#no one yells at me to stop reblogging cats

[raepritewrites]

I've got people with good taste following me, I know this because you guys also like cats

[softspiderling]

think you're a genius (you drive me up the wall) | r.c.

summary: it wouldn't be an outer banks party if there wasn't at least one fist fight. also, rafe is trying to turn over a new leaf.

pairing: rafe cameron x reader

word count: 3,8k

warning: mention of blood, violence (reader gets punched in the face, but there are no graphic details), shitty topper (sorry top)

author's note: long awaited (at least by me) rafe fic, whoop whoop!!! no usage of Y/N, happy reading, don't forget to reblog!!! also tagging @sunderlust bc i borrowed some of our conversation in this fic😘love you sol

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“Since when do you drink beer?”

Barely pausing at the words, you continued to stack cold beer cans in your arms, the condensation dripping onto your skin. You didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to, having heard it so many times. And this was his house after all.

“Wasn’t aware you kept track of my drink of choice,” you retorted, turning around to face him, while simultaneously trying to balance the cans.

Rafe raised an eyebrow at you before his gaze lowered to the beer in your arms. “… You trying to tell me that all that beer’s for you?”

“You calling me a lightweight?”

The corner of Rafe’s mouth ticked up and he took a sip from his drink, the ice clinking in the glass.

“I think we both know I’m not.”

If someone had told you that one day you’d be standing in the parlor of Tannyhill, having a mostly civil conversation with Rafe you’d have them institutionalized. But things have changed. When Sarah returned with the news that Ward has died protecting Sarah, Rafe imploded at first. Blaming her for his death, the downfall of their family and generally being ungrateful for Ward’s love for her.

Everyone avoided the Cameron estate for a while, hearing stuff crash and yells from a mile away. No one dared to step close. A few days after, the disturbances stopped, being replaced with complete silence.

It was so silent, you actually grew concerned until Rafe turned up at Heyward’s setting up a weekly grocery delivery. Pope had dumped the stuff he was holding as soon as Rafe had stepped into the store, storming outside, with Cleo hot on his heels, leaving you to set up the standing order.

“Can you tell Sarah I’m sorry?”

“What?”

You looked up from the register and Rafe clenched his jaw, giving you a look.

“You really gon’ make me say it again?”

“How about you call her yourself instead of making me deliver your message like a post boy?”

Rafe exhaled deeply, knitting his eyebrows together like he was really trying not to explode and honestly, you had to respect him for that. You know how impatient he could be.

“I tried, okay? Don’t you think I’ve tried? I’ve tried to call her, she’s not picking up. Fuck, I don’t even know if she still has the same phone number,” he said, like the words physically pained him. “I don’t even know where she’s staying. Is it at John B’s new place?”

Somewhere between his words, Rafe had started pacing up and down the stairs, making you antsy.

“Hey,” you said, coming around to slowly, carefully - like you were trying to pet a stray cat - curl your hand around his wrist. Rafe immediately stopped, eyeing his wrist where you were touching him.

“Sorry, I’ll take my hand off,” you quickly said, but before you could, Rafe stopped you.

“’s fine,” he muttered, meeting your eyes for a second before looking away again. “Physical touch grounds me… Y’know… When my thoughts get too… Much.”

You swallowed thickly, nodding at him and staying in place, for god knew how long, until Rafe had seemed to calm down.

“Thanks.”

“Sure.”

You drew your hand back, crossing your arms over your chest and leaned against the counter to put some distance between you and him, wildly overwhelmed with this situation. Rafe didn’t seem like he knew what to do either, turning his ring on his finger, his eyes cast on the floor.

“If you really want to apologize to Sarah,” you started, making him look up. “Maybe I can talk to her. Ask her if she’s willing to meet up with you.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow at you, clearly surprised. “You’d do that for me?”

“Don’t let it get to your head. I’m mostly doing it for Sarah,” you scoffed and Rafe only smirked, shaking his head.

“Sure, tough girl. Gonna ring me up now or what?”

Rolling your eyes at him, you returned to the cash register, finishing up his order. You still felt his eyes on you as you worked away.

“Thanks,” he finally said, and you lifted your head, briefly meeting his eyes.

“Don’t mention it.”

And he never did.

Miraculously, you had managed to get Sarah to agree to talk to Rafe and while you had accompanied her to the beach, where she had met up with Rafe, you stayed behind to give them privacy. You weren’t sure what they had talked about, but you didn’t press her about it either when she came stomping back to you with tearstained cheeks. Whatever they have talked about must have helped though, because even though Sarah still stayed with John B of the the times, she went home every odd night, returning with sandwiches and drinks the next day like a soccer mom. It went unsaid that Rafe had provided her with everything and Sarah avoided talking about him, mostly because Pope still got that distant look in his eyes whenever she mentioned her brother. Which is why you were surprised that he was the first one to agree to go to a party Rafe had invited Sarah to, forwarding the invite to her friends.

“What?” Pope had said everyone gave him an odd look. “He stole a family heirloom of mine. The least he can do is invite us to a party of his.”

“Okay then,” JJ jeered, beating on Pope’s back with his opens palms. “Let’s go to a Kook party.”

You had to admit that it was nice to see that the two tribes of the island coming together. The fact that Pogues were invited to a party on Figure 8 was huge. Granted, it was just you and your friends, but still. It was a start.

Loud cheering from outside brought you out of your thoughts, you and Rafe both looking towards the dimly lit backyard, where the main attraction of the party took place.

“JJ and John B are destroying a group of Kooks at Rage Cage right now,” you then explained, lifting the beer in your arms. “Hence... You know.”

“Right right, I was starting the wonder what all that yelling was about,” Rafe mused.

“So how come you’re not out there?”

Rafe shrugged. “Needed some quiet.”

“What, you having your private party in here?” you teased and Rafe smirked, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Why? You jealous?”

You rolled your eyes, shifting the beer cans in your arms, the weight slowly getting to you.

“In your dreams, Rafe,” you scoffed. “I got to go, get these beers to the boys before they’ll get warm. You should come down, when you’re done brooding and shit.”

Throwing your last words over your shoulder, you returned to your friends, being welcomed with loud cheers as the empty cups get filled rather quickly. You dropped down into your empty chair, taking your drink from Kiara who had been holding onto it during your absence.

“Pope was about to send a search party because you were taking so long,” she said and you gave Pope a look over the brim of your cup.

“You’re such a mother hen. I was talking to Rafe.”

“Why the hell were you talking to Rafe?”

“You talked to Rafe?”

“Jesus, guys relax,” you groaned, leaning your head back. “He’s fine. He didn’t even do anything. We just talked.”

“It’s never just anything with Rafe,” Pope muttered.

“I get that,” Sarah started, rolling her empty cup in her hand. “But he’s different.Like… He regrets a lot of the thing’s he’s done and trying really hard to make up for his mistakes,” she paused, pressing her lips together tightly. “I’d be the last person to defend him, but I feel like he’s trying to turn over a new leaf.”

Before Pope was able to list all of the bad things that Rafe has done in the past, your conversation was interrupted, angry yells ringing over the music.

“So now you’re just all buddy buddy hanging out here, huh?”

The new voice wasn’t really new and everyone looked at Sarah, who paled, slowly pushing herself up from her chair, looking towards the disturbance, the rest of the group following her.

“Shit. What the hell is Topper doing here?”

The sudden intrusion of a rather inebriated Topper had immediately tanked the relaxed and laid back atmosphere; suddenly, everyone was tense, not daring to make a move in fear of making the wrong one.

“What? Aren’t we here to party?” Topper cajoled, waving a half empty bottle of whiskey around. “Let’s get rid of these Pogues and party!”

The rest of the Kooks looked between themselves, not really wanting to follow Topper’s request but also not wanting to defend your friends. Even if they just had fun together, the Kooks wouldn't go as far as openly defend Pogues, you knew that.

“You should leave, Topper,” John B said, his hands curling at his sides, which was fair, honestly. Even though you had rebuilt the Chateau, bigger, better and most importantly more fire resistant, Topper burnt down John B’s home. His safe space. Topper only widened his eyes at John B comically, snorting.

“Who are you to tell me to leave?”

Sarah pushed herself to the front, pressing herself to John B’s side, which was probably not the smartest thing she could have done, as it only aggravated Topper even more to see her next to John B. You and the others stood right behind her, ready to step in as soon as it escalated.

“Leave, Topper,” Sarah snapped at him. “Nobody invited you.”

“Yeah, as far as I know, you don’t even live here anymore, Sarah,” Topper said, spitting out her name like it was venom in his mouth.

“I didn’t invite you.”

You hadn’t even noticed Rafe having joined you, not really standing on your side, but not on Topper's side either. Suddenly, the tension had grown even thicker and by now, you realized this could go wrong in about a 100 ways.

Topper stared at his friend, mouth agape, before he collected himself, pulling a face.

“Seriously, Rafe? Weren’t you the one who told me that I’m better off without your bitch of a sister and now you’re taking her side?”

“Watch it, Top,” Rafe only said, not even moving an inch.

Not that he had to. Everyone knew what Rafe was capable of, if he was angry enough. Topper only narrowed his eyes at his friend, weighing his options.

“Topper, just go,” Sarah yelled, walking towards him for good measure, trying to offer some sort of olive branch, but Topper only pushed Sarah roughly, causing her to stumble to the ground.

“Jesus, fuck, Topper,” you snapped, rushing to get Sarah back on her feet again, making the fatal mistake of getting between him and John B, as you received a sickening punch to the side of your face.

“Fuck!”

“Holy shit, Topper are you insane?”

You had toppled over your feet to the grass, not having expected the punch at all. Disoriented, you touched your throbbing cheek, your fingers stained red when you looked at them.

“Fuck,” you moaned, feeling like you were about to pass out. Your friends quickly crowded around you, helping you up.

“Shit, girl, you alright?” Cleo asked, carefully pushing your hair to the side to assess the damage.

“Is Sarah okay?” you only asked, pausing to spit out some blood, leaning on Cleo, your legs still shaking.

“Dude, I’m fine!” Sarah said, wrapping an arm around you, still shaking herself.

Your vision was still dizzy, and the voices were not helping, but it seemed like most of the party goers had dissipated as the argument had started. As your eyes adjusted, you could just see Rafe holding Topper by the collar of his shirt and saying something you couldn’t quite understand, before he tossed his friend on the ground. Topper didn’t take long to get back to his feet, fleeing from the scene.

Rafe turned around, his eyes scanning over you before turning to Sarah.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a bruise,” Sarah said, her eyes fixated on you. “But you should definitely get checked out. I can't believe Topper punched you."

“Come on, I got a first aid kit upstairs and some ice for the swelling.”

Rafe reached out to grab you under the arms, but Cleo was reluctant to let you go.

“Maybe I should help.”

“Seriously?” Rafe asked, incredulously and you only watched with narrowed eyes, your reaction time still limited.

“We should just take her home,” Pope chimed in, grabbing you by the shoulder gently, jostling you around.

“Guys, I’m gonna be sick if you keep handing me around like a joint,” you groaned, shutting your eyes, in the hopes of making the dizziness better.

“Pope, it’s fine. Rafe’s not going to hurt her. And he knows a thing or two about patching up wounds,” Sarah said, Pope’s grip on you loosening.

“Fine. But you even look at our girl funny, and you got another thing coming, you hear me, Rafe?”

“Yeah yeah, I got it,” Rafe grunted.

You peeked an eye open, when your friends let go of you, Rafe looping his arm around your shoulder, pausing to look at John B. “You got Sarah, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about her.”

Rafe nodded his head in thanks, before leading you towards the house.

"Hey, just call if you need anything!" Kiara called after you, which you only replied with a weak "Okay!", your focus on putting one foot after the other. Rafe had his arm around your waist, taking most of your weight.

“Can you walk alright or do you need me to carry you?”

“If you pick me up right now, I will vomit on you,” you moaned and Rafe snorted.

“Right, and neither of us want that.”

It took you guys an embarrassing amount of time until you reached the house, since you kept making Rafe stop because you thought you were going to throw up. When you finally walked inside, Rafe lead you upstairs, instead of steering you towards the living room.

“Where are you taking me?”

“First aid kit is in my bathroom,” Rafe replied, mostly supporting your weight as you climbed the stairs.

“Ugh, your bathroom? Am I gonna get infected with herpes or something?”

“Is it the smartest idea to insult me in your position right now?” he asked dryly, and you almost sighed in relief when you reached the second floor.

“Just take me to your bedroom Rafe.”

“Alright, Princess,” Rafe sighed, a hint of exasperation in his voice as he guided you to his bedroom, carefully depositing you on the bed. While he went to the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit, you took a second to catch your breath, hoping the world would stop spinning.

Rafe returned with the first aid kit, moving slowly so as not to startle you. He set it down on the bed and then looked at you, concern flickering in his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah," you mumbled, pressing a hand to your throbbing cheek. "Just a little dizzy."

"Right." Rafe opened the kit and began to rifle through it, pulling out a bottle of disinfectant and some cotton pads. “This is probably gonna sting,” he warned you.

“Do your worst.”

You managed to flinch only slightly as the cool, yet burning liquid hit your skin, with Rafe’s surprising gentle touch as he cleaned your wound. He put a small bandage on the cut, before sitting back to inspect his handiwork.

“I’ll go grab you some ice for the swelling,” Rafe then said, standing up. “No dozing off, though, a’ight?”

Without waiting for an answer, Rafe left the room, leaving you by yourself yet again. Even though he explicitly told you not to doze off, you laid down on the bed, figuring that it might make the pain a little less bad. As soon as your head hit the pillow, Rafe’s scent engulfed you, and you weren’t sure if you lying down in his bed was too... Intimate? Then again, he was the one who had left you in his bedroom by himself. Before you could sit up again, Rafe reappeared in the room, holding a bag of in his hand, an unreadable expression on his face as he took you in on his bed.

“Sure, go ahead and make yourself at home,” he huffed, but you could see the frown on his face. Rafe sat down on the bed next to you, carefully wrapping the ice bag in a small towel and pressing it against your bruise, his other hand cradling your face. Despite the ice on your skin, you felt your cheeks heating up.

It was odd. You’d never have expected that Rafe could be able to be so gentle, so caring, and you suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him.

“What’d you say to Topper?” you blurted out instead, breaking the silence. You reached up to hold the ice bag, and Rafe pulled his hands back, raising an eyebrow at you.

“What?”

“After he hit me. What did you tell him to make you leave?”

Rafe sighed, leaning back a bit, staring at the wall as his eyes hardened. “I reminded him of what he did to me when I… Hurt Sarah. Asked him if he was willing to beat me to a pulp for my sister, what he thought I’d do to him for hurting her.”

His eyes flickered back to you.

And you.

You let out a breath at the pregnant pause, scared he’d say something he couldn’t take back. Something real. Maye you had been flirting with him, but so what? There was no harm, they were just words. Right? But admitting something real? That was a whole other story.

“Who would’ve thought Rafe Cameron could be so nice?” You said instead, a teasing lilt in your voice.

Rafe snorted, shaking his head with a laugh, the moment dissipating. “Yeah yeah, don’t get used to it. It was a one time thing.”

“Right, right, we wouldn’t want people to think that Rafe the Kook prince actually has a heart.”

“Does that make you the Pogue Princess then?”

“What?” you asked, flushing. “Where’d you get that idea? That’s obviously Kie.”

“Come on,” Rafe huffed, rolling his eyes. “Kie’s half Kook. And don't even start with my sister. Sarah’s… Half and half, at least.”

You eyed him in amusement. It was clear that he’d spent a good amount of time on that analogy.

“What about Cleo?” you asked, humoring him.

“Ehh. She would’ve made a good Pogue princess, too bad you’ve already taken the spot,” Rafe said with a shrug. “Pogue Princess. Flirts with everyone, heart of gold, never hesitates to get right between a brawl to help out a friend and to call people out on their bullshit…. Should I continue?”

“Please don’t,” you laughed, pressing the ice bag to your cheek. “You’re talking shit out of your ass right now.”

“I’m talking shit out of my ass? You’re the one saying everything that comes to your mind to stop yourself from kissing me right now.”

What?

“What?”

You never thought he’d actually say it out loud. Mention the elephant in the room. The tension you had been trying to ignore all this time. The silence that followed was deafening as you tried to find the right words, your heart beating in your chest.

