.

"Yeah, yeah. Same thing. That man is a bastard. How did you even believe he didn't put a camera here" He chuckled without any humor. What was his deal? "Anyways, who are you?"

"Why? Are you gonna go to the police?" You sincerely asked. You were worried but honestly you wouldn't mind if you got arrested. You knew you had done something very terrible and you were tired of scrubbing. You were really sleep deprived and you had to finish your theatre assignment that was due tomorrow. Prison didn't seem like a particularly bad option right now.

He chuckled again "Honey, if I wanted to go to the police I would've done that by now don't you think?"

"I guess so." You shrugged. Thinking that things were already bad and couldn't get any worse than this, you decided to answer his question. "I'm a student in the uni nearby. I've been working here for about 3 months part time to uh... pay rent."

He hummed. "What major are you?"

"Theatre."

"Funny. I've got a friend there too." He shrugged opening the locked drawers with a freaking paperclip of all things...wait what was he opening the drawers Mr Choi has specifically told you to not touch? He was. And then he took out some papers out, folded them and put them in his winter coat's pocket. You had given up on trying to make sense of whatever he was doing or whatever was happening.

"Are...are you a medical student or something?" He laughed at that. Like actually laughed out loud.

"Do I look like a medical student?" He genuinely asked.

"I don't know, I mean that's why you know so much about...detergents right?" You look at him expectantly to confirm your theory but when he doesn't say anything and just looks at you like you've got devil horns on your head which who knows maybe you did it's not like you just killed someone right? You know you're a bit too far off from the reality. "You aren't a student then, are you?" You ask again searching for any answer as to who was this kind man that stumbled upon you and was now pretty much helping you clean up a fucking murder scene.

"Nope." He answers biting his lower lip like he's trying to hide his smile. Now that you look, his lips are really pretty. Just an observation.

"So wait...wait are you like a serial killer that actually knows how to cover up crime scenes and you aren't phased by this body and blood here-" you gesture to the puddle of blood there "because you're used to it and now you're going to kill me, oh my god, are you going to kill me? Can you just do it already because if I clean all this up and then you kill me it wouldn't be of any use. Like first of all, there would be blood all over here again. Secondly, my efforts would be rendered useless like why am I even cleaning this up if I'm just gonna die and thirdly, how awful and kinda ironic it would be that I covered up a murder only to get murdered myself after that." You gasp for breath after the long rant you'd just finished.

"Actually no, there wouldn't be blood all over here again. Who says you need to make a mess of blood to kill someone?" You looked at him in horror and he laughed again. "I'm kidding. Don't you think I would've already murdered you by now if I wanted to?" He grinned looking you in the eyes.

"I guess so. So you aren't...a murderer right?" You questioned again just to confirm.

"Not exactly." He smirked.

"So then...who are you?"

"Is it really that important to know? C'mon let's help you get rid of this body now." He stated as casually as if he was telling a weather forecast. You stand there in shock. Not being able to comprehend how this saint of a man had stumbled in your life at the best possible moment. "Hey don't just stand there. I'm strong sure but not enough to carry this man all by myself. Give me a hand will you?" He gestured for you to help him carry the man. Oh right.

"Where do we have to carry him though?" You question stumbling on your feet while holding the disgusting and now dead man's hands while the stranger held him by the ankles and walked backwards until he reached the door and pushed it open with his back.

"Oh just till that car." He gestured with his eyes to a freaking Tesla of all things.

"Um who's car is that?" You ask dumbfounded.

"Well you already have a crime on your record, wouldn't wanna add grand theft auto too. So it's mine for the night. Don't worry your pretty head too much about it, yeah?"

"Yours for the night? So like it isn't actually yours? What do you mean?" You ask stupidly. Like sure maybe interrogating such an angel like him who was essentially saving you from a life in prison wasn't a good move but you did not feel like yourself since the moment the can opener entered that man's throat.

"Jeez you ask a lot of questions don't you? It's a friend's." He sounded annoyed but still had a slight smile on his face. He opened the back seat door and you threw the man in there, quite literally at that. He then opened the door of the front seat and looked at you expectantly. "You coming or what?"

Well now it's not that you didn't learn about stranger danger in school like the rest of the human population. Problem is you had just killed someone, something not a lot of human population does. So it's not like you had a choice either. Because telling this fine gentleman to get rid of the body you murdered by himself wouldn't be very nice now would it? So you decided to go, also he had already said he would've murdered you by now if he wanted to. You also thought that he would've done the thing that the man tried to do with you by now if he wanted to and wouldn't be helping you. Although you still didn't understand why he was even helping you in the first place.

"Wait let me just lock the store." You ran to the store to get the keys not noticing him following you. Just as you took the keys from the cashier's desk and turned you saw him taking a bunch of snacks and food items from the shelves. He looked at you with both arms full and raised an eyebrow as to ask 'what'? "So, um are you gonna pay for this?" You ask. As much as you were in debt of this man, you couldn't afford to add two crimes in a night to your record. A murder charge was enough you didn't need an extra accomplice in robbery charge too.

"Seriously?" He rolled his eyes.

"I mean, you do know this a crime right?" Okay so maybe you were being stupid at the moment but can someone blame you? They try murdering a creepy man and see what happens to their critical thinking skills.

"Woah really? I never would've guessed!" He gasped dramatically. "Thank you so much for telling me, kind lady. How may I repay you?" He marveled with wide eyes while doing a dramatic bow making all the snacks he was carrying scrunch as they came in contact with his chest. His dark, slightly long hair fell into his eyes while he got back up and grinned at his own joke.

"Ok. That's enough. I'll just pay for you. I don't wanna account to Mr Choi for the missing snacks. Just let me get the total." You asked him while fishing for your purse in your pockets.

"You're a real funny one, you know that?" He laughed as though you had made a joke that you yourself were unaware about. "C'mon you don't need to pay. I'll explain in the car. It's going to be a long journey." He stated drawing out the o of long an obnoxious amount.

Thinking that you couldn't argue with this odd man you followed him out and locked the store.

"Open this up for me, will you?" He gestured towards the trunk which was strangely in the front of the car. You opened it up and he emptied his hands. "You know, this is called a frunk. Front and trunk get it? Isn't that neat?" He mentioned.

"Uh, yeah, Sure is." You awkwardly agreed and went to the front seat.

"Uh-uh sweetheart, stop right there" he exhorted. "Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I don't even open the door for you?" He walked towards you and opened the door.

"Uh thanks I guess?" You sat down almost hitting your head against the roof.

"You're welcome sweetheart." He winked and got in the driver's seat all the while whistling to himself. Was all this not even a bit weird to him? How did he even know what to do with a dead body of all things? All kinds of different questions were swarming in your head when he finally spoke after half an hour of driving or so. "Stop overthinking that much. You're gonna give yourself a headache." He said while chuckling.

"Are you speaking from experience?" You asked quietly still looking out of the window at the tall buildings which were now looking like little amber fireflies from this high up. You guessed you were near a mountain or something. You weren't sure though, neither did you care at this point.

"Maybe." He answered swerving the car effortlessly at the narrow route.

"So uh care to explain why you are trying to get me fired?" You finally questioned.

"I am trying to get you fired? Excuse me?" He said as if he was seriously offended.

"I mean you did steal a bunch of things and didn't even let me pay didn't you?"

"Oh honey, let me tell you something. You were fired the moment you killed that man." He whispered as if he was telling you a secret.

"Wha- what do you mean? You destroyed the camera right? I can just make up something about thieves breaking in and doing all that. There's no evidence so why would I get fired?" You questioned while panicking a bit. This job was one of the limited jobs that aligned with your uni schedule and you didn't had to work super hard for. All the other jobs in late night cafes and other stores were already taken up by other students. You don't think you'll be able to get another job as convenient after this one.

"You're so naive you know that? Your little owner has live footage of every single place he owns. I just destroyed the recorded one. Chances are he already knows about what you've done by now and is probably sending his men over. Especially after seeing me there. He must be losing his marbles after that." He snickered as if he made the funniest joke a homosapien could think of.

"I don't understand you for the most part but mainly you're saying the I'm fired right? And Mr Choi knows I'm a fucking murderer?"

"Essentially yeah." He agreed before continuing "But you're not really a murderer, right?"

"Um not right. I quite literally killed someone." You sniffled. Still determined to not cry until that body is no more. Even though you didn't think you even deserved to cry.

"So what? You just killed someone. That doesn't make you a murderer. A killer is someone who kills, whether by intent or not. A murderer is someone who kills with a motive in mind. You didn't mean to kill that guy, it just happened. Even though he definitely deserved it. If you knew even half the things that asshole has done, you wouldn't even care that you killed him."

"I doubt that." You rolled your eyes at him. How could he even think you wouldn't care after taking the life of someone? Sure he wasn't a good person. But now what about his daughter? What if she was still waiting for the jelly beans he was meant to get her? "I'm sure his daughter would care that I killed him." You whispered in a small voice, not trusting your voice right now.

"What daughter?" He asked as if he was genuinely confused. "He doesn't have a daughter. If he said that to you, he was lying."

Well now that was shocking. "Are- are you sure?"

"Do you seriously still doubt me?" He rolled his eyes with more force than necessary.

"Well then what about a wife? Or a significant other or something you know?" You just wanted to know that no one would be affected as much by his death. Maybe it was selfish for you to do so.

"I mean he does have a wife. But she runs an illegal organ trafficking business. So I wouldn't feel too bad for her if I were you."

Alright so this was more shocking. You were too stunned to speak. Who even were these people? And wait how did he know about all these? He wasn't involved in any organ trafficking businesses right? There was only one way to find out. "So not to offend you or anything but are you too, perhaps, I don't know... involved in such things?" Your question was full of hesitation and he probably knew that too from your tone.

"Yes. And I'm looking for the perfect moment to strike and take your eyes out with a can opener." He didn't crack a smile at that and looked dead serious, not even blinking and just looking straight at the dark road ahead. He looked so scary, for the first time that night.

"You should've just done that before I cleaned all that blood then." You said solemnly. Was this going to be the way you die? With your eyes scooped out with a can opener? On a pitch black, uninhabited mountain? You were on the verge of crying when he laughed again.

"You didn't think that I was actually being serious right?" His eyes crinkled into twin crescent moons, the same as the one you could see up in the inky sky from the side mirror of his car.

"Yeah I did actually." You whispered to yourself as he continued to laugh. "So you don't do that organ stuff right?" You asked again, just to be sure.

"God no! That's too grotesque even for us. We're more into strategic businesses if you know what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean." You replied. Who were 'us'? What even was a 'strategic business'? Did he work in finance or something? Probably not.

"It's okay. I'd rather not tell you."

"Why?" The question slipped your mouth before you had the chance to stop it.

"Because then I'll have to kill you." He whispered in that scary, serious voice of his. You knew by now that he was probably just joking again.

"Can you not joke about killing me all the time?" You rolled your eyes.

"Who said I was joking?" He looked at you instead of the road just as you felt the whole car vibrate staggeringly.

"What the fuck was that!?" You panicked.

"Uh just a big rock or something." He shrugged.

"Well then maybe can you pay attention to the road instead of staring at me creepily at random times!?" You shouted.

"Jeez calm down. I already knew we couldn't avoid the rock. It was too huge. So I just let it be. And it's called gazing alright, not 'creepily staring'."

He explained calmly while wrapping the hand at the back of your seat and driving with only one freaking hand. And he looked so relaxed too for some reason.

Oh okay so he was parking the car in between two huge trees. "We're here. Come on." You followed him out of the car and you could see a bright place up ahead. You could also hear the sound of fire crackling.

"Gosh I really don't wanna go near that asshole's feet again. They stink so bad." He gagged dramatically. His personality honestly gave you whiplash. You both reluctantly carried the man into the warehouse-like building which burned brighter than your future.

"Come on just leave him here." He threw the man on the cobblestone ground and started walking back to the car leaving you utterly confused. "You coming or what?" He looked back at you as he noticed you not following him.

"A- aren't we supposed to do anything?" You questioned while glancing between the body and him.

He sighed deeply and walked back to you. "Do you want to see that man's body burn in above a 1000 degree celsius?" He questioned you while grabbing both of your shoulders. You shook your head in a silent 'no'. "That's what I thought." He smiled at you again and walked you back towards the car with a hand wrapped around your shoulders.

"Won't the police know anything?" You questioned ten minutes into the drive.

"Not a chance sweetheart." He winked at you shifting his gaze from the road towards you for the umpteenth time that night while you looked out of the window at the dark trees with a blank stare.

"Won't Mr Choi report me to the police if he knows I killed someone?"

"Unless he's an absolute idiot, no he won't. Besides he doesn't even have any evidence against you. But trust me, he won't even go to the police in the first place. Just don't go around that store now for a few days, alright?"

"Are you sure his body will be gone?"

"Absolutely. Now that we're down the mountain, there are absolutely no traces of the crime you accidentally committed tonight." So that man really was gone huh? Because of you?

"Thank you." Your voice barely coming out.

"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you." He chuckled. What?

"Uh what?" Your throat hurt from how hoarse your voice was.

"I mean, you did kill my target for me so thanks I guess. Although I would've gotten the job done far more cleanly. Obviously. We wouldn't even need to go all the way up there. Just one touch and he would've gotten a heart attack then and there. But it's fine I don't blame you, it was your first kill after all!" He exclaimed as if that was a good news. "So now... my place or yours?"

The news didn't even phase you anymore. You looked at the neon digital clock in the car as it showed 4:27 a.m. in block letters. You definitely wouldn't be able to make it to uni today. You hadn't even completed your essay on playwriting and dramaturgy that was due today. And finally you burst into tears for the second time that night.

"My place it is then." 

A/N: If you've made it this far, thanks a lot for reading. Any kind of feedback and comments are much much appreciated!

[sinsofthefather-kulemi]

Info about SOTF (and this blog)

It's a 3-book series called Sins of the Father that has been in the works since January 29, 2021. I lost steam halfway through and dropped it a while back but I created this blog in hopes of regaining that excitement for this project again and hopefully finishing it once and for all! So, let's talk about it:

(SUBJECT TO UPDATES)

Genre(s): Action, drama and romance

Rating: 18+; for sexually explicit content, graphic descriptions of violence, (including that which results in) death, graphic language, heavy substance use and abuse, gore, dubious consent, domestic abuse, sexual assault/violence and the traumas associated with such, other triggering topics such as kidnapping/trafficking, pregnancy, miscarriage, mentions of (NOT DEPICTIONS) abuse of minors etc. (Please use discretion when choosing to enjoy this project)

Canon Character(s): -Showing Book ONE only-

Main: Goro Majima

Supporting: Tsukasa Sagawa

To make a(n) appearance(s): Futoshi Shimano , Yakuza 0 hostesses (roster not yet final), Youda

Original Character(s): -Showing Book ONE only-

Main- Arika Namikawa

Supporting: Hiroshi Namikawa, Kenjiro Hara, Edna Namikawa, Kichiro Teruya

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Sins of the Father

Goro Majima has been a slave to Sagawa for longer than he cared to admit in an attempt to buy his way back into the fold, to no avail. The bastard was never a man of his word but that doesn't discourage Majima from working his ass off until he gets what he wants. Until then, he has been cautiously navigating a civvy life that has kept him sane for the last year and a half by making life in Sotenbori feel a little less bleak and lonely. It's not until a brutal incident occurs that incites a chain of events that disrupts the false sense of peace he'd once sought solace in.

This forces him and the woman that he loves, Arika Namikawa, to become brutally honest with one another about the secrets they've kept throughout the course of their relationship. From there, they must decide whether or not the skeletons in the other's closet are too much to stomach and if not, where do they go from there?

Timeline: l. 1980s - m. 1990s

Yakuza 0 (canon divergence)

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐖𝐎

The Family

It could be said that Arika's path had been paved long before she stepped foot on it. It was made of all the choices of those closest to her. A series of origin stories.

Timeline: 1940s-1980s

Standalone

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

The Goro Majima Way

The Majima name has two faces, that of an unpredictable, ruthless yakuza patriarch and that of a man desperate to be the partner and father that he promised his family he would be. Clearly, he has a penchant for double lives; it seems that having a family of his own is much more difficult than he thought it would be. For better or worse, he refuses to take handouts or walk preforged paths. If he’s going to do this, he’s going to do it his way… The Goro Majima way.

Timeline: m. 1990s - m. 2000s

Yakuza Kiwami 2 (canon divergence)

[neonacity]

IRIDESCENT | A LUCID SPECIAL CHAPTER [RENJUN VER.]

Iridescent - a reflection of luminous colors that changes when perceived at different angles. 

A/N: After almost a year of updating Lucid with Jaemin’s special chapter, I finally had the time and inspiration to write Renjun’s version. It has been a while since Lucid ended, but consider this a little gift from me for those who still remember the story. Note that this is is connected to my 00′ line series here so it will not make sense if this is read as a standalone. Renjun is also aged up in this chapter (27 yrs. old) since this is set in the future. I reserve all the rights to this work and I also do not claim any likenesses between the actual person and the character in this story. 

Read here for: LUCID SERIES | JENO’s VERSION | JAEMIN’s VERSION | HAECHAN's VERSION

“AND FINALLY, AFTER RUNNING FOR SO LONG, THEY FOUND A PLACE TO REST.”

“Miss? We apologize for keeping you waiting. You can meet the kids now if you are ready.”

You tore your eyes away from the painting you have been staring at to give the elderly woman by the door a kind smile. The pale glow of the winter sun bounced against the white walls of the small room you are in, illuminating the gold-framed artwork that was taking the center wall of the office. When you were first ushered into the school, you weren’t expecting to be welcomed to the principal’s office while the rest of your documents were being filed. Nevertheless, your initial nervousness was eased the moment your eyes set on the said centerpiece which was currently being kissed by the soft gentle light from the open window. You definitely needed it, especially with the usual jitters that comes with starting your first day on your new job.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I wasn’t waiting for a long time,” you answered politely as you picked yourself up from your seat and reached out for your purse. The lady, who you assumed was the principal herself, gave you a kind, curious look before stepping further into the room. 

“Do you like the painting?”

You blinked at her, smile still frozen on your lips at her unexpected question. She gave you a knowing look before nodding towards the artwork.

“You were staring really hard at it,” she observed, causing your cheeks to heat up a little under her gaze. You cleared your throat softly but finally gave a small nod as you adjusted the strap of your bag on your shoulder.

“It’s very beautiful. I don’t know anything about art at all, but I think it’s amazing. It’s somehow calming to me,” you said as you glanced at the piece again. As you did, a cloud shifted outside, showering it with better light. The change in illumination seemed to make it glow and you saw details on it that you haven’t noticed before.

It was a very simple art piece—a view of a room with a wide window that opens to a snow-capped landscape outside. The main subject of it, however, was a girl overlooking the view, her gentle back on the viewer. You can't fully explain it, but her stance seemed lonely yet hopeful at the same time, like she was waiting for something... or someone. She felt familiar… almost like a dream you’ve seen before. 

“The head of the school is the artist behind it,” the woman shared behind you. The information made you look at her in mild shock.

“The Head? I thought you are…” 

“Oh, I am the Principal, but the school is owned and managed by someone else. This is his office.”

You quietly processed that. When you first saw the job post for a literature teacher here, your interest was immediately captured by the description of the place. After years of working for a larger academy, you decided to look for a job that is more peaceful to say the least. Raven Oaks is a smaller, private academy that also doubles as an orphanage housing abandoned and abused children in need. It was a fairly new school, too, and so you thought it was the perfect opportunity for you to go back to a life of teaching that is quieter but meaningful still.

Honestly, you didn’t expect you would even get a call back after taking your chances.

“I didn’t expect the school owner to be a talented painter,” you said now, mumbling more to yourself as you looked over the artwork again. “I would have thought it would be mentioned in your academy portfolio if he is this good.” 

“Ah, our founder is a very private person. I’m usually the one he asks to do all the public appearances, if you may have noticed in our profile. Sometimes, I even question it myself to be honest. What can an old woman like me do, right? But he is a very trusting man who has also saved a lot of kids, and so I thought I want to do whatever I can to help him out.”

You nodded slowly. “It is amazing. I have read some stories and I… felt inspired by them. It was honestly the reason why I decided to apply here.”

“And now you’re going to be a part of that help, too,” the woman said as she reached over to give your shoulder a squeeze. “Now, do you want to maybe meet some of the kids? They have their craft classes this morning. We have an amazing art program as part of our therapy sessions.”

At that, your smile warmed and you gave a nod. You shot one last look at the painting behind you before finally taking a step towards the door to follow the other. 

“Yes, I am. I can’t wait to learn more about everyone.” 

*******

“I think blue will look best if you use it on your drawing.”

You watched contently as the little boy took the tube of paint that you offered him from the supply box on the table. After the principal escorted you to the art room, you were tasked to observe the class which is currently in the middle of a mini painting session. The children were currently unsupervised because the teacher had to step out, so you temporarily took it upon yourself to watch over them yourself to help around. The child stared at the paint in his hands now before finally glancing at you with his big brown eyes. 

“Do we have yellow?”

“Oh, do you want yellow? Let me see if we have it here,” you said as you immediately sifted through the other tubes in the box. In your peripheral vision, you saw the kid sit on the small stool across from you to patiently wait.

“Are you a new teacher, Miss Mam?” 

You quickly looked at the boy and gave him a small smile. He looks no older than seven, with black hair that almost falls to his eyes. For some reason, the image of him looking at you so honestly with a curious gaze made a familiar but distant feeling throb fleetingly in your chest. 

“Yes, I am. I am going to teach literature here. Do you like that subject?” 

The boy’s eyes sparkled as he gave a small, shy nod. 

“Yes. I like books. They read us a lot of stories before we go to bed.”

“Oh, really? I promise we will read a lot of amazing books then. Do you have other classes here that you love?”

At that question, the child tucked his head down a little bit, like he was all of a sudden shy. You looked on curiously as he turned his head left and right to make sure that nobody is listening before he leaned over to whisper to you. 

“I really really like art class. I think Mr. Huang is super cool.” 

His words immediately made your hand freeze.  Smile dropping a little, you fought back the deluge of emotions that rushed to the surface of your consciousness at the mere sound of the name. It has been five years since you’ve last connected it with a face so hearing it now almost felt like a dream. You felt a dull throb from deep in your chest, and all of a sudden, you were brought back again to the days you’ve tried so hard to leave behind.

It felt like one of the longest winters of your life. You remember Jaehyun describing the whole thing as a nightmare, one that the pair of you tried so hard to survive. You remember waking up with no memories, and the brutal days that followed as you tried to put back the splintered pieces of yourself that your own mind was trying to shield you from. It was a long fight, one that left you with more wounds the more that you know. In the end, it wasn’t only you who was left scathed by the whole debacle, and you and Jaehyun finally decided to part ways as you tried to find yourself. 

