#i really need to do an eden run soon SIGH

[awakened-void-deity]

my two sky oc/avatars and their names <3

Comet has. TOO MANY colours but all of them were colour picked from the actual outfits unlike Krill- and. subject to change ofc but! they have colours! so!

Im so sad that i have comet's outfit as only a spell but i didnt have the candles at the time i was able to buy it so i have to wait a whole year [optimisticly speaking] qwq...

I love the contast between both ngl, theyre so cool...im really comfortable w/ Comet's look in-game rn so ive just been hanging around in that fit lol

[In-game looks in case we somehow run into each other!]

[took these using the spell, i only have the basic outfit currently, but hopefully some day...qwq]

[otomehonyaku]

Diabolik Lovers Lost Eden Stellaworth Tokuten Short Stories スペシャル特典小冊子 ☽ Yuma ver.

This short story booklet was part of the Stellaworth set for Lost Eden! Keep reading below the cut for Yuma's version. Kou's and Azusa's are coming soon!

S ☽ [Ayato’s version by @kyouxa] [Laito’s version by @kyouxa] [Shuu’s version] [Reiji’s version] [Kanato’s version] [Subaru’s version]

M ☽ [Ruki’s version] [Yuma's version] [Kou’s version] [Azusa’s version]

TK ☽ [Carla’s version] [Shin’s version] [Kino’s version]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As always, special thanks to @karleksmumskladdkaka for providing the scans ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I wanted to atone for my sins, that bastard–Shuu had said. 

At the time, I thought he was fucking with me, but when I thought about it, I realised I might actually be trying to do the same..

☽

“Fuck… Where’d that pipsqueak go?” I barged through the streets in a quiet Eden. 

Eden is about as big as it looks. It’s got plenty of hiding places, which I knew from the time I spent here growing up. That meant that trying to find someone here was next to impossible.

To make matters worse, the person I was looking for was about as tiny as a sprout. 

“Yuma?”

When I turned the corner, the person I saw unfortunately wasn’t the kid I was looking for… or so I thought. There he was, staring up at me in amazement from my girl’s arms.

“Huh, so he was with you…”

I sighed heavily. He seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly, too, completely oblivious to my relief. 

As soon as the kid became able to move on his own, he disappeared as soon as you took your eyes off him. It’s not like the pipsqueak could actually run around and get very far, but his unpredictable movements made me anxious to lose sight of him.

“Jeez… I thought he’d be a bit more well-behaved.”

Unlike that pain-in-the-ass, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Don’t you think he’s starting to resemble you, Yuma?”

“What? You don’t know that. He can’t even talk yet.”

“I know, but… When I see you two side by side, you do kind of look alike. Maybe because you spend so much time together.”

I fell silent. She looked me in the eye, a kind smile on her face. She probably saw right through my behaviour, too.

The reason why I needed to protect this… this kid… was it really because I wanted to atone for my sins? I suddenly pondered that question. Boss was killed under my watch–twice–and then Shuu went and died on me too. Those sins of mine might’ve been weighing on me more than I’d initially thought.

Still, even if I make amends, that bastard is no longer around to see it. And it’s not just him. I lost everything dear to me many times over, and even the most important things to me now I can count on one hand.

And that’s when this little creature came into my life. 

I had to protect him. I couldn’t just let him die like I had let the others die. At least, that’s what I thought–that I wanted to repent. But at the same time, I was also kinda hesitant to attribute that sentiment to something else.

She didn’t beat around the bush, though–she told me it was love.

“Ah, did we wake you?”

The kid, who’d been cooped up in her arms, slowly stirred awake. He opened his eyes, still a bit sleepy, and looked in my direction as he yawned unabashedly. A big, carefree yawn. The fact that his languid expression reminded me of a certain someone irritated me, but I felt myself relax a little, too.

“Not a single thought going on in that lil’ head, huh? Just like that NEET.”

She laughed.

“C’mere. I’ll hold him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, ��n gimme your hand, too.”

I grabbed her small hand in mine while I held the baby in the other. These were the two people I wanted to protect most of all. Their warmth proved that they were alive and well, and when they were near me, my mind went in all sorts of foolish directions.

Even if this was my atonement, I strongly felt that I never, ever wanted to lose these two. And that was enough for me. It wasn’t really in my nature to worry about these kinds of things, after all.

Having put my doubts behind me, I felt myself getting tired, too. I couldn’t hold back a yawn. 

“Ah, look at him.”

The kid stared up at us as he yawned in the exact same way, earning a chuckle from my girl.

[cupid-styles]

https://www.tumblr.com/cupid-styles/733368300315213824/my-eye-is-physically-twitching-bc-i-just-thought

Yes please!! It’d be so cute to see Harry really step up and become the very doting father figure, super cautious with the kid and turning very silly while playing games. While y/n is just watching it all happen and getting more of a crush on her baby daddy. They’d be so cute 🥰

this is a lil bit longer than I anticipated it being fjsjsksjdjs and I also changed some things around butttttt I hope u enjoy !!!!!! . . .

”What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Harry, she’s three.”

“Three year olds have opinions.”

Y/N sighs as she twists her hair up into a claw clip. She notices his grip tighten on the steering wheel as he pulls into the driveway of her sister’s house, where they’re spending the night babysitting her niece.

(What had started out as a favor for her sister was now an experiment in co-parenting and toddler communication skills — once Harry found out she was doing this, he wanted in. And frankly, it was damn near impossible to say no to him, especially since he had a minimum of two parenting books on him at all times.)

“You’ll be fine. Stop stressing.” She mumbles when he puts the car in park, climbing out of the car, a hand pressed against her budding stomach. She’s a few weeks out from her fifth month, nearly halfway through, and her bump seems to be growing by the day — not that Harry’s complaining.

With their bags over his shoulder, Y/N’s sister, Rena, answers the door as they’re approaching it. She’s sweet — much friendlier than Y/N — and doesn’t mention anything about their unusual circumstances, much to Harry’s relief. She gives them a rundown of everything they need to know (she and her partner are going away for the weekend), complete with a 5-page packet on the dining room table consisting of Eden, Y/N’s niece, favorite foods, nighttime routine, and the names of her stuffed animals.

It’s all going pretty well until Rena and her boyfriend attempt to leave. That’s when the breakdown ensues.

It’s a mess of ear piercing screams and crying on Eden’s behalf. Every time Rena tries to put her down, her chubby little hands just grip her shirt tighter, burying her face into her neck through her loud wales.

“Edie, c’mon baby,” Y/N tries to soothe her, doing her best to maneuver her little body from Rena’s to hers, “Mommy and daddy are gonna be back so soon! In the meantime, you get to have fun with me and Uncle Harry!”

Harry’s heart swells at that and he clears his throat, stepping forward.

“Eden, I know it’s scary. We all get a little nervous sometimes.” He murmurs, testing the waters by reaching out to smooth his palm over her messy hair, “Right, Y/N?”

“Auntie Y/N gets nervous all the time, bug. But I promise, we’re gonna have the best night together.”

Eden sniffles, eyes peering over her mother’s shoulder to size Harry up. Finally, she loosens the fist clutching her shirt.

“Uncle Harry, do you like Peppa Pig?”

. . .

Rena and her boyfriend all but made a run for it the second Eden showed some sort of comfort. As soon as she allowed her mom to put her down, she wrapped her fingers around Harry’s hand and guided him to the living room, requesting that he put Peppa Pig on. The more he showed interest, the more she trusted him — currently, they were playing princess tea party, with a tiara tucked into Harry’s curls as they sip imaginary concoctions to the tune of Peppa’s snorts.

“Edie, it’s time to get ready for bed,” Y/N says sometime around 7:30. Per the packet left by Rena, her usual bedtime is 7, but Harry pushed her off for another half an hour.

“No!” Eden immediately yelps with a stubborn shake of her head.

“We can keep playing tomorrow, bug—“

“Not sleepy!” She exclaims, even though her eyes are already hazy with exhaustion.

“Eden, it’s past your bedtime. It’s time to go upstairs.”

For the second time that day, Eden begins to wale in Y/N’s face. Her lips part and Harry watches on as her cheeks redden, his stomach tight with anxiety from the discomfort of the situation.

“Why don’t we just start with brushing our teeth and putting our jammies on?” Harry speaks up, “You can pick out a book to read, too.”

In classic toddler fashion, her cries immediately cease and she nods her head sadly, her bottom lip formed in a pout. He chuckles at that and Y/N swallows a sigh, standing from the couch.

“No!” Eden suddenly exclaims, and Harry’s stomach drops again, “Want Uncle Harry. Not Auntie Y/N.”

Y/N blinks before sitting back down, giving a curt nod to Harry.

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

Feeling guilty, he nods, accepting Eden’s small hand in his as they go upstairs to her bedroom.

. . .

Y/N has never cried in front of Harry, but she supposed there’s a first for everything.

When he comes back down from putting Eden to sleep, she can’t even pretend like her eyes aren’t watery, cheeks stained with salty tears and a tired chest from keeping her sobs silent. As soon as he sets his eyes on her, he rushes over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Shhh,” he murmurs into her hair, “Breathe, Y/N, you’re okay.”

“I’m— I’m gonna be s-such a shit mom!”

His heart breaks and he shakes his head, holding her even tighter to his chest.

“Don’t say that, it’s not even close to the truth. You’re gonna be amazing.”

“S-she hates me though! And she loves you! That’s what the next 18 years a-are gonna be!”

“Y/N,” Harry sighs, leaning down to catch her eyes. He presses a gentle thumb to her face, wiping away the fallen tears. “She’s a toddler. She’ll hate me tomorrow and forget who I am in a week. Three is a tough age, I just finished the toddler chapter in that parenting book I’m reading.”

She swallows a hiccup, smiling gently. His recent addiction to parenting books always makes her laugh, even if she teases him about them all the time.

A silence takes over as he continues rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades. She sniffles periodically before peering up at him through slightly damp eyelashes.

“Do your parenting books say anything about ordering ice cream for dessert?”

A dimpled smirk appears on his face. “Mm, not sure. I brought a few, we can look through them together.”

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 17]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.2K

[Chapter warning(s): Mentions of anxiety attack, running away]

Mingi laid sprawled out on his bed, staring at the ceiling. What secret about you were Hongjoong and Wooyoung hiding? And the fact that they were over at your house. Mingi liked to think he became close enough with you that you could have shared things with him. He had been thinking about this for the past 5 days.

It was the middle of the day and Mingi needed to leave for the studio soon but he knew Hongjoong was the only other person in the dorm. It was the perfect time for Mingi to speak to him.

"Hey, Hongjoong hyung?" Mingi asked as he caught the captain in the kitchen of the dorm. Hongjoong hummed to tell the taller than he was listening.

"Did Eden hyung say when Indigo would be back?" He gulped. Hongjoong stopped spread the butter on his toast.

"Not sure. Last we spoke, she said it shouldn't be too long though. I think she'll be back in the studio soon." Hongjoong replied, taking a bite of his food. Mingi noded his head slowly.

"You spoke to her?"

"Briefly." Hongjoong shrugged. Briefly? Mingi knew for a fact that Hongjoong has been visiting you at your house to work.

"Hey, Mingi ah..." Hongjoong suddenly called him name, making Mingi snap out of his thoughts and focus. He looked to the captain with a questioning look. Hongjoong swallowed his food, the serious look not leaving his face.

"You should speak to her. I think she could use your support." Hongjoong advised.

"She... told you that?"

"No. But she asked me about you and said you haven't contacted her since she started working from home. Why?" Hongjoong asked. Mingi pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.

"Did you fight with her? Something happened that I have no awareness of?" Hongjoong asked.

"It's nothing like that, we didn't fight. I did speak to her when she went home after song camp and she said she was okay..." Mingi knew his excuse was terrible.

"You're the only one in our team that hasn't been in contact with her or asked her how she has been. And I can tell that she's disappointed. At the same time, I know you care about her. Don't deny it because if you didn't care, you wouldn't be standing there, asking me about her." Hongjoong said.

"Ah... But hyung..." Mingi rubbed the back of his neck, not sheepishly but more in embarrassment. He didn't want to read into Hongjoong's words too much but... were you really disappointed?

"I know at the same time, she can be the one to reach out first. But she's our friend, Mingi ah. It would be nice to show that we care about her and are here for her."

"I do care about her and am here for her." Mingi replied.

"Then check in with her. I think she would really appreciate knowing the support that she has." Hongjoong adviced.

"Alright, thanks, hyung. I'm going to the studio now." Mingi turned and went back to his room. He groaned, falling back down onto his bed. He laid there for a few seconds before sitting up to change out of his pajamas.

"Bye, hyung." Mingi said. Hongjoong waved goodbye, mouth full of food. Mingi didn't bother to comb his hair, adjusting his cap and leaving the dorm to work in the studio.

"What time should I come pick you up?" The manager asked as he dropped Mingi off.

"I'll let you know, hyung. Thanks." Mingi said and closed the door. He looked up at the building and sighed before walking in.

Honestly, Mingi hadn't been productive in the studio. Forcing the music was just making things worse. All his lyric drafts have been just sad and depressing.

His studio was always his escape. It was a place where he could pour his feelings and soul out to, because he didn't know how to express them verbally. But now, his studio was a reminder of how things haven't been working out for him. It made him feel anxious and frustrated with himself.

"How do I tell you my feelings when I don't even know my feelings? It's hard to express myself." He rapped into his mic.

"No, that's not it." He let the instrumental continue to play as he leaned back into his seat.

"Oh, Mingi. You're here today."

"Yeah, hoping to try and get some work done today, hyung. My company has been giving me a lot of allowances. I should give them something to work with." Mingi sat up in his seat.

"Hmm... Alright, all the best." The other male nodded his head with a hum before closing the door.

"Ah, forget this." Mingi took his phone out. He scrolled in his contacts until he found your name. His finger hovered over the button.

"Hello, Mings?"

"H-Hey, Indigo. Are you busy? Can you talk?" Mingi stuttered nervously. He heard your keyboard clacking in the background and now wondered if this was a mistake or not. Maybe he should have dropped you a text before calling.

"No, I'm not busy. Just working on some emails and replies so don't mind the typing in the background. What's up? I haven't spoken to you in a while. How have you been?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I've just been busy and I thought you would be busy too so I didn't want to bother you. I'm doing okay." Mingi lied.

"I'm glad to hear that. And thank you for respecting my space but I'm always down to speak to you."

"Really?" Mingi couldn't even hide his shock. He slapped a hand over his mouth when he realised that he let that 'really?' slip out. But you laughed on the other end.

"Yes, really. I like speaking with you, Mings."

"I-I do too. Like speaking with you... H-How about you? Have you been okay?" He asked, realising that he didn't even ask you.

"Hmm, I guess I have been okay. You know that feeling... when you feel like you have done a lot but at the same time, you feel like you've done or accomplished nothing? I don't know how to explain it."

"Yeah, no, I completely understand how you feel. I know that feeling all to well..." Mingi sighed. He had been feeling this for so long when working on his lyrics and his music. No one else has ever expressed that feeling to him before so he always thought he was the only one that knew what that feeling was.

"I'm glad you understand. I would say that my life is like a light switch now. I'm either working or just dealing with my personal life, there's no other option or in between. On and off."

"Please take care of yourself too, Indigo. Work can be done later, you have to rest too." Mingi said.

"Hahaha, are you worried about me?"

"Of course I am. I always worry about you not taking care of yourself. You work so hard that you forget to care for your own wellbeing and health." Mingi confessed.

"Thanks, Mings. I hope you're taking care of yourself too. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."

"Do you know when you're coming back to the studio?" Mingi asked.

"Sorry, I do not know. Trust me, I miss seeing all of you and being in the studio. Heck, I even miss the chaos you guys bring. But I can't afford to be away now."

"Don't be sorry. Some things take priority over work, that's completely understandable." Mingi softened, even if you couldn't see him. It pained him to hear the disappointment and desperation in your voice.

"Thanks for the reassurance, Mings. I'll be back soon! So don't miss me too much."

"I look forward to seeing you soon." Mingi let out a silent wince at his words. Why was he suddenly speaking like that? Like he was reading out a business email of sorts.

"Don't be a stranger!"

"I won't... Actually, Indigo?" Mingi gulped, stopping you from hanging up. You let out a hum to tell him that you hadn't hung up yet.

"You can always text, call or come to me if you need someone to talk to... I'm never too busy for you." He said.

"...Thanks, Mingi ah."

With that, you and Mingi ended the call. Mingi put a hand over his racing heart. He felt like it was going to jump out of his chest soon, to the point where he was light headed.

"Song Mingi, you're crazy." He said to himself. Mingi stood up and started jumping on the spot, punching the air repeatedly.

"Okay, back to work." He sat back down and tried to work.

Just as Mingi hung up, Haneul woke up from her nap. She sat in your lap, yawning tiredly while you gently combed the knots out of her hair. Despite Haneul being away from her kindergarten, you had bought some books for her to read and practice so she wouldn't be behind when she goes back.

"Shall we do some colouring after this? We can use the new books that we bought the other day." You asked her. She blinked tiredly but nodded her head.

"Are you hungry?" You thought maybe a snack might wake her up.

"Yoghurt... Please." She mumbled. You set her down on her feet and held her hand to go to the kitchen.

"What flavour do you want?" You held her up. She pointed at the peach yoghurt tube. You leaned in so she could take it out of the box on her own.

"Here you go." You cut open the tube for her, sitting her next to you on the couch as you watch television.

"I should give yoghurt to Hongjoong oppa." Haneul said.

"I'm sure he would be very thankful. You can give it to him the next time he comes over. Do you really like hanging out with the oppas?" You turned to her with a soft smile. She nodded her head with a hum, licking the yoghurt off her lips.

"What if... I told you there were more oppas? Who are just as fun as Hongjoong and Wooyoung? Would you want to be friends with them too?" You asked, thinking about the other 6.

"Were they the oppas dancing in the video with Wooyoung oppa?" She clarified. You nodded, remembering Wooyoung showing her 'Wave'.

"Do they like yoghurt too?" She questioned, as if that was the deal breaker for her.

"I guess so?" You scratched your head.

"Maybe I'll be friends with them. They're friends with Hongjoong and Wooyoung, right?" She checked. You nodded in confirmation.

"When can I meet them?" You were surprised by her follow up question. It was originally just an idea that you threw out there, unsure of whether she could be keen to meet strangers.

"Soon, baby." You patted her head with a smile. When she was done with her yoghurt, you did some colouring and learning with her. Honestly, Haneul picked up information really fast. She was a smart kid and you weren't just saying that because you loved her. Even her teacher could attest to that.

You watched Haneul with a soft smile. The fact was that ahjumma said she would be back at the orphanage in a week. That means Haneul would be going back in a week.

"Baby, you know I love you, right?" You said softly. Haneul looked up from her drawing and nodded.

"I wish I could have you with me all the time. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? I know you're working. That's why I live with ahjumma." Haneul tilted her head, frowning in slight confusion. Maybe it was good that she didn't read into it so much.

"Thank you for understanding. You're so smart." You moved her to your lap and kissed her cheek.

"Why do you work so much, unnie?" She asked you .

"To me, it's not work. I like making music, just like how you like drawing. I work with people like Hongjoong and Wooyoung, it doesn't feel like work." You tried your best to explain it to her. She seemed to process your words.

"I would want to work with Hongjoong oppa and Wooyoung oppa too. I think it will be fun." She shrugged, understanding your rationale. You threw your head back in laughter.

"They are. The other oppas are all fun to work with too." You laughed. After spending more time, you got up to start working on dinner.

"I'll be in the kitchen cooking dinner, alright baby? Just let me know if you need me." You told her. Haneul nodded, laying on her stomach to continue her colour.

"Where's my phone?" You looked around, realising you left the device in your studio.

*1 missed call from: Hongjoong*

"Hello? Hey, sorry I missed your call, Joong. What's up?" You called him back as you made your way to the kitchen. Hanuel looked up at the mention of 'Joong', walking and looking up at you with puppy eyes. You guessed she was silently asking you for a turn to speak with Hongjoong.

"Hang on, Hanuel." You chuckled, turning your attention back to Hongjoong.

"Have you spoken to Mingi?"

"We spoke earlier... Why?" You frowned, not liking how his tone was. He sounded frazzled and out of breath.

"Mingi's missing. He texted our manager the time to pick him up from the studio but he wasn't there. He just disappeared and he's been uncontactable. Even Yunho can't reach him."

"What?! Missing?" You felt your heart sink at Hongjoong's words. How could Mingi go missing when you were just speaking to him.

"H-He was fine when we spoke earlier. We just talked about how we've been doing... Where could he be?" You tried not to completely panic with Haneul watching you.

"I'm worried about his anxiety... You know when his music isn't working out. Could you try to reach him? I think Mingi might answer to you."

"I'll try." You hung up. Despite Haneul whining that you didn't give her a chance to speak to Hongjoong, you just proceeded to contact Mingi. The phone rang for the longest time and you assumed it would go dead until Mingi picked up.

"Mings? Are you okay?" You asked, not even bothering to try and hide your fear and panic. But there was no reply, all you could hear was the sound of his breathing.

"Mings, please tell me where you are..." You were full on begging now.

"I don't want you to see me like this..."

"You said I could always go to you if I need someone so I want to go to you now. I'll come on my own. Please tell me where you are." You tried again.

"I'm at Han River..."

"Stay there. I swear, Song Mingi, if you're not there. I won't ever forgive you." You threatened.

"I'll wait for you here."

You hung up and sent a text to Hongjoong and Wooyoung. There wasn't time for them to come so on the way to Han River, you dropped Haneul at their house. It didn't matter that the other boys would know about Haneul. You knew you needed to prioritise other things now.

"Where are you going, unnie?" Haneul asked as you arrived at the lobby of the Ateez dorm.

"I've got something important to do. Can you stay with Hongjoong and Wooyoung until then? I'll be back really quickly soon." You kissed her forehead.

