#mine's an unstable mess behind closed doors

[bibliocratic]

45 or 10 from the kiss prompt for JonMartin? :)

Thank you!! :D Number 10 Already posted - > Number 19, Number 26, Number 38

Broad spoilers for S5 up to 194. Content warnings in the tags

MARTIN … and that’ll be all outside, and y-you’ll be able to see them, through the glass doors at the back. […] [muzzy] Jon?

[…]

[slightly more urgent] Jon.

JON [woozy, coming to] Hmm?

MARTIN Just. [obviously relieved] Just checking.

Thought you’d lost me?

MARTIN … a bit. Yeah.

JON I’m still here. [a shifting sound of unstable brickwork] I think one of my arms has gone to sleep.

MARTIN ‘s what happens when you bring the whole building down on us. JON [mock affronted] It was a team effort, thank you. MARTIN [a small quirking laugh, trailing off into a wet-sounding cough] My mistake.

… Jon?

JON … sorry, it’s – hard. To stay awake, now the Eye’s… [a self-deprecating sound] I didn’t realise how much I needed it.

MARTIN [trying to reassure] I know. It’s… it’s OK.  [a gasping wince] Fuuuck. Jesus.

JON Try not to move too much.

MARTIN [through gritted teeth] Fantastic advice. [another grunt of pain] N-not like there’s…  [shuddering inhale] … anywhere I can go.

[the silence is sober, a conversation already had and ran dry]

JON I think I can… give me a…

MARTIN W’ are you doing?

JON I can... if I just…

[the sound of a dead-weight dragging, laboured panting, several moments of this]

[the movement stops]

Argh. That’s… that’s better.

MARTIN [pushing for light-hearted] Any – huh – any excuse for a cuddle. You’re getting dust all over me. JON You weren’t going to be moving to me, so. It’s not exactly my fault you’re more comfortable to lie on than the floor.

MARTIN High praise there, don’t – heh [wincing gasp] use up all your compliments at once.

JON [tentative] It doesn’t hurt when I…?

MARTIN No. Well, yes, but no more than the rest of it anyway.

JON I can…

MARTIN Stay. Please, Jon. I’d… I’d like you to.

JON …

Think anyone’s noticed all this mess yet?

MARTIN I mean, my guess is that Hill Top Road’ll just look like a construction site  to anyone walking past. If it worked… if everything went… went back.

JON It worked. It has to have.

MARTIN [quiet] No one is coming then.

JON No. No, it’s just us.

MARTIN Right. Right. Suppose that’s not the worst conclusion.

JON [trying to keep himself together] No. It isn’t.

[silence for a few moments.]

JON Go – go on then. What’s next?

MARTIN What’s that?

JON Before. You were talking about the house.

MARTIN Oh. Thought you’d tuned out, to be honest.

JON I was listening.

MARTIN Any changes you’d make then?

JON Bigger garden. [a shifting creak of fabric – Martin gasps, and Jon apologises] Maybe a patio area.

MARTIN [winded, recovering with effort] Very fancy.

JON All that walking we did… think we – huh – deserve to be able to sit down in some deck chairs.

MARTIN Too right. [struggling, pushing the words out harsher] Your… your go then, lazybones.

JON What do you want me to say?

MARTIN Just… Tell me about a day we’d have. Any day.

JON [soft, tragically fond and heartbroken] Alright.

[clears throat] Right. So I’m… er, I’m in the kitchen. Um, cooking I guess?

MARTIN Heh, that’s a stretch – I’ve seen your kitchen skills.

[there’s muttering, and a tired chuckle] Ha, OK, sorry, sorry – spoiling the momentum. Carry on.

JON [affectedly prim] Thank you. Right, so I’m cooking. Pasta, o-or stir fry or – something easy, quick, not too much effort. It’s been a long day at work, and I left later than usual. It’s… yes, it’s dark outside, sometime in Autumn maybe, and I’ve put the heating on full blast. You’re… you’re usually home by now, but you… [trailing off]… you… um….

MARTIN [prompting] I’m caught in traffic?

JON [pulling himself back] Y-yes. You text me earlier, t-to tell me you’d got caught at the road works coming out of town, so you’re running late.

MARTIN Silly of me not to have taken the long way round to avoid it.

JON I’ve told you that. You haven’t replied but I know you’ve read it.

MARTIN I’m too proud to tell you you’re right.

JON Heh. Yeah. [a ripped-up out sound]

MARTIN What next then?

JON Give… give me a minute. I-I, er…

MARTIN It’s alright. No rush.

JON [recovering from whatever episode has passed] OK. I’ve… I’ve got the radio on. I’m listening to some sort of talk show, and they’re going on about a political scandal of some sort.

MARTIN Tories at it again?

JON Of course. [warming to the thought] I know the commentators irritate you, so I only put it on when you’re not at home or if I know you’re working upstairs. And I – um… I’ve fed the cats, but they’re hovering around my legs hoping I drop something.

MARTIN [gently teasing] Cats plural, then? We had only had the one before.

JON They’ve multiplied.

MARTIN Hm. Our squadron of cats know you’re a soft touch, and that you’ll accidentally-on-purpose drop something.

JON I would never.

MARTIN Liar.

JON True.

The cats are hovering. And I’m thinking about… well, nothing special. The day, things I want to get done tomorrow. I’ve got a pile of marking to do, but I’m going to leave it, because it’s Friday, and you’re always telling me I need to set healthier work-life boundaries.

MARTIN I’m being listened to? A true miracle.

JON Hush. Anyway, the food… it’s a pasta bake, and it’s in the oven. And I’m tidying up because the kitchen’s messy, and then I hear your key. You’re kind of muttering loudly and I can hear you through the glass in the front door. The lock sticks sometimes, but only ever when you use it.

MARTIN [pained, words pushed through teeth] S-so we’ve a cursed door. N-nice touch.

JON …

MARTIN A-and then…?

JON You… [groaning] Christ, I’m… I’m getting really dizzy.

MARTIN Shh. I-It’s alright, it’s ok. Close your eyes, deep breaths.

JON [a series of stuttering breaths] Y-you come in. Your bag slumps heavy on the floor, I’m always telling you it’ll give you a bad back, the weight you put in that’s making the straps fray. You kick off your shoes, b-but then you set them neatly by the door, right alongside mine. And then you greet the cats and stroke them behind the ears and you fuss and coo in a silly little voice at them.

And then you – you kiss me on the cheek. Without thinking. Not – not that it doesn’t mean anything. Like you’ve… [huff] you’ve done it so many times now it’s a habit, that we’ve had the chance to make over all the years we’ve had together…

…

Martin?

MARTIN [drowsy, words slurring] K-keep going love. I’m… ‘m listening.

JON [it is audibly harder for the words to come to him, but pushing on almost desperate, voice thick] … and I kiss you back, and ask you how your day was… you have a bit of a moan. Y-you’ve wrapped your hands around me now, and you’re freezing and I tell you if you don’t let go, the dinner’s going to burn, and you tell me the tea will be just fine for another minute, and I tease and ask if you’re speaking Northern again, l-like it’s a running joke of ours – and, huh – you pretend to be offended…

And while we eat, we talk. About… about so many little nothings we’ve made into somethings, a-and…

[drained, lost] I-I can’t think of anything else.

…

Martin?

[fracturing] Martin?

[a trembling swallowed sob] Alright. ‘s alright, you rest, I-I’ll keep going. Jus’ give me a minute to catch my breath…

[harsh inhale, exhale]

[inhale, exhale]

[inhale, exhale]

[stop]

[starsistertarot]

This is the inspiration for this following story: The hairdresser gave me accidental baby bangs- 🥲

No warnings needed. Please enjoy :)

Characters: Akashi and Reader 🤌

---

I felt the coldness of the metal contrast with the heat from my forehead.

Snip.

Strands of hair rained down onto the clean floor creating a mess. I smiled, staring into my own reflection.

A smile so sadistic it could belong to the devil itself. Perhaps you'd claim I'm possessed, and I'd say: I'm enjoying myself.

Snip.

And countless more, until my fringe were above my eyebrows. "Beautiful", I whispered, allowing my forehead to touch the mirror my eyes glued themselves to.

"Absolutely beautiful", a warm breath escaped my lips, fogging up parts of the mirror.

I couldn't help myself from chuckling from the thought of my creation. What have I done? What will they say? Will they claim I have lost my mind?

It wouldn't surprise me if insanity has tainted my blood. After all, spontaneity should be the least of our problems. Being spontaneous doesn't mean I quarrel with the devil.

The sound of a creaking door startled me however, forcing my scissors to fall from my hand. I snickered, right on cue. I turned my head to look at the man behind me.

He stood there, surrounded by light with a heavy dark shadow claiming his face. His eyes narrowed, his lips straight. He was not amused, I can tell you that much.

Loud footsteps echoed throughout the room until he found himself before me. His hand guided my body to turn itself to face him.

The yellow light from the hallway mixed itself with the moonlight from the windows. He looked at me with judgement on his mind, yet he dared not speak on it yet.

His fingers gently brushed against my chin, and used force to push it up. He leaned in closer, forcing my breathing to stop from the shock.

His crimson eyes staring at my forehead, and bouncing back up to the mirror behind me. The corners of his lips pulled up, forming an unpleasant smile. His eyes began pouring with the same insanity that earlier tainted my blood.

His fingers danced their way to my cheek, and finally, his lips parted. "Interesting", he said.

My heart exploded with fear, my breathing was as unstable as the man before me. He bent down for a moment only to return with my scissors in hand.

My eyes glued themselves to the sharp blades, triggering my nerves with a familiar sound.

Snip.

My eyes shut close, and thus I begun my prayer. I exhaled the tension, and inhaled the comforting lies of desperation.

Snip.

My breathing grew louder, more desperate and final.

Snip.

I snickered loudly, feeling the heat being created between our vessels. If this was my final day, I am glad it is you, Sei.

Snip.

"They were crooked", I opened my eyes the second I heard loud clinking of metal bouncing on the floor.

His fingers toyed with a few of my strands, studying his correction of what used to be my creation. "They were beautiful", I muttered back at him, catching his eyes back at mine.

"They were. But now they're perfect", he whispered back. "Perfect once you cut them, you mean?", I leaned my head back on the mirror, my fringe slipping through his fingers.

"Perfect", he filled in the space between us, his hand returning to my cheek where they once belonged. "Because we made it together".

His lips hovered above mine for a short moment in time. His eyes that once looked possessed had calmed down with an ask of consent.

Mine were heavy with thoughts yet I could barely think. What is he doing? What is he thinking? Has he lost his mind?

His lips were on mine before I could resist. His hand pushing me in, craving me to fill in the empty gap between our bodies.

For a wealthy man, he's greedy. I chuckled at the thought, for a moments time I swore I felt his eyes judging me.

And as time moved on from when we began, he slowly let himself cut our connection. And I have never been this disappointed to be allowed to breathe again.

His eyes sparkled, followed by heavy breathing and our foreheads uniting. "May I ask why?", my mouth slightly open. His eyes lazily decided to make eyecontact. "I have wanted that for a while", he said. "A long time, actually".

His eyes closed, he looked peaceful where he stood. As if he let himself go, or allowed himself to submit to spontaneity.

All for a moment of eternal bliss.

[sassooda]

Worlds Away / Chapter 40 - One in the Same 🔞

w/c - 6,476

               “Love…”.

As Satoru positions himself back on the bed with a heavy heart, he wonders how long he’ll be without her voice. Elska lies there unconscious, in her own queen-sized bed a few feet away from Naoya who is also in the same condition but in a separate bed. The room Satoru mentioned to everyone before has become their new quarters but with his own personal flare. The five walls are a deep blue-grey, the trim a dark red, all decorative furnishings either that same red or a bright light blue. The sheets both of the sleepers are wrapped in resemble the color of love. This was all designed and put together as a surprise but things haven’t exactly gone as planned.

               As he situates himself next to her, Gojo finds that he desires the comfort of her heartbeat. Laying his head on her chest, he relives the horrors of when he and Choso arrived to find them. He’s weighted with guilt, having become too distracted by his mother to focus that day. ‘What did they have to go through?’, he can only imagine having seen the scene himself. Although he wasn’t particularly bothered by the gore, Choso’s reaction said it all as normal people would easily have been mortified. Gojo’s heart also sinks from the sin of dealing with the woman who gave birth to him, even if she was monstrous herself.

               “My love…”, his voice is broken from emotion as he whispers to her caringly, “Please come back to me.”. He’s been informed by Nanami and the others that Toji once found her in this same state, taking 6 days to wake up previously. This information doesn’t comfort him however after perceiving the devastation her, Naoya and Toji must have experienced. ‘…and we still haven’t found him yet.’. Satoru knows for a fact that if she wasn’t mentally compromised from the attack, not having Toji will certainly destroy her.

               He positions her arms to lay over him, as if she’s wrapping them around his own. Gojo is still reeling from his own experiences that day on top of everything else. The heartache that dwells within him after killing his mother plagues him as if she still existed, only differently. “Love, I didn’t know it would hurt.”. A tear spills from each of his darkened eyes, remembering the vexation that woman caused him for his entire life. There certainly wasn’t any love lost between them but a piece of him died with her and he can’t explain why. In this moment, he only needs to be held by his love. As he listens to the rhythm in which her heart pumps, he feels like he’s brought to a point of necessary, although temporary ease. Bringing her even closer lowers him deeper into security, feeling safe and nurtured by her touch alone. Her and Naoya have only been out for roughly 18 hours at this point, leaving him to also dread how much time he’ll be without her.

               **KNOCK, KNOCK**

               Without moving at all, Satoru calls for them to enter and sighs as he feels close to losing his composure. He decides to not hide his despair for lack of current ability.

               Choso quietly strolls in and takes in Satoru’s depression. He’s apprehensive about how unstable Gojo’s been since coming back to the academy but appreciates how much the man is going through. A slight grin appears across Choso’s face though as he looks over Gojo’s clothes, they’re both wearing their group-matching pajamas. Upon approaching Naoya, Choso pulls back the covers to further evaluate him, wanting to be sure all wounds were healed. He says to his friend, “You are one fortunate man…”, and pulls the sheets up with a smile. He then takes Naoya’s hand with relief on mind, understanding that Naoya will likely be happy at the fact that he was turned. Choso has reservations about this but they’re not strong enough for him to speak on.

               Megumi now enters and walks straight over to Elska, on the opposite side from Gojo. He’s still in a state of shock after being filled in on the aftermath. He’s in a foul disposition not knowing where Toji is and is even further upset with how messed her and Naoya looked upon being retrieved. When he reaches out to take up Elska’s hand, his is swatted away, causing him to lower deeper into his anger.

               “Leave her alone.”, Gojo growls from Elska’s chest. He immediately feels bad for snapping at Megumi but that was the only warning he was capable of. The hurt displayed on his former student’s face that he catches out of the corner of his eyes prompts him to sit up a little. “I’m sorry Megs, I just… she’s mine.”.

               Megumi is feeling disheartened by his current fears on his father’s whereabouts and feels almost completely alone as he drowns in his thoughts. The territorial stance made on Elska causes him to snap, “She is her own person, you’re fucking delusional!”. As his breath catches in his throat, he waits for Satoru to respond maliciously but becomes confused when he doesn’t. ‘I just want to make sure she’s ok…’.

               Choso walks over to Megumi and speaks with purpose, “Please let Gojo have time with her, he’s been through a lot…”, and nods as if to reiterate there still are things Megumi is unaware of. Choso sees the discontent on Megumi’s face and can feel the boy’s presence fluctuating so he continues, “And we will find Toji, I promise you. He loves you, you know…”. He watches Megumi’s eyes become glossy as he tries to fend off the tears so Choso hugs him. “I’m sure he’s ok, we just have to get to him…”.

               Megumi usually wouldn’t accept the embrace but he feels so incredibly small and useless. He finds Choso’s need to comfort him endearing and wishes he’d been kinder to the being in the past, knowing now how well he means. “I…I miss my dad…”, he meant for it to be a statement but the clarification is muddled by the sorrow in his voice and it only strengthens as Choso continues to try and soothe him.

               “Just come back later Megs…I know you’re worried too…”, Satoru doesn’t make eye contact but his voice is genuine. “I just need to be with her right now…”. He now curls back up into Elska and sighs deeply. “She would be angry if I kept everyone from her…”, and Satoru knows this is a fact but is still not budging on the current meeting.

               Megumi wasn’t expecting Gojo to offer time up so he doesn’t know how to respond. With a fake scoff he replies, “I will then.”, and heads towards the door. Before leaving he stops and turns around to face them once more, “Shoko is awake now and she wants to see you Gojo.”, then shuts it behind him.

               Satoru is aware that they have a prisoner underneath the school and Shoko likely has important information to give to him, he just hasn’t the motivation to move. He buries his face into Elska further, wanting to escape his current duties and pretend they’re just napping together. “Please come back.”.

               After a few seconds, Choso exhales, “I’m glad Shoko’s alright.”. After being teleported to Elska’s location, he had to carry her back through his portal while Gojo grabbed Naoya. Choso immediately began to heal Naoya after they returned to the academy but they were soon met with Nanami who requested him to see to Shoko’s head injuries as well. Choso recalls that while he was navigating through his shadow realm that Elska’s energy once again lingered behind them and even seemed to stain some of the surroundings. He’s always been curious as to why hers behaves differently than everyone else. While lost in his thoughts, he’s jolted back to the present as Gojo begins to cry next to Elska.

               “Gojo…”, Choso was caught off guard but feels he needs to allow privacy as he doesn’t know what to do. The terrifying Silver Shaman condenses before him, leaving a new wave of misery within his very being. Choso’s still shaken up by the events that took place with everyone and has yet to properly deal with the emotions flowing through him. He glances over to Naoya for a second and then internally declares he will return later. He hears Gojo plead for him to wait so he turns around and utilizes patience as Satoru collects himself.

               “We…We have to find Toji.”, Satoru finds himself worried with the possibilities that could be his friend’s fate. Choso nods so he says, “Please, please search for him.”. Gojo looks down at Elska who has yet to show signs of waking, “For both of their sakes, we need to get him back.”. Now darting cold eyes to back to Choso, “I will kill whoever I need to. I will fucking explode every last one of them. This is what they deserve.”. Satoru’s eyes narrow as he thinks of who this Genghis is and how that man is likely responsible for organizing the horrific event. ‘He at least helped Getou…’.

               Choso felt a chill crawl down his spine while listening to Gojo. ‘He very well means it.’, crosses his mind but he’s actually reinforced by the statement because he has his own revenge that occupies the same goal. He straightens himself while looking at Satoru, “We will find them and we will end them.”. Choso now brings his gaze to Elska for the first time and finds his dark thoughts fading, beginning to feel consumed by irrational emotions that stem from her condition as well. He has this completely visceral knot that tells him to remain near her but he can’t justify why so he thinks its best not go far at least. “I’m going to try some mapping but I’ll be nearby if needed…”, Choso now reluctantly opens the door and leaves.

               Snuggling back into Elska, Satoru closes his eyes and tries to steady his breathing. “Everything’s so fucked up, love.”, he regretfully informs her as she sleeps. Wanting to be even closer to her, he now takes her right leg and hoists it over himself. He pulls down the front of her slip but only so he can her skin against his cheek. “They will pay for this…”, he seethes as he thinks about the new trauma her and Naoya had to live through at the hands of the Titers. “Genghis and Getou…”, his partnered enemies. He opens his eyes to slight movement. “Love?”. Slowly she begins to stir more, moving her legs and arms to in an attempt to regain awareness. Satoru hurriedly sits up and looks down to her with endearing hope.

               Elska is coming to already and smiles sweetly once she opens her eyes to see Satoru. “My sweet Sati…”, she raises her arm to hold his cheek, only now detecting his anxieties. This realization triggers her though as the ominous memories play back in her mind. She instantly screams at the top of her lungs and is sent into a hysterical state once again. She doesn’t know that she’s flailing around during this until she feels Satoru anchor his body around her to prevent her from harming herself. She struggles against him though as she continues to wail. “THE CHILDREN!”, rips through the room and Satoru understands kids must have been present in the attack.

               Satoru whimpers regrettably and holds her while her heart breaks. As her cries echo the otherwise silent room, he feels his heart responding, “My love, I’m so sorry…”. He rests his chin above her head as she begins to settle, although her sobs are still incredibly fierce. Her breath can be felt against his chest and neck as she heaves air in this dismantled state. He squeezes her tighter and reminds her, “I’m here love, I’m here. You’re safe now…”. He begins to tear up too as her voice goes silent and strains to make a high-pitched, fading squeak, the fact that she’s as broken as he assumed absolutely wrecking his confidence on the matter but he repeats, “You’re safe now.”, and kisses the top of her head. Satoru notices how strong her presence is and thinks that the whole campus should be aware of her waking.

               Choso heard and felt her so he runs back into the room. “ELSKA!”, he continues his pace to the side of the bed where Megumi was and sits down. The sounds that leave her compel him to place a hand on her side as she’s still overlapped by Gojo. She seems to respond to him and calms down slightly but with wide and teary eyes he looks to Gojo who’s just as unnerved by the situation. He hears her say, “They made Toji…kill. They crushed…Getou…he crushed the children…”, and to these words, a tear falls from the beings face. ‘Getou has no qualms with killing innocents…’, but he keeps this information to himself while deciding he should share the tragedy of his brothers eventually.

               Elska is slowly comprehending that the horrible sights behind her eyes are of the past but is still riddled with mourning. Understanding that the men have no idea of what all happened she forces herself to compose the best she can and tries to sit up. Satoru only took a second to understand so he is soon helping her. She remembers everything from the attack, which is different than how it’s happened in the past. With weary and swollen eyes, she looks at the two before her and says, “They tried to kill Naoya…”, she glances between Satoru and Choso, “His heart actually stopped.”, the fear of her prince dying reclaims its stance. “He blocked the spear meant for me…”, she looks over and sees him there laying motionlessly and begins to panic.

               Choso can see her apprehension as her eyes drift to Naoya and says, “He’s right there Elska”, and grabs her hand as he can only imagine how awful that was, “He is stable and with new energy.”. Her eyes light up but then become watery again as she quietly speaks, “But they took Toji with t…them couldn’t protect both…”, and feels his lips quiver as she deteriorates before them again. Choso’s hand is now on her leg so he brushes the spot to provide additional security. “Knowing that helps, I will find him Elska.”.

               Satoru feels Megumi and Itadori approaching the room so he yells, “NOT RIGHT NOW!”, and becomes satisfied when they stop. Looking back to Elska he grabs her shoulders and kisses her forehead, “Love I am going to fix all of this.”. He lifts her chin to him and with complete determination radiating from his eyes, “Everything is going to be ok. I will show no mercy.”, and she seems to be consoled by the darkness exuding him. He kisses her cheek and whispers, “We will paint the city with their blood.”.

               Elska feels like his dark nature is nurturing her very soul. In a strange wave of reassurance, the calamity within her lessens so she finally begins to settle into him. While closing her eyes and taking a deep but jagged breath however, the familiar voice ricochets through her.

               ‘FEED FROM THE HYBRID’

               Her eyes jolt open and she slowly turns her head towards Choso who’s still sympathetically rubbing her leg. She questions if she should but understands there is a reason she’s being prompted to do so.

               ‘YOU WILL SOON BE WHOLE’

               With a mousey voice, “Sati?”, she feels through his chest, his “Yes my love?”, and pulls away from him, “I need to feed from Choso.”.

               “I don’t think that’s a good idea love, why would you say that?”, Satoru is afraid that she will repeat history and is adamant about making things better not worse. He looks over to Choso who shares his reluctance and eyes him in a way to warn that it isn’t going to happen. “Love what if you lose control?”, he doesn’t understand what she could be thinking but fears it doesn’t matter as her eyes begin to glow. “Love…”.

               Elska adjusts herself to her knees and holds her own body, “I think the other me is me.”. When she looks up to them both she can tell they’re confused by that but she proceeds, “I have to do it.”. She launches herself over top Choso and pins his arms down, “Choso I’m so sorry!”. She sees that Satoru has warped to that side of the bed in an attempt to reach her so she growls. He seems to be hurt by this so she adds, “JUST TRUST ME!”, and feels less anxious as he slowly pulls his hands away from her.