It's been five years since then. Five years after and you’re still here, trying to do the same. 

Five years in, and the mention of a mere name still shatters what you’ve at least managed to fix. 

“Mr. Huang… Is he your teacher?”

The boy gave an excited nod. 

“Yes. He helps us a lot with our projects.”

Unconsciously, your fingers wrapped around the cold feel of the paint container in your palm. A part of you told you stop asking questions, but your lips have a mind of their own.

“Has he been teaching here for a long time?”

“Mm. I think so. He’s really nice. He also sometimes reads us stories.”

You could almost hear your blood rushing to your ears. It can’t be… After so long, it is too much of a coincidence to have the last person you’re expecting suddenly show up in your life.

“Would you… probably know what his first name is?”

“There’s no yellow in that box. Here’s a new one if you want it, Jiwon.”

The sound of a new voice from behind you immediately made your heart stop. Before you even had the chance to turn around, you saw a hand reach out to offer a paint tube to the boy. The latter took it happily, his face immediately brightening as he smiled at the person behind you. Your eyes, however, remained pasted on the gentle, long fingers in front of you… 

And the faint birth mark on his pale skin. 

When he stepped beside you, you felt your world freeze. The colors, the sound, even the air stilled. The only sound left was your own voice, saying the last name you wished Jiwon wouldn’t say in answer to your question. 

“Renjun.”

*******

It was like standing in the middle of a spiraling vacuum. 

You know the world is still spinning on its axis, but in that moment, nothing else mattered to you other than the vision of him and the space he was taking in your universe. He wasn’t looking at you, his eyes set on the boy, and yet even the lack of contact managed to take away the last breath of air in your lungs. When you saw  him smile, the stillness inside of you cracked, like a mirror finally breaking into a million pieces. 

“Sorry it took me too long to get the new supplies. Have you been working well?” 

Jiwon gave a proud nod. “Miss Teacher was helping us while you were gone. But can we have a break now, Mr. Huang? We want to eat snacks."

Renjun laughed softly as he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. He sounded beautiful… gentle… and yet the sound made you internally flinch as it dragged you back to the rare nights years ago when he would let his walls down around you, his laughter just as soft as he kissed your skin. The memories were so stark that you actually had to take a step back from him to keep yourself from suffocating. You thought you saw him turn his head towards you at your movement, but by the time you looked at him, he was once again focused on Jiwon. 

"Sure. But only for a few minutes, okay? Why don't you bring your friends outside? You can play in the courtyard for a little bit."

The suggestion made the boy’s smile almost split his cheeks. 

"Yey! Thank you, Sir!"

The child gave a quick whoop of excitement before skipping towards his classmates. Numbly, you watched as the rest of the kids scrambled out of their seats as soon as he shared the news of playtime. It was the sound of the door closing that finally pinned you back to the present moment, your heartbeat picking up again as you realized the spot you were left in. 

The silence was so heavy you could almost feel the pressure on your head. All of a sudden, the spacious airy room became too small and you were fighting once again for your breath. You didn't realize that one of your hands resting on the edge of the table had started slightly shaking as you tried to keep yourself from losing your balance.

"Sit down... You need to relax or you'll black out." 

The gentleness of his voice pulled your eyes towards him again before you even had the mind to stop yourself. It was a bad move, because the moment you did, you felt something unravel inside of you. He still wasn't looking at you, but this time, you could see him much better, as if he was the only one you could focus on. 

He had definitely changed. The years have let him grow so much more into his features, the once boyish curves of his face now sharper and more defined. Even the set of his shoulders and the way he stood is different now, his stance steady and sure against the light streaming from the window. Despite that, there was still a gentleness that still remains on the way he carries himself and his eyes still hold the softness that he used to only reserve for you back in the days. 

Honestly, you wished they didn’t anymore.

"What are you doing here?"

Your voice came off so weak that it was surprising he still heard you. He briefly stopped from fixing the paints in front of him before he slowly, finally lifted his gaze to meet yours. When your eyes finally met, you felt torn between running towards him and running away from him. From the way the emotions in his face flickered, you could tell he feels the same. 

"I teach here."

It was the most sensible answer to your question, but for some reason, it was not enough to calm all the emotions consuming you piece by piece at the moment. You wanted to ask a million things, but you didn't know where to start.

Where have you been? 

What happened on the days after I lost my memory?

Where did you and your brothers go? 

Why... did you leave me? 

Renjun looked at you quietly, his eyes shadowed by a look that seemed so familiar yet so distant at the same time. For some reason, you knew that he could see right through you without you needing to say a single word. It has always been like that between the two of you. He has always kept to himself, but his answers are always clearly heard in his silence. 

"What… are you doing here?" You asked again, slowly this time. Renjun tightened his jaw before shifting his gaze, knowing full well the difference in your question despite using the same words.

"I wanted to see you." 

"Why now? Why just now?" 

The tightness in your voice was so raw that for a second, his mask almost broke down. You pushed on, not wanting to give him a chance to try and run away again. 

"I looked for you. For all of you. I looked everywhere and couldn't find a single trace of your family," you said, feeling the words start to bubble up from your chest. "I thought—I thought I was going crazy. It was so painful when I couldn't remember anything, and when I did," you paused, finding the need to compose yourself. 

"When I did, all of you were already gone." 

He kept quiet, though you can already see the strain that he was trying so hard to hold back beneath his front. You wished he would reach out to you, or that you could have the courage to do it yourself, but you felt so breakable at the moment and you doubt he is any different. 

"Renjun—"

"You weren't supposed to see any of us again," he finally said before you could let out another word. "None of us were good for you so we had to disappear from your life. I—," he paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. 

"I had to go before I can hurt you even more."

You looked at him silently, torn between the emotions that were pulling you into different directions all at the same time. You would be lying if you say you haven't wished for this moment to come or how you've rehashed again and again in your head what you've wanted to say to any of them in years. You were angry. Hurt. Lonely. He and his family ruined your life and stole your peace, then left you hanging. You hate how things turned out to be... but most of all you loathe yourself for not being to hate them. Him. 

"If I can, I would have let you go if that's what's really going to make you happy…" 

You internally flinched as the last words he said that day came rushing to your memories. It sounded so clear in your head that it felt like it only happened yesterday. 

"Then why?" You asked in a whisper. "Why did you have to come back now… After so long?"

The look of pain and guilt that crossed his face was undeniable. When he glanced away, you were sure that it was a question he was also fighting with himself. 

"I wanted to just… See you," his voice, though strained, was honest and raw. "It was wrong of me, I know that. It has been so long and I just wanted to have you close again, even for just a bit." 

You let his answer sink in. Oddly, the erratic beating of your heart has started to slow down just as soon as it started, as if his admission has taken off a weight in your chest that you have been carrying for years. There was one question resting on the tip of your tongue that you needed to say, or else, you feel like he’ll slip through your fingers again. 

"Do you like me?"

Renjun paused before slowly raising his eyes to meet yours again. For a second he looked scared, but the expression slowly morphed into that of resolution as he saw the look on your face. At that moment, it truly hit you just how much he’s changed in the years that have passed. This was no longer the boy you once knew, but the man he was always meant to be. 

"No. I don't. I love you.” 

“Even after all these years."

"Even from a distance." 

The way your heart jumped to your throat left you at a loss for words. It was like the ground beneath you and everything else around you dissolved, leaving you and him pinned in a slice of time that none of you really wanted to escape. 

“It took me years to try and see you again because I know how much I've hurt you. But it's not just that," he continued, his eyes telling of the words he can't phrase. "I was broken. I thought for a time that I must only want you because of how I am, but I was wrong. If there's one thing I realized, it's that I love you… Both in my brokenness and wholeness."

"If you do, then why did you run away from me?"

"I didn't want to mess up your life anymore."

"You didn't really make it better by not being beside me for the last five years."

This time, it was him who looked taken aback. Slowly, his eyes lowered, only to rest for the first time on your vacant ring finger. 

"You were wrong… for what you and your brothers did to me…" you said, your gaze still on him as he seemed to process things. "All of you messed up my life. I did try to go back to living it, but I couldn't anymore no matter how much I tried. I didn't deserve any of it, even if none of you knew better back then. I hate what you did to me."

"But I also hate how you're not with me." 

Renjun's face was pale as his eyes remained plastered on your hand. You could almost hear the gears working in his head, but you didn't wait for him to say anything. He didn’t have to. Silently, you took a step back to put more distance between the two of you. 

"You are right. Maybe it is better for us to not cross paths again," you said as you reached out for your bag. "I'll talk to the owner of the school and the principal to retract my application. I… don't want to be in the way. It was nice seeing you again, Renjun."

You have already started walking towards the door when you suddenly felt a warm, strong hand grab yours. Turning around, you looked at him, surprised by the unexpected contact.

"You're not married?"

You had to process his question again before finally replying.

"No. My fiance and I went our separate ways years ago."

The way his eyes glazed over before darkening a little left you feeling increasingly more torn. When you tried to pull your hand away, his fingers only gently tightened around yours.

"Don't go."

"What?" 

"Don't go. The school head won't just cut your signed contract." 

"You don't know that—"

"I do. Because I won't let you." 

Your eyes widened. Slowly, the pieces started fitting in your head. The orphanage… the kids…

The painting in his office.

"You… own Raven Oaks…"

Renjun's gaze dropped to your hand that he was still holding. 

"I started it because I wanted to save other kids from what me and my brothers suffered from before. It was my way of repenting for what our family did to everyone… and to you," he said, his eyes moving upwards to roam your face. You felt your throat start to close up as you listened. 

"When I saw your file in my office, I thought I was dreaming. I was supposed to let you go… but I couldn't stop myself. I just wanted to see you again quickly before letting you live your life again free of me."

Your heart had started thundering in your chest once more. You wanted to look away from the intensity of his gaze but couldn't find it in yourself to do it. No. This time, you want to match his fire with yours. 

"And now? Did you change your mind?"

Instead of answering, Renjun fixed you with a look that made you feel like he was looking through your soul. Slowly, he pulled you in, his hold on you gentle but firm as his other hand moved to wrap around your waist. You were surprised by the fact that instead of freezing in his arms, you melted against him immediately, like you've always been meant to be there.

"Do you like me?" He asked in a low voice as he looked down on you. The way his gaze touched your face made you feel so vulnerable in front of him that you knew lies have no place in this moment. You felt open... bare... 

You were iridescent in his eyes. 

And so was he in yours. 

"I don't know…"

"Do you want to be with me?" He asked a different question, his voice softer this time. You knew he was trying to help you figure out your answer, his hand cupping your cheek gently. You didn’t even need to think twice before giving an answer.

"Yes." 

Your voice, steady and clear, made him finally smile. Renjun had changed so much, but in that moment, you can still see the boy who had loved you in the past in the only way he knew how. Your feelings for him are complicated—changing from different angles—but as he held you now, lips only a few inches from yours, there was one thing you can be sure of. 

You finally being here with him makes all the sense in the world. 

"That's fine. We have time to figure it out…” he said, giving you a smile that you’ve dreamt so many times before. You returned it, slowly and full of hope.

"Together?" 

You asked. 

"Together." 

He promised. 

*******

Taglist [CLOSED]: @negincho, @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore, @jsturkey, @aj-7, @pukupukupawpau, @tomiesgirlfren, @vsszn, @those-winternights, @xsnelly, @lihyuck, @haoshitt, @mindofthescattered, @huangberryyy, @d1nne, @choppedupcactus, @neokat, @yutasnabi, @mirathe2002, @artemisblues, @ryu-naa, @aaasteroidsky, @strawbunnyjaem , @floweronacloud, @cottonniebunnie, @sknyuz, @furryllamas, @grandmasterslickfox​, @dreamisfelix

[sofasoap]

You are my light.

Pairing: Simon “Ghost ” Riley x f!Reader ( aka "Mini"MacTavish )

Summary: Quick little monologue/drabble about how Simon found his light. Can be read as a standalone or can be part of the Mini MacTavish universe. Little insert of what happened the night leading to "“Love, do not pass me by”" warning: M to E rated. hinting of violence and abuse. Brief description of smut. Sorry I suck at writing smut. ( always be safe people! ) Not BETA'ed. written before bed so its mumble jumble.

A/N : Kind of Continuation/parallel universe of @saltofmercury ’s “The Favorite MacTavish” , where the reader is Soap’s little sister. PLEASE GO READ HER STORY first to make sense of this series. Thank you for lending me your character.

“masterlist” for more stories to this Mini MacTavish expanded verse. PS: HERE and HERE is the beautiful handsome Ghost/Simon by

@shkretart !!!

Ghost never knows the love and joy of family. As a young boy, he often look on with envy when his friend's parent showering them with love and attention. He despises his father, for destroying his childhood. For destroying the family.

He escaped, vow to start a new life. Found a job. Became a soldier. Got rid of his father. Help his mother and brother, and new family is formed.

Just as he thought he has jumped out from the loop, and all seems to be happy life, It got taken away. Brutally. As if the universe is taunting him, teasing him with happiness and throw him into the hell pit. The despair.

His brothers-in-arms in SAS and Task Force 141 helped him to see some hope.

But he is still a broken man. Along you came. Crashing into his life. He usually tries to pay no attention to Soap's stories about his baby little sister, how much he treasures her. He tries not to. It will only remind him of the life he never got to experience. The happy sibling memories he never got to experience with Tommy.

"Hey sad face, why so gloomy? Say, let's have a competition. If I win, join us! If you win.. I promise I will shut my brother up for the whole night." He will never admit the prospect of shutting up MacTavish is what tempted him to agree to the little drinking game. Which in terms turn into a very dangerous game. Not only you nearly bested him, the legendary Ghost, but your cocky smile and your sunshine personality is stirring something inside he never knew he had. That little bit of Simon is coming out.

He wants more. Dropping hints here and there. Whisper nothing into your ears, he is slowly capturing you.

"“My offer still stands, if you are willing.”  Your hand paused on the door handle just as you were about to turn it. Ghost walked you back to your accommodation after a chaotic night at the pub which ended with an accidently drunk König  trying to hit on you.

Incomes very angry Soap and Ghost and your attempt to dissuade them to throw poor König onto the shooting range. Finally Horangi manage to drag König back to their group while Gaz and Price dragged Soap back to their side of the room. "I'm going to head back to the accommodation Johnny, I'll meet you for breakfast tomorrow morning?" You saw Johnny still waving his arm around in anger and Gaz just shooed you off. You assume he will pass the message onto your brother. Ghost has came out and followed you silently.

" I'll walk you back."

" I am sure it's pretty safe around here Ghost." "... " Not letting you have a chance to say no, he pick up his pace and walked beside you. You totally did not expect him to be so bold, making the proposition. Slowly you turn around, facing him. You feel like prey trapped with your back to the door. Somehow, something deep within you is nudging you, to taunt him and tempt him more. Lifting one of your hand, you run your finger through his dirty blonde hair. Behind his ears, down his neck. Just as he was closing his eyes, enjoying your touch, you turned around and open the door. As you step into the house, he firmly grabs you around the waist, pulling you into his embrace. ".. you think you can just tease me and leave?" That send shivers down your body and growing hot as he growls beside your ear. You lean back into him. He must have taken his mask off at some point as you suddenly feel him place a light kiss on your ear, down your neck and onto your shoulder.

With shuddered breath, you turn around, wanting to have a good look at him. Finally to see his face. In full. Even with his back to the light, there you see him. his beautiful face. His dark brown eyes, deep with desire. " Hello Simon." You greeted him with a faint smile, taking in his features. The scars scattered across his handsome face, his Five o'clock shadow beard accentuates his strong jaw. " Are you sure you want this." Giving you a chance to say no, or trying to persuade himself to pull out before he goes in to deep? He doesn't know. Nodding your head to give him permission, he lean down and capture your lip and into a deep kiss. He kick the front door close and pull you impossibly close. You broke the kiss and while gasping for air, " bed, now." You commanded him. He lift you up into bridal carry and march towards the bedroom. It was a long passionate night. Amongst the heated kisses you admit to him you never had experiences before. And he was very gentle with you. Once you got use to him, he slowly pushes you, again and again searching for comfort and high with each other. At end of the night you lay exhausted totally satisfied if not a little bit sore. Waking up the next day, he had already left. You were slightly disappointed but part of you not surprised.

Simon doesn't know what prompted him to be so bold with you that night. Part of him enjoy the warmth and attention you were giving him, the Ghost in him keep telling him,

" She's too good for you." " You are a broken monster. You don't deserve her."

He pushed you away. Even when you need him the most. With tears in your eyes. He regretted hurting you afterwards. He nearly lost you, along with the children. Didn't he vow not to be the man that his father was? He begged for your forgiveness. For a second chance. Going into therapy. You gave him that precious chance. Simon experience the light and love he never felt before, when he return from deployment for the first time after reconciliation. You open the door for him, leading him into the living room , gently tell the children;

" Mah bairn, Da is home." His children, even after months of not being around, immediately recognises their father and crawls towards him, seeking his attention. "Da! Da!" Arms up, both of them wanting their father to pick them up. Holding back his tears, dropping his bag he pick both of them up, giving them gentle kisses on their heads.

You smiled watching the beautiful scene. " I love you."

Life came crashing down again. For the third time, the universe is laughing at him again.

He never been so fearful in his life. Seeing you being tied up on the pole, blood running your face,explosive strapped onto you, calling him for help, nearly make him lose his cool. " Go Simon. The children will at least have their father and uncles..." “ AND I NEED YOU.”

By some miracle, both of you survived the threat. He knew he couldn't delay it any longer. He proposed to you soon after. ' I know you want to take things slow, and I don't want to push you, but I .. I can't lose you. Not again." You agreed to marry him. He never been so happy in his life. "let’s do this , BROTHER.” Few close friends and families, the children, your brother, your parents, Price, Gaz, Emma, Laswell and Rudy, Alejandro even König attended the wedding. Watching you walking down the aisle took his breath away. How did he get so lucky.

" You don't deserve this. " " NO I DO. I DESERVE ALL OF THIS."

Holding your hand, he whispered to you,

"You are the light of my life. I love you, until my last dying breath."

[whump-me]

Whumptober Day 18: Tortured for Information

This is a standalone story in my original Mind Games universe, a modern-day sci-fi/fantasy thriller setting about ordinary humans with superhuman abilities and the people who want to use or destroy them. Full description in my Whumptober masterpost, which is linked in my pinned post.

This story contains: female whumpee, torture, drowning, electric torture, emotional whump, major character death

Words: 2500

---

She could have held her breath if it weren’t for the electricity. PERI had trained her and the rest of her cohort with water immersion since they were twelve years old. She could hold her breath for two minutes, easy. She knew how to calm the instinctive panic response, how not to thrash against the hands holding her under and use up precious oxygen unnecessarily.

But no, one of them had grabbed the cattle prod again when she was still under. While one set of gloved hands held her head upside down in the bucket, the prod jabbed her between the shoulder blades, sending electricity arcing along her nerves and making her involuntarily gasp in water. After that, all she could do was flail against the hands of her attacker and hope she was strong enough to break free.

Or maybe hope that she wouldn’t be, and that the hands would hold her under until the supposed peace that came with drowning overtook her. The more time she spent in this bare concrete room, the more she thought maybe death would be the kindest way out.

It didn’t matter. She didn’t get either wish.

When her vision started graying out, the gloved hand hauled her up by her hair. She vomited water at the feet of her second attacker, who jabbed her in the shoulder with the cattle prod for her trouble. The gloved hands dropped her. She landed on her side on the straw-covered barn floor, curled into a ball. She coughed and spat and shivered. Straw poked into her cheek. The floor smelled thick and organic, like animal musk.

She had trained for this since she was five years old. Well, maybe not this specifically. But she had been bred to be a covert operative. Her training had involved enduring pain and resisting torture, among other things.

She looked down on her trembling form as if from a distance, her tall and muscled body curled into the fetal position, her skin sallow under the harsh light of light. She imagined Dr. Sandersfeld, her favorite instructor, looking down on her now. He would have been so disappointed in the shaking mess she had become.

Gradually, voices from above filtered into her awareness. “Careful not to touch her,” warned the gentler voice. It belonged to the man who had been playing good cop with her. “She can stop your heart with one touch.”

“Oh, I know what she can do. If I plan on touching her, I’ll put on a pair of gloves like yours first. But I don’t plan on touching her.” Bad Cop punctuated his words with a sharp kick to her ribs. She wheezed in a pained breath, and spat out another mouthful of water. This time, there was blood mixed in.

“For now, I’ll let you do the honors,” said Bad Cop. “Shove her under again.”

“Not yet. Let’s give her a chance to talk first.”

“I don’t want to listen to what she has to say. I want to watch her gasping for breath.”

“That’s not what we’re here for,” Good Cop lectured. He squatted down next to John. “Do you remember what I said before? If you cooperate, we’re willing to help you. We’ll get you a false identity, help you hide from PERI. We can give you a new life. All you have to do is work with us.”

“This again?” Bad Cop muttered. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Good Cop looked over his shoulder. “It makes more sense than leaving her locked up for the rest of her life. If she joins us, she could be an asset. Otherwise, she’s just someone we have to guard and feed for the rest of her life.”

“Yeah, well, there’s another solution to that problem.” From behind Good Cop, Bad Cop shaped his hand into a gun and pointed it at her. Pow, he mouthed.

Good Cop ignored him, turning back to her. “Have you reconsidered?”

She shook her head. The movement put her in mind of a fish flopping on a dock. “I will say nothing,” she said flatly. “I will not cooperate.”

“I understand.” Good Cop’s voice was softer, gentler. “You were raised all your life to work for PERI. Right now, they’re all you know. But we can show you something different, if you give us the chance. We can show you a world where you’re respected as a human being, not a tool. A world where you choose what you want to do with your life.”

“We can show you a lot more, too, if you don’t tell us how to get into PERI headquarters.” Bad Cop held up the cattle prod. Blue lightning arced between the prongs.

Good Cop shot another frown over his shoulder. “You’re not helping.”

“I will not cooperate,” she repeated. Her voice was gravelly from all the coughing and spewing water.

“Oh, I think you will.” Bad Cup stepped around Good Cop to thrust the cattle prod against her side, just under the ribs.

Even with water lingering in her lungs, she still had enough breath left to scream.

“PERI uses these on their captured prisoners a lot,” said Bad Cop, jabbing the prongs deeper. “I think it’s only fair that you should feel what it’s like. Don’t you?”

Finally, he withdrew the cattle prod, leaving her shaking and gasping. She couldn’t have answered if she had wanted to.

“We need to talk.” Good Cop stood and grabbed Bad Cop by the forearm. He led the other man into the corner, while she watched through the pain-blurred eyes.

