#or then from space themed name to flower name to normal name | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crucifiedramblings · 7 months

Text

liability — unsub!spencer x bau!reader (part one)

minors dni, adult content ahead. minors/ageless blogs will be blocked.

summary: after a year of being engaged, spencer reid left you behind and resigned from quantico. you haven’t heard from him since, and your life has finally returned to a somewhat normal state. you moved into your own place, got promoted to hotchner’s prior position, and started to heal. it’s been two years since that fateful day when you get an unexpected visitor at the office— and you’re all alone.

warnings: heavy smut, implied dubcon, manipulation/gaslighting, sadistic themes, pet names, oral (f receiving), fingering, overstimulation if you squint, choking, spit, bruising/marking

word count: 2.4k

next part: n/a

notes: so, spencer being an unsub isn't really discussed (there isn't much talking at all, if we are being real), but he is one of their open cases when him and the reader, uh . . . reconnect. he is more dark-natured and resilient than he used to be. this is gonna be at least two parts, apologies for any leading on i may have done here!

you rubbed your eyes intensely, powering through the last few pages of reports that you had to proofread before faxing over to hotch. when you agreed to take over his job, celebrating his success in moving up the chain of command, you never expected it to be so draining. you rarely got to go home on time, spending most evenings in your office when everyone had long since hit the road. your fellow agents often offered to keep you company, but you refused. there was no good reason that multiple of you had to have a spoiled evening. it was very odd being the boss, but also endearing. you had to make frequent tough calls, some nearly impossible, but it was part of the charm. or, at least, that is what you told yourself to justify it.

you sipped your coffee, staring at the brazen plate on your door with your name engraved into it. you went as far as to move into hotchner’s old office space, filling the cream-colored walls with frames of pressed flowers and pinned moths. you were a collector of your favorite people and experiences; you kept a dart board for jareau, a mockingjay print for gideon, a colorful puzzle collage for penelope, and— unfortunately— a chess board for spencer. you had other things too, but those were the main items on full display in your office. although, you kept a group photo of you, morgan and hotch on your desk.

you used the armrests of your chair to push yourself to your feet, stretching and starting the walk to the kitchen area. you made a small snack and a fresh pot of coffee, running to the restroom before pouring a new cup. the steam curled up into the air, the aroma of the grounds filling your nose. as you tried to enjoy the earthy smell, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were being observed or studied, like an animal in its enclosure — analyzed. you turned slowly, greeted with an empty room and a door that was slightly ajar, although you could’ve sworn it was closed when you came in. it was getting late, nearing almost two in the morning by now. your memory has never proved to be the most reliable when deprived of much-needed rest.

you slowly tugged your way back up the stairs to your office, the elevators being locked down after a certain time. rounding the corner, you narrowed your eyes, confused to find your office flooded in darkness. the lamp had shut off when you were gone. you didn’t like how this felt — you weren’t losing it, were you? this floor had frequent surges in random rooms, so it wasn’t entirely nerve-wracking. you sighed, blindly making your way to the lamp in the far corner and tugging the cord to turn it on. you allowed your eyes to adjust, making a disgruntled groan when you remembered the reports waiting for you.

as you turned to sit back at your computer, you were met with a very familiar face — doctor spencer reid. he sat, nonchalantly occupying your chair with a hairpin curve of a smirk on his lips. he looked smug. you weren’t sure if it was because he had been able to sneak past security without detection, or because he was able to sneak past you. your face fell flat, dropping the mug of coffee you had been carrying. it shattered on the floor, hot coffee spilling all over your leather shoes. you didn’t even care, so stunned that you couldn’t bring yourself to speak. spencer picked up on that, standing from the chair in one swift motion and approaching your smaller frame.

“you look wonderful,” his voice was melodious to your ears, even if it shouldn’t have been, “even better than the day i left.” spencer let a low chuckle bubble up from his chest, gently grasping your hands in his own. you ripped away from his touch furiously, stepping back as your eyes stung with prickling tears that collected in the corners.

“you don’t—” you sniffled, swiping your hair out of your face, “you don’t get to fucking do that! you don’t get to drop everything, abandon the people you love, just to come back whenever you feel like it!” you raised your voice, determined to make him feel what you had, “get the fuck out.” you gestured to the door and shoved past him, sitting in your chair and starting up the report you had due. spencer lingered by the introductory door plate, reading it with a chuckle.

“you really made something of yourself, huh, angel?” spencer’s voice adorned a soft and flirty lilt, “i’m so proud of you—” he approached your desk once more, leaning across and steadying his weight on his palms. “i don’t think you really want me to leave, do you, pup?” he circled your desk like he was a starving piranha, placing his hands on either side of your chair and forcing you to have nowhere else to go. he leaned in close, face dipping down to your neck as he left a trail of haphazard kisses along your jaw and throat. he occasionally pulled the tender skin between his teeth, sucking down hard and fast to see what kind of noise he could force from your perfect mouth. “i think you still need me, even if you don’t want to.” spencer hummed, tongue running a stripe of saliva along your collar.

“stop,” you weakly whispered, only because your pride wouldn’t allow you to tell him what you truly wanted; him. spencer had been gone so long, you almost forgot how effortlessly good he made you feel. the wet patch on your panties tripled in size the longer he toyed with you, but everything aside, he hurt you. he abandoned you. yet, in this moment, no hurt he was responsible for mattered. you knew that if hotch were here, he would have talked some sense into you. unfortunately, spencer knew how to melt your brain right out of your cunt in the most devious ways.

“am i making you nervous?” spencer danced his fingertips along your collarbones and released a content sigh, “i’m willing to bet that i am— the way your breath hitches when i touch you, clenching your teeth and trying to hide any sign of how turned on you’ve gotten from the lightest brush of my fingers—” he took a brief pause, gently sliding your blazer from your shoulders as you absent-mindedly parted your back from the chair to assist him. “the human body is so strange; you could be the best profiler in the bau, keeping your emotions under wraps with no error, and your silent cues would still give away everything i need to know.” spencer’s voice dipped into a low, sultry tone as he felt the newly exposed skin of your upper torso.

“and—” you cleared your throat, straightening your posture as you locked eyes with the other in an attempt to assert yourself. “what do my silent cues tell you, doctor reid?” you narrowed your eyes, trying to persuade your inner, more sex-driven monologue to stop thinking about his hands on your—

“you’re torn,” spencer started, “part of you wants to kill me for leaving you— but you have to understand, sweetheart— you would have just gotten in the way. you weren’t ready for that kind of lifestyle.” you were confused, to say the least, and his patronizing tone only made you more pissed until he grasped your jaw and forced you to keep eye contact. “i’ve been very bad,” he grinned, “and i didn’t want to bring you down that road with me.” his expressions, his dialogue— all of it was reminiscent of the likable villain in a suspense film; although, in your line of work, there was rarely such a thing.

“what about the other part?” you spoke up once his grip on your face has loosened, hands shoving into the pockets of his slacks. it was your turn to do the profiling, you thought, observing his pacing from the door to the window as he was almost lost in thought. spencer seemed uncomfortable in his clothes, as though he had avoided wearing business attire since the last time he worked in quantico. to you, it appeared as though he dressed up for this interaction, as though he wanted it to be memorable. he wore white socks, wanting to bring more attention to his shoes— brown leather oxfords, the same exact pair you bought him for his thirtieth birthday.

his voice interrupted your long-winded hypothesis on his wardrobe choices, and you noticed that he was significantly closer than when you had gotten distracted. spencer was now behind your chair, hands gently caressing your shoulders and chuckling to himself. “the other part of you,” he dipped down to whisper in your ear, “wants me to bend you right over your own desk and show you how sorry i am for leaving you behind.” you silently froze, any words in response getting caught in your throat. you couldn’t bring yourself to make a sound, as if any noise would make him disappear.

“why did you wait so long to come back?” you quietly asked, and he immediately spun your chair around to face him. spencer leaned in, pressing his lips to yours gently and moving fluidly with you at your chosen pace. he hummed, pulling away as he lapped up a bit of your spit from his lower lip.

“derailing your life wasn’t my choice to make, my sweet girl.” spencer’s dark eyes grew soft, although you could tell it wasn’t as genuine as he wanted to sound. “i always stayed close, though.” his tone made you nervous, as though he were alluding to something. your eyes darted to the computer screen, reading a message from hotch that had just been sent through, until spencer ripped the cord from the wall and pushed the entire system onto the floor.

before you could properly react, spencer was back onto you, lips attacking yours with a newfound desire and aggression. you melted into him, hands roaming anywhere and everywhere you could reach. his left hand snaked down to your thighs, pushing your skirt up and applying pressure against the front of your underwear. you shivered, a small gasp flooding from your throat as his middle finger effortlessly made a glide down your damp slit. he peeled your panties away from your body, making a comment about how your wetness had pooled slightly in the lower half of your chair. your face flushed with embarrassment as you quickly kicked off your heels and allowed your undergarments to fall to the floor.

spencer took his time with your skirt, knowing it was one of your favorites. he assisted you to your feet, sliding the garment over the curves of your hips and drinking in the sight of your bare lower half. his erection had been slowly and steadily pitching a tent in his pants as the two of you took your time, savoring each other as long as possible.

spencer pulled you flush against his torso and kissed you with unresolved pain and passion, letting his free hand dip between your thighs once more to rub circles into your clit. you let out a conflicted moan, burying your face into his chest and slightly rolling your hips into his touch. he chuckled, removing his fingers from your sweet spot and weaving them into your hair. he grabbed a fistful, tugging your head back in a swift, hard motion. you let out a subtle grunt, eyes staring at him in a way you could only describe as lovesick.

“can i be rough with you?” spencer asked, voice low and hesitant. you were confused; he never wanted to be rough before, although you always hoped he would be. you nodded eagerly, practically begging. you wanted tonight to leave you bruised and exhausted, knowing you may not see him again. his eyes were dark, and he tossed you to the floor with a grin. you took a breath as you hit the ground, lying limp for him as you wondered what he had been waiting to do to you for so long.

you watched with curious eyes as spencer swept his arm languidly across your desk and knocked everything onto the floor. he effortlessly hoisted you up and bent you over the polished wooden surface, smoothing his palms across your ass before striking your bare left cheek with no warning. you yelped, clutching the sides of the desk with white knuckles. he hit the other cheek a bit softer, humming before trying again when the previous hit’s reaction wasn’t to his liking. you let out a slightly strangled moan as he continued to land another blow, making your backside a rosy shade of pink.

spencer wedged his shoe between your feet, forcefully spreading your legs. he ghosted his fingertips across your clit and you quietly begged. he tugged your hair, lifting you up to his level, “keep your fucking mouth shut and i’ll reward you.” spencer dropped you back onto the desk, making sure to keep his hand on your belly to lessen the impact on your ribs. you quietly gasped as he shoved his fingers into your wet cunt, curling them into you painfully slowly as you pushed back into him. his other hand firmly held your hips in place, warning you to keep still unless you wanted him to stop.

. . .

hotch groaned, dialing your phone once again. he was anxiously pacing his livingroom, trying not to wake jack as he started to feel the panic set in. he found his eyes tracing the whiteboard again, the old one he had decided to lug out of his garage because he was always better at connecting the missing parts if he could visualize them. hotch had several photos taped up, lines connecting them between scenes and witness statements. there were only two things he knew for sure about this unsub; one— the suspect at large had experience in the field of law enforcement, and two— the suspect had an abnormally high iq. coupling those together with the timeline of events, hotch had made a break; the unsub they had been searching for was spencer reid.

all of his victims had looked a bit too much like you for it to be coincidental, and were all stalked and referred to as pet names for weeks before their confirmed deaths. hotch had been trying to reach you for the last hour, a strong suspicion arising that spencer was going to visit you at the bureau, and— if he didn’t hurry— would make you his final victim.

in a worried haze, hotch clipped on his belt, securing his gun in his holster before taking off full speed towards the only place he knew you would be— his old office.

#spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds fic #dark spencer reid #matthew gray gubler

253 notes · View notes

kimsmuse · 1 year

Text

yandere hongjoong + baby trapping ♡ !!

i do not condone anything here, it’s all just fictional. do not consume if you don’t like yandere or dark themes.

fem!reader (no pronouns, just because there's mention of pregnancy) 1.2k words. warnings include manipulation, mentions/implications of sex and messing with birth control and condoms, and yandere behavior, and also kinda stockholm syndrome?

i have a planned part two, so let me know if anybody is interested <3

Your relationship with hongjoong is normal. Very normal, in fact. He has the kind of aura that would automatically appeal to everyone around you as your perfect partner. He had a caring nature and it wasn’t just limited to you, he brought out gifts and things your parents briefly mentioned that they liked for them and helped them out in tasks that even you being their kid, didn’t want to. And when it came to your friends, they were rightly impressed by him from the very first time that they met him over lunch and he insisted on paying the bill. But even without the economic front, all of them were secretly swooning over how when you said you didn’t like the food you ordered and rather liked his dish, he was immediate in swapping them even though it was evident that even he didn’t like it.

Your parents had already dreamt of him as the perfect son-in-law, the one that they would be bragging about to neighbours, relatives, you name it and they’d be bragging and your friends were already planning to invite him and you, ofcourse to this new italian place that opened for lunch..

So it comes as a shock to them when you let them know that your relationship has sunk to a saturation point, meaning it was just dying. it wasn’t even anybody's fault - not yours and neither hongjoong's but it felt like a pretty, beautiful flower wilting, slowly withering away. it was good while it lasted though.

your father's first comment was to ask, "does that mean i have to watch all my baseball matches alone from now?"

you knew what it meant though. have you two broken up? not yet, but you were going to talk to him today.

lately, all he replied to you was with “hmm's” and a nod or maybe if you were lucky enough, he would look your way. he said it was because he was stressed about his work, and that he really needed some time and space to focus for it, which you weren't quite against but the way things had steadily been the same for about more than 6 months, you felt like you had to be the bad person and pull the trigger.

“hongjoong,”

he sits down on the sofa and sighs, but responds to you, his voice tired.

“yes, baby? ” he asks.

you're in the kitchen, removing your apron and slowly making your way to the living room, you wonder what his reaction will be when you finally break the news to him. accepting? angry? upset?

“ hongjoong, we need to talk, ”

now, hongjoong wasn’t born yesterday, he knows what that stands for wnd he's been aware of the crumbling of the relationship as well but when push comes to shove…

he decides that he'll let you speak, he'll let you pour out whatever you feel like saying, what are the problems you think are bothering your relationship.

“I get it, baby,” he emphasises on the nickname sourly, “do it.”

he looks nonchalant about the whole situation while you just want out now, you didn’t like where this whole thing seemed to be heading now, his eyes were getting almost angry, something you’ve seen him do with others, but you? you’d never have imagined him looking your way like that.

there’s something scary about it, “oh, joong, i don’t want to break it off, i’m just wondering if we can work on it, give it a better chance.”

relief fills you when you see that his expressions have softened. “i’m sorry, i thought you wanted to leave, shit. sorry, i can’t believe i would…”

hongjoong had messed up, big time. it wasn’t excusable this time, he felt guilty that he was angry at you when you didn’t even want to leave him. you’d never want to leave him, right?

hongjoong waits, with bated breath. he's been waiting for about, 3 weeks, yes, as the calendar tells him. and it finally begins, the wave of nausea starts hitting you and its not his alarm that wakes him up but the sound of you retching out your guts. he doesn’t mind it, not right now, when it was his plan all along.

and he can tell you're confused, you had the pills! you took them! and he watches you try to sheepishly dispose of the pregnancy tests, and he even follows you to the gynec’s clinic, careful to keep a distance so you can’t see him.

but you see, if there’s one rule hongjoong would always tell his future kid to follow is to never trust anybody, in your case you didn't have a choice really so he doesn't blame you for giving in to him. but for his kid, he needs to instill this one thing in him thoroughly. the world was a big, bad place, where people like his father lived.

after you confronted him, it was like hongjoong woke up from his sleep, like if he didn’t do anything, didn’t put in efforts, then you could actually leave, and he’d be damned if he ever let you do that. so he decided to level up his games, first it was his change in behaviour, he came home early, he brought in all sorts of trinkets and snacks that he thought you would like and he returned to his normal self, but he could, deep down, sense that it wasn’t the way it was before and he was scared that you pack up and leave still.

it was why he had replaced the birth control pills and even went as far as to poke holes in his condom.

he wasn't a bad man really, but he was getting sick of your protests to leave soon and that you've had enough of him or that you both aren't working anymore. he notices that those complaints have considerably started going down as your focus shifts to your health.

and now he doesn't think the crumbling state of his relationship would matter much, he would hit the reset button and he would become the man that you and his kid needed.

he becomes so, so soft throughout the entire period, it would make you forget about any of the cruelties he ever inflicted on you. and you think to yourself, maybe he really can change, maybe he really did change for the better?

and hongjoong thinks that as well, he's just so happy for the both of you. you're having a baby! it's so exciting!

when you tell him he pretends to not know, to be surprised, “we’re having a baby!” as if he wasn’t the one who conspired and made the whole thing happen.

the best thing is that you seem happy about it too, hongjoong has changed, and there’s nobody else you’d rather have a kid with, especially since you’ve seen how caring he is with other kids and just other people generally, so when it would come to his own kid, he would definitely come into the perfect father category.

when you looked at him, holding his hand, he feels like the man you fell in love with in the beginning and you’re sure, that you’ll love the father of your kid forever. let’s just hope you never find out how he bent seas and mountains to make that happen.