“In your dreams,” you muttered hotly, repeating your words from earlier in the evening, looking everywhere but at him. It didn’t take long for Rafe to grab you by the chin gently, forcing you to look at him, his eyes piercing yours.

“In my dreams, yes,” he said quietly, inching so close that his warm breath was fanning across your face. “What about yours, princess?”

Gaping at him, speechless, you knew you didn’t have long until Rafe would take your silence as rejection. Your mind was racing, but ultimately, you leaned in, closing the gap and finally kissed him. Rafe let out a soft grunt, dropping his hand from your chin and cupping the back of your head instead to press even closer to you. The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate, as you finally admitted the attraction you felt to another, but you pulled away, when you felt a tad too dizzy.

“Right, shit,” Rafe cursed, knitting his brows together, examining your cheek. “Got too carried away.”

You flushed, handing him the small ice bag, that was more or less a bag of water now. Rafe dumped it in the trash next to the nightstand, before turning back to you with a smirk.

“Took you long enough.”

“Shut up,” you huffed and Rafe only grinned, pushing your hair out of your face, where it stuck to your wet cheek. You leaned in for another kiss, only for Rafe to stop you, holding you back.

“Nuh-uh. You get better first. Next time, I want you to get dizzy because of my mouth and not because you just got punched in the face.”

“You sound real confident there will be a next time,” you pointed out.

Rafe sighed, faux-exasperation. “Princess, don’t act dumb, it doesn’t suit you. You really think I’ll let you go after you’ve professed your love for me?”

“After I did what?” you shrieked in laughter, and Rafe only laughed. It was nice seeing him laugh for real for once, not the smarmy, smirk he used to do. After your laughter subsided, your pursed your lips, serious.

“You know my friends won’t take this well, right? Especially Pope.”

Rafe ran his hand over his buzzed hair, exhaling softly. “I know. But I won you over, didn’t I? Rest will be a piece of cake.”

“I’m serious, Rafe.”

You gave him a look and he leaned down, clasping his hands in his. “So am I. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I have been trying to make things up to him, to Sarah. To everyone. It might take a while… And I don’t blame him.”

“As long as you’re aware…. Now, can we get back to kissing?”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?”

Pushing your lower lip forward, you pouted at him. “One kiss.”

Rafe stared at you for a hot second, frowning. “Fine. One.”

But when he leaned down to give you a chaste kiss true to his words, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of you.

"Jesus, are you trying to kill yourself?" Rafe hissed, but you only cackled, almost taking your bandage off in the process.

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author's note: pls leave a comment/reblog/like if you liked it🥹

[flamingpudding]

Ghost Hunting Vigilantes

Ouija Board Prompt Idea Continuation...? Maybe!

Follow up part directly to this: Ghost Hunting Vigilantes #2

A/N: You guys are awesome. Comments and Reblogs gave me so much inspiration I ended typing this down during Lunch Break. Also I just might have wanted to image Tim going all out on the ghost investigation, I blame watching to many TFIL Overnight videos...

You would think that as Ghost King Danny would be able to learn from his mistakes, and he really could learn from his mistakes but for some reasons, this was something he was not learning from as he floated above the vigilantes curious. He wasn't going to mess with them again, Lady Gotham had beat that into his skull at least. Not like he did the first time but apparently the old city spirit was rather protective of her 'knights'.

Still their first meeting had gotten the Ghost King curious. It wasn't just about the matter with the Red Hood Guy, something he had promised Lady Gothom to take care of as compensation once he figured out what was up with him. But these guys seemed to have gotten an interest in ghost communications now.

So a couple weeks later he was floating invisible once again above them watching the RR Teen - by now he had learned that RR stood for Red Robin and he had snickered at the realization that his hero name was also the name of a Dinner - was laying out cat balls all around the room before setting up some other devices.

The Kid, Robin, was sitting cross legged and arms crossed on the ground and looked very grumpy. Danny could hear the kid mutter something about Pit Demons and that they should get rid of them instead of trying to communicate. The kid had yelled that before and Lady Gotham had never explained that in her lectures about how he should treat her 'knights'. What were Pit Demons? Was that a ghost variant his kingly tutors had failed to tell him about? If they were his subjects and tormenting humans he would need to deal with them, before the GIW became aware of them.

The one in blue, Nightwing if he remembered correctly, was laying out the Ouija Board again at the same place it lay last time. Danny noticed that the guy was looking at the board with curious confusion and for a moment the Ghost King wondered if he had left some traces on the board when his own ectoplasm soaked it.

"Think that ghost will appear again?" The girl in purple was also there again and next to her was another girl dressed in darker colors. Spoiler and Orphan according to Tucker and the city spirit.

"It's a Pit Demon. Stop calling it a ghost." Robin cut it glaring heated at them all. Danny muffled a snicker. The poor kid was definitely not very good at handling the ghostly things but by saying the Ghost King was Pit Demon the kid appeared to be braver about the whole situation these vigilantes were 'investigating' and setting themselves up for.

"I am more worried that Replacement got scammed buying all these things." Red Hood huffed as he was turning around and looking at a controller-like thing in his hands. Danny floated closer looking over the tall guy's shoulder. The thing had five LEDs in different colors and EMF Meter was written on it. Huh, was that thing like the Fenton-Finder? Well his parents had to get the idea for their inventions from somewhere.

A high pitched beep resounded in the room and all eyes turned to Red Robin who was finishing up setting a small box with an antenna. Danny recognised this one from online ghost hunting videos Sam has made him watch as a joke, a REM Pod. Oh so all the stuff they laid around the room including the cat balls were options for him to use? That was pretty nice of them considering the first time they were just playing around with a Ouija Board.

"We are all set up and good to start." Red Robin said as he stood up facing the rest of the vigilantes proudly and Danny arched an eyebrow. "We can now investigate if this 'ghost' is a Pit Demon or has anything to do with the Lazarus Pits or Water and what they want here in Gotham! I missed out on getting a sample last time but hopefully they will be willing to give me one this time."

The Lazarus' what now? Danny blinked at the teen stunned. He had only played a joke on them and Lady Gotham had already sorta punished him for it. If getting hit by a ghost club and lectured on knightly etiquette counted as punishment, which in his opinion did. Why were they making such a big deal out of this anyway?

"Don't we need to… like open a veil and introduce ourselves?"

"No."

"Oh come on Baby Bird. We have to be polite."

"Says the fucker who secretly attempted to use the Ouija Board behind our backs." Red Hood grumbled turning on the controller in his hand and nearly dropped it as the LEDs all started to glow and it let out a long drawn out beep. Danny blinked at it, he was still floating around the tall guy's shoulders.

"Fuck! The hell is with that thing?"

"Oh! Oh! The ghost is already here!"

"It is a Pit Demon."

All the vigilantes suddenly looked a lot more on alert, Danny held back a chuckle as he floated away from Red Hood and over to Nightwing. The LEDs went down to two and Danny suppressed a hum in curriousity. Did Red Hood have a signature that thing was picking up on? Was the guy a halfa in the making? He didn't appear to have any of the signs Vlad had told him about once.

"Hey so are you the one we talked to last time?"

Seeing the board as the closest thing to communicate by him, he reached out and moved that wooden piece to YES. The vigilantes looked among themselves and Danny floated over to the kid that started nervously playing with a cat ball that had been placed near him, wondering if he could send out like a calming aura for the kid.

Lady Gotham hadn't needed to hit him that hard, seeing the kid now made the Ghost King feel guilty for scaring the poor boy the way he did. Even if he didn't know what all that Lazarus Stuff was about yet. He mentally noted that down, maybe Clockwork, Pandora or one of the annoying Observants had an idea.

"So are you a Pi-"

"Are you okay?" Nightwing cut in, interrupting the question Red Robin was going to ask and Danny blinked. Huh that was new. It's been a while since anyone aside from his sister and best friends asked him that.

He floated towards the RR teen and he lightly touched the REM Pod's antenna, it let out a different pitched beep than it had before causing the teen that stood by it to jump up and turn around staring at it with wide eyes. "I didn't touch it!"

Spoiler rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't, Mr. Ghost did."

"The ghost could be a girl for all we know."

"It's 16."

"The voice we heard last time sounded like a male teen though."

"It is a Pit Demon, it most likely lied to us."

Rude, Danny didn't lie. He picked up one of the cat balls, it started instantly lighting up because of the movement, and lightly threw it at the kid that caught the ball on reflex. Wide eyed they all stared at the still blinking ball. "Did…. did the ghost just fucking throw that at Demon Brat?"

"I only ever saw in videos how ghosts lightly touch it to make it blink. I have never seen a ghost throw it like that."

Danny snickered into his hand to muffle it. Robin suddenly dropped the ball like it had burned his hand glaring at nothing as his eyes wandered over the room. "Show yourself Pit Demon!"

He floated over to Nightwing and the Ouija Board again, passing Red Hood who was still holding the EMF Meter that hit all five LEDs for a moment and beeped when he passed by. Making the tall guy jolt and stare down at it. He swiftly moved the wooden piece to NO.

After last time and the beating Lady Gotham gave him with her ghost club, he was not going to show himself. Not even with a little ectoplasm-avatar blob form. Okay maybe he will later on, when he was sure they wouldn't suddenly start attacking it again. He didn't see any of his parents' weapons with them but he wasn't going to risk it. Considering what Red Hood had said earlier, Red Robin might have bought some more stuff he had not shown or laid out yet.

"I demand that you show yourself, Demon!" The kid was pulling out his katana looking ready for a fight.

Now that was rude. Danny was a half ghost. Not a Demon. They were an entirely different species. Sure they were sort of a part of the Infinite Realms but like Ghost are formed from ambient ectoplasm, strong wills and emotions. Demons were like a living breathing species that needed to eat actual food like humans and not entirely made of ectoplasm.

Danny didn't move a single finger to respond to Robin's demand, silently scoffing.

"They are not ghosting us now are they?" Nightwing carefully asked after the silence had dragged on. Red Robin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear if you made them leave, I will not include you the next time we investigate this 'Pit Demon' as you call them."

"Come on guys! We can't give up now. Maybe we can call them back?" Spoiler added, Orphan next to her nodded enthusiastically.

"This thing is still glowing on two LEDs." Red Hood added holding up the EMF Meter for the rest of them to see.

"So it's still around?"

"Probably."

There was more silence and an idea sparked in Danny's head as he suppressed a snicker and carefully floated over to the REM Pod making sure to avoid Red Hood and not alerting the thing in his hand. He crouched by the box, studying it for a little bit and making sure not to touch it to accidentally set it off too soon.

"It's been too quiet. Are you sure it didn't leave?"

"Still on two LEDs."

"This demon is a coward."

"You're not making it better Baby Bird."

"We should have gotten Signal to come too. He probably could have told us for sure if they are still around or not."

"Maybe we should pack up and try another time again?"

"But we didn't even get the ghost's name!"

Taking this as his que to give a sign of 'life' from him again, Danny touched the REM Pods antenna with a certain rhyme in mind. He wasn't hitting the notes correctly but the pitches were different enough from each other that these vigilantes would recognise what he was doing.

They jumped at first at the sudden noise until slowly realization dawned for some of them. The girls started to laugh after a moment and Red Hood also chuckled with the realization. Nightwing didn't look exactly ecstatic but he did seem ready to burst out laughing. Robin looked rather confused and annoyed and Danny wondered if the kid had any meme knowledge while Red Robin groaned but then appeared to smile in good humor.

Once Danny stopped playing with the REM Pod, Red Robin walked over to a table and put the case under it on top. He opened it and placed a raidio looking like thing on the table as well as a camera with a screen on it.

"Now, Mr. Ghost. I know you have a voice we heard before but you seem to appear to prefer not talking to us directly and whatever made you talk last time doesn't seem to be around tonight. So I have a spirit box and a SLS Camera additionally prepared here." Red Robin switched on the 'radio' and it started making white noises filtering through radio channels, he turned back towards the room holding the camera up with the screen facing the teen. The other vigilantes also appeared stunned by how prepared Red Robin was. Danny could only blinked as he realized that Red Robin was pointing it directly at him and for a second he wondered if that thing was actually picking up his movements or if it only picked up static or blurred images like the cameras back at home that were not old film.

"Let's have a talk this way, shall we?"

-Seriously?- Danny muttered making sure he was using ghost speech so they wouldn't hear him only to slap his hands in realization over his mouth as the Spirit box statically repeated his words understandable for them.

Wide eyed he stared at Red Robin who grinned triumphantly at him, he was still invisible at least... right?

[mangocustard16]

Seventeen’s reaction to you not recognising them when drunk ♡

| genre:fluff

| warnings: mentions of drinking, pet names, cursing, lmk if i missed something

| w.c: 0.7k

| a/n: please reblog if you enjoyed, feedback is always appreciated✿

performance unit version | hip-hop unit ver.

Hoshi:

Seventeen had just clinched a prestigious Daesang award, and you were out celebrating the hard-earned victory with the group.

the night begins with celebratory drinks, as Hoshi's friends convince you to join in the festivities.

and that's it you guys were out, partying hard celebrating your boyfriend's success

although Hoshi had been there too to make sure you didn't go overboard 

what caught him off guard was your unexpected assertion of not recognizing him

"Get your hands off of me you pervert!"

he was shocked, to say the least

but gotta admit, he felt kinda proud seeing you stand your ground and not let some random guy touch you, even if that guy happened to be him.

You turned to Seungkwan, seeking validation and asking him to confirm that this person is not someone you know.

to which Seungkwan awkwardly laughs, caught in the middle of the situation

"Babe, I'm your cute boyfriend"

"Then tell me something only my boyfriend knows?" you question him

He raises his eyebrows and motions you to come closer 

"one time you tried to challenge me to a dance battle, but it turned into a clumsy stumble, and you ended up on the flo-"

you put your hands on his mouth to stop him from revealing that embarrassing story

"Okay, okay! you're definitely my boyfriend"

Jun:

Despite being your boyfriend, Jun finds you unable to recognize him while heavily intoxicated.

the boy is pouting and is offended af

"Come on, shake it off," he said trying to grab your arm to get you out of the club

what caught him off guard was you landing a punch square in his stomach

Jun visibly grimaces, feeling the impact of the punch to his rib

"I know how to box sir, so you better keep your distance," you said walking away

At this point, Jun has no choice but to wait for you to head home by yourself, all he can do is follow you home making sure you get there safely

he woke up the next morning with a huge bruise on his side and for the love of god you couldn't remember a thing 

"Where did you get that bruise from baby?" you asked innocently

The8: 

he tried to play like he was actually hurt by you not recognizing him, but, man, he thought it was so darn cute

he would listen to you ramble about everything in your life, from how your new cat was constantly attacking others to how much your boyfriend loved you

"You know, my boyfriend wanted to name the new cat Pumpkin, but he looks so much like an Oreo, we almost fought but in the end, we named it Oreo"

"Your boyfriend treats you so badly, why would he fight with such a sweet girl like you" Minghao played along

"NOOOO! my boyfriend is the sweetest person in the whole world, don't you dare talk shit about the love of my life," you warned your new friend showing shoving your lock screen of you and Minghao together in his face

He'd chuckle and mumble something along the lines of, "How am I not supposed to love you"

Dino:

Dino got a little pouty when he realized you couldn't recognize him

all he wanted was your affection, but you wouldn't let him touch you, leaving him slightly disappointed

"Babe come on let's go"

"No I don't know you please stop following me, mister" you yelled

poor guy 

he's chasing after you trying to convince you that he's not a threat, in fact he's your boyfriend

"I'm your loving BOYFRIEND babe, do you not recognize me?"

"Why won't I recognize my own boyfriend you creep? Stop following me around." you'd say, slapping his hands away

You took out your phone and called your boyfriend trying to explain that a creepy man was following you around

Dino handed you his ringing phone, showing it to you to convince you that he was indeed your boyfriend.

"Babyyyyy!!! you should've come sooner" you exclaimed, throwing yourself on him, wrapping your arms around him

"I'll always be here for you love," he said shaking his head before planting a soft kiss to your forehead.