Good Cop’s voice was low, but it was a small barn—she could still hear every word. “Even if you don’t have sympathy for their operatives—”

“I don’t,” Bad Cop interrupted, and shook off Good Cop’s hand. “Bunch of lab-grown freaks. I’ve lost too many friends to them. Some of them were killed trying to rescue people like her. They don’t want to be saved. When you’ve been in this game as long as I have, you’ll understand.”

“Even if you don’t have sympathy for their operatives,” Good Cop started again, slowly this time, emphasizing every word, “I’m sure you can see that this one would make a useful ally. She has a powerful ability, and firsthand knowledge of PERI headquarters.”

“Let me tell you about that thing over there.” Bad Cop’s accusing gaze shifted from Good Cop to her. “Five years ago—before you joined up with us—she came to us, begging for sanctuary. She said she wanted to be free. To be a human being. To choose her own path in life. All that crap you just tried to sell her.”

Good Cop frowned over his shoulder at her. He looked confused.

Bad Cop’s eyes burned into her. “She waited until we were all together. Then she used her power to kill everyone she could get her hands on. Only a few of us made it out alive. I was one of them.”

She didn’t remember him. She’d been on too many missions to remember any individual target. But she wouldn’t have been surprised if the story were true. PERI often sent her up against other Enhanced.

Those were always challenging missions. For something like a routine political assassination, she was usually going up against an ordinary human, without Enhanced powers of their own. Sitting ducks, the lot of them. But when her targets were other Enhanced—the half-feral teams of them who had made it their mission to fight the one organization trying to control Enhanced abilities and use them for the greater good—it was a battle of equals. That was something no PERI operative was used to.

But most often, she still came out ahead. Enhanced who hadn’t been raised in a PERI facility didn’t have decades of training. They weren’t literally bred for this the way her side was. All their genetic gifts, and everything they knew about how to use them, they had acquired by pure chance.

“Well?” Bad Cop strode across the straw. Before Good Cop could stop him, he jabbed his toes into her ribs all over again. She felt something crack. “Why don’t you tell your friend here how you repaid our generosity?”

The raw emotion in Bad Cop’s voice sent a shiver up her spine. It always unnerved her to see non-PERI Enhanced with their teams, or hear them talk about their teams, like they were a true unit. A family, even. Like they trusted each other. More than that—like they loved each other.

She’d had that with her own cohort once. When they were very young, in the early days of their training. Before the instructors had started having them test their abilities on each other. Before they had learned they could never trust another Enhanced.

As for the Enhanced that PERI sent her up against, they weren’t people. They were targets. Even when she tried to befriend them, even when she had to earn their trust, she was always pretending.

She would never trust another Enhanced.

She would never love anyone the way she had once loved her cohort.

She was Enhanced. That meant she was alone.

“Whatever they made you do,” Good Cop said, “you can leave it in the past. All you have to do is make a different choice.”

Bad Cop whirled on him. “Did you not hear what I said? I lost good friends to that creature. Now you want me to just forgive and forget?”

She let their argument fade into the background. It meant nothing to her. Turning traitor was, of course, unthinkable. PERI had trained unshakable loyalty into her, with as much relentless rigor as they had taught her to stretch the boundaries of her Enhanced ability. She could no more betray PERI than she could trust another Enhanced.

But Bad Cop over there didn’t seem to have a problem trusting other Enhanced. He had loved his team enough to beat her up for their sake, five years later. He must have loved them the way she had loved her cohort.

She missed that kind of love.

Taking the deal was impossible. But a lot of things seemed impossible before a person did them.

“What…” she croaked. “What would I have to do?”

Both voices went silent. Bad Cop spoke first, face twisted into a scowl. “We’re not doing this.”

“Let him talk.” Good Cop stared into his eyes. The sympathy there told her Good Cop had never learned not to trust another Enhanced. “Are you interested in cooperating?”

“Depends… on what… you would need me to do in return. And what I’d get for it.” She coughed again. The movement sent sharp pain through her broken rib. “I want specifics. The exact agreement.”

Good Cop studied her eyes for a long moment, as if trying to gauge whether she was sincere. Then he nodded. “I can get that information for you.” He shot Bad Cop a warning look. “Make sure she doesn’t try to run while I’m gone. Do nothing else. You understand?”

“I understand,” said Bad Cop, his voice dull with resentment. He scuffed one foot through the straw.

With one last look toward Bad Cop, Good Cop slipped out the door.

As soon as the door swung shut, Bad Cop turned to her with a smile that made her shiver. “Bad move,” he purred. “Now you’re alone with me.”

She drew in a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her ribs and the deeper pain in her lungs. She silently resigned herself to what was coming.

If only Good Cop had learned never to trust another Enhanced.

She returned Bad Cop’s grin with a weak smile of her own. “I remember that mission,” she lied. “Your friends were a bunch of gullible idiots. Killing them was easy. Like one of the training games we played when we were five.” She spat bloody water. “It was disappointing. I prefer it when they give me a challenge.”

A sharp kick to the throat cut off her words and her breath.

“Anything else you want to say to me?” Bad Cop asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“It doesn’t matter what you do to me,” she said in a whisper, her grin turning wider and more feral. “In a few minutes, your friend will come back with a deal, and I’ll be on your side. Whether you like it or not.”

“That’s not going to happen,” said Bad Cop. “I don’t think you understand what a mistake you made, sending him away and leaving the two of us alone.”

He dragged the bucket of water over to her. He slipped on a pair of thick black gloves that went up to his elbows, hauled her up by the shoulders, and thrust her head in.

With one hand, he held the bucket steady, so her thrashing wouldn’t knock it over. With the other, he pressed down on the back of her neck, holding her down. If she had been at full strength, she could have broken free. But she was already weak. Even one-handed, he held her down easily.

Bad Cop couldn’t get at the cattle prod with both his hands occupied, which meant this would be a long, slow process. But no amount of training could make it possible to survive without oxygen indefinitely. Sooner or later, she would drown.

But Bad Cop was wrong about one thing. She knew exactly what he had done when she had sent Good Cop away.

Taking the deal was impossible. And not just because she could no more imagine betraying PERI than she could imagine cutting off her own hand. She had worked against other Enhanced too often. They would all feel about her the way Bad Cop did, once they heard the details of her past missions. They would never trust her enough to work with her willingly.

With good reason.

They shouldn’t trust her. No Enhanced should ever trust another Enhanced.

Even if she did wish she could have the fierce, uncomplicated love of her childhood back.

She couldn’t. She knew better than that. To be Enhanced was to be alone.

She was tired of being alone.

She didn’t want to keep fighting other Enhanced. She didn’t want to prove PERI right with every mission like the one Bad Cop had thrown in her face. She was tired of proving that the love she and her cohort had shared as children had been a foolish delusion, that Enhanced could never trust each other.

Bad Cop’s hatred would unintentionally give her exactly what she wanted.

Maybe even what she deserved.

She breathed in deep and let the water take her.

---

Tagged: @cakeinthevoid @gala1981

Ask to be added or removed from my Whumptober 2023 taglist.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Oh, lord, don't even get me started on the whole Luca thing. It made literally no sense and they went against so many things they established in canon in earlier seasons.

The biggest part of SWAT's story was Luca/Street bromance. They literally lived together for better part of the show, had a really sweet brotherly dynamic, always there for each other no matter what. You know what we got from the hospital scene? Nothing. Not even so much of a word about where Street was, maybe an excuse why he couldn't make it which while it still would've been lazy writing, it would mean they at least considered the relationships and important people in Luca's life. Which they obviously didn't. Same goes for Chris. Like, we had newer people there waiting in the hospital, but not the likes of Mumford, Rocker, Stevens, other men Luca's been serving with for SO long! Also, no mention of his dad, mom, sister, brother. Nothing!!

I mean I have grievences with how he got shot too bc I feel like it was a cheap cop out for writing out his character in a way that would least anger the public while still somewhat making sense storywise. But, come on... He has been on SWAT for how long? And you're telling me he'd be reckless enough to risk his life going after three heavily armed suspects without backup, gear, anything WITH KELLY right there???

And then the whole thing post-hospital is also a huge question mark. The pacing was so weird, the dialogue felt off... Then his last call and some of the most important people in his career and life are once again missing (I mean, really, not even a cameo?!).

All in all, so many weird decisions and once again, so many better ways they could've gone about this if they had just considered the season as a whole rather than ep by ep. Because that's what this season feels like - bunch of standalone eps tied in together with a paper clip. A plastic one, at that.

I hope they get better writers for s8 or at the very least the ones that don't seem to hate the show and characters with burning passion bc this is 🥴🥴🥴 And much hate to whoever okayed promoting this season with Alex and Kenny being credited as "recurring" instead of what it really was "guest starring". For s8 celebration we should get them a dictionary and circle those words so that they can learn what they mean since they clearly don't.

~🧡

Um??... Woof. (But I love your explanations and reading your thoughts so much!)

Of all the things they could have done for Luca's send-off, they chose that half-baked, poorly written, hot mess of a story??? WHY? And we know Alex was on set for other episodes, so they seriously have no excuse for leaving Street out of his best friend's ending!!!

Did they think that the fans would just ignore the fact that Luca acted completely out of character in the situation leading to the shooting, and that all of his closest friends and comrades weren't there for him? I mean, I know they hate us and him (clearly), but apparently they also take us for fools. You're spot-on in saying that they didn't put any effort into writing his final episodes; in a season of exposition explanations, we didn't even get one for Luca!!

The pacing and the dialogue is what I've heard the most complaints about! "A bunch of standalone eps tied in together with a paper clip. A plastic one, at that" is the most perfect description!!! Even just reading the synopsis of each episode, I've been wondering if the episodes were coherent or connected in any way, like a television series should be, and it sounds like they're not. Since the season was shorter after the un-cancellation, I think they just threw a bunch of ideas into a hat and pulled one for each episode rather than trying to create an underlying thread that could run through all 13 episodes.

Okay, the situation isn't funny, but your last line made me laugh so hard!! One of my favorite things (for some reason) is come up with fake dialogue for the S.W.A.T. writers - what I think they say at the writing table, so I can whole-heartedly agree with your idea to get them and the marketing people a dictionary and explain the difference between "recurring" and "guest starring"! Like you said, getting new writers seems like the only hope for the show. If the show reads a bit different, that would honestly be fine, as long as the writers treated the characters like they deserve and create a show again, not a mod-podged pile of underdeveloped scenes that ignore everything previous seasons have established!

"Hey, guys, what if we take a beloved character, shoot him in front of Kelly because he ran in without thought, and then just rush through his recovery to send him off into the sunset?" In my mind, the S.W.A.T. writers sound like the pilots from the first scene in the Lego Batman Movie.

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2023!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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22. Fairy Tale by Stephen King--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've been meaning to pick up FAIRY TALE since the day it came out because it looked so interesting and so different from a lot of King's stories--although I know that he tends to write in different genres (even if they're all put in the horror section in bookstores.) I've had many talks about King with my friends and you know, his writing in the past may have been very polarizing, but this book was a whole other level of Stephen King (in the best way possible). This was an epic fantasy novel with some incredible imagery, world building, and slower cadence writing that King is notorious for in his storytelling. Also, the descriptions of the people the MC encounters in this twisted world were incredibly vivid and memorable--at times even shiver-inducing. Also, much like a couple of other books by him, I cried. Listen, you can't help but get invested in some of the less permanent characters because King writes them in such a way that you can't help but feel an emotional connection with them. One of the things I love about King's writing and why I always find myself falling so readily into his tomes is that he knows how to really pace a story. He creates and weaves worlds together the way only an expert can and then slowly lets the story bloom until the very last page. This felt like such a special story because of that. Unlike other fantasy books, our MC isn't the typical hero. He was more of a grey-area hero when he needed to act in dangerous situations--or at least, he made it very clear to the reader that he wasn't the hero everyone thought he was. He has his dark moments (especially when they're needed) and his imperfections make him more relatable as a lead. And while there are definitely some older moments that challenge the young MC (he was 18, I believe, or close to it), we definitely get to see where his age shines through (for example, who he falls for and how he handles that, and how he deals with the pressures of living up to a promise that feels nearly impossible to live up to.) I loved that vulnerability because it reminded me, as the reader, that this is still a child caught up in an adult situation (violence and responsibility-wise). The side characters were great, especially the puppers--Radar was the cutest little pup and I never expected to feel so invested in her fictional well-being. If you are going into this expecting a typical King horror novel--this isn't it. Instead, King has crafted a standalone fantasy that will leave you with an odd sense of nostalgia and bittersweet happiness both because it's over, AND because you were able to experience it. While it had some cool moments and some King awkwardness (because really, is it a King book without an awkward moment near the end?--but nothing as creepy as IT, promise), FAIRY TALE was not just a story of an older teenage boy setting out to save his best friend and potentially an unknown world, it's a story about growing up, making the expectations placed on you adapt to who you are as a person, and the complexities of relationships that we build on our journey to growing up. It is about goodbyes and hellos; about hope and grief and the understanding that staying static in life is no way to live. FAIRY TALE was about a boy who experienced trauma at a young age, met someone he showed an unimaginable level of compassion for, and as a result, had a life-changing opportunity thrown at him. I loved this book very much, if you can't tell.

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23. Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of my friends read this one earlier this year and I decided to give it a shot because it sounded really good. I'm starting to love the shorter books because of how concise the stories are and how to the point the plots can be because you have less time to showcase the story for the reader. EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END was a very enjoyable read. I loved the main character's sass and how she fought for the love she shared with the woman she was destined to live the rest of her life with. I thought their relationship was a beautiful contrast to the idea that life is short so what is the point? Meaning, I love that despite the MC knowing that her life was going to be quite short, she still decided to find her happiness--even if it might be hard-won at the end of the day. I really enjoyed this and I thought the emotions were palpable. I thought the concept was quite unique, especially the MC's partner in crime as she strives to solve the murder mysteries popping up in the city. I'd definitely recommend this--especially if you want more sapphic fantasy that dabbles a little with horror. The ending alone is worth it and offers a strange sense of hope that love can possibly overcome anything, even death and grief. (Not a spoiler)

___

24. Water Bound by Christine Feehan--⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

WATER BOUND had a few things going for it that I enjoyed, but a couple of not so great things on my end that just happened to be bad timing for this reading experience. I found myself falling into a bit of a reading slump right around the time I started reading this, so every time I started the audiobook, I immediately wanted to do something else...or I wanted to write. But despite all of these things and the books I DNF'ed right before starting WATER BOUND, I finished it and enjoyed it for what it was. I really liked the suspense aspect of this book, especially after the twist that helped explain it all. It was interesting and I always forget how enticing Feehan's writing can be when it comes to that element of her storytelling. I also liked the mystery surrounding the second narrator, especially when I realized that I had met him before in a much later book series by Feehan. Even though this is the first in this series, it's still very clear that I need to read more books before it. On one hand, that was a little frustrating because it felt like I was missing key connections and easter eggs that sometimes makes authors like this one so fun to read. But on the other hand, these constant allusions and references made me want to read the other books BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO KNOW IT ALL. I LOVED that the female MC is on the autistic spectrum because I love seeing this representation in romance novels. I always find that the way the story looks through their perspective is both fascinating and beautiful. The male MC however was a little meh, to be completely honest. Feehan's male characters are always so intense from the get-go that it takes a while to get used to them. I did love, however, how he is with the female MC and the connection they share. The magic of their abilities was more pronounced in this book and their interactions surrounding their magic was made more beautiful by that relationship of respect that they cultivated. Will I read the second book in this series? Probably. Even if they're not perfect reads, I do enjoy Feehan's writing and the potential each book offers.

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25. Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot--⭐️⭐️⭐️

The more I read this series, the more I realize how awful Mia's best friend is. I think that's one of the main things I remember about this book (since I'm writing this review a month later and I barely remember what it was about.) I do remember being a little frustrated, not just with Mia and Michael, but also with the idea that so many people call her annoying and whiny and completely forgetting that she is...fifteen. She is literally a child who can't help but think that she wants this magical night at prom with her older boyfriend before he heads off to college. (Let's not comment on the creepy age gap, again, because Michael actually comments on how he knew the age gap would present issues down the line.) I totally forgot to mention this because these books are kind of forgettable: There was a completely horrible conversation about Autism in this book. It both really dated this series and gave me such a sour taste of the ignorance surrounding Autism. It shows how much more has come to light in the years since this series came out. I'm going to continue reading this series, but I also have to occasionally remind myself that Mia is fifteen, going through a tumultuous high school experience, and is constantly trying to navigate the tricky world of relationships (both with her older boyfriend and her bitch of a best friend.)

___

26. American Predator by Maureen Callahan--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I heard about this book on the clock app after a true crime lover recommended it and said it gave her nightmares. I've been into true crime since I was a teenager and while I don't listen to a lot of the podcasts anymore, I know a bit about serial killers and crimes that have haunted North America for decades. This is all to say that I recognized this case before the details were revealed. I've always been fascinated to see what makes these people tic because they're so far removed from the way I view the world. I wouldn't call this a book that would give me nightmares, but that's mainly because I've learned about other stories that were a lot more terrifying. The expectation of being scared is what lowered my rating, but the rest of this book was intriguing--especially when one thinks about all of the unanswered questions we are left with in the end. Callahan presents a great true crime read and I think it is one of those where the reality of how truly lucky someone has to be to catch one of these kinds of serial killers. They're so good at hiding their crimes and any evidence that might be left behind. I couldn't help but think about all of the unsolved murders and the missing people who have never been found. I think that's the scariest part of a story like this one--the idea that some serial killers have never been caught because they are always adamant on keeping their crime scenes without any clues. And let me be clear: this guy only got caught because of mistakes. Think of those who don't make any mistakes in their careers as serial killers. I'd recommend this to true crime fans simply because of that last sentence I've just written. At the end of the day, it makes you wonder: how much do you really know the person standing beside you?

___

27. Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into SUBURBAN HELL knowing that two of my friends had recently read it and hadn't enjoyed it. I was skeptical, but I'll admit that I actually enjoyed the experience. It wasn't the best horror book I've ever read, but I found it entertaining. I think it might have hit better if I was a mom stuck at home with a world that repeats itself every day. I love a good haunting and this delivered some fun moments that I think would translate well to a campy horror movie. The creeping sense of dread mixed really well with the monotonous life of a suburban family, and the main character's growing unease was very well shown--even as her life continued on as normal while her friend was rotting away in her demonic filth. I do think there was more focus on the minutiae of a stay at home mom. While I think that was the point and the horror of it all is the things moms sometimes need to do to keep the peace going, or what some moms need to do to fit in with the other moms, it made for an occasionally draggy read. One of my friends mentioned that this was a boring read and I'm torn because on one hand, I agree, and on the other, I am on the fence because the boring aspects of it I think were intentional. I think this book definitely had potential for MORE. I think the horror and terror aspects were a little underused, especially the really cool concept. This was a fun read, but it did this weird thing where it moved both too quickly and too slowly: the possession was a little quick, but the surrounding storyline was too slow. Anyway, this wasn't a favourite but I didn't hate it. I'm curious to see what else Kilmer writes!

___

Have you read any of these books? Let me know your thoughts!

___

I went through a weird time the last few months, which including a reading and blogging slump. Will hopefully return to posting my reviews and posts!

___

Happy reading!

[solosclark]

I've read Space Between Us and I want to yelllllllllllllllllll at how good it is! I've microwaved it in my brain for days.

Bruce is clearly feeling things for Clark.

Bruce's descriptions and internal monologue are exquisite, and I could English Lit analyse it for days. However, I can't stop thinking about the beginning line about sleeping with a married person and Clark's implication. There is more underneath the surface to Clark and it's vastly intriguing. As it's the DCEU, we know about Clark's world pilgrimage and in Man of Steel we only see the ending snippets of his journey - I would love to see your interpretation of it.

Are you planning on continuing it? (No pressure, it works well as a standalone.)

Hey! Can't even begin to describe how happy this ask has made me. And I can't exactly tell you what happened after I read your message — alright, maybe I cried a little. A lot.

So good for catching Clark's affair ^^ I've gotten comments on Clark's supposed innocence, and I know why it appears like that, but I thought I was clear on the opposite. I don't mean to spoil, but it does indeed play a big part later on, though not for any predictable reasons. At least I hope it's not. (It's fine too if people guess.)

As the years went by, my understanding of DCEU (or more specifically Snyderverse) lore has expanded, and unfortunately I grew around this fic if that makes sense. I've moved on to other projects, some still batsuper and some not even within DCEU. People are free to find that frustrating, and I understand that, because I have been comfortable leaving it as a standalone while also teasing that I could possibly go back to it. Yes, I'm not saying no to completing it one day, as the story is still in my head. But make room for other stories too as I have more to share that are guaranteed to be finished ❤️ Thank you for the sweet message and being nice!

[yedithwrites]

This or That Tag Game

I was tagged by @indigowriting. Thank you so much for the tag! Find their post here.

|| HISTORICAL or FUTURISTIC ||

Historical! IDK why, but I just think historical is more interesting to write, even though the research is a lot of work. Especially if it's a subject I'm really familiar with. Futuristic is fun to read, but I don't really gravitate towards it as a writer.

|| OPENING or CLOSING CHAPTER ||

Every time I have to write an ending, I do it crying and screaming lol. Endings are so hard for me. I wrote the ending of Good Friends and then re-wrote it and then re-wrote the whole thing and then hated the ending again lol. It's so hard knowing the right place to stop, or if I tied up all the loose ends, or if I've explained too much, or if I made the right choices. I'm fighting for my life every time I write a closing chapter.

|| LIGHT+FLUFFY or DARK+GRITTY ||

I'm going to say both because I think my writing is usually somewhere in the middle. When I write horror (especially when I'm writing a novel vs a short story), I can't stop myself from inserting moments of hope or lightness. And when I write romance, I can't stop myself from putting in some heavier topics.

|| ANIMAL COMPANION or FOUND FAMILY ||

Found family 100%. I actually very rarely write animals into my stories. I guess I just never really considered it. Writing people is more fun for me. I love creating different dynamics between characters.

|| HORROR or ROMANCE ||

I am physically incapable of choosing one or the other. I write both and I mix the genres together a lot. There was this tweet from Hailey Piper recently that said horror and romance are lovers and they belong together and that's exactly how I feel lol.

|| HARD MAGIC SYSTEM or SOFT MAGIC SYSTEM ||

I don't need an explanation for a magic system and I don't like explaining it in my work. I think explaining too much can dull some of what makes the magic magical, if you know what I mean (though not always, of course). Yeah, my magic systems will have some rules, but I like writing the sort of magic that not even the protagonist really understands.

|| STANDALONE or SERIES ||

I've never once written a series lol. I have one I'm planning (a vampire trilogy) and I am way out of my comfort zone with it.

|| ONE PROJECT AT A TIME or ALWAYS JUGGLING 2+ ||

I'm always sort of working on more than one thing. Like right now, I'm revising two novels and plotting another (plus... I need to finish a novella I started on a whim). But I don't actually work on them at the same time. One will grab my attention for weeks or months and then I'll go back to another and so on and so forth.

|| ONE AWARD WINNER or ONE BESTSELLER ||

I would cry if I got an award, don't get me wrong. But for practical reasons, it's gotta be bestseller (as I am in need of more money, thank you). Plus, a bestseller would probably lead to more exposure and more opportunities.

|| FANTASY OR SCI-FI ||

I have a complicated relationship with sci-fi. I definitely have some favorite sci-fi novels, but it's typically a genre I have trouble getting into. It's not like I've never written sci-fi or plan on writing it either, but fantasy comes to me much easier.

|| CHARACTER DESCRIPTION or SETTING DESCRIPTION ||

One of my greatest sins is how little I care about describing setting. It's to the point that I'll write a first draft and then force myself to go back and fill in the setting descriptions. I'm careful about describing characters too, and I try to do it only when it makes sense, but I like it more than setting descriptions.

|| LOVE TRIANGLE IN EVERYTHING or NO ROMANTIC ARCS ||

Yeah... I love a good romance and I can't write anything long form that doesn't have one. I write love triangles sometimes, but it's more like "dating the wrong person" than a true love triangle. For Good Friends, I have a list called "casualties of Ruben and Ari's romance" and there's like five characters on it lol. When there's a real love triangle, it definitely tends to lean more poly.

|| CONSTANT SANDSTORM or RAINSTORM ||

I've lived in Oregon my whole life so I know rain really well. I wouldn't even know where to start with a sandstorm.