               Choso’s in shock beneath her, not being sure as to why this is happening or if he should fight her or not. He darts his scared eyes to Gojo fearing that this won’t go over well but is confused as the Silver Shaman seems to retract. He now looks at Elska and can tell she’s not liking how she placed him in this position and suddenly feels at ease. ‘Was this why I wanted to stay?’. He nods to her and lays back down into the bed as her fangs pierce him shortly afterwards. Choso instantly moans and latches onto her, feeling one of his bent legs touching the floor kick out reflexively. She whimpers near his ear and it causes him to melt in place while she pulls from him. After a few seconds her left hand laces into his hair and grips the strands to pull his head more to the side, him closing his eyes and complying. She soon is grinding against him, exuding pleasurable noises which would have been his main focus if her presence wasn’t darkening so rapidly.

               Gojo is cautiously monitoring the situation and feels he should stop it when her gestures turn sexual. Hearing her moan seductively into Choso leaves a bad taste in his mouth but remembers he chose to trust her. He knows this is the other Elska now but her words haunt him, “I think the other me is me.”, bringing him into a new state of contradiction as he thinks about how he’ll handle this if shit hits the fan. As he watches her free hand sail from Choso’s chest to underneath her he can’t help himself, “LOVE!”.

               Elska grabs Choso’s member and squeezes it. She hears him quietly yelp and hums to his growing as she begins to fondle him further but eventually stops and closes the being’s puncture marks. ‘FOCUS’.  Sitting herself over him she inhales deeply before looking down, “It’s incredible, how arousing your blood is…”, and manically looks down to his flushed expression, “…but it makes sense.”. She can tell Satoru reaching out behind her so she quickly grabs his wrist and flings him overhead and onto the bed next to Choso. She relishes in the shaman’s surprise to her strength and chooses to say in the lowly voice, “My favorite human…”, and grinds on Choso again instinctively, meaning the gesticulation for Satoru. Before either of them can say anything she continues, “She is right, we are one in the same…”. Still feeling overcome with desire she takes Satoru’s left hand and forces it upon her breast and whimpers when he grabs it. ‘FOCUS’, cascading through her mind. “They took my beloved but I believe they were meaning for me. I became too confident and played with the Titers, I was having fun.”. She feels the anger race across her expression as the failure surges within her again. “When the mind was repressed, we split into two in order to salvage as much as possible.”, she looks to Satoru with devious eyes, “We would’ve slowly gone mad otherwise.”. Neither of them are speaking, giving her the floor so she turns her glowing gaze to Choso, “You and I are almost exact in product, we were just born differently…I am half curse as well.”.

               Choso’s eyes widen to this immensely as many pieces fall into place. Her energy that lingers, her ability to sense the darkness within him, the fact that his blood fuels her. He breaks his gaze with Elska to turn to Satoru who seems to be thinking but isn’t overly sharing his true feelings on the matter. Her presence increases rapidly again so he quickly looks back to her and becomes afraid as she licks her lips at him. She says, “If Sati wasn’t here, I’d take you right now…”, and he feels her hand caress the side of his face but holds his breath not knowing what that exactly meant. ‘Does she mean…’, and looks down at his lap as she sinks her weight into him. He cries out, “Elska NO!”, but feels himself being pinned by her again.

               “Elska…”, Satoru is not sure as to what is going on but knows he should tread lightly with his disgust of her harboring secret desires for Choso. She looks to him expressionlessly but the attention was enough, “…Love, I’m sorry for doing this to you.”, he feels the shame in his heart and almost as if she could read his mind she says, “This was a war waged far before you were born sweet Sati. My ancestors and those of the Zenin and Titer clans started this centuries ago. A tragic love story…”. While still remaining her eyes on Satoru, “A Zenin once loved a woman from the Oda clan but their union was rejected for her clan’s lack of status. Oda’s were not inherently shaman and suffered in servitude to the major clans for this and many other reasons. An intelligent and unusually empathetic curse heard their plight and decided to offer them a deal. The Oda’s would evolve, allowing them capabilities of harnessing cursed energy. The heartbroken woman accepted without understanding what would be waged allowing the curse to manifest itself into fragments to take form in every Oda. The Titers, who were then one of the major clans, saw this as a threat and manipulated the time continuum to relocate the Oda’s to a place where they would not have to fear their dark powers.” She exhales, “The curse’s stipulations were for the Oda’s to end humanity by turning them into similar but lesser beings which would eventually allow the curse to take physical form once again.”. Gojo is left in awe by this explanation. ‘A Zenin?’, and turns his head to Naoya and contemplates on the unexplainable connection Elska and Naoya have always had. He realizes something and tells her, “The Zenin’s want you apart of their clan this time…”, his eyes unfasten completely, “…The Titers do too now.”, he thinks of his mother’s words that confirmed they want to breed with her.

“Yes but they foolishly misunderstand their place. The Titers never have and never will be able to control me. Their thoughts otherwise on this are contrived.”. Elska now thinks of Suguru. “I drank from Getou and learned a great deal, he’s merely their powerful puppet. I believe I placed enough doubt in his mind though, if he’s worth anything he will realize his own will.”. Choso and Gojo both wear expressions of mortification that she ignores, “If he ends up agreeing with his clan then I’ll be forced to act however.”, She grins frenziedly, “They do not properly comprehend that their fate rests on my whims.” Her eerie smile fades, “What they’ve done however, I will require lives to pay for it.”. She looks over to Naoya and winces to the reminder that he suffered greatly, “My prince will soon awaken. His DNA synthesis rapidly took course and it was unlike anything we’ve ever seen…”. Merely gazing upon her blonde lover quells her strength, “He has an adverse effect on my existence, he drains me of my ability to stay in this form…”, she looks back to Choso, “…which is why I need to become whole. You can make this possible.”.

Gojo is trying to make sense of this new information and is categorizing his brain for this purpose. When her eyes meet his own again she grins and says, “I will have you too when the time is right. You’re a variable in all of this, the Gojo’s have never had a turned amongst their ranks and with your innate power, I am hesitant to expose you to this needlessly. In theory I will be your master but your soul particularly is already so darkened that I am forced to question what your nature will be.”. Satoru has never discussed becoming like her but a small part of his heart is mended knowing that he’s not left out of her collection. “Love, I would be willing if you saw fit.”, he removes his hand from her breast and brings it to her face. She seems to like being addressed this way which cements the fact for him that they really both are Elska. ‘She refers to me as Sati too.’.

               Elska abruptly dips back down into Choso’s neck and bites him again. His cursed blood reanimates through her veins and feels herself growing even stronger. The thought of wiping out the Titers and rescuing her beloved mix with the sensations the being gives her causing her to moan deeply. She feels him growing more underneath her again and smiles into him and wishes that she didn’t need his permission to turn him.

               ‘HE IS NOT READY YET’

               Despite her current ecstasy, she yanks her head up and huffs with annoyance before closing the wounds. “Sometimes I grow fucking tired of your voice.”.

               ‘Who is she talking to?’, Choso feels his brow furrow as he recalls the other times she seemed to speak to no one. He’s reading that she’s now agitated and wonders if he shouldn’t make a break for it soon. He thinks about Naoya and Toji, how they would be losing their shit if they were witnessing this and doesn’t want to be at the receiving end of Gojo’s wrath either.

               “You need not run…”, Elska sighs to the obvious hesitation from Choso and maneuvers herself off of him and stands. “I will not turn either of you right now for our efforts should be placed into retrieving my beloved.”. Gojo warps behind her and spins her around and she feels his arms embrace her. With confusion she asks, “Do you not fear me, Sati?”.

               Satoru chuckles into her hair, “Oh I fear you…I just love you as well.”, and is surprised when this dark Elska relaxes into him. ‘She loves monsters because she is one too…’. He knows this thought would likely terrify anyone else but he feels a new bond has been created between them in this moment and reminds her, “I know you feared me but you also never let me go.”. He inhales her scent begins to sway them, “You’re my love.”. He wonders as well who she meant that random statement to but doesn’t feel the need to press her for more information as he’s still working through what was just laid out.

               Being so close to Satoru, feeling his body heat and breath brings Elska back to her arousal she’s been fighting for the sake of communication. She bites his chest through his shirt and rakes her nails down his back as he whimpers. She can taste his own excitement and decides that enough was said.

               Gojo feels himself being pushed onto the bed and watches Choso jump up to standing. Elska straddles him and tears her slip open before glaring down and demanding, “Remove your shirt.”. He hastily does as he’s told while admiring how frightening her mannerisms are. When she leans down to kiss him, she lifts her weight from his lap and growls, “Your clothing is still in the way.”, to which he shimmies the waistband to his thighs, allowing his hardened flesh to make contact with her bare skin. He quickly finds Choso who is standing a few feet away with his jaw slacked open, “Cho-…”, she covers his lips and aligns herself with Satoru’s erection and says, “Do not concern yourself with him whilst I fuck you.”. He then feels her wet warmth slide down his shaft and groans loudly into her palm as she felt amazing. She pins his arms over his head against the mattress and proceeds to thrust herself into him passionately. When she gasps to using him, he feels a long-forgotten desire to tame her. Suddenly Gojo experiences his own switch as she continues to bounce herself on him. He breaks an arm free and sends his hand to her throat, squeezing it as he pulls her face down to his. When she bites her lip with arrogant eyes, he understands that she’s hoping he’ll fight back for dominance and whispers into her lips, “I will have you begging me to stop.”.

               Elska grins to the confirmation but all of the sudden finds Satoru is no longer below her. “Try your best, you will not break me.”, she teases in her lowly voice as she recognizes his presence behind her. She hears Gojo say, “Choso, find me something to tie her up with.”. She looks to Choso who seems to not understand why so she smiles, “Do as he says.”. Satoru now wraps a hand around her throat again and pulls her back to where she’s on her knees and feels his erection rubbing against her. She tries to angle herself so she could feel him again but fails. She huffs disapprovingly but is soon met with his grith spreading her, leaving her crying out in lust. He leans down by her ear while he seats himself completely, “Love, is that what you wanted?”, and snickers as he rams her a few times.

               Choso is finding the request made of him to be completely outlandish. ‘She shouldn’t be tied up!’, he now hears Satoru thrusting into her and feels uncomfortable with witnessing it in person. What he cannot ignore though is his own throbbing while he scurries to find anything that can be used for restraints. While searching through the drawers he comes across a scarf and quickly throws it over to Gojo without looking at them. His eyes take to Naoya in the other bed and he frowns to the situation at hand but knows there’s nothing he can really do to stop Elska. It was clear to him that she initiated and wanted to further down this adventure with Satoru. He looks over to them finally and looses his breath as he’s met with her alluring eyes. ‘Does she want me to stay?’, he questions internally hoping he was wrong. “Elska?”, he asks in a small voice, becoming mesmerized with how she’s staring into him.

               Gojo pushes Elska down into the bed and brings her arms to fold neatly behind her back. “Like old times…”, he teases wantonly as he secures the scarf around her forearms and wrists. He nudges her body forward so he can sit on his knees behind her and admires her body as he postures himself over her legs. With his left hand he grabs himself up to rub into her folds, moaning to the visible evidence that he’s going to be able to go wild. He notices Choso run out of the room and chuckles while gliding into her fully, “I guess he didn’t want to watch. Smart move.”, and begins pound into her relentlessly as she moans into the sheets. He grabs her throat again with his right hand to pull her back towards him and says, “That’s right love, you will take this dick and you will fucking like it.”, and slaps her ass with his left. “I am going to conquer you all over again…”, he hisses as he pulls on her waist to make sure there’s not a single inch of him missing out. She cries out, “YES!”, which causes him to tighten his grasp on her throat from the rush it sent through him while he delivers deep thrusts. He whimpers to how she feels contracting around him and takes notice to her body’s response as he continues through her orgasm. “Already, huh?”, the accomplishment fills him with pride and he expresses it by still crashing into her as she falls apart.  After a harsh few minutes, he slows down in an attempt to caress her internally. “Mmmm…”, he hums to how slippery her walls have become as she pants in front of him. “Perhaps my love wants to be controlled?”, he slaps her rear again with his left hand before regaining his grip on her hip. She lowly gasps, “Please try!”, which makes him say, “I am going to destroy you…”. He decides to warp in front of her and watches her body fall into the mattress. He grabs her hair and assists her in lifting her head while tilting his chin to the side and mocking, “The scary little Elska…”, she opens her mouth so he sends himself down her throat, “…gagging on my dick.”. He works his hips into her as expected tears roll down her face. When he removes himself to allow her air, he sighs to her saliva coating her breasts, causing them to glisten every so often. To his surprise she seductively moans and challenges, “Is that all you’ve got?”, which causes him to grunt as he traces her lips with his tip. He replies, “You should know me better than that.”, and proceeds to thrust into her mouth again. When she chokes on him, he throws his head back and furrows his brow while gasping, “My sexy little Elska…”.

               Feeling his grip in her hair as he harshly stretches her throat fills her with exhilaration. There are reasons as to why he is so special to her and this depravity he harbors is one of them since it mirrors a part of her nature. She looks up to him the best she can as her muscles convulse to his motions and loves the dominating way in which he treats her. ‘Nobody has ever been so brave.’, she thinks as she gags. He removes himself from her mouth again but drags his member along her face which makes her whimper with anticipation. He says, “I can’t finish until I’ve opened everything.”, and she shivers to his voice as it was chilling, knowing he’s going to take her in every way he can. He warps behind her again but is maneuvering her to lay on her left side. She tries to adjust in a way that makes her arms more comfortable but he slaps her thigh and says, “Don’t squirm now love, it’s too late for that.”.

               Satoru bends her legs up towards her chest so he could have unobstructed access. Spreading his kneeing stance, he leans over her to grab her throat again while he begins to nudge her second entrance. “You are mine to fuck and so is this ass.”, and groans down to her as he feels himself slowly making progress. He loves how her face morphs into pleasure the deeper he goes and wonders, ‘Has she liked this all along?’, but is soon taken out of thought as she gasps to being further parted. He releases her throat to lean back and stabilize himself with her hip, wanting to watch himself submerge into her. “Look at you love, taking me so well…”, she cries out heatedly and he bites his lip as he backs out to start the process over. He drops some of his own saliva down where they meet and works himself in deeper, becoming completely swallowed by her. “Such a good girl…”, he breathlessly whines as their eyes meet. “…Take it all…”, and begins to set a rhythm. As he increases his force she cries out “YES SATI”, and smiles with parted lips as she’s forced to endure him. He’s watching her skin ripple and wave out from his impact and it nearly makes him come undone having the knowledge that she’s enjoying this. He pulls out of her to take in the sight of her mess and rolls her onto her stomach. After making his way back in, he leans his body to hover over hers while he continues to pound through her.

               Elska is completely under his control but is rather thrilled by how rough he is being. Through her moans she tries to tell him that it’s coming but before she can, the pheromones release into the room. She turns her head and sees Satoru’s face next to hers as he fills his lungs and moans, his motions halting while he does. She hears him say, “You must love it when I fuck you like this…”, and picks up his pace again. While gasping she’s able to say, “I want more!”, and her eyes roll back when gives her exactly that. She can tell by his breathing that he’s nearing his end so she arches her back underneath him as if to present she was ready to be a pretty display. His thrusts after that became full and deep with each stroke until she feels him twitch and begin to settle. He opens her legs to guide her onto her back while remaining inside of her. The look on his face is breathtaking and she can sense his relief as he slowly nudges through her a few more times.

               While holding her ankles and leaning his hips into her, he brings his gaze from her face to where they’re connected and grunts to how pleasing the sight is. He leans down to kiss her feverishly as he comes to terms with his affections for Elska as a whole and says, “I love all sides of you…”, into her lips. He leans back up so he can watch his contents spill from her after he pulls out and moans when it’s even more beautiful than he imagined. Rolling her back onto her stomach he reaches down to undo her binds and finds their lips meeting as soon as she was free.

               She slides her tongue into his mouth passionately and they moan into each other again. When she breaks away she says in her lowly voice, “I don’t have much time left like this but one day I will be whole. Let’s see if you can overpower me then.”, and brushes her thumbs across his cheeks. “I will be a blend of all attributes but I can promise I’ll want more of this.”. Her eyes feel heavy now as she feels her state diminishing, “I will have to sleep again but I will return to normal when I wake. Will you…”, she hesitates, “…will you bring me to sleep next to Naoya?”. She’s taken back by his kind smile as he lifts her up into his arms. They sway as he uses his knees to bring them to the edge of the bed and they nearly fall over as he works to swing his legs out to the floor.

               They laugh together as he awkwardly finds his balance but he feels her sincerity as he walks them over to Naoya. “You can rest easy love and I’ll clean you up…”, he tells her as he lowers her down next to the sleeping Zenin. Her eyes are quickly losing their glow as she lays there and wraps her arms around Naoya’s left one, so he knows she’s going to be out here soon. “Love?”, she brings her hazy gaze to him, “We will find Toji, I swear it’s my priority.”. She smiles and thanks him before saying, “I’m glad to know he’s important to you as well Sati. Please, locate my beloved…he needs me…”. While he was forming his next words she closes her eyes and falls asleep instantaneously. “Love, I will make this world work for you…”, and leans down to kiss her once more. He stands upright again to find something to wash their wonderful experience with. After wiping her down he crawls in the bed and uses the slightest bit of space given to make his own spot, wanting to be next to her. He ponders on what she said earlier about the curse’s will to replace humanity and smiles into her neck, “I don’t much care for humans either…whatever your endgame is, we will succeed.”.

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tagging : @angelofthorr

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We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow

Minghao: Chapter 3 (Beautifully Unfinished)

Characters: Minghao x female reader

Genre/Warnings: multi-member au (different scenarios), werewolf au, fantasy, angst, blood mentions, runaways, domestic violence (I mean not really because she doesn’t really want to hurt him she’s just sad and lashing out), sleep seducing (If that’s a thing?), sleep/entranced fucking, blood mentions, death mentions, suggestive/slight smutty content, violence. Any others will be put as warnings when future chapters are thought up/written.

Author’s Note: Have any of y’all seen American Horror Story Roanoke? Well, that’s where I got the inspiration for this chapter. You didn’t ACTUALLY think I’d have a story with a fully happy couple with no tragedies or drama did you? But, if you want a song to listen to, I recommend Beautifully Unfinished by Ella Henderson and I recommend listening to it started at the point where they go to sleep. It’s perfect for the mood the Main Character’s feeling

Please remember that all of these chapters and the content within them are a work of fiction! They’re just for fun/entertainment!

Bold= Dialogue Italics= Thoughts

🥀

We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow Master List

Chapter 3: Beautifully Unfinished

It had been a few days since the Siren incident. You hadn’t heard anything since. So, of course like the fucking dumbasses you all were, you all began to forget about it and let your guards down. You all carried on like everything was normal, but everything was far from it.

You had all a long day of shopping at the market. You really just wanted to go back home and fall asleep to recover some of your energy. But when you got back, you had bigger things to worry about.

See, both Junhui and Minghao were in rut. Typically, before you came along, their ruts were always at the same time so they both… helped each other out a bit until it passed. But now that you were in the picture, Minghao had you to help him get through it. It left Jun a mess, he wasn’t upset that he didn’t have anyone to help him out or anything, he was glad Hao had finally found you. But he was struggling to… keep himself in check. And while the other wolves just kept their respective mates away from him during his rut, Minghao didn’t really see the point of trying to keep you away from him. You were just as strong as him after all, you could handle yourself and he knew you’d never do anything with him, some part of him always knew that.

But Hao was acting… off. Like even more so than he usually did. Typically, your mate was very reserved and mostly just kept to himself when the others were around and he’d be personable with you behind closed doors. Lately though, he’d been more distant, even with you. Which everyone found odd. Especially during his rut. He should only want you around him during it, but he hadn’t touched you since that day. It confused you a great deal. It was like he was a different person, half the time when you woke up now, he was already gone from bed.

Part of you attributed it to his mating season, but you were still worried about him. He was much more aggressive than usual. Again, that could’ve just been attributed to his sudden hormone change. But when Jun had got a little too close to you, he snapped.

You were in the kitchen with Jun just cleaning up after dinner, everyone took turns and it was now the both of yours. You didn’t mind, you actually liked cleaning and helping out. It made you feel like you were contributing to the pack. Jun however, was getting very bored and very distracted by you.

He couldn’t help it, you were a very attractive girl and he was going through mating season. He was trying his best to maintain his control. He’d NEVER actually act on his need to mate with you of all people, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still suggestively flirt with you. It was just in his nature at the moment. You both knew that, so you didn’t particularly care.

While scrubbing the dishes, he blew some soapy bubbles at you playfully, so you of course blew some right back at him. It soon turned into an all out bubble fight and ended up with the both of your shirts soaked. You had been wearing a pretty thin T-Shirt and the water had made it start to stick to your bra. Junhui realized this and at first, he tried not to stare. He really did try not to. But, eventually his hormones took over and he caught a glimpse and made a stupid joke about how much better you’d probably look with your shirt off. Again, you just brushed it off and snorted a laugh, because you knew he didn’t mean any harm in it.

But Minghao, who had been sitting on the couch in the living room that was visible from the kitchen, had seen and heard the whole thing and darted to the kitchen. He quickly shoved the older wolf away from you and you watched as his yellow eyes turned red.

“Dont ever fucking speak to her like that again.” He snarled at his brother, leaving you both momentarily stunned.

“Hao, look I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m going through rut and you know how I get and the dumb shit I say-” Junhui tried to defend himself calmly, thinking that Minghao would forgive him if he apologized for his words. Boy, was he wrong.

“I don’t give a shit. Don’t fucking say shit like that to MY mate ever again!” Minghao’s breathing was becoming unstable due to his anger.

“She’s MINE. Don’t try it again.” He growled, grabbing his brother by the collar of his shirt.

“God would you calm down. I’d never try anything with your mate Hao. It was a joke. Besides, she could use some action…” Jun trailed, implying that the older wolf hadn’t slept with you in some time.

“Even if it’s just a dumb joke, seems like it’s the closest thing she’s getting to sex anytime soon.” He chuckled darkly, his testosterone started to soar from the annoyance that was bubbling inside of him at his brother’s possessiveness.

“I’ll fucking kill you.” Minghao all but screamed, shifting right there in the kitchen and pouncing on Jun.

The rest of the pack heard the whole commotion from upstairs and knew that it wasn’t gonna end well. So, by the time Minghao had phased, five boys were already down the stairs pushing him off of Jun and shoving him outside before he could do any long term damage. You just stood there in complete shock. He was always so good at controlling his emotions, even during rut according to the other boys. What the actual FUCK was his problem?

-

“Hao, what the hell was that?” You shouted at your mate, who seemed completely blindsided by the situation.

“What was what (Y/N)?” He sighed, running his hand through his hair while pushing the sheets and comforter of your bed over so he could get on the mattress.

“You know what Hao. What the hell did you attack Jun for? He’s one of your best friends and you went and wolfed out on him over a dumbass joke?” You screeched while throwing your hands on your hips and tipping your head to the side to show your frustration.

“You’re my mate. He shouldn’t say shit like that to you. That’s my job. Plus I’m going through rut, he should’ve know better.” Minghao just shrugged before he laid down with his hands behind his head on the pillow underneath him.

“Oh rut huh? Is that what you’re gonna blame it on? Could’ve fucking fooled me” you scoffed, laying down on your side of the bed, turned away from him.

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?” He questioned, pulling you to lay flat on your back so he could see your face.

“It means you hardly act like you’re going through rut right now. You’re supposed to be a sex monster and all needy and whiney and shit. But the only reason I’d believe you were in rut right now would be your anger. You haven’t touched me in almost a week but this is your first time going through rut with a mate. You should be completely insatiable right now but you aren’t. So using that as an excuse really doesn’t fucking cut it Hao.” You declared, rolling your eyes at him.

“So you’re pissed because I haven’t fucked you?” He laughed dryly as he threw his head back in the process.

