#most of the time the call is coming from INSIDE the house

[miley1442111]

shocker- a.hotchner

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summary: you have some news for your husband.

pairing: aaron hotchner x wife! reader

warnings: fluff, pregnancy, mild angst, happy ending :)

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Aaron had a day off. A day off from work, from paperwork, from travel. And he had you all to himself. 

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He woke up much earlier than you ever would, but instead of getting in his morning thirty-minute run, he stayed in bed with you, allowing himself a few extra minutes of sleep. God, you were gorgeous like this. Unconscious and unbothered, a soft smile on your face as you lay beside him in your shared bed. Most of the time he couldn’t even believe he knew someone like you, let alone married you. 

“You’re getting handsy Mr. Hotchner,” you chuckled, swatting his hand that had in fact, landed on your ass. 

He chuckled back. “I can’t appreciate my wife?”

You finally opened your eyes, only to roll them at him. He laughed and pressed a kiss against your cheek as you yawned, too tired from the long week to get up yet. 

“We should do something today,” he pressed soft kisses to your collarbone as you nodded to what he was saying. “Movie?”

“Nothing new is out,” you reminded him. 

“Park?”

“Jess isn’t a fan of the park anymore,” you yawned. 

“Shopping?”

You stared at him in bewilderment for a moment. “Are you insane?”

“Yeah, I guess that one was a long shot.”

“We could stay in bed all day,” you offered.

“As much as I would love that,” a harsh smack landed on your ass and you yelped. “We do have two children to look after.”

“Send them to Jessica’s,” you groaned. “We haven’t had any time together in months, Aaron. I adore our kids, but I also adore my husband, and I want to see him.”

Aaron’s heart swelled, and he needed no more convincing. “I’ll call her now.”

You smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”

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God, this day was more than needed. 

Sending Jack and Jessie off to their cousin's house meant you and Aaron had a whole morning to watch an entire film, without someone interrupting, then you got up and went to the farmer’s market together, and had a great time. 

“I love you,” you smiled, leaning over the centre console of the car as Aaron reversed out of your parking spot. He chuckled, then took your hand. 

“I love you too.”

“Aaron,” you smiled. 

“Y/n,” he responded, smiling cheekily. 

“Are you happy?” 

“More than anything,” he smiled. “I love our life, so much.”

“Do you want more kids?” you asked nervously. Truthfully, this is what today had been about. Four weeks ago, you found out you were pregnant. It was an accident, yes, but hopefully not a mistake. How ould he take it? Jess was planned completely and Jack had been planned too (granted, not with you but, you knew the Aaron Hotchener way). This was totally unplanned. You two were both busy people with busy jobs you loved a lot.

“Maybe in a few years-”

“I’m pregnant.” 

His mouth opened in shock, then close to a straight line. 

“You’re not happy,” you responded for him.

“I’m very happy,” he nodded. “Just… shocked and a little bit confused as to why you told me while I’m driving.”

You chuckled, but the rest of the car ride was silent and your anxiety grew. What if he wasn’t happy? What would happen? Had you ruined the day?

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You rushed inside the house and away from him, locking yourself in your bedroom under the guise of a nap. You had gotten a full 12 hours of sleep, and now, there you were with a head full of anxious thoughts and awful ideas. 

“Can I come in?” he knocked on the door, and you just mumbled a response. You heard him sigh and unlock the door from the outside, and everything came crashing down. Your eyes watered, and immediately wrapped you up in his arms with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” you whispered, tears falling down your face. “It’s ok Aaron.”

“I’m happy about this,” he nodded, reassuring you. His hands cupped your cheeks, turning your attention towards him. “I’m just… surprised. Jess is only 2, and Jack is getting older everyday. I was just scared about the thought of having a newborn. I’m not unhappy, I’m just scared.”

“I’m really scared about this,” you admitted. “Our last pregnancy was less than… easy.”

“This time, I’ll be here the whole time,” he promised. 

“Aaron, you’ll be at work and so will I-”

“I’m leaving the BAU. I want to be here more,” he pulled you closer. “I want to be here for you and the kids.”

You stared up at him in shock. “Really?”

“Yes,” he smiled. 

"So you'll stay home with the kids?" You asked.

"I want nothing more," he smiled.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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criminal minds masterlist :)

navigation for my blog :) (criminal minds, obx, the bear, marvel, top gun, the hunger games :)

[summercourtship]

WASTE NOT (18+)

or, the reader is travelling with the Ghoul when he discovers she's never fucked before. You figure out what comes next.

cooper howard/the ghoul x reader | warnings/notes: loss of virginity, masturbation, exhibitionism, piv sex, oral sex, barely proofread | side note: i might end up reusing this general plot for a longer multi-chapter fic, we'll see

read on AO3

Five hundred caps, two hundred upfront.

That’s how much it took for you to get out of the gilded cage that was your hometown, a decent sized settlement inside of what used to be a Rodeo stadium and aptly named for it. That’s all it took for you to escape your father, the mayor of said town who kept you under lock and key, both literally and figuratively. You’d tried to escape before, attempts that had been thwarted before they even began. It only led to you being locked in your room and only allowed to walk the town with a bodyguard, someone hired to make sure you didn’t run for it. 

Some people might say that it was a privilege to be cared for so much that you didn’t have to constantly fight for your life. You thought it was a surefire way to get you killed when you finally did leave his grasp.

Since running away, you’d done many things for the first time that most people did before they were even ten years old. Held a gun, caught your own food, killed a man. 

And the man you’d paid to take you through the wastes was the first ghoul you’d ever met. Your settlement didn’t ban them from entering, but they weren’t exactly welcoming either. But you’d been immediately drawn to him, which you at first chalked up to the novelty of meeting a new kind of person, the kind you’d only read about.

However, as you’d continued traveling with him and the novelty wore off, you quickly realized that the draw you felt to him wasn’t just because of culture shock. 

The Ghoul, which was the only thing you called him because he’d given you nothing else to call him, was sitting by the fire he’d built, a slow curl of smoke drifting from the cigarette hanging in his mouth. You looked over at him, observing how the light from the flames reflected off of his worn and imperfect skin. It was a sight you’d seen almost every night this week, but every time you felt like it was the first time you were seeing him. 

Your week was almost up. When you’d hired him, you’d told him you only wanted to leave your town for a week, just to experience the Wastes before returning to your “ivory tower,” (his words, not yours). It had taken some bargaining on your end (and you had to give him chems in addition to the caps) but it had worked. You were out of the clutches of your father, you were finally experiencing life for the first time.  

And you had no intention of going back when the week was over. 

You were sitting across the room, perched on an old bed that was still standing in the half-ruined house, though shack might be more accurate. An entire wall was missing, letting you look right into the starry night sky from your seat. But mainly you were looking at the Ghoul, who was looking after one of his guns. You brought the drink you’d been nursing- just a Nuka-Cola you’d found on your journey and saved for this moment- taking a deep sip of the fizzy drink when he spoke up. 

“Stop starin’ at me.” 

You choked, sputtering up the Nuka-Cola in your attempt to catch your breath. In your coughing, you only managed to spill more of the drink on yourself, an unfortunate chain of events that left you with a soaked through shirt. You cursed under your breath, looking down at the brown liquid that would surely stain the fabric. Did you even have a clean replacement in your bag?

Leaning towards your bag, you placed the almost empty bottle on the floor before flipping the flap, peering inside. 

“You might wanna take that off before the flies smell the sugar.”

Your current task forgotten, you stared up at the Ghoul, who wasn’t even looking at you when he said it. But the idea of taking your shirt off around him when you knew that he could see it was terrifying. However, he was right when he said you’d need to get the shirt off of your body soon and put it into your bag. Who knows how much sugar was in Nuka-Cola, how far its sweet scent would travel if it was out in the open. And you certainly didn’t want to attract any bugs your way. 

Sitting up straight, you cleared your throat. Your fingers worried at the hem of your shirt.

“Could you turn around…” Your voice trailed off at the look on his face, a brief glance your way. 

“It’s nothing I ain’t seen on other women.” 

“Okay, but I’ve never-” You stopped yourself from finishing your sentence, realizing exactly what you were admitting, but the damage was already done. The Ghoul leaned forward and you tightened your grip around yourself, as if the shirt still being on your body would protect you from his judgment. 

“You’ve never…?” The pregnant pause hung in the air between you, but you weren’t going to clarify. You didn’t move, which must have been enough of a confirmation for him because he whistled low in his mouth. “Why am I not surprised? You didn’t even know how to shoot a gun.”

As if shooting a gun naturally came before losing your virginity. (Maybe it did, you wouldn’t know). 

“Can you stop?” You huffed, your face hot. “If I had wanted to, I would have.”

But it seemed that any of your attempts to get him to drop the subject wouldn’t work, because he was looking at you intensely, an unreadable look in his surprisingly human eyes. Not for the first time, you wondered what he looked like when he was human. You’d tried before, to imagine what it looked like when his skin was smooth and he had a nose and hair, but nothing seemed to match his demeanor as well as being a ghoul did. 

“And why didn’t you want to?”

“I-” You swallowed nervously, your heartbeat in your throat choking you. “I didn’t see the point, not when my dad is probably going to marry me off to some geezer who can’t get it up anyway. And I don’t need your judgment about it.”  

You were now trying to hold onto any semblance of dignity you had left. Pretending like you’d made a conscious choice to not lose your virginity instead of it being a result of your virtual imprisonment by your father. Like you hadn’t yearned for the touch of someone else. (And, of course, like you hadn’t yearned at all for him over the course of the past week.)

“Do you touch yourself, at least?”

You froze, looking across the room at him like he was a Deathclaw. He leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees. Like he could smell your apprehension, or worse, your burgeoning arousal. 

“Do you touch yourself?”

This isn't something you had talked about ever with anyone. But you couldn’t help answering him. “Y-yes.” If he looked surprised that you actually spoke, you couldn’t tell over your own embarrassment. 

“Show me.” When you didn’t respond, still sitting there staring at him like he had grown two heads, he sat back in his seat again, his hat dipping low. “Or don’t. I’m not going to force-”

You cut him off before he could continue, suddenly not wanting this opportunity to pass you by. After all, you only had this last night with him and then you would go your separate ways. If you horribly embarrassed yourself, it would only be for tonight. “Okay.” You think that this is your biggest streak of surprising the Ghoul. But he recovered quickly, a sly grin sneaking onto his face. 

“Take your shirt off first.” 

Nodding, you slowly reached down to the hem of your shirt, trying and failing to will your hands to stop trembling. Then, quickly, you peeled the sticky fabric off of your skin. You were a bit annoyed that you had managed to spill so much onto the shirt- it was a nice shirt, a rare find on the surface. But it didn’t matter now, considering where it had led you. 

You dropped your shirt onto the floor, unable to look at him as he surely looked at your chest. 

Suddenly feeling bold from his gaze, you did more than just take off the glorified rag from your chest- you divested yourself of all of your clothes, placing them into a messy pile by the mattress. You were now exposed to the elements and to his gaze, heavy as he looked over your body. Once again, he didn’t betray any of the surprise he might have felt. 

“Should I-”

“Lie down.”

You stared at him before you slowly lowered yourself, trying to keep your eyes on him. When you couldn’t anymore, you closed your eyes. If you couldn’t see him, it wouldn’t be nerve wracking to be watched. But even as you thought it, you could feel the heat of his gaze on you. 

“Touch yourself.” 

At his surprisingly gentle command, you exhaled shakily. Gently, you dragged your hand down your body, your breath quick. After a moment of teasing yourself, you pressed the pads of two fingers against your clit, rubbing a slow circle against the sensitive bundle of nerves. 

Immediately, you sighed, relieving tension you didn’t know had been building. While you had masturbated every night at home, you certainly needed the relief it gave you after a week of stress and almost dying. You were surprisingly wet, though not enough to qualify as dripping. your fingers circled your clit, your hips sudden bucking slightly. 