@kflixnet @k-labels

[airbendertendou]

safety [of a killer’s arms]

gender neutral reader. no killer in mind so they/them pronouns used. killer is bigger / taller than reader [bc they're a lil monstorous it makes sense in my mind]

synopsis : an unnamed survivor [he/him] makes you feel sour - for lack of better words. one trial, you find yourself running to the murderer instead of away.

if you have a blank blog [no bio, no user, no header or profile pic, nothing reblogged, etc] do not interact with my content. you will be blocked.

he always made you uncomfortable. sliding up beside you at the campfire ; his hands lingering when he patched you up ; sly nicknames that made your skin crawl. with a gulp, you flinch as the generator you’re working on finished, lighting up the spot you were hiding at.

taking in a deep breath, you stand and slowly observe your surroundings. the lack of a heartbeat and chilling feeling of being watched was absent — you were safe for now. you tread along carefully, eyes peeled for any sudden movements.

“[name],” the hairs on your arms prickle just at the sound of his voice. you don’t turn — you only continue moving forward. “we’ll be safer together. come stand with me.”

you ignore him. lips parted, your breathing struggles to steady as panic starts to build up. you can hear his feet shuffle behind you ; he’s starting to speed up to catch you. “[name], come on! it’s only us now.”

it sounds like a threat. his tone is reassuring, words light and airy, but it still feels like threat. it’s only the two of you ; no one else around. you gulp again, speeding up just a little more. he lets out what sounds like a laugh, “are we playing a little cat and mouse game?”

“go find another gen,” you call out over your shoulder. you quicken your pace a bit more, “we can still win this.”

“i did win, [name].” he lets out another laugh — it sounds menacing ; dark. everything a survivor shouldn’t be. “i’ve got you, all to my self.”

your heartbeat picks up, pounding in your ears. on the edge of a sprint now, you can see the killer of this trial in the distance. you speed up more, ignoring the muffled curse behind you as you barrel straight into their arms.

a vice grip is around their torso. arms around their waist, you bury your head into their neck as your breath leaves in panicked pants. “jus’ kill me,” you whimper out. “please.”

their hands are raised above them, weapon still poised from when they prepared to swing it at you. curiously, their eyes fly to where you came from ; to where your fellow survivor had now made himself known.

“[name],” you whimper at the sound of his voice. his eyebrows furrow, playful smile falling from his face and growing stern. “let them go. now.”

“he won’t leave me alone.” you whisper it into their chest as you burrow further into them. “watching me. waiting for me. touching me. i— he won’t leave me alone.”

their hands had fallen to your hips now, peeling you away from their torso. you whimper again but relax when they pull you behind them. just what had this man done — what had he made you feel — that was so bad you looked to a murderer for comfort? for safety?

he lets out a huff, taking a step closer. you mold yourself into their back in retaliation. “[name], come on. we have to win this game. jus’ you an’ me now.”

you want to scream at him. want to cry and yell and hit him until he stops talking ; until he stops eyeing you so desperately and hungrily. phantom fingers dance on your thighs, reminding you of the hidden touches he’d take from you ; careful whispers echo in your ears of the things he’d do to you once you were alone.

you couldn’t go with him ; refused to.

the killer of the trial made a show of raising their weapon again before they flung it toward him, hitting him directly in the chest. with a small oof!, he falls to the floor before struggling to get back up. as he limps away, he glares at you and it feels more sinister than the heart beating in your ears.

“safe.” it’s a promise. your killer pats your shoulders as gently as they can, moving you so that you’re a little more hidden. they crouch so that your eyes look into theirs, “safe.”

stay here, and you’ll stay safe. i’ll take care of him while i’m gone.

the breath of relief you let out is immediate. and it’s so stupid — how secure you do feel with someone who’s life revolves around murder. but, compared to the creeping touches and lingering gazes of your fellow survivor, they are a safe haven.

they come back after a scream of terror hits the area you’re in, drenched in blood and almost skipping with joy. gently, your hand is looped into theirs as they tug you along the map.

“home,” they say. “take you home.”

and so you’re lead to the hatch, lowered into it because your legs are too shaky to handle your own weight. before you fall, your fingers grip onto the edge of it and you peer up at the killer once more. your lower lip trembles, “thank you. i can’t say it enough — thank you.”

every trial with them after that feels gooey — warm — as you’re always saved for last and treated less harshly than the others. he never looks at you again ; instead he shakes in fear at the thought of you and the giant bodyguard you’d acquired.

lingering gazes come from outside of the campfire now — but they make you feel protected and watched over ; safe. they always manage to make you feel safe.

idk where this came from so don't even ask hehe <<33 tagging it w killers i thinlk would act like this but you can always add your fave <3 airbendertendou © do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate my content on any platform. if you see my content under any other name than my own, let me know. i only have this tumblr and an ao3 account under the same name.

[candycandy00]

if i am not too late, can we get geto in mafia town where he is the interrogator. congrats on the 2k!!! i'll look forward to reading everything ❤️🌻

The Sweetest Torture - A Geto Suguru x Reader Fanfic

Smut. 18+. Fem Reader. Mafia AU. Edging. Light bondage (handcuffs). Oral sex. 

Part of CandyCandy’s 2k Followers Event! Likes are welcome and loved but comments and reblogs make me all warm and squishy inside! Dividers by @benkeibear!

How did it come to this? An hour ago you were waiting tables at the small cafe you work at. Now you’re in some dank basement, sitting in an uncomfortable metal chair, your wrists handcuffed behind your back. 

You live in a Mafia town. The local Falzone Mafia family controls the whole area, and though they can be intimidating, they’re overall easy to get along with. They generally do more good than harm, helping the local economy by bringing in tourists to their casino and keeping all crime but their own practically nonexistent. A few of them come into the cafe often, and one of them in particular has caught your eye. 

He’s from Japan, but he’s been with the Falzone family since he was a child, according to him. His name is Suguru, and he’s unbelievably beautiful. He has the sort of beauty that stops people dead in their tracks, forcing them to look at him until he’s out of sight. 

He stops in the cafe almost every day, always ordering a coffee and a pastry. He’s given you a few flirty, suggestive comments, and in response you let him know you were interested. But he’s yet to make a move since then. In fact he cooled off completely. No more flirting. To be honest, it’s been a bit of a blow to your self esteem.

A new employee of the family named Juliano has been coming into the cafe lately. He seems to be drunk on the power being part of a Mafia family gives him. He’s loud, disruptive, and often frightens the other customers. When Suguru has been in the cafe at the same time, he’s called Juliano down and made him apologize, but they don’t often visit together. 

Two nights ago, you were cleaning up the cafe alone before closing up for the night when you heard a commotion outside. Thinking it was the two alley cats fighting again, you stepped outside to shoo them away before they hurt each other. But when you stepped around the corner of the cafe and peered into the alley, you saw two men. 

One was Juliano. The other was a member of the Falzone family that you recognized as Antonio. You didn’t know him well but he never caused problems as far as you knew. They were shoving each other and arguing. Antonio yelled out a few words, most of which you couldn’t hear clearly. Except one: “Traitor!”

Juliano lunged toward him, something silver glinting in his hand. It only took a moment for you to realize Juliano was stabbing Antonio with a knife. As Antonio crumpled to the pavement, you tried to sneak away, to make it back inside before Juliano spotted you. But you didn’t make it. He was on you in an instant, shoving you against the outside wall of the cafe and holding his knife to your throat. 

“If you breathe a word of this to anyone, you’re fucking dead! Do you understand me?”

You nodded, too terrified to speak, your eyes becoming wet. 

Juliano’s breath was hot on your face as he said, “Not just you. I’ll kill everyone you love. Your whole family. So you better keep your mouth shut, no matter what!”

You nodded vigorously again. “I-I won’t tell anyone!”

He left then, and you slunk back into the cafe feeling exhausted and frightened. Antonio’s body was found the next day, and the Falzone family immediately began investigating to find out who killed one of their own. They questioned you at length, but you lied and said you’d closed up early that night and went home. That was yesterday. 

Today, a couple of Falzone members came in and told you they’d asked around. Turns out you didn’t close up early. Someone walked by later in the evening and saw you wiping down tables. So why did you lie? What did you have to hide? Were you in cahoots with the killer? You panicked and probably only seemed more suspicious by trying to add more lies. So they took you back to their base, dragged you into this pitch dark room, and handcuffed you in this chair. Someone turned on a light that hung over your head like a spotlight and said their interrogator would be in to talk to you soon. 

You’ve lived in a Mafia town long enough to know “interrogator” is a nice term for “torturer”. You have no idea what’s going to happen to you, but probably nothing good. Should you just tell the truth? They probably wouldn’t believe you at this point, and Juliano would definitely try to make good on his threat. No, you can’t risk your family’s safety. 

The door creaks open and you look up to see which member of the family will be spending the evening ripping out your fingernails. Most of these men are regulars at the cafe. You chat with them, know exactly how they all like their coffee, laugh at their jokes. You feel a sense of fondness for them, so whoever it is, this is going to hurt in more ways than just physically. 

Your jaw nearly drops when Suguru walks into the room. He’s their torturer?! Him?! You feel sick to your stomach as he closes the door behind him and approaches. You’d rather it be anyone but him!

He steps closer to you and looks down at your face. He wears a complicated expression as he sighs and says, “Can you just tell me what happened two nights ago?”

“I-I didn’t see anything! There’s nothing to tell!”

“Then why did you lie about closing up early?” Suguru asks. 

You hesitate, trying to think up another lie. “I don’t know… I guess I just panicked when I was being questioned.”

“You do see how that makes you seem suspicious, right? You talk to Falzone guys every day at the cafe. It just doesn’t make sense for you to panic unless you have something to hide.”

You look up at him, wanting desperately to tell him the truth, but too scared of what Juliana will do to retaliate. By this point the man probably has a plan in mind for covering things up even if you tell. 

Suguru steps even closer and leans down, putting his hands on the arm rests of your chair. A strand of silky black hair falls over his face as he says, “There are lots of things I want to do to you, but hurting you is not one of them. Please just tell me the truth.”

You can feel tears stinging your eyes. You really are in an impossible situation. “I… can’t.”

There’s a flash of something in his eyes, as if he just realized something. He lowers his voice to nearly a whisper and says, “Has someone threatened you? Tell me, and we can-“

The door suddenly opens, causing Suguru to straighten up and turn to face the newcomer. When he steps aside, your heart nearly stops when you see Juliano standing inside the door. He’s staring at you with dark eyes. 

“What do you want, Juliano?” Suguru asks, seemingly slightly annoyed by the other man’s presence. 

“Just came to observe,” Juliano says. “The boss okayed it. Antonio was a good friend of mine.”

You’re trying hard to control your expression, to not look at Juliano too much and make it obvious that you’re scared of him. But you can feel his eyes on you. He’s here to make sure you don’t talk. 

Suguru narrows his eyes. “I don’t work with an observer. You’re hindering my interrogation.”

From his tone of voice, it seems clear that Suguru doesn’t like Juliano. Figures. Suguru is too classy to be friends with such a brute. 

Juliano moves closer to you. “Oh come on. Just slap the little bitch around a few times and she’ll talk.” He raises his hand and swings it down toward your face. With the handcuffs on, you can’t even try to protect yourself, so you squeeze your eyes shut. But the impact never comes. You open your eyes again to see Suguru holding Juliano’s arm. 

“I have my own way of doing things,” Suguru says, a warning tone to his voice. “And I’m not going to let you interfere. If the boss really wants you in here, he can come and tell me himself. Until then, get the fuck out.”

Juliano jerks his arm free and gives Suguru a dark, angry look. Then he gives you a meaningful glance before storming out of the room. 

Suguru walks over and locks the door with a heavy bolt. “There. No more unwelcome distractions. Now where were we?”

When he steps back over to you, he leans over you again. “So? Is someone threatening you? Someone from a rival family? We can protect you.”

But could they protect you from one of their own? Could they protect your whole family? What if they just didn’t believe you? There were too many uncertainties. You lowered your head. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you anything.”

Suguru stands up straight and runs a hand through his bangs. “Alright. Looks like I’m going to have to force you.”

Your eyes shoot up to his face in alarm. 

He meets your gaze. “I have ways of making people talk. I like to tailor my methods to the individual.”

You try to shrink away from him but you have nowhere to go in the chair. “Please don’t hurt me!” you cry. 

He looms over you, looking down with a sultry expression. His liquid amber eyes seem just a little darker. His lips curve into a subtle smile. “I’ve found that for many people, the most effective torture isn’t inflicting pain. It’s denying pleasure.”

Suguru squats down in front of the chair, his thighs spreading deliciously. One warm hand rests on your knee. “I know you want me,” he says in that entirely too smooth voice. “You practically said so last week. I can give you everything you want and more.” His hand slides up your leg, under your floral sundress, caressing you with soft, sensual motions. “Just tell me the truth, and I’ll give you pleasure like you’ve never even dreamed of before.”

You squirm in the chair, squeezing your thighs together. He really is inhumanly beautiful, like someone from a fairytale. He’s right that you want him. You’ve wanted him from the moment you laid eyes on him, on his lustrous black hair and muscular shape. You’ve dreamed about him taking you, bending you over one of the tables at the cafe and having his way with you. 

But you have to resist! 

You shake your head as you try to pull away from him. “I can’t!”

He slides his other hand under your dress, then uses both hands to pull your panties down, under your hips, and all the way down your legs. After tossing them aside, he gently pushes your legs apart. Your dress is bunched up between your legs, still preserving your modesty. 

“You do want me, don’t you?” he asks, his eyes staring into yours. 

“Y-yes…” you mumble, closing your eyes. 

You feel his hands on your thighs again, creeping upward. Slowly, he pulls your dress up to your waist. The feeling of the soft fabric grazing over your bare pussy is so alluring, your breaths start to come quicker. Finally, you feel the cool air in the room between your legs, and you know you’re exposed. 

“You’re beautiful,” you hear Suguru say. “The things I could do to your body… the things I could make you feel… if only you would tell me what you saw.”

You open your eyes and look at him. God, you want him! “I… I didn’t see anything!”

His hands continue stroking your thighs, getting oh so close to where you want them to be. He leans toward you, almost close enough to kiss you, and says in a low voice at your ear, “You’re not being truthful. Don’t you want me to make you cum over and over? Don’t you want my tongue on your cute little clit? My cock inside you?”

Your chest is rising and falling rapidly with your fast breathing, your skin feeling heated and flushed. “Yes… I want that!”

One of his hands moves up and slightly brushes over your slick pussy. “I want that too,” he says. 

You have a sobering thought, and you can’t stop yourself from speaking it. “Now you’re not being truthful,” you tell him. 

He looks surprised. “What do you mean?”

“After I told you I’m interested, you backed off. You were just teasing me this whole time.”

A hint of sadness passes over his lovely features. “In my line of work, starting a relationship with someone is dangerous, for them more than me. I can sleep around all I want, but the moment I want something more, there’s a chance that person could be targeted.”

Wait, does that mean he wants something more with you? But he’s afraid you’ll be attacked in order to hurt him? The thought makes you feel warm, but it also makes the current situation far worse. Now you want him more than ever. 

You look him in the eyes. “I wish I could tell you! But I can’t!”

He gives a disappointed sigh. “What a shame. I was looking forward to taking you to heaven.”

The hand that had been ghosting over you between your legs suddenly stops moving, and you feel his soft fingers slipping between your folds to rub your clit. You nearly jump out of the chair. He smiles at you as your back arches. God, his touch is amazing! You almost spill every secret you have right then and there. 

You moan as he strokes you expertly, already on the edge. But just as you feel like release is getting close, he stops, pulling his hand away. You let out a whine, jutting your hips out as if chasing his hand. He waits for your body to calm down, then returns his hand, his fingers tracing circles around your clit again. He watches as you start to come undone, trembling in the chair, and then stops again. 

“Please… Suguru…” you breathe out, desperate for release. 

“Just tell me the truth,” he replies. “If someone is threatening you, we can protect you.”

You shake your head, tears leaking out of your eyes. He touches you again, bringing you so close once more. 

“My… my family…” you mutter. 

“They threatened your family? We’ll protect them too. You have my word.”

“You won’t believe me!” you cry as he pulls his hand away again. 

He leans his face in close to yours, looking you in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

You hesitate for a moment, then nod. 

“Then I trust you,” he says. “I’ll believe whatever you say.”

He moves his face down then, burying it between your shaking thighs, and begins devouring your pussy. As his tongue runs over your clit, you finally give in. You couldn’t possibly bear having this pleasure taken away from you. 

