#missing the good ol days of having friends here who would see this and be in my DMs immediately.

[tonycries]

Men In Uniform Do It Best!

Dirty Lil' Secrets

A Picture Lasts Long (But Not As Long As That D*ck)

I'm Addicted, I Admit It!

Give Me Tough Love

Never Ever Seen This Before!

We Don't Have No Babies!

Like A Fever

Bad Things (To You)

Prettier When Messy!

Care For You!

Green-eyed Monster

So Lonely In My Mansion!

Kiss Me More!

Girl, I Do This Often

Cause, I Love Freaks!

Sl*t Me Out!

Match My Freak!

WAP!

R U Mine?

Hot To Go!

Girl, You Earned It!

I'm A BIG Stepper!

BODY-ODY!

SOOO ANXIOUS

Long Overdue!

THIS P*SSY DEPRESSED!

The Family Matter?!

I-T G-I-R-L!

I Lasted Ten Rounds!

BRAT!

ONE-SHOTS

Three's a Crowd (But Four...) — “So, are they like holograms? Or can you really touch them?” “Why? Trynna cop a feel, sweetheart?” In which you and your boyfriend find very unconventional uses for his powers.

Why Can't I Keep My Fingers Off You? [Part 1] [Part 2] — There were two things missing in the scene in front of you: 1. The aphrodisiac chocolate your friends had given as a gag gift last Christmas that had been hidden away in the back of your refrigerator. 2. Your dear fiancé.

Dream A Little Dream — For the strongest, it was a privilege to dream. Especially when his dream is you. 

Initiation! — “Just a small initiation, nothing too serious.” Couldn’t be too hard, right? So why are you - the all-new frat sweetheart - being pinned to the bed and stuffed full from all ends by your frat brothers?

One More? Please? — A kiss always solves everything! But when a kiss turns into something more…well, it’s only a desperate attempt to unseal yourselves from this damned prison realm, right? Right?

Everybody Knows That I'm a Good Girl, Officers... — You don’t know what’s faster - how fast you were speeding down the highway, or how fast you’re on your knees for the hot officers that just so happen to pull you over.

Hope They Catch Us — When you’re on-screen, it’s always a rivalry to see who’s best - you just never thought that it would be the same struggle in bed.

Unmistakably Yours — In which the strongest bends space and time - literally - after coming back from deatḣ, to do what he’s always wanted to do - you.

Madam Gojo — Gojo Satoru, the strongest clan leader in all of Japan - and the most dangerous, too. You, rejected by the elders, and totally not his future bride, right? Right?

Can't Touch Me (Like Gojo) — In which intentionally making your fríend-with-benefíts jealous ends up with more benefits than you’d think.

The Heir — No, your clan leader husband won’t stop until he gives you an heir. No, you don’t think you’ll make it out alive.

LONGFICS

The Call — After an explosive fight with your boyfriend, you really should feel sorry about being swept up by the blue-eyed stranger at the club - but it’s so hard when he kisses you like that.

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy — He knows that you would be one of his favorite stories from his travels. And you know that you want nothing more than to stay by his side. After meeting an alluring cowboy at Ol’ Rustcliffe Saloon, both of you are sure of one thing - this must be fate.

Go For It, Gojo! [Part 1] [Part 2] — You wouldn’t fuck Gojo Satoru even if you were paid…is what you thought exactly five minutes before you were shoved against the wall of this cramped closet, his face stuffed in your soaked panties.

Unhoneymooners!? — The universe was surely playing a joke on you. Here you were, trapped on a luxury getaway with your - dangerously handsome, extremely obnoxious - ex. Either you were going to kill each other or end up pinned beneath him, split apart on his cóck. You just didn’t know what would come first.

AITA For F*cking My Sugar Daddy's Son?! — When your sugar daddy just isn’t paying attention to you, can you really be blamed for fúcking his son? Especially when his son is absolutely obsessed with you.

Bad Boys Bring Roses — You’ve never dealt with the yakuza - not once. So why is the future head of the Gojo clan suddenly coming up to you, demanding that you marry him for 30 days?

The Way You Kiss Me — The four times Satoru tries really hard not to kiss you - his best friend’s pretty younger sister. And the one time he doesn’t.

Isn't That Sweet? (I Guess So) — Oh no! Why do your pantíes keep disappearing? Well, maybe your hot roommate knows the answer…

Haunting You — A bIoody trail of vampire attácks, a political marriage, and four suitors you’re forced to choose from - all haunting you. But none as much as the mysterious stranger that makes everything in you scream that you might just be fated for the very thing your kingdom is trying to escape from.

You'll Taste Me Too! — How do you last three days on a work trip with the man you hate the most in the office? You don’t - you end up pinned underneath him, instead.

We Neva Play! — Turns out, the “r” in rivals stands for “really good séx” when a mission becomes a little too hot to handle.

ONE-SHOTS

Initiation! — “Just a small initiation, nothing too serious.” Couldn’t be too hard, right? So why are you - the all-new frat sweetheart - being pinned to the bed and stuffed full from all ends by your frat brothers?

Like An Animal — Of course Toji doesn’t want any more kids. Of course he’s lying as he stuffs your pretty cúnt full of his cúm for the third time tonight.

Whiskey, Neat, With a Side of You — When your date stands you up, you’re lucky that the hot bartender is more than happy to keep you company! 

Everybody Knows That I'm a Good Girl, Officers... — You don’t know what’s faster - how fast you were speeding down the highway, or how fast you’re on your knees for the hot officers that just so happen to pull you over.

F*ck You! (Literally) — Of course, you hated your ex-husband. Of course, you found yourself in bed with him on your wedding anniversary.

LONGFICS

Government Hooker — With the fame and glory of being an international popstar comes the inevitable threat of an overzealous stalker. You just didn’t think that it would also come with a very sexy, buff bodyguard behind your every move.

Madam Zenin — There’s nothing that rouses Toji, the infamous head of the Zenin clan, nothing that will make him lose control - until they take what’s most important to him. You.

ONE-SHOTS

Brooklyn Baby — Everybody wanted to fuck Suguru Geto, lead bassist of Tokyo Special Grades. Said Suguru doesn’t want to fuck anyone else but you. He couldn’t give less of a fuck if anyone walked in right now. In fact, a small part of him wishes someone would.

Initiation! — “Just a small initiation, nothing too serious.” Couldn’t be too hard, right? So why are you - the all-new frat sweetheart - being pinned to the bed and stuffed full from all ends by your frat brothers?

Golden Boy — Falling right back in love with the cult leader you’re supposed to kíll? Happens more often than you’d think.

LONGFICS

ONE-SHOTS

Initiation! — “Just a small initiation, nothing too serious.” Couldn’t be too hard, right? So why are you - the all-new frat sweetheart - being pinned to the bed and stuffed full from all ends by your frat brothers?

A Million Dollar Baby! — Turns out, rent can be paid in much more than one way.

LONGFICS

ONE-SHOTS

Welcome To The Itadori's! — Three times Choso really, really wanted to hold you without his family barging in, and the one time he actually does. 

FIVE! — Five hours - it’s all it takes for Choso’s baby fever to take over. After all, you’d look so pretty with his kid - five of them, in fact.

LONGFICS

Great With Kids? (You Can Have Mine) — When your younger brother gets a new babysitter, only two questions linger on your mind: 1. How come your parents didn’t trust you in charge? 2. How dare the sexy babysitter be so perfect - it made you want some attention too.

Freak On The Cam! — Choso always loved watching you - his pretty lil’ camgírl - from behind the screen. Who knew he’d love being on-screen with you even more?

ONE-SHOTS

Can't Touch Me (Like Gojo) — In which intentionally making your fríend-with-benefíts jealous ends up with more benefits than you’d think.

LONGFICS

Exes who...

Love Is Blind

“She My Best Friend, Yeah We Not a Couple.”

Wanna Do Bad Things To You

I Wanna Get Freaky On Camera

Lemme Ride, Baby!

Can I Fill You Up, Baby?

"Pull On It. Harder."

Little Heaven

[waywardnerd67]

Fireworks

Title: Fireworks Summary: When (Y/N)’s BFF invites her to a 4th of July party she would never imagine meeting the man of her dreams… literally. Main Characters: Glen Powell, Reader Pairing: Glen Powell x Reader Rating: E - Everyone Warnings: Fluffy/RPF Word Count: 5376 A/N: Jumping back into the saddle so please forgive all the rough edges.

“Honey, I’m home!”

(Y/N) looked up to see her best friend walking through her front door, “Addison! Why didn’t you tell me you were in town?”

She hugged her hard, missing her BFF more than she realized. A year ago, Addison got the opportunity of a lifetime to be the personal assistant to a Hollywood actor. She had been traveling the world, hanging out on movie sets and living her best life. Meanwhile, (Y/N) was still living in their hometown of Austin, Texas working at the same high school, in the same position for nearly a decade.

“I’m sorry, my boss has had me planning this big Fourth of July party and today is the first day I’ve had time to come see you.”

They both sat down on her couch as (Y/N) paused her millionth rewatch of Supernatural, “How are you planning a party here if he lives in L.A.?”

Addison smiled, “He recently moved back to Austin, so it looks like I will be coming back here as well.”

(Y/N) let out a squeal hugging her friend tightly, “Oh my god, that’s amazing! I mean I know you’re gonna be busy but damn will it be good to have you back here.”

For the next few hours they caught up on each other’s lives or lack of one for (Y/N). They ordered dinner and were getting ready to watch one of their favorite rom-coms when Addison’s phone rang.

“Hey boss, what’s up?”

(Y/N) watched her friend’s face light up and suddenly her body was filled with envy. She was incredibly proud of the life her friend created but it was a reminder of how boring of a life she had. She couldn’t even remember the last thing she had been excited for except for maybe the new Twisters movie coming out later in the month.

“You got it. I will confirm everything and send you an email update.” Addison paused listening, “Yes, I will make sure to bring someone with me. See you tomorrow.”

“From the look on your face I would say you love your job.” Addison nodded with a smile, “I really do. He’s great and nothing like the other Hollywood douchebags. He’s just a good ole Texas boy. Kind of reminds me of Jensen and Jared.”

(Y/N) remembered her best friend's time volunteering at Creation Entertainment Supernatural conventions. She eventually was one of the workers who helped walk the actors to and from ops. Several times she had walked with Jared Padalecki or (Y/N)’s favorite actor, Jensen Ackles. That was how she had met them and found out they were truly just as nice and humble as everyone said they were.

“He wants me to bring someone to his party. What do you say?”

“Me?” She stared at Addison, “Don’t you think you should bring someone more interesting or fun?”

Her friend slipped her arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders, “No. There’s no one else I would rather bring than my best friend. Plus, who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone there and hit it off.”

“Yeah. Right.” She scoffed, “The plain Jane school secretary hitting it off with some Hollywood hunk. This is reality and not fanfiction.”

“Please? For me? It would mean the world to me if you came and then I can finally introduce you to my boss.” Addison stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes then smiled, “Fine. Only because I love you.”

“Yay! If you want we can go get you a swimsuit and a new outfit. On me, of course, as a thank you.”

“I’m immediately regretting this decision…” She groaned.

The next day, they spent the day going to lunch and shopping. After one crying session in a dressing room and a slight argument in front of a cashier, (Y/N) arrived back home with three bags worth of stuff. Addison had convinced her to buy a two piece swimsuit. She was always hyper aware of her body even after losing a lot of weight. She was still plus size with killer curves and she was proud of her body. Knowing she was going to be around beautiful actors and models made her notice every little imperfection she had. Staring at the dark green checkered pattern suit made her stomach churn.

“It will be fine, (Y/N). No one is going to notice you anyway.” She murmured to herself.

The morning of July 4th, Addison was at her apartment bright and early, “I’m sorry it’s so early on your day off. My boss wants me at his house early and I figured you wanted to ride over with me.”

(Y/N) yawned, “It’s fine. I have my Monster and should be some form of human like by the time we get there.”

Addison led her out to a brand new Jeep Wrangler that was the same orange as the Longhorns. They threw their stuff in the back and headed off onto highway 290 towards Dripping Springs.

“Please tell me this is his car and not yours.” (Y/N) said as Addison started laughing.

“Yes, it’s his. I still have old faithful who recently hit 200,000 miles and is still purring like a kitten.” Addison turned on her Spotify playlist, “He’s a big Longhorns fan so anything he can get in burnt orange he does.”

One thing (Y/N) loved about living in Austin was the scenery. It had been awhile since she had driven out to Hill Country. The last remaining bluebonnets were holding on strong from a late blooming season mixing with other wildflowers. She couldn’t help to notice they were headed the same direction as Family Business Brewery.

“If we’re going to Family Business and Jensen is going to be there then I need some notice to calm my inner fangirl.”

Addison shook her head, “No, he just lives near there. I know he invited Jensen and Jared’s families but I think they have a convention this weekend.”

(Y/N) let out a sigh of relief then continued to admire the scenery around her while they sang to their favorite songs. Soon they were pulling up to a newly built, gated home. The main house was a subtly modern farmhouse with a big wrap around porch. Addison parked in front of the three car garage behind the house and that’s when (Y/N) saw a beautiful red barn straight out of a western movie.

“Wow…” She said, grabbing her things and following her friend to the pool house.

“Make yourself at home, this is where I stay. It’s easier for me to be close by than to have my own place and worry about subletting it.”

(Y/N) found pictures of her best friend in various cities, countries with celebrities she admired. There were also plenty of pictures of them together throughout their friendship including childhood and being roommates at UT-Austin. She looked at one picture of Addison pulled into a big hug from Glen Powell.

“You’ve met Glen Powell and didn’t tell me!” (Y/N) smacked her BFF’s shoulder, “How dare you.”

Addison laughed, “He’s a sweetheart.”

“Talk about good ole Texas boy… by god not that I need another bow legged Texan to love, but whew!” (Y/N) fanned herself.

“Come on, help me organize the food and everything before my boss gets home.”

There were tables set up in the massive backyard with a food buffet large enough to feed an army. (Y/N) found herself enjoying helping Addison get everything ready. She was helping the DJ get set up in the barn when Addison called out to her.

“Hey, my boss is here. I’m going to the main house to help him with something then I’ll be back.”

“Got it boss lady!” (Y/N) laughed as her friend rolled her eyes.

She was putting the last touches of the Firecracker themed tables together when a low, raspy voice came from behind her.

“Nicely done. You must be Addison’s best friend.”

She turned around and froze, “Holy shit, you’re Glen Powell.”

He laughed holding out his hand to her, “Yes, but not the OG Glen. He’s in the house right now. You’re (Y/N), right? Addison talks about you all the time.”

She slipped her hand into his then flinched from the electric current running up her arm. From his wide green eyes, she assumed he felt it too.

“Uh, y-yeah that’s me. Um…” She swallowed hard, “Sorry, my inner fangirl is having a mild heart attack right now.”

His deep, rich laugh blanketed her body in warmth, “Well hopefully your inner fangirl won’t pass out. Calling 911 is not on my list today.”

“I promise, she’ll be fine. Still getting used to my BFF hanging out with celebrities, especially ones that I love.”

The bright smile on his face nearly melted her heart, “Awe, so you love me?”

“Uh… yes, I mean… yes I love your movies and you seem like a really great person.” (Y/N) mentally kicked herself.

Shut up. Stop talking you weirdo.

“Thanks, I try to be a good guy. Main reason why I moved back to Austin. Stay grounded in my home roots. Anyway, I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I better get back to the main house and see what kind of chaos my family is causing for Addison.”

“Oh, okay. Talk to you later.” (Y/N) watched as he walked out of the barn then finally let out a shaky breath.

She immediately went in search of her best friend, finding her near the buffet. She smacked her shoulder several times as Addison tried to defend herself with tongs.

“What the hell (Y/N)!”

“Why didn’t you tell me that Glen Powell was your boss?! A little warning would have been nice so I could prepare myself.”

Addison chuckled, “Damn, I missed you meeting him. I was hoping to see your face.”

She smacked her shoulder again, “Not funny. It was like the first time I met Jensen and my brain short circuited.”

Now Addison was nearly falling down laughing, “Did you word vomit all over him?”

“No! Though I did mention my inner fangirl having a heart attack. Also, the first thing out of my mouth was ‘Holy shit, you’re Glen Powell.”

“Oh my god!” Her friend was rolling in laughter, “God, I wish I had been there for that.”

“That’s it, I’m leaving. I’ve already embarrassed myself and who knows who else will be here for me to embarrass myself in front of.”

(Y/N) started to head towards the front of the house when Addison reached out grabbing her arm.

“Wait, wait. I’m sorry, I should have warned you. Glen only invited a few actors that live around here over. Honestly, I think Zac Levi is the only one confirmed to be coming. Other than that, it’s mostly Glen’s family and friends.”

“Zac Levi?” She stared at her, “Zachary fucking Levi… oh god, I’m out. Me and my inner fangirl cannot handle this.”

Addison ran in front of her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders, “(Y/N), they are just humans like you and me.”

“Humans that are sculpted out of marble by the good lord himself with a good heaping pile of sex god appeal. Not like me. They’re main character energy and I’m one of the background people no one sees.”

“(Y/N) stop. Trust me, stay and hang out with me. Glen said once everything was set up that I was off the rest of the night. That means, it’s you and me hanging out by the pool, eating our weight in BBQ and watching fireworks. With some particularly good eye candy around.”

Addison was looking at her with pleading eyes, “Please stay and find out for yourself that they are normal dudes. Just like when we hung out with Jared and Jensen.”

(Y/N) sighed, “Only because I love you more than life itself and I have no way of getting home.”

Addison pulled her into a hug, “Thank you.”

“Group hug? I want to join!” Before (Y/N) could look up, she was sandwiched between her best friend and a firm body behind her. Instantly she was enveloped in a woodsy smell with a hint of citrus. Glen squeezed them together making both girls laugh.

“Can’t… breathe… Powell.” Addison managed to squeak out as he let go of them.

“Sorry, just wanted to be a part of your little moment.” He joked.

(Y/N) turned around sucking in a breath and trying to keep her jaw from slacking. Standing before her was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Which said a lot since up until that point it had been Jensen Ackles who was the most beautiful man in her mind. Glen was wearing a pair of swim trunks with firecrackers all over them that hung low on his hips. His golden skin was glowing beneath the Texas sun and on top of his golden hair was an American flag cowboy hat.

“Ladies, I believe everything is set up and our first wave of guests have arrived. That means, Addison, you are officially off the clock and my last request is for you both to have a great time tonight.”

They looked at one another then saluted Glen saying together, “Yes sir.”

His laughter filled the air, “Your salutes need some work but we can work on that later. Now, go! Get drunk, eat and have fun.”

Addison hooked her arm with (Y/N)’s and they headed back towards the pool. For the first couple of hours, (Y/N) laid out on one of the chairs by the pool. One of the only things she loved about parties was people watching. There was no shortage of people to watch here. Glen’s family was an absolute joy to meet. Currently, his dad was in the pool playing with his grandkids while his mom was sitting on the edge hanging her feet into the water.

(Y/N) watched as Zac Levi walked through the main house with a cooler and a few of his friends. She was surprised to see him pull Addison into a hug then kiss her cheek. She made a mental note to ask her what was up with that later. Sipping on her beer, she watched as a group of guys including Glen and Zac started a game of football. Addison was talking with Glen’s sisters when suddenly there was a shout.

“Watch out!”

Before (Y/N) could look up, she was hit with something hard in her chest. She let out a loud grunt and her beer dumped down the front of her.

“Shit! (Y/N) are you alright?” Glen asked as he and Addison ran up to her.

She groaned, “Fine, just covered in beer.”

“I can show you where you clean up.” Glen said, taking the football that had hit her and tossing it to his brother-in-law.

He held out his hand to her and helped her up from her seat. She looked back at Addison who was smiling like the Cheshire cat. She narrowed her eyes at her friend suddenly smelling a set up and beer… lots of beer.

Glen led her into the main house and up the stairs. They walked into the largest bedroom she had ever seen and immediately knew this had to be his room.

“You can use my bathroom to wash up and I’ll get you some clothes to wear.”

She chuckled, “Um, I’m pretty sure your clothes won’t fit me.”

He arched an eyebrow at her, “I’m sure I can find something or if you prefer to walk around in a towel only then that’s cool too.”

“No! Oh god, no.” She sighed, “Thank you. I appreciate anything you can find for me.”

“You’re welcome.” He walked into his large closet while she went into his master bathroom and shut the door.

Leaning against it, she took a moment to calm her frantic nerves. A week ago, she was home rewatching Top Gun: Maverick and now she was standing in Glen Powell’s bathroom. Quickly, she stripped out of her soiled clothes and swimsuit. She turned on the water of the massive shower and let the hot water beat down on her tense muscles. She heard the door opening and immediately tried to cover herself.

“There’s clothes on my bed for you.”

(Y/N) noticed he had his hand covering his eyes even though he couldn’t see her from where the door was. Her heart skipped from the small gesture.

“T-Thank you. I’ll be back out in a few minutes.”

“Take your time.” He closed the door.

(Y/N) noticed his shampoo was the citrus she had smelled earlier while his body wash was the woods smell. She decided that combination was her new favorite smell. Once she was out of the shower and wrapped in one of his towels she walked out to find his door closed. On the bed was an extra large Longhorns t-shirt and gym shorts. There was also a pair of black Calvin Klein boxer-briefs which she was thankful for. However, not having a bra to wear was going to be difficult.

She stepped into his closet and chuckled from all the burnt orange shirts. She found one of his tank tops and slipped it on. She rolled the bottom up beneath her breasts and tied it off with her ponytail. The girls would at least be secured but one good cool wind and her nipples would be on display.

“Maybe it’s time to step up to whiskey.” She muttered as she slipped on the rest of Glen’s clothes.

Opening the door, she found a muscular, tan back standing there like a bodyguard, “Sorry, I just didn’t want anyone walking in here on you. My family is not big on boundaries nor are my niece and nephew.”

She chuckled, “Thanks for keeping watch and for the clothes.”

He turned around and she watched as his eyes traveled the length of her body. Goosebumps spread across her flushed skin. When his eyes came back up to hers they were darker and filled with something that she refused to let herself believe was there.

“Have to say, those look way better on you than on me.”

(Y/N)’s default mode clicked on whenever she received compliments, “I highly doubt that, but thanks. They’re at least more comfortable than my swimsuit. By the way, do you have somewhere I could wash my clothes out?”

“Yeah, give them to me and I’ll put them in the washer. You can head back out to enjoy the party.” She handed him her suit and clothes, “Man, I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you in this. I bet it looked great on you.”

He headed down the stairs leaving (Y/N) speechless. Was Glen Powell flirting with her? No way. She was delusional from the alcohol and sun. She headed back outside where she found Addison swimming in the pool with Zac. Seeing them together, she knew she didn’t need to ask if they were together. It was obvious by the way they looked at one another that they were. Once again, (Y/N)’s green eyed monster raged inside of her. Deciding she needed some more time alone, she headed out towards the barn then kept walking to the field behind it.