Across from you, the Ghoul groaned, and you tilted your head up, looking at him. His eyes were entirely focused on your cunt, watching the wet slide of your fingers over your folds. His teeth were clenched together, and you gasped at the sight of him watching you so intently before you bit your lip to muffle the sound. Then his eyes moved from your fingers, looking you straight in the eyes as he started to speak.

“I bet you touched yourself all quiet, trying not to let daddy hear you fucking yourself. But your daddy ain’t here, and I want to hear the noises you make.”  

You whined, his words going straight to your cunt. What was more painful was that he was correct- many nights you’d bit your pillow as you’d fucked yourself with your fingers, trying to keep quiet. 

“Go ahead, slip a finger inside-“

You stopped moving, looking at him again, taking the moment to catch your breath. 

“I’ve never really done that-“

The Ghoul cursed, and before you could blink he was off of his chair, moving closer. He was now knelt in between your legs, his gloved hands on your knees and staring up at you. 

“I gotta fuckin teach you everything, don’t I?”

Swiftly, he removed his gloves, throwing them onto the pile of your clothes. Then he swatted your hand away from your cunt before replacing it with his own fingers. At the dramatic shift in skin texture you gasped, immediately grinding against his rough fingers mindlessly as your hands flew to your mouth to muffle your cries. 

“None of that, I told you I’m gonna hear the sounds you’re making ‘cause of me.”

He moved down your body, pressing kisses and delivering brief bites to your flesh. With each nip of his teeth you gasped, torn between the desire to push his head away or beg for more. Then he reached your sex, pausing for a moment and letting his warm breath fan over you. You squirmed, unsure if you wanted to beg him to touch you or if you wanted to run away from the sheer overwhelming intensity of it all.

Then his mouth was hot against you, his tongue licking a thick stripe up the length of your cunt, and you wondered why you’d ever thought about not letting him do this. With no nose in the way, he was able to press his face fully against you. He dipped his tongue into your opening, flicking it against your walls and thrusting a few times, the movement of his tongue in addition to his fingers overwhelming. 

He groaned against you as he lapped up your wetness, sounds of a man dying of thirst reaching an oasis. 

With a final wet sound, he removed his tongue before moving to suck on your clit, his hand moving from your thighs to return to your core. 

“Fuck, you’re tight.” He murmured as he pressed two of his fingers inside of you. You’d tried before to fuck your self like this but always found the feeling unsatisfactory. But his fingers were larger than yours, able to hit the places inside of you that you had begun to think were myths. 

It was overpowering, and any thoughts that weren’t about him quickly dissipated. 

Every indent and ridge of his skin dragged along your cunt and the sensation of being filled combined with the attention he was giving to your clit started to build you towards your peak. 

“Come for me, cmon.”

But even though you’d never come before at the hands of another, you knew what you wanted. You were afraid that if you came now, he wouldn’t actually fuck you. And if you were taken back to your rinky-dink town, you wanted to at least say you’d been fucked by someone you wanted. 

“I want to feel you- hm- inside me.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” His teeth were gritted together again, like he was so entirely focused on making you come that he didn't want to hear anything else.

“Yes, I do.” You raised your hips to meet the thrust of his fingers. “I want your cock, I need you to fuck me-“

“Fuck.” He murmured, eyes lidded as whatever shaky resolve about actually fucking you he had broke. “For someone who never killed before this week, you’re dangerous.”

With swift movement, he pulled himself out of his pants and climbed up your body, pressing his hips against yours. He hovered above you, the head of his cock rested heavy on your clit, his hips rolling once to grind the length against your wet cunt. 

“Please.” You murmured, raising your hips to meet his cock. He gave you a dark look, and if he had eyebrows you’re sure one of them would be raised as if to say ‘you ready?’

Then he started to press in, his thick head catching before he pushed through the tight ring of your opening. Your mouth was slack, eyebrows furrowed as you focused on relaxing for every inch that was slowly pressing into you. When you looked at him, he was entirely focused on watching his cock disappear into your wet heat. 

He was slow, but you didn’t think it was due to any care for your comfort. No, from the look on his face, you would hazard a guess that he enjoyed slowly taking your virginity, feeling each inch of you give way to his thick cock. He liked the surrender. 

When his hips finally nestled against yours, he rested for a moment, his breath heavy. 

“Ready?”

Okay, maybe he cares slightly about your comfort- the thought was quickly erased when he pulled out and slammed back in, filling you quickly. You cursed, your hands flying to the bed to scramble for something to hold on to. But there were no sheets on the filthy mattress. So instead, you reached up to him, grasping the back of his duster for dear life as he began to fuck you in earnest.

He lowered himself as you wrapped your naked legs around his hips, bracing himself on his elbows above you. 

“So fucking tight.” He murmured against your face. One of his hands slipped from where it was braced above you to circle around your clit, the pressure just enough to send you back towards your peak. “This cunt belongs to me now, y’hear?”

“Yes- fuck.” You babbled, and when he whispered against you to finally come, you did so with no hesitation. Your legs gripped him tighter against you, his thrusts shorter but more forceful with the constraint. With your cunt clenching around him as you sighed through the aftershocks of your orgasm, he removed his hand to suddenly grab your chin, looking you in the eyes.

“Where should I-“

“Inside me, inside me please.”

For a moment he looked like he was going to argue with you. But then you clenched down on his length again and his hips stuttered against you, a low groan escaping him. Reinvigorated, he began fucking you even harder, which had seemed impossible. 

“Take it, take my cum like a good girl- that’s it-“ his words left him as he finally finished, his hips pumping as he cursed and spilled his warm spend inside you. You hummed at the feeling of it, the tiny thrusts as he pumped you full of him dragging his cock along your sensitive walls. 

When he finally pulled out of you, watching as his cum dripped out of your opening, he looked back at your face with a sly smile. 

“I hope you have some RadAway at home.”

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The Ghoul didn’t bring you back into the city. He seemed to think you were experienced enough to handle the last hundred yards of desert without him. I’ll come back later for the rest of my caps, I have some business I need to deal with. Did you feel a little bad that you were cheating him out of three hundred caps? Yes. But you hadn’t thought this far when you’d paid him the first time, and now it was too late. 

You barely said goodbye. 

Once you were out of sight, you took off running in the opposite direction, only looking behind you once to make sure no one was watching or worse, following. 

You were free.

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Well, you were free for about two days. 

Then, one evening, you sheltered yourself in an abandoned house. Two stories, though you only peeked in the upper story to see if there was anything worth grabbing. You didn’t want to risk the floor falling out from under your feet. 

A noise in the doorway draws your attention upwards, to where the Ghoul stands, silhouetted in the setting sun, like he had just left for a second, not for days.

You’re allowed a split moment of happiness at the sight of the familiar figure before you recognize what's in his hands. You barely have a second to try and escape before, like a flash, he whips the lasso around your torso, drawing it tight and pulling you closer as you struggled against the rope. But it held fast, and with every passing second you were losing ground. Finally the pressure of the rope was too much and you collapsed to the ground, the sun bearing down in your eyes until a shadow fell over your face. 

“Y’know, when I went back to your little… Rod-e-o to collect on the final portion of my payment, I really expected to see you there. Tellin’ people you regret ever leaving. Maybe I’d have to rough you up a bit for the caps, though I’m sure you’d enjoy that. So imagine my surprise when I find out your father has put up a reward for whoever finds ya and brings ya back.”  He laughed, a cruel and humorless thing. “I’ll get paid for takin’ you out and takin’ you in. And the word around town is that there’s a man there willin’ to take you off your father’s hands.” 

His last words made your stomach sink, more than anything else he had said. It was something your father had threatened, even if he hadn’t meant it as a threat. Maybe he thought it was your dream to marry and have children. But you knew that whatever man he picked for you to marry would be powerful, powerful enough to ensure that your father would remain in office until he died. 

And powerful men were cruel. 

“No-” You gasped out, suddenly out of breath. 

“Ah-ah-ah.” The Ghoul tuts softly, leaning down. “D’ya really think a week is enough experience to survive out here?”

“I won’t go back.” You spit, renewing your struggle against the rope. “You can’t make me.” 

If you were a complete idiot, you’d say: I’d rather die than go back. Because while, in spirit, it was true, you knew that he would take your word for it. And you really didn’t want to tempt him to put a bullet through your brain. 

You may have fucked him, but you certainly weren’t anything special to him. 

“You don’t have much of a choice, sweetheart.” 

“He wants to marry me off!” You said, like saying it indignantly would change his mind about taking you in as a bounty. “I refuse.” 

“And what’ll you do when I drag you back?” 

Find a way to escape again, even if it takes years. 

Like he read the answer in your eyes, he stood up straight. 

“I sympathize, I really do-” You sincerely doubted it, but let him keep talking, “but unless you’ve got something better to offer me, I’m afraid you’re going in.” 

“How many caps is he offering you?”

“600.”

“I have more saved.” You laughed, though it lacked any actual humor. “Every cap he gave me for years, I’ve squirreled away. Not letting me leave my room really helped me save money.” 

“And how, exactly, are you going to get to your stash without your daddy finding you?” 

You tried to find kindness in his words and were surprised when you did. Though he may not have meant it, he had already given you a perfect out the night before. 

“No self-respecting man is going to want to marry a woman who fucked a ghoul. And no mayor will tolerate his daughter making a fool of him like that.”

For a moment, you think he takes offense to this. But then a smile creeps across his face, hot and hungry.

“Well then, I think we can come to an agreement.” 

[starringthesturniolos]

bite me(part 5) matt sturniolo

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

summary: matt hates your guts but all of that changes when he wakes up and finds out your his mate.

contains: vampire!matt x reader, highschool au! (18 years old), dark themes, death, smut (not in this part)

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matts pov.

"okay, you guys should feel different any minute now" Madi says before giving me a look. a look that says what I am doing is stupid. judging by the sadness that's roaming in my chest, I'm guessing y/n thinks its stupid too. why does she care, its not like she likes me, I think to myself. but even as I think it, I can't help but cringe at the loss of emotions I would have from getting rid of the bond. sure, it was annoying sometimes, but hell, Iife gets a little boring when you've been living for so long. its easy to go numb and become desensitized, and that's what made y/n an anomaly. even before the mating bond, she made me feel things. even things I didn't want to feel like annoyance and anger.

I look over at her and I can't help but stare. she's so pretty, I think even as the bond fades into a dull nothing.

"quite staring, your freaking me out" she says looking at me. I can see the tears in her eyes, and ,even though the bonds gone, I know she wishes there weren't any. I knew her and I knew that she didn't like to feel like others had power to make her sad or upset. she never wanted to lose control. I can't help but note how much I know about her. more than I thought I knew.

I look away and grab her arm and sigh at the fact that there are no tingles or heat that flash through me this time. "I'll take you home, it's been a long night." and so from there we head back to the car. shit, I almost forgot about chris. I open my phone to call him, but I see a text notification from him instead. "I'm going to stay, the spell could take all night for me" it says. I can't help but wonder how someone can take away the pain of losing a mate, but shrug it off. if I knew I'd be a magic user, not a vampire. and I wouldn't be standing here awkwardly with a girl I hated two days ago. a girl I wish I could comfort, but don't know how too. we climb in the van and I turn on the car. the hiss of the ac and the quiet hum of the radio are the only sounds in the car. she opens her mouth and closes it again. "what? what is it?" i sigh because the tension is killing me.

"if the bond is gone then why am I still sad?" she says quietly. I note the fact that this is the most vulnerable I've ever seen her. she's always had a strong front, and always had something smart to say. but now in the quiet that is my van, I feel like I see her, the real her.