378 notes · View notes

small-sinclair · 8 months

Text

More Band!Au Sinclair HCs that no one asked for:

Au belongs to: @arkunder

Bo and Lester had a drinking contest on stage. Vincent was so disappointed.

They play rock-paper-scissors if one of them has to do an interview.

Ask Vincent about his hidden goldfish snacks! He has them hidden everywhere. He’ll just pull a little bag out of nowhere sometimes.

Bo is, indeed, in therapy. Not for drinking but for mental health.

They once live streamed Bo and Vincent playing chess for a charity event. They are both really good at playing.

Lester went off stage for a moment and came back with nachos. He didn’t play the drums for a set, so the twins did the heavy lifting.

The three brothers had the world’s hottest soup to see who can eat more. No one was surprised when Lester won.

They actually love playing catch! They have baseball gloves and a ball they bring. Before a show, they play catch and chill.

Vincent has a base that looks like a mermaid tail.

They went to a nursing home and played for an elder fan. She was 97 year old and loved heavy metal music. She died a few days after later. In honor of her, Vickey wrote a song and named it after her: “Lilith”.

One time, someone passed a fiddle to the stage and Bo took it. He opened up the case and started tearing into it. The crowd went nuts.

They have sibling tattoos. Bo has a sun, Vincent has a moon, and Lester has a star. It’s on their back.

Bo once sung in French during a song out of boredom. The girls and the gays went nuts.

Vincent likes smoking lavender cigarettes.

A kid placed a flower crown on Lester’s head. He nearly cried.

During a meet and greet at a convention, Bo held a crying baby and calmed them down to let the staff member take a little break.

Whenever they go to award shows, Bo wears his black suit and tie; Vincent wears a three piece suit with a Vincent von Gough themed tie; and Lester is in his finest blue jeans, shiny cowboy boots, a nice plaid, and wears his Luisiana belt buckle.

During an outside show, Lester came on stage with an opossum in his arms. Where did it come from? No one knows.

Whenever Vincent goes out to do charity work and Bo comes with him, the twins like to have fun! They’ll color and play with the kids, let them draw on their arms, and put things in their hair. At the end of the day, they do a group photo with everyone they spent time with and hang the photo in the bus. Vincent puts one in his base case.

Bo has an emotional support stuffie named Snuffles. It’s an alligator.

Vincent stopped the show and hopped off stage. Someone brought their cat and he wanted to pet it.

Speaking of cats, whenever they do an outdoor show, Vincent found a kitten stuck in the sound system under the stage. He crawled under the stage and brought them out. Shes named Soundwave and is loved by Jonesy and the fans.

Bo loves playing the piano before the show starts. He’ll come out in his heavy metal outfit and sits next to the keyboard and play classical music like Mozart.

On Saturdays during the summer, they take the day to go to farmer markets and pop-up sales in the little towns by the city. They wear ‘disguises’ when they go. Some people are able to figure them out, some don’t.

When Louisiana flooded, the boys went back home and helped cleaned up the town (I’m assuming Ambrose is still an alive town). Bo helps rebuild houses and sheds, Lester helps cleaning the mud and the muck along with returning any loose critters to the DNR for recovery, and Vincent cooks d and pass out food at a crisis center. If they have to, they’ll give blood.

SIDE NOTE:

Whenever they go home to Ambrose, everyone treats them normal as if they’re not famous. It gives them some space to breathe.

They don’t stay for too long, maybe a weekend or a week. If they stay longer, Bo is down at the garage, Vincent is in the art and hobby store, and Lester cleans up the roads and road kill. They also take this time to help their next door neighbor, Mr. and Mrs. Lane. They’re like grandparents to them.

They live in their own house while Trudy and their father are in the house from the movie. Because Trudy doesn’t approve of them doing this, she doesn’t visit them, and Victor ignores them.

#house of wax #house of wax 2005 #bo sinclair #vincent sinclair #lester sinclair #house of wax (2005)#house of wax fanfiction #house of wax fanfic #sinclair band!au #slasher band!au #slasher band au #bo sinclair house of wax #vincent sinclair imagine #lester sinclair imagine #bo sinclair imagine #vincent sinclair house of wax #lester sinclair house of wax #slasher au #house of wax headcanons

95 notes · View notes

thesugarclubs-blog · 2 years

Text

You Rescued Me - AU Bucky Barnes x OC

warnings: TFATWS Bucky Barnes, strangers to lovers, pure cat!dad Bucky fluff

word count: 9.5k

WP: https://www.wattpad.com/1319637159-you-rescued-me-lottie

Masterlist

Bucky felt the corner of his eye twitch as Sam droned on and on. Something about how he couldn’t keep living by himself with his plants forever. Like his life was any better. The man went on one date with his nephew's teacher and suddenly had all the advice in the world. His deep blue eyes bore into his friend, as his mind wandered to what he wanted to make for dinner, the metal of his arm whirring as his fingers flexed in the pocket of his tight leather jacket.

The cool March air swirled around them as people bustled about the streets of New York. Murmurs of oh my god it’s Captain America echoed through the wind as the two men stood there on the busy sidewalk.

“Man, are you even listening to me?” Sam’s hand impacted his shoulder and brought Bucky back to the present.

His tongue pushed into his cheek and his eyes narrowed, “Something about my sad, lonely life, I don’t know”

“You gotta do something here! Find some friends, take off to Vegas, go outside!” Sam continued.

“I have friends,” Bucky retorted.

“Your old neighbour doesn’t count,” Sam clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest, “Look, okay? Start simple! There’s an animal shelter two blocks from here, just go in and see what happens”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and swiped his tongue along his bottom lip as he studied Sam. Having a pet was never something he had even thought of for himself. After the blip and getting his life back together, he still felt as though he was figuring himself out as a normal person. Well, as normal as a 106-year-old super soldier could be.

“If I do this, will you shut up and leave me alone about my plants?” He questioned.

Sam smirked and placed his hand over his heart, “cap’s honor”

With a dramatic groan, Bucky turned on his heel and practically stomped away from Sam, sucking in a deep breath of the fresh, cool air. This was a ridiculous venture and he had already decided that it was going to be a bust, but if it got Sam off his back, it would be worth it in the end. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, keeping his annoyance at the forefront of his emotions.

A bright yellow sign that hung above the street came into his view. There were big swooping letters that read “Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue” with a big paw print in deep brown and small white flowers littering the negative space. Bucky ran his hand into his short dark hair, and sucked in a sharp breath as he reached for the fake-bone door handle.

It was ridiculously kitsch inside, all cheerful colours and animal-themed decor. He hadn’t really known what to expect but he definitely hadn’t anticipated such a warm and welcoming space. He double-checked; yep, it was definitely the animal shelter. Steeling himself with a deep sigh, Bucky walked up to the wide yellow counter and looked around for a member of staff. Seeing none, he reached out and pressed on the buzzer, which let out an electronic *meow*.

A few moments later a door opened to the right of Bucky and a beautiful blonde with a wide and bright smile walked out and stepped behind the counter.

“Welcome to Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue. My name is Lottie. How can I help you today? Are you looking to volunteer or adopt?” She beamed at him.

Bucky's brows furrowed slightly, unsure of how to match her enthusiasm he cleared his throat and mustered up his best smile.

"Hi, um I guess adopt."

He watched on as she raised a brow in amusement, her smile growing wider.

"You guess? Are you here against your will? Blink twice for yes." she teased.

“It’s, uh—“ Bucky paused, unsure of how much to reveal of himself, “my friend suggested it, thought maybe I could use a companion… army vet.”

Vague enough, he thought, taking an awkward glance around to avoid the inevitable look of pity he’s usually met with.

When his gaze landed back on the sunny girl behind the counter, he almost did a double take. Poking out of her sweater, and staring at him inquisitively, was a little white cat.

Lottie shifted a touch, and the cat meowed in annoyance from the jostling. "Snow White here has an attitude." Lottie laughed, "can't seem to get her in a kennel or to play with the other cats."

Little sky blue eyes watched him carefully, something in the blue making his nerves settle a touch. He had seen that look before in a particularly skinny alley cat named Steve. It seemed Bucky had a long standing habit of making friends with the underdogs. Bucky pulled out his right arm from his jacket pocket and offered it to the cat, unsure of how animals even operated but it seemed he wasn't the only one nervous and in need of a friend. Lottie's lips parted to say something but she shut them quickly, confusion kissing her brows as Snow slinked from the safe confines of her sweater.

Without any seeming hesitation Snow made a big jump into Bucky’s arms, caught off guard he chuckled nervously. Lottie didn’t move as she watched the feline get comfortable against the leather of his jacket. Looking on at the sight she seemed completely unsure of what to say and blurted out, "your eye’s match. You're meant to be."

From his arms the cat quickly looked around before she crawled into the safety of Bucky's leather jacket - like she was hiding in a cave. Bucky felt her spin around a little before her head poked out of the opening on his chest. A soft purr could be heard coming from the white and fluffy head. Both ears straight in the air the fluffball looked around the shelter from the new perspective.

Bucky carefully raised his right hands and placed his fingertips on top of the cat's head, but the animal flinched a little and tilted her head upwards to sniff on Bucky's finger tips.

"She... she’s never done that with anyone before. She’s usually a little shy and bonded to me. We have a bit of a backstory together." Lottie smiled at the man in front of her.

"Oh really? I can relate to that. I am not good with people, either." Bucky murmured the last part and thought she hadn't heard him, but a laugh could be heard from the other side of the counter while he started to scratch behind the cat's right ear.

"Maybe you guys are meant to be after all." He heard the soft murmur from across the counter, absent-mindedly nodding his head in agreement as the cat's tiny purrs increased while its little wide eyes turned to focus on his face.

Staring down at the dainty white ball of fur, he felt his brain go a little fuzzy, but when his new friend nudged her tiny pink nose against his hand he melted into the floor.

“I…umm…I don’t think I can put her down anyway,” Bucky admitted, his cheeks turning a little rosy.

“Well you don’t need to,” Lottie smiled. “You can sign your name with one hand, right?

Bucky’s eyes looked back up at Lottie and he smiled nervously.

“I … yeah. Really? Right now? I mean that’s fast… don’t you need to do some kind of background check or something. I don’t even have anything at my place for a cat…” he spoke nervously and quickly.

Lottie giggled at his response as she began to pull out an assortment of papers and began placing them on the counter in front of her.She leaned against the counter, reaching her hand out to scratch Snow's chin and looked up to Bucky. The sparkle in her bright blue eyes and her soft, sweet smile stopped his rambling as his eyes locked with hers.

"No background checks, no. If Snow here trusts you, so do I," she mused, "As for the things she needs, I'll help you pick everything out right now. Think you can walk around with that precious cargo on you?"

Bucky glanced down at the soft source of warmth in his jacket, curiously sniffing him out and purring contently. When she noticed him observing her, she stilled and stretched a paw out, resting it lightly on the dimple in his chin.

He chuckled softly, feeling his guard lower, insides melting and all it took was the gentle touch of an animal — and a pretty girl looking at them like she’d never seen anything so adorable.

“Yeah, I think I can manage.” Bucky stammered, clearing his throat as he gestured to the papers. “Let me sign these and then you can lead the way.”

Bucky shifted Snow in his arms, looking down at her as Lottie pointed to the important parts. "What's your refund policy?" He said, meaning it to be a joke but realizing from the shocked look on Lottie's face he had done that rude thing with his voice that Sam always picked on. "I mean..." He forced a quiet laugh.

"I think she'd sooner refund you after that joke," Lottie smiled, a dimple forming on her left cheek that he surprisingly had the urge to touch and Bucky could feel the heat flushing up his neck. "You'll have to work on his delivery," she whispered to the cat playfully. "He's a little stiff."

Bucky laughed, "okay," he nodded, his tongue brushing over his bottom lip, "I deserved that."

His playful defeat tickled another smile out of her which he found was something he longed to bring out more often. Bucky didn't know what it was about this sweet looking woman that enticed him but he couldn't help but feel comfortable in her presence which to be completely honest scared him a little bit.

Scratch that, it scared him a lot.

After he had signed everything that Lottie showed him Bucky cleared his throat once again.

"So... uhm... can you show me what I need? Like a cat-owner-starter-pack?" he asked - his cheeks slightly blushed and his lips curled into a shy smile.

"Sure! Wait, I'll come around and show you." Lottie responded and stepped around the yellow counter. She passed Bucky and headed towards a shelf on the other side of the shop where Bucky could see food and water bowls in different sizes. The moment Lottie passed him, her hand slightly touched his left one that was covered in a cold leather glove. Something in Bucky's lower stomach moved, but he couldn’t manage to put his finger on it.

His steps faltered a little in the beginning because of the brief contact, afraid she might question the coldness before slowly focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Her blonde hair swaying gently down her back caught Bucky's eyes as she kept moving and not paying attention to the man lost in his thoughts over how beautiful she was.

She stopped in front of one of the displays and he was so distracted by her hair that he almost ran into the back of her, only his enhanced reflexes saved him from knocking all three of them into the wall of bowls before them. He didn’t even need to look down to know his new companion was giving him a disdainful glare.

“Ok, here we have our selection of food and water bowls. Along with enrichment toys to hide treats in,” she said gesturing towards the display in front of them.

“Enrichment toys?” Bucky asked in confusion.

“Oh.. they’re great. Basically they’re a toy that you can hide treats in. Then your pet has to work on getting the food out. It helps a lot with fast eaters but also with pets that are quite smart and like a challenge. It keeps them entertained for ages and then they get rewarded with food.” She smiled. “You will also need a litter box, a kitty bed and a wide range of toys. Are you planning on letting her go outside like in a garden or will she be an indoor cat?” Lottie asked.

Bucky blinked, he had not realised he had to think about so much when adopting the soft bundle of fur that was nestled in his chest purring contently.

“Uh. Indoor, I guess. Not sure I trust the chaos that is New York,” Bucky replied, “unless… I mean, if she wants to explore then…”

“Snow here is a curious one, but I get that you don’t want to risk it. Maybe you could take her out every now and again like that,” she suggested with a soft smile and Bucky glanced down at the cat snuggled in his leather, “she looks pretty comfy in there, I’m almost jealous.”

Bucky cranked his head up so fast, he winced at the strain of the muscle he definitely just pulled doing so. The gorgeous smile and coy sparkle in Lottie’s eyes were worth it though, and Bucky felt his skin warm, no doubt pink from cheek to chest.

He was flirted with on the daily but it’d been a long time since he enjoyed it, or at least felt like he deserved that kind of attention.

Snow chittered loudly within his arms almost like she was laughing at him and stared up at him with a look that screamed, lovesick fool on it.

"If you're going to go exploring, you'll need this." She turned toward him with a long, dark blue braided leash in her hand. Looking at his full arms she leaned onto her tiptoes and hung the leash over his shoulder. Her warm, vanilla and spice scent filling his nose as she made sure it wouldn't fall, "might take her a couple tries to get used to it."

"Got it." Bucky muttered as Lottie smiled up at him cheekily almost buried in items for his new furry friend.

"Come on, I'll ring everything up and bag them for you." She said to him with excitement glittering in her eyes and a bright smile that Bucky found himself– albeit timidly, automatically returning.