She was watching a team of guys setting up fireworks for the big display later that night. She could still hear everyone laughing and having fun behind her, suddenly she felt tears falling down her cheeks. She loved her best friend, but it was obvious she didn’t fit into her life anymore. She was hanging out and dating celebrities and traveling the world.

What was she doing? Still working the same job and never allowing anyone to get close to her. She gave up on dating after her one and only boyfriend had cheated on her. Did she want someone in her life? The family and white picket fence? Of course, but the closer to forty she was getting the further away that dream seemed to be getting. Seeing how happy Addison was and how wonderful her life was a harsh reminder of how meaningless her own life was.

“You okay?”

Turning around, she found Glen walking up now wearing a navy tank top and his dark Ray Bans covering his eyes. She quickly wiped away the wayward tears.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed a moment.”

He leaned his forearms against the fence, looking out over the field, “I see you found my ‘I need a moment’ spot. I love coming out here and just being. I don’t have to be actor Glen, but just me.”

“I bet that is exhausting.” He nodded as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes, “On behalf of fans everywhere, I appreciate all the hard work you put into your characters. I can’t tell you the number of nights I have watched one of your rom-coms laughing and making my day better.”

He looked down at her with a smile, “Thanks, that means a hell of a lot to me.”

“However, I have to say, I wish they would pair you up with a woman your age. Seeing you make out with a woman ten years younger gives girls like me a complex.” She chuckled.

“How so?” He asked, turning towards her.

She sighed, “You never see a leading woman that is both older and doesn’t have a model’s body. The average size of a woman is 14/16 which is plus size and if I had to guess I bet the majority of rom-com audience is like me. A woman in her late thirties, plus size, single and looking for hope that men like Glen Powell would be interested in her.”

“You don’t think guys like me would be with a woman like you?”

His question was genuine, but made her scoff, “In the movies they aren’t. Why would I believe that in real life? Probably why I’ve been single for over a decade now. It’s easier to fantasize over fictional men or celebrities than putting myself out there to get humiliated.”

He stepped closer to her, his fingers brushing against her cheek and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head and his glossy eyes were staring down into hers. She had dreamt of him looking at her in this very way a million times. The way he looked at every leading lady in one of his rom-coms.

“What if I told you that I do find you attractive? That I find you incredibly sexy.”

“I’d say that you’re a great actor.” She tried to look away, but he gently grabbed her chin making her look at him.

“I’m not acting. The moment Addison showed me a picture of the two of you, I thought you were the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. The way she gushes about you and all the work you do for your students. The difference you’re making in their lives. I couldn’t imagine anything more sexy than a woman who loves to help those who need it.”

(Y/N) stepped away from him, “It’s really nothing special. Yes, I’m there for them and help them in any way I can, but so do a lot of staff. Honestly, there’s nothing special about me. I’m definitely not gorgeous. I mean, you’re around beautiful actresses and models all the time. They’re gorgeous, me not so much.”

“Addison warned me that you usually put yourself down when you receive compliments.” He took a step towards her engaging in an awkward dance as she stepped backwards.

“Warned you? So, this was a set up?” (Y/N) rolled her eyes, “Did she really think you were going to magically fall in love with me and sweep me off my feet. Which by the way, you couldn’t, not literally anyway.”

“I asked her to introduce us. Yes, I found you attractive and after hearing Addison talk about you non-stop in Oklahoma, I wanted to meet you. Addison is not only my assistant but a dear friend and if you’re important to her then you’re important to me as well.”

He closed the distance between them pressing her back against the fence and caging her in with his strong arms on either side of her. He leaned in towards her and she sucked in a breath, holding it in her chest.

“I wasn’t hoping to fall in love or sweep you off your feet. Which I could totally do.” He smirked, “I was hoping to meet the amazing woman Addison loves so much and who happens to be fucking gorgeous.”

“Glen, I…” She let out a trembling breath, “I'm nobody and I don’t do one night stands. Even if it’s with a sexy movie star that I’m sure would give me the orgasm of my life. It’s not me and I don’t see you wanting to settle down with a high school secretary.”

He leaned closer to her. His nose brushing alongside hers and his lips merely an inch from hers. She wanted to look away, but his eyes were mesmerizing.

“Won’t know unless you give me a chance.”

His lips pressed against hers. They were soft and tasted of tequila as he pulled her bottom lips between his teeth. Suddenly, her body felt like it was on fire and she wanted more. Needed more. His large hands fell to her hips and pulled her tighter against him. (Y/N) wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her hands into his soft hair. His sunglasses falling from his head was enough to knock her senses back into place. She pressed her hands against his chest, pushing him gently away.

“We… I… this can’t happen. It’s not happening.” She stammered.

(Y/N) took off back towards the barn as Glen called after her, “(Y/N)! (Y/N), please wait!”

She didn’t stop until she was in the pool house and in Addison’s room with the door shut. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes and she sank to the floor beside her bed. What the hell was she doing? Glen Powell had kissed her. Told her she was gorgeous and yet she was sitting on the floor crying. Why couldn’t she be more impulsive and have one night with a man who was way out of her league? Looking at her reflection in the glass from the sliding door, she sighed.

“Because you catch feelings, (Y/N).” She whispered.

“(Y/N)?” Addison’s voice came through the door, “You alright?”

She opened the door, “Seriously, Glen Powell?”

“Let me explain.”

“Addison, what did you think was going to happen? You couldn’t actually believe this was going to work in any sort of way.”

They sat down on her bed, “I talk about you non-stop with him. I’ve told him all your stories from school with your kiddos. I’ve told him how I’m worried about you being alone all the time and how I wish you could meet a nice guy like him. How proud I am of all you’ve done for your health and how you love your body for what it is.”

(Y/N) placed her head in her hands, “And what, he was like ‘oh I want to meet this chick’?”

“Not his exact words, but yes. When he started planning this party, he asked if there was anyone I would like to invite. I told him Zac and his friends…” She paused looking at her bashfully, “Yeah, I’m kind of seeing Zac Levi.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I could tell that from the lovey-dovey looks you give one another. After my breakdown you can spill all about how that happened.”

Addison nodded, “Anyway, Glen asked if I wanted to invite you. I told him that you’re pretty introverted and didn’t like going to parties. He dropped it, but then when he was having me finalize the list of people I noticed he had added your name at the end of the list. When I asked him about it, all he said was he wanted to meet the amazing best friend I kept talking about.”

“So, you decided to turn it into a set up? Knowing full and well I would never fall for it.”

Her friend turned towards her, “It was never a set up. I warned him how you are. I asked him directly what he was up to. He told me that he found you attractive and wanted to get to know you.” She grabbed her hands, “Honestly (Y/N), I think he’s just a dude who is nervous to ask out a beautiful girl. It’s hard for him to meet anyone who doesn’t see him as only a famous actor and I really think he wants this part of his life to be as normal as possible.”

(Y/N) groaned, “You know this sounds like a fanfic I would read on Tumblr, right?”

Addison laughed, “Oh I’m well aware. However, doesn’t it make you want to see what happens? Usually, the next part would be you going to find him and you two would have a moment of tension that snaps. Then wham, bam, smutty dreams fulfilled.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.” (Y/N) took a couple deep breaths.

“That is not usually in the fanfics. Take the time you need, but please come back out and hang out with us. If anything, I’ll introduce you to Zac and you can fangirl over him.”

“I love you, but get out. I can’t even with you right now.” (Y/N) laughed as Addison hugged her.

Once she was alone again, (Y/N) went into the bathroom to splash cool water on her face. Looking into the mirror, she gave herself a once over. She walked out into the bedroom letting out a surprise yelp when she found Glen sitting on the bed.

“Scared the crap out of me.” She held her chest.

His eyes were focused on the floor, “Sorry. Addison said you were in here.” He stretched his long fingers out over his thighs before looking up at her.

“I wanted to apologize for coming onto you so strong and kissing you. I should have been more of a gentleman about it, not that I regret kissing you because I don’t.”

She sat down next to him, “I don’t either and you don’t need to apologize. It was nice to know I remembered how to kiss a man.”

He chuckled finally looking over at her, “It’s like I’m living out a meet-cute rom-com without a script and it’s terrifying. There’s a fine line between endearing and creepy. I feel like I’m crossing the line into creepy.”

(Y/N)’s hand was trembling but she placed it over his, “You’re not creepy. Addison told me about how you wanted to get to know me. I think it’s been so long since a man has shown any interest in me that I don’t know how to react to it. Let alone that man being someone I have fantasized about being the Leading Man in my own life.”

“Is there any way we could start over? You being you and me being just a normal dude wanting to ask you out?” He laced their fingers together, “Or at least ask you to watch fireworks with me?”

(Y/N) smiled, “I would love to watch fireworks with you… what was your name again?”

His breathtaking smile appeared as he stood up in front of her, “Hi, I’m Glen and you?”

She took his outstretched hand, standing up, “(Y/N), it’s nice to meet you totally normal dude who is definitely not a famous sexy actor.”

He laughed pulling her into his side slipping his arm around her shoulders, “That’s me. Normal dude who is thankful to have a chance to be in the presence of a beautiful woman.”

“Oh jeez, please stop with the compliments. They make me uncomfortable.” She sighed, sliding her arm around his waist.

-----

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[the-s1lly-corner]

Various CRPs x Reader who knew then before their incidents

Prize request 3/5 for @coldsushisworld ! I hope you enjoy!

Characters in this post: Jeff, Puppeteer, Eyeless Jack, Masky and Ben Drowned

Notes: Reader is GN! Some of these may be shorter or vaguer than others but that's simply because my brains is a little foggy on the details of things!

CW: Mentions of suicide in Puppeteers part, mentions of death and murder in.. well almost all the characters..!

MASKY

JEFF

Similar to Ben's part, you find out what happened. Your parents didnt tell you all of the details that happened the night Jeff went missing, and you'd later find out why when you got older. From the man himself, actually. I enjoy the idea that between the actual canon event of the source and my take hes mellow out.. just a bit, at least hes not going to take you down the second he gets the chance. It's been.. years, you thought he had died at some point actually. Hes loud and arrogant, but for one reason or another he trusts you. You havent turned him yet, and that's saying something. Sometimes things are just like how they were before; the two of you are joking with each other and sharing stories. You don't see him often due to him just.. dropping off and doing who knows what.. but he always comes back to you eventually

BEN DROWNED

You were both childhood friends. The day Ben died, you were told he had moved away. You didnt find out what happened until years later, when you started asking around. When fate brings you both back together everything feels. Wrong. Hes a ghost, and primarily confined to technology- currently hes worked himself into your computer, proving himself to still be the mischievous guy he was in life by subtly messing with your files.. but you grew up, and he didnt. Despite still being friends, there just wasn't enough for the two of you to relate to anymore. In a way it reminds me of Anohana (need to rewatch it but I recommend it). If Ben notices the rift he doesnt say anything

The terrible thing is that you dont know what happened to him. One day he was here and the next? Gone. On top of that, are you even aware that he doesnt seem to.. remember all that much about you? It's almost as if hes an entirely different person. Out of all the characters, your relationship with Masky needs to be rebuilt from the ground, simply because it didnt exactly exist before. You were friends with Tim, of course. To you, you're trying to jog his memory and do things you two have done before. To him, you look.. desperate. Overtime you do both grow closer but the relationship will never be like how it was before, and you're going to have to readjust to this new situation- though is that not the case with the rest of these characters?

EYELESS JACK

You had heard on the news what happened at his college. It looked like there was a massacre, and your friend was no where in sight. Even before Jack became eyeless, he was still.. closed off and reserved. However reunited with him he seems to have sunk deeper into that, even trying to get you out of his life again because of.. what was happening to him and what was changing. Your insistence almost breaks the both of you, but despite everything you manage to safely reenter his life. His new eating habits.. are something.. and that's assuming he even tells you.. he probably would, out of guilt for keeping it from you and just guilt in general for needing to conform to his new diet. It's very strained and tense for a long time in the beginning, even if you're the most open minded person. Jack's not going to let it be easy

PUPPETEER

You were.. friendly with each other before everything. But you weren't exactly all that close. Of course when you found about how he took his life, you felt horrible. But life goes on. You move on, and go on with your life plans... and you were doing good at that, before a figure appears in your room one night. Its terrifying, actually, and if it didnt start talking to you like you were an old school friend you would have tried to make a run for it. Maybe it was the shock that kept you in place? Of course, the figure was.. him.. he doesn't seem to recognize the name you knew him as, in fact you cant tell how much he actually remembers. He basically just invites himself to live with you, not all that bothered with the idea that you might not want that. Hes.. kind of a dick, actually, but hes charming enough for you to keep him around. Having conversations with him is interesting, as well. Hes usually respectful enough but theres some level of... sass.. that keeps you invested. Hes so much like how he was before, but also not. Hes still there but it's like hes been flipped on his head

[daisyvisions]

✦ Day 27 - Mutual Masturbation

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. Pairing: Classmate!Kevin x afab!reader

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. Word Count: 1.7K

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. Warnings: Smut (18+, minors DNI), mutual masturbation, cum play, French kissing, some teasing, just the tip 😏, unprotected sex & creampie (essentially), pet name (baby), some video recording (but not Kevin… you’ll see why), allusions to more sexual activity

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. A/N: another kinktober I had to completely change the theme because I was stuck. Then I remembered I had this idea drafted for Kevin and decided it was the perfect time to continue the story. This one was hot and fun to make hehe enjoy! Proofread once.

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. Network: @deoboyznet

✦ Kinktober Masterlist ✦

Halloween night. The day you’ve been dreading the most since your most recent break-up. You used to love this special day honestly, especially going in matching costumes with your significant other. But that was entirely ruined after finding out your long time boyfriend had been cheating on you behind your back… with your best friend.

You swore after that moment you’d never want to love anyone again. To pour your heart and soul into someone who didn’t not only treated your love like dirt, but also took advantage of it in every way possible.

But of course, you couldn’t avoid this day. Especially when you’re being dragged to go to a Halloween party by your now only best friend Hyunjae.

“C’mon! It will be fun I promise!” he pleaded over the phone. As much as you wanted to skip the party, You could never say no to Hyunjae even after being by your side through your heartbreak and giving your ex a good ol’ punch in the face when you two were at the movies.

And so here you were, standing in the corner of the living room watching others get drunk and have their hands all over each other. You’re not gonna lie, one thing you did somewhat miss from your past relationship was the sexual aspect of it.

You were needy, incredibly needy. And watching other people practically make out and touch each other was making you hornier than ever. You started questioning yourself if you should just leave or find someone to scratch this itch….

“Oh fuck it!” you internally cursed as you settled on going for the latter.

You push yourself off from leaning against the wall and walk straight to Hyunjae, who seems to be busy scoring tonight with someone as well. You shake his shoulder to get his attention, causing him to break the heated make out he was having with the girl on his lap.

“Ugh, what- oh hey!” Hyunjae greets you as the girl on his lap continues kissing his neck.

“I need your help. I’m incredibly desperate right now. Find me someone and tell them to meet me upstairs in the guest bedroom. I’m counting on you.” You tell him straight up.

“Say no more!” He reassures you, with a tiny smirk creeping up on his face. You turn around and head upstairs while you wait for Hyunjae’s pick of the night.

“Come again?” Kevin asks Hyunjae, making sure he heard what he said correct.

“Look, I know you’ve been feeling a bit needy lately and I think I've found just the person for you in this party.” Hyunjae responds, placing his hand on Kevin’s shoulder.

“But who-” Kevin’s suddenly interrupted by Hyunjae. “Don’t worry, I got it sorted out. They’re completely okay with hooking up with someone tonight too. Trust me, you’re not gonna regret this.” Hyunjae replies with a smug look in his face.

Truth be told, Hyunjae knew of Kevin’s crush on you even if he didn’t say it to him. The way Kevin would steal glances at you while all of you would hang out together was more than enough to realize. Of course, Kevin never made moves on you since you were taken at the time.

And Hyunjae took this as his perfect moment to play Cupid when he saw Kevin in the same party.

“O-okay then…” Kevin says. He starts walking away and up to the room where Hyunjae said the mystery person would be in.

Yes, Kevin was quite needy too. He wasn’t expecting to hook up with anyone tonight but the way Hyunjae made it sound was convincing enough for him to go for it.

As you’re lying down on the bed, you hear the sound of a knock and the doorknob jiggling and turning. You immediately sit up and wait to see who was behind the door. The moment Kevin laid his eyes on you, he wanted to vomit.

How could Hyunjae do this to him? That little piece of shi-

“Kevin? Is that you?” you tilt your head to the side to get a better look at the person at the door.

“Uh… yeah it’s me.” He shyly replies. “I think I have the wrong room uhm- I’m just gonna g-”

“Did Hyunjae ask you to come up here?” You interrupt him.

“Y-yeah… he did.” Kevin looks at the ground trying not to make eye contact with you, afraid he might fuck up whatever might happen between you two.

“Well… don’t just stand there, get in here!” You tell him.

As soon as he plops down to the space beside you on the bed, Kevin fiddles with his fingers. There’s an awkward silence between you two.

“So… why are you here?” Kevin randomly asks as he tries to break off the silence.

“Same as you… horny.” You awkwardly chuckle. The silence falling between you two once again. You huff, slightly annoyed at how this is going especially when you feel the ache in your core from being horny all night.

“Look Kevin, if you’re worried about anything? Don’t. I’m horny, you’re horny. We don’t even have to fuck, we can just… be in each other’s company?”

“You mean like just watch each other get off?” Kevin looks at you this time, now easing the awkward tension.

“Yeah, that way we both get what we want tonight. Sound good?” You ask.

“S-sure. Yeah let’s do it.” He stutters in disbelief that the girl he’s been secretly crushing on is about to touch herself in front of him.

You both get up to fix yourselves peeling any clothing until you’re both just in your underwear, sitting on the bed again now facing each other.

You can tell Kevin’s nervous about this from how he normally acts. You grab his hands and try to get him to look at you.

“Hey, we don’t need to do this if you don’t want to.” You reassure him.

“What? Oh- no no! I really want to do to this. Been wanting to do this since forever actually...” Blush appearing on his cheeks at the sudden confession.

“Really now?” You say with a playful but sultry voice.

“Yeah, like really. You’re so pretty…” Your bodies inch closer to one another on the bed.

“Wanna show me what you do when you think about me?” You smirk at him.

And without thinking Kevin leans forward to kiss your lips. You smile against his lips, finding him so adorable. Your kisses start out as small pecks until they deepen, sounds of lips intertwining with one another echoing between you two.

Groaning into other’s mouths as he pulls your legs onto his lap, caressing your legs until you move one leg behind Kevin, scooting over to get even closer to him. You both start to slowly touch one another, caressing sensitive parts as you try to get each other in the mood.

Kevin gropes your breast for a moment before sliding down his hand, touching your stomach until his two fingers lightly rub the wet patch forming in your underwear. You whine into his mouth as your kisses turn into erotic French kissing.

He slips his fingers inside your underwear, rubbing circles on your clit as he pulls his cock out of his boxers. He grabs your hand, guiding you to hold his member and pump it up and down. You both break the kiss to watch each other.

“Shit you’re so wet.” Kevin looks at his fingers prodding at your core. The sounds of your arousal ringing in his ears.

“Kevin please-” You beg, the way his cock looks in your hand as you pump him makes you hornier than ever. “Please, just the tip?” You look at him with doe eyes.

“You’re killing me here baby, fuck-” You feel his cock twitch in your hand. The thought of his mushroom tip teasing your pussy making him more desperate.

He pulls you closer to his body, letting you guide his member towards your core. He helps pull your panties to the side as you guide the head of his cock to rub through your folds for a moment before sticking the head inside of your wet entrance.

You moan in unison, your walls already tightening around his tip as you continue to pump him while he uses his free hand to rub your sensitive bud with his fingers.

“So tight and it's not even all the way in…” He mumbles, trying to keep his eyes open to watch the borderline pornographic sight in front of him. You French kiss each other again, the feeling of your tongues lapping at one another.

“Please-” you beg once more, feeling your high approaching faster than you anticipated.

“Gonna cum baby? Gonna cum for me?” He whispers.

You nod your head as rock your hips, the tip of his cock going in and out of you. Whimpering at the thought that he could just easily fuck himself into you but he doesn’t.

“T-think I’m gonna cum too. Whe-where do you want me to-”

“Inside Kevin, fuck please please please!” You plead.

You moan into each other’s mouth as you cum together, his sticky hot load partially shooting inside as some of it lands on top of your cunt. You continue to rub his cum all over you with his tip until he pulls away for a moment from feeling the slight sting of his member being overly sensitive.

He swipes the cum on your core with his fingers and pushes it inside your hole, pumping his fingers in and out for a moment as you gasp from how dirty this act looks.

“Think you can handle a bit more?” He smirks as he hints at you for another round.

“As long as you take me out on a date after this.” You smirk back at him.

You continue to touch each other, unknowing that there was someone by the door taking a video recording of your compromising positions this entire time.

As soon as he got enough evidence of you and Kevin, he quickly reviewed the video, typed in the name of your ex on his phone and sent the video with a message,

“Looks like the day you’ve been dreading has finally arrived. Happy Halloween asshole - Hyunjae 👻😘”

[knightyoomyoui]

The Tale Of The Bloodline | TWICE MiSaMo (Mina, Sana & Momo) x M/F Reader- CHAPTER 12: "The Mysterious Ally"

In this chapter, it follows the aftermath of what happened last week on Knockdown when Kim Jennie makes a save for her former friends and co-members of BLACKPINK against the control of The Bloodline which then leads them to declare a war against them to be held on the next premium live event. However, both teams needs 5 members, and each of them has one more missing person to complete their respective teams. They go on to search for a rightful fighter in the roster who can fill the vacant spot.

1 WEEK LATER | November 18, 2022

The newly reunited BLACKPINK consisting of Lisa Manoban, Rose Park, Kim Jisoo, and Kim Jennie who recently did the initiation to bring their bond back in order to cease The Bloodline's unruly dominance in the main roster were the ones that got tasked to open the show to address the brawl that happened last week.

They all stood in the ring together, something that felt surreal and relieving seeing them all on the same page once again just like the old days. Lisa and Jennie looked at each other with an awkward yet satisfied smile on their faces while hearing the crowd cheer for them.

Lisa hits the mic thrice to do some checking, still not moved from the embarrassment she took caused by the technical team's fault on not fixing the sound system of her mic while she made her return last week which would've made her return better if that didn't happen."Is this thing working on properly now?"

The crowd cheered again with some laughed at her joke knowing what she's referring at. "You all can hear me now, right? Yeah? Well, Sapporo, how are yall doin?!"