"I don't know why." I say honestly, but cringe at the monotone way I say it. like I didn't care to know why she was upset, and right then I knew her walls were going to come back up before they even do. she shrugs and wipes her face once. "can I play music then, I don't like moping around." she sighs, grounding herself again. "I know you don't" I say softly "and yes you can, as long as you don't have shit music taste" I smirk at the end. teasing her is so much easier and more natural then whatever we've been doing the past 15 minutes. "Oh it's amazing, you're gonna wanna add my songs to your playlist when I'm done. " she takes the mood change and runs with it. she even laughs and I don't even try to stop myself from admiring her smile.

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I pull into her house and all the lights are on and there are clanging noises coming from the inside of her home. its damn near 5 am and no one should be up that early on a Sunday morning. we were just having a good time, surprisingly, listening to music with each other. we both like the same kind of music and even though I acted like I hated her singing I didn't mind. but she wasn't singing now, she actually looked really scared.

"my dads home" she whispers and looks at me with wide glossy eyes. worry flutters in my chest at the sight of her being afraid. this guy must be bad news. "he rarely ever comes home" she says in the same quiet tone her eyes widening even further before she turns to me. "I thought Madi said she put a protection spell on me." she runs her hands through her hair and her breathing is picking up. if she keeps this up, she's going to have a panic attack.

" she did, okay, so you have nothing to worry about!" the words sound all wrong coming out of my mouth. I meant for them to come out comforting but instead they sound a bit like I just want her to shut up and get out of my car. why do I always have to sound so mean.

her breathing picks up more and she's crying now. "you don't know what he's like, matt! you've never met the guy. he doesn't want anything to do with me! and when he comes home, he's always drunk" she pauses and closes her eyes gasping for breath. "and he's mean!" she sobs. before I can stop myself I grab her face and guide her gaze away from the house to me. if she hadn't told me this, I would have never known she'd been hurt this way. I couldn't help but wonder how many times she came home to find a nightmare in her house.

"you don't have to be with that guy" I say slowly and nod my head before continuing

"just stay with me" I whisper.

@bbernard-03

@sturnthepot

@hoeformatt

@sturtriple16

@faygo-frog

@sturniol0s

@katie-tibo

@cindylcuwho

[aviiarie]

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ REASSURANCE platonic arlecchino & reader !

synopsis. arlecchino's child is struggling, but she is there to reassure them. contents. PLATONIC. house of the hearth!reader. gn!reader. they/them pronouns used. hurt/comfort. 1.5k words. notes. repost from my old blog! only a few more of this series to go :')

It was a cold day in the House of the Hearth when Arlecchino called upon one of her children for nothing more than a simple chat.

One of the unspoken rules of the House was that the most leisurely of discussions were only a preface to something deeper; layers of ulterior motives hidden underneath an innocent invite for tea. Some children had never glimpsed the privilege of being summoned to her office, while others found themselves carving a dent into her seat cushions with the number of times they sat in them. But one thing remained unchanging with every visit: their Father would send for them with a purpose, and they would not leave until it was fulfilled.

When [Name] received word that they were to visit Arlecchino’s office at 7:00pm sharp, their first instinct was dread; for the dozens of possible reasons for them being the one to be called upon. Musing upon the ‘why’s shifted their mood from the dull thrum of anxiety to sweeping waves of confusion. As far as they were concerned, they had no due cause for such a meeting with the Director herself; no failed missions to be reprimanded over, no shady plots of subterfuge to be exposed. They weren’t any rowdier or more troublesome than any other of the children, so the list of matters that would merit a visit was short.

Still, they knew better than to avoid the call. 7:00pm, they stood outside the office, hand poised over the door. They closed their eyes, knocking on it sharply and wincing at the echo that reverberated off the walls.

Three short raps. A smooth, calm voice, from inside the room: “Come in.”

The doorhandle creaked loudly as it turned. The door was old, and rather heavy, so it took a gentle shove to push it fully open to reveal the neat, cozy office inside.

“Ah, [Name], you’ve arrived.” Arlecchino greeted them as they entered. She was seated behind her desk as she usually was, with a full tea-set in front of her. As they slowly approached, she motioned towards the plush chairs opposite her. “Please, take a seat. I have been waiting for you.”

They quickly settled into the closest chair, hands folded in their lap. The room was quiet and cold; enough to send an uncomfortable prickle down their spine. Arlecchino paid no mind to their uneasiness; her hands were busy deftly arranging the teacups on the tray. Once she was satisfied with their placement, she then moved to pick up the teapot.

“I have some new tea from Liyue,” she hummed, gently tipping the teapot to let the dark red drink fill one cup, then two. Steam rose from each, cutting through the chill of her office. “Hibiscus. It’s quite sour, but I have added a spoonful of honey and sugar to the brew to sweeten it.”

She held one of the teacups out, and they clasped both hands around it with a murmured thanks. As they moved to take it from her, the side of their palm brushed against her fingers—icy cold, enough to make them shiver with a single touch.

“Your night has been well, I am assuming?” Arlecchino asked, taking a sip from her cup.

“Yes,” they murmur, bringing the tea to their lips. It was hot, but just enough not to burn their tongue. The honey she had added did little to mask the sour taste of the hibiscus, but it created a lightly sweet aftertaste that was pleasant enough to warrant a second sip.

“And your days, how have they been?”

They frowned, scanning her expression for any hint of what she wanted. She was clearly speaking to them in search of something, even if she didn’t say it aloud. A mission report, perhaps? They had already submitted the paper copy to her desk, but if she had missed it, or it had gotten lost with the rest of the paperwork handed in that day, she could be waiting for them to recount the mission directly.

“I returned from the mission you sent me on,” they blurted out. “I… it was a success, mostly. No casualties. Minimal injuries. And I also—”

“No need for a summary, I’ve read your report.” Arlecchino cut them off smoothly. “I want to know how you are, not how your mission went.”

They almost choked on their tea. Arlecchino raised an eyebrow at their sudden lack of composure, and they hurriedly covered it up with a half-hearted cough. “S-Sorry… you want to know how I have been… feeling?”

“That is correct.”

The air was thick with silence and the bitter smell of hibiscus, until they blurted out a quick “Fine! I’ve been fine, thank you.”

“Fine?”

“Fine, yes.”

“Interesting. I have been hearing curious things,” Arlecchino said casually. “Some of your siblings seem to have noticed a change in your behaviour. You aren’t sleeping as well, your mood has been significantly worse, you haven’t been joining during social activities. There is clearly something wrong.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” they said weakly. Their feeble attempt at normalcy was nowhere near convincing enough to fool her, and they knew it. They were a passable liar in the best of circumstances, but she was the one person who would always be able to see right through them.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

They couldn’t look at her. One look into those sharp eyes, one wrong word and they would crumble right there in her office. They had to keep it together for as long as it took to convince Arlecchino they were alright and be dismissed from her office. They only needed to hold back the burning behind their eyes until they were far away from Arlecchino and her pressing words and bitter tea, and could quietly fall apart.

She was waiting for an answer, but they could hardly breathe through the lump in their throat, let alone formulate a response. If she stopped now, saw them for what they were—a lost cause—and gave up, it would be fine. But instead:

“What’s wrong?” she asked gently, and something inside them snapped.

Tears burst from their eyes, spilling over their cheeks and down their face. They gasped, choking back a cry, holding a fist to their mouth to stop the hiccupping and wheezing breaths.

“I’m sorry,” they sniffled, rather pathetically. They kept their head ducked down low, unable to bring themself to look up into her undeniable face of disapproval. If they were any stronger, they could grit their teeth and make up a spiel about how they would do better next time, but instead they had to cry.

Now, not only were they going to be reprimanded for letting their emotions affect their work, they would be scolded for crying as well.

“Now, there is no need for crying.” Arlecchino stood, scraping her chair against the floor. They flinched away from the jarring sound, shrinking inwards with their tear-streaked face hidden in their hands. As much as they tried to stop them, the tears kept flowing into their palms. The walls were shifting closer with each second, and the thick scent of the tea filled their lungs until it choked them with that cloyingly bittersweet scent—

They jumped, as something cold touched their fingers. Their hands were carefully pried away from their face, revealing Arlecchino kneeling in front of them, with an unusually concerned expression on her face.

“I’m not upset with you, dear.” She said gently. “If that is why you are apologising.”

“You’re not?” they asked slowly. It had to have been a lie, but with how softly she said it, a part of them couldn’t help but wish it was true.

“Of course I’m not. But do you know why I’m not upset with you?” she asked. Hesitantly, they shook their head. “I’m not upset in the slightest, because I know whatever is clouding you is something that you will work through. You will emerge the victor of this battle, no matter what it is.”

They made a strangled sound, and felt a new wave of tears form. Arlecchino sighed, pulling them to their feet and against her chest.

“You are strong,” she said softly, carding her fingers through their hair. “You are capable. You are able to overcome whatever hardships you are facing, no matter how much they wear on you.”

She kissed their temple, her cool lips feeling almost warm pressed to their skin. While she lingered there, she whispered to them, softer than a mother’s touch. “You are strong enough to face this on your own, but even if you aren’t you will always have me here behind you.”

Their hands stretched out to grab the back of her jacket, shuddering out a breath. If Arlecchino minded their teary face being pressed against the front of her clothing, she didn’t comment on it; she only murmured more reassurances as she held them close.

“Just breathe, dear.” She whispered. “You’re going to be okay.”

© aviiarie 2024. do not copy, repost, translate or use my work to train ai.

[callmeby-mylastname]

I’m sorry

summary-a quick rendition of your classic unrequited love

warning-pretty much just angst

this may be on the personal side whoops guys but in words call this a reflection of what i experienced pretty recently guys i’m so cooked 🙏😔

you and tara met on the same course two years ago. she was breath taking, stunning even, god you could list a whole book to describe her. the poets would cower when you wrote about your love, the artists would throw their media away when you painted her beauty. A beauty of attraction and a pure beauty of soul in and out that girl had no flaw. all expect she was never yours to have, she was took for three years took by another boy.

you weren’t supposed to get that drunk, you weren’t supposed to tell her but god did it eat you up inside. you have always been honest but it was different this time she was in love with someone else and when you looked into those brown eyes, those stupid stupid beautiful brown eyes. it came out all at once.

you remember the first interactions you had with her, and she recites them back to you. walking into that classroom, anxious? maybe a little but hey you’ve got charm.

there was a group of kids who you already made a little bit of chum with so you sat with them. their names were quinn, ankia and ethan and on that table was her, the first thing you saw was her and god did that arrow to the heart hit you hard.

she was absolutely captivating. funny thing the first words you two ever spoke was you inviting her to the conversation and her getting your name wrong (ouch)

you actually didn’t speak much, then you invited her to a party in january of last year which she accepted (you bullied her for being 5’1 the whole time)

however after that it was just polite smiles and a quick hey. skip to August and you have been dragged to a social club by your dear friends(one of them has a huge crush on the singer, and you’re just being supportive)

you didn’t enjoy the the club much but if it was for ankia you’d happily let them drag you anyway. you had been going for three weeks now it had become tradition to go to the club every thursday however this particular thursday mindy gets your attention.

“isn’t that tara from film?” she said pointing over towards the entrance. you glanced up from your phone and turned to the door, and you were consumed by the most beautiful butterflies.

“oh yeah i think it is, i didn’t know she came here?” you replied to which mindy hit you with a simple “me either”

everyone turned back to their conversations and your thoughts were consumed about the pretty girl in the corner.

your phone buzzed in your pocket, taking it out you saw her name.