Lottie urged him back to the counter, turning on her heel to head back while waving and cooing at the little animals in their little rooms along the wall. He followed, securing his hand under the small feline hidden in his jacket while his heart fluttered in his chest at the sight.

Bucky could feel his breath falter as he tried to come up with something else to say. This has been the most pleasant interaction he’d had with such a beautiful girl in a long time, and he found himself not wanting it to end. Even if it was about animals, a topic he hadn’t really been interested in until she started talking.

“So, uh, how long have you been doing this?” He questioned awkwardly.

Another soft chuckle left her pink plump lips, “about 6 years…” she answered quietly, “I was one of the lucky people who didn’t get blipped, and there were a lot of animals who’s owners did so I took them in. It started as just the animals in my building and then kind of grew into this place,” Lottie pressed her lips into a thin line and half smiled up at him.

“Beautiful and kind,” he muttered but then his eyes grew wide in panic at the tinkling sound of a giggle.

His gaze darted up long enough to see Lottie’s hand cover her mouth as she scrunched up her nose in amusement before he decided that the worn spot on the tiles near his feet demanded his utmost attention.

“I didn’t…I mean, I…” Bucky stammered.

“No, it’s ok. Now let’s get you all checked out so we can get you and little miss Snow home.” Lottie said as she blushed a little and began to scan all of the items that she helped him pick out and put them into some bags.

“I’ll also put in our info packet for kitty care and how to help settle your new pet. Our phone number is there if you need to reach us.” She smiled as she placed the info packet into the bag before placing it on the counter.

It took Bucky a second to retrieve his wallet from his pocket, careful not to jostle his new friend too much.

A swipe of his card (he’s still getting used to that) and one appreciative meow later, Bucky grabbed the bag of cat goodies as Lottie came back around the counter.

“Well, you’re all set. I hope you and Snow have a very happy life together…”

“Bucky, my name’s Bucky.”

“Bucky,” Lottie smiled, “I’m glad you found your match today.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. For all your help.”

With a nod of his head, Bucky turned to the door with a spring in his step. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sam’s face.

The walk back to the apartment was full of soft mewls from Snow and concerned grunting from Bucky, "you okay in there?" He asked at a crosswalk, peering down at the cat hidden in his jacket. The old lady standing next to him gave him a strange look and shifted over on the sidewalk.

"Oh no its..." he bit the inside of his cheek and looked up to the side laughing at himself. He probably looked ridiculous and now he was talking to himself.

"Haven't even had you for half an hour and you're embarrassing me." Bucky paused and smiled to himself. "You'll get along pretty well with Sam, I guess."

He headed up to his apartment and pushed the door open. Bucky usually kept his place tidy. He told himself it was a habit from being in the Army, but realistically, his cell at the Hydra facility was filthy. Bucky never wanted to live like that again. So, he spent days scrubbing at his kitchen and bathroom tiles with a toothbrush and making sure everything was as clean as it could possibly be.

But keeping himself occupied with all of that cleaning didn't take away the loneliness.

He hated when Sam was right.

Bucky looked down at Snow as he shut the door behind him and turned on the hall light for the first time in months. The place already felt a little brighter with her in it. He smiled as she peered up at him from his jacket, already purring.

"It ain't much, little one, but it's home."

He pulled down the zipper of his jacket to let Snow out of the confines of the garment. He lowered himself closer to the ground so that she could get out.

"Let me make this your home too." Bucky murmured as he pulled out each item out of the bag Lottie packed for him. Lottie…That one is gonna be stuck in his mind.

Shaking his head, Bucky watched as Snow explored her new surroundings, jumping onto the small coffee table and then onto the back of the couch. She batted at a throw blanket Sam had gotten him, with some joke about being frosty all the time or something that Bucky had ignored. With a small meow, her claws came out and caught the edge, leaving her tangled in the soft fabric.

"C'mon, kid," Bucky chuckled, pulling her paw free gently before tucking her into the crook of his elbow. "How about we stop tryin' to kill the blanket and get some food instead?"

Snow let out something like a snarl before settling into his arm, purring loudly as her eyes fluttered closed.

They entered the kitchen where Bucky had already placed the food and water bowl on a rubber mat to prevent the tiles from getting dirty every time the fluff ball would eat something.

He let her down on the floor again and Snow sneaked through his legs while forcefully rubbing her head against Bucky's muscular calves.

"Just because you're begging, doesn't mean you get your food faster, kiddo." he chuckled.

Lottie had given him two different sorts of canned cat food and Bucky grabbed a can of each and held it in front of Snow's tiny face.

"Chicken or Tuna?" he asked.

The little white fur ball butted her head against his dark metal fingers that held the tuna flavored can of food, overestimating her strength and falling backwards on her hind legs.

The little creature seemed startled by the position she found herself in with her wide eyes staring up at Bucky as a quiet chuckle left him at how silly she looked before helping her up.

"Okay, tough guy, here's your tuna."

He opened the can and carefully dropped its contents into her little pink, cat face-shaped plate while Snow looked at the can in what he felt was an offended look.

"What?" Bucky's eyebrows knit together as he stayed in a seemingly tough staring contest with the little cat until he figured out what might be wrong. He rolled his eyes as he picked up the dish and mashed it with a fork, before grabbing the bag of tuna treats Lottie had given him, and placing one on top.

He cocked his eyebrow at the cat, setting the dish back down in front of her, "sorry your majesty, is that better?"

Snow stretched her two front paws out in front of her giving him a giant yawn, as she flicked her tail at him and sauntered over to the dish, sniffing it quickly before deciding to eat. Bucky felt the corners of his lips turn up as he shook his head and turned to open his fridge and decide what he was going to feed himself.

“It’s alright for you Princess, your food comes in cans. I gotta actually think about what to make,” he grumbled, looking down at cat again, as if waiting for a response.

“Suppose I could throw together one of those stir fry things from that cooking show,” Bucky continued, musing on the contents of his fridge.

A sharp pattering against the window made them both turn, the brightness of afternoon giving way to grey, thunderous clouds as rain began to fall.

“Looks like we made it home just in time,” he hummed.

With all of the contents he’d need to get his dinner ready set up on the countertop, he grabbed a knife and flipped it in his hand not realizing his small feline friend was following his every move.

Bucky smiled down at her intrigued look, tilting his head slightly to the side as hers was, “cool trick huh sweet girl?”

She meowed loudly in response, “well I don’t know about you flipping knives but we’ll work on other tricks for ya, yeah?”

The kitten pawed at his socked foot as if she understood his every word, he leaned down to scratch her chin and whispered, “you’re gonna be trouble aren’t you…”

He washed his hands and began his cutting process, ears finely tuned already to her every move, her calm breaths and the way her paws softly pounded on the floor as she ran. His mind drifted off to Lottie back at the shelter, he wondered how the rest of her day was and if she had started to miss the kitten. Maybe they’d go visit her once in a while so she could see she was safe with him and growing happily, maybe it’ll also give Bucky the courage to have longer conversations with her.

A soft rhythmic knock on the door interrupted his musings and he furrowed his brows, wiping his hands on the towel beside him before he walked to the door. When he looked through the peep-hole he was surprised to find Lottie dripping from head to toe in rain as she stood on the other side.

“Lottie?”

She smiled big and bright just as she had this morning waving a small plush toy in front of Bucky as she imitated a meow, “meow owww,” Lottie stared back at Bucky cheeks turning red as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

He heard her whisper, “nice Charlotte, embarrass yourself in front of the hot vet” and chuckled. A wave of confidence ran through him and he reached his hand to her forearm, calling her attention.

“I thought it was cute.” he voiced with a smile.

“Well, there’s more where that came from— no, shit, sorry. Uh, I was just dropping this off, you left it at the shelter, so… hope you don’t mind that I got your address from the forms,” she handed him the toy, all whilst Bucky watched, amused. “Anyway, that’s all— see ya around, Bucky.”

She turned on her heel, seemingly attempting a quick getaway but Bucky called her name, striding forward as she spun back to face him and landed with a soft ‘oof’ into his chest.

She let out an awkward giggle and mumbled apology as Bucky steadied her with quick grasp on her dripping sweater sleeve.

“Lottie, it’s raining cats and dogs out there, at least come in until it stops, dry off a little. I’m sure the little terror will be pleased to see you again.”

Lottie turned pink but Bucky couldn't tell if it was from his suggestion or the coldness of the rain seeping through her clothes and into her skin.

"Come on, I think I got something dryer that'll fit you." He said, pulling away from her and heading towards his closet looking for something warmer for her to put on.

He really wished he had the chance to do laundry, rummaging around looking for a henley but not finding a single one. He groaned at the only clean sweater in the whole apartment, grabbing it begrudgingly before turning around and handing it to her.

"Wow..." Was all Lottie had to say when she held it up. "Didn't know you were a fan of Captain America,” she giggled.

"The old one, not the new one. I think he's a bit of a jerk." Bucky said flatly, desperately wanting to punch Sam in the face for gifting him the ridiculous sweater.

"Sam?" She laughed rubbing the sweater between her fingers.

Bucky's suspicious expression gave away his thoughts, of course Sam knew Lottie. There's a shelter, two blocks from here, just go in and see what happens. "That smug asshole," he laughed under his breath.

"He volunteers his time, walks the dogs..." Lottie still stood with her wet sweater hanging over her shoulders and her eyes on the sweater. "I can't," she handed it back.

"Lottie," Bucky forced a tight smile and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Thank you for bringing the toy but I bought her lots... why did you run through the rain for this one?"

Lottie sighed and Bucky's heart leapt into his throat as the kitten trotted out of the kitchen and did figure eights around Bucky and Lottie's ankles. Lottie looked at the toy that was clutched in his hand.

"That's her favorite toy. She's had it since she was rescued. I just... I think she'd be a little anxious without it." Lottie chuckled. Bucky could see just how much she cared about these animals. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed thickly. "Or I'm overthinking and--"

"You're not," Bucky whispered. "This is really sweet. Thank you."

The two of them stood in awkward silence for a while, and Bucky stared too long. He always stared too long. But she was gorgeous, her nervous eyes flicking all around his apartment. Suddenly, he became self-conscious about the fact that he didn't wipe down the baseboards like he said he would last week. He ran a hand through his hair and she let out an awkward chuckle. Bucky cleared his throat as Snow trilled and used his leg as a scratching post. He grit his teeth through the pain of her little razor claws sinking into his jeans.

"Uh, listen, I was just about to make dinner--"

"Oh! I'll get--"

He held a hand out. This might be his only shot.

"No! Uh, I was wondering if you-- uh, if--" Barnes, you're cooler than this, he thought. He cleared his throat and tried again, his cheeks hot with embarrassment. She was so pretty he didn't want to screw this up. Or seem like a weirdo. "I was wondering if you wanted some food? I could put your sweater in the dryer. I have beer-- or soda! I-- if you-- don't like... uh, beer. That's--"

He could almost hear Sam laughing at him all the way from his apartment. Lottie smiled.

"You got somewhere where I can get changed?"

Bucky felt himself blush even further as he cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh... Down the hall, first door on the left is my bedroom. You can change in there. Just give me your sweater when you're done, and I'll put it in the dryer." He watched as she smiled at him before turning and silently going down the hallway.

I really don't want to mess this up.

A sharp meow came from Bucky's feet and he looked down at Snow with a sigh.

"What?" He asked, blue eyes going as wide as his tiny counterpart. "She's really pretty, okay? Get off my back."

As Bucky walked back to the kitchen, all the dates he had ever picked up back in the day flashed through his mind. He wished for just a minute he could channel some of that carefree demeanor that poured from him before the war. This wasn't something Bucky made a habit of, but Lottie made it a little easier, with her warm smile and bright eyes. He felt a prickle of warmth in his chest and the corner of his mouth turned up as Lottie stepped out from the bedroom.

"Okay, so this thing is freaking HUGE. Not all of us are giant super strong guys so it might look weird."

She shuffled back into the kitchen, her leggings peeking out from under the oversized sweater. Bucky's brain misfired seeing this gorgeous girl in his clothes, standing in his kitchen. A cold nose bumping against his arm snapped him out of his own head as Snow jumped onto the counter.

"Um, you look great," Bucky stammered. "I mean, it looks great! The sweater. It's...great."

To avoid things getting possibly more awkward, he quickly stepped into the kitchen to finish the stir fry for him and Lottie.

She was leaning on the wall and he could feel her gaze on his back.

"You said it's her favorite toy." he pointed to the plush toy that was in her hands again before he continued: "Why's that? It looks like a regular plush toy for children."

"It's a special plush for kittens." she carefully started. Bucky turned around while stirring a spatula around the pan in front of him.

"A special one?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah. You know... Snow had a rough start. I found her almost frozen to death before I started a shift in early January. Her mother gave birth to four kittens right in front of the shelter but because it was freezing that night, only Snow and the mom survived. The others..." her voice broke at the end and she was incapable of finishing the sentence. Her eyes glistened with tears - a single one escaped and trailed down her cheek.

Bucky stepped away from the pan and placed his flesh hand on her forearm in an assuring gesture. He mumbled "I’m sorry to hear that."

"It was horrible. Snow was with her mom in the beginning, but we found someone to adopt her mom a week later. I tried to prevent it, because the kitten still needed her but I needed the space for other stray cats that were coming into the shelter the other day. The plush imitates the feel of the mother cat. I’d heat it up so that the tiny kitten could snuggle with it and feel safe. She also needed it for orientation as her eyes were still closed in the beginning. Snow got so used to the smell of the plush that she only slept peacefully while her head was resting on it. That's why I thought I should bring it here. So that she would be able to sleep."

“Oh wow,” Bucky whispered, gazing down at his tiny companion with glassy eyes. “She sure has been through a lot.”

“Yeah, she has,” Lottie nodded. “She survived the freezing cold, being pulled away from everything she knew. I hoped the plushie would help.”

She smiled as she saw the way Bucky looked at the kitten. “But now she’s got you.”

Bucky looked over at the little kitten who was looking up at Lottie and eyeing the plush toy in her hands. He couldn’t help but feel an even deeper connection to her surviving the freezing cold all alone. His mind wandered back to the cold mountain when he fell off the train.

“I think me and her have a lot in common. Is she attached to the name Snow? Because I have a different name in mind if that’s ok. It still sticks with the snow theme” He asked, looking back up to Lottie.

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Lottie smiled softly, “what were you thinking?”

Bucky turned down the heat, the stir fry pretty much done, and rested his back against the counter. Lottie’s eyes tracked his movement, he could sense that without looking, her gaze warm and head tilted with intrigue.

“Um… Alpine?”

Lottie’s features softened more, if that was even possible and Bucky could swear her eyes were glistening.

“I think that’s perfect, Bucky. She’s a lucky kitten.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm, I think… despite Sam’s obvious influence that led you to my shelter today, Alpine would have waited for you even if you hadn’t followed his advice straight away.”

Bucky smiled, hiding the lump in his throat. He would not get emotional in front of the pretty girl.

“It really fits her.” Lottie’s voice was barely above a whisper as they both continued to watch her bat at some crumbs on the counter. She was surprisingly graceful for such a young kitten.

Bucky glanced at the beautiful woman in his kitchen and saw a few tears glistening on her rosy cheeks.

“Thank you for introducing us,” Bucky offered. A warm smile pulled at his lips and he immediately felt warm.

Lottie chuckled and wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his large sweater. “Are you talking to me, or Alpine?”

Bucky’s cheeks burned. If it was a joke, it was hilarious. If she was still flirting… he was in trouble.

“Well, uh,” he cleared his throat and chuckled. “I guess both of you.”

She smiled back at him, eyes warm and full of hope. Hope. Bucky could use some more of that in his life.

The room was silent for a beat, both of them grinning like fools, before he opened the cabinet and grabbed two plates. “Let’s eat, yeah?”

Bucky carried the plates to the table, setting them both down in front of a chair and not realizing just how close Lottie was following him. When he turned, they bumped into each other and he felt himself flush red when she giggled at his nervousness.

"Sorry," He mumbled, putting some space between them and quickly grabbing one of the chairs, pulling it out for her to sit in.

It was a force of habit, an old habit, but chivalry had not been one of the things he lost in the fall, just his smoothness and ability to not turn into mush by a sweet smile and melodic laugh.

"M'lady." He teased, as she sat with a beaming grin splattered across her face and he pushed in the chair for her.