Again, the crowd's lively sounds resonate in the arena, happy to see one of the fan favorites checking up on them. Lisa smiled and nodded, understandably thinking that they were all doing well at the moment while watching the show live. "Alright, I'm going to start off with this. I noticed there's a lot of people who are happy to see that in fact… Kim Jennie is standing here by my side while the rest of my girls are ready to go to war with The Bloodline considering the fact that…

Lisa looked at Jennie and stood closer to her. "You and me, girl, we have more than a decade of history together. A rivalry. How many times have we gone to war with each other, friend? How many times have people questioned us about whether we really do trust each other?

The truth here though is that those so many years of rivalry has created mutual respect…" Jennie stared at her and nodded slowly, agreeing with what Lisa is saying. "It created a bond. A bond so strong that as a matter of fact I asked Jennie to be my bridesmaid when I got married few weeks ago." The audience clapped to congratulate Lisa about the news, who took it with a heartfelt gratitude.

"Jennie, we the BLACKPINK wants that baddie in you." She pointed at her.

Jennie laughed amusingly at her term. "Baddie? You really said baddie?"

"Well yeah I said it."

"Hmm actually yeah, i'm feeling really like a baddie myself here right now." Jennie agreed.

"You are? Well, I'll tell you this girl, when it comes down on this, there's no one I would rather be in the tranches with than you, Jennie." Jennie nodded appreciatingly at her sincerity. "So what do you say, will you be one of us baddies again?"

Jennie chuckled at Lisa's silliness. The fans then started to chant "baddie" at Jennie, and it made her pretty surprised that the fans were going along with Lisa's humor. "Nobody knows what it's like to be outnumbered by The Bloodline more than good ol' Kim Jennie. Just like it seems when you get them beat. Just like when it seems you have the upper hand… another muppet appears, another one multiplies… but when the odds are even, that's a different story altogether.

As a matter of fact, I'm going to war… and I want to go with my sister."

Jennie offers a handshake to Lisa. She just looked at it first before she made the move to step forward and bring Jennie to her closer for a longing and thankful embrace that made the fans feel touched and glad for the two best friends.

Rose lifts the mic to her mouth and started speaking, with no means of rudely interrupting the two's wholesome moment. "Well this is nice girls but uhh… let's get serious shall we?" Jennie and Lisa broke up their hug to pay their attention to their co-member. "Sapporo! It's fight night! And Jisoo…"She wraps her arm around Jisoo's neck like a buddy and points the mic at her, giving her the opportunity to continue her words.

"Yup, it means… it's Wargames!!!", Jisoo exclaimed, as she confirmed that BLACKPINK and The Bloodline will be the ones who the participating in the annual Wargames match which features two rings placed side by side together in one roofless steel cage and you can only win by pinfall or submission. If a competitor tries to escape the ring then it automatically means their team forfeits. Hardcore is legal in this match also.

The crowd cheered and it made both Rose and Jisoo hyped while Jennie and Lisa walked around the ring seething the intensity building up through their core by all means to unleash it all against The Bloodline. "Alright, ladies. I see 1, 2, 3, 4 people but…"

She went near at the ringpost where one of the cameramen are, she stared intently at it and smirked as she held the mic for a while to create suspense. "… who could be the 5th member for our team?"

"Well I'm gonna let you know who's gonna be the 5th member is-"

"Hold on right there, ladies." They all heard a familiar voice coming from the distance. The crowd both booed and cheered at the sudden emergence of Minatozaki Sana on stage, with a microphone of her own in hand. "I think I speak on behalf of the entire Bloodline when I say that… we do not care who the fifth member is. We don't!

We're feeling good! We're feeling great. You can even say that we're not feeling…" Sana paused, and the crowd slowly picked up what she meant by it. They start chanting SHY SHY SHY as a callback to the joke she made to YN when the two had a confrontation in front of the Empire Chief. Sana smiled and said that they got it right. "Yes, you might say we're not shy shy shy about getting involved in this whole thing.

She slowly walks confidently, boasting about The Bloodline's unbothered state en route to the War Games, speaking as their representation, aka The Honorary Muse. "Now here's the thing: you girls really think that you all are getting into our heads. Do you know who you are dealing with? You are talking to Minatozaki Sana right now! Aka the Master Strategist… Aka the Honorary Muse… Aka Myoui Sana?! "

Jennie and Lisa chuckled at Sana's ridiculous nicknames she bragged all for herself. "And you all really think that we're worried about - wait let me tell you something, I don't make a lot of guarantees, but I'm putting my name on this one. As The Honorary Muse, I personally guarantee you… The Bloodline will win Wargames!"

Sana saw one of BLACKPINK's members who is going to be her opponent for the tournament that will indicate who will be the winner of Japan Federation's World Cup: Kim Jisoo who is getting amped up at Sana's irritating blabbering. "I see you're getting round up there, Jisoo. You and me don't need to wait tonight, girl. You and me are going to have a one on one match tonight anyway so here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to run onto you and I'm gonna give you a small taste you can all expect next Saturday at Wargames!"

"Well Sana uhh…" Lisa took the initiative to speak next. "I'm delighted to see you being confident but uhm… something tells me that when you find out who the 5th member of our team is… well you might about to get to piss your pants when you meet this person."

Sana scoffed and smirked sassily at her, not getting provoked by her threats. "Because… It's the last thing you gonna expect."

Sana's brows furrowed while still plastering that smirk to cover her slight nervousness on this mysterious person as they ended their confrontation with BLACKPINK's theme playing in the arena again.

"So here's the question now, who will be the 5th member of Jennie, Lisa, Rose, and Jisoo for Wargames as they look to end The Bloodline's dominance." commentator Knight Yoo asked.

"Absolutely I have no idea, partner." his fellow commentator on the desk Lee Kwangsoo replied.

30 MINUTES LATER

The Bloodline has arrived with Myoui twins YN and Mina along with their cousin Hirai Momo. As they got updated from Sana herself that she confronted BLACKPINK who were the ones who opened the show… well, just like the usual, one of them is highly opposed of Sana's decisions around the room.

"What you said about the Bloodline? I know you're not dumb enough to go out there a guarantee W's at Wargames." YN is currently scolding Sana, with Mina and Momo just listening to their discussion. Sana looks tired listening again on listening to YN's strict words, shaking her head and breathing deeply to compose herself. "We don't even know who their fifth member is!"

Sana immediately stood up and went face to face with YN. "What did I do wrong this time?" she asked, sick of the blame she's receiving. "Tell me what was wrong that I did, all I just did is to go out there and say we're gonna win. Are you saying we're not gonna win?"

"Ofcourse we're gonna win!"

"Okay, so what's the problem?!"

"Cuz you're gonna be running your mouth-"

"Now wait a second YN…"

"Hey listen you two." Mina stood up from her seat and went in between Sana and YN. "Both of yall need to be on the same page. Yuta is on his way here, we have to be like that before he comes here."

"Right."

"Take a chill pill, alright?"

"I'm child, I'm chill."

"Take a breath, Sana. Alright?"

"Right." Sana agreed at Mina. YN is just staring at Sana while he/she follows what her twin advised for them to do. Sana then made her way out of The Bloodline's locker room. YN then faced her twin and complained again. "Sis, she will need to be-"

"And you, you better stop worrying about her too much!" Mina interrupted her to give the proper scolding for her younger twin."We got Bloodline business to handle tonight, and we need to figure out who will be our fifth member tonight, you know that Yuta might not be available for Wargames."

"Y-you're right."

"Handle business, come on."

"You're right, you're right."

They stopped exchanging words of comfort when Sana reappeared again on the scene. "Hey sorry, uhh I forget to mention, you know the thing we talked about earlier?" She asked Mina.

"Yeah I did."

"Okay." They did some weird handshake together that caused YN to accidentally burst out a laughter in which he/she tried to control immediately to hide it and avoid breaking up character near Sana. They hugged before Sana left again. Momo just looked weirdly at YN and the latter blushed after he'she got caught.

ANOTHER 30 MINUTES LATER

The Myouis continue to search around backstage. They went on to visit some locker rooms to ask for their fellow heel warriors if they want to align with The Bloodline for one time but all of them refused, either they hate The Bloodline too, they don't want to get involved, or they have a much more important feud to focus about instead.

The unsuccessful twins still ain't losing hope yet, especially when they got to cross paths with someone familiar that they think would be a best option to add more shield in protection against BLACKPINK.

"The Harbinger Of Doom" Bae Irene who attacked Kim Jennie when she made her return to Japan Combat Federation few months ago was seen by YN and Mina walking her way back to her place after she just won a match against her opponent out there. The two went eye to eye with a fellow villain and the latter eyed them down with complete seriousness.

"Are you the fifth member?" YN asked her with angst. Mina traces her out and came up with an unsatisfied conclusion.

"Nah, this ain't her YN."

"Let me make things clear to you…" Irene spoke after. "I'm not a follower."

"So we won't gonna see you there with us after, huh." Mina replied. "You won't gonna make a name for yourself out from The Bloodline after Sana fights Jisoo tonight, right?"

Irene smirks. "When I come to take Yuta's title, which I will… I'm gonna do it on my own time. And when I do, I'm not gonna show him some pack… I'm gonna do it all by myself.", she made a statement that he's not yet over on setting it sight on target at the current champion.

Irene left the two, still remain unsuccessful to search for their fifth member at Wargames. It made them problematic, as time is running out for the main event to come after tonight and for the show to end. They don't have enough opportunity remaining to look for more fighters out there who are willing to face BLACKPINK.

1 HOUR LATER

It it now time for the main event as "The Honorary Muse" Minatozaki Sana for Japan with The Bloodline on the ring side goes against BLACKPINK's Kim Jisoo for Korea with the rest of the team standing up for her own side in support for her stake in this week's tournament round for the Japan Combat Federation World Cup.

As the match proceeds minutes after the bell has rang for the two fighters to start, Jisoo climbs to the turntackle to deliver a moonsault down through all Bloodline members after they all gathered when The Myouis checks out on exhausted Sana.

"Jisoo and Sana, who will advance to the semifinals of the World Cup tournament…" Knight calls as they watch Jisoo holding her aching wrist while returning to the ring and going to the opposite turnbuckle facing Sana's direction to the other side.

She tried to charge at Sana for a running punch but Sana counters, lifting Jisoo's body and gave an exploder suplex to the turnbuckle, making Jisoo's back hit the corner of the ring. Sana then went on Jisoo's previous spot in replacement so that she could set Jisoo up to get hit by a Helluva Kick but the referee had its attention after Lisa and YN throwing hits at each other until YN tried to escape by climbing to the ring just in time to interrupt Sana who was about to ran towards Jisoo.

Lisa grabbed YN's feet as she tries to pull him/her out but YN fights out. The referee is giving a warning to YN for illegally entering the ring being not an official competitor. Sana complained at YN getting in the way but YN didn't heard it. Instead, Sana just watched YN getting thrown to the ringside barricade by Lisa.

Distracted, Jisoo rolled Sana for a surprise pin but Sana kicks out. However, she got surprised again when Jisoo quickly sets Sana with a Boombayah reverse slam, hitting Sana's front down to the mat. She went for a cover afterwards.

"1…2…3."

"Jisoo goes to the semifinals next week!" Knight declares Jisoo's victory.

The announcer didn't even got to give the credit to Jisoo when suddenly Momo entered the ring and kicked Jisoo's face. She carried her, hooker her arm around and gave her a spinning slam. Momo roared furiously until Jennie joined her inside the ring and stole her attention, giving her blows to the head and sending her through the corner where she kicks Momo repeatedly.

Rose and Mina on the other hand were also fighting each other. Rose dumps Mina out of the ring and followed her there. They go on to collide through the barricades while Jennie and Momo exchanges hits and switches positions on the turnbuckle.

As Jennie stomping Momo and Rose punching Mina on the ringside, the crowd then went in awe when the entrance theme of The Empire Chief and current Japan Combat Federation World Champion plays during the chaos.

Yuta Nakamoto arrives with his Special Advisor Park Jinyoung on the stage, his evil intentions set mainly on their adversaries. He started running and unleashed a superman punch on Rose then speared the approaching Jisoo from his right.

After he bragged and roared in effect of the damage he inflicted, he noticed Jennie staring on him, as she stood in the center of the ring. She took off her shirt, showcasing her only wearing a sports bra through her well-built physique, as she intensely aims at the undefeated enemy.

Jennie gestures for Yuta to come in and bring it on. Yuta who is feeling confident and tough, climbs to the ring to accept Jennie's invitation for a fight. Momo tried to distract Jennie only to get thrown through the top rope which caused Yuta to take the short advantage by spearing Jennie as she turned her body back around.

Jennie holds onto her hurting midsection as Yuta mocks her out of it. He was about to approach the weakened Sana laying down on the upper right corner of the ring but he felt a sense that someone is stalking him from behind.

He finds out that its the vengeful Lisa, who wants payback for the ones responsible for her minor injury that took her out for months. "Now here's the two who has history together before, especially when it comes to Quest Of Survival." Knight referred to their feud seven years ago when Lisa cashed in her championship contract right after Yuta won his first world title to steal the spotlight to him and win the title away from him, giving him only a reign for 5 minutes that all happened at the same pay-per-view in which they're both about to head onto in a Wargames match.

Lisa and Yuta stares down at each other in the middle of the ring before Yuta went for the blow first then Lisa strikes back. They exchanged punches until Lisa got the lead. It cut off short when Sana suddenly got up and bumped Lisa to her back, breaking her up from Yuta. Lisa catched Sana and pushed her to the corner before Yuta was able to superman punch her too.

Yuta positioned himself, squatting at the corner with adrenaline rushing through his veins. He stares at Lisa slowly getting back to her fett, unknown that an impactful spear is about to hit her next. However, Yuta's excitement was replaced with shock when the arena played the entrance theme of another fighter that made the audience jump out from their seats in joy.

Cho Miyeon, who is out of action after taking an emergency leave because of her fractured hand makes her surprise return for tonight's Friday Night Knockdown. She savagely marches through the ramp and superkicks Mina out of the way. YN tried to attack her but he/she also met another superkick from Miyeon.

Yuta tried to warn Miyeon not coming to the ring but she initially refuses as she stepped in the apron. The two who has a personal history together also, as Miyeon was one of the first found victims of The Bloodline before who tried to take the title away from Yuta third times only to fail through all of those.

The crowd then chanted "holy shit" as Miyeon slowly comes up in front of Yuta and they stood level at the ring. Yuta tried to hit her but Miyeon caught his wrist, and returned the same greeting by slapping Yuta then went on to hit him repeatedly as she sends him to the corner of the ring.

She angrily stomps at Yuta's poor body until she turns around and stopped when she saw her bitter former bestfriend turned to be enemy throughout their career, Minatozaki Sana standing away from her. They stared at each other and slowly grew inches closer until Yuta gives Miyeon a surprise superman punch out of nowhere.

Rose pulled Sana out of the ring and threw her at the barricade. With Yuta and Miyeon remaining in the ring, Yuta goes for his signature battlecry but Miyeon gave a knee strike onto Yuta's forehead, making him dizzy which allowed her to kick Yuta on the torso and hit him with a devastating stunner.

The crowd cheered as Miyeon watched Yuta slowly roll out of the ring while holding his head. Sana also watched her Empire Chief got beaten by her former bestfriend, gasping her mouth.

The show ends with The Bloodline as the fallen odds gathered at the ringside, unbelievably witnessing BLACKPINK peeking at them through the ropes along with Cho Miyeon, making herself the official 5th member for Team BLACKPINK for this coming Wargames match at Quest For Survival pay-per-view event.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

I CAME AND I SAW THAT U WERE ALSO INFECTED WITH THE SILLY PUPPET THING,WELCOME..TO THE COMMUNITY! (Get it?)

May I request some headcanons of Barnaby,Sally and Wally meeting a Very Old Goose Puppet Y/n? Just this worn out,Raggedy and Intimidating Goose Grandparent who then absolutely babies them and teaches them self defense tricks,making them soup,maybe they worked as some sort of guard or security! Just pepaw/granny goose caring over these silly puppets.also like they could be going round the forest and a feral bear pops up,Pepaw Goose just turns around and hiss at it and the bear scampers off while Pepaw is like “Anyways-“ (Thoight would be funny because Geese are used as Guard animals)

Have a nice day! ^^ or night if it’s late!

Yeah!! I was genuinely surprised at the amount of Wally x Reader stuff here but I'm all for it!

Also ngl I've been playing a lot of Untitled Goose Game recently so,,, this ask couldn't have come at a better time /pos

........

Barnaby

Honestly, when this lad first saw you emerge from the woods...he was about to run back home with his tail tucked between his legs. You gave him quite a fright!

You were a goose who was about Poppy's height--if not taller--with ragged greyed feathers and [e/c] eyes that look nearly bloodshot, your legs and bill having stitches, and some loose stuffing falling out of your main body.

All in all...you had a very intimidating disposition.

But when you approach Barnaby, it turns out you're just returning one of his juggling pins that he accidentally flung out into the forest.

"You best keep an eye on your juggling kits, dear." You speak in a gentle, raspy voice.

"Th-Thanks...are you from the barn too?"

"A different one. I used to be a guard for the little gooselings and other farm animals in my prime years but---oh..how about we walk and talk, hm? Do you live close by?"

And that's how Barnaby got to know you! He felt bad for judging you by your appearance, as while you look scary..you're just a sweet ol' geeser (yes he's made that pun a few times and you love it) whose kind heart and soul haven't gone anywhere.

You've come to care for everybody in the neighborhood, especially the big blue dog who sometimes gets into accidents while performing stunts.

In those cases, you always know how to nurse him back to health.

At some point, he and everybody else start to see you as a grandparent, calling you [Pa/Ma]...which makes you especially happy.

Sally

When you were younger, you saw her descend to earth, thinking it was just an ordinary shooting star.

You made a wish that you'll be able to find some good friends to spend the rest of your days with. Being a geese guard was a lonely job sometimes..

Many years later, you see that same star--now one who walked and talked--strolling through the forest near your barn. And you were ecstatic, wanting to introduce yourself!

Even though Sally's never met you till now, she's flattered to learn you wished upon her....and even happier to know she made that wish come true!

Your initial appearance surprised her, but she's eager to run back to town and introduce you to everyone!

So that's where you two head to, though as you're both talking (which is mostly her rambling about the next play she's performing tonight), an aggressive bear suddenly leaps out and roars, frightening her-

Until you hiss at it, extending your wings in a threatening manner, which immediately drove the beast back into the woods.

Then you turn back to the gawking star with the sweetest, most apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about that, dearie..do continue."

And she does for a little while, but you end up using that bear encounter as a teaching moment, showing her (and the others once you meet them) how to best defend themselves against possible bear attacks (or any wild animal attack in general). You made it your mission to keep these young folks safe.

Sally would definitely incorporate these lessons into her plays, which you grew to adore, refusing to miss a single one.

Wally

It was actually Poppy who introduced you to the gang, since you've watched over the barn she's lived in since she was a little baby bird. She basically considers you her parent.

You helped her out with her anxiety issues and baking mishaps over the years, so everybody warms up to you quick after learning your ties to each other.

Wally's no different. He's not too intimidated by your height nor raggedy feathers (man knows to respect his elders).

If anything, he's impressed that your felt and stuffing are still keeping you together, but offers to help you get patched up.

"Oh thank you, sweetie!" You croon. "You know..this town is blessed to have such a kind and handsome gentleman like yourself here."

Hearing that instantly melted his heart.

Soon enough, you get acquainted with the others and take care of them if they need help with anything.

Within the neighborhood, you ensure no wildlife breaks into the grocery store and makes off with any food (especially apples), always keeping watch.

Wally admires your nurturing and protective nature, knowing you're a very wise bird who offers the best advice..

Whenever he's lost on inspiration for art projects or just...feeling stressed over whatever, you're there to help him how ever you can.

When he got caught out in a rainstorm and got sick one day, you made him some delicious soup that helped him feel better within hours.

And of course, Home's happy to see you taking care of their owner. So you're always welcomed inside.

[iamqueenpotato]

I Hate That I Love You- Part Two

Azriel x Reader

A/N- Hi lovelies! Here is part two! It took me a while to figure out which way I wanted to go with this story, and then good ol' writers block decided to pay me a visit. But I hope you guys enjoy it, and I appreciate all you 💗 stay amazing!

Summary: After her conversation with Azriel, Y/N has decided to come back to Velaris.

Word Count: 2.1k

⚠️: None!

Part One

Time moved quicker than you would have liked. Today marks a year since you had left your friends and family in the night court. It took a lot of convincing on your part for Rhys to let you go, even though you were one of his strongest warriors and keeping you near benefited him, he understood the pain that you were going through. He let you leave, on one condition. That you would come back for the celebrations of the winter solstice.

With a week left before the solstice you packed your things, your temporary home in the summer court was nice, but it wasn’t the same as your townhome in Velaris. You had missed your friends dearly over the time you had been gone, and part of you was overjoyed to go back, but the thought of seeing the shadowsinger again slightly terrified you. You were strong, you knew this. The time away helped you see that you were stronger in all aspects and not just physical, but it didn’t help remove the feelings you had harbored for so long, the scars from the heartache still remained. Those feelings sat there constantly teasing and picking at your soul that had already gone through so much. It took a while before you could live with it, but with each day, you learned to ignore it more and more. Your work across the courts and the human lands helped distract you in that matter.

Maybe you were more terrified of what could resurface once you saw him again. You had worked so hard to become someone new, to be someone you could be proud of. Not some heartbroken warrior who couldn’t handle rejection. That night replayed in your mind constantly. You cringed at how you ran, how you hid from the pain that you brought on to yourself. But things were different.

You wouldn’t run away this time. No matter what had changed back home. It was time to be back where you belonged.

The road to the night court was going to be a long one, but it would give you the time to think, to truly prepare yourself for whatever may come. There were faster ways to travel back home, but you enjoyed the peace traveling across the lands had offered.

It took an entire week to arrive back in Velaris. Just in time for winter solstice. You winnowed to your town home first before heading to the river house. The week of travel had left a residue on your skin, and a shower was desperately needed.

Walking into your old home was like watching your memories play out in front of you, everything was the same, from the pictures on the wall to the plants that dressed the windowsills, to your surprise they were still alive and blooming. Someone must’ve taken care of them while you were away, but you were confused as to who. Maybe Rhys had the heart to take care of your plants, but you pushed the thought away as you headed towards the bathroom.

As you stood underneath the warm pour of water, you attempted to calm yourself. There was a chance you wouldn’t even see him, but you highly doubted that. It was a celebration that everyone attended.

Focusing on your breathing, you straightened your back. Whispering the words that have motivated you to move forward over the last year. “I am brave. I will not falter. I will stand tall.” You inhaled deeply as you turned the water off, stepping into the cold air of the bathroom. With a towel wrapped around your body, you moved back into your bedroom. Only then did you see that you were not alone. “Mor?” You exclaimed. The blonde was wearing her usual red attire, the dress hugging her curves exquisitely. You rushed over to her, throwing your arms around her. She giggled as she pulled you close.

“Were you going to at least let me know you were back?” Mor questioned.

“I wanted to make it a surprise.” You admitted, shrugging your shoulders. “So I will ask, how did you know I was back?”