‘am i going crazy or is that you in buskers?’

you smiled at her text looking over to her, texting a quick ‘i can confirm you are infact not going crazy’

not your smoothest sentence but who can blame you? you were consumed by her.

you went over to her after what had to be about an hour later asking if she wanted to hang out with your group next friday night, she said she’d love to. she never showed.

october comes around and you and ethan are currently wondering round shops laughing and being idiots when you go into the corner shop. you were busy looking at the drinks when he tapped your shoulder.

you look up at him and he points behind you “is that tara?” you turn around and comically there’s no one there so you poke fun and head down that direction.

low and behold that beautiful brunette comes round the corner. “y/n? ethan? hi it’s so nice to see you” and that smile.

you three got caught up in one of the aisles, turns out she works at the shop right near your house, isn’t that a beautiful sign? Ethan invited her to hangout after work which she graciously accepted and so after work you three just walked and talked, you invited her to the halloween party you were having, she never showed.

now was it the smartest thing to invite her to hangout with you and ankia one night in february? no but hey you were happy being a friend to her. (boy arnt you regretting it)

so february 2nd and it’s you three and you hit the arcade and you’re laughing and you’re happy and it works out well and she’s taking pictures of you and putting you on her story and her on yours, so you invite her out again.

you didn’t expect you and tara to get so close but you did and it happened pretty fast and your friends knew about your silly girl crush and your friends would gush about all the signs about how she clearly likes you back.

giving you sign after sign, proof after proof. and god you believed it too you looked into those brown eyes and you never escaped.

and now it’s june 19th and you’re alone and you’re drunk and you told her and all she could say was “i’m sorry.”

and your heart broke a thousand times each shard shattered even further when all you could see was the pitty in her eyes.

you vaguely remember the conversation, it began with you telling her, her saying she could tell you liked her, and her being so genuine and telling you how she’s sorry and how it’s not your fault and she would never let it ruin the friendship.

so why are you sat here like an idiot after being left on delivered for 10 hours after she texted you first.

and you’re left with nothing more than a heart full sorrow, you envy him but you still wishnothing but happiness for her but god were you stuck crying in your room.

you will always be haunted by her.

i changed up the friend dynamic to fit what happened to me a little better not fully just a tad (this is rlly j me getting things off my chest and begging i write a good story out of it)

i wrote this pretty quick thinking of maybe a series with detail ( i left quite a bit out) or even a better one shot lmk what u guys think 🙏💪

[annwrites]

we'll make one together.

— pairing: billy hargrove x fem!reader

— type: ficlet (part of a series)

— summary: billy comes to you with good news, but you don't react accordingly & everything falls apart...or does it?

— tw: suicidal ideation, self-harm, attempted suicide

— word count: 2,970

— a/n: this chapter got a lot darker than i'd originally intended, woops.

— tag list: @stoneyweezin @ganjas-shit

When Billy comes to you that evening, you're waiting for him in the room where you'd made love just the night before. You sit up on the mattress and smile when you see the elated look upon his face.

"Good news, then?" You ask with a small laugh.

He reaches down, taking your hand in his and pulling you to your feet. "A few weeks ago, I started applying for jobs in California—it's where I grew up—and I've always wanted to return. I really...I didn't think I'd ever hear anything back, but an auto assembly line out there wrote that they have a position waiting for me. I called this morning and told them I'd take it. They're willing to pay a portion of my traveling expenses, and apparently there's apartments nearby. After work, I went to a realtor in town and put my house up for sale. I leave in three days."

Your heart cleaves in two.

He steps closer, taking your face in his hands. "Come with me. There's nothing keeping you here. You're eighteen now and free to go. You can leave all of this behind. All of them. I'll take care of you. Let...let me take you away from this place."

He crushes his lips to yours, his body practically vibrating from joy, while you fill with self-loathing, knowing that what you're about to do...you have no other choice.

He has a chance at a new life. One you're sure he's always dreamed of. And you pray to God—if he even exists—that he finds everything he's looking for and so much more.

You just won't be part of it. You can't be.

Because if you are, you will destroy it. That's what you do to every single fucking thing you touch: destroy. Fill it with sickness and disease. Because that's what—who—you are. A disgusting, revolting, broken creature.

This house is where you belong. This town. With those men. They are all you'll ever be worthy of.

You suddenly regret the two of you ever meeting, for his own sake.

At least when he's gone...you'll have something to hold onto. Because when you return home—you know you'll be a walking corpse. A young girl that has died inside—her only source of life and goodness gone. Forever.

You have to save him from you.

You have to.

You must.

You pull back, putting your mask on. You know how to do this. How to play this part. You've been doing it your entire life. And will now never get another chance to stop. You have to become her—this twisted, broken girl. You must make him believe it. Must convince him.

You lean back against the wall, crossing your arms, smirking. "I really fooled you, didn't I?"

His brows furrow. "What?"

You snort. "Do you think men are the only ones capable of creating notches in their belts?" You cock your head to the side. "I mean, we both know I never wanted you here in the first place, but since you refused to leave me the fuck alone just like the rest of them, I figured this time I'd do something for myself. I mean, you're gorgeous, but that's about it. Not even as good of a lay as I'd been hoping for."

Your lip twitches. "Most of you city boys are a soft fuck. I had to go to Scott this afternoon to give me what I'd really been hoping for. Thank God he knew how to give it to me."

He shakes his head. He knows what you're doing, and he's not going to just let go that easily.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

You shrug. "What was it you once called yourself? A washed-up mechanic, right? So...because you were sweet on me, you thought...what? We'd run away together? Maybe get married, settle down in suburban hell, and I'd push out a couple of kids that're just as worthless as you are?"

He bites the inside of his cheek.

You want to drown yourself in the pond. Maybe this time you will.

This heartbreak will be temporary for him. He'll move on, quickly forgetting about you. And the thought makes you happy. He'll find someone new and so much better, so much more worthy of him. He'll have a really good life. You need for him to find that.

You take a step toward him. "I told you before who it is that I love: Scott. What I told you last night..." You shrug again. "Lying comes easily to me when it gets me what I want. And it did. Well, sort of. Like I said, it really wasn't all that memorable."

He shakes his head, glancing away, his eyes stinging with tears.

And you silently plead for him to just go. Please. Please. Don't make me go on. Let this be enough. Let go of me. I'm not worth it, baby.

"You had enough yet?" You ask with a giggle that makes you feel ill.

He looks back to you. "T-this isn't you. Please, stop. Just, angel-"

He reaches for you and you step away.

No, don't touch me. Not that. Or I might give you everything you're silently begging me for with those beautiful wide eyes.

You know you have to strike a final blow. You've never hated yourself more.

"I get it now. Why your mother left. Can't say that I blame her. She saw early-on what kind of kid she was going to get stuck with. So, she did the best thing for herself by leaving you behind. As for your dad..." You pause. "I wonder what drove him to it. What you did to deserve it."

He reels back like you've hit him.

Die. You want to fucking die.

You are the worst person to have ever lived. Evil incarnate. Worthless, cruel, stupid girl.

You deserved what Scott and Joe did to you. What they will continue to once Billy has gone, and you are all that remains.

You hope they kill you.

Because without Billy...you have no reason left to live anyway.

He chokes back a sob and you briefly consider throwing yourself out the window.

Please, baby, just go.

He shakes his head, wiping his cheeks. "I-" He lets out a shuddering breath. "I wanted to give you a new life. I wanted...I wanted to be a safe place for you. Like you told me I was."

"Well, I lied."

He wipes his cheeks again, then looks at you and it takes every single fucking ounce of strength that you have left not to break as you stare back at him. You want so badly to undo it. To make his hurt go away. But you can't. You're doing this for him. It's the only way you'll get him to let go.

"This is what you want? To stay here? All alone? With them?" His tone is that of disbelief.

You settle your hand over your stomach. "There's only one man I want any sort of future with. And now we'll have one."

A lie. You'd taken four tests just to make sure. And you weren't. But if you could make him think otherwise...

His face crumples.

You don't know if you can survive this. If you want to bother trying. What reason was there to do so now?

All is silent for a moment, your heart pounding in your ears the only thing you hear, until he breaks the silence.

"I'll go."

You could nearly cry from relief. You'd done it. You'd saved him.

"Don't let the door hit ya on the way out," you throw toward him as he turns.

His shoulders slump and you watch him leave, listen as his boots slowly thump against the stairs. And when the front door slams closed, you fall to the floor and shatter.

For the next two days, you don't go home. You barely eat. You wander around the house aimlessly—your heart jumping at every small noise you hear, hoping it's him.

You know he's not coming back.

You'll spend the rest of your life standing on the outskirts of town waiting for him to return.

You spend all of your time crying and hurting yourself. You throw yourself against walls until you're covered in bruises. You spend the better part of the first night sitting in the room where the mattress lays, slowly banging your head against the wall until you have a pounding headache. You break furniture. You scream. You cry. You vomit. You smack yourself and pull out your hair and cover yourself in scratches, dragging your nails down your arms and legs. Because you know: you deserve this.

You go to the pond and try to drown yourself. After two gulps of water, you'd emerged, puking everywhere, gasping for breath. Coward. You couldn't even do that much. What right did you have to be alive?

You'd try again in time.

You lie in the tall grass, hoping a snake finds you and kills you, since you seem unable to do the job yourself.

You make a noose out of one of the sheets from the spare room and leave it hanging from the ceiling and you sit there for half-a-day considering, imagining your body swinging from the rafters.

The one thing you were certain of was that if you died—you wanted it to be here.

On the third day, you wake early—before dawn—and you know it's useless, but you return home and pack a bag. You barely pay attention to what you're even shoving inside of it as your mind races.

You consider going to his house, falling on your knees and begging for forgiveness, but you won't do that to him. You won't force him into such a decision with guilt.

You'll leave the choice up to him.

You quickly write a letter, addressed to Joe's wife with no return address and shove it in the mailbox as you hop on your bike for the first time and you race back to the house, leaving the thing on the side of the road as you run through the trees—branches tearing your face to ribbons, but you don't care.

It's morning now, nearly ten. Would he already be on the road, headed west?

You shake the thought from your head as you enter the house, calling his name, racing up the steps...to find every room empty.

You slide your bag off of your shoulders and collapse.

You curl into a trembling, shaking mess upon the mattress, crying so hard you can't breathe.

What had you done? What had you done?

You can't...you can't live like this. You can't go back. Can't live without him. Can't live.

You can't.

"Please come back," you sob, imaging his car speeding away from town, already crossing into another state.

"Please, I'll do anything. I'm s-sorry!" You picture yourself lying beneath them as they tear you apart with their teeth and tongue and cocks and eyes.

You press your hands over your eyes. "I'll do anything. Please come back. Please."

Oh God, what was happening to you? You've never felt like this before. So...utterly terrified. Lost. You were lost.

"Please come back to me," you whimper, ready to stand. To use the noose. To-

"I did, angel."

You sit up so suddenly your head spins, and when Billy takes in the sight of you...covered in bruises and scratch marks...

Had they done that to you? Or had...had you?

You stand, swaying, before running to him, throwing yourself at him, wrapping your limbs around him as your body shudders and shakes from fear and sobs.

He picks you up, wrapping your legs around him as he sinks to the floor, one arm wrapped firmly around your back, the other cupping the back of your head as he rocks you, shooshing you.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

He shooshes you, trying to calm you.

"Please. Please don't go. I'll do anything."

You pull back, reaching down, your hands shaking so hard as you begin tugging against his belt buckle.

He shakes his head, taking your hand in his. "Y/N, look at me-"

You crush your lips to his and then you pull back again, staring at him with wild eyes. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry-"

He pulls you back to him, continuing to rock you. "I'm here. You're safe. I'm here. You're in my arms. It's okay."

You bury your face in his neck. "The things I said—oh God—what did I do?" You stare at him, tears slipping down your cheeks. You begin to shake your head. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it-"

He cups your face in both of his hands. "I know. Angel, I know. I should've never fucking walked out that door. I can't-" Tears sting his eyes. "I'm so sorry that I left you here all alone. How the fuck could I have done that? Did...angel, did you do this to yourself?"

You nod, smiling. Maybe it'll make him happy, to see that you punished yourself from the awful things you'd made him listen to. "Y-yes, I did. I deserved it. I deserved it."

