#man I keep trying to read Wretched of the Earth

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

The Communist Manifesto didn't come out until 1848, so it's impossible for Feuilly to have read it in canon; however, Les Mis wasn't published until 1862, and I refuse to believe that Feuilly's character was not at least informed by some of the ideas.

[ameliathornromance]

Just wanted to add quick trigger warning: mentions of domestic abuse and assault from husband, but not Orc BF because he's better than that.

This was written and inspired by Run by Daughter, I recommend listening to it while reading <3

“Careful!” Your Orc whispered to you.

Clutching onto the vines of the tower you descended from, you gave a cautious look down to him.

His arms were spread open, wide and prepared to catch you in case you fell.

You couldn’t believe that you were actually doing this. The two of you, imprisoned by the same wretched man were finally getting away.

Your husband, the Earl was an awful man. He was nasty to the servants, if one dared brush too close to him, his bellows of rage were enough to shake the earth.

When something wasn’t done exactly according to the orders the Earl had given you, he would make sure you would get his orders right next time, in the form of a strike to the side of the head.

There were days where you wondered if there was any way out of the suffrage you were forced into. Then your Orc arrived.

The Orc you had fallen for, was captured by the Earl and forced to be your body guard. Your need for a body guard had only become apparent after a run-in with some highway bandits, who took everything of value from your carriage after returning from a Royal Gala. “This creature ought to keep you safe,” your husband proclaimed lazily. After jerking the chain around the Orcs neck, he added, “don’t worry, I’ve made sure he’s tame.”

The two of you lamented over being captured and trapped by the same man. It was strange, the way you two bonded over that. Even more a miracle that the two of you got along together. Both of you shared stories of your lives before you met.

The Orc had been caught by one of many of your dear husbands hunting parties. He and his friends had ambushed him and shackled him. They had beaten him senseless the whole way back to the Manor in which you resided. You apologised for the harsh treatment of your husband. But your Orc dismissed it: “It is not any fault of yours.” He smiled, “I only thank that you are nice, treat me well and sympathise with me.”

You couldn’t recall exactly when you had fallen for your Orc Boyfriend, only that it was some time a few weeks earlier. You and your Orc had been chuckling about something on your way to the dining hall.

You couldn’t remember what it was you were laughing about. Your husband appeared from thin air – and for some reason took great offence to you enjoying yourself – as you arrived at the dining hall.

After shouting obscenities at you, he raised his hand to strike you. Closing your eyes, recoiling, you braced for the sharp flash of pain. Yet nothing happened.

Cautiously, opening your eyes, you saw that your Orc had caught the wrist of the Earl.

Everything was a blur from that point. Your Orc was taken down, dragged out of sight and returned to you later, one of his eyes swelling and turning purple. When you worried over him, he simply smiled at you, “my job is to protect you, my Lady. After all your kindness if I didn’t I…” Your Orc sucked in a deep breath and sighed. “I’d do it again in a heart beat.” It was in that moment, that the two of you knew you loved each other.

Even if you could not say it out loud, you knew he loved you.

It was in the soft touch of his hand on your back when you were anxious, in the smile he gave you as you told him excitedly about a plot twist in a book you read. How he would hold you as you cried into his chest, another scathing from your husband fresh in your mind, from when your Orc couldn’t be there to protect you.

Today had been the last straw for the both of you. Another screaming match, followed by another strike to the face, you and your Orc made the decision to run.

It was now or never. Your Orc had been trying to talk you into it for weeks. The both of you spoke about it in hushed whispers as you walked through your garden. A common, secret excursion, only afforded by your deep sleeping husband and the darkness of night.

Moonlight shone down upon you both as he told you, in a hushed voice: “He would never dare come for us.” He assured you taking your hand, “we could be free, away from that monster.”

“But my family-” You began to protest.

“They are not your family.” Your Orc glowered at you. “Those people knew what that man was like and they gave you to him anyway. What kind of loving family does that?”

He was right, you knew it he was. You hadn’t heard or seen from them in years, only doing what they had to do to be kept comfortable. Your marriage was just that: A means to keep comfortable.

This realisation, broke your resolve to stay. Given what a horrid day it had been, you couldn’t ignore it any longer, the stinging on your cheek a painful reminder. You had to get out of here.

Sucking in a deep breath and turning to that bright shining moonlight, you sighed. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

A few days passed before everything was ready to go, your Orc had been meticulous in his planning. You, yourself, couldn’t do anything to pack, those who were loyal to the Earl – a select few of the servants, who he bothered to treat with some semblance of decency – would tell on your plans. Questions would rise… You didn’t want to find out what would happen if they were asked.

But if it was your body guard, no one would dare question the Orc sauntering through the halls, clearly on an important mission.

Finally, the day came when you two would set off. You did your best to act like there was nothing amiss, doing your duties with your Orc following behind you. He was more vigilant than usual. Although your husband had gone hunting for the day, whose to say that he would return with nothing, furious with his lack of game and try to take it out on you.

When night fell, the two of you made for the salon. It wasn’t time to go just yet. The sun had coloured the sky orange, the two of you would need the cover of night. As soon as the two of you were out of sight of prying eyes, he cupped your face with his hands and kissed your lips.

“I will go and get the horse ready and collect our supplies,” Your Orc whispered to you. “When the Earl is asleep, you climb out of the window and I’ll be waiting down by the bottom of the tower.”

“What if I slip?”

“Then I will catch you, my Love.” Your Orc smiled.

Letting out a soft chuckle, you rubbed your thumbs over the back of his hand, clutching onto them. “I love you.” You told him.

“I love you too.”

The two of you departed to your respected quarters after that.

You had prepared a special drink for your husband that night. It was nothing dangerous, just a sedative your Orc had managed to get a hold of. Before bed, you offered it to your husband.

“You’ve been stressed recently.” You lied as your husband entered your bedroom. “So I made you some Camomile tea.”

The Earl hmphed. Snatching the tea cup and saucer from your hand, he gulped it down in one go, without saying a word to you. This was how he was when he wasn’t berating you.

You were glad you’d never have to breathe the same air as this man ever again.

Within moments of getting into bed, he was asleep.

And here you were now, descending the tower wall. The drop, coupled with the soft blushes of wind made you question why you couldn’t have just taken the stairs. But the thought of being spotted making an escape made you shudder.

As if sensing your unease, he vine in your left hand quivered, then snapped. You let out a shriek, causing you to lose your grip, your feet slipping. Grasping onto any remaining vines you could, your body soared away from the safety of the tower.

Your Orc caught you within seconds, your shout silenced with a hand clapped to your mouth, mortified by your mistake.

Heart thumping in your chest, you looked up at your Orc Boyfriend. His eyes were fixed on the bedroom window. Neither of you moved, still as statues, waiting for someone to come looking for the source of distress.

The wind blew, trees rustled and leaves billowed in the breeze. But no guard came by, and your husband did not stir.

Sighing with relief, your Orc set you down on the ground and whispered, “you’re not hurt, are you love?”

You shook your head, “sorry.” You breathed.

Your Orc Boyfriend shook his head, smiling, “let’s get out of here, quickly. Last I knew, my clan were headed East.”

Holding his hand, the both of you took off into the forest, never to be subject to the torture of man again.

Patreon

[thesightstoshowyou]

I love your work so much! Would you consider writing number 28 for the man from Hush? I was so excited to see you talking about him haha, it's such an underrated movie! xxx

Thank you so much!!! Heck yes I will write for him! I’m also working on week 4 of bloodfest and it features this asshole 😁

I have a few other The Man stories on my Masterlist if you haven’t read those! ❤️

~~

28. "This is not what I expected."

Warnings: Predator/prey, blood, wrist trauma, heavy gore. Dead dove do not eat.

Blood drips into your eye and you hiss, thick crimson stinging and clouding your vision. You close it on instinct, your vision now halved as you sprint through gloomy forest. You don’t think to wipe it away; flight is the only thing on your panicky animal brain.

A loud twang echoes around the darkness, followed almost immediately by a startling crack as the bolt collides with a tree trunk inches from your head. Wood splinters, chunks scraping your cheek and clinging to your hair.

You shriek and duck, staggering to your left, your burning leg muscles barely managing to make the turn. Grunting, huffing, panting like a dog, you will yourself to keep moving, keep running!

Gripping a nearby oak, you use it as leverage and push, hurtling yourself forward into the brush. Twigs crack underfoot, foliage rustles, lungs gasp, blood leaks. You don’t risk a look behind you, but you must be putting some distance between you and your pursuer, how could you not be—

Your foot, your god damned foot catches on a root protruding from the earth. A shocked cry catches in your throat as you crash to the ground. Palms and knees split open and bleed when you attempt to catch yourself, your wrist crunching horribly under your weight. You roll once, twice, three times before you skid to a stop in a flurry of dead leaves and pine needles.

You fell! How could you fall? You need to get up, get away, this man is trying to kill you! Anger at your own stupidity forces you off the ground. Nauseating pain shoots up your arm and you whimper, cradling your wrist to your chest, reaching for a branch with your working hand. Get up, get—

TWANG

THUNK

All the air is knocked from your lungs. You’re tossed sideways when the crossbow bolt hits you in the waist, tunnels through your guts, and explodes out the other side just below your rib cage. It comes to a stop in the trunk of an alder, your viscera pinned to the tree by the dripping projectile. The end wobbles a few times before falling still.

Shock.

You feel nothing at first. The bolt went through you at such great speed your body has yet to realize the trauma it has sustained. All you can do is stare, wide eyed, mouth hanging open, lungs frozen and refusing to draw in air.

You may not be able to feel just yet, but you can hear. Boots crunch on undergrowth as your assailant approaches, plain white mask the only thing visible in the darkness.

“Oh no, this is not what I expected.” His words drip with sarcasm, his hands exaggerating his mocking body language. “All you animals fucking trip. Every single one.”

Air returns to your lungs and with it comes agony. Stabbing, wretched pain envelops your torso, but all you can do is gurgle, wet iron bubbling in your throat. Your shaking hands clutch uselessly at your abdomen, entry and exit wounds gushing blood until the dirt beneath you turns to mud

Crouching next to your twitching form, the man studies your injuries, then traces the path of the bolt until his gaze falls on the tree.

“Damn, what a shot, huh?” he exclaims. He makes a whooshing noise and a swooping motion with his arm. “Just straight through!” Pointing to the alder, he adds, “I think that’s your liver.”

Your vision blurs, the woods around you getting darker by the second. You’re thankful for it as the man pulls his knife from its sheath. Though, instead of using it on you, he lays the crossbow across his knees and begins carving something into the foregrip.

He shrugs, “Might be a bit premature, but I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna last much longer. Agreed?”

[finnstansonly]

i have been trying to read the wretched of the earth for two weeks but the audiobook is a white man w a britishs accent like im so disgusted but the pdf is too block text-y for me to read it w my eyes alone i need words with it but the reader on the internet archive is too fast and my computer keeps reading the header and page number like what if i was suicidal

[cyberrat]

76th Batch Of Fics: 14th Fill

Reaper/Soldier76 – Vampire Hunter AU – Part ¼ (cont part 3&4 next batch) – gay virgin Jack; blowjob – Vampire Hunter Jack is on the hunt for Lord Gabriel but is the one caught instead.

---

The little hamlet that the whispered stories have led Jack to is not as morose as other places he has been to in his life as a hunter.

In fact, the place is positively upbeat. Despite the gray overhang of clouds that stubbornly clings to the place and keeps a consistent wetness on the skin, the people do not seem the worse for wear on first glance.

He can’t help but look toward the dark castle looming above it all. It is so close, Jack feels like he can see flickering lights in its windows from time to time as well as humanoid shadows moving around.

It’s an unusual sight for sure… but Jack is not an idiot and he knows what to look for. The nervous strain around a smile just too wide for comfort; the twitching of an eye checking the surroundings for something suspicious.

They’re wary of him which makes sense. He does not tell them that he is here to free them of the oppressive presence of their current lord.

He is not in the business for gratitude. He does it for revenge – and, if he is quiet honest, curiosity. Never have been stories about a Lord this colorful, this… conflicting. Some speak about him as the most beautiful man that has walked the earth, a lover of arts and people a like. Others have talked about him as a wretch that cultivates the humans in the hamlet as one would a flock of chicken.

He is not yet entirely sure whether he is dealing with a Vampire, some kind of other monster or just a regular eccentric Lord that has unwittingly made quite a reputation for himself.

Jack approaches the castle after a few days in the Hamlet in which he had been trying to gather information that is more believable than anything else he’s been able to glean during his travels. The safety of the day has not failed him yet… but obviously his luck had to run out at some point.

.o.

A tickling sensation against his ear slowly pulls Jack out of the darkness of unconsciousness. He exhales through a mouth that feels dry as the sand on the beach, slowly moving his fingers and toes just to make sure that he still possesses all of them.

As if his mind had been read, a cup is placed against his lips and he is ordered to drink by a low, smooth voice.

Since he does not smell anything suspicious, he does so, gulping down the water offered to him so the fog achingly filling his skull may recede somewhat. It does, but he honestly doesn’t believe that it helped since the vision before him is too otherworldly to make any sense to a sane person.

The man is tall and beautiful with a dark mane of hair swept to one side of his scalp which he is holding cocked as well, a politely inquisitive look in his dark eyes.

He is smiling, unselfconsciously showing off the sharp fangs he possesses. He is not trying to hide himself, hands folded in front of his body, fingers steepled and adorned with a few glittering rings and sharp claws.

“You are awake… wonderful. You had looked to be quite a sturdy fellow but my pet has been rather rough with you, so I had been unsure…” he trails off, taking a step closer. He extends a hand which Jack instinctively tries to avoid without any luck. He is chained to a chair, he realizes with nowhere to go.

The Lord of the mansion gently clicks his tongue, his fingers careful as they brush along Jack’s cheek. “Shhh… do not be afraid. I do not intend to harm you.” He takes a step closer, his robes rustling softly as he lifts his other hand and cups Jack’s face in his palms.

His lips are full and soft looking, Jack realizes almost against his will.

“But I might change my mind if you’re not a good boy.” His tumb lightly drags over Jack’s mouth, the sharp nail pressing against his bottom lip. “You are… intriguing. Not beautiful but… handsome. Yes. Very handsome. And capable, are you not? Your reputation precedes you, Mister Morrison. My kind whispers about you in the shadows. I would never have dreamed, though…” he trails off.

Jack is just quietly staring at him, his hands balled into fists. His heart is beating fast but from the warmth suffusing his body it feels like it isn’t doing so out of fear.

“Your eyes… they look like the sky on a bright, sunny day,” the Lord suddenly whispers. There is yearning in his voice, fingers trailing up and touching the corners of Jack’s eyes. “It has been so long since I have seen something this breath taking. I simply must have you.”

Jack’s face twists. He rips his head out of the monster’s grasp, pulling on his restraints.

“Get away from me you beast,” he spits out, willfully ignoring the excited hitch of his own breath. He can’t… oh he can’t! What even is this feeling?!

The Vampire smiles. He looks sad but unsurprised. “At least call me by my name… Jack.” Here he pauses briefly as if savoring the name on his tongue before continuing: “I am Gabriel.” He extends his hand again and although Jack tries to pull away, he lightly scratches him beneath the chin as if he were a dog.

“Join me,” Gabriel croons, his voice like chocolate. “I will adore you and your beautiful sunlight eyes for an eternity.”

Jack balks; mostly because his innermost being immediately responds with a resounding ‘yes’. He swallows thickly, turning his head away.

His voice is low, almost a whisper when he responds: “Never.”

Gabriel is quiet for a moment before he sighs and starts to walk around him, hand on Jack’s shoulder, squeezing gentle but firm.

“I can’t accept that response,” he murmurs, voice sounding like he honestly regrets it. When he speaks again, his voice is right next to Jack’s ear, breath tickling his skin and making his skin prickle with goosebumps. “I will give you a chance to think on my offer… I am sure you will see how very generous it was.”

“I don’t need any of your riches,” Jack spits back, blood pumping in his cheeks.

Gabriel can smell it obviously; the tip of his nose gently trails against his hot skin, his breath now tickling Jack’s cheek while his hand slides from his shoulder and deftly slips beneath Jack’s loosely bound shirt.

“I am not talking about riches, my sweet little treat. Mmmhhh… let me show you what a life with me could look like for you.”

Jack wants to tell him off; that he does not need to be shown anything by a monster because he will not change his mind – but he is struck silent by the gentle touch of Gabriel’s fingers against one of his nipples. It is rounding it until it pebbles into a tight, sensitive bud.

Jack’s breath hitches.

Gabriel moves around him, tugging his loose shirt to the side until he can see Jack’s pectoral. He croons, low and smooth. “Oh what a sweet little thing… just for me… Mmhh we’re going to have so much fun.”

He somehow manages to pinch the small hard peak of Jack’s nipple and pluck on it.

Heat shoots through the hunter’s body, his teeth grit together. He slams his heels against the hard stone floor but can’t really do anything more. It feels like he is about to claw out of his own skin in the best way possible – and the Vampire Lord looks absolutely delighted.

[sssardonian-ssserpent]

Pentious’s Bio:

((Frankly this is something I should’ve done for a while now, but only now am I finally getting around to it. Putting it under a read more because this is going to be a long one.

Reference for my Sir Pentious here (the smaller Pentious on the left in the blue corset with the more defined snout:)

(First ref: Drawn by @ruddygore )

(Second ref: Drawn by @illuminocti )

To start off, with this specific version of Sir Pentious, it is drawing off of the canon of the pilot for the most part, and is canon divergent from how he is in the show. I usually tend to make him around 8 feet tall, and at least 732 pounds (he’s a heavy man.)

With my version of him, I take Pentious seriously and aim to depict him as the utterly despicable and sadistic power hungry megalomaniac that he is at heart, one that will stop at nothing to achieve his goals of conquering the whole of Hell, slaying the Devil and ruling the afterlife, having soaked the pages of history in blood, as he once spent his human life slaughtering millions for the sake of gaining power, his ultimate goal having been to conquer the entire world, destroy all ruling forms of government, and rule over the Earth as an all powerful global dictator. He tends to be extremely prideful, arrogant, and sadistic towards others, if not downright rude and dismissive of their very presence, seeing most other people around him as pathetic lowlifes that can never amount to anything or little more than screaming victims for him to ruthlessly turn to ashes with his weapons of mass destruction, while also being incredibly paranoid and suspicious of anyone who may try and reach out to him, be it to discuss business or in that of genuine interest in trying to get to know him, always believing people to be scheming behind his back, to try and rip power out from under him, or to use him to their own ends. He tends to find people malleable, manipulatable, and if he finds any opportunity to warp someone into an image he finds appealing, or to distort them into something he seeks to see them become, he will do so eagerly and gladly, finding great amounts of sadistic joy in slowly breaking someone into submission, and above all, Pentious is a man who takes a wretched amount of pride in all the suffering he causes, knowing damn well who he is as a fucking awful person, and claiming it as his identity wholeheartedly.

Pentious, being the smug bastard that he is, tends to present himself more or less along the lines of a preening peacock showing off it’s tail feathers: look at me and bow to the king. He knows his accomplishments, he knows he is someone to not be underestimated with and someone to be feared, he is purely 1000% confident in himself as a man of great respect and authority despite what others may say or think, and if they don’t react as expected, 90% of the time he simply dismisses them as nothing more than worthless idiots who can’t see his greatness. In a way he is also desperate to prove himself to the people that see him as a laughing stock, but less out of a need to be liked and more out of a sick and twisted wrath that comes from slandering his ego, seeking to brutally kill them and cackle with laughter while they scream in agony, a sweet vengeance that he feels he deserves for those imbeciles who ever dared to doubt even for a second that he isn’t a danger to be respected and feared.

For him, his “persona” and his “true identity”, a system that he himself used in life to blend into the public background and keep his criminal identity a shadowy secret that terrified the masses, have basically melded into one singular identity, that is, his legacy as Sir Pentious. His real name doesn’t matter to him anymore, the person he used to be before he took on the name that he would burn into the history books doesn’t matter. All that matters is that people remember him as a man that had the entire world in his shadow and shaking with fear at what he might do to gain supremacy, that people know the horrors he committed, the countless people he’d slain, the persona that he claimed for himself as a proper identity that he carried into Hell. In his mind, he was always going to become Sir Pentious, no matter what path history lead him down towards, and that path is always going to be soaked in the blood of the innocent, and he’ll simply laugh the whole time.