“Juliano! Juliano stabbed Antonio!”

Suguru’s face tilts up slightly to look at your face, but his mouth continues pleasuring you until you finally reach sweet release, climaxing with a scream. 

He pulls away and stands up, licking his lips. “Juliano, huh? I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s a sneaky little rat.”

Catching your breath, you look up at Suguru. “He said he’d kill me and my family if I told anyone. Please don’t let him!”

Suguru gives you a reassuring smile. “I won’t let anything happen to you or your family. You can count on it.”

You sigh in relief, feeling tears on your face. 

“But before I confront him,” Suguru says, dropping down to his knees in front of you, “I believe I promised you a reward for telling the truth.”

You watch, enraptured, as he unbuckles his belt and opens his pants. He pulls out a cock that suits him perfectly: big, tall, and gorgeous. You can’t tear your eyes off it as he put his hands on your hips and slides you down a bit, so that you’re close to the edge of the seat, your hands still cuffed behind you. This position pulls slightly on your arms, but you can ignore some minor discomfort. Especially when he spreads you open and that magnificent cock pushes inside you. 

Ahhh, he fills you up so perfectly! He begins thrusting into you, slowly at first, deeply and intimately. He gradually picks up speed, the friction of his skin against yours making you moan and buck your hips. He leans over you, his hair falling over his shoulders, and kisses your lips. 

“I’ve wanted you for so long,” he says. “I had to hold back every time I went to the cafe. I wanted to fuck you in your waitress uniform, right in front of everyone!”

You almost think you’d let him. He goes so deep, and he hits exactly the right spot within you. “S-Suguru!” you cry out, your pussy clenching him tightly as another orgasm slams into you. 

He keeps thrusting as you quiver beneath him, his hand stroking your hair. You can feel him twitching and pulsing inside you before he lets out a groan, then he absolutely stuffs you with his cum. 

You look up at him with dazed eyes. “Promise you’ll protect me?”

He’s breathing hard as he slowly pulls out of you. “With my life,” he replies. 

You watch him button his pants and then pull your dress back down, covering you modestly. He’s just stepping around you to unlock the handcuffs when there’s a banging on the door. He freezes and motions for you to be quiet. On the way to the door, he bends down and grabs your discarded panties, shoving them into his pocket. 

At the door, he says, “Who is it? I’m busy.”

You hear Juliano’s voice. “The boss couldn’t come down here, but he said I can observe. Look, I’m sorry I tried to tell you how to do your job, alright?”

You know what Juliano is doing. He wants to stay in the room as much as possible, to intimidate you and make sure you don’t talk. Little does he know he’s too late. 

Surprisingly, Suguru unlocks the door and lets him in. Juliano steps into the room, scowls at you, and asks, “Any luck?”

Suguru gives him a dark look. “What do you think, Juliano?”

Juliano, perhaps noticing the clear hostility radiating off of Suguru, suddenly looks at you again. “Has she been telling lies about me?” When no one says anything, he looks at Suguru again. “Are you seriously gonna believe this cheap little cunt over me?!”

Suguru punches him, so fast and so hard that Juliano has no chance to dodge or even bring up an arm to protect his face. He flops backwards onto the floor, unmoving. 

You stare at the man on the floor. “Is… is he dead?”

Suguru walks back over to you and finishes uncuffing you. “No, I just knocked him out. I’ll send someone to get your family and bring them here to stay for a while, just until we make sure Juliano doesn’t have any lackeys.”

You let Suguru help you to your feet, rubbing your sore wrists. “What’s going to happen to him?” you ask, nodding toward Juliano. 

Suguru smiles. “I’ll be putting him in that chair, interrogating him next. Though my methods for dealing with him will be very different,” he says, gently turning you around to see the wall that was behind your chair. It’s lined with hundreds of sharp, dangerous looking tools and utensils. 

“Oh,” you say, feeling a chill come over you. 

“I didn’t want you to see it while you were in here. I didn’t want to scare you,” Suguru says. 

You’re grateful for that. But you feel just a little bad for Juliano. He probably deserves whatever he gets though. 

Suguru holds out his hand to you. “Come on, you can stay in my room until all this settles down.” 

You take it, feeling like the safest person in the world. 

[hopeluna-archived]

Obey Me! Brothers + them accidentally confessing

A/N: I couldn't do all the brothers so I did some of them, hope you like it <3

Request: Heyyy I don’t know if you’re taking requests but if you are, Could you please do the brothers reaction to MC waering (cat ear) headphones so the brother they’re sittin with thinks they can’t listen to him and confess or say something super cheesy and then MC turns around and replies to what he said?? Please!!! Btw I love your posts, you are a really good writer!

M.list

Lucifer

Lucifer is mortified but he manages to keep his face neutral when you reply back to his confession. He slaps himself in his head, why did he go to talk about how much you meant to him??

He would promptly make a smooth comment about how he knew you felt the same way and proceed to make you the flustered one instead.

Mammon

Mammon, just as Lucifer, is mortified except he doesn't really hide it that well. When you answer him back, he rather comically moves away from you like you'd give him a disease.

He'll then proceed to yell a stuttering "you didn't hear anything, you got me??" and run away from the room to calm down his beating heart that feels like its about to stop any second.

Satan

You'd think he is completely unphased by your reply if you didn't notice the way his eyes slightly widen and the way Satan's grip on his book tightens a little.

At first he wouldn't say anything at all, hoping that somehow this was all a part of his imagination and the ground would just swallow him up. And if you don't break the silence, he won't either. Satan will just go on about his day like nothing happened.

Beelzebub

Omg the carpet looks very interesting all of a sudden. Beel will take a moment to just process the fact that you very much heard and replied to him confessing his feelings for you.

After regaining his composure, he'll blushingly admit his feelings once again and ask if you'd like to go on a date with him. Beel definitely did not plan to confess to you like this but hey, he isn't really complaining.

───────────

Tags: @diann-murphy

Comments and reblogs are appreciated!! Do not repost or claim as yours though, its not cool.

[agi-ppangx]

I have a question…? Could u do a part 2 to the “finding put ur pregnant with minho” where reader and minho plan a fun way to tell the other 7 that they’re pregnant and the kids react in a happy way and how they’re gonna be amazing uncles and stuff?

Thank you in advance 🫶

oh my god my first ask ever !! thank u so much for submitting ‹3 i wrote it in the middle of the night so please excuse all typos and grammar mistakes >< hopefully this is what you wanted, i tried to make it fun and chaotic :D please let me know if you liked it !

part one | part three

feedback and reblogs highly appreciated🫶🏽

you and minho found out you're pregnant a while ago. the past few weeks were really busy for both of you - going to the doctors, learning about pregnancy and reading about babies and overall implementing a new lifestyle. you've told your parents about the baby as soon as you have been confirmed by your doctor that you are pregnant. however, you decided to wait a while before telling anyone else just to make sure your pregnancy is safe.

now you were about to enter the second trimester and you and minho decided to finally tell the boys about the baby, since the bump was starting to show a little bit. but minho being minho didn't want to just say "hey, just so you know - y/n is pregnant and we're about to be parents" - no, he wanted to do it in a bit of a fun way. that being said, you two organised a little game night with the boys, wanting to share the news during charades.

when they arrived you started with some board games to set the mood. all of you were chatting and joking around, no one suspected anything. jisung and hyunjin asked you a few times if you wanted to grab some beer with them and you came out with some lame excuses, like "sorry, i'm not feeling well now" or "nah, i'm good, i have my orange juice" and they were looking at you suspiciously, but said nothing. after what felt like a hundredth question about beer, you announced that it's time to play charades. minho looked at you and smiled a bit, knowing whats about to happen.

chan went first, pretending to be michael jackson. you laughed a little at his impression since he didn't really know how to do the moonwalk but tried nonetheless. then there was hyunjin, trying to do an impression of bob ross, but it resulted in seungmin making fun of him for a good ten minutes. "okay, now it's my turn,'' minho exclaimed and stood in front of you. "i'm gonna make an impression of someone in this room," he added and he proceed to do his best at pretending to be you - he brushed his non-existent long hair out of his face and imitated your giggling. and then he started to show his non-existent pregnancy belly with his hands. you were trying not to smile, but then the boys started talking. "hey, you said it's someone in this room" jisung yelled and pointed a finger at minho. "he's right, no one ate so much food!" jeongin added at which you started grinning. "right? and the only person who could be pregnant is y/n and-" chan started, but quickly stopped in his tracks when he realised. he turned to you and stared at your face with disbelief, the boys following after him. "y/n, is there anything you wanna tell us?" the boys were staring at you, their bewildered faces making you laugh out loud. minho walked to you and sat by your side, giggling with you at how ridiculously funny the boys looked. when you calmed down a bit, you finally decided to answer their question. "i think you've already realised, but yes, there is something we wanna tell you guys" you started and took minho's hand, suddenly feeling a bit anxious. you took a deep breath and continued, "we are going to have a baby and no - we're not getting a fourth cat" you stated, squeezing minho's hand in yours. the boys looked at you two for a while and then the chaos began. they started yelling and jumping all around your living room. "oh my god, y/n thats amazing! congratulations!" chan said loudly, trying to shout over the rest. "we're gonna be uncles! yeah!" felix started screaming, visibly overjoyed by the news. he then proceeded to trap you in a tight hug, making sure not to squeeze you too hard. the rest of the boys followed him and soon after all of them were hugging you. you didn't see much besides their heads, but when you stood on your tiptoes you managed to take a glance at minho - he was standing next to all of you, his face lit up in a huge grin. "okay boys, let me breathe," you chuckled, feeling quite overwhelmed with their love. "oh my god, of course! hey, stop hugging her!" changbin screamed, suddenly protecting you from the boys. jisung was the last one to break the hug, which he did only because chan used force to get him away from you. "c'mon y/n, have a seat, you have to rest," felix exclaimed, leading you to the couch. you giggled again - you found it adorable how they became so protective over you in the span of ten minutes. "do you need anything? like baby clothes or a stroller? wait, we can help you to arrange a nursery!" changbin started to ramble. "and we can buy you all the essentials, like diapers and baby formula," seungmin added, getting his phone to write down a shopping list. "oh, can i teach your kid how to ride a bike? pleeeease!" jisung begged. "okay, slow down everybody," minho finally spoke, trying to control the situation. "y/n is fine, everything is fine, she's only like twelve weeks pregnant, we have plenty of time to plan everything and no - i will be the one to teach them that," he added, hoping that the boys would quiet down. "minho's right, we're fine by now. but im glad our baby will have such amazing uncles,'' you assured the boys, grinning widely. even though the boys' reaction made you laugh for the next few days, you were happy that you had their support. you and minho were nervous about the whole pregnancy thing, but their will to help and be there for both of you made you think that after all universe made a perfect plan for you.

[ghostfacd]

WANNA BE YOURS. — LUKE HUGHES

based off this tiktok trend!

pairing; slytherin!luke hughes x hufflepuff!fem!reader

summary; in which you’re head over heels for a certain slytherin quidditch player, no matter how different your circumstances are

genre; fluff, a teeny TINY bit of angst, hogwarts!au obviously, classmates to lovers, black cat!luke & golden retriever!reader (they are inlove your honor!)

author’s note: NOBODY asked for this but I couldn’t stop thinking of slytherin!luke?? LITERALLY writing this with a pounding headache in my beach house as we speak but anything 4 my bae, enjoy as always, comments and reblogs are always appreciated <3 i love ur guys little tags and notes on the rbs

SLYTHERIN!LUKE MASTERLIST

If there was one thing any of your friends could agree on when they are asked with the question what is yn absolutely obsessed with? is Luke Hughes.

The pretty boy from Slytherin who just happens to be a quidditch star, eating up every other house when it came to the games.

Luke and YN have never spoke to each other before—at least, not for more than 5 minutes. The last time she heard Luke speak ever was when he was with his older brother, Jack, and his voice was annoyed as Jack kept teasing him about losing to Gryffindor. Luke, to say the least, was not thrilled.

He was quiet in the classes they shared, only really speaking when he had to. It was one of the many reasons as to why YN liked him so much. He wasn’t like his annoying friends, who were always talking about girls and making Quidditch their entire personality. No, he was sweet and delicate, just how YN liked them.

He was rather cold, though. His last partner, Teddy Wellings was quite the chatterbox, running Luke’s ear off during their potion making session in class. With a cold glare that could freeze Teddy right up, Luke spoke one word. Quiet. It was enough to shut Teddy right up, who got the memo that Luke did not want to be bothered with his constant gossip.

“Ynnnnnie you have to come,” your friend, Evermore says, refusing to let go of her hold on you.

“Morie, I have homework!” You sigh exasperated, “let go.”

“Not until you come with me! This is your chance to speak to Luke, Slytherin is playing against Ravenclaw tonight,” Evermore sits up to smirk at you, “and if you don’t end up getting with Luke, there will be a bunch of cute Ravenclaw quidditch players to talk to.”

“Fine,” you sigh, “only because I know you won’t stop until I say yes.”

Evermore shrieks in happiness, pulling you into a tight hug that makes it hard for you to breathe.

You place on your Hufflepuff scarf and a warm sweater that had your bright yellow house color over them, preparing to leave with Evermore.

When you two finally found a seat, it was dark out and in the middle of the game. Luke was fast on his broom, his eyes calculating and as stone cold as they always were.

“Isn’t Conrad the cutest?” Evermore fawns over the boy, her eyes filled with love.

“Who?”

“The cute seeker on Ravenclaw!”

“Whatever makes you happy,” you say, giving a forced smile to Evermore. Your eyes were more focused on Luke, who was rushing past at the speed of light. He was talented, so much so that he made the team his first year at Hogwarts while his brothers made it their second and third years.

“AND LUKE HUGHES CATCHES THE SNITCH!” The Slytherin announcer yells excitedly.

You watch in awe as the game stops and Luke’s teammates all fly over to him, patting him on the back in excitement and joy.

“This is your chance,” Evermore whispers as she watches the players fly down and start making their way to the lockers. “Talk to Luke!”

She pushes you over to him, and for a slight moment, a rush of adrenaline soars through your body.

Now or never, you think.

So you walk over to Luke Hughes, who was busy talking to one of his teammates.

“Excuse me,” you say, pulling him back slightly by his quidditch uniform.

He looks down at you, then back at his teammate. “Meet you later?” He says to the guy, and you swore it was the most you’ve ever heard Luke Hughes speak.

“See you bro,” the guy whistles as he leaves, “lock ‘em in Lukey boy!”

Luke rolls his eyes at this, then turns his attention back to you. “Can I help you?”

“I just.. I just wanted to say that you played amazing out there.” You say, “and that you’re a really talented quidditch player.”

Luke breaks his cold face to give you a small smile, and if it were not for your sudden confidence, you would’ve fainted at the sight.

“Thank you YN,” he says.

“You know my name?” You say that with more surprise than intended, which makes Luke burst out in laughter.

“Duh, you’re in my class.”

“Well.. I just never thought you would notice me, you don’t even acknowledge most of our class.”

“That’s because most of our class is not worth me acknowledging,” Luke has a sly smile on now, almost as if he’s teasing you. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No,” you say quietly. “I really like you and was wondering if you’d like to—maybe—go out to Hogsmeade with me sometime.”

Where was this sudden confidence coming from?! Your head internally screamed, but you tried to keep your composure.

“But I’m a Slytherin,” he says, head leaning back against the wall.

“So?”

“You’re a Hufflepuff,”

“I don’t care about houses Luke,” you say, a genuine look in your eyes.

“But I’m always busy,”

“So?”

“I’ll never have time for you if you want to pursue me,”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

“But I’m always cold,” Luke stares directly into your eyes. “Don’t you want a boyfriend who doesn’t always look like he’s upset?”

“I don’t care about that, I just wanna be yours, Luke.”

“I’m bad at communicating,”

“Still wanna be yours,” you say, now holding onto both of Luke’s hand.

“I’m bad at comforting people,”

“Wanna be yours, Luke.”

“I don’t even talk a lot,”

“Wanna be yours.”

“I struggle opening up,”

“Wanna be yours,”

“I don’t like PDA,”

“Don’t you get it Luke?” You say, “I don’t care about any of those things. I really like you. I still want to be yours.”

Luke sighs, looking down at your persistent figure. Even after he’s named everything that could possibly make you uninterested, you still want to pursue him?