His chin wobbles and he swallows down the lump in his throat at the sight of you so far gone.

He holds you again. "Angel, you never deserved any of this."

Your voice raises in a panic. "The things I said-"

He shooshes you, smoothing the hair at the back of your head. "I know why. Either you were scared of it—leaving. Or just...commitment. Maybe-"

"I had to save you. From me. I-I had to."

His heart breaks further. You'd done it for him. It had nothing to do with you. Not for a moment.

How the fuck could he have left you alone in this house for three days? How?

And he'd nearly been on his way out before he'd slammed on the breaks, the car idling as he considered. He'd told himself to just leave—get out—and let you stay here where you belonged.

And then every moment together raced through his mind. You falling for him, trusting him, opening up, nearly...killing yourself that night not even two weeks ago you had been in so much pain. You needed someone, and he'd found you. And then to just...throw you away like that...?

Just the thought of them holding you down again and forcing you...

He'd thrown it in reverse then, muttering 'fuck this' before speeding back to you. Hoping—praying to God—he'd find you here.

But finding you like this...he should've come sooner.

He just holds you, coddling you, rocking you, shooshing you. Telling you over and over that you're safe, he loves you, he forgives you.

Finally, you begin to quiet, your body no longer shaking in terror.

You'd thought he had abandoned you. He'd never forgive himself.

You'd torn yourself apart literally over what you'd done.

Slowly, he pulls back, looking down at you, your eyes drooping from exhaustion.

"I'm not really pregnant. I'm sor-"

He gently presses his lips to your own; mildly relieved at the news. "Angel, everything is okay. I'm here. And I'm bringing you with me. I'm going to take care of you now."

You lay your head on his shoulder.

"When was the last time you slept?" He asks softly.

"A few days."

He nods. "When we get to the car, you can lie down in the backseat and rest. For however long you want."

He runs his hands along your back. "When...when we get to California, there's only one thing I need you to promise me."

You slowly look up at him. "I'll do anything you say."

He kisses your forehead gently. "Angel, I'll find you a doctor, but you have to promise me you'll go talk to them. You...you need professional help that I can't give-"

You nod. "I...I know."

He lets out a small breath of relief.

"I'm sorry."

He shakes his head. "Everything is okay now."

He goes to stand, sliding your backpack onto his shoulders before offering you his hand, which you take.

He pulls you toward the doorway and then you freeze.

"Wait. I can't leave them."

You quickly step back over to your dolls, placing them inside one another, then turning back to him.

He gives you a soft smile. "Anything else you'd like to bring?"

You walk over, slipping your hand into his. "No."

He considers, wanting to double-check.

And then he steps toward the room you'd hung the sheet in, but you don't manage to pull him away in time and he sees.

He feels sick at the sight of it. You'd decided not living was preferable to the idea of living without him.

He takes you into his arms, burying his face in your hair. "I'm so fucking sorry."

He begins to sob.

You sit in the passenger seat, assuring Billy you'll sleep soon, you just want to watch as the town enters the rearview, permanently left behind you.

You turn to him. "Are...are you sure about bringing me?"

He turns to you, cradling your face in his hand. "I've never been more sure of anything. I won't leave you behind again. I'll never forgive myself for trying to in the first place."

You kiss him gently.

You then turn back toward the windshield. The house is now out-of-sight, but you know it lies beyond the trees. "I think I might miss it."

"Maybe we'll come back one day to see it again."

You grow quiet. For a long while.

"No, I don't think I'd want that."

He nods, putting the car into gear. "Then we won't. We'll go find a new home instead. We'll make one together."

[tell-me-a-tale-that-tells]

TATTOOS

┏━━━━ ☙ ☪ ☙ ━━━━┓

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Eddie is your friend and your crush since childhood. On a hot summer day, you couldn't take away your eyes from his tattoos.

WARNINGS: none, no spoilers, no explicit sexual content, and no vulgar language, just mild nudity I guess?

┗━━━━ ☙ ☪ ☙ ━━━━┛

Chapter 1

It was a very cliche summer day in Hawkings, too hot to do anything and go somewhere.

You and your friend since kindergarten, Eddie Munson, were at your little yellow house in Lover's Lake.

Sitting under the shadow of the porch, you were reading a poetry book while he was on the pier, throwing stones on the flat surface of the lake, making them bounce.

It's better to say that you were pretending to read, a hard task since Eddie, due to the heat, has discarded his black t-shirt, remaining only in his torn jeans.

You couldn't help yourself to watch his pale back, the expanse of white skin in contrast with his dark curls and his muscles shifting and contracting with each throw.

If only you believed in God you would have thanked him for making Eddie Munson that way, you loved him since third grade but It was a secret only you knew, no whispered confessions at pajama parties or to the pages of your diary.

Your book was long forgotten as you tried to take a peek at your best friend's tattoos, sure, you saw them before, but closely only the ones on his right arm.

After a lucky throw, Eddie called you.

"Y/N! Did you see that? It bounced about seven times before sinking! Damn, I'm learning how to do this, sweetheart!" he said turning around.

You thanked your reflexes because, by the time he was fully turned, your volume was in front of your face.

"Oh, sorry Eddie! I was reading a poem" you responded trying to be believable and apologetic.

He melted in a kind smile, and ran a hand between his hair, combing some strands that were sticking to his forehead.

"I hate to ask you, Y/N-" he commenced "but there's a possibility that I could steal one of your father's beers? I'm dying of thirst and he made his best puppy eyes.

The truth is that he doesn't even have to try hard.

"If you're thirsty, drink some water," you said playfully, not raising your gaze from the pages.

"You know? you're no fun Y/L/N" Eddie said laughing.

You closed your book and stood up from the wooden stairs and gestured to him to follow you inside.

He entered your kitchen and leaned against the counter, arms crossed while you opened the fridge looking for a beer.

You couldn't see him, but he was peering at you, the way your tank top raised on your back when you leaned down, the curve of your waist, how those shorts were fitting you well.

Twisting around you found Eddie staring back at you, but your eyes were glued to the tattoos below his collarbone.

A sly smirk appeared on your friend's features.

"You just have to ask, if you want to see them" he teased you.

"I-I just... Sorry, it's that I don't know many people with tattoos and I was curious about yours since the day you got them" you blurted out, embarrassment colouring your cheeks.

"Hey, no need to apologize, come here" Eddie reached out for your free hand, took the beer from the other, and pulled you close to him, the heat of his metal rings made you gasp a little.

You had to restrain yourself from running your fingerprints on the inked skin, wanting to follow the black lines.

"The spider is beautiful" you confessed and it was his turn to blush a bit.

He could almost feel your breath on his heated face and decided he wanted more.

"It's a black widow, one of the most dangerous spiders in the world" he told you, lifting your hand to touch the arachnid legs, to you It was like being electrocuted by a loose wire.

"And this," he said moving your fingers lower "it's a demons head"

"Creepy' you commented, leaving out a chuckle and he followed.

You were about to step away when a question crawled into your mind, so you lifted your head, watching shyly Eddie in the eyes.

"Do you...have any others?" you wanted to know so badly.

You saw his face reddens and his pupils dilate, while a sly grin played on his face.

Still guiding your hand, he trailed down his chest and abdomen, stopping right at his belt.

"Yeah, but only pretty girls get to see 'em" he whispered placing your chin between his fingers.

"Oh" you said almost disappointed.

"So I guess it's your birthright to see them" he grinned before letting you go and taking a big gulp from the beer bottle, locking I'm his eyes with yours.

You remained frozen to the spot as he passed by you, heading from the stairs to the first floor.

"So? Are you coming or what, isn't your room upstairs?' he called.

"Hell, yes" you murmured before sprinting to him.

──────⊱⁜⊰──────

Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated. If you have a request for a fic just drop me a private message and I'll write it for you.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

44 turning into 45 with Will Miller for the kisses prompt. I just love him… need him.

*I'm not currently taking any more prompts from this list

Prompts: Tentative kisses given in the dark; Kisses exchanged as they move around, hitting the edges of tables or nearly tripping over things on the floor before making it to the sofa, or bed.

Warnings: Smooches

The summer evening heat was hell, and the blackout interrupting the barbecue hadn't brought the mood down the way you'd expected. Of course, hanging out with a group of ex-Delta Force members meant that they were much better prepared than a lot of your friends would be. Before you knew it, there was a fire going in the fire pit. Most of the lights in Will's house were off to preserve energy while they could—considering they were all armed to the hilt with flashlights.

"I'm gonna go grab another beer. Anyone want?" You offered, standing. The chorus that answered made you cackle. "I'll just bring out a couple of six-packs. Should I grab a cooler to keep them in?"

"No point, they'll be gone before they need to be cooled," Ben laughed. You nodded, standing and heading over to the patio door.

"Hang on!"

You turned at the call, smiling as Will jogged after you, flashlight in hand.

"Right," You chuckled. "Thanks. Forgot."

"Sure."

Your fingers seemed to tingle as they brushed against his. You avoided his gaze, dipping your head as you hurried inside. You slid the door shut behind you, hearing woos and teasing coos from the guys, chased by Will's grumble of shut up.

It had been a long-running joke that you and Will looked after one another like an old married couple. And sure, you cared about him, just like you cared about the rest of the guys, but Will was a little different.

You just seemed to get one another. You could spend hours with him in comfortable silence, trade glances in crowded rooms that contained entire conversations. Things with Will just felt right and easy...Until of course you tried to make things romantic. The two of you seemed able to bridge all other gaps, but this one seemed just a touch too wide. You opened Will's fridge, frowning when you didn't see any beer. Maybe you'd gone through all of that you had up there...Better check the basement.

--

Will's basement was as neat as the rest of the house, so it wasn't difficult to navigate, even relying on the beam of the flashlight. You looked around, eyeing the wide, plush couch that was the group's go-to for movie night. You looked at the bookshelf next, smiling at the photos of Will and Ben in their uniforms, standing beside their parents. You reached out, gently thumbing over the photo before you turned around.

Now where was the mini-fridge again—

"Shit," You groaned as the flashlight flickered, then died. You whacked the back of it a couple of times, but to no avail. Damnit, where was the light switch? Then again, maybe you could feel around for the mini fridge and just grab the beer. You set the flashlight down on the bookshelf before you reached out, taking slow, careful steps.

Your heart leapt into your throat as you heard the thud of footsteps coming down the basement stairs.

"You okay down here?"

"There wasn't any more beer upstairs. Did you bring your flashlight? Mine died."

"So that's what's taking you so long."

"What did you think it was?"

"...I wasn't sure if you heard what the guys were saying."

Your stomach twisted as you continued to feel along the wall. "It was nothing that they haven't said before, right?"

"...Right."

"Right, so—I mean I didn't really hear-it hear-it, but I've heard it—Oh!" You went still as you bumped into something—well. Someone. Will's hands steadied on your hips as your hands found his chest. You swallowed thickly, face heating. It was a boon that he couldn't get a good look at you.

"I um...I'm guessing you didn't bring a flashlight," You mumbled.

"I don't need one. I know where everything is."

"Right." Your fingers flexed in the fabric of his shirt, your skin prickling with the heat and unmoving air of the basement. "So you...Know where the fridge is."

"Yeah...Does it bother you?"

"Why would I be bothered by you knowing where your fridge is?"

"No, smartass," Will chuckled. "I mean what the guys say. Does it bother you?"

"It's just talk. I've heard worse from all of 'em." You blink into the darkness. "Besides, what they say isn't so bad."

"No?"

"Nn-nn."

Will's hands slid along your hips, drawing you a little closer.

"Can't say I mind it myself."

"You don't?"

"No."

You felt the brush of Will's breath against your mouth, his nose nuzzling against yours. You tipped your chin up just a little, lips skimming against his. You raised a hand to cup his cheek, as his arms curled around you, drawing you more firmly against him.