He’s very old, at least around 189 years old at this point, and he’s been around in Hell for a very long time, enough that he’s practically a master at survival and staying hidden and out of sight (should he ever need to be), always trying his damndest to stay out of the watchful prying eyes of Vox and his insidious grasp on all electrical technology within Hell, as well as trying to make sure the man never gets ahold of his weapons or his inventions, knowing damn well that Vox, by no means a master of engineering or mechanics, would jump at the chance to find a way to gain control over his own technology and reverse engineer it to use it against him. Hence why Pentious doesn’t like Vox either. Because Pentious just sees him as a super powered idiot who couldn’t know how to build a steam engine, let alone anything comparabale to Pent’s own machines, who just steals power and prestige from anyone else he can snatch up technology from and use them to bolster his own proverbial Silicone Valley of a corporate monopoly. And the one thing he fears most is the idea of being rendered obsolete in any capacity, of reaching a point of no return from where he can never pull himself back, and that includes death most of all. This has left him with a rather unhealthy amount of paranoia towards others, and of distrust towards anyone and everything that he does not assuredly know is not a threat, and he treats anyone in that threshold with disdain and disgust and overall spiteful anger, partly to make it clear that he is not to be toyed with, and partly to take control of the situation.

Despite such loathsome ideals, deep, deep down, Pentious himself actually holds some heavy issues that he has no proper idea how to deal with or how to begin to heal from. The main idea being his social issues: Pentious would consider any social situation where he’s not getting the expected reaction that he intended out of someone to be difficult, as well as just any social situation where he isn’t getting the attention of anyone he wants to get the attention of, especially if the reasoning as to why is something he feels is his fault. In the former situation, if he’s trying to intimidate someone and it fails, he’ll usually get all huffy and pissy and desperately trying to use scare tactics in order to wrench the control of the situation back into his favor, and if it doesn’t work, he tends to try pulling even harder. The man does not take well to not feeling in control of a situation, and if it ever starts to feel like someone is taking control away from him, his immediate reaction is to go onto a defensive rage because he thinks that’s the only proper way to shield himself from any potential harm.

If it’s the latter and he’s genuinely trying to impress someone in any capacity and it fails, or he gets the idea that the person he wants to impress doesn’t like him, he starts to scheme on a million different ways to change that and to shift things more to his tune. Despite appearances, depending on who he’s conversing with, he’s a very socially inept person who tends to lean toward the side of full on social anxiety, not having nearly the kind of experience that should be on his side for him to rationalize his emotions properly in the face of social conflict. This is a man who spent over 20 years of his life doing nothing but either killing or mentally torturing people who wouldn’t bow to his greatness into submission, or brainwashing those who would bow down to him into thinking that he was their great and powerful leader who would free the common man from tyranny, when in reality, his plans were more or less just to force them under a new kind of tyranny with his name slapped all over it. Most people in his life were either pawns for him to use or annoyances that he would slaughter without a second thought, with very little exceptions. As you can imagine, this ended with said exceptions, horrified at how much of a monster he was, walking out on him and even betraying him in order to kill him. Needless to say, this is not the sort of man who knows how to properly interact with most people in general, especially not if he finds himself liking someone, because his mindset has already associated liking someone with “they’ll inevitably find ways to hate you and leave.”

In more simpler terms, because of his stunted social development and overall lack of any positive social relationships toward anyone, he is absolutely desperate for positive attention toward anyone he is genuinely wanting to know, and if he doesn’t get that, he starts to panic like crazy about what he could possibly be doing that prevents him from getting that positive reception. If he doesn’t care about who the person is, he couldn’t give less of a shit about how he sees them. They’re worth nothing to him. But if he sees value in them, if he sees them as someone who is worthy of his time, he’s practically bending over backwards and jumping through hoops to figure out what he can do to make them realize he also is of worth and of value. This obviously can cause massive amounts of problems for him, and if he isn’t careful, it could even lead to him maybe getting hurt, should anyone choose to take advantage of his clear abandonment issues and his vulnerability for affection.

Now, as for his backstory as a human man…

Pentious was actually born as a very poor kid in some small town in Britain around 1839, and grew up with an older sister, who both worked in a sewing factory to help their parents (and also because Industrial Age labor laws were absolute shiiiiiiit), but one day when he was 14, he was told to climb onto a balcony that ended up falling out from under him and he landed on a pile of sheet metal that cut into his spine. When he recovered, he found that his lower half was extremely damaged, meaning that he would be stuck with a limp for the rest of his life and he would be stuck walking either with a cane or in a wheelchair, with the times he can go *stay* walking and *stay* standing entirely depending on the day itself. This only causes a whole bunch of side effects and illnesses that plague him for the rest of his life, including heightened blood pressure, lack of regulation in temperature, lack of reflexes, issues with his lungs that leave him gasping for breath if he so much as laughs for too long, chronic pain in his back and legs that gets worse if he strains himself too much over the most basic of shit Ike walking, basically a real shit show all around. In addition to this, he was now hopelessly addicted to hardcore narcotic medicinal tonics, prescribed to him by doctors to help ease his symptoms and deal with the pain they brought about, which also meant that for the rest of his life, he had a crippling drug addiction on top of that.

Naturally because of this he ends up stuck at home for the rest of his teenage years, alone and isolated and basically having been forgotten about/isolated by his parents, and his only friend really being his sister, who’s the only one looking out for him. This causes a lot of bitter resentment and anger to dwell within him, both at his parents and also at Britain society for basically doing jackshit to help him with the damages that was done to him, resentment that would only grow once he reached 18. Pentious, possessing an absolutely genius mind of unimaginable proportions when it comes to engineering and machinery, tries to go to London to prove himself as an inventing mastermind to the most prestigious scientists the Empire can offer, only to wind up being kicked right out after being rejected thanks to some not so subtle classism about his poor upbringing as well as ableism about his physical condition.

He’s stuck as nothing more than a clocksmith for a couple years, that anger and resentment and bitter, bitter rage growing and growing until he finally snaps, and decides that if British society is ready and willing to abandon him on the dime, then he’ll go and burn it all down, and starts to craft weapons, reaching out to a small group of unionist assassins (people basically willing to take lead pipes to their asshole bosses and any of the thugs trying to beat them on the boss’s behalf) hiding in secret in the town to begin peddling powerful weapons their way, mainly consisting of guns that shoot faster, and have bullets that explode into flames upon impact with their targets. This unionist group begins to respect and idolize Pent more and more as more factory bosses and gangs are successfully killed, at least 30 or so in number, and the final blow comes when Pentious, using an explosive device, sends his new unionist minions to blow up the very same factory he worked in as a child. With his parents inside. This alone killed 20 more people. The unionist leader, seeing reason, found Pentious to be going too far, so Pent’s solution was to usurp the leader, shoot him in the head, and then promptly leave the country with his minions in tow to America.

Pentious then begins to pose as a international tradesman, planning on sneaking his way into business deals with American run factories so he can properly start coaxing the workers onto his side and to convince them to work for him, with the promise that he’ll give them far better treatment than the lousy labor laws were allowing at the time. Meanwhile, he also gets into contact with small criminal groups and gives them tips about train routes to attack for supplies and money by supplying them with his own custom built weapons, in exchange for those same criminal groups working for him and on his behalf. Trains suddenly start being attacked all over, and always marked with a tell-tale calling card of a decapitated snake head being left behind at the scene of the crime. With trains being attacked all over, supplies become more demanding, more demanding supplies means more overworked people being run ragged by bosses not wanting to lose money, which naturally means more and more people persuaded to Pentious’s side.

This goes on for years, with Pentious building more and more massive weapons that begin to grow from simple guns, to shoulder mounted canons, mortar shells, tanks, and even full on giant mechanical robots, all while balancing his public tradesman persona with his criminal one, his armies of criminals and unionist employees taking on attacks by Pinkertons and government agents in stride. Until finally, Pentious unleashes his most prized weapons, in the form of massive armored airships, that begin to take entire cities of America hostage and subjugating them to his will. States begin to slowly come annexed from the American government by force, Pentious makes his demands to all global powers of the world to hand over their power of governance to him and him alone, or face destruction at the hands of his armies, and all the while, millions die as bombs are dropped on city streets and machines and loyal soldiers march through enemy terrain, taking territory by the day.

It ends with Pentious assaulting London and taking the Prime Minister hostage before killing him, leaving the grand city to burn as he flies across the Atlantic with preparations to burn the landscape of Philadelphia next, only to be betrayed by a former right hand man, who grew too guilty of all the horrible things Pentious had done, and teamed up with a group of international assassins meant to take Pentious down. Shot in the gut, beaten, and left behind to die while his ship’s engine was destroyed with a bomb, Pentious was left screaming with rage as his ship plummeted into the cold depths of the Atlantic. He died on impact.

When he fell down into Hell, Pentious’s exploits had long since reached the afterlife in Hell, and it was there that many of the Pride Ring’s Overlords took a deep interest in him, not only for the chaos he had sewn down in Hell, but also for the capacity of his weaponry and how it may serve them later in the future. And so, they all offered him assistance in adjusting to Hell (as well as his new body which left him having to relearn how to walk/slither), allowing him shelter within their own private territories and residences, money from their private coffers, and above all, vying for his favor, in hopes that they one day may use him and his prowess for invention for their own ends. Pentious, who otherwise would’ve been completely on his own, was glad to accept the assistance, despite the obvious trappings they held, hoping that once he was able to properly get back to his prime, he would be able to use their funds and connections against them, and establish himself as a proper Overlord so that he may begin his conquest anew. And for a long while, Pentious was slowly building up to that point, taking his time nice and slow, for he had nothing to fear among his cushy position among the strong Overlords that guarded their investment with great ferocity, and everything was seeming to go well.

Then 1933 happened, and all at once, the power structure within the Pride ring that Pentious had been relying on so heavily fell apart completely, leaving him floundering to try and scrape up any trace amounts of power left in the colossal vacuum Alastor left behind. He was able to slowly begin building his way back up again, reaching a point where most regular sinners offered no threat to him, but Overlords could still beat him back, but ever since Vox’s emergence in the Pentagram, with his eerie skills of invading electronic devices to destroy or corrupt them to his own ends, and his connections through his alliance with Velvet, and later on Valentino, allowing him to collect and hoard firepower on a scale that Pentious can barely manage to get his hands on, it’s caused Pentious to hit a proverbial wall, where he’s been stagnating ever since.

As of now, Pentious has entered a secret romantic partnership and alliance with an alternate version of himself, a Sir Pentious who goes by the nickname of “Ruddy” (pictured in the above ref, the Pentious with the red shirt and the flat nose and the scar on his chest) who he quickly developed a crush on, and a crush that only grew once Ruddy and Pentious struck a deal that they would both help each other with their common goals: take over Hell and conquer Heaven beyond. The crush didn’t take long to make itself known to Ruddy as the two secretly plot away on how to properly usurp Vox within Pentious’s universe (who Ruddy sustained a grievous wound from after briefly fighting and defeating him), and soon after, they agreed to start dating, and it’s been going steady ever since.

[childofchrist1983]

This is an eternal truth: We will never find anyone who can ever measure up to God Almighty.

It is comforting to know this, as we navigate through different situations in our life, knowing that nothing can ever be too big for God. He is never moved by the problems we face, because they cannot shake Him. No man, no power, no principality can even dare to come to us and try and convince us that they are greater than God or His Kingdom in Heaven. Who can compare to the One who created the Heavens, the Earth, and everything in-between?

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

Dear Father God Almighty, Lord Jesus, no one can compare to Your greatness. There is no one, not a single being, that can stand up to You and Your might. There is none so worthy of that. I am humbled by You, O Lord, that in Your greatness You would count it necessary to have me as Your child. In all the things I have read, seen, and heard of Your greatness, O Lord, I know that there is so much more to Your greatness we are yet to know.

You and Your Holy Word and Spirit give us hope, peace, salvation, and so much more! Let our relationship with You be the foundation and pleasing in Your eyes, so that we may hear Your praise as we gaze upon Your face and enter Your Kingdom. Lift our spirits and our hearts. Light up our lives, O Lord. May we abide in You for all our days and beyond!

You are Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! We know Your promises are true and we place our hope in You! May we continue to pray and seek You. Present us with daily opportunities to go to others with Your message of eternal salvation. May we live our lives with a spirit of thankfulness and may we always magnify You, O Lord. Allow our praises to You encourage others to seek Your face. Help us all to be humble and obedient to You. And help us to be courageous enough to seek You daily and to humbly and faithfully do our duty to You, spreading the truth of Your Gospel to all in all nations, as You commanded before You ascended back to Heaven (Mark 16:15-16). May our lives show the world Your light and Truth and that You are a loving God and Heavenly Father who delights in showing love and mercy. May we all be humbly and faithfully honored and excited to worship, glorify and serve You daily and to do Your will. You have been so good to us, far more than we as wretched sinners deserve. You are so good! So wonderful! Forever and always!

Thank you for keeping me and helping me in times where I am tempted to go astray. Praise be to You today and every day of my life and let me never forget all of the blessings that are given me by You. As much as the enemy will try, he will never be able to successful breed doubt about who You are, in the minds of anyone who truly believes and follows You. And I will follow and serve You all the days of my life and beyond! Thank you for the connection with You that we are given through Your Holy Word and Spirit. Thank you, O Lord, for all Your creation and Your miraculous ways. Thank you for being our stronghold and my refuge. Thank you for seeing us as worth the sacrifice. Thank you for sustaining us, loving us and defining us according to Your will and love for us. Thank you for making sure we are taken care of. Thank you for being the best friend we could ever have! Thank you for Your endless mercy and love that has saved us. Thank you for always protecting us and providing for us and for Your Spirit to help us when we are in need. Thank you for abiding within me and may I abide with You, my Lord. Thank you for giving us a chance to be saved from our sin and spend eternity with You. Thank you for adopting us as part of Your family in Heaven and making us one of Your own. Thank you for being our present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Thank you for always being near and for loving us. Thank you for giving us a reason to love others and so many more reasons to love, praise, serve and follow You. Thank you for Your selfless and sinless sacrifice. Thank you for Your guidance and protection. Thank you for Your Truth and light. Thank you for Your wisdom and strength and grace. Thank you for giving life to the world and to us. You give and take away – And we thank you for it. Thank you for everything! Your will be done! Blessed be Your mighty name! To You and Your Kingdom be the glory forevermore! In Your name we humbly pray, Amen and amen

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

ok, so we have paranoid bella and all other incarnations, but what about Bella who is just a complete sociopath. She completely understands what a vampire is and what she's getting into by wanting to be one. Bella just wants to be immoral and powerful regardless of the consequences. Edward can't read her mind and I imagine Bella has learned social cues and hiding evidence enough to be about at an equal level social standings wise with already weird book Bella. How does the twilight series go?

Anon is referring to Paranoid Bella.

And oh boy, alright, let's do this I suppose.

On Why Bella Doesn't Have to Be the World's Greatest Actress

Of a note, I don't think Edward would even notice that Bella's... odd. Even if she were a fantastic actress (Bella is notably in canon a very poor liar and very easy to read).

This is because he doesn't actually care what Bella is like, he projects onto her, and she smells phenomenal. In other words, he'll still tell himself Bella's a feminine Carlisle Cullen knock off even if she's drowning puppies in a well.

So Bella doesn't need those social cues, Edward genuinely will not notice, and he will not care.

Regardless, you've set the stage with a completely different character and I guess we're going with that.

The Tale of Sociopath Bella

As in canon, Bella immediately notes something is off about the Cullens. Then Edward tries to eat her in Biology. In canon, Bella was terrified in this moment and genuinely thought this boy might kill her. She later tells herself this was irrational and tries to shrug it off, but none the less, she was terrified.

You don't give me too much to go off of with Sociopath Bella in terms of personality traits, but I imagine she still fears for her life in this moment.

I imagine what she does is, after collecting herself, try to get Edward Cullen thrown out of school. Bella is now a sociopath with no empathy towards others, Edward Cullen makes her uncomfortable and appears to actively wish her harm, she's going to do something about this.

I imagine, rather like Amy Dunne from "Gone Girl", she accuses him of sexual assault and goes about fabricating evidence, including harming herself. When asked, others agree that Edward was acting very strange in Biology towards Bella Swan and is generally kind of creepy. Even the administration agrees that something odd appeared to happen, as Edward tried to switch out of his Biology class immediately and then he disappeared without warning for a week after having appeared perfectly healthy the day before.

Something happened in that class, or after it, and that something seems to revolve around Bella Swan.

There's no real evidence, but there's enough suspicion that Edward is granted his wish when he returns: he gets moved into Physics. Edward, of course, is appalled. That girl not only humiliated him and ruined his life by merely existing and smelling delicious, but now she's spreading slanderous lies about him. His family, of course, knows the truth and tries to comfort him (it doesn't really matter, there's no evidence and they'll be gone in a few years anyway, as it is they can leave early if they have to and no harm done) but Edward seethes.

He makes a point of confronting Bella, both to notice if she noticed anything odd (as in canon), and to get revenge for her slander. Unfortunately for Edward, again, there's a little too many witnesses, and Edward looks... unfriendly. Bella files for a restraining order through her father, it's approved in record time.

Edward is now livid.

This woman is the devil.

Well, that there seals Bella's fate. She is a great evil upon this earth, the worst kind of woman, and in a way just as monstrous as the rapist pigs he used to eat. She's destroying his family's reputation in this town, destroying his school life, and he won't stand for it. Carlisle wouldn't approve, but at some point, the demon wins.

Edward gleefully eats Bella in her bedroom. The crime scene is as grotesque and bloody as you can imagine.

Which, of course, also makes him the primary murder suspect (correct in this case, well done Charlie). With the advent of the internet, with cable television, and with Edward now having to disappear before they start trying to get DNA, the Cullens have to go off the grid and exit society.

They now live in a cave, thanks to Edward and Bella.

But That Wasn't What I Wanted!

I get the feeling you wanted to get a little further into canon than that. So, for once, I'll oblige.

Sociopath Bella, for whatever reason, holds her tongue and takes no action when Edward is terrifying as fuck in Biology. He disappears for a week, she finds this very strange, then he returns, clearly interested in her, which is also very strange.

Bella continues to have no sense of self-preservation (for some reason) and still does not take action against Edward. Even when he confesses to wanting to eat her on numerous occasions.

By the time Bella figures out Edward's a vampire, she wants to be one, desperately. Edward doesn't seem... amenable.

But unlike Canon Bella, Sociopath Bella isn't here to please Edward. After the James incident, and she's met the family, I imagine she takes stock of her options and tries to see who is her best mark.

I imagine Bella lands on either Carlisle or Jasper. Carlisle, because he has the best control and has clearly turned several already, and Jasper because he has shown no hesitation on doing what he believes needs to be done regardless of the family.

If she approaches Carlisle, I imagine she points out the peril her life is in. Edward could crush her at any moment, she nearly died thanks to James, her very existence puts his coven in peril and Edward does not seem inclined to let her go either. This is untenable. (I imagine Bella also learns during the course of this conversation about the Volturi Law, as Carlisle undoubtedly explains it in clearer terms than Edward initially did). Edward has condemned her to death, they both know it, and it's best Carlisle turn her sooner rather than later.

Carlisle is deeply uncomfortable with this but doesn't disagree. I imagine he tries to argue for after Bella's graduation, when she can more easily disappear. I imagine she pushes for that summer, plans a hiking accident and forces his hand with "sooner is better than later".

If she goes to Jasper, Bella points out the same thing. This is untenable, she's breaking the law by existing, she must be turned. Jasper fully agrees (and would like not to eat her) but he doesn't have the control to turn her. He would in turn go to Carlisle (leading to the above scenario).

Now, through Alice's visions, Edward would likely find out about all of this and throw the greatest fit the world has ever seen. He rages at Bella, then himself when he realizes she has a bit of a point and he's condemned her to be a vampire, then rages at her again because the Volturi need not ever know and EDWARD WILL LEAVE HER DAMN YOU!

I imagine Bella keeps pushing, which may get her mercy killed by Edward.

In the event that his guilt is all-consuming and he can't even grant her mercy for he is such a wretched beast, Bella turns, and...

I imagine she's a perfect Cullen.

Bella has superb control, to the point of ridiculousness, more the Cullen lifestyle appeals to her beyond just immortality. They have stability, material wealth, and while Bella doesn't care about the familial connection she won't say no to it either.

Being a man eating nomad has no appeal to this Bella.

She'll follow the diet meticulously to a t, do the high school routine perfectly, and ignore Edward's spiral into depression and despair now that he's ruined Bella Swan's life.

[kwritingbooks]

co-written by me & @shroombloomm

read on wattpad or catch up with tumblr masterlist

With this new information that Harry is now aware of, what is he to do with it? He has so many emotions going through him and so many questions to ask his father as well. Stomping through the kingdom, he demands those answers once and for all.

AU: star-being!harry x astronomy-student!aurora

HARRY'S POV

People were staring me down as if I had done something wrong. Did they know I had killed that man, or was it the black eye that was now prominently growing darker on my face? I tried to gulp down the feeling of guilt and keep walking. This was the first time I had ever killed anybody and to be honest, I didn't feel great.

Father should have left the killing to Leon, not me. I was most definitely not in the right mind to kill someone like that. Every time I looked down at my hands, I kept seeing the bloody aftermath there, even if there wasn't. I was sure to wash it all off, but I kept seeing it.