Gently tagging @kaiyo @thesorcerersapprentice @queenkalico and anyone else who might be interested!

[eyndr-stories]

THE SQUEAKUEL (Epilogue)

So!!! I wound up writing the epilogue to 'I Think I Smell A Rat' out nice and proper after all lol here it is! And I'm making this a little series because I would be happy to write more of these silly robots if yall have requests! Yall seem to enjoy being a nifty little robot rat doing rat tasks and making exceptionally tall friends ^_^

Send requests / prompts to me here on Tumblr or yell at me on Ao3 (LINK TO THIS EPILOGUE ON AO3 RIGHT HERE BTW). Consider this epilogue a little intro into the 'after the story' mini stories i'm hoping this will be??

If i do get any requests (or if I ever get an idea of my own i'd like to write :P), I'd write and post them each as their own standalone in-universe chapter! The idea is to have it so none of the chapters are required reading for any other chapters, so each chapter is sort of its own standalone little scenario, and I'll write up a brief little description of the chapter in the summery or beginning notes or some such hooplah, so yall know what each little story is about. Does this makes sense??? I sure hope so lmao

That's all if I even get requests :P either way, enjoy this silly and super chill little epilogue! <3

Things To Know:

Not a lot lmao this is all chill fluff. You and your rat friends play board games with Sun and Moon ^_^

Also if you don't know how to play checkers. Now you do lmao

Friendly teasing between you and Moon

This is an epilogue so a few things and bits of dialogue might not make sense if you haven't read the main story. I'll do my darndest to have potential request chapters be standalone stories but still in-universe!

I am so so sleepy please tell me if I am missing important things here I will amend as soon as I wake up dfhkjghkf

Epilogue

     "TINY FRIEND!!!"

     The mouse hole shaped wall port had barely closed behind you before you were spotted. Sun was barreling across the daycare towards you, although this time around you were not fearful, but actually very happy to see him.

     Before you could even blink out a 'hello' from your tail light, you'd been scooped up and now the world was rushing by as Sun twirled. He finally paused to press you to his face plate.

     "Muah! Muah!!" Sun said, bumping his ever constant grin against your noggin a few times. "Moon told me everything!! I can't believe it, you really fixed everyone and found your friends and saved the day and OHHH I'm SO sorry if I caused you any trouble when I had that virus! I can't even remember what happened after I went in for repairs… I wasn't mean to you was I?! I'm so sorry tiny friend I didn't mean it!!"

     You quickly waved your tail light directly in front of Sun's eye, finally cutting off his rambling before he could get too upset. "Do not worry. Nothing too bad happened, and I'm not upset with you."

     "That's good!!! I'm so relieved!" Sun let out a massive sigh and plopped down onto the padded daycare floor. He cradled you in his hands, holding you up at eye level. "I hope Moony wasn't too mean to you either, he's such a grump sometimes!"

     You quirked your head to the side in amusement. "Oh, he wasn't so bad."

     "Good!! So what brings you back here so soon, tiny friend??"

     Sun flattened his palms out a little, and suddenly your pathfinding program was working again, deciding that Sun's hands were a decent enough surface to read. While you'd gotten pretty used to hanging out in hands, having your pathfinding working properly was something of a relief. You relaxed into Sun's hands and explained.

     "Well, if you recall, I did promise to play a game with you once everything else was taken care of. I also told Moon I'd play a game with him as well. I'm not sure how much time we have until your daycare opens…"

     "OHHHHHHH!!!" Sun's whole frame rattled and his slippered feet tapped excitedly on the padded floor. His sun says sprang in and out. "YOU WANT TO PLAY GAMES WITH US?!"

     You didn't have a chance to reply before Sun had sprang to his feet again, already twirling before he'd even stood all the way up.

     "That's SO GREAT tiny friend because!! The whole building including the daycare is closed for the day!!! So that means we can play games ALL DAY LONG if you want!!!"

     "The building is closed?" You did your best to focus on Sun instead of the world spinning madly around you.

     "Yeah! The staff said that they have to clean some things up, and management wants them done by the end of the day so we can open back up again tomorrow. So that means we have the whole day to play games!! You could even invite your friends if you want!!!" Sun finally stopped spinning, though his sun rays kept swaying from side to side.

     You thought about trying to convince at least your nest mates to come and play games with Sun. Might as well give it a shot, right?

     "Okay, I'll send a few of my friends a ping. They might be busy though. Is there a game we can play just the two of us in the meantime?" you asked.

     "Oh boy oh boy there sure is!! I'll take you to the game shelf!" Sun dashed back across the daycare, still holding you carefully. He rounded the edge of a play structure and weaved between child-sized tables with their chairs neatly tucked under them. He stopped at the wall, where one very long shelf spanned the length of this little back area. There were several cubbies and boxes of toys lined up along the wall below the shelf as well.

     "There's lots here we could play with two people! Hmm but what would be okay for a tiny friend to play…? Maybe a board game with small enough pieces? Cards might be too big for you to handle…" Sun mumbled mostly to himself as he paced along the length of the shelf, eyes scanning over colorful boxes.

     You were a little intimidated by the amount of games here. You'd never played any of them before of course, and didn't have the first clue as to how they worked. "Is there something simple we could play?"

     "Something simple… oh, would you like to play checkers??" Sun held you carefully in one hand and grabbed a smaller box from the shelf with the other.

     Encouraged by the more manageable size of this game's box, you agreed.

     Sun happily carried you to the nearest table, letting you hop off his hand so he could set up the game. "Usually I would discourage a friend from standing on the table, but I think I'll give you an exception!" Sun joked.

     You watched as Sun unfolded a colorful square board with a black and red checker pattern painted on its smooth surface. He explained the rules as he placed twenty-four plastic disks one by one in the board's squares.

     "So we each get twelve pieces, you see how half are black and the other half are red? We each get all of one color. Black gets to go first, and since its your very first time, you can be black!" Sun finished setting all the black disks in their proper places along your half of the board, then started setting the red disks on his side. "We take turns making moves until one of us wins the game! You win the game when your opponent can't make any more moves. This usually happens by capturing all of the other player's pieces."

     "All I have to do to win is take your pieces?" You eyed the disks. They seemed like they wouldn't be difficult for you to lift, and they had groves along their rims that you suspected would make them fit very neatly on top of each other for easier carrying.

     "Yes, but there's more rules!" Sun went on. "In order to capture an opponent's piece, one of your pieces has to leap over the opponent's piece and land in a straight diagonal line on the other side. The square you land in has to be empty. Like this!" Sun took two pieces to demonstrate, one of yours and one of his. He carried his piece over yours, setting it down in a black square on the other side of your piece, then placed your piece on the table next to the board. "See, and now I've captured your piece! The pieces must always move diagonally, and forwards. Unless the piece you move is a king!"

     "Wait, what's a king?"

     Sun set the pieces back in their proper places and explained that any piece that reached the other end of the board would become a king, and a captured piece would be placed on top so that the piece was twice as high as a single piece. Kings could move both forward and backward.

     Sun explained a few more rules, like jumping over more than one piece at a time, winning by blocking in all of an opponent's pieces, and pieces making a non-capturing move only being able to move one square. When you were ready, the game began in earnest.

     You eyed the board and all its neatly positioned pieces. There were only a few pieces you could move right at the start, so you stepped carefully between disks and picked one at random, sliding it to the diagonal square up and to the left of it with a paw.

     Sun took his turn, mirroring your move, then looked back up at you. You moved the same piece again, sliding it up and to the right. Sun tapped the bottom of his face plate thoughtfully, then moved a piece at the end of his first row forwards.

     Back and forth you went, moving pieces around for a while before you managed to capture the first piece. You'd been so excited to take the first piece that you didn't realize you'd hopped your little disk right into trouble, and Sun captured it immediately after.

     "Whoops." You thought more carefully about your next move while Sun swayed happily from side to side.

     As the game went on, you wondered if beating Sun was even possible. Sun probably had the right programming to calculate the best possible move, to plan several moves ahead. Sun had been built to play games with kids all day, whereas you'd been built to execute tasks with immediate response. You were struggling to plan more than a single move ahead.

     All your life it had been 'go here, complete task'. 'Get part, repair item'. Simple, straightforward, not much planning beyond making sure you didn't make your way too far out of your designated repair zone. If there was any sort of 'planning ahead' needed, usually you'd ping your shared network with the other rats and work together to work out a plan. Like with the new charging shifts to prevent another 'virus' fiasco from occurring, the network was buzzing in the back of your mind with discussion of who would get what shift, if rats all in the same nest should have different shifts or the same shifts.

     You got an idea as Sun captured another one of your pieces. You pinged your network with a low priority message, drafting up a somewhat complicated question.

     "You sure are thinking hard over there! Are you still having fun, tiny friend?" Sun asked.

     You turned your attention back to him, realizing you'd been staring down at the board for a while now, processors whirring hard. "Oh, yes! Apologies." You received a few pings back in response to your message. You excitedly moved a piece forward into position.

     "No worries! I'm glad you're having fun, I'm having fun too!" Sun made his next move without much delay, skirting one of his disks further along the edge of the board.

     You put a second piece into position, sliding it into danger. Sun took the bait, capturing your piece and unknowingly creating the perfect opening. Gleefully, you used the piece you'd set up earlier to hop over three of Sun's pieces in a row.

     "Woah!! What a good move!" Sun gasped.

     You happily hopped in place, being mindful not to bump any pieces on the board. With that move you'd evened the playing field between you and Sun.

     You informed the network of the success and sent another message, asking for further assistance. More rats replied this time. Gradually, as the game went on, you had nearly every rat on the network strategizing with you, and you were giving Sun a run for his money.

     "Gosh, you really picked this game up fast!" Sun scratched at his forehead with a finger, staring down at the board. "Oh boy, looks like I'm in trouble…"

     It only took a few more moves for you to win the game, with the help of the other rats. There was delighted chatter all across the network as you made the winning move, capturing Sun's final piece.

     "Wow!! You won, great job tiny friend! That was really fun!" Sun exclaimed, clapping happily.

     "Thank you!" You pranced in a little circle on the board, then climbed atop a king piece. "We won!! That was fun!"

     "We?" Sun tilted his face plate curiously.

     "Me and the other rats. I asked them to help me with planning ahead."

     "You mean I was playing against all your friends too??" Sun put his hands on his hips. "If I'd known that I would have adjusted my difficulty setting!"

     You looked at him blankly for a moment. "You mean to tell me that you weren't even trying very hard??"

     "I always set my difficulty setting lower when I play a game with someone for the first time! That way the game is fair, because people don't have as much fun when the game isn't fair," Sun explained.

     "Oh." You thought about that for a moment. "Was it unfair of me to ask all the other rats for help?"

     Sun answered with a kind and patient tone. "You can always ask for help from your friends! But not telling me made the game a little unfair. If you like to play that way then that's okay with me! There are lots of kids who have fun playing that way, and I don't mind! I just like to play. It's always good to ask first though if the other players want to play that way too!"

     "I see. Okay." You nodded in understanding. "I would like to play fair. I apologize for not telling you I had help winning."

     "That's okay, tiny friend! No hard feelings!" Sun lightly tapped you on the head between your little ears. "Would you like to play again??"

     "Yes," you answered immediately. The onslaught of low priority messages from the network asking you for more strategy questions ceased as you informed everyone you were playing again, and you were met with a new onslaught of delighted messages. "My friends are all excited to play again too."

     "Really?! That's great!!" Sun bounced excitedly as he made quick work of resetting the board. "Tell them they can come play with us anytime!! I've got lots of games, you know. OH, and speaking of excited friends… Moon really wants a turn, if that's okay??"

     "He does? Sure!"

     Sun laughed. "He says to tell you that he's definitely NOT excited, it's just that you did tell him you wanted to play a game with him and he just doesn't want you to be sad."

     "Right, of course." You watched as Sun stood up from the table and took a step back. "Maybe you two could take turns throughout the day?"

     "Yeah, that’s a great idea!!" Sun paused, then went on. "Moon agrees! Okay, here we go, lights off!"

     Immediately, all the lights in the daycare turned off. The darkness fell in a comforting blanket over the room, and your eyes immediately clicked over to a lower light setting. You watched with interest as Sun and Moon made a much more dramatic adjustment. A few yellow panels slid back to reveal blue waiting underneath, and small hatches opened to change out Sun's scarf with Moon's capelet, storing the spare costume piece away in a little compartment on their chest. Their face plate spun, latching onto Moon's nightcap as a smaller compartment closer to their neck opened, little magnets snapping into place and holding the cap to Moon's head, pulling it out of the compartment. You weren't sure what happened exactly to their pants. The fabric seemed light sensitive, the low light causing a different pattern to become visible, long bright stripes vanishing to make way for a starry pattern that matched Moon's nightcap.

     The whole transformation took only two seconds, and then you were faced with Moon, who focused on you at once.

     "Tiny terror," Moon greeted.

     You waved your tail at him in greeting. "Tall terror."

     Moon's face plate spun as he crouched down on the other side of the table. "Did your friends help you come up with that little nickname?"

     "That one was all me," you assured.

     "Good. Because unlike Sun, I have far less tolerance for cheaters." Moon waggled his finger disapprovingly at you.

     "I didn't mean to cheat!" you insisted.

     Moon 'tsk'ed at you and folded his arms. "Mhmm. Sure.”

     Moon chuckled quietly, and you had a feeling he was just messing with you. “Are you going to antagonize me all day or would you like to play a game?”

     “Who says I can’t do both?” Moon reached across the table and gave you a poke. He picked up one of the game disks and idly spun it over his knuckles, plastic ‘tik-tik-tik’ing over metal. “I’ll tell you what… since you’ve got your entire little rat crew backing you up, why don’t we try a game with a tad bit more strategy?” Moon flipped the disk into the box, then started picking up the other pieces.

     “What game?” You tilted your head at Moon, both cautious and curious.

     Moon reached into the box and took out a a taller game piece maybe half your height, carved to resemble a horse.

     “Chess,” Moon said, setting the piece in front of you. You had a feeling he’d be grinning even if he could have altered his expression beyond his eternal grin.

     Turns out, chess was a lot more complex than checkers, although it’s still played on the same board. Moon explained all the rules in detail, and then preceded to obliterate you in the first match, even with your friends helping you out. As you’d feared, he was very good at this game. Now you and the other rats were all getting the hang of it though, and the next game was more evenly matched as you all learned quickly.

     You were still struggling because relaying the state of the board and possible options each turn was taking a lot of processing power. The other rats were having a hard time keeping up as well, though everyone seemed to want to help out regardless.

     All of a sudden, you found a large number of rats ceased responding in the middle of the game. Figuring they’d finally gotten tired, you resolved to just do your best to finish out the game.

     “What’s the matter? You seem worried i’ll win by a landslide once again…” Moon moved his remaining tower only one space, and you peered suspiciously around the board, trying to see what kind of trap he was setting.

     “Hush you, i’m trying to concentrate.” You paced around the board, eying all the pieces. You had to admit, you were in trouble. Moon had a few more pieces in play than you, and both his king and queen were still well protected.

     You didn’t realize Moon’s face plate had been spinning until it stopped abruptly.

     “What is that… noise…” Moon straightened up, lifting his face plate up high to peer around the darkened daycare.

     A moment later, you heard it too. You immediately knew what it was. It was the sound your tiny metal paws made when you scurried over the padded floor of the daycare, only multiplied by fifty.

     No sooner had you placed the noise did you see its source. Rounding the edge of the play structure behind you was a small wave of metal rats, scurrying in a group towards you and Moon.

     “What the-?” Moon got to his feet, eying the rats warily.

     You were happy to see your friends, and a few quick back and forth pings dispelled your confusion at seeing them here. “They say they are here to play the game!”

     “Ah, they want to play in person? I suppose that doesn’t make much difference to me.” Moon shrugged. “You won’t all fit on the table, though…” Moon gently lifted the board, keeping all the pieces on its surface steady. He moved it to the floor beside the table, and all the rats immediately gathered around and started chatting excitedly back and forth in your shared network.

     You hopped from the table to one of the chairs tucked in around it, then dropped to the ground. Once you joined your friends, you shifted your attention to the strategy unfolding in the network.

     With your friends able to see the board and all its pieces, strategy discussion was much smoother and quicker, not to mention easier on your processors. In just a few moves you’d managed to turn the game around, and now you had Moon on the ropes.

     There were no more quips and jabs as Moon focused, puzzling intently over the game. He made some very good moves, but in the end you and your friends won the game. You toppled Moon’s king with a paw, declaring checkmate.

     Moon huffed and grumbled as you and your friends cheered and danced around the board.

     “What a fun game! That was great!” you told Moon.

     “I suppose I did have fun. Even if I lost to a bunch of rats.” Moon sighed. “Well, since you’re all here, would you all like to play a different game or would you like to keep playing chess?”

     The rats all chatted excitedly. More games?? What other games could there be??

     At your request, Moon listed off a great number of games, none of which you’d played before. You weren’t sure what games would be best for a whole group of you to play.

     “We could all play tag?” Moon offered.

     The rats all sounded interested, still excited from the previous games. Moon explained the rules, and everyone agreed to give it a try. You looked around at your group of friends and noted there were several more than there had been at first. You checked the network and found a low priority location ping with a unique task type labeled ‘GAMES’. The range request was set to ask every rat in the plex to come help with this ‘task’.

     “I will be it first, just to show you all how it’s done. Now, i’m going to count for thirty seconds! Remember, no hiding in the walls or outside of the daycare. I’d also stay out of the ball pit if I were you, I don’t think any of you would be able to get yourselves out of there and it’d be a pain to have to fish you out.” Moon swept his gaze over the assorted rats, hands on his hips. “Ready?”

     You spoke for everyone, stating you were all ready. Moon sat down and folded his legs, then slapped his hands over his optics and started to loudly count.

     You and the other rats scattered, creating a sound almost like soft rain against the outermost wall as dozens of tiny paws scurried over the padded floor.

     There were so many places to hide, you weren’t sure where would be best. You’d be well hidden in a pile of plushies or amidst those big colorful foam blocks, or you could try and climb up into one of the play structures… but you had no doubt Moon would look in any and all of these places. You needed somewhere he wouldn’t think to look…

     You paused in your tracks, swiveling your head back to Moon. He’d just reached fifteen seconds. All your friends had made themselves scarce; you spotted ends of tails dashing around the edges of slides or under toys. You turned back around and ran right back to Moon.

     Moon was sitting hunched over in his typical looming fashion. The end of his nightcap just barely reached the floor.

     You reached Moon with five seconds to spare. Carefully, as gently as you could, you grabbed hold of the end of Moon’s cap and pulled yourself up until you were around halfway up the cap. You managed not to jostle the bell, and Moon seemed none the wiser. He finished counting, and stood up.

     “Ready or not, here I come!”

     The world rushed by in a blur, and you found yourself way high up off the ground, clinging to the backside of Moon’s cap. It occurred to you then that this might not have been the safest idea you’d ever had, but it was far too late to back out now.

     Moon chuckled quietly as he started to stalk around the daycare, tiptoeing around and sweeping his gaze back and forth. He really hadn’t noticed you…

      Absolutely delighted with your success, you watched on as Moon started to track down your friends. He plucked them from toy piles and cubbies and slowly amassed a collection of rat friends in the middle of the room.

     Moon paused after a few minutes to study the found rats. “For some reason there seem to be more rats here than what we started with…”

     One of the rats informed Moon how many rats were left to find. You did some quick math and realized nearly three fourths of the entire rat crew was here in the daycare playing games. With the plex closed for the day, there must not be that many tasks to do.

     Rat by rat, Moon combed his way through the daycare. Soon he only had a small handful of rats left to locate. He eyed the rats congregated in the center of the daycare, all of them watching him stalk around with amusement.

     “Hm. Still haven’t found tiny terror yet…” Moon swiveled his head back and forth.

     You swung with his cap, glad you didn’t have a voice box because if you did you were sure you’d be giggling.

     A minute later, Moon had found every rat in the daycare besides you.

     “Only one left!” one of the rats helpfully supplied.

     “Yes, i’m aware.” Moon tapped at his chin thoughtfully. “There’s not many places left to hide…”

     Moon stalked the length of the daycare once more. You held tight to his night cap, little paws locked firmly in place in the fabric.

     “Where in the world…” Moon muttered.

     “Only forty-three seconds left!” another rat flashed.

     Moon grumbled to himself. You responded to a few amused pings. The other rats could see you very well and were commending you on your hiding place.

     Moon scaled up a play structure and cast one last desperate look around, hoping his vantage point overlooking the whole daycare would grant him some insight as to your whereabouts. He was unsuccessful.

     Several rats started flashing their tail lights. “Time’s up!”

     Moon heaved a sigh and climbed back down. He put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Alright tiny terror, where could you have possibly been hiding?!”

     You swing your tail around and tap it against the back of Moon’s head. Moon jumped and spun around as his sensors picked up the touch. You flew with his cap, remaining out of sight behind his head.