"Okay!" Of course Haneul was just excited at the thought of seeing and playing with the two oppas. Hongjoong came down and ran over while you pulled your mask up. Haneul hugged him.

"Where is he?" Hongjoong asked as he bent down to pick Haneul up and carry her.

"Han River... But I told him I would come on my own." You informed.

You didn't waste more time, rushing to Han River. When you arrived, you looked around for Mingi. Until you saw his tall figure leaning against the railing.

"Yah, Song Mingi!" You yelled, not caring who could hear you. Mingi looked up and saw you.

"Indigo..." He didn't think you would actually come.

"You..." You couldn't help it, tears started streaming down your cheeks. You have never felt so many emotions at once, it was overwhelming and foreign. Mingi was shocked by your crying. He drew you into his chest, cradling him.

"Don't ever do that again." You cried, hitting his chest with your balled fists. Sure, you were probably overreacting but hearing Hongjoong say Mingi was missing struck so much fear in you.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"You scared me." You whimpered. Mingi let you cry against him, his arms holding you closer. His heart ached at the sound of your sobs.

"Why did you run away? I thought you were okay when we spoke on the phone earlier." You asked, words slightly muffled by your face pressed into his chest.

"I thought I was okay... I don't know... Things just got overwhelming for me and I started spiralling fast. My music hasn't been working out, nothing has been working out. What's the point in going to the studio when I can't even write a single lyric? I can't even do the basics now. I'm the only member to take so many breaks."

"Pabo! That doesn't mean you just run away!" You yelled at him, fear and sadness turning into anger.

"I'm sorry." Mingi's head hung down. You wrapped your arms around him, feeling a fresh batch of tears come. It also hurt you to see Mingi like this.

"My anxiety will always hold me back." He said guiltily.

"Don't say that, Mings. Don't say that about yourself." You shook your head. Mingi tugged your tear soaked mask down, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

"You don't realise how amazing you are. So what? Your music isn't working out now. Doesn't mean it will be like that forever." You looked up at him. Upon meeting your gaze, Mingi smiled softly.

"The first time I'm seeing you again in two weeks is like this." He said in disbelief. He wanted to welcome you back properly.

"Tch, it's only been two weeks. I didn't go off to war." You scoffed. With his sleeve, Mingi reached down to gently wipe your cheeks. The two of you stared at each other without a word. There were definitely things to say but not for this moment.

This situation was too fragile and vulnerable to talk about other things. You just decided to sit down by the river. Mingi kept his arm around you as you leaned against him.

"I know how it's like... To just bottle everything up. But you can't let it get to point where it all comes bursting out." You said.

"I don't express myself well." Mingi sighed.

"You don't have to express yourself well. I don't care, I don't need it in a poem or song. Just speak your mind so you don't keep everything in." You told him.

"Don't keep your feelings in too, Indigo. You're shouldering everything on your own." Mingi spoke.

"Let's promise not to bottle it up, okay? We'll stop each other from doing that and getting to our breaking point." You held your pinky up to him. Mingi looked at it but laced pinkies with you.

~

Series Masterlist

[msfcatlover]

Tim walking into Corruption!Damian's room, and gently placing a weird package down on Damian's desk while Damian watches. Tim giving Damian what Tim probably thinks is a meaningful look, taking in Damian's blank expression, and snorting. Tim rolling his eyes and just saying "You're welcome," before walking out again.

Damian has absolutely no idea what to make of it, until the eggs hatch.

A month later, Tim walks in with a slightly different package and does the exact same thing. Desk, stare, "You're welcome." Damian opens his mouth to ask, but Tim's already gone.

Tim keeps doing it, sometimes when Damian's not even in the room; Damian will just open his bedroom door, and there's a new package on his desk. Which would all be weird enough, if it weren't for the fact that the packages are all different. Different labels, different brands, different logos, even different languages on the labels & instructions.

Damian doesn't know what to do with all these moths. He can't let them loose, this isn't their native environment. He can't send them back, they're too fragile; he's terrified something will happen in transit, killing them all. He'd love to adopt them into his swarm, but Damian is unsure of exactly how that would work—he's never added anything, the moths simply chose him— plus, he doesn't know where the limits of his patron's generosity lie. At this point , Damian has more caterpillars than biomass to potentially hold them, and Damian doesn't want to crowd out the few resilient moths he has left, while also making life worse for the new ones.

(Damian probably shouldn't worry about that, given Jane Prentiss had a literal flood of worms at her command, but then, Damian's relationship with his swarm at this point in time is a hell of a lot healthier than Prentiss's. And the Corruption doesn't really do "healthy" in any way shape or form. So maybe he's right to.)

.

Damian ends up with a new greenhouse. He fills it with plants from around Nanda Parbat, but especially caters to the ailanthus trees he has shipped in. A perfect little Eden for his moths to inhabit.

Tim seems annoyed by this outcome. Damian finally loses patience, demanding to know what Tim thought the outcome would be. (What Tim's intentions were.)

Tim frowns, bemused. "You need more genetic diversity." Damian has no idea what he's talking about. "For your swarm," Tim clarifies.

"My swarm is fine!"

"Dames, you told me you had like 10 moths when you made it to Gotham." Tim raises his eyebrows, like he's stating the obvious. "You have to know that's not a healthy number. Right?"

Damian presses a hand to his chest, a protective tic Dick encouraged despite Damian learning years ago not to give away his feelings (especially not when they might risk his swarm.) "They're strong," he says, voice soft but firm, "they survived Grandfather, the Pit, my—recovery." (Damian doesn't like to think about those months, when his swarm was trapped under his skin, re-burrowing their tunnels, unable to spread their wings. The pain of his flesh being re-molded to its chosen purpose was nothing compared to the weeks Damian had thought the creatures he'd poured his whole being into nurturing, the special moths who changed in order to bond just with him, were extinct.) He glares at Tim. "We don't need your help."

"That's not what you said when I got back," Tim says with a smirk, and Damian looks away. Tim sighs. "I was going to stop soon anyway. Just... consider it, okay? None of us wants to deal with it if it turns out they're weak to the flu."

"They're moths," Damian snaps, more on instinct than anything else, "they can't get the flu."

"Actually, modern studies on transmissible disease—"

Damian scoffs and storms off. (Tim pats himself on the back for definitely winning that argument.)

.

Damian does not add Tim's foreign moths to his swarm. But... he does spend a lot of time in the greenhouse, reading or drawing, and letting his swarm run free. (Damian's their Hive, not their keeper. It's none of his business what his moths get up to when he lets them out to play.)

[inafieldofdaisies]

Happy Halloween from Calahan who is taking over the cult indefinitely (a.k.a. WIP Wednesday bcs I'm late, kinda) | "Sinners Welcome" Drabble

I had this idea floating around about doing an edit of Cal cosplaying as Joseph for Halloween, so here y'all go. I'm just so proud of it. I went as far as designing his tattoos myself as graphics to use. Below we got the story that goes with the edit, I will be posting it on AO3 soon, too. It gets nsfw towards the end because John do be sinnin'.

"Donovan.", Whitehorse called out as soon as Sabrina walked in through the door, a part of her feeling glad he was saving her from the compulsory morning small talk with Nancy. "Morning, Sheriff.", she sent him a small smile, noting the deep frown he wore for such an early hour. "Walk with me." He didn't wait for her to reply, heading towards the small kitchen in the Sheriff's Department. Silence took over as he waited for the coffee machine to grant him, if she had to guess, not his first dose of caffeine for the day. "Is everything okay?" "You're with Rookie today.", he mumbled as he took a sip from his mug, "Pratt called in sick, and I need someone to keep an eye on him." She nodded, "Fine by me." "Good, good.", his voice lowered, "To be frank, Hudson refused after hearing where they'd be headed." "Jesus, boss… you're making it sound like me and Gray are about to go to war.", Calahan poked his head into the room, lips twisting into a cheeky smile. Whitehorse's eyes narrowed as he smoothed down his mustache, "I'm more worried about you starting a war, Rookie." A snort left the younger Deputy, "Not on my to-do list, no worries." "I've heard that before.", he turned to Sabrina, "Donovan, just… try to keep him in check, will ya? Make sure he doesn't kill anyone." Calahan sent her a 'can you believe this guy' look over their boss' shoulder, "Will do." Whitehorse sighed, "The last thing I need is John Seed showing up out front, and makin' demands again. Am I clear, Rookie? Stay out of trouble." "As clear as this fine morning, sir.", the words were paired with a dramatic salute. "It's fucking overcast today, Rookie."

Sabrina bit back a laugh as he made a hasty escape before Calahan could raise his blood presure even more than he already had. "Kid." "What?", to an outsider the innocent look in Hartley's eyes would have been convincing enough, but by then she knew better, especially with the overall satisfied demeanor he had going on even after being prematurely scolded by Whitehorse. "Where are we going?" The smile that took over his face promised trouble, "Payin' good old Joe a visit." It's all he provided as an explanation before he spun on his heel and gestured for her to follow him. "I didn't get a coffee." There was an extra bounce to his step, strange giddiness, and he didn't even bother to stop when he muttered, "Already on it, Gray. It's waiting for you in the car. Chop-chop."

Minutes later, they were pulling at Joseph's Compound, the music Calahan had playing in the cruiser drawing the attention of the two Eden's Gate members manning the front gates to it. The fact they rested their hands on their holsters as he shut off the ignition wasn't lost on Sabrina. "Cal?" By the looks of it, he wasn't sharing her concerns about things going sideways on trigger-happy Peggie territory, "Yeah?" "Try not to make them angry… for me?" He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair before nodding quickly, "I will try my best, partner." She knew it was all she could really get from him as a promise, especially considering his previous run-ins with Joseph's men. There was a reason why Hudson had refused to tag along with him for the day - avoiding paperwork or having to talk him down from the edge. Chances were, their routine visit could result in a fight breaking out, punches being thrown or worse. Sabrina exited the car, following Hartley towards the entrance of the Compound as he strutted like he had no care in the world, headed straight for the cultists.

"Joseph called us in.", he announced and crossed his hands over his chest, regarding both men with a bored expression. "Morning.", she added, refusing to buckle under the scrutiny that somehow had ended up on her instead of Calahan. "Ask for Mercy.", one of the bearded men grumbled out, dark eyes revealing little as he extended his hand to point down the road behind him. "Well, that didn't sound menacing at all.", Sabrina remarked under her breath as she and Hartley followed the muddy path surrounded by fences on both sides on foot, and judging by how trodden it was, large processions from and to sermons weren't uncommon. The observation was just another awful reminder of how big of an influence the cult had, how many it had sucked in with its practices and empty promises. "Fucking weirdos. There better be a woman named Mercy waitin' or I'm-"

"You promised to stay calm.", she reminded him, gaze trained ahead in anticipation of anything malicious after the man's cryptic words, "I take it that you don't know who we're looking for?" Calahan snorted, "Not like I and Joseph's many wives hang out at the same spots. Hell, most of them don't even dare to look me in the eye, let alone come near me, like I'd seduce them just by breathing in their vicinity." "Rubbin' off your sin on them?", she asked jokingly. "Sins. Plural. I contain multitudes, Gray." Sabrina could feel everyone staring as two advanced ahead, a couple of houses and other small buildings coming into view, with a church towering over in the distance. There was a decent crowd around the spacious property despite the early hour. Men and women all dressed alike - in worn-out clothes bearing the symbol of their leader, the red Eden's Gate cross in stark contrast with their muted appearances. In the sea of beige and wary faces something captured her attention - a woman in a white vintage looking dress moved with conviction, but instead of coming to them and sparing them the hassle of looking for 'Mercy', she aimed for a redheaded man Sabrina had only seen on printed materials of the cult.

"That one, I know,", Calahan nodded towards him, coming to an abrupt stop and leaning in to whisper, "Jacob Seed, grumpy son of a bitch. Last person, I'd ask for directions, though." Without doubt, the oldest Seed did have a serious, over-disciplined aura about him, far different from the easy-going, dangerously charming act John put on in his attempts at recruiting new people for his brother's Project. Sabrina bit her lip as the woman with curly blonde hair tilted her head to look up at the man towering several inches over her, her demeanor relaxed in spite of the way Jacob was regarding her - like he wanted nothing to do with the interaction. As if he could sense the two sets of eyes watching them, his icy stare shifted from her to the Deputies standing a couple of feet away before he said something quietly and nodded in their direction. "Good morning, Jakey.", Calahan raised his hand in a mock wave, and the Seed brother sent him a frown before heading off the way the woman had come from without returning his greeting.

At the same time, she progressed forward, a friendly grin brightening her features as she came to a halt in front of Hartley, definitely not keeping a purposeful distance like the rest of Joseph's followers, "Deputies." He appeared completely taken aback by the bold move, especially with her deep brown eyes set on him. In ways she couldn't fault him, he had a weak spot for women, even more when he became their sole focus. Sabrina was the first to speak, "We were told to ask for Mercy." "That would be me. Mercedes Sibley. If you would follow me…", she spun around with that, uttering quiet hellos to people and leading them past the church where a house resided spaced out from the rest marked with phrases in latin. Sins, to be exact. Nothing was written above the doorway of this one, Sabrina realized. Mercedes pushed the door to the house open with her and Hartley close on her heels.

She wasn't sure what to expect from what she deemed as the home of a cult leader - somehow the plain walls in need of repaint adorned by a couple of portraits and newspaper clippings felt mundane, too normal. The short hallway led into an ordinary looking living room, where Mercedes made a right turn towards one of the open doorways, announcing in a far gentler voice as she reached it and moved aside so they can pass through first, "The Deputies are here, Father." Joseph Seed, the man that had built a giant statue of himself and pronounced himself as God's mouthpiece, sat in one of the chairs at that small kitchen table while his older brother stood nearby as if on guard duty. The gun and knife holster strapped to his tight certainly hinted at that. "Good morning, my name is Deputy Donovan, my colleague and I are here on a call.", Sabrina explained while Calahan remained silent, an unreadable expression coming over his features when his blue eyes set on the 'Father'.

"Shouldn't we call John, let him handle things?", Jacob grunted out, pretending like they weren't even in the room as Mercedes moved past him and resumed a position behind his brother. To Calahan's credit, he made none of the expected remarks, his serious demeanor beginning to worry Sabrina to an extent. "Somebody broke in, brother.", Mercedes glanced in the oldest Seed's direction, his gaze narrowing at the last word she had said in a sickly sweet tone, "Does it make sense to call in an attorney for that?" Joseph's eyes bounced between the Deputies, finally coming to rest on Hartley's, "Sit, Mercy, my child. There's no need to call John at the moment." Mercedes complied by slipping into the chair next to his, silently hinting for Sabrina to do the same. She cleared her throat, settling into her seat across from the woman before pulling out her report notebook and laying it down on the table, "How about we start from the beginning then?"

Calahan loomed behind her, hand grasping the back of her chair, standing watch just like Jacob was for his brother. Joseph pushed his sunglasses up his nose before leaning forward, hands clasped in front of him, "I went to bed last night, and nothing was out of place. After waking up this morning, I noticed a couple of things were missing." Sabrina noted his words down, tapping her pen on the page, trying to avoid any unnecessary eye contact, "Things as in?" She couldn't imagine how stuffy the room would feel if John had been there too to make demands, possess the conversation. How fully outnumbered they'd be then. "Personal belongings.", Jacob cut in. "We would need a list of anything that's been taken, Mr. Seed.", Sabrina sent him a quick glance, just in time to catch his eyes darting to Mercedes. Interesting. "My old Bible,", Joseph began, lips pursed in disdain, "an engraved belt, a black custom blazer and… my rosary. I believe that's all."

"Okay.", it was a strange list of items to be stolen, but Sabrina didn't say anything as she jotted down each item, "Any sign of forced entry, or better yet, can we take a look around ourselves?" "I still think we should call John.", Jacob grumbled out again, making Mercedes sigh quietly. "He doesn't lock any of the doors.", she said eventually. Calahan snorted at that, whatever energy for acting decent running its course, "So, the perp just… entered?" "Which is still a crime, is it not?", Mercedes asked slowly. "Technically, yes.", he chuckled, "But, Father here is making it a hundred times easier on thieves. So frankly, anyone living on the property could be a suspect. He's lucky nobody has done other serious crimes upon his person while he sleeps. A slit throat for example." "I trust my children, they would never steal from me, let alone hurt me.", Joseph argued. "Do you, now?", Calahan's voice took an edge, "Can they say the same about you, Father?"

"So much darkness,", the Father's eyes rose up to look over Sabrina's shoulder, "is trapped within you, child, looking for a way out. My family could help you, set you free from it." "I'd take no help from a man that doesn't even know how to protect his own home. If I were you, I'd worry more about the thief lurking amongst your people instead of my poor blackened soul… after all, stealing is a sin, is it not?" Jacob came closer, "It was an outsider, we are certain of it. So just do your job and find them." Sabrina nodded as she closed her notebook, "We will take a look around then." Mercedes rose up with that, "I can show you two-" "Sit down, Mercedes.", annoyance seeped into the command as Jacob strode past the table and out of the kitchen, calling out for Sabrina to follow him. He pointed at each door that led outside, the old floorboards groaning beneath his feet at almost every step he took. Calahan stayed behind in the kitchen doorway as she took notes, leaving her to ask questions and navigate the hostile waters.

"Your brother sleeps where?" His chin lifted up towards a doorway that led out of the living room, "Down that hall." "Heavy or light sleeper?" Jacob crossed his hands over his chest, impatience oozing from his body language, "How is this relevant?" "Considering I'm trying to determine most likely point of entry… it would be helpful. If you have better things to do, Mr. Seed, I'm sure Ms. Sibley won't mind taking it from here." His jaw ticked at the suggestion, "Light." Sabrina focus zeroed on the backdoor, and she walked back and forth a couple of times while scanning for any potential evidence the thief might have left behind, "Would you mind…" "I mind." It took a lot of willpower for her to not roll her eyes, reminding herself the quicker they wrap up the report, the sooner her and Calahan would be rid of dealing with the Seeds.

"It would be helpful if somebody with different stature-" Jacob repeated her movements before she could finish her sentence, then turned back to her with a 'are you happy now?' expression. "Thank you.", she lifted her attention from her notebook, making sure to pick her next words carefully, "Your brother claims the perp entered the house during the night while he was asleep." At his nod she continued, "And his floors aren't exactly-" His icy blue gaze narrowed at that, "What's your point, Deputy Donovan?" "I assume the items were in the room where he sleeps?" "Yes.", a hand scratched his bearded cheek. "And he didn't hear anything?" "Are you accusing my brother of lying?" It was at that point she began to wonder if John in fact had been around, he would have been easier to deal with, or he would have ended up avoiding answering her questions even more, especially with how cagey Jacob acted, like she wasn't there to help, but rather arrest Joseph.

"I'm not accusing Mr. Seed of anything. In an investigation every bit of information is useful, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. You called us, I'm just trying to do my job here." "Mercedes called you. I had nothing to do with this.", he corrected her coldly. Sabrina spared a quick look in Calahan's direction, finding him watching the two silently with a dark smirk from his previous spot, before she pulled the door leading out of the back of the house open. Her eyes remained casted downward, and she could feel Jacob standing close as he peeked over her shoulder at what had captured her interest. "Do many visitors use this door usually?" "No." At his confirmation, she crouched down, taking a picture of a fresh footprint left in the mud and measuring it with her hand roughly, she hushed the part of her telling her the size of the shoes the thief wore seemed to match Calahan's.

"So this is the point of entry?", he inquired for once as she got back up. "It would seem so.", she pocketed her notebook, "Anything of significance back there?" "That way leads off the property." Sabrina carefully avoided stepping over the only evidence left behind, her sights set on examining the path the perp had most likely took after snatching Joseph's belongings. "I will need to take a look then.", she didn't expect for the oldest Seed to follow, but he did, the crunch of leaves and twigs signaling his steady pace behind her. The silence only broken by the occasional chirping of birds around them was unnerving, even more paired with the fact she was being shadowed by an armed individual who wasn't exactly keen on her and Calahan's presence at his brother's Compound. Yet she refused to allow him the satisfaction of knowing he was making her uncomfortable, she had no doubt he would enjoy every second of it.

"I haven't seen you around before.", Jacob mumbled in an even tone as she advanced forward, watching her every step carefully as the path pretty much disappeared into an overgrown grass. If it was anyone else, his attempt at small talk would have made her smile, she'd probably would have tried to ease the person's unease at it, instead she kept her answer as short as possible, the same way he had before, "You folks don't exactly have a habit of asking for our help." A noise of agreement left him at the same time her boot caught on what she guessed was an exposed tree root, making her trip as she navigated the terrain soaked by the rain from the night prior. The dreaded faceplant never came thanks to the hand that wrapped around her upper arm and steadied her, followed by a dark chuckle. "Careful now, Sabrina." The fact he knew her first name despite remarking how he'd never seen her before was a red flag on its own and confirmed he knew more than he let on, the choice of using it at that exact moment though, was what gave her pause.

She held his stare in defiance before shaking off his hold, "I can handle myself." The bored expression swooped back in place as he lifted his shoulder, "Be my guest." Sabrina covered the remaining distance to the property line in a rush, worrying about what would await her upon returning to the house, if Calahan would have managed to keep his cool as promised. To her relief Jacob settled for keeping any further comments to himself, trekking a few feet away behind her until they reached the fence that was meant to keep intruders out. Or members trying to flee, in… A well-thought cut in the chainlink greeted them. The sought after point of entry and escape. "You're better at this than expected.", he remarked quietly, pulling at the fence as his face scrunched up into a frown. Sabrina pursed her lips at the offhand compliment before snapping a couple of pictures, "Not sure if I should say thank you or feel insulted."