You hummed softly as he began to steer you back in slow steps, trading slow, syrupy kisses. You grunted as you felt the sharp edge of the coffee table against your calf.

"Sorry," Will muttered.

"S'okay," You breathed, waving backward blindly until you felt the back of the couch. You turned Will, nudging him down. You heard him huff as he landed on it before his fingers skimmed over your sides, pulling you down with him.

At any other time, in any other circumstance, you'd gripe at how crushingly hot it was without being so close, but right now it felt like the two of you couldn't get close enough. Will's hands slid covetously over your body, dipping just under the hem and teasing your sweat-dampened skin. You fisted your hands in his hair, swiping your tongue across his parted lips.

The click and whir of the house coming on again jolts the two of you as the power comes back on. You both went still, the kiss breaking nervously. You could hear the guys cheering as the fairy lights come back on in the yard. You bit your lip, a wave of self-consciousness rising as you felt the full weight of Will's gaze on you. When you met his eye, you melted a little. You dipped your head toward his again, catching his plush lower lip between his teeth and giving it a little tug before letting it go.

"The guys'll come looking soon," You mumbled.

"Probably."

"Give me ten seconds to put the six packs at the top of the stairs and shut the door."

[izzytheloser12]

~~~♣~~~DCMK incorrect quotes Pride addtion~~~♠~~~

Shinichi: What are you in the mood for? Kaito: World domination. Shinichi: That's a bit ambitious. Kaito: You are my world. Shinichi: Aww… Kaito: Shinichi: Kaito: Shinichi: OH.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Ran: You have to apologize to them Sonoko. Sonoko: Fine! But I must warn you that this might make me a better, nicer person and that is NOT the person you fell in love with!

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Akako: I don't know how to tell you this, but… I love you. Aoko: That's great, Akako. Especially considering the fact we've been married for 6 fucking years.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Hakuba: Look, last night was a mistake. Heiji: A sexy mistake. Hakuba: No, just a regular mistake.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Sonoko: Relationships should be 50/50. Ran cooks us dinner while I sit on the kitchen counter looking pretty.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Heiji: Shinichi isn’t answering his phone Kaito: I’ll call Heiji: Ran and I have both tried six times each, what makes you thi- Shinichi: Hello? ~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Sonoko, bursting into the room: You two are having sex! Ran, not looking up from their book: Really? Kazuha, why didn’t you tell me? I would have put my book down.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Heiji: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives. Hakuba: I wake up at 4:30 AM every day. Heiji: I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives.

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~ *a group of reporters are following Yusaku around to try and get a report about a fake scandel about him*

News reporter: How does it feel to be the most hated man in japan?

Yusaku: Listen in a country full of neanderthals i wear it as a fucking badge of honor

Shinichi behind him: what about the rumors that you kissed Kuroba Toichi?

Yusaku blushing: WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT!????

~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Shinichi: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine. Kaito: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again. Shinichi: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns?? Kaito: Is it working?

~~~~~~♠♣~~~~~~

Kaito: There are 20 letters in the alphabet, right? Shinichi: Nope, there's 26. Kaito: Ah, I must have forgotten U, R, A, Q, T. Shinichi: Aww, that's cute, but you're still missing one. Kaito: You'll get the D later ;). ~~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~~~

Hakuba: Did it hurt? Heiji: When I fell from heaven? Hakuba: No, when you fell down the stairs mere seconds ago. I literally saw you curl up into a ball and start crying.

~~~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~~~

Kaito: When I said you should try being friendlier this isn't what I meant. Shinichi, stirring a cup of tea aggressively: Oh, so now I'm TOO friendly? There's no pleasing you. Toichi, who broke into their house an hour ago: Two sugars please. Shinichi: Coming right up.

~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Ran: It’s Pride Month, you know what that means! Shinichi: I get to eat as many Skittles as I want? Ran: What? No! What has Sonoko been telling you? Sonoko, walking in, pouring Skittles into her mouth: Taste the rainbow, bitch.

~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~

Kaito: I promised Shinichi that I wouldn't do anything illegal.

Haibara: why would you lie to your husband like that?

~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Akako: She is my love, my light, the woman that I want to be with for the rest of my life. Aoko: Hey Akako, wanna bet on how many warheads I can eat before I die inside? Aoko: I truly am in love with this woman. ~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Kaito, admiring a sleeping Shinichi: You’re so cute

Shinichi, sleepily: I could beat your ass.

Kaito, lovingly: I know

~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Kazhua: What was that noise?

Ran: My shirt fell.

Kazhua: It sounded louder than that.

Ran: …I was in it. ~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Hakuba: Is something burning? Heiji: Just my love for you. Hakuba: Heiji , the toaster is on fire

~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

Kaito (to Shinichi): Sorry I told you about my trauma do you still think I’m hot

~~~~~~~♣♠~~~~~~~~

[graciegoeskrazy]

and too much racket

matty healy + teen!daughter!r (ft. george)

warnings: r does drugs!!!, nothing in graphic detail, mentions of mattys addiction, yelling, crying, shit ending but cute?

a/n: mention of a specific drug that starts with a k that i can’t fully say so inside the street name cuz i don’t want tumblr banning me even do its weird cuz they block my angstyfluffy healy things but there’s litteral prn on thier site anywhooooooo im a lover not a fighter. thx to anon who requested! had to do research cuz ive never done drugs aeha

The house was quiet. He was anticipating another night alone in the house while you were out with friends. The silence was broken by the sound of a call. He snatched up the phone and answered it immediately. 9 times out of 10 it was just you checking in or saying hi.

“Hi, baby. Everything okay?”

“Mr. Healy?” The voice on the other end was hesitant, unsure. Most importantly, it wasn’t yours.

“Kate? Where’s y/n?” The worry in his voice intensified, his mind racing through all the possible scenarios.

“Mr. Healy, we’re getting ready to drop y/n off. Are you home?”

“Yeah. Why? Is she okay? Is she that drunk?” He laughed a little at the thought. He knew you liked to drink on occasion and sometimes even use weed and he was usually fine with it as long as you were being safe and called when you needed him. He always said he would drop anything in a heartbeat.

“No, she’s not drunk. She’s...high...on something that...isn’t weed.” Kate’s words hung heavily in the air, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

“What? What was it, Kate? You can tell me.” His voice was laced with confusion and urgency.

“I don’t know. She left the room awhile ago, said she was going to the bathroom, but when she came back she was clearly on something. Something a lot stronger.”

“Oh god.” He ran a hand through his hair, his mind spinning.

“Somebody said she had mentioned Ket, but I don't know where she would’ve gotten it? We don’t do that type of stuff—I barely drink!” Kate’s voice cracked, the fear and confusion palpable.

“I know, I know, Kate. It’s gonna be okay. Where is she now?” He forced himself to stay calm. He could tell your friend was starting to panic even more.

“She’s asleep in the car. We just left.” Her voice softened, the exhaustion and worry evident.

“Alright, bring her here. Drive carefully. We’ll figure this out.”

As the call ended he sent frantic texts to the only other people who he knew loved you almost as much as he loved you, begging them to come over. George, residing the closest, knocked on the door not even 10 minutes later, worried about the vague text Matty sent. Ross came in not long after, with Adam, Carly, Charli, and Jamie all trailing from behind. He explained everything he knew, and before they knew it a knock sounded at the door.

—————

Your heart pounded as you stepped out of the car, your breath coming in short, panicked gasps. You couldn't believe Kate had brought you here, to your own house. You barely remembered getting in the car. Now - you were wide awake. "You brought me to my house?!" Your voice shook with disbelief.

Kate, her face a mask of concern, tried to reach out to you. "It’s for your own good, Y/n. We called your dad, he’s gonna help—"

Your eyes widened in horror, and she took a step back in fear. "You called my DAD?!?!"

Kate flinched at the volume, "We were just trying to help, Y/n."

"Well, just stay out of it—" You shot back, voice breaking.

The front door swung open, and Matty stood there, his face set in a grim expression. "Y/N," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Living room. Now."

You felt a surge of defiance but knew better than to argue with your father when he was in this state. "Dad—"

"Now," Matty repeated, his voice stern.

With a final, furious glance at Kate, you stormed past her and into the house.

Kate’s eyes filled with tears as she confronted your father, filled with worry and guilt. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Healy! I should have kept a closer eye on her-”

“It’s not your fault, Kate. We’ll get through this.” He managed a small, reassuring smile before turning his attention back to y/n.

Matty followed her inside, closing the door behind him with a heavy thud.

You were met with most of your aunts and uncles as soon as you walked in, mentally groaning and rolling your eyes. The room is tense. You glance around, taking in the faces of family and friends, all summoned by your father. Their presence only amplifies your frustration. You turned to your father as soon as you heard his familiar footsteps grow closer.

“You called everyone?!” you exclaim.

Matty’s expression is stern, unyielding. “We need help with this one, babe”

“Oh my god— I got high one time. I need some water and Advil, not a fucking intervention,” you retort.

“Sit down,” Matty commands, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Reluctantly, you drop onto the couch, your arms crossed in defiance. Matty takes a deep breath, steadying himself. “Weed and a couple of Trulys are one thing, y/n, but this?!”

You roll your eyes, a gesture that seems to cut through the tension like a knife. It’s a bold move, especially aimed at your father. Even in your age of defiance, you never once dared to act like this in front of your father. He doesn’t flinch, his gaze piercing as he presses on. “Where’d you get it?” You shift uncomfortably, weighing your options. “Tell me. Now,”

You let out a resigned sigh. “A friend—”

“What friend?” Matty interrupts, his patience wearing thin.

“She was prescribed it for her anxiety or something,” you explain, trying to maintain some composure. “Now she’s just been dealing it to people.”

The room remains charged with tension, but a different kind now, more personal, more painful. You sit, feeling the weight of your father’s disappointment. The silence hangs heavily before Matty finally speaks again.

“Those girls were scared, y/n. You should’ve heard Kate; she was terrified! I could hear it in her voice,” Your dad says, his voice strained.

“She’s fine,” you reply dismissively.

Matty’s eyes narrow. “You better pray they forgive you.”

“Oh my god— it’s not that big of a deal!”.

“You scared the shit out of ’em, love!” Matty’s voice rises, echoing through the room.

“You think everything was fine after I quit? I lost friends, y/n. I almost lost every single person in this room, and I probably would’ve if I hadn’t gotten my act together.”

“Well, good for you. You’re doing so great now,” you retort sarcastically, the bitterness evident.

Matty’s expression shifts from anger to confusion. “I just don’t understand what caused you to act out like this?”

“Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the fucking tree,” you shoot back, your voice trembling with barely contained emotion. He knew what you were referring to. They all did.

“Y/n!” George’s voice breaks the momentary silence, his tone a mix of shock and reprimand.

“Take it back,” Matty demands, his dangerous. “Take it back right now, y/n.”

“You can’t be that surprised, can you?” you challenge, meeting his gaze without a flinch..

“You heard of the things I went through!” Matty’s voice cracks, a raw edge to his words.

“Are you kidding? I fucking saw the things you went through! The things you put me through!” Your voice rises, the anger and pain you’ve held back for so long spilling out. “The nights you chose that shit over me! The weeks and months you left me with George because you were too high or too irresponsible to take care of me! Your daughter!”

The room goes silent. Matty’s face is a mix of guilt and helplessness, but it soon turns to anger. “Go upstairs,” Matty finally says, his voice barely above a whisper.

You stand up, your movements brisk and fast, and head towards the stairs. Each step feels like a mountain, the weight of the confrontation pressing down on you. As you reach your room, the door closes behind you with a soft click, cutting off the world outside.

—————

The next morning, you wake up to an empty house. Your father and George must have left early for the studio, leaving you alone with your thoughts. The silence is heavy, a stark contrast to the tension of the previous night. You sit on the edge of your bed, the events replaying in your mind, and decide to call George.