     Carefully, you climbed down Moon’s cap just far enough to kick the bell at the end. Moon straightened at the noise, pausing for a moment. Then, slowly, he spun his face plate around until you were dangling in front of his chest. He tilted his face at an angle and rotated it the rest of the full 360 degrees, causing his hat to dangle in front of his face. You found yourself suddenly very close to Moon’s eyes, which were studying you intently.

     “…I’m mad because I can’t even say this is cheating,” Moon grumbled.

     You tapped your tail against his pointed nose, amused at his despair.

     “You’re very lucky you’re cute, tiny terror.”

     “This means I win, right??”

     Moon sighed. “I’ll let it slide just this once. Yes, you win.”

     Delighted at your success, you found yourself not minding at all when Moon plucked you disdainfully from his hat and deposited you on the ground with your friends.

     Moon crouched down in front of the crowd of rats. “Okay, Sun is demanding a turn. Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”

     The rats all chatted excitedly. Very few of them had ever even seen Sun before. Everyone knew Moon of course, but not his more cheerful other.

     You bid temporary farewell to Moon, and he took a step back before declaring ‘lights on’.

     Before you knew it, Sun was back, and he was beyond delighted to be greeted with an army of tiny friends to play games with. He won over the good graces of your friends nearly instantly with his endless optimism and promise of more games.

     The day went on, and Sun and Moon taught you and your rat friends all kinds of fun games. A few of your friends came and went, some sticking around for some games and leaving for others. You stayed the whole day, only leaving briefly to charge before hurrying right back. You knew you’d eventually have to return to your tasks, but for now you were free to play games with all your friends and have fun.

     You found yourself marveling at how wonderful your life had become. Not that it was even bad before, you do still enjoy your tasks! You just never knew how absolutely wonderful it was to be surrounded by all of your friends, everyone safe and happy and having fun together. Despite the stress of last night, everything really had turned out alright, and it seemed to you that this outcome was more than worth it.

     You pulled yourself from your happy musings. Another game was about to begin, and you weren’t about to miss it for the world.

[anitabyars]

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series Kiera Cass is back with her most epic novel yet—a sweeping enemies-to-lovers standalone romance.

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.”

Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.

Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.

But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

Kiera Cass brings her signature sparkling romance to this beautiful story of star-crossed lovers and long-held secrets.

My Review

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass is a beautiful, sparkling, star-crossed lovers, enemies-to-lovers, epic romance that I couldn’t put down! Swept away into this spellbinding world, full of action-packed adventure, deep revelations, and sparkling, swoon-worthy romance that had me sighing, crying, gasping, giddy, and giggling like a young girl. The descriptives and world building had me captivated as everything else melted away and all that mattered was this beautifully written story and what came next.

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time.”

This is Annika and Lennox story and what a wonderful journey it was! Their chemistry was incredible, their banter off-the-charts and swoon-worthy. A love that was written in the stars. And a story that exceeded all my expectations.

It was everything Annika read about and wanted in her life.

“I wanted to swoon, to pine. I wanted passion and tenderness and…a love that might not make sense on paper but was undeniable in person.”

This story stayed with me long after I finished reading it. My new favorite romance of the year!! Loved It!

Received an early copy and this is my honest review.

[roqueamadi]

Wrecked

Sharper fanvid (the lyrics are important - play with sound!)

Description and short companion follow-on on AO3

Wrecked: Imagine Dragons

Vid storyline commentary under the cut :)

Richard said goodbye to Pat at the battle of Waterloo. Since then, his partner Lucille has passed away and he has not been doing so well. Days pass by and my eyes stay dry, and I think that I'm okay 'Til I find myself in conversation, fading away Wellington summoned Richard to ask him to take on an assignment to India. Richard refuses until he learns that the assignment involves tracking down Pat, who is missing and believed dead. He agrees to take on the job, but finds many old memories are dredged up of his past close friendship with Pat. The way you smile, the way you walk The time you took to teach me all that you had taught Tell me, how am I supposed to move on? Richard had been in love with Pat for years but he had never managed to summon the courage to tell him how he really felt. He thought that Pat would have no interest in him, and besides, he is married to Ramona—and yet, Richard hasn't been able to move on. These days I'm becoming everything that I hate Wishing you were around but now it's too late My mind is a place that I can't escape your ghost Sometimes I wish that I could wish it all away One more rainy day without you Sometimes I wish that I could see you one more day One more rainy day Richard travels to India but finds he doesn't feel very comfortable acting as a high-ranking British agent in a country where Britain doesn't belong. He just wants to find Pat, and he is plagued by memories of their past adventures.

Oh, I'm a wreck without you here Yeah, I'm a wreck since you've been gone Richard finds he can't fight as well without Pat by his side. He is almost killed in an ambush when, finally, Pat shows up, alive and well. I've tried to put this all behind me I think I was wrecked all along Yeah, I'm a wreck They say that the time will heal it, the pain will go away But everything, it reminds me of you and it comes in waves Way you laugh when your shoulders shook The time you took to teach me all that you had taught Tell me, how am I supposed to move on? Richard finds that between his grief and loneliness and repressed feelings, he can barely manage to hold himself together around Pat. He knows he is acting erratically and is highly volatile, but he can't bring himself to tell Pat how he feels. He continues to reminisce about their past. These days I'm becoming everything that I hate Wishing you were around but now it's too late My mind is a place that I can't escape your ghost Sometimes I wish that I could wish it all away One more rainy day without you Sometimes I wish that I could see you one more day One more rainy day They continue the mission by going undercover into the enemy fort as deserters. The General plays a trick on Richard, making him shoot Pat to prove his loyalty. Richard, panicking, is assaulted with a flood of memories as he lines up the sight. Oh, I'm a wreck without you here Yeah, I'm a wreck since you've been gone I've tried to put this all behind me I think I was wrecked all along The trick nearly causes Richard to break down completely, but he realises at the last second that the powder is bad, so he pulls the trigger knowing it won't fire. When Pat questions him later, Richard acts nonchalant, because he knows if he tells Pat how scared he truly was, everything else would come out with it. Pat is acting a bit strangely around Richard, including helping him to bed in a way that involves far more touching than strictly necessary. Despite this, Richard feels that although Pat is physically here, he's not really, because they are so at odds, and Richard's erratic behaviour is getting worse. These days when I'm on the brink of the edge Remember the words that you said Remember the life you led You'd say, "Oh, suck it all up, don't get stuck in the mud Thinkin' of things that you should have done" I'll see you again, my loved one I'll see you again, my loved one Yeah, I'm a wreck I'll see you again, my loved one Yeah, I'm a wreck without you here (loved one) Yeah, I'm a wreck since you've been gone (I'm a wreck since you've been gone) I've tried to put this all behind me I think I was wrecked all along (I'm a wreck) Yeah, I'm a wreck Richard gets into a fight and Pat stands on the sidelines, telling him not to take it too far. When Richard is injured in the fight, Pat patches him up afterwards, and Richard is reminded of the many, many times Pat has patched him up and taken care of him in the past. They are captured and beaten, then manage to escape, and everything reminds Richard strongly of how much he has always relied on Pat. Sometimes I wish that I could wish it all away but I can't One more rainy day without you (one more rainy day) Sometimes I wish that I could see you one more day but I can't One more rainy day Pat is injured in the battle, and the panic that he might lose him finally gives Richard the courage he needs to tell Pat how he feels.

[wallylinda]

you got any good reading lists for getting into flash stuff?

I took some time and made my own. Below is a comprehensive guide of everything you need to know about getting into Flash comics: from brief descriptions of arcs and standalone books to different author’s writing styles and whether or not they’re for you, this is an exhaustive look into what’s good, what’s bad, and what you might want to try out.

The only stipulation I put on this list is that I did not include anything post Flashpoint. If you want a separate guide for the 2011 and beyond Flash comics, send me an ask and I’ll make something similar to this. But regardless, I hope that you find this list useful.

SECTION ONE - FIRST AND FOREMOST: WHAT SHOULD I ACTUALLY READ?

1. The Life Story of the Flash

A must-read for everyone, “The Life Story of the Flash” is a memoir written in the perspective of Iris West wherein she chronicles the life-and-times of her husband, starting from his very early childhood all the way down to his tragic death. Instilled with author Mark Waid’s uncanny talent for expressing emotion, this comic is a romantic look back on one of DC’s most iconic superheroes and some of his most famous arcs; except this time, we’re on the outside looking in.

The book is interspersed with nostalgic prose and bright, dewy-eyed art. But it’s main selling point is in just how much personality both Iris and Barry have as you read through their life together. Especially towards the end of the comic, you get this melancholy sense that their story was cut off too abruptly, too soon. But as Iris herself wistfully remarks: the story didn’t end with Barry Allen.

2. The Flash 80-Page Giant

“The Flash 80-Page Giant” is an anthology of short stories from all different eras and characters, ranging from the golden hours of Barry Allen’s heyday as the Flash to the far-off and distant future where his descendant has carried on with the family business. It’s cobbled together with a variety of different writers and artists so the quality is a mixed bag of good, to bad, to straight-up outdated, but there is the guarantee that where it’s good, it’s great.

Of all of the stories written in this comic, “The Answer” and “Thunder and Lightning” are my personal favorites, however all of them have a charming spin that’s worth checking out. But what’s best about reading this is that you get a sense for each and every character. Maybe Jesse Quick’s story didn’t interest you all that much, but you really loved Max Mercury and now you want to learn more about him. Overall, it’s a quick and easy way to get introduced to the world and to find who you do and don’t like.

3. The Flash (1987)

This is where the bulk of the Flash mythos resides. “The Flash (1987)” is where you’ll find the most memorable arcs of the franchise, rife as it is with a well-beloved cast and the ever-expanding world of the Gem Cities. The main focus is on Wally West, the third Flash, and his painful stumble from a grief-ridden, newly-solo hero to a man fully deserving of the legacy sitting on his shoulders. It’s everything that you’d expect from a comic book: packed to the brim with action, romance, and epic friendship.

Due to both its length and varying degrees of quality based on writers, I’ll be going over the exact contents of this book in later sections of this guide. For now, just know that this is the definitive book to read should you want to sink your teeth into all things Flash.

4. Impulse (1995)

At first glance, “Impulse (1995)” is an adolescent comedy, but this book is just as littered with its bitter-sweet moments as it is its goofs and gaffs. The main character is Bart Allen–Barry’s grandson from the future–who struggles to adapt to life in the past after a childhood spent in a consequence-free VR.

It’s a coming-of-age story filled with the ups and downs of family and the archetypal 90s teenage experience. It also contains what’s left of the Flash lore not already covered in any of the aforementioned titles; with side-characters such as Meloni Thawne, Thaddeus Thawne, and Helen Clairborne being featured here and pretty much nowhere else.

5. The Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold

Flashes and Green Lanterns have a long history of working together and the most notable pairing of them all is Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. In this six-issue comic, we’re introduced to this duo’s friendship over their publishing history: from going on vacation with one another, to exploring alien worlds, to dealing with the aftermath of everyday, devastating grief.

This book has guest appearances from Iris, Jay, and Wally, but the “Flashfam” itself is rather sparse in comparison to the rest of this list. Still, it’s a good look at how to define Barry’s relationship with Hal and offers a different perspective on some of the major events and people in his life. Either way, it’s a good comic to check out.

6. Flash/Green Lantern: Faster Friends + Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends

While Barry and Hal are a well-oiled machine, Wally West and Kyle Rayner are a completely different story. With this comic set in the beginning of their friendship, this Flash and Green Lantern duo have to suck up their grievances and work together for the sake of the world; all the while wishing fervently that it was just about anyone else they could’ve been teaming up with.

Wally and Kyle eventually grow to be the best of friends, but these two issues introduce us to the very, very beginning of their relationship and the numerous pitfalls that surround it. Jay and Joan Garrick also take on a prominent role, with the comic as a whole having a recurring theme of generational inheritance and familial love. Afterall, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

SECTION TWO - THE FLASH (1987); DIFFERENT WRITERS, DIFFERENT STYLES

Below, I’ve taken the liberty of going through the five main writers of “The Flash (1987)” and summarizing them. Hopefully these descriptions will help you get a sense of if their runs are something you might be interested in and also what to avoid as someone just dipping their toe into this franchise. Though, please be warned that this section is clouded with personal bias and should be taken with a grain of salt.

1. Mike Baron (#1-14)

The one thing I don’t recommend you doing is reading this book chronologically. There is a world of a difference between later authors and the infamous Mike Baron and not in a good way. Because although Baron had succeeded in whittling down the bare bones of Wally’s character–and more importantly, his grief over his Aunt and Uncle and the complicated dynamic he has with his parents–reading these beginning chapters is kind of like being strapped down to a human-sized whack-a-mole.

That is to say: it’s absurd, it’s mind-boggling, it’s painful. Baron seems to have an almost perverse interest with the “material” (think: luxury goods, mansions, and well-to-do tuxedos), and, genuinely, I cannot tell you if this running motif is meant to be a deep commentary about the suppression of self or not. Save this run for last, if you read Baron’s work at all. Unless you’re a die-hard Wally fan, his brattish portrayal in this and the wonky writing will likely tune you off.

2. William Messner-Lobes (#15-61)

I would hesitate to tell you that Messner-Lobes’ writing is good, but it is a sight for sore eyes after the previous chapters. There’s a noticeable jump of improvement coming from issue #14 to #15, and the story itself spontaneously develops coherency, recurring characters, and an actual plot line that it didn’t have before. Still, the writing manages to retain its out-of-the-blue wackiness and anecdotal musing, with most issues seeped with the vague sense that Messner-Lobes’ wasn’t quite sure which way the plot was turning either.

While not quite as obsessed with money as his predecessor, Messner-Lobes’ frequently ties his conflicts together with socioeconomic status; Wally struggles to keep a roof under his head as a newly-minted adult, Hartley Rathaway lectures about poverty while simultaneously sneering at every sociolate he crosses paths with, and Linda Park inwardly monologues that the only reason she has such a high position at her job is because her appearance is just “exotic” enough to be appealing, but not enough to be threatening. With this in mind, the overarching theme of this run is growth. It’s Messner-Lobes’ work on the Flash that rewrote Wally from a naive, often unsympathetic braggadocio, into a man taking his first tentative steps into maturity.

Overall, this era of Flash comics is highly nostalgic. While no true “breakthroughs” or defining moments can be identified in terms of plot, I consider this section to be the backbone of Wally’s character and essential to understanding his development. But despite my praise, this era is clunky and difficult to read and a lot of sections can feel dated. So while I would recommend Messner-Lobes’ writing for anyone willing to try, it’s definitely more of an acquired taste than it is instant gratification.

3. Mark Waid (#0, 62-129, 142-159, 162, 231-236)

When people point to the pinnacle of what Flash comics can achieve, it’s typically Mark Waid’s work that they’re pointing to. From the very first issue, you can tell that Waid is a master of his craft: his descriptions are evocative, the characters flawlessly lifelike, the conflict genuine and tense. There’s a reason why the arcs that he’s written are considered classics, and if there’s any writer in this section that’s a must-read, it’s Waid.

To me, what stuck out the most about his work is how he navigates relationships. Wally isn’t a solo act in this: Linda is an ever-present link, his family a distant if constant reminder, the world’s Speedsters persistently popping in and out for one reason or another. And yet despite the massive web of characters, there’s never the underlying sense that any relationship is forced. Be it romantic, platonic, or familial: you will not be disappointed. With Waid’s work on the Flash franchise comes the majority of canon “Flashfam” and–true to form–they’re written in such a way where you can genuinely believe that they’re a family.

Before we move on, I’d also briefly like to add that if you jump straight into reading this run, you might get lost with references to previous events. For example, Linda Park makes an abrupt appearance early on and as someone just starting out, the lack of context surrounding her significance might be confusing. Still, it’s not anything a quick wikipedia article or google search shouldn’t fix, and there should be no real need to go back to previous issues for info.

4. Mark Millar + Grant Morrison (#130-141)

Compared to other sections, Millar and Morrison are defined by a sense of otherworldliness. Although Waid had briefly touched on the more spiritual aspects of a speedsters’ abilities, this brief but well-loved era is known for its cinematic, visionary concepts: outrunning wormholes, unkillable personifications of death, and suits made solely out of pure energy being among the many things you can expect from this run.

The writing itself is imaginative and almost childlike in its reverie, but can come off as detached, especially since the Flash is most-known for city-level crime rather than battling universal constants. That being said, I have no true complaints about this run and would recommend it to anyone even remotely interested.

5. Geoff Johns (#164-225)

Quite frankly, Geoff Johns’ work on the Flash degraded the quality of the writing to an almost laughable degree. While there are some parts of his run that can be held to a high standard, the majority of his writing misunderstands the characters and their relationships to one another. Perhaps the most egregious example of this is his handling of the Rogues: under Johns’ leadership, the previously lawless if largely inoffensive criminals became callous, unsympathetic outlaws with few, if any, of their previous behaviors left intact. Similarly, Wally is made into a more isolationary force, with most of his motivation focused on his conflict with Keystone’s villains rather than the largely character-driven writing that he had before.

Johns’ focus is on crime. You’re not going to find any nuanced discussions of personhood within his run and overall, it can be an aggravating read simply because of just how far removed it is from the direction Waid wrote it in. Character relationships can also feel strained because of this. However, there are still “Flashfam” moments interspersed within and a collection of other scenes that can endear it to readers. My advice to you is to try reading the first ten or so issues and see how you do; if you like it, good for you, but if you don’t, you shouldn’t expect the story to get any better.

SECTION THREE - THE FLASH (1987); OKAY, BUT WHICH ARCS EXACTLY?

So I’ve covered all of the writers; but what actual arcs are the “good” ones? This is based solely on personal preference, but here are my four favorite arcs–sorted chronologically–and a brief synopsis of each, although these aren’t the only arcs that I consider to be good. If you don’t want to read through all of Flash (1987), then this is your ideal list.

1. Born to Run (#62-65)

“Born to Run” is a four-part flashback to the very early days of Wally’s superhero career. As Kid Flash, Wally recounts his time at Barry’s side, the tumultuous relationship he has with his immediate family, and the maddening complications that using his powers had on his body. This is Waid’s first arc of the series and truly, one of the most iconic.

2. The Return of Barry Allen (#74-79)

My all time favorite, “The Return of Barry Allen” is a tense, action-packed story that is exactly as the title suggests: the return of Barry Allen. This arc fully cements Wally’s growth into the Flash, dealing with his lingering grief of his Uncle’s death, his feelings of inadequacy from taking up the cowl, and the conquering of both. Is it any wonder that it’s a classic.

3. Emergency Stop (#130-132)

There’s a new villain on the block and the mystery of Wally’s own untimely death to solve. From sentient suits to prison breaks to broken legs, this arc may be lesser-known than the others on this list, but it still holds its weight. Especially with the myriad of the Flashfam interactions within.

4. The Human Race (#136-138)

To save the world, Wally must win a galaxy-spanning race. The odds are against him, Earth is a second away from combusting, and most baffling of all, Wally’s long-forgotten imaginary friend is the being he’s competing against. This is a compelling story of hope, awe, and the human condition, and absolutely worth your suspension of disbelief.

And…that’s it! As a reminder this is a reading guide for someone just starting to get into Flash comics, and isn’t meant to serve as the end all be all to this branch of DC comics. There are plenty of Flash comics I didn’t mention for one reason or another, but this is a great jumping off point by itself. Regardless, I hope that this helped and that you enjoy reading. Feel free to send an ask if you have more questions or even if you just have a comment about something or another.

[ajaxwrites]

GENSHIN IMPACT FANFIC REC LIST II

(previous: part i)

Seaglass by Aevas

There was more to the contract than a gnosis and test of Liyue. It seemed like a simple deal five hundred years ago: so long as Morax never had a soulmate, the Tsaritsa would never harm Liyue and she would not get his gnosis. But the moment he gained a soulmate, all that belonged to him was forfeit. He thought the deal left Liyue safe—he'd lived thousands of years without a soulmate. The Tsaritsa would be dead and gone by the time she'd have a chance to collect.

Five hundred years later, Childe appears in Liyue, Zhongli gains a soulmate mark, and everything falls apart.

(The obligatory soulmate AU, featuring a Zhongli with PTSD, an oblivious Childe, and demon-worshipping cultists.)

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: I CANNOT BELIEVE I SLEPT ON THIS FIC FOR SO LONG. Read it and I mean it! I admitted initially steered clear of this fic because I wasn’t comforted with a soulmate tartali fic pre-Osial but this fic is actually post-Ostial *facepalm* The writing is phenomenal and Aevas does some beautiful worldbuilding that you typically don’t see in Genshin Impact fics. I love the dynamic between Childe and Zhongli here and the angst is real. The author writes the two as very human characters who makes mistakes, etc. and notably Zhongli struggles with the concept of Childe as his soulmate (who understandably is upset by the rejection when he realizes). They get better though. Also very plotty. A+ writing.

it's a hard rock life for us by reptilianraven

“Ah, no need to worry about that,” Azhdaha waves a dismissive hand. “There is no real Kun Jun. He’s dead.”

A leaf blows past and plaps onto Aether’s face.

“You killed him???” Paimon screeches.

“No,” Azhdaha scrunches his eyebrows. “He was dead when I found him.”

“And you just decided to wear his corpse?” Aether says, leaf still on his face.

He shrugs. “It was free real estate.”

“Azhdaha...” Morax says, sounding vaguely pained.

-

Or the one where Historia Antiqua Chapter II: No Mere Stone goes a little bit different and Azhdaha gets more time.

He ultimately uses that time to bully Morax into confronting his immortal neuroses, to make Aether and Paimon suffer, and to figure out how to get that ginger boy Morax has his eye on to make a move already.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe, Past Azhdaha/Zhongli

Notes: Very lighthearted, humor-filled fic. Love how Azhdaha is so flippant. Interactions with Zhongli and Childe are pure gold.

if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes by moonlight_mist

Childe has a Weapon problem- specifically, that he can't keep one.

He's too reckless, too wild, and too keen on pushing his Weapon partners past their limits. He's just about ready to give up when he meets Zhongli, a Weapon who just might be the solution- so long as Childe can manage to keep his dick in his pants.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: This is a Soul Eater AU with some college/university AU vibes (?) but you don’t really need to know much about the anime. It’s a cute AU and I love the premise. Light angst but otherwise, it’s a pretty semi-plotty fic. Easter egg Kaeya and Diluc though.

To Kill A God by IlluminanceinTales

In Snezhnaya, they call them sansis—lost souls that have no guidance but themselves. It’s an apt description, given that most of the time, wannabe-Archons have to go through dozens of tests with nothing as their reference, relying solely on their wit and strength and hoping it would be enough. At least, until they survive the end of the whole game—and they might not have to undergo a painful reincarnation which feels like a hundred bones being stitched together again.