All she got as reply was an unreadable look before he let go of the mesh the thief had snipped at to gain entry on the cult's land. "So perp goes through all this trouble, risks getting caught by your brother… for a belt, blazer and old bible?" "Locals have been know to do far stranger things to Eden's Gate property." "Still… are you certain nothing else is missing? Anything beside your patience, that is.", the last part she uttered out in a low voice, but judging by his reaction he heard it. All she could describe him as was appearing insulted at the bold but very true observation, "I'm absolutely patient." She raised an eyebrow and set off towards the way they came from, "Sure." "Far more patient than your partner back there.", the 'partner' part he said as an insult, clearly thinking as highly of Calahan as the young Deputy did of him. Just when she was convinced he would slip back into avoiding conversation, he spoke up again, hesitation lurking behind his words, "Do you think he was lying?"

It was quite obvious who he meant, still she settled for a simple, "Who?" "Joseph." "About which part?" The idea anyone, let alone someone so close to the Father was questioning something he claimed had happened, was certainly an unexpected outcome. By then Jacob had caught up, falling into step beside her, "Being asleep. Considering you were a detective…" "You read my records or something, Mr. Seed?" "Something like that." Sabrina sneaked a fleeting glance in his direction, "You actually want my professional opinion or is this some tactic you picked up from John?" "I want the truth." A sigh broke free as her eyes came to rest on the house that was drawing closer and closer, "Well, do you think your brother would sleep through a person entering his home, no, worse, his bedroom… rummaging through the space in the dark for the items while leaving no traces behind?"

"It was a compliment.", he muttered when they reached the backyard and he pushed his way inside first, his stony demeanor returning at once. Whatever doubts were plaguing him were none of her business, her sole focus as she followed in his wake was making sure Hartley was okay and staying true to his promise of peace. "Cal." Calahan had hardly moved from where she had left him and he gave her a puzzled look before asking, "We done here?" "I need like 5 minutes.", her smile was forced when she entered the kitchen where only Mercedes was still seated, while Joseph and Jacob were nowhere to be found. "He won't be pressing any charges…" Sabrina shifted in place, "We haven't established any suspects yet, Ms. Sibley." "I'm just saving you time, Deputy.", the blonde got up with that, smoothing down her dress, "John has decided to take it from here, figure out who's done it and make sure the incident doesn't repeat."

"You heard her, Gray.", Calahan added behind her, "We're off then, miss." He sent Mercedes one of his signature winks before storming out of the house, and to her credit she appeared completely unfazed in comparison to the usual response he got from women, "I will see you out." Sabrina nodded and set out after her, meeting up with Hartley who was waiting for her outside by the entrance. With a final wave from the woman, the two were off on their way back to their cruiser, quickly becoming the center of attention once more. A couple of feet down the dirt path she spotted another familiar face that stared at her anytime she would turn on her TV or drive through town. The man that had decided to take over the 'investigation', believing he was more capable. John was engaged in a hushed conversation with Jacob, pausing whatever he was saying to steal a look at her.

"I feel like we're animals in a zoo." Calahan let out a chuckle, "Sadly no petting, though. Speaking off…" To her horror, his voice rose as they passed the two Seed brothers, drawing in even more eyes to them. "Anyone feelin' like sinnin' tonight?", he hollered cheerfully, "Halloween party at the Spread Eagle. Girls, I'd even buy you a drink. Dancing's on the menu, too, followed by other activities if you're lucky." The dark expression that came over John's face was enough for her hands to wrap around his arm and squeeze his bicep in a warning as she whispered under her breath, "You promised to behave." "I behaved plenty.", his smirk was full of pride, "Plus, look at Johnny, I'm pretty certain I saw a vein in his forehead pop, I need to get closer to see-" She ushered him along, knowing things were bound to end well if he and John were to butt heads right then and there, "Follow the path, kid." To the youngest Seed credit, he refrained from giving them a piece of his mind, and Sabrina wasn't sure if it was thanks to the crows and his brother watching his every move or because he was planning another appearance in front of the Sheriff's and making Whitehorse's day hell.

"Do you think I'd get lots of candy, Rin-Rin?", Savannah asked with an excited smile as she peeked over the back of the couch. Sabrina sank in the empty space next to her, and her sister snuggled into her embrace, "Even if you don't.", her voice lowered like she was about to share a little secret, "I hid a stash for you someplace in the house." Excitement shone in her green eyes, "My favorite candy?" "Of course, pumpkin." "You know, bats use echolocation to find their food?" Sabrina released a chuckle,  "Then it's even more fitting." A knock sounded, making her rise up from her seat, curiosity swooping at who was stopping by when Ms. Darcy wasn't meant to be there for a good couple of hours. She swung the door open, finding Calahan leaning against the doorframe with one of his usual grins, a black duffel bag hanging off his shoulder, a familiar pair of yellow tinted shades covering his eyes.

"Hey." "Kid?, she gave him a confused look as he pushed his way inside, "I thought we were meeting at the bar?" "Tiny!", he greeted Savannah, and before he could blink, a blur of red curls was rushing at him, and he scooped her sister up like she weighted nothing. "Uncle Cal,", small hands came to rest on his shoulders, as her mood brightened even more at the surprise visit, "did you come to see my costume?" "Of course, Sav. You're going to be the cutest bat." He lowered her back onto the ground, turning to Sabrina with a determined expression, "Speaking of costumes, Gray…" There was twinkle in his baby blues as he regarded her, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was just as excited for the holiday as Savannah. "You're yet to tell me what you're even going as.", she raised an eyebrow in a question, having no idea what he would actually pick. His lips twisted into a smirk, "A beloved character, if you will."

"Oh?" "And I kind of need your help… seeing how you're the one with artistic skills, especially compared to little old me." Sabrina nodded, "What are we talking?" Calahan's response was to chuck the duffel bag at her, and she caught it swiftly before dropping it on the floor and unzipping it to see what he had brought along as materials. Her hands lifted a pair of dark gray jeans that laid on top, covering the rest of the items inside, and she needed a moment to process what she was staring at. A belt engraved with the Eden's Gate cross. A black blazer. A well-worn bible that looked like it was close to falling apart. No, not a bible, rather than a Joseph's version of it. A rosary was at the bottom, confirming her suspicions further. "Calahan.", Sabrina muttered in disbelief as her gaze rose up to his, registering the sheepish expression he wore at the discovery.

"Yeah?" "It was you." "No comment." "I-", she shook her head, "I have no idea what to say." "Say you will help me by drawing a couple of tattoos for me?", he paired the words with puppy dog eyes for good measure. "Jesus, Cal." "You're in troubleeee.", Savannah giggled behind him, completely oblivious to the fact her beloved uncle had committed a crime, broke the law when he was supposed to enforce it. "Pretty, please?", his voice dipped, "I went through so much s-", he stopped himself before a curse slipped out, "stuff to get them… I'd draw the tats myself, but well… angles aren't exactly friend, and I feel like this look deserves more, you know?" "And Whitehorse?" "You heard Mercy, there's no case for us to worry about. Joseph can, uh, fluff off." Sabrina sighed, "I can't believe this."

He shimmied towards her to pick up the bag, "That a yes?" "I-" "Say yes. I knoooow, wrong brother.", he tried mimicking John's usual tone from his broadcasts, successfully making her laugh as her frown melted away. "You're going to owe me one." Calahan made a cross over his heart, "Goes without sayin'." She took a deep breath before pointing at the hallway that led upstairs, "Bedroom then, I will be right up." "Not something I expected to hear from you.", he wiggled his eyebrows before disappearing up the stairs. "Sav, I will help uncle Cal with his costume for the party, I won't be long, okay?" Her sister nodded excitedly, a rush coursing through her system like she had already gone through the candy reserve hidden for her, "I can't wait to see his." Sabrina winced at the idea Calahan most likely planned on going shirtless that evening and showing off as much as he could, "Behave while I'm gone, okay? If you need anything, just holler." "Okay.", Savannah's attention shifted back to the TV, and Sabrina rushed out of the living room and towards her bedroom.

Hartley had made himself at home in one of her armchairs, jumping to his feet as soon as she came into view. "Ready?" Sabrina rubbed her forehead as she rummaged through the drawer that held all body paints she had left from previous Halloweens, "Don't expect miracles." "Want to see my sharpie rendition of Joe's tattoos? Then we can talk about failures.", he asked before lifting his shirt over his head, "I showered before coming over, by the way." Sabrina gestured to the chair in front of her vanity as she selected what brushes she might need, "You're a lot, you know that?" "Just try not to fall in love.", Hartley added jokingly as he shuffled over, muscles flexing as he sat down in his designated spot. "That won't be an issue." Her disbelief made him laugh out loud before he muttered, "It's a thing. Like for real." "Then maybe Mary May would tonight?"

"Doubtful.", his tone became sober for a second, regret swooping in, then another grin erased his scowl, "I found you pictures." Sabrina released a dramatic sigh of relief, "Good, because it ain't like I've seen Joseph naked, so you'd be getting generic tattoos without references. You're lucky you're not getting prison ones, consider you committed a crime last night." "Pfft, he has extras of everything I took. The only reason he called us in was because he couldn't believe someone had the guts to enter his actual house." She didn't bother to point out the bible looked treasured, somewhat irreplaceable based on its state. The fact Joseph might value the items wasn't going to change Hartley's mind and make him return what he stole, not even because of the risk he might get into trouble with Whitehorse, but simply for the idea he refused to bow down to any of the Seeds. He pulled out his phone, presenting a couple of shots from sermons the Project no doubt used to promote themselves.

"You know, for a cult that hates technology and sinning, they sure are relying hard on both to lure people in…", Sabrina uttered out, beginning with a crudely done, faded reddish tattoo on his right clavicle, spelling 'Sloth'. Calahan snorted, "Have you seen John? Fucker is the very definition of honey trap, then you have Faith… Hell, the little lady from this morning certainly was one too." "Both brothers were acting strange around her." "Jacob?", he huffed at the idea, "Ain't no way. John, I can picture being frustrated as fuck and losing his mind at the fact his brother banned sex." "Whatever you say." "All that talk of sin, like come on.", he argued, "Folks are talkin' about him and his life before the Project…" "I suspect I don't wanna know." His grin remained in place, fully fueled by the fact he was getting what he wanted while gossiping about the family that was a thorn in the County's side, "Oakley and I made a bet after hearin' some interesting things from Addie. $50 says he has a sex room at the ranch Joe knows nothing about."

"And how exactly would you confirm that?", Sabrina's next step was painting a black-and-white crown adorned by the cult's cross and to Calahan's credit, even with all the unleashed energy within him, he remained seated without fidgeting too much. "No clue.", he began slowly, sounding like he was actually considering the idea, "I ain't takin' one for the team, that's for sure. No idea who would and how successful they'd be, either." "That would be a sacrifice." Hartley groaned at that, "He most definitely chants 'Yes' over and over as he comes. Guaranteed. Can you imagine it? I can't picture sentencing anyone to that torture." "I'd rather not. Sit still,", she warned as she began working on another tattoo, "Can we change the subject?" "What? Johnny fuckin' ain't your cup of tea? Because I have more thoughts on the matter." "You're on thin ice, kid." "Fine, fine.", he rolled his eyes, "He stopped by the station, you know… To his shit luck, Whitehorse had left already, almost caused him to have a meltdown before his actual scheduled meltdown."

"What about?" A laugh rumbled his chest despite her previous warning, gaze filling with a prideful gleam, "Me inviting his precious members to party at Mary May's. How I was spreadin' my sinful ideas without any shame. Told him, I'd be spreading more than ideas tonight and flipped him off before I left." "Jesus." "He's probably complaining to him still. 'That sinner, how dare he! And why can't I have some, too, God?'", he went for another attempt at imitating John's way of speaking. The next tattoo that spelled 'Lust' had quite the unfortunate placement, making Sabrina back away to examine her work up until that point. "Abs are next. It might be too far, even for us." He didn't appear bothered by the idea at all when he rose up to give her better access, "Yes, m'am. Paint me like your local cult leader, not one of your french girls."

"Hilarious.", she shook her head at his amusement, "When I woke up today, the last thing I imagined having to get close and personal with your lower regions." "Oh, come on. There are worse views. Plus, I'm wearing pants, you ain't even getting the full Hartley tour." "I guess that's true.", a real tattoo above his left hip drew her attention despite trying to remain focused on her task, and a giggle broke free as she made out what it said in a convoluted font, "Cal?" "Gray?", he mimicked her intonation, eyes meeting hers. "Does this spell what I think it does?" "Oh, yeah." It took a lot for her to keep her balance or her hand steady as another laugh made it past her lips, "But, but… why?" He shrugged, "Because it's the truth. And fyi, this isn't what I usually get from girls, you're kinda bruising my ego." "I mean, it does match Joseph's 'Lust', if nothing else."

"Fucking hypocrite.", he muttered out loud as Sabrina made a sign for him to spin around with her finger and sit down again as she moved onto his back. "I did get a feeling he wasn't being truthful about his whereabouts when 'the thief' broke in." "Entered, all that was missing was a 'Welcome, come on in, Cal' sign'.", he corrected her, "It was the middle of the night, and the house was empty, Gray. He was lying through his teeth to you, and to his brother." "I figured as much." "Speaking of…", another sin that in the reference image looked like it was inked on by a child adorned Calahan's skin, "How was trekking on your own with Jacob? Not many would dare go off with him." "Not like I asked him to come.", she explained slowly, her mind drifting back to their interaction, his cryptic words, and strange behavior. The fact she was avoiding answering the question wasn't lost on him, "Well? I'm waiting."

"Like pulling teeth, no idea why he even volunteered to tag along when the whole time he was rushing to get me out of his hair as soon as possible." Calahan scratched at his stubble, "I can make a good guess, but you won't like my theory." "I suspect as much." "I will keep it to myself then." "A first." "You're welcome, it physically hurts me to hold in my jokes sometimes." A couple of minutes later, most of the simple tattoos she could copy to bring Calahan's planned look together were done. "Damn.", he exlaimed as he examined himself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom, twisting as much as he could so he could see his back as well, "I knew I shouldn't have attempted to do these myself." Sabrina laughed, "That would have been a look." "Thank you, Gray.", Hartley gave her a half-hug, staying mindful of smudging his temporary ink, "Now Whitehorse's inevitable lecture would be worth it, truly."

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't steal Joseph's underwear, commit to the bit all the way through." A snort left him, "Please, I have my limits. Glasses are a little gift from Addie and exhibit A to him not telling the truth, because I so would have snatched his sunnies, too. The jeans are mine.", a shudder racked his body, "For all I know Joe likes going commando." "Thanks for the visual." Calahan feigned a bow, "I live to serve. Or to scar people, depending on the occasion." "I need to help Sav get into her costume, I promised to take her trick-or-treating before the party." "Ah, man, I'm tempted to tag along. Think people will give me candy?", he plopped down onto her bed with a dreamy sigh. "Considering your persistence and charm, I'd guess yes. But…" "But what?" Sabrina pursed her lips, "It might be best to stay back, minimize how many people would see you before it's even showtime. Word's bound to get to John or Joseph himself."

"True.", he nodded, "Mind if I stick around, then we can leave together?" "Of course. And if you're good, you might even get some candy from Sav's reserve. Relive your childhood to the fullest before getting the adult version of Halloween." His eyes lit up at that, "You got yourself a deal." "Just avoid making Ms. Darcy shoot you by mistake if she gets here while we're gone."

After taking Savannah out to show off her bat costume she had personally worked on in making what she called 'more realistic' and returning with enough candy that her back-up stash had become unnecessary and was gifted to Calahan, Sabrina bid her and Ms. Darcy goodbye for the evening. The latter had joked how she wouldn't mind Eden's Gate if the younger Deputy was in charge. "First thing, Darce asked me was if I had forgotten my shirt,", Hartley smoothed down the stolen blazer that no doubt would come off eventually and was the only thing he wore to cover his bare chest, "and how at least I had something on to not catch my death in the cold." "She's too cute sometimes.", Sabrina retorted as she got into her Bronco and buckled in. "Yeah, reminds me of my Nana, but…", he wiggled his eyebrows, dropping Joseph's bible and rosary in his lap before he leaned back into his seat and added, "then she told me how the ladies would sure appreciate the view."

Their laughter filled the truck as she pulled out of her driveway, an advertisement about the party at the Spread Eagle coming on the local radio station she usually had playing. "Sinners welcome." closed the message, and Calahan gave Sabrina a wink when she snuck a quick look in his direction. "Yes, it was my idea. A little fuck you to John." "Mary May's paying you for those gems or?" He chuckled, "I suggested she could also use me as a model, do some shots with my renditions of the Seed brothers." "Oh my god." "She shot the idea down, sadly. Maybe next Halloween.", he drummed his hands on the dashboard, "Good news is I'm getting free drinks tonight as a thank you for helping her decorate and set shit up." "You plan on finally doing something about your crush tonight?" "What crush?" "Very funny." "Speaking of getting laid… want me to be your wingman?" Her nose wrinkled at the offer, "I'd pass on that."

"I'm like the best wingman you can have, just saying." She pulled into one of the empty parking spots across the Spread Eagle, "I'm not sleeping with anyone tonight, Calahan." Hartley jumped off the truck, bible in one hand, while the other had the rosary wrapped around his palm a couple of times. He leaned against the door, thankfully lowering his voice so the other patrons that were pilling to go inside the bar wouldn't overhear him, "If you do change your mind, just say the word. I'm going to find you someone worthy. A stallion to ride." She let out a groan as she rested her forehead against the steering wheel, "Please don't ever say that again." His laughter followed her as she got out too and locked her doors, his arm swinging over her shoulders as the two walked towards the entrance of the Spread Eagle. Loud music and chatter filled the space as the Deputies pushed their way inside. Mary May was practically swimming in drink orders to a point she didn't even notice Calahan sneaking behind the bar to envelop her in a bear hug.

The blonde's confusion quickly dissipated as she shook off his hold, still not taking a good look at his costume, "Rookie, keep that up and you will be stuck behind the bar the whole night. Helpin', not partying." "You're no fun.", Calahan complained as he heaved himself over the counter instead of taking the long route, winning another curse from Mary May followed by her eyes widening when she finally noticed his attire. He leaned against the bar counter as she slid a drink his way, "Do you like my costume, gorgeous?" "Where the fuck did you even find…", she shook her head, but a smile played across her lips. "I plead the fifth." "Brin,", her attention shifted to Sabrina, slipping back into bartender mode, "What are you drinkin'?" "I'm his DD tonight." "So nothing new?" She shrugged as Calahan downed his first glass for the night. "I'm gonna make you something delicious." "Thank you, M."

He shuffled closer, whispering in her ear over the music, "I will be right back, have to greet my Pyrobros. Do some rounds, recruit people for my newly founded cult." Before she could even respond, he strutted over to Hurk, Sharky, and a couple of other locals that were standing around one of the tables at the far end of the bar. "So, if Rookie's Joseph…", Mary May returned to her after serving a couple of newcomers, "I guess you're going for John? If you do need a Jacob-" Sabrina's confused frown cut her off, "I'm not wearing a costume, I thought those were optional." "No?" Blue eyes ran over her blue button-up she had left mostly unbottoned after leaving her jacket in her car. "Nope. Does it look like it?" "I mean, paired with him,", Mary May's head cocked in Calahan's direction, "I'd say yes. No pun intended." A drink was placed in front of her, and she took a sip, sweetness hitting her taste buds, "I love this one."

"Yeah?", pride shone in the blonde's gaze before it shifted to the far end of the counter to a figure sitting next to the wall, bathed in shadows, "Anyways, I was gonna suggest Lizzie over there being your Jacob." It was rare anyone called Oakley Moore Lizzie, most folks weren't bold enough to engage in a conversation with the woman, let alone use a nickname she considered forbidden. "Oaks.", Mary May called out to her, gesturing for her to come closer. Seconds ticked by before Oakley switched seats, shoulders bumping with Sabrina's as her pale gaze settled on her. It's what she considered a proper greeting that was usually confused with her being hostile and granted, most of the time, she wasn't one for tolerating small talk. "Brin." "How's Betty?" Warmth melted away the iciness in her eyes at the mention of her grandmother, "You know Nana, refuses to sit down. And is now forcing me to socialize after Cal mentioned the goddamned party. I was planning on going hunting."

Cheers and whistling drowned out her response as Calahan did a victory spin for the crowd gathered inside, spreading his hands in the air the same way Joseph did and exclaiming, "The Father? I prefer Daddy, my children. Sin tonight… make me proud!" "He's something else.", Oakley commented with a smirk as she downed her whiskey, nodding past Sabrina, "Did he actually go through with 'borrowing JoeJoe's things'?" "Unfortunately. We got a call about it this morning." The news ripped a laugh out of Moore, another rarety, "Even his ratty bible?" The stolen bible lay discarded next to Sabrina, and she moved it out of the way of whoever wanted to occupy the empty chair to her left, mindlessly flipping through it until something caught her eye. A picture was nestled between the pages, its corners frayed like it had been touched many times. "What the-", the question drew Mary May's attention, and she leaned over to peek at what she was holding. "Ask for Mercy." The woman they had met that morning stared back at her in the photograph, smiling, wearing another similar white dress. "Well, fuck me.", Oakley uttered under her breath as she too huddled closer to examine the find, "JoeJoe has a dirty little secret?"

"Ah, man, you nailed the Joe-bro look, I swear.", Hurk raised his beer to Calahan for a toast just as a slender hand came to rest on his elbow. "Hello.", a petite blonde dressed as a fairy he hadn't seen around before greeted him with a shy smile, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks while she ogled his bare chest that was covered in temporary tattoos. The ladies sure appreciate it. Thanks, Gray. "Calahan.", he reached out his hand, giving her one of his signature grins, "And you are, beautiful?" A giggle left her as her palm touched his, "Cheyenne, but friends call me Cherry." "Cherries are my favorite.", he replied as he leaned in closer and straightened the dainty wings she had strapped around her shoulders, "You gonna dance with me, Cherry?" "I'd love to."