Was I being paranoid?

I think I was being paranoid.

My mind was running a million miles an hour, my hands fisting at my sides then letting go, over and over again as I walked down the sidewalk. Learning that not only were the light guardians planning on killing us, they were also planning on killing the entire Earth and everyone on it. This mission was beyond me, and I hated to say it, but I was starting to feel very small in this mission by myself.

The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. Did my father know about this? It was like he had sent me down on a fucking deathwish mission.

My jaw clenched tightly, tilting my head as I let out a groan, pushing myself up against one of the shop's walls, running a shaky hand through my dirty hair.

What was I supposed to do? If the sun never sets, then I wouldn't have as much energy to go home. I needed the night time for energy. One source that basically kept me alive was the moon and without that, then I would be screwed. Royally screwed. No moon equals no going home. There was no way I would have the energy to go home, therefore trapping me on this Earth to die alone and a failure to everyone around me.

I was making all these mental notes to myself to bring up to my father later when I went home. These were valid points. Did my father just want me to shrivel up and die here?

I bit down on my lip, looking up at the sunset over the horizon. Each of its shades burned brightly into the sky, painting a beautiful scene in front of me. For now, I was okay.

I wasn't so naive that I didn't know soon enough they were surely going to take their plan into action. I just didn't know when, where, or how. But most importantly, I didn't know how to stop it.

I needed to call Aurora and let her know I was going home. I didn't want her to get worried or mad at me for disappearing again like the last few times. Especially now since she knew there was a war going on between my people and the light guardians.

I shoved my hand into my pocket, getting out the square device as I held it tightly into my hand. I had only had it for a few days, and to be frank, I didn't really know how to work it. The screen was too small, and texting was nearly impossible for me.

I pulled up the call log onto my phone, showing that it was empty and I hadn't called anybody yet. I clicked through the phone confusingly, brows pinched in thought as I tried to search for Aurora's name in this damned thing. I was mentally cursing myself as the phone started to glitch out, my eyes widening in panic for a moment before I eventually got it right and clicked call on Aurora's name.

A picture she had chosen showcased on the device now. It was her smiling from recently. I was trying to figure out the camera and in the process of her laughing as she watched me, I snapped an image of it. Her hand was outstretched forward, in frozen attempt to show me the inner workings of the wretched thing.

I liked looking at it, though.

"Finally." I mumbled as I pressed the phone to my ear, hearing the ringing come through the phone loudly.

"Harry?" Aurora's voice rang through the phone.

"Aurora! Hey–" I croaked, stopping myself for a moment before clearing my throat. "Hey, uh...Can you meet me at the coffee shop in ten minutes? We need to talk."

"Talk? Is everything okay?" Aurora's worried voice rang through my ears. I frowned, clutching the phone tightly as I looked down at the ground.

"Yeah." I lied, pinching my eyes shut tightly. The minimal movement against my bruised eye caused me to wince, a burning sensation rising immediately. I needed to get home as soon as possible so I could heal.

"Just meet me at the coffee shop, okay?" I rushed out.

"Okay, sure. I'll be there soon." Aurora said softly.

I pulled the phone from my ear, looking down at it before hitting the end call button. I sighed out loudly, looking back at the coffee shop sign that was behind me before spinning on my heel. I would just tell her the truth when she got there. Couldn't be that hard to just tell the truth.

'Hey, Aurora, so basically the world is ending if I don't do something about the light guardians. Oh, also, I've been down here for almost a month and it turns out that I've been protecting the wrong thing.'

No.

'Hey, Aurora, I gotta go home because the world is ending and my father didn't tell me anything about that so definitely gonna have to look into that some more.'

Shit.

I slapped myself on the forehead, letting out a loud groan as I tilted my head back. I had a throbbing headache and my brain hadn't stopped racing. Every thought, every single fucking memory, every book I had read on humans, every-single-fucking-thing was running through my mind.

It didn't make sense. Nothing did. Even going through my mental notes. Nothing ever prepared me for this.

How could I tell Aurora anything when I didn't even know what was going on?

Mumbling to myself, I pushed myself off the wall and walked towards the entrance of the door. Pushing my body through, I took in a whiff of the coffee scent as I walked to one of the tables to the far left in the corner. People sitting across the way were looking over me as I pulled out a chair and sat down. Guessing once more they were looking at my swollen eye, or maybe the open gash on my cheek.

I scowled, putting my head down softly as my fingers tapped against the table harshly and quickly due to my panic-like state. The kind of way that you would when you were overwhelmed and your heartbeat refused to cut you a break. Or how your left arm had grown numb from panic, which felt more like a heart attack because you couldn't catch your breath enough to feed your body the thing it needed the most.

Come on, Aurora. Hurry up.

Just when I thought that, I heard the ding of the door and the wind brushed inside of the shop. My head popped up quickly, seeing Aurora walk inside as graceful as ever. She had a colorful top on, rainbow colored, with black flared pants that hung past her black boots. She looked as colorful as her personality. This was the first time I had smiled all day. I stood to my feet, waving over at her to get her attention.

She snapped her head over towards me with a wide smile, but it disappeared as fast as it came when she laid eyes on me.

This was also the first time she had ever looked at me and not smiled, and I actually learned that I hated it with everything in me.

"Harry..." Aurora looked at me in shock as she approached me, her hands that were at her chest had fallen to her side as she studied over my face. "You said that everything was okay."

"Things are okay." I reassured her quickly, gulping down the nerves. I could feel my throat tighten as I watched over her worried face, her brows furrowed in confusion. Her lip was slightly twitching as if she was going over ways to punish the person that had done this to me. I knew her enough to know she was in her mind about this. I needed to pull her out of it.

"Please, do not worry about me, Aurora. It doesn't even hurt–" I tried to reassure her again.

"Who did this?" She cut me off quickly, staring at me with fiery eyes. "Who did this to you?"

"I just–I tried to protect us..." I croaked out, blinking hard as I slowly lowered myself down onto the chair. There was tension in the air as I tried to avert my gaze out the window, but it was hard not to look at her to gauge her reaction.

"Who are you talking about?" She questioned as she pulled the chair out across from me and sat down swiftly.

"Please lower your voice." I whispered out, ducking my head down carefully before taking my lower lip into my mouth for a moment to chew on it. "Do you remember what I told you a couple days ago? About...those people?" I winked at her with my good eye, trying to get her to understand what I was saying without directly saying it.

"Those people?" She asked, staring at me in confusion before it had finally clicked. "Oh–Oh! Okay...did–did they do this to you?" She asked softly, leaning in so it was only said between us.

I ran my fingers through my hair, looking away with hallowed eyes as the memories of what happened prior flooded through my brain. The only thing bringing me back to the present was when Aurora had reached out to place two fingers against my swollen eye. Pain shot through my face, but I stayed still. The only reaction was a small hiss that left me.

"You told me it didn't hurt..." She breathed out, pulling her fingers away from my face. I dared not to look at her, it was only embarrassing for me, really.

"I'm gonna be gone for a few days." I croaked out, pulling myself off the table as I sat up straight. I finally looked her in her eyes, my lip twitching in nervousness. "I'm going...to, uh..." I cut myself off, scanning over the shop slowly. I didn't want to outright say where I was going, not with this many people around me. I had to be discreet.

My eyes landed on a pair of bananas on the counter, then shot a look back at Aurora. "I'm going bananas." I rushed out, swallowing thickly as my lips parted. She stared at me in confusion, leaning back to give me a once over.

"Bananas?" She chuckled out in confusion, tilting her head. I nodded at her quickly with a smile on my lips, giving her an obvious wink before leaning in towards her.

"I'm going bananas." I said once again with more confidence, winking one last time to seal it in further. She stared at me, blinking hard a couple of times at me. I rolled my eyes as I nearly leaned over the entire table. "It means I'm going home, Aurora." I whispered quietly.

I thought I was being clear about that.

"Harry, you could have just said you were going home." Aurora covered her mouth as she started to giggle into her hand. I sat back down into my chair, fiddling nervously with my hands as I watched her chuckle at me.

"Oh, well, I just–" I began to laugh nervously, my hand stretching to the back of my neck as I started to rub it slowly.

"I would've understood what you meant if you just said home." She wiped at her eye, giggling to herself. "So you're going home then?"

"Okay, duly noted." I breathed out, placing flat palms onto the table as I leaned back into my chair, giving her a small nod. "Yes, I will be going home for a few days. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry about me."

"Well, I–...I'm glad you told me." She said through a half-smile as she pressed her lips into a fine line, looking down into her lap as she let out a slow breath. "Just, I guess, under the circumstances, I can't help but to worry anyways."

"No, please do not worry about me." I rushed out as I got out of my chair and quickly went by her side. I lowered myself next to her, my knee holding myself onto the ground as I gazed up at her. "Things are going to work out, you know? If things were bad, I would definitely tell you." It hurt me to lie to her, but I had to convince her that everything was going to be alright.

I just couldn't find myself to tell her the truth.

"I trust you." She told me as she smiled at me. Her hand rested softly against my shoulder, sending a brief rush of nerves through my body from the contact. Even goosebumps underneath my clothing had now risen due to the soft touch. I let in a slow breath as I parted my lips to say something, but then her phone started to ring.

"Oh, let me get this." She quickly said as she pulled her hand away from me. I pursed my lips as I stood to my feet, taking a step back as I watched her dig through her purse to grab her phone out. I noted the way she answered it so if I were to ever get a call, I wouldn't panic.

"Hello?" She responded as she put her phone to her ear. "Wha–What? Nina I–..." She went quiet as she rolled her eyes at me, pointing towards the phone as she mouthed 'It's Nina' towards me. I let out a soft breath, a small smile curved deep into my cheeks as I watched her.

"Okay, yes. Okay! I'm on my way–" She stopped, pinching her brows. "Okay, I'm coming now. Okay–okay! Bye!" She laughed out, shaking her head as she hung the phone up and shoved it back into her bag.

"Everything oka–"

"I gotta go. Nina is having a total meltdown over Ryan. They have a date tonight and she doesn't have a clue what to wear." Aurora said through giggles as she stood from her seat. She threw her bag over her shoulder, looking up at me with a smile. "That blackeye looks nice on you, by the way."

"Oh–" I blushed as I put my fingers to my eyes softly. "Thank you, um... I'll see you soon, Aurora..." I pushed out, nodding towards her. She waved me goodbye and started towards the door of the cafe.

"Stay safe, Starboy!" She called out, her voice fading as the door closed behind her.

I gulped thickly, looking down at our table that we had just sat at together. I didn't know why, but I felt sad being away from her. It caused an ache in my chest. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced before recently. Was this a normal human sensation? Or was this some kind of defect in my human form?

I inhaled sharply as I pushed the chair out of the way to get near the window, peeking out to see her walking down the sidewalk. I frowned as she disappeared around the corner, my fingers dragging down the window before pulling it away.

Whether or not she was a part of the mission, I was going to protect her. No matter what. I couldn't let Aurora get hurt. Especially with this new information I had about the light guardians' plans.

I sighed as I pushed myself away from the window, shuffling past the tables as I quickly made my way out of the coffee shop with that sense of longing in my chest. As I walked down the sidewalk, I stopped to look behind me. There was a small fragment of hope that she had turned around and would be there, but she wasn't. All that was there was a small child being pushed in some kind of compartment device.

She was gone.

And so was I.

I stood in the backyard of my apartment, gazing around the area to make sure nobody was around before I took off. I was exhausted after today, and I knew that going home was only going to exhaust me even more.

I closed my eyes, feeling the power course through my veins slowly as I focused on turning myself into my purest form, a star being. There was a warm feeling in my chest as I took in a deep breath of Earth's air. My vision started to brighten around me, and I was able to see everything through and through. My body became as light as a feather as I felt myself float off my feet, surrounded only by the air around me. Within seconds, my body catapulted at the speed of light into the nighttime sky.

The journey was never long. It never took but just a few minutes to get back to my home planet, but it still took a turn on my energy. Fortunately, I had more access to our healing medicines up there than I did here on Earth.

Space traveling wasn't something I did often. It was saved for emergencies or missions, according to my father. That was a rule for everyone; it was for all of our safety. Sometimes it was my favorite part of coming home, knowing that I was going to be able to rush past all of the glistening stars, their touch tickling against my stream of light. It was like my own personal show every time, even if it all happened so fast that it was hard to see anything but blurs of brightness.

I knew I was nearing home when my pace would dramatically lessen, preparing my figure to land back where I had originally come from: Stella Domus, also known as home.

Stella was much different than Earth. Our beings didn't look like your everyday Earthly human, we came in all shades of colors: typically purples and blues. Our bodies radiated with light wherever we went, as we helped light up our home star. Our people were the gatherers of light for our home, making each of us just as important as the other.

The Greeks had a lot to do with the architectures that were placed throughout our planet. Just about everything was made of stone, carved into magnificent shapes. Golden accents aligned different sections, highlighting the beauty even further. Except, one downside was that we didn't have grass or other lively scenery around. Particles of star dust accompanied the bottoms of our feet as we all walked through, no matter where we went.

Our family home was the largest structure, given the power dynamic associated. In all honesty, it was more like a castle. It was lined with guards at all times, even though we hadn't had any interference in hundreds of years. We could never be too careful– especially now considering the new light guardian information I had.

And what was that all about? I couldn't possibly be the only one who knew about that, could I? I also couldn't imagine that my father was completely blind to this. I just didn't understand a second of it. None of it made sense. Usually the light guardians were very vocal about their discrepancies and what they wanted to do to us, so what made this time any different?

He had to have known then. It didn't make sense any other way.

And that– that made me angry.

I get he didn't think I was capable of a lot of things, but to send me on a death mission? His own son? Without as much as a simple warning?

I couldn't help but carry myself faster towards the entrance as my anger piled up more and more. I spotted the first set of guards at the front of the gate, their shiny armored figures glistening against the moonlight. I continued to take quick strides towards them, a deep frown etched onto my face.

"Hey there, Harry. Glad to see you made it back safely." One of the guards hummed in my direction, but I ignored him.

"Yeah I bet you are, aren't you?" I mumbled lowly under my breath. I couldn't help but wonder who all could have known about this. Was it just me?

The luminescent doors glistened as its typical greeting, ready to welcome me in with open arms. I whisked my hand in a swooping motion, allowing the doors to open by my touchless command. They creaked slightly as it swung open. I didn't wait for them to open completely before I squeezed my body through the opening, still dazed by the irritation that had yet to seize completely.

My steps echoed against the walls, causing variously scattered guards to look in my direction. They swiftly spun back around once they realized how upset I looked. I figured they didn't even want to deal with it, and I didn't blame them.

"Where is father?" I huffed out loudly, openly asking the assortment of workers in the building. A few didn't look my way as they pretended to be busy with something else.

"In the main foyer. Hope everything is well." One of the younger guards said towards me, and I sent a small nod in their direction before running off the opposite way.

As I rounded the corner, I could hear his booming voice coming from somewhere nearby. I had no idea exactly what I was going to say to him yet, but I would just figure it out when I got there. I was too focused on getting to him in the first place to think about anything else.

"Harry!" Leon yelled out from one of the rooms I had just passed.

I stopped dead in my tracks, closing my eyes for a moment. The last thing I wanted to do was talk with him while on my way to speak to our dad about this. I wasn't in the mood for anything Leon had to say. For all I knew, he was just as guilty.

"Harry!" He said again, running up to the doorway.

I reluctantly turned around, eyeing him in the process. His eyebrows scrunched as he looked me up and down, confused by the condition I was in. That was also when I remembered the swollen eye and I was sure an assortment of other bruises along my body. I guess my star form didn't automatically rid me of my Earthly wounds either.

That was good to know.

"The hell happen to you?" Leon asked in a scolding tone. I bit at the inside of my cheek to hold in any annoyed response that threatened to peek out from my lips.

"Light guardians." I bluntly remarked. I tapped my fingers against my arm as they stayed crossed against my chest. Patience was steadily running more thin by the second, and I wanted nothing more than to leave the situation altogether.

"You didn't call?" His voice heightened, as if he was surprised that I didn't run to him for assistance.

"I don't have to call you every time. I can handle it myself." I bit back, causing him to raise his eyebrows. He looked slightly stunned by my tone, not used to me raising my voice at him.

"That's not what I was saying. I was just...You look rough. Glad you're okay." His switch of demeanor took me slightly off guard. I had never really seen him look worried, especially about me. I couldn't have looked that bad, could I? So bad that I finally gained some form of sympathy from my brother?

"I'm fine. Dad back there?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. I pointed towards the door ahead, near the foyer that the home guard had guided me to.

"Yeah..." He trailed off as he continued to eye me suspiciously. "Are you sure you're good, Harry?" He questioned again.

I groaned, waving him off.

"I'll be back later." I said over my shoulder as I continued on my path towards our father.

Leon stared at me as I walked away, my feet stomping towards the large set of doors in front of me that was at the end of the hallway. I didn't dare look back at him; he wasn't worth my time nor was he what I was worried about.

With a swift movement of my wrist, the doors opened at my will once more, but this time they had swung open so intensely that it could be heard throughout the whole room. It was unintentional, but I suppose I couldn't control my anger at that point. I rushed through the doors and up the small steps before arriving into the room where my father had sat in his chair with my mother beside him.

Their eyes widened at me as I looked back at the doors, swinging my arm to have them dramatically slam shut. Looking back at my father with metaphorical fire in my eyes caused my nostrils to flare out of instinct. I think he could sense that I was angry too, well, with the slamming doors and all that.

"What is all of this?" My father questioned as he stood to his feet, holding his cane tightly with one hand as he slammed it to the ground. My mother flinched at the drastic change of the atmosphere in the room.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me what it is, father?" I hissed as I took long strides towards him, my brows knitted tightly together. "Would you like to explain to me why I just got jumped on Earth by a light guardian? Or better yet, could you enlighten me on how their mission was to not only kill our people–" I took in a deep breath, fists balled by my side. "...But also kill the entire planet as well!" I finished off my rant strong, and by the end of it, I was trying to catch my breath from fitting that all into one breath.

"Dear Zeus, Harry, what are you on about?" My father laughed out, tilting his head at me as he slowly made his way down the marble steps. I stared at him in anger, questioning how he could just laugh in my face like this. I had always obeyed my father, had always done everything he asked of me, why would he look me in my face and laugh?

"A light guardian told me that they are going to burn the Earth to the ground." I said once again, but slower and more clearly so he could get it through his head. He scowled, rolling his eyes as he turned onto his heel.

It was like he didn't even care.

"Did you hear me–"

"Yes, Harry. I heard you." He said back calmly, but I could hear the hint of annoyance in his voice. I stood there waiting for him to say something, but all he did was lower himself back down onto the seat. He crossed his legs over each other with a smug look on his face, resulting in my patience thinning into nothing.

"Well?" I breathed out, crossing my arms over my chest as I took a couple more steps towards him. Peering over towards my mother, I noticed she looked more worried than he did. I felt bad knowing that, while I would never want her to worry about me, unfortunately given the circumstances of the mission, there wasn't any way around it. Not anymore.

"I'm not shocked." He said matter-of-a-fact, making sure to punctuate his words as he talked. "What do you want me to say, Harry? I sent you down to Earth because you said you could do it. Now it seems like you are cowering back." He said slightly in question as he tilted his head. "Are you saying you can no longer do this mission?"

"I–No, I never–I didn't say that." I breathed out, eyes widening as I looked him over. Why was he twisting my words? He made me feel so small, even if he didn't mean to, it still felt like he was teasing me in a way.

"Then what is the problem? Either you do the mission, or you don't!" He roared out, raising his cane up in the air before throwing it down as hard as he could. A large cloud of blue vibrations were sent through the room, causing my body to shake as I stilled tightly where I stood.

"Eos! That is enough!" My mother stood to her feet quickly. My father's eyes widened himself as he looked at her, a scowl across his face as she looked at him with annoyance. "Enough." She reiterated.

I stared between the both of them in disbelief. My mother started to whisper something into his ear and by the looks of it, he was not happy with her words. Nor was I happy about this entire interaction.

"You know what? Fuck this." I hissed out, throwing my hands into the air as I turned onto my heel and walked towards the double doors to leave. I was so far done with this whole mission, and yet I was getting no answers about anything.

"Fuck? What is fuck?" I heard my father mumble from behind me as I walked out.

"Darling, I don't know. He's obviously learned human language."

The doors shut from behind me, and when I looked forward, I saw Leon standing by the door with a softened look on his face. I stared at him in anger, annoyance, fucking every negative emotion running through my body– you could see it on my face. I hoped he could feel it, too.

"Don't say a word." I said as I walked by him.