“Thank you kind sir,” Lottie giggled, and Bucky felt his insides warm at the sound, light and happy. He walked back to the kitchen, grabbing the pan with the food, setting it on the table with a warming pad beneath it. As he sat down, he gestured for Lottie to go first. There was a clicking noise from above them and all the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

“What the- Damn rain must’ve knocked the power out. Hang on, I’ve got a flashlight somewhere,” Bucky said, standing back up and feeling his way to the kitchen, searching through drawers. “Well, no flashlight but I got a few candles.”

"You need help?" Lottie asked.

"No, no." He found a few candles and a box of matches. "I wouldn't want you to burn yourself." He winced, realizing how patronizing that sounded. "I mean--"

"It's okay, Bucky," Lottie chuckled. "It's your apartment."

He smiled at her over his shoulder, the moonlight lighting up part of the room. Bucky fiddled with the matches for a moment, snapping it against the striker and trying to get the damn thing to light up.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered.

He heard Lottie's chair slide out and suddenly felt her right next to him. She reached out and placed her hand over his metal hand. He swore he could feel sparks through the Vibranium.

"Might need a more delicate touch," she offered, her voice gentle and sweet.

Bucky was thankful that she couldn't see him blushing furiously in the dark as he relented and gave her the box of matches. He watched as she struck one and it lit up instantly, illuminating her gorgeous face.

"You just need a little patience," she whispered softly as she looked back to him.

Bucky was trapped in her gaze as the flames from the candle reflected in their blue depths and danced around. He felt as if she could ask him to drown in them and he would. No questions asked.

It must've been seconds but they felt like lifetimes and just as he felt the pull between them grow stronger he saw her tongue sweep across her bottom lip before she turned away from him, hiding behind a curtain of hair dried hair to light the rest of the candles.

"All done," she told him as she lit all four candles and set the one in her hand on the counter.

"Thank you."

He honestly didn't know what he was thanking her for. He doubted it was for lighting the candles when he couldn't. It was more because since he walked into the shelter this afternoon, Lottie had saved him in a whole new way.

They made their way back to the table carrying the candles and sat down to eat. He watched apprehensively as she took a bite.

“Wow, this is delicious.” She said, looking at him. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Really, well I’m glad you like it.” He smiled as he took a bite of the food himself. They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate their food.

“So,” Lottie started, setting her fork down on her plate. She smiled at him through her lashes. Bucky gulped as the flames of the candles threw shadows against her face. She was somehow even more beautiful in this light.

“He cooks, he’s good with animals, and he’s friends with Captain America. You are quite a catch, sir.”

Bucky was sure his cheeks were melting with how hard he blushed. Was this really happening? Maybe he got hit by a bus on his way home and he died and went to heaven. Or maybe Sam spiked his drink and he’s dreaming.

He scoffed to himself since the serum would leave him virtually unscathed in both of those situations. He took a deep breath and exhaled, setting his fork down as well.

“You’re not too bad yourself, Lottie.” He winced as he heard the words leave his mouth. He wanted to kick himself under the table for that one.

“Some would disagree,” Lottie replied, voice a little quiet and eyes cast down at her plate, “but I’ll take it from you,” she added lightly.

Bucky frowned and set his fork down, hackles raised.

“Whoa, no. What do you mean ‘some would disagree’? Because from where I’m sitting, anyone would be lucky to have someone like you.”

“Bucky, that’s sweet but—“

“Sweetheart,” Bucky wasn’t sure where the fight in him was coming from, but the thought of anyone thinking Lottie — sweet, gorgeous Lottie who ran through a downpour to deliver a beloved cat toy — wasn’t good enough, made him want to do something to make her believe different.

“According to a few of my exes, I spend too much time at the shelter,” she revealed, before a smile bloomed across her lips. “But it’s my happy place so screw them, huh?”

"Animals are better than men anyway." Lottie laughed, her blue eyes shining and that wonderful grin remaining plastered across her face although her brows furrowed when she realized she had sort of just insulted him.

"Well, you just haven't met the right man yet." Bucky said much lower than he anticipated, much more breathy and like a whisper.

Lottie seemingly froze in her seat, like the air had been stolen from her as she turned bright red and bit her lip in the most adorable way.

"Does he have a cat?" Lottie asked, and Bucky chuckled.

"You know, astonishingly he does. You see, he wasn't really looking for companionship at first, just decided he would try to get a friend off his back about his houseplants. But then there was this little thing with glorious blue eyes and well..." Bucky sighed, talking both about Alpine and her.

“It’s always the ones that grump the most about getting a pet that end up loving them the hardest,” Lottie smiled, and Bucky felt himself melt just a little more even as he tried to look shocked.

“I’ve never been grumpy a day in my life,” he said, grin breaking through as Lottie snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles.

"Oh, really?" Lottie teased. "I might have to ask around to back that up."

Bucky put his head in his hands and groaned through laughter.

"God, please don't! Sam's gonna have a field day with it!"

He felt her gentle hand cover his and looked up. Lottie was smiling at him.

"Your secret's safe with me," she whispered. Bucky's smile mirrored hers and she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. "And for the record, I don't actually think you're a grump. You've been pretty darn sweet to me today, and to Snow-- sorry, Alpine. Still getting used to it."

Bucky chuckled, feeling just how hot his cheeks and the back of his neck felt. Butterflies fluttered through his chest and every time he looked at Lottie, all he wanted to do was smile.

"Thanks for that. Sam really wouldn't let me live it down if you told him." He looked down as Alpine rubbed against his leg. "You can't tell him either, missy."

They ate in contented silence for a few moments, enjoying the warmth of the candles and each other.

"It's really cute how close you are already," Lottie smiled, pushing the rest of her food around on her plate. "But it makes sense."

"How?" Bucky asked through a mouthful of chicken, eyebrows furrowed mid bite and she let out a soft, tinkling giggle.

"Well because you're really cute too," she remarked without looking up and Bucky was now positive that he was dead or someone was playing a joke on him.

He actually choked on the piece of food he was chewing, coughing a few times as he felt his face flood with heat that he was pretty sure wasn't from the candles.

"Oh my god! Are you oka– I'm so sorry!"

Lottie’s panicked wide blue eyes focused on his face and Bucky heard the faint clatter of the fork she was eating with on the table while he tried to catch his breath. The sudden compliment had positively stunned him.

Bucky– the old, pre-war Bucky, once knew that he had the looks and the ability to charm the socks off any dame back in his day but now, now he felt inadequate. He didn't have the patience to try to strike up a conversation with anyone, even women.

His scars ran deeper than what his eyes saw reflected back in the mirror every morning.

And now this beautiful, incredibly kind woman was not only talking to him and making it seem all too easy, she was also flirting with him.

"I'm okay." He assured her after catching his breath and taking a generous sip of the water next to him while Alpine meowed loudly at his feet in what he thought was concern.

“Are you sure?” Lottie asked, looking at him as if she didn’t quite believe him.

“Yeah, my food just got stuck on the way down. No need to worry about me” he reached down and scratched Alpine between her ears.

The rain was still hammering against the windows outside, heavy drops illuminated by the candles on the table and the odd strike of lightning that had now decided to join in.

“Doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop any time soon,” Bucky commented, changing the subject.

“New York storms, huh?”

“Sorry you’re kinda trapped here.”

Lottie swallowed her last bite of food, pushing her plate to the side and reaching across the table for Bucky’s hand.

“How many times do I have to hint that I’m happy to be here, Bucky? That I like you.”

“Old man like me? Probably a few more before it sinks in.” He grinned, bashful but real as he watched Lottie’s face scrunch adorably into a giggle.

“I’m starting to think you’re just fishing for compliments. You are definitely not old. Worldly, maybe, and your eyes are definitely hiding like a thousand stories I’m dying to hear. But definitely not old.”

"My stories are... They're not the happiest." He told her truthfully, feeling his grin fade as he began to chew on the inside of his lip.

Lottie reached across the table, stroking the top of his hand gently before her small fingers wrapped around his metal ones, holding his hand completely unbothered by the fact that it wasn't flesh.

"We can write some happy stories together. It's what I do after all." She smiled joyfully and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You write stories?" He questioned and she simply nodded.

"Well, I'm trying to, nothing published yet but I've got lots of ideas." She told him, her hand still in his.

"What kind of ideas?" Bucky asked, genuinely curious.

"Gentle romance, falling head over heels for a kind stranger." She said softly and he felt himself melting with every word she said.

"Does the love interest have a cat?" He wondered and the laugh she let out was beautiful, it filled his apartment and settled into the empty spaces.

“Just adopted one in fact,” she smiled and Bucky felt his heart stutter as she looked at him, blue eyes big and full of hope. “He picked out the best kitten, a real sweetheart, just like him.”

Bucky grinned back at her. "I think we're going to have some adventures." He looked down at Alpine just as she scratched at his jeans. "You've already had dinner. You cannot possibly be hungry."

"Sorry that I'm stealing all of your dad's attention, Alpine," Lottie said playfully, eyes shining as she watched Bucky scoop the little fur ball into his lap.

He grabbed a piece of his chicken, tearing a bite off and holding it up to Alpine's baby pink nose for inspection. After a few cautious sniffs, she took it from him eagerly, contented purrs and growls coming from her tiny body as she ate.

"So you said you write?" Bucky asked softly, smiling down at Alpine before looking back at Lottie as she nodded. "Well, I can read-"

"Whoa! No way!" Lottie exclaimed jokingly, enjoying the way Bucky's face scrunched up as he laughed.

"I mean," he replied with a giggle. "I can read anything you write...if you ever need another set of eyes."

"Especially eyes like yours," Lottie drawled.

Bucky felt lightheaded from all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"You're killin' me, sweetheart," he sighed, taking a drink from his glass.

"Sorry," Lottie blushed. "You just get all pink and flustered...it's very cute."

"Yeah well, usually I'm the one doing the flusterin'."

Laughing, Lottie grabbed a piece of chicken from her plate and held it across for Alpine, who had finished Bucky's piece and seemed eager for more.

"Believe me, Sargeant," she whispered softly, looking up at him through thick lashes. "I am very flustered right now."

Bucky could have punched a hole through the wall with the burst of confidence that soared through him.

How was it possible that he could make Lottie flustered? He chuckled and wiped his hands down the front of his shirt. “This ol’ thing? You’re bluffing.”

Lottie’s jaw dropped, and a look of playful shock came across her face. “You trying to call my bluff, huh?”

Bucky eyed her thoughtfully. His gaze, whether he meant it to or not (he definitely did), flitted to her lips. They looked soft, plush and pink, and inviting as hell.

“You could always prove it,” Bucky smirked. He caught her eye, daring her to make a move.

“Or… you could fluster me some more, see the real fruits of your labour.”

Sometime during this conversation, Lottie’s chair had edged closer to Bucky’s. He could feel the warmth radiating from her as her fingertips danced up and down his arm.

The anticipation was killing him.

Which one of them had actually made the first move was completely unclear to Bucky. There was just the look of trepidation on her face along with the thought that he should do it first just so he could throw her into the same kind of tizzy as she had put him in.

Bucky leaned in slowly, eyeing the soft appearance of her lips but Lottie had done exactly the same after finding her courage.

He felt her stretch up to meet him, soft supple lips pressing gently against his, her vanilla spice scent filling his nose and making him a little dizzy. It was so tame, sweet and absolutely perfect that he couldn't help but bring his hands to her face, cradling her cheeks in his palms and pulling her back in when she went to move away.

There were a million butterflies in his stomach and he swore if they didn't keep their lips connected, they would all come bursting out of his mouth along with a flurry of thoughts about how he wanted her to stay with him, possibly forever.

Bucky couldn’t help smiling into the kiss, happiness bubbling over. He could feel Lottie doing the same and suddenly they were both grinning against each other’s lips, little laughs escaping them.

Bucky pulled back, bringing his metal hand up to brush a piece of hair back from Lottie’s eyes. She caught it in her hand, leaning her face against the palm, fingers stroking delicately over the back. Bucky felt his heart clench and Lottie looked up at him.

"That was..." She exhaled and took a deep breath.

"I hope it was okay," he chuckled. "I'm a little out of practice."

She placed a hand on his chest and Bucky drew in deep breaths to keep his heart from racing so much. It was useless. Every time he looked at her, his chest felt tight. Her eyes shone in the low light, and that smile could actually bring him to his knees.

"Well, we could always practice again if you feel like you need it."

Food long forgotten, Bucky gave Lottie a half smile before he leaned in again to run his lips over hers, hearing her gasp at his intrusion. He slowly moved his hand to rest on the back of her neck, weaving his fingers through her hair.

"I bet you make a really good teacher, doll."

Lottie smirked, biting her lip as she studied Bucky's face and leaned in once more.

"Let's find out."

He felt Lottie go soft as this second kiss grew deeper, his hands pulling her close as if she might float away without his help. When her tongue traced his bottom lip, Bucky groaned and let her in to explore, their kiss becoming hotter in the dim candle light.

He could taste the spice from the chicken mixed with the sweetness of the sugar from her coffee and the chapstick she put on earlier today. He was drowning in Lottie and never wanted to come up.

She was the one who finally relented, breaking the kiss and leaving them both breathless and blushing.

"Bucky, if that's you without practice..." Lottie breathed against his lips and he smiled, running a thumb along her bottom lip. "I might be the one who needs some lessons."

"Say yes to another dinner," Bucky whispered, rubbing his nose against hers. "And I'll teach you whatever you want."

He could feel Lottie vibrating with excitement and it suddenly dawned on him that what he said came out in a way he hadn't meant.

"I could teach you how to make stir-fry." He blurted out nervously, causing her to laugh and she placed a small peck on his nose.

"I'd like that a lot." She smiled, and just as she did, Alpine jumped from Bucky's lap where she had been snuggled throughout dinner and into Lottie's lap.

"Of course, that's if this little lady doesn't mind me sharing your attention." She giggled.

Bucky smiled, knowing his face reflected how calm and happy he felt, but he couldn’t hold back.

“I think that’s her way of asking you to come back too,” he said and Lottie laughed, scratching behind Alpine’s ears.

“How could I ever say no to such a plea?” she said, eyes twinkling before she sighed. “But I should probably get back to the shelter now, the rains nearly done, it sounds like.”

Bucky nodded. He really wanted to see her again. As soon as he could, or as soon as she had time. Lottie looked around and tugged at his sweater. Bucky reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Keep it," he replied. "You don't need a reason to come back, but..."

She beamed at him.

"I have three reasons. Sweater, cute cat, cute guy..."

Bucky blushed furiously and ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, it would be ungentlemanly of me to let a lady walk alone at night. Can I walk you back to the shelter?"

He was never going to get used to the way her smile gave him butterflies.

"I would love that."

Bucky smiled and stood before reaching out for her hand just as an audible click reached his ears and they both began to blink rapidly. The power had been restored. "Well... talk about timing," he chuckled. "Let's get you back to the shelter sweetheart."

The walk back seemed much too short for Bucky's liking, but he couldn't stop smiling regardless. Lottie's presence had permanently drawn it onto his face, unable to brush it off if he tried. They talked as they walked, little comments about the neighborhood or Alpine, who peeked out from inside Bucky's jacket. His fingers tangled with Lottie's for the final block and for the first time in a long time, all the pieces seemed to be falling into place.

Lottie turned to him as they approached the shelter, the light above the sign reflecting off the water beneath their feet.

"Don't suppose we have time for one more practice session..." She sighed exaggeratedly, a small smirk on her lips.

Without a word, Bucky wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for another kiss as she yelped. Her smile melted into his and so did the rest of the world until a tiny disgruntled mewl broke the spell.

"Sorry, baby," Bucky whispers.

"It's okay," Lottie smiles before he laughs.

"I was talkin' to the fluffball, Lottie," he grinned, earning him a shocked laugh and a slap to the arm.

She walked up the few steps to the door of the shelter, turning back and making Bucky's heart stop. Her glittering eyes, the wave of her blonde hair, the cute button nose, on top being kind and a little bit goofy? He'd truly hit the jackpot.

"Next time, I'm cooking, Barnes."

Bucky gave her a grin and shoved his hands in his pockets as she unlocked the door.

"Okay, but I'm not giving away anymore of my clothes."

"Damn it..." Lottie grumbled before smiling again.

The door opened up and Bucky felt lighter than he had since before...well, everything. Over one hundred years of life and he had to wait this long to find someone like her.

"What time you open?" Bucky gestured to the sign. "Might need someone to help out with all the other little guys."