“No. I’m not mad you haven’t had sex with me Hao. I’m upset because you’re acting weird and you won’t tell me what’s wrong or what I’ve done.” You say softly while looking down to avoid his sharp gaze.

Minghao felt a twitch in his heart. He had made you sad and he wasn’t even sure why himself. He never wanted you to be upset with him or yourself. He let out a loud sigh.

“I’m- I’m sorry baby. It’s not you. Or anyone for that matter. I’ve just been struggling. I don’t even know why. I just wake up and feel completely exhausted, then I get up and get angry because I don’t want anyone around you, but Then again I also don’t feel the need to be pounding you into the mattress right now. I’m just… I’m just a mess and I’m not sure what’s happening with me. I’ll work on it.” He stroked your cheek causing you to look into his eyes with your watery ones.

“Do you promise?” You whispered aloud, blinking back any tears that ha began to form and looking up at him sweetly.

“I promise, I’ll try to get my shit together.” He assured you, pecking the tip of your nose to seal the deal.

“And that you’ll actually be here when I wake up tomorrow?” You whimpered while bringing your own hand up to hold the one he had resting on your face.

“Yes baby, I promise.” He rested his forehead against yours before connecting your lips to his for a tender kiss.

“Good,” you say, breaking the kiss after a few seconds to regain some air, “now cuddle me so I can sleep.” You giggled and began situating yourself in his arms.

“With pleasure my love” He smiled, holding you to him like his life depended on it.

-

-

You awoke in the middle of the night to an angelic humming sound. You fluttered your eyes a bit before you turned in your spot. You reached for you mate and quickly realized he wasn’t next to you anymore. You darted up in bed immediately. You had a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. You had to find him.

So you got out of bed, throwing one of his large sweaters over your head before you went to sniff him out. His scent lead you outside into the dark forest, the sound had also been coming from the same way. Wolves could see almost just as good at night as they could during the daytime thankfully, otherwise you surely would’ve ended up breaking something as you made your way through the woods. His scent was getting stronger, so was the humming. You went deeper and deeper into the woods before you saw some smog floating just above the ground.

Your mate’s scent lead you further into the smog and closer to the song. You soon came upon a small clearing, a dull light had begun to rise from within the tree branches. You knew he was there. And you knew he wasn’t alone. Your heart was now pounding out of your chest. Fuck.

You pushed past the last of the trees and bushes before you found yourself in the middle of the clearing. What you saw made you sick to your stomach.

It was Minghao, he had his sleep pants pulled down slightly and had a woman’s legs wrapped around his waist. From the angle you had, you could see that the beautiful blonde woman he was with was laying on a tree stump as he plowed into her, her melodious song still drifting through the air. Tears sprung to your eyes and you fell to your knees.

“Minghao?” You sobbed loud enough for the both of them to hear as you began all but hyperventilating on the ground.

It all made sense now: Why he didn’t want to be with you during rut, he had her. Why he was so tired, he was up all night with her. Why he was always gone when you woke up, he was with her. He was fucking a siren behind your back and you were too stupid to even realize it.

Hearing his mate sound so broken while crying out his name helped shake him out of his trance. It was his instinct to always comfort you, even if he was in a dead sleep, he’d wake up to make sure you were alright. His movements halted and he blinked his eyes continuously, trying to force himself awake so that he could get a better gist of his surroundings.

He could see the trees and brush all around him, he could see the moonlight glistening in the sky above him. But why was he outside? And why were you crying for him?

That’s when he found himself deep inside another woman, who was staring back at him fondly and singing, raising her hand up to his face to try and lure him back to her. He knew what he was doing with the woman was wrong, but her song was so enchanting, he almost kept going with his actions.

But he could hear you bawling your eyes out not too far away from him. It brought him to his senses and he quickly withdrew from the woman, pushing her away and growling at her, warning her to stay away from him. She just sat up and looked at him with a smirk on her face.

“What the fuck??” Was all he could muster out, pulling you out of sobbing into your hands to look up at him.

You sniffled, catching his attention and making him attempt to come over to your aid, it was his instinct as your mate to put you first after all. Which only made you back up with a scowl on your face. He hadn’t even… pulled up his pants yet. How DARE he come near you with himself still exposed after he had been inside another woman?

Once he realized why you were inching away from him after a small gust of air hit him, he turned around quickly and positioned himself back into his sweats.

The Siren looked over at both your torn expressions with her blood red eyes and laughed, amused by the predicament that she had purposely created.

“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now huh?” She seductively said, finally sitting all the way up and standing on her two heeled feet.

She started getting closer to Minghao, who snarled at her to stay away from him. She just darkly chuckled.

“Oh relax baby. We had quite a bit of fun these last few days. I already got what I wanted from you so I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore…” she tsked while rubbing over her stomach tenderly, indicating that she already had fertilized eggs she would be laying soon.

“I just kept coming back for more. You were the best I’ve ever had and expecting just makes me so… horny sometimes, I’m not really sure why, so I kept going with it and kept coming back to you.”

You wanted to throw up. You wanted to rip her to shreds. You wanted to beat Minghao to death. You wanted to run away as fast as you could. But you were frozen, too traumatized by the whole situation to even move. You just went back to crying silently.

“I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t! I have a mate!” He yelled at her, in complete disbelief of the entire situation.

He loved you, more than life itself. Why would he risk what he had with you to be with her? She was lying. She HAD to have been lying… right?

“Yes, you would. Yes, you could. Yes, you did. Mates don’t really matter when it comes to sex. Me and you- We’re both just primal beings, we want to reproduce. You know, I almost moved on to the next town, but then I saw you. I could sense your need to procreate. And now, thanks to you and your willingness, I’m going to.” She devilishly smiled as she came up and began running her hand through his hair.

He jerked his head away and gritted his teeth, eyes already spotting red in anger at the woman.

“Dont fucking touch me!” He lowly let out, his fingers curling into fists and his knuckles turning white from the pressure of how tight his hand was closing.

He was yours. How dare she fucking touch him? Especially when you were right there? Who the fuck did she think she was?

“Why not baby? You’ve already touched me. And now, your mate knows it too.” The Siren fake pouted, swaying her hips from side to side.

“Fuck you! Don’t call me that! I didn’t know what I was doing!” He declared as his claws started to elongate due to the woman’s lack of respect for the both of you.

“Of course you did. My song has you follow me sure. But It doesn’t MAKE you want to fuck me. Sure you may have thought it was a dream, but you still kept coming back. Pun intended.” She taunted in your direction, clearly trying to get under your skin. Of course, it was working.

“You didn’t tell her about the ‘dreams’ you were having either. You wanted it to be a secret. You wanted THIS to be kept a secret. You didn’t want to get caught so we could keep going because you loved it so much. She must not be taking care of your needs too well…” She smirked at you while running her finger up and down his chest, making you cry even harder at her words.

Was it true? Did he really know what he was doing? Did he… want her? More than he wanted you? Did he get with a siren because his instincts told him it was time to mate and he knew you weren’t ready to have a child? Were you really not enough for your own fucking mate?

“Stop fucking talking!” He shouted at the woman as he pushed her back after hearing your sobs worsen at her continuous talking.

“Now Now Minghao. Is that any way to speak to the mother of your children?” She tilted her head and looked at him as if she won, waltzing her way backwards so he could get a better view of her.

She was pregnant. Pregnant with his offspring. The thought made some part of you break, a part that you had already thought broken after having caught them. The part of you that craved him was now… damaged? It felt like there was a hole in the part of you that could sense him, you weren’t sure how to explain it. You just knew that it hurt like hell and you wanted it to stop.

You thought he would care, hell, even he thought he probably should’ve cared a little, but honestly, He didn’t give a shit. She wasn’t really human. THEY wouldn’t be human. She was soulless. THEY would be soulless too. They were evil and he couldn’t care less about what happened to manipulative dark creatures. Those THINGS wouldn’t really be his. They would be hers. They would be sirens that preyed on innocent people the same way she did. She just used him to create more demons.

He had a mate. A mate he loved more than anything. He had you, at least he was still hoping he did. He wanted you to have his children. He wanted to watch your belly grow and wanted to hold your hand while you had his babies. He wanted to raise them to be loving happy good people just like you were.

But here you were, crying over something this evil… thing had started. He refused to allow her to speak anymore, you didn’t deserve to have to sit here and listen to her lies and torments. You didn’t deserve and of this.

“You’re talking about them like they’d be real children, like they’d be real people. They wouldn’t be. They would be pure evil. Just like you. None of you are human.” Minghao sneered, shoving her to the ground in anger and allowing his claws to fully come out. You watched as he got closer to her and you could hear his heart rate excel in furry.

“You hurt my mate. You’ve ruined everything. I’ll fucking kill you for what you’ve done!” He said, tears burning at his eyes as he knew full well things would probably never be the same with you ever again.

She just chuckled at his threat. She figured he wouldn’t let her live when they got caught, but she was glad it all happened. Sirens weren’t afraid of death, their lack of souls made it impossible for them to really be remotely remorseful or human. But at least now, she made you hate him. At least she caused the havoc she craved so deeply on yet another unsuspecting couple. She had no regrets.

-

You had passed out from exhaustion. Shedding so many tears really took a lot out of you. You thought that you had dreamed it all for a second. God, you hoped it was all just a dream. But, when you awoke to a very tired and worn out looking Minghao sitting next to you holding your hand, you knew it wasn’t. He had blood on his cheeks and on his sweats, he must’ve made good on his promise to kill the sadistic creature that ruined your lives.

Tears started streaming down your cheeks again at the remembrance of the woman, you pulled you hand away from his in disgust. It made his heart ache to think about everything that had happened. That he was now trying to touch you with the hands he touched her with. You couldn’t believe him. You didn’t want to even look at him.

“(Y/N), please. Let me explain.” He pleaded, pulling your hand back to his and placing a chaste kiss to it.

“FUCK YOU!”

You started to roar from the hurt he caused you. He wanted to help you, he couldn’t just have you sit there crying and not at least try to comfort you. He brought your weakened form into his chest and shushed you. You began hitting him with what little energy and strength you had. He just let you, knowing full well you couldn’t really harm him, even if you wanted to hurt him the way you were hurting. You still loved him. And you fucking hated yourself for it.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?”

You smacking his body again and again while he just rubbed your back in response, tears threatening to spill from his own eyes. You were so mad. You wanted to kill him. He could see it written all over your face. The absolute devastation and betrayal had turned all your love for him into bitterness. How could it not? You trusted him and he turned around and slapped you in the face with the faith and trust you had given him.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?!?”

You held your eyes shut as you continued pounding at his chest, trying to hit as much of his skin as you could so you could express the pain you felt inside. Feeling all the heartache hit you like a bullet straight through your heart. Angry tears had started falling from your eyes at a gut wrenching pace.

“I HATE YOU!”

You sobbed as you finally stopped hitting him and just went back to burying you head in his torso to vent out all your frustration and anger. Why did this have to happen?

“I fucking hate you.”

You blubbered, bringing your hands to your eyes in an attempt to muffle your howls of agony. You were sure by this point you had woken up the rest of the pack with your screams, but you didn’t care. All you could think about was the stinging feeling in your chest. How could he do this to you? How could he be so disloyal when all you had ever done was love him with your whole soul?

“I know.” He stated, kissing the top of your head as tears began to fall from his eyes and onto you.

You hated how you wanted nothing more than to cry all your pain away into his chest. You hated that you still craved his skin touching yours. You hated that his voice brought you so much comfort and security. You wanted to hate him, but you couldn’t. Even if he did what he did, he was still your mate.

Another Author’s Note: Before anyone comes for me and says shit about me having him “kill a pregnant woman” please actually READ the siren description. You’ll see that they aren’t people. They’re literally demons. She would’ve hatched ACTUAL DEMONS, even if they looked human, they wouldn’t ACTUALLY be. So he didn’t really kill anything but evil creatures which happens all the time in these aus. Also, I made this where, while he doesn’t necessarily know what he’s doing while he’s… well you know, doing her, he does have to be okay with it deep down for the sirens song to work. Meaning some part of him was actually complicit with it. It’s complicated. I’ll explain better during his next chapter. It just felt like a “every bitch and their mother’s gonna cheat” kinda day you know? But yeah, hope you guys enjoyed the third chapter of the day!

(Updated 9/24)

[yandere-daydreams]

not a request, but a concept- i love a sadistic, dom lucifer just as much as the next person, but consider; emotionally unstable, sad lucifer who literally just needs a hug. on the outside he seems to be cool and asshole, but then he goes to his darling and just... falls apart

It’s a request now, anon. I’ve been dying to write for any kind of emotionally vulnerable, soft Lucifer, especially if he can only bring himself to stop being, y’know, *like that* when he’s alone with his Darling. It’s a lifestyle. 

TW: Toxic Relationships, Emotional Manipulation and Unhealthy Mindsets.

~

Lucifer was not a man of great emotion. 

That’s not to say he couldn’t be passionate, you’d be the first to attest to his intensity. He felt, but he did so privately, behind closed doors and rarely then, at that. You could count the number of times you’d seen him laugh on one hand, and over your time with him, the closest he’d ever gotten to crying was a half-choked word and a scowl slightly less engrained than the one that usually graced his lips. You didn’t have a problem with it. If anything, his composure was a little boring, even his most out-of-character actions coming off as planned, predictable. You didn’t like predictable. You didn’t dislike it, but you couldn’t say it provoked much fondness for the man who carried such a sterile air of responsibility. 

You didn’t feel too bad about it. The feeling was mutual, as far as you could guess. 

Even now, lying next to him, the intimacy was manufactured, made of some mechanical obligation you couldn’t seem to rid yourself of. His bed was big enough for two people to sleep at arm's length, and yet, his chest was pressed against your beck, hot breath fanning across the nape of your neck whenever he exhaled. Labored breaths, louder than they had to be. You wondered if he was just doing it to break the silence, but you didn’t see the point in making an effort. Silence wasn’t awkward until someone felt the need to fill it, a concept you’d thought Lucifer understood. Regardless of how tightly he had pressed himself against you. 

You yawned, stretching as you sat up, leaving velvet sheets and down-stuffed pillows behind in favor of the cold chill his room always maintained. Your clothes were somewhere, but you couldn’t see them from where you were sitting. By the door, maybe, or the skeleton he’d strung up in the corner, the one you had yet to decide the source of. You swung your legs off the side of the mattress, intending to begin the search that would single the end of the night, but a strong arm wrapped around your midriff, pulling you back into place before you could take a full step. Lucifer was just barely holding himself up, but his weight was soon settled onto you, his abandoned territory quickly reclaimed. 

His voice was tired, deep and rough. Not exhausted, but ready to be. “Stay,” He mumbled, his voice muffled against your skin. “You don’t have to leave, yet.” 

You laughed, the soft sound turning into a sigh as you leaned against the headboard. You squirmed, slightly, testing Lucifer’s grip, but finding it loose was a bittersweet discovery. He wanted to hold something. You were replaceable, and both of you knew it. As soon as you were properly settled, his head was pressed into your chest, resting just below your shoulder as you tried to find something to do with your hands. Eventually, you settled on raking your fingers through his hair, attempting to find his usual neat part in the disheveled mess. “If you want to sleep with someone, I’ll let Asmo in on my way out,” You replied, only half-joking. “You know I prefer my own bed, Luci.” 

“Mine’s bigger, more comfortable. Way better than your’s.” A weaker, throaty noise found its way past his pursed lips as you ran your nails over his scalp, and you smiled, drinking in the way he leaned into your palm. It was a new reaction, albeit a minor one. You let him continue without interruption. “Better than Mammon’s, too.” 

You grit your teeth, hoping your tension wasn’t visible. “I thought you said you wouldn’t--” 

“I wouldn’t talk about it? I have a right to know what my brothers get up to, (Y/n).” His voice was firmer than it had been, but if there was any force behind his resolution, you couldn’t tell. Resigned wasn’t the right word for it. Accepting, maybe, but that seemed just as wrong. Still, his touch was soft as his fingertips brushed over your hip, drawing seamless, shapeless patterns in your side. “I don’t care, if it helps. I’ve seen how you treat them, and I know you’re…” He trailed off, pausing for a brief moment. Something had seeped its way into his tone, something venomous, the inflection only becoming more apparent as he went on. “I know they’re special to you. There’s no reason to hide it.” 

You clicked your tongue, kissing the top of his head. “There’s no reason to be jealous, either. You’re just as special to me as they are.” 

“Am I?” He pushed himself up, making a point of meeting your eyes, despite how adamantly you refused to return the effort. “You say that, love, and you’ll say it again a thousand times, but it’s hard to believe you. I see how you avoid me, how you keep yourself at a distance. If I was special to you, earning your attention wouldn’t feel like a chore. I shouldn’t have to see you try to split yourself seven ways.” There was a slight pause and another sigh, this one more agitated than the last. “If I was special to you, I wouldn’t have to share at all.” 

“I can’t have a favorite,” You countered, fighting back the frown pulling at the corners of your lips. “It wouldn’t be fair to the others, or me, or anyone. They won’t be happy if--”

“They’ll learn to live with it.” He over you, now, one hand on your waist and the other kneading at the sheets, his knuckles turning white as he buried his face in the crook of your shoulder. He melted against you, making no attempt to hold himself back from the gentle affection. You were too caught off-guard to resist. “I give up so much, I tolerate so much. I deserve this, don’t I? Right now, I feel like I have to put you on a leash just to get you away from those parasites--” 

You didn’t let him finish. Instead, you tightened your hold on hair, dragging him up to his height and pressing your lips against his, stunning Lucifer into silence. The kiss wasn’t assertive, nor was it aggressive, but he let out a low, elongated whine, biting at your lips and attempting to further the gesture, although his efforts were in vain. You pulled away without warning, leaving him to pout and nip at your jaw as he tried to regain your attention. But, you were lost in thought, a wide, delirious grin spread across your lips. You couldn’t help it, you were too excited to suppress it. 

He hadn’t done this before. He’d never been so desperate. 

It was unexpected. 

It was new. 

And you had a feeling it’d be a long, long time before you got bored of this side of Lucifer, too.

[bluetiefling]

my marks are on your heart || a playlist for the torrid love affair of Sidney and Charlotte || curated by @beavesaintmaries and @bluetiefling || listen youtube spotify

lewis capaldi - bruises || “I've been told to get you off my mind, but I hope I never lose the bruises that you left behind” 

tove lo - out of mind || “let go, no more us, move on, I'm trying, denying, saying time will heal, keep lying, to make me feel, I'm okay”

elina - mirage || “You see I'm a bit unstable, twenty drinks a night to hide that I can't stand not having you, I come across as heartless, even though my heart breaks, every time you're close” 

astrid s - does she know || “does she know that I had you from the start, does she know that the bruises never change, my marks are on your heart, I had you from the start” 

zella day - shadow preachers || “I close my eyes, just close the door, you want a minute, I'll give you more, maybe I don't want you either, we're both unsettled, nighttime creatures” 

unkle bob - swans || “you tell me that you love me but you never wanna see me again” 

clara mae - loved you once || “getting heavy to breathe in this room together, it's so awkward, we can't seem to do it better, can't we just fake a smile, put our shit to the side”

taylor swift - illicit affairs || “don't call me kid, don't call me baby, look at this godforsaken mess that you made me, you showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else” 

a r i z o n a - don’t leave || “by now you're probably tired of chasing all my storms, but don't put out your fire, I need you to lead me home”

banners - no one knows us || “wanna push you up against the wall, vertical, free fall yeah, want 'em all to hear me call you baby, I know it’s never gonna happen, and I’ve learned to I accept that”

charlotte oc - I want your love || “wine and cigarettes, the taste of your lips in the dark, we've already got regrets so why would we ever stop”

hozier - talk || “I won't deny I've got in my mind now all the things I would do, so I'll try to talk refined for fear that you find out how I'm imaginin' you” 

dagny - wearing nothing || “yeah I'm getting warmer as you're holding me, but I still feel too far away now, help me please cause I can't deal with clothes between us” 

chloe x halle - wonder what she thinks of me || “it's never wrong when it feels right, I'll hold you close and pretend you're mine, I'll be the sun against your skin, I'll be there when she's not listening” 

james bay - wild love || “I wanna take you high up, let our hearts be the only sound, I wanna go where the lights burn low and you're only mine, I wanna give you wild love”

kiesza - sweet love || “it won't be enough, pretending it ain't what we want, we'll only want it more, let it just be us now, have a little trust, give your body what it’s hoping for”

dermot kennedy - giants || “we were the song in the silence, but time catches up, just say the word, and I'll be yours, you know I never forgot”

nilu - are you with me || “right now I need you here, I need you to stay strong, to remind me where I came from, and where I belong” 

charlotte oc - where it stays || “we found the devil in our love, we found the way, why do I feel like you're with me everywhere I lay” 

astrid s - years || “even the hurt, yeah I know that it's worth, all the years it'll take for me to get over you”

jack curley - tomorrow || “so I gotta let her go, then she comes in looking like that, million-dollar smile and I'm smiling right back, I know I swore that I'd let her go, but I'll tell her tomorrow”

[thepetulantpen]

Two Librarians in Armageddon

(Day 5 of @shadowgastweek! Only had time for one fic this week, but after I read this prompt my brain said Pacific Rim AU and would not leave me alone until I wrote this. It’s pretty long, so here’s the ao3 link.)

(Pacific Rim AU, featuring the wizards as scientists!)

Caleb would not say he’s fond of working with others, let alone sharing his lab.

Solitary work is more in his nature, but after years of sharing close-quarters with Veth- and after getting adjusted to Jester, in general- he’s learned to tolerate, even enjoy, having company while he’s working. His friends have more than prepared him for anyone else he’ll have to work with; they’ve ensured that he’ll be hanging onto his habits of keeping anything important secured, in the event of an unexpected explosion, and of guarding his coffee with his life, in the event of poorly-timed pranks.

He does not think his new lab partner will be bringing any unstable explosives, or sugary abominations to replace his coffee with.

From what he’s been told, the new addition to their little pre-apocalypse team is a physicist working on tech for a competing company, someone far outside Caleb’s scope. The fact that they still have competing companies of mech-developers while there are aliens bursting from the sea to eat them is a nightmare all its own, but the writhing horrors of capitalism are a beast that science, and the Kaiju guts strewn across the table before him, has proved ineffective against.

The truce between them, in the interest of allowing powerful Jaegers to work together, is an uneasy and temporary one. Caleb, personally, doesn’t think it’ll last beyond one or two failures. He just hopes they won’t fall back into the slew of sabotages that plagued them at the beginning of their downward spiral, before everyone realized the world may actually be ending.  

The rather small detail of imminent Armageddon has made his preference, or lack thereof, for company inconsequential. In the long run- or short, if they don’t manage a major breakthrough soon- his opinions as an introvert are insignificant.

It’s not all bad- as an innately curious person, the opportunity to meet someone just as experienced as him in the field of Kaiju is fascinating. Particularly considering that their specialization is so different; he’s almost looking forward to the new insight. He’d even be excited if it wasn’t for the subject matter.

It can be challenging to be enthusiastic about the driving force of the apocalypse.

He digs deeper into the partially collapsed chunk of Kaiju ribcage in front of him, no longer bothered by his poor choice of distraction. It’s a misnomer to call it a ribcage, given that the Kaiju do not have bones in the classical sense, but it’s close enough in location to approximate. He’d rather have a brain to work with, though he’ll settle for what he can get. Storing Kaiju is difficult, with their accelerated rate of rot once exposed to the air- if he’s not careful, his work could be reduced to ash in an hour.

He needs to catalogue the differences between this corpse and the last, pinpointing patterns in organ placement. The work is dull, while still requiring his full concentration to avoid puncturing any of the many, many inexplicably acidic organs. If he wasn’t already good friends with the base’s medics, he would’ve been taken off this job long ago.

Once he’s elbow-deep in a Kaiju, he stops paying attention to the door. He does not notice the knocking, nor the quiet greeting, nor the faint whir of machinery as his new colleague hovers through the doorway.

“Should you be touching that? It looks toxic.”

Caleb jumps at the voice beside him and the scalpel in his hand jerks, cutting into the mystery organ he’d been considering removing. Something vaguely liquid hits his wrist above the glove and he waits two seconds to see if it’ll burn, before deciding he probably doesn’t need to run screaming to the nearest med station.