And he didn't. He just watched me walk furiously down the hallway until I made a left turn into the large library. I shut the door behind me, heavy breaths leaving my nose as I balled my fists up by my side. I felt like I wanted to tear down all of these books– throw them out and just burn the furniture. There was so much rage inside of me, I just didn't know what to do with it.

I had never been so angry before in my life. There had always been small spurts of anger, but never anything like this where I felt like I wanted to destroy things. My father obviously did not understand me, or the mission either. Or maybe he was hiding something from me. Either way, I had the right to know what the fuck was going on.

I smashed my fists tightly down on the table, shaking the entire room with the impact. I ignored the similar blue clouds of vibrations that encompassed my surroundings from it, not wanting to be reminded how similar I was to my father. I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for everything to settle more, physically and mentally.

"Lovie darling?" My mother's voice rang through the large library, interrupting my current pacing back and forth. My forehead rested in one of my palms while I was deep in thought, but I removed it after her abrupt interruption. I stopped in my tracks, barely giving her a glance before I continued my walking.

"Yes, mother?" I mumbled out, slightly muffled from my tensed jaw.

"What's going on?" She whispered empathetically. Her body quickly moved towards my side, her hand resting gently against my back. I couldn't help but exhale a deep breath, a small portion of my nerves exiting my body with it.

"I don't know. I really don't." I huffed out. My anger had continued to dissipate as my mother consoled me, her hands rubbing against my back. It reminded me of being a child and her having to calm me down after previous arguments with my dad.

"Is there something I should know?" She crooked her head closer to meet my gaze, but I was scared to look her in the eye. I hated keeping information from her, but it was even harder to try and lie my way out of it. I had no idea how she could sense there was something I was withholding from her, but maybe it really was that mother's intuition that everyone always talked about.

I opened my mouth to say something but promptly shut it just as quickly. My eyes trailed down to my feet as I kicked at invisible rubble that adorned the ground. While I was no longer angry, I was now filled with that heavy feeling of anxiety in my chest. It felt hard to breathe, and I sucked a lip in between my teeth to fight the feeling.

"Harry?" She asked again softly. She placed a single finger underneath my chin, gently lifting my head up to look her in the eye. I shifted my gaze before eventually meeting hers.

I sighed loudly, shuffling uncomfortably on my feet. "Okay." I breathed out.

She lowered her hand, taking a small step back to give me some space.

"You promise not to tell father?" I looked up at her, my eyes glistening with the threat of a tear spilling out. I was so worried she would be disappointed in me, and she was the last person I needed to look at me differently. All I wanted was for everyone to be proud of me, and I was scared I was about to take the last person with hope for me out of the picture. But I knew I needed to get it off my chest and tell someone I trusted. Even just for my own sake.

She smiled softly, placing her hand back onto my shoulder with a slight nod. "Our secret."

"Okay." I paused as I ran my fingers through my hair. "I got scared because...well, I knew I was supposed to protect Aurora, but...I didn't know it was the aurora lights." I looked up quickly to gauge her reaction before I continued. She stayed calm in her presence, allowing me to go further with my explanation. "So I've been protecting a girl named Aurora."

"Oh." She replied quietly, which made me flinch slightly. "I see...Well, is she nice?"

I shot my head up towards her with a quizzical look. "Wait, you're not mad at me? Disappointed even? I messed everything up, though."

"Harry..." She trailed off, but stopped as she guided me towards my favorite couch. She sat us down, wrapping one of her arms around my shoulder. "Your father has high expectations of you, and as do I, but making mistakes is still okay. While your father and I don't always see eye to eye with that, that doesn't change how much I love you and Leon." She rubbed my shoulder, tightening her grip. A smile broke out from my once sullen expression, immediately feeling better with her reassurance.

"Really?"

"Yes, really." My mother responded. "I have made mistakes in my early days of missions, too. And while your father wouldn't admit it, he's not perfect either. Plus, you just started. You have time to catch up, just stay focused from now on, okay?"

I patted her knee as I looked up at her. The purplish tone of her skin looked brighter than normal, and all I wanted to do was engulf her in a huge hug.

She sat up from the couch and headed for the book shelf that was on the other side of the wall. A finger placed atop her chin, tapping lightly as she scanned across the multitude of shelves that adorned the ever growing wall.

"Ah!" She exclaimed suddenly as she reached out for a certain book. A cloud of sparkly dust blew through the air as she brushed off the cover. I moved quickly over, full of my own curiosity on what was held in her hands. The book seemed massive and probably older than me. Its cover was tattered, the edges of the sheets also frayed in different spots.

"This book will tell you everything you need to know about what you're protecting. The aurora lights are what keeps us afloat. While we won this energy source after the war, the light guardians never fully accepted it. But without it, we wouldn't be where we are now. Many of us would die without it, frankly." She paused as she handed me the heavy book into my own hand. Before she walked away, she looked at me again but with a more stern look this time. "Read every word and you'll know all you need to. The direct coordinates will be found inside. Don't skip, don't skim, don't procrastinate. Okay?"

"I won't let you down, mother. I promise." I reassured her, holding the book close to my chest.

She ruffled a hand through my hair, landing a kiss to my cheek. "I know you won't."

There were still remnants of my previous mood still in my body, and I knew I needed to get rid of it. If anything, just so I could focus on the contents of the book that mom had given me. I wished there were bars up here like there were on Earth. That blue slushie drink sounded incredibly enticing with the emotions spilling throughout me currently. But our elixirs would suffice for the time being.

Our elixirs were more for healing, but we also had social elixirs as well. It was more of a gimmick, in my opinion, because it didn't make me feel any different. I was more on board with it when I never experienced what was called Tequila. Now that was a social elixir.

I used to venture outside of the home a lot more when I was younger, but soon became so enwrapped by the massive library in our home that I spent most of my time there. Surprisingly, I never ran out of books to read. That was why it also didn't shock me that I had never made my way over to the section that mom had reached for. I could probably live out my entire existence without reading every single text that was packed inside.

Another thing that I missed on Earth was the feeling of grass against my bare feet. Everything here was beautiful, sure, but it was still so different. It was a different kind of beautiful. I loved my home planet; it was what I grew up with. I would never get tired of looking up to see the pitch darkness in between flicks of lights surrounding us. The moon's glow would illuminate constantly, lighting out way throughout our star home.

The moon was much brighter up here compared to Earth. It took away from the slight glows that traced along every beings' body. Everywhere I turned, there would be glows of purples, blues, and green illuminating off everyone.

And while I missed the blades of dewy grass against my skin, I also appreciated the dusty, sand-like particles that brushed against me instead. I only heard stories about traveling to the moon, but I always imagined it to be similar based on the images I had seen in pictures, too.

All of the buildings reflected the fortress our family lived in, but in smaller varieties and versions. My specific destination that I was heading for was littered with stray individuals outside. Chattering of voices became more evident as I walked nearer to the entrance.

A healing elixir was just what I needed to rid me of this terrible physical state I was in. I no longer felt the throbbing of pain that once resided in my face, but I knew that I still looked as bad as before. The purpling around my eye had only darkened, with new odd shades matching along with it. One sip of that drink would bring me all back to normal, as well as ease me of all the tensions in my muscles.

I made a mental note to try and bring some back down to Earth with me next time. This would have sure been helpful if I had it beforehand.

The doors swung open, welcoming in the scent of all the different aromas that existed inside. An empty golden stool stood directly in front of me, and without much other thought I sped towards it.

"I'll take a facial healing elixir, please." I said as I raised a hand to alert the worker behind the desk. They gave me a nod of acknowledgement, immediately turning to grab the correct ingredients. I was fortunate that they didn't seem phased by the state of me, leaving me safe from one more conversation about the ordeal that I just wanted to forget.

Within seconds, a glowing green liquid in a clear glass slid in front of me. Some of it sloshed over the edge, leaving droplets against the table. I grasped it tightly in my hand, quickly downing it in one large gulp. My nose scrunched after swallowing, the taste unexpected against my tongue. It was slightly bitter, but not in a way that I had been accustomed to.

"Could I see that for a moment, please?" I asked, looking over to the couple beside me. They stopped laughing amongst themselves as I pointed towards their empty silver plate between them. I ignored their confused looks, grabbing it to look at my reflection along the metal.

I smiled wide as I saw my face morph back to its standard condition. It was as if nothing had ever happened. No black eye. No more scratches or other random bruising. I was me again.

"Harry? Is that really you?" A young female voice squealed behind me. I dropped the plate suddenly, the clatter shocking everyone around. All conversations stopped briefly, but shortly picked back up after seeing it was nothing of importance. I shot my head around, my eyebrows crooked upwards in confusion on who could be calling me.

At first glance, I didn't recognize her. She had blue skin with pink highlights, her hair flowing as if it was in a pit of water. A globe of light ricocheted off her figure, brighter than most. That was when I remembered who she was.

"Oh, Adhara." She was the brightest of the galaxy and was hard to miss in every sense of the word. More importantly, she was my ex. It was about a hundred years ago, but it was the most recent fling that I had been a part of. She was my first for quite a lot of things, but in her words, I didn't seem to measure up to her standards. I hated that I understood what she meant.

"You alright?" She cheerfully asked, placing herself in the newly opened seat beside me. I must have scared off the couple as I hadn't noticed their absence until after she sat down to take their previous place. "Haven't seen you around in awhile. Heard you're on the aurora mission. That's exciting." She smiled softly, taking a sip of an elixir that had been placed down immediately after her arrival.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, that's what I'm doing." I nervously laughed to try and fill the awkwardness that I felt between the two of us. She didn't make me nervous in the way that Aurora did. She made me nervous because I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells around her. She didn't make my heart flutter like Aurora seemed to. All I could think about was getting up and leaving altogether.

"That's cool. I remember when we were kids, growing up together. Now you're two thousand years old and already doing missions on Earth. That's so exciting!" Her tone made me question her genuineness. I felt so on edge after all the shit I had received from my family, as well as the pressures I put on myself. It was hard to tell who was genuine anymore.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. I averted my attention towards my empty glass, twitching my fingers along the glass as I examined it carefully.

She hummed lightly, as if to think what to say next herself. "Well...What have you been up to besides that?" She raised an eyebrow at me as if she was quizzing me. "Seeing anybody?"

I quickly spun my head towards the side, eyeing her suspiciously. She couldn't know, could she? I mean, I wasn't technically seeing anybody, really. Was I? I didn't really know what I was feeling, or experiencing, but I especially didn't know what Aurora was either.

"What? No. Of course not. What would make you think that?" I retorted with a huff.

She giggled. "Defensive, aren't we? Fine, don't tell me." She shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her drink. Her eyes peered over her glass as she did so, leaving me to cower even more from her gaze.

"I hate that you can't trust me, though. It's not like you're seeing a human." She laughed into her cup, but kept her eyes on me. I bit at my lip nervously, swallowing hard.

"Wait..." She abruptly took the straw out of her mouth, placing the cup back onto the counter. "Don't tell me..."

I felt my palms sweat against my chair as I tightened my grasp on the sides. Fuck, I wanted out. So bad. I wanted her gone. I wanted myself gone. I wanted to be back in my room. Away from all of this.

She gasped, raising a hand to her mouth with a chuckle. "You are seeing a human, aren't you?"

NEXT UPDATE: 04/26/22

[yemilnisu]

INCORRECT HAIKYUU QUOTES FROM BUZZFEED UNSOLVED

nisu entries:

i got this idea from @memekingofwwiii and some of it are theirs 🙇🏻‍♀️ thank you for letting me add it here 😊 it’s a mixture from buzzfeed unsolved supernatural and true crime 👀 i really had fun doing this!

warning: swearing, mentions of death/murder/killing/blood/weed

「part 2」

Tendou: i did have a neighbor who had an overhang of a lime tree, and it was great because i could go pick a little lime.

Ushijima: did you ever think about killing your neighbor?

Tendou: when he didn't give me limes, yeah.

Ushijima: oh, okay; all right.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Matsukawa: this is my bridge now, if you want it back you’re gonna have to kill me.

Oikawa: he did throw someone off the bridge once.

Matsukawa: fuck you, goatman!

Oikawa: Jesus Christ.

Kunimi: *behind the camera snickering as mattsun taunts the goatman much to oikawa’s dismay*

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Matsukawa: hey demons, it’s me, ya boi.

Matsukawa: if you want to eat my heart, turn that light on. If you want to eat oikawa’s heart, turn that light on...

Oikawa: don’t drag me into your shit, mattsun.

*torch turns on*

Oikawa: *screams*

Matsukawa: *laughs hysterically as he continues to lie on the pentagram*

Kunimi: *actual wheezing*

Matsukawa: i think this demon’s a wimp.

Oikawa: he’s out of his fucking mind.

Kunimi: *having the time of his life*

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Oikawa: every human's capable of murder if you push them enough. i just don't know if this is enough of a push.

Iwaizumi: okay.

Oikawa: it's true!

Iwaizumi: is that so?

Oikawa: yeah.

Oikawa: i bet you you would murder me if I pushed you enough.

Iwaizumi: yeah, probably.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Tsukishima: …

Tsukishima: so, you're telling me, at nine years old, you don’t go to church. the first time you cross the threshold into holy ground,

Nishinoya: *makes noise and imitates blood coming out of his nose*

Tsukishima: blood expels from your nostrils?

Nishinoya: yeah, yeah. they ran outta tissues! mopping that up.

Tsukishima: …

Nishinoya: it was wild!

Tsukishima: it sounds wild.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Kuroo: i think it was the neighbor. look, i’m a simple man. i see a trail of blood going to someone's house. even if they didn't do it, come on; you're going to jail.

Kenma: i think it might've been a random person.

Kuroo: all right.

Kenma: it just seems too obvious.

Kuroo: okay.

Kenma: there's a paper trail of their feud. why the hell would he be that dumb?

Kuroo: rage, you know? lust, rage. rage just- just building up, bursting out.

Kenma: well, i've never really gotten that angry. i don't really have that capacity.

Kuroo: it's building. it's building inside you. everyone sees it; we all see it.

Kenma: that's great. oh man, i can't wait for krakatoa then.

Kuroo: *shuddering* oh- oh- i shudder.

Kenma: hope no one's in the way 😺

Kuroo: …

Kuroo: scary.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Daichi: he allegedly chased his mother with an axe when he was 19.

Asahi: not great.

Daichi: (wheeze) no? not off- off to a bad start?

Asahi: no good. i’ve never done that. you didn’t do that did you?

Daichi: no! i didn't- what- is there anything to suggest that I would chase my mom with an axe?

Asahi: (inhales) not outright i feel like if you peel the layers back.

Daichi: you think if you peel the layers back from this onion, you'll see something you don’t want to see?

Asahi: yeah. i think you wear a mask sometimes 😅

Daichi: mm-hmm i think you should keep digging and maybe see what happens 🙂

Asahi: uh no i'm good 🧍🏻‍♂️

Daichi: *staring at asahi*

Asahi: 👁👄👁💧

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Osamu: my takeaway is people from chicago are weird.

Atsumu: the- this does not represent chicago. this is people and go "ey! chicago tylenol murders"

Osamu: (laugh) home with the beam, the cubs and the chicago tylenol murders and of course our nation's greatest tragedy, miya atsumu.

Atsumu: that- that's not me.

Osamu: i read it somewhere 🤷🏻

Atsumu: no, you didn’t, you probably wrote it.

Osamu: yeah.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Suna: i’d love to be an heiress.

Kita: (snickers)

Suna: i know she’s probably gonna disappear or something.

Kita: so you wanna be a trust fund baby?

Suna: i’d like someone to give me a lot of money for doing nothing. but i want-

Kita: and then you wanna disappear?

Suna: yes. i want to get a lot of money and then vanish from the face of the earth.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Ennoshita: her family believed that when she left at 11:30 am, she had as much as $30 in her purse, which in today’s dollars would be more than $750.

Nishinoya: holy moly!

Tanaka: that’s a lot of quiche—

Nishinoya: yeah.

Tanaka: that’s a lot of quiche.

Nishinoya: thirty bucks going that far in 1910.

Tanaka: i don’t even have $750 in my bank account.

Nishinoya: i’ve never had $750 in my pocket! i rarely have had $30 in my pocket.

Ennoshita: well i don’t really carry cash anymore-

Nishinoya & Tanaka: who does!?

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Yaku: stop number one, mothman statue.

Lev: it looks very ornate.

Yaku: *shocked that lev knows that word*

Yaku: you’ll be able to stare at it eye to eye.

Lev: what’s that supposed to mean?

Yaku: it means you’re eight feet tall, it’s a tall joke. get it?

Lev: 🧍🏼

Yaku: 🤦🏼‍♂️

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Akaashi: any... any thought in that so far?

Bokuto: (fart sound) nope. what year is it, ‘66?

Akaashi: ‘66.

Bokuto: few teens out there probably smoking a few funny cigarettes.

Akaashi: you could say weed. it’s 2018.

Bokuto: ...some grass.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Kageyama: so my guess is the couples were somewhere around here, maybe on that road over there.

Hinata: yeah.

Kageyama: and i'm not sure of the exact location but this is where they saw him stumbling around.

Hinata: they just… saw him kinda shambling?

Kageyama: yeah.

Hinata: big shambling man. kinda *shuffling his body*

Kageyama: i- i don’t know, maybe he was just taking a walk, i mean, what's it to you?

Hinata: why would you take a walk if you had wings?

Kageyama: he's a fucking creature, he can do what he wants.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Kuroo: but all im saying is that what you need to gather from this is that he has an effect on people's psyche.

Lev: this mothman's a complicated character.

Kuroo: what does he sound like? what does he sound like?

Lev: he sound like the blood bird.

Kuroo: …

Lev: flappy spookster.

Kuroo: …

Kuroo: that's- come on.

Kuroo: *glances over to lev's notes*

Lev: the winged wretch. did i already say that?

Kuroo: this just says fright terror.

Kuroo: *throws away the notes*

Lev: you know, just call him batman, why is that hard? 😩

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

(howling)

Goshiki: what the fuck.

Shirabu: well those are coyotes… or dogs. Or a large pack of something.

Goshiki: holy shit.

Shirabu: just some coyotes.

Goshiki: are you not fucking alarmed right now?

Shirabu: are you scared? (laugh)

Goshiki: dude wait- this goes beyond belief, that was a pack of, whatever the fuck that was.

Shirabu: it was coyotes!

Goshiki: is that our cue to leave? i think maybe. we've been out here for quite a bit.

Shirabu: yeah, i don’t know if were gonna find anything tonight.

Goshiki: i don’t wanna be in the mouth of some coyote later, that's not how i want the picture wrap on old tsutomu to be.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Atsumu: air force one? they filmed air force one here?

Atsumu: air force one actually, now that i think of it, remember the reason they hijacked the plane is to release for the-

Sakusa: i’m gonna go ahead and cut you off right there 'cause i don’t give a shit.

Sakusa: we’re gonna move over here.

Atsumu: …okay.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Kai: four people in a cell, that's a lot

Kuroo: i mean, you put any normal people in a room that's too small. like if you’re in a dorm in college, if you hate your roommate…

Kai: it's tough business

Kuroo: listening to music too loud when i'm trying to study

Kai: hwfrrrrr…

Kuroo: cookin' uhh… top ramen in the microwave when i'm trying to sleep

Kai: you got some axes to grind?

Kuroo: no.

Kai: oh

Kuroo: fuck you, daishou.

Kai: daishou?

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

(distant thud)

Yamamoto: what the fuck?

Kenma: :3

Yamamoto: is all i have to say to that.

Kenma: they didn’t like the thumb talk.

Yamamoto: you didn't like the thumb talk? was it too much thumb talk? i thought we went about two minutes long on the-

(distant thud)

Kenma: they don’t like the thumb talk.

Yamamoto: *looking around in shock*

Kenma: *stopping himself from laughing*

Yamamoto: uhhhh… holy fuck. holy fuck, holy fuck. if you’re one of the people that had that thumb thing to happen to you, that sucks. what was it like?

Kenma: what do you think you're gonna get right now? 😑

Yamamoto: i feel like we should go see what that is, to be honest.

Kenma: *shakes his head*

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Tsukishima: we’re walking over to the source of the disturbance.

Hinata: hello? (sigh) i’m gonna lose my mind. so, it did that twice within the span of 10 seconds but nothing else?

Tsukishima: but, we can confirm that it did sound like this right? *slams the cabinet door*

Hinata: yeah.

Tsukishima: that was the sound.

Hinata: do you think the wind’s gonna do that twice?

Tsukishima: *blows on the cabinet door*

Tsukishima: not moving 🙄

Hinata: well, shit.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Sugawara: oh there it is. it’s that. *pointing to where the sound was coming from*

Asahi: what?

Sugawara: there’s a logical explanation for you.

Asahi: ah! okay, there it is. well, there you go, there you go.

Sugawara: but, if we hadn’t seen that...

Asahi: if we hadn’t seen that we would be fooled 😅

Sugawara: no, we wouldn’t have been fooled. you would have been telling me for months.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

*inside the prisoners of ohio state penitentiary*

Kageyama: this is fucking terrible.