On his seventh game, Childe Tartaglia reincarnates this time in the body of a young man.

Damn, he thinks, looking down at his thin body, his slightly calloused fingers. This won’t be good when facing the other Hydro Decisions.

In a world where an Archon's position is not chosen but fought for in games, Childe Tartaglia is a Hydro Decision who's poised to become the next Hydro Archon. Of course, that's only if he survives his seventh reincarnation. All would be so much easier if it weren't for a certain Geo Archon interfering with every possible chance he gets.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Think Hunger Games meet Political Intrigue meet Genshin Impact. Love the premise and world building that’s done. Features overprotective Zhongli and lots of Childe whump. Has one or two supplementary OCs that aren’t really important outside of plot device reasons. Warning for character death tho lmao.

Three's a Family by IlluminanceinTales

Childe finds a kid that looks just like him.

Of course Zhongli wants to keep him.

Or: How a harbinger and an archon accidentally become fathers. The kid is their wingman

Ships: Childe/Zhongli (?)

Notes: Your everyday cute AF kid fic. Fluffy as hell and super cute. Zhongli and Childe get domestic pretty quickly. Xiao gets dubbed a grandfather and begrudgingly plays along. Super wholesome.

in pitch dark i go walking in your landscape by snowbrigade

He glanced down at him, at the silvery scars peeking out from beneath his robe, and at his eyes, properly now. They were the bright blue of high quality noctilucous jade, but he could see it, an underlying darkness.

Zhongli wondered what his eyes betrayed about himself. --

Rex Lapis is dead. Zhongli, formerly known as triad leader Rex Lapis, is a detective investigating his own "death." Childe, also known as Tartaglia of the Fatui mafia, is undercover as an escort looking to kill Rex Lapis- until someone beats him to it, and he wants to know who. Goals intersecting, they form a partnership of ulterior motives.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: There’s like one scene that skews NSFW but otherwise surprisingly not explicit. Really fun AU. Like how the author addresses Childe’s reaction to being stuck with the undercover escort stuff and how the dynamic between the two develops. Pretty plotty so far.

Phantom Lines by iskendaris

“It’s a measure of one’s self, Mr Zhongli.” Childe says. “Maybe you don’t understand it since you work as a consultant, but as an ambassador from the Tsaritsa, as one who fights in her name— this is how I learn to know the measure of myself.” “I understand,” Zhongli says thoughtfully. “It is a warrior’s way, to test one’s strength against the incomparable. To find where one falls short. To find where one has risen to the challenge.”

In which Childe has insomnia, vandalizes public property and runs into a mysterious funeral consultant on his first night in Liyue.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: THE FEELS. I can only describe this as the fic where Zhongli pays Best Boyfriend Ever only to FUCK UP big time (via Gnosis deception). Poor, poor Childe. Look, he gave the boy feelings and then broke him. You can really feel Childe fall in love in this love. He also does mental swooning a lot lmao. 

adventitious by Anonymous

It's said the Ley Lines remember all things that happen in this world, from the surface down to the deepest depths... But in the hidden corners where the Gods' gaze does not fall, there are those who dream of dreaming.

There's a dormant bud where Kaeya's eye once was. One day, it will bloom. (Never forget: memory is untrustworthy.)

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: I don’t even know where to start. This is very headcanony and lore-focused. Very much concentrated on Khaenri'ah. The implications of this story is grotesque to say the least (according to this fic, Visions are the literal eyes of the people of Khaenri'ah). Warnings for eye and body horror.

Without Those Dark Memories by StrangeDiamond

Diluc awakens in Stormterror’s Lair with no memories of the past five years. Kaeya is on the trail of a rogue alchemist, with a habit of testing his chemicals on unwilling human subjects. Now, in addition to capturing the criminal, Kaeya has to shake him down for an antidote . . . and deal with an amnesiac Diluc who acts exactly like he did before their brotherhood fell apart. (Standalone Fic.)

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: This is sort of a classic amnesia fic. I particularly really liked the way that Kaeya was written in this. I feel like the author did a really good job nailing his character and they have a way of capturing the subtle things.

Through the warmth, through the cold by strikedawn

“It’s you!” Paimon shouted with a twirl in mid-air.

“…Excuse me?"

They were drunk. Were they drunk? Was he drunk? Because Kaeya had the feeling his guests had been talking to him for a while now, but none of their words had made any sense whatsoever.

That was, until Venti stepped firmly in front of Kaeya’s desk and set his hands on the top, the better to lean over towards Kaeya and say: “For the end of the Windblume festival, Sir Kaeya Alberich, we’re going to auction a date with you.”

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: Shortword, Kaeya gets auctioned off. Diluc makes impulsive (but good) decisions and scores himself a Date but displays an inability to do Date Planning. Venti deserves a pat on the back. Very sweet.

Hide and Seek by Kiri_Kaitou_Clover

Childe did not expect regaining his memories would bring him such frustration.

He makes the best of the situation by messing with one amber eyed consultant in anyway he can.

A reincarnated storm god wades through life in Liyue, all while screaming about one dragon god's incompetency at being human.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Features Childe as Osial’s very exasperated reincarnation, who gets the joy of discovering that his rival/enemy Morax is not only an idiot but also broke AF. He still falls in love anyway. Contains this golden line: 

"Did... did that complete blockhead really use my money in order to get me a gift that basically says that he is proposing to me?!"

(Osial was screaming. When had the other god become like this?! Had he always been like this?!)

Getting that Bread by tzitzimeme

Concubine AU where Zhongli is Emperor, Xiao is an assassin sent to kill him while disguised as a woman in his imperial harem, and the only reason he doesn't actually do it is because he pities Zhongli for being so catastrophically stupid (also Xiao falls in love).

Ships: Zhongli/Xiao

Notes: Like Xiao says, Zhongli is an idiot. Fluff and humor filled. Xiao spends a good 95% of this exasperated by Zhongli’s bullshit. 

prayers for a boy by Recluse

The only way to reconciliation is fierce combat!

Hm... Come to think of it, there will be a lot of interesting news to be heard the next time we gather for drinks. Filling in the blanks.

Ships: N/A

Notes: I...don’t really know where to begin with this? It’s exactly what the summary implies...but more? I was tempted to describe this as the fic where Zhongli puts his foot in his mouth but...that’s not exactly write? I feel like this was more of a character study. It explores the aftermath of the Osial Incident and how Zhongli and Childe reconnect. Platonically...though I guess it can be read romantically. 

one kind of longing, two places of sorrow by lady_peony

Zhongli's hands rest behind his back, both gloved hands clasping one another. His fingers tighten around one another for the merest moment, before he relaxes his grip.

"There is a tradition in Liyue," Zhongli says, his back still to Childe standing behind him, "of inviting out a companion to a last meal before a farewell."

A pause.

"A tradition?" Childe echoes.

"Yes."

"With a companion?"

"Yes."

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: The fic where neither of the two communicate about jackshit but go on a quiet, sad not-date before Childe leaves for Snezhnaya. Childe pulls (? on accident or on purpose, I can not tell) the equivalent of leaving the jacket in the car post-date to get date to call for the second date. Also, the author has a gift for like...writing angst...without writing angst? Like the whole fic is like brimming with everything that the characters aren’t saying but the thoughts aren’t necessarily written out BUT YOU KNOW THOSE DUMBFUCKS ARE JUST LIKE. BRIMMING WITH FEELS? 

The People of Liyue by queer_occurrences

But Zhongli whispers, his low voice rooted in the back of Childe’s mind. “Changsun, the merchant, who is never too Mora-enthralled to turn away a needy child. There’s Tiantian—she will allow anyone to join the Adventurer’s Guild—she knows what it is to be desperate.”

Childe ducks away from them and hurries out over the bridge. It’s a warm, sunny day, the kind he would have complained about, whining about his delicate Snezhnayan skin. “It’ll burn, or worse, freckle. Would you still like me if I was freckled?”

Then Zhongli would say, “The people of Liyue will remember your sacrifice.” And he would wrinkle his nose.

Or: after it all goes down, Childe takes a walk.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: The author has a way with perfectly balancing angst with humor in a way that makes you cackle. There’s a lot of feels in this one. Zhongli tries communicating--Childe runs away a lot. There’s a lot of love for Liyue in this one.

cold blooded, warm blooded, hearts all the same by reptilianraven

Teyvat Petting Zoo @tyvtpettingzoo

Well would you look at that! Zhongli, our resident spinytail iguana, has gotten quite cozy with Childe, our new (and very feisty) ginger ferret! Aren’t they adorable all cuddled together like this? 😍😍😍

[Attached image shows a brown spinytail iguana curled up against a ginger ferret. The iguana’s head is nuzzled under the snout of the ferret.]

-

At the Teyvat Petting Zoo, Zhongli and Childe fall in love.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: ...I promise I’m not weird. This is just super cute. Cross-species love affair? Childe the ferret is very besotted. The internet is confused and the zoo keepers are just done.

a geo archon's guide to the modern era by Erina

“Morax,” Xiao says after Zhongli finishes his retelling of the incident. “He thinks you’re a weirdo.”

“No, don’t say that,” Barbatos snickers. “You’ll give him hope that this is salvageable.” He lowers his voice. “Morax, he thinks you’re a boomer.”

(In which Zhongli hibernates for centuries and wakes up in the modern world)

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: This took me, I shit you not, FIVE SEPARATE ATTEMPTS to read. Not because it was bad but BECAUSE THE SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT WAS REAL. Like, omg, just reading about Zhongli’s introduction to modernity made me want to dig a hole and die. Super funny though. Do not read in public or you will look like a lunatic. Has a...parallel (?) fic in the same series called  buy two get one archon free where Zhongli gets reversed isekai’d into an anime convention.

time flies like an arrow by Erina

He’s tired, tired of the unbreakable loop of watching his loved ones pass on, tired of getting attached only for the connection to be violently ripped away from him. He wonders if the real victors during the Archon War were those who perished, who died long before their godhood turned into a curse that chained them to the land that they were fighting for.

But that is not a problem for Childe to worry about. That is Zhongli’s burden to bear, delivered to him in a pretty package years ago in the form of a gnosis.

His very first contract.

(Zhongli and Childe, across many lifetimes)

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: This is a quiet fic. It’s this kind of slice-of-life fic colored by this overpowering sense of love and loss as Zhongli remains immortal and Childe dies and lives and dies and lives for hundreds of lifetimes, but always finds his way back to his geo archon. It’s so lovely but also unbearably sad.

Tartaglia’s Favorite Professor by GreyLiliy

The famed hitman Tartaglia of the Fatui Syndicate spends his days as the charming college student Childe. The two lives remain as separate as possible in order to maintain a flawless cover to keep the authorities off his back and to better serve the Tsaritsa.

However, new intel about a rival syndicate intersects his two lives in a way he could never have predicted.

Ships: Zhongli/Childe

Notes: Mafia AU meet College AU. Childe is somehow both a horny AF college student and murderous hitman. Zhongli gives off major DILF vibes. GreyLily somehow makes this work while also avoiding cringe. Highly recommended!

like a handprint on my heart by fallingintodivinity

“Strictly off-the-record,” Jean says, with a small smile, “I’m really happy to see you and Captain Kaeya getting along again, Master Diluc.”

“We’re not – we’re not getting along,” Diluc tells her, indignant. “We’re working together. Unwillingly, I might add.”

“Yes – oh, yes, of course.”

Diluc stares at Jean suspiciously. “Are you laughing at me?”

Jean clears her throat primly. “I would never.”

Ships: Diluc/Kaeya

Notes: Super, super cute! Sort of reads like a first date fic except genshin impact style? Writing style is very refreshing!

[atlafan]

The Real Him - One Shot

a/n: I’m not sure where this came from...a lot of this is sort of how I feel about writing, and reading, and how my brain works???? Hope you enjoy cause it’s fun! Book Writer!Harry x Y/N (not proofread) 

Words: 9.6K

Warnings: Fluff, wee bit of angst, and smut

Books weren’t things Y/N found interesting. She hated reading the assigned books in high school for whatever English classes she had to take. She often would just read what she needed on Sparknotes, and that was enough. Then, in college, even if she wanted to read for leisure, she didn’t have the time. She had to read articles and academic journals constantly. By the time she was done for the day, the last thing she wanted to do was read.

Now, as a young adult living in the city, she noticed her anxiety was always worse at night. She lived alone in a little studio apartment, it had a wonderful view. She would watch TV or scroll on her phone until she fell asleep, but the screens were too much for her eyes. She knew it wasn’t good for her. Much to her friends’ shock, she texted them asking them for book recommendations. Y/N didn’t want to think too hard, she didn’t like scary stories, but she also liked a little bit of world building and romance. Fuck, if there was anything she loved, it was a good romance. Her friends told her about this young author they discovered whose stories were enthralling.

She took their word for it, and ordered one of his books off his website. He was self-published, which she found to be interesting. How good could he be if a major publication didn’t want him? She trusted her friends’ opinions though, so she went with it. He had this series called, The Unicorn in the Farmer’s Pool, that they raved about. She told herself she’d start with the first one and see how it goes. Sometimes Y/N had a hard time concentrating to even read a book, so she didn’t want to buy too many.

The title of the book itself was odd, but when she read the description she understood. Apparently, it was about this young woman, new to town, who was going for a walk with her younger sister, and one day they come across this beautiful old home and large farm. There was a pool in the back with one of those big unicorn floats, which they both found odd. They see the farmer outside, and the woman inquires about it. He explains that it’s his daughter’s. He and his wife were divorced, and she moved out to the city. Unfortunately, she passed away, so his little girl came home to live with him.

It was a certified slow burn, so when it came in the mail, Y/N couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. There was only one picture of the author, Harry Styles, on his website. The book, however, had a lovely picture of him on it. He even named his publication company after himself, trademarking HES Books. He was handsome, there was no denying that.

“Alright, let’s see how well this guy knows how to write thing from the perspective of a woman.” She says as she settles into her bed with the book.

For the first time in a long time, Y/N found a book that she just couldn’t put down. Sure, she passed out with it on her chest, but she’d get right back to it the next night. She was ripping through it. Her heart would race anytime the farmer and the woman had a scene together. She cried when he spoke about his divorce, and how he never slept knowing his daughter was so far away. He’d never wish his ex-wife ill, but he felt like it was fate to have his daughter home. He’d give her anything she wanted, even a giant unicorn float for the pool. Something she couldn’t have in the city. His daughter would paint his nails glittery colors, and he didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought of it. Y/N could feel her heart pounding as the woman slowly fell for him. They became fast friends but it was clear they wanted more, but they were both so scared.

“Oh, you son of a bitch.” She says to herself when she gets to the end of the book, it was a cliffhanger. They hadn’t even gotten together yet. They were caught in a rain storm, about to kiss, but they were interrupted. “Goddammit.” She groans and grabs her laptop to buy the rest of the series. “Welp, Mr. Styles, you now own my ass, I hope you’re happy.” She sticks her tongue out at his picture on his website.

By the time she finished the third book, she was inconsolable. It thrilling, but she knew it couldn’t be the end for the two who were now so in love with each other. She also couldn’t believe how well written their love scenes were, a little shocked there was a small dash of smut. She looked on his website and saw he was set to release the fourth and final book of the series soon, and there would be a big release for it. He would do a reading and signing. Y/N texted her friends and they all agreed they needed to go. They still couldn’t believe how much Y/N liked the series. It consumed her soul, she couldn’t get enough. She even bought his other standalone novels to read until the release.

Eliza: hey! HES just released the first book on audio, and he narrates it! Should hold us over until the release ;)  

Y/N: holy fucking shit! Literally about to go download it, thanks!!!

Now this was a way to fall asleep, she thought. She plugged her earbuds into her phone, turned her light off, and hit play. She gasps the second she hears his voice.

“He’s British?!” She says to herself. “Dear god.”

His voice was deep and sultry, and sounded incredibly crisp through the audio. Each night for the rest of that week, she fell asleep to the sound of Harry’s voice; it was euphoric. She felt sort of weird for becoming as big of a fan of him that she was. It was like she was in high school again having a crush on some unattainable celebrity. She couldn’t even talk about him to anyone at work. It was like this big secret between her and her friends. Instead of listening to music in her office, she started listening to interviews or podcasts he was involved in. Anything to just get a better understanding for who he was or how his mind worked. She found that he was incredibly private, only tweeting or posting on Instagram from promotional purposes. A PR person most likely running the sites for him.

“Okay, I think I’m obsessed with him, like, it’s bad.” She tells her friends at brunch one Saturday morning. They would all try their best to get together a couple times a month.

“Welcome to the dark side.” Eliza says.

“I knew if we didn’t push you that you’d come around at some point to ask us for a book rec.” Melinda says.

“You could have just showed me his picture, he’s so handsome! I can’t wait to go to the signing. I wonder what type of suit he’ll wear. Maybe all black?”

“I heard he’s into florals lately.” Eliza says. “I’m glad we got our tickets when we did, it’s going to be packed.”

“Yeah, like, at least we’ll have seats for the reading.” Melinda says.

“I can’t believe we’re going to hear his voice in person. That audio book? Oh my god.” She pretends to fan herself. “I’ve been enjoying his other novels too. He has such a way with words, I can’t remember the last time I actually enjoyed a book this much. Maybe The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?” She chuckles.

“Didn’t you read that in high school?!” Eliza laughs.

“Yeah!” Y/N laughs, and Melinda joins in. “I fucking hate reading. I wonder if he’ll ever sell the rights and have it turned into a movie or TV series.”

“People have been begging him. He said maybe once the fourth book has been out for a bit. He didn’t want to feel pressured, like, you know how with Game of Thrones the books didn’t come out fast enough for the series?” Melinda says.

“Oh yeah, that makes sense. I think a TV show would be good. Then they could take their time with it. The only thing is I can’t picture someone playing the farmer other than him.” Y/N sighs.

“Agreed.” Eliza says. “I can really only see him.”

“So, how are we dressing for the signing? I don’t wanna look desperate by dressing up too much.” Melinda says.

“Melinda…” Y/N starts chuckling. “You have a girlfriend.”

“I’m aware.” She swats a hand at Y/N. “But damn, Harry is too fine.”

//

Y/N curls the ends of her hair on the day of the signing. It was finally here, and she couldn’t be more excited. She found a cute yellow top to wear with some high waist jeans. She does some simple makeup, but makes sure to have her eyes pop. The rules were that people could only bring one book with them, so she grabs the first in the Unicorn series. She fully intended to buy the new book as well, and they said he would sign all new purchases too.

She meets Melinda and Eliza outside the bookstore where it would all be happening. They get in line to buy their new books, and head to their seats. They were able to snag tickets for the second row. He would be reading the first few chapters of the first book, and then would spend the rest of the time signing books.

“I’m so excited.” Y/N whispers to both of her friends.

A man comes out shortly to check the crowd of people waiting, and soon it’s announced that Harry would be coming out. Everyone stands up and claps for him. He was wearing a sleek black suit, and his hair was pushed back off his face. He looked bashful as he smiled out to everyone, and stood at the podium provided. Everyone sits back down as he clears his throat.

“Thank you all so much for being here. Whether you’re a new fan or if you’ve been with me for years, I appreciate your support. It feels surreal for this series to be over. I’ve loved these characters so much, and when I finished the final edits, it felt weird saying goodbye. I also want to say thanks for all the support with the first audio book. I fully intend to do one for the rest, it just takes a lot of time and editing, so hold tight for me, alright?” The crowd giggles, and his dimple grows deeper. He takes a sip of the water provided, and opens the book. “Let’s get started shall we?” He looks up at the audience who was waiting patiently. He makes eye contact with Y/N. It’s brief, but he looked at her…or at least she told herself he did.

His voice was just as smooth in person as it was on the audio. Y/N was swooning, barely paying attention to the words, but more so watching the way his lips moved. The way he’d lick his lips after getting a sip of water, and watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down. It all felt like a dream. He ended up reading five chapters instead of three, as a treat, until his manager came out to remind him to wrap it up.

“Right, well, I’ve been told I’m done speaking.” He chuckles. “I just need about ten minutes and I’ll be able to sign all your books. Thanks so much!”

He leaves as everyone claps for him again. Everyone gets in line and waits for him to return. There was a table waiting for him to sit at and a ton of markers.

“I wonder how long we’ll get with him. Like, a minute, right?” Eliza asks.

“Make every second count.” Y/N says.

“I’m gonna try to take a selfie.” Melinda says. “Then I’ll really remember it forever.”

As the girls got closer to the front of the line, Y/N felt herself getting nervous, and her palms were starting to sweat. She tries to wipe them on her jeans before she gets to him.

“Hello, love.” He smiles at her. “Whatcha bring f’me?”

“Huh?” She was so taken aback.

“Well, I know you didn’t come here to have me sign a body part…unless you did.” He shrugs. “Although, I don’t think my manager would appreciate that.” He winks at her and it makes her giggle.

“I have the first back, and the newest one.” She hands them both to him. “I have to say, I’m not really a big reader, but this really drew me in. I think I’ve fallen in love with reading for the first time in my life.”

“That’s like…I mean…wow, what a compliment, thanks.” He signs both of the books. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“Y/N.” He repeats as he continues to leave a nice note in both of her books. “You know pictures aren’t allowed, but if you turn around and happen to take a selfie they can’t stop you.” He points to the few guards.

Y/N turns around and takes a selfie with Harry. She turns back around and chuckles as she takes her books back.

“Thank you so much. I can’t wait for the next audio books.”

“You liked the first one?”

“Loved it.”

“So, it wasn’t weird listening to me for that long?”

“Not at all…” She starts blushing. “Your voice is sort of, um, soothing…I have a lot of anxiety at night, and, well, reading, and evening listening has helped me sleep a lot better. So, thanks again.” She smiles at him and he smiles back.

He wished he could hug her. He looks back at his manager, who just sighs at him and nods. Harry stands up from the table and walks around. Before she knew it, his arms were being wrapped around her. She got a whiff of his cologne, and she swore it was her new favorite smell in the world. She barely got a chance to put her hands on him before his manager said it was enough and Harry needed to get back to it.

“Sorry, that was just so endearing.” He lets go of her and sits back down. “Thanks for your support.”

Y/N steps aside and looks at her friends who were waiting for her to finish up. She looks back at Harry who was already talking to the next person. She sighs, knowing she was long forgotten already.

“Oh my god, I took a picture of him hugging you.” Eliza says. “What was it like? All he did was shake my hand.”

“He smelled so good.” Y/N whines. “Girls, let’s go out for drinks tonight. I need to get some energy out.”

“Great idea! We can drink and then dance the night away.” Melinda says. “What did he write in your books?”