A song faded into another with Cheyenne melting further into him, her flowery perfume invading his senses while he wished he was dancing with somebody else. The same somebody that was currently not so secretly shooting daggers in his direction. Mary May was certainly not appreciating the view as she poured a drink to Grace Armstrong and then moved onto another customer. "You want a drink or something, baby?", Cherry's voice pulled him out of his staring, and he forced his attention back to her, offering her a carefree smile. "I have everything I need right here." Her hands traced his pecks before encircling his neck, her body moving to the rhythm as she pressed it closer to his on the small dancefloor. His head dipped at the telltale signs while she rose on the tiptoes to meet him halfway, their lips locking and for a second, he could pretend he wasn't kissing a stranger he just met.

It was even easier when they were blondes, yet those nights stung even more afterward. A coy smile took over Cheyenne when she leaned back, her lipstick smudged slightly, "Feelin' like going someplace more private?" Before he had a chance to respond, the door to the Spread Eagle flew open with such force it banged into the wall. The noise cut through the music and murmurs of the crowd, followed by a booming voice. Or what John considered booming voice that Calahan rather described as irritated child on the verge of a meltdown. "CALAHAN HARTLEY." The grin on his face didn't melt away at his name being called, instead, he pretended nothing had happened, forcing John to strain his vocal chords some more. Even his own mother hadn't ever called his name that way, no matter how much trouble he had been in. By the youngest Seed's tone, Calahan could guess he had somehow seen one of the many pictures and videos patrons had taken with him in Joseph's attire.

"I will be right back, beautiful.", he assured Cherry before sneaking out of her embrace and facing John with a wide smile, mimicking the pose his brother loved so much. "JOHNNYYY!", he hollered back, his night getting even better when the man's face twisted in rage at the sight of him, "I knew you would be tempted to come."

Sabrina spun around in her chair as a loud bang cut through the usual chatter around them, horror gripping her as John Seed marched through the entrance of the bar like he owned the place. His voice, or rather the way he screamed Calahan's name, promised trouble, especially since he had always been mostly calm during what others categorized as 'meltdowns'. "That damned bastard, having the guts to show up here.", Mary May, slammed a glass on the counter with way too much force, the liquid inside spilling over the edges as she regarded the man that viewed her business as something that needed to be shut down. Oakley had sneaked out minutes prior, saying how she needed a smoke if she was to sit through the night and since then hadn't returned. "JOHNNYYY! I knew you would be tempted to come.", Hartley yelled back, full of glee. Before she could think twice, Sabrina was out of her chair, cutting through the crowd that had grown silent as bargoers, including Joey and Pratt, watched the scene unfolding that was bound to end in disaster.

"Brin. Fuck.", Mary May called after her, but she pushed forward while Calahan himself advanced in John's direction, raising a hand adorned by his brother's rosary in the air. "I'd buy you a drink, Johnny, but don't think you're my type." "How dare you…you-", John barely managed to get any words out when he took in the Deputy's outfit, "Is my brother A JOKE to you?!" "Why, YES. YES. YES.", Hartley screamed back, "You love that word dontcha, Johnny? He is a JOKE. And let's face it, I'm wearing the look BETTER." Sabrina made it into the space that people had cleared out in anticipation of a fight breaking out, gliding between the two swiftly, knowing well enough that either men were close to unraveling and doing something drastic. "Kid.", she warned, feet planted firmly while feeling John's approach behind her, "Don't." Her gut told her she had a bigger chance at reasoning with him since Whitehorse was the one who always dealt with Eden's Gate's ruthless lawyer.

"Move, Gray.", his blue eyes were clear, signaling he wasn't nowhere near his boiling point as his fingers wrapped around her upper arm, ready to move her aside in sign of danger. Like hell I will move. "You came on OUR LAND. BROKE-" "FUCKING LEAVE MY BAR.", Mary May cut in, drawing everyone's eyes to herself, to the shotgun gripped in her hands, "RIGHT FUCKING NOW." "You…sinner.", John's rage switched target for a breath, "You've learned nothing, have you, Mary May?" "OUT.", her blue eyes narrowed, "Before I create more holes into your body since you seem to love those." "Look at you. All of you.", Calahan let out a dark laugh as John continued his speech, "Spreading the sin. Turning your backs on Eden. When the Collapse is on our doorstep."

A cacophony of curses echoed back from the crowd, furious stares zeroing behind Sabrina, and all she could imagine was the confrontation turning into a real bloodbath and how Whitehorse would chastise all of them for failing to stop it. With her thoughts getting darker by the second, she spun around, a pair of angry blue eyes settling on hers, "Mr. Seed." Something flew past her head, crashing into the wall and making her duck down on instinct. A bottle smashed into pieces, aimed at John. "How DARE-", he yelled again, but only managed to get two words out before she was cupping a hand over his mouth and pushing him out of the bar, door slamming shut behind her as the chilly air hit her at once. "Please, just leave.", she removed her palm off his face and placed herself between him and the entrance, the exterior lights of the bar dancing across his skin.

"You-", John stopped himself, a shaky breath leaving him as he regarded her, "Do you even know what he did?" "Is it worth getting hurt over? That bottle was just the beginning." He advanced forward again, expecting her to budge, allow him entry. She did none of that, unwavering while he drew near enough she could smell him - an expensive cologne drifting off him, stark contrast to most of the Project's members odors. "Go home, Mr. Seed." John shook his head, set on taking things too far, "He broke into my brother's home, took his belongings, and is wearing his clothes as a costume. They're all drunk and mocking him, and all he stands for on social media." "And you're sober and can be the bigger man by walking away." His eyes ran over her face, silence taking over as the party inside the bar continued like nothing had even happened.

"Are you wearing me as a costume, too?" "It's just a shirt, costumes are optional." "Good, because I'm not a-" "Go home.", she tried again, gentler that time around, nodding towards the truck he hadn't even bothered to park, instead stopping it in the middle of the road in his angry spell. "I'm not leaving without Joseph's bible." Sabrina nodded, "I will be right back, don't do anything, okay?" She didn't wait for him to respond, rushing back into the bar where the celebration was back in full swing with Hartley grinding against a blonde in a fairy costume. Laughter carried around her as she reached the bar and grabbed the bible, ignoring Mary May's string of questions with her mind set on solving the issue, ensuring the night didn't end in disaster. "Here.", she announced the second she was back outside, exchanging the worn copy of Joseph's Word to John. "I won't let him get away with this. Hartley should be upholding the law.", he gritted out and spun around, striding off back to his vehicle as she finally released the breath she had been holding.

Whatever relief she experienced began dissipating when seconds ticked by and he didn't drive off, instead rounding his truck in the dark, a faint light bouncing around as he examined something. "Somebody slashed my tires, Deputy. All four.", his voice carried over the quiet night. "What?" In a couple of steps, she was standing by his truck, his phone illuminating a jaded cut in the front tire. He huffed, "Leave, you say? Leave? They won't let me." "I'm-" "Sorry? Are you really, Deputy?" "You can call someone to pick you up…", she wrapped her arms around herself, the cold finally getting through her thin shirt. John shoved his phone back into his jeans pocket, "Absolutely not." "I don't know what to say, Mr. Seed." Reality was she had allowed herself a night to go out and have fun, and now she was stuck placating a hostile individual who in ways had every reason to feel bereaved.

His gaze casted behind her, aimed at the bar, making her worry he was contemplating having another go at Calahan and hunting down whoever had deflated his tires. "I can drive you home.", the words came out in a rush, her willingness to help getting her in trouble not for the first time. All she got was silence, his expression hard to read in the dark, so she pointed behind him, "My truck is over there." "That's how every horror movie starts.", he muttered back. "I thought your c-", she shook her head to dismiss what he would have no doubt taken as an insult, "Never mind." "What?" "Nothing, Mr. Seed. Would you like me to drive you home?" She took his nod as an 'Yes' and quickly moved past his truck, headed for her own as she sneaked a glance over her shoulder to assure he was following. Sabrina was the first to climb in, reaching over to unlock the passenger side door for him, but John stood frozen next it, a look of suspicion washing over his features.

"This feels like a trap." She gritted her teeth before forcing a smile his way, "You're welcome to walk home then, Mr. Seed. Some fresh air won't hurt ya.", then leaned back into her seat as she waited for him to make his choice. At the end, his pride won, and he got in reluctantly, clutching his brother's bible between his fingers as he slammed the door shut. "I carry a knife on me.", he warned as she started the Bronco, pulling out of the parking spot just as a person emerged from the shadows from the side of the Spread Eagle, the twinkling lights picking up their light blonde hair. Oakley. With her hatred of John, chances were she was the one that had struck while he was too busy inside the bar. "I do, too.", Sabrina retorted while he reached out and changed the radio station to the one Eden's Gate owned and used for propaganda.

Most of the drive to his house passed in silence, only disturbed by the way-too-cheerful choral songs. Every once in a while, she'd spare a quick look in his direction, catching him staring at her, too, while the tension in the small space only grew. The next time she did it, she found him flipping through the bible like she had done, his hands freezing when he got to the picture. She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as he plucked the photograph and examined it. There was no shocked exclamation, no cursing in surprise like Oakley had done. John remained stoic while he stared at the picture his brother clearly valued enough to use as a bookmark in what looked like a well-read paperback. The picture was of a woman. A member of his cult. The one that was worried about his wellbeing and had enough influence over him to convince Joseph to call the police. There was a reason why both Mary May and Oakley eyed the hidden photograph with interest, why they spent a while speculating over the story surrounding Mercy.

Sabrina rolled to a stop in the driveway of the ranch, fully expecting John to jump out of her truck as soon as it wasn't moving with how extremely quiet he'd been. Instead, he remained seated, staring at his brother's bible, his features twisted into a frown. "Have yourself a good night.", she muttered, hoping it would be enough to pull him out of whatever stupor had taken over him and get him out of her vehicle. "Joseph keeps that bible on his bedside table.", he whispered, thumb brushing over the worn-out cover, "And he had the picture-" His words died down abruptly as if he suddenly remembered himself, then returned to looking out through the windshield into the darkness outside of the car, only disrupted by the Bronco's headlights. "It's none of my-" "Did you feel it, too?", John interrupted her, blue eyes moving to hers, "Even now."

A part of her warned her to mind her business, but curiosity won over it, "Felt what?" "That pull. The electricity." She said nothing, knowing her opinion were to either lie or admit he was somewhat right, which no doubt would be an ego boost to him. Truth was, something obscure, palpable hung between them, charging the air, growing stronger the closer he'd been. It doesn't matter. "Goodnight.", Sabrina repeated again and leaned over to open the door for him and make her stance crystal clear. The move was a mistake on its own because she hesitated, hand coming to rest on the door handle as his scent invaded her senses once more. "You want me to go?", he asked, watching her closely. "Yes."

Yet her fingers refused to obey, to swing the door open, prompt him to leave. Tattooed hand wrapped around hers to lift it between them, the interior light of her truck illuminating the top of his palm. The black ink that covered it. She was convinced she had stopped breathing when she pulled his arm closer, making sure she wasn't imagining things. That the tattoo her fingers were tracing was the same. That it was real, what she'd seen again and again. "Sabrina?", confusion swooped into his tone, mirroring hers. "I feel it.", her confession was barely audible, but clearly enough for him to make a choice, "It changes nothing." His eyes darkened, darting to her lips before he cupped her cheek with his free hand, "No matter. I'm still going to kiss you." No part of what he had said was a question, but she nodded anyway despite her better judgment as he leaned in, mouth covering hers.

His lips moved over her own slowly, a tingle climbing up her spine at the contact while her rational side screamed for her to push him away, no matter who he might be in her visions. It's him. Her hand braced against his chest, moving up on its own before grasping the nape of his neck and pulling him closer. It was then that she returned the kiss fully, lips parting as his own tongue darted out, a groan leaving him at the granted access. His taste took over her system while he set out on exploring her mouth, fingers intertwining with hers. A muffled tud broke the spell between them, making John pull back, staring at her intently with hunger written all over his face. "I should go. Be good." She nodded, but his hold of her hand only tightened, signaling he was torn, not exactly feeling the words. "Thing is… I don't want to.", he confirmed, licking his lips and making her wonder if he was tasting her.

"I don't, either." His gaze shifted to his feet, where Joseph's book had tumbled down onto the floor of her car before returning back to hers. "This is probably going to come back to bite me.", he uttered out, "Most definitely actually, Deputy. But… I'm asking you to come inside. See where this takes us." Her eyebrow rose up at his bold invitation, "I must have misheard you." "You didn't." Sabrina forced a laugh, "Don't you people have a rule about this?" "We do, quite frankly.", he nodded quickly, "I'm doing this despite it." "What would your brother think?", she pushed further, expecting him to fold, remember himself, and the doctrine forced upon each member. One, he clearly didn't respect enough. "What would Whitehorse think about Deputy Hartley committing a crime on private property last night?" It was the lawyer in him, the negotiator set on getting what he wanted, peeking through.

Her gaze narrowed, "What are you implying?" "We're both facing a dilemma, Deputy, toeing a line, you're keeping Hartley's secrets, covering for him. But there's a simple question - what do you want?" To head home and not get involved in a messy situation, especially after how you acted at the bar. "For you to kiss me again.", a satisfied smirk came over him at her answer, and he let go of her hand, only so he could open his door. "Come then.", he called out as he jumped down onto the gravel, gesturing for her to follow suit. His door slammed shut as she turned off the Bronco's engine and exited, rounding the truck where he met her halfway and took hold of her arm again. "One rule.", she muttered at his back as he pulled her along towards the ranch's main entrance, the overhead light coming on to life at their approach.

"What?" "You won't make a fuss about Calahan's indiscretion." He sighed like it physically pained him to let Hartley off the hook, "Fine. But this would be the first and last time." A small victorious smile danced across her lips as his hand wrapped around the doorknob and pushed his front door open, causing her to blink in shock, "You don't lock your doors, either? Of course, it runs in the family." Darkness ruled over the house aside from a dim light spilling out from the room ahead of them. "I wasn't exactly in the best mindset when I left.", John explained, leading her forward past a dining table and a lit stone fireplace that was providing the aforementioned illumination and separated the large open space in two. He spun around when he reached the other side of it, hand landing on her waist to drag her into him, "We're doing this?"

Her nod was all he needed to fulfill her previous wish, lips descending over hers as he took a couple of steps backward until he was lined with the couch that faced the fireplace and he lowered his body onto the leather surface, bringing her down with him. She straddled his lap on instinct, sinking further into the kiss while his fingers traveled beneath her shirt, coming to rest just at the edge of her bra. Like he had done before, he broke their liplock, leaning back to regard her as his hand made it past the lace garment, cupping her breast. "Look at you,", she said before lowering her mouth to his and whispering, "sinning." He pinched her nipple in warning, "Haven't even begun." A surprised yelp left her when John shifted until he was lying on top of her, undoing her jeans as he held her gaze and dragged them down her legs enough to have better access. "You want to stop, you tell me.", he instructed before he stole another kiss, hand moving from her waist down her abdomen and beneath her underwear.

One finger pushed inside her, swiveling into her wetness, more pooling at his touch and the satisfied growl that broke free from him. "More.", Sabrina ordered, buckling against his palm to get more friction to her clit before he complied, adding another digit to the mix as he began pumping in and out of her heat. "You're dripping for me." "Yes.", the word made it past her lips before she could think better of it, a grin appearing on his face as he repeated the movement again. Slowly that time, tantalizing her, hinting at his plan. "John.", she groaned in annoyance, "Don't you dare go there." He shook his head, "Say it again." "No." "Again and you're getting another finger." "He was right. You are weird during sex." "Who?", his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as his hand halted inside her. She rolled her eyes, "Calahan."

"Why am I not surprised the pest was talking about me." He resumed the previous infuriating pace, prolonging giving her what she wanted. "Say it, Deputy.", John repeated, and when she shook her head in defiance, he added, "I'd sweeten the deal." "How?", she moaned out when his thumb brushed against her clit, adding pressure before retreating. "Another finger.", he dropped a kiss across her lips, "My mouth. And then…" She hated how his talking alone had an effect on her, turning her on. "Then what?" He took his time considering the question before whispering, "You get to ride me." "And if I don't?" "Mmm..", his mouth lowered to her neck, sucking on the tender skin as his fingers kept the same slow pace, while her arousal grew, dripping down his hand, "I take my time. Wear you down. And, be assured, I'd enjoy every minute of it, Sabrina."

"Once." "Hm?" "I'd only say it once, don't be pulling any dirty tricks on me, Seed." "Deal.", he muttered and halted his teasing altogether, waiting for her to follow through with her part of the agreement. A shuddered breath left her when his thumb circled her clit again as encouragement, "Yes." "Such a freeing word.", John rose up, clutching her panties and pulling them down past her knees. His lips lowered to her belly, kissing a path over it while his hands spread her thighs apart, positioning her the way he wanted her. "No games." He tsk-tsked, "Where would be the fun then?" Her protests were cut short when his mouth found her center, tongue licking away at her arousal and drawing more out of it as result. "You taste so sweet. To think I almost walked away.", he remarked, peeking at her from between her legs, before diving back in for more.

Her noises urged him on as she climbed towards a powerful climax, three fingers entering her like he had promised, lips wrapping around her clit and adding much needed pressure. She rocked against his hand, sinking further into the pleasure, almost forgetting who was delivering it to her, how they had ended up there in the first place. His name ripped off her lips as she came, his thrusts picking up and only heightening the sensation. "That's it. Give in. Let it all pour out for me.", she ignored how close he sounded to his preachings in the cursed broadcasts, "There's more where that came from." He moved up her body, little tremors still coursing through her limbs as he kissed her, giving her a taste of herself. "Can you handle more?", he challenged, rising up on his heels while his hands worked on undoing his belt and jeans to leave him down to his underwear, his erection's outline pressing against the material, begging for release.

"You tryin' to trick me?" He smirked, "Nothing of sorts." "You haven't delivered on everything yet.", Sabrina reminded him as she got up too, fingers grasping the waistband of his boxers, and pulling them down. "Protection.", he mumbled to himself, "I don't-" "What… you don't do this a lot?" His look of disbelief made her chuckle, "Absolutely not." "I'm on the pill." Her hand wrapped around him, stroking his cock a couple of times as he contemplated the idea. "Yes.", he answered finally, sitting back down onto the couch, still mostly clothed aside from his nether regions. Sabrina stripped off her boots, pants, and underwear completely to ensure nothing would obstruct her mobility, his eyes following her the whole time, tongue darting out to lick his lips. With her clothes out of the way, she threw her leg over his hip, straddling him as her hand lined his tip with her entrance.

She sank down onto him slowly, relishing every inch, judging by his measured breathing and how his features twisted in concentration, he was doing the same. Trying to maintain his control. "So tight.", he gritted out, "You gonna move for me, Deputy?" She rocked against him slowly, her sleakness making her glide up and down his shaft with ease, the sounds of pleasure filling the darkened room paired with the crackling of the fire. "You're killing me here.", he whined against her lips, fingers gripping her hips to dictate the pace. "Riding you. It's what you said." "Yes." "So, let me do that. Have patience." "Deputy…" She grasped his hands, moving them to her chest, "If you want something to hold, the girls are feeling a bit ignored." "We can't have that.", John caught up quick, unbuttoning her shirt while she resumed riding him.

Her bra came undone next as he made work of the front clasp in a blink, baring her completely to him. "I will rectify the situation.", he vowed in a serious tone, his mouth swooping down to her chest, paying attention to each breast individually. His compliance caused her to move faster, arousal coating his length as she squeezed her muscles around him in attempts to coax his orgasm out. "You feel so good for a Seed. Who could have known…", she teased and let out a yelp when his teeth grazed her nipple at the jab. It wasn't long before she stumbled over the edge, her walls clenching around him and drawing his own climax, making him let go with a groan. Her name fell from his lips as he spilled inside her. "Oh, John.", she muttered quietly against his neck, euphoria overwhelming her system. "Bold and brave?", he chuckled, "It seems somebody's been listening to our radio station." A hand swatted at his chest, "You're totally ruining the moment."

He hummed in disapproval, arms encircling her body as she snuggled into him more, "Sleepy?" "A little bit." "My bed awaits." "You're asking me to actually stay over?" A series of kisses covered her collarbone, tracing her butterflies tattoo, "I'm far from done with you." She broke out of his embrace, an emptiness settling between her legs as she rose up, convincing herself she couldn't allow him to take things even further than he already had. "Deputy.", he called out, still seated on the couch, watching her while she gathered her clothes from the ground and huffed at his release running down her thigh and making it impossible to get dressed without creating a mess. His gaze met hers, shadows and light dancing across his features and partly obsecuring his expression, "What?" "You're not going to need them.", she opened her mouth to speak, but he waved her off, getting up too and snatching her clothes from her to drop them on the couch, "We're going to my bedroom."

"John.", his name was paired with a sigh at his tone that left no room for arguments. He made quick work of taking off his own boots, jeans, and boxers, pulling her in by her waist as his lips hovered over hers, "Go. Run. And you can keep thinking back to this moment, wishing you made a different choice, or you could be honest about what you want… How much you want it." His hand grasped her backside, and she could feel him hardening between them again while he kissed her, coming for breath only to add, "I'd like to fuck you on an actual bed instead of having my sweaty skin sticking onto old leather… might as well be comfortable seeing how I broke so many rules already." The idea he actually cursed out loud made her snort, "Fuck me?" "That's the plan. Just say 'Yes'. Are you staying?" Of course you're fishing for your favorite word again. Silence settled around them, heavy with possibility, with the realization he was infuriatingly correct she'd regret it.