“Alright YN,” he says, pulling you close to him as he wraps his arms around your shoulders. “Sure, I’d love to go to Hogsmeade with you.”

You couldn’t wait to tell Evermore about this the next morning.

[minleeeknow]

‘it hurts’

‘pairing’ - idol!이민호 (lee minho/lee know) x ninth member!fem!reader

‘genre’ - hurt, comfort, angst, ninth member au

‘tw’ - hurt, angst, stressed/toxic lee know, kissing, established relationship, a fight

‘word count’ - 0.9 k

‘to get tagged’ - pls reply to the taglist post, this post, or just ask me

‘lee’s notes’ - lowercase intended, not proofread

pls note, reblog, anything

~

“stop! you’re doing it all wrong,” minho snaps for the millionth time in that one hour of dance practice. you clench your teeth as he runs his hands over your body. usually his touch sets you on fire, but not this time.

“you’re too stiff here,” lee know comments dryly. “why are you so uptight?” he pokes you in the ribs, a gesture that would have been taken as a teasing motions if he wasn’t yelling at you.

“how am i supposed to relax with you screaming at my every move?” you shoot back, slapping his hands away. hurt flashes in your boyfriend’s eyes for a split second and gets replaced immediately by hardness. 

“usually i would let all of your flaws pass, but we have a tour coming up in a week,” minho spits out angrily. he cracks his knuckles, a frequent habit he does.

“my flaws?” you echo. “my flaws?”

“yeah, what about them?” lee know demands sharply, crossing his arms over his chest.

“are you implying i mess up all the time?” you say calmly even though strings are snapping inside of your brain. as stray kids’ second main dancer, you feel slightly offended.

“that’s enough,” minho utters stiffly, his muscles tensing uncomfortably. he doesn’t meet your eyes as you stare at him.

“no, it’s not enough. you don’t get to have the last word when we’re talking about my mistakes here,” you say slowly, heat rising up to your cheeks. “what is wrong with you today? have i done something that my presence keeps rubbing you the wrong way?” your voice cracks at the end and you wince, hating the way you sound.

“no.” lee know mutters, almost unintelligibly. 

“what?”

“no!” your boyfriend yells, raising one of his hands. “but now you’re starting to get on my nerves!” a look of regret washes over him the moment the words leave his mouth. instead of wearing another mask of no regrets, his eyes widen and he takes a step towards you.

“yn–” he reaches out to touch you and hold you but you move away. “i didn’t mean it,” minho pleads, guilt seeping into his voice.

“no. you meant it. you meant it all,” you say flatly, feeling numb. yes, sometimes lee know was a little harsh and mean, but inside he always cared about you. but he never, ever, tried to hit you before.

“jagiya,” minho utters quietly, trying to reach for your hand again. you pull away fiercely. the image of him raising his hand still glares at you in your mind. seeing it again makes you snap. you turn away from lee know and run out of the dance practice room, hot tears stinging your eyes viciously.

“yn!” lee know calls desperately, running after you.

you decide to hide in the most obvious place ever: minho and your shared office. pictures, polaroids, and handwritten notes litter the bulletin board above your and his desks. as your desk is messy with papers scattered all over, pens everywhere and your computer dumped on top, minho’s is neat and organized. simple stacks are sitting on the corner of his desk, his pens in a glass jar with your picture and his cats’ taped to it. his computer is equally as decorated with cat stickers and a stray kids sticker.

you stare at the pictures on the bulletin board, a small peek at what the walls of your rooms look like at home.

your vision gets blurry as you feel tears flow again. photos of you leaning on minho’s shoulder, selfies of minho teasing you and you covering your smile, and pictures of minho hugging you haunt your vision. you crumble onto the chair, burying your face into the palms of your hands.

“yn, baby?” lee know’s soft voice comes from the doorway. you sniff and stifle a sob as you look up and see minho’s sorry eyes and his pouty lips. he hugs you, his strong arms wrapping around you and you melt into his embrace. the sobs you’d been keeping rack your body.

“it’s okay, it’s okay,” minho murmurs into the top of you head as you cry into his neck. “i’m sorry, jagi. i’m so sorry. i love you so much, you know? i love you more than anything. i’m so sorry.”

“it’s okay,” you choke out, wiping your eyes. “i’m being stupid.”

“no, you’re not,” lee know says sternly. he brushes hair out of your eyes and kisses you, long and hard. his hands wrap around your body as you lean into him gently.

“i was just stressed. i’m so sorry i took it out on you,” minho mumbles into your neck. 

“it hurts when you do that,” you say softly, running your fingers through his soft hair. you sniff quietly and he kisses your neck slowly.

“can i make it up to you, yn?” lee know asks, looking up at you with big eyes. he hugs you again, kissing you once more.

“it’s okay to be hurting. i will help it not hurt anymore. i promise.”

~

‘taglist open!’

@goldenjupiterz networks ! @k-labels

[princeasimdiya12]

Return to Nyan Nyaight Love-A Happy Ending in Sight?

Before I begin my analysis for Episode 9's NNL segment, I would like to thank everyone who reblogged my previous post and left kind and wholesome compliments about my analysis. It really warms my heart that so many of you guys enjoyed my thoughts on these segments. Especially if they helped provide a clearer understanding of what thematic purpose they serve in the Bucchigiri series. I'm more than happy to help and I appreciate the compliments.

Secondly, I'd like to thank @saph-yells-into-the-void for providing a majority of screenshots for me to use. Even though you didn't mind not being credited, you still deserve it for these great screenshots!

So just as a quick recap, the NNL segments serve as a Greek Chorus as they parallel the main story of Bucchigiri by using the customer's relationship with Jasmine to symbolize various relations and plot events. This time, their relationship parallels the main relationship of the series: Arajin and Matakara.

Episode 9: A Heartfelt Reunion

The segment starts with the customer being nervous as usual about whether he should go in, only to hurry inside as to avoid being spotted by Arajin who's on his way to the bathhouse. The customer is greeted by the receptionist who is still uneasy with him avoiding Jasmine. And even the customer himself looks less indecisive and more somber when he's asking for Pu'er instead of Jasmine.

As I mentioned in the Episode 1 segment, the customer is meant to symbolize Arajin while the catboy receptionist represents the colorful delinquents that Arajin encounters. And even though the first episode had Jasmine stand in for Mahoro, this time she stands in for Matakara.

The receptionist describes Jasmine as being strong-willed, clingy, and too much at times. Many of which are traits that are associated with Matakara.

-While Episode 9 shows him slowly succumbing to Ichiya's twisted therapy sessions, it's worth noting that it's been several days since when he first merged with the Blue Genie til then. So it's worth noting that Matakara lasted a good while before succumbing to Ichiya's will. And even before that, it was his strong will that helped him become stronger and find a place among Minato Kai while also evading the shadows that constantly haunted him. His determination in becoming stronger helped him to evade those shadows; maybe not vanquish them but not to succumb to them either.

-The clingy and too much at times qualities seem to go hand in hand as most of Matakara's screentime has been spent trying to reconnect with Arajin while holding him on a pedestal. Even as Arajin kept pushing him away, Matakara still clinged on to his idealized version of his best friend. One who constantly inspired him to be a Honki person and do the impossible. The too much at times part also works since Mataraka just wouldn't stop gushing over Arajin to his other friends or tries to force Mahoro to talk with him about Arajin and his involvement in Siguma Squad. While is very much a sunshine puppy boy, he can be quite overbearing when it comes to his old friend.

As of the last episode, Arajin made his true feelings for Matakara painfully clear and how he wants to avoid him at all costs. Only now the rest of the cast have taken notice and how much it's effecting Matakara given his refusal to talk to his other friends Zabu and Sakigake mixed with him running away from home. It's become a serious problem and they're all worried about him.

Something peculiar about the receptionist's behavior, and the whole scene overall, is how it's played for dramedy.

The receptionist treats the customer abandoning Jasmine as something tragic and how badly it's effecting her. There's soft music at play as the receptionist speaks his heart out about the cat's distress and how only the customer can help her.

But at the same time, it's just so ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! There's no reason that the receptionist should need to be so invested in the customer's preferences in cats. They haven't actually bonded with each other apart from letting the customer in so he can spend time with the cats and spend Lord knows how much money. This is his job so it shouldn't matter which cat some random, pathetic everyman chooses to play with since he's still getting paid rather handsomely at the end of the day.

But it does matter to him.

Maybe (as far as we know) the receptionist doesn't know the customer very well but he (supposedly) knows that Jasmine truly misses him and is miserable without him. The receptionist could try to make Jasmine feel better herself given that he sees her more often and knows more about her. But he knows that she holds the customer in his heart and implores him to go back to her.

And while the Minato Kai boys don't care much for Arajin or flat out tell Arajin to patch things up with Matakara, they do make it clear that their friend isn't doing so well after their falling out. He's in need of help and they unfortunately can't do anything about it given how they were brushed aside. And even Mahoro, who also happens to be a colorful character that Arajin met when he entered the Ichizu gang life, has also picked up on Mataraka's despair and wants him to feel better. She clearly doesn't care for Arajin but she knows how much he means to Matakara, someone who understands her when it comes to valuing an older brother figure. She even flat out orders Arajin to go see how he's doing.

Something to consider is that while the Minato Kai boys and Mahoro have their respective but serious scenes with Arajin, they still have their quirky (questionable in Mahoro's case) personalities at play. Such as Sakigake singing his heart out in the bathhouse with Arajin while in his birthday suit to Mahoro having a tea party with a blow up doll of her big brother before learning about Matakara's brother. They're still weird and silly but they show how much heart they have and how they can empathize with someone who's at their lowest. And while they might not be the best person to help out, they know that Arajin is the best person to help them out.

Just like how the customer is the best person to help out the upset cat. And what does he choose when he's asked a second time?

He loses his mopiness for just a moment, becomes slightly more confident and chooses his precious Jasmine. Much to the receptionist's jubilation.

I'm gonna be leaning on the optimistic side and say that this will foreshadow Arajin reconciling with Matakara.

As much as I find Arajin to be a detestable and disappointing human being, I will admit that he is capable of growth. Particularly with bonding with his old childhood friend.

Right after defeating Akutaro, we see Arajin help out a grievously wounded Matakara while mildly complaining about it. We see them being on speaking terms during the Pro Wrestling Episode and Arajin even took the time to teach him how to make gyoza. Not to mention that Arajin was also willing to stick around for Mitsukuni's Welcome Party. The guy is not a good person (ESPECIALLY towards women) but he is capable of becoming better. Maybe at a snail's pace, but it's possible.

And we see those glimpses of growth in Episode 9 with him secretly admitting that there was one person (Matakara) who actually would like his rock for a gift.

So I want to be an optimist and say that Arajin will be able to save Matakara from his despair and they'll reconcile. Maybe accepting that he took Matakra's feelings for granted and how he should have treated his former friend better. How he was acting like a dunderhead and how he doesn't expect to be forgiven after treating him like yesterday's trash. I don't know if the puppy boy will forgive and accept Arajin again so quickly after everything that's happened (it actually would make for an impressive writing choice if Matakara chose not to accept him right away but with their being hope that they'll be friends in the future) but their relationship status will be a hopeful one.

Random Thoughts

When the receptionist brought up how the customer has seen other cats, I had two thoughts in mind. The first is from the Group Date til now, the customer has seen other cats at NNL apart from Pu'er.

The second is that this could be an implied parallel to Ichiya. I don't have enough information since we don't know much about Honki People and the Pasts of the Two Genies, but it's possible that Ichiya has encountered other masters in the thousands of years from when he was human to the present. The other cats could have been masters that Ichiya encountered and tried to possess to take revenge against Senya. But as the receptionist claims, Jasmine kept waiting for the customer. In this case, Jasmine was Senya. Ichiya's oldest friend who still longs to see and reunite with him after so many years of separation and regret.

Another thing I want to bring up is how conclusive this segment feels. It feels like it was wrapping up the plotline between the customer and Jasmine. I find this odd since this happened in Episode 9 and we supposedly have three more episodes before Bucchigiri is officially over. Does that mean we won't get more NNL segments in the final 3? Or will we still get them but in different formats? Like an epilogue of the customer bonding with Jasmine (along with getting an official reveal of who she is) or maybe we get a new customer who's set up to meet another cat potentially foreshadowing a final plot point in the series.

And those would be my thoughts on this segment. No lie, I did not expect this to be this long. But given how conclusive this NNL segment was, I felt there was alot to say about this. And what did you guys think of this segment? As before, feel free to reblog this if you agree with what I wrote, disagree or have another interpretation for this scene. So if you think of something, please say that you know.

"Do you know? Do you know? Do you know what this means?"

[kairiscorner]

just had an idea 👀👀 okok picture this- the spiderteens making spiderperson!reader do tiktok dances with em but tHHEEEENNN one of em (maybe hobie 🤭🤭) mentions a tiktok dance and they get (more like force) reader to do it with miguel 👀👀👀👀

up to you whatever tiktok dances or trends you want em to do 😌😌

~ 🫐

OMG THAT REMINDS ME OF THE 'MAKING MIGGY DANCE WET THE BED' FIC I MADE ... but i want him to do the 'say so' dance this time :3

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

miguel o'hara x spider person!reader doing tiktok dances

"no." "c'mon, please?" "no." "pretty please with a cherry on top?" "with extra sprinkles?" "and a stick of dynamite up your ass?" "no, no, no, and–no."

you grumbled as pavitr frowned and hobie chuckled, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder and trying to cheer him up with a 'punny' joke he came up with on the spot. you took miguel's hand as he huffed and looked away from you. "miggy, you can't say no to this! i'll make you do karaoke with me next time if you don't dance with me today." you threatened him as you contorted your face into a pouty look with furrowed eyebrows—mocking him as his grumpy face just even grumpier. he sighed as he yanked his arm out of your grasp. "not like i'll go with you anyway." "then how come we got you to sing 'un poco loco' with peter b on jess' birthday?" "that was part of the itinerary." "you singin wasn't..." you corrected him as miguel pinched his nose bridge—his angry pout looking angrier and angrier, but soon mellowing out into a more peaceful calm as he breathed in and nodded slowly.

"that's all i'm gonna admit, though." he said as he let his guard down gradually, and you took advantage of this and took him by the fingers and dragged him all the way to the front of your phone where the song 'say so' by doja cat was playing. miguel was stuttering and stammering, with gwen and pav whooping, with miles giving miguel a pretty surprised look—and with hobie yelling out a, "c'mon, ya geezer, be fun for once!" miguel sighed as you took your place next to him, with him hiding behind you a little, whispering in your ear, "i am replacing you once this is over." "then we'll keep the dance going on and on and on then, miggy." you teased him as you played the song again, and taught him the dance as the camera was rolling, unbeknownst to him. miguel awkwardly and stiffly followed your movements at first, but eventually getting himself lost in the rhythm as he danced to the beat—ignoring the cheers of the four kids and just admiring how graceful and carefree you seemed while dancing; smiling and laughing when you made mistakes, but keeping the rhythm going nonetheless.

every time you did the punch rolling and focus movements, you always got so close to miguel—bringing your faces a mere few inches apart, always catching him off guard. it brought chuckles to your voice and smiles to your face whenever you'd see the way his eyes'd widen and his pout would get poutier after you pull away. when you did the last part, 'why don't you say so?', you did the hand gestures and body movements so enthusiastically that miguel stepped backwards. and at the end, just to add an element of surprise at the end of your tiktok, you planted a kiss on miguel's nose.

a soft little whimper escaped this man's full, plush lips subconsciously—making you giggle and get flustered, rushing over to stop the video as pav and gwen cheered for you two, with miles giving you both heart hands as hobie kept mouthing 'the big wanker's a red flag, but that was cute,' with a huge smile on his face as miguel looked at you with a stunned expression—not knowing if this was your intention for getting him to dance with you, or if it was all just in the spur of the moment. either way, he couldn't help himself from constantly rubbing the spot on his nose where you gently pecked at him with your soft lips. he might ask you himself next time if there was a new tiktok trend you might wanna try... one that involved some kissing, maybe...

tags !! @miguelswifey04 @hearts4gabri @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @fictarian @yuridopted0 @simsrandomstuff @luvstarrstruck @popeheywardssecretgf @meeom @arachnoia @melovetitties @fable-library @ophanimgold @smokeywhalee @capnshtfce

[rassvetsky]

Bittersweet

bucky barnes x fem!reader

"When it's just you, Bucky & Alpine in the Barnes residence; time seems to stop, only allowing for heartfelt confessions and kisses to be exchanged."