After a few rings, he picks up, voice chipper. “Well, look who’s up and out of her intoxicated state!”

You roll your eyes, though a small smile tugs at your lips. “I called to ask how your day was going, not to hear about my mistakes.”

“Awe, she cares!” George’s voice is teasing, but there’s warmth in it too.

“I always do,” you reply softly, the sincerity clear in your tone.

There’s a brief pause before George speaks again, his voice a bit more serious. “Your dad misses you. Won’t stop moanin’ and groanin’ about his girl.”

“You sure he’s not talking about another girl?” you ask.

George sighs. “You both said things you regret, babe. Fix it. Whatever is happening right now, it’s not worth it.”

“I know,” you admit, the guilt gnawing at you. “Thanks, George.”

“And if you ever do that tom-fuckery again, I will have your head in an old-fashioned guillotine.”

“Noted.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then you muster the courage to say, “I never said thank you for taking care of me then. So…thank you. For everything.”

George smiles a bit. “Just doing my duties as best uncle.”

“Hm.” You smile.

After hanging up, you sit quietly for a moment, absorbing the conversation. George’s words echo in your mind.

Later that day, you hear the familiar sound of the front door opening. Matty’s voice calls out, filled with tentative. “Baby girl? I’m home.”

You rush out from where you’ve been anxiously waiting, tears already streaming down your face. As soon as you see him, you crumble into his arms, mumbling through your sobs. “I’m sorry I mess up and I’m sorry for the things I said and the things I’ve done and I’m sorry you’re stuck with me and I’m sorry that I’m not the perfect kid but I really try to be and try to be that perfect kid for you and for everyone but it all just got a little much and I was trying to make things better and be an adult I guess and I got carried away and I’m sorry Daddy I’m just so sorry.”

He smiles, trying to hide his laugh at your words and ranting. He wraps his arms around you tightly, his voice soothing. “It’s gonna be fine, baby—”

“No it’s not,” you interrupt, your voice cracking with the weight of your guilt. “I messed up, I messed up bad. I made a mistake.”

“A mistake which you will never make again, correct?”

“I promise,” you whisper, your tears soaking into his shirt.

“Good. You’re not perfect, y/n. And thank god you’re not. Do you know how horrible I would feel if I had a perfect child? God, I could never keep up with you. You are smart and funny and so charismatic, and if it weren’t for you being my child, then you might have been perfect…” The tension starts easing. “But I don’t care,” Matty continues, his voice tender. “Because you are mine, and that’s all that matters to me.”

“I love you,” you say, your voice steadying as you look up at him.

“I love you most... but I will throw you in a river if you do that shit again,” Matty replies, a teasing glint in his eyes. Now, maybe, just maybe, healing can begin.

[not-5-rats]

People were making me cry with the angst yesterday (I'm so proud 🫂), almost made me feel bad (almost)

So here have a 100% pure, totally cute, purely fluff/comfort questions/scenarios post :3 (with lots and lots...and lots of writing, I rambled I'm sorry)

1) (follow up from last time when Chez yelled at Bug)

It had been a couple of hours since the issue, Chez had been sat in his room feeling like a shit person the entire time until he decided he would do something as an apology

Bug went to their room to have a minute alone, and on their bed they spotted something. It was a parcel wrapped in brown wrapping paper, along with an envelope, both addressed to them in rushed, yet readable, writing

They sit and open the envelope, inside there's a letter that reads;

'*Bug*

I know this may be overstepping, and I know you may wish for me to simply leave you alone right now but I knew that I had to apologise. What I said, the way I said it, both things I regret. I understand that you were simply trying to help and that I was unreasonably harsh and very hurtful with my words. I don't expect you to forgive me straight away, I know I wouldn't, but I just hope this shows you that I did not mean what happened, I am unspeakable levels of sorry and I don't want out friendship to be ruined by this

- Chester'

Putting down the letter they open the parcel to find a cardigen/jumper (wtv they prefer) hand stitched, diamond pattern with shades of their favourite colour. But wait...there's more, it was wrapped around a small tub which contained their favourite snack

What does your bug do?

2) It was a nice day outside so your Bug decides to spend some time in the garden, as soonas they step out the door though they hear Chez calling on them

"*Bug*! *Bug*!!! Come see!"

He's knelt beside a flower bed where loads of small pink flowers with sharp petals had bloomed, he seemed very proud

"They're Dianthus', native mainly to Europe and Asia but a few species are found in North and South Africa. This colour is the most common, though the shade can range and there is one species that has purple petals with yellow centers. They symbolise boldness and were used in- sorry that was uncalled for"

He fell silent, his smile faltered slightly, it was clear he had alot more to say but it was also clear he was embarrassed about talking too much

What happens now?

3) What's your bugs comfort item(s)?

4) Chez decided they had been in the house too long so were dragging any bug that he could to the library, your bug being one of them. Which library? Well the one belonging to his oldest brother (Felix) of course

The Bugs had all been around a table each reading their own book, some complaining but others seeming pretty peaceful. Then Felix came over, he asked Chez to go help a staff member sort out some returns and as soon as he was gone Felix leant on the table

"Okay who wants to hear embarrassing stories from when Chez was little? Might even have photos for some of them"

Who amongst you is a traitor? /lh

5) What's their idea of a perfect day?

6) If they wanted to relax where would they go & what would they do?

(Yes ik I said alot, sorry lol)

Tags -

@puffin-smoke @rozeliyawashereyall @willowve01 @asmrbrainrot @kaiamtt @iistxrmyskyii @insignificant-anarchy @stxph-artist @aspenm00n @keyaartz @fangsshadow @rustycopper4use @piffany666 @dreamyshape @idontevenknow7878 @lunaritychuwolf @littlesiren79 @castbracelet240 @strayharmony943 @proxdragon @tiefling-chaos @threeweekinsomnia @recated @wilderrorcard @diamondzoey @fennaboysenberry @lunnats @lightdragon789 @pinkcocopuff-aqualoid @itsargyle @astralbulldragon13 @ccstiles @aces-oceans

[catiecat1320]

Double Update for posting day!!

Chapter 2 out of 11!

@sthbigbang :)

Read Below 🔽

Thump, thump, thump.

Shadow rapped on the door gently, exactly three times as he always does. Could he have rung the doorbell? Perhaps. But he always found a pleasant satisfaction from knocking, the sound tickling the musical part of his brain that loved to hear the varying noises different doors gave. If he’d listened carefully enough, he could hear shuffling inside as he ran his fingers along the crevices in the design, the smooth wood warm to the touch.

The moment was brief however, as Vanilla swung the door open in a haste, mouth puckered into an O-shape. “Shadow! Oh my, I knew I was forgetting something. Come in, come in.” “Is there something wrong?” Shadow murmured worriedly as he bent over and worked off his boots. Vanilla let out a breathy laugh, just bordering on a sigh.

“Oh, no, nothing wrong. Cream is just staying late at dance today,” she smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I completely forgot to cancel her piano lesson. If you’re willing to wait, I’ll head out to pick her up soon. You’re welcome to make yourself comfortable.”

“I can wait,” Shadow accepted, shifting his work bag off his shoulder and laying it on the floor. But before he could sit down on the couch, his ear flicked, an indication of trouble that he had learned to trust. He surveyed his surroundings before sniffing the air tentatively. The aromatic smell of Vanilla’s cooking wafted from the kitchen and hit his nose. Ah. She must have forgotten about that, too. “Do… do you have something on the stove?”

“Oh, dear.” The rabbit hurried back through the house, her pleated dress swishing with every step. The troubles of a mother, it seemed, were catching up to her. Shadow could sympathize; it took a lot of effort to look after someone, and with all of Cream’s ambitions, it would only get harder to keep up.

The click of an oven door snapped him out of his thoughts as Vanilla slid what she made out. Watching her scurry around the kitchen, he checked the clock that hung on the wall and called, “Ma’am, would you like me to pick up Cream for you instead?”

Brown eyes softened in both gratitude and relief. “If it isn’t too much trouble?”

“None at all.” 

Two minutes later, Shadow swung his leg over the seat of his motorcycle and strapped on his helmet. Glancing back down at the pick-up authorization slip, he committed the address to memory and tucked the paper in his pocket, starting out for the Rose Dance Academy.

………………………………

Warm air blasted his face as he pushed open the grand glass doors. As he took in the sights of the lobby, Shadow’s eyes narrowed— there wasn’t a receptionist at the desk, a sign stating “Press button for attention!!” in cheery sharpie in their place. 

Said button was nowhere to be seen.

Muttering a few choice words, he let out a sigh and attempted to find the device while not disturbing the notably messy desk. His efforts yielded no results, unfortunately, and he could only conclude that it’d been misplaced or taken. 

Curses. He’ll have to wait, then. He found himself wandering around the lobby, stopping here and there, his patience drying up as the minutes ticked by. Eventually, he came to study the awards displayed in the stretching glass case, arms folded against his chest, tapping his elbow idly… hold on.

Shadow had come to learn himself well over the years, and he’d discovered that he had talents that he couldn’t explain, one of which was the innate ability to recognize music before he’d even realized he’d heard it. Most of the time, it started with a tap to the beat— assuming that now was one of those times, his ears perked up, swiveling to pinpoint the source. 

There. A melody, though muffled relentlessly by many walls, had managed to creep up on him. This should make things more interesting.

Surveying the lobby once more, Shadow decided that a decision was in order. No one seemed to be coming any time soon, and his curiosity was growing the longer he listened, quickly eating up what was left of his dwindling patience. Tearing a sticky note from the pad on the desk, he scribbled down his name and intentions, stuck the paper to the authorization slip Vanilla had given him before leaving, then eyed unfamiliar halls wearily.

Might as well. 

He set up his little note against the sign, figuring that it was eye-catching enough to be seen, in  case the receptionist decided that right after he left would be the perfect time to come back. Quietly navigating the foreign building, he supposed it was pretty enough. Many, many pictures hung on the walls, displaying everything from past performances to individual students, but the sharp black frames jumped out against soft pink too much for his liking. Design choices weren’t his business, though. 

Sensitive ears guided him toward the sound of music. As he got closer, it became clearer, and he could make out the lively sway and a couple voices that accompanied the tune. Their words were indiscernible to Shadow, but an educated guess told him it was probably instructions for the students. 

His destination lay near the end of the building; or at least, what he assumed was the end, for the hallway seemed to just loop back around to the lobby. He could feel vibrations humming through the off-white door and within his body.

As he raised his fist to knock, he was overcome with the inexplicable feeling that something was about to occur. The kind of feeling that grabs you by the neck and whispers in your mind, the kind that makes your hackles raise and your body shiver.

Bile rose in his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut, chasing the feeling to the depths of his consciousness. It was, unfortunately, a familiar sensation. He hates it. Couldn’t explain why he’d feel this way, or what caused such to happen other than that usually it was correct.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he shook himself out of his thoughts and knocked. No time or need for worry. The building was secure after all, his instincts were probably thrown off by the foreign location. 

Once, twice, three times, sharp and effective, on beat with the music seeping into his ears, the music that his mind latched back onto almost desperately. 

The door clicked as a beetle swung it open in a hurry, pale face flush with embarrassment. A quick look at the badge pinned on her pink blazer revealed the reason— this was the missing receptionist.

“Oh, my,” she muttered, shutting the door behind her so they could hear each other. "I'm so sorry, sir. I—”

Shadow stopped her apology with a wave of his hand, itching to get to the point. “It’s quite alright, ma’am. I’m here to pick up Cream, is she in this class?”

“Cream… Cream! Oh, yes, she’s here,” the receptionist— Jewel, if her name tag was to be believed— smiled awkwardly. “Do you… have an authorization from her mother?”

“Yes. I left it on the front desk,” he replied. The comment, though innocent, carried an unspoken message that caused the beetle’s cheeks to flare again.