Tsukishima: it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to be here.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Tendou: i’m separating from the group.

Semi: it’s the ideal time to kill him.

Tendou: yeah i mean, if i were gonna die in camera it would be a pretty noble thing.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Osamu: I don’t understand what’s wrong with atsumu sometimes.

Atsumu: what was that?

Osamu: i didn’t say anything.

Atsumu: you sure you didn’t say anything, ‘samu?

Osamu: now go back and set ‘em off to make sure they work.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Sakusa: *inhales*

Atsumu: *inhales*

Sakusa: you need to back up from me. i can feel your air intake. it’s like a gross nasal jet, i don’t know.

Atsumu: *takes a step towards sakusa*

Sakusa: uh no *takes a step backwards*

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

Futakuchi: latch yourself onto my soul, come back to hollywood with me, and destroy the lives of all my friends and coworkers.

Koganegawa: a little hard to follow, but i like where you’re going.

Futakuchi: kogane’s family has a little-

Koganegawa: ey! ey! do-! do-! don’t!

Futakuchi: -dog named mickey.

Koganegawa:*trying to stop futakuchi*

Futakuchi: real good. you wanted me to give it my all. i’m throwing stuff on the table.

Koganegawa: insults, not personal information. you’re giving him a dossier on my life!

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[the-insomniac-emporium]

Wounded Love (Lady Dimitrescu/F!Reader) Pt. 3

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for blood/violence and language Genre: Action with a lil bit of fluff Warnings: Lil bit of blood Notes: There's an unnamed character in here who may or may not end up as recurring in my stories. I don't really have anything in particular planned for her, she's kinda just here to fill a role/allow for some easter egg type shit in the next chapter. Previous Chapters: Pt. 1, Pt. 2

{Wounded Love 3: Bloody Valentine (No, not that Valentine)}

“Mother Miranda, I must insist, if these lycans stray any further they might start feasting on the village as well! Pray tell, who will you use for research then? We can’t just-... Forgive me… Mhmm. Yes, I understand. Of course… Have a good night, Mother Miranda,” Lady Dimitrescu said, before setting her phone down with a loud thunk. Her hands shake a little, and for a moment you worry that her vanity won’t survive the coming moments. Then you make eye contact with her reflection, giving her an encouraging smile, watching as her gaze softens. “I’m afraid there’s nothing she can do, my dear. I cannot allow Heisenberg’s negligence to go unpunished, but we will have to take care of it on our own, without Mother Miranda’s support.”

“Is that wise, love? To go behind her back like this? I can’t imagine she’ll be terribly pleased if we cause chaos for one of her favored few,” you replied, clicking your tongue as you thought things over. Again you see anger cloud Alcina’s face, though she makes sure not to direct it at you.

“We are not the ones who started this mess,” she reminded you, through clenched teeth. “But we will be the ones to end it, one way or another. I don’t care if I have to gut that wretched man-thing and bring Miranda his corpse as proof of his incompetence! He has shown his lack of loyalty hundreds of times… and now he will pay.” Gulping, you rise to your feet, wanting to comfort your girlfriend. While you had understood that your injury angered her, you hadn’t (until this moment) realized the sheer intensity of that rage. How much blood would be shed before this was over?...

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

Crimson drips down the beast’s side, across matted fur, before hitting the wooden floor. A stench as awful as you had ever found filled the air, only made tolerable by the nearby presence of scented candles. What a mess, you think, glad that you wouldn’t be the one to clean it up. Why had the girls insisted on bringing the damn thing inside? Couldn’t they have simply snatched a few teeth from its jaw as a prize? Somehow you doubted that the thought had even crossed their minds. Violence was a passion of theirs, and they preferred their trophies to be as large as the effort they put into getting it.

“How close to the path did you find it?” You asked after finishing your examination of the lycan. Next to you, the eldest daughter is rapidly taking notes in a leather-bound journal. Both of her siblings stand near the fireplace, hands held out next to the flames, needing to warm up after being outside for so long. It wasn’t even that cold of a day, with temperatures averaging around eighteen degrees celsius. All the snowfall from the prior week had now melted. While you knew of the family’s weakness, you also knew that they had bundled up before leaving, and had even taken a torch with them in the hopes of using it on a lycan. Their powers had taken somewhat of a hit, temporarily, but not nearly enough to prevent them from killing a single lycan.

“Heard it howling almost as soon as we left the castle. We couldn’t smell it until halfway to the village, though. Once we could we tried to track it, only for the stupid thing to come charging at us. Must have been eight, maybe ten, meters away by the time we collided,” Cassandra answered. There’s a bit of a shiver to her voice, and you can’t help the rush of sympathy you feel in response. Being out on the path, wearing little more than a dress and scarf, had been absolute hell for you. Even if it was warmer outside now, you imagined that being weak to the cold just about made up for the difference. “There was a little more howling once we started walking back here. Louder, if not closer. Heisenbitch isn’t even trying to keep these fucking things in check.”

“Cassandra, language!” Came a voice in the distance, making everyone present look up at once. Strutting down the stairs was a clearly miffed Alcina, eyes narrowed, body tense. “Did you three really have to bring the mutt inside? Surely you advocated against this, Bela? Or did you think I wanted new bloodstains right by the entrance, where everyone can see them?” Next to you Bela winces, but doesn’t respond, too worried about angering her mother further. “And you, my dear, what on Earth are you doing on the floor? You should be resting, in an actual chair, if not lying in bed awaiting my return. There’s enough for me to worry about without you limping around on a useless leg!”

Now it was your turn to wince.

“Please, love, I know you’re stressed, but I can still help. Given enough time I could help ascertain these things’ weaknesses. At the very least I could pass on what I learned during my fight with one,” you pleaded. Then you tried to stand up, wanting to prove yourself, only to stumble, barely avoiding a faceplant- and only doing so because of Bela’s quick reaction time. She helped you to your feet, letting you lean on her, then lead you towards a bench. Begrudgingly you sit back down. “You’re only doing this because I got hurt. Helping you in your endeavor to avenge me is the least I can do.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Alcina snapped, now just a couple meters away from you. Even with that space between you, her presence was intimidating, and you almost felt like a child being scolded. “Were you to get hurt again, how would we avenge you? If you fall by your own hand, there will be naught I can do other than lock you away somewhere without any dangerous elements. What sort of existence would that be for you? I simply can’t allow it, no exceptions.” At this you pout, feeling rather disappointed. It’s not as if you were asking to carry a gun and shoot Heisenberg yourself! Not that you would be opposed to doing so, of course. “Try to put yourself in my place, my dear. Could you live with yourself if you failed to protect me?”

“I suppose I could not, love. Very well, I shall simply root you on from here, and kiss away any injuries you return with,” you replied, at last giving in. Then you found yourself smiling… and on the receiving end of a very soft forehead kiss. “Nothing will separate us, my love. None can tear apart that which the universe has stitched together.”

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

“Like I said, my Lady, I already want him dead. Did you really think that your family was the only one to suffer because of his machinations? I know half a dozen people who would love to put a bullet in that fucker’s skull, bare mims,” the huntress said, white teeth showing in her half-smirk. There was an odd coolness to her voice, like this whole ordeal was just another job, and you couldn’t help but feel uncertain about her. Could she really be the solution to Alcina’s problem? You couldn’t even judge her arsenal, considering she had been instructed to come unarmed. After all, she was a hunter of monsters, with a sizable history to her name. If not for her hatred of Heisenberg, you would never have felt comfortable letting her come within two hundred meters of your girlfriend.

“How can I be sure that you’ll succeed? The last thing I want is to have that wretched man-thing come crawling out of the filth he lives in, angry and coming for vengeance,” Alcina responded, scrutinizing gaze locked on the huntress.

“Didn’t Duke give you my file? Or at least read the good bits out loud? I’ve been in my fair share of scraps, with all sorts of bioweapon mutant freaks. Besides, I don’t plan on leaving any receipts behind. If he manages to survive, which is already one hell of an if, there’s no way he can prove that you asked me to do it. Considering he’s already seen my face, and knows I want him dead… yeah, he won’t bother accusing you, not when I’m in the picture, and certainly not when you’ve got such a big reputation for following Mother Miranda’s word down to the very last letter. So, you gonna make this official, or what?” The huntress asked, gesturing her arms wide. Although you’re still not convinced, Alcina nods quietly, seeming ready to make her decision. Regardless of how you feel about the stranger in front of you, you’re more than willing to support your girlfriend in whatever she planned.

“Very well, huntress. Show us just what you’re capable of.”

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

Flames licked at her heels, even as she charged forward, tickling like hot breaths against her skin. Behind her half a dozen lycans roared and screeched in unison. Smoke and ashes flew upwards, into the air, but could not poison her lungs, not when she had come prepared. Still, the mask was not as easy to breathe in as she had hoped, making her chest heave with effort at each intake of air. Good thing I’ll be gone soon, she thought, sparing a glance behind her as she ran. Dozens of trees were aflame, and countless glowing eyes watched from between the branches. They wouldn’t be there for much longer, not with what she had done.

Soon enough an explosion would shake the Earth. Then, finally, both the lycans who had killed her father and the man who desecrated the remains would be dead. And if a certain countess happened to pay her for her services? All the better, really. Funerals could be expensive, especially in such a remote village. More than that… there was no guarantee that she’d be able to outrun Mother Miranda on her own. A little money would make the flight out a hell of a lot nicer.

Assuming she made it that far. There was another scream behind her, this one more human, though somewhat warped by mechanics. It wasn’t a pained cry. No, it was filled with rage. Clearly Heisenberg had come out of his lair, hearing the fireworks, finding his scrap metal and werewolf army in chaos. From the sound of things- metal against metal, electricity crackling- he was coming her way.

“Fuck fuck fuck!” She muttered, desperately trying to get to higher ground. Even if the lycans succumbed to the overwhelming fire, it wouldn’t be hard for their leader to overcome. But the huntress was still too close to her explosives to risk activating the detonator. Just a bit farther, she thought, ignoring the way her lungs ached. Rocks kicked up with every step, loud enough to be heard from a distance, and made traction harder to keep. In the end she had to scramble to get up the side of a short cliff. A few scrapes appeared on her hands, making her curse under her breath.

But with one last movement, pulling herself up with both arms, she was finally far enough to be relatively safe. In one clean second she turned around, pulled the detonator out of its pouch and clicked the trigger. Just like that, a forest blazing turns into a mushroom cloud of pure hellfire. The setting sun makes for a beautiful backdrop, and the sight almost brings a tear to the huntress’ eyes. For a few moments she just enjoys the view. Then, without hesitation or remorse, she starts to walk away, mentally congratulating herself for a job well done.

Until something shoots past her head with terrifying speed. Before she can react another sharp piece of metal flies past her, grazing her arm, and there’s a blood-curdling roar from behind her. Then she’s running, fast as she can, pulse pounding harder than it ever has. One hand goes to the rifle on her back, pulling it out as quickly as she can. The area is rocky, with plenty of outcrops, perfect to hide behind (assuming there weren’t any hidden metal deposits). Quickly she ducks behind one, crouching to keep her head out of sight. Mere milliseconds later another metal spike slams into the ground just beyond her cover.

In the distance, more screams pierce the air, and something heavy drags itself across the ground. It almost sounds like a tank rolling through the woods. The thought alone worries the huntress, but she had never been one to let her fear control her. So she double checks her rifle, adjusts the scope, and pops out of cover. Less than a second later she has her target in her sights. It’s Heisenberg, for sure, more metal than man, but dripping with red. One press of the trigger sends a bullet straight for his ugly head. Unsurprisingly, it’s not enough to pierce his cranium, instead making him mad as hell.

Which is why automatic guns were invented, probably. The huntress holds the trigger down this time, though briefly, before dashing to the next piece of cover. She repeats the process a few times, hoping to kill the man before he could climb the cliff she stood on. If he managed to get up there with her… no, she couldn’t think about that, not now. She had to focus.

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

Hidden among the trees, the Dimitrescu sisters watched as plumes of smoke rose in the distance. Even though they had been aware of the huntress’ plan, they hadn’t expected this much carnage. It was certainly exciting! But they really couldn’t see much from where they were. Getting closer was probably a horrible idea, and yet Cassandra shared a meaningful look with Daniela. A split second later they were forming a swarm, rushing into the trees, leaving their elder sister to yell after them.

“Mother’s going to kill me,” Bela said, before rolling her eyes and following. Maybe she could at least keep them out of trouble?... Probably not.

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

Metal hands wrap around the huntress’ throat, squeezing hard, but do not twist or otherwise break their prey. No, Heisenberg does not intend to end this that quickly. This rodent had taken so much from him, set his plans back by decades. He was going to kill her slowly. When she still fights back, pulling a knife from her boot and trying to stab whatever she can reach, he does little else but laugh. It’s a crazed cackling that echoes through the surrounding rocky hills.

Just barely loud enough to drown out the sound of insects buzzing.

“Fuck that guy!” Someone shouted, right as a sickle descended upon the monstrous Heisenberg’s neck. The first slice isn’t enough to sever the connection, which is why it’s immediately followed by a second, from another sister, then a third, from the eldest, that finally does the job. Just like that the hands release from the huntress’ throat, and she gasps for air. Coughs leave her distracted as the sisters move to surround her. “Good thing we wanted to see the show up close and personal, eh?” Daniela asked, twirling her sickle with a little giggle.

“You idiots are just lucky I followed you,” Bela added, glaring at her sister. Internally, she was relieved that the end result was a success. Still, she worried about what her mother would think, and certainly didn’t intend to voice her satisfaction at delivering the killing blow. “Now let’s get back, before mother assumes the worst and comes to get us herself.” Sighing, she extends a hand to help the huntress up. Though their mutual enemy had been defeated, there was still much to be done. Who knew how Mother Miranda would react? Who, if anyone, would take Heisenberg’s place? There was plenty to be unsure about, and Bela let her mind wander the whole way back, hoping that things would only get better from here...

[sup-hoes-its-me]

Emotion (Kakashi x Reader)

A/N: Kakashi again...can't get enough of this mans tbh. U r an empath due to your kekkei genkai and Kakashi has always been difficult to read. Friend to lovers. Sharing one bed folks, we got some steamyyy shit here. Angst warning as well.

Word count: 6000

He was always alone. Ever since his childhood, he walked the world completely alone with only a few people there to support him. No mother, no father, no mentor, no teammates. He was at the mercy of fate his entire life, things being stolen from him time and time again. 

He just prayed that he could keep her. Y/N L/N, the only woman to have wormed her way into his heart and made a home there.

When they first met, Kakashi and Y/N, she cursed him for being such a weirdo. Apparently his mind was empty and his heart was seemingly full of sand. He was conditioned that way, and that is how he lived for the longest time. It wasn't a surprise for him to hear that.

But she thought it was stranger than anything she'd ever seen, and so she followed him. She would figure him out, bring him back down to Earth from his supposed high horse. That woman was determined, and frankly he didn't mind her being around. She was quiet enough that it didn't matter. Not to mention on the missions they had together, she was quite the partner.

Over time, she'd learned to read him like a book. It was part of her clan's kekkei genkai. The ultimate empath, I suppose. The ability to read a persons every single emotion and then turn that, if they so choose, into power. 

She was never the greatest fighter, but her negotiation skills were the best they could possibly be. She would dive into the emotions of another and manipulate them backwards and forwards to get what she wanted. 

It was overwhelming, walking into a room of people and immediately being bombarded with so many feelings coming at her all at once. Occasionally, if the situation was bad enough she'd have to take a seat and clear her mind, organizing each person in her mind like a filing cabinet of empathy.

But damn, did she try to weasel out every bit of feeling she could. It was just something that came so naturally, she couldn’t help but instigate whatever was brewing up inside him.

"Kakashi, if you're happy, you know you're allowed to express it. You don't have to hide it away," she told him, staring at the masked man sitting across from her at the table. He was watching as she sharpened her kunai, and she could feel the content running off his body in small bursts. He was feeling better. Better than he had in a little while. Of course she picked up on it.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. She was always reading him, he knew that. He just preferred when she refrained from mentioning it. It did, most times, feel like a bit of an invasion of privacy, how she could deep dive into the corners of his mind. There were things no one else could ever possibly know that she did. It was strange, but he was used to it.

"What? Want me to smile or something?"

"No, but you should let yourself go. Just drop the facade."

"Stop doing that. Getting into my head."

Quietly, she set down her blade and picked up the next one, taking a cloth and softly wiping away any dirt. Her eyes slide up to his for a moment, her all knowing gaze filling his vision. "It's basically impossible. Especially if you're the only one around. There's nothing else to focus on except you." He knew that. It wasn't like she had an on or off switch. That was the downside of this dojutsu. Unlike sharingan and byakugan users, hers was always pulling the strings of her brain.

"You've got that mission next week. With Naruto and a few of the other kids, right?"

"Yes."

"It's A rank, isn't it?"

She hummed in agreement. He had a habit of knowing about all her missions, more importantly being the dangerous ones. He wasn't necessarily scared for her, probably not. He was more cautious than anything. There was this nagging feeling in his head that he shouldn't let her go on these missions alone. That it was too dangerous for her to handle. 

But he was wrong. She was stronger than he thought, and could hold her own in battle. He was just a worrier. He'd just lost too many, seen too many bodies in front of his eyes to trust. God, he wanted to trust her, but he couldn't. She was too vulnerable. His friend, one of the only ones who hadn't died yet. For all he knew, her days numbered, that's how paranoid he was about everything.

"You'll be careful?"

"That's a silly question." He gave her a look that said he was more serious than anything, and she sighed. "Of course I'll be careful. I have people that would miss me if I wasn't." He was one of them. She could sense his fear whenever she said goodbye and his relief when she returned. He really tried to remain objective, but his heart said otherwise. 

And she would be a liar to say that she did not experience the same relief seeing him come home from missions, even if he was beaten and bruised to the bone, she was just happy he made it back. So many never got to come home. It was a sick world, they lived in, but she could relish in the little comforts.

"Don't worry about me. I'll always turn out fine. It's you and your dumb students we have to worry about."

"I hear you. Those kids are enough to drive a person mad." He rested his chin in his palm, the mere thought of those kids causing his blood pressure to rise.

"Thankfully my students never gave me any trouble. Sweet little things."

"Well, aren't you just lucky, Y/N?"

"What can I say? Kurenai and I got the luck of the draw with our students. You men had it rough, I have to admit," she laughed. It was funny that he was so unfortunate to have gotten assigned the Uchiha and the Uzumaki, two completely opposite but persistent forces. "Despite your perverted tendencies and your perpetual lateness, you still did a great job teaching them."

"Thanks. But do you really have to call me a pervert? I'm really not."

"Yeah? That explains why you read porn in public. Admit you're a pervert, you dumb old man."

"We're the same age-" he began to argue, but she just cut him off with her harsh words.

"Creep," she muttered, running the sharpening stone along her blade. He narrowed his eyes. She was being awfully annoying, and he knew she could sense his irritation building up. Yet she continued just to be a pain in the ass.

 He warned, "Hey. Watch it, L/N."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop...Pervert." She ducked her head when his hand reached out to wring her around the neck for being so frustrating, and she continued to laugh. It was nice, having a friend she could joke with and be around without having to worry about what she said. He might pretend to be mad, but she could feel the happiness still rolling off his body thickly under all that fake neutrality. 

He was happier than he'd been in a long while, and she found herself swelling with pride knowing that she might have helped make that happen. Her lips curled into the gentlest of smiles as she peered back up at him, and he found himself smiling back even if it was just through the mask. 

He swore in that moment, he'd make sure Y/N didn't end up like all the others. She would live. He'd break this wretched curse just for her. He was sure of it.

______

"How could you be so reckless?! Do you want to die?" Kakashi shouted at his friend who could only stand there angrily, arms crossed over her chest and one foot in the other direction. She didn't need to be lectured by someone who took just as many risks every single mission as she did.

"Kakashi, I really don't want to hear it. You have no idea how it went."

"Yeah but Naruto does, and we were just talking."

She placed her free hand over her chest and exclaimed even angrier than before, "You're going to trust a kid over me? Naruto even?" It was just low to trust Naruto when she was right there to explain herself. Just let her speak for once, she wanted to say but he of course, had something else to say.

He waved his arm toward the ramen shop, eyes glaring. "Don’t be rude. He's right there. What is wrong with you?"

Indeed, Naruto was sitting inside Ichiraku with Jiraiya at his side, munching on pork ramen while the pair fought outside. Kakashi was eating with them, taking a break from his work to just relax with his master and student when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Y/N stumbling down the street on her crutch. 

He heard when she got back home that she was in the infirmary for a couple days. He had no idea for what reason until Naruto explained to him what happened. She was being needlessly reckless on the battlefield, relying too much on her kekkei genkai and not enough on her brain. She threw herself right in the way of an enemy, for what reason, he didn't know. All he knew was that she could have died and she didn't seem to care one bit.