Mor smiled, walking over to the side of your bed, holding up a dress that sparkled underneath the chandelier in your room. “Rhys actually told me a while ago that you were coming back, so I spent extra time figuring out your gift and decided I would get you this.” She held the dress higher for you to see. “We can’t have you show up in an old shirt and pants now, can we?”

You took the dress from your friend, placing it gently across your arm. “I wouldn’t show up in that.” You defended.

Mor laughed, pushing you into the bathroom to change. “How long have I known you, Y/N?”

“Fair point.”

You could always rely on Mor to pick out the most gorgeous articles of clothing. The strapless dress hugged your curves, a slit on the side reached your mid thigh, the silk fabric had a lace design atop of it, and each time you moved, it shimmered more under the light. You felt absolutely beautiful. You let your hair lay naturally, Mor added a little volume throughout and went with a natural look for your makeup. If it wasn’t for Mor constantly saying your name, you would have never believed that it was truly you in your reflection.

“You ready?” Mor questioned, and you nodded in response. She interlocked her arm with yours and winnowed the two of you to the river house.

The nerves within you began to grow as the two of you appeared on the front steps of the house. Breathe, things will be just fine. You told yourself as you stepped through the door. Clenching your hands in an attempt to calm the nervous tremble.

“Mor!” You heard Cassian yell, his footsteps approaching the two of you. “What took you so long?”

“I had to get my guest ready.”

“Guest?” He questioned. You moved out from behind Mor and smiled widely at your old friend. Cassian moved swiftly as he picked you up and spun you around. A laugh broke free from your lips, one that filled your entire being with joy. He placed you down only slightly, his arms still holding you close to him. “When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?” He spewed words faster than you could process them, but you couldn’t help but smile.

“Let the girl speak Cas.” A familiar voice spoke up. You peered around Cassian to see Nesta smiling in your direction. Her mate reluctantly let go, letting you breathe for a second before Nesta wrapped her arms around you tightly. “It’s good to see you again. You look amazing.” She boasted, causing a small blush to creep up across your cheeks.

“So do you, Nes.” You smiled as your friends led you to the sitting room, where Feyre, Rhys, and Nyx were waiting. You surveyed the room, no sign of Azriel or Elain. You didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. But your attention was brought to Nyx as he reached for you. And you were surprised to see that he wasn’t hesitant of you, so you pulled him close, he had grown so much since you had seen him last, it was as if you were gone for longer than a year, but you snuggled the babe close, embracing the moment entirely.

“I am pleased to see you held up your promise.” Rhys smiled, pulling you into a gentle hug, Feyre following with the same.

“What have you been up to this entire time?” Feyre asked, grabbing Nyx as he reached for her.

You sat down in one of the chairs as Mor brought over a glass of wine. Giving her a subtle thanks before speaking. “I have been helping rebuild the communities still affected by the war across Pyrithian and the some areas of the human lands. It is definitely something different from training and my work here, but it was a nice change. In addition to their communities, I tried my best to help rebuild their forces as well. I trained their new members and helped bring back the confidence they needed.”

“And they let you train their men just like that?” Nesta questioned.

The first ever camp you tried to help saw you as weak, that no female warrior could train males. They rejected you entirely, but you knew you only had to prove them wrong. After the first camp, word spread that you were only there to help, and you were highly capable of holding your own. “It wasn’t the easiest thing at first, but after wiping the floor with a few of their so-called best warriors, they believed me.”

“Oh I would have paid good money to see that.” Cassian commented, a massive grin still plastered on his face.

Your friends all smiled at you, and you were more than grateful to return the happiness you felt. But there still was a feeling of dread that lingered. You took a sip of your wine, and though you wouldn’t show it, it still sat there, taunting you. Like a devil amongst your shoulder, whispering the worst possible scenarios into your ear.

“Let us not waste anymore time. It's time to open these gifts.” Rhys declared. And you were happy for the distraction.

After an hour of gifts, you placed yourself in the corner of the room, blending into the shadows, watching your friends open their gifts you had got them, everyone was in attendance expect for the two lovers. And part of you was grateful for it. But you hadn’t seen them all night. And no one had mentioned their whereabouts either. Maybe your friends were trying to protect you from whatever was going on. And as thoughtful as it was, it only made the unease worsen.

But as the sound of light and cheery footsteps entered the room, you knew you had spoken too soon. Elain rushed over to her sister, showing her something that you couldn’t see from where you were standing. But the words I said yes floated towards you, and you knew exactly what she was ecstatic about. It brought a new found form of numbing pain across your body. But you wouldn’t let the rest of them see what it did to you, so instead, you took a large sip of your wine, watching as Elain showed everyone the ring on her finger. The blue stone matched Azriel’s siphons exactly. But the look on your friends' faces was a bit far from thrilled. Any smile was noticeably forced, but Elain seemed she was too excited to tell.

Then you heard him walk in, his tall figure brushing past you, and as if nothing changed, he didn’t see you standing there. You could only assume he was as excited as the middle Archeron sister to notice anything else. You stood there silently as he placed himself next to Elain. You locked eyes with Nesta, who stood closest to the newly engaged couple. You kept your eyes leveled, careful not to show any emotion.

“Well if Elain hasn’t already clarified it, we are finally engaged.” Azriel boasted, wrapping an arm around Elain, placing a quick kiss to her forehead, and the room clapped in a slow congratulations. Nesta’s eyes never left yours, even as you moved yourself from your spot against the wall into the center of the doorway they had just come in from.

“Congrats Az.” You spoke from where you stood. Your voice was quiet, but your words were loud enough to make the entire room fall silent. You felt as though you had been put under a spotlight, each pair of eyes fell on you, but you didn’t look anywhere but him. Azriel’s wings were suddenly pulled taut behind him at the sound of your voice. He whipped his head around to look at you, and his hazel eyes met yours. There were various emotions that crossed his features, but the shock stood out as he stared with parted lips. His arm dropped from his hold on Elain. You raised your glass to the two of them. “To the happy couple.” You bit out. Trying hard to hold back the emotions that were fighting so hard to break free. Instead, you distracted yourself by finishing off the wine within your glass. Letting the alcohol burn its way down your throat. Your friends cautiously followed suit, raising their glasses around the room. Nesta smirked as her eyes moved to Azriel’s frozen figure. He didn’t budge even as Elain pulled on his arm. His eyes remained on you, and you held your head high. Happy Solstice. You thought to yourself as you reached for the bottle of wine, never moving your gaze from him. Not even when the silence grew painfully uncomfortable.

Taglist: @honestlywtfisgoingon @fanfictioniseverything @marina468 @positivewitch @maviee @blurredlamplight @bookslut420 @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @elle10 @holywolfsstuff @dragonstoneprincess

[transboysokka]

tell me about autistic Zuko (modern au or canon. Like how he grew up, why it’s justified in canon, how people around him react to it/are they assholes or not) bc I’ve been thinking about him but I can’t seem to articulate all my feelings into words and you’re good at that <3

hahahaha gladly here is a smattering of Facts and Evidence, in no particular order

Fact #1: His special interest is the Avatar. That boy’s done so much research!! (I’m joking with this one and yet… 👀)

Evidence #1: His father was embarrassed of him when he was a kid. This could have been for a variety of reasons including that he’s gay but also if you are trying to raise an heir of a powerful nation, you would see a lot of autism symptoms as a weakness, especially things like awkwardness, difficulty making eye contact, etc

Evidence #2: He doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends growing up which can also be explained in different ways but a kid just following around his sister and her friends all day? sus

Evidence #3: The way he rehearses what he’s going to say to Aang at the Western Air Temple… and the awkwardness of it makes it So Much More… it’s the most really, THE autistic of scenarios. We GOTTA practice big conversations like that before they happen, we just do…

Evidence #4: He borrows from other scripts for social interaction. You know when he’s trying fo get along with everyone at the air temple and he makes tea for them and try to tell a joke? Why does he do that? Because he’s mimicking Iroh, who is probably the most outgoing person in his life, and following exactly what Iroh does to be friendly and ingratiate himself with others…

Evidence #5: Missing social cues. I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head but I think we’ve all seen it. Also “That’s rough, buddy” is something he TOTALLY stole from someone else because he had no idea what he actually was supposed to say in that situation

Fact #2: now HERE’s a guy who feels deeply but is SO bad at expressing or controlling his feelings. Remember when he was worried about the comet and instead of talking about it just ATTACKED HIS FRIENDS?? oof yeah

Important Headcanon #1: Zuko is really sensitive to texture and has ARFID, which does have a high overlap with autistic folks. This “pickiness” causes real problems for him, especially when he’s v busy being the Fire Lord…. He tends to eat the same foods a lot to sustain himself (fire flakes) and makes the same exact tea for himself every single day. He DOES like to bake and cook though, and is quite good at it, even if he won’t eat it all

Headcanon #2: Our boy’s special interests are history, dao swords, and baking

Headcanon #3: Not a fan of eye contact

Theory #1: Our boy Sokka def has that ADHD and I just don’t think it’s that common or easy for ND folks to be in a relationship with NT folks (I have no proof of this but just think about it for a sec) so therefore Zuko must be neurodivergent

This is a big ol’ mess but for a MUCH more comprehensive and comprehensible Auristic Zuko explanation, please refer to this masterpiece of a post which I just found after spending a bunch of time answering this ask lolol

[tmntstorycomp]

In the end.

Massy felt aimless, suspended in a pool of his own making. His fingers itched, a burning to reach for the pen and try to write his way out of this one. With his words, he could free them all. His words were his promise to get everyone home, all the friends he had made. He could save them. 

But his hands remained steady, extended far above him as he tried to find anyone. There would be no point to grab his pen and notepad, to write a simple escape that would solve all their problems. The words would simply disappear into the void he created. 

Funny, wasn’t it? 

The effort he had expended for all of this was now going to eat him alive. His skin already felt like it was dissolving, mixing with the energy that swirled around him. It would be funny to be consumed by it. Ink didn’t have problems, it simply existed. It morphed to your will and refused to be anything but permanent. Unapologetically on the pages, staining the world in which we see it. 

Wouldn’t it be funny to be so permanent?

The warmth in the ink was fading, the sounds of crying in his ears was so close that he didn’t even realize they were his own. 

He reflected on his past. To all the friends he had made here. It was odd, he wouldn’t give that up. Seeing versions of his family who were so young, so uninhibited, so damaged. They were strong, but they weren’t the turtles that Massy knew. They were softer, more guarded. 

He wondered if they hated him now, he hoped they did. Massy didn’t know where they were, spread out into the beyond. Who knows, maybe they were already home. But if they hated him, then they wouldn’t miss him. And that would make it easier to justify never having to see them again.

“Come on, Massy, you’re going to be okay.”

Massy hummed, the distant voice grew louder. He smiled, thinking of his father. The look of hurt in his expression when Massy held up the letters to his face. Massy felt guilt course through his body.

Massy had felt curious for awhile. He had known his mother wasn’t in his life, but he wanted to know more. He had asked anyone he could think to ask about it, but got a wide range of answers that ultimately lead him to nowhere. 

Uncle Raph would get all nervous when he asked. He would say that his mother was very kind but it was so long ago he couldn’t remember. Massy thought that was a load of crap given that Uncle Raph would be more than happy to tell Massy about the good ole days in his attempts to inspire Massy to be a better person. It seemed that Uncle Raph was trying to preserve something, but the young turtle couldn’t figure out what. So, no luck there. 

Uncle Donnie would flat out say they weren’t allowed to talk about her. They would carry a different expression, angered at the prospect of her mere existence. Massy tried to figure out why they were so angry, but Uncle Donnie would just push him out of the lab and tell him to come back later with better questions. Massy never had any. 

Uncle Leo wouldn’t answer at all. He would just laugh and tell Massy to stop worrying about what wasn’t there and focus on what was. He didn’t have a mom, but neither did Uncle Leo and he turned out fine. But Massy had an entire family who loved him and took care of him, couldn’t that be enough? Massy didn’t know why it wasn’t. 

Auntie April would fume, much like Uncle Donnie, but she didn’t hold back her words. She didn’t actually tell Massy anything he wanted to know, but she would grab him by the face and tell him that he didn’t need her. If she didn’t bother being in his life, he didn’t need her there. She would kiss him on the forehead and Massy would forget what he asked in the first place. 

But Dad would tell him something completely different. Dad would say that she simply disappeared one day and he had hopes she would come back. She was beautiful, kind, loving. She was a fantastic person. But Massy could see the sadness in his dad’s eyes everytime, so he tried not to ask. 

He wanted answers, but no one would give them to him. He snuck into his dad’s room while he was making dinner. Massy searched the closet and through some of his dad’s old sketchbooks, trying to find any piece of the puzzle he was missing. He tried to ignore the sketches of darkness that invaded some of the pages. 

Ultimately, he flopped into the old yellow beanbag, wrapping himself up in the tattered shawl that his father would wear. He lightly kicked at the carpet, letting his eyes gaze around the familiar space- 

Until they stopped on an old, worn out shoe box that lay under the bed. Massy moved to grab it, pulling it into his lap as he opened it up. The first thing he saw was a picture of a woman. A blue lizard woman who looked so tired but so happy. It was a candid shot of her on the couch, trying to tie ribbons onto her tail. 

Massy flipped the polaroid over to see the writing on the back.

“My Taina learns the beauty of having a tail!”

My Taina. 

Massy flipped the photo back over and stared at her. The fins on her arms. Massy’s fingers brushed against his arm warmers, feeling the identical fin beneath the fabric. 

There was no denying that this was his mother. He looked through a few more pictures, looking at how young and happy they were. They were smiling in every photograph, they looked in love. Massy couldn’t help but smile to himself, maybe his father was right. 

But then he found a new picture with a new member of the family. He’d never seen this picture before, his eyes growing wide. 

His parents and the little baby they held between them. Massy stared at himself, at the bright blue hands that held him secure. 

It was hard to imagine she once held him. He couldn’t remember her at all, and yet he could almost imagine her hand on his arm. His eyes flickered to his father, and he sighed. Dad had always told him how the day he was born was the best day of his life. But then Massy drifted over to her and his blood went cold. 

Why did she look like that?

Why did she look so.. Unhappy? She looked scared. Massy kept digging through the pictures and saw the change in pattern. No longer did his mother look happy in all the photos. Now, even when she smiled, there was something hollow within it. 

And what had changed? Massy was born. 

He tried to ignore the ache in his chest at the realization. His mom wasn’t happy with him. Did she hate him? Did she regret him? Massy had no answers, but he reached for the final few papers in the box. 

The infamous letters.

Massy poured over the words again and again, trying to process what they could mean. Why would she write two very different letters? Why would she leave him? 

“Massy, what are you doing in here, firefly?”

The young turtle turned his head to see his father standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide, guilt overtaking his expression.

And the fight started. 

Massy yelled at his father, asking him why he would lie. Why would he dare tell Massy that his mother- That Taina was a good person at all.

His dad would try to argue back, to justify himself. 

“I didn’t want you to hold anger towards her,”

“She truly did love you,”

“I just want us to move on,”

Massy laughed, bitter and angry, at the last one. How could he even begin to move on from this. He finally knew who his mother was and her tired, sad expression was etched into his brain. 

Was that how he always saw her?

Dad had tried to reach for the tearstained letter, but Massy held it tight. 

“He’s a screeching monster of tears and snot.”

The words stuck out on the page. She hated him. She always hated him, clearly. And how dare his father keep this letter?

And Massy reacted out of anger. 

“I hate you! I wish I was never even born!” 

His dad stood frozen, staring at him as he tried to process how to proceed. But Massy didn’t stay to see the damage he had caused. He didn’t want to know he was truly the monster she thought he was. 

Massy shoved past him, stuffing the letter away as he ran to his room and shut himself away. He cried, his body shaking as he grabbed the old magical pen he had snatched from his father days before and he wrote out-

“I want a place where no one can find me. Where everything is under my control.”

Massy’s eyes opened, a small smile gracing his lips. That last half really fell through, didn’t it? 

Slowly, Massy pulled the letter out from his sleeve, holding it up and letting go. It drifted away from him, the black ink sinking into the old paper and corrupting the words. They disappeared. 

“Masaccio!”

Suddenly, the page burst into an orange flame, the ashes swirling in the ink. The sudden light exploded, forcing the ink back into the void to create a pocket of hope. The light swirled, energy crackling at the edges in a manner that was all too familiar. 

A figure pushed through the light looking around frantically for something. It was hard for Massy to make out, but he reached out, desperate-

The hand grabbed his, pulling him out of the ink. Arms enveloped his body and Massy pushed his face into the familiar body. The smell of ink was quickly replaced by the sweet smell of old paints. The strong notes of incense that still burned Massy’s nose no matter how many times he smelled it. 

“It’s okay, Massy, daddy’s got you..” 

Massy gripped the other turtle’s body, his own shaking with broken sobs as he clung on. His eyes squeezed tightly shut. 

The ink, burned by the energy of the portal, started to recede. It sank lower and lower, the tendrils trying desperately to grab at the small turtle but were ultimately banished back. 

Mikey slowly sank to the floor with his son, landing on the bright white plane with his son in his arms. It was back to normal, no signs of libraries or woods or buildings. Just an empty white void with a crowd of recently undrowned bystanders. 

“I’m sorry, dad, I didn’t mean it..” Massy spoke softly and Mikey only tightened his hold.

“I know, Massy, I know.. It’s okay, we can talk about it when we get home,” He spoke softly and pressed a kiss to Massy’s temple. 

Massy nodded and pulled his head away in order to look at all the people around them. “I don’t know how to send them home…” He admitted softly. 

Mikey looked around, he could feel the energy coming off of every single one of them. Different universes all pulled into one location. His hands gripped Massy’s shoulders and he nodded, “Yes you do, come on, believe in yourself,”

Massy stepped away to pull his notepad from his pocket, grabbing the pen. He lifted it up then paused, looking at all the people. 

Permanence. 

These strokes of his pen could not be reversed, they could not be altered. He could not take back the words. 

“I’m sorry I trapped you all here and forced you to play my games. But I.. I had fun. I hope you all had fun too. Maybe.. Maybe one day we can all come back and play again. But.. I have to go home now, and so do you, so.. Goodbye!”

Massy dotted his sentence with a period and suddenly inky portals opened up all around them. Contestants started to shuffle back to their respective dimensions, but Massy was caught off guard by the small group of turtles who pulled him into a group hug. 

“You better come visit! Well.. Maybe after you’re not grounded anymore.” One of the Leo’s said, followed by a metal hand coming down to pat his head. The group dispersed, all talking amongst themselves as they planned their next adventure and Massy smiled to himself. Maybe he could come visit. 

A hand on his shoulder pulled him back to reality and Massy looked back to see his father smiling down at him. 

“Let’s go home, my son.”

Massy’s small smile turned into a large grin and he leapt into his father’s arms, the two tumbling back through the portal where Mikey had emerged. 

The white void was left empty, nothing occupied the space except for a small piece of note paper that read “Until next time” along with a small pile of ashes.

[lyss-sketchbox]

Ok coming off anon because I'm trying to conquer the constant social anxiety lmao (same person who sent you Longass Thoughts on Natlan AQ) - SO YEAH personally I like Ei's character but foaming a bit at the mouth because I feel like my favorite parts of her character (namely she was NOT ready to be the archon when makoto kicked the bucket, she's got that good ol' warrior-weapon mindset knocking around in there- having her actually confront the ugly truth of the consequences of her actions was such a missed opportunity. it would've been SO good to see her actually get confronted personally without any sugarcoating. i think her learning to be less of a shitty archon would've been so much better then)

also like. im sure there were a lot of ways to improve Inazuma's story but personally i thought it would've been cooler if kokomi was a bit more. morally grey lmao. like willing to do not-so-nice things to fight god because that's what they're doing. mortals attempting to defy the god that holds dominion over their land (bc the electro archon isn't really Watatsumi's god specifically!! bc uh lmao ei killed him lol)

but yea for real in natlan every "serious problem" was severely undercut by "actually it's all good now" like "kachina is totally fine after being chased by the abyss in the afterlife, she was protected by the wayob so it's all good and she's also mentally ok" and it's like what. what are you talking about.

AND THE ARchON thing i feel like im the only one who has a gripe. tbf the story is not done yet BUT MY QUESTION IS CELESTIA ALLOWED A HUMAN (MULTIPLE EVEN) TO ASCend to the divine throne???? Like what??? IT feels like it runs counter to everything-

and like uh feels like we got really really far away from like. when you talk about the archon war in liyue it was a literal bloodbath. sacrifices upon sacrifices were made, the modern day liyue was built upon the corpses of friend and foe alike because there was no other choice. you couldn't abstain, you would die.

but in natlan???? no gods??? what???? im just losing it more than a bit over here that natlan is trying simultaneously to be a grim land of constant war but also sunshine friendship and rainbows.

at this point im prepared to be disappointed and just crossing my fingers the good writing comes back for snezhnaya's AQ bc if they fuck up snezhnaya i will literally never forgive them

Its all good man, youre so welcome to debate and talk off anon, we may disagree but never hate.

Im putting all my ramblings under cut since its gonna be as equally long and spoilery hdjsnsn

About Ei

I completely forgot about how Ei was originally a kagemusha, a weapon for her sister, her sister did all the archon work while Ei simply stood by her side. Its makes perfect sense that after the death of her sister, she would make very bad not thought out decisions and because she is an archon now, those bad decisions has really really bad aftermaths.

I personally do not have any gripes about her being basically clueless about the outside world. Grief manifests in different ways and locking yourself away and justifying it as a twisted way to gain enlightment of eternity the way your sister did, it can make sense. It is a consequence!! She is clueless of how to be an archon and what is going on in her nation, her SQ could have been used to show her trying to understand and emphatize with her people to be a better archon. NOT A REASON TO MAKE HER AN uwu sad defenseless waifu cant cook and doesnt know anything. Brother she fucking killed people and almost destroyed her nation.

About Kokomi

I like the idea of morally grey kokomi actually. It makes alot of sense. Kokomi and the watatsumi people might have some vishap descendance but they are still humans, even less so with visions. Theyre also lacking the supplies and expertise needed to continue a war with an entire nation and its archon. It would make sense that she would accept the fatuis help since they share the sentiment of 'getting to inazuma and its archon'.

But it was shown she wasnt even aware who the anonymous donor is, hell she wasnt aware people where using delusions until people starts dying. And for a girl who wrote an entire guide book with 100 different alternate plans, HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THIS COMING...............

About Natlan's system

Yeah they really brushed off the dying part and potentially being stuck in genshin limbo if you dont get out in time too casually. The tiny child you retrieved from limbo also is... very chill and not mentally scarred or anything, she wasnt putting up a brave face, she was simply unaffected?????? One on kachina's voiceovers is gonna talk about her death but im not friendship 4 with her yet. I hope it explains SOMETHING.

Yeah the first time i heard that the archon was human and has been replaced multiple times had me gawking too, i can excuse that Celestia has been strangely inactive FOR NOW.