He brushed her hair out of her face, "Your eyes are so expressive, you know that? I could basically see the battle within. Which option is winning?" Her hands traveled up his chest, locking around his neck, "Yes. Happy?" What she got as reply was a triumphant grin before he hoisted her up, legs wrapping around his waist as he rounded the couch, moving with determination with her in his arms. "Someone's in a rush. How long has it been?", she joked while he took the stairs two at a time, getting to the second floor of the ranch in couple of beats. "Way too long, Deputy." Darkness engulfed them as he headed down a hallway, pushing a door open with his free hand that wasn't holding onto her. It was where he finally dropped her to her feet, the coldness of the hardwood floors meeting as it shut with a click behind them. John was on the move again, his footsteps being her only indicator in the pitch black, then a table lamp next to his bed came to life, illuminating the space and his nearing form with faint glow.

Her eyes took in her surrounding, bouncing from his bed, sheer curtains and wooden interiors of the room, to the ordinary furniture and two doors leading who knew where before they settled on his chest as he discarded his shirt and reached out for her again. A combination of scars and tattoos marred his skin. A small old key hanging around his neck. "Not what you expected?", he asked when his hand found her cheek, caressing her skin gently. Your bedroom or the fact you're someone I've been seeing for years? "I don't know what I expected." He nodded and moved onto her own shirt, pushing it down her arms until it pooled at her feet, her lace bra following in its wake. "Definitely weren't dressed as me, eh, Deputy?" She gave him a pointed look, "I told you-" "You'd look good in my shirt. I wouldn't mind you stealing that." Her laugh was a surprised one, "Careful what you wish for… I might be planning my costume for next year already."

"Beautiful.", he whispered as his eyes ran over her naked body, thumb breezing over her bottom lip and slipping into her mouth, eyes darkening when she sucked on it, "Patience. Remind me of that, in case I forget." Sabrina nodded, releasing his digit with a pop, and he pushed her backward, mouth clashing into hers when her legs met the edge of his bed. The soft matress engulfed her body as he settled over her, hand coming to rest beside her head to keep his weight off her while the other traveled down her stomach and slipped inside her for a brief moment before retreating. Her palms braced against his chest, running over the hard planes as her thighs fell open more, urging him to act. Anticipation swam within her when his fingers grasped his lenght, his tip brushing across her wetness a couple of times before finally pushing in slowly despite how wet she was and the desire she could see in his eyes.

A stray piece of hair had fallen over his forehead, and she smoothed them away, muttering, "Fill me up already." "I'm trying to be patient here. Not embarrass myself.", his expression was focused, like he refused to fully give in, act on his urges, let his composure slip. "Fuck patient. Better yet, fuck me as promised." He blinked, considering her words before thrusting all the way in and ripping a moan out of her as her walls enveloped him, and more followed when he began to move. "I'm starting to think going after the Deputy tonight wasn't the worst idea I've had to date.", he groaned against her mouth while at the same time he threw her leg over his shoulder, sinking in deeper into her at the new angle. "He sure would die laughing if he knew how the night unfolded after I broke you two apart." "He'd be obnoxious about, wouldn't he?", he chimed in, "Probably claim it was what he had planned all along to get me back for the previous time."

She couldn't help but smile at his annoyance, "Possibly." "Most definitely.", John insisted, pairing his next words with a hard thrust, "I couldn't stop thinking about you today." "Yeah?" She did her hardest to match his movements as a climax began to build within her, and her legs parted to take more of him. "Yes.", he gritted out, a giggle escaping her at the memory of Calahan's theory about his habits in bed, "Something amusing, Sabrina?" "No." There was doubt in his gaze, but he let her answer slip, emphasizing each word with a rock of his hips, "First time I saw you up close… I imagined it so many times." Her eyes widened at the bold confession and idea he had been thinking of her to begin with, "For how long?" "Since you moved here, but I had to be good, telling myself I wasn't missing anything."

In ways Hartley had been right about the signs and his theories about John's frustration. Regret slipped over his features, prompting her to cup his bearded cheek, "I'm here now." "That you are, and I plan on making up for that lost time.", he said with conviction, slowing his pace as his hand slipped between them to rub her clit. With a couple of flicks across it paired with his thrusts, the release she could feel twisting and twirling inside her came to a crescendo. His name rolled off her tongue, causing him to smirk while he continued to move, head dipping down to whisper in her ear and sending a shiver all over her body while her hands fisted the satin sheets beneath her, "Think you can come again before I do?"

Minutes later she found herself completely spent, laying snuggled in the crook of his arm while her fingers traced a lazy pattern across his chest. "Three times.", he noted with pride, hand running down her back under the soft covers, "I'm thinking we can break that record next time." Next time? Sabrina ignored the off-hand comment, assuming he hadn't meant anything by it, that he was just still basking in his own climax after demonstrating how dead set he was on holding off until he couldn't physically anymore. "Should I expect you to show up at the Sheriff's tomorrow?" "Today.", he corrected her, "And no, Deputy. I promised, didn't I? Hartley is off the hook until whatever he does next comes back to bite him." Her grin was concealed against his neck and she placed a kiss on his skin, "Thank you."

"Does that mean you're due to work in few hours?" "Mhm.", she hummed absently, "Why?" "I might pay you a visit instead.", his caress was slowly lulling her to sleep, especially with how relaxed she felt as she laid in the embrace of someone considered enemy of the County. When she said nothing, he took her silence as agreeance to his idea, adding, "We could see that the theft case gets closed." Her fingers froze against his chest as it was toying with the metal key nestled between his pecks, eyes lifting up to meet his baby blues, "I never opened one, you wanted to handle things yourself, remember? Play detective." "I will think of something else.", he said nonchalantly, "Like my truck's slashed tires… All four of them, a serious enough offense." "John." "Yes?" "This…", she paused, wondering what she had gotten herself into, "it can't happen again."

It was then that she got her first confirmation he had been serious upon mentioning 'a next time', coming in the form of a determined look he gave her before uttering out, "We shall see about that, Deputy." The same one he wore each time he argued with Whitehorse, refusing to back down no matter how much the Sheriff tried to placate him. If how impossible to shake off he had proven to be when it came to Calahan, she didn't dare think what it would take for him to give up after their night together. A part of her didn't know if she wanted him to, no matter how disastrous the consequences promised to be.

Tagging, @adelaidedrubman @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @onehornedbeast @theelderhazelnut @cassietrn @madparadoxum @voidika @corvosattano @unholymilf @purplehairsecretlair @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @trench-rot @florbelles @g0dspeeed @aceghosts @simplegenius042 @thesingularityseries @the-silver-chronicles @nightbloodbix @clicheantagonist @wrathfulrook @harmonyowl @jillvalentinesday @shegetsburned @sstewyhosseini and anyone with something to share <3

[louloulemons-posts]

The Criminal And The Princess VII

Grumpy!College!Eddie X Sunshine!Skater!Reader

Summary : Cosy time in the apartment for Eden and Eddie.

Word Count : 2.1k

Warnings : not proofread, swearing, talks of food issues, talks of eddies dad, talks of arguments, talks of horror films, very fluffy, petnames.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

I passed Eddie a green mug, full of coffee, giving him a smile. I took a sip of my own green tea before sitting down next to him.

“So what movie do you want to watch?” Eddie asked. “It’s up to you.”

“Do you mind horror?”

“Not at all,” I said, grabbing the remote and going to the horror section.

Scrolling through, Eddie leaned forward, putting his mug on the coffee table next to mine. “Thank you for this,” he spoke softly.

“Hm?”

“The company. I appreciate it, your homes really nice.”

“It’s okay. I like the company too.”

“Have you seen the scream movies?”

“Mhm, I only really like the original one though.”

“Wanna watch that one?” Eddie asked. I nodded, going down to find the movie.

Eddie had seemed to settle more now, when he first walked into the apartment, he almost didn’t know what to do. Saying he didn’t want to dirty anything, but of course he was fine.

It was nice seeing him in my space. I could feel myself leaning into him, I found a comfort in the fact he was there. And I think, not to be cocky, that he found that comfort in me.

“Do you want some popcorn?” I asked Eddie, already pushing up off the sofa to make some. “Sure.” I could hear his rings rubbing together, almost as if he was wringing his hands - he had a habit of doing that.

“Hey Eden.” He was leaning against the counter, his hip pressed against it, arms folded. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry, if this is a weird thing to ask, I’m not good with this, I just um-“

I put the popcorn down, looking at the boy properly now. “What is it Eddie?” I walked over to him, “I uh, I got into a fight with my uncle, and I just … I need a hug-“

Before he even finished the sentence I’d wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into me. His arms joined around my waist, holding me close as he put his face into my neck.

“It’s okay,” I said, running my hand over his hair. “Thank you for this, we just had a misunderstanding and then everything blew up.”

“Come on, let’s sit.” I took his hand, leading him back to the couch. Holding his hand in my lap, I let the boy speak. “He heard me on the phone, getting an earful from the head of the school.”

Humming, the boy continued, “He flipped. Saying this is what happens to music stars and that I should focus on history and do something sensible.”

“Oh Eddie I’m sorry,” I rubbed my thumb on the back of his hand.

“That wasn’t even the worse bit, he said that music like mine led to my mom’s downfall. Meeting my dad, he’s a deadbeat, having me a teenager and then dying soon after.”

I squeezed his hand. “Music makes me feel so connected to her and he just made it out to be this horrible thing. I flipped after that saying it was something beautiful she left behind, and that he was mad because he was stuck on a dull job.

“Then I walked out, haven’t been home since,” he sighed, rubbing his face with his large palms. “God, where did you sleep?”

“In the van, have blankets and stuff in there.”

“Eddie that’s so unsafe!”

“It’s fine.”

“How are you feeling about seeing your uncle?”

“I think I should stay away, I’ve never shouted at him before.”

“Well okay, you can stay away today, but you’re going home and speaking to him tomorrow.” He raised a brow at me. “You can sleep here. Johnny and Steve have both left clothes here so.”

“You don’t have to do th-“ I cut him off.

“I want too. Let me look after you.” I put my hand on his knee squeezing. “Thank you Eden, you’re a really good person.”

“So are you. Now let’s watch this movie.”

“Before we do, can I borrow a hair tie?” Nodding, I walked to my room and gave the band a good stretch before walking out. Eddie held his thick locks and pulled them back, tying them into his signature bun.

“Thank you, was getting a little warm.”

“Of course.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The movie was around the halfway point when I felt something on my shoulder. Looking at Eddie. His eyes closed, long lashes kissing his cheeks, his lips pouted slightly as he let out soft breaths.

He really was beautiful.

The night in the van must have been awful, I didn’t want to disturb him, letting him remain where he was. He seemed so peaceful, which was amusing, considering the movie that was playing.

The popcorn was long forgotten, tea and coffee had gone cold and I, myself began to feel tired. My head resting on top of Eddies as my eyes fell shut.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

“Be quiet!” I heard a voice hiss. Nancy? I heard almost silent footsteps,but they were clumsy, Robin? With a sigh my eyes opened slowly, seeing the pair in front of me.

“Hi?” I said, voice croaky as they stared at me. “Hello.”

“Hi.” They said in sync. Both sporting small grins. “What?” I asked.

Nancy motioned her head to next to besides me. I hadn’t noticed I was now lay down on the couch, resting on a familiar person. Eddie lay sound asleep. The night in the van must have been rough.

“Oh,” I said.

“Oh?” Robin snorted.

“Shut up, both of you shoo. Go.” I waved them off, and with giggled they went. Picking up my phone I saw that it was getting late.

“Eddie,” I said, shaking him gently. He let out humming sound of protest at being disturbed, which made me laugh. “Come on, up you get.”

“Did I- Oh shit .. sorry,” he figured out he’d fallen asleep then. But that wasn’t what my focus was on, it was on how deep his voice had gotten, thick with sleep. Good fucking lord. The sound went straight to my … never mind.

“Come on, you can hop in the shower and I’ll fix us some dinner?”

“Are you sure?”

“Course I am,” I offered a sleepy smile. Leading him to the bathroom I lay out some clothes, then fetched some of Steve’s clothes out of a spare draw.

He crashed here a lot. “I’ll leave them on here, help yourself to anything. The peach scented stuff is mine so, but if you don’t want that, Jonathan’s stuff is in here,” I motioned to a cupboard.

“I think I’ll take you up on the peach stuff, you always smell great.” I snorted, with a nod of my head, placing towels and a change of clothes on the counter top, scurrying away.

Walking out into the kitchen, I saw Nancy and Robin leaning up against the counter. “What?” I asked.

“Eddies here,” Nancy said with a shrug.

“He is. I said he could stay the night, he’s had a fight with his uncle so. Is that good with you guys?”

Both of them let out a yell of “Yes!” With wide eyes I looked at them, “What is up with you two?”

“Just you and Eddie … it’s cute,” Robin said.

“He’s a friend.”

“Sure E,” Robin smirked, “And Vic and John are our friends,” she motioned between herself and Nancy.

“Both of you shush! So what he’s cute. I like spending time with him, but I’ve know him for like a week!”

“And?”

“And it’s a week!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air.

“I’ve never seen you this into a guy E, or anyone for that matter.”

“Well I don’t really do this kind of thing.”

“What?”

“Like people.”

The pair smiled, jesus it was like looking at two cheshire cats. “So you like him?” Robin asked. “I … maybe? I don’t know!”

Nancy hummed, “Come on Robs, let’s leave her be.” The shorter girl held the others hand leading her away. With a sigh I rubbed my face, heading to make dinner for me and Eddie.

Those girls would be the death of me … or the very attractive man who was currently naked in my bathroom.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Around 20 minutes later I heard the bathroom door open, and was thankful for the quick meal of shitty but fantastic tacos I’d made for me and Eddie.

“Hey,” he spoke from behind me, as I grabbed up two cans of Dr Pepper, something I’d found out he liked. “Hi,” I turned to look at the boy and nearly choked at the sight.

His hair was damp, still dripping a few beads of water. Steve’s top was too small for Eddie slightly larger frame, the muscles on his arms making it stretch tight.

It was slightly too short on him, making it cropped, revealing his soft yet toned stomach. Oh my god. Clearing my throat, I slid the plate and drink to him.

“Thank you, I feel a lot better now,” The boy said, instantly tucking into the food. “It’s okay,” I smiled. The food was shit, but the company was great. I hadn’t felt this comfortable eating around someone in a long time.

Eddie was a sweet boy.

Eddie was a great friend.

Eddie was someone I could see myself falling for.

“Eden!” I looked up, Eddies dark eyes watching me. “Where’d you go Princess?” Putting the taco back on the plate I hummed before speaking, “Sorry was in my own head, skating stuff.”

“Oh yeah? Anything I can do to help?” With a shake of my head I replied, “Nah, just got my trainer back, so routines changed a bit.”

He let out a soft ‘oh’, sound taking another bite of his food.

I took him in, his tattoos, his pretty face, where his fingertips were rough from playing guitar, but steady from painting.

He really was extraordinary.

“Did you do those yourself?” I asked, motioning to one of the tattoos on his arm. It was a puppet on strings, “I drew it, but I didn’t do this one. I’ve got a few shitty stick and pokes,” he laughed.

He turned his arm so I could see a wobbly smiley face there. “I did that when I was 17, old man almost killed me when he realised it wasn’t marker,” he laughed.

“Your old man?”

“Uh my Uncle Wayne.”

“Oh I see,” I nodded taking a sip of my drink, “You don’t see your dad?”

“I haven’t seen him since I was like 12? No clue where he’s at to be honest.”

“Right, so not long after your mom passed.”

“Yeah, he got worse, got arrested and Wayne’s my closest relative so. I guess I got lucky. I know I’m pissed at him, but he’s a great guy.”

“He does sound it. I’ll look forward to meeting him.” With a smirk he looked at me, “You wanna meet him?”

“Well you’ve met my dad, only fair that I meet yours.”

“I guess you’re right princess.” With a nod I motioned to his plate, “Want any more?”

“Sure if there’s any going.” Taking his plate in hand, I filled it back up with tacos and veggies.

“Here you go pretty boy, eat up.” Eddies face flushed and he brushed his hair back out of his face, it was bothering him clearly.

“I can braid it for you if you want?”

“What?”

“Your hair, I can braid it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, finish eating and I’ll do it for you.”

The boy seemed to wolf it down, at that offer. Soon enough he was sat on the couch, I was behind it brushing through his hair with my hands, putting detangler in it.

He was almost purring at the feeling. Soon his hair was in three seconds, being braided into one. “Does this feel okay?” I asked.

“Mhm.”

“Not too tight?”

“No it feels fine.

Soon his thick curls were in a large braid, that came past his shoulders. “You have such pretty hair I’m jealous.” I plopped myself next to him.

“Thank you.” He stretched out letting out a slight yawn. “You tired?” I asked.

“A little.”

“I’ll go get you some pillows and a blanket okay?”

“Okay.”

Going to my room I grabbed a blanket out of my wardrobe and a couple pillows off my bed. Wandering back out to Eddie, he gave me a smile. “Thanks Princess.”

“You sure you’re okay sleeping out here? I can bunk in with one of the girls and you can stay in my room.”

“Seriously it’s all good. This couch is a lot comfier than the van,” he joked.

“You try and get some sleep okay?” He nodded, taking the pillows and placing them at the end of the couch, pulling the blanket over his lap.

“Goodnight Eddie.”

“Goodnight Princess.”

Walking to my room he spoke again, “Eden?” I hummed, turning to face him.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

The slow burn is burning.

also this is the final pre-written part i have so there might be a slight wait for the next part to be uploaded

Taglist : @gnrquinn @flawiette @taylorswiftsloverfr @mygirlchaos @marvelcasey05 @ali-r3n @browneyes8288

Let me know if you wanna be added 😚

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Carla Ecstasy [09]

ー The scene starts in Yui’s bedroom

Yui: ...I’m pretty much done packing my things but...

Haah...

( All I’ve been able to do is sigh this whole time. )

( I just don’t want to go to the Vibora Castle and leave Carla-san behind... )

( Endzeit is a terminal illness. Which means, he doesn’t have much time... )

( I don’t want to think about that. I don’t, butーー )

...Haah...

*Knock knock*

Yui: ...Yes?

ー Kino enters her room

Kino: Hey there, Eve. You’re leaving for the Vibora Castle soon, aren’t you?

Yui: Yeah...

Kino: Ahーah. You’re looking pretty gloomy. I guess you’re worried about Mr. King after all?

Yui: ...I’m worried sick, I don’t know what to do.

Kino: Oh geez, do you really need to act as if it’s the end of the world? 

Yui: Yes. ...It is after all. 

If something were to happen to Carla-san, then that’s basically the end of the world for me.

Kino: ...Huh? Could it be, you haven’t heard yet?

Yui: ...?

Kino: That disease...Endzeit, was it? It can be cured, you know?

Yui: ...Eh?

...Did you just say that there’s a cure for Endzeit?

Kino: Yeah, I did?

Yui: ( ...! I wasn’t just hearing things. )

Really!? How can it be cured!? Hey, tell me! Quickly!!

Kino: Yeah, yeah, relax. Seems like the gasses at Rotigenberg are highly effective against the disease. 

Yui: The ones at Rotigenberg...?

Kino: Yeah. That’s why he should get better if he stays there for a while. 

Yui: ...That’s all?

Kino: Probably. I’m no specialist on the matter, so I can’t give you any more details.

Yui: ...

( Now that he mentions it, Carla-san did mention feeling better while we stayed there... )

ーー I’ll go see Carla-san!

ー Yui runs off

Kino: Sure thing! Have a safe trip~!

...Heh.

ー The scene shifts to Carla’s room

*Thud* 

Yui: Carla-san!

Carla: ...What is happening, Yui?

Yui: I-I’m sorry...!

( What am I doing? I can’t believe I stormed into the room of a sick person... )

Carla: ...No, I do not mind. What is the matter?

Yui: Well, I...I was informed!

Carla: Hm...?

Yui: You can be cured of Endzeit if you go to Rotigenberg!

Kino-kun told me that the gasses there are an effective cure for it!

Carla: ...So it was Kino after all...

Yui: Carla-san, let’s go to Rotigenberg! As soon as possible!

Carla: ...

...No. That will not be necessary.

Yui: Eh...? Why not!? Even though you know it could cure your illness...

Carla: More importantly, have you finished packing? You should be leaving for the Vibora Castle shortly.

Yui: Don’t worry about me. Don’t change he subject!

Carla: ...

Yui: Anyway, let’s get you ready for departure. I’ll pack your baーー

Carla: I told you that will not be necessary. 

Yui: Carla-san!?

Carla: Leave me alone.

Yui: ...!

( Eh? ーー ‘Leave me alone’? What does he mean? Why would he say such a thing...? )

...I understand very well how much this disease is making you suffer.

So why wouldn’t you want to cure it?

Carla: ...

Yui: Answer me, Carla-san!!

Carla: ...You want to know that badly?

Yui: Of course!

( Whenver Carla-san says something which doesn’t make sense, there’s always some kind of deeper reasoning behind it. )

( So I’m sure that’s the case this time as well...! )

Carla: Then let me answer you. I amーー tired of this.

Yui: Tired...?

Carla: Of this world, of living. I am done with everything. 

Yui: ...!!

Selection

→ Tell him not to lie

Yui: Please don’t lie to me!

Carla: I am not.

Yui: There is just no way!

You said that you would rise to the top of the hierarchy. That is why you have been doing everything within your ability as a King!

You were always positive about the future. Yet...!

Carla: People change. That goes for everyone, whether you are a Vampire or a Founder. 

It is not strange for me to have had a change of heart. Am I wrong?

Yui: Ugh...

→ Ask him why (❦)

Yui: Why would you say that?

Carla: No reason in particular. I am simply stating the truth.

Yui: That doesn’t make sense. That completely contradicts everything you have stood for up till now!

Carla: ...

Yui: You have always remained positive, trying your hardest as a King. 

You were someone beaming with confidence, proud of your own life! So...Why?

Carla: ...

Everything in this world is subjected to change.

...There you have it.

Yui: ...

Carla: ...I am exhausted. Would you let me rest for a bit?

Yui: ...

Okay...

ー Yui leaves him room

Carla: Yui...