[2k] | teeth rotting fluff, domestic couple, alpine being the princess she is, emotional conversations & kisses. somewhere in between comics!bucky & mcu!bucky but only conceptually, no spoilers. might do more parts on this little universe because it's so cute

reblog and/or like for a kiss, feedback much appreciated! not proofread.

When it's just you, Bucky & Alpine in the Barnes residence; time seems to stop.

The car horns blaring through the city drown out in the warmth your shared bed carries; your body tucked close to Bucky's as he hugged you from behind, watching the way Alpine's soft purrs got quieter and quieter until she eventually fell asleep, whiskers pushed back with each stroke of the back of your fingers against her fluffy cheek.

The early morning sun fell on both his arm and the cat's white fur, as the metal fingers moved forward a bit on top of your waist to brush through her soft coat over your palm, before finally giving in to his original intent and getting a hold of your hand instead. He was half-naked behind you, barely had the energy to change out of his suit after returning from his mission because he could swear that seeing both of his favourite girls sprawled across the bed knocked the breath right out of his chest.

"I took her to the vet yesterday," you whispered, careful as to not wake Alpine up. "Did some parasitary stuff, it was time for those, apparently. I also wanted her to get the combination vaccine since she was supposed to get it a few weeks ago, but they ran out."

Bucky hummed as a response, urging you to continue.

"Picked up some treats for her too, and some toys. She met a puppy at the waiting room, they got along great except for the part where she just- slapped the living shit out of him for trying to sniff her butt."

Bucky's laugh startled the cat and you sent him a glare, causing him to whisper out an apology and return to caressing her fur. "She's just like you, it's uncanny." he chuckled, making you sigh and curl yourself closer to him. "Lovely and all but still badass."

"Why thank you, Mr. Barnes," you mumbled sleepily. "I'm merely doing my job, raising our love-child."

He chuckled again, slowly pushing himself further up to his elbow just so he could reach in and press his lips against the side of your lips. You couldn't help the way they tugged upwards with a smile. "You should go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you up so early."

You shook your head to both sides almost immediately after. "No, no need. I missed you anyway."

"Really? Seems like you'd rather watch Alpine sleep than give me a proper hug."

"Oh, shut up," you giggled, slowly turning on your spot to face him. He was hovering over you slightly, still leaning on his elbow to watch both of you. "I just got overwhelmed for a second when you came back. I get emotional as shit waiting for you, Buck."

His features softened at that, before he reached in to place a soft kiss on your forehead. "I'm sorry." he whispered, free arm going up to caress your cheek instead, this time. "But how am I supposed to know? You bully me through it all the time."

"It's a coping mechanism!" you whisper-yelled, rolling your eyes carefully when he started laughing. "Laugh all you want, Barnes."

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized again, gentle eyes flickering through every single centimeter of your face, almost as if he wanted to memorize all of you. "I missed you too, sweetheart. Miss you so bad wherever I go."

Your hands mimicked his when you brought them up to cup his face, feeling his stubble under your fingertips as you traced the outline of his lips with your fingers. "I love you so much that it hurts, Bucky."

"I know the feeling." his sheepish grin was replaced by a bittersweet one. "Whenever I look at you, I- I just think, how did I get so lucky? How did I end up with this… Absolutely perfect person, how did I get to hold her each night?"

"You're one lucky bastard, that's why." you chuckled to yourself, earning a heartfelt snicker from him. "I feel the same way. Whenever you walk out of that door, I worry myself to death. I swear, I walk around with a knot in my stomach for days until you return because- I genuinely have no idea what I would do without you. My heart, my mind, my soul- it's all just so full of you."

Bucky knew that he was loved. Oh boy, he was loved well, he was loved to death. He could feel his eyes dampening a little, salty tears stinging his eyes as he reached for you again, covering your face with butterfly kisses, leaving no spot unkissed. He shamelessly dropped his weight on top of you afterwards, smothering you with himself and his love, as he buried his head on your neck.

There was no way that you could ever complain.

"I taught Alpine how to sit on command, by the way."

His laugh didn't help the way a single tear escaped your eyes, but you didn't mind crying out of love. "Stop training my girl, she's an independent feline."

"She's an independent and greedy feline. Would do anything for a treat, I bet I could teach her how to do those dog-show tricks with enough food involved."

"Show me when I wake up, m'kay?" he asked, voice laced with exhaustion finally breaking through. "And- teach her how to give paw. Without claws."

"I tried. My hand still looks like it went through the garbage disposal."

Bucky woke up a few hours later than you, to an empty bed. Heavy patter of sock-clad feet resonated through the small apartment as he made his way over to the kitchen, pulling an appreciative hum out of you when he wrapped his arms around the back of your busy figure. You were already done with the dishes when he came, thankfully, knowing very well that no matter how exhausted he was, he'd take the task from you.

You leaned back on him, basking on his warmth while he watched you wash off the remaining soap from your hands, patting them on the nearest towel. "Morning, sunshine." you chuckled, slowly turning around in his hold to smile up at him. "Slept well?"

"Yeah, except for the part where you abandoned me." a playful pout was on his lips as he spoke, pulling you closer as if you'd vanish from his hold if he didn't feel you tighter against him. "It was traumatizing, you see."

"Oh quit being so dramatic," you rolled your eyes playfully before attempting to push him off of you. He didn't budge, though, instead leaning close with his lips dangerously close to yours. "I was gonna bring you some fruit."

"That can wait," he shrugged, reaching in for a temptative peck. He leaned in even closer when you didn't complain, lips brushing against yours to invite you in. You gave in embarrassingly fast, lips molding to his in a gentle kiss as you held onto the counter behind you, his warm hands cupping your cheeks to guide you through it.

Bucky has always been a gentle lover, and it specifically showed in the way he held you, no matter how desperate he was to have your lips trapped between his. He was slow- giving you chances here and there to catch your breath as his own lips traveled a bit south, leaving soft kisses at their wake as they toured your neck. You could feel his smile against you, that lazy and appreciative smile of his which you loved so much, always attempting to pull that out of him.

The breaking factor of your kiss was the way Alpine meowed to get your attention, alerting you of her feeding time with rather unpleasantly loud sounds. "Oh wow," Bucky pulled away a little with a laugh, lips wet with a mixture of both your salivas- he didn't care much. "Seriously, baby girl? Couldn't see that we're busy over here?"

"She's traumatized enough," you reached in for one last kiss, the short peck clearly not enough for Bucky as he tried to follow your lips. You pushed him away with a playful laugh before walking towards Alpine's food bowl, her slim white figure swaying happily by your side. "Sorry, baby. Blame your daddy, not me." you hummed, pulling out her bag of food and ignoring the way Bucky teased you right back, focusing on filling her bowl instead.

You pushed yourself up to your feet with a grunt when Alpine got occupied with her food, noticing the way Bucky seemed to melt into the comfort of the couch. "You're still all stiff, aren't you?" you cooed, earning a slight nod from him. "I'll run us a bath."

Warm water did wonders to muscles, sore from your office job, and in Bucky's case, from days worth of constant anxiety upon willingly facing risks. Your chest against his back, the two of you eased in the silence, as you trailed kisses through both of his arms. He reached his metal arm out when you held onto it, admiring the way your soft flesh contrasted with the dark vibranium before intertwining your fingers.

"I don't remember a lot about my mom," he whispered softly, a sigh following right after. "It's mostly just my father. He passed away when I was in my early twenties, a few years before I was deployed." you gave his flesh hand a slight squeeze, knowing that he didn't like to talk about the past that much.

"Yet, sometimes I find myself wishing that you could've met him. He wasn't- well, he was a bit strict at times but he always told me to never let go of a woman who loves me, and to hold her to death if that's where it all goes." he chuckled, as you smiled a bit, watching the water moving along with him. "He'd scold me for not taking these things seriously but now I know what he meant. I hope he got to feel the same way that I do now, when he was with my mother."

"He'd be incredibly proud of you, Bucky." you held his arm closer against your chest, rubbing it soothingly. "For the man you've become. A good man."

"I like to imagine that." yet another sigh escaped him. "After I got back to my senses, out of HYDRA, I felt so… Lost. No family or friends, not even an acquaintance except for Steve and- you know, he had his own stuff to do. Captain America and his responsibilities, all that. I wanted to hold onto him so tight but at the same time, I felt guilty that I'd be holding a hero back. It didn't feel safe, comfortable or even just decent with anyone else- until, well, fate brought you to me."

You closed your eyes, heart feeling warmer than ever at his confessions.

"Steve realized that I fell for you long before I did. I knew that- I could see it in him, obviously, he's been my best friend for over eighty years- and I felt like the way he trusted you with me, it could only mean that I could be able to do the same. Know that I'm free of judgment when I'm by your side." he pulled you closer for a moment, just to lay a gentle kiss on your damp hair. "I felt like a dead man for all those years, until you held my hand for the first time. I felt like I was electroshocked or something." you laughed at that, patting his arm.

"You make me feel so alive, too, did you know that?" you spoke up, tracing his fingers with the tips of yours. "You make me feel human. Completely, utterly. Because with every flaw that I have, I know that I also have you to love them. To make me accept them."

"We're not meant to be flawless," he added on to your point. "But sweetheart, you're perfect with your flaws. And you make me feel perfect with mine."

Although the water wasn't as warm as before, you still basked in his embrace comfortably,

[itsdappleagain]

Nice au's! Those all look so interestinggggg!!! ❤️

Whats the "freezer crate trauma" about? I'm curious hehe

thank you!!!

this one is a little ~1k oneshot sitting in my google docs which involves carmen getting locked inside of one of those like. freezer crates from shipyards that they use to transport food and me making her have stockholm trauma about it.

why i didnt post it? uhhh i dont know i think i was feeling insecure about how much angst i write at the time 💀i'll put a snippet here but if anyone wants to read the full thing i'll reblog with it! just lmk

snippet under the cut

The door creaked behind her, and she turned her head just in time to see the silhouette of a familiar operative framed in the doorway. Carmen dropped into a defensive stance, her breath hissing out in a cloud in the freezer box. “Tigress,” she greeted. Guard dog. Or, rather, guard cat.

Tigress’s eyes lit with the wicked delight that Carmen had learned to be wary of. “Looking for our little prize, are you? Want me to give you some time to yourself to look?”

Carmen’s brow furrowed. “What?”

Tigress, quick as a flash, stepped back from the door and slammed it. Panic flared with the sudden understanding as Carmen sprang for the door and slammed against it. Pain erupted in her shoulder and she cried out, staring in disbelief at where she used to be able to see the door. It didn’t budge- she heard Tigress cackle outside.

“TIGRESS.” Carmen yelled through the door. Unwillingly she felt panic pitch her voice as her fingers refused to stay on the frozen metal even through her gloves. “TIGRESS!”

Carmen stumbled back and tripped over some ridge in the pitch black container she didn’t remember. She hit the frozen floor hard, and her arms gave out on her. She was shaking. Why was she shaking? Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

“Red? You good?”

“Tigress locked me inside the freezer box.” Her voice was shaking and she didn’t know why. It was okay. She had Player. This time. And her coat. Shadow-san was on site. 

Her heart wouldn’t stop trying to smash her ribs into pieces again. A wave of panic made her stomach turn as the cold and the dark and the trapped sunk into her skin. She was going to die. She was going to die. 

“Woah, Red, you’re breathing really hard. Shadow-san’s on his way, he’ll get you out. Did she hurt you?”

“No. No.” Carmen breathed, and she felt herself choke and hardly registered it. “Player, I can’t do this again. I can’t- I can’t.”

Player’s tone shifted into a deeper concern, like the one he’d used when screaming for her to respond as she crashed in the-

“Carmen, hey! You’re okay! What’s going on??”

The room was cold, it was cold. Her coat was a tattered, broken glider, the raw, torn metal edges of the frame digging into her spine. She didn’t know if she couldn’t feel it anymore or if it just wasn’t important enough. Her reality slammed into her again, harder, and the metal of the container sucked the heat from her body. 

She couldn’t breathe. The air stabbed her lungs. Her head spun. She was going to die, and she was never going to see Zack or Ivy or Shadow-san again, or Player-

Player’s voice slid into her ear.

“Red, can you hear me? Red?!”

[chaoticbardlady99]

Darling, Never Stop Haunting Me (Spawn Astarion x F! Ghost Reader)

 Chapter Four: Regrets

Synopsis: You wake up in a place you've never seen before and shit hits the fan pretty quickly.

CW: Mentions of unwanted touch, gore, violence, mentions of child loss (Victoria)

Disclaimer- put together the picture for the banner, but I do not own any of the pictures. Birdie's 'image' is a stock image. I will not describe the readers body in detail- she is just merely on the banner for ✨drama✨. I believe the picture of Astarion is from @cheekylittlepupp . And then the symbol of Orcus in the back is a free image off the internet.

Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are always appreciated! Thank you for all your support and love!

Chapter Three : Chapter Five: AO3

 When you wake up again, your head is spinning and there is a man leaning over you with a smile on his face- he’s dressed head to toe in Paladin gear and there is a boot print with a compass insignia on his chest. The man is pretty, his skin has a slight bluish tint to it, but otherwise it’s more caramel colored, and he has a goofy, boyish grin. His hazel eyes bore into yours and his black messy hair frames his face. 

 Astarion would distrust him immediately.

 Your head is throbbing and your abdomen still feels the ghost of the arrow going through your much smaller form. Yet, all you can think about is getting back to Astarion as soon as possible. You will destroy the world if you have to if it means being by his side again. 

 “Welcome to the City of Manifest!” he yells with excitement. 

  The city of what now?

“Oh no- I need to g-“

  “Come on, get up, I have places to show you!” the man says, “my name is Brayden- a Wyst Paladin, most beautiful human you will ever meet, and,” he turns around with his arms wide, “certified tour guide for the newly dead!”

 Newly dead? You’ve been dead for a few centuries now. Wait, are you?

 “Dead!? Like gone gone?” you begin to panic, “no- I can’t! I- I have someone waiting for me to come back!”

   Your whole body begins to shut down- the air you don’t need being dragged into you in quick harsh gasps from panic. You can’t be gone. You can’t be! 

  You hope Astarion is okay- maybe you aren’t too far away from where you died? You did just kind of show up here- you thought you would have been dragged into the Ethereal Current.

  “Oh don’t fret! I’m sure they are on their way now- the City is not that far from wherever you died since you woke up here instead of in the good ole current,” the man continues to march towards the gates of the City, “people often come and live here with their passed loved ones or you can purchase a Manifesting Ring and be a solid humanoid outside of the City.”

“Solid?” you ask in confusion. 

“Notice how you can feel the breeze?”

  You pause and a small gust of wind kisses your face. Your hand goes hesitantly to your cheek- you actually felt the wind. Maybe you didn’t really notice because you were able to feel the wind as a cat anyhow so it wasn’t something you had to miss for too long.

“Wow,” you whisper.

 You slide off your shoes and put your feet in the freshly rained on grass- a laugh of delight escapes your lips. You are genuinely truly solid.

 Something sparks to life inside of you and all of the ‘What Ifs” begin to swirl around in your heart- making you positively giddy.

 This means that you have a chance- an honest to Gods chance- at being romantically involved with Astarion. You jump and shout- running across the grass with your shoes in hand and Brayden chasing after you. You don’t stop until you hit the gates- breathless, but with no use for air.

 It’s incredible. The ache in your legs, your lungs, and the cobblestone beneath your feet hurts, but in a way that is familiar and foreign all the same. You can feel frizzy flyaway hairs on your head and you can smell! 

  There must be a pastry shop somewhere and you are determined to find it, but first things first- you need to find Astarion. 

“Grief and a half woman,” Brayden comes to a halt in front of her, “I’m the one who’s supposed to be leading you!”

  You chuckle awkwardly, “Uh sorry- I guess I just got really excited.” 

  Brayden smiled understandingly. 

 “I was the same way when I arrived. I was also grateful to have another chance at life.”

 You hum in agreement and allow him to actually guide you this time. He shows you the Magic Swan Tavern- the most popular in town for it’s shenanigans. He takes you through the entirety of the Portal Ward District and you make note of the nice dagger that Deric’s Weapons is selling. 