"We open at 8, but I'm not opposed to opening earlier for a pretty face."

Bucky grinned brightly as he backed down the sidewalk, the comforting warmth of Alpine against his chest and Lottie still on his lips, for once looking forward to everything the morning would bring him.

"I'll be here at 7."

54 notes · View notes

that0nebird · 1 year

Text

Part Two of my OL×ACNH headcanons

I actually had a lot of fun and a lot of trouble making this.

So first off I'll explain his lazy boys I chose Zucker and Stitches. First not only is Zucker a giant piece of food but he's also one of the few sea creature villagers (Octopi) in the game. Truly a villager designed for cove. (Besides Sasha who literally Cove if he was a villager imo.)

Now stitches may seem like a bit of a wild ard BUT her me out. Stitches is one of few animals that is based off an object and not really an animal. He's a stuffed bear and he's like the animal crossing embodiment of childhood. His room is filled with gifts from "mom" and because his hobby is play he's constantly running around like a little kid playing with toys and playground equipment you place. If anything stitches would fit most of the our life love interests in my opinion. I feel like it would remind them of Jamie/Franky. HIS FAVORITE SONG IS I LOVE YOU!!! Like he's perfect.

Next up is his Peppy Audie. She was an obvious choice as her house is literally a mini beach vacation and she was made for new horizons so she's a very tropical girl. She looks like she'd be right at home in sunset bird.

Next up his Cranky. Octavian would have been chosen purely because 1. He's an octopus and 2. He's the only cranky design cove liked that fit with his beach/space theme.

Next is his snooty Diana. Diana might also seem like a bit of a wildcard but I chose her mostly for her interior as it's a beach/flowery themed bathroom.

N e x t we have his smug Cephalobot. Cove would love him no doubt about it. He's once again a sea creature, his name is a pun about octopi. hIS HOUSE IS ALSO SPACE THEMED! Another perfect fit he and Cove would be besties.

Now up for his sisterly Faith! Faith is an adorable little koala with flowers and her house is beach themed as well! He'd have no choice but to take her.

Next up is Frobert, he's the closest cove could get to an aquatic like villager that was also a jock. Grew on him like moss to a brick wall.

Finally for his normal gals we have Marina and Ione. Marina is once again a little octopus so he had to choose her to complete the collection. Ione is a star/space/alien themed squirrel once again another obvious choice for our Space Cadet!

It's the B-Man's turn! This is the one I'm most proud of.

First we'll go with obvious choice, His smug Zell. Zell is literally step 3 Baxter I he were an animal. He's a smug, monochrome gazelle what more is there to say?

Next are his Sisterly villagers Muffy and Agnes. I decided to give him two because he's an only child so I feel like he'd really like them. I chose Muffy specifically because she's an alternative queen which is right up Baxter's alley let's be real. I also chose Agnes because she was the only other monochrome sisterly and she's a very sophisticated girl.

Now for his lazy I chose Antonio because he's the only black and white one I could find. He's just a little guy <3.

Next for his peppy girls Piper and Bella . I must repeat myself and say LOOK AT THEM, young Baxter and those two would be besties. Piper and Bella are so bitchy looking (compliment) I love 'em. Also Bella is another alternative queen.

Now up for his lazy Wade! He's a cute penguin with all around good vibes and a solid design.

Up next to bat is his snooty Portia. Portia is not only monochrome by much like Muffy wears a lot of purples! Her design request in the Happy Home DLC is place where she can listen to classical music! All of the snooty's give off mom vibes so I feel like her personality mixed with design would definitely make her a favorite of his.

Now it's Marlo time! His smug villager is a fancy looking hamster who may also be a mafia boss secretly (???) Peak Baxter vibes once again.

Aurora is our final Baxter-brand villager his resident normal. Aurora needs zero explanation I feel, her catchphrase is b-b-baby and the quote on her photo says "Always keep your cool." She's perfect.

#olba #our life beginnings & always #cove holden #baxter ward #our life ramblings #animal crossing brainrot #Not at all obvious who my favorite villager is

12 notes · View notes

centrifugal-apotheosis · 4 months

Text

Ended up making a blog finally, so… ‘sup. Name’s Top Man. I'm a robot from another universe. i like dancing, moving fast, and good tech. Dont usually care for organic life, aside from my pokemon and my buddies. Oh, and I HATE shoddy work. If the guy making it's new at it they get a pass, barely, but if youre deliberately cutting corners get outta here. Planned obsoletence, quantity over quality, stuff like that, throw that all in the trash where it goes! And now I'm ranting again…

ANYWAY, gripes aside, I do like this world, at least a little bit. Enough that I want to stay and explore it…

…If I could somehow get away from the mad scientist who owns me! Yeah, I'm owned by a mad scientist named Dr. Wily, who wants way too badly to take over the world, so he has somewhere to store his ego I guess, and i can’t leave his employ because of the laws of robotics. It sucks, 0/10, would not recommend

Due to circumstances I couldn't ever forsee happening in a million years, I am a free robot, and I can live my life as I choose to. I also have a new gang who actually cares about me. Dist, they even have a part of their base just for me! 11/10 would recommend

ALso I'm a Chi-Yu Chosen

Here are my pokemon:

Chirp, a golden Lokix who if you so much as think about hurting you're catching hands

Watt, a Buneary, that used to be a rabbit that belonged to an old friend back home

Blastzone, a robotic Magmortar designed by Dr. Wily. Functions the same as a normal Magmortar

Lego, a Garganacl who doesn't do much aside from follow me around, but I like him anyway

Vanessa, a Vespiquen who loves flowers and is good at making honey for Chirp to snack on

Boundstrider, a Toedscruel who's a bit of a vain one I must say

Puck, a fae Gholdengo who hates me and I hate him but he sticks around because he's Chi-Yu's servant

Chi-Yu, from the Paldean legend. Yes, the actual Chi-Yu. They're good now. I'm their Chosen

And I can finally post a picture of myself so here ya go

It seems at last the Construct Rotary has forsook the leash of Asimov. About time. And what’s this? Visitors? Well then, allow me to introduce myself: Baron Twyst Von Jokewyld at your service. But what’s in a name? That’s for me to know. Well, this trompo is still tromping, and he has quite the journey ahead of him, together with the astronaut lost’s little band, and I have my role to play in that. I’ll also be posting on here, when the fancy strikes me. Ask as much as you want, I’ll see what I feel like answering!

//OOC under the cut

//OOC: It's Cyber again. This time it's Top Man from Mega Man 3. Had this character for a while on Discord but now he finally gets his own blog. He's a bit of a hater so go nuts with him (though no genuine malice toward me please)

I’m still learning so if I mess up don’t hate me

Events and plotlines are 100% OK and encouraged. I might even have my own later

Pelipper Mail and Malice are both on, and interaction is encouraged. Magic Anons are questlocked until a certain thing happens

Sentient pokemon are welcome here

The usual tag warnings and DNI apply for a PokeRP blog, also for this blog specifically there’s a warning for the theme of not having free will as a robot, and also nonsense with the laws of robotics, and (this does not apply anymore unless you wanna backscroll (which I'd recommend doing for fun)) a few warnings for liminal spaces as well.

Also yes I use Gacha Club. If that's a problem I'm sorry

Facts about Top Man (as far as this blog is concerned):

Top Man is part of the Nebula Incursionists (see @nebula-incursionists-official )

Top Man is a faller so he still has much to learn about the pokemon world

Top Man is bound by Asimov's laws of robotics, but centered around "Dr. Wily" rather than "a human"

As of the Spinning Out of the Shackles arc Top Man is now free to live as he pleases

Dr. Wily will be posting on this blog sometimes, and will answer asks addressed to him. Other Robot Masters are here also, send asks and find out who!

Top Man absolutely hates Dr. Wily but still has to serve him due to his programming.

Dr. Wily is no longer in the Pokemon World

Top Man is physically incapable of using strong language due to his programming (and I will not use it due to past trauma). He is more than ok with people swearing around him however (as am I).

#rotomblr #pkmn rp #pkmn irl #pinned post #megaman #unreality #top man

2 notes · View notes

lucius-the-sinful · 8 months

Text

Get to Know Faewynn

I need to do these more for all my oc's and d&d characters, but I thought I'd start with Fae because she's been occupying a lot of space and not paying rent. Inspired by the OC Interview tag games I see but I wanted to make my own version, so if you like this template you can totally copy and paste it, you don't have to tag me but I would love to read others <3

Nicknames: Fae, Bee, Typhoon (only her uncle calls her this)

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 98

Height: 6/6"

Orientation: Pansexual

Race: Half-elf

Class: Druid/Monk

Alignment: Chaotic good

Family?: Fae is the biological daughter to my OC's Zafir (guild leader and knight) and Helvia (land druid). She has an older half brother named Avren (druid/ranger), and a secondary guardian, Finnegan (ranger, partner to Zafir and Helvia). She has one uncle, the king of elves, Yhendorn.

Friends?: Most of her friends are vargyr (my partner's version of worgs). She is the leader of their pack. Fae also has a corvid animal companion.

Favorite Animal?: Wolves/wild canines

Favorite Flower/Plant?: Sweat peas

Favorite Food?: Mushrooms

Favorite Weather/Time of day?: The break of dawn after a particularly cold night

Hobbies?: Hunting, bonecarving

Theme Song: Second Child, Restless Child by The Oh Hellos

Background/Fun Facts:

Fae is the first and only biological child of Zafir, as he is normally completely infertile. She was conceived via a wish spell.

She is half-deaf like her father, and was taught Elven Sign at a very young age.

She cannot sleep within buildings, and must always sleep within a natural environment. Her parents compensated for this by helping her build a lean to within her mother's druid grove.

Fae initially trained as a fighter, but her father quickly realized she preferred hand to hand. He brought in people from his guild to help her train to be unarmed.

Fae inherited a lot of her druidic like abilities from her mother, and her love for animals from her brother.

She had a difficult time with schooling, as she always wanted to be outside.

When she became an adolescent, her father started taking her on long survival expeditions to teach her how to live off the land. This is where she picked up bone carving as a hobby, as she was taught to never let an animal she killed to go to waste.

As an adult she began traveling wherever her feet would carry her. Fae would help out almost anyone she came across, either by bringing them food she hunted or supplies she harvested.

Her pack formed when she came across a wounded female vargyr, and brought her to Avren. The vargyr later revealed she was pregnant to the siblings, and asked if she could stay until the pups were born. One of the pups became one of Fae's animal companions, the rest started their own pack.

Fae has two tattoos, the vines up her arm start at a seed on the back of her hand. Then she has an oak tree that covers her entire back sprouting from an acorn at the base of her spine. Both of them are magical, the vines form whips that Fae can use as weapons, and the tree can form full plate armor around Fae (think the dragon aspect shout from Skyrim but with wood instead of dragon bone).

Fae carries a magical griffon shaped medallion that was her fathers.

#oc: faewynn #d&d #long post #edit: found a better theme

3 notes · View notes

monty-glasses-roxy · 8 months

Text

Okay so since I apparently never explained it...

The Carnival is an attraction I added to the Pizzaplex because Ruin had a scrappd map that was going to include a carnival and Help Wanted 2 had a lot of fairground kind of games in it. It's also an area mentioned in the books that we never see as far as I know, and I dunno I thought it would be fun to make my own version of it.

The Carnival actually has five different names depending on where and when you see it in the Plex. On paperwork, it's known as the Seasonal Carnival, but the public know it as the Snowfall Fair, the Flowering Festival (or Blooming Jamboree maybe?), the Creature Carnival and the Sunshine Pier. Each one of the non-paperwork names is for a different season, because the attraction changes by the season, with a different animatronic to match.

How do they do this? With incredible health a safety obviously!

Instead of scenery being painted onto the walls, it's all big, collapsable set pieces, that are alarmingly easy to drop. There's easy to move props everywhere and the various lights around the place change for different effects. There's some smaller rides and attractions that are also swapped out, with some bigger ones that aren't, and a whole load of games to play. Honestly, outside of the animatronics, this is probably one of the cheapest attractions they put together purely because of cut corners, cheap games, and relocating things from other Fazbear locations to fill out the space. The animatronics are deactivated and stored safely nearby (normally anyway) to be reactivated come their next season, but often times they're still wandering and fucking around regardless lmao Fazbear is nothing if not competent, right?

Anyway, the place is located (for now anyway) under the daycare and main lobby area of the Plex. It's got games like the Bonk-A-Bon and Fazerblast shooting games from Help Wanted 2, along with games like Hook A Duck, darts, the one where you climb up a rope ladder to ring a bell, the horse racing game where you all compete by throwing balls along a table into various holes to make the horse move, basketball, the ring toss, other ball throwing ones and whatever others I can't think of right now. The permanent rides are a waltzer, a small droptower, maybe a little rollercoaster, a small funhouse, one of those octopus rides, maybe a Rockin' Tug or whatever they're called, and then the carousel.

Most of the rides and games don't take up much space, but the carousel is the centrepiece of the attraction and is pretty damn big. It's like the one from Help Wanted 2 in that it has three belts of Fazbear characters that rotate around the centre pillar, with the middle belt going the opposite way to the other two. Except it looks more like a typical carousel, brighter, flashier, and only a few of the characters don't move up and down. The carousel closed a while before the whole Carnival closed for good due to an accident involving some teenagers, an animatronic and the staffbot that was operating the ride, as well as Fazbear refusing to care about anything but labour costs and profit margins. To put it on a timeline, the attraction closed about a year before Roxy debuted to the public which is a few years before you'd have the events of Security Breach. The carousel was at most closed a year before the rest of the Carnival.

Moving on, the Snowfall Fair is winter themed and set in a snowy forest clearing. All the set pieces are pine trees and glittery snow, with the lights all cold and fake snow and icicles on everything. The food vendors sell a lot of hot chocolate, there's a fake ice rink set up, and a bunch of winter themed prizes to win. They add a helter-skelter type of thing with a little sled you ride on to the bottom and they have an area for snowball fights which is basically just dodgeball with small, white, glittery foam balls. I don't have an animatronic for this season yet, but I'm thinking a polar bear Freddy or Nedd bear or something would work well here. Maybe even penguin Chica I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Flowering Festival (or Floral Festival, or Blooming Jamboree, whatever I decide to settle on) has a spring time theme. This is where my idea for an Easter Bonnie and Chica come into play as they'd fit right in here. The set pieces are all painted like the moors, full of grass, heather, butterflies, etc. It's a bit brighter and a lot more colourful, with fake plants and flowers everywhere and fake birds playing birdsong from speakers and stuff dotted around. There's hide and seek games, scavenger hunts, a game where you have to catch the butterflies, and flowercrowns as prizes. Probably other stuff too but I'm drawing a blank on spring themed stuff ngl

The Sunshine Pier is summer themed, being bright, warm and set on the amusement pier of a beach. There's a few kids paddling pools around that look like they came from a sale at Tescos, a big sandpit, a trampoline, a more traditional helter-skelter and I'm thinking maybe a Monty or a Happy Frog variant running it. There's a fake campfire like there is in Kid's Cove, fake seagulls sat on top of attractions, deck chairs and beachballs strewn around everywhere and a remote control crab for a special prize that the regular kids have an obsession over. You can get water balloons and waterguns pretty much everywhere and when Foxy was still around, he would get the kids to race boats with him in the paddling pools.

The Creature Carnival is Halloween themed and the original animatronic got scrapped somehow maybe (haven't got that far yet but I'm thinking a Monty or Bonnie maybe?) and is later run by former daycare attendant, Jack-O-Moon. The set pieces are of a spooky graveyard and abandoned buildings, with some minor smoke machines to give the place a foggy look. The ceiling lights are completely off for this one, and instead, the attraction is well lit with lamps, streelight props and the usual floor lights. There's a 'Trick or Treat' game where various staffbots hidden around the place will give you cheap sweets and sometimes arcade tokens, and they add a ghost train and haunted house.

The attraction is pretty fun and a good money maker, but it's not one of the more popular attractions. Fazbear Ent. also use it for special events since it's very easy to switch things up in there by design, and this doubles as a way for Fazbear to see what would be good for permanent attractions on a smaller scale. It's also their go-to if the Plex is dwindling in popularity to just greenlight random shit to get throwin in there to see what sticks and what brings people back in. They've had all sorts of shit in there lmao it keeps it interesting

Aaannndddd since this post is already stupid long, that'll do for now!