Monologue

I wonder why Carla-san refuses,

to go to Rotigenberg? 

Even though he is suffering day in, day out,

as a result of Endzeit’s terminal symptoms...

I find it difficult to believe, that he has truly grown tired of this World (この世に飽きた). 

I wonder if someone’s thoughts, can truly change in such a short period of time?

Could it be due to the illness as well...?

My head is full of questions marks (疑問符).

Does he truly have no other reason...?

While I am debating over that,

the moment where I have to leave for the Vibora Castle draws closer.

What on earth should I do...? 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[cinnameownsweet]

what lies in store?

(reupload!)

word count: 1,303 pairing: hiyotoast warnings: none!

summary: kai and hiyori go on a quick shopping date!

"Come, Kai-chan! this Hiyori Tomoe will treat you today~" Once again, Kai was being dragged along by his sweet, but dramatic boyfriend. "Hiyori, this really isn't necessary... This is the third time this week you've decided to take me out!" He was trying to slip his hand out of the other's, but his grip was surprisingly strong, and he couldn't weasel out.

"Oh, don't be like that!" Hiyori stopped and turned to face him, smiling. 'God, he's pretty, but he can be so demanding....' Kai thought to himself. "It's only natural for a boyfriend to want to spoil his beloved, no?" "Th-that's true, but--" "Then off we go! I know a cute store you'd absolutely love!"

'But that's not needed!' He WOULD have said if he wasn't interrupted. Oh well... He knew he had good intentions, and he really couldn't get mad about that. So, off they went. Walking together hand in hand... Ah, this reminded him of the time they shared together -- before ES.

"Hey, Hiyori?"

"Yes?"

"This is kinda nostalgic, right? We used to go out like this all the time."

"Mm, now that you mention it, yes! I couldn't help but feel like this has happened before."

Kai shyly looked down to his feet with a smile. This really did remind him of the past. Oh, things were way less high stakes back then. Now with Eden in the public domain, with tons of fans-- He knew it was taboo for a producer and an idol to be in love, but at the same time, it was kind of thrilling.

"We're here!" Kai looked up and examined the shop. It had some flowers outside, and a banner strung inside the display window. It showed off various cute mascots, and he immediately thought of Midori. The display window also had various plushies. Cats, dinosaurs, dogs, and even some surprisingly cute kappa were all huddled together in a pile. He couldn't help himself from running up to the plushie exhibit, which prompted Hiyori to laugh a bit. "See?"

Kai beckoned him to come inside, but he didn't wait for the other at all. He stepped inside, and even more cute things surrounded the space. He did his best to hold in a squeal, though he did let out some tiny squeaks. Like lightning, he ran from one place to another, checking out the various stock.

"Eek They have sanrio things- Ah, cinnamoroll!"

"Oh, look here, Hiyori! This flower plushie is soo cute! Ah, and cuddly too..."

"Stickers! Aahh, so many! So cute!"

After some time, he finally settled down, finally able to absorb the atmosphere of the shop. "Fufu, you're so cute, Kai-chan." Hiyori sneakily pulled his lover into his arms, effectively startling and freezing him. He smiled as he watched his partner frown in embarrassment, soon wiggling out of his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry~ Please don't be mad at me. Every time I see you, I can't help but tease you a bit." The brunette let out a defeated sigh, maybe a groan, and nodded tiredly. "It's fine. Pay me back by helping me choose gifts, then?" "Of course! This Hiyori will do his best~ Good Hiyori!" Some quick laughs were exchanged, and then they started perusing the shop.

"Ooh, keychains might be good... What do you think?" He held up some with sanrio characters on them. "Oh, how cute! This one is especially adorable. It looks just like me, see?" The mascot he was referring to was Kerropi. Indeed, there were some similarities. "I can see it! You're both green, have rosy cheeks... And a nice smile!"

"Ah, you flatter me!"

"Hehe! I'll get this one for you, then. Hmm... What about everyone else?" He held up a Kuromi keychain. "What about this one for Ibara?"

"Mmm... I can't see it. But I think he'll like it regardless!"

"Alright! I'll get this for him then! I think Nagisa would like Tuxedo Sam, and for Jun.... Mmm..."

He stared at the Usahana, Kirimichan and Pocchaco keychains. It was impossible to choose just one...! Surely Jun would like them all? but it'd be unfair to get more of them just for him... Argh!

He shoved them into Hiyori's arms, desperately begging for help. "Hiyori, please help me!" It took a moment for him to process the sudden request, but even so, he'd do his best to fulfill it. Gift-giving was his specialty, after all!

"Let me see." He examined the keychains carefully, adding up the pros and cons and simulating responses in his head. After some consideration, he handed Pocchaco back. "Jun-kun will like this one, I'm certain! The skateboard they're on definitely reminds me of him." He watched as his partner's eyes lit up at the recommendation. "Ah, you're right! Thank you so much, Hiyori." He quickly returned Kirimichan and Usahana back to the keychain rack, and then hugged him tightly.

He patted his head and chuckled. "Of course, I'm always happy to help! Just come to me whenever you feel stuck~" He felt a laugh against his chest, and a flutter in his stomach. Sometimes he forgot how much he loved him, and the realization truly felt like Cupid had shot an arrow through his heart.

"I think that's all I'll get for today... Thanks again for your help!" "Ah ah ah, aren't you forgetting something, Kai-chan?" He stopped him. Kai looked back at his partner with a look of utter and complete confusion on his face. "Wha... What do you mean?"

"Oh, Kai-chan..." He sighed. "You're always worrying about others, aren't you? I think you should get a gift for yourself, too."

"Huh? R, Really? I mean... Is that okay?"

"...Okay? Of course it's okay! Ahh, you can be so funny at times. Here, here, I can pick some out of you if you like."

"Oh... Alright, thank you!"

They returned back to the stand, and Kai stood awkwardly as he watched his partner choose a keychain for him. He could tell that he was thinking very seriously about his decision, and seeing that made him happy. It means he truly cares.

Some time passed, and he dramatically leapt into his partner's arms, weeping crocodile tears. "What to do...!? They're all so cute, but none of them can match your cuteness!" He quickly recovered. "I simply must find something that matches your adorableness! I won't rest until I do!" Well, he'll have to when the store closes. Still, seeing that enthusiasm was refreshing... And also embarrassing.

Eventually, he picked out a keychain and a plushie.

The keychain was one of Pompompurin, and the plushie was one of a cute lamb. He tried to refuse the gifts, but he simply wouldn't budge! The perks and disadvantages of having a caring, yet dramatic and sometimes stubborn boyfriend.

With a defeated sigh, Kai wearily accepted the gifts, and the two went to the checkout. Luckily, the cost didn’t surpass his budget. Though, he knew that wouldn't be a problem for Hiyori.

They walked out of the store, smiling and holding hands as usual.

"Thanks for the fun date, Hiyori."

"No problem at all, my dear~ It was a good Hiyori that I was able to take you here. I just knew you'd love it!"

"Yeah... Sorry for being so..." He gestured, trying to think of the right words. "Reluctant about it."

"It's alright! I knew I'd get you there one way or another."

"That's... Probably true, haha..."

How they wished to spend each day together, free of work -- just spending time in one another's presence. How Hiyori wished to spoil him, and how Kai wished to snuggle up to him after a long day. Maybe one day, they can have a day off together -- no distractions, just curling up to each other, no distractions to bother them. One day, it'll happen.

taglist: @dmclr @elysiasdear @maddieinheaven @vanyasomnia. taglist form!

[gogobootz1]

You Only Live Twice Ch. 9

Eddie Munson x Reader (eventually)

Suzie is a genius woman in STEM

Warnings: none

1.2k words

previous chapter next chapter

In order to drag her father away from his work, Suzie needed to prevent his ability to complete work. Thus, the idea of employing her youngest (and arguably most chaotic) brother was born. She realized she would need help stalling, however, and had to enlist the rest of the family.

Extended bartering with him and her countless other siblings had occurred. Some of their demands were high. The actress wanted Suzie to do a week’s worth of her chores, the Vikings wanted her to help them make new swords, and, funnily enough, the filmmaker wanted a date with you. He retracted his request after Eden hit him on the back of the head.

Eventually they all agreed, and Suzie was able to talk down their price. Minutes later you hid with her and the boys, waiting for the lights to shut off. Soon enough they did, much to her father's chagrin.

"Cornelius?!" He shouted. He blustered out of the office, "Cornelius?" At the boy's screams he rushed down the stairs, "Cornelius!"

You all jumped into action, the four of them racing into his office. You stopped outside of the door and watched Jonathan close it behind him. The job you'd been assigned was the lookout, and, unbeknownst to Suzie, you were the backup plan.

Fortunately you could still hear their voices from outside the door. "Wait," Will asked, "Where's Argyle?"

"Shit, I don't know," Jonathan stuttered.

You heard Suzie mumble a countdown, and the power switched back on. Now it was up to the siblings to distract their dad.

"Way to go Cornelius," Mike praised the little boy.

You heard a shout from the bottom of the stairs. "Away, you mouldy rogue, away!" The stalling campaign had clearly already begun, with Suzie's sword fighting siblings first up to bat.

Promising noises came from the room behind you. "And we're in," Suzie said.

"Holy Shi—" you smiled as Mike stopped himself from cursing "heck. Oh holy heck, you did it."

"Hold your applause," the girl replied, "I don't see an address." The sounds of a clacking keyboard impressed you anyways. It seemed like Suzie really knew what she was doing.

"Office," Jonathan suggested, "try Office." You heard more trilling noises come from the computer. All you could do from outside was hope they were making progress.

"What is all this?" Suzie asked, and your eyes widened. The last thing anyone needed was for her to become aware of the real situation. More shouting came from downstairs.

"Maybe it's hidden in the code somehow?" Jonathan tried.

"What you just said makes no sense," you sighed at Mike's attitude. Paying attention to what was happening both downstairs and upstairs was starting to stress you out.

"Hold your butts, I'll just trace the IP," Suzie said, sounding confident.

"The I- what?" Will asked, and you were with him. The technology talk flew right over your head.

"The internet protocol adress," her explanation didn't help you in the slightest. "It's a unique numerical label given to all information technology connected to the internet." Even after she elaborated you were lost.

"What's the Internet?" Jonathan asked, reflecting your own curiosities.

"Don't worry about it," Suzie said, "it's just gonna change the world."

"What's happening now?" Mike asked, as her fingers sped across the keyboard.

"I'm running the IP through a geolocation software, basically a form of data mining," she replied. You heard a wail from downstairs.

"Tabitha?!" Suzie's father cried. At least he was being kept occupied.

A minute later it seemed like Suzie had struck gold. "Bingo," she said. You couldn't be more relieved.

"Nevada?" The boys all chorused. Your shoulders sagged at the thought of backtracking on your road trip journey. Couldn't those awful government people have put their base somewhere closer to here? Somewhere you hadn't already driven through? 

At this moment you heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Apparently Suzie's siblings had not stalled long enough. You snapped to attention just as her father's eyes fell on you. His face twisted in confusion and slight anger.

"Who—?"

"Hello Mr. Suzie's father, sir," you cut him off in a panic. "Why don't you go play with your kids and forget you saw me?" You asked, willing him to walk away. 

"Huh," he started, the anger melting off of his face, "I think I'll go check on the kids." A smile started to grow on his face as he walked back down the stairs. Relief flooded your entire body, and you let out a big breath.

All of the sudden four bodies rushed out of the door you'd been guarding. Suzie lead Mike and Will down the stairs, but Jonathan paused to look over at you. He looked concerned at the blood trickling from your nose, but you shook your head in reassurance. Everything had turned out alright. He nodded then moved towards the stairs. You followed him quickly.

"Slow down!" Suzie's dad called out good-naturedly as you all ran by. He was still feeling the effects of your persuasion. Mike, Will, and Suzie had gone through the front door, Jonathan a few pages behind them. You made a detour to the kitchen, hoping to find a paper towel for your nose. You quickly discarded it and hastened towards to door.

You passed through the dining room where Suzie's siblings were setting up another shot for their movie. "Give me a call someday, doll," her filmmaker little brother said as you rushed by.

"In your dreams, kid," you called over your shoulder with a laugh. Finally you made it out the front door and caught up with everyone. They were standing by the trunk of the van, looking in with shocked expressions. You shook your head at the smoke coming off of the vehicle. Argyle really was a character.

"Any luck?" You heard him ask as you stopped beside Will. You let out a soft chuckle at the sight of him and Eden cuddled in the trunk.

"Lots," you assured, "thanks to Suzie here." You smiled at the girl. She turned towards you, giving a smile of her own. You were glad to distract her from having to confront her sister’s drug use.

“We should get going,” Mike said, eager to reunite with El.

“Yes,” you agreed, “now that we know where she is we really can’t delay.”

“She?” Suzie asked, confused.

“She!” Will confirmed, nodding his head. “Yeah, we’re all so in awe of the Americantendo that it feels more like a person to us.” He tried to correct your slip up.

“Oh absolutely,” Mike helped, “and because it’s so beautiful, the Americantendo is totally a woman.”

“Right!” Jonathan jumped in. “Well we really do have to go,” he tried to hasten your departure before Suzie could ask more questions. “Thank you so much.”

You all reiterated your gratitude as Mike and Will climbed into the trunk. They ushered Eden out as Jonathan hopped in the drivers seat.

“We really do appreciate it,” you said to Suzie, earnestly. “More than you know.” You grabbed her hand between both of yours and shook it firmly, “thanks again.” She looked at you strangely, but you paid no mind to it. You sped over to the passenger’s side and climbed in.

Jonathan had already started to back the van out of their driveway as you buckled in. He waved towards the sisters that stood in their front lawn, and you followed his lead. Mike, Will, and Argyle all waved from the backseat too, but were tousled when Jonathan raced away from Suzie’s house. He was heading towards the highway, back to Nevada. Back to your sister.

—————

Taglist (open): @fangirling-4-ever @preciousbabypeter @bubblebuttwade

[soymemes]

ACT IV: REBIRTH IN REPRISE (3/3)

lyrical starters/prompts from the dear hunter's album "act iv"

"Make a fine parade so the public sways in your wake."

"I just thought that I would go 'till the money's gone."

"Now I can't stop till everyone who ever done me wrong knows I’m not willing to take it."

"Boy, you've got a hard time, bring yourself to glory."

"I never wanted my name up in bright lights, but I think that I might be there soon."

"I owe it all to you."

"I was never looking for fame or the limelight."

"No one ever told me what it meant to be alone, I had to learn on my lonesome."

"Now every feigning flame I chance upon, I put the fire on."

"And here's those spoils of war that you asked for."

"Was it logical lusting after fame?"

"Now everything that you lost is surely coming to you."

"Every catastrophe has shaped me into something new."

"Just don't get carried away making those same mistakes."

"Never forget who picks you up when you fall."

"If they can't play nice I won't play with 'em at all."

"I’ll give them a kick when I learn to lead."

"You're getting over your head once again."

"If they don't get out, then I’ll just bury them all."

"I swear my motive can still remain sincere."

"I can remedy all who've wronged before me."

"Now everyone that you lost would come back crying to you."

"Will you carry us to Eden?"

"Lead us into brilliance, born by your resilience."

"Love us all in spite of what we'll do to you."

"I knew that I did this for a reason."

"It's the end of the line for you and I."

"Don't make believe we even tried..."

"Now we dream of bigger things."

"My identity was wasted on you."

"I lost my faith when I was young."

"I leave awake from all the things that I had done."

"Wait."

"Are our bodies really piles of dirt? And is the soul just a metaphor?"

"I fear that there is a heaven above."

"Is my body really part of the earth? And is there blood running through my veins?"

"I'll know when I turn to dust."

"I fear the answer isn't enough."

"So, will I never know heaven or hell? Or is eternity something worse?"

"I want to give it up, but I just need it too much."

"I hope there's not a heaven above."

"I bet you thought that you'd succeed."

"I fell down then I fell apart."

"I never wanted to hurt no one."

"I bet you thought that you could breathe a satisfied sigh of relief."

"Have you trouble when you fall asleep?"

"I’ve seen you fabricate, manipulate and here, you masquerade."

"As long as I’m protected, you can bet your secret's safe with me."

"I never wanted to hurt no one. No one but you."

"I was strong; not strong enough."

--------

[pickledpascal]

You're Not Alone in This World

Chapter Five

Warnings: a bit of blood

Word Count: 2.9k

You're Not Alone in This World Masterlist

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Finding time to talk to Andrea proved to be a lot harder than Connor anticipated. Andrea was busy most days with briefings and cases, similarly Connor was busy with cases. And even after work, his system became so tired that he didn't have the motivation to speak with her. He needed to make plans. Something concrete. Preferably on a weekend he didn't work. A Saturday seemed to be the best bet.

In between trying to grab some evidence, Connor dropped by Andrea's desk when she seemed free. "Lieutenant Cartier, I was wondering if maybe…" He coughed, feeling the thirium rise in his cheeks. The nervousness in his gut made him want to stop. But Hank said he should just get it over with. "If you'd like to go on a date with me sometime this weekend? We're both off on Saturday." He mustered up a charming smile, folding his hands behind his back.

Rejection would be the worst thing. Connor wasn't sure what he'd do.

Andrea promptly stopped whatever she was in the middle of signing and glanced over at Connor. She pursed her lips as she stared at him. She could tell he was nervous. Hell, probably everyone in the precinct could tell simply by looking at him for a second. A second too long in Connor's opinion. The lieutenant abruptly stood from her desk and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a nearby closet. She locked it as soon as they stumbled inside.

Connor took a quick breath, his eyes widening. What was happening? It looked scarily similar to some movies Hank would watch where the characters took this all the way. Him and Andrea were so close together. Her touch was incredible. Like electricity. Maybe he needed to turn his touch sensitivity down…

With a sigh, Andrea backed away from Connor and leaned against the wall. "Sorry, Connor… but I didn't want anyone else to hear what I'm about to tell you." She whispered softly. The detective cocked his head. He really hoped it wasn't that she didn't want to hurt his feelings in front of all their co-workers. It would've been embarrassing either way. "Connor, I'm not what you think I am."

Adorable? Absolutely. Gorgeous? There wasn't a doubt about it. Caring? Did he even have to question that? Passionate? He saw that passion every day working by her side. Overall incredible? Yes. So what was it that Connor didn't think she was?

"I'm a Goddess." Connor cocked an eyebrow at her. Unsure what she meant in this context. "With powers and everything and even a weird 'Goddess' mode." Andrea explained, fiddling with her fingers. She glanced up at Connor. He was doubtful. His LED was yellow and his eyes were filled with skepticism. She wasn't sure how else someone would react. She'd probably react the same way if she didn't know the truth about how the world turned.

Andrea pursed her lips as she stared at Connor. Telling him wasn't enough. She knew she'd have to show him. Taking Connor's hand, she asked him softly, "You can retract your skin here." Andrea placed her palm against his.

Connor knew what Andrea was trying to do. But it couldn't work. She was made of flesh, he was made of metal and plastic. But he'd humor her anyway. The skin on his arm slowly went away as his palm and finger pads started to glow turquoise. He blinked.

Interfacing like this only happened between two androids who had a deep connection with each other. Simon and Markus were the first he's ever heard of. A human and an android interfacing was… a first. Or maybe she was a goddess?

Suddenly, Connor was pulled from consciousness. He saw an unfamiliar place. It was night and he was by the ocean. A girl was running down steps attached to marble pillars, she stopped once she felt the waves on her toes. He tried to scan the face of the girl with a better view but to no avail. He felt like he was in the Eden garden. He couldn't access anything. But those streaks of white in black hair were familiar. He was facing a teenage Andrea. She wore robes of black while silver plates at her shoulders attached them together. Her hair was in a braid to make the crown made of silver fit better around her head.

The girl looked up at the moon and cocked her head at it. It's existed for as long as she has. Unlike most of the Gods, she did not come out a fully formed adult. Her aging was much, much slower to the point that she'd looked like a teenager for thousands of years and barely anything had changed.

As the waves grew stronger, a man walked out of the ocean. He had a trident and golden armor around his body. Connor had an idea as to who that could be. "Brother." Andrea sighed. Poseidon was her brother? Then was she… part of the high circle of Olympus? But Olympus was only a myth. It couldn't be real.

"Sister." Poseidon hummed. He glanced back at the moon and smiled as he sat on the sand. The coolness of night made it soft and cold. "Sit with me."

Andrea pursed her lips and nodded as she sat next to her brother. Poseidon was her favorite sibling. He was kind and strangely level-headed compared to Hades and Zeus. She watched the moon as well, the light shimmering in her dark eyes.

Poseidon tilted his head slightly, "Your creation is beautiful. And I think we work well together." He smiled. He could only truly be happy with his sister. He didn't need anything else unlike Zeus. Their brother needed the humans to believe in him, to believe he was all powerful. Ruling by fear wasn't what Poseidon wanted. Neither did Andrea.

Connor processed this information before he glanced at the moon. Andrea was the goddess of the moon? The scenery washed away in the sand as his eyes blinked open. He hadn't realized they closed. Andrea stared at him with soft eyes as she intertwined their fingers. So Gods did really walk among the Earth. He had so many questions.

The lieutenant took a breath and grabbed one of the silver hair clips she had to keep it up. "This is made of a metal only forged in Olympus. It's one of the only things that can hurt Gods." She whispered, taking her hand away from Connor's so she could prick herself with it. A bead of purple oozed out of Andrea.

Her blood.

Instinctively, Connor lifted her hand to his mouth and licked at her blood. His tongue automatically analyzed it but came up with nothing. Not even one chemical compound that he could identify.

Andrea's eyebrows furrowed as her breathing paused. Connor just licked her. Right after she revealed what she was to him. "I, uh…" She coughed. Connor moved his head away from her hand and looked up at her. "I just wanted to… tell you. Before we go any further." She admitted. She hadn't told anyone else what she was because she didn't need to. People have expressed their interest but Andrea wasn't interested in them.