Rightfully so, he was mad. Normally he preferred not to make a scene in the open like this, but there wasn't anyone else around and he was red-hot.

She huffed. "He knows I don't mean anything bad by that. How could he not? I'm also his sensei, you know."

"Doesn't matter," Kakashi brushed off her words. "What you did was dangerous and you don't seem to care. Next time what are you gonna do? Run right into the arms of the enemy?"

"No, I would never. Kakashi, you're just being a jerk right now. I'm literally injured from the hip down and you have to yell at me? Jeez, just be grateful I'm alive, okay? Things happen," she tried to reason with him, but he didn't acknowledge it. He wasn't exactly feeling all that rational.

"Things don't just happen like that."

She groaned, "Well apparently they do, because it happened to me."

His eye narrowed and she noticed the way he clenched and unclenched his fists a couple times by his sides. Clearly he was just trying to channel his anger, but he really had no reason to be so upset. She hadn't done anything to him. He really needed to relax. "This is so like you L/N's. Always so emotional. Always thinking you're stronger than you actually are."

"Excuse you-"

"Get a grip, you aren't going to live forever."

"First off, don't interrupt me. Second, don't talk about my clan ever again, you hear me, Hatake? We don't live to please your dumbass," she cursed, how dare he say shit about her clan. That asshole. He was just being so...so unlike himself. She had no idea what had gotten into him, but she hated it and just wanted to continue on her way before he said something else stupid. 

Normally, she didn't expect to be bombarded in the street nearly the second she leaves the hospital, but Kakashi never fails to surprise her.

"I've got to go. Don't bother following me." With that, she took off past him, rushing as fast as she could on her crutch, which was pathetically slow. Silently, she cringed at how ridiculous she must look waddling around like this in a fit of rage. Nevermind that. She had better things to do.

He huffed out the breath he had been holding to walk back into the ramen shop, taking his seat beside Naruto and slouching down into the stool. Immediately, Master Jiraiya met his eyes, wisdom about to drip from his tongue once again. "You need to go apologize."

"Why? She clearly doesn't want that right now."

"Well, to start, you insulted her clan which is a big no-no. Imagine saying that to an Uchiha. You're lucky she let you off so easily."

"Yeah, Kakashi. You kinda just attacked her out there in the street," Naruto added.

Jiraiya continued, "Mainly though, the longer you let her stay angry, the worse it'll be for you in the end. Trust me."

"She said don't follow her."

"And you're actually going to listen?" The older man laughed. "You and her fighting reminded me a lot of young Tsunade and I. And let me tell you, you don't just let a woman like that go. I sure did. It’s not a fun time."

"Yeah, Kakashi sensei, go find Y/N."

The jounin stood from his stool and slapped a ramen voucher onto the counter top to pay for his meal. This really didn't seem like a good idea, he had to admit. But he would trust the process. This was the author of his favorite romance series, after all. How could he get something like this wrong? To put blind faith into Jiraiya on realistic romantic matters was probably the not the wisest thing to do, but it was the only thing he had to go on. "I'll go, but this doesn't sound like good advice."

"If you let this go, she's might run into the arms of another man for comfort. Do you want that?"

Tch, there was no way she was gonna do that. She barely had any friends. If anything she would go see Kurenai. Still, he pulled back the cloth at the entrance and muttered, "I gotta catch up to her."

"'Atta boy," Jiraiya cheered, waving off the copy nin. "Another bowl, Naruto?"

"Yes, please!"

Kakashi walked down the streets, looking for the woman he was sent on a mission to find and apologize to. He searched through the shops and the stands for her, walked by her apartment no sign of her. It wasn't until he stumbled by the bookstore that he found her eyeing down the display out front, leaning comfortably on her crutch.

"Y/N," he called to her, and he watched as she tensed up without a second. He caught up to her, walking to stand beside her in front of the store windows. "I need to talk to you."

"What do you want?" She questioned, peering over at him with a quirked brow. He seemed calmed down by now. Thankfully. "Also, didn't I tell you not to follow me?"

"You did, but Jiraiya told me to apologize."

"So this isn't even on your own accord, you're doing it because Jiraiya told you so." He groaned. Of course she would twist his words and find some way to make things bad on his end. She was angry with him, what did he expect to happen? Her to accept him with open arms?

"Listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was just overwhelmed."

"With what? I wasn't paying attention to anything but the anger." She picked at her finger nails in an attempt to remain casual, but really she was just itching to hear what he had to say. She was willing to give him a second chance, only because he was normally so sweet. This was just out of character for him.

He replied, "I was scared for you. Naruto told me about how you nearly died, and I was upset that you did that. I was upset because I could only think about what if you had been overpowered and the enemy killed you." His explanation was weak, but he hoped she would accept it as truth. He really wasn't lying. When he heard she was in the hospital indefinitely, he nearly had a heart attack himself. He worried for her every time she left on a mission without him. It just meant that if she failed, he wasn't there to protect her himself. He couldn't handle that thought.

"So you were worried?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's sweet of you, isn't it?"

"I'd miss you, you know. If you died."

She froze. That wasn't what she expected him to say. When she looked over at him, he was just staring into the storefront window, but she could feel the sadness in waves running off his body. She wobbled around on her crutch to face him, a hand getting coming up to rest on his shoulder. "It's okay."

"I don't want you going on missions without me because every time it scares the shit out of me thinking they'll bring you back dead. Every time. I don't know why."

"It's normal to worry for your teammates."

"It's not the same, and you know it."

"Ah." And she felt it. Even if it was just a little hint of something, she felt his infatuation roll off his body and she took it in like a drink of cold water. So refreshing. Was he attracted to her? She had no idea before this that he cared so much but from the sound of it, he had some strong feelings attached. She wanted to reach out and hug him, tell him it was going to be okay, but that felt too personal. Instead, she leant back and muttered, "You know, Kakashi, I worry about you too."

"It's good we both have someone who cares, right?"

"Right."

"Well, I should be on my way, but, uh, if you need some help getting up to your apartment-"

"I should be fine."

"Okay, good."

"Yeah, so uh, see you," she turned on her heel and started heading in the other direction toward her home when suddenly, his hand reached out to stop her. 

"Wait, Y/N. I think..."

"What is it?"

"It's just that I need you. Please be careful from now on."

She stopped, turning around just enough to get a good look at his face. He only watched her, a glimmer of something she didn't recognize in his eye. 

"As long as you take care of yourself too, Mister."

"Y/N, I…"

All she could feel was a rough fabric rubbing against her face for a second before the full picture came into view. 

Mask to lips. I repeat, mask to lips.

She stared at him, as he kissed her right there in front of their favorite bookstore. When he pulled away after a second, he seemed just as shocked as she was. She pressed a hand to her forehead and struggled to find the right words to say. 

Kakashi Hatake just kissed her. 

And she definitely liked it. More than any other kiss she’d ever had before. She loved it. Mask or not, that was one of the best surprises of her entire life, and she honestly had no idea how to react. She settled for the easiest possible thing, running in the opposite direction, give herself time to think over what that meant for the two of them if anything at all. Kakashi wasn’t the type to have a girlfriend, he was always single. There just wasn’t room in his life for her.

There was plenty room in her life to fit him in comfortably. And there was more than enough room in her bed as well. 

Flustered, with heat coming to sit in her cheeks and run up her neck, she turned and motioned in the direction of her home. She just had too many thoughts to sit here and pretend she wasn’t dying inside from the tension.

"I've got to run home now," she managed to say. "Well, not run, with these crutches and all, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I should be going too. I'll see you around,” he mumbled, running his hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. 

"See you."

And into separate directions they went, just as confused as ever.

______

"Kakashi, I swear to God, if you don't stay on your side of the bed, I'm gonna-

"You'll what? Hit me? Go ahead. You're the one that keeps snoring."

"Shut up!" she exclaimed, rolling over in the bed and planting her fist directly in the middle of his chest. He didn't even flinch, she hadn't meant to hurt him anyway. She was just so annoyed. You would think that the stoic Hatake would be easy to sleep beside but no, he was a pain in the ass. He was rude. He was way too hot under the sheets. He still smelled like dog even after taking a bath. Just overall a bad experience, definitely 0 out of 10.

"What? It's the truth."

She groaned, throwing one of her arms over her eyes, burying her nose in the crook of her elbow. "Whatever. Don't ever mention my snoring again. It’s embarrassing me." She was self-conscious. She was usually so good at maintaining a cool and calm presence and now Kakashi was seeing that all crumble. Great. 

"Fine."

"Can't you just stay on your side so we can both sleep comfortably?"

"Can't you just stop snoring so I can sleep comfortably?" 

What a bastard. She could practically feel him snickering beneath his mask, and she felt frustration bubbling up in her chest. He was annoying. The audacity of this man, laughing and causing trouble in the night when they clearly had a mission to continue tomorrow. She could actually feel the delight radiating off his form.

She jumped up from her spot and threw herself onto the man beside her, attempting to make a vicious grab for the throat so she could maybe shut him up for just a few seconds. He dodged easily, taking her wrists in his calloused hand and lowering them to rest on his chest. Still, he continued to laugh at her. She felt like an utter joke sitting there on his stomach, looking at him through loose strands of her hair. 

She grumbled under her breath, her cheeks puffing out full of embarrassment, "Stupid."

"Me? Stupid? Look at you."

She replied swiftly, "What about me? You're the one with that ugly grin on your face." Quickly, she snatched her hands out from under his to cross her arms over her chest. She rocked back a bit on her knees to get a better look at his indeed ugly face. 

Except he definitely wasn't ugly, and that grin was more devilishly handsome than anything else. And honestly, she felt herself starting to get flustered in the position she'd put herself in. Of course she didn't hate Kakashi. He was one of her friends and coworkers. It was just that sometimes he could be casually attractive and she found herself falling under his spell. 

He just looked so fucking good lying there, staring up at her with a glimmer in his dark eyes. She could see the smile outlined under his mask. His hands had felt warm and firm around her own fingers. She missed his touch, there she said it, any touch on her body from Kakashi Hatake felt like heaven. He was far too cute, and the soft contact between them drove her crazy.

She wanted to punch herself for thinking such silly things. This was Kakashi, one of her frenemies. Not boyfriend material. Stupid. Silly. 

If only he didn't look so good, Jesus christ. Get your brain out of the gutter, Y/N.

Little did she know, his mind was already waist deep in those damn gutters and he was loving it.

"You really think that?"

"What? That you're ugly?" She asked, tilting her head to the side just a bit as if to think about it. Only a second later, another mischievous smile crossed her lips. "Of course."

He lifted his fingers to slid along her waist and down to her hips, fingers curling ever so slightly around her curves. She shuddered as his hands slid down to hold the sides of her bare thighs in his hands, his warm, strong hands with the softest fingertips. She wanted to die.

Had they kissed before? Yes. We're they somewhat romantically involved? Maybe. Did that give him any good reason to rest his rough hands on her thighs like that? Probably, and her thoughts were running a mile a minute at this point. 

"Kakashi...stop that," she said softly, her voice lowering from how it was before. She suddenly felt a lot smaller, scared even. Hooking up with Kakashi wasn't something she planned on doing anytime in the near future, if at all. He was her friend, and she felt strange sitting in his lap with his hands all over her. It felt so right but wrong at the same time, like she was breaking the law. Well, laws of friendship that is.

She cared about Kakashi, more than she wanted to admit. He wasn't just a friend, he was something weirdly in between and she couldn't exactly put her finger on how she felt about him. All she knew was that if she was going to have sex with this man, it would be the right way. They would have to date first. She wasn't just gonna sleep around this time. He was different. 

She wanted to impress him, to make him smile and laugh, to take him out to dinner and hold hands on their way home, to kiss at her doorstep. She wanted all of that before any of this.

His hands dropped from her sides and she crawled away from him, grabbing her blanket and cradling herself in it. "Listen, Y/N, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I know, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

It was quiet. Just the sounds of both their breaths filling the air and the crickets chirping in the darkness outside. She shifted in her blanket to rest her head on the wall, leaning against it with her shoulder. He remained on his back, staring up at the empty ceiling tiles. 

It was now so terribly awkward. Thanks, Y/N.

Finally, he broke the silence. "You, uh, don't snore all that much. I was just teasing you."

"Thanks," she exhaled. "You're not as ugly as I said."

"I know."

Wow, Kakashi. So modest.

Her words fell right into place as she spoke, emotions slipping out with each breath. She looked at his profile in the dark, the way his bedhead stood on end, his nose pointed upward and his lips sat calmly, the curve of his chin under the edge of his mask, the way his eyes just sat there unmoving and gentle, brows soft above the eye. She took in all of him as she confessed, "I just don't want it to be like this. I don't want to fall for you this way."

"I get it."

"I just think that you and I could be something different. You're not like the other guys to me, at least, I don't think of you that way," she took a deep breath. He still stared deep in the ceiling, and somehow it made her comfortable enough to confess everything she'd been feeling. It was as if he could just lay there and listen without words forever. "I don't want you to just fuck me before we really...well I don't know, we've never even been on a date. I...I think I'm ready to fall in love with you."

"Then let's do it."

She peered over at him, lips agape with surprise. She hadn't expected much at all, but certainly not that. "What?"

"When we get back to the village, I'll take you on a date, more if things go well. We can take it as slow as you want," he told her, turning to lay on his side, facing her. He watched as she cuddled further into the comforter, only a peek of her face in his view. She was actually kinda cute through all those worn and torn layers. "I don't think I can let you go this time."

"Really?"

"Anything for you."

She ducked her head down to stare at the hardwood beneath her feet. She was overwhelmed by how nice he was being. Normally, it didn't go like this. Things normally got sexual so quick there wasn't even a chance for these sorts of conversations. It was just different with Kakashi. She could say no to him and expect better, because she knew he could deliver. "No one has ever treated me like this before."

He smiled. "Well, it's about time someone did."

"Can you hold me?"

"Come on." He lifted his arm up with the covers attached so she could crawl over and burrow herself next him, tucked right against his side. He rested his arm around her shoulders and held her close to his chest. Things were looking good for the both of them. Better than they had in a long time.

He wished this kind of thing could last forever. The beating of her heart, the laughter in her voice, the shine in her eyes. He just wished he could have bottled it all up and held it close to him for the rest of his life. 

But he waited too long, and the opportunity slipped from his grasp.

______

The pair fought hard. Kakashi was better than her, everyone knew that. The enemy targeted her for that reason. It was clear as day that she was important to Kakashi, and the enemy quickly caught onto that. He was quick to bring the knife to her neck, pressing the woman’s back tightly to his chest. The blade stung her skin, already piercing the flesh from the bit of pressure he applied.

She cried out, feeling a trail of blood begin running down her neck. Her nails clawed at his arm, desperate to get him to release her from his clutches, but he persisted. One hand held onto her chin tightly, keeping her face from thrashing, and the other continued to apply more and more pressure into the blade. 

For the first time in a long time, she found herself feeling unrestricted fear. She was scared. Scared for her life. She’d never been in this situation before, feeling so completely and utterly helpless like a deer caught in the headlights. Kakashi was right there, she should have known everything was going to be okay. After all, she had the village’s strongest veteran on her side.

It wasn’t the pain that caused the tears to bubble up in the corners of her eyes, no, it was Kakashi. The way his eyes darted over to the them, and she could feel his heart beginning to race, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, and the fear creeping up into his heart. He never wore his heart on his sleeve. He was so closed off, sometimes she could only get a wisp of emotion from him, especially the ones that showed such vulnerability. 

Now it all seemed to come tumbling out like a landslide. She was drowning in fear, his and her own. 

“Let her go,” he called out, practically pleading with the man across from him, but it was in vain. 

“Like I’d listen to some filthy leaf shinobi,” the spy replied angrily. He felt so hot, burning up with so much anger she wanted to throw up. What had they done to upset him this badly? Her jaw was starting to ache from being held so tightly, and she swore she could taste blood running down her throat. This was bad. This was so terribly, miserably bad. 

Kakashi stood there, his hands hovering at his sides, unknowing of what to do. She was already bleeding out all over the collar of her shirt. If he made a single move, the man could easily finish the job with one fatal swipe. The copy nin felt cornered. Hopeless. What was there left to do? He’d let the love of his life fall in the hands of some petty criminal. 

Come on, think of something. Anything. Just think of something.

“What? You upset I’ve got your little girlfriend here?”

God, he was so desperate. The man taunting him didn’t help at all. He just felt himself spiralling deeper into hopelessness. He bargained, “Please, just let her go. I’ll give you whatever you want.” 

It wouldn’t work though. This man was set in his ways, and there was no changing that. He came into this fight knowing exactly what he wanted to do. And he was going to finish the job. 

“This is for what you shinobi have done to my people,” he sneered before she felt the knife dip further into her neck, sliding painfully across her throat. He dropped her head from his grasp, and as soon as he had, her body crumbled down to the ground. She collapsed in a bleeding heap on the dirt. 

The criminal quickly ran into the forest behind them, getting lost among the trees and the bushes within seconds. None of that mattered though. Kakashi could only run over to her limp body lying there on the ground, sputtering and coughing on thick blood filling her throat and lungs. Her cheeks and lips painted red now from spitting so much up. He fell to his knees beside her body, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a tear drip down his face.

She cried, hot tears running down her cheeks into the dirt on either side of her head. She cried for her pathetic self, having been attacked and injured in this way. She cried for Kakashi, feeling the pain and sadness, the panic, radiating off his form. She took in every emotion he was feeling, wanting to savor being with him for as long as she had, to fully take him in one last time. 

“Y/N, it’s gonna be okay,” he whispered, his hands running over her hair and cheek, smearing blood on her skin and his fingers. “We’ll bring you back to the village. The Hokage can fix you.” His words were so soft into the air, like if he spoke any louder he would hurt her.

They both knew that none of what he was saying was true. She was as good as dead.

She lifted her hand weakly to sit on his other hand. “I…” The woman took a labored breath.. “Love you, Kashi.”

“No, no, no. Don’t say that,” he hushed her, feeling his heart grow heavier in his chest with every second that passed, every look at her bloody neck and face, her laboring chest as she took hopeless breaths. He was falling apart in this moment, desperate for fate to change, for her to magically be better. He choked, “You can’t die, Y/N.”

“It’s okay.” Her words were slurred and hard to hear, liquid bubbling up in her throat to the point she was almost incomprehensible. “I love you,” she confessed once again. She wanted those to be her last ever words to him, the words he would remember for the rest of his life. To know someone out there loved him more than anything else.

He had to know that he was her everything. He was the best thing that ever happened to her, and she was going to miss him so terribly wherever her soul went after this. She just wished there was more time to tell him everything she felt. Yet, time was passing faster than she thought, and all those words felt impossible.

“I love you, too. You have to live for me. Just keep breathing, it's going to be okay.”

“It...hurts.”

More misery erupted his chest, and he found himself wanting to scream. Tears dripped steadily down both his cheeks now as he watched this woman die in front of him, one of the only people he truly needed in his life. “I know, baby, I know. I’m sorry I let this happen to you.”

She nodded faintly, her eyes beginning to close. He was starting to panic. Was this his last moment to say goodbye? Their time together was so short, how was this fair? He’d already lost everyone he ever cared about, and now this? He felt like the gods were laughing down at him and his misfortune. 

“You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know how I’ll do this without you.”

She didn’t respond, but she was still breathing. 

“Y/N, please.”

And he watched as her chest fell still and her labored breaths were silent on his ears. He found himself gathering her form up against his chest, her head cradled in the crook of his neck, just sobbing into her hair, weeping for a long lasting love gone in an instant. 

 He carried her body home that day himself. Something he never anticipated happening, but should have prepared for. He always thought he was going to watch as someone else carried her home to him, death long gone before he had the chance to see. He never thought it would be right in front of him. He thought he could protect her, save her from the clutches of fate. He was so wrong.

Kakashi was alone once again.

[vincememes]

banana fish starters

WARNINGS: IMPLIED SA, VIOLENCE MENT, DRUGS MENT spoiler warning .    to make it less long, the rest is under a cut.

feel free to adjust pronouns / names as needed !