I wanted to bring up how the hydro archon throne being broken and Neuvi regaining his sovernity didnt even call Celestia to action but GUESS WHAT??? I DONT KNOW IF NATLAN HAPPENED BEFORE OR AFTER FONTAINE BECAUSE THEY DECIDE TO LOWER THE REQUIREMENTS TO DO NATLAN AQ!!!!!!! But well if it happened after (since Neuvis end dialogue told us to go to Natlan next), well... Celestia isnt called either so theyve just been inactive for 500 years of Natlans weird system ig.

About the """Nation of War"""

Yeah man. Sacrifices and war was dealt better in liyue. Same as Natlan, it is a nation built of war. There was war in the past, sacrifices were made to built the liyue we know now. But the sacrifices in liyue was not brushed off or belittled, those sacrifices had meaning and the people of liyue hold very high regards for the fallen. In Natlan? Its treated like some sort of sick hunger games event, they made war into entertainment.

Oh but they need the tournaments to keep the natlan fire alive. THEN RUN A SEPERATE FUCKING TOURNEY?????? MAKE EVERYONE WHO HAS AN ANCIENT NAME HAVE PROPER TRAINING AND GO TO WAR IN ARMIES PROPER???? THIS SHIT DOESNT NEED TO BE ENTERTAINMENT AND YET YOU DID. Maybe the flames are small BECAUSE YOU PICK ONLY 5 PEOPLE EVERYTIME WHEN THERES LITERALLY NO REASON VETERANS LIKE KINICH AND MUALANI TO SIT IT OUT JUST BECAUSE THEY LOST.

Oh but the ode of resurrection only works on limited people THEN SEND OUT THE BEST PEOPLE THEN???????? MUALANI, A 3 TIMES VETERAN, LOST TO KACHINA. CLEARLY THE TOURNEYS ARENT RELIABLE TO PICK WHO TO SEND.

While i can understand that while Liyue is past war and Natlan is still in war, this is... not how people in war act. The entertainment the happiness the hospitality. Its not efforts to keep morale high its literally just... happy people, sometimes they get attacked by abyss monsters yeah cool but otherwise theyre completely happy just living like that. Thats why the Nation of War thing isnt working at all, these people are not how people STILL IN WAR act. Theres no anxiety no uncertainty no worry at all, not even a smidget. These people live like happy prospering people.

You know what happened to people tryna be happy prospering people while still in war in liyue? Havria.

I hope they bring back the high AR requirement for snezhnaya so snezhnaya can be chronologically correct. I hope they take snezhnaya seriously. I hope Natlan atleast wont pull an inazuma and tripped at the very end

NONE OF THAT POWER OF FRIENDSHIP BS EITHER I didnt believe it when mualani fucking knocked it over our heads over and over and over again and its not gonna work now.

[romana-after-dark]

Blessed Be The Fruit: Part 2

Commander!Joel Miller x Handmaid!Reader

Series masterlist Join dark!Romana's tag list Dark!Romana's Masterlist

(sorry if you get two notications, accidentally posted this to my mainlol)

Summary: A few decades into Gilead’s conception, you head into your first posting as a handmaid after an affair with a guardian landed you in trouble. Determined to keep your head low in order to keep your son safe, you take on the moniker of OfJoel. Commander Miller has very little to do with you and mrs. Miller regards you with disgust, however you find solace in an unlikely friendship with Commander Miller’s daughter from a handmaid 14 years ago, Ellie who just got done with wives school. You and your friend, Ofthomas start teacher her and her friend Reilly under her mothers nose. Slowly, Commander Miller begins spending time with you and you begin to learn more about the man he was before and an affair begins outside the confines of the ceremony. Although initially you go along with it out if survival, you find yourself falling for the version of Joel you saw in these late night rendezvous.

Which Joel is really him, and how will he react when his own daughters secrets are revealed?

Content and Warnings: DARK JOEL! DUB CON!

Although no violent rape happens like in TWW, reader is under systemic misogyny and a society of ritualized sex abuse. Everything other than the violent rape scenes, everything that happen in either The Handmaids Tale book or show are liable to happen here including but not limited to discussion of rape, child abuse, child marriage, ritualized sexual abuse, sexual abuse in general, acts of violence, major character deaths, mentions of miscarriage but never shown and never pregnancies we know of. Big ole homophobia warning, specifically in regards to lesbophobia. As for Joel, PIV sex, breeding kink, degrading (slut, whore etc but thing like Raider!joel) forced breeding and breeding kink, power dynamics, Joel is not the good guy but he’s also not the worst, slightly rough sex but not violent. Warnings are liable to be added as the story goes but I’ll always update. As always if I miss something please tell me, but i extensively label my warnings and in the end media consumption is your own choice. If you would like to know if this is a happy ending or not you can message me and I’ll tell you that way I don’t spoil for everyone but you can decide if this is for you.

Immersability: Reader has long hair, can conceive children theoretically. At one point, she has to pose as Ellie's mother and I know this can be loaded in terms of skin tone. I am no genetics expert but I know dark skinned parents can have white passing children, like Lional Richie and Nicole Richie. It's up to you to see if this is going to take you out of the story or not.

Support writers, reblog and leave comments!

Additional warnings: forced blowjob but reader is into it. Still dub con bc the nature of everything.

*******************

It was a strange feeling, knowing the entire household was keeping track of your monthly cycle. Mrs. Miller had been cued in by Aunt Lydia of where you were at last week, and since then you were told the date of the next ceremony; the night during the highpoint of your fertility. You wondered, not the first time, why the ceremony was only once a month, not during the entire time of ovulation, or why not two or three times a day… but you supposed that’s where the wives would draw a line. No rights to reading or education, no voice, no power. One wrong move and you too can become the victim of ritualized rape… but no, your husband fucking a random woman more than *checks notes you aren’t actually allowed to read* once a month is too far. 

Internal humor is how to cope. The reality of the situation was terrifying, but it’s not like you were shocked by the idea. You had grown up your whole life knowing this would be your fate if you strayed; well, if you strayed and you were fertile. That fertility is what landed you in this problem in the first place.

It wasn’t love. There was no grand story to it. You were married at 15 to a man in his 20’s who hit you, as was his right. Even that wasn’t as dramatic as it could have been, just slaps, shoved into furniture, things of that sort. When a local guardian made advances, you took him up on it. The sex was fine, and eventually produced a baby; your son, who looked just like his real father. 

The guardian was sent to a new local and seemed indifferent to his son who was placed with some commander and his wife. You didn’t even get to say goodbye to him. He probably has a new name now, something biblical, and you often wonder what it is, what word it is that calls his attention. Babies recognize their name around 6 months after all. Benjamin? Levi? Asa? You named him… well, that doesn’t really matter now. It’s a name he’ll never know as his.

Angela had a better story. There was a group of you, a few other handmaids in your region and Angela rallied you all together, sharing your real names and stories. She had lived one hell of a life, always brave. As a low ranking wife she went behind her husbands back for the underground resistance at the young age of 16 and was pregnant a few times, none of which made it very long. For ten years she fought against Gilead, continuing the tradition of her youth. Hell, even before Gilead’s official formation she fought, being a part of pro-LGBT and women’s rights activism since middle school. After her husband was killed in war a guardian attempted to rape her and Angela stabbed him to death. Badass. Gilead didn’t see it that way, despite espousing wanting to protect women. She was going to be hung, of course, but a pregnancy test reviled she was pregnant again, a baby she carried to term, this time. He died of illness a few months later. Regardless, she’d had a healthy baby, and was sent to Thomas Miller’s for her first posting last year.

Aunt Lydia had told Angela that this commander Miller would suit her temperament and you understood what that meant. Angela had confirmed the impression that you had gotten early that week.

Thomas Miller had kind eyes. The kind of eyes that warmed you, relaxed you. You bet he was a charmer in another life. The brothers seemed close, Joel- Commander Miller you mean, lighting up around him like you only see with Elizabeth.

Commander Miller adored his daughter, that much was clear. Many men in Gilead only viewed their children -especially daughters- as possessions or pawns, but it was clear it wasn’t like that between them. You wondered if that closeness is why she wasn’t married yet. At 14 she had been out of wives school for a few months, and it was time to at least get her betrothed. God forbid she waste of moment of potential fertility. Yet, Commander Miller didn’t even seem to be looking.

 Few knew more than him how dangerous it was as a woman in this world, and Elizabeth wasn’t a woman- she was a child, still. Commander Miller also seemed aware that Elizabeth was… particular. She only had one friend, Riley, a child from before the handmaid system who was married already. Mrs. Jones, she was called by Lisa, you and Mrs. Miller (who always tried to do things by the book). Joel refused to call her Mrs. Jones, saying “I’m not addressing a child who I’ve been forced to play dolls with as Mrs. anything. She’s Riley to me.” Outside though he did things right. Can’t be too familiar with another man’s wife, even if he’s known that wife since she was in pull ups. 

The ceremony was tonight, and it seemed like everyone knew. Angela did, but only because you mentioned it.

“Got any questions?” She asked you, always the older sister, even if she only had a few years on you.

“Believe it or not, I’m not a virgin.” You joke back.

Angela laughs and nudges you with her shoulder. “I know, it’s just your first ceremony. I mean, it’s pretty straightforward to what they teach you in the Rachel and Leah Center, only-” She seemed to shut herself off with that, but you urge her on.

“Only what? You can’t leave me there.”

She swallowed thickly before attempting again, somewhere between a cringe and a childish giggle. “Well, you know, genetically-”

“Angela.”

“Brothers have similarities-”

“Just say it!”

Angela stopped, pulling you in to whisper. “Tommy has a massive cock.”

You stand there frozen in shock until a guardian shouts at you to keep moving and stop whispering. There was a lot there, including the implication that if they share genetic similarities, Joel might be harder to take than expected, especially without foreplay, but the thing that really struck you, the thing that sent your mind whirling was how Angela phrased it. She called Commander Miller, Tommy.

*

He was handsome, Commander Miller. At least there was that. Another handmaid, Ofglen, was stuck with a 70 year old man. Several girls had commented in hushed whispers that you and Ofthomas were luck; the Miller brothers were a dream posting, comparatively. So many men were ugly, old, or cruel. Ofhim had scars from lashes on her back. Some of the wives were worse, Ofcole’s wife would starve her when her monthly cycle proved the ceremony useless. Mrs. Miller was a pain and was rude, but she’d never take anything like that into he own hands. She wanted to play the part of dutiful wife so bad. That didn’t stop her from constantly making digs at her daughter.

Mrs. Miller requested your aid in her garden once, using you to dump all her feelings. She confessed the reason you were here was her doing; Elizabeth had proven a failure in her eyes, and she wanted another child to raise, to start over. She said her father spoiled her, let her get away with to much. Commander Miller refused to physically discipline her, and Mrs. Miller was insistent that that’s what the girl needed. Commander Miller reminded her she was just a teenager, and Mrs. Miller countered that she is a woman, not a child. You were married off young and it had seemed fine. You felt like an adult. But now you look at Elizabeth and think ‘did I look that young? Did I seem that childlike?’ 

Mrs. Miller had expressed that she had hoped wives school would fix her, or that maybe after coming back, Riley’s influence would be good. Ellie’s friend, Riley, was 16 and was married to a man in his 20’s, both children from before who had been taken from an unworthy family. An age gap, but certainly not the worse you’d seen, certainly, but now you were near her husbands age the the idea of marrying a 16 year old…

All this to say, Commander Miller was a blessing. You’d been lying if you said you never thought of him when you masturbated. And of course you masturbated. His sweaty body all encompassing around you, brown curls falling on his face, his facial hair on your skin…

*

It was time for the ceremony, you and Mrs. Miller were in your respective positions, you laid up between Gina’s spread legs in her blue dress, her hand gripping your arms with your legs bent. Commander Miller emerged from the bathroom and your chest tightened at the sight of him, knowing what was coming. The pomp and circumstance had passed, the prays having been done in the living room with members of the household: You, Commander Miller, Mrs. Miller, Lisa, and the driver, Isaac. There had been a passive aggressive spat between Mrs. and Commander Miller on the idea of Elizabeth attending the prayers.

Mrs. Miller: “She needs to participate in household activities”

Commander Miller: “It’s bad enough she knows whats going on, I don’t need her to participate.”

Mrs. Miller: “She’ll be a wife soon enough herself, god-willing she’ll have a handmaid of her own!”

“God-willing she won't need to!”

Mrs. Miller scoffed. “As if God would find her worthy in her state!”

Commander Miller grew deadly calm, jaw set in a tense gaze as he stared at his wife, you and Elizabeth standing on the other side of the room. “Woman, you do not speak about her like that again, understood?”

The intensity of his eyes must have been warning enough, Gina backing down. “Yes sir.”

He straightened up. “Ellie, you are excused. Gina, drop it.”

The tension had carried over into the bedroom, the air thick with it as the reality of what was going to happen settled in. Commander Miller’s bulge was prominent even in his dark pants, having worked himself up alone before coming out here and undressing once again. Just pulling down his pants and underwear, god forbid you see him shirtless. This wasn’t for your pleasure, you filthy whore, this wasn’t even for his. This was for you to bare him and his wife a child. A son to lead the family in righteousness, or a daughter to bare more children and so on. This was a job.

You hear a spit and the distinct sound of masturbation, then a few more spitting sounds. It took everything in you to not look at him, keeping your eyes glued on the ceiling but the picture was clear in his head. The tall, broad, powerful commander furiously jerking off the the site of your body spread of before him. Was that for you? Or was he looking at his wife? He sure didn’t seem very fond of her, but there was no denying she was beautiful.

“Joel, do you really need to do that? It’s obscene.”

“Well you can’t expect her to take it dry when you can barely-”

“Joel!”

“Well unless you want me to-”

“JOEL!”

You couldn’t help it, opening your eyes to see him, his face scowling but eyes with a glint of mischief. He was fucking with her, purposefully embaressing her infront of a lowly handmaid to get back at her for what she said about Elizabeth.

When Commander Miller slid into you, you were suddenly acutely aware that this was going to be difficult. Slowly he moved inside and the inches just. Kept. Coming. Your breath hitched and you bite down on your lip trying to keep any possible sound from coming out, no gasps of pain that could be mistaken for pleasure. The stretch was unbearable by the time Joel was fully sheathed inside of you, thrusting as the tears pricked up in your eyes. It would be quick. There was no presence of needing to last, at least. Just get it done. Fill you up and hopefully you conceive. Problem was… the stretch.

 It wasn’t your fault, really. It was natural, wasn’t it? Even under these circumstances. Or maybe you were a harlot, only redeemable by producing a child for a high value man. That's why you were in this position, right? You could feel yourself getting wet and you wished he would hurry up before the smell of sex and arousal fill the room, before the fucking sound became impossible to ignore. The warmth in your belly grew, tightening, the feeling of being filled so completely was just dizzying and you needed him to finish, now.

Then it happened, the orgasm hitting you so hard your eyes rollback in your head and it takes everything you have not to cry out. You can only pray Joel isn’t looking at your face as you attempt to stifle every bodily reaction as you pulse around him. Warmth floods your insides when he stills inside you, a light groan from his lips. He’s allowed to make a few sounds; he’s the man, after all. It’s supposed to feel good for him, but for you? This was wrong. This was bad, and you were going to be in a fuck ton of trouble now. Aunt Lydia never said anything about orgasming. Did the law have a specific article about this, or was it left up to the commander's discretion? You hadn’t seen Joel raise a hand to Gina yet, but you were only a week in. You open your eyes, daring to take a peak at Commander Miller in order to gauge your future. 

You can see him smiling at you before tucking himself back into his pants to go clean up. Mrs. Miller instructed you to lay there for a while, bettering the chances of it taking, and left the room. When Commander Miller exited the bathroom and returned to the bed chambers, he excused you with a soft “You can go now, darl’n”

*

Another 2 weeks went by without incident, and it appeared Commander Miller wasn’t going to do or say anything about your embarrassing indiscretion. Angela had told you to play with yourself before the ceremony to get yourself wet, but you had been too scared of this exact scenario happening. Fat lot of good it did you, huh?

Unfortunately for everyone involved, you got your period as expected. One would think you didn’t want to get pregnant. The odds of dying in child birth had increased despite growing technology. It was the pregnancy complications and the insistence of home births even when the pregnancy was warning them not too. Gilead’s obsession with rituals meant that there was also an extensive one for childbirth and that obsession rendered many women dead. In addition to that, there’s the horror of growing a child inside you, and even if it was a healthy pregnancy and that child lives, after a period of breastfeeding you are taken away from the life you created to go to another posting.

If you produce a child and remain behaved, when you are no longer of birthing age, you get to retire in peace. Whatever that meant. You weren’t sure you entirely cared, one way or another, but the idea of the wall was scary. 3 postings, 3 years per posting, this was your window.

You often heard Elizabeth sneaking downstairs after the household went to sleep; always after Joel went down. Your room was right by the stairs, so you heard it all. God knows you aren’t sleeping.

You were bored. So bored. Bored enough to sneak downstairs after Ellie and go investigate, so you do. Slowly and carefully you go down stairs and find Commander Miller’s office, creeping up to the door to listening. You hear music. Music that was supposed to have been destroyed a decade ago, and you take a moment to enjoy the sound. Steady acoustic guitar, soft male singing.

“Can we listen to it again?” Ellie’s voice spoke from behind the door.

“After your lesson.” Commander Miller.

“UUUGGGHHH”

“I thought you wanted to learn?”

“I do…” Ellie acquiesced, and you can hear the sounds of pulling a book off a shelf and opening it. Biology. Commander Miller was teaching Ellie biology. This was unheard of, especially for a commander's daughter, a woman who was supposed to be getting married off soon. She didn’t need to learn science, to listen to ungodly music? So why was a high ranking Commander not only allowing it, but teaching her?

You move to go back upstairs where you belong, but the creak of the floor gives you away. White-hot panic, the kind where everything runs hot and the world suddenly feels funny floods your system. You freeze, hoping to God no one heard you. That goes out the window when the door flies open, Commander Miller spotting you and yanking you inside the room by the dress.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” He shouts, loud and angry and so close to you that you can smell his breath.

“Dad?” A panicked Ellie stood to the side, drawing your attention. She looked terrified, and you felt sorry for scaring the poor girl.

Joel gripped your face, fingers digging into his skin as he forced you to look at him. “Eyes on me. You don’t look at her.” Keeping your face forward, Joel turned to Ellie. “Go upstairs, I’ll take care of this.”

“But dad-”

“Ellie. I got this, you go to your room, it’ll talk to you in a bit, okay?”

Ellie nodded, going out the door and only stopped to eye you for a moment.

Joel turned back to you. “What did you hear?”

“Nothing-”

“Liar!” He screamed, fingers pressing harder into your skin.

“I heard the music! And, and some of the lesson, but I won’t say anything I swear-”

“Of course you won’t,” Joel chuckled. “Who are they going to believe? A commander and the first daughter of Gilead, or a handmaid who cums during the ceremony.” Your eyes go wide at that, the way Joel’s grip loosens but never leaves, thumb slowly beginning to trace at your cheeks. “Yeeeah, that’s right, I felt you. Little bitch in heat couldn’t help cumming on cock? Didn’t even need any build up, huh? You just take whatever's given to you. Little whore, all pent up…” 

God, he looked good like this; towering over you, broad shoulders closing in on you and making it clear there was nowhere to go. When he placed his thumb at your lips, you didn’t even hesitate to take it in your mouth and begin to bob your head, eyes closing just a little. “Dirty, dirty girl…” Joel taunted. “Just need to get filled up. All that pent up slut, nowhere to go. Tell me, sweet thing… Do you think of me when you touch yourself?”

Your sucking stopped, but Joel continued moving his thumb in your mouth. “Yeah, I know you do. Get on your fucking knees.” He didn’t wait, shoving you down to your knees, his cock entering your mouth before you had a chance to think.

The stretch pried open your mouth, pulling at your chapped and dry lips. The bulbous tip hit the back of your throat and made you gag, but he wasn’t stopping.

“Dirty fucking whore, that’s how you ended up here, isn’t it? Needed to be constantly filled, your husband wasn’t enough?” He thrust into you with vigor, your sputtering sounds only spurring him on more while you breathed through your nose, you couldn’t help but whine, preening at the sensation of a dick in your mouth once again. It felt, so, so good, despite the circumstances. “Don’t you worry, I’ll fill you up alright, fill you up enough you stay full.” His pace began to falter after a few more minutes. “Fill you up with my baby, fulfill your biological destiny like the pretty little whore you are.” You wriggle, trying to get some sory of sensation between your legs as you hungrily sucked at him, desperately needing his cum inside you.

He spilled into you, salty and thick and so fucking good, you swallow down every goddamn drop.

With a hand fisted in your dress, Joel pulled you up and to your feet, shoving you back against the wall as he cleaned up. “You are going to apologize to her, and after that.” Joel was close up against you again. “You are going to keep my daughter’s name out of your fucking mouth.” His tongue flicked out to lick at the corner of your mouth and swiped his tongue over your lips. “After tonight, we on’t be wasting one more drop in your mouth. Every last bit of me goes to filling you up, but this-” He patted your stomach where his cum was heading. “Should keep you satisfied until next time.”

Until next time.

Joel pulled you upstairs and into Ellie’s room where he shoved you forward. You fold your hands in front of you and bow your head, hoping she can’t see any evidence of you being a whore for her father on your face. You doubted Joel would’ve allowed that.

“I’m sorry for intruding, Miss Miller. It won’t happen again.” You are careful not to imply you heard anything, know anything, and certainly not imply that she did anything wrong. Joel wouldn’t stand for that.

“Yeah, whatever.” Was all she replied before Joel sent you out of the room, and all you hear as the door closes is “It’s okay, baby girl. It’s handled.”

But your thoughts were swirling on something else, how turned on you were, how dominant he was, how fucking hot he is, but most important, those last few words.

Until next time.

******************

We get to the spice nice and fast ayyyyyyyyeeee

We love Joel being protective of his daughter <3

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[crying-fantasies]

In acceptance

Masterlist

Part 1 | part 2

"So you aren't from the stars?" Jazz almost laughs, he chooses to keep silence while smiling, maybe a snicker did get out of his voice box, looking at you and some telescope he helped to get back together, at first you didn't tell him why you wanted it so bad, but then you said: "I want to see your home"

He was happy with youru enthusiasm, still, he didn't want to see sadness overwhelm your happy face if, naturally, youdidn't find it, "Cybertron isn't there, sweetspark", and that's how your question came to be, so he had to explain.

"Cybertron is pretty far, far away" the idea made him sad, moving his servos to put more distance, make his point present and for distraction of your sadness, "we can't see it from here"

"Not even with this?" You showed him your little telescope, Jazz kept on his smile, running a digit on your little head, you were trying to make him smile, truly do it.