This was the first relationship Andrea was sure would last. Much like herself, Connor was practically immortal.

"You want to go on a date?" Connor smiled, not noticing the way his LED went pink. It was innocent, like he didn't just lick her hand in one of the most weirdly erotic ways Andrea had ever seen. She simply nodded. He felt ecstatic. Should he kiss Andrea? No. That was something they'd do after the first or second date, he concluded.

Andrea cocked her head. Pink was an usual color for an LED. She's never seen that happen before, even on deviated androids. There was just blue, yellow, and red. Pink… had to mean something significant.

The handle on the door started jerking, startling both of them. Andrea set her hand on the handle to unlock it and cracked it open.

Thankfully, it was just Hank. He had a shit-eating grin on his face when Andrea fully opened the door. "It's like you're teenagers or something. The closet, really?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Andrea coughed to regain her composure. "Well, we've all known I've been bisexual for a while now." She chuckled softly, nudging Connor who did not understand his cue.

Hank stood in front of them, unimpressed. "Cartier, Fowler wants you in his office. Nothing bad, cause it never is with you. And Connor…" His gaze shifted to the almost entirely blue android and pursed his lips. "We have a crime scene to get to."

Andrea nodded while Connor coughed and made his way next to Hank. Andrea smiled at the pair before she made her way to Fowler's office. She hummed a little while she opened the glass door only to find someone she didn't recognize standing across from Fowler's desk. A newbie. He had to be. Or maybe he was some important official. She would know his face if he was, though.

Captain Fowler glanced between the two people standing in front of him. "Lieutenant Cartier, this is Daniel Cruz. He's a detective straight from the academy and I would greatly appreciate it if you took him under your wing. Showed him around." He paused, watching for Andrea's reaction. She seemed unphased. "He won't be your partner. He'll have his own cases but if he wants you to accompany him, it'd be best that you do."

It wasn't the first time Andrea was assigned a rookie to get familiarized with the job. Most of them went on to bigger and better things. She was proud of them, especially if they decided being a police officer was not for them. It wasn't for everyone.

"You are dismissed." Fowler ordered. Andrea and Daniel left his office.

"So, do you have a desk or anything yet?" Andrea asked, cocking her head as she leaned against the railing outside Fowler's office.

Daniel shook his head, "It's my first day. I don't think I have an assigned locker either." He shrugged. His posture was very uptight but a lot of rookies were like that. It'd go away eventually.

Andrea pursed her lips as she led the way into the main part of the station. She looked around at the few desks that were free. She didn't want to give away the one across from hers just in case she was officially assigned a partner. Chris wouldn't mind a buddy, would he? Eh, no. Of course not. Chris could make friends with anyone. Including Gavin.

"Then you're taking this one." Andrea tapped at the desk next to Chris' with a smile. "I have a case file right now if you wanna look at it. Could use some fresh ideas." She admitted as she grabbed her chair and sat in it.

Daniel sat in his seat and cocked his head. "Are you allowed to do that?" He assumed most cases assigned to lieutenants were high profile.

Andrea laughed and nodded, logging into Daniel's terminal. "These guys are unlocked by your hand so if you wanna open it, just put your palm on the keyboard and viola! You're in." She clicked on a few folders and let Daniel look through them.

Daniel pursed his lips as he looked through the file. He winced at a few photos. Some of them were too gory for him. Right, a lot of rookies were still sensitive to seeing blood. She forgot about that. It's been a while. Daniel persisted. An admirable quality. In some people. She watched the way his eyes floated across each picture and document. It was interesting to see his process and compare it to her own.

"See anything interesting?" Andrea asked, cocking an eyebrow. She wouldn't be mad if he couldn't, he wasn't trained enough to go over every single inch of every photo and document they've gathered so far.

Daniel let out a breath and chuckled, "No. All I see are a bunch of dead bodies. What's this case on anyway?" He asked, moving his chair away to let Andrea log out.

She ran a hand through her hair and swept it to one side. "It's a serial killer case. He's only been active for a few months but it's better to catch him sooner rather than later." Andrea explained as she exited out of the tab and logged out of the terminal so Daniel could. "Any cases given to you will be on here. Most emails will be on here too, unless you wanna connect it to your phone or a computer you got at home." She leaned back in her seat, looking around the station. She'd probably need to give Daniel a proper tour.

Andrea motioned for him to stand as she did. "Most things are easy to find. The break room is in that corner but most people just eat their lunch at their desk unless they're free." She led him around. "This is the detainment room. This is for suspects or to contain people until they can be properly transported to a jail." Thankfully, there was no one inside or she'd feel it would be awkward. "The evidence room. You'll get your own key and password eventually but it's in the name. Any evidence we gather, we put it in here." Daniel absorbed as much information as he could. The layout itself was fairly simple to memorize.

"We do have a training room in the basement but I'm like the only one who uses it. And Connor." Andrea cocked her eyebrow as she remembered. Although, she's only seen him use it once. The only time she's seen him frustrated.

Daniel titled his head. "Connor?" Right, he hadn't met anyone besides her and Captain Fowler.

"He's a detective. He's Lieutenant Anderson's partner. And son, technically now I guess." Andrea let out a breathy laugh. Daniel stared cluelessly. "Well, you'll meet him soon, anyway."

The rookie simply nodded as the pair went back to his desk. There wasn't much for him to do on his first day except fill out a few forms. Andrea sat at her desk and put on some headphones, glancing at Daniel every few seconds while she worked on her case. Research was one of the most tedious parts of the job but she enjoyed it. Especially whenever she got a lead.

After an hour or so, Andrea felt a tap on her shoulder. She expected it to be Daniel asking about something but no, it was Connor. She lowered her headphones to be around her neck and blinked at the sight in front of her. Connor had a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hello, lieutenant!" He smiled brightly. Andrea took the cup and smiled back at him. It was hard not to. "I hope I made the coffee to your liking."

She took a sip and wasn't surprised that he captured her preferred cream to sugar ratio perfectly. "It's great, Connor. Thank you." Andrea coughed a bit, "How was the crime scene?"

Taking the incentive to engage in conversation, Connor sat at the edge of Andrea's desk. "Dirty. However, I was able to find the perpetrator in a few hours. A new record, I believe." He teased softly, fiddling his fingers against the desk. "What did Fowler want?"

"I got rookie duty." Andrea pursed her lips, glancing at Daniel. Connor followed her line of sight and cocked his head. "Not a horrible thing. He seems alright. So that's good."

Connor looked back at Andrea and scanned over her vitals. The palm of her hand was completely healed even before he left. It was hard to wrap his head around. Andrea was immortal. Like he was. Not only that, but she had the power to control the moon. Or something like that. And that all Gods were real. Well, all Greek Gods. Poseidon was in her memory but, during his ride to the crime scene with Hank, Connor looked up the Goddess of the moon.

Her name was Selene. Not Andrea. Unless Andrea changed her name from Selene but he doubted she'd feel the need for that.

Connor's breath paused when Andrea took his hand. "What's up? You got that face that says you're thinking a bit too hard. And your LED is yellow." She whispered softly.

"I am just confused. When I looked up the Greek Goddess of the moon, your name did not show up. Selene did." Connor admitted, squeezing her hand a bit. He could feel the heat radiating off her. It was comforting. He liked that feeling.

Andrea snorted a bit. "Well, that's because the Greeks got a few things wrong. I am the Goddess of the moon and the Goddess of justice. They thought I was two separate entities. My name has always been Andrea." Her thumb instinctively rubbed against his palm.

Connor processed the information, his LED spun yellow before it finally went back to blue. The Goddess of the moon and justice. They made sense together, in his mind. No wonder why she became a lieutenant. A goddess of the moon might want to work at NASA but a goddess of justice…

Yeah, he liked her like this. In a position of power. Something she was used to, he was sure.

[melaninatedotaku]

Binding Part 9

Celestine awoke groggy and confused, not recognizing the room around her, stone walls, a rickety bed, cold wet floors and bars… iron bars to keep her locked in. Her vision adjusted under the dim florescent lights to see no one other that Vlad, watching her through the bars. He smiles and tosses his lit cigarette aside. She jumps up, and loses her balance, she’s weak, unsteady.. Drugged she realizes and her eyes meet his again.“You know… I didn’t think I would actually kidnap you, but then I saw you.. with some random guy in the coffee shop and I realized I had to do it..”“So you’ve resorted to talking me now?” She said while leaning against the bed.“I actually was fortunate to stumble across you, I was hoping to catch you alone, and well I looked up in the midst of my plotting and there you were, readily available to me. Once you parted ways with him it was really nothing to make you disappear, I am a vampire after all”“So what now?” she walked and gripped the bars for balance. “Ya gonna keep me locked away down here like some pet?”“That would be a waste, I want you to be my wife” he sighed“Pfft news flash, jackass I’m already married” she scoffed“Not if I kill him…”“You can’t…”“I could, I could kill him and those things running around you call your children. What were their names again? Oh Markus your first born, Eden your Second born, Masius your infant” he said in a low tone, almost a whisper, disgust wrapped around his words. “You see Celeste, those children are not mine, so I do not care about them, but I know you do. And it wouldn’t be much to break those around you, like your husband? I’ve wanted a werewolf rug for a while now, and he owes me for the last woman he stole. I want to bleed him dry, not to mention I would love to tell him how me and his wife passionately screwed and how the cum dumpster that you are aborted my two children, not including Mateo’s” he smiled and Celeste’s was in shock, her face switched with disbelief and fear. “Oh you didn’t know, I knew about that. But does Mateo know? Did you tell him?” Celeste looked away, not wanting to answer Vlad and speak the words into existence from her own lips. “I thought so, so you’ll be my wife and I won’t touch anyone, we will move far, far away and no one will find you and you will comply because delicate little lives are in the balance and if you run, you’ll spend your life down here, carrying baby after baby, till the end of your days. And you won’t have to offer your body anymore, for it will be mine to take, even when you’re sleeping. Like earlier” he smiled and suddenly grabbed her hair through the bars. Inhaling her scent. “Oh how I’ve missed you” he let go and disappeared in a black mist. Celeste could only do her best to keep it together.The door opened up suddenly and in landed William, beaten and bruised. Celeste looked up and Vlad looked right at her, almost gaging her reaction. He glanced at William on the ground and then cut his eyes at Celeste before disappearing again.Mateo’s POVFollowing his conversation with Celestine, he realized he needed to warn her, and maybe they all would need to meet soon. But right now she needed to get to safety. But when he knocked on the door, he was met with a very frustrated Lucian.“You smell like that bat” Lucian growled.“To be fair, I’m adopted”Lucian scoffed and moved to let him in while moving to his son’s room to clean. Mateo glanced at him and he looked exhausted.“So what do ya want” Lucian asked, his southern twang more noticeable in his exhaustion.“I was looking for Celeste”“Me too, So what do you know” he turned to eye him slowly“I was told she might be in danger, because of my da….Vlad.. So I was coming to warn her”“That would explain why nor me or my pals been able to track her scent” He let out a low deep breath and tossed a dresser across the room. “I’ll kill him”Mateo rushed back to Celestine, who was standing outside.“Was she there?” Celestine asked“No, she’s been missing maybe 2-3 days, her husband was not exactly in a great space, and he’s gonna kill Vlad, we got to see if she is there.Mateo and Celestine ran over to Vlad’s Home, to their surprise the door was open. They entered the main foyer, the house was quiet. Celestine started to ask if he was home when suddenly a loud bang was heard and Vlad suddenly came walking by, he was unaware of their presence it seemed however. When he disappeared they ran to the basement, to find Celeste, weak and sweating. As well as William……Beaten to a pulp.“William?” Celestine asked, disbelief wringing her voice. He looked up and smiled blinking a few times, tears began to weld in his eyes. “Celestine, what a lovely sight for sore eyes” a sob choked out of her.“Let’s hurry and open the door we don’t have the time” Mateo said frustrated, a tinge a guilt bit him. “Right” Celestine said, snapping back to her senses. She destroyed the bar door. And ran to help Celeste who was about to pass out. William stood up and smiled. Mouthing something to her as he disappeared. She started to help Celestine upstairs, and was met with Mateo and Vlad, fighting. Vlad smacked Mateo with a glass bottle, shards flew everywhere, a few cutting in the girls. Mateo stumbled and Vlad began to laugh manically. He rubbed his fingers through his hair, looking up at the ceiling and suddenly his eyes turned and landed on the girls. He ran over and Celestine pushed Celeste out the way, Vlad grabbed and Smacked Celestine. “You couldn’t just let me be, you stupid Bitch!” Glass shattered around them, Celestine kicked Vlad in the crotch and he dropped to the floor. Celeste had hit Vlad with a bottle. The three looked at each other for a moment, before grabbing a swaying Celeste and ran out the front door.Celeste POVThey arrived to the house and Lucian was outside before she finished walking up the walk way. He grabbed and kissed her all over. Eyeing Mateo and Celestine in the distance. He made a face when he saw Celestine. And she mouthed to him the words “later”. He nodded and quickly moved her into the house, where he washed her up and put her to bed, the drugs would work their way out her system slowly. He laid the kids down, and returned to her side. Frustrated that he had been useless, he would owe the bat a favor after this, but he had more questions as to why Celestine was here, when he thought she was dead. He pulled his hair up, frustrated riddled with anxiety, his anger at his limit, his patience and territory tested. He let out a deep breath, “Done”A few months had went by since the incident and things had slowly returned to normal, Lucian had been unable to find any trace of Vlad, his house sold. He was gone. He refused to let Celeste go anywhere alone though. Celeste woke up and she suddenly had the urge to vomit. Head halfway in the toilet suddenly she could hear Vlad’s words swishing down the pipes. And she wondered did he really touch me? She grabbed a pregnancy test and her heart sank into a heels. Lucian walked in the bathroom and saw her face, he smiled at first until he realized she was horrified.. “Is that…”Lucian….please“IS IT!” he yelled and she jumped, dropping the test, tears ran down her cheek.“It’s positive”“That was not my question” he growled“I …. I don’t know” she cried and Lucian stumbled back. He was at his breaking point.“You don’t know?”“I don’t know, he said he would, he said he could, he said I was sleep, he hinted. But I was not sure, I don’t know. I’m so sorry” she folded, she crumbled.“We need a test” he whispered distantly and left the room. Celeste could be heard calling his name, as he walked out the front door and into the garden.He started to sob, he was not mad at her, he was mad at himself. Because his failure allowed another to touch and harm. If the child was not his, could be love the child of his enemy? Would they keep the child? But if the child was his, then his unborn was put in harm’s way again. He signed and howled in frustration. Things felt they were slipping through his fingers again, and suddenly a figure moved into his vision…. It was Vlad. Lucian stared in disbelief.“Is it mine?” Vlad scoffed. And Lucian snapped. He changed, for the first time.. In a long time, his anger and his resentment. He lost control, and charged Vlad. Vlad was confident, cocky almost but he didn’t know… Lucian had been alive a lot longer than him. He was the first of his kind, a secret taken to the grave by everyone but the being himself. Too late did he notice the difference in power, the sky was the last thing he saw, as Lucian ripped his neck open. His body hit the group and he began to bleed out.“Is this what death is like?” he gurgled out. And in his last conscious thought, his kids were what he thought off, the twins and Mateo… he began to cry bloody tears as all his ghosts began to carry him off to hell.

[2dmenenthusiast]

“Please, don’t leave.”

(John Seed x Deputy Gn!Reader)

alright listen, i have so many thoughts about this fic and my own lore behind it that I'm gonna make a seperate post talking about it cuz I love the idea so much. Also, thank you all for all the love on my last John fic! I hope ya'll enjoy this one as well! (Also may or may not write a part 2 to this 👀)

Reblogs and feedback is always appreciated! <3

Summary: Before Eden's Gate got serious, there was just you and John, and he pays you a visit to offer you a proposition.

Word count: 2k

Warnings/other info: gets a little heated, nothing too crazy, reader is gender nuetral as always

“According to the cult’s leader, Joseph Seed, otherwise known as The Father, Eden’s Gate is a peaceful organization preparing for what they call ‘the collapse.’ Joseph is joined by loyal followers, as well as his brothers Jacob and John-”

You closed out of the news article with a sigh, throwing your phone on the couch as you ran a hand down your face. The Seeds. They were familiar. You had met them a few times, back when they were just a normal family and not part of some insane cult. People had the freedom to believe what they wanted but this…

You picked up your phone again, pulling the article back up and looking at the picture of the four of them together. As your eyes scanned the photo, you couldn’t help but let your gaze linger on one particular sibling, his piercing eyes staring right back at you as unease settled in your stomach. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t know John. In fact, you’d like to think you knew him pretty well. So seeing this photo and this article-

Something wet gently nudged your hand, and you looked away from your phone to see Boomer staring at you, head tilted to the side and his tail wagging excitedly. You smiled and set your phone aside, reaching out to scratch his head. You had agreed to dogsit for Rae-Rae while she was out of town for a few days, and Boomer immediately made himself at home in your small place.

“You wanna go outside, boy?”

Boomer jumped, his front paws on your knees as his tail seemed to wag faster, and he excitedly followed you as you walked to the door, running out as soon as you opened it. You watched for a moment as he rolled around in the grass and played with his toys that you had left in the yard the day before, a wide grin on your face.

Rae-Rae’s gotta leave town more often.

You made sure to only close the screen door and walked to the kitchen, checking to see if the water you left on the stove was boiling yet. You huffed, pouring in the dry noodles. You really needed to go grocery shopping soon. Surviving on buttered noodles and grilled cheese was starting to get bland.

A sudden knock on your door had your grip tightening on the spoon in your hand, and you checked the time on your stove. It was almost six. Who the hell was knocking at your door at this time? You cautiously walked over and peeked through the screen door, and your heart almost leaped out of your chest when you saw John Seed standing on the other side. Your hand scrambled for the door handle, flinging it open as John looked at you with a slightly surprised expression. He looked as if he couldn’t believe he was standing at your door, like he didn’t drive the distance from his ranch and take all the turns to get here. He looked nervous.

“John,” you breathed.

He was a bit disheveled, strands of hair hanging in his face and a dark blue knitted sweater hugging his arms. He looked so different from the picture you saw. He seemed guarded and brooding in the photo, but here with you, he looked almost vulnerable. He looked good, though. You always preferred casual John over slicked-back-hair-with-a-vest John. His gaze shifted to the plastic spoon in your hand, his lips quirking up.

“You gonna fend off your attacker with a spoon?”

You looked down at said object, letting out a weak chuckle. “Actually, I think he would do a better job of that.”

You gestured behind John, and he slightly turned to see Boomer running back towards the house at full force. He stepped back when Boomer barked at him, the dog probably wondering what this stranger was doing at your house, but you quickly shushed him as you signaled for him to follow you, leading Boomer right to his food and water. Liquid sloshed out of the sides of the bowl as he drank, and John cautiously entered your home as you turned to him.

“Yours?” he asked.

You shook your head. “Nah, Rea-Rea’s. I offered to watch him while she was gone.”

He nodded, hands in his jean pockets as he looked around your place, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself. You raised an eyebrow in suspicion. You’ve never seen John so nervous before, especially when he was only around you. When he came over, he would make himself at home, grab a drink and sit on your couch. What was with him tonight?

“Uh, you can sit down,” you said, gesturing to the couch, to which he hesitantly walked over and sat down.

You occupied the spot next to him, turning your body slightly towards him as your gaze traveled over his expression. You cursed at yourself when the thought of how pretty he was forced itself into your brain, but how were you to blame? He was pretty. With eyes you’ve seen in your dreams, and lips that once pressed so tenderly against your skin. You felt your face heat up as you recalled countless nights alone with the youngest Seed brother, his hands on your body and his head between your-

“So…”

You cleared your throat, trying not to give away your flustered state as you gave John a small smile. “Sorry. Um… Do you have something you wanna talk about? Or did you just come over to visit?”

He let out a small chuckle, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he seemed to avoid eye contact with you. “A bit of both, I guess.”

You watched him for a moment before scoffing, shaking your head. “I know you didn’t just come over out of the blue after three months of no contact just for ‘I guess.’”

He finally managed to look at you, his guilt showing on his face as he reached out to touch you, but changed his mind at the last second.

“I know. I’m sorry, I…”

There was a beat of silence as John struggled to figure out what to say, and you reached out to take one of his hands in yours, the sudden contact clearly surprising him. If you were being honest, it shocked you, too. After going so long without touching him, the contact seemed almost foreign, but it wasn’t unwelcome. You slowly found yourself craving more.

“You can tell me what’s on your mind, John. It’s okay.”

“... You know my brother, right? Joseph?” You nodded, urging him to continue. “Then you’ve heard about Eden’s Gate.”

A sigh left you before you could stop yourself, and John’s grip on your hand immediately tightened. “John, I don’t know if I-”

“He’s not crazy. What he says, what he preaches, there’s truth to it. The end is coming, and-”

“Jesus, John,” you pulled your hand away, secretly missing his warmth, “do you hear yourself right now?”

“You don’t understand. You haven’t heard talk about what he’s seen. How the future is full of flames and death-”

“Of course it is! Listen, it’s nice that you’re supporting your brother. But I don’t need him to tell me that the world is going to end. Of course it will. And whether that’s in a ball of flames, or if the earth implodes, we’ll both be long dead before that happens.”

You smelled something strange in the air and let out a soft curse when you saw smoke coming out of your kitchen, quickly jumping off the couch to take care of your now burnt noodles. You carefully grabbed the pot with some pot holders and placed it in the sink, running the water so it would stop smoking. You looked at the shriveled noodles with a frown. Not that you were upset, you lost your appetite anyway.

“Come with me.”

You spun around, John standing a few feet away as he took a slow step towards you. You shook your head.

"What?"

"Come with me. You can come to the church and listen. And then… you can join me. Us."

You scoffed, eyes slightly widening as you searched his face. He looked completely serious, coming closer to you as you took a step back, hitting the stove handle.