“I don’t wanna look yet, I wanna save it.” Y/N smiles and holds her books close to her.

//

After grabbing dinner and dropping their books off at Y/N’s place, they all head to their favorite dance bar. They all get their drinks and stand near the bar to drink them. Y/N was happily sucking on her straw, swaying along to the fast beat of the music.

“Look, they actually roped off the VIP section.” Eliza points out. Y/N and Melinda turn to look.

“I wonder who’s here. Once in a while someone cool shows up.” Melinda says.

The group in the VIP section erupts into laughter, and the girls’ eyes grow wide. Harry was standing up from the booth, looking much more casual. He still had his dress pants and button up on, but his sleeves were pushed up, revealing his tattoos. He strides up to the bar as he shakes his head back at his friends. He brushes right by the girls, bumping into Y/N, causing her to spill her drink.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, love.” He says to her, and then he looks her up and down. “Do I know you?” He slurs slightly.

“Um…we…we met earlier today. You signed my books.”

“I signed your what?!” The music was really loud, he must have thought she said something else.

“Books, books!” She really enunciates the k sound.

“Oh!” He bursts out laughing, and puts a hand on her shoulder. “I was gonna say, that sorta thing isn’t really my style. What are you drinking, I’ll get you a new one.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. There’s still plenty in here.”

“Don’t be silly, I feel terrible. In fact,” He looks at Melinda and Eliza, and then to the bar tender. “Their next round’s on me. I also need another bottle of Patron for my table.”

“Coming right up!”

“Lost a bet with ‘em.” He rolls his eyes. “So the next bottle’s on me.” He shrugs.

“We’ll bring it over to you.” The bar tender says as she puts up three new drinks for you and your friends.

“You really didn’t have to do that.”

“S’the least I can do. Your support is the only reason why I can afford what I have. I should buy your drinks all night.” He smirks.

“Y/N.” Melinds grabs her shoulders and whispers in her ear. “Go for it, bitch, go for it. He’s hitting on you. We’ll be over there.”

She lets Y/N go and drags Eliza with her over to another part of the bar. Y/N grabs her drink and smiles at Harry.

“Your name’s Y/N, right?”

“You must have seen hundreds of people today, how’d you remember?”

“I’m really good with names.” He grins. “Do you want to join me and my friends?”

“What?!”

“Come on, seems like your friends are busy anyways.” He nods over to Melinda and Eliza where Melinda was working as a wing-man for Eliza. “They’re bringing over the Patron, you’ll love it.” He grabs her wrist and brings her over. One of the body guards raises his eyebrows. “I’m baacckk, let us in Mike.” Mike lifts the rope up and lets Harry and Y/N in. “Everyone this is Y/N, she’s got to be one of my biggest fans, so she’s joining us.” He pulls her down into the booth with him and puts his arm around her shoulders.

He was drunk, this was very clear. No one seemed bothered by her presence. Everyone was just happy to have refills for their drinks. Harry takes a shot of the Patron along with everyone else as Y/N sips on her drink. She felt bad, Eliza had to be a bigger fan of Harry, or at least she had been a fan longer…

“So, how’d you know he’d be here?” Harry’s manager, Jeff, asks.

“I didn’t.” She blushes. “My friends and I come here all the time.”

“Right, like we haven’t heard that one before.” Jeff smirks. “Some of you fangirls-“

“Oi! Don’t make fun, she’s cool.” Harry defends her.

“I can prove I’ve been here plenty of times.” Y/N takes her phone out and shows them her Facebook page. “There, you can see how many times I’ve checked in here. I only live a block away, so this tends to be the spot.”

“See, Jess, this is the spot.” Harry smirks, and knocks back another shot. “We’re being rude, here.” He slides a shot over to her. “Have as much as you like.”

“That’s okay, I have this.” She points to her glass.

“Oh, I knew I liked you, you’re so nice.” He pulls her a little closer to him. “But really, if you want any, you can have as much as you want, okay?”

“Thanks.”

Y/N sort of just sits there and tries to listen as each person talks, but the music was so loud, and she was itching to dance, especially now that she had a couple of drinks in her. She was drumming her fingers mindlessly on the table.

“Do you want to dance?” He whispers in her ear. A shiver goes up her spine. She looks up at him and nods. “Alright, let’s hit it then.”

She gets out of the booth and he quickly follows her out to the dance floor. At first it’s just light and playful, he keeps one hand in hers, but keeps a respectable distance. If Y/N was dancing with her friends right now she’d probably be popping her ass no problem. She sort of wished they were still around. She couldn’t remember the last time she danced with a guy. She looks at him and feels a little bold, so she hooks an arm around his neck and dances close to him. His hands move to her hips as she essentially grinds on his thigh. When the next song starts, she turns around to grind her ass against his pelvis. He presses forward against her and she can tell he’s very happy to be dancing with her.

“You said your place was only a block away?” He says into her ear, and she nods. “Wanna head there?”

She stops dancing and turns around to face him.

“Are you serious?” She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Sorry, too forward?”

“No…I just…um…yeah, let’s go back to mine.”

He smiles and throws his arm around her shoulders. He looks over at Jeff who was still sitting with their friends. He waves off to him, and heads out side with Y/N. Harry whistles for a cab, and one pulls up almost right away. They both get into the backseat, and Y/N gives the driver her address. Harry rubs circles into her shoulder. She rests her hand on his knee, as her leg shakes with nerves.

“You alright, love?”

“Mhm, yeah.” She doesn’t look at him.

“No need to be nervous, babe, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

She looks up at him now and smiles. She wanted to do everything with him. It was like every fantasy she had was coming to life. She had dreams about this, but never thought it would come true. The cab pulls up in front of Y/N’s building and they both get out of the cab. She keys into the front door and she leads him to the elevator.

“I’m surprised you’re not exhausted, must be draining to meet so many people.”

“Caught a second wind.” He winks at her. She giggles as they get off at her floor.

She leads him inside as she flips the lights on.

“It’s just a studio.”

“It’s nice, just enough space. You’ve got a great view.” He says as he walks over to the window.

“Yeah, I got really lucky.”

“Mind if I pull the curtains?”

“Not at all.”

She watches the muscles in his back flex as he reaches to pull the curtains closed. He turns to face her and walks over to where she is. He cups one of her cheeks and she leans into his touch.

“I have to be honest, I don’t usually do this.” He says.

“Do what? Hook up with a girl from a bar?” She smirks.

“No, hook up with a fan…” He sighs. “But what you said to me earlier about your anxiety and how my books have helped you, it stuck with me all day. I’m really glad I ran back into you. I got kinda nervous when you didn’t message me.”

“What? Why would I have?”

“I wrote my number in your book.” He lets go of her and steps back. “You didn’t read my notes?”

“No, I…I was saving them for when I was feeling down.” She admits, a little embarrassed. “Why did you put your number in it?”

“In case you ever needed someone to talk to…if you ever got sick of listening to the same story over and over. It was a little impulsive, but no one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”

“I’m surprised by that.”

“Usually people just tell me that they enjoyed it, or they try to flirt or something. It’s usually pretty hollow.” He shrugs. “But you…” He takes her hands in his. “Well…if you noticed, I didn’t really hug anyone else.”

“I did notice. You made me feel really special, Harry.”

“I’d like to keep making you feel that way…”

He releases her hands, and she wraps her arms around his neck. Her hands slide up through his curls, and she gets up on her tip toes while his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close. His lips brush over hers, and she pulls his face closer to hers to deepen the kiss. She smiles against his lips which makes him smile and pull back.

“What is it?”

“I just…I can’t believe this is happening…” She presses her hips closer to his.

“You’ve thought about this before, with me?”

She nods her head yes and he smirks.

“Is that weird?” She asks, cheeks heating up from embarrassment.

“Who am I to judge what helps someone fall asleep at night?” His voice was low now, eyes darker than they were moments before.

Maybe this wasn’t something either of them should be doing while inebriated. But from lack of better judgement they start kissing again. His hands slide down to cup her ass, and his large hands give her a squeeze. She groans into his mouth, giving him the perfect excuse to lick into her. Her tongue molds to his, and she starts pushing him to walk back towards her bed. He happily lets her lead the way.

The back of his calves hit the bed, and he almost loses his balance. He sits down and brings her with him so she’s straddling his lap. Lips only breaking for a moment to get some air until they’re on each other again. Her hands lace through his hair and he groans when she tugs on him. His lips move to her jaw and then to just under her ear. She gasps when she feels him suck on the tender skin. Her hips roll down over his, and he smirks against her. He licks over the spot he was sucking on, and goes back for more. She grinds herself against him, feeling his bulge press up against where she needs it most. His lips move back to hers so he can nip at her bottom lip before looking at her.

“You want this?” He asks.

“Wouldn’t have said yes to coming back here if I didn’t.”

“You could have changed your mind between the bar and now.” He tucks some loose strands of hair behind her hair. “I meant what I said earlier, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I want to, do you?”

“I certainly didn’t change my mind.”

She smiles and leans in to kiss him again before getting off him. She reaches behind him quickly to snag one of her throw pillows to put on the floor. She sits up on her knees before him and reaches for his for the button on his dress pants. She looks up at him as he widens his legs for her. He wasn’t expecting a blow job, but he wasn’t one to turn it down. She pops the button and undoes his zipper. She reaches into his pants and palms him through his boxers first. His palms were flat on the bed, his arms keeping him up, but he can’t help but let his head fall back from her touch.

“Harry, look at me.”

He immediately does as she says so he can make eye contact with her.

“Is this okay? Can I take it out?”

“Yeah, please.”

She smiles and tugs his pants and boxers down slightly, he lifts his hips up to help her. He unbuttons his shirt while his dick slaps up against his lower stomach. She gazes up at him. Once his shirt is off, she can’t help but look over all his tattoos.

“You’re so…pretty.” She chuckles.

“Not as pretty as you.” He runs his hands through her hair, giving her a little encouragement to get started.

She blushes as her eyes fall to his hard cock, tip swollen and ready to go. She licks her right hand and gives him a few pumps first. He grunts as he watches her. She licks a stripe up from his base to his tip before she wraps her lips around him. His eyes flutter closed for a second, but he didn’t want to miss anything so he does his best to keep his eyes open to watch her work on him. She already had small droplets of spit rolling down her chin. Sloppy, he thinks to himself and he smirks. She sinks a little further down on him, testing herself to see how much she can take. He thrusts up slightly to meet her halfway and she gags on him, needing to pop off for a moment.

“Sorry, been a while.” She mumbles, and gets back on him.

“No worries, doing great, love.”

He helps keep her hair back as she starts to bob up and down on him. Her warm mouth felt so fucking good around him. She swallows around him before really hollowing her cheeks to suck on him. Her mouth moves up to his tip so she can lick away at his slit. She wraps a hand around him to pump him as she does this.

“Baby, baby, hold on.” He pants, and moves her face away from him. She looks up at him with big, innocent eyes that were slightly watery now. “I’ll come if you keep doing that.” He sounded almost out of the breath. She nods and stands up. His hands grips her hips and then slide to the button on her own jeans. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” She says, taking off her shirt. He looks up at her and kisses on her chest as he undoes her pants.

He yanks them down her legs. He smiles at her mismatched set of underwear. She had worn a white bra with her yellow shirt, and a simple pair of blue panties with her jeans.

“I didn’t think, um, I would be…it was a girl’s night, and-“

“Do you really think I care about your underwear not matching?” He raises an eyebrow at her as he smirks.

She smiles and rests her hands on his shoulders as he kisses on her lower tummy. He stands up to kick his pants away, and lets her get on the bed. She lays on her back, propping herself up with her elbows. He crawls onto the bed and settles between her legs. His lips find hers as he grinds himself against her covered center. She bites her bottom lip, just wanting her underwear gone. He reaches behind her to unhook her bra. After a few seconds of fumbling he gets it, and watches the bra loosen around her. She pushes it off her shoulders, and tosses it to the ground. His hands cup her full breasts immediately. He kneads them and tweaks her nipples. She grinds her hips up towards his as they continue to move against each other. He dips his head down to kiss on her chest, and he rolls a nipple between his teeth. He works his way down her body and slides her underwear down her legs, tossing them aside where he feels like. She parts her legs for him.

He dips his down and licks from her center to her clit. He does this slowly but with precision. Her hips buck up towards him, encouraging him to keep going, so he does. He licks all around her until his lips are around her throbbing clit. He nibbles and sucks and flicks his tongue while his fingers explore her folds. Her hands were in his hair. She kept thinking she was going to wake up. Any minute now she would snap out of her dream. She would pinch her eyes closed and expect to see the morning sun creeping through her windows, but not this time. When she opened her eyes there he was, head between her legs, lapping away at her. The clouds covering the moon and night sky. He had her whimpering and tugging at his hair. He wanted her to come, but not yet, just get her to the brink. She pouts at him when he lifts his head. He licks his lips and smiles at her.

“Got any rubbers?”

“Mhm, in the bathroom, I can-“

“I got it, just tell me where.”

“The box in the cabinet below the sink.”

He pecks her lips before going into her little bathroom. He smirked to himself wondering how he might shower the next morning. He was taller than the showerhead. He bends down to open up the cabinet and spots the box of condoms. It was opened, but not many were missing. Not the he was one to judge. Harry hooked up a lot. He grabs a couple, just in case they feel like getting frisky again later on, and heads back out. He rips the foil packet open and slides it on over his length. She bites her bottom lip in anticipation.

“Tell me something,” He starts as he gets back on the bed, between her legs, hovering over her body. “When you had me in your thoughts was it ever like this?”

He rubs his tip against her clit, getting her to moan out. He pushes into her entrance but doesn’t go much further until he gets his answer. His eyebrows were raised, looking at her.

“This is usually the part when I’d wake up.” She whispers. “Before anything good could really happen.” She cups his cheek and runs her thumb over his cheekbone. “Please.”

He kisses her as he pushes the rest of the way inside her. They both groan. She was so wet, even with the condom on, it still felt amazing. He was nice and snug inside her. He moves slowly at first to not hurt her. He hooks an arm under one of her legs to bring it up a little higher. He wanted to get in as deep as possible. She clutches at his shoulders as he drives it in.

“Oh my god.” She gasps as his tip brushes her g-spot. “Jesus Christ.” She grits her teeth.

“Ever had anyone like this before?” He says into her ear.

“Never this deep, shit.”

He sits up and puts both of her legs over his shoulders. His fingers press bruises into her thighs as he holds onto her. She looks up at him as her mouth falls open. He was ramming into her and it felt so good to fuck like this. She didn’t want to be treated delicately. What he was doing was amazing, but her clit was missing the friction, so her hand slides down to rub at it.

“Fuck.” He breathes as he watches her touch herself. He lets go of one of her thighs and moves her hand aside so he can rub it for her. Her head rolls back the second she feels his thumb on her.

“Just like that.” She pants. “Don’t stop.”

He grunts his response as he continues to fuck her. He could feel her tightening around his cock and he knew she was close. He rubs her a little faster, and watches as her body contorts under his.

“Let go, come on, show me how you do it, Y/N.”

That pushes her over the edge. She cries out as she comes around him. He rubs her still, but slows his pace to help her through it. She tightens around him again as she comes down from her bliss. He drops her legs and pulls out. He sits up against her headboard and pulls her into his lap. He doesn’t have her face him, though, he has her sit on him facing away. Her head rolls back against his shoulder once she sinks down on him. She uses her knees to push herself up and down on his cock. He bites down on her shoulder, licks up to just under her ear to suck on the tender skin again. His hands find her bouncing breasts, and he kneads them.

“Harry.” She groans.

“Feels good, love?”

“So good.” She turns her head and sticks her tongue out slightly so he’ll kiss her. His tongue meets hers and they practically slobber all over each other as her pace quickens on him.

His hands slide down to her hips to help her. He thrusts up into her to get into a rhythm. He could feel his orgasm bubbling at the base of his spine.

“Fuck, oh my god.” He moans, which makes her moan. She tightens around him. He wanted her to come again, to come with him, so he rubs her clit while she continues to bounce him.

“Shit, fuck, Harry!”

They come at the same time, both of them crying out form the intensity. He gives her a second to catch her breath before he lifts her off of him. She gets up and quickly walks to the bathroom to clean herself up. He goes in after her to rid himself of the condom. She was about to throw on a t-shirt when he comes back out.

“Don’t bother.” He smirks.

“What do you mean?”

“It’ll just come off again.”

“Oh.” She blushes and puts it back into her dresser.

He gets on the bed with her and pulls her close to his chest. His fingers run up and down her back lightly, causing goosebumps to raise on her skin. She rests one of her legs on top of his, and wraps her arm around his torso. She wasn’t sure if she’d have the energy to fuck him again so soon, especially when the rhythm of his heart beat was lulling her to sleep. Her eyes flutter closed. He looks down at her and smiles when he sees her lips parted. He kisses the top of her head, and slowly falls asleep himself.

//

The next morning, Y/N wakes up cozy, head stuffed into her pillow, blankets wrapped around her. It was darker than usual. Her eyes flutter open and see the rain falling down. She hears it tapping delicately against her windows. It was a normal Sunday morning, or it would have been if she hadn’t completely forgotten there was a warm body wrapped around her. She rolls over slowly not to disturb the stranger. She gasps to herself when she sees it really is Harry Styles, not just some guy that looked like him. She really took him home with her and she really fucked him. He pulls her closer to her and she sighs.

“Your bed’s comfy.” He mutters.

“Thanks, I’ve got one of those foam pads under the sheets. Makes a world of difference.”

She feels his chest rumble as he chuckles. She feels him press a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling away slightly.

“Mind if I grab a shower?”

“Not at all.” She smiles up at him. “If you don’t mind smelling like my fruity shampoo, that is.”

“You’re funny.” He chuckles again and stretches as he sits up. He rubs his eyes, and gets out of the bed. Y/N couldn’t help but ogle his naked body as he walks away. He pops his head out of the door frame to look at her. “Are you coming?”

“Oh…you wanted me to-“

“Obviously.” He scoffs. “Wouldn’t mind fucking you again, either.”

Normally she’d wrap herself in a blanket, but if he was going to be bold, then so was she. So she gets out of bed and struts over towards him. She brushes her teeth quickly as he uses some mouth wash. She gets the water in the shower going.

“Does that head detach? I don’t know if I can crouch for that long.” He laughs.

“Yeah, it comes right off, don’t worry.” She pulls back the curtain and they both get in.

She helps him wash up, scrubs her nails over his head as she washes out the shampoo, and once they’re both clean, he hoists her up against the wall, and kisses her. She was plenty wet for him, and he smiles against her as he slips a finger inside her.

“You were ready f’me, hm?”

“Guess so.” She nips at his bottom lip, which delights him.

“Mind if I just slip it in like this and pull out after?”

“That’s fine.” She smiles. “Wouldn’t mind actually being able to feel you.”

“Christ.” He groans, and then pushes his hard cock inside her. Her head rolls back against the tile as his lips attack to her throat.

It was a nice, passionate morning fuck. When they’re done she gets him a towel, and wraps one around herself. He watches as she runs around to make her bed back up. It was a small apartment, so any clutter just made it look even smaller. He grabs his phone out of his pants pocket, and sighs.

“Alright?” She asks, sitting on the edge of her bed. He comes to sit down next to her.

“Yeah, just a ton of missed calls and texts. Thought I made it pretty clear to Jeff I wouldn’t be coming back to the hotel last night.”

“Do you have a plane to catch or anything?”

“Not today, tomorrow though.”

She watches as he types away to respond to the dozen or so texts he had form various people.

“Would you like any coffee or anything? Juice?”

“Just a black coffee would be perfect if it’s not too much trouble, love.”

“Coming right up.”

His eyes flicker up to watch her bum and hips sway as she walks into the kitchen area. She fills up her Keurig to get his coffee going.

“No cream or sugar, just black?”

“Please.” He smiles. “Thanks.”

She nods and gets a mug down from her cabinet to place under the machine. She thinks he’s talking to her for a moment, but when she looks over she can see he’s on the phone.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I’m well aware, thanks.” He sighs and shakes his head. “I’m allowed to go out and have some fun.” He crosses a leg over the other so he can rest his elbow on his thigh, propping his chin up with his palm. “She’s making me a cup of coffee, is that alright? No, I don’t just carry those in my back pocket…” He rolls his eyes. “I’ll take care of it. Alright, bye.”

She comes over to him with a mug for him, and one for herself. She added a bit of cream to hers. She just couldn’t do black coffee.

“Thank you so much, feel like I’m about to get a headache.” He says, taking the mug from her, smacking his lips after he takes a sip.

“I have some aspirin if you need some.”

“Caffeine should work just fine, but thank you.”

“So, uh, not that I was listening in or anything, just, small space and all, but what don’t you carry around in your back pocket?”

“Oh.” He chuckles. “An NDA, that’s all. Jeff’s gonna email one over to me any second I’m sure.”

“What do you need an NDA for?”

“It’s not for me, it’s for you.”  She looks at him deeply confused. “I’m a very private person, and not that I think you’re the type to go around spouting your business, it’s just, well, you’re a fan and…”

“You need me to sign an NDA so I won’t tell anyone we fucked?”

“Basically, yeah. Sorry if that makes things a little awkward. It’s just to keep my personal life personal, that’s all.” He takes another sip of the coffee. “This is really good, what brand is this?”

“Green Mountain Coffee…it comes from Vermont.”

“It’s delicious, I’ll have to look into it.” He smiles, although she can tell she’s starting to feel uneasy. She’s painfully aware that this was just a drunk hookup, a one night stand. “Are you alright?” He puts a hand on her knee.

“M’fine, just a bit groggy.” She sips her own coffee.

“Well, I’m starved, you’ve gotta be too, right? What a good place to grab some breakfast around here?” He stands up and starts looking for his clothes.

“Um…there’s a place right down the street.”

“We’ll have to take a cab unless you have a really big umbrella.” He smirks as he pulls his boxers on.

“Do I have to sign an agreement saying I won’t talk about breakfast too, or?”

Harry sighs as he pulls his pants on. She looks at him as she sips her coffee.

“Guess I’ll find out when I read the fine print.” She stands up and walks back over to her kitchen area. He follows her there with his mug and sticks it in the sink.

“Why is it such a big deal?”

“It’s not, I just…I mean…what do you think I’m going to do? Go onto a blog and spill every detail about last night? As if I could remember every little thing.” She scoffs and rinses out her mug.

“You easily could. You have to understand, sometimes when stories slip or people feel like they know things about you, it’s harder to get deals or make business decisions. I want to be taken seriously, so I don’t post personal things on social media, and I have the people I hook up with sign NDA’s.”