“It’s fine,” he mutters, partially in response and partially to himself. “I know what I’m doing.”

He looks down, towards his new colleague, who, at first glance, is thoroughly unimpressed at that lie.

He sits in a wheelchair- minus the wheels, as it hovers gently off the ground, coming to about the same height the wheels would give it. Clearly a new model- hovering technology aside- it’s a sleek, minimalist white, matching his equally sleek, swept back white hair. The high turtleneck and overly formal coat allow Caleb to immediately peg him as somewhat uptight. Near-apocalypse has made formality rare.

Caleb hurries to wash his hands, finding the nearby sink labelled for nasty, potentially lethal chemical disposal. “I was told you’d arrive today, but,” he glances up at the dingy lab clock, the glass cracked from Veth’s last visit, “I didn’t imagine it’d be so soon. It’s, uh, a bit of a mess.”

“I’ve seen worse,” he says, unconvincingly, and changes track, “That desk is mine, yes?”

There’s only one other desk in the room, moved there sometime yesterday after Caleb, under threat from his superiors, managed to shift away some of the boxes that line the walls. It’s only a small space, but it’s the cleanest part of the room.

The question, he reasons, is rhetorical, but Caleb nods anyway. He considers that answer enough- though the other man doesn’t move, staring at him expectantly. He’s oddly expressive, his attempts to keep a completely straight face only making any slipups, like the annoyed twitch of his eyebrow, more obvious.

It makes it easy to see the exact moment his patience runs out.

“I’m sure you were informed, but,” here, he looks to the side, dodging Caleb’s returning attention, “for the sake of introductions, I am Essek Thelyss.”

Ah, so that’s what he’d forgotten. Caleb thinks it’s unfair that he had to fail miserably at one of the last introductions he will have made before the end of the world- surely, he could’ve had just one go smoothly.

“Oh- I’m Caleb,” he reaches out a hand, meeting Essek’s already extended one for a brief shake- his hands may be clean now, but Essek doesn’t look thrilled at the prospect of touching Kaiju guts, even  indirectly, “Caleb Widogast.”

Something unidentifiable passes over Essek’s expression- disappointment or judgement, perhaps, at not recognizing the name. Widogast is not printed on any books, nor is it associated with anything high-profile like Thelyss; strictly, it doesn’t exist at all.

That, or the smell of the rotting Kaiju getting to him.

As he watches Essek pause halfway across the room to clear his path, and again to widen the space around his desk, Caleb is hit with the vivid realization that this isn’t going to be an enlightening, academic experience, nor an uncomfortable few days of socialization. It’s going to be more than a bump in the alien-fueled crisis that is his current existence.

This is going to be a disaster.

…

“Widogast, do you have any idea where my notebook’s gone?”

It has only taken Caleb three days to be able to identify the various tones for annoyed in Essek’s voice. There’s this is a minor inconvenience and this is a major inconvenience and this is one of many annoying things I haven’t pointed out yet today, including, but not limited to, the ever-present stench of Kaiju flesh.

He can say, with relative confidence, that this falls into the latest category.

“Have you tried all your desk drawers?” he calls over his shoulder, knowing the question is unnecessary but stalling for time as he heaves the last of the Kaiju parts- partially burned and fragmented limbs, today- onto his work table.

Essek, unlike Caleb, is meticulously organized, never misplaces anything and files according to system that escapes Caleb, no matter how many times he tries to decode it. From Essek’s perspective, the rest of the lab is a dangerous no man’s land of abject chaos- though Caleb has never lost anything. He knows, precisely, where everything is, no piece of preserved alien fading from his memory. An organization system is pointless, when one has a photographic memory.

That is, until one has to share a lab with someone who bothers to keep track of their belongings.

He doesn’t wait for a response, already able to picture Essek behind him, sitting with his arms crossed and looking deeply disappointed by Caleb’s suggestion, which amounts to did you turn it on and off again? Leaving the still sealed Kaiju parts where they are, he turns back to his own desk.

After exonerating himself and Essek, the list of suspects for meddling with their desks is very short. The base, these days, is not the hub of activity it used to be, back when there were far more Jaeger pilots alive and far better morale. Their lab is typically empty, aside from Caleb and Essek, as few people are inclined towards the smell of dead Kaiju. Even the corporals, some of the rare higher-ups with clearance, can’t be bothered to visit more frequently than their mandatory check-ins.

He can only think of two people who clearance would not be an issue for.

“Is he handsome, Caleb?”

“I don’t think it would be professional—”

“He definitely is, Jessie.”

Before today, he’d thought that Jester and Veth hadn’t gotten around to the visit they’d been threatening; clearly, they’d taken the liberty while he wasn’t in. Veth knows better than to steal notebooks- she wouldn’t be interested in them, anyway- and Jester isn’t in the habit of taking things, only misplacing them.

Caleb hardly ever uses his own desk, preferring to leave his notebooks scattered over the lab tables, in easier reach. Only the older ones are still perched on his desk, in a precariously tall pile- but one notebook stands out from the rest, not quite as ratty and overstuffed as his own.

“Ah, here it is,” he holds it up, gesturing Essek over and trying not to look too sheepish- it is not, after all, his fault. As he hands it over, and quickly turns back to his work, he can only hope that Jester hasn’t doodled anything too embarrassing inside. “Jester must have misplaced it, while exploring the lab.”

“Jester?” Essek asks, eyebrows furrowing in something that would be irritation, if his expression wasn’t trained to be so stoic, “Is she supposed to have clearance here?”

“The medical staff have free reign, in case of incidents with hazardous material.” He glances back at Essek, who still looks confused, and remembers that not everyone is on a first-name basis with the medics. “Jester Lavorre. You might know Caduceus- that is, Mr. Clay- better. He’s the more… healing inclined, of the two.”

“Jester Lavorre,” Essek starts, slowly as he unpacks his own question, “regularly comes here to… explore? What, she just, rifles through your things?”

He is not sure how to explain the idea of Jester to someone who doesn’t know her.

Essek already looks delightfully confounded- a considerable a departure from his typical stern concentration. Caleb almost wants to thank Jester for pulling Essek away from the handheld chalkboards he spends his days bent over, lines of nearly indecipherable equations appearing and disappearing with only the smudge of chalk on Essek’s hands as evidence of their existence. Distracting Essek has proved to be a challenge- even the sounds of saws and the number of other unpleasant devices involved in Kaiju dissection don’t get Caleb so much as a glance.

He does not try to explain Jester, opting to shrug, instead. “She knows she can find me here, so she stays until I show up. Sometimes she gets bored.” It occurs to him that other people haven’t been prepped for company in the same way he has. It occurs to him that it is abnormal to brace for a scavenger hunt every time he enters the lab. “I suggest you leave your important documents in a locked drawer.”

He refrains from telling Essek that Veth can pick locks and that Jester has broken open desk drawers before (there was an incident involving a prank war, smuggling, and increasingly desperate hiding places). None of it seems particularly reassuring.

Essek gives him a strange look, but nods. “I will keep that in mind.”

“You might also find things that aren’t yours by your desk.” Caleb looks over his shoulder to see Essek still watching him. “Consider them gifts.”

“Like what?”

“Like…” Caleb pauses, realizing that none of the things he was about to list are work-appropriate, “Well, it could be anything.”

Caleb’s starting to worry that he might end up causing the rift between companies that leads to the end of the world- with his terrible first impression, and equally bad secondary impressions- but when a parasol shows up at Essek’s desk a day later, he does not ask Caleb where it came from.

He does, however, quietly ask Caleb to send along his thanks to Jester.

…

“I am not imagining that it smells particularly bad today, yes?”

Caleb has acquired, in part thanks to Veth, partial halves of two Kaiju hearts. Partial is the best they could manage, on account of the massive holes blown in the beasts’ chests. Nonetheless, he’s ecstatic- an opportunity like this, for a direct comparison, is rare.

Kaiju barbecue, as it turns out, does not smell very appetizing. It is what he would think a bucket of cleaning supplies set on fire would smell like, though it leaves the air with the unpleasant aftertaste of cheap fruit snacks.

“They’re a little charred,” he says, hiding a smile- they are far more than a little charred, “Veth’s testing out different chemical combinations for the Jaeger ammunition. I don’t think she’s quite nailed it yet.”

Essek scoffs, cautiously approaching the table with one hand over his nose and mouth, the other resting on the chair’s controls. “How many people of wildly different departments are you on a first-name basis with?”

“Just a few.” Thoroughly distracted with cutting away the burnt pieces, Caleb doesn’t look up. “There’s also, uh, Fjord. He captains one of the boats, works on deployment.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” A soft whir, as Essek hovers a few inches higher, putting him at a better height to peer over the table with Caleb. “Do you need any help?”

Caleb blinks, surprised, and almost drops the scalpel he was sanitizing. “Aren’t you busy?”

Essek, with his old-fashioned chalkboards in the place of far more convenient holograms, never leaves his desk, never so much as turns around to bounce a theory off of Caleb. It seems like there’s a new pack of chalk and fresh notebook on his desk every other day- clearly he’s making progress, but the bubble of focus around Essek is too intimidating for Caleb to investigate.

“I’ve reached a stopping point,” Essek frowns when Caleb looks at him, waiting for him to elaborate, and sighs, “I’m stuck on the particle displacement we’ve detected at the mouth of the rifts, which only seems to effect the Kaiju, not the pilots. It’s- I don’t think you’d be interested. I need something else to do, while I brainstorm.”

Caleb manages to bite back his disappointment at not getting to hear the rest and points towards the sink- the one safe for normal use, that doesn’t currently have corrosion scars from caustic acids. “I can definitely give you that.”

Essek, unsurprisingly, is incredibly helpful. He might not fully understand the process, but he’s precise in following Caleb’s instructions and doesn’t complain when he has to touch the gross, slimy parts. He generously interprets Caleb’s just put them over there to mean place them very carefully in straight lines. It only takes him a few minutes to get the hang of it, effortlessly following Caleb’s lead as they work in parallel on their respective halves of the hearts.

“I can’t say I understand the appeal,” Essek starts, after many minutes of silence, “but there’s certainly something to working with the actual thing, rather than theory.”

Caleb is working at a particularly tough piece- the Kaiju are, if nothing else, heavily armored, inside and out- the exposure to oxygen making everything harder to pull apart, to cut up and catalogue. He doesn’t look up at Essek’s words, but finds his attention easily split.

“It’s all about,” Caleb pushes down, again, and the muscles finally give, “manipulating the body, finding what makes it tick. From there, we can change it.”

“Like,” Essek pauses, hesitating, “change it from living to dead, you mean.”

Caleb huffs, almost under his breath, “In this circumstance, perhaps.”

To his side, he sees Essek’s hands still, briefly, and feels eyes on him as Essek looks up. Essek has this way of looking at him, like he’s waiting for something, until an invisible tell gives him away. He feels both studied and seen through.

Caleb can’t say he hates it.

“You don’t sound as happy about that as I’d expect. Normally, people are thrilled at the thought of dead Kaiju,” Essek gestures, with one gloved hand, over the table, “More for you.”

Caleb looks firmly down at the heart, imagining the many cross-sections and pieces still unmapped, in the burned away absence. “I just think that more can be done.”

“I suppose that’s one thing we can agree on.” Essek is already looking at him when Caleb looks up, so their eyes meet, “The other side of the rifts are far more interesting. There’s no telling what we could find, how we could progress- but we need those doors closed, if we’re going to be alive to enjoy that progress.”

“I don’t think it’s as simple as leaving them open or closed.”

Essek leans back over the heart, having found what he was looking for in Caleb’s expression, and mutters, almost to himself, “You might be right about that.”

Caleb doesn’t say anything else, just watches as Essek finishes with his portion of the heart. Essek’s hands, even with the borrowed plastic gloves, do not look like they belong amongst the controlled carnage of the lab table. Made for spinning chalk between fingers, and gliding across the holograms.

He lines up the scalpel again, just a bit off-target, just a bit too close to the arteries. “Ah, don’t—”

Caleb grabs Essek’s hand, stopping him before he pierces something he shouldn’t- the faint burns on his own hands are proof of this lesson learned. Essek freezes, startled by the contact, and grips the scalpel a little tighter before he catches up to what’s happened and pulls back.

Caleb lets him go, with some reluctance. “The blood is, uh, acidic. You have to cut around carefully, or it– you get the picture.”

“It’s good that you were watching, then,” Essek doesn’t smile, but his face suggests that he might have, if he possessed less self-control, “I owe you one, Widogast.”

Caleb does not possess that same control- he’s not sure what Essek hears in his voice as he says, “It’s no trouble.”

He thinks, in the end, he may have been more successful in distracting himself from his work, than he was in distracting Essek.

…

Caleb has reached the point where the crick in his neck from leaning over his work, the pages and pages of pieced together neural pathways and conflicting experiments, is threatening to make the hunch of his shoulders permanent. Essek cannot be in a much better place- Caleb glances over to catch him with his head in his hands, again, a half-filled chalkboard laying forlornly on his desk.

Caleb stands with no warning, letting his pen clatter on the table and pushing his chair away with more force than necessary. Essek looks up, alarmed and- unless Caleb’s imagining it- intrigued.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Which is how they’ve found themselves on the steel catwalk above the Jaegers, high up in the hanger and out of sight of people who know they shouldn’t be here. Neither of them are stealthy enough to pull this off for long- the equivalent of two librarians, tiny amongst the massive machines that represent their only hope against Armageddon.

“It’s always weird to see them from up here.” The giant, unpiloted mechs seem to stare back at Caleb as they’re shifted into place. Empty eyes, visors with no life behind them. “Feels like we shouldn’t be looking at them eye-to-eye.”

Essek hums, and leans forward slightly, as close to the rails as he dares. “I’m more used to seeing them in diagrams.”

Caleb had known, in theory, that there must be a tangled web of physics behind the engineering of the Jaegers, but it’s different to know that Essek holds those secrets. He’d love nothing more than to pick his brain about it, even if it’s far outside his field. It’s a shame the hanger feels like an inappropriate place to host a high-detail physics lecture.

“It must be interesting, working with us. Thelyss has been, uh,” he hesitates, unsure if this is rude to point out, “forgive me for saying, rather at odds with Dwendalian interests.”

Essek is quiet for a moment, almost long enough for Caleb to pull the ripcord and apologize, before responding, “It has been interesting. It is… an opportunity, for me, to work for something greater than I have in the past.”

“In the past?”

“We have not been as,” he pauses, searching for the word, “kind as we should have, in sharing our designs. Many have failed to consider the state of the world in our quest for progress.”

Corporate sabotage in the race for mechs is something of a well-known secret. The extent of it is hidden, mostly, behind the veil of the destruction that it coincided with. Trading the right secrets to the wrong person could take you far- it just might mean leaving burning cities in your wake.

Essek, overlooking the last of the Jaegers, the vestiges of hope for the world, suddenly looks so tired, older than Caleb had seen him before now. It reminds of Caleb of his own reflection, at night when the manic layer of end of the world is wiped away to reveal exhaustion. Essek’s formality, the organized face he presents, functions as just another mask.

“I have made many mistakes. I am hoping-” Essek shakes his head, correcting himself, “All I can do is try again. To be better.”

Caleb cannot absolve him, cannot lift the weight of things unsaid, guilt anchored deeply. He can only stand there, at Essek’s side, and carry his own guilt.

“Leave it to the end of the world to show us that we can only move forward, until we run out of road.” Caleb tries for a smile, one Essek doesn’t match. “Sometimes, I’m not sure there’s still road. Feel like I’m drifting over the dirt, these days.”

Essek’s response, agreement or disagreement, is drowned out as they start shifting another of the Jaegers, the dragging of metal and old supports strained to their limits forming a din that has passerby covering their ears. Caleb watches its pilots stare up at it, unflinching in the noise.

He finds himself talking as the noise stops, filling the vacuum of silence, “I was almost one of them, you know.”

After he says it, he immediately regrets it. In one moment, it feels like the thing to do- share something personal, after Essek had taken the first step- and in the next, it feels like an entirely unnecessary can of worms. Because, of course, the next question is-

“Under who?”

Caleb swallows and considers lying. He could do it. He could keep it vague- he should, it should stay buried like his name. He’s not entirely sure why he doesn’t want to.

“Ikithon.”

He sees it, the second he says it. He sees the recognition, the surprise, the fear. Essek knows that name, more than anyone in passing knows that name. To Essek, he is not simply an unpleasant teacher.

He doesn’t want to see Essek as someone who worked with Ikithon- he doesn’t want to know what it means that he would forgive Essek, in a heartbeat, but can’t do same for himself.

“I wasn’t able to drift,” Caleb continues, and almost believes that’s the whole truth, the entire, uncomplicated reason, “Dropped out of the Academy.” Not before the damage was done.

Essek looks down, studying the grimy floor beneath them. “Probably for the best.”

“I’m starting to think we should’ve put our funding into time machines, instead of Jaegers.” Caleb sighs, and feels a part of himself leave with his breath. He looks to his side, where Essek remains silent. “Should’ve gone into physics, I guess.”

People rush around below them, preparing for another Jaeger to enter. The gate is cleared, the runway lights up, and various maintenance teams stand at the ready. Caleb wonders how they can stand this, how they can keep going through the motions every day, even as less and less pilots return.

He supposes he could say the same about himself, about anyone still coming to work on this base. For the first time in a long time, they’re all working towards the same thing. They’re all looking to the pilots, spending what’s left of their lives to stack the deck in their favor.

“I know a few of them,” Caleb pauses, and clarifies, “The pilots, I mean.”

“You failed to mention that, in your list of people you know.” Essek tries to laugh, though it doesn’t quite come out right, and looks back up at Caleb, “Which ones?”

“I’m not sure you know them.” People in their position don’t generally interact with the pilots, directly. Caleb would say it’s strange for him to have friends in the Academy, but it’s not the weirdest connection he’s made recently. “Yasha and Beau on the Cobalt line. They’re only just out of the Academy.”

Only just out and making a formidable reputation for themselves. He’s only skimmed the statistics, but if there was a leaderboard, he’d say they’re pulling ahead. Knowing Beau, that’s greater motivation than the potential for saving the world.

Essek’s façade falls away completely, showing his surprise. “The two terrifying women in the Expositor?”

“Those are the ones,” Caleb leans against the railing, out of the shadows. A little more bold, now that most of the people below are distracted. A massive Jaeger, with chipping blue paint and massive jets affixed to its back, steps in through the gate, tracking in water around its heels. “Speak of the devil.”

He can imagine Beau and Yasha working in tandem, seamlessly, to bring the mech into the hanger, ducking its head slightly to make it under the doorway. One hand is occupied, clenched around a scaly leg, metal fingers dug into the fallen Kaiju’s flesh. It’s oddly small, not the fully grown beasts Caleb is used to seeing them drag through.

“Is that-“ Essek doesn’t finish his question, perhaps because he can see the answer in Caleb’s expression.

The Kaiju’s head is entirely intact, its skull spared at the expense of a hole in its chest. A full brain, no shrapnel or missing pieces. Exactly what Caleb has been waiting for, exactly what he’s been trying to piece together.

Essek follows at his heels as Caleb dashes for the stairs, stealth forgotten altogether.

…

The whirring of saws and grim, grinding sounds of bone being cut come to an end, at long last. There’s a tube prepped, filled with foul-smelling chemicals intended to preserve and suspend alien flesh. The sound, as the brain is deposited, is somehow worse than the grinding noise.

Essek looks at him, watching silently for a long moment. It is difficult, to feel his eyes on him and not look back, but Caleb manages it, keeping his gaze focused on the mass of nerves before him.

“I understand the temptation.”

Caleb laughs, with no humor. “Do you?”

The headset is light, almost flimsy, in his hands. He passes it between them, running his hands over the familiar metal and wires. It looks like it might fall apart any second now, not at all like it’s made of expensive, stolen equipment. Not all like Caleb’s been thinking about it for months, like it could save them all- if he can pull this off.

The Kaiju’s brain floats in the container in front of him, wires trailing off of it. Essek sits beside it, the filtered green light through the tube casting harsh shadows over his face. He’s not supposed to be here, but Caleb should’ve known that Essek wouldn’t stick to his scheduled breaks.

“I know more about temptation than you, Caleb.”

It’s rare to hear Essek angry- figures that he chooses a time like this to finally call Caleb by his first name.

“Then you should know that I can’t pass up this opportunity.” Caleb clicks the final pieces into place, watching the lights on the headset start to glow. He loses the fight against another temptation and glances over to Essek, who looks to be fighting fiercely not for a neutral expression, but to keep back tears. “I will not have more lives on my conscience. If this could win us the fight, I have to do it.”

He reaches for the control panel, lifting the headset with his other hand. He has to get this over with before he loses his nerve, before Essek decides to find someone who might actually be able to stop him, before Jester or Veth or anyone else stumble upon him

Essek grabs his wrist, stopping him. His eyes are wide, a little surprised at himself, but he meets Caleb’s stare dead-on.

“I don’t want to lose you to this,” he clears his throat, and looks down, away, “We all still need you.”

Even now, they can’t help but lie to themselves.

“I have to do this.”

Essek looks back at him and for once, seems frustrated to be unable to peer behind Caleb’s eyes, to get the answers he always does. He looks to the side with a heavy sigh, and Caleb thinks for a moment that he’s given up, that he’s going to agree, when Essek lets go of his hand to reach behind them, to the lab table still covered in wires and abandoned tech.

Many drafts of the headset sit amongst the wreckage, the results of late nights spent working with a collection born of Veth’s sticky fingers and Caleb’s hoarding. Essek grabs one, easily picking out the most functional of the bunch, and presses it into Caleb’s free hand.

“Fine,” his face sets, not in the neutral that Caleb’s come to expect, but in a determination that feels almost dangerous, “Then I’m coming with you.”

Essek’s eyes are a dare, waiting for Caleb to find a reason to deny him. He knows, as well as Caleb, that two of them would increase their chances of surviving this. He also knows, maybe better than Caleb, that none of that matters. Caleb would always rather take the brunt of it, than allow his friends to hurt.

This feels, distinctly, like an argument Caleb can’t win. Essek looks a few seconds away from hooking it up himself.

Caleb sighs, a faint smile escaping him. “Didn’t think you’d be repaying that favor so soon.”

Essek only pushes the headset more firmly into his hands, though it’s hard to tell whether he’s safe-guarding against Caleb losing his nerve, or losing his own nerve.

Caleb puts Essek’s headset on first, taking longer than necessary to adjust its fit, before putting on his own. They sit across from each other, in the distorted shadow of the brain. Essek’s gaze, fixed on Caleb, doesn’t waver and just before Caleb hits the switch, he holds out his hand.

Caleb takes it and turns on the machine.

The drift hits him immediately, like a weight falling on his brain as something too big climbs into his skull and pushes his mind out to the edges, pressed against bone. Everything else, outside of his mind and Essek’s mind and this new intrusion, disappears entirely. Sensation, apart from a terrible, sourceless pain, leaves him.

Essek’s mind bursts into focus like a searing light in the abyss, a star far above him. Caleb reaches for it, as the mind of the Kaiju, oppressive and all-consuming, threatens to swallow him up.

He feels their connection like entwined hands, before they collapse into each other, blurring into one. Warm and cool colors mix together in threads that wind and wind around until they are one inseparable string. Shared pain is conducted through it, a wire of strange electricity.

He is hearing a city on fire, screaming, and imagines he can pick out familiar voices in the chaos.

He is shaking a hand like a corpse, bony and terrible as its fingernails dig into his skin.

He is on a cold tile floor, aware that he is alone, alone, alone—

Somewhere, outside of himself, he squeezes Essek’s hand.

The Kaiju bears down on both of them and he finds himself standing beside Essek on a destroyed city street, its features a mashed together version of Caleb and Essek’s childhoods. It is too much for either of them, even standing together, but when he looks down at Essek, he sees only his smile, sharp and confident.

Everything begins to dissolve as the mind- the many minds- of the Kaiju falls over them.

…

Waking up is not fun.