 Maybe, if you can scrounge up some money, you can buy it for Astarion as a, “Sorry I keeled over. Again.” present. 

  After the Portal Ward District, you end up in the Market Ward with people shouting out their prices and discounts. Then you are off to Forestview and then back through the Portal Ward- The Leafy Branch tavern is far more quiet and calm than The Magic Swan Tavern, but you think you would prefer the noisiness and fun. You’ve missed out on that kind of environment for a very very long time. 

 There is so much to remember that your head feels like it’s swimming- there’s candle shops, pastry shops, live entertainment, loved ones reuniting, and people walking around with their neighbors or friends. 

 You are snapped out of your mystified reality when you arrive at The Tombyard district- the smell of rot and the feelings of despair make you feel colder than you already are.

 “This is the Tombyard- there is an eclectic group of individuals here,” Brayden says uneasily, “Necromancy and other magic that disturbs the peace of the dead are forbidden, but that doesn’t stop everyone.”

  There is a loud clattering from the alleyway and the Cleric steps in front of you protectively.      

 “Wait here,” he says sternly, “don’t go away with anyone who is not me or your friend, okay?)

 “Okay?”

  What in the hells is happening?

 10 minutes pass, then 20 before he reappears, except his eyes are different. Instead of being more brown, they are more red. His footsteps are way too soft compared to the clunking he was making earlier.

 “I really appreciate the tour and everything,” you say to Brayden, “but I need to go and find my friend-”

“Oh come on- just let me buy you one drink!” He grabs your arm, trying to drag you to the Tavern. 

 The man’s entire demeanor had changed. He was not puppy-like anymore- he was far too cool and collected. Horrifically pushy too. 

“No- I really need to find Astarion.”

“Forget him,” the man rolls his eyes, “he hasn’t gotten here yet. He’s probably moved on.”

  What? This man was just telling you about all the places to show Astarion and now he is saying he isn’t coming? 

 You feel tears prick your eyes and your lower lip begins to tremble. That’s not possible- is it?

 The man looks forlorn when he realizes how upset he made you. He comes over and gently pats your shoulders before looking you dead in the eyes. Although his face shows empathy, his eyes are empty and devoid of emotion. 

 You just need to get back to Astarion, this man doesn’t matter.

“Hey, look,” he says with a sigh, “I know someone who can help us find hi-“

 “Where!?” You practically scream, “take me there right now!” 

  The man smiles at you and gestures for you to follow him back towards The Tombyard. Something inside of you screams to stop following him, but the dumb part of you, the worried part of you that needs Astarion NOW, is winning over common sense. 

  There are far more alleyways in the Tombyard than you realized (you weren’t really paying much attention anyway), but something about going through alleyways with a stranger screams, “Astarion is going to have a cow when he realizes you followed a stranger when he has to rescue you from said stranger.”  

  You stop, letting ‘Brayden’ go further ahead when your stomach turns even tighter. Something is wrong. Very very wrong. 

 It’s like being in the Catacombs again.

  The man stops when he realizes you aren’t following him anymore, both of you staring at each other and standing mere feet apart. 

 Whoever this is- this is not the tour guide you met mere hours ago. This person has ill intentions.

 “Who are you?” 

  The question hangs in the air like a threat. It wasn’t meant to be, but knowledge is power and that’s all you have right now. 

  His face contorts and the man snarls in frustration- revealing massive canines. Your eyes go wide as the entire illusion drops. 

 It’s Leon. Of course it’s fucking Leon. 

 “You and Astarion are an annoying fucking duo,” he says harshly, “between the two of you- I really don’t know who is worse, but I am certainly fed up.” 

  Oh that might be a threat. 

  You take off running- sliding around corners of alleyways with Leon hot on your heels through the back alley of The Tombyard. He was Cazador’s best hunter for a reason and he certainly isn’t losing your trail. 

 Oh to be a cat again- there are so many good hiding spots. Astarion is going to have to take you to Halsin immediately after this- you definitely need to add ‘Druid’ to your limited list of skills.

  Leon sends you flying with a thunder wave and you have officially decided flying isn’t for you. 

  The wall hurts as you crash into it- your nose makes a cracking noise and some kind of blue liquid is coming out. Your head is spinning- the world is spinning. Your pants are ripped at the knees from skidding and your hands are raw with ectoplasm.

  You’re going to die die (two times in a day? What the hell did you do to deserve this?)

  Leon comes into your vision and you try to push yourself away- absolutely desperate to get away. It’s no use- every attempt at kicking out at him or fighting him off has failed and now he’s force feeding you a paralytic as he grips your scalp painfully- slamming your head against the pavement until you stop fighting back.

 Tears slip down your face- you should have listened to your instincts. Now you’re never going to see Astarion again and it feels like a massive gut punch. You always waited too long and never took risks, but of course the one risk you take is going to be your last. 

 And it’s not the risk you wanted to take today.

 I am so so sorry, Star, you think remorsefully, and Gods do I wish I told you I love you. 

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

  The sound of Leon screaming and cursing in indignation is what snaps you back into the world. 

  He really fucking lost it after Cazador died, huh? Hopefully Victoria isn’t being subjected to this at home. If she is- you are going to need to locate the nearest looney bin for insane undead (it’s a literal bin, you and Astarion frequently joke about Gardening and used Cazador as fertilizer for really pretty pink flowers). 

  You are both in a cage (how fitting- a Birdie in a cage) and you think you may be in some kind of temple. It smells even worse than Szarr Palace and the individuals walking around are very obviously somewhere between a rotting zombie and an intelligent, humanoid. Astarion had described a man like this once- Balthazaar- and to your recollection, the man was a Necromancer. 

 So none of this really bodes well for either one of you right now. 

 “We had a deal!” Leon spits at the man looking at him in amusement from the other side, “a soul for a soul- I brought you someone else’s loved one and you owe me.”

 “Hm,” the man says, “even when immortal, humans are still the dullest humanoid.” 

 “Ha!” You snort, Leon glaring at you, “what? You deserved that one.” 

  He growls something unintelligible towards you before turning to speak to the Necromancer again, but he’s already gone.

“You dolt!” you exclaim, “look at what you’ve done! You bored the man with the keys away.” 

 “Don’t you mean scare?”

“I know what I said- dick cheese,” you scrunch up your nose, stick out your tongue, and flip him off. 

  “Gods,” Leon groans, “you are as bad as Astarion. Maybe I should have tried to kill him the first time I asked to take you and he said no. Or I could have been more aggressive in my hunts, but of course the fucker has developed some basic common sense and combat skills.”

  Your face must reveal some element of shock because Leon just snorts and shakes his head in disdain.

 “That son-of-bitch never talked to you about that, did he?” 

 “Obviously not,” you quip, “does this look like the face of a person who knows what you are talking about?” 

  Leon looks at the ground- his shoulders slumped in defeat.

 “Victoria died,” he says flatly, “Dalyria killed her before the ritual. I came here, hoping she was waiting for me, but she wasn’t able to get out of the Ethereal Current.

“I ran into that Necromancer,” he says with disgust, “and he told me that he could bring back Victoria, but he needed the soul of another person’s loved one. An eye for an eye- to complete the spell. I had already done the original groundwork- you were the missing piece.

“I asked Astarion to talk to you two days after you both left Baldur’s Gate, since we all knew he had some weird attachment to a cat, but obviously you didn’t get a say.” 

  You are floored. This definitely should have been a conversation for you two to have- a child literally died! You would have happily helped! You will definitely be having a conversation with Astarion about this. You at least deserve to have a say over your own life force.

 “Ha, I thought he’d leave his guard down, slip up, something,” Leon scoffs, “but no. Every trap, every location, and every attempt has been thwarted by Astarion. Hells- I even fucking killed you before you left that portal and it’s like he’s still keeping me away from my daughter because he taught you to be suspicious. 

“I wish Cazador had been able to torture that runt one last time or better ye-“ 

  Somehow- your hand ends up around Leon’s vocal chords. And not just in a normal way- oh no. Your hand is submerged in his skin and is practically translucent. If you weren’t so positively pissed- you would have probably taken the time to throw up. 

 “You will not talk about him that way,” you leer into the man’s face and he does actually look afraid, “You would be lucky to be half the man Astarion is and if you slander his name one more time, I’m going to possess you and make you lap up disgusting, congealed blood off the floor- capiche?” 

  Leon continues to just look back at you in shock and horror so you tighten your grip.

“I SAID- CAPICHE!?” 

  Leon nods wordlessly and you let go of your chokehold on his vocal chords. You are also still in shock, but he doesn’t need to know that. He can’t know that you are very very new to this whole interactive ghost thing. 

 “What happens now?” You ask slowly, “do you know what is going to happen to us?” 

  Leon shrugs and just falls to the floor- sitting down against the cage in defeat.

“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine anything good.” 

 You frown, “what makes you say that?”

 “Because of us.”

 A chill runs up your spine and you begin to develop goose flesh along your arms. Slowly, you turn in the direction of Dalyria’s voice and what you see- you can hardly fathom. A blood curdling scream leaves your mouth. 

 Dalyria, Violet, Petras, Yousen, and Aurelia are all chopped up and sewn together at different places. One massive body with mismatched eyes adorning Dalyria’s head and the other eyes and mouths stitched shut. Dalyria has two tongues and drools pouring out of her mouth. They are all stitched onto Yousen’s torso but with Petras’ arms and legs. Every part is mutilated in some horrific way. 

  You put your face in your hands and sob so hard you begin to gag. 

 “Leon did this to us,” Dalyria slurs into the open, “we were the groundwork. Miss Incognito is still being worked on, but she’s gone too.” 

 No! You scream to yourself, no! They should all be happy- living their lives! Not- not this!

 You favored Astarion, but you did like the others and you liked Victoria too. You tried to help them too when you could and they are- were- genuinely good people who never deserved this.

   With shaking hands and chattering teeth- you feel something light up inside of you and a wave of red blurs your vision. 

 “You MONSTER!” You scream, getting up right, “you had no right!”

  You kick your foot and will it to become translucent and it does. Leon’s head goes flying backwards into the cage and you try not to think about the squishy contents on your shoes. 

 The rage, grief, and sadness in your body is all inflicted onto Leon in crazy, supernatural ways. You are blinded by powers you didn’t even know you had, you barely even remember what actions you took or spells you unintentionally cast. 

  When Leon is finally lifeless and destroyed- you go to the other side of the cage and curl up in a ball in the corner. 

 You’ve never killed anyone and you are beginning to regret it now. Leon is unrecognizable and you struggle to look away.

 Did you really just condemn a man to death because he had tried to get his beloved daughter back?

 “What an impressive display of power!” 

  You look up and come eye to eye with a Lich of all the fucking things. Astarion is going to be so upset with you when he finds you. You can already hear him castigating you.

 “WHAT IN THE WRETCHED HELLS WERE YOU THINKING!?” 

 Oh, you were just thinking that he may leave without you if he thought you fucked off and you love him too much to never see him again. 

 Just some silly little feelings is all. 

 For once, you are being the impulsive one. Hopefully Astarion is prepared to be the prepared one this time. 

 If he even comes for me, you think, I wouldn’t have gotten within 100 feet of this place if I had known there was a Lich here.

 “You know, Leon said there was something special about you,” he circles the cage, “I thought he was talking out of his ass.

“How wonderful of him to have brought me such an incredible gift before his untimely demise. I suppose he should consider himself lucky- at least this way he can see his daughter again.”

 The Lich chortles and a shiver goes up your spine as one of his lithe fingers reaches through the cage and strokes the side of your face. You feel your tears start up again in full force and then he cuts your cheek with his nail before lapping up the ectoplasm that flows through your veins through the cage. His breath is foul and rancid- his tongue feels like sandpaper on your skin.

 “Mmmmm delicious,” the Lich smiles, “it’s a shame you’ve found a way to be useful to me and my research. Hopefully I will be able to indulge in you later.” 

 No, no, no! This can’t be happening.

  “Pl-pleas-please don’t hurt me,” you say through sobs and tears, “I wo-won’t tell anyone what I saw- I will never come back here! Please!” 

 The Lich frowns and looks annoyed with you. 

“Orcus help me, I hate beggars and weaklings,” he scoffs, “I’ll keep you with me so when I have use for you again- I know you won’t be very far.” 

 A searing pain roars through your body and the world goes completely dark.

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

Author note: Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are always appreciated! Please let me know if you would like to be on the tag list! I am using the Ghostwalk campaign for NPCs, locations, etc. It is a 3e Campaign and doesn’t mirror 5e Ghosts. I have tweaked some of the ghost powers and such for the sake of the story, but if you would like more information on Ghostwalk and the City of Manifest, there is a PDF online that is free to download :)

Tag List: @n3rdybirdee @fandomarchiveilyd @dajeong @hotmesshobbit @godoffuckedupcats @bitchstarion @hereliesblackdragon @pebble-bb @preciouslittlebhaalbae @lavvyan @beepersteeper

Special thanks to @davenswitcher thank you for helping me brain storm 💜

[harringtonstilinski]

Always The Babysitter - Chapter Sixteen: The Mind Flayer

Author: @harringtonstilinski​ Characters: Steve Harrington x Olivia Henderson(OC) Word Count: 3,860 Warnings: liv being a little insecure, canon violence, angst, squint for fluff, nickname drops Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! To go ahead and clear up any confusion; Ch15 (S2Ep7) doesn't exist here. If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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All of us were walking along the tracks again when we left the junkyard. I was scared and, quite frankly, a little cold. I had my arms crossed over my chest, looking down at where I was walking. I did this when I was anxious beyond belief. I felt a hand on my arm, looking at who it was attached to.

Steve’s eyebrows were a little furrowed, so I shook my head a little before lacing my fingers with his, sighing and feeling more at ease as I did.

“You’re positive that was Dart?” Lucas asked.

“Yes,” Dustin said. “He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt.”

“He was tiny two days ago,” Max said.

“Well, he’s molted three times already.”

“Malted?” Steve asked.

“Molted,” I said. “He’s shedding his skin to make more room for growing. Kinda like snakes.”

“When’s he gonna molt again?” Max asked.

“It’s gotta be soon,” Dustin said.

“When he does, he’ll be fully grown, if not close,” I said. “So, will his friends.”

“Yeah, and he’s gonna eat a lot more than just cats,” Steve said.

“Wait, a cat?” Lucas asked. “Dart ate a cat?"

I turned my head over my shoulder at hearing their footsteps stopping, stopping my own while pulling on Steve’s hand to get him to stop.

“No,” Dustin said. “What? No.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve said. “He ate Mews.”

“Mews?” Max asked, looking from Steve to me. “Who’s Mews.”

“Dustin and Liv’s cat.”

“Steve,” I said, while Dustin yelled his name at the same time.

“I knew it!” Lucas said. “You kept him!”

“No!” Dustin tried to deny. “No. No, I… No, I…” He was going to relent in three… two… one. “He missed me. He wanted to come home.”

“Bullshit!”

I felt Steve’s hand tighten on mine, so I rubbed my thumb against his, letting him know everything was okay.

“I didn’t know he was a Demogorgon, okay?” Dustin said.

“Oh, so now you admit it?” Lucas asked.

I rolled my eyes, so used to their banter, and looked off to the woods on my right.

“Guys, who cares?” Max said. “We have to go.”

“I care!” Lucas said. “You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!”

“SO DID YOU!” Dustin yelled.

“What?”

I sighed and looked back towards Steve and Max, putting my eyes on Steve. “Can I murder them?”

“You told a stranger the truth!” Dustin said, briefly shining his light in Max's face.

She scoffed, saying, “A stranger?”

“You wanted to tell her, too!” Lucas said. 

Letting go of Steve’s hand, I put my hands up in surrender and turned 90 degrees to the right, saying, “I’m so fucking done.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t, okay?” Dustin said. “I didn’t. We both broke the rule of law. We’re even. We’re even.”

Screeching in the distance put me back on alert, my anxiety at an eleven.

“Steve,” I whispered. I saw his light from the corner of my eye before feeling his chest on my shoulder.

“No, no, don’t even try that,” Lucas said. “You’re stupid pet could’ve ate us for dinner.”

“That was not my fault,” Dustin retorted.

“Hey, guys,” Steve said.