"If my ol' pal Percy was here, I'm more than sure he would've loved to show you", you made a little sound, hands on his armor and almost climbing on him, Jazz let you do your do, it wasn't the first time you did it and he learned to put his servos at a certain distance to prevent any accident, he was grateful in the way you shook your shoes before putting them on his armor.

"Percy seems to be a good bot", you took seat with ease, recharging on his mid section, he could feel your warm body, how you kept on looking at the sky.

"Indeed", he helped you, using a digit to direct you to the correct way, Cybertron may be hundreds of light years away but that was the correct direction.

One he still remembers and will possibly never forget.

"Do you miss your home?" The lense was now directed at him, you got him thinking, he did miss Cybertron, but the Cybertron from before war.

He wasn't going to tell you about gruesome war details, you were a being born and raised in moderate peace, Optimus would never let you or other humans be tainted by their war if he could do something about it first.

But it was happening already.

"I do, there I had a big habsuit unit with all my favorite instruments"

"Like your electric bass"

"Like my Aghartan electro bass, uhum, I'd many, an' sometimes I had time to play some, play with the cords and even reunite with friends to make music together"

It was easy, talk to you have always been easy and comfortable once the usual screaming died down, you were little then, young even to human standard, full of curiosity for the world around you and the one Jazz told you about, a world full of mechs like and unlike him, "some angry like Ratchet?" "Some like Ratch, but don't call him that, he'll get sad", and all the great things his people did, every great invention done to improve the life of every bot around "Like what Wheeljack did yesterday?" "Yes, but without the fire and the explosion"

You were full of questions he was willing to answer and you were full of attention and understanding he was grateful to have, more than once Jazz thought he was kind of making you see things way too different, in some way? He wasn't sure, but it was endearing when you tried to give him a rusting piece of metal after he told you about how he liked rust sticks and how those were famous snacks back in Cybertron.

Jazz couldn't consume it, Ratchet would be nagging at him endlessly if he consumed rust of a metal stick that has been who-knows-where, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Time moved on, because that's what it does, Jazz left you for what seemed to be a few days, like you called it, and when he came back you weren't little anymore, well, you were indeed little, but not as he remembered while he used his servo to compare how you changed, but you didn't let him do more than use his scanner and HUD while getting away from his most physical iterations.

"Nice upgrades there" you looked embarrassed, he wasn't sure why, you had little things on your face which you tried to cover, you didn't have those before, "a nice surprise to be sure", you looked mortified by his words and he should've been prepared for your hormone induced changes and how to handle them without previous preparation, he wasn't like that when his armor first formed, but hey, everyone rolled different.

"Don't lie, this is horrible" you truly disliked your upgrades, and he tried to understand your point of view, he holds a digit to you and your response was almost instantaneous, little hands taking his servo, looking puzzled when you saw a little thing on it, "What is this?"

"Just a lil' something, a comm' line specially for you, so that we can talk al' night long" he pointed to his audials, and you took the thing to your ear, at that very same moment he took on his wheels and put some distance, you looked confused for a moment but then you heard his voice directly on your ear, "I missed you, sweetspark"

Your face was red, and Jazz laughed softly at your wide eyes, looking at his alt-mode almost mesmerized, shiny by tears he knew, and hoped, were of happiness, "Happy 20 earth orbital cycles".

Your laugh made him laugh, even when you didn't do it as much as before, at least you smiled for him and he could hear your happiness from the communicator.

It was brightness in all it's splendor, a moment he wanted to preserve on his databank for eternity, knowing full well, even among all his positiveness, that someone will come and take it away from his servos mercilessly.

Just like he thought it did happen, but little by little, and he didn't have time nor response to cover you in time, things got darker, uglier by every mean, and he didn't want you dragged in between all the spilled energon and blood dripping from his servos, but taking distance wasn't enough, it was never enough, everything they touched, everything their war touched was indeed bound to be destroyed in front of them, in front of him, and even when Jazz wasn't there to see for himself you being ripped from life he felt it, silence filling the space around him, making difficult even his movement, radio silence and interference that he tried to keep away with every song you've said you loved in front of him or at least hummed near him, always being mindful of you and in what you could talk next time he saw you or got to call you.

But now he couldn't reach you, all he had was music, songs to fill the void, and oh boy, does he has a very long masterlist, all thanks to you, but is your very same existence that got the silence there, like a menacing presence waiting for the pause in between the words to drag him down again.

When he was a younger spark Jazz liked to think that things, even in the worst days, could take a turn for the better, well, on those days the worst that could happen to him was a disgruntled mech trying to make a ruckus in the streets and his job was to take care of it as the police, or the days he forgot to pay a bill, something that at the moment was almost extenuating or stressing at worst, daydreaming about being a musician.

Now, those things were like jokes when he finally returns to earth's surface, looking at the devastation around, at the bodies or frames lacking of life or spark, everything was consumed and, at the end, destroyed with their killer.

He helps with the reconstruction, he wants to get his servos to work, filling on hope and hang there for dear life, with time Primus does have mercy on him and he gets hope, finding friends he thought were now lost, humans and bots alike, he is happy while he moves with the group of founded people and bots that is getting bigger with time, helping move the debris away in search for more survivors or to mourn whoever they find too late.

It's not until he gets near your house that his hope, once again, faltered and also incremented, he has been in this place so many times, be it die or dead missions searching for cons, be it little escapades with you sleeping soundly over his chassis on his alt-mode while music is playing or singing.

Be it just looking at the few stars on the polluted sky.

Is a place full of memories, some that attack him even when he doesn't want them now, not when he gets a distress signal being showed on his internal computer, almost making him go back by the surprise, last thing he thought to see when he put a pede on your city was to get a distress signal from you communication device, the very same one he gave you years ago.

He doesn't listen, Jazz is a bot with a mission once again when he gets to where the distress signal in coming from, it's weak, almost not existing, but he holds on hope for dear life itself again while his servos get the debris away, shouting out your name and expecting you to call out for his designation.

Still, when his friends get to him is to take him away, telling him that it's fine when his servo circuits are again so weak Jazz can't get back on his pedes by himself, searching for strength to raise again in Ironhide's arms that are holding him when all he finds is the almost off-lined gadget, destroyed beyond repair, finally giving up it's last energy after being found and ceasing any signal.

It was nothing more than a wish, a prayer, that he would find you, and yet again he can't bring himself to smile when he has to look at his group, he feels tired, he feels so tired while looking at all the destruction and he doesn't know if he can keep going.

"Jazz?"

In all honesty, he thinks his brain module really got damaged when he hears your voice, maybe he has really lost it to this point, just like Prowl told him he would when he got back to earth with a goal on mind, "Numbers don't look good" Prowl has always been direct with this, with him, and it's something Jazz has come to accept and be grateful for because his friend does care, "don't rise your hopes too high" he told Jazz before he smiled back at him, the light on his visor weak enough to be blow off like a candle.

"Hope is the last thing you lose, Prowler"

"Jazz, are you okay?!" You are covered in wounds, dirt and one of your eyes is almost painted red and purple around, one of your arms looks out of place with the group of survivors that looked in the same damaged state, there is dried blood on you and Jazz reminds himself to be careful, to not scare you away like the last time he saw you.

He is running away from Ironhide's grip, who let's him go happily, Jazz is indeed careful, like he has always been with you, but that doesn't stop him from raising you in the air and bring you close with a hug, shielding you from the world with his whole body, to who is he saying never endings thank you's is still a mystery to you, but you still feel every word with his intake pressed to your head while one servo holds it there and the other presses you to his chassis.

You do hug him back, at least with the last good arm you have, and that's what makes you cry in relief and makes him hug you harder.

.

In the cannon continuity Jazz's human indeed dies, being one of the victims of Unicron and it's Maximals army, Jazz does find what was left and the communicator he gave as a gift, he stays on earth like the comic and tries to cherish the past with friends that he has lost.

In this continuity, in this AU! Jazz is happy, he is reunited with his human that later on is his conjunx, he is creator of three younglings and still very much in love with his conjunx, Jazz gets his happy ending in my AU! Because I adore him and because he deserves it.

[alltoowelltom]

in need of some cute domestic stuff with dad!tom

"Can I hold him, love?" Tom asks, almost shyly as you begin to lift Miles, your baby boy out of his car seat.

He's settling in as a new dad, just as you are as a new mum and while you think he's a natural, he still doubts his skill at parenting from time to time.

"Of course you can," you say, turning to face Tom. "He's your son too. Do you want to use the carrier?"

"Here, let's swap." he jokes, trading you the carrier for your newborn. He cradles Miles to his chest so gently, one hand on baby's diaper clad bum and the other supporting his tiny head. Miles whimpers ever so slightly, fussing at being lifted out of his comfy car seat.

"Shhh," Tom soothes his son. "I know mate, I know. You can go back to sleep as soon as we get you comfy again, alright?"

You help Tom to put the carrier on, clipping it behind his back and adjusting the straps until it's secure.

"Everyone comfy and safe?" you check, lightly tickling one of Miles' exposed onesie-covered feet.

"We're super," Tom answers for the both of them.

He follows you around the shops as you complete your errands for the day, picking up a new bottle of baby shampoo here, a gift for a friend's upcoming birthday there, and picking up a few too many pairs of baby socks to replace the ones that seem to go missing daily. He's entirely engrossed in his son, pulling silly faces whenever Miles wakes up for a few minutes, simply resting his head gently on Miles' and getting a good ol' whiff of that newborn baby scent he knew he would soon miss - all the while keeping one large hand on Miles' back to ensure his son is safely secured to his dad's chest.

This allows you to take the lead on the errands, nipping quickly around the shops so that you'll all be able to head home faster. To be completely honest there was no real reason Miles and Tom had to come with you today, the two of them would have been perfectly content to hang about at home but Tom insisted on them both coming along to keep you company, and who were you to resist company from your favorite boys?

"Y/N!" you hear a hushed whisper from across the store you're browsing. You turn to find Tom holding the smallest pair of baby shoes you've ever seen and pouting as he looks down at his son.

You giggle lightly, making your way over to him as you roll your eyes playfully

"He can't even walk yet, Tom. What's he gonna do with a pair of shoes?" You catch a glimpse of the price tag and wince. "And an expensive pair at that."

"But they're so sweet!" Tom whispers so as not to wake his napping son. "Look!"

He holds the shoes to Miles' feet, ever so gently moving Miles' legs as if to mimic walking.

"He doesn't need shoes yet, and you know it." You say, turning back to the shelf you were searching for the right brand of burp rags on.

Just as you're ready to leave the store, you spot Tom pulling his card out of his back pocket near the cash register. He catches your eye as you see the tiny pair of shoes on the counter while the cashier puts his order through. You roll your eyes and lean against the door, heart inadvertently fluttering as Tom winks at you, before pressing a kiss to his son's fuzzy head as he thanks the cashier and shows Miles the little present he'd bought.

[petra-creat0r]

Deltarune: Fool's Fate Ch. 6 Secret Boss

Talked about her in my post about Fool's Fate Chapter 6's insane plot, so here she is. Good ol Miss Soxs Calzino. If Doggone is my most unhinged secret boss, then Soxs must come in second purely due to her Dark World being the most unhinged. Literally came up with it off a single joke that spiraled and spiraled and spiraled until snowballing into what it is now while I was on call with some of my friends.

Though even for how unhinged Soxs world is, she may just be the most well adjusted of my secret bosses, say for some anger issues and an irrational hatred for Snas the Hermit and Sans the Skeleton. Most of her trauma isn't even caused by old mystery man. Or at least she doesn't see it that way, she barely knows who the mystery man is because she just doesn't remember him that much.

For her name, one can probably tell that Soxs comes from, well, Socks. Because she's a sock puppet. Her last name, Calzino, though, well it also means sock. It's just Italian for sock. Her name is Sock Sock. Though Calzino does sort of sound like a mobster name. (Likely just because it's Italian.)

Soxs doesn't really have a text quirk. Unless you can consider speaking like a mobster and sounding like a Boston Elmo a text quirk, but that's more of an accent. The soul mode used in her battle is the yellow soul mode, making her share a soul mode with Spamton.

As could possibly be inferred, Soxs is Sans's sock. Instead of actually putting it away, he just brought it to work with him one day and left it there. Eventually placing a box over it. In the Dark World, she becomes a sock puppet sorta creature. It was a little difficult figuring out how to keep Soxs at least some what original when there are so many Sans's sock secret bosses, but I think making her a girl helped. (She's trans partly out of spite.)

Backstory under the cut

Soxs Calzino has always been something of a renegade. Even back in her original world, she never seemed to follow the rules and was always at least a little bit rebellious and disobedient. Other socks might've been happy falling in line, getting paired and put away, but not Soxs. Even when others tried to make Soxs fall in line, she'd always find a way to go on her own. This upset many around her, including her identical twin brother, Boots.

Eventually, either because those in her original world got fed up with Soxs's rebellion or just because Soxs yearned for greener pastures and thus went on to find them (Soxs will never say which one it truly was, though it seems both are somewhat correct), Soxs found herself in the convenience store Dark World. Seemingly all alone in a strange new place. Soxs didn't seem to mind the solitude all that much though, especially with how more lax this new Dark World seemed to her old one, and she eventually made a friend. A Rabbuster named Dusty who also seemed a bit of an outcast aw well.

The only grip Sox seemed to have was with the ruler of the convenience store world, The Hermit. The old milk carton didn't seem to do his job at all and would rather sell milk than be a ruler. Something about that irked Soxs, how could she stick it to the man when the man didn't care? Still, it was because of him the world as a whole had such a chill atmosphere, so she couldn't complain too much.

At some point, Soxs met a man. A strange someone also out of place who seemed equally disgusted by the Hermit, though for other reasons. After learning that Soxs also didn't seem to like the Hermit and believed herself to be a much better leader, actually doing her job while still maintaining the laid-back nature of this place, the man offered her a deal to help her achieve that. Not only would Soxs be able to stick it to the Hermit, but she could rule this world in a way to allow other rebels to try and stick it to her.

With a shrug, Soxs accepted the offer, figuring she had nothing to loose. And so with the man's assistance, mostly through offering information and giving tips, Soxs was able to form a rebellion. One that swore to over throw the Hermit. Even though the man helped Soxs as an informant and possibly influenced others to be more substantiable to listening to her, much of Soxs influence seemed to come from her own charisma. Just needing to know the right people to talk too.

Even with Soxs's influence and growing rebellion though, the Hermit didn't seem to care. The old milk carton even offered to just step down and let Soxs take his place. The rebel sock wouldn't stand for this though, demanding a proper fight. The Hermit shrugged and said "okay" before Soxs stormed off to plan some way to take down the milk carton while still getting him to care.

Over time as Soxs planned though, the man seemed to leave and some of her influence seemed to fizzle out, with most now just seeing her and the few that remained under her as a gang of petty criminals rather than some epic rebellion. Pretty much to today, Soxs has been planning her uprising against the Hermit, especially since he "exiled" her to the Backstreets where her gang's secret base was set up. (He really didn't, even he claimed she couldn't leave without an employee card, there was no way he was gonna stop her from leaving if she actually tried.)

That was until a group of Lightners entered her turf...

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

Hehe. I hope ya'll like Soxs, I had a lot of fun making her and the rest of the convenience store Dark World. My friends and I were pretty much dying of laughter all call while coming up with it, especially Snas.

It wasn't mentioned in the backstory, but the man did technically give Soxs a Shadow Crystal at some point, but either she never exactly looked through it before misplacing it, or it just didn't change anything as she mostly just saw Sans and was still too focused on her goal of getting Snas to pay attention to her rebellion. I sorta like the later. "Oi yeah! I knows our world ain't real and we're all just inanimate objects, but that don't matter 'cuz my hatred for that old milk cart'n is real, ya dig? Who cares if our reality ain't really real if it's real ta us?" All the other secret bosses are secretly jealous she wasn't traumatized by learning the Truth.

Another little tidbit, Boots did not exist until I was writing this and remembered, "hey, socks go in pairs", and had the idea of Soxs having a twin. I searched up synonyms for sock and bootsee came up, so named the twin Boots. Together they are Boots and Soxs. I like it because together they sound like your basic beat-boxing beat.

[natashasnoodle]

𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 - 𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝑵𝒂𝒕 𝒙 𝑭𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Masterlist | N.R Masterlist

Words: 7.3k

Summary: Your entire life is turned upside down when you discover a book of the supernatural, propelling you into days of horror just before Halloween. What or who is causing the curse?

Triggers/tags: Ghost!WandaNat, dark!WandaNat, mind control, kidnapping, blood, visions, death, burns, an all round a spooky fic. No smut but minors DNI due to dark themes and implications please and thank you &lt;3

A good ol' Halloween fic to end off the month, was multiple days of planning and writing so I hope yous enjoy 👻

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

The chill of October air passed through you as you headed towards the campus library of the University that you attended. The way that the wind whipped the sides of your coat to the side, letting the awful freeze of the air wrap around your torso made you curse yourself for choosing to do a Master’s degree after your Bachelor’s. If you had just gotten a job like the rest of your friends had, then you would not be traipsing to the library every evening, and instead would be at home, snuggled under the comfort of many thick blankets after another day at the office. 

But instead, you were wrapping your arms around yourself in a hug, angry at the universe for your broken coat zipper as the hands of mother nature kept clawing their way through your outfit, yanking your tote bag repeatedly down in the process. By the time you arrived at the library you were already frustrated with the universe, and you hadn’t sat down to start your essay yet. 

Sighing a large puff of air from your already agape mouth thanks to the struggle of climbing stairs, you collapsed into a rickety old chair, slumping down and staring at the wall ahead, trying to mentally prepare yourself for the late night that was to be had. Thanks to your procrastination, you were missing pumpkin carving with your roommates, an activity that you adored, making this essay your arch-nemesis. 

Due to it being the Friday before Halloween, there were no fellow students also slumped in their seats, society beating them down as their burnt-out minds kept pushing on the invisible barriers that tried to stop them from working. 

You were all alone.

Taking the opportunity, you unpacked all of your things and laid them out on the desk in front of you in a haphazard way, not caring about everything being neat in front of you. You were simply here to rush through your essay, put in the absolute minimum effort, and get home to the likely ‘after pumpkin carving party’ that would be happening. After all, C’s get degrees. 

Usually, you would find any books or papers in the long line of the library resources before unpacking, in case anyone ran off with your laptop or bag, not that you had anything truly of value, your laptop was ancient. It looked like a slab of concrete and felt like one at that too, your shoulder consistently being weighed down. Every day you made a mental note to use a backpack next time, and every day you ignored yourself. 

But thanks to the emptiness of the place, you wanted to walk around without your laptop. You felt silly that it felt freeing to be walking around without holding anything. It felt as though you could walk on air. There was no rush to get back to your seat, especially because your mind was still procrastinating, so you decided to fully immerse yourself in the giant bank of knowledge that this building held, having never had the opportunity to do so in the past. 

You marvelled at the various books that students in other degrees would most likely groan at seeing due to reading them all the time for their assignments. It’s a funny thing. Most of the time you could do copious amounts of research in your own time and never get bored, digging down all the rabbit holes that you could find, but as soon as you needed to research something for a class, all interest is immediately tossed out of the window and stomped on. 

As you mindlessly ran the pads of your pointer finger along the row of books, a small smile tugging at your lips as you slowly walked on, you missed the gust of wind that passed through the closed door and towards your desk, moving all of your items before turning the corner and running past your boot-clad feet, the thick material enough to make you oblivious. 

Though when your finger landed on an old, worn-down-looking book, the gust of wind that was pooling at your feet, waiting to pounce, lifted itself into the air in a column around you, your hair flying around at the disturbance. You gasped as you felt the cool air around you, but before you could check your surroundings your eyes rolled to the back of your head as your hands grabbed the shelf in front of you to keep yourself steady.

When everything went dark you couldn’t feel your body anymore. You desperately tried to scream out in hopes that anyone in the library would be able to help you, but it was as though your voice box was clamped shut by an invisible force. No words that you were pleading to escape managed to pass through into the air. 

A low humming noise whistled through the air, overpowering your senses, your mind now completely distracted by the sound. Something had control of your mind as the humming continued, getting louder and louder. It was beautiful, rough around the edges but in the perfect way. As you allowed yourself to get lost in the symphony, the edges of your vision glowed white before a blurry room came into your sights.

A dim, yet beautiful ballet room, with mirrors on every wall and pine wood flooring, revealed itself to you, and suddenly a young woman with auburn hair appeared. Once her presence was made known to you, the humming increased in volume, and as she twirled around the room in a gorgeous choreography in a black bodice and tutu, you realised that the humming was coming from the woman herself.

She danced along to the beat of her own voice, moving her body in a way that had you mesmerised, captivating you in a way that had never captivated you before. You could watch her forever, it felt like you needed to see more like you needed to walk up to her and let her gaze meet yours. It felt as though at this moment she was the only thing in the universe that mattered. 

As the vision slowly moved closer to her, you could easily make out the flow of her hands. How her fingers danced along too, her entire being, every atom, going into this dance. But then it stopped. 

With the humming gone all that you could hear was a painful ringing, its pitch getting higher and higher with each passing second. The woman in the room stood, head looking down at the floor with her back to you, her breathing deep yet steady as she stood still. You were forced to watch as she recovered from the dance and slowly started walking towards one of the mirror walls, her head still pointed down.

It was only when her hands grabbed onto the wall railing that you realised how cold and lifeless her skin looked, how it looked as though she could break at any moment. It was at this moment that your consciousness came back to you, but your body didn’t. You were stuck in the vision. Panic flooded your system as once again you tried to scream out for help. You didn’t know this woman, and you didn’t know where you were. But maybe she could help you.

You begged whatever divinity was out there to just let you communicate with her, to let you ask for help so that you could go home, and just as you did, she looked up. Her eyes met your gaze through the mirror and you wanted to scream in pure terror. Her face was just as paper-white as her hands which only accentuated the blood pouring from her mouth as she looked at you blankly. All that she offered you as you were begging for help was a smirk and a wink before everything went black again.

Your chest heaved and you knew that you were back in your body, but with your eyes tightly screwed shut you didn’t know for sure. The column of wind that had surrounded you slowly dissipated and was absorbed by the scratchy carpeted flooring, allowing your extremities to warm up again. However long you were under that spell, the wind had made you feel freezing to the touch. Your tight jaw chattering only proved this further, though that could also be from the fear and adrenaline. 

Tentatively, you allowed your eyelids to flutter open, and you were met with the sight of your hands gripping tightly onto the shelf in front of you, knuckles painfully white as you held on for dear life. Your mouth felt dry as you tried to take in everything that had just happened, it didn’t feel real, it couldn’t be real, and yet why was your heart pounding? Why was your chest heaving with anxiety? 

You shook your head and looked up, the old book directly in front of you. An internal battle began as you fought the Angel and Devil that sat on your shoulder. The Angel telling you not to take the book, you touched it and the vision started, that couldn’t be a coincidence. But the Devil told you to take it, to put it in your bag and leave. 

The Devil won. 