“Um, right. They’re… in the middle of something, however, if you could wait? You can go in, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Shadow nodded in acceptance. Taking it as a dismissal, Jewel skirted around him with an “Excuse me,” her heels clicking on the floor as she hurried down the hallway.

The metal door handle was cool in his grasp as he turned it, so carefully that the noise it made was inaudible against the commotion inside. Perhaps he could have even gone undetected, if not for several things happening at once:

One, Cream spotted him immediately, perking up like someone had pulled the chain on a lamp. Everything she had been doing was forgotten in favor of bouncing over, calling everyone’s attention with an excited “Mr. Shadow!”

Two, he wasn’t sure whether it’d been planned or if his interruption caused it, but the music stopped, followed by the announcement that they were taking a break. Too late, he realized it was a familiar voice.

Three, he locked eyes with someone he was hoping not to see for the next hundred years.

The charismatic emeralds of Sonic the Hedgehog glittered with an emotion unknown as Shadow received Cream’s eager embrace. The black hedgehog could feel blood rushing to his head as prior events ran through his head like an embarrassing YouTube compilation. What was he doing here?

Unfortunately, his unvoiced question was not answered. The only thing he received was a faint smirk that decorated the dancer’s muzzle as he acknowledged Shadow with a wink. 

Dammit. He’d hoped for a second that the idol didn’t recognize him.

A tug on his sleeve caused Shadow to look down, taking his attention away from Sonic. “Mr. Shadow! Meet my classmates! And Miss Amy!”

The kids all waved at him politely, murmuring hellos that blurred into one incoherent mass. They seemed… a bit afraid, but he could understand— he didn’t necessarily look the friendliest. Someone in the little crowd piped up, “That’s your piano teacher?”

It seems Cream had taken the liberty to tell everyone about him beforehand, though he wasn’t sure when or to what extent. He wouldn’t be surprised if she’d told them all she knew. 

The bunny nodded vigorously beside him. “Yeah! He’s the best piano player in the whole world!” 

Shadow flinched. What? 

He supposed he couldn’t blame Cream for thinking such. She was a child after all, and this town probably made up her entire world. Usually he would accept the wholehearted but innocently exaggerated comment with understanding, but this time… 

Throwing a glance at the idol standing in the corner, hands on his hips, he’d cocked his head curiously at Shadow, the corners of his mouth quirking in amusement. “That may be a little stretched, Cream,” the musician stammered, giving her lopsided smile.“There are plenty of amazing piano players out there— some of them better than I.”

Cream just narrowed her eyes at him, cheeks puffing up with air, firm in her conviction that the best was standing in front of her. “But I think you’re better than all of them,” she declared, and unfortunately for Shadow, the kids seemed to take her word over his.

“You haven’t heard all of them play,” he tried, but his attempt to divert their attention was in vain.

“Well I have!” Sonic announced, strutting over like he owned the world, eyes twinkling with something akin to mischief. He cheekily waved at the pink hedgehog sitting before the studio’s piano, watching this mess unfold. “Scooch, Amy, let’s see what this guy can do.”

Amy let out a soft huff, offering an apologetic smile before adhering to the idol’s words, and suddenly Shadow was stuck with two options: one, play the piano and embarrass himself; and two, run out of the room and also embarrass himself. 

(He supposed he could also just say no, but that’d be even worse.)

Silently sighing, all eyes were on him as he sat down at the piano, because logically, it was the better option.  After all, he was here for Cream, and she wasn’t going to leave until he saw this through.

In his peripheral vision, the kids were ushered to sit in one spot, Amy standing guard to make sure there were no distractions from his performance while the idol stared him down with those sharp emeralds of his. Perfection. This was turning out like one of his college music assessments.

Locking eyes with Sonic, he hoped to translate just how peeved he was with expression alone. Alas, either the dancer didn’t catch it or didn’t care. “What piece do you want me to play?” 

The blue hedgehog cocked his head, a thoughtful expression painted on his face for only a second before he shrugged. “Eh, don’t have a request. Play whatever’s your favorite,” was the response, which was not helpful at all. Shadow couldn’t say he had a favorite piece. There were only ones he liked slightly better.

But if he had to choose…

Ave Maria, the piece he knew best. He’d played it from the moment he had the capacity to, learned it through and through for the one that declared it hers. His sister… she’d asked him to play it all the time, and he could only comply, even after her words could no longer be heard.

Gently laying his fingers on the keys, Shadow threw a glance at Sonic before starting. Allowing muscle memory to guide him, any lingering tension was all forgotten as he dropped himself into the depths of the melody.

Music was special to him in that way. It soothed him like nothing else could. There was never a doubt that he would become a musician; it had been his passion since he played his first note. There was something magical to the way it opened a world of its own that drew his heart close, and he couldn’t begin to imagine where he would be without it.

Ave Maria was beautiful on its own, but the added history ranked it as the most important song in his life. He was glad he’d picked it. As he approached the end, he made a mental note to teach this piece to Cream someday. She loved melodies that gave off the feeling of this one, and he was certain she was ready.

Oh, how she reminded Shadow of himself when he was her age.

He finished with a flourish, his hands hovering above the keys as he let the remaining sound fade. It seemed that the rest of the room was lost, completely and utterly silent as if they were expecting him to continue.

…Did they expect him to—?

“Wow,” one of the kids chirped, and the spell was shattered. Everyone burst into applause, Cream’s the loudest as she beamed with secondhand pride, smiling brightly at Shadow.

“Thank you,” the pianist whispered, cheeks warming from the way little faces turned toward him with genuine awe. But the real question on his mind was… “So? What did you think?” He asked, trying to hide his nervousness from his judge. Sonic hadn’t moved an inch, seemingly staring off into space.

“What do I think? …well, I want to work with you,” he announced after a second, whipping out what looked like a business card. He scribbled something on the back before extending it to Shadow, pinched between two fingers like it wasn’t the most mind breaking invitation he could give to a largely unknown artist. “You, you interest me. There’s something special about the way you play that I don’t find often. What do you say?”

Shadow stared at him, eyes wide and unblinking. His mouth moved, but no words came out, leaving him gaping like a fish. He… what?

Sonic just giggled at his shock, shaking the card at him flippantly. “Well, hot-shot? This is an amazing opportunity, if I do say so myself. Fame and glory and whatnot, even if you don’t stay for longer than one show.” He leaned in closer, tapping the pianist on the forehead and causing him to flinch. “Hurry, mister. I have somewhere to be!”

Finally breaking out of his trance, Shadow clamped his jaw shut and slowly reached up. As soon as he had the card between his fingers, the dancer dropped his arm, throwing a mock salute and prancing out the door with a “Bye guys! See ya!” 

Before he disappeared down the hallway, he half-turned, leaned back with insane balance, and grabbed the door handle. Winking, he swung the door shut in a very dramatic fashion, pausing right before the slam and quietly clicked the thing in place.

It wasn’t until several minutes later that Shadow realized he was still sitting there, frozen at a piano that wasn’t even his. Amy had dismissed all her students already, leaving Cream staring at him awkwardly, waiting to go home like the rest of the children. Undoubtedly, she’d tried and failed to snap him back to Earth. 

The pink hedgehog reentered, and upon seeing Shadow’s gaze on her, she flashed a sympathetic smile and walked over. She whispered something in Cream’s ear, to which the bunny nodded and left the room.

“That Sonic… What can I say, he’s a special one.” Amy rests a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “He has a wild sense of humor. Likes to catch people off guard. It’s something you get used to.”

“Uh-huh. I hope,” Shadow muttered in response, still dragging his mind out of the haze. He stuck the card in his coat pocket, sucking in a breath through gritted teeth. “I… I’ll have to get him back.”

Amy smiled and shook her head faintly. “Good luck with that. And good luck working with him. He’s a self-proclaimed difficult person… personally I think it's just a persona.”

“Does he… is he serious?” Shadow murmured, still unable to believe what just happened. It felt like an elaborate prank.

“Yes.” Jade eyes held a kind of sincerity that he rarely ever saw. “This is one thing he’d never ever kid about. If he wants to work with you, he means it. Your social status or whatever doesn’t matter to him as much as who you are as a person. If he sees something in you, well, you must be someone special, Shadow. And you’d better believe it.”

Having said her piece, Amy straightens and claps her hands together. “Again, good luck. Despite how outgoing he seems, it’ll take some work to get through him. But once you do… he’ll be the best friend you could ever have.” 

She… had so much faith. Shadow’s not the type of person to accept offers easily, but this… could he even refuse? This was the opportunity of a lifetime. 

(It dawns on him that this must be what his gut tried to prepare him for earlier. Damn.)

The rest of the day passes by in a blur. He could tell you what happened during those hours; Amy asks him for his number, he gives Cream a shortened piano lesson, Vanilla insists he stay for dinner, et cetera. But if you were to ask him the details? The only thing he could really say was how he laid on his bed, not even bothering to get under the blankets, turning that card over and over in his hands. 

Was he really special?

[incandesang]

i wrote an (incomplete) list of everything wrong with lestat de lioncourt. take this knowing it is a work in progress.

- mommy issues

- daddy issues

- 18th century aristocrat

- religion hops like trisha paytas (thank u anne. i will not become catholic u will not defeat me)

- french

- was a misogynist until the 20th century

- wanted to be a priest

- theatre kid

- cries to get attention

- won’t shut the fuck up about the fact he killed a whole pack of wolves when he was in his teens. that was 200 years ago please try to accomplish something else cool

- his accent is fake. he just puts on a parisian french accent. he’s from the fucking sticks he did not speak parisian french until he was 19 and then only lived in paris for like 2 years max. his accent is FAKE.

- doesn’t stick to his own morals and then makes excuses abt it

- once ate an old lady and had a crisis so bad that he almost died

- canonically op bc anne wanted him to be her mary sue babygirl

- blond cis man

- SERIOUS self esteem issues that he has to get everyone involved with

- has an existential crisis that nearly kills him at least once a decade

- rock star outfits weren’t slutty enough (thanks ANNE.)

- hasn’t had a sense of identity since 1780!!

- too committed to the bit actually

- absolutely fucking delusional (so i can fuck whoever i want 🤨 of COURSE 🤡 of course. 😤of course. 😨as long as you come home to me 😃 of COURSE 🥲)

- got murdered by a five year old at one point

- sees any hot miserable guy and thinks that’s his soulmate INSTANTLY

- had two glasses of wine on a date and then proceeded to scream cry about the inevitable heat death of the universe

- doesn’t know what a fork is???

- canonically into public humiliation and degradation. u cannot bully lestat at all it will just turn him on

- drank the blood of christ

- went down on his girlfriend on her period (hysterically crying the whole time he did it) while his friends watched (she didn’t orgasm. he was having too much of a crisis to actually give her a good time)

- ate a used pad.

- i JuSt LoVe BeiNg caLLeD A sLuT i DoN’t KnOw whY i JuSt dO

- set louis’ house on fire (all these people do is burn each other’s shit please just talk like adults)

- has no hobbies other than ‘get into dumb trouble’

- dated the world’s first terf

- is, according to the world’s first terf, a culmination of everything that is wrong with men

- described his dick with ‘priapus at a gate’ when he wanted to subtly brag abt how big his dick was. right after being told he was the culmination of everything wrong with men

- was confused when human dicks weren’t always erect (are vampires ALWAYS hard?? if anne wasn’t dead i’d ask her but alas)

[the-voice-of-night-vale]

social anxiety can be really funny in retrospect bc it will have you saying shit like 'is it weird to call a doctor's office and schedule an appointment?"with 100% sincerity and panicking about it as if that's not the silliest thing in the world

[fingertipsmp3]

Had THE funniest dream last night

[arcticbonobos]

sometimes im like "man, why is my mental and physical health so bad rn" and then i remember i havent taken my meds in like a week