ASH LYNX

❛   even if i did know something, what good would it do?  ❜  

❛   even a stupid street punk like me knows that  ❜  

❛   i envy you … being able to jump like that.  ❜  

❛   what could be more relaxing than three days away from these guys?  ❜  

❛   i wish i could hate you. i need someone to hate.  ❜  

❛   someone is dead. not that you’d give a damn one way or the other.  ❜  

❛   treating him like you’re giving the pope a bath isn’t going to help.  ❜  

❛   aren’t there any decent parents in this world?  ❜  

❛   that guy always regarded me as a human being with a real heart, not some sort of tool.  ❜  

❛   this little act of charity, you’re going to regret this.  ❜  

❛   i tried to forget.  ❜  

❛   stay with me... i won’t ask "forever". just for now.  ❜  

❛   well, i already know you’re a sick man.  ❜  

❛   ready to lose your life over a pizza?  ❜  

❛   my name... has become the signal for a massacre.  ❜  

❛   what on earth... have i become?  ❜  

❛   what do you think i am...? i’m a murderer... okay?  ❜  

❛   i told you before. i kill people.  ❜

❛   they paid the price for their decisions— that’s all.  ❜  

❛   what the hell do you know?!  ❜  

❛   let‘s say i am ‘exceptional’. the problem is, i never, ever, my whole life wanted to be.  ❜  

❛   you said i am not like ordinary people.  ❜  

❛   there’ve been countless times in my life when i thought i’d be better off dead.  ❜  

❛   that nothing could be worse than what was happening to me right then.  ❜  

❛   at times like that...death looks sweet and peaceful, and unbearably enticing.  ❜  

❛   war is always good business for those in power.  ❜  

❛   sorry to destroy your youthful innocence.  ❜  

❛   you have any idea what those guys made us do?  ❜  

❛   don’t tell me you still believe the pen is mightier than the sword.  ❜  

❛   if you ask me, the white house can go screw itself.  ❜  

❛   i wonder if i’m dying somewhere.  ❜  

❛   i wasn’t expecting the law to protect me.  ❜  

❛   i’ve ignored it all my life... i sure as hell don’t plan on hiding behind it now.  ❜  

❛   just keep them away from me— please!  ❜

❛   this town’s my backyard, remember?  ❜  

❛   sunrise and sunset are about the only times this junkyard of a city looks good.  ❜  

❛   even if i said no, you wouldn’t go back anyway.  ❜  

❛   if you went home i’d probably worry if something happened to you.  ❜  

❛   so it’s better you’re right here, where i can keep an eye on you  ❜  

❛   some people never change.  ❜  

❛   vulture got together with the viper. you make a great pair.  ❜  

❛   why now after all this time— does it have to be you, of all people...?  ❜  

❛   i don’t stand a chance. i’m dust against him.  ❜  

❛   over my dead body. if anybody hurts you... it’ll be over my dead body—  ❜  

❛   i don’t care who it is. i am not letting anybody hurt you.  ❜  

❛   do i scare you?  ❜  

❛   dont give me your stupid advice.  ❜  

❛   i’m happy, goddammit!    ❜  

❛   i know there’s at least one person in this world who cares about me. who doesn’t want anything from me.  ❜  

❛   do you have any idea what that’s like? i never did... not once in my entire life—until now.  ❜  

❛   and that’s worth more to me than anything else.  ❜  

❛   go back home! don’t look at me!  ❜  

❛   i don’t want you seeing me like this!  ❜  

❛   my hands are dirty with other people's blood.  ❜  

❛   i don't even know how many people i've killed.  ❜  

❛   i'm bad news.  ❜  

❛   i wish i could’ve been like you.  ❜  

❛   it’s just that… i always picture the worst-case scenario, that’s all.  ❜  

❛   guess it’s because i’m a coward.  ❜  

❛   i just can’t relax. it’s turned into a habit.  ❜  

❛   i was so scared i couldn’t speak, i couldn’t cry, and i screamed in my head, but... nothing came out.   ❜

EIJI OKUMURA

❛   if i ever lose you too... i'll go crazy.  ❜  

❛   come back safely. i'll be waiting for you, forever.  ❜  

❛   if you feel responsible, the same goes for me.  ❜  

❛  my words might not mean anything now, but just remember one thing.  ❜  

❛   even if the world turns on you, i'll always be on your side.  ❜  

❛   humans can change their destiny.  ❜  

❛   if i'm going to die anyways, at least i'll die trying!  ❜  

❛   don't apologize. that's something for people like me to do.  ❜  

❛   i'd do anything for you.  ❜  

❛   i know we'll meet again, no matter how far apart we are.  ❜  

❛   you're the greatest friend i'll ever have.  ❜  

❛   you're not alone. i'm by your side. my soul is always with you.  ❜  

❛   you asked me over and over if you scared me. but i never feared you. not once.  ❜  

❛   i'm really glad i came here.  ❜  

❛   i met lots of people. and more than anything, i met you.  ❜  

❛   that’s when i decided. i would always believe in you, no matter what.  ❜  

❛   no matter what happened, he would always have at least one person...  ❜

❛   i am very worried because i haven’t seen you and i don’t know if you are okay.  ❜  

❛   but so what? we are friends. isn’t that enough? what else do we need?  ❜  

❛   actually, i always felt that you are hurt, much more than me - that your spirit is wounded.  ❜  

❛   i know you are much smarter than me, and bigger, and stronger - but even so.. i always wanted to protect you.  ❜  

❛   but what did i want to protect you from?  ❜  

❛    i think i wanted to protect you from your future.  ❜  

❛   because your fate was sweeping you away, like a flood.  ❜  

❛   but i’m not saying “goodbye” to you... because this isn’t goodbye.  ❜

❛   are you going off on your own again?  ❜

❛   somewhere far away.. without a word?  ❜

❛   i want to see you. i wish i was with you right now.  ❜ 

YUT-LUNG

❛   a bloody history is inevitable when you are the one ruling.  ❜  

❛   what's wrong? you hated him, right? guess what? so do i.  ❜  

❛   no need to glare. i won't eat you up.  ❜  

❛   there's nothing you can do to help.  ❜  

❛   and what can you do to help?  ❜  

❛   you really irritate me.  ❜  

❛   you make people want to protect you or make them want to tear you apart and crush you.  ❜  

❛   so, what to do with you now.  ❜  

❛   i heard you tried to escape again. you have some spunk.  ❜  

❛   we have hired him, his target is your friend.  ❜  

❛   i have other things for you to do for me.  ❜  

❛   we still have two more scorpions.  ❜  

❛   i am a monster, too.  ❜  

❛   i'm not hearing any good news.  ❜  

❛   you become all tame when you’re around them.  ❜  

❛   you’ve degraded from a lone lynx to a content pet cat.  ❜  

❛   depending on your answer, i may not forgive you.  ❜

OTHER CHARACTERS (shorter, max, sing, shunichi, etc.)

❛   his face when he laughed was cute, and childlike, and totally angelic.  ❜  

❛   it's my problem too! if you go alone, you'll just be killed.  ❜  

❛   you'll die for nothing!  ❜  

❛   i won't let you go alone.  ❜  

❛   i'm sorry, but believe me when i say this: i'll die before i let them lay a finger on you.  ❜  

❛   i can't anymore. set me free. i'm in so much pain.  ❜

 ❛   we need to stay apart so at least one of us survives  ❜   

❛   if the former boss gets hit then it's the duty of the new boss to make the drop.  ❜   

❛   if we don't fight back now, we'll forever be expendable tools. ❜  

❛   you asked me to look after them.  ❜  

❛   yes, honey.    ❜  

❛   that’s for you to decide for yourself..  ❜  

❛   what’s wrong? you can’t punch me from that far back.  ❜  

❛   this will be the last time i give you a word of advice.  ❜  

❛   time is an ironic thing. for us, it means to age. but for people like him, it means to grow.  ❜  

❛   i love all women. they're beautiful and strong. like life itself.  ❜  

❛   it would only be making another one of us. ❜  

❛   one more wretched being, unloved and unloving, whose only sustenance is hatred and nihilism.  ❜  

❛   don’t fight your memories, cuz you’re never going to win.  ❜  

❛   i guess home isn’t something you want to remember if you ran away from it.  ❜  

❛   in one second i knew he could read everything on my mind.  ❜  

❛   i wondered when this boy had started to watch out for his soul, then i knew how much he had suffered.  ❜  

❛   you are the most beautiful and the most dangerous, of all the beasts i have ever known.  ❜  

❛   rather than hate and be triumphant, you chose to love and be destroyed.  ❜  

❛   i staked my life on that choice. please try to accept it.  ❜  

❛   one who does not love cannot be loved, either.  ❜  

❛   you at the very least knows what it is to love.  ❜  

❛   how can you expect someone who suffered so much to have any respect for authority? ❜  

❛   fine line between offender and victim it’s hard to know where to draw it.  ❜  

❛   there’s something about you that i just can’t hate.  ❜  

❛   'cause you’re hurt your soul’s bleeding-even now.  ❜  

❛   you’re just like me that way.  ❜

[cryptiql]

untitled god song

pairing: bakugou/m!reader (trans reader in mind you can see it if you squint but can also be read as cis)

words: 2k

warnings: themes of religious trauma, homophobia, mentions of blood, the author projecting their mommy issues

a/n: this is purely self indulgent, don't mind me 😩✋ (written in first person)

i wish i had known him before the pain started. perhaps it is a fools dream to think that his presence would have solved anything, and it is likely that he might blown me sky high at the time, if given the chance, but i often ponder his place in my narrative. he is nothing less than a king—nay, a god—and what else am i to be except his humble servant, adoring him in the only way i've been taught?

i would bruise my knees as i kneel for him, and should he turn me away, i shall be lost and without purpose. but he does not, and instead, he snorts out a laugh and pulls me to my feet, roughly squeezing my cheeks together with a shit-eating grin. he'll tell me a joke i've heard a thousand times, and yet i laugh with him anyways, the pads of my fingers idly tapping the pulse on his wrists.

"dumbass, at least take me out to dinner first."

i never thought i'd ache to hear such a demeaning nickname, but it's like birdsong to my ears, and i long for the myriad of butterflies it provokes.

i would heed his every word like a faithful disciple, and—if i knew he would not use this power for the wrong reasons—carry it out without question. he'll roll his eyes at the notion, far too prideful at the idea of being praised, and card hands through my hair, gripping softly. "right. and if i told you to go to bed before five in the morning, would you listen?"

my smiles are genuine, as they all are with him.

"no." i wish my mother had been more open-minded; more loving to those she claimed were goners. maybe then, i could still call her my mother, and not a snarled version of her first name steeped in vinegar. maybe she could have met him, and maybe she would have keeled over in the process, but that is how we put it "killing two birds with one stone".

he was a fallen angel if ever i saw one—emblazoned in smog and ravenous inferno, the pieces of child-like innocence turning to ash. something happened to him when he was a kid, just as all gifted children, and oh, what a fool i was to let my gaze dawdle on his gorgeous form. but i will never regret it—no, not ever—for there is no such feeling that can compare to his eyes on mine, burning with a mind-fogging intensity.

it was instantaneous, the moment my thoughts turned on me with malicious intent, her voice ringing out like a gunshot.

you'll never be him.

his hand slots with mine perfectly; deliciously warm and comforting in a way i haven't felt in years; and hauls me up, the flecks of dirt and rubble from the road clinging to my jeans.

"watch it, pretty boy. i won't always be here to save you, y'know."

my heart batters against my ribs like a caged bird, screeching and wailing to be set free, and i wonder in a haze if i've died. judgement day must have come early, i think, not realizing that it was spoken aloud until the blonde quirks a brow inquisitively. he does not speak on the matter, but continues on his merry way, leaving my helpless; hopelessly enamored; and praying that we will meet again.

no, i could never be him. but i am like him. he has a sureness in his walk and fervor in the way he talks that is only recognizable when i look in the mirror. and we do meet again. it is a shame, however, that i must burden him with the weight of my past. i remember too often the troubles of my youth, even when all has passed into fleeting memories that haunt me as ghosts do to an abandoned house. yet, i still live in this house, and the ghosts are here to keep me company.

i remember the church, first and foremost; nestled between the barren country road and the outback; a beacon of hope to all those who stood in its doors. the luster of freshly polished wood still sits in my mind, accompanied by the echoing remnants of dulcet tones and multicolored bands of light, glaring from the stained glass windows and dancing across the musty carpet floor. the doddering pews were just as uncomfortable as the poorly padded chairs squatting in the front row, but every sunday, they were filled to the brim with hungry worshippers. they sang praise as though they were starved, but i was too young to understand for what. i am older now, and i still don't understand. all i know is that despite its reputation, the church was a cursed place, and i should never set foot in it again lest i go mad. i remember the creaking stairs which lead downstairs, and the winding halls that reeked of torment where shadows loomed. the paint was corroding and foul, and my conscious always loitered too long on the merlot stain on the ceiling; its origin unknown, but nevertheless urging my stomach to twist with nausea.

i remember the feeling of tall grass grazing my ankles; itching horribly from the old moth-eaten socks i was forced to wear. it had become second nature—running and hiding from my problems, from the church, from her. i shall never know a greater animosity than the likes that my mother encouraged, although unintentionally, with her pressuring views and sickeningly sweet smile. it's fake, and i would know, because ours are the same.

we are too similar, and i am sickened by the fact. will i become the wretched woman she is? will i fail to be the father i've dreamt of being? it is an easy thing to fall prey to haunting questions, and it serves as brain rot for every moment of silence that leaves me clawing at my skin, trying to reap the memory of her touch. then i began to think—about nothing and everything—and it does not stop. i will be kind; unforgivingly so, and without biased judgement; like my mother never was, and i'll make her hate me for it. i will grow in leaps and bounds, not for her sake or for god's, but for mine, as it always should have been. i will drink and curse with reckless abandon and kiss who i damn well please, because in no life does she have have the power to make me something i'm not. why should i feel sorry when the tears she wept were forged by my own blood; by the childhood memories locked away to rot in my subconscious? yes, she has suffered too, but it is through clenched teeth and raw-bitten lips that i must confess this, for her suffering was born in me and grew from a seedling into a thorned flower, nourished by her hatred and mine. she'll tell me the lie of all mothers before her: that she knows best, and i'll never know joy that is not from my savior's gracious hands.

one day, when she lies not with words but in silence, under worm-filled earth and withering pastures, i'll tell her that she was right. i'll tell her, with his hand in mine, that my savior arrived with hellfire in his eyes and fury unrelenting. his tongue holds venom that would make the devil blush, but he tastes of a sinful sweetness that i've drowned in more times than i care to count.

mother you should know, my god is like no other. he has a broad chest and muscles, i attest, that are sculpted like fine marble and smooth to the test.

my god is a man who loves other men, unashamedly; in all that is true; and kisses me like real people do. and i know it sounds silly, and a bit cliché, and he'd surely make a mockery of me if ever he heard, but i love him. i love him as passionately as you she does lord above, and it is a crime in itself how much i crave him, so yes, i will burn for this—not because my mother said so or by the ancient script that foretells it, but because i promise it. i promise to let neither hell or high water deter me from that which gives me life, and i'll do so with a ring.

"you hear that mom?" i'll whisper in the dead of night, his body flushed against mine in the most delightful way; his fingers curled into my nightshirt, pulling me closer as listless mumbles fall from his parted lips. he is dead to the world amid his dream ridden stupor, but still leans into my touch when i smooth back the wild tufts of hair to kiss his forehead.

"i'm gonna marry him." part of me wishes she didn't live on the other side of the planet, just so i could rub it in her face, but i won't give her the satisfaction of seeing me again. i won't let her think she's won, because i know, and katsuki knows, that he and i are one in the same.

i do not know who i should thank for my stubbornness, be it my mother or my father, so i will thank the pain they both caused me, for it made me stronger than they ever could. no, i did not become a better person, because the scars have yet to heal from how deep they cut, and the smell of blood still lingers, and i am angrier than i once was, but i cherish my wounds. the stench of my agony has long since been subdued, and i have learned to swallow the sickness it evokes. and yes, this anger is unhealthy and i've chosen not to purge it from my mind like the weed it is, but how lucky am i to have found one whose malice rivals my own?

the tales of his glory have littered my notebooks in smudged ink. you would hate him, is scrawled messily on the last page, but i only feel giddy with excitement. you would hate him for his spite and his unapologetic behavior, and that is why he's perfect. he's everything you hate about this world, but everything i love.

so when she gets to heaven and asks the angels "why?", they'll tell her it was him who made the devil cry. him, who held me like she should have—could have, if she hadn't terrified me—and who chased the nightmarish visions of her from my weary mind with his callous palms and soft-spoken reassurances. i wish i had known him when we were young; when things were not so simple and i needed a hand to hold; but i suppose we'll have to settle for faded photographs and stories told through the bitter aroma of alcohol. that's more than enough, i muse to myself, legs hooked over his as i rest my head on his shoulder, keening softly at the gentle scrape of his nails on my scalp. his arms wind around my waist as he mutters something along the lines of "i love you", his lips curling into a smile, illuminated by the televisions glow.

so when they ask of my religion, i will think of only him. i will recall the way he looks at me, the sound of my name on his tongue, the feeling of his lips trailing between the valley of my breast; featherlight, cautious and unfitting for a man of his nature. i've written songs of praise, all dedicated to him, and if only he knew, oh how smug he would be. but i love him, i love him, i love him. and when he spins me around like a marionette, it is with overwhelming pride and joy that i tell him this, and with rose hued cheeks and bashful grumbles, he tells me the same. so mother, wherever you are, i hope you know i've found my god.

[jesslockwood]

rakes | chapter one

pairing: regency!Harrison Osterfield x regency!reader

words: 2.3k ish

warnings:  bridgerton s1 spoilers, swearing I think? little bit of smut

a/n: im so excited for this series. Like I'm obsessed with Bridgerton and have been reading the books so this is my take at a story like this :)

series masterlist

Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers

We have finally bestowed ourselves upon a new season's rush, which has every eligible lady hoping to have a suitor or a few lined up by the first night, at least enough to keep the vicious mama’s off their backs, and the many of suitors looking for a wife to bear their next of kin. Now that the diamond of the last season is formally wed, I ask dear reader, who else shall we look to for this season’s most eligible? Perhaps we should be looking to someone new in town, who has arrived as the formal company to the Duke, and now may I say Duchess of Hastings. It is said to have seen the late Earl of Beaumont’s daughter’s arrival. It is said she is an old family friend of the young duke’s late mother. She has apparently come all the way from France, and may I say reader, after her first tragic entrance into society we can only hope things go well, or you'll hear about it from myself. She carries on the last lineage to the family, as her estranged aunt had bore no children. It is said, however, the new Earl of Beaumont is no other than the bastard child of Lady Y/n’s uncle. Let us all hope the venom that was brought onto that family has not reached the young and upcoming Lady Y/n, nor the Earl of Beaumont.

However, dear reader, the recent Viscount Featherington has mysteriously passed, leaving his wife, Lady Feathrington, and three daughters, to fend the ton. Perhaps once they are presented this year, they shall have better luck at becoming the season’s most eligible as they will need that luck for our most eligible suitor.

As of note, reader, our most eligible suitor since the duke is now officially out of the game, I turn your eyes upon the new Viscount Holland. Since the passing of the Lord’s father, he is now the most worthy of the title of most eligible. With not only his charming looks, but he is also said to be. He now has the duty of finding a wife to carry on the Holland name. All I can say for sure is he is the one to look for at a soiree and without acting quick, perhaps Lady Y/n will catch the eye of the most eligible suitor now.

It is heard also dear reader the most infamous rake of the ton, Son of the late Viscount Osterfield, Lord Osterfield is to be back in town. Maybe he will be looking to catch the eye of some ladies of the ton, but beware dear reader, Lady’s and Mama’s as his reputation upholds itself, and may not change anytime soon.

“Thomas! Have you read this yet?!”

Patrick Holland, the youngest of the four Holland Brothers comes yelling, almost rushing into the Viscount’s study like a paperboy.

The Eldest of the four looks at the boy’s hand, to only read one gossip paper title.

“Paddy, I do not read rubbish such as Lady Whistledown.” Thomas sighs trying to get his late father’s affairs in order.

Dominic had only left the name of his successor as Tom, and no instructions of how to do anything other than making sure everything was in order. Although he was in such luck to not have sisters such as his friend, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, and having to deal with finding worthy matches for them, he still had to keep his brothers in line, such as not mucking up a lady’s virtue, or getting caught in any sort of scandal for Lady Whistledown to sniff out like a bloodhound.

“But Tom! She writes about you!” Paddy mentions in haste.

“What is all this yelling about!?” Harold Holland, the eldest of the twin brothers slips into the study along with said twin brother, Samuel Holland

“Harry, Sam, Tell Tom to read the recent Lady Whistledown! She mentions the Earl of Beaumont’s daughter and Tom-“

“Really? Give it here!” Harry snatches the paper out of his hands, before reading it with Sam over his shoulder.

After reading it the room fell silent for a minute. The three youngest deep in thought.

“Isn’t Lady Y/n the only one to be debuted and be out of a season before its end?” Sam asks “It’s never been heard of but apparently she never got any proposals-“

“Do you think Osterfield will try and sweep her off her feet? He did write two days ago of his late arrival into the season.” Harry mentions.

“Yeah but not before he tries to get under her skirt Harry-“ Sam gently shoves his twin.

“What If she’s ugly? Sam? Harry? What will he do then?” Paddy quips back.