Shakily, your hand reached out and gently pulled the book out. You stared at the cover, not being able to make any sense of it, it was like nothing you had ever seen before. The brown and black book looked as though it could fall apart if you dropped it, and the patterns on the front made you want to run your finger along them, so you gave in to your instincts. 

As the pads of your fingers ran along the intricate patterns, you felt a warmth run up your arm, followed quickly by a cold that made a whimper fall from your lips, the severe cold making your skin prick painfully before the feeling stopped completely, leaving as fast as it came. 

You had to take the book home, it was telling you to. Ordering you to.

With haste, you moved back to your desk and stuffed the book into your bag, not caring that you hadn’t bothered to check it out. If the book told you to take it home, then you would take it home. It was like you weren’t in full control of your movements since the book was in your hands, but you didn’t notice. 

Though when you looked up to begin packing your other things, you did notice that all of your stuff had been moved to the opposite side of the desk from where you had initially placed it. Though you just pinned it down to paranoia, you had just had the life scared out of you, so it was only natural for you to be overly paranoid now. 

So, with a shrug you packed the rest of your things, your hands still just as shaky, and you rushed out of the library without making sure that you had gotten everything, you just needed to leave, and you never wanted to step foot in there again. 

The walk home was much nicer than your work there. Other than your mind racing and being on the lookout for any sort of danger. But you felt warm, your bag felt like it weighed nothing, even with the additional book added, and no gusts of wind were hitting you, even though the trees around you were swaying with gusto, looking as though the trunks could quite easily snap. A frown rested on your forehead as you carried on speedwalking down the street, a storm was clearly coming, and yet you were feeling nothing.

It was like the book was helping you get it home as quickly as possible. Instinctually, you looked down at the book in the bag resting at your side and your feet seemed to pick up the pace, pushing you through the dark autumn night and towards the apartment you shared with your roommates. 

As soon as you pushed through the people that were at the small party that you had predicted would occur earlier on in the day, you ignored the weird looks from your friends as they saw your mindless body walk through the room and into yours. Your mind was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop you from giving that book a place in your bedroom. It would be safe with you, not out in the open for just anyone to touch. 

When it was placed on your chest of drawers opposite your bed, you let out a sigh of relief. The book was safe, and its hold on your mind eased. As you slowly regained some form of control of yourself, it was only then that you realised how crazy all of this was. Snippets of the terrifying vision flooded your senses again and hot tears began streaming down your face as you curled up into a ball on your bed. You didn’t know why this was happening to you and you didn’t know what to do.

If you told anyone then they would think of you as a crazy person, or someone spewing some ghost stories to freak people out before Halloween. So you did the thing any normal person would do, resorted to sobbing in your room whilst simultaneously trying to block the whole experience out, trying to allow the soft fabric of your sheets to give you some semblance of security.

It was an impossible thing to have happened, and you didn’t know if you believed your own mind. You didn’t trust yourself, and that was a scary thing. 

You needed to get rid of the book. 

After sniffing and wiping your nose with your sleeve, you stood shakily, your knees almost giving way, and slowly moved over to where the book lay, looking innocent as though it hadn’t just traumatised you for a lifetime. You inhaled a deep breath and closed your eyes, preparing yourself to take the leap and touch the book again, but when contact was made, a sharp pain spread across your hand, and a brief flash of an image appeared in the back of your eyelids.

You could just about make out the image of the small cabin surrounded by forests before it disappeared and you stumbled back, clutching your now wounded hand. The pain was excruciating, and you had to bite your bottom lip to avoid crying out, but when you extended your fingers and looked at your right palm, you had to stifle a scream. 

An hourglass symbol appeared as your hand continued to burn, etching itself onto your skin as you stared with wide eyes, your chest once again heaving. “What the fuck”, you whispered as your body began to shake like a leaf, very aware that your clock was mocking you, reading as 04:00. 

As you stared longer at the symbol a flash of recognition passed through you, you had most certainly seen this symbol before. It was plastered around years ago. A series of freak “accidents” had been slowly killing off the group of Earth’s mightiest heroes, the “Avengers”. It had been put down to a serial killer once more evidence was found, and the fact that they hadn’t been found had made the situation all the more terrifying until it all got shoved under the rug and everyone moved on with their lives. 

But something about a certain death or rather, two certain deaths confused you. Most of the Avengers were murdered in plain sight, the killer clearly on some sort of power trip trying to prove to people that they were just as vulnerable as regular humans. But Black Widow, whose symbol was now burned into your skin, was found dead alongside her wife, the Scarlet Witch, in their safe house after they went into hiding once the killing patterns had emerged. Very much not a public space. 

It also became clear to you, that the woman in the vision also looked like the Black Widow, a few years younger maybe, and most certainly not how she looked exactly when she was alive, but definitely her. The faces of all the Avengers were plastered around everywhere during their world-saving days, so you were sure that it looked like her.

You just wondered what this book had to do with her, especially as she was very dead. The idea that this had anything to do with the supernatural chilled you to the bone, but you shook that thought away. There must be a reasonable explanation for all of this. There was no such thing as vampires, zombies, or ghosts. They didn’t exist, and so you were safe. This was just a freak prank, nothing more nothing less. You nodded along to your train of thought, trying to convince yourself that everything was indeed okay, as you ignored the searing pain in your hand. 

Lifting up the soft duvet covers of your bed, you crawled underneath them and got into a foetal position, clutching your hand that was clenched as a fist close to your chest, your bottom lip trembling as you fought back tears, desperate to fall asleep so that you could wake up and pretend this never happened. You knew that you needed to go and get something to care for your new wound, but the bathroom was across the apartment, and there was no way that you were going to risk waking up your roommates as they would most certainly ask questions. So, you would have to wait until you awoke in a few hours' time and waltz into the room as if nothing was wrong. 

Eventually, your trembling body passed out from exhaustion, and your mind was finally at peace. For the time being.

---

The following day came with no issues, aside from the pain ebbing and flowing through your hand. Your roommates did wonder why you had a bandage wrapped around your hand, but you eased their fears by telling them that you had been stupid when trying to cook something new for breakfast. They believed you. 

You counted your lucky stars that the damned book resting in your room did not give you any nightmares or visions that day, and just put it down to a weird fluke. It was just a prank. A very painful prank, one that made you want to kick the creator of it in the shin, but a prank nonetheless. 

Having not started the essay the day prior, you had to work at double the speed yet you could only use one hand. The maths weren’t adding up, but with your mind fuelled on caffeine via various cups of coffee and cans of energy drinks, enough to make your brain go full throttle before an energy crash, you finished your essay. 

Smiling, you were satisfied with the day. It had been productive, yet calm. You sat on your bed and just let the world pass you by that evening, grateful for the peace, grateful to be able to watch the sunset, and grateful to be able to fall asleep with no issues. Your sleep went undisturbed, but what you didn’t know was that the book a mere few steps away from you was awake. Wide awake, and it had been watching your every move. 

The next day you went about your business once again. Attending your classes you typed out all the notes that you could, yet again with a singular hand, and the one that wasn’t your dominant one. It was tough but you pushed through, willing your body to continue so that when you got home you wouldn’t have to make notes on the slides in your own time. Whilst on campus you hung out with friends and engaged in some lovely chit-chat, all of them concerned for your bandaged hand but yet again you waved them off with a little white lie. 

You allowed yourself to romanticise the day, that’s how you got through most of your University days. You brought yourself an iced coffee to sip on whilst studying with friends, organising your notes in a way that was aesthetic, yet effective; colour scheming everything with titles of cute yet readable fonts. It was all for vanity reasons but if it meant that you would go back and read your notes then you didn’t see the issue. 

You also took the long route home, letting your scarf get ruffled in the wind as your boots quenched your thirst for standing on the crunchiest leaves that the local flora had to offer you. After seeing a quaint, run-down bench you decided to take a seat, resting your weary legs that had taken you from class to class that day. Though that was a mistake.

The very second that you planted yourself down on the hardwood a dizzy spell hit and it felt as though your head was spinning. Out of breath and confused you clutched onto the cool, metal armrest with your good hand, and held on for dear life as you had no choice but to let whatever was coming hit you like a brick. The nauseous feeling that was crawling its way up from your abdomen came to a swift halt when your vision went black. Though that feeling was replaced by the feeling of a pit as you anticipated what was to come, expecting it to be like the previous night.

You were pleasantly surprised at seeing the same cabin as prior instead of a dead ballerina, but it still left you feeling unsettled. Unlike with the vision of Black Widow, you were in full control of your consciousness and thoughts, which allowed you to ponder why this vision of the cabin wasn’t a quick flash like the other one had been, you were again stuck, and that feeling of dread came in full swing.

It did give you time to take in the full view of the cabin, however, and it looked to be a lovely one at that. It was solitary and looked to be a good place to get away, or to hide. The wood was dark which only made it seem more cosy and hidden away, and the large size of the building allowed for a lot of windows, each with a hanging basket coming from the windowsill, full of colourful blooming flowers. The roof was made of slate slabs, with a chimney coming out of one end, the smoke slowly billowing from it completing the aesthetic. 

It was peaceful.

But then the vision changed. You were moved to see the interior, it looked just as quaint as the exterior, but something felt off. The quiet was eerie instead of comforting, and as you were moved down the hallway against your will, you spotted a photo of Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff nailed to the wall in a beautiful mahogany picture frame with golden accents on the corners. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that this was most certainly the safe house in which they met their demise. If you could feel your spine in this vision then you were sure that you would feel a chill go down it. 

As you were forced to move more forward the eeriness was ever more present, and you just wanted to go home. It wasn’t until you turned the corner and into the kitchen that you saw the reason as to why. You wanted to scream when you saw the bloodied hand and arm belonging to one of the women peeking out from behind the kitchen counter, and your fear increased tenfold when you turned to see the body of Wanda Maximoff lying on the stairs, her lifeless eyes staring at you.

With all of your might, you willed your eyes to screw shut, but it was to no avail, you continued to be met with the awful sight. The vision once again changed, though you were in the same location. The only difference this time was that you could feel your body, and as you looked down at yourself you could see your hands, your torso, and your legs. Somehow you were there, so you did the first thing that you could think of. You tried to escape. 

You attempted over and over again to move your legs, but much to your frustration it was as though they were glued to the floor. As tears began to pool at your waterline you screamed out for help, which was your second mistake of the evening. As soon as you shouted, “Help!”, Wanda’s mouth formed into a smile, and you felt your heart drop to your stomach as you froze, staring in horror at the corpse in front of you slowly start to stand and walk down the stairs, right towards you. 

A whimper escaped your lips as you tried yet again to move backwards, the tears freefalling down your cheeks as she walked with purpose towards you, eyeing you as though you were her next meal, yet smiling at you as though you were an old friend. “Hi”, she spoke with such a gentle tone that you tilted your head slightly, showing your confusion, but you instantly leaned back as she reached out to cup your jaw, her cold skin touching your warm one. 

Your bottom lip trembled when she made contact, which only made her eyes darken as she upheld the same comforting smile. “Shh, it’s okay”, she cooed and lifted her other hand, cupping your face. You cringed as her ice-cold thumbs rubbed your tears away, perhaps an innocent enough gesture if she hadn’t also been smudging blood, her blood, from her hands at the same time. 

“You’re okay, sweetheart”, she whispered, and somehow you felt calm, like whoever was in charge of your visions was willing it, getting impatient with your reactions. You wanted to scream out again, you wanted to run away, but it was like your mind wasn’t yours again. “Come home, detka, come home to us”.

Your eyes snapped open and you were met with the sight of your hand gripping the bench as you sobbed. Nausea ebbed through you as you panted, why was this happening to you? What had you done wrong to warrant being tormented, haunted like this? It was a fear that you had never felt before, and you immediately got up and began sprinting home. Maybe it was because you were in possession of the book, if you got rid of the book, then you would be free of whatever curse you now held. You nodded to yourself as tears streamed down your cheeks, confirming your plan in your head. To anyone who saw you on the street, you would have looked crazy, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You just needed to get out of this nightmare. 

Your feet padded heavily against the concrete as you tried to avoid any wet leaves that would send you slipping and tumbling to the floor, and weaved in and out of people who were just trying to go about their lives. With the speed you were sprinting, it took you a mere five minutes to complete a twenty-minute walk. You tossed your apartment block door open and took to the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the lift, taking the steps two at a time. 

After reaching your floor, legs burning from the lactic acid, you basically slammed your door down, thankful that none of your roommates was in the living room, and flung yourself into your bedroom, staring at the book on your drawers that now had a gold glow radiating off of it. Your face hardened as you stared at it, hatred flowing through you. That book had ruined you, and it was time for it to go.

Without hesitation, you reached your hand out and grasped it, but immediately you had to pull away from it as the same burning feeling hit. You cried out in pain as you clutched your ex-good hand, and watched in horror as the silhouette of the Scarlet Witches’ crown appeared on the palm of your left hand. The pain was excruciating, it felt like all of your skin was on fire, like your body was covered in tiny soldiers, stabbing you repetitively. 

All of your energy drained as you stumbled back onto your bed, your lungs rapidly filling up with oxygen before dispelling the air as you began to hyperventilate. You were at a loss for what to do. A few weak whispers escaped your lips as you tried to call out for help, but your body betrayed you, and you passed out at the bottom of your bed.

---

A pounding on the door followed by multiple yells of your name rudely awakened you from your lengthy slumber. Your eyes opened in narrow slits as you groaned at the light streaming in and attacking your retinas, drowsiness clouding your mind, rendering you unable to comprehend what was happening. Though when a series of harsh knocks yet again pounded on your door, your eyes shot open and you jumped up off of the bed, “What?!”, you moved towards your door and shouted through.

“What do you mean ‘what’? It’s halloween, we all said we were going hiking before the party later, we’re about to go and we haven’t seen you all morning”, your roommate Sharon shouted back, followed by a sound of agreement from your other roommate Maria. “Fuck”, you whispered under your breath before shouting back through, “Right yeah, my alarm didn’t go off, give me ten minutes”. You heard a couple of groans from the other two due to you making them wait, but they agreed as you stood frozen on the other side of the door. You were far too spooked to be able to go on a friendly walk with your roommates, not when you were sure that this curse was somehow going to kill you soon with the way that it was progressing. 

But, you still didn’t want to tell anyone, because they would think that you were a certified crazy person, so, you rushed around to get ready for the day. Donning some leggings, a long sleeved fleece for the chilly weather, and hiking boots, you toussled your hair a bit to make it look more presentable and like you hadn’t literally collapsed hours before. Though once you were about to leave and your nerves had eased ever so slightly thanks to the drowsiness wearing off, you noticed that your hands didn’t feel as though they were burning anymore.

You looked out your outstretched palm which sported the crown, and saw that after just a night it had faded into a scar rather than a fresh burn, a nasty scar for sure, but it was confusing how quickly it had healed. After a confused huff, you ripped the bandage off of your other hand and saw that the hourglass too had formed into a swollen scar instead of an active injury. Before you had any real time to ponder, strong hands pounded on your door again. “It’s been ten minutes hurry the fuck up”, Maria’s voice sounded through, and you shook your head, lurching across your room to grab some gloves before opening the door, shooting them an innocent smile.

“I’m ready, no need to get your panties in a twist, Hill”, you smiled and walked past her towards the kitchen, seeing Sharon rolling her eyes at you with an amused glint as you reached for your water bottle, though she quickly got up to take it out of your hands. Before you could protest she hoisted her backpack up from off the floor, “Already packed you one to save time, let’s go”. 

You allowed yourself to be dragged out of the apartment by your friends, laughing at the way they had practically picked you up off of the ground. When they had put you down in front of Sharon’s car you gave a faux-pout, “That hurt my arms”. 

“Awh”, Maria cooed and mimicked your expression from right next to you before placing a playful kiss on your cheek and shoving you lightly into the back door, “You’ll live”. You gave a dry laugh as she threw herself into the passenger seat, your mind now taken over by worry once more, wondering why your hands burned when Maria had kissed your cheek, and how it stopped as soon as she was out of your eyeline. Though you shrugged it off when the car horn sounded, urging you to get your ass into the car. 

---

The hiking trail that you had all decided to take never failed to amaze you. The wildlife that you would see as you made your way up the steep, rocky hills made your heart flutter every single time. The smell of fresh oxygen left your nose feeling grateful as you were able to escape the city air, and the way that the sun shimmered through the canopy was enough to put a smile on your face. 

Plus your friends were a welcome distraction for the horrors that had recently started occuring in your life. Many laughs were shared and you all complained about the copious amounts of work you had all been doing for your studies. It was a nice change of pace, it felt like you could finally breathe through your lungs again, the hand that had a tight grasp on them momentarily released, even with the small nagging voice in the back of your mind that wouldn’t go away. 

Eventually when you were at the halfway mark of the gorgeous walk through nature, you all had to make a pitstop to go to the toilet. Luckily you had all walked this trail so many times that you knew where the toilet shack was planted, and so you all made a beeline for it. You finished first and headed outside to wait for the others, wiping your damp hands on your leggings as the dryer was broken, as it was every time. 

As you looked ahead, taking in the sights, something felt off. Your mind started to feel clouded as your eyes glazed over and the skin of your hands started prickling, and it wasn’t long before your consciousness was taken over once again, making you a passenger in your own mind. Desperately, you wanted to yell out for Sharon or Maria to help you, to snap you back to reality, but it didn’t work. Your mouth wasn’t following your commands, and without your permission your legs began moving of their own accord, bringing you towards the treeline and off of the designated trail.

Your legs stung occasionally as a bramble or thorn pierced your leggings and drew blood, but like before, no sound could escape your mouth and you could make no movements to prevent the pain. After a few minutes of walking like a zombie, you heard your friends shouting your name in the distance, their voices getting more and more panicked the more that they shouted for you, screaming your name as they moved around to try and see where you were, scared that something bad had happened to you. They weren’t wrong. 

Another minute later their voices were finally drowned out by the distance, and your heart began to thump painfully in your chest even more than it already had, you were too far to hear them now, which meant that even if you could shout and plead for your life, they wouldn’t hear you. They wouldn’t be able to find you now. 

You were all alone. 

There were many futile attempts over the course of the walk to regain control of your mind, but none of them worked. Whoever had you under their spell was a lot stronger than you, and you had a grim feeling that you knew who it was, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself. 

After what must have been an hour of traipsing through the wilderness, all signs of civilisation long out of your sights you saw something in the distance. If you could have, you would have furrowed your brows at the familiarity. A small cabin sat solitary in the clearing, worn down and old. Untouched for some years, quite possibly a decade. Flower pots lay on the windowsills, dull and dead, the old soil in there the only proof of what once was. 

Your breath hitched as the realisation hit you like a truck. The cabin from your visions, the one owned by the deceased Avengers, older and unused, but the same cabin. You wanted to scream bloody murder as your feet carried on marching towards the front door. You would rather do anything else than go in there, but you were like a robot as your journey continued, up the rickety wooden steps that were clearly the victim of water damage as they creaked under your weight. 

Heart rate elevating to a dangerous rate, the door opened without any external forces, as your body entered the threshold of the cabin. Only when the door slammed behind you and the sound of the lock clicking shut echoed throughout the hallway were you granted access of your own body again. Sobs racked through you as you turned around and yanked on the door, putting your foot up on the wall to try and gain more momentum. Nothing was working. 

As your cries continued, you heard a noise in the next room, and immediately you turned your body to see the door to the living room slowly creaking open. The only other sound that could be heard were your sniffles, your cries abruptly stopping as even more fear flooded through you as you watched the door open. “Hello?”, you said uncertainly, cursing yourself for being so stupid. People in horror movies always got killed as soon as they said that. 

Almost as though the entities within the four walls could read your mind, you heard a raspy chuckle a few metres away, though you couldn’t see anyone in the dusty room ahead of you. You whimpered as you tried to gain control of your breathing, aware of how pathetic you must sound, but not finding it within you to care. For all you knew, you were about to die. You didn’t want to die.

As this train of thought passed through you, a gust of wind appeared from nowhere and flew through you, but through the whistling sound of it, you could make out a comforting voice trying to shush your cries. Your head snapped to the side to look towards the kitchen, the direction of which the wind came from, but again you could see nothing. “Hello?”, you tried again, your voice weary from how quickly your sobs drained your energy, “Please let me out, I won’t tell anyone, I promise just please-”, you tried to bargain for your life. 

However, you stopped when you noticed a faint glow coming from the living room as two people slowly came into your sight, starting as transparent and slowly coming into their full forms. You gulped as you took in the sight of them, they looked human, but they were clearly dead, their pale skin, almost white exaggerating their respective hair colours, red and brown. 

You couldn’t seem to find your voice as they slowly approached you, though this wasn’t by any mind control, you were terrified. “Sweetheart”, the brunette, Wanda, started with a small smile as she rested her cold hand on your shoulder, “We can’t let you go”, her voice was sweet, but the dark look in her eyes showed you otherwise.

“Please, I just-”, you tried again, but Natasha’s finger came up to your lips to stop you from speaking, the contrast of cold and warm sent shivers running through your body, “Nuh uh. We’ve waited for years for someone to find that book, the Darkhold, we planted it in so many places, we’ve been so lonely after all these years after having our lives ripped away from us”, she seemed to be getting frustrated, but when she looked into your eyes again she immediately calmed and remembered that you were here, “But you were the first to find it, and we’re so glad”, she whispered the last part into your ear with parted lips before pulling back with a smirk at your new flushed state. 

“So glad”, her wife repeated and cupped your jaw, her grasp firm as she moved your face from side to side, examining you. You stilled whilst she did this, and tried to move backwards, but her painful grip held you in place. Once she was done she looked satisfied, as though she had just won a prize, “Look at her, Nat. So pretty”, she spoke with sparkling eyes, Natasha nodding and running a hand through your hair.

“All ours”, the redhead added on, making you stumble out of Wanda’s grip, your back harshly hitting the door. Theirs? No. You needed to get out of there, and fast. “No, I- no”, you shook your head and reached for the handle, but your wrist was painfully pulled into the clutch of Natasha as she shook her head at you, warning you not to try that again. “Oh, but you are”, Wanda continued with a voice smooth like honey, “The branding says you are”. Branding?

Confusion must have been evident on your face, as the two chuckled at your expression, making you shrink further into yourself, humiliated. Wanda and Natasha each took one of your gloves off, revealing their sigils on your palms. You looked down, wide eyed as the meaning of the marks was revealed to you, and panic ran through your veins as you attempted to pull your arms away, you just wanted to go home, you just wanted to see Maria and Sharon.

Both women scowled at your thoughts before looking at each other as though they were silently communicating, and looked back at you with gentle smiles. “It’s time sweetheart”, Natasha’s words brought you out of the trance your anxiety had put you in, and your mouth opened and closed like a fish as you tried to find words to say, but Wanda distracted you. “Don’t fight it, okay?”.