Once, in grad school, Caleb stayed up for 52 hours, subsisting on diabolical combinations of energy drinks and pure spite for his professors. After turning in his last assignments, including a paper that served as a major breakthrough in his field but was so manic it was incomprehensible to anyone except Caleb, he crashed hard and did not wake for another day, when Veth checked to see if he was still alive.

He could’ve sworn, at the time, that the headache he felt upon seeing light for the first time that day was the worst he’d ever experience.

This headache easily doubles it.

The lights are, mercifully, left completely off, with only the dim sunlight leaking out from under the blinds turning the infirmary room a dull grey. He’s sat, partially upright, on the thin mattress of the hospital bed, a place he knows well. Outside the room, he can just make out the quiet, constant noise of their busy med station, conversation and machines overlapping.

To his right, similarly propped up, is Essek.

He wakes at the same moment as Caleb and they both turn, surprise mirrored in their faces. At seeing each other, at being alive at all- it’s anybody’s guess.

Objectively, Caleb is sure they both look absolutely terrible, but he can only see the light in Essek’s eyes and his tired smile. There’s a drowsy kind of comfort between the two of them, relief of tension being let go. They lived- they both lived.

“This is not the warm welcome to the land of the living I was hoping for.”

Caleb laughs, even if it hurts, a little. “This feels less like a welcome party, and more like breaking a window and climbing back in.”

There’s no connection between them anymore, no wires or drifts, but he still feels it faintly, a buzzing at the back of his head. Essek’s pain feels like an echo of his own, and his warmth is still there, as if he’s still holding his hand. It’s stable, an anchor to new wakefulness.

“They should’ve known better than to put two of us in the same lab.” Essek shakes his head, and winces at the movement. “It could only ever have ended in disaster.”

Caleb grins and is pleased to see Essek do the same, just as unguarded as he was in the drift.

They only have a few minutes before Jester comes in to yell at him for being stupid- possibly, the whole crew is lined up somewhere outside, lists of grievances in hand. Shortly following that, he assumes there will be a small battalion of military personnel waiting to hear what they’ve discovered.

Until then, he has time to do more stupid things, mostly unsupervised.

He drags himself out of the bed, pretending that he doesn’t nearly collapse as soon as his feet hit the floor, and wheels the bed closer to Essek’s, carefully maneuvering the wires still attached to his chest and arms. Once they’re an arm’s length away, Caleb stops and climbs back in.

This time, he holds his hand out first and knows, without a doubt, that Essek will take it.

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 19

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 19 - Confuse

When he left, the crowd was gone. The corridor was empty. The old custodian didn’t even turn on the ceiling light to save electricity. Only the wall lamp glowed a dull yellow. Lin Yan’s face drained of all colour. He suddenly felt like he was in a horror movie. He was the lead actor stumbling along the wall in a terrifying corridor.

The professor's story made him feel incredibly afraid. Behind him was a ghost, a murderer who put people to death in a cruel and bloody way. He didn't even dare to look behind him. He was afraid that when he turned around, a ghost covered in bloodstains would be there, grinning sinisterly at him through a veil of long hair, saying: It's your turn.

Lin Yan's breathing became heavier and heavier. When he couldn't resist the urge to run away, he was suddenly pushed harshly against the wall. His body was wrenched around. Lin Yan raised his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Stay away from me." Lin Yan said flatly: ". . . I don't want to die like this."

He bit his lip and pushed at Xiao Yu, but the ghost entangled himself around him and sucked at his neck fiercely. Lin Yan turned his head and stubbornly refused to look at him. He felt that he should be scared, but he couldn't even understand the feeling in his heart. It was unpleasant. It took Lin Yan a minute before he realized that the emotion he was feeling was disappointment.

He was disappointed with the ghost.

". . . Lin Yan" Xiao Yu seemed to be anxious too. He gently rocked Lin Yan's body. His hands slid off his shoulders, and stopped on Lin Yan's small and slender wrist. Pressing his fingers onto his pulse point. feeling his racing heart, he clasped Lin Yan's hands, intertwining their fingers.

The cold hands felt like they were made of fine porcelain, and his fingers were devoid of warmth.

"How could you be so cruel? Even if they entered your tomb with bad intentions, all you had to do was scare them away. You let a woman kill her husband and slit her own throat. How could you do that?!" Lin Yan yanked his hand out of Xiao Yu's. Everything he wanted to say seemed to be stuck in his throat; all he could think about was the ghost. He had protected this man during the events in the temple, and he rested on his chest obediently in the car. When he was onstage, he comforted him when he saw him having bad stage fright. Lin Yan thought he must be out of his mind, otherwise how could he feel so wronged by the shamelessness of this ghost?

The ghost was so strong that Lin Yan couldn't get away no matter how hard he struggled. Xiao Yu pressed into him, his cold body holding him against the wall. Lin Yan helplessly bowed his head, but Xiao Yu dragged his chin to the side and pushed his lips delicately onto his.

"I owe it to you for disturbing your tomb." Lin Yan said wearily: "Get it over with. Just leave my body in one piece."

Xiao Yu's voice took on a bit of urgency as he said in a hushed voice: ". . . I don't want to hurt you." After speaking, he seemed to be unable to think of anything else to say. He stepped back a few steps and caught Lin Yan's hand. On his palm, he stroked: "They deserve to die."

Lin Yan withdrew his hand. He shook his head and stepped back, turning around and stumbling along the corridor and started running. After he got a few metres away, he couldn't help looking back. The ghost was still standing in the same place, the hem of the blood suit fluttering from the gust he made when he rushed away. He looked at him with a sad and lonely glance.

Suddenly, Lin Yan couldn't move anymore, and he felt a pang in his heart. Like he said, this ghost had never hurt him. While, on the other hand, they, in the name of research, had destroyed this ghost's resting place and all the objects he had loved during his lifetime. The last memories he had from before his death were all put into a museum. Since then, he had become a lonely soul wandering around the world, sitting at the door of the ruined temple like a wild spirit in the western mountains in rainy weather, waiting centuries for someone to take him away.

Shouldn't ghosts be the bumps in the night that kill without mercy? Lin Yan knew that it was just his anger speaking at this point, but he couldn't control it. He thought maybe Xiao Yu could have been a good person. Lin Yan thought, maybe he was just lonely and resentful for too long.

. . . Lin Yan's own thoughts surprise him. Was. . . was he making excuses for the ghost?

It was a mess. It was all so messed up.

Lin Yan stood there for a while, and walked back slowly. The ghost seemed to be stunned. He waited until Lin Yan stood in front of him before he hesitantly stretched out his hand and pulled him into his arms. He quietly muttered: "Lin Yan. . ." He seemed to think over his words carefully, but the ghost was already determined to follow him, so he slowly said: "Don't go."

Xiao Yu hugged his waist tightly, rubbing his forehead lightly against the nook of his neck like a big docile cat that ran back to his master to beg for forgiveness after eating his dried fish. Lin Yan couldn't shake him off. The two of them lingered in the dark corridor for a while. He opened his eyes angrily, and yelled at the ghost with all his might: "Why can't I get rid of you?!"

Lin Yan tucked Xiao Yu's hair behind his ear, revealing a handsome face. The ghost dropped his eyes and didn't dare look at him. Lin Yan looked at him and laughed despite his frustration. He said softly with a sideways glance, "Why do you have to follow me?"

". . . Do you like me?"

Xiao Yu's expression relaxed, but his hands squeezed around his tighter. He quickly glanced up at Lin Yan, his eyes shining with expectation.

Lin Yan ran his finger through Xiao Yu’s hair and straightened it down, resting them on his back. In the past, scholarly poetry, calligraphy, music, horseback riding and archery were all available. Because of that, the muscles on his back were very firm. Lin Yan was taken aback. He hid his surprise and sighed: "I deserve all of this. I picked up a ghost after a good archeological internship."

Lin Yan took Xiao Yu's shoulders and looked at him earnestly: "Xiao Yu, you can stay if you want. I'll tell you if you do anything that hurts me. You can't touch any of my friends or anyone around me otherwise I'll go back to the monk and send you away."

A soft kiss fell onto his cheek, and Lin Yan smiled. He knew that for Xiao Yu, this reaction was akin to a promise. After getting used to how stubbornly intimate this ghost was, this kiss made him feel at ease. The power in the corridor was unstable, and the dark yellow wall lamp kept flickering. On any normal day, he would definitely want to get out of this horror movie scene as soon as possible. Today, he didn't feel any fear. What could be more terrifying than being held by a murderer? Lin Yan played with the long hair in his hands and said helplessly: "I don't want to talk about a ghost's morality. Let's go home. You can take a bath and change your clothes. You're shaving years off my life every time you appear and scare the crap out of me."

On the way home, Lin Yan recalled the PSP guy’s shit-eating expression. He whistled happily while listening to his CD, occasionally glancing over at the passenger seat. Xiao Yu was resting on the dark green seat cushion. Lin Yan couldn't help but secretly smile. Since Weiwei had broken up with him half a year ago, no one had been there to accompany him home. While waiting for the red light, Lin Yan raised his hand and brush aside the messy hair covering Xiao Yu's face. The ghost woke up in a daze. His eyes opened and looked over at Lin Yan. Seeing that there was nothing wrong, he closed them again and went back to sleep.

Actually. . . he was almost like a Tibetan mastiff or something like that. Lin Yan's heart beat with happiness. If he were a dog, if Lin Yan was able to take care of him, there shouldn't be any problems with him staying at his apartment. Either way, he still had more than two months left, enough for him to take his time investigating the situation. But it that didn't work. . . the monk would have to send him away.

Lin Yan's expression froze, and his heart twitched. He didn't even want to think about what would happen then.

Later, Lin Yan regretted it. He discovered that in addition to reading, writing, painting a counterfeit fan and being a scary ghost, Lin Yan found other characteristics that left him dumbfounded. When I arrived home at nine o’clock that evening, the small red voicemail light on his phone was flashing. Lin Yan picked it up and listened. The first message was from the little Daoist, saying that he had arrived home safely. The second one was Yin Zhou, saying that he hadn't found anything while searching through the database, but his relatives traveled to Lingyin Temple and bought a very effective amulet for Lin Yan to use if he needed it.

Lin Yan hesitated as he held the receiver and left a voicemail for Yin Zhou: "The lecture gave me some new information. I'm waiting for more news to meet up for an interview with someone."

"About the amulet. . . I don't need it for the time being." Turning his head with a guilty conscience, a silhouette could be vaguely seen in the dark living room. Xiao Yu was leaning on the sofa and waiting for him.

Lin Yan hung up the phone, and dragged Xiao Yu to the bathroom. After wiping down the bathtub and filling it with hot water, Lin Yan pulled the shower curtain aside and said, "I'll bring you new clothes after. Yours are soaked in blood. There's no way to clean them. I'll just throw them out and you can wear mine."

"Call me if the water gets cold."

Xiao Yu didn't move. Lin Yan wanted to go outside, but he started following him after just a few steps.

Lin Yan looked back with wide eyes: "You really can't go an hour without following me? Can't I wait for you outside? I won't run away, don't worry."

Xiao Yu glanced at the bathtub, naturally raised his arms and stretched them outwards.

Lin Yan didn't understand what that meant. He recalled the scenes of a TV drama he had seen, and tentatively asked: "You. . . you're not waiting for a maid to help you, are you?"

Xiao Yu actually nodded. Ten thousand grass mud horses stomped across Lin Yan's heart. He couldn't help shouting: "I don't have one in my house! I'm an adult so I just do it myself!"

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself!"

Lin Yan tore into the ghost in his bathroom, and Xiao Yu looked at him with an unchanging, stoic look, waiting expectantly.

After several failed attempts to persuade him, Lin Yan angrily took off the traditional dress he had worn for the whole night, threw it on the chair, and harshly pressed his finger into Xiao Yu's forehead: "Give me a minute, let me go change my clothes and I'll be back to help the oh-so-great Young Master Xiao get changed and bathe."

Ten minutes later, Lin Yan slipped on his flip flops and reappeared in the bathroom. The ghost was still standing in the same spot. The blood-stained shirt was eerie in the light. There was no shadow under his feet, and the ghost had his head bowed with paint-black hair covering most of his face. If this were two weeks earlier, Lin Yan would have run out in fear, but now. . . Lin Yan sighed. He draped a towel over his shoulder and untied Xiao Yu's belt.

Lin Yan instinctively turned his face away when the blood-caked clothes fell to the ground and didn't dare peek over. All that was in his mind was the horrific image of dead people's intestines, and the rotting abdomen showed dense white bones, red new flesh, black rotting flesh. . . Xiao Yu lifted Lin Yan's chin with his fingers and forced him to turn his head. Lin Yan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on Xiao Yu.

Unexpectedly, there were no bloody holes or exposed bones like he imagined. Instead, there was a beautiful body in front of Lin Yan. There were broad shoulders and a narrow waist, tight and strong muscles, and messy long hair hanging down to his waist. Lin Yan blushed. Ever since the last time this ghost had teased him to the point of needing to masturbate over it, he had reluctantly accepted the fact that he had feelings for men, and the image in front of him was absolutely vivid. Being in his twenties, coupled with the fact that he hadn't gotten any action in over half a year, Lin Yan couldn't help but internally moan, internally lusting over the thought of doing things with this man.

The bathtub had filled with hot water, and the whole room was covered with milky white mist. Lin Yan tested the temperature of the water, staring at the wall behind Xiao Yu's shoulders, and whispered, "It's okay, you can get in." After speaking, his face blushed again, and he gestured at Xiao Yu: "You can. . . take your pants off yourself."

[cali-holland]

Family Getaways- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Requested by anon: hi! i love your writing so much 💗 if it’s not a big deal, could you please write a oneshot where tom proposes to the reader while on vacation with both of their families, fast forward to the wedding and their vows to each other just has everyone crying cause it’s so sweet?

Prompt: A joint family vacation in California leads to you and Tom seeking your own romantic getaway.

Word Count: 1600

Inspired by: From this Moment On by Shania Twain & the movie The Vow

A/N: So yeah I haven’t actually been to legit weddings, so my bad if I messed up. Also, I’m Californian and I’ve never been to Lake Tahoe so idk why I chose that...

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist  

*gif is not mine*

~~~

“You know, for how many times we’ve been to California, we’ve never been up here.” You pondered with a laugh as you and Tom stepped into your hotel room.

“I know, which is why I suggested it.” He replied, a smug smile on his face, pleased with his decision. The two of you set your luggage down at the foot of the bed and you wrapped your arms around his neck while his went to your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“And to think we could’ve been on a beach in the Bahamas.” You teased.

“Hey, now,” Tom pouted, “Lake Tahoe is supposed to be incredibly romantic.”

“Oh really,” You smirked. He leaned down to kiss you, but stopped when a loud knock sounded from your door.

“Tom, can I use your bathroom? Harry’s blowing up ours, and I just really got to piss.” Harrison asked with a sense of urgency. 

“So romantic.” You laughed as Tom sighed, letting go of you to open the door for his friend. Leave it to Harrison (and Harry) to ruin the moment and bring you two back to reality.

“Thanks.” Haz said, immediately ducking into the en suite bathroom.

Ever since your family moved next door to the Hollands and you all became close friends, it was a tradition to take a joint family vacation (plus Harrison) all together at least once a year. And for the past three years, you and Tom had attempted to use this as your own personal romantic getaway, but your families made sure there was no escaping them- and they also made sure that you two didn’t share a room. That was, until this year at least, and you were not going to complain. Still, the large holiday was always one that you looked forward to. Normally, you’d all go to a resort on the beach or have some sort of nice private beach house, but this year Tom had suggested Lake Tahoe in California of all places; though it wasn’t your typical family vacation, you still saw the appeal of the destination.

You couldn’t really enjoy your alone time with Tom- once Haz had left, it was already time to reconvene with your families in the hotel lobby for dinner. Choosing the steakhouse across the street, all of you (you, the Holland clan, Harrison, your younger sister, and your parents) made your way over there and somehow managed to get a table rather quickly. Tom sat beside you and instantly brought your chair closer to him so that he could put his arm around the back of your chair.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Your mom asked.

“We haven’t even been here three hours yet.” You laughed.

“Skiing?” Sam suggested.

“Snowboarding!” Tom and Harrison cheered simultaneously. Everyone broke off into their own conversations, and Tom turned to you.

“What do you think about going on one of those hot air balloon rides?” He asked, leaning in closer to you.

“Now, that sounds romantic.” You teased.

“And a good way to escape all of them.” Tom laughed, nodding back at your families.

“I also want to do some shopping in some of the boutiques.” You said and he jokingly frowned.

“That doesn’t sound romantic.”

“It doesn’t have to be with you.” You joked, making him shake his head.

“No, no, you’re not escaping me for the next week.” He leaned in further to kiss you.

“Hey, hey, not at the dinner table!” Harry called out as Paddy started to fake gage.

“Whatever.” Tom rolled his eyes at his brothers, shifting back into his seat but still keeping his arm around your chair.

It wasn’t until the third day on your vacation that you and Tom finally managed to break away from your families and take your hot air balloon ride together. After a few days of shopping, snowboarding, hiking, the works, you and Tom were due for your romantic getaway. The balloon lifted off the ground and you held tightly onto Tom’s hand, starting to wonder if maybe taking a relatively unstable floating device over Lake Tahoe was a good idea. Once it was steady in the air, you leaned on the edge of the basket in awe of the view.

“Damn, I’m so good at these ideas.” Tom said proudly, wrapping his arms around you from behind.

“This is incredible.” You smiled, turning to kiss him. “You’re incredible.”

“Mm, I know.” He teased, “You’re pretty incredible, too.”

“Did you plan all this out?” You asked him, skeptically. You looked over at the small table in the balloon that held an assortment of fruits and cheeses, all things that Tom knew to be your favorite.

“What? You don’t think I could spontaneously suggest the perfect hot air balloon ride without any prior research into just how romantic it could be?”

“Considering romantic seems to be your favorite word on this holiday, I’d dare to say this wasn’t spontaneous.” You smirked, and he kissed you again.

“Just try the damn cheese.” Tom laughed. You turned to the table and helped yourself to some cheese blocks.

“Open up.” You said, holding up a cheese block for him. He opened up his mouth and you placed it on his tongue.

“Shit, that’s the good stuff.”

“Mhm,” You hummed, turning back to the table. You bit into a strawberry and went to turn back around to face Tom. You let out a small shriek,freezing, as he was down on one knee.

“Y/N,Y/L/N, you’re my best friend, and I love you more than anything in the world. You’re my soulmate, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” Tom asked with a hopeful smile on his face as he held out an open blue ring box, a beautiful diamond ring sitting in the center.

“You asshole,” You coughed, smiling and slapping his arm lightly. He laughed, confused by your reaction- he had definitely expected a ‘yes’. “I almost choked on that strawberry ‘cause of you.”

“So is that a-”

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” You smiled as he stood up to his full height. He pulled you in for a passionate kiss.

“Oh, shit, the ring.” Tom laughed, remembering he had to actually seal the deal. He carefully took it out of the box and slipped it onto your left ring finger.

“You totally planned this whole holiday around this.” You teased.

“I’ll never tell.” He shook his head as you pulled him in for another kiss.

A few hours later when you two met back up with your families, you could tell that they were all well aware of Tom’s intentions behind the hot air balloon ride, by the way everyone was eyeing you two so expectantly and faked surprise once you showed them the ring.

~~~

And just eight months later, it was the big day. Everything was set up perfectly in the small church near your homes in Kingston. You were more excited than nervous; your new life as an official Holland was just moments away from beginning.

Tom was waiting anxiously at the altar. His palms were a little sweaty and he was resisting the urge to mess with his hair like he always did when he was anxious. He was nearly shaking in anticipation as the music kicked on and his brothers and Harrison walked down the aisle with your sister and your bridesmaids- he was just one step closer to seeing you, his beautiful bride.

“You got this.” Harrison reassured him, from his position as best man. 

Tom nodded, and the music changed to an instrumental version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross’ “Endless Love”. He let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he’d been holding as you emerged from the back of the church with your father leading you down the aisle. You smiled at him, trying to refrain yourself from crying; meanwhile, Tom not so subtly wiped away the tears that had slipped.

As you stood in front of him, you handed your bouquet off to your sister, your maid of honor. Tom took your hands in his and the two of you turned to the officiant. The ceremony went on, but you couldn’t focus on much. You were too focused on the fact that you were standing next to your favorite person in the world, about to marry him. When the time for the vows came, you turned back to fully face Tom.

“Y/N,” He started, smiling softly at you and you could still see the tears in his eyes. “I vow to always be there for you, to hold you whenever life gets hard, to help you throughout life, to always make you smile. From this moment on, I vow to love you for the rest of my life.”

“Tom,” You began, tears beginning to well up in your own eyes. “I vow to love you for the rest of my life, with every beat of my heart; I vow to always care for you, to always support you, and to always give you anything and everything you need. I vow to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.”

“And, now the rings.” The officiant announced and Harrison stepped up, handing over the rings to the two of you. You and Tom went through the “I Do”s and the exchanging of rings.

“You may kiss the bride.”

At the official words, Tom pulled you in for a passionate first kiss as husband and wife.

[miah-pooh]

Prologue

A/n: This is where it all starts 

Warnings: Language, Blood, Stalking, Possessive behavior, Death

College AU (For the moment its a flashback)

Word Count: 1.9k

Bakugo x Yandere Reader

You loved Bakugo. You loved him so much you would do anything for him. I mean anything. Even though you were the quiet student in the class and never talked much you always had an eye for the loud-mouthed, overconfident boy.

It all started back in your college course when you were in the middle of training, you were in groups of two and you were paired with Bakugo, in an abandoned building looking for citizens trapped in the building. You were walking through the building with Bakugo trailing behind you. The building was unstable and each step you took had to be a smart one, to avoid one not falling and two not getting crushed. It was quiet and the only thing you were able to hear was you and Bakugo breathing and rocks falling all around you from the unstable building. “Get out the way dumbass” Bakugo pushed you behind him to blast the falling debris from crushing you. On the floor you watch Bakugo walk towards “Be careful next time extra” From that day forward you made a vow to yourself that you will protect Bakugo and not let anyone get too close to him that looks like they mean harm.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the ‘special interaction’ with Bakugo and you have been watching his every move since then and it’s been very easy since the whole class stays in the dorms. The first week he would wake up, shower, eat, train, study, train, shower and go to bed. That was just the weekend schedule. It was easy to memorize his weekend schedule but his weekday schedule had you wondering what he was up to.  He would get up train, shower, go to class, eat lunch, and stay after school every Tuesday and Thursday and some days go off schedule which leads you searching for him from a far distance. After he returns to the dorms he goes straight to bed and repeats it the next day.

It was lunchtime and you were standing in the far corner of the lunchroom watching Bakugo interaction with another girl. You watch the way the girl interacts with Bakugo and how Bakugo is entertaining the girl, they start walking out the lunchroom together side by side. The sight before you made your blood boil and you didn’t like the girl, not one bit. You slow trail behind them Listening to their conversations. “So we're meeting at the park today right?” the girl asks, clinging to his arm. “Yes if it makes you feel better babe~” Your eyes widen feeling your body getting hot and not from the temperature. The sentence repeats over and over in your mind as you clench your fist in anger. “Ummm l/n are you okay” a voice from behind you speaks. You drive your fist into the locker leaving a dent. You take a deep breath and turn around to be faced to Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka with a concerned look on their face. “Ohh I’m fine” smiling innocently “Are you sure L/N, you just punched the locker and left a pretty big dent in it,” Iida says moving his arms in a robotic motion. You look at the locker and back at the group in front of you “Just not feeling the best, but I’ll be fine” You say walking away from the group. You quickly walked to the bathroom, slamming the door and locked it. You walk over to the sink splashing water on your face to calm down and collect your thoughts. You look up in the mirror chest heaving up and down. “Hah? Babe? This can’t be right… Is this why he stayed after school?” you questioned yourself only to be riled up again. Letting out a sardonic laugh, you drive your fist into the mirror causing it to crack and pieces falling onto the ground left in shatter and you fist bleeding “Guess I have to take things into my own hands since people don’t know how to stay away from things that are mines.” running your bloody hands through your hair.