“You of the lot could try and get with her then!” Harry says and shoves Sam back. Soon enough the whole room is filled with lighthearted arguing from the brothers.

“ENOUGH!” Thomas yells over them rubbing his temples. “That is enough.”

They all mumble apologies.

Tom sighs, “I’m sorry myself. Father just left a lot for me, and you three need not get into trouble. Especially with the Lady with her popularity, and even more, not Lady Whistledown… Now let me see what the pompous lady wrote about me.”

“I cannot bear to leave you two, all to find a man to keep my family line going. How frivolous -”

“Oh come on Y/n! You do wish to lie to me when I know finding company of a husband is all you dreamed of since you were a girl.”

“Yes well Simon, if I only could make a wife as lovely as yours, then I would be worthwhile to have a husband and some children of my own such as your family.” You smile down in Daphne’s arms, where their son lies, “Yet you know how much I do despise not traveling the world, as far away from my aunt’s claws as possible.”

“Ah yes, your Aunt Beast-rice- I mean Beatrice.”

“Simon! Not funny! If she heard you from here she’d kill you with just one look at her beastly form!” you joke back.

After the laughter calms down you bid your goodbyes.

“I mustn’t keep the queen waiting, nor your gracious family Hosting me Daphne. I thank you dearly again for letting me stay after, well,-”

“It is no problem at all. Now make Haste, as I know my siblings and Mama have many questions for you already. Especially Eloise! She is excited to know about your travels!”

“And I shall answer them all! Goodbye, your Graces!”

“And to you, Lady Y/n!” Daphne replies.

Stepping up into your carriage you nod towards your old friend and wave to his wife, before settling into your seat for the journey ahead.

You had never in a million years thought Simon of all people would get married, nor that you, well, necessarily wouldn’t want to. After all that had happened in the past three years, your parents passing, and all the scandal and sabotage your family went through, well it seemed impossible for yourself to ever be back in London.

It had to be your duty now more than ever to find a husband so that the witch of your aunt couldn’t grasp her vicious claws and try to ruin you as well. After what your uncle did, it would be sacrilegious to do so, so the only fate for you was finding a worthy match to keep you in the comfort of knowing your family was safe.

Love was not on the table anymore, at least it is what you thought. Your parents had a rare love, and in one season, you knew you couldn’t find it that easily, as your fate was more like a business transaction rather than a place for finding the one for you.

At least you had faith in the new Earl to help you find a match. The two of you had been friends as children, of the ripe age of you at four and him at seven, the two of you had been inseparable, almost like you were siblings. As you got older, you were convinced that no matter his bloodline, you were his sister. Your father had instilled that family bond in the two of you. Even the staff would say “Y/n and William are an inseparable pair of siblings”.

That is until the actual wicked man, Willam’s father tried to get him to claim his rightful place as the next real Earl since he was your uncle's bastard child, and there were no other “strong options”. The man even tried to find a way to get himself to be the Earl of Beaumont years before. He had brought this upon William’s seventeenth birthday, interrupting the whole party after not seeing any of the family for six years. Uncle Hugh had never come after marrying his new wife, Aunt Beatrice.

You had never met the new woman your uncle married at that point, you could only remember your Aunt Anne Mysteriously passing suddenly before your uncle Hugh had married the beast. At the age of eight, you were convinced she had some sort of spell on your uncle, as you found weird herbs in her chambers when they got married. Your Mother brushed it off when you tattled and told you it was probably just to make some rouge or something with it. You were still convinced she was bewitching everyone.

When William refused to take ownership of the title, uncle Hugh was livid. Then he decided to take matters into his own hands.

You brush off the chills in your spine even thinking about your debut into society. It was the most wretched night of your life.

“We are here Lady Y/n.”

You shake off the memories, coming back into reality, stepping out into the inn Simon suggested you stay in, instead of riding in the night.

It was quaint and small, it was nice for a place like this, though you had stayed in worse places in your travels.

You stepped out of your carriage and headed into the inn.

You couldn’t sleep. It was two days before your debut back into society and you kept waking up sweating with nightmares, or hearing the pounding and a woman and a man yelling- or something of the sorts- through the walls. You had the urge almost to go knock on their door to tell them that they were being too loud, yet you didn’t.

How on earth were you supposed to get up at an unholy hour to ride half of the day only to be swept up into the chaos of being introduced back into society the moment you were to arrive. You had to get many dresses, shoes, rouge, and hair accessories, and plenty more to just begin your day. All with pushing past everything of what you even began to feel about it all.

Your parents were not going to be there. Never to see any of the firsts of you getting betrothed, or wedding to your betrothed, having children, or even possibly, by chance, the love you would share in your life. Your world had come crashing down when they died, so how could you possibly build it again without them there?

Harrison Osterfield was taking a promenade in this lady’s well- I think you’ll get the picture. As she laid on the bed moaning as he thrust into her, the bed in the inn halfway toward his home was shaking and banging on the paper-thin walls with his powerful movements. He was a known regular at the inn and in England, he was known as one of the most infamous rakes in town. Being so of his reputation, he kept it to a high standard. She was a performer of some sort- that he could not remember- traveling back with him on his journey for pleasure purposes. He had just finished round three, of intercourse, after a few rounds of, well other such naughty yet delightful actions that took place.

“AH!” she moaned orgasming, Katie? Was it? Or was it Kitty?. Harrison couldn’t remember or even care to.

He kept thrusting a few times more until he pulled out and came into a handkerchief.

After being all intercourse-d out she sleepily rolled over her naked form, grabbing her things. She knew this is where her stop was ending with him and was going back to her room, to travel with her relative who was also in the business the next day.

“Thanks for the ride m’lord.” she mocked slightly after getting dressed in her nightgown heading to her room, “until next time”

Harrison just smirked back.

Laying back onto the covers after the smell of sex, he thought how his stepfather James, had warned him of his current status of rakishness hindering him from finding a bride.

He’d prove he could woo any woman, and make her fall so deeply in love with him that she would want to marry him. And that was his plan this season. Last season’s diamond of the first water was married in a whirlwind, so he assumed he could do it quicker and get a new reputation among the ton, by marrying her.

Then at least his sister Charlotte wouldn’t be doomed when she was introduced to society in the next few years, that she could marry whomever her heart desired. And at least, he could help her from changing his reputation, by marrying. His rakish days of course would be over, but at least he could change their minds on the Osterfield Family.

@spideyspeaches @greenorangevioletgrass @take-me-to-ny

[acefaun]

I was reading a fic from @scmsdivinecultists it was about Karno and Krioff raising a kid and it was reeeeeealy coote. You should read ot. I was also wondering if you could drabble me a piece about parent gods with mc as the kid 🥺 it be coote. I love your god writings

Raising a Goldfish

Synopsis: The King of the Heavens assigns his Zodiac Gods with a special task: raising you. You're just a human child, what would twelve gods know about taking care of a human child of all things? Fortunately, they're not too bad at being your legal guardians.

✨Part 1✨✨Part 2✨

✨Masterlist✨

A child, gender-neutral goldfish. Things that you say are going to be in italics.

A/N: SHDLKJSDFSL~ THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.💕💕💕 Bro, Karno and Krioff are freaking adorable parents. Two gods I never thought I'd see raising a kid together, but I like what I've seen! I wish I would have saved it somewhere so I could link it, but I just can't find it again. And so you would like... MC as the child of the gods? I'll give you my best shot! 🤪

--Word Count: 3253--

(2nd person POV)

You were just a baby when you lost your parents, so it was needless to say that you didn't feel too badly about your loss- not as bad as others felt, anyway. By others, you might think I mean the hospital that held on to you while trying to find any family you might have possibly had- but no. I'm referring to the ones who failed to prevent your parent's deaths. I'm referring to the Zodiac gods.

They could have saved your parents, sure. But as gods, they couldn't tamper with human life or death. The unfortunate part was that they knew your soul was the reborn goddess of fate and you were going to be made to suffer almost immediately upon starting life on the wretched planet. It almost made Huedhaut feel guilty for going against his goddess' wishes and putting her soul back in the cycle of rebirth. But surprisingly, it wasn't Huedhaut that made the suggestion for them to take you from Earth and bring you to the Heavens.

The King, as omniscient as he was, knew exactly what you were the minute you were born and made the decision that you would be taken to the Heavens before the knowledge of your parent's deaths. Of course, taking a human child to the Heavens would cause quite a stir, not that he paid it any mind. You would be well cared for, after all. Raising a child was nothing his 12 gods couldn't handle- it would even provide him with suitable entertainment.

He wasn't wrong. Upon first receiving you, an infant, from the King, the 12 gods were in disarray. How would they take care of a kid? A human kid, not to mention.

Well, that wasn't for the King to figure out. The task was left to the 12 gods and, of course, the most responsible ones took charge first- especially mother Karno and step-mother Zygalvis. The real trouble came when you were old enough to talk, to walk, and overall know what you were doing. It wasn't like the gods knew how old you were, to begin with. They don't keep track of mortal time- except for Huedhaut who was probably marking down every second he spent raising the bearer of his lost lover's soul.

You were old enough to do most things on your own, and unfortunately for the gods, that meant torturing them with your small human presence at inconvenient times. But they were really good at spending one-on-one time with you, even if you had to force them.

♌️LEON- The Chief Minister of the Department of Wishes was a busy man and didn't have time to entertain mini goldfish. Of course, you could always sway him with praising words. "I'm your favorite god in the Heavens? Don't think I don't see what you're trying to do, goldfish. Fine. You can stay." Good luck if you wanted to play with him. Whether he's granting wishes or not, he's not about to stoop so low as to partake in a game. He never played with Vega when she asked, but maybe you'd have better luck. Leon is someone you have to be crafty with if you want him to listen to you. You'd probably have to say a lot of things along the line of "It's okay. I know you're not as fun as Teo and Karno. That's probably why Vega never wants you to play-" Nipping at the pride of a lion is a good way to get a big reaction out of him. But hey, he's going to play with you now so he can be better than any of those other gods you would compare him to. He acted like it didn't bother him, but your opinion of him really did matter, otherwise he wouldn't be trying to grant your wishes so often. "You're an awfully needy brat. I don't need you going to anyone but me when you have a wish."

♋️KARNO- He treats you just like a mother would to a child. You're hurt? Go straight to Karno. You're sad? Karno's going to make you cookies. However, similar to step-mother Zygalvis, Karno isn't someone you want to go to if you've broken something or done something you weren't supposed to. He might be a Wishes god, but he's not afraid to punish you, especially if you're challenging his authority as a parental figure. He was certainly scary when he was being disobeyed and your and Leon's fear was similar in that respect. But overall, he's one of the sweetest guardians you have. "You can stay with me while I'm granting wishes. You know you can come with me whenever you want." You want to play dress-up or something equally childish? You don't need to find Ichthys, Karno is your willing god-doll. He'd snap his fingers and pretend to be a princess for you to rescue if you wanted, or maybe the opposite way around for him to rescue you- but either way, you have your playful god.

♉️TEORUS- Please, I'm begging you, do not play hide and seek with this god. Either you'll never find him or he'll never find you because this God's sense of direction is non-existent. If he's ever taking a turn watching you and you decide to play hide and seek, he's going to end up causing a panic with the other gods. "Um... Hey... I've been looking for (Name) for a couple of hours now... Have any of you seen them?" Before you know it, there's an entire search party looking for you, only to find out you were hiding in Ichthys' room the entire time. It's not so hard to bury yourself in the piles of toys in his room. When you weren't lost, Teorus was trying to find a tea that you liked. But you were a child and tea just wasn't in your taste buds. But thanks to Teorus' favoritism over milk, you became obsessed with drinking that. Sure, milk was healthy for you, but Huedhaut couldn't get you to drink healthy water for the life of him.

♒️HUEDHAUT- He's your teacher. He's the smartest man in the Heavens and he would handle your education. They did have a little school for kids, but the gods weren't taking a chance sending you to a god school, you were still just a human and you were infinitely younger than the others that might have been your age. Deciding to homeschool you was hardly a decision that needed to be made with him. In fact, he was the reason you were speaking at such a young age. You were extremely intelligent and he was an extremely proud dad. He was the god you went to when you had questions about anything- though sometimes that was an awkward thing. "Hue, where did I come from? Altair and Vega told me I have stars in my eyes like them but that I'm not a god like them!" Your entire existence was Huedhaut's fault, but how could he tell you that? "You're a human from Earth but you have the soul of a goddess, giving you stars in your eyes." He would even tilt your head up while wearing a gentle smile to reassure you, "The goddess whose stars are in your eyes was very kind and beautiful and you're just like her." He couldn't tell you everything, but the least he could do was make sure you know you belonged there with them.

♑️AIGONORUS- Ever since you were a baby Aigonorus was the only god to be able to sleep with you. Whenever you would cry, Aigo would take you into his arms, giving you his stuffed goat and watch as you easily fell asleep with him. Huedhaut always told him not to fall asleep with a baby in fear he might crush you in his sleep, but Aigonorus wasn't unfamiliar with sleeping with another person so he easily took naps with you. "I like hanging out with you, (Name). You're the only one that wants to take naps with me." But another thing that Aigonorus adored about you was that his Heralds liked you and you liked them. They usually didn't like being around anyone other than Aigo, but after briefly panicking over you riding on Nashira's back, he calmed down. Nashira was... enjoying your company and didn't mind you riding his back like a pet. From then on, anytime he visited his Heralds he took you with him.

♐️TAUXOLOUVE- Every kid needed a creative outlet. It wasn't their initial plans for you, but you were so curious about Lou's paintings that you wanted to know everything about what he was doing. "Woooah! It's so colorful! Can I do that!?" You weren't very good at holding a paintbrush since it was nothing like a pencil, but Lou taught you the art of finger painting. You instantly took a liking to it and instantly made it a goal of yours to paint all of the gods and give them their pictures as gifts of appreciation. "It looks wonderful, (Name)! If you keep practicing, I bet you'll become the best artist in the Heavens. Maybe the King will ask you to paint a mural in the palace one day." He wasn't giving you false hope, exactly. He really believed you could cultivate your skills and he would be the one to help you! Having an artistic wishes dad was the best.

♎️ZYGLAVIS- This strict god is going to make sure you know right from wrong. Sure it's weird to say, but he made it his goal to train you into the perfect human. Truth be told, part of you was afraid of the Department of Punishments. Some of those gods were pretty terrifying. They punished humans, something you had to accept that you were. As scary as he was, Zygalvis was a wonderful guardian. Aside from Huedhaut, Zyglavis was your second teacher. Despite how he looked, he had impeccable patience to be able to teach a child to read and write. Not to mention he was always there to scare away anyone who might have had a problem with you; after all, it was common knowledge that not everyone liked the fact that the revered Zodiac gods were raising a human child. But he was also there to scare you as well. But bless this man's poor heart. If he were to even try to punish you for acting out with Ichthys, the minute you started apologizing with those big tears rushing down your face, he couldn't bring himself to actually punish you like Ichthys. "I can't believe how soft a Minister you've made me. This is embarrassing. Very well. You'll just come to sit in my room as a time-out while I'm working."

♏️SCORPIO- He was the scariest god of them all and you tried desperately to stay on his good side. But Altair seemed to like him... he was a great god and did his job well. It wasn't that you didn't like him, you simply didn't know how to speak or act around him without drawing out his short temper. Besides, maybe you'd be more relaxed if he didn't have such a scary face all the time! So, you made it your mission to make this god have a less scary face! You found out things he liked, and you made sure to stay away from suggestions from Ichthys because you were certain that Scorpio would hate anything Ichthys had to offer. You were shy talking to Scorpio but he only sat there and watched you with an awkward expression as you displayed the plate of freshly cut apples that you had Zyglavis help you make. "I... I made these rabbit apples for you. I saw you eating an apple the other day and... you really liked my bunny drawing so... I- em- I combined them. Zyg helped me..." You were frozen in front of him as his face was growing red and you feared you made him angrier than usual. You'd never seen his face get that color. But you were surprised when he grumbled and lifted you onto his lap. "You're too freaking cute sometimes for a freaking goldfish... You're gonna eat some of these rabbit apples with me, got it? Thanks, brat." It turns out, Scorpio isn't really as scary as you thought.

♍️PARTHENO- This man was apparently an ex-demon but you thought he looked like a really beautiful god. Were boys supposed to be beautiful? Karno called you beautiful sometimes, so was that okay for you to think of Partheno as beautiful? He sometimes hung out with you and dressed you in pretty clothes and gave you pretty jewels to wear, saying that you were just as pretty as a prince/ss. If there was anyone you liked playing dress-up with, it was Partheno. He had a gorgeous sense of style no matter what it was the two of you were doing. Even if he took you out to the town he made sure you looked just a beautiful as he did. He was caught off guard the first time he made you match clothes with him and you grinned widely and said "Now, I look beautiful like Partheno!" It pleased him that you thought he was beautiful. He was the god of love and beauty for a reason. "The other gods are going to think you're beautiful as well. I bet you'll get all sorts of compliments today. How about we go show you off to the other gods first before we head out?" He was very proud of how happy he was able to make you. He never imagined he could love a child so much back when he was a demon.

♓️ICHTHYS- This guy has a toy of every kind for you. You want it? He has it! He's constantly getting you both into trouble with the older gods though and they constantly lecture you every time you hang out with him. But Ichthys is the fun god. It's a secret between the two of you, but occasionally he'll take you to Earth to play with other humans and prank them. It's not too much of a problem since it's not like you need a ring or anything to get to the human world as the gods do. Plus, Ichthys was only being thoughtful, letting you visit your old home. As long as Zyglavis and the others didn't find out, everything would be fine. The problem came when they questioned you about your new belongings. Where'd you get the funny-looking stuffed fish? Oh, Ichthys created it with his powers. The two of you were chaos incarnate and they made sure to give you an Ichthys curfew. Good thing Ichthys was a pro at breaking the rules without getting caught. You especially loved when he would take you swimming in that big ocean that surrounds his room. It was fun because you could breathe underwater and there were fish all over. "Man, I really love hanging out with you, goldfish! The other gods never do this sort of thing with me! It's fun having another kid in the palace." Kid, right. Because that's exactly what Ichthys was.

♈️KRIOFF- He was almost scary like Scorpio. He never showed much emotion on his face and it was that kind of attitude that made you hesitant to approach him. But you heard his whole backstory from Partheno, so you knew he was probably wary of being around kids with his specific powers. But you wanted to be friends with all twelve of these gods who were supposed to be your guardian/parental figures. Steeling your nerves and holding tight to the bag of marshmallows Aigonorus supplied you with, you approached the quiet god. He was looking over papers when he finally looked up to notice that you were perched on the sofa beside him, staring at him with wide eyes. He shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. He couldn't very well leave with that look you were giving him. "You need something, kid?" You slightly lifted the marshmallow bag to your chest as you requested, "Can you roast marshmallows with me?" The request threw Krioff off and his first instinct was to walk away before you grabbed his arm, making him freeze with wide eyes. You were holding his right hand with a sturdy grip. "Please?" You really weren't afraid of him and that told him all he needed to know. One of the other gods must have told you... He sighed, though, he was partially glad you were accepting him like that. He nodded his head with a small smile. "Sure, kid. Let's go outside and I can help you roast marshmallows." You were happy when his right hand wrapped around your smaller hand and he walked with you out of the palace.

♊️DUI- At first, Dui was avidly opposed to having anything to do with a kid. It wasn't that he didn't like them. He was just worried. He and Shadow had started getting along to the point where they could better communicate with each other, but he still wasn't sure if it was wise enough to let down his guard around you. You were only a child, he wasn't sure you would be able to take his split personality well. But some things were just inevitable. You were sitting in the living room coloring when Shadow came out unexpectedly and just stared at the child in front of him. "You're that brat everyone's been talking about. What are you doing?" He was confused as he leaned closer to you and you looked up at him. "I'm drawing me and you. You don't like hanging out with me, so I thought I'd make you a present. See?" Shadow was taken aback but he peered at the drawing and asked, "Where's the goody-two-shoes Dui?" You were confused, but your child mind could piece things together. "Oh. I thought you were Dui... Who are you?" He grinned, finally introducing himself to the child Dui was stressing over, "I'm Shadow. Dui's other half. And who are you?" You were staring at him with wonder and it gave Shadow a fuzzy feeling in his chest. "(Name). I'm a human, but I live with the gods. I never met you before, but you seem nice for a Shadow." Glancing back at your drawing you decided for him, "I'll add you to the picture so it can be me, you, and Dui." You liked Shadow Dui, you decided. He had a rough tone, but he sounded nice like the other Dui. It wasn't until later when Dui saw the picture you drew that featured two of him and he panicked for just a moment. "You met Shadow?! Did he- Well... No, you seem fine. He was nice? You actually like him? Oh, uh... I guess we can hang out more, yeah. We should have a cherry pie together sometime. That's my favorite."