“He wasn’t gonna eat us.”

“Oh, so, he was crawling to say hello?” Lucas said.

“Guys!” Steve and I yelled, turning to look at the kids.

The kids looked at us before we looked back at the woods. I knew he looked, too, because I could feel his shoulder move from and to my back.

Steve moved towards the woods, grabbing my hand as he did.

“We’re not going in there,” I said, walking with him. “Steven Anthony, we are not walking in these woods. We are not following the sound. Steve? Steven.”

I heard leaves crunching as the kids followed us. We came to a clearing, standing there to look for a moment before Dustin voiced, “I don’t see ‘em.” It was like you could see the entire town of Hawkins from where we were.

I looked over at Lucas, feeling his arm brush against mine. He had his binoculars up to his eyes. “It’s the lab,” he said. Watching as he lowered his arms, he added, “They were going back home.”

Somehow, we made our way through the woods to the lab, coming up on… Nancy and Jonathan?

Us four older teens voiced each other’s names before questions were being thrown.

“What are you doing here?” Nancy asked.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked back.

I let go of his hand as she said, “We’re looking for Mike and Will.”

“They’re not in there, are they?” Dustin asked.

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling embarrassed.

“We’re not sure,” Nancy said.

“Why?” Jonathan asked.

Screeching had me popping my head up, looking towards the building.

I was standing outside the huddle everyone had put themselves in, nerves on high alert, while I was looking down at the ground.

“The power’s back,” Nancy said, causing me to pick my head up.

We all rushed to Jonathan’s car, said teen going inside the security box to mess with something for the gate. Dustin followed him inside a couple of seconds after, trying to push him out of the way.

“Let me try,” Dustin said. “Let me try, Jonathan.”

I was on the passenger side of the car, watching the gate do… well, nothing.

“Son of a bitch. You know what…” Dustin said.

Too anxious to say anything, I started pacing the passenger side, letting my thoughts get the better of me. I didn't know how long I was pacing for until I felt hands on my shoulders, rubbing up and down.

I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing exactly who it was. Feeling a kiss to the back of my head, I felt safe.

“Why are you pacing again?” 

“Because I’m scared,” I whispered. I turned around to face Steve, his hands still on my shoulders, pulling me back until he was leaning against the back of the car.

“Of what?”

I looked down, tears once again filling my eyes.

“Talk to me,” he whispered.

Looking up at him, I whispered, “Everything.” I breathed in a shaky breath before adding, “Dustin dying, you dying, everyone dying.” I glanced over his shoulder at Nancy, looking down at where Steve’s shirt and jeans met. “I’m scared of Nancy hating me.”

I could tell he dipped his head to try and look at me, but when I wouldn’t he whispered, “Baby, look at me.”

Lifting my head, a couple tears streamed down my cheeks… for the millionth time tonight.

He shook his head, putting his hand on my cheek. I leaned into his touch, stepping a little closer to him. “She’s not gonna hate you. If anything she’ll hate me… for moving on as fast as I did.”

I sighed and leaned forward, dropping my chin a little to my chest. I felt Steve’s forehead bump against mine, his hand coming to rest on my neck.

“Everything will be okay,” he whispered. I felt him lift his head from mine, causing me to look up at him. “I promise.”

I nodded, feeling him lightly pull me towards him, our lips meeting. We didn’t move for a few seconds, Steve pulling away first. We ended up moving to the front of the car where everyone else was standing, the gate opening it.

Dustin praised himself for opening the gate, even though I’m pretty sure someone inside did reset the system using BASIC.

Jonathan and Nancy got in the car, driving towards the lab to go find Mike and Will.

Steve and I moved to lean on a post by the guard box with my back on his chest, the other three teens walking around aimlessly. Max stepped closer to the opened gate, saying, “Guys?” as two pairs of headlights were pointed our way.

Since I had my head leaning against Steve’s shoulder, I picked it up, hearing the engines revving. Seeing the cars coming towards us at fast speed, I told the kids to get out of the way, pulling Dustin closer to me as he stepped backwards.

Jonathan’s car zoomed past us first, Hopper’s truck stopping beside us. He looked out the opened passenger window, saying, “Let’s go.”

Steve moved first, getting the kids in the back. He guided me in with a hand on my back into the truck, where I sat on the middle console between him and Hop.

~~~

We went back to the Byers’ house, the vibe in the house one of sadness. Hopper told us on the way back to the Byers’ that Bob died from the Demogorgon’s attacking him as they were trying to escape.

I’m not sure anyone wanted to say anything to anyone. Will was asleep on the couch, the boy apparently is being possessed by that Shadow Monster he drew. Jonathan was talking to his brother as Nancy was standing behind him for support.

I was standing by Steve, both us watching them. He turned around and walked into the kitchen, pinching his nose to not cry. I was already letting the tears flow. Will was like a little brother to me, so seeing him in his state made me very sad.

Following Steve, I couldn't help but hear Hop’s conversation on the phone. “I don’t know how many people are there! I don’t know how many people are left alive! I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper! Yes, the number that I gave you, yes. 6767 - I will be here.”

“They didn’t believe you, did they?” Dustin asked, the rest of the younger teens with him at the table.

“We’ll see,” Hop said.

I was standing by Steve, facing the kids at the table. I felt his hand on my arm, feeling him pull me towards him, so I turned my back to him, feeling his arms wrap around me, holding me to him, my arms resting over his.

“‘We’ll see?’” Mike asked. “We can’t just sit here while those things are loose!”

“We stay here, and we wait for help.” Hop walked into the hallway to Joyce’s bedroom. 

I sighed and leaned my head back against Steve’s shoulder, turning my head towards him just a little. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, just wanting to sleep for at least fifteen minutes.

I was successful for about two of those minutes before I heard Mike’s voice say, “Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?”

“Really?” Lucas asked.

“He petitioned the school to start it and everything. Then he had a fundraiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him.” Mike walked back over to the table. “Pretty awesome, right?”

“Yeah,” Lucas and my brother said.

Mike placed one of Bob’s puzzles on the table before saying, “We can’t let him die in vain.”

“Well, what do you wanna do, Mike?” Dustin asked sharply.

“Dusty,” I whispered.

“Alright, the Chief’s right on this. We can’t stop those Demo-dogs on our own.”

“Demo-dogs?” Max and I asked, my tone more confused.

Deadpanning, Dustin said, “Demogorgon. Dogs. Demodogs. It’s like a compound. It’s like a play on words–”

“Okay, Dusty,” I sighed. “We get it.”

“I mean, when it was just Dart… maybe.”

“But there’s an army now,” Lucas said. 

“Precisely.”

“His army,” Mike muttered.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked. I looked up at him, looking at his jaw. “His army. Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too.”

Scrunching my brows, I unwrapped myself from Steve to walk into Will’s room, the younger teens and Steve following. “Are you talking about this?” I asked Mike, my facial expression laced with nothing but confusion.

Mike looked at the drawing of the Shadow Monster that I had in my hands, the one that Will drew. “Yeah.” He handed the drawing to Dustin, everyone huddling into a circle. 

“The Shadow Monster,” Dustin said.

“It got Will that day in the field,” Mike said. “The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him.”

“And so this virus, it’s connecting him to the tunnels?” Max asked.

“To the tunnels, to the monsters, to the Upside Down, to everything.”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, slow down,” Steve said, taking the drawing from Dustin.

“Okay, so, the Shadow Monster’s inside everything,” Mike explained. “And if the vines can feel something like pain, then so does Will.”

“And so does Dart,” Lucas added.

“Yeah, like what Mr. Clarke taught us. The hive mind.”

“Hive mind?” Steve asked.

“A collective consciousness,” Dustin said.

“It’s a super-organism,” I added.

“And this is the thing that controls everything,” Mike said. “It’s the brain.”

“Like the Mind Flayer,” Dustin said, his eyes a little wide.

Lucas snapped his fingers, pointing towards my little brother as Steve, Max and I asked, “The what?”

Dustin sighed, exasperatedly, pushing Steve out of the way to find Will’s D&D book, asking everyone but Joyce and a passed out Will to come around the table, where he slammed the book down on the page he needed. “The Mind Flayer.”

“What the hell is that?” Hopper asked.

“It’s a monster from an unknown dimension. It’s so ancient that it doesn’t even know its true home. Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers.”

“Oh, my god,” Hopper groaned. “None of this is real. This is a kid’s game.”

“No, it-it-it’s a manual,” Dustin argued. “And it’s not for kids. And unless you know something we don’t, this is the metaphor–”

“Analogy,” Lucas and I said. Since I was leaning against the table by Dustin, I felt his eyes on me, so I looked at him.

“Analogy? That’s what you’re worried about?” Dustin said. “Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is.”

“Okay, so this Mind Flamer thing–” Nancy said.

“Flayer. Mind Flayer.”

She sighed before asking, “What does it want?”

“To conquer us, basically. I-it believes it’s the master race.”

“Oh, like, uhh, like the Germans,” Steve said.

Turning my head over my shoulder, I softly corrected him by saying, “The Nazis, babe.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis.”

Hopper groaned while Dustin said, “Uh, if the Nazis were from a different dimension, totally. Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself.”

“It wants to spread, take over other dimensions,” Mike added.

“We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it,” Lucas said.

“That’s great,” Steve said. “That’s great!”

“That’s really great,” I added, before walking away and whispering, “Sweet shit.”

I leaned my hands against the sink, letting my chin meet my chest, feeling hands on my upper arms, rubbing up and down. Picking my head up, I closed my eyes, sighing. I turned around, Steve’s hands still on my arms as I whispered “When did this become our lives?”

He pulled me into a hug, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “I’m not sure,” he whispered back. 

“Great,” Hopper said, bringing Steve and I out of our little moment. “So, how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs or something?”

Chuckling, Dustin said, “No. No, no fire– no fireballs. Uh, you summon an undead army, uh, because… because zombies, ya’know, they don’t have brains, and the Mind Flayer, it-it-it likes brains. It’s just a game. It’s a game.”

Closing the book and slamming it on the table, Hopper said, “What the hell are we doing here?”

“I thought we were waiting for your military backup, Hop?” I sassed, walking around Steve.

“We are!”

“But even if they come, how are they going to stop this, Jim? You can’t just have a damn shoot out!”

“You don’t know that! We don’t know anything!”

“We know it’s already killed everybody in that lab,” Mike said.

“And we know the monsters are going to molt again,” Lucas added.

“And we know that it’s only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town,” Dustin said.

“They’re right,” Joyce said, all of us looking her way. “We have to kill it. I want to kill it.”

“Me, too,” Hopper said, walking towards Joyce. “Me, too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that? We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

“No,” Mike said. “But he does.” He started walking towards Will laying on the couch, everyone else following. “If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it’s Will. He’s connected to it. He’ll know its weakness.”

“I thought we couldn’t trust him anymore,” Max wondered. “That’s he’s a spy for the Mind Flayer now.”

“Yeah, well, he can’t spy if he doesn’t know where he is,” I said.

“Where can we do this at?” Hopper asked.

“Jonathan, don’t you guys have a shed in the back?” I asked, the oldest Byers boy nodding.

Hopper and I walked outside to the shed, where he opened the door and looked in for a moment before saying, “Yeah, this’ll work.” We started cleaning it out, placing everything from inside the shed onto the ground in a giant pile.

Steve and Nancy came out to help me put a tarp up. Steve was using the staple gun to hold the tarp in place, while Nancy was ripping pieces of duct tape.

“Hey,” she said. “What you did, uhm, helping the kids…”

I sighed, looking at the back of Steve’s head as he looked at her, resting his arm on the shelf in front of him.

“That was… really cool,” she finished. 

“Yeah,” he said, looking back at me. “I had help.”

I smiled a little at him, feeling my cheeks flush. He held his hand out for me to take, guiding me to step up on the step stool. Since I was too short to reach the top of the tarp, I tested the strength of the shelf before jumping onto it, basically standing on my knees.

As I felt Steve’s hands on my thighs, he said, “Those little shits are real trouble, ya’know?”

“Believe me,” she said. “I know.”

“Gimme the gun,” I said, turning my body towards Steve a little bit. 

He smiled a little bit, handing me the staple gun. I started stapling the tarp every few inches or so.

Once everyone had the materials that we needed for the shed, everyone came inside, helping to tape the tarp to the windows, as well as the newspaper, tin foil and cardboard that we all had found in the trash and around the house.

A couple chairs were placed in the middle of the shed; one against the post in the middle, the other in front.

When the job was done and we all went back inside, Jonathan scooped Will up off the couch, taking him out to the shed.

I was sitting on the living room floor, leaning against the couch, watching Steve practice some swings with his bat. Leaning my head back against the cushions, I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment.

Paper rustling caused me to open my eyes, watching as Steve sat down next to me. I scooted a little closer to him, resting my head against his shoulder, feeling his head rest on mine.

Sighing, I said, “Here’s hoping he doesn’t sick his dogs on us. Judgment day if he does.” I jumped up to my feet when the lights started flickering a couple of minutes later, walking towards the backdoor.

Hopper, Mike, Joyce and Jonathan came back in the house a couple minutes later, my little brother asking, “What happened?” The Chief sat down at the table with a piece of paper and a pen, saying, “I think he’s talking… just not with words.” He drew four dots, followed by one, then dot dash dot before finishing with one dot at the end, writing the letters that correspond with each code.

“What is that?” Steve asked.

“Morse Code,” all of us answered.

“H - E - R - E,” Hop spelled, all of us answering, “Here.”

“Will’s still in there,” Hop said. “He’s talking to us.”

Jonathan went to his room, grabbing his boom box and a cassette after Hopper had suggested using something to help Will talk more.

A couple minutes later, we got our first code.

“Dash, dot, dash, dot,” Dustin said, writing it down. Lucas looked for it, him and Max saying, “C,” Nancy writing it down after. This continued for the next few minutes before we had all the letters, all nine collectively saying, “Close Gate.”

I jumped out of my skin when the phone rang, Dustin going to quickly pick the receiver off the base before hanging it back up, saying, “Shit. Shit.”

It rang again, Nancy taking it off the wall and throwing it down the hall.

“Damn, Wheeler,” I muttered.

“Do you think he heard that?” Max asked.

“It’s just a phone,” Steve said from next to me. “It could be anywhere. Right?”

That screeching sound that only Demodogs make had me turning my head from looking at Steve to the front windows. Dustin, Max, Nancy, Lucas, Steve and myself all walked into the living room, Dustin and I saying, “Thaaaaat’s not good.”

Joyce, Mike and Jonathan came back in the house with a passed out Will, taking him into his room. Max, Lucas and Mike were leaning against the couch looking out of the windows.

“Hey,” Hopper said. “Hey! Get away from the windows.”

Gathering in the living room, Hopper held out a shotgun and asked Jonathan, “Do you know how to use this?”

“Wha-what?” Jonathan asked.

With urgency in his voice, Hopper asked, “Can you use this?”

“I can,” Nancy answered, Hopper tossing the gun to her.

Since everyone that had a weapon stood in front, those of us without weapons - the kids, myself, Joyce and Jonathan - stood behind them, waiting for something to happen with the Dogs. Dustin and I stood behind Steve with his bat, Max stood behind Lucas with his wrist rocket, while the Byers’ stood behind the Wheeler’s.

When we heard thudding, all of us turned to the right, Nancy asking, “What are they doing?” before we all turned back to the left, facing the windows.

I grabbed onto Dustin, feeling him grab me back at the sound of the creatures so close, a pained screech sounding a few seconds before once came crashing through the windows, the only thing I could hear was my own screaming, tears filling my eyes for what seemed like the millionth time tonight.

“Holy shit,” Dustin said as Hop moved toward the creature.

“Is it dead?” Max asked.

“It freaking better be,” I exclaimed.

Hopper moved its head with his foot, giving us our answer of whether or not the creature was dead.

Hearing something creak had all of us looking towards the door, the deadbolt unlocking. Those with weapons held them up as Hopper moved towards the door, the chain moving next. The door opened and my heart dropped to my butt.

There, dressed like a MTV punk with her hair slicked back and black eyeliner smudged around her beautiful hazel eyes and blood dripping down her nose… was El.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~

A/N 2:  hi, friends! please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Note: i feel like everyone uses the gif above, but i couldn't find anything else 😩

~~~

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If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @harringtonstilinski​.

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Posted on February 12, 2024