You went back to the dorms and changed into something more fitting for what you're planning to do. You put on a black oversized hoodie, black sweatpants, and so black combat boots. You stuffed your pockets with some black gloves and a black mask. You got to your closet pulling out a big blue chest that is covered in dust. You wipe the dust off and open the chest up. Your eyes shimmered at the sight before you, it was a chest full of different weapons from daggers to axes, a metal bat and even a machete. ‘Do I want to go for an instant kill or watch her suffer’ you thought “We’ll just have to see which one happens first” you say picking up the dagger and the axe stuffing it in the waistband of your sweats. You knew how to use every tool in the chest. You did your research about the right penetrate to get the perfect results of death or enough time to watch them suffer rather than die instantly. You close the chest, lock it and push it back into your closet. You left your room heading to the park where Bakugo and the girl were meeting. “Hey, l/n where you’re going?” Momo questioned. Half of the class was in the common rule playing games, “Umm running a few errands I’ll be back later.” You say slipping out the door. Everyone in the common room shared a look of concern. Yeah, you were distant with everyone but you never left the dorms useless you had to. You had a perfect image of the girl and had enough time to do what you needed to do before Bakugo gets to the park.

You were walking down the street till you saw the girl you were looking for. Speeding up your pace, you pull your mask up to cover your face but your eyes and put on the gloves, you look around to make sure no one would see you and the girl. Timing the perfect time to pull her into the upcoming alley. You grabbed her arm and covered her mouth with your other hand swinging her into the alley. She was taller than you but that didn’t stop you from pushing her up against the wall. Her screams were muffled from you covering her mouth with your cotton gloves, when she got a look at you she calmed down, you slowly removed your hand from her mouth reaching into your pocket to grab your dagger. “I Have a few questions for you and I suggest you answer them for me quickly so I can get this over with.” “ Who are you supposed to be?” “Doesn’t matter, What is Bakugo to you?” Her eyes slightly widen at your questioned but she plays it off “He a friend of mine, is there a problem” You notice she had a sass in her tone so you decided to give a little sass back “Yea, he belongs to someone” You say pushing the dagger into her stomach with a sadistic smile on your face The girl gasp feeling the dagger pressing into her skin. “Now what is Bakugo to you and please be honest so I won’t use this on you” She takes a deep breath and struggling to keep her composure “H-he’s  m-my boyfriend, we've been together for a good t-two m-mouths” You grin grows wide “Do you think he’ll come to save you?” Looking up at her through your long lashes, teary blue eyes meeting your e/c eyes filled with rage. “I-I don’t know” “Good, do you think he’ll miss you?” Pushing the dagger deeper into her stomach causing her to scream out a yes. You cover her mouth “What the fuck are you doing? Do you want to get caught? Cause if we get caught I’ll have no choice but to kill you. Do you want that?” She slowly shakes her head no, tears finally falling down her face and hair sticking to the wet part of her face. You finally pull off your mask taking a deep breath “ You know you're a really pretty girl when you cry, I want you to get a good look at my face then go get help, okay?” She nodded her head scanning your face. You push the dagger into her stomach to the point it breaks the skin and starts to bleed, staining her white shirt. Muffled cries filled the alley as her body jerks forward to hold her wound. “ I know I already said this but I just feel like you're not listening but this is the last thing I’m going to tell you and you can go get help. But you’re pretty but you just got to know your place Bakugo Mines and I don’t care what he told you. You don’t mess with someone’s prized possession. Now run” grinning as you pull the dagger out. She limps her way out the alley at a slow pace. You pull out the axe that was sitting in the waistband of your sweatpants and throw it at her back, piercing the spinal cord, causing her to fall forward onto the ground. She starts clawing at the ground attempting to get out the alley. You walk up behind her putting your foot on her back putting pressure on it while grabbing the axe. She turns around to face you crying and blood falling from her mouth. Smiling, you bring the axe over your head with both hands.  “Should have moved quicker bitch”  brings down the axe in the middle of her head. The blood splatters everywhere, on the nearby building, the ground and your face.  You take a deep breath, rolling your neck, you pull the axe out her head, just for more blood to be splatter on your face, stuffing the axe back in between your waistband. You grab the girl by the hair and pull her back into the alley leaving a bloody trail to her body behind the dumpster. You wipe your face the best you could to get the blood off to return to the dorms.

You pull your mask on and put your hood on as you make your way to the doors of the dorm. Pushing the door open everyone looks at you and your dark form. You stop in the middle of the room with your back face to everyone “Is everything okay?” You ask in an innocent but taunting tone sending chills down everyone back. You walk upstairs to your room without saying another word. You got in your room pulling off your clothes and setting them on the floor by your closet. You pull the axe and dagger out and sit it on the clothes next to you and clean it off with the hoodie. Pulling the chest out and unlocking it you put the weapons back into the chest and locking it back. You grab some clothes and a towel and make your way down to the shower.

You turn the shower on letting the hot water run over your skin painted in blood. Watching the blood slowly wash away from your face, running your hands in your head you began to scrub your skin clean from today's job. ‘That was easier than I thought’

After a while, you made the perfect plan to get Katsuki Bakugo to yourself and you had backup plans just in case things don’t go your way. You were willing to put up a fight to get what truly belongs to you

Next || Masterlist || Taglist

[alolowrites]

A Late Night Promise

Summary: Much to your dismay, you share an elevator ride with Shouto after staying late at the office one night.   

Author’s Note: Saw a prompt with just the word “elevator” and my mind came up with this. It’s been a while since I wrote a long-ish fic for Shouto. One last thing, everyone is of age. 

Enjoy!  

“So what do you say?”

“Oh…I don’t know…”

“C’mon.” Saito leans against the doorframe. “I promise we’ll have a great time on Saturday night. I know this fantastic hibachi restaurant in the city. The chef is also a close friend of mine. What do you say?”

“That does sound like fun.” What’s not to love about watching an experienced chef perform their tricks on the grill? The excited yells, the sleek spatulas slicing on the metal ice, the delicious food sizzling to perfection. Your mouth waters at the mere thought of it. And yet, “Can I let you know tomorrow? I just gotta make sure I’m free.”

“No problem,” he smiles at you. “Text me when you’re ready.”

Waving goodbye, you walk away. Few employees are working late tonight at Endeavor’s agency, especially if they are network engineers such as yourself. You don’t mind staying behind to help. It means spending more time in the server rooms. Each one is like a fun maze where you purposefully try to get lost in. They came in handy after enduring a painful heartbreak.

The hallway runs for miles. Lights flicker above you and the low buzz tickles your ears. You can’t shake the growing feeling of someone watching you. Pausing mid-step, you peek over your shoulders with weary eyes. A janitor pushes his cart around the corner. His whistles echo down the hall until they fade away.

You relax.

It’s a false alarm. Shaking your head, you stride towards the elevator. Cool air bursts from the vents which is a blessing. Outside is a nightmare with all the humidity. From the corner of your eye, you see a storm approaching. The wind howls in between the trembling leaves. Dark clouds gradually engulf the entire block like the Blob Monster. And soft thunder rumbles in the distance.

Perhaps it will rain tonight. Lord knows you desperately need it to rain. After suffering under humidity’s tyrant rule, you are ready to be saved.

The button turns yellow. You wait for the elevator by scrolling through your phone. Instagram is a bore. Snapchat’s hourglass reminds you to keep your fiery streak alive. And, unsurprisingly, Chargebolt is trending on Twitter. Just as your thumb hangs above the screen, the strange feeling returns.

You glance to your left and nearly drop the phone. Shouto is marching down the hallway. Panic hits as you pound the button multiple times. Seconds are ticking by. Precious time is fleeing. Where is the damn elevator?!

Ding!

You immediately dive inside. Lurching forward, you attack the button until the doors start closing. A hand slices midway and everything stops. Shouto saunters inside; the elevator groans under the newly added weight. You scuff back to the center. He dusts off the invisible lint on his black dress shirt. He gives you a once over before standing besides you.

The elevator moves.

No music plays from the speakers. The box is so quiet, but your mind is on overdrive. It’s as if someone accidentally disconnected a cable and now the network system is malfunctioning. Only you couldn’t fix this mess. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea answering those emails; they kept you behind an extra ten minutes. Too late to change that now.  

You glimpse at the black screen above you. The dwindling numbers keep you sane even if you’re hanging on by a thread. Once the ride reaches the lobby, you will block it from your memory. Until then, all you need to do is ignore him. It should be easy enough.

“You’re leaving late again.”

Shoulders back.

“It’s not good for your health.”

Eyes front.

“Will you please say something to me?”

Lips shut.

Shouto takes the hint and backs off. He rethinks his strategy in silence while your eyes are fixated on the elevator’s doors. His body is partially blurred. Although you couldn’t see his face, you know he is frustrated; the clenched fist gives it away. Your phone vibrates in your grasp. A soft smile tugs on your lips as you read the sweet message.

Shouto scoffs. You frown.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shoves one hand in his pocket. You suspiciously eye him before turning your attention to the phone again.

The blue light flickers with each floor change. A finger taps against the side of his leg. Time is running out for him. He must act quick. Who knows when he will be this close to you, and alone, ever again. Shouto thinks back to your answer and nearly cries; he craves to hear the sound of your voice—it’s sweet and addictive.

“Are you going to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Go out with him?”

“How did you—did you spy on me?!”

Shouto bites back a grin. That’s six more words than the last response.

“I wanted to know if you were okay.” He shrugs as if he did nothing wrong. A migraine knocks on your forehead. “Your team has been working diligently on installing the new security firewalls. After all, my father wants to make sure everything is secured.”

“Forget about your father’s insane demands!” You thrust a finger his way. “How long have you been spying on me, huh? Tell me right now!”

His mouth is glued shut.

“Shouto!”

“Since you started talking to Saito!” Embers flicker off his hair. He towers over you, but you do not flinch away. One hand rushes through his locks. “He kept getting close to you. I wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt you.”

“Like you didn’t hurt me?!” You dryly laugh. Your icy glare almost gives him frostbite. “You’re the one who broke up with me!”

“I did it to protect you!” Oh here we go again, that same old excuse. You pace around the elevator to avoid his nonsense. Shouto does not back down. “There are villains who want to kill me! If they ever found out about you—”

“You don’t think I know that?!” A foot harshly stomps on the floor and rattles the box. “For crying out loud, Shouto, I work for your dad! This whole freaking office is a prime target!”

The numbers continue climbing down.

“I knew the risks that came with dating you. I’m not stupid, but you—” a finger jabs his shirt “—made the choice to leave me. You decided to end things without even considering how it would have hurt me.”

His eyes flicker between your finger and fiery daggers.

“It was hard getting over you.” A cold, haughty chuckle rings into the air. “But now that I’m ready to start dating again, you decide to spy on me? You have some nerve!”

Another stab to his chest.

“It’s over, Shouto.” You boldly stand your ground. “I suggest you move on and forget about us.”

A thin line appears on his mouth.

Shouto marches towards the front and smashes the emergency button. The elevator abruptly stops. For a few seconds, it shakes like an aftershock from a larger earthquake. You yelp and stumble, but catch yourself. Shouto’s hand slips down. The unbearable humidity returns, only it feels worse, like standing in the middle of the Amazon rainforest with no escape.

A pair of eyes focuses on you. He’s like a jaguar who briskly stalks closer to his prey. Out of instinct, your legs stagger away from him until you hit a wall. Two large hands slam against the metal plate. The shockwaves roll down your back as his arms cage you in place.

When Shouto leans forward, you swallow a hard gulp. Apparently there are two storms happening tonight—one outside and the other thrashing inside his eyes. You’ve only seen this look a few times; it never fails to make you shudder with anticipation. Soon a small flame ignites deep in your soul.

It grows at an alarming rate. A cool sensation trails across your jawline and down your neck. You restrain yourself from biting your bottom lip. The air swirling around becomes unstable. Your breathing quickens its pace. Your throat dries instantly. Your heart beats uncontrollably. Shouto amusingly peeks at the bag and the pitiful distance it puts in between you two.

“You said to move on and forget, but there’s one small problem…” His gravelly voice makes your legs quiver. He tilts his head so your noses brush. You could almost taste the peppermint breath flowing out from his parted mouth. It fails to cool down your flushed face. After the brief pause, he rasps, “I can’t and I’ll show you why.”

Lightning finally strikes.

Without warning, strong lips crash against yours. They are desperate for you. Starving even. His actions reawakens a long forgotten feeling in your core. The small flame transforms into a powerful wildfire ravaging everything in its path. You wither under the heat. At this point, nothing holds you back and fully give in.

You kiss him. Hard.  

A cool touch makes you gasp. Shouto wastes no time devouring the inside of your mouth with his tongue. The movements are precise, yet reckless. A wave of pleasure spreads throughout your body as your eyes roll back. The bag drops to the floor and Shouto effortlessly kicks it behind. With the only obstacle gone, he collapses his entire weight on you.  

You yank away to catch your breath.

Large hands seamlessly wander down your body. They are painfully slow for your liking. Shouto smirks when your fists fervently tug the collar of his shirt. He stops torturing you by swooping his hands underneath your thighs and lifting you up. Eager legs wrap around Shouto’s torso to hold yourself steady.

After weeks being apart, you miss his touch. You miss exploring his lean muscles bulging through the fabric. You miss inhaling his unique cologne scent. You miss digging your fingers through his sleek hair and disrupting its neat form. You simply miss everything about him.

Shouto hears you beg and fulfills your wish by deepening the kiss. It is more animalistic, more ferocious than the first one. Shouto shoves you further up against the wall for better control. Ironically, he is fighting to keep his composure together. Your tantalizing lips, however, pushes him over the edge. Lustful thoughts consume his mind as he praises every inch of your body. His mouth attacks your neck while you sing against his ear.

He almost loses it when you breathe out his name.

Meanwhile, his searing touches threaten to unravel the last string of your sanity. You guide his mouth back to yours as you are hungry for more. The storm charges through with no end in sight. Shouto’s satisfying groans blurs with the thunderous applause exploding among the thick clouds. Time is nonexistent. Your focus is on Shouto who pours his entire heart and soul into each blazing kiss. They are chaotic, but divine. You surrender yourself to the madness and transcend into a state of euphoria.

Oh how you wish you could stay there forever.

As the kisses weaken, you sink back down to reality. Through your heavy eyelids, you see Shouto pull away from your plump lips. Both chests heave like two runners who finished a grueling marathon. There are no crowds of people cheering for you two, just your heart. A soft sirocco wind passes by as Shouto tiredly presses his forehead on yours.

He croaks, “Now you understand why I can’t move on and forget about us?”

You do.

Shouto searches through your overwhelmed eyes for an answer. He gently caresses your face like the precious treasure it is. The hero savors your lips one last time and etches them into his memory. Fighting against his wish, he carefully puts you down. Your legs wobble and you don’t trust yourself to move. Shouto walks to the front and press some buttons.

The elevator roars to life again.  

You tuck in your blouse and pathetically fix your disheveled hair. A bag appears in your sight. Grabbing it, you choke out a quick “thanks” to Shouto. Both of you return to your original positions as if the passionate episode never happened.

No music plays from the speaker, but it is far from quiet. You hear your heart racing and the electric sparks buzzing in the tensed air.

“I’m sorry,” Shouto whispers. You stiffen at the sound. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. I was inconsiderate about everything…especially your feelings.”

You lower your gaze.

“I won’t stop you from going on that date.”

Your ears perk at his statement. Ignoring all warnings, you stare at him. Something indescribable swirls in his eyes. You realize they only appear when he’s preparing himself for battle.

“It is still your choice to make, but,” Shouto holds your hand in his warm grasp. The sheer determination flaring through his gaze takes your breath away. “Please know that I will not rest until I win your heart again.”

Ding!

The doors open, but you don’t exit. You’re still trying to process his words—his declaration of war for whomever decides to challenge him. Closing your gaped mouth, you glance between Shouto, your hand and the empty lobby. You numbly step off the elevator and lumber away.

Rain droplets cover the glass doors. Everything is quiet outside. The storm is gone and off to torment another city. You can finally breathe since the air is lighter. As you take a whiff of the earthy-musty scent, you feel the back of your hairs rise. Your eyes peer over your shoulders to see Shouto watching you.

He proudly stands tall.

A giddy sensation rushes down your spine. You grip the handle to keep yourself steady. Overwhelmed, you release a shaky sigh before exiting the building. In the lobby, Shouto curls his fist without looking away.

“I promise to win you back.” His lips curve into a small, but confident smile. “No matter how long it takes.”

Shouto will make sure of it.

As always, thank you for reading!  

[cloudsrust]

Death comes in all colors

And here I come one year late with a few of my deaths’ headcanons for the lm3 ghosts-... in short story form because of course I gotta go the extra step,, TW: death mention and description (duh), bones breaking / asphyxiation , choking, firearm’s wounds, freezing, aneurysm. Steward - “A back-breaking job.” His last task for the day was to deliver the luggage that had gotten shipped to the hotel to the rightful rooms, ready to be found by the guests arriving in the morning. It was late at night and the overfilled bell cart, tucked away in the establishment’s warehouse, had gotten stuck between a wall and few boxes. As he was pulling the unstable mess from the side, trying to free it, the cart inclined towards him. The worn out belts barely restraining the luggage to begin with. A sickening “snap” breaking the night's silence, as the buckle of one of the worn out belts freeed itself from its prong, mercilessly hitting him straight across the face, hands instinctively going to cover his newly acquired wound as everything around him fell apart. The heavy suitcases and boxes completely crushed him, splitting his spine and breaking his ribs. A shard of the latter penetrating one of his lungs, making it burst. Unable to call for help, he slowly died by asphyxiation, the weight of the luggage “mercifully” taking his last breath away before the internal blood loss could. He is keen to both anger and panic attacks because of how he was treated when alive, both of those feeling still stirring in his heart, unable to find rest. Chambrea - “Feeling your heart in your throat.” The butler of the mansion where Chambrea served as a maid fell in love with her. Many letters and flowers were found in her small room in the following mornings, sweet smiles and compliments filling her days. Even though that was the closest thing she could get to one of the romances in her adored love novels and as much as she desired an happily ever-after, now she needed that job more than a stereotypical love story. She kept refusing him over and over, apologetic smiles following offers to pay him back the money the flowers must've costed. The servant, however, just couldn't stand the thought of rejection. Just as a rope being pulled over and over, he snapped. The night the inhabitants of the manor were out for a private party, he killed her in retaliation, strangling her to death. The thought of “if I can't have her, no one will” only made sense until the time to dispose the body came, clarity coming back to him as he dragged her body across the dark street. He hadn't much time to regret his actions, as Chambrea took her vengeance scaring him off the same bridge he was trying to use to dispose of her corpse. Neither of the bodies were ever found. She still loves to read romantic and tragic novels but she doesn’t feel ready for an actual relationship anytime soon. Her heart stuck in her throat every time she talks with a man, remembering her last moments alive. Steward is trying to slowly help her move on, is the least he can do for a friend colleague. Kruller - “A shot in the dark.” He was a night guard in training at the Grand Mall of the city. It was supposed his first night alone in his side of the mall, a more experienced co-worker taking care of the other half. It seemed a calm night like usual, more tiring the stressful. It would've been so if a thief hadn't managed to avoid security during closing time, hiding in the vents. After an hour or so of undisturbed shoplifting, Kruller finally encountered the criminal during the patrol of his side. Taser gun ready to fire in his shivering hands, still inexperienced in field action, the cop still found the courage to stutter a “Freeze!”. That word sealing his fate. A round of bullets perforating his stomach and chest as the mysterious man turned around firing by instinct, shocked by the sudden threat coming from behind him. The thief fled the scene, leaving the mall cop bleeding to death. The other night guard, alerted by the shoots rushed to his position, calling the ambulance at the sight of the blood pooling and running along the floor tiles. But help didn't come in time, Kruller last words desperately trying to describe the criminal, in hope of justice. He has a serious fear of both realistic looking and real firearms and he still has trouble speaking up from time to time, the remembrance of his error still lingering in his mind. Chef Soulfflé - “Best served cold.” Left behind by his trusted staff to make the inventory of the remaining and the needed supplies for the night, Soulfflé was checking the state of the meat in the freeze chamber. A few misplaced cleaning supplies tragically slipped from their grip on the tiled wall, still humid from the cooking vapor, falling on the chamber’s door, slowly closing it. The spine chilling click of the automatic lock making the chef drop the pack of meat he was inspecting. A few minutes passing with him trying to desperately call for help, the leftover hours of his life passed making peace with himself, writing down his will on the ingredients checklist he had with him. His staff only found his body the next morning, various aliments scattered on the floor, the cardboard where they were stored laying on the frozen corpse as a last hope to produce enough warmt to survive the night. He overcooks the meat by mistake: unable to feel warmth, no matter the temperature, for him everything will always be and remain cold. Amadeus Wolfgeist - “A heartbreaking performance.” Entire days and sleepless nights dedicated to that night, the evening of his concert- just for an aneurysm to take his life before he could complete that cursed melody. Slowly feeling his body crumbling from the inside, responding to his will no more. Hands grasping at the piano keys like a stray dog does with a found bone, his hunger for glory, for redemption, pushing him to keep on going. His fingers suddenly stiff, the last note mocking him with its silence as his vision completely faded to black. Falling to the harsh floor of his reality as red curtains covered the stage, marking his demise. His mind is still plagued by that composition, cursed to always rehears it but to never complete it, his hand still phasing through that last note. It is always better to keep an ear out for such music, just to know when is better to not interact with him at all. ...and that’s all- y’all can surely  see how in the last two stories I was just rushing through eh,,  I do want to share the titles and “plots” that where planned for the other ghosts! (Yes, giving titles is usually my fave part ahah)

MacFrights - “A stab to your pride.” Killed by a spear during a jousting tournament. His saddle slipped at the worst moment, letting his opponent’s weapon into the eye hole of his helmet. (My MacFrights’ design as a deep scar on his right eye, a bit OOC I know-) Dr. Potter - “Quiet as a falling leaf.” Died of old age. Came back to take care of the garden of his beloved wife, passed away years before him and now resting in her garden’s greenhouse, now her mausoleum. She already passed on, but Potter can’t let go of the only thing that remains of her, keeping him tied to the mortal world. (I kinda wish to come back to this one, maybe write a bit about it- but it’s a quite slim chance) Morty - “Letting the credits roll." (TW: suicide mention) Commited suicide via sleeping pills. He was the best conductor of his times, always aiming for perfection in every shot. It was when he reached the top that he understood that he could never reach that perfect dream of his, and that all that he was left with were just golden trophies and broken relationships. He let his movie end in hope of a sequel. (Another OOC, I like the idea of him being the complete opposite of what he was in real life, some sort of desire for redeeming himself and truly enjoy his love for movies. I want to write about this one, I really want to expand on this- so I might have a stand alone fan-fic for this.) Ug - “Flesh and bone.” Died of starvation. Not much to say about him- he lived in tough times with scarce food. Clem - “Washing away your memories.” While he worked in the sewers, he drowned after some falling pipes hit his head, beating him unconscious. He suffers from memory loss, not remembering anything from his mortal life- except a deep love for ducks. (Headcanon of mine is that he worked at a farm with his mother and many siblings- he accept a job into the sewer system to help his family in a time of struggle of the farm.) Serpci - “Sacrifices must be made." Offered herself to be sacrificed to the gods, to help his reign during dark times. Lindsay, Nikky, Ginny - “Warming up the audience.” (TW: childrean’s death) One of their fire tricks malfuctioned, ending into an fire enveloping the room they were performing in. They died of suffocation, due to the thick smoke, before the flames could reach them. Lindsay, the older sister, protected her two siblings until the end. Capitain Hook - “Putting salt on a wound.” Eaten by the shark he was hunting for half his life. Fate played the cruel joke to turn him into his most hated enemy once he became a ghost. Johnny Deepend - “Hitting on you.” Hit his head on the side of the pool as he was attempting a complex dive, trying to hit on his crush. It wasn’t his most succesfull move- Phantasmagloria - “Shock! at the disco.” (Yes I’m P!ATD trash thank you for noticing lmao) She was electrocuted by her malfunctioning equipment.

[jamaisvuandyou]

Please Dry My Eyes: Part 6

Description: Jin, Hoseok, and Yoongi have had a running streak of bad luck, but Jin isn’t sure what to make of this one: His old friend’s trickery that leads to him being the new father of a little toddler, Jeon Jungkook.

Posted: 02/6/2021

WARNING: Mentions of death

Angst/Fluff: 2,846 words

A/N: Welp.

Previous Part.  Next Part.

The one thing they dared not do at this exact moment was take Jimin away from Jungkook. He was distracted. He was happy. He wasn’t sobbing pitifully into Jin’s shoulder.

Jin had finally been able to take a shower, and put on a dry shirt. Not because he wasn’t expecting more tears, but because it made him feel better to get a dry shirt.

Hoseok was distracting both of them with some sort of silly song time, and the babies were laughing more than singing, but that was good. That was progress.

Yoongi was working on paperwork with Namjoon, so once Jin was finished with his shower, he went to make lunch for all of them. Something that would be easy to feed the boys while some trivial kids show played on the TV because today, of all days, was a cheat day.

“Yoongi,” He whispered, leaning on the table so that the two men seated there could hear him better. “We need kids DVDs. ASAP.”

Yoongi glanced down at the paperwork, then at Namjoon, before looking confusedly up at Jin. “Now? Why?”

“Because, we don’t have cable and we don’t have any other TV watching things, I barely remembered to get the internet installed here, and I am not trying to wrangle two emotionally unstable children for lunch when the rest of us are feeling emotionally unstable without some sort of distraction for said children,” Jin said, putting money on the table. “Take Namjoon if you need to. I’m assuming you’re staying for lunch.”

Namjoon sort of bobbed his head, a little shy. “Yeah, sorry, there’s a lot of paperwork and I thought it might be better for me to stick around and help a bit with Jimin the way he is.”

“That’s fine. Great even. Hope you like kids food. Shoo, off to the nearest store or resale shop or something.” Jin pulled both of them up by the arm. “You’ve been doing paperwork for three hours. Think of it as a coffee break, but without the coffee.”

Both of them headed for the front door, putting on their shoes to go on the trivial errand.

Jin got everything ready for when he was actually going to make lunch, then checked on Hobi and the boys again, trying to buy some time for Yoongi and Namjoon to get the required materials, and cleaned up the house a little bit since it was just short of a disaster thanks to the mess of a morning.

Lunch was almost ready when Namjoon and Yoongi returned, a few bags in tow.

Jin eyed them as he portioned out more sliced grapes. “Um….”

Yoongi held up his hands. “We went to the resale shop. It was the closest store, and we did get movies, though the quality of them is…questionable, but they had some of their toys on sale and I know that Jungkook likes the puzzles and Jimin looked like he liked books so….”

Jin nodded. “That’s fine. It’s a good idea for us to check out what they have for kids clothing-wise too. What DVDs did you get?”

“Well, we found some VHS tapes, and I remembered that ours still worked so I grabbed Cinderella, Rugrats—whatever that is, and The Lion King.”

“Let’s save Lion King for when they’re much, much older,” Jin said, thinking it would be a bad idea to show toddlers who recently lost their parents a movie where the father dies. Heck, who was he kidding, he didn’t think he could watch it.

“Right…um, well, DVD’s were even more scarce, but we found a couple DVDs of Veggietales—which I’ve never heard of, but they look pretty harmless and it is marked as having won a parent’s choice award so it’s got to be decent—Lyle the Kindly Viking, and The End of Silliness. Then there was Curious George and a Barbie movie. And the lady said we were lucky to find most of these.” Yoongi showed him the DVDs.

Jin grabbed one of the ones he hadn’t heard of, scanning over the back and then shrugging. “Let’s try one of these new ones, I guess. If it’s too bad we’ll switch to Curious George. Meantime, I’m going to look it up.”

“Already doing that,” Namjoon said. “Oh. I mean, they are Christian influenced…but definitely kids and…” He trailed off as he saw the look on Jin’s face. “Vegetables singing and acting out stories, sounds like a great distraction for the kids.”

Jin nodded. “I will take anything at this point. I’m not about to get picky on a day like today. There’s a lot of christian crap that’s secular enough to pass as not christian and at least we don’t have to worry about someone dying. And this one says it’s mostly songs from the show. Songs are good. Do you hear them singing?”

“Jin didn’t get as much sleep as you’d have thought,” Yoongi muttered to Namjoon, gently tugging him away.

Namjoon nodded, retreating with Yoongi with the DVDs to get it set it up.

Jin rubbed his forehead and finished plating it up. He didn’t have to patience to contemplate religions or whatever. He needed distractions for toddlers and they wouldn’t even really remember this. It would not be a formative memory. As long as it distracted his kids and didn’t trigger them, it could be any religion, any language, any content. He wouldn’t care until he’d slept a full night, and he had to care about their formative memories. He would figure it out then.

Just one of many meals that would blend into nothing in the minds of the infants.

And he wouldn’t have to contemplate what sort of language would be acceptable in his house for another day.

He would have to look into shows for the kids though, and get either a streaming service or a lot of DVDs.

But the four men got the two infants settled in front of the TV with their lunch.

Yoongi and Namjoon went back to their paperwork about halfway through.

But Hoseok, bless him, kept the kids invested in the show while also getting food in them. He had them dancing to a few of the songs.

And Jungkook kept watching even though he did give up on dancing to sit on Jin’s lap.

It wasn’t until it ended that Jimin seemed to calm down and remember.

He stood in the middle of the living room, hands at his sides, staring at the credits as they rolled. “Eomma,” he whispered.

Jin gently deposited Jungkook onto Hoseok’s arms, then crouched beside Jimin.

Jimin looked at him, then sighed and wrapped his arms around Jin’s neck, burying his face.

Jin held him carefully, lifting him and just holding him against his shoulder. There was a certain amount of fear inside of him: fear of Jimin becoming too attached to them, fear of letting Jimin go….

Jimin sniffled lightly.

“Well, baby,” Jin whispered. “It’s going to be long ride, but I’ve got strong shoulders. I can hold you as long as you need me too.”

As Jin sat down, Hoseok snuggled closer and rest his head on Jin’s shoulder so that Jungkook could rest on his shoulder but seemed to be satisfactorily close to Jin.

“Nice wide shoulders,” Hoseok murmured.

Jimin studied them a little bit, then reached out a hand.

Jungkook innocently took it, then closed his eyes.

Jimin smiling a bit through his quiet little tears and soft sniffles, and closing his eyes as well.

Jin watched both of the little ones until they seemed to be asleep. “Let’s put them to bed for their nap.”

Hoseok sighed. “Two more minutes.”

“No, two more minutes and we’ll both be asleep. Come on. Give me Jungkook. They’re sharing a bed. Yoongi, you took a picture, right?”

“I’m not stupid.”

Jin and Hoseok maneuvered Jungkook onto Jin’s other shoulder, then Hoseok helped Jin get up.

The toddlers barely stirred when Jin lay them down.

“For someone who supposedly hasn’t worked with kids that much, you’re doing really well,” Namjoon said quietly. “And I’m sorry about questioning you earlier on the dvds. You have every right to decide what is and isn’t okay in your house. And you were right. It was harmless.”

Jin waved them all out, closing the door for now. “Religions…are complicated, but I know a lot of religions have higher censorship, which means they’ll be more…friendly for kids who have been traumatized like mine have. Supposedly, anyway. I’m still going to screen a bunch of stuff before I let them watch it, but tonight it was desperate measures. They’ll be able to choose what they want to believe.”

Yoongi nodded. “I went to catholic school. It wasn’t all bad.”

Namjoon shrugged a bit. “Sorry. I’m an atheist, so…I didn’t think about your perspective on it.”

“Now you know my perspective on it. I’m not really religious or anything, I don’t have a set of beliefs, but if they decide they want to pursue any sort of religion, I’m not going to stop them…unless I think it’s a cult, then I’m probably going to lock them in the basement and try to talk sense to them.”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say lock them in the basement and just roll with the talk sense to them, but yeah. I get it. Like I said, you were right. I’m sorry. But…did you really just call both of them your kids?” Namjoon was smiling.

Jin stared at the social worker, trying to remember what he had said.

Yoongi and Hoseok were smiling as well.

“I’m a duck,” Jin muttered. “A damn duck. I’ve imprinted. What the hell.”

Yoongi sputtered behind him.

Hoseok was make a lot of choked laughing noises as he followed Jin into the bedroom.

Jin changed into sweats, and stared at himself for far too long in the mirror, zoned out while trying to figure out when he’d subconsciously decided that Jimin was his now and that was such a dangerous thing to think.

Yoongi was sitting on the edge of the bed when he came out of the bathroom, but Hoseok was under the covers. “Namjoon left.”

“Right. Okay.”

“He said he’d see about trying to keep Jimin with us.”

“Right,” Jin repeated intelligently. He climbed under the covers, just waiting for Hoseok to get comfortable cuddling with him.

“Jungkook’s doing really well with him, and Jimin seems to really love Jungkook,” Hoseok whispered, holding his hand out for Yoongi to cuddle with them. “Actually, I’ve never seen Jungkook so…so….”

“Pacified? Independent? Detached from Jin?” Yoongi offered as he moved to spoon Hoseok, sandwiching the youngest in the middle. “Yeah, I think having another kid might be good for Jungkook, but we’ll still have to watch carefully over the next few days.”

Jin nodded, closing his eyes.

“But hey, we discovered that music is a good distraction for them. That’s good, you know?”

“True. And we found out that a desperate Jin doesn’t give a—”

“Language,” Jin grumbled, reaching out blindly and gently hitting at whatever his hand reached.

Soft chuckles were the response, then they all fell quiet, falling into a well-earned nap.

–

Previous.  Next.

Masterlist.

[v1le-punk]

TW: unsympathetic janus

My POV

Remus was sat in the dark mind place rocking back and forth trying not to cry, everyone had left, he had no one. No one. He looked around at the tall trees and the gray clouds you could see through them, his eyes moved to the dark water flowing through the river slowly. He thought about the times he had with virgil and Janus, after virgil left he was realy unstable and Janus leaving didn't exactly help. He may have a small crush on virgil, oh who am i kidding, he's full blown in love with him. He missed him more every second of every day. He shut his eyes tight thinking of him, his voice, his hair, his eyes, his skin, his makeup, his personality, everything.

Virgil's POV

I felt, something. Something dragging me to the dark sides. I sink down and appear to see a crying remus rocking back and forth. Rem? Why is he crying?, i thought to myself. "Rem?" I spoke, he turned round and smiled when he saw me, he got up and hugged me tightly making me stumbled, he sat down dragging me with him. Before i could say anything, his slipped my legs around him and tightened his grip. I felt my hoddie get wet with tears, i wrapped my arms around him returning the hug. We stayed like that for a minute before speaking, "w-why did y-you l-l-leave me?" He held me closer, "what?" I said, "w-why? I won't b-be m-mad, i ju-jusst want to kn-know" he said, voice trembling. I sighed, "i left because of janus, I actually really missed you for a few years." I said, "s-so I'm not the annoying f-f-freak janus thinks I am?" he said grippin onto me, "no, you're not" i said in attempt to comfort him. "can i ask you something, veevee?" He said using my old nickname, "sure, rem" i said. "can I," he sighed, "can I kiss you?" He asked making my face flush in a deep shade of red, "what!?" I yelled pushing myself off him, that was a mistake, i thought. He ran off crying, i sat there for a second still in shock.

Remus's POV

I'm so stupid! Why?! I ran up my tower. After a while it started to get dark, i shivered, for a split second i thought about leaving, but there's no point, i leaned against a wall and slept.

Virgil's POV

I sat there waiting for remus to come back, it started to get dark and i was worried about him, I went home and decided to worry about him tomorrow. I woke up and went straight to the dark sides, I can't handle not knowing if he's ok, i didn't know where i would appear, but that didn't matter. I appeared in a small room high abovethe ground, i looked around and saw remus, he was a crying mess on the floor, i don't think he noticed me at first, "hey, rem?" I said stepping forward, "w-w-what d-do yo-you w-wan-want?" he said burring his his face into his hands. It hurt seeing him like that, but i don't know why, i stepped closer and brought his hands down from his face. He brought his hand up and stroked my cheek, "you're beautiful you know that?" He said, this seemed to calm him down.

Remus's POV

I focused on virgil for a minute, I wanted to pull him in and kiss him, but i knew he wouldn't like that. He slid closer to me and took my hand off his face, "remus look," he said facing away from me, my heart raced, "I, do like you, but what would the others think?" He said. "The others?! Who cares what they think?!" I said floping onto him, "i just want you." I said holding him tighter, "trust me, remus, i do too, but they won't except us." He said. I held him for a minute before i spoke, "virgil, please." I whispered holding back tears, "rem, i love you, but i can't." He said, i trembled as i cried into him, "v-virgil! Please!" I screamed. "S-s-sorry rem." He said with tears running down his face, he pushed me off and sunk down still crying. I layed on the floor and continued to cry.

Virgil's POV

I accidentally sunk into the living room where everyone else was, i wiped my tears and noticed everyone looking at me. "Virgil what's wrong?" Asked Roman rubbing my back, "n-nothing" i sniffed. "There's clearly something wrong virgil, please tell us. We'll try help." Said Patton sitting down next to me, "guys, give him a minute" said Janus as everyone crowded around me, "Y-YOU!! TH-TH-THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!" i said pointing at him, "what did i do!?" He gasped looking offended. "If-if-if you didn't leave him, i wouldn't have felt the need to check on him, and wouldn't know, and wouldn't be crying!" I yelled, the others looked confused at my words. "Who? And you wouldn't know what?" Janus asked, "r-rem." i said softly, they didn't know i called him that but it didn't take long for them to catch on. "Oh, what's wrong with that freak." He said crossing his arms, "DON'T CALL HIM THAT!!!" i yelled as tears stremed down my face. I lulunged at him and knocked him over, I punched him a few times before Patton split us apart. I ran up to my room and cried into my pillow.

Roman's POV

Virgil hasn't been out of his room for 2 days, i went up to check on him and his door was pitch black, rather than it's usual swirls of purple, pink and blue. This is bad, I thought to myself, i heard wailing coming from him. I slowly twisted the door handle and pushed it open, "hey?" I said softly, he looked at me with tears still in his eyes, I closed his door and sat down next to him, "Roman," He asked, "would you be mad if I dated your brother?" He said, "no." I said, "but what would the others think?" He said, "no one cares, as long as your happy, it shouldn't matter." I said rubbing his back. I left him alone then.

Virgil's POV

I felt better after taking to Roman, i sunk down to where remus was, he was still there. "Rem?" I said walking up to him laying on the floor, "veevee?" He said, he sounded like he was in pain, "are you ok?" I asked, "no." He mumbled burring his face in my chest. "What's wrong?" I asked holding him, "I'm sad, dehydrated, hungry, feel like I'm gonna pass out" He said, he felt light in my arms. I felt guilty. "I love you, veevee." He said weakly, "i love you too, rem" i said, he smiled. "Rem, I've thought about it. And i really don't care, please give me another chance?" I said, he lifted his head up and looked at me, "yes veevee, you mean more to me than life itself." He said in a tiered, groany voice. I held him and sunk down with him to my room, i went downstairs and grabbed him a glass of water, shooting janus a look before i walked back to him, "here." I said handing it him. I sat down next to him, i watched as he set the glass down on the floor, my eyes flickered to his lips every now-and-then. He noticed as I pulled him onto my lap, he smashed his lips onto mine and we moved in sink. We pulled apart for air, he chuckled and hugged me softly. We talked for a while and i helped him walk downstairs, we sat down on the sofa and he sat on my lap. Janus walked in and i snarled at him, "oh, hey freak" he sneered, remus whimpered. "Ok janus! Thats it!" Patton snapped, "pack your bags! You are no longer welcome here!" He said in the sternest voice he could. "ummm, no." Janus said looking back, Logan and Roman came up behind him and dragged him outside, "we'll send your things in a week." Logan said slamming the door. "I'm sorry about him, remus." Said Roman as he wached janus stand up and walk away. "Th-thanks" remus said remus shaking in my arms, "hey, it's ok, he's gone now." I whispered, calming him down. "So, you tow huh?" Teased Patton as Logan went upstairs, "y-yeah." I said nervously, "cool!" He stared and went back to whatever he was doing before, "see, there was nothing to worry about." He said placeing kisses all over my face, i giggled, "mhm, ok you were right." I said.

Time skip. Switch to remus POV

"You freak! Why would I love you?!" Virgil yelled at me, i cowered in frear, "sickness!" The others yelled, i jolted awake, i was layed in virgil's bed, i was shaking as tears streamed down my face"babe, whats wrong?"  Yawned virgil turning over, "n-n-nightmare." I weeped, "aw, babe" he said wrapping his arms around me, "it's ok, I'm hear" he rubbed my back as i cried into his chest, he held me as we layed back down to sleep, "i do love you, rem" he said, "I-I love you t-too" i said.

[naptoons]

The Weekend — Nick Mara

Warnings: mature language, sexual content

Theme: Smut

Summary: you and nick have a friends with benefits type of relationship, but things become awkward between one another when you started to adapt feelings for him.

A/N: I apologize in advance if it’s cringe or boring. And if I have misspelled words. This is my first time writing an imagine and writing a smut. So yeah I’m sorry lol I’ll get better eventually.

Your phone buzzes with spam texts,not wanting to deal with it you ignore it continuing to watch your favorite show. Couple of seconds later it begins to buzz louder turning around you see nick is now calling you with a deep sigh you answer. “Yeah?” You speak softly to avoid the cracks in your voice.

“What’s up ma, I’m in town” his velvet voice echos through the phone

“Hm so you can leave again”

“Nah not tonight mamas, I’m not going to leave you alone”

You can’t help but smile at that nickname, but the smile disappears once you settle in your mind ‘it’s just a pet name for sex’ “yeah and what you plan on doing then?” You tease him but you’re also curious.

His chuckle halos your eyes, making your smile bigger than it previously was “ Gonna love you 'til we see the morning light” his voice is seductive and smooth. Like a jazz singer or a radio host.

Biting your lower lip, you lay back on your bed eyes up to the celling. Thinking if you should tell him the truth. You went out, but you want to be more then friends. And it’s clearly ambiguous that he just wants to be strictly friends with benefits. “You falling in love with me over there babygirl?” His voice follows by a chuckle “I’m outside” the call drops sighing you prop yourself up waltzing to the front door in a timely manner. Unlocking the silver accessories on the door there he was standing in shredded dark wash jeans with a clementine hoodie on, the rain Soaked his chestnut hair as it drilled down his semi-golden skin.

“May I come in?” His fangs peak through his silky lips, You step aside letting him in as he wipes his shoes off on the mat in front of your apartment. Stepping in he takes off his shoes leaving them at the front door. Locking the door behind him. The nerves start to bubble up in your throat unable to say anything you walk to the kitchen. Throughout this whole time nicks eyes have never left you. Maybe he was the one actually falling in love.

“You okay ma’s?” His voice breaks the fairly awkward silence, piercing your head up his body was leaned against the counter inked forearms exposed to the air. “You seem a bit trapped in your mind”

“Oh I’m fine, just a lot I’m thinking about” you hiccup, nick knows you inside and out no punt intended. So those hiccups he knows you’re nervous about something. Stepping in front of you he puts the coffee down that you’ve prepared for the both of you. “not in the mood for coffee? I just thought you would like some because you were stuck in the rain and you may get a cold so I figured I-” stopping you right in your tracks nick presses his lips against yours passionately but delicately. He’s never seen a mouth that he would killed to kiss. He’s dated and loved but you. You were something different and he couldn’t figure out what it was.

A simple kiss escalated into something more your hairs standing on ends saluting him, your earlobe heating up possibly turning hues of red, nicks fingers taps on your thighs and without hesitation you jump and he catches you instantly. His veiny hands latching underneath your thighs with his neck attached to your burning flesh. Little whimpers escaping your mouth as your fingers run through his hair. Nick nibbles on the tender spot of your neck ultimately getting the noise he wanted. Followed by a smirk against your skin.

Walking towards your bedroom he closes the door with his foot, then gently lays you on the bed. Instantly your mind goes to pleasing him first. Majority of the time you go first. Why? Cause you put his needs before yours. And because he’s in a rush so you coin toss first. Reaching over to his belt buckle you latch two fingers on it. Nick hold your wrist with one hand and gently the other rests on your neck. Looking up at him through your hooded eyelashes you meet his gaze that isn’t painted with lust, more or less love.

“I’m going to take good care of you, don’t rush mamas, I ain’t going nowhere tonight” his hands push you down softly by your throat his lips taking vacant of where his hands used to be. His lips touching every part of your burning flesh causing a series of goosebumps. It was like hell freezing over. His tongue grazing over your tender perked nipples. Arising a moan to escape between your lower lips that are held tightly between your teeth.

His lips makes their way to your inner thighs as the pool between your legs overflows, so sweet and sensual. This was a side of nick you never thought you’d grasp. His fingers latching on your shorts pulling them down along with your underwear’s. Spreading your legs out hearing the wet sounds of your sensitive bud. Looking directly into your eyes he hovers over your body connecting his lips to yours one last time mumbling softly “you’re so beautiful mamas” your cheeks turning hues of burgundy, earning a chuckle from him.

“Be vocal with me sweetheart, no holding back” he growls pulling you closer to the edge of the bed, before you could process your answer to him his tongue laps up your slit already causing your legs to tremble. Nick places them on his shoulders softly digging his fingertips into your thighs, while yours grab purchase of the sheets. Delving hid tongue in you. Moans of euphoria falling flat from your mouth. “Look at me” nick growls blowing hot air on your sensitive bud. With your lips between your teeth your gaze locks with his as he sinks back between your legs giving you deep intimacy.

His tongue buried on your bundle of joy lapping up your juices with every flick of your swollen clit. His lips kissed over your clit, sucking it delicately. This simple action causes your back to rise off the velvet sheets slurring his name out your mouth. pausing only to lick up the wetness you were dripping for him. His eyes flickered shut as he savors you melting in his mouth. your hands left his hair to grip the sheets he unraveled his own, reaching until your fingers entwined along with his.

His tongue poked out again, as you felt him slip inside of your lips softly. He tongue was pointed, softly moving circles as he tried to locate your sweet spot, and when you pressed your head further into the bed with a series of vulgar words and clenched underneath him, he knew he had spotted it, with that playful smirk creeping on your skin.

“Nick....” your sentence chokes up, he just knows your at your limit, but he wasn’t done admiring you. So he made your ankle touch your shoulders hoisting them with his fingers engraved on your calves, dipping his head back in his tongue flattened in between your lips, as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your stomach knotting up while your body temperature rises. “Nick... I’m gonna come...”

“Hmm come babygirl, let me see you unravel underneath me” with one hand he spreads your folds apart inserting two fingers in pumping you as your juices fill up the room along with your jagged moans. “Look at me” he groans. Opening your eyes you look at his moon reflecting the ocean eyes. Your toes begin to curl as your legs vibrate feeling the colorless liquid gush out of you, as nick smiles at you in awe, sensitive to the touch from your high nick laps you up cleaning up the mess he’s made but not really regretting it.

“Nick...” you mumble almost feeling like you went to sub space. Dealing with nick he’s made you reach sub space on a daily. But today was a different kind of feeling.

“Fuck, you’re hot babygirl” Nick reassures you, unbuckling his pants and pulling them down your breathing is still unstable but the lust in your eyes are begging for more. Pulling you closer to him nick aligns his self with your entrance rubbing his shaft up and down your slit, flinching Everytime he comes close to your clit “you ready?” He asks softly nodding your head he goes into your drawer pulling out the gold medal bringing it up to his teeth as it rips sliding it onto himself he postions himself in between your legs slowly pushing through as your walls engulf him, instantly your eyes roll whole your fingers find purchase of the sheets.