“Well, maybe I should have you sign one for me then.” She says, crossing her arms. He raises an eyebrow at her. “How do I know our night together won’t be inspiration for your next love scenes? You’re quite descriptive in your works. You must take from real life when you’re writing those things.”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll text Jeff and have him email me two, one for each of us. I won’t talk about you and you won’t talk about me. Now, can we please go get some breakfast?”

“Why do you even want to go anywhere with me if you’re so scared of people finding out?” She walks over to her dresser to pick out an outfit she wouldn’t mind getting wet in the rain.

“It’s one thing to be seen with someone at a diner, it’s another to have what you’re like in the bedroom aired out to millions of people.”

“It’ll be obvious we slept together. My neck is littered with kiss marks.” She taps over one of the spots. He watches as she wriggles a pair of panties up her legs, and then a pair of jeans. “You’re also wearing your clothes from last night.” She tosses him his button up.

“I don’t suppose you have a large t-shirt I could throw on?”

“I’m sure I could find one.” She find a bra and t-shirt of her own, and then rummages through her pajama drawer for one of her larger bed shirts. “Here.” She hands him the shirt. He puts it on and looks down at it.

“Cute.” He smiles. “You can keep mine, and I’ll keep this one, how’s that sound?”

“Guess I’m just glad that’s not my favorite one.” She grabs her raincoat and umbrella. She furrows her brows and then remembers where her rubber boots on. “Could you order an uber or something?”

“Sure.”

They get down to the street, and head into the car he ordered. The diner was busy when they got there, but since it was just the two of them, they didn’t have to wait long to be seated. Harry’s phone pings with the email from Jeff.

“So…I just need to digitally sign it?”

“Mhm.” He hands his phone over to her so she can read over everything. He rests his chin on his palm. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen someone read over it so diligently before.”

“I’m a lawyer.” She mumbles.

“No shit.” He sits up, suddenly even more intrigued with her. “Good for you.”

“Well, I’m in law school, and I work as a para at a law firm, but I’m getting there.” She says as she uses her finger to sign her life away. “I’d like to read the one he sent to you for me.”

“Just swipe to the next email.”

She nods and looks it over. It was the same as her. She hands him back his phone and watches him sign it.

“I’d like both copies emailed over to me.”

“Alright, what’s your email?”

“I’ll put it in.” She takes his phone back and puts her information in, sending herself the copies. “There.” She crosses her arms. “Happy?”

“Yes, actually.”

A waitress comes over to them, and they both order scrambled eggs with bacon, potatoes, and toast. It’s quiet between them for a few moments. She looks out the window to watch the rain fall, and then looks back at him. He was twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?” He looks up at her.

“What am I doing here with you? You could have easily slipped out this morning, even last night…”

“I’m not that kind of guy.”

“So…what is this, a consolation before we never see each other again?”

“No.”

“Then what is this?! I feel like I’m not even looking at a real person. I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, and I would have killed for the opportunity to sit down and have breakfast with you. I have so many questions about your work, and-“

“So, ask me.”

“What?”

“Ask me all your questions. What can I answer that I haven’t already in an interview? You wanna know my thought process? Where and what I get inspired by? How long it takes me to write a book, a chapter even? I only have bullshit answers, to be honest. I keep notes on my phone for when I get inspired, and then when I’m able to be at my computer I’ll type for hours without stopping. It’s like I blackout or something. It feels like I didn’t even take a second to blink. I’ll work on multiple projects at the same time too. I have three other books I’m currently working, all with completely different topics and characters. I can’t shut my brain off, ever. I don’t know why I’m like this. Even when I go on a vacation to unplug, I have to keep a notebook with me to write things down. I started writing because I just needed to get everything out of my head. I feel a huge sense of relief when I’m done with a piece so I can just move on from it. I had to start my own publication because my content was going to be put in the same category as Fifty Shades, and I didn’t want that. Luckily, Jeff went to school for PR, and he helped me out, and now he’s my manager. He’s the best there is, but sometimes it would be nice to fuck a pretty girl and take her to breakfast without having to worry about every little thing.”

Before Y/N can respond their food is brought over. They both thank the waitress. She picks her for up and plays with her potatoes before looking at him.

“Not to mention, said pretty girl told me how much my work means to her, how it helps her sleep at night. Fuck, I mean, I thought I was going to melt into a fucking puddle right there. My anxiety gets bad at night too, I knew exactly where you were coming from, babe. I can’t tell you how many nights I try to go to sleep and can’t, so I just get up and go back to my computer until I pass out in my chair.” He blinks at her, as she still says nothing. “Are you…not going to say anything?”

“I’m not sure what to say, I’m trying to take in everything you said and match it to the person you were yesterday at that signing. It’s an act, right? Your cool demeanor?”

“I have a stage presence for sure.” He sighs, and takes a bite of his bacon. “What am I gonna do, get up there and tell everyone that the fourth book took so long because I had to have surgery for carpal tunnel?”

“For someone who likes to be so private, you’re sure telling me a lot of personal things.”

“You signed something saying you wouldn’t discuss any of this, so I feel a little freer to explain myself. Have I totally ruined your perception of me? Is this a never meet your hero sort of moment?”

“Not at all.” She smiles. “You seem comfortable with me, which is nice. I like that I’m seeing this side of you, you’re more than just the suave guy I’ve seen in interviews, or listening to on podcasts. You’re a person, just like me.”

“Exactly, so you understand why I might want some privacy.”

“I do.” She nods and finally takes a bite of her food. “I’m sorry if I got a little pissy about it.”

“Don’t be, it’s always an awkward conversation to have.”

“So, how many women do you hook up with exactly? You’re making yourself sound like a player.” She chuckles.

“I mean…I’m a guy who has needs. I’m not gonna lie, I probably do it a little too much, but I don’t usually spend this much time with the person, or if I do…well…it’s not usually like this.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to actually have a conversation with you.” He shrugs. “You peaked my interest.”

“Clearly.” She smirks.

“At least I’ve never rubbed one out to the thought of a famous person.” He smirks back.

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you consider yourself famous?” She grins at him. “And I haven’t rubbed one out, it’s usually just a dream. Don’t flatter yourself, Harry.” She shakes her head.

“My bad, so I’ll just assume you get that wet for every guy you hook up with?”

Where was this conversation going, and why was it happening in such a public place? Was he trying to rile her up?

“I don’t think this is appropriate to talk about right now.” She whispers harshly.

He smirks and continues eating. They look at each other occasionally as they eat. The waitress comes over with the bill, and Harry throws some cash down on the table.

“Let me pay the tip at least.” She says, reaching for her purse.

“Don’t be silly, I put plenty down for the tip. I’ve got it.” He puts his hand over hers. “Seems like the rain’s stopped, wanna walk back?”

“Do you not need to be anywhere?”

“Nope.” He smiles. “Today’s my free day, isn’t that nice? I’ve got a plane to catch tomorrow morning, and that’s all I have to worry about. So, I’m more than happy to walk you back home.”

She nods and follows him out of the diner.

“So, do I only get your email, or do I get your number too?”

“Why, so you can hit me up whenever you’re in the city?”

“Precisely.” He nudges her as she laughs. “Come on, I gave you mine.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t even look…I would have been so embarrassed, you would have forgotten all about me. I don’t even know if I would have even had the courage to message you.”

“I wouldn’t have forgotten you.”

“Did you manager know you just gave your number out like that?”

“God no, he’d murder me.” Harry chuckles. “Jeff’s great, but he’s way too serious.”

“So, maybe I’ll message you sometime.”

“I prefer chatting on the phone, to be honest.”

“Why’s that?”

“Anyone can send a text, but a phone is, like, I don’t know, it’s romantic.”

“Romantic?”

“Yeah, like, a phone is something you really need to make time for.”

She pouts at him and looks at him with big eyes. They stop once they’re in front of her building.

“I come back to the city in two weeks, I really would like to see you again.”

“What are you coming back for?”

“Another signing. This one sold out, and I felt bad. I think anyone who wants to see me should.” He shrugs. “I wouldn’t have anything that I do if it weren’t for the people who supported me.”

“That’s sweet.” She smiles. “Okay, I guess we could see each other again.”

“Great, just make sure you call me, okay? Then I can call you, and we’ll just be two people calling each other sometimes.” He blushes.

“Why are you so romantic?” She laughs and wraps her arms around his waist.

“I wish I knew. It’s a blessing and a curse, I think.” He sighs and cups her cheeks. He leans in and kisses her, she happily kisses him back and pulls him closer.

“Do you, um, need to go back to your hotel now?”

“Not necessarily, what’d you have in mind?” He raises an eyebrow at her. She leans up and whispers in his ear, making his cheeks grow hotter. He looks at her, a little stunned. “I definitely have time for that.”

“I figured you would.” She winks at him and yanks him into her building.

She wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet. Everything still felt like a dream, only better. Even when Harry had to go off to his next signing, she slept better than she ever had. She called him late one night, much to his surprise, and they spoke for hours. She didn’t have to listen to the same words over and over to fall asleep, she had him, the real him.

[1-of-those-things]

I posted 1,394 times in 2021

20 posts created (1%)

1374 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 68.7 posts.

I added 209 tags in 2021

#tenth doctor - 35 posts

#donna noble - 30 posts

#doctor who fanart - 27 posts

#doctor who fanfic - 22 posts

#adorbs - 20 posts

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#ten x donna - 14 posts

#fritz favs - 12 posts

#tenth doctor/donna noble - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#this reminds me that when i was juuust starting to get into dt i read something that described him as the uk version of nicholas cage

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Doctor Who (2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tenth Doctor & Donna Noble Characters: Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor Additional Tags: Angst and Feels, Canon Era, Not Really Character Death, Lot of death talk though so consider that a CW, Character Study, Donna Noble Deserved Better, Donna Noble Fix-It, 5 Times, moody, Hopeful Ending, One Shot Series: Part 3 of Bittersweet Summary:

Most humans (most things, really) only die once. But most humans don’t travel with the Doctor.  Five times Donna Noble died, in escalating degrees of severity. 

21 notes • Posted 2021-08-20 11:31:12 GMT

#4

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Doctor Who (2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble Characters: Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble Additional Tags: Fluff and Humor, Cotton Candy Fluff, 5+1 Things, One Shot, Friendship/Love, Surprise Kissing, Accidental Kissing, Dubcon Kissing, (technically) - Freeform, Communication Difficulties, Boundary Issues, Accidental Relationship, Accidental Plot, Author is Back on Their Shippy Bullshit, Arguing Summary:

The Doctor isn’t particularly easy to train. Donna still makes her best attempt, one argument at a time. 

24 notes • Posted 2021-07-26 11:40:46 GMT

#3

(Doctor Who) Fanfiction Master List

OneOfThoseThings on AO3

(Updated 11/12/21)

Color Key:

Fic Categories in Pink

Doctor/Donna Pairing Tag in Purple

Other Pairing Tags (Including Poly) in Blue

Platonic / Gen / Open to Interpretation (Doctor x Donna) in Green

Ratings in Yellow

Some of the stories in the series are more or less crucial to the ‘plot,’ so the optional ones are handily marked (Optional) in Orange

Newest Fics tagged [New] in Red

Note: The Doctor is always the Tenth Doctor unless otherwise specified (in this list, but also in life)

Standalone Fics

The Best of Times (Amnesiac Remix)

A mind-wiped Donna runs into Martha and gets some good old fashioned human help realizing her potential all over again. Word has gotten out through the twenty-seven planets she saved though, so there are a few more aliens following her around… including one very specific alien who really shouldn’t be there.

Doctor x Donna

Also Featuring: Martha and Jack

Rated M for the (Optional) last chapter

The Noble Neverwere

A timey-wimey fantasy fic in which the TARDIS finds a way to keep Donna Noble, but has a little trouble with the details like anchoring her in time and space.

Canon-compliant in the sense that it's never been explicitly stated that there isn't a time-fluid echo of a certain ginger companion haunting the TARDIS.

Ten x Donna with light background Twelve x Missy

Also Featuring: Cameos by Ryan, Mickey, and Rory

Rated M for (vaguely) implied sexual content and descriptions of conceptual horror (Rating rounded up for safety)

The Volatile Nature of Binary Stars

A dark(er) AU in which the Master happens upon a mind-wiped Donna and gives her a little boost the rest of the way to full Time Lord status. Then they both return to the TARDIS and an unsuspecting Doctor.

Spoiler: Unlike most fix-its, in this one Donna is Not pleased that she was abandoned and does Not magically just get over that.

Ten x Simm!Master AND Ten x Donna

Rated M for generally dark themes. No sex, just dark. (Rating rounded up for safety)

Universal Lost and Found

A fix-it in which Martha runs across a mind-wiped Donna and helps her (re)claim what the Universe owes her.

Donna x Martha

Note: Doctor x Donna and Doctor x Martha are implied, but this one is a Donna x Martha fic

Rated M for vague sexual content (Rating rounded up for safety)

Polymorphism

The TARDIS pulls her Bad Wolf through to a parallel world where she’s still traveling with the Doctor. And Martha. And Donna. And things are a bit friendlier this time around. (The companion polycule fic you’ve all been waiting for.)

Rose x Martha x Donna x Doctor

Note: This is really Rose x Martha x Donna with the arguably canonically Ace Doctor not left out in the cold. It’s not even a little bit a harem fic.

Rated T with implied sexual content

(Fluff and Humor) One Shots

Interspecies Communication

The Doctor fails to read the room and Donna has to deal with it.

Originally written as part of Interspecies Compatibility, but it actually makes more sense as a cracky standalone.

Open to Interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T with implied sexual content

Just Act Natural

Donna gets the Doctor to Martha’s wedding. Shenanigans ensue.

There’s an optional sequel, “Compatible Lunacy” that is just straight up shippy.

Open to interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T

Compatible Lunacy

Optional sequel to “Just Act Natural.”

Split into two parts because “Just Act Natural” could be read as platonic but “Compatible Lunacy” makes the whole thing more shippy

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content (Rating rounded up for safety)

Tension in D Minor

Donna tries to get some alone time with someone with matching human urges. The Doctor takes it a bit personally.

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content (Rating rounded up for safety)

Bathtime in B Sharp

Donna and the Doctor have to take a medicinal bath. Pointless fluff.

Open to Interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T

Cuddles in C Major

A shag-or-die setup in which the aliens severely overestimate the Doctor’s mating drive and an indignant Donna gets a thorough cuddle.

Open to Interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T

Arguments That Did Not Go As Planned

Donna tries to train the Doctor, one argument at a time.

Sort of Accidental Doctor x Donna

Rated T

A Bit Close [New 11/11]

In an (only slightly) alternate universe, the Fam has to get used to having Jack on board.

Thirteenth Doctor x Jack

Rated T

(Moody) One Shots

The Beat Between Measures

A missing scene from Revolution of the Daleks, in which the Doctor and Jack get a proper reunion

Thirteenth Doctor x Jack

Rated E because it's basically PWP with Feelings

(It Breaks You Down) A Little Bit More Each Time

Five times Donna Noble died, in escalating degrees of severity. (Not actual death, but y’know.)

Open to Interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T

Series

Interspecies Compatibility

A series of semi-standalone, loosely-strung-together stories about the Doctor and Donna working through some of the many differences between humans and Time Lords.

This series tries not to actively contradict major canonical events. But a lot of liberties are taken around that.

Biological Specificity

A detailed lesson in Time Lord biology

Can be read as platonic, but only if one doesn’t keep reading this series

Not really shippy (on its own)

Rated T with vague discussions of mating practices (Could be G, but I'm not tagging my fics G FFS)

Acclimatization

Hard to call this one entirely platonic, but could be if one ignored alien cultural implications

Not really shippy (on its own)

Rated T with the alien equivalent of vaguely implied sexual content (that doesn't line up with the human version at all)

Ecological Fitting

Probably not platonic unless you’re using an interesting definition of platonic

Doctor x Donna

Rated T with vaguely implied sexual content

Symbiosis

Pretty solidly outside the boundaries of platonic here

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content

Contact High (Optional)

A fun day out

Not really shippy (on its own)

Rated T

Spandrel (Optional)

A casual day in

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content

Synesthesia

This is where this goofy series starts to take a real turn toward shippy

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content

Atavism

This is where the ratings should probably tick up

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for vague sexual content

Exaptation (Optional)

An optional morning after

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for vague sexual content

Coevolution

The obligatory Midnight fic

Doctor x Donna

Rated M for implied sexual content and dark themes

Survival Without Recovery

The fix and official end

Not really shippy (on its own)

Rated T

Lazarus Taxon (Optional)

An optional epilogue with a slightly less happy-go-lucky tone

Also Featuring: Cameos by Eleven, Twelve and finally Thirteen

Not really shippy (on its own)

Rated T

Nice Things; Good Things

A blatant canon divergence from Journey’s End where Donna just lets the metacrisis Doctor and Rose right back onto the TARDIS and then they all just go back to traveling together. Pretty soon after that, Jack gets added in and then it’s just the whole team enjoying themselves for once instead of having just endless tragedy for the sake of character building.

As the series goes on, it gets more and more polyamorous, but it’s set up so that each fic can be an acceptable stopping point so that anyone who isn’t on board can just hop off whenever they like and not have to deal with a bunch of unresolved cliffhangers.

Individual fics are carefully tagged (which makes for a hilariously long list of tags for the series, in case anyone is wondering.)

It Has Been 0 Days Since the Last Incident

The most standalone of all the fics in this series. Just Ten, Tentoo, Donna and Rose traveling in the TARDIS.

Doctor x Donna and background Tentoo x Rose

Rated T with implied sexual content

Morning Cuddles (Optional Ficlet)

Originally part of “Nice Things; Good Things” but it can also be read as a little standalone cuddle ficlet.

Doctor x Donna

Rated T with implied sexual situations

A New Path (Optional backstory for Jack getting added)

Jack officially joins the dream team

Doctor x Donna

Background Tentoo x Rose (leading to Tentoo x Rose x Jack)

Rated T with vaguely referenced sexual content

A Series of Perfectly Reasonable Misunderstandings

Confusing times with two Doctors in the mix now. (Starting down the poly path.)

Doctor x Donna

Tentoo x Rose x Jack

Rated M for frisky times, with chapters marked appropriately

Indisputably Well-Laid Plans

The Doctor and Donna court the other three. It goes great.

Doctor x Donna x Jack

Background Tentoo x Rose x Jack

A little light Tencest (as a treat)

Hints at pretty much every combination of these 5

Rated E for the second half of the fic, with chapters marked appropriately

Proper Communication

Rose and Donna get to know each other better without any distractions.

Donna x Rose

Rated E with chapters marked appropriately

All Together Now

With all the individual connections on board, all that's left is for the Doctor to ask Rose. Then it's a full-blown polycule.

Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

Too many subsets of that to bother writing out— just call it shamelessly poly

Rated E with chapters marked appropriately

Modern Arts (and Crafts) (Optional PWP)

Just a full stop poly PWP

Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

Rated E and it deserves it

Standard Courtship Rituals

10 ficlet-style dates

All 10 pairing subsets of Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack

Rated M for implied sexual content

Tied Game (Optional PWP)

Donna and Rose have a plan. Jack is involved.

Donna x Rose x Jack (with Ten x Tentoo x Donna x Rose x Jack in the background)

Rated E

Sweet Talk, Sweethearts (Optional PWP) [New 10/29]

The Doctor tries asking Donna for a little encouragement, like she gives the other humans. The metacrisis Doctor makes the request more convincingly (for both of them).

Ten x Donna x Tentoo

Rated E

Things That Catch

A Doctor/Donna series exploring the consequences (good, bad, and bizarre) of getting too close.

That Which Lingers Just Beneath

The Doctor gets a fever.

Doctor x Donna (not shippy on its own but heading that way)

Rated T

The Distance Between Could and Should

Having grown suspicious of relying on the TARDIS for translating, Donna asks for Gallifreyan lessons. The Doctor is not hard to convince.

Doctor x Donna (not aggressively shippy but getting there)

Rated T

A Clarity Found Only in Madness

The Doctor has nightmares. Donna tries to help.

Doctor x Donna

Rated T

For Which There Are No Words (Optional Kinktober Fun)

The Doctor and Donna have a proper relationship. Well. A relationship.

Doctor x Donna

Rated E (for safety)

To Fracture Like None Other

Donna gets a bit too casual with the Gallifreyan and is mistaken for the Doctor. Perhaps unsurprisingly, being mistaken for the last Time Lord in existence does not make for a fun day out.

Doctor x Donna

Rated T

A Dream Unfinished

Donna is unmade and left to her own devices. But her experiences may have already changed her more than anyone could have anticipated.

A/N: This is the point where this series turns into a lowkey rewrite.

Doctor x Donna (implied)

Rated T

An Uneven Stitch for An Uneven Scar

Donna returns to the TARDIS, but everything is different. After the metacrisis, she’s something new. Something strange. And all she knows for sure is that the Doctor can’t be trusted.

Doctor x Donna (but not in a cute way)

Rated M (for implied sexual content)

The Rift Immeasurable [New 10/16]

The Doctor makes an open offer for whatever might help. Donna takes him up on it in a way that he never expected.

Alternatively: Donna takes a gamble. The Doctor is not consulted on this gamble.

Doctor x Donna

Also Featuring: Guest Appearance by The Master

Rated M (with implied sexual content)

Collaborations

Aurous and Auriferous (For the DW HopeZine prompt “Plastered in Gold”)

A collaboration with the insanely talented @denzikken and @fritzmetzger

Aurous is a Journey’s End fix-it in which the metacrisis Doctor has to save the Time Lord from himself (Not explicitly shippy, Rated T)

Auriferous is an optional (significantly less “Gen”) sequel for people who think Gen Fixits are all well and good, but want a little Tencest to round it out. (Rated M for implied sexual content)

Ten x Tentoo (mildly implied in Aurous, actively happening in Auriferous) Also some light background Donna x Rose (for flavor)

The Wizard (For the DW HopeZine Big Bang)

A Very Official Collaboration with the mad geniuses @denzikken and @fritzmetzger (Featuring So Much Amazing Art!)

Donna gets an alien pet. The Doctor does not approve. (The Doctor also does not get a vote.)

Open to Interpretation (platonic, shippy, whatever)

Rated T

Promise You Won't Do It Again

A super unofficial collaboration with @theoreticalabsurdity, @echo84, @krebkrebkreb and @picnokinesis because the Jack x Thirteen crew is just Good at peer pressure

A series of (mostly fake) proposals

Thirteen x Jack

Rated T

Special thanks to anyone who’s read, given kudos, and/or commented on anything I’ve put together! Lots of love to the whole fandom!

50 notes • Posted 2021-08-31 11:45:38 GMT

#2

Queens of Hearts

68 notes • Posted 2021-02-04 12:36:36 GMT

#1

How Jack Got His Room Back

107 notes • Posted 2021-01-06 12:40:32 GMT

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