"John, you know I can't."

"Why?"

"Because this is crazy! You- I can't just uproot my whole life to join your family in some insane cult!"

"It's not-!" John let out a huff, his hands turning into fists and the muscles in his jaw tensing. "Please."

Slowly shaking your head, you crossed your arms over your chest and averted your eyes, not able to take looking at John's expression. Not when he looked at you like that.

"I… I want to support you, John. I do. But what about my life? My job, my home, my friends?"

"What about me?"

Your breath hitched, John's shoes peeking into your vision, and you looked up to see him only mere inches from you, a whirlwind of emotions swirling behind his eyes. You opened your mouth as you tried to speak, but his hands suddenly reached out, gently prying your arms away from your body so he could be closer to you. He carefully held your face in his hands, like you might break if he was too rough.

"I want you to be there with me. Right by my side as we watch it all unfold." He reached down, grabbing your hand and pressing it against his chest. "I was so… empty before. But since I met you, I've felt as if I'm going to burst at the seams. You take up every part of me. Every thought, every action."

"John-"

"Please. Please, just… just say yes.”

You swallowed thickly, eyes burning as tears gathered, and you desperately tried to not let them fall. If John was anything, it was convincing. He could tell a room of fifty people that pigs flew, and they would all believe him. Of course, one look into his eyes was enough for him to have anyone’s full attention. When he opened his mouth, people wanted to listen. Maybe that’s why you wanted to believe him so bad. You wanted to throw caution to the wind and leave with him. But you couldn’t.

You sniffled, reaching up to wipe away a rogue tear. “I can’t, John. I’m sorry.”

His expression slowly fell, hand tightening around yours before he let it drop from his chest, and he took a step back, the air around you a little less suffocating. You felt your heart crack at John’s dejected look, staring off to the side, anywhere that wasn’t you.

“I think you should go,” you muttered softly, and John nodded before making his way towards the door, you following after him.

The short walk to your door felt longer than you remembered, and the view of his back made you want to reach out and grab him so he couldn’t leave. No, you didn’t really want him to go, but you were afraid you would do something you’d regret if he didn’t. But, as soon as he opened the door and began stepping out, you found yourself saying his name and grabbing his arm, gently tugging him back. When he turned to face you, whatever you wanted to say died on your lips.

Those fucking eyes.

He barely had any time to react when you grabbed the collar of his sweater and yanked him forward, noses bumping as you desperately kissed him. He reacted almost immediately, one arm circling your waist as his hand came up to cradle the back of your head, pulling you impossibly close. It was rough and needy. It wasn’t enough, though. You craved every part of him, wanted him to touch you like he had so many times before. Pulling away, you smiled when he tried to chase after you, grabbing his hand and leading him to the couch. You gently pushed him down and climbed into his lap, his hands quickly finding their home on your hips as he tugged you closer.

“Please, don’t leave,” he said, his possessive grip on you tightening.

Reaching up, your fingers gently carded though his hair, brushing it out of his face as you gave him a fond smile. “I won’t. I promise.”

Smiling up at you, John tugged you forward into another kiss, and you hummed against his lips as you pressed yourself against him, wrapping your arms around his neck. You’d deal with the consequences later.

[majestyeverlasting]

Can you write prompt(s) 40 & 48 with Dad!Bucky x reader pls?

♡ Of course! Thanks for sending this request in! For the kids, I went ahead and used Jamie and Eden, who are in my Dad!Bucky x Mom!Reader fics. There's cute and funny family ~shenanigans~ in this piece (and Eden ends up duping Bucky). I hope you like it!

♡ Prompt 40: "There it is. There's that smile."

♡ Prompt 48: "Those are my pajama pants. They're literally slipping down your waist."

♡ To make a request for my One Month Tumblr-versary, check out my Fluffy Prompt List :)

No Such Thing as Winning By Default Tonight

The way Jamie and Eden greeted Bucky at the door always gave him something to look forward to, to cherish. They were bouncing on the balls of their feet as if it had been ages since they last saw him. In reality, it had only been a span of hours since he’d left that morning. And with sparkling eyes, they waited for him to take off his backpack and shrug off the leather jacket. You’d spent the day out with them, and they were ready to tell their father about everything. From checking out new books at the library, going to the park, and even getting snow cones.

As soon as Bucky finished putting his things in the closet, he scooped Eden up and kissed her cheek. And he pulled Jamie into a hug after giving him a fist bump—the gesture was something the boy insisted they started doing everyday because it was ‘cool.’ It was important not to forget the explosion fingers right after, because that’s what made fist bumps even cooler.

The kids talked a mile a minute as they told Bucky about their day—as if their lives depended on it. Hundreds of people had told him hundreds of things over the years and, yet, listening to their words—and yours—added a value to his life that he hadn't, or couldn’t find anywhere else in the world. A smile stretched across your face when he entered the living room with Jamie and Eden on either side of him. You were sitting on the couch with the laundry basket on the floor in front of you. Folding clothes that, admittedly, should’ve already been taken care of.

Bucky shot you a wink when your eyes met his, and you felt the smallest flutter in your stomach. After spending the day with children, you were glad to have some adult company again. It helped that he was particularly attractive in his unshaven state. “Hey, stranger,” you teased, affectionately. “How was your day?”

“Not too bad,” he said, draping his arms over the kids’ shoulders. “From what these two were telling me, it sounds like you guys went around the world while I was gone.”

That earned a laugh from you. “It feels like we did. I’m not moving for the next week.”

Jamie snorted. “But don’t you have to move? You can’t just stay still,” he said. “You’re moving right now to fold the clothes.”

You gave him a flat look, narrowing your eyes. Everyone else laughed. “Well, in that case, mister, how about you three come do it for me so I don’t have to move?” Your tone was playful.

“Uhhh... Dad can do it. I forgot how to fold,” he lied.

“‘Dad can do it?’” Bucky repeated, looking down at him in feigned disagreement. If you truly needed a break, or wanted any sort of additional help, he’d step in a heartbeat—he always did.

“Wait, I’m actually pretty good at it,” Eden spoke up, leaving her father’s side to plop beside you. “Do you want me to help, Mommy?” Without waiting for an answer, she picked out one of her shirts from the basket.

It was then that Jamie decided he was going to assist too. Instead of joining the two of you on the couch, however, he sat crossed-legged on the floor, and dug to the bottom of the basket in search of his favorite race car graphic tee. The way their brows furrowed in concentration was adorable. And because they were no longer glued to Bucky, he was able to lean down and press a kiss to your temple, hands bracing on the plush arm of the couch. Before he could pull too far away, you cupped his chin and directed his lips to yours in a brief kiss, sighing through your nose. You felt him smile upon hearing the kids’ quiet giggles.

Eden’s voice soon arose. “Hey, Mommy, look. Is this good enough?” Bucky pulled away and straightened back to his full height, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair.

On Eden’s lap was a white shirt printed with pink flowers that she had folded. “It looks great, E. Put it on the stack of your other stuff.” You pointed to the clothes of hers that you had already folded.

What you ended up finding later that evening was that one of the kids had accidentally placed Bucky’s navy blue pajama pants in your sleepwear drawer. Considering he was off in the playroom with them, you decided to put them on to go get a reaction out of him. You paired them with a gray V-neck.

When you walked in on him and the kids, they were winning in what appeared to be a play fight. They hovered over him as his back was against the floor. A helpless smile budded on your face as you stood watching in the doorway. He tried to prop himself up upon noticing you, but Jamie growled and pushed chest back down.

“Do you surrender?” He asked his father.

A laugh bubbled up Bucky’s throat. “Yes, I surrender.”

“I don’t believe him,” Eden told Jamie.

“I do! I promise,” Bucky said. “I just wanna talk to your mom.”

They let him sit up, and you caught the way his gaze traveled up your body. “Hey… those are my pajama pants,” he said, pushing himself from the floor to go stand in front of you. “They’re literally slipping down your waist.” To prove his point, he attempted to pull them up to a more proper resting place on your hips. But they slouched back down a bit when he let go.

“No they’re not," you challenged with a smile. "They’re mine."

“Oh, is that right?” He let his hands come to rest on your hips, and in turn you wrapped your arms around his neck, gazing into his eyes. “They look good on you,” he said, voice low. And before you could register his intentions, he reached around you to squeeze your backside.

Bucky chuckled at your small squeak and dipped down for a kiss. He was gentle, and warm, and smelled woodsy. When he started to pull away, you thought it was way too soon. But, a second later, you realized it was because Jamie had started tugging on the back of his shirt.

You stifled a laugh at the way he rolled his eyes before turning around. “May I help you?” He asked the boy.

“Can we do one more round?” Jamie asked. “But this time you have to go harder on us.”

Eden came to stand beside her brother’s side. “Yeah! And Mommy can be on a team with me and Jamie,” she said.

Bucky looked back at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You up for that?”

You wrinkled your nose. “Maybe I should just watch. These pants probably make me wardrobe malfunction prone.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “You’ll be fine.”

That assurance is what landed you in a four-person play fight. Per Jamie’s request, Bucky does exert a little more effort. But he was still overly mindful that nobody got hurt in any other way. For the first few moments, you drew back and let Jamie and Eden make most of the advances on their father. They practically cackled every time he pinned them.

But he eventually locked eyes with you, and you knew he wasn't going to let you remain in the background of the action anymore. All you could do was squeal when he made a very direct advancement. Because you were already kneeling, it didn’t take much for him to force you the rest of the way to the floor. It happened so swiftly that all you could do was let out a surprised huff of laughter. Somehow he managed to capture both of your wrist.

“He’s got Mommy!” You heard Eden say. Then she came to your rescue by pushing his shoulder to divert his attention.

In the sliver of time before Bucky walked on his knees to get the girl, Jamie did a discrete signal to her that she nodded to. All it was was a quick swipe of his pointer finger down his cheek. And between you and Bucky, only you caught their quick exchange. It took a second for it to click that he had told her to fake cry. Or pretend to be hurt, at least.

As soon as Bucky gathered Eden into his arms, and lowered her to the floor in the most gentle 'slam' ever, she enacted their scheme. From her lying position, she winced and released a soft whine. There was no possible way that what he did could've caused any pain, but Bucky didn't even rationalize that. The only thing that rang in his mind was that he'd just hurt his little girl.

“Shoot! I’m sorry, babydoll.” He repositioned to sit in a narrow straddle, and coaxed her up to sit on his thigh. The tenderness of his voice made you want to tell him that she was fine. "What hurts, hmm?" She just continued pouting. Jamie put a hand over his mouth to hide either a smile or shock that it actually worked.

Bucky sighed as his eyes flickered over to you. All you could do was offer an expression that was likely a mix between neutral and guilty. Then he redirected his attention back to Eden and started pressing consoling kisses to her hair. When he noticed her beginning to smile, relief flooded through him. “There it is. There’s that smile,” he said. "I really am sorry, sunshine. Didn't mean to hurt you."

She craned her neck to look up at him. "Daddy..." she said, voice tentative. "I was just kidding..."

Jamie was quick to pitch in. "I only told her to so we could win by default or something. At least she's actually okay, right?" The hopeful edge to his tone made you bite back a smile. "Mom was in on it too." Snitch.

Bucky's mouth fell slightly agape, but he let out a small laugh a second later, shaking his head. "Wow," he breathed. "'Win by default,' huh? Give me a heart attack to 'win by default.'" In all fairness, it had been a somewhat mean trick. But nothing he couldn't recover from.

"I didn't even know if you were gonna believe me!" Eden claimed. She squealed when he suddenly laid onto his back, taking her with him. The sound of their mixed laughter filled the room, and the energetic buzz returned to the atmosphere.

Then Bucky made a proposal to your team. "You guys are gonna have to come save little miss from my arms if you wanna win for real," he said. "No such thing as winning by default tonight."

-

Previously fulfilled request: Cold Little Paws.

[funnyexel]

Potential Yandere x Abused Fem!Reader

A/n: This is another drabble. I’ve been trying to pass it as a x reader story but I got severely stumped so I decided to still post it. (cause I feel like I did a fantastic job on it) If you squint, you could count this as yandere.

Summary: Basically, the story is about you running away from your twisted household (controlled by your step-mother) to get away from her, as you were escaping you get kidnapped. You soon find out it was your “dead” husband, your step-mother arranged you to marry for money and soon after killed him because he was trying to help your situation. Now he is bent on protecting you and getting “even” with your step-mom...any means necessary.

Warnings: Scars, Mentions of death, Mentions of abuse, Trauma, Slight smut, Mushy stuff. Masterlist Mega List

You ran away. You just couldn't take it anymore. The loneliness and the abuse was killing you from the inside out. Tears burn in your eyes and stain your cheeks. Now caught up in yourself, you neglect to realize the hand over your mouth. "Finally." You managed to let out a few muffled screams before you completely knocked out.

"No one will want a fat, stuck up brat! 20 more!" "Yes, Mother."

Transitioning from low breaths, you awake breathing heavily. "GET OUT!" You flinch at the sudden noise and clashing of objects. The somewhat familiar male voice sighs. You try to shift the bag off your head but fail. "oh right the bag." He snatches the bag off your head. Your head whips to the side, tears smoothly fall down your face. He forces your face to see his. "p-please-" The tears in your eyes wash away and you can see a clear picture of the male. He caresses your cheek. "Y/n~ It's been a while." He holds the back of his neck.

Slowly jerking your head back. You try and gather your emotions. 'Do I want to hit him or kiss him?' You thought. "I missed you." You keep your gaze with him. Blood rushes to your face without your consent. "I guess you didn't miss me.." He falsely pouts. "I did." You whisper. He smiles. "Get off the floor." You get up and realize that you had your hands behind your back for nothing. Looking him up and down, you analyze his tall and muscular nature. Wanting to run up to him and kiss him. You decide to hold back. The thought of him suffering from the lost of touch is funny to you.

Just like how you both were when you were younger. You finally ignore your thoughts and listen to your aching body. Legs trembling, you trip over your weak feet before you could faceplant, he catches you. 'Oh right. Prince Charming waited 3 long years to get me.' Now remembering the horrible memories. He lays you down on a couch and removes your clothes to unveil your undergarments. He uses a med-kit to patch you up. "Your scars have gotten worse." He looks up to you slightly. You look away from him. "Stop staring at me like that."

He chuckles at your annoyance. "Are you hungry?" He briefly stops bandaging you to give you a tray of food. "Eat. If you're hungry tell me. Don't sit here starving yourself." You eat little by little enjoying the food. He moves from your legs to your arms. "What happened to your ring?" He examines your left hand kissing it softly. "I still have it." You reach into the side of your bra and take out the ring dangling on a chain. "Who gave you that chain?" He finished patching you up. Given your silence, he knows where it's from. 

He reaches for your hand to retrieve the chain and take the ring. "I do not want you to have anyone else's stuff but mine." He puts the chain on the table. "You're unusually quiet." You turn away. "W-where have you been for three years?" You glide your hand over his tattoos and bold muscles. He gently takes your left hand and holds it in his, to place the ring on your ring finger. "Trying to get you." He kisses the ring and clutches onto your hand. "I-I thought...y-you w-were...I s-saw."

Tears stream down your face unexpectedly with the whirlpool of emotions. "Dead." You couldn't hold yourself back from his touch anymore. You launched yourself into his arms and fit into his lap perfectly. He softly whispered reassuring little nothings in your ear. His voice soothes your uneasy state. "You'll be safe with me. I promise to you that you will never go back, ever." You clench onto him harder, making small marks into his skin through his clothes.

"I-I need- have um-" You stutter causing your cheeks to heat up. He rubs your shoulder as a comforting gesture. "I...I've realized, over the time apart and grieving. That I-" You choke on your unspoken words but manifest the strength to hold his cheek and gaze deep into his eyes. "I love you. I thought that I realized too late and looking at this second chance. I was second guessing whether to tell you or not. But I wanted you to know." Slowly leaning in, a half a breath from his lips.

You close the gap, placing your soft lips on his and sluggishly parting your lips. 'His eyes are closed.' You thought studying his facial features. Whilst tracing your slender fingers over his godly jaw line. He got casted out of your trance, pulling your waist into his. Thirstily matching his lips up with yours. You felt déjà vu and a stinging sensation on your thigh. But it wasn't painful, it could never be painful from him. It was a stinging of coldness turning warm from your touch.

Your bottom lip felt wet. Very wet. He was asking for permission to your wonderful mouth. You opened your mouth for him without a second thought. Feeling his heavy palm trailing from your waist smoothly to your neck. Gripping hard but soft never wanting to let go. Your body shifted to straddling him and your hand stopped awkwardly waving in the air and rubbed along the hand holding your thigh. Applying warmth to his upper arm and bicep. You moan breaking the kiss, throwing your head back due to his icy touch up your back. You stare at each other, breathing heavily. "I love you too." He says between deep inhales and exhales. "You're always so warm." He buries his head in your shoulder, both his hands covering your back. "And you’re always so cold." You chuckle and shiver under his touch. Rapidly blushing, realizing you're only in your panties and bra.

You wiggle in his lap trying to reach a piece of clothing. But he holds you down with his heavenly grip. He lifts his head from your shoulder, blush lightly dusting his face. "Are you trying to get something out of me?" His muscular voice echoes in and out your ear. You hesitantly shake your head. Thinking about what he said you notice your sitting near his groin. He moves his hands around your back attempting to capture all your warmth. "Shirt." You gaze into his night black eyes.

A sweater is draped on your back with little to no movement. He sits up and puts your arms through the sleeves, then zipping up the sweater. Shivering at the new warmth, he places a kiss on your nose then mouth. You smile and touch your nose. He lifts you off his lap and onto the couch. "Stay in here. I'll be back." He gets up and looks over himself in the mirror. Seeing you staring at him from the couch with a slight pout. "Don't let anyone see those pretty panties."

Never taking your eyes off him, your cheeks redden and you push down the sweater to cover your underwear. He snickers at your actions, swiftly leaving the room. Your eye falls back to the mirror. 'This is really happening.' You thought. One song was replaying in your head, sex by eden but only one particular part of the song. 'Oh no, I think I'm catching feelings.' And you know you already told him you love him but it felt like you were catching feelings all over again. The statement from the man became distant as time passes by, or you became very bored very fast. Either way you got up from the couch, wobbling on your feet. You stare at yourself through the mirror. Dark circles having a long term stay underneath your eyes, big lips being temporarily present on your face, light hickeys being displayed on your lower chin and neck, and light tears burned into your cheeks. You rub away the tear marks with the oversized sleeve.

His sweater was sizeable to your body. It hugged your body perfectly but all the while drowning you in the sweater. Doing some more walking around. You come across a nicely framed photo of you and him. You remembered that like it was taken yesterday, if you recall correctly his sister took that picture. You were sitting in his lap, assembling a puzzle together but he was getting frustrated so you decided to take over. You laugh at the bubbly memory.

'I look so focus on the puzzle meanwhile he buried his face in my hair.' You slightly blush and put the picture back. You go to his desk and sit in his chair. "woaah~ this chair is so comfortable." You lie back into the chair and spin it, making sure not to mess up anything on his desk. "how long is he going to take?" You groan feeling extremely lonely. Listening closely, you hear the sound of a train, the speedy move of the train smoothly moving on the noisy tracks. As if they hit a bump on the track your body falls out the chair.

You turn over rubbing your knees. Multiple footsteps meet your ear range. Looking around, you quickly crawl underneath the desk slightly hitting your head on the way in. "ouch." And a squeal leaves your mouth before they busted in the room. "If this is just your bad hearing, we're gonna be in a lot of trouble." A strong woman voice exclaims. "I heard something fall. I swear." A male croaked back to the female. "Everything in here is bolted to the floor. Get out his office before he catches you." Someone chimes in and the footsteps fade out the room.

You left out a shaky breath and rub your head. 'I'll just stay under here.' You thought to yourself and nodded. In silence, you thought about what you would do about your still existing problems at your old home. Even though, you wanted to forget. You couldn't risk him getting hurt or worse. "Hey, where are you?" His voice pulls you out of your thoughts. You knock on the inside of the desk and his footsteps approach you. He crouches down and looks at you curled up into a ball under the desk.

"what are you doing under here?" His soft tone flutters your heart and blesses you ears. As he extends his hand you eagerly take it and he pulls you out the dark space. He guides you to the couch and sits you down. "Here." He hands you black leggings. Getting up, you put on the pants and look up to him. "Promise." His hands meet your waist and lightly rubbed the sides. "Promise, what?" He chuckles looking down to you. "Promise you won't get killed."

You stare at him with solid eyes and spoke with a serious tone. "I promise to you I won't get killed." He matches your tone. "Pinky promise." You hold out a pinky and wait for him to meet your request. He smirks and holds your pinky with his. Shaking it twice. You let go and hug him, burying your face into his mid-chest. His well built arms circle around you, engulfing you in his body. You stay there until you begin to lose breath. "Accept my promise."

He smiles at you, before you could have a valid reaction, he traps you into a powerful kiss. Pulling your body closer and closer to his. All the while your hands travel to his neck, into his soft dark hair. The kiss was better than before, unrealistic at most. His tongue immediately got access to your mouth, exploring it and violating it. He slowly broke the kiss to trail them down to your neck. You huffed and moaned. Minimally visible air puffs leaving your mouth. He found your sweet spot and kissed it as deeply as he kissed your plump lips. Your lowly moans echoed the office, he gripped your chin and moved it to the side to get more access to your neck. His actions hit a sudden stop, he lifts up his head and plants a peck on your lips. He made you weak in the knees. And by the looks of it you made him the same way. He sat on the couch and patted his leg. You felt like sitting too but held off, to look in the mirror. 

A dark mark visible to the naked eye, was made by him on your neck. You traced your fingers over it in admiration. Your heart skipped a beat and your eyes sparkled. His marks did that special thing to you that you couldn't explain even if you tried. Turning back to him you, sit on his lap and rest your head on his shoulder.