Your legs resting upon his shoulder sinking his teeth softly into your skin as his hips buck against yours making the headboard bang against the wall. His strokes filling you up as they brush against your g-spot. His fingers softly pushing away your fly away hairs that stuck to your glistening face “You’re so beautiful mamas, i can’t believe you’re mine” his hip buck against yours hitting a new high for the both of you. Passionate love wasn’t something the both of you weren’t used to.

Nick stickers his lips on your neck filling the air with mixed groans and moans as the bed soaks in each other sweats, your fingertips digging into his back the deeper. Reaching your third limit this night you clench your walls against nick as your head sinks in the marshmallow pillows. “Let go princess..” he strangled, both of you reaching your highs together. Both of your eyes staring at each other’s intensely. Nick slowly eases out of your frame holding onto your waist. Running your hands through the sheets to cover yourself nick grabs your hand getting in the sheets with you.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” You ask softly still trying to regain your breathe.

“Didn’t you remember me telling you I’m not leaving you alone tonight?”nick rasped, making goosebumps appear throughout your whole body. His fingertips drawing circles on your bare sweaty back. Your fingertips tracing his tattoo on his biceps. Holding back any other thoughts you hold your lower lip in between your lips.

“I meant what I said y/n” Nick finally answers your question

“What?” You act clueless, you wanted to hear it from him, not your conclusions.

“You’re mine babygirl, I’m not going anywhere ever again” nicks nose touches yours his eyes now open his eyelashes slightly hiding his chocolate eyes “I promise, I’m not going anywhere, we’re something more than this”

“No more weekends?” You smile

“More like everyday mamas,you’re too beautiful to not be mine” his fingers pushing your head into his chest. Smiling you kiss his chest softly. What a fantasy that came true.

[soranihimawari]

Shatter continued

A story in several parts:

tw: reader chan’s sibling is a toxic force to be reckoned with; officers mentioned in later parts (civil servants for young adults); mentions of accidents and scarring [both emotional and physical]; young adult 18+ for strong and suggestive language

word count: 6.8 K 

tagging @oikawa-obvs​ @m0nstergeneration20xx​

the characters and other tie in works:

seijoh 4: oikawa, iwazumi, hanamaki, mattsun

spin off of the Running at 6a.m. feat. hanamaki and his s/o [plus s/o family]

Little side notes: mattsukawa issei means “it’s all right.” // fuyu no rairakku fuji means “my beautiful wisteria tree” // mitsuketa means “I have you”

Throughout this story, mattsun & q learn how important the actions of others does not define a set path.

Images based via Pinterest

Image 2 based off this post

<< Back

III

The day before you leave back to your side of the city, you tell your friend what has transpired between you and mattsun on movie night:

“That’s great! I knew he’d like you. They all do,” she says. “I mean, you did fall asleep next to him for a little while before they walked us home that night.” 

“Yeah, I know,” you reply. “I’ll be out with him all day…”

“You’re not going to know what hits you until it shows, Q.” 

“Life is not like the hallmark movie channel, Chise!” 

Your friend’s stubbornness and your counter argument came to a close when her aunt and uncle stepped in to act as a mediator between the two of you… 

“Your sister is coming to pick you up, Q,” her uncle informs you. The news was not a welcomed one at all; the blood in your veins ran cold. 

“What?! Uncle, you can’t be serious,” your friend states, wide eyed. “Q just got here…She can’t go back! Her sister is not right. Please recon—”

“There’s nothing we can do,” her aunt replies. She explains all the sound reasonings why. 

“How long do I have?” You wonder. Chise storms out of the room and when you hear her door shut, you inhale and exhale a deep breath silently counting down before you rationally think things through. You were gone for a total of four days & three nights; it takes about an hour or so for the train, but if your sister does a ride share, you have less than that. 

“She’s on her way, isn’t she?” Your voice betrayed your expression. 

“Yes,” you’ve never seen your friend’s uncle so abruptly twist in disgust. You know both he and his wife would try anything to help you, but considering how they presented the facts, it was going to be a losing battle.

Nodding, you thank them both for the news and the hospitality they offered, but you ask them to leave as politely as you can. You were seventeen years old when you realized that the hardest thing and right thing are not always the same.

IV

Your sister wasn’t always this way. She was the elder & you needed to listen to her. You were always like water, one with the moon & stars; she was like fire, warm and with enough energy to harbor the solar flares. She wasn’t always an unhappy brute; the accident that tore your family apart was the catastrophe which estranged you to this day. 

“What do you mean Q’s leaving?” Makki asks. He sits up hearing his girlfriend’s voice fall into a panic. 

“It’s an emergency; you know I told you about y/n’s relative right?” 

“Yeah. What’s wrong?”

“Takahiro, I’m worried for Q because that’s the one who’s coming to pick her up. She can’t go back to that house on a whim! Her sister might beat her up worse than before!”

“Stay where you are. I’m getting a hold of Iwazumi & Mattsun.”

“Mmk. Hurry because I don’t know what time that witch is arriving.”

—18:43—

“Call the authorities,” was what you hear your friend’s relative instructs. One of them has to keep the objective line of sight here and now all there is left to do is wait.

You stand outside your friends house with a dark expression. Your sister’s arrival meant you could try to fight, yet you knew words are just as damaging. You come face to face with her just as the boys arrive. 

“Come little sister,” she says. You don’t move. Your friend is behind you, but when the boys arrived she lets them in the side gate: Makki leads followed by Iwa, and finally Mattsun. Your friend fills them in and now they stand at the ready to help you if you need it.

“Q. Come now. Don’t make it anymore difficult than it has to be.”

“No.” Your voice is absolute. 

“No?” She sarcastically replied with a scoff. 

“Did I stutter?” You retort. Your friend and her family is on the porch watching this. 

“I don’t know what your game is, but this is a family affair…”

“Do not bring them into this mess,” you warn as you walk toward the spot on the lawn where your sister stands. There is a few feet of grass between you. 

“Enough,” she says in a menacing tone. “Quantum stop being foolish before I burn you and cast you out. Black sheep or not, you are my sister and you will do as I say.”

She takes out a lighter from her purse and one of the oldest journals you have. It was a tome you had since you started middle school.

“Burn it for all I care,” you spat. “Because as far as I am concerned, we are no longer family. You stopped being in mine before I started high school you bitch. Touch me again and I will make you regret finding me.” 

At this point, your teeth are bared and your voice is as even as it can me. You know there is truth in those words, but with your found family behind you, you have the higher ground. 

“Like hell little sister,” she spits. “I rather you drop dead and die because you are what makes me insane: this ends today.” 

You sister burns the book regardless. You stomp out the flames in time that a good portion of the damage book is scorched down to a delightful singe. You wonder how long your sister has been without her medication. The gargantuan illness does not leave her nor do you want to find out because the shadow of her hands comes into contact with your left side of your face. 

She leaves without batting an eye at you. Rather, you feel the residual sting of a slap across your face from a hand that is not your own. The sound is like a whip cracking in the wind.

“Mattsun, Iwazumi,” your friend’s face is pulled into Makki’s side where he whispers something in her ear, probably to watch you say the final nail in the coffin:

“You have no power over me; I am not afraid of you,” you defy her orders again. 

“You cheeky little shit,” your sister says before your fist makes direct contact with her face and when it knocks her to your left, you roundhouse kick her in the ribs thus knocking her wind out of her. 

“Did you know she could fight like that?” Makki asks. Your fist is unclenching because your wrath is unlike anything they’ve witnessed, sure Iwazumi smacks Oikawa with a volleyball, but when ther collectively see what you can do, they look at each other. Except Mattsun, he reads the situation and what you told him at the movie night the day before finally clicks.

I am not ready because I am not fully healed yet. I am left alone to deal with my own demons. Everyone has dragons to slay and for today that dragon is your sister. His thoughts are strung together, yet he sees what you mean in practice and honestly it explains your cynicism, your perception of what it means to have someone who is just as toxic and how they tried to break you. 

“Holy shit,” you clearly hear your friend gasp behind you when she pushes herself off of Makki. When your sister lands on the concrete border of the lawn, you don’t care to notice the winter wind whipping around your short locks. Your breathing is becoming more unstable, yet when you stand to inspect the damage done, you glance down with an oddly satisfying expression: You’re a survivor and you’d be damned if your sister thinks she could shatter you further. 

You pick your sister up by the collar until she is eye level with you. You whisper something in her ear which makes her furious: “Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on sister.” 

“Go,” your best friend says one word while Makki holds her back; Mattsukawa and Iwazumi sprint to where you are holding your sister and all that woman sees is red thereafter.

Her mouth lets out an in humane scream as she lunged forward, her hands have a vice grip on your exposed flash. You feel her nails dig and leave marks. The action carried through as hands reach for your neck to crush your windpipe. You know of the western saying “to choke on your words,” but you’d never thought of it being done physically.

As soon as this occurs, you notice your sister’s wrists are almost snapped by the sheer force Mattsukawa exerts in holding you from behind. Your gasping for air is by far one of the most horrifyingly haunting things he’s ever heard (and you all you can emote is telagraphing I am terrified. Don’t let me go). It takes you a moment to register that it is because you hear him breathe behind you.

“I got you,” Mattsun holds you; he holds you for as long he can to make sure you don’t slip on the residual frost on the lawn. He runs a hand through your hair calming you down further. Your hands are not by your side anymore, rather you feel them grasp on to his own. You close your eyes and he repeats those three words until your breathing and panic subsided.

This occurs while Iwazumi corners your sister and she leaves your friends’ property. Sirens wail in the distance and it doesn’t take very long for the authorities to take your sister into custody for verbal and physical abuse charges whereas you claim self-defense. It’s hard to talk currently, so you write it out on the report form. Makki and your best friend are filling out witness statements while Iwazumi is being checked out by one of the health officials right after you sign the report documents. Mattsun doesn’t leave your line of sight at all, for that you are grateful. Your knuckles have the suture glue on them aid the healing process. The EMT gives you a neosporin antiseptic for the scratches on yout face left behind from the slap your received from the guilty party already in the backseat of the squad car that had already left for the booking station in the west side of the neighborhood.

When the witness statements are done, you are asked to come to the precinct first thing in the morning for a secondary assessment for your wounds,but this is bypassed as soon as you mentioned your previous case serial numbers.

“She’s as lucky as they come,” one of the officers says in passing. “We’ve been trying to pin her relative’s location because of the fact this isn’t her sibling’s first attempt at attempted murder.”

“You did the right thing as soon as you called sir,” his partner praises your friend’s aunt and uncle. “That woman is a danger to herself and others. How did one sister’s grief spiral while the other chose to move forward is beyond me, but miss Q has some good people around her.”

“She’s our niece’s closest friend, so please make sure that woman has all ties cut with the victim,” you heard her uncle say.  “We’ll take her in, but please make the arrangements to have some of her things brought here before the holidays.”

“Understood sir,” the first officer says tilting his hat. “Ma’am, we’ll be going then. Good day.”

Iwazumi takes his leave shortly thereafter and reminds Makki to give you all some space. Mattsun asks if it’s ok to take you away for a couple of hours. You finish passing along the case files while this occurs. You’re not ready to talk about what just happened, but you find yourself ready to move past this ordeal. Families are different, yet your relationship with your sister is one of the worst after the story of biblical twins.

“Of course. Take her out for as long as she needs. You have my number, so text me later,” your friend says with a warm smile. She bops her head toward where you still stood basking in the frosty atmosphere. “Gods know she needs a break. Oh, and Mattsun?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.” She hugs hun quietly along with her uncle who lays a hand on his shoulder. Her aunt mentioned something about how they’re going to remodel the room you stayed in to a permanent one. “She is family after all,” was the last thing he heard as the three of them went back inside their home.

On that note, Mattsukawa returns back to your side. He marvels at your new marks bestowed by what had transpired a couple hours ago. It’s nearly eight in the evening on a Tuesday night. Winter break has finally come, but here he notices you’re ok. Or rather, as ok as you make it seem.

“I should get you a bell,” your sense of humor is impeccable, but when the tears that never come do make their way known in other ways, you stop to turn your face back to the skies. You close your eyes thanking whatever lucky stars you have for having good people gravitate toward you; with one final breath, you return your focus back to your guard dog even if he towers over you with enough power to eclipse the graying skies. As he reaches for your hand, you know this is the first time he sees a glimpse of how much you shine. 

“It’s quiet now,” you said, returning your undivided attention to him. “Thank you.” 

The young middle blocker moves forward with you mentioning something along the lines of you had a date to keep. 

“Do you still want to go?” He asks you this to gage how you’d react. He doesn’t want you to over exert yourself, so when you say yes, he leads the way to one of the closer neighboring shopping plazas.

One trip to a tea shop down the street leads you and him to have a quaint seat by a window. The both of you talk like old friends. You don’t let the dread of what looms over you break you, you’ve been through worse and you’re not going to let anything happen to make him feel like that again. You could tell how frightened he really was earlier when he kept you in front of him on the lawn. You pour some more mango black tea into your cup. You know you two barely say much, yet an entire epic is laid out between you two.

Not a word is said because there is an definite understanding in the delicate exchange here. Mattsun sips his tea and as he learns you’re exhausted of fighting on your own. It dawns on you if given the chance stories about being wronged in the past leads you to be bound by love later on. Tell me you want to help me too, Mattsukawa.

“If you’ll have me, please let me be your kintsugi,” he places the dwarf tea cup down on its saucer. You sit across from him as the fluorescent lighting causes your eyes to flicker amusedly at his features. You rest your chin in your hand when he does this. 

“You don’t have to ask,” you reassure him. With your free hand, you hold one of his with residual heat. Why are you doing this? You like each other. Hell, he’s the one who made sure you’re alive. He’s amazingly kind, so what is stopping you? 

“I already run with you at six in morning. It’s plausible after--Mattsun? Hold on a sec. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I like you,” Mattsun’s voice is as casual as he makes it seem. Don’t make me go through that again; I almost didn’t get the chance to show you how amazing you really are.

You see what he means behind those eyes of his. He’s honest, kind, and strong; almost like steel, but you’re just as strong like titanium. You work well together, you think. If this is what it feels to fall in like with someone, you’d proactively seek it every time from him until you learn how to love yourself for all parts of you. He has a subtle way of telling you he likes you. Acts of love and kindness aside, you want to cherish this setting, precisely because you live the way you tease him in a friendly manner. For a moment, the veil of winter’s shouldering dreariness stops. Your lips curl into a Cheshire’s grin. His heart nearly stops for the second time that day.

“I like you too,” you chuckle. “Who knew you were such a romantic at heart Mattsukawa?”

“You did.”

You nod. “I should have known. So, where would you like to take me now?”

After you two finish speaking at the teahouse, Mattsun escorts you toward another part of the same plaza. Your face illuminates in the refraction of the street lamps, your hands bump into each others whilst you walk the promenade.

There are no words exchanged because neither of you want to see each other with the image seared into your minds’ eye; his arms that evening were clicking on to your waist, his his center of gravity shifting so when he pulls your body backwards, you hear his voice reminding you he has you, you’re safe here. You nodding closing your eyes when his warmth emits a calming aura. You both ignore the subject, but you’re really fucking thankful to have him (along with the company you keep, each showing a different type of love from the international myths you loved to read): you both walk with the same thoughts that evening: Don’t scare me like that again, whatever you do, stay alive. We haven’t even seen what our story might look like. Just please, prove to me you’re still here; catch the fire from me to you and live.

Mattsukawa and you walk past a pillar and stop to take a glance at the community announcement boards. A few of the paper lanterns are already lit. The street lamps are beginning to hum.

“There’s a night market happening,” you read aloud, slowly, you feel yourself relaxing more into your surroundings. Your hand points to the sign and Mattsukawa notices the minute change in your behavior. You’re much more free and outgoing than before; you’re a winter’s tale and a dahlia, but he knows the flower thing might be a tad bit off, so he keeps that content to himself for now.

“We’ll take the others here later,” he informs you about thinking about how his classmates, especially Oikawa, would handle not coming.

“If you say so,” you reply. You both continue to walk and browse through the various shops, but when he takes you into one the art stores, you ask him to wait a moment to let other patrons walk in. He is perceptive enough to understand your feelings, so he does what he thinks is best: he reminds you you aren’t going inside alone. 

“I got you,” Mattsukawa repeats from earlier. “We’ll go inside whenever you’re ready. Does that sound fair to you?”

“...ok.”

“Do you want to go call it a day then?” 

The moment you nod, he walks at a quicken pace. Eventually you tell him to slow down when you pass by a neighboring plaza. This one was more serene than the last.

“What’s on your mind?” You ask you impromptu date. 

I’m learning to trust you a little more and I’m afraid of this continues, would you run from me? 

“Mattsukawa. Don’t overthink it,” your voice is unmistakably calm, yet it is driving him to let go and live a little; so you do. You let his hand go for a little while, and now you stand in front of him and you have a mischievous glint in them. 

Fuck it. I don’t care if you’re here for four days or four minutes. I am not running away from this, from you, and the possibility of you staying.

Mattsukawa tilts your face up with one of his fingers and when you feel his lips ghost over your own, you close the gap. First kisses in the winter are not rare, but the ambiance of being surrounded by the wisteria trees dyes the world into a violet haze. Love is not as fickle as you think. This one is different, you both relish in this display of affection. He breaks the kiss briefly, and to him, seeing you like this makes him finally understand the sentiment of seeing a whole universe in one person.

You stop him dead in his tracks because as soon as you feel Mattsukawa’s warmth leave your face, you understand how much he was holding back; you both were. His face is tinged a little bit flushed out slightly by the curious softened stare you give him. He wanted to see you worked up before, but he wasn’t expecting to see you act so hastily. You drag your bottom lip through your teeth before you sigh much to your own chagrin because you knew what he felt was true.

“Mmhm,” you’re driving him insane in this short game of stolen glances because he received no further warning when you pull his lips back on yours. Your hands traverse upward from where your hands initially were on his shoulders and eventually looping around his neck. There is a secret kindness you want him to have; he owns this part of you, the wild capricious love of the cold is gorgeously delightful. You’re ok even when he deepens this kiss and he draws this sounds of want and need from you the more you let him. You taste his love in the way your hands love to tousle his hair; you hear his chest rumble in amusement when he opens his mouth slightly teasing you with the residual taste of the tea from earlier. Don’t be afraid to fall, you muse.

Mattsukawa draws you in closer to him as he snakes one arm around the small of your back while the other hand he has used to tilt your face moves to your shoulder before finding solace on your neck. He lost a to the way you move your body and you both don’t succumb to each other’s prowess. What you both crave you found in each other. He dips you to one side like in those old movies you so love. You’re mine, my dear; irreplaceable and hopelessly in my loving arms. Safe you’ll always be.

You catch your breathing when you part, he places you back in a standstill position. You’re smiling together, like a firefly lamp in the summer, casting a halo ring around you two. A few of the flowers are blown away in the brief wind and apparently land all around scattered like gorgeous mosaics on the concrete. You turn your head slightly to hear his heart drum on; you tell him things via tracing the kanji on his shirt little messages like “future,” “brave,” “loyal,” “true,” etc. he chuckles because it tickles a bit, but he reminds you wildhearts can’t be broken so easily. You concur taking a deep breath, watching as your exhale leaves little pufts of moisture to dissipate in the air. He rests his head against your shoulder in a slight variation of an acknowledging bow; his breath tickles against the nape of your neck, his mouth teasingly nips at the midpoint of your ear.

“Fuyu no rairakku fuji,” he crowns you a new name; his lips press against your cheekbone. You grin at the new nickname.

“Mattsukawa Issei,” you remind him when you two begin walking again and he pauses dumbfounded by the tone you use. It dawns on him that perhaps his best friend’s girl told you his name in full. You return the wisteria name he bestowed upon you with a much simpler one for him. “Mitsuketa.”

— spring forward—

You wonder if he could remember that when you sleepover for the first time; you find out he can and does so the moment he lays you down on his bed to make you remember how being loved by him is going to leave you breathless one step at a time, and true to his word, his hands are sturdy.

This love is messy, but you enjoy every moment of being enamored by him. You don’t look back anymore, but forward when he calls your new name right as you pull him back toward you before you both ruin the sheets that support you. You place a hand over his chest to stabilize his figure over you. “Watashi no utsukushī fuji,” his voice has you defenseless the moment you humbly accept him as solely yours.

“My first love, come here,” your lips were always inviting toward him and he listens to the way you both praise each other while he brings your unscarred arm above your head; your scars are now inked with wild wisteria flowers he so affectionately called you a few months ago.

Luckily one of your case workers knew someone in Miyagi who does tattoos pro bono for victims of abuse survivors. Languid wisteria blossoms iluminate your arms under a blacklight, but the white ink outlines remain visible like small embroideries tying you to the blossom to ward off evil. The subject came about one evening during the routine cafe shoppe run with the boys and your best friend:

“All I’m saying is that if she wants it done, we know someone in Miyagi who can,” Makki reasons with your friend.

“I was thinking about it,” you speak up before your friend completes her ‘harrumph.’

The table falls quiet. “I was thinking of having the wisteria blooms cover the worse of it.”

“Wisteria, huh?” Oikawa asks. “I think that’s a good choice. Iwa-Chan! Let’s— ”

“No.” Honestly, when he found out what had transpired via the group chat with his friends, he nearly cut his family vacation short to fly back to check on you.

Instead, Iwazumi took over by sending him photos of both Makki and your best friend eating a crepe one night followed by one of you and Mattsukawa after he gifted you a wisteria branch necklace.

Presently, your hand coaxes Mattsukawa into leaving marks of his love blatantly across the exposed parts let him meet. The bruises his lips left behind are just as intoxicating as you remember.

“You’re still so daring,” his voice drowns out the pleasurable noise you let him hear.

“You’re~ahh~ staring,” your hands find their way to the collar of his half undone dress shirt. He pauses for a moment, smirking through his gaze when he envelopes you in his arms. Your hands are too quick when you unbutton the rest of his shirt. You’re wearing one of your old high school gym baseball shirts when you came over to visit for spring break. (The first time you sleep overnight was quite entertaining to say the least, but you both prove you’re capable of this sort of love too.) His hands move to coerce your legs slide over his thighs and here you sit, knees slightly bent and he has you where you both want to be.

Your breathing is ragged and labored as he kisses you slowly, hands slipping under your shirt.

“Please," your voice is barely above a whisper. One word was all he needed and fuck were you worth it. Mattsukawa assists you in pulling that fabric over your head before you push him down back on the bed. Your arms are cut around his shoulders for support as he picks up where his kisses left off. Your love bites haven’t fully disappeared yet from last time: bites across the mounds of your breasts are yellowing now; the ones over the inside of your thighs are still healing beautifully. His wisdom lurks in how well you handle his sexual desires with every time you consent to it. You both seek no other tangible means to prove how far you’ve come (with and without his help).

“You’re still pretty,” he says. He marvels at the fact you’re still with him in the present moment. Your hair is tangled in his hands and he beckons you to make him remember what you told him in the park one winters day.

“Mesmerizing me is what you do best,” your mouth haunts his own pulling out the lewd sounds of his satisfaction. He hisses as you return his favor; he holds you tighter until you are comfortable in his hold. Those eyes of his remain on yours because you told him the first time to keep his eyes forward.

“You’re really something else,” he groans as you bite the space in the space between his shoulder and neck. You don’t let him come undone without you a little less than an hour later; he makes good on his promise of always saying he got you and you return with remembering you have him. You ran with him every day at six in the morning for a solid year, but forgot that sexual escapades with him are more often a marathon than not. Eventually, you catch up to him, and the cycle begins anew with you. Mattsukawa is a fierce lover, but within the walls you share with him, he realizes you’re just as lethal as a jaguar in his bed.

Yes, love in the spring always came in waves for the outside world, it here, once the sheets were changed, you and Mattsukawa take care of each other first before he has your drowsy form (smelling like the rain) clean and clothed in just an old pajama top of his (he wears a pair of a different style sleep pant) he lays you down first before he climbs in with you.

Loving each other is never as messy as you heard from those around you. It’s only because you both let each other propel forward; your love is maddening since you and Mattsukawa are firm believers the shattering parts make you the most beautiful. So when you wake up in each other’s touch, his lips always trace over the sides of you where he loves you strongest, whistling the melodies that cause flowers to bloom.

End

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