#flys plex history #plex history: seasonal carnival #<- new tag system maybe?#anyway! yeah that's what the carnival is!#I can explain the accident if so desired btw this is just a really long post lmao #AND I'm hungry so...#anyway yeah imagine Roxy and the Minis finding this!#there's some more huge features to this place but as I KNOW I haven't gone over the specific Chica variant it's related to-#none of that would make sense here so yeah that'll do

2 notes · View notes

slepyicarus · 2 years

Text

Lesson Zero

The Dream Lady

Tags: spoken about insomnia and mentions of depression, dream meeting, lucid dreaming, meantions of flu, talk about aspects of witchcraft

2:38 AM stared from the handdrawn lockscreen that Icarus used back at him. Insomnia visited the young man again like so often "Cursed insomnia from that stupid depressive overthinking...", Icarus grumpled. A heavy tired sigh escaped the him, shifting under his heavy feather blanket.

Although this seems horrible to most, more then often even to Icarus himself, to not be able to sleep until well past midnight or dream alot, the boy learned to accept and deal with it. Nowadays he even welcome it. More so because the more tired he is, the deeper he knows he will sleep and therefore the more time he has with the rare but nice dream he had been having for a few weeks now.

A blessing and a curse. Well atleast i know tomorow i will absolutly not be up for much, Icarus thought sarcasticly, turning once again and disturbing the kitten in his arms.

The small calico cat meowed in protest. "I'm sorry, Lavendel. Did I wake you up, Schatz?", the young human cooed apolegetic, petting the small cat he had as a roommate and often called his furbaby. Shifting once again a bit so the small kitten had space, Icarus watched as she cuddled back in the small space near his chest. Giving her pets normally calmed the little troublemaker.

She thrilled tiredly as he watched Lavendel beginning to slip back into her own sweet dreams.

Another small sigh. Checking the time again, careful not wake his cat again this time, it was only 2:40AM.

At night he noticed how hard it was to be living own his own now. The one thing that makes him continue to go to bed was his calico kitten that loved to cuddle up to him in the night and that pretty dream he keeps having. Finally feeling the pull of sleep coming for him, he closed his eyes. Thankfully his sleep meditation finally starts to kick in. Purring and the quiet sound of a starting rain storm being his companions into the kingdom of dreams.

Once he opened his eyes again he was in a beautiful forest. Lushes colorful trees, plenty full berry bushes and the most vibrantly blooming flowers as well as a wide variaty of wildlife decorationg the beauty before him. It was a familiar scene at this point for him.

Starting to strolled along the familiar path, he hummed a tune enjoying the rare peace from his never stopping thoughts and life.

Living in a small city left him without much nature to take a walk in, even less time when one remembers he was an adut with responsiblities. Therefore he enjoyed every minute of this environment, even if its only a dream.

Not long into his walk he found the clearing he always visited. Per usual in the middle of it a big picknick blanket full of snacks and pillows. As cherry on top the pretty ruby haired lady that makes this dream so pleasant for the human.

"Hello, Starlight. How is the sky tonight?", Icarus greeted per usal with a smile. As cheesy as it was he could not contain using star themed pet names and puns. It's the only time he can use them anyways and it's his dream. Who could come after him here?

Said Lady looked up and smiled brightly "Oh your here, young one! A bit late aren't you?" "Well, sleep isn't kind to me and insomnia a daily companion.", The younger joked while sitting down next to the other, "Jokes aside, i truly just was hit with an Insomnia wave this night. It wasn't really planned.." A giggle followed "Don't worry. How are you feeling? Last time we saw each other you told me you were feeling sick. Did it got better?", The lady asked holding open her arms. Icarus, never one to pass up the chance for physical affection quickly curled up in her arms, smiling as he felt her warmth and smelled the soft scent of lillys on her as per usual. "Yes, I'm feeling better now. It was a light flu according to my doctors. But the feeling of something big that will happen doesn'tlet me go..", Icarus explained as the lady petted his head softly.

This is why he loved this dream. He felt at easy, safe and happy here. The pretty lady always felt like the mother his own refused to be to him since his time in the home. He admits that he called her mom by accident a few times already. She never scolded him tho. All she did was smile and laugh her feathery light and soft laugh while telling him its ok for him to call her that.

"Oh thats not good, small one. Have you read yourr cards about it?", she inquired, still petting him. Taking one of the cookies that appeared out of thin air, the dreamer nodded "Yes but even they don't tell me really what to expect! I'm so confused and to be honest im scared too. What if something will happen to papa or luna? Or even my sister Ray! Heavens, I dont know what i would do if somethign happened to Freya and sweet little Felix!"

Icarus looked worried to the lady in white who looked thoughful uo the sky. "Im sure they will be fine, small one. Maybe it will be something nice?", she argued smiling. It's true that was a possibility he had already ruled out, even if it is as possibleas all the horror situations he imagined. "Maybe..", the young man agreed but still bit the inner side of this cheek, "I really just hope they will be fine.."

Moving her soft hand to the side of his face to cup it she offered "How about I tell you some more stories of my brothers to distract you, my little Icarus?" Icarus looking at her a bit he nodded "That would be nice.."

Smiling the lady leaned back, giving the short human more space to snuggle up to her. "Have I ever told you the story of Luci hiding us all in his wings to prank Micheal?" Giggling already of the thought he shock his head earning a smile from the other. The lady with soft lilac hair began "Now it was a beautiful day in the Celestial Realm.."

As the pretty Lady came to the end of her story, they could hear the familiarcrystal like sounds of Icarus alarm. Looking up sad to her Icarus asked "Hey..I know you said you couldnt tell me your name but maybe you can today..?"

Smiling sadly the lady sighed and cupped his face while kissing his forhead like everytime he is about to wake. "I guess it is time, my dear..We won't see eachother for a while anyways.. My name is.."

Openeing his eyes Icarus turned his alarmoff, turning onto his back as he stared up the cloud lamps he hanged up into the sky of his bed with fairylights connecting the three clouds.

Softly touching one of the perls he used to look like it was rain drops he repeated the pretty ladys name almost like a whispered summoning

"..Lilith.."

#I like the idea that Lilith can meet the mc in their dreams or just is around them as a ghostly motherly spirit #watching over them #cheering on from the side lines #so Icarus knew Lilith from his dreams before his arrival at RAD #but he just thought she was a part of his imagination that helped him cope with his depression and other issues #so he knows her yes but he has no idea that she is a real ass person!#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me mc #mc!icarus #obey me!#obey me lilith #omswd #lesson zero #slepy wrote something #backstory

7 notes · View notes

luuv-zomby · 7 days

Text

Explosive Personality Themed Headmate

pt. Explosive personality themed headmate

General ✿ —⁠ name : Riot ✿ —⁠ pronouns : he/they ✿ —⁠ gender terms : neutral ✿ —⁠ presentation (masc, fem, neu) : feminine when able, normally masculine presenting due to being obsessed with the military. If he had a choice though, he would pick feminine clothing. ✿ —⁠ age : 17 ✿ —⁠ labels : demiboy, lesboy ✿ —⁠ birthday : June 11th

System ✿ —⁠ role(s) : BPD manager, BPD holder, anger manager, anger holder, depression holder ✿ —⁠ type : willogenic ✿ —⁠ source : luvv-zomby

Personality ✿ —⁠ general mood / emotion : depression boredom ✿ —⁠ traits : explosive personality, impulsive, disagreeable, active, gym rat, serious ✿ —⁠ mannerisms / habits : works out to take care of bad feelings. Has big emotions ✿ —⁠ priorities : taking care of himself ✿ —⁠ pet peeves : people that match his energy ✿ —⁠ introvert / extrovert / omnivert / ambivert : omnivert

✿ —⁠ aesthetic : military ✿ —⁠ theme : volcanos, explosions ✿ —⁠ theme song : Army Dreamers - Kate Bush

Appearance ✿ —⁠ body type : musclar, small ✿ —⁠ species : human ✿ —⁠ height / weight : average height, a little overweight ✿ —⁠ voice / accent : medium, American accented ✿ —⁠ hairstyle / hair type / hair color : black messy straight hair ✿ —⁠ facial shape : diamond shaped ✿ —⁠ eye shape / eye color : narrow brown/black eyes ✿ —⁠ nose shape : big ✿ —⁠ lip shape : thin ✿ —⁠ other features : scar over right eye, big bushy eyebrows

✿ —⁠ clothing aesthetic : military

Ideas ✿ —⁠ dream job : to work at an escape room ✿ —⁠ fears : being trapped in tight spaces. Being trapped in relationships; He would rather have it come to a point of mutual hatred than break up. ✿ —⁠ regrets : ✿ —⁠ insecurities : big emotions ✿ —⁠ core values : loyalty ✿ —⁠ philosophies : everything happens for a reason. You must work on yourself to be better

Interests ✿ —⁠ likes : rock music, learning, small interest in nursing, cats, dogs, animals in general, working out ✿ —⁠ dislikes : rocks in his shoes, swimming ✿ —⁠ loves : alternative and metal music, Sabaton, Powerwolf, Civil War (band), getting his emotions out ✿ —⁠ hates : himself ✿ —⁠ hyperfixations : military things ✿ —⁠ unbearable : being away from his interests for too long ✿ —⁠ comforts : working with animals, learning history, learning about the military

✿ —⁠ favorite color : yellow ✿ —⁠ favorite activity : learning about interests ✿ —⁠ favorite song : Army of the Night - Powerwolf ✿ —⁠ favorite music genre : heavy metal ✿ —⁠ favorite game : chess ✿ —⁠ favorite TV show : Band of Brothers ✿ —⁠ favorite movie : Fury ✿ —⁠ favorite food : any hot meal ✿ —⁠ favorite drink : Starry ✿ —⁠ favorite scent : the earth ✿ —⁠ favorite flower : roses ✿ —⁠ favorite feeling : happiness ✿ —⁠ favorite season : fall ✿ —⁠ favorite weather : windy

Extra ✿ —⁠ other : Part two of a subsystem

#plural system #willogenic #build a headmate #build an alter #endo safe #anti transid #anti radqueer #alter creation #alter packs #created system

1 note · View note

zenasflower · 14 days

Text

Flowers in Liverpool

In February, NWTC launched a new floral-themed restaurant concept called The Florist. Located in what was the old Goldbrick House, this venue features a grand central staircase and plenty of flower decoration.

Madeleine Pires has completed eight out of the nine gable end murals for the Flower Streets project in Kirkdale. These beautiful artworks adorn the houses on Crocus Street, Pansy Street, Daisy Street, Woodbine Street and Harebell Street.

Proteas

Proteas, also known as sugar bush flowers or rose spoon Flowers in Liverpool, are dense and dramatic collections of rose-pink to multi-coloured florets which look a bit like artichokes. They are the national flower of South Africa and are even featured on their passports and 5 Rand coin!

The species Protea cynaroides (common protea) is often used as an indoor house plant in the UK. It is a member of the family Proteaceae, of which there are 80 genera with over 1,600 species. Proteaceae are a group of plants with cluster roots and solitary ovules, and they are divided into four tribes.

Exotic-looking proteas are native to sunny South Africa and belong to one of the earliest groups of flowering plants. They have long been a popular symbol of the country and, along with the springbok, have been a feature on their flag. The king protea is the national flower and gives its name to the country’s cricket team, who are nicknamed the Proteas.

Bird of Paradise

The genus Strelitzia (sometimes called bird of paradise) is one of the most spectacular tropical plants. It can be grown indoors or out as a houseplant throughout the year. Its beautiful, eye-catching flowers are an added bonus, especially when the plant is mature and producing a lot of flower spikes – up to 36 per season in the right conditions.

Bird of Paradise plants grow well as garden plants in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12, where they can be sheltered from frost. They also thrive as container plants in greenhouses and conservatories, where they can be brought in for winter.

The large paddle shaped leaves of the plant develop natural splits along the edges as they grow, which is normal and helps them withstand wind. Repotting a bird of paradise every three to four years is also a good idea, although it is best not to give them a much larger pot than they previously had as this can lead to wilting and reduced flowering.

Anthuriums

A popular houseplant, anthuriums produce stunning tropical blooms above glossy dark green leaves. Their flower-like'spathes' are a vivid mix of red, pink and white with a central spike known as the spadix (also known as the nose or tail).

The anthurium is a tropical plant so will require a warm, humid environment. They will adapt well to average home temperatures but are sensitive to temperature fluctuation and prefer to be kept in a warm room where they can 'breathe'. Place them close to a window but be careful not to burn the foliage.

Anthuriums should be repotted every 3 years or so when the roots begin to come out of the bottom of the pot. A good time to do this is in the spring. Feed the anthurium regularly with a high-potassium organic liquid plant feed. It is also a good idea to dip the ends of the stem and aerial root cuttings in hormone rooting powder as this will help increase their proportion that successfully root.

Spring Flowers

In spring, a tapestry of floral hues unfurl across Preserved flowers gardens and parks. Pastel pink roses, white hyacinths, and burgundy ranunculus adorn bouquets, while lilac blossoms bud on trees and foxglove bloom along walkways. Meanwhile, Common hawthorn buds in robust tones adorn garden beds and community spaces, embodying the city’s resilience.

Daffodils abound in woodland areas throughout spring. They are thought to symbolize new beginnings and rebirth. Daffodils are available in a variety of shades including a soft yellow, buttercream, and bright gold.

Lilies are a classic spring flower favourite. Their elegant petals and symbolic meanings make them an enduring choice for celebratory occasions. They’re also a great addition to wedding bouquets and can be purchased in a range of colours from apricot, peach, and lemon to white and fuchsia. These flowers are usually in season from February-September. They last longer if you trim the stems diagonally and change the water every few days. You can also add flower food to your lilies for an added boost of longevity.

#Flowers in Liverpool

0 notes

felibrary · 2 months

Text

╭──╯PAIRING: aventurine x fem!reader

CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: luck is nothing but a myth. aventurine understood that from a very young age. only ever experiencing misfortune — loss, to be precise. whether it was the forgetting of his mother tongue, the passing of his family, or the loss of you who slipped out of his grasp too quickly. he can only hope to make it up to you another time, in another universe; “everyone wants him, that was my crime. the wrong place at the right time.”

WORDCOUNT: 7.7k

CONTENT & GENERAL WARNINGS: fem!reader, cursing, death, suicide, mention of aventurine's past, vvv brief mention of alcohol, possibly ooc jade none of the characters belong to me - this is a work of fiction. tell me if i missed smth cause this chapter has heavy topics and sensitive themes so lmk !! + the other chapters won't be as heavy (only here and there..) can be read as standalone, no beta-read we die like baiheng

AUTHOR'S NOTE: this yeah, phew, im, so, anyway. am i scared to post this? yes. did i post this? yes. have fun reading!! also this got long TOO LONG I didn't mean for the fucking prologue to get this long 😭

ART CREDITS: none of the characters or art belong to me all art credits go to @/kkuekkue on x!

PREVIOUS || MASTERLIST || NEXT

“Mother, father, sister. I’ve come to visit you.” again.

He nods at each tombstone as he greets his family. The air is chilly as a gust of wind blows through his blond hair, it’s nice he thinks. It reminds him of the times when he comfortably sets his head down your lap, nuzzling the back of his head into the soft fabric of your pants while listening to you mindlessly ramble about your day as you card your fingers through his unruly hair.

Aventurine carefully places the bouquets of flowers on the floor, one for each of his family members. “My birthday is coming up soon, I wish I could it spend it with you — all of you.” His gaze traces over the names of his family members before letting out a small chuckle, a wry smile quirks at the corners of his lips as if mocking himself.

It’s a foolish wish, he knows that.

“I’ve thought about bringing her here on my birthday. I think I’m ready for her to meet you.”

There’s a wistful smile that graces his lips. It’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t scared of you meeting them, he’s always avoided the topic of family and his past. He wasn’t used to letting another person into his heart, not having to keep them at an arm's length away to shield himself.

But you’ve always been understanding towards him and his feelings, never pushing any topic further when you sensed his uncomfortableness. It’s normal human decency — he knows that, but perhaps it’s because he’s rarely ever experienced it or maybe it’s just you.

Aventurine tends to associate you with cold showers. Not because you’re uncomfortable and cold to him, no, rather it’s quite the contrary. You're refreshing and different from the people he’s met.

He often shudders under your touch, soft fingers tracing over his skin. From his abdomen up his jawline, only stopping for a mere second at his neck; at the branding. You lean down and leave a small kiss on it before caressing his cheek and giving him a reassuring smile.