Before you had time to ask what you were supposed to not be fighting, both women pressed the pads of their fingertips to the marks on your hands, and you screamed out as white hot searing flashes of pain erupted and travelled around your skin, your entire body feeling like it was on fire. “Stop fighting”, Wanda spoke with authority as they pressed harder on the marks, making the pain increase tenfold, and you were sure that you were going to pass out. Your knees went weak, but they quickly held you up with hands on your waist, white spots beginning to cloud your vision.

You were trying so hard to get out, to escape the clutches of the ghosts that wanted you to stay with them. You wanted to go home, you wanted to see your friends, you wanted to continue going to your classes, you wanted to… you wanted to stay. 

You wanted to stay.

Your eyes glazed over as red clouded your vision momentarily, before everything cleared, and the pain stopped. You drew in a breath as you stood up straight, and the two women in front of you looked at you expectedly as they cautiously withdrew their hands, wondering if the spell had worked, but when you offered them a dopey smile thanks to your brain being full of thoughts about them, they knew the spell hard worked. 

Their grins were genuine as you stared at them adoringly, and they both reached forward to pull you into a hug. Their cold touch no longer felt cold, the warmth that radiated off of them reserved only for you made you feel the safest that you had ever felt. As you melted into their embrace the two women smiled at each other and increased the grip they had on you, afraid that you would disappear into thin air if they let you go. 

“Welcome home, detka”.

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Comment if you want to be added to any taglists <3

Taglist: @fxckmiup

Natasha Romanoff Taglist: @diaryoflife @unlady-like-12-25-36

[pitviperofdoom]

So uh. About 12 years ago I thought it'd be fun to do Sherlock Holmes set in the Redwall universe. I wrote a bit for it, then lost interest and moved on to other things.

Well, between my Redwall reread and the Letters from Watson substack, I've recently found myself with renewed interest in both Redwall and Holmes stories, so I decided to dust off the ol' Redwall AU. I reread what I had, found it almost entirely unusable, and completely reworked it. And now I have a humble little introduction here!

Don't know if I'll continue this, but I've had a LOT of fun ideas over the last week, so we'll see!

*****

Extract from the personal journal of Lancejack Johnswort Swifteye, formerly of the Fur and Foot Fighters Border Patrol—

The first day of spring has come and gone. The days grow warmer and longer as we leave winter further behind—the Winter of the Sweeping Mists, by Abbey reckoning. By my own reckoning it was the Winter of Abject Misery.

For six seasons I have marched with the Fur and Foot Fighters Border Patrol, that intrepid unit that keeps watch on the region where Mossflower meets the sand dunes by the Western Sea. Most of my comrades were Salamandastron hares, but with the border patrol’s proximity to the forest, they had plenty of use for squirrels like myself. Like many of my kind I am sharp of eye and handy with a bow, and between my childhood of helping in the Abbey Infirmary and my later training under Lieutenant Lagsworth, I had the skills to make myself useful as a healer as well.

It all came to an abrupt and inglorious end last winter, when a Galloper from the Long Patrol came to us warning of a corsair ship that had made landfall not far from our position. Word reached us too late that the ship was in fact a full fleet, and in the resulting battle I found myself cut off from the rest of the patrol during our retreat. I went down with several wounds, not the least of which was a bolt from a searat’s crossbow in my leg, and I would have been killed if Corporal Pennyroyal hadn’t dragged me to safety.

The patrol suffered heavier losses than it should have, with its principal healer gravely wounded. Penny tells me it was touch and go for a while, before reinforcements from Salamandastron arrived, led by Colonel Kordyne himself. In the end I survived, albeit severely weakened and with a newly-acquired limp, my military career indefinitely on hold if not outright over.

Once I was well enough to travel, I was swiftly sent on my way to Redwall by shrew logboat, and had scarcely passed a week in the willing paws of the abbeydwellers when I was struck down with a ferocious fever. The days and weeks that followed were miserable, full of aches and chills and horrendous dreams—and precious little company, as I was kept away from other creatures so as not to spread my illness to the rest of the abbey.

To add insult to injury, I missed the Nameday celebrations entirely, and by the time I had regained enough of an appetite to enjoy the taste of food, every crumb of that glorious feast had been eaten or sent out to the denizens of the surrounding woodlands in need of extra food after the winter.

It is strange to find myself walking Redwall’s venerable halls once more. I was quite young when I left, creeping out in the cover of night so as not to alert the elders to my departure. Back then I dreamed of returning in glorious triumph, and here I am now, scrawny and scarred and hobbling about with a cane on days when my leg gives me trouble. I keep busy how I can, usually helping Brother Stonecrop in the Infirmary, but more often than not I find myself passing days in a fog. I miss my comrades, the smell of the wind off the distant sea, the feeling of good bark beneath my claws. Embarrassment about my situation has made me a recluse. Stonecrop and I were friends as Dibbuns, and he is still good company, but in spite of his best efforts, in spite of the many good creatures who make their home in Redwall, I cannot recall ever feeling so terribly lonely.

****

The sound of pawsteps on the stone floor reached John’s ears. Briefly he considered snuffing out the candle and waiting silently for whoever it was to leave, but the thought felt unbearably childish. With a sigh, he set down his quill and blew gently on the still-wet ink.

“So that’s where you’ve been hiding.” Brother Stonecrop poked his head around the cask. “By the fur, how can you stand being down here so long on the cold stone?”

“It’s quiet,” John replied. “And before you ask, my leg feels fine. How’d you find me?”

“You certainly didn’t make it easy.” The stout mouse eased between the barrels and sat down with him, fidgeting until he’d smoothed out his habit. “I checked the infirmary and the top of the belltower first, and then I remembered Pinn saying she’d seen you creeping down here the other day.”

“I really thought I’d given her the slip,” John muttered, before a cloth-wrapped bundle was thrust into his inkstained paws. “Stonecrop, what—”

“You missed lunch again,” Stonecrop informed him. “I managed to rescue some cheese and nutbread and a scone before the young ones scoffed the lot. There’s a beaker of dandelion cordial as well. Get your jaws around that, see if it puts you in a better mood.”

“My mood is perfectly fine,” John protested. As if on cue, his traitorous stomach growled.

“Says the daft beast as he broods in the dark, scribbling out his thoughts by candlelight.”

“Alright, alright.” John bit into the scone and almost groaned. “Hell’s teeth, that’s good. How is it still warm?”

“Alright, so I didn’t actually snatch it from the jaws of a ravenous mousebabe,” Stonecrop admitted. “I stopped by the kitchens for a fresh one. I thought if you were making yourself this hard to find, it was a scone-straight-from-the-ovens sort of day.”

In spite of himself, John couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Stonecrop.”

Stonecrop clapped him on the back. “Think nothing of it, old Swifteye. Somebeast has to make sure you don’t waste away to nothing.”

“I’m nowhere near old.”

“Is that a fact? I could hardly tell, when you’ve got a face on you like a decrepit frog more often than not.” Stonecrop’s tone, light as it was, betrayed his worry. “You know it wouldn’t hurt to attend a meal every now and then. It’d be good for you to have some company once in a while.”

“I know, I know, it just…” John sipped from the beaker to buy himself time to think. “It gets a bit loud, especially with how voices echo in this place. And the last time I was somewhere loud, it wasn’t one of my good days.”

Stonecrop frowned. “I would think Dibbuns shrieking at dinnertime was a far cry from a battlefield.”

“You would think.”

“Well…” John could almost hear Stonecrop’s thoughts whirring as he hunted for a solution. “Would it help to get out of the abbey for a bit? You’ve hardly left since you got here—obviously you couldn’t with the fever, but you’re hale and healthy now, besides the leg. A bit of fresh air never harmed anybeast. Matter of fact, I’ve been doing some spring cleaning in the infirmary, and some of my herb stores need to be restocked.”

“It… would be nice to walk among proper trees again,” John admitted. “Though with my luck, I’d go out for a leisurely stroll and run straight into a robber gang.”

“Good thing you’re in an abbey full to the brim with willing, helpful beasts,” Stonecrop pointed out. “Why don’t I send you and somebeast else out on a little herb-gathering mission for me?”

“I’m not some restless young one you need to keep busy,” John told him, finishing up the last of the cheese.

“No, you’re a restless fully grown squirrel who needs to keep busy before he crawls out of his own fur,” Stonecrop said dryly.

“Yes, yes, you’re right.” John sighed. “You’re right. I’ve just been… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Lonely?”

“I don’t know if it’s that,” John flicked away the last few crumbs of nutbread. “But it feels the same whether I’m hiding down here or standing in the middle of a crowded Cavern Hole, so I may as well feel it without forcing my awful moods on somebeast else.”

Stonecrop placed a paw on his shoulder. “That’s no good and you know it, John. Starving the body won’t cure it of sickness, and starving the spirit won’t cure it of sadness, either.”

“I’m not sad, I’m just… I’m not exactly what anybeast would consider good company.”

Stonecrop took long enough to reply for John to finish the rest of his meal. When he glanced over again, he found the mouse looking at him thoughtfully.

“What?”

“It’s funny, I was just thinking… you’re not the first creature to say that to me in the last few days,” Stonecrop said, stroking his whiskers.

“So there’s another unsociable hermit in the abbey? I’m shocked we haven’t run into each other in the same hidden-away nook.”

“You’d be surprised,” Stonecrop chuckled. “But no, he’s been away from the abbey for most of the winter and just returned this past week. Bit of an odd one, but clever as anything. Knows the woods like the back of his paw, too. It was actually him I asked first about herbs, and he was all for helping until somebeast else came along with a more interesting problem for him to solve.”

“Not very courteous of him.”

“Oh, that’s just how he is,” Stonecrop said with a shrug. “But either way my stores need replenishing, and I’ve been busy with cleaning and early springtime sniffles. Would you be willing to lend me a paw?”

John sighed, trying not to smile and failing. “Well, when you put it like that, I’d be a real puddenhead to say no, wouldn’t I?”

“That’s the spirit!” Stonecrop heaved himself to his footpaws before reaching down to pull John up alongside him. “Come along then, let’s get you back out into the sunlight. Meet me in the infirmary and we can go over the list—I’ll go let Hemlock know I won’t be needing him after all.”

“Actually…” For a moment, John teetered on the edge of indecision, before he steeled himself and swallowed his ever-present doubts. “I think I’ll come along with you. You’ve got me curious about this Hemlock fellow.”

Stonecrop’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Well this is a pleasant surprise.”

“I rarely hear a cross word from you about anybeast,” John pointed out. “So if he’s odd enough for even you to remark upon it…”

“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Stonecrop chuckled, a bit nervously. “Just try to keep an open mind.”

Curiosity piqued, John followed him out of the cellar, through the Great Hall and out onto the abbey lawns. From the looks of it, most creatures had taken advantage of the warming weather to have lunch outside. The food was cleared away, but rumpled blankets still lay strewn across the grass, and sticky-pawed Dibbuns dashed about playing while their elders cleared away dishes and napkins.

The gatehouse door stood ajar when they reached it, and Stonecrop knocked twice before pushing it fully open and stepping inside. “Are you in there, Hemlock?”

There was no reply, but the sound of pages turning told them that somebeast was inside, at least. The gatehouse was a cluttered mess, and the sounds of life came from somewhere behind the stacks of old tomes and loose parchment that covered the desk.

Before Stonecrop could call out again, the unseen creature gave a great “Ha!” before slamming a book shut and nearly knocking the chair over in a mad scurry for the door.

Behind Stonecrop, John froze, and his mouth dropped open.

There was a ferret in the gatehouse—better fed and groomed than others of his kind that John had encountered, but a ferret nonetheless. From head to toe his brown fur was so dark it was nearly black, with flashes of white over his muzzle and ears, and a thin layer of dust over all.

“Solved it!” he crowed triumphantly, waving a slip of parchment. “Terribly sorry for the wait, Stonecrop, Myrtus presented me with a puzzle the other day and it couldn’t wait.”

“Sounds like it was a real poser,” Stonecrop said.

“A decent diversion. How close is it to noon?”

“About two hours past,” Stonecrop replied.

The ferret beamed. “Excellent timing! This is the best part—come, this way, you’ll both enjoy this.”

Without waiting for a reply, the ferret seized them both by their sleeves and pulled them out of the gatehouse, then released them and took off for the orchards at a quick lope.

John was left staring after him, mouth still hanging open. Wordlessly he turned to Stonecrop.

“I did say he was odd and to keep an open mind,” Stonecrop sighed. “We’d better see what he’s found.”

They caught up to the ferret at the wall nearest the orchard, walking quickly along its length and tapping each sandstone block as he went. “Well, what is it, Hemlock?” Stonecrop asked.

“Twelve, thirteen—hush, I’m counting—fourteen, fifteen…” The ferret carried on until he reached the middle of the wall, then turned his back was to it and began counting his steps. Before long they were within the shade of the orchard, and the ferret had halted at a damson tree and was squinting at something on the ground. With a noise of sudden understanding he darted along its shadow until he reached its end, counted several more steps, and stopped at an apple tree.

“Here it is!” The ferret inspected the tree trunk, then stared up into its branches, before turning and locking eyes with John. “The smallest favor, if you don’t mind—could you climb up there and see if you can find this?” He passed the slip of parchment to John. Scribbled on it was the symbol of a flower with star-shaped leaves.

Luckily today was a good day, and his leg didn’t pain him beyond a bit of stiffness. With one last baffled look at Stonecrop, John scaled the tree with ease. This early in spring, the boughs were mostly bare of leaves, and it took him several minutes to find the symbol. It wasn’t carved into the tree itself, but engraved on a small bronze disk embedded in one of the branches.

“Found it!” he called down.

“Which side of the tree?” the ferret asked.

“South!”

“Thank you!”

John climbed down to find the ferret down on all fours at the roots on the south side, digging furiously into the soil with both paws.

“Would you like me to find Foremole?” Stonecrop asked.

“No, I’ve got it!”

Soil flew into a growing pile behind him; the ferret dug with single-minded determination until his head was fully out of sight. Minutes passed before John heard a thud and curse, and the ferret’s dirt-covered face poked back into view.

“It’ll just be a moment more, I’ve just hit it,” he said, before diving back down with renewed energy.

“Just hit what?” John mouthed to Stonecrop, who shrugged helplessly at him and crouched down for a better look.

Eventually the ferret rose again with a grunt of effort, and lifted out an old, dirt-caked chest secured with a rusted lock. The ferret dove down again, produced a sizable rock from the hole he’d just dug, and smashed it off. Then he lifted the lid, peered inside, and gave a bark of triumphant laughter.

“Well?” Stonecrop spoke up. “Don’t keep us in suspense, what have you found?”

“No gold or jewels, if that’s what you’re wondering,” the ferret replied. “These are the journals of Brother Mallowgreen, during the reign of Abbot Kastel. There’s a bit of a gap in the abbey’s history during that time, thanks to the abbot’s rather unfortunate penchant for destroying records he didn’t like. Luckily, the Infirmary keeper at the time had the presence of mind to hide his own scribblings, and was kind enough to leave behind a few riddles leading to their location.” He lifted himself out of the hole and dusted off his paws, gray eyes alight with satisfaction. “And I do love a good riddle.”

“And you took all of two and a half days to solve it,” Stonecrop remarked.

“As I said, a decent diversion.” The ferret’s eyes settled on John again. “Hello.”

“Ah, right—Hemlock, this is John Swifteye, an old friend of mine. John, this is Hemlock, who I told you about.”

“Pleasure.” Hemlock’s pawshake was firm but not so tight as to be painful. “I didn’t know Stonecrop’s friendships extended as far as the Fur and Foot Fighters of the western dunes.”

“I, er, haven’t been back here in some time,” John stammered out, caught off guard.

“Do your herbs still need restocking, by the way?” Hemlock asked Stonecrop. “I know it’s been a few days.”

“You know, I was just coming to let you know that I’d found somebeast else for the task,” Stonecrop replied. “But it looks like you’re free again.”

“It might be a two-beast job, given the state of your stores when I last saw them,” Hemlock pointed out, with a glance at John. “I wouldn’t mind the extra paws, especially if it means having an archer along. Never mind being out of practice—any ne’er do wells we find in the woods today will most likely flee at a warning shot.”

“Um,” said John.

“If you’re not averse to my company, of course,” Hemlock added with a smile.

“I—not at all,” John answered without thinking. “If you don’t mind slowing up for a squirrel with a limp.”

“Well then.” Hemlock scooped up the chest and tucked it under one arm. “I’ll go run this little find up to the attic, and then I’ve got to nip down to the kitchens for something. See you at the east wallgate, Swifteye.” With that, he was gone.

John waited until Hemlock was well out of earshot before jabbing his paw into Stonecrop’s ribs. “Out with it, Stonecrop, how many others have you gossiped to about me?”

“I didn’t!” Stonecrop was grinning. “On my honor, I never breathed a word about you, to him or anybeast else. I told you he’s clever.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” John asked.

Stonecrop slung a friendly paw around his shoulders and began leading him back to the abbey building. “Only one way to find out.”

They had only just reached the lawn when, behind them, the deep voice of Brother Bramlen the gardener rang out from beneath the trees.

“WHO IN THE NAME O’ SPIKES HAS BEEN DIGGIN’ UP ME TREES?” the hedgehog bellowed. “HEMLOCK!”

Squirrel and mouse beat a hasty retreat, laughing like misbehaving young ones.

****

True to his word, Hemlock was waiting by the east wallgate when John made his way down. The ferret was cloaked warmly for the lingering winter’s chill, and carried an empty basket with one paw and, oddly enough, what seemed to be a fully-packed haversack on his shoulders. John had a basket of his own, and had armed himself with bow, quiver, and a stout walking stick.

“Planning on spending the night, are you?” John asked, glancing at the pack.

“No,” Hemlock replied, and unbolted the gate. “After you.”

The sun was out, with more blue in the sky than gray. In spite of the warmth of sunlight, the air was still cold, even more so without the high abbey walls to block the wind. John’s injured leg gave a twinge, forcing him to lean on the stick a little more heavily than he would have liked.

Hemlock had taken the lead without a word, which was fair enough. Before he’d come limping to the abbey under the guidance of the Guosim, John hadn’t been this deep into Mossflower Wood since his nighttime escape as a wayward young one. Besides, if he wasn’t focused on pathfinding, it gave him a chance to size up his strange companion.

It wasn’t unheard of for vermin to live their lives in peace and quiet contentment. John had known of a few to the west—a weasel couple that farmed and fished in the woods, a solitary old rat that lived out in the dunes—and the patrol kept an eye out but otherwise left them alone. But that didn’t change the fact that, by and large, the vast majority that John had encountered had been… well. Roving bandits, robber gangs. Corsair fleets.

John glanced back at the sandstone wall looming over the tree tops, then again at Hemlock. Redwall’s charter had something or other about extending paws in peace and friendship, but that didn’t change the long history of vermin hordes showing up to try and conquer the place.

“Rest assured, that is not my intention,” Hemlock said dryly.

Startled, John nearly tripped. “I beg your pardon?”

“I was only a little older than a kit when I first came to Redwall,” Hemlock went on, picking his way carefully through a tangle of roots. “Rather a long time for a plot to simmer, wouldn’t you agree?”

John slowed, leaning heavily on his stick as he followed. “I didn’t—how did you—?”

“Your stare has been burning holes in the back of my head since we left,” Hemlock replied. At least he didn’t sound particularly offended. “And just now you looked back at the abbey as if to make sure it was still there, then very pointedly looked at all the spots on my person that might conceal weapons. It wasn’t difficult to follow your train of thought.”

“...Oh.” Sheepishly, John lapsed into silence.

Eventually Hemlock led the way to a patch of vervain, and John descended upon it. The plants were strong and healthy in spite of the recent winter, and before long the bottom of his basket was lined with it.

“I found feverfew not far from here, last time I passed through,” Hemlock spoke up suddenly. “Hopefully it’ll still be there—not much snow, this past winter, so it won’t have frozen.”

John pulled himself back up on his stick. His leg was beginning to ache, just slightly, but he could still walk a bit more. “Lead on.”

They found it near a massive fallen beech log, growing green and full out of the loam, though it was still too early in the season for flowers. Still, Stonecrop could do a lot with stems and leaves alone. When John was finished harvesting them, he found Hemlock sitting on the log waiting for him.

“Might as well sit for a bit,” the ferret said. “Rest that leg.”

“Oh. Er, thank you.” John leaned his stick against the log and climbed up to sit—not beside him, but near enough.

Truthfully, he was grateful. He hadn’t had much in the way of exercise recently, between injuries, fever, and moping. He could feel himself getting winded and tired more quickly than he ever had before. A long walk through the woods without rest was likely to make his leg worse.

Hemlock must have known. He certainly wasn’t resting for his own benefit.

“Can I ask you something?” John asked eventually.

“You may.”

“Stonecrop said he didn’t tell you about me,” said John. “Did somebeast else tell you who I was, or…?”

Hemlock’s gray eyes flitted up and down, taking in the whole of him again. “I hadn’t heard of you before Stonecrop introduced us.”

“Then how did you know I’m—I was one of the Fur and Foot Fighters?”

“Oh, a number of things,” Hemlock replied. “I looked at you and thought, here is a creature who carries himself like a trained soldier, with his best seasons before him but covered in scars old and new, with a freshly maimed leg and a recent bout of illness, in the middle of a vast forest that hasn’t seen much trouble from hordes and bandits in quite some time. The military bearing suggests the Long Patrol, but it’s extremely rare to see anybeast but a hare among them. And if you were in the Long Patrol, you would’ve rested from your hardships in Salamandastron. Then I remembered hearing of the recent visit from the Guosim, and that answered that. You came from the border between forest and sand, and your comrades saw fit to put you on a boat for home rather than send you on a long march over the dunes.” He paused. “The archery was easy enough—calluses on your paws and a thin patch on your inner arm where the bowstring wears at your fur when you fire.”

John gaped at him.

“It sounds complicated when I lay it all out, but it’s really not,” Hemlock finished. “Two and two make four.”

“And you know Redwall is ‘home’ for me because…?”

“The accent, obviously.”

“Obviously.” He hadn’t even known he had an accent.

“How’s the leg?” Hemlock asked.

John tested it, then carefully slid down to the ground. The ache was nearly gone. “Better, thank you.”

“Let’s be off, then. The infirmary’s stores don’t have a single stem of marigold left.”

Before they left, Hemlock shrugged the haversack from his shoulders and set it on the log. John watched him curiously as he wedged it in the fork of the roots so that it wouldn’t slide off.

“What are you doing?”

“Paying for services rendered,” Hemlock replied, leaving the pack where it sat. “Let’s be off.”

The ferret offered no further explanation. Something told John it would be useless to press.

****

“So what do you think of him?” Stonecrop asked later that evening, as they reorganized the herb stores.

“You were right,” John replied. “He’s an odd one and no mistake. Monstrously clever, though.”

“Oh, that he is.”

“He left a full haversack out in the woods,” John added, glancing at his friend. “Any idea what that’s about?”

“Ah, that.” Stonecrop grinned. “Don’t worry about that. You’ll find out soon enough.”