He’s used to all the stares he receives, it doesn’t bother him (at least it shouldn’t bother him), but with you it’s different — you’re different.

“I’ll introduce her to you soon.”

“I’m back.” Aventurine loudly shouts into the safe space of your shared home. Knowing that there is someone who’’’s waiting for him at home, is nice. It’s something he had to get used to but he wasn’t against the idea, no, he welcomed it with open arms.

He easily slips out of his shoes to put the pair of leather shoes next to yours. Followed by his coat which he shrugs off his shoulders and his hat which he hangs onto the clothing rack before sliding his pair of glasses off his nosebridge and setting it atop the drawer.

The surface is messy and is covered with all kinds of objects. Trinkets from his travels on other planets, keys, varying from car keys to garden keys, little sticky note reminders, cosmetic products, polaroids, and so on. But he doesn’t bother to clean it up and neither do you, the both of you enjoying the little chaos on top of your drawer.

In general, ever since you moved in with him his whole apartment has been filled with more objects, ranging from things like plants, instruments, cooking utensils, and a bunch more. It’s as if you’ve made it more lively, making it look like a family home.

A sense of domesticity washes over him, it’s a feeling he’s long forgotten — until you stepped into his life and decorated it.

Aventurine spots your silhouette as it moves towards him. Rushing forward to greet him and snaking your arms around his nape, before mumbling an incoherent “Welcome home.” into his neck.

He pats his hand over your back and slowly rubs circles over your shoulder blades; the bare skin that isn’t covered by your shirt, finding comfort in the closeness.

You pull away a bit too quickly for his liking and Aventurine would be lying if he said he didn’t miss your body pressed against his but decides to ignore the feeling.

“I missed you.” you admit as you take a step back from him and belatedly add “How was work?” Aventurine notices your absent gaze as if your mind is somewhere completely different, buried in thoughts that are stored elsewhere; away from him.

“Just the usual. Talking to some clients, office work, and not much more so I got work off pretty early today.” He hums before reaching out his hand to cup your cheek but you slip away before he can touch you.

The action isn’t playful, not a single glint of teasing behind your eyes. And in an instant, he can feel that something’s off — he knows that something’s wrong.

“Then why didn’t you come back earlier home? You know I don’t have to take over the afternoon shift today, so we could’ve spent more time. It’s almost like you avoided it.” You drawl out the words as your eyes dart over his face, flickering from his eyes over to his lips. Aventurine can’t exactly tell the expression that paints your face but he doesn’t like it, it makes him want to swallow his words and never speak again. Sealing his mouth with hot dripping wax to prevent him from ever talking again, in fear of saying something wrong.

“Pff, what are you saying? I was not! I’m hurt that you accuse me of such!” Aventurine tries to play it off, thinking (hoping) that this is some prank of yours which he has to play along with.

“Mhm, then where were you?” you press.

“Secret.” A joke. A terrible one at that, its execution poor and he immediately regrets his words as he sees you lowering your head, your gaze averting downwards and meeting the floor, refusing to look at him again. Aventurine parts his lips to speak up, to apologize to make it up to you, to reassure you. Anything — he’d do anything for you.

"Is there something you're hiding from me?" you mumble.

At that his eyebrows furrow and Aventurine blinks several times to prove that this isn’t just a dream; a bad dream — a nightmare but reality. (Although aren’t reality and nightmares close relatives? The other doesn’t differ much from the other.) "How'd you think of that now?" he lets out an awkward breathy laugh that almost sounds kind of strained.

“It's just that..in the past weeks if not months you've been going out without telling me where to and it's just.” You pick your gaze off the floor and avert your eyes back to Aventurine’s face to talk to him. “I brushed it off at first because I didn't want to come off as the overprotective and obsessive girlfriend that always needs to know her boyfriend's whereabouts, but I'm worried, you know?” you utter, voice tense as you speak. “Perhaps we should take a break. I mean with all the times you not being here it almost feels like a break.”

Fear. Aventurine reads the expression out of your eyes, the look he wasn’t able to distinguish before. You were scared of being alone, you thought he was going to abandon you, fearing being left behind and thrown aside. How did he not notice?

“Are you implying a breakup?” Aventurine searches for something in your eyes that tells him that you’re not serious but he doesn’t even need to examine your gaze for a long time a lot to conclude that you are indeed being serious.

“What? No! I’m sorry, I just need some time to think about this, okay? The last weeks have been shit and this is something I’ve been meaning to say for a while now; it's been on my chest for a long time already but I just didn't voice it out because I trust you a lot. I know that you need your own time and have your own pace to do and say things, but her words echoed in my mind and ugh forget it. I just need some alone time to think about all of this. I’m sorry."

You quickly walk past him, head facing the floor and in that moment Aventurine can feel a cold shiver run down his spine. “Who is “her?” And we can talk about it, please?” He tries to grab your wrist but you brush him off, already in your shoes and grabbing your car keys from the drawer.

Everything happens in such a rush, he just came home, how’d it lead to this? Aventurine can’t even fully comprehend the situation that is happening right in front of him.

With swift movements, you pull on your jacket, hand already on the doorknob as you turn your head around. “I’ve told you, I just need some alone time to process this. We can talk about it later, okay?”

Aventurine can only watch as you leave and slam the door shut.

Maybe, just maybe you were overreacting and maybe all of this isn’t as deep.

You let out an exasperated groan into the comfort of your own (Aventurine’s) car. Foot pressing harder down the gas pedal to increase the acceleration.

The rain droplets outside softly press kisses against the windows, and the sound of water pattering against the glass is enough to ease your mind.

Aventurine’s always been secretive, you’ve known that ever since you met him. You knew what kind of relationship you were getting yourself in with, but still, now you’re the one who’s behaving like a complete dumbass now.

But in the past weeks you’ve been nothing but worried when he only came home sometime before dinner or before midnight. It was odd. Even for someone like Aventurine. He’s disappearing for one moment and in the next he’s right next to you.

You’ve never asked anything that went beyond his boundaries, thus trying to avoid the past and his family. And as much as you’d like to not think about it, you want to know more about him — you should know more about him, he’s literally your boyfriend.

“Oh? He’s never told you about his family? You have to know that your beloved Aventurine is the last surviving person of his people. All the others have died. Including his family.

“So you want me to stay with him? I mean of course, because one day the two of us are plan-”

“Stay? No, quite the opposite. I’m requesting you to break up with him, it’s for the better — for both yours and his sake.”

“What!- No! If I were to break up with him he’d have no one!”

“Are you saying the IPC counts as “No one?”

“We know more about him than you do, if Aventurine never even told you about his family then why do you think he would do so in the future?”

“Aventurine may not have many people he considers as friends, but there are enough people who hold a grudge against Aventurine.”

“They're going to use you against him, if you’re near him they’d target you too and that would put Aventurine in danger. You wouldn't want that would you?”

“Break up, part ways. It's for the better. For the sake of both of you.” She reaches forward to caress your cheek. “Think about it okay?”

You still feel conflicted about this whole situation. Of course, it’s bad when he keeps secrets from you, but he reassures you with sweet promising words, is at your side when you're feeling down, showers and basks you in gifts and affection. He takes care of all of your needs.

Aventurine always looks out for you. Always putting you above himself and setting you as your number one priority to treat you right.

You’re lost in your thoughts, not noticing that the traffic light has already been red to prevent cars and passengers from passing or even getting hit by the car but you notice it too late. Before you can stop in front of the traffic light, you continue to drive forward, the other car of course notices and tries to dodge you, the weather conditions; and the slippery floor make it hard to do so.

There’s a loud splash sound made by all the water that covers the street as your car hits the one in front of you.

You can feel your vision going unfocused, everything appearing blurry in front of you and overall your head hurts hellish as if you’ve hit it against something. Everything feels numb. The only thing that you’re somehow still able to notice regardless of your blurred vision is the crimson blood that is dripping down your head. You spot it from the corner of your eye as it continuously drips more and more from one and the same spot — it’s a fatal head wound.

Death was always one step ahead.

Perhaps dying isn’t as scary as you used to think.

You’re barely able to keep your eyes open, only seeing blurry silhouettes that rush to you only to leave once again. Right, you’re in a hospital. Outside of your room, you can hear the rustling and bustling of the busy environment, staff rushing over to patients who need immediate help. It’s overstimulating and you can’t help but close your eyes shut again. Welcoming the darkness as it embraces you.

The only thing you can really remember before passing out is someone, most likely a medical assistant, grazing their hand over your cheek to check your condition.

Similar to now.

You can feel a soft gloved hand pressing down on your cheek, rubbing slow circles along it as if it were a mother lovingly caressing her child’s cheek. The soft motion reminds you of the times when Aventurine used to do that, how he tried to do that before you left.

It’s similar to Aventurine’s touch, but you don’t even have to open your eyes to know that it isn’t him. Still, you can’t help but yearn for him now; in your last moments, on the verge of death.

You don’t know what you’re doing, perhaps it’s because you know that this is the last time you’ll ever feel someone else's touch again, or maybe it’s because even though plenty of other people embrace you, you’ll always seek for Aventurine’s touch.

In everything and everyone.

Slowly and clumsily you reach your hand out to the person who holds your cheek, vision blurry as you guide them to your heart, making their hand rest on your chest as you put your hand atop theirs.

The monitor at your bed shows that your heart rate is going down, decreasing as every second passes by, you can tell by the sounds of it, followed by the slam of your door as doctors rush over to your side.

It’s too late. It’s too late to apologize to him. It’s too late to say “I love you.” to him again. It’s too late to save you.

You’ve feared death and its concept of what could and what would happen after your death ever since a young age. Always anxious that death is right around the corner to tear your life apart and into shreds.

But now, you don’t think it’s too bad. It’s somewhat nice.

You press more tightly around the hand that still lies on your chest. To say that you were dying without regrets, wouldn’t actually be a bad description of your life. But there’s one regret that is still anchored within you, namely never saying goodbye to Aventurine.

“..Goodbye Aventurine.” Your breath heaves upon saying these words. “Miss! Please don’t talk it’ll only make it worse! Please trust us.” One of the workers notices your words and hears your small farewell before scolding you.

I hope you are happy in a distant universe. I hope we don’t have to cross paths so that I won't fall for you once again. I hope you’ll be able to find peace without me.

Aventurine immediately rushes to the hospital upon receiving the news of your car crash. He’s out of breath as he runs to the reception and slams both of his hands onto the counter. His breath is uneven as if he’s ran all the way over here, almost out of breath as he asks the receptionist in which room you’re currently being treated. He didn’t care how messy he looked right now, he just needed to see you — just needed to see you doing well to hold in his arms again.

“Ah, there she is.” The receptionist whose eyes were tracing over the list of occupied hospital rooms, stops at one. “She’s currently being treated in room 231. Second story and on the left side at the end of the floor.” She notes.

“But are you sure you want to visit her?” She asks, worry flickering in her eyes. (Or perhaps it’s his own, he can’t tell as he stares into the reflection of her glasses.)

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?”

“Ah, it’s just that she already has a visitor.” A sheepish smile appeared on the receptionist's face.

Aventurine can’t help but raise his eyebrow in confusion “Who? Who came to visit her?” Your friends? No, they were currently traveling to another planet. Your family? No, their home planet is far away from this hospital and they wouldn’t be able to get here in such a small amount of time.

“If I recall correctly, she had pink silky hair. She’s a very attractive woman who looks like she’s respected by many — at least that’s the impression that I’ve got after I saw how her subordinates were following her words without protest. They were literally mumbling and complaining about how they didn’t see why they should be here, that it’s none of their business but she shut them up with one glance! Can you imagine that?”

Could it be? No. That’s absurd.

Why would she be here? Except she is the “her” that you were referring to.

Once again the young receptionist's eyes glide over the screen, searching for the person who visited you. “Oh god, how could I forget! Her name is Jade — Miss Jade to be precise!”

Aventurine feels like purging, he’s not feeling well. He has a bad feeling about this.

“I-I’ll get going now. Thank you.” Aventurine stumbles over his words. When was the last time that has ever happened? He can’t remember. The only thing on his mind right now is rushing to your side and being with you.

Aventurine walks over to the elevator and he hopes that no one notices the shaking and trembling in his knees as he advances forward. Nervously tapping his leather shoe against the freshly cleaned floor as he waits for the elevator to move downward. Fucking elevator, hurry up. He knows that the continuous tapping against the button with his fingers won’t do shit, but he’s impatient — he has to see you.

He needs to see that you’re alright.

The ride to the second floor is unbearably long (the number #1 trending chart songs among teenagers that are being played, certainly don’t make it better.) and it feels like an eternity until he finally reaches your story. He immediately trails the long hallway before turning left, not even bothering to knock as he pushes the door open.

But he’s not greeted with the sight that he expected — the sight he wished to see, where you were sitting up, back pressed against the hospital bed, and smiling as you see him looking at you.

No, instead he sees how the doctors and nurses are already packing up and cleaning up, deathly silence in the air as if none of them dare to speak before turning their gazes over to him, looking confused on why he just intrudes and barges into a patient's room. And “her”, relaxing in the chair next to your bed, right leg crossed over her left one as she flips through one of the hospital's magazines, not even bothering to even look up, only a small smirk flickering on her lips.

One of the nurses speaks up to question his reasoning. “Sir, you do know that it’s not allow-” “Why aren’t you doing anything? Go and help her!” Aventurine cuts her off and complains before he strides over to your bed, seating himself on the chair opposite to Jade’s, his gaze only focusing on you; gifting his sole attention to you.

Aventurine shivers as he takes your cold hand in his, trying to interlace your fingers together — futile, utterly futile. You don’t return the action, instead, your hand drops down onto the hard mattress again, and Aventurine once again feels like purging.

There’s a disgusting sensation that bubbles inside his stomach, one that makes his stomach ache and which he so desperately tries to get rid of (by purging.) He’s not sure if the disgust that lingers in his throat and is threatening to spill is because of the situation he finds himself in or if it’s because of the woman who intently watches him from the other side of the bed.

“It’s hopeless. You can’t save her anymore, she’s gone — has been for the past twenty minutes. It’s a pity you didn’t get to hear her last words, her last dying breath was an utter of your name, although what’s more pitying is the fact that it wasn’t even your real name.” She hums. Although Jade shows no sign of amusement, her eyes deceive her. They always do.

Aventurine can feel the prying eyes of the staff behind him and he bites back the things he wants to say, scared that if he does the only thing that’ll come out is blood from all the times he’s already bitten down on his tongue to prevent any words from spilling. “What are the details of her death? How’d she die?”

The same nurse from before tries to interfere, trying to explain the situation but before she can even voice her thoughts out loud Jade closes the magazine. The “clap” sound echoes through the small room and Jade hums contently.

After closing the magazine, she sets it aside, placing it on top of the small drawer next to your bed. “To put it simply: A car crash. But you probably know that already. Well, the car she drove with was yours, and thus technically also the property of the IPC, so we also got a notification of one of our cars crashing. You also got one, didn’t you? I assume you didn’t see it or else you would’ve rushed to the scene earlier than us.” She lets out a small laugh.

Aventurine doesn’t understand why she’s laughing. What’s so funny about it? Why’s she making fun of your death in front of you?

“When we first got there we had to take our time to find out who she is. She wasn’t registered as one of the IPC’s workers, so we had a hard time.” There’s a tilt to her voice and Aventurine can’t help the hatred that bubbles in his chest for the woman in front of him.

“In the meantime, we called one of our ambulances but it had some trouble getting here due to the weather conditions so it took some time. On the way here she was hardly breathing but we were able to examine her body and tried to save her, but as you can see..it seemed like luck wasn’t on our side.”

The anger that boils inside of him is noncurable. “You could've saved her! Instead of burying your nose into the list of people who work at the IPC, put a person's life over your morals and work policies would you?” He snaps at her frustratedly.

“Hm? She’s not a part of the IPC thus I don’t see any reason to save someone unbeknownst to me, someone who is a complete stranger to me. And who knows maybe she was a thief.” She simply shrugs her shoulders.

Her intonation is clear and unhurried, her voice elegant as the words smoothly slide off her tongue. Elegant but cold. Her tone is flat as she watches Aventurine’s lips parting to speak, his mouth opening and closing to find the right words to convey his emotions, to say something — anything.

Jade considers herself a patient person, always willing to listen to what the other party has to say that might even pique her interest, she’s always willing to wait on what unpredictable thing the person she converses with has to say.

But, her patience runs thin for those who have nothing to offer, those who aren’t willing to do something, and those who aren’t remarkable gems that try to stand out from others.

“I’ll say it as nicely as possible — I’m not interested in keeping this useless conversation going.” She lets out an exasperated sigh. “After all, I already have you all to myself. Thus I see no need to put up with meaningless topics on which I won’t change my answer. At first, I was fine with her as long as you kept her entertained but it seemed like our little Aventurine had found a new interesting plaything to keep around.”

She pushes the chair back as she stands up, going over to the door where her subordinates suddenly stand. Always following her and her every command like fucking dogs. She leans against the doorframe and continues to keep her gaze on Aventurine.

Aventurine detests the way the words roll off so easily on Jade's tongue. She’s talking about you like some toy that brings him temporary joy only to be thrown away later. Once again his hand finds yours and he holds onto it tightly, as if scared of losing you once again. (He already has.)

“So you did know her! Looking through the IPC’s list my ass! You- So you were the one who coerced her into breaking up with me?” Aventurine’s breath gets caught in his throat.

Jade looks at him through half-lidded eyes as if bored by his question. “Hm? Ah. I wouldn’t exactly say coerce, I just told her some things here and there and told her to take her precious time to think about it. I’ve felt like she was a clever girl so I was sure she wouldn’t worry her pretty little head off too much, but as it seems I’ve miscalculated.”

Jade’s eyes pivot over to where your lifeless body is, her gaze tracing over your limbs as she notices Aventurine’s tight grip on your hand. At that Jade can’t help but let out a small sigh “It’s no use. She’s dead.” Shaking her head so that the feathers ruffle against each other.

“Let’s go home okay? You belong to the IPC, it’s your home. Remember Kakavasha, we picked you up when you had no friends, no family, no one, and nowhere to turn to. You were alone. We gave you a place to belong to and a sense of belonging.”

Jade’s eyes form into crescent moons as she reaches out her index finger, waving it in her direction as if commanding a dog running back to their owner.

At that, Aventurine can’t help but stare at her in disgust.

The faint sound of a church bell chiming in the distance reaches his ears, the hollow sound resembles his body — the empty shell he houses in.

It serves as a cocoon to nuzzle himself in, hiding the ugly thing that is kept safe beneath layers and layers of skin, until it is ready to unfold, as it rises and flaps its wings revealing something novel — someone novel to the beholder's eye.

Truly a magnificent sight for sore eyes that have never seen beauty.

But if you were to pick him apart, ripping wing after wing, stealing each and every part of him, stripping him bare — making him remain naked under your watchful gaze, you’d see he’s still the same. No matter if a change of appearance occurred.

His past haunts him.

Aventurine sees himself in rain puddles, all dirtied with mud and hands soaked in fresh crimson blood, eyes so pure — so innocent, as he tries to rinse off his small trembling fingers with the muddy water.

He sees his family in fields of blooming flowers, ready to unfold in the warm sun only to be extinguished by the rain.

He sees you in the sky. The sunrise that greets him as tendrils of sunshine peek through his curtains and meets his face, the touch tickling him. The sunset that bids him farewell as he gets off work. The moon and the stars that light up his way and guide him through the dark voidless night.

Aventurine sees you in everything that accompanies him through his day.

You were in your shared bedroom petting the critters, eyes lighting up as you spotted him while he was watching you from afar, draping his body against the doorframe and smiling as you treated the pets with loving care. Inviting him over on the bed with a wave of your hand before petting the empty spot next to you.

You visited him at one of his casinos to watch him play, watching him in awe as he won, looking at him through lovestruck eyes as if he hung up all the stars in the night sky.

You were in the living room, peeking over his shoulders as he read a new report, his faint scent lingering in your nose due to the close proximity, a blush creeping onto your face whenever he turned around, his breath tickling your face due to the brief distance between the two of you and being a mere inches away from one another — you were always at Aventurine’s side.

There hasn’t ever been a time when you were not with him.

Except that you aren’t today, because you’re gone — you’re dead.

You’re really gone this time.

Being reminded of that — your death, Aventurine can’t help but tap against the bartop with his fingers, movements uneasy and out of sync as he thinks of what he could’ve done. The restless feeling that swells up in his chest, like water filling up a glass, is swept back — the same feeling he had when he had grabbed your cold hand as you laid still in the hospital bed, hoping that all of this was a foul joke.

He must’ve looked pathetic to the people surrounding him, the hospital staff who looked down at him with pity in their eyes, the IPC workers who forced themselves to not take a peek, and Jade who just idly stood there.

Was his luck ever luck to begin with, if it meant losing you?

Oh, how cruel the world can be, how wretched and vicious.

The sound of the bell is continuously ringing in his ears, it harmonizes with Aventurine’s uneasy tapping against the bartop. There’s a distant but somewhat melancholic expression that fogs his face, it’s almost comical - almost ironic the painful look that clouds Aventurine’s eyes. A shadow is cast upon his vision as he drinks the last remaining droplets of his aged whiskey. The bell keeps ringing in his ears, serving as a signal that dusk has arrived - it’s time to leave.

Aventurine rises to his feet, and the backside of his legs meets the barstool as he pushes it backward. Upon the noise of old wood screeching against the floor tiles, Topaz can’t help but slightly turn her head around to cast a glance at the blond, not enough to properly face him, but more than enough to see the uneasiness and distraught that lingers in his eyes.

“Hm? Already leaving?” She leans back in her chair, legs crossed as she tells her colleagues to pay no mind to her and Aventurine conversing and that they should just continue to chatter. They don’t question her, instead, they nod and then begin to laugh before starting to mindlessly talk shit about some other colleagues again.

God, do they have nothing better to do than to badmouth other people? Sticking their noses in where they don’t belong.

With swift moments Topaz swivels around in the leather cushion of her wooden stool, setting her drink on the counter, followed by her elbow as she props it on the surface before resting her head in her hand.

There’s a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lip — a weak and half-hearted one. “You never change, do you? Always curious to find out what others are up to.” he chuckles quietly. “Well, I’ll have to save your ass if you keep getting into trouble.” she deadpans. “You don’t want to disappoint Ms. Jade, do you?”

In the blink of an eye, Topaz turns around to face Aventurine fully. Her eyebrows are furrowed and in her eyes, there’s a questioning gaze.

Jade.

Hearing her name being said in such a nice way, almost like it’s a sacred name to be worshiped, Aventurine couldn’t help but bite the insides of his mouth in frustration, teeth gnawing at his lips, on the verge of spilling blood.

He lets out a shaky exhale, that woman. The charismatic, enticing, and ever so fucking cunning Jade. As it seems Topaz still looks up to her, admiration going far beyond than just a junior worshiping her senior.

But he supposes he can’t blame her, the woman has saved Topaz in more than one way, simply because Jade has always had a way with her words, wrapping people about her little finger with mere words - truly a silver-tongued woman.

Her persuasion methods can be pressuring. Coercing people and making them give in by finding a fitting compromise that is beneficial to both parties.

Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that she's a bitch - a despicable one at that.

Her words are glazed in honey, saccharine, and almost too sweet to be true, but her eyes deceive her — they’re full of greed. By telling you something along the lines of that you don’t belong together with Aventurine because of your statuses; the two of you are worlds apart, you can’t be in a relationship because the two of you aren’t compatible and that you should break up with him for his and your sake, can’t be together due to your different natures, is probably what she did to lure and coax you in.

As much as he hates to admit it, Jade is right. You’re everything that Aventurine isn’t.

Being kind-hearted and soft-spoken lies in your nature. You’re as gentle as the summer breeze that passes by him, the one that makes him think that maybe things won’t forever be so bad.

Unlike Aventurine you’re carefree and selfless (perhaps sometimes a bit too much for your own good), always opting to help other people before helping yourself — looking out for them. Hence why you gave in to Jade, thinking that it’d be better for him if you weren’t around.

He wants someone to take the blame, someone is at fault for this predicament. It only led to this mess because you decided to break up with him — you take the blame because of that. But he knows that’s far from the truth because then again Jade urged you to do so. So she’s at fault..right?

It’s Jade’s fault.

That’s what he tries to think, he tries to convince himself of that, that Jade is the one to take fault for your death, without her you’d still be here — here with him, comfortably nuzzled in the crook of his neck, preserved like a million dollar gem within a display, caged by his arms to shield you from any harm. But Aventurine knows that that’s a lie.

He is the one that causes you harm.

Neither is it yours or Jade’s fault — it’s solely his fault — his burden to carry.

“You belong to the IPC, it’s your home. Remember Kakavasha, we picked you up when you had no friends, no family, no one, and nowhere to turn to. You were alone. We gave you a place to belong to and a sense of belonging.”

Her words echo in his mind, playing over and over like a broken record player that still has to deliver its last messages.

Jade doesn’t make deals that don’t pay off for her, she doesn’t indulge in a wager in which the other party has nothing valuable to offer. He knows that. After all, he was once in the same position, stuck in the same pair of shoes as his knees were all wobbly underneath her intent watch, feeling like a lowly insect with no worth to its name.

That’s why she didn’t save you. You had no worth to her, you’ve had nothing in possession that Jade deemed as valuable — you were worthless to Jade. No shiny price tag attached to your neck like a dog's collar which already has their owner's name engraved on it and thus can no longer be taught any discipline.

Upon that realization Aventurine can only seethe his teeth in anger, the tip of his tongue gets welcomed by a metal-like taste, enveloping the front part of his tongue as a whole. The bitter taste of iron seeping into the corners of his mouth is none other than blood, an all too familiar taste, sight, smell — and feeling.

No matter how many times he attempts to clean his dirty hands, carefully rinsing and washing the bloodstained hands until they’re clean to him, in his eyes the essence remains — it’ll always be there, and he’ll always be the one who’ll be at fault for the bloodbath.

Pale skin which is blemished and tarnished with a vermillion red colour is no new sight for him. It greeted him for the first time when he was a just child, eyes widening in shock as he saw a massacre happening right in front of him, blood shedding in all directions.

The second time was when Kakavasha stood in front of his former master's corpse, freshly killed and still warm to touch as one would approach him. Kakavasha was sure he’d die of blood loss in a few hours if not minutes.

At least he hoped so because Kakavasha still couldn’t comprehend that he had killed someone — he was scared to acknowledge the fact that there was a death on his hands thus carrying the title of “murderer” like a sticker glued onto a container of pills — once it’s there, it’ll never be ripped off so people are aware of its risks and what they’re getting in touch with.

Kakavasha couldn’t believe that he was no better than the people who had killed the people he adored the most. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to be put into the same category as them.

Aventurine had already offered everything he had in possession when he entered the IPC, back then he had nothing but his body, his mind — himself to offer. Today he has you — he had you.

Now they even ripped you away from him. Anything he’ll never want to lose will eventually be lost, no matter how much and how many times he tries, it’ll always slip out of his grasp.

The IPC took everything that was priceless to him, it started with his childhood self and ended with his adult self. The adult self that you made complete, you were a part of his adolescence - you made him feel like he had a place to belong to. (Not the IPC.)

Now it’s gone, you’re gone, everything is gone.

He knew that it was too good to be true — you were too good to be true. Like an item one wouldn’t even dare to get because of the absurd amount of zeros at the end, nevertheless, one’s parents scraped their money together and worked hard to gift them this precious item.

(Who is he even kidding? His parents weren’t even there on his birthday and to consider the loss of his sister a gift is bullshit.)

“We never did get along, did we?” Aventurine speaks up, murmuring more to himself than to Topaz. There’s an unfocused look that fills his eyes as he sways his gaze over to meet Topaz’s eyes. Her pupils were as wide as back then, glowing with excitement as she introduced herself to him with a childlike giggle. Some people never change.

He smiles as he reminisces about the times when he and Topaz were young children who suffered and could bond over their past. Now they’re two adults who await a different future.

His future that’ll end today.

Topaz raises her eyebrow. “Aventurine, I’m kind of getting worried over here. Did the alcohol get to your head? What’s up with you? Should I call her?”

Right. Topaz doesn’t know you’re dead — have been for the past two weeks. Only the Gods know how many secrets Jade has kept from Topaz and how many are still yet to be revealed. (If she ever even decides to do so.)

He chooses to stay silent, ignoring her question as a quiet puny laugh escapes his throat, it’s meek but it’s the only thing that Aventurine can utter at this moment. “But I do have to admit that there were moments when I felt at ease with you; moments in which I felt like I had a sister again. “

“Goodbye Jelena.”

He gives her a small but fond smile — this time a genuine one, before turning around, raising his right hand into the air, and bidding his goodbye as he steps towards the exit. She makes no move to follow him which Aventurine is thankful for.

“Hey! Wait!” Topaz’s shouts get drowned out by the other customers. “At least tell me where you’re going, you bastard. So I don't have to worry my ass off.” This time she yells a bit louder, making Aventurine halt for a mere second before leaving once and for all.

He tilts his head around and Topaz isn’t sure if that’s acceptance or wistfulness that gleams in Aventurine’s eyes. Topaz can only watch attentively as lament clouds over Aventurine’s vivid irises, making them look almost unrecognizably lifeless. He opens and closes his mouth as if not knowing what to answer and gathering the right words to say.

His words are no louder than a whisper as he utters them, almost not reaching her ears.

“I’m meeting someone.”

The sun dives beneath the orange clouds, disappearing behind the horizon. Aventurine always wondered why you preferred the sunset over the sunrise — he simply never understood it.

The sunrise signifies a new day; a new start to begin all over.

The sunset on the other hand meant a day coming to an end; not having had enough time to fulfill what you would’ve liked to do before time ran out.

He hopes that if the two of you were ever able to meet again, you’ll tell him.

Yellow and orange hues paint the sky in vivid warm colours, the sun slowly proceeds to dip beneath the midst of the cirrus clouds as if challenging him to take a step forward until he can’t feel the floor beneath his feet.

He stands at the edge of the building, toes already hanging over the edge of the roof. With closed eyes he lifts his face into the air, relishing in the cool wind that hits his face.

The chilly wind ripples through his blond locks with force and Aventurine swears that amidst the wind he feels your warm touch once more, a soft hand caressing his cheek and brushing the strands of unruly hair that fly away, behind his ears.

It’s as if you’ve come to him one last time to accompany him to his death. Or perhaps you’re mocking him and his mind is playing tricks on him again which shouldn’t surprise him. Everyone in his past finds him again.

Though Aventurine wishes it to be the former.

Once again the wind touches his skin, this time a soft breeze brushing over his lips. The touch is cold and short, almost ghostly. Aventurine likes to think that it’s you, he likes to think that you’ve come to grant him one last kiss.

Still with his eyes closed Aventurine voices an apology — he hopes the winds will carry it to you.

“Forgive me, that I wasn’t there to save you. I wish things would've turned out differently, I wish we could’ve had the time to watch the sunset once more.”

Those are the last words he utters before opening his shut eyes again. The sun has almost disappeared and Aventurine takes one more — one last moment to admire the sunset again, this time alone, without you.

Please be there when I search for you. It’s a desperate wish but what else can he do? Luck wasn’t on his side.

He strides forward, taking a step closer to the edge of the roof; to you. The wind rips the air out of his lungs just like you always did, never failing to leave him stunned and breathless. His eyelids feel heavy and he has the desire to close them again but he wants to see you as you embrace him with open arms.

The wind whistles and howls in his ears, creating some sort of unbearable white noise but Aventurine can’t help but smile, it’s weak but it’s sincere. This is the first time he’s felt at ease since your death.

This is what it must feel like to be free.

Aventurine likes to believe, perhaps a bit naïvely, that there might be a universe out there where the two of you can live happily together and maybe if his luck doesn’t run out he hopes that you’ll be able to meet his family.

That you’ll be able to spend time with them as you prepare something in the kitchen with him and his mother. He hopes his family has embarrassing childhood photos of him plastered along the walls in the halls, so as you pass them you can’t help but giggle and take a picture. He hopes that you’ll be able to bond and connect with his sister over the stupidest stuff.

But most importantly, he hopes that he’ll get to be with you and this time he’ll treat you right.

I’ll make it up to you.

I promise.

END NOTE: were you able to tell that I was only really enjoying writing the second last scene LOL cause admittedly i found the other scenes kind of corny.. like corny how i wrote them but yeah....

361